A Letter to the North American Church

Thoughts like these run through my mind on a regular basis.  What's it all about?  Are we living like Christ?

This article from Ann Voskamp is beautifully written and speaks to my thoughts as well.

http://www.aholyexperience.com/2013/06/a-letter-to-the-north-american-church-because-it-is-time/

Absolutely....

This feels so fresh and new, a revolutionary way of thinking and yet, the whole point is....this is Jesus.  This is the man we follow.  He is grace and mercy.  Thank you Lord for making a way for all of us.  I hope you find the way he's made for you.

http://jenhatmaker.com/blog/2013/03/18/and-then-the-conference-uninvited-me-to-speak

"Jesus remained politically neutral, unswervingly, despite the teeny tiny fact that the Savior was expected to engineer freedom through political upheaval. He never once pandered to the powerful and prominent. He was called a drunkard and a fool for the company He kept. Jesus committed His kingdom to the most unlikely: the sick, children, women, the poor, the marginalized. Everyone else? Blind, deaf, according to Jesus.

So if it wasn’t Jesus making enemies out of the adopted, it had to be the structure in which we contained Him."

Giving Thanks

I loved this blog post from A Holy Experience.

She says "giving thanks isn’t a pollyanna game — but a powerhouse game-changer:"

Giving thanks, it's not just something nice to do, it is a total game changer.  I'd like to be changed by that kind of game.

I'm going to give it a try.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Because these people are blessings!  

Orphan Sunday

Learn more @ www.orphansunday.org

Ethiopia

After adopting their daughter from Ethiopia, our dear friends knew that God wanted them to do more. Their hearts had been left in Ethiopia and now on June 13th they are moving there as a family of five to work with No Ordinary Love Ministries and Fashionable to help create sustainable living situations. 

They have bought one way tickets.  They are going.  We are sad to see them go because they are our good friends, but excited and challenged by their ability to faithfully step out and serve God.

You can find out more information at www.steadfastlove.org.

Video: One Way Ticket

Haiti

After a heart wrenching good-bye to Little Miss (the boys were completely fine, "bye mom and dad, see you later, do you think we'll get spoiled by grandma and grandpa...."), Little Miss bawled her little eyes out and I had a very hard time leaving and talking.  Luckily we were surrounded by an amazing group of people who were constantly checking on this heart broken momma.

Our airplane ride from Florida to Haiti, gorgeous!  We saw an entire school (is that right?) of sharks too.

 Our chariot awaits.  Rusty jumps on top of the truck to help load everyone suitcases.

 Our team, I think the final count was 27.

 Load in people, this is Haiti.

This is acutally a really nice ride.  I took another hour long ride in the back of a Toyota pick-up truck, up a one lane mountain road, standing up with a roll bar to protect us.  Thank you Lord for protecting us all. 

 The girls dorm room.

 The view from our balcony, 15 ft. tall walls with barbed wire and a tower for the armed guard.

The streets of  Port-Au Prince.

 Lots of roosters. 

On Saturday after breakfast we were given a tour of all of Child Hope's facilities.  This was specifically our walk to The Transition House.

 The Transition House gives an opportunity to kids who have aged out of the orphanage at age 18 and teaches them to create things for "Lighthouse Designs" .

 Silk screening t-shirts.

 Learning how to use a loom.  Mom came to Susette that morning and asked her to take her baby. Susette (started Child Hope) stopped her and said, would you keep him if you had a job?  The woman said yes, and Susette asked her to come back and learn to use the loom.  This woman and her adorable little boy came back every morning!

Towards the beginning of the trip I journaled a bit....
Friday was the end of our travel including an unexpected delay in Miami that ended up being a blessing because we were all able to get out of the airplane and stretch for a longer amount of time.
Flying over the Atlantic from Miami to Haiti was beautiful. The sea was crystal clear and we saw sailboats as well as schools of hammerhead sharks! We landed at port au prince airport to a fairly rundown but still well functioning airport. It was hot but not brutal. The weather has stayed fairly consistent, probably around the mid eighties with a merciful breeze. We've had thunder and lightning rainstorms every night around 10pm.

At the airport we were picked up in a big open backed truck and taken on a VERY bumpy ride from the airport to the Child Hope guesthouse. We unloaded all out luggage, which was quite a feat with 35 bags, and went upstairs to claim a bunk bed. The rest of the evening was dinner (hot dogs), and a devotional time and bed.
Saturday morning we woke up for breakfast (eggs and bacon) and started off on a large tour of all the Child hope facilities. First the transition house, then the school, girls
home and boys home. We then went back to the guesthouse for lunch and rest. After that we went back to the boys house and played with all of the kids at "the Benz" an outdoor play area. The kids were timid at first and then quickly warm up. The kids are mostly older 8-16 kind of age and they are really rough. Wrestling in our household has nothing on these kids. I found a nice quiet spot and let the boys play games on my phone while Rusty sweated it up playing volleyball, and basketball. And these kids are seriously athletic!

After the earthquake most schools had been destroyed, rather than wait in Haitian time for them to be fixed and started up again, Child Hope started there own for Pre-K through 6th grade.  They teach the children in French in order to encourage them in their own national language. 

This is the home directly next door to the girls home.  Two years ago that house crumbled but the Lord completely protected everyone at the girls home.

I tried to journal a bit, this is what I wrote on Sunday and Monday.
Sunday morning started with a breakfast of cereal and a visit to port au prince fellowship. I was amazed to see that the church is so big they are moving to two services and it really looked and felt a lot like the churches we attend. I was also practically shocked that they are a missionary church. Their goal is to support missionaries on every continent. Very intriguing.
We spent the rest of the day at the Manaserros having lunch and getting to talk quite a lot with Suzette. Their story is truly amazing.
Sunday is a day of rest for the Child Hope staff so it was all very mellow. Rusty went and played at the boys home and I rested and read and got to have some good conversations with people in our group.
Monday has been another overwhelming day. I spent the morning scrubbing the floor of the guesthouse, lunch, a wonderful talk with Joy, touch up painting the walls in the guesthouse and the feeding program for 130 street children. It was amazing! Efficient, productive, sad.
After that a small group of us got to go and walk through and pray for people in the tent city. There is so much there, a crippled man, a woman and her 4 month old baby, a woman and her eight children all living in tents. The rainstorms we have had every night devastate the tent city. Their floors fill with muddy water, spiders, cockroaches, and biting ants.
I am exhausted and my body aches, but I am so glad we are here.

This is "The Benz", located at the boys home, where everyone comes to play basketball, soccer, volleyball, fly kites and it also became the location of a triage unit after the earthquake.

The boys loved that I already had "boy games" on my phone for them to play.  The boy on the left stole my heart, he is 11 and intelligent, fun and a great kid to be around.

One night we were encouraged to climb on top of the roof of the guesthouse to take in the cooler air and the view.  Although I'm afraid of heights, I'm so glad I did.  The thing I was most struck by as I looked out past our protected gates, across the tent city and all the way out to the ocean was that there is joy in Haiti.  In the weeks leading up to easter, it is Haitian tradition to fly kites.  All children collect trash, unravel rice bags for string and make their own kites to fly high over their homes in celebration.  It was a beautiful site to see.

On Thursday we took an hour long drive up the mountain (standing up in the back of a Toyota truck).  This was a portion of the sights along the way.  There is still such devastation, but I continually felt 1. That we don't need to impose our American ideals on them, but we come purely to serve 2. As much as there is still a stronghold of Voodoo and Witchcraft the Haitian people are amazing.  They are strong, resilient and exceptionally hard working.

This is a property that may help a vision come to fruition, the idea is to have Haitian house parents that raise smaller groups of children in little cottages, in sort of a village feel, all on this property.  They would also farm the land and have a little medial clinic. 

These boys live on the property, they wanted to pose for a picture and then decided they were too manly to smile (with their lollipops... :) ).

Our friend from church (far left) moved to Haiti full time, six weeks ago to serve, it was a joy to see her and to meet her friend that serves as house mom to the boys home.  The entire staff of Child Hope (Haitian and American) are such amazing people, blessed and filled with energy on a daily basis by the Lord. 

This trip was something that we would recommend to anyone and everyone. I am certain we will return to Haiti (hopefully once a year, God willing).  There is something so amazing about waking up every morning and knowing that no matter what you were going to serve the Lord 100%.  The Lord calls us to serve wherever we are, in our own communities, for sure; however, we are also called to "GO".  There is something special in the change of perspective you receive when you are away from the comforts of home.  We met so many wonderful people and it was pure joy to serve beside them.  I am so thankful for all the support we received throughout this journey.

This is how I spent Saturday afternoon after arriving back home.  (After celebrating my darling brother's birthday!).  The L Man and I had a blissful afternoon nap. 

Next up, Ethiopia.  :)

In the meantime



Photo Credit

 We have days when we are so filled with excitement and passion for what God is calling us to do.  God is growing us, working through us, loving us and showing us his grace all the time.  We are thrilled to be going to Haiti....filled with lots of new ideas, ways to spend our days daydreaming about the wonderful things God MIGHT be calling us to, but what happens in the meantime?

What happens when we don't leave for Haiti until March, what happens when my daily devotional time isn't awe inspiring, it's short and filled with Little Miss A waking up early so that I find myself saying, " don't touch that, hold on honey", and finally just giving up after reading one short verse??

I am particularly inpatient, I hardly ever stop and enjoy the journey.  I know that this is a problem.  I was just like my oldest, as soon as Christmas is over, I was counting down the days until the next big event.  Not because I wanted more gifts, but because I loved the variety, the search for excitement, the feeling that something special was going to happen. 

So, my question is, how do you find the "special" everyday?  How do you pause and enjoy the little moments?
Look to the word.  The bible and God's gracious voice will always lead us and never forsake us. 

”A man’s heart plans his way, but the Lord directs his steps.” (Proverbs 16:9)

The Lord directs his steps, steps, as in the little movements.  We may see God's great big grandiose plans for our lives but miss the little steps that he is directing.  I want to see the little steps.

"For he satisfies the longing soul, and the hungry soul he fills with good things." (Psalm 107:9)

Lord, please help me to see the good things that you fill me with everyday.  Thank you Lord for filling my life with wonderfully special moments.  Thank you for guiding my steps, and satisfying my longing soul.  Thank you for being there at all times, through all circumstances.  Thank you for helping me to live fully in the meantime.