Leaving Soon....

Not sure what to say, except this trip wasn't on my radar. I've never really wanted to go on a mission trip to Central America...my love for Africa runs deep and it's the only place I've wanted to go.

God works in mysterious ways. He pricked my heart immediately when I first heard about this trip. I wrestled with the Lord for a little while, but then decided that I should at least pray about it. God confirmed the trip in several ways including a pineapple from the grocery store that was a product of Costa Rica. I really haven't lost my mind...but if the Lord speaks through a donkey, why not a pineapple? (The pineapple didn't talk...just an fyi)

So, we're heading to two orphanages in a poor city. These orphanages have never had a mission team come. What a huge opportunity and responsibility to be the first team to visit these two places! We are excited to do what God has called us to do.


And God has blessed me with three sweet friends from church that are along for the journey. This is a first time mission trip for each of them and I am as proud as a mama bear that they are taking this huge step! We are travelling with 6 others from the Nashville area and we'll be playing sports, doing crafts and of course telling about the love of Jesus! On Friday evening, we'll be working alongside a surfing and skate ministry which is just funny if you know me at all. My prayer is that I'll obey immediately every time in Costa Rica...even if it means getting on a surfboard or skateboard.



Pray for us...that God would do great things and that this nation would rise up and serve Him!

....let the little children come to Me.

Just because...

I really don't know what's going on in this picture, but this is the same look we get when she's in trouble. Shock!

No Greater Love

Our children give us a lot of blog material...although I must say that if they had a blog, we probably give them plenty of material as well. I'm sure they would be quick to share how unperfect we really are. But if you've ever had them in Sunday School or been around our family for any extended period of time, you already know that!

I've talked a little about visiting the landfill in Ethiopia. It was a place that words can't even describe. The garbage everywhere, the fires burning, the ash blowing through the air, the smell, oh the smell, really the stench. I prayed that I wouldn't vomit, just because I didn't want to offend the sweet children that call this place home. I just kept thinking over and over that no one should ever have to live this way or in this horrible place. Once again, God had taken me to a place where I realized that without Him, there is absolutely no hope. But this is why I am going back to this very place at the end of March. Because I do believe that with God, there is always hope. Sometimes God uses us to bring that hope both in physical and spiritual ways.

Sweet Matthew has a heart for missions. Matthew's going to be the guy that is willing to throw it all on the line immediately. His wholehearted devotion is something to be admired.

He came to my mom and me a few weeks ago with tears in his eyes and said, "I wish I could go live in the dump. I would live in the dump so that those kids wouldn't have to."

I quickly tried to process all of this, because I hadn't talked to him about Africa in days and this was out of the blue. I said, "Well Matthew, that is why mommy is going in March. We're going to try to help those kids."

He said, "I'd go right now. I'd live there so that they don't have to."

And that my friend is faith and love that I believe can move mountains. Because if that could really happen, I have no doubt that Matthew would live there just so they didn't have to.

Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends. John 15:13

Matthew's Campaign Speech

Today I found a piece of paper on the table. It had two items on it. They said

No more smooking
Tax 100 hundrid dollers every year

Although Matthew won't win any awards for spelling, he might be able to win a campaign on those two platforms. The government might go bankrupt on $100 a year, but I think that's already happening with a whole lot more than that.

I guess he's heard his parents talking about taxes or Fox News plays entirely too much in our house!

Bubble Gum and Peanut Butter

Elizabeth has a fascination with bubble gum. She gives it to kids without asking parents...so sorry Sumer -- whose child had bubble gum for the very first time thanks to sweet Elizabeth.

Elizabeth decided to stand right in front of Derek's brand new tv and practice blowing bubbles with bubble gum. Unfortunately the bubble gum didn't stay in her mouth, but instead landed right in the middle of the new tv screen. And of course it wouldn't make sense to tell your parents, rather just get a paper towel and smear it so that the entire middle of the screen from top to bottom is a sticky mess. And even then, don't tell your parents...just wait until they find it themselves.

So Derek found it and it took a lot of self control to keep from yelling at Elizabeth, but he didn't (He's so patient and self-controlled, it's really quite amazing). He was frustrated though and said, "the tv is ruined". Believing that all answers exist on google, I told him to look up laptop screens and tv screens along with the word bubble gum. Surely, someone else has had this same experience.

Not so much....but we did find one site that said to try a combination of rubbing alcohol and water. That didn't do much. And so, we got out the peanut butter. And believe it or not, it worked. We used some peanut butter and a t-shirt and patiently worked and got the gum off the screen. We didn't know what the pb would do to the screen and it appeared a bit oily at first, but we wiped it down several times and hoped that the tv would work and not have a big oil stain in the middle.

And it worked...so just in case you ever end up with bubble gum on your tv screen, you'll know just what to do!

Why HIV?

I haven't blogged a lot about Ethiopia. I had every intention to do so last week, but I was fasting and praying and studying God's Word a lot last week. I was asking Him to give me confirmation about a decision and I felt like I was getting nothing...or actually, I got something but I got conflicting somethings. I prayed one thing and it happened and then I prayed the second thing and it happened and that left me with conflicting answers. And from that point on, I got nothing. What does nothing mean? Do you step out in faith or do you wait? I think I could prove biblically that both can be right. I feel like I've been wrestling with the Lord over this and honestly, I'm weary. I just wanted an answer.

I was frustrated. On top of that, I haven't felt well. Not sure what's going on, but I've had a fever on and off for a week, some shortness of breath (maybe a need for a visit to the treadmill) and some aches and pains. (I'm heading to the doctor tomorrow if I'm not 100 percent tomorrow morning).

So last night while I'm in the bed with 102 fever...Derek and I are faced with a decision. It had to be made by this afternoon. We made our decision and Derek fell asleep. I couldn't sleep. I was still wrestling over the decision because I wanted something, some kind of confirmation from the Lord. I'm fine stepping out on faith, but I didn't want to run ahead of God.

I prayed and tossed and turned and my fever finally broke...I hope for the last time. This morning I still didn't have peace and that continued to be a source of frustration for me. I didn't know if that meant we had made the wrong decision or if there was some spiritual warfare involved.

I am leading a Bible study on Monday evenings on the Israelites journey through the wilderness and to the Promised Land. Right now, they're still in the wilderness. I decided to work on today's study. It talked about how Israel obediently waited and rested before the mountain of God (Mt. Sinai). The Promised Land was coming but they camped out at Mt. Sinai because here God developed some intimacy and fellowship with them.

Here's where I finally got my answer...we're on page 88 and it says, look back at page 38. What are your why questions about difficult circumstances? I hadn't written anything personal...two things, Why HIV and Why Haiti? When the earthquake happened in Haiti, I wanted to get on a plane and go down there and love on some orphans. Of all places to be devastated by a catastrophic earthquake, why Haiti? God took the desire away for me to go to Haiti.

He answered that prayer already. God and I have already had some heart to hearts about Haiti and honestly I know that God always knows what's best and that He work anything out for His good and to bring Him glory.

Why HIV? This gnaws at me especially in the lives of children and most specifically in the lives of orphans. I told Derek awhile ago that I felt my missions call was to orphans and possibly HIV care/awareness or something along those lines. Why...I don't know. It's a tug on my heart that won't go away. I don't know what this looks like in my life or for my family. Derek may not have that same tug, but I can't ignore it for this season of my life.

In the beginning of March, I'm going to Costa Rica for a week to an orphanage where they rarely receive visitors and at the end of March I'm going to Africa for a week. I'm going back to the HIV orphanage and I'm going to Korah...to a people that Ethiopia has labeled outcasts and cursed people, but to a people that I claim Redemption and Hope in the name of Jesus. It was started as a leper colony and now has many problems including many cases of HIV. Many of the children of Korah live and get their food from a landfill (I'll write more about this later).



When I read those two questions (why hiv and why haiti), God impressed on me my answer. Go sweet child...it's the desire of your heart and I haven't removed it, so you have my blessing. Don't go to Haiti because I removed that desire.

I'm excited and I'm at peace. Sometimes I think I'm crazy for taking such radical steps all in a month, but Christ called His followers to do some radical things. I do believe that one life can make a difference otherwise I wouldn't be willing to leave my precious children and husband for two weeks in one month. (Just a side note, the decision last night was yes as well, but I just needed some final confirmation).

I'm thankful for my wrestling time with the Lord. I've prayed more during the last two weeks and I just wouldn't give up until I had confirmation one way or the other. And God, well He's just sweet and precious and He held out until the last minute. May He be glorified and may the people of Costa Rica and Korah call out for salvation to the one and only true God, Jesus Christ!

What A Day That Will Be

This song has been rolling around in my head since my trip to Africa. You can read Big Nanny's post and you'll understand why. We sang it often in Africa. I haven't played the piano in months, but I've been sitting there picking it out on the keys recently because I can't find my hymnals (did somebody borrow them?).

You can get so overwhelmed by the needs and the poverty and the hopeless and desperate situations. But our sweet Savior is enough. And what a day that will be when they'll be no more sorrow, no more pain and no more tears. To me there is no better song for an HIV Orphanage.

Somebody needs to make sure that this song gets sung at my funeral, because it will always represent the love of my heart....Africa. And Jesse Lee if you're willing, you can come sing it!!

There is coming a day when no heartaches shall come
No more clouds in the sky, no more tears to dim the eye.
All is peace forevermore on that happy golden shore,
What a day, glorious day that will be.

Chorus
What a day that will be when my Jesus I shall see,
And I look upon His face,
The One who saved me by His grace;
When He takes me by the hand
And leads me through the Promised Land,
What a day, glorious day that will be.

There'll be no sorrow there, no more burdens to bear,
No more sickness, no pain, no more parting over there;
And forever I will be with the One who died for me,
What a day, glorious day that will be.

Chorus

Providence

We arrived at the HIV orphanage in Ethiopia. It is a Catholic orphanage of about 400children who are infected with HIV...some of them having full blown AIDS. They are the outcasts of Africa. There is such a stigma with HIV that the very parents who probably gave the children HIV are the ones that drop them off at the orphanage, not wanting to care for them or deal with the stigma. It is a hopeless place in many ways.

It seemed that we weren't needed at the orphanage. We wondered if they even knew we were coming. They were kind of scrambling trying to find someone to walk us around and give us a tour. We weren't there for a tour, but we took one anyone. We went to one room and there were about 100 children in that room and they sang to us. It was so very sweet, but my heart was broken...smashed into a hundred pieces. I turned my back and looked out a window and just wept. I questioned God, "Why are these children having to endure this? This just isn't fair." In my simple human mind, it seems that God is requiring too much of them. Why do the sins of the father get passed to innocent children? God didn't really give me a huge revelation, just that I needed to trust Him and that He saw the pain. These children will probably meet a precious Savior sooner rather than later and then they'll be singing and dancing on streets of gold. God will wipe away every tear and there will no longer be sorrow or sickness.

Here are some of them waiting outside the orphanage gate


We played with the kids for awhile and then the nuns asked if some of our men could help. When we had pulled up to the orphanage we noticed a long line of people waiting outside the orphanage. We asked about it and it was Christmas Eve in Ethiopia so they were giving families in the community rice, barley and flour. Many of these women had young children and the bags of food were incredibly heavy. So the men and a few strong women helped carry the bags up a very steep hill. Once to the gate, they had to turn over the heavy bags to these women. They told us that some of these women had an hour walk home with this food. One of the guys said that as he would place the bag on the women's back, they would groan in pain because of the weight of the bag. But these women were willing to endure this pain, because of their love for their family.

Our guys made 12-15 trips up that steep hill and they were dripping in sweat by the time they were done. I was so proud of our team and their willingness to do whatever was necessary. This wasn't on the agenda for the day, but God had other plans. We felt like we weren't needed, but God knew what the day would hold. One of the team members asked one of the nuns, "What would you have done if we hadn't been here?" She said, "I don't know, but it was Providence."

I love that once again God showed me that His ways aren't My ways and that I just need to trust Him.

This is a picture of them outside the gate with the big bags of food.