The A-Team

After several trips, you just never know what kind of team you're going to get. Two team members had to cancel almost a week out from our departure date because of health reasons. And then we had two people join the trip less than a week out from departure. Those factors alone could've made for a disastrous trip. And Derek and I both knew it. One of the team members we added, we didn't even know at all. There was risk involved, but we prayed and hoped we made the right decision. And then we told everyone to be flexible. Derek and I planned to room together, but we had a plan in place in case any of the men or women proved to be troublesome...we would split up and room girls and guys and play peacemaker if necessary.

But we were pleasantly surprised. We hoped for the best, but had planned for the worst. God blessed us with an incredible team of people. I fell in love with everyone of them...some I knew well, some I didn't know at all.

We are the A-Team (August team)

Joel -- oh my goodness, Joel had me laughing before we got on the first plane from Nashville. And Joel and I both have an aversion to mornings...so when my dad and Derek (both morning people) were chatting, chatting, chatting on the way to the airport way too early in the morning, I think Joel and I both wanted to jump out of the van. When you're on a mission trip, you quickly learn who's the night owl and who's the early and happy riser. Joel and I are not the happy risers! Seriously though, Joel did an awesome job of leading worship for us during devotion time and he made us laugh all throughout the day and at night...sometimes until 3 in the morning.

Shan -- Wow. I didn't know Shan well before I traveled and let me just tell you, he is unwavering which is something to be admired. He was steady the entire week. Solid. Unshakeable. I enjoyed getting to know him and I appreciate his pharmaceutical knowledge and that he kept us all as healthy as possible. And he was a life saver with the cough drops on the last day because I had an extremely sore throat. I hope you're coming with Jonathan and me in March...you would be an asset to any team.

Dave -- he was one of our last minute additions. I didn't know him well, but I did know that he had a solid family. Here's the thing about Dave...he has a joke for everything. He will not disappoint as he can turn any conversation towards a joke. But on the other hand, he can offer some of the best advice on parenting that you could ever ask for. And the guy is incredibly smart. Those two things....good parenting and intelligence definitely qualify you to write a parenting book...and I would be the first one to buy a copy.

Travis -- I didn't really know Travis either. I love his mom, but didn't know much about him. I thought he'd be a good bodyguard but then his dad informed me that he's just a big teddy bear. And honestly watching 10 sponsored girls love on him...his dad told the truth. And Travis has a great laugh and he can sport an Ethiopian hat and look cool doing it.

Carrie W. -- I love Carrie's heart. She loves with every ounce of her being. She has a heart for lepers like no one else. Being able to watch that firsthand was a privilege for me. She pushed herself through all kinds of health issues and pain because of her love for Ethiopia. Incredible.

Sterling -- he was the wild card. Nobody knew him and we were hoping he wasn't crazy. God blessed. The team wouldn't have been the same without Sterling. He added an incredible dynamic to the team...he is honest and transparent and is willing to ask the tough questions. He is funny and thoughtful and caring and his mission trip experiences have only just begun. And he is the mafia!

Carrie C. -- I love Carrie. She's funny and sweet and a good friend. We went to Costa Rica together and she's just tough. She's a vet, but I trust her medical knowledge above just about anyone's. I seriously would've let Shan and Carrie do surgery on me if I needed it while in Ethiopia. :-)

Kim --it's always fun to go with someone on a first time trip. It has the potential to get messy, especially a trip to Africa, but Kim did great. Kim gives everything 100% even when she doesn't feel well. She loved with complete abandon and is an awesome English teacher. I am so thankful my sweet friend went with us.

Matt -- Matt is the mafia as well (Matt's responsible for introducing the game to the team!). Sterling and Matt...guilty for sure! Matt is funny and Matt and Joel are funny together. Matt is an awesome artist when you're teaching English to six, seven and eight year olds. Above anything else I could say, he's a good friend. Just watching Corey and Matt together was great. A true friend sticks closer than a brother and I got to witness that first hand and it encouraged me to make sure that I'm a good friend to those God has placed in my path.

Derek -- well, I just love him and I love him more after watching him with our sponsored boy, Yasen. And watching him balance a team and an emotional wife at the same time and do it all well. Derek is steady eddie and he just like Shan is unwavering. Honestly, he's exactly what I need...both in the US and in Africa.

And that's our team and I love each one of them. God takes the work of the ministry and knits hearts together while believers are "doing the work". Each team member impacted me in a different way and I am incredibly blessed to have been a part of the A-Team.

Is the Cost Too Great?

Just being honest in this post....Derek reminded me tonight that I'm more truth than grace (see John 1:14...Jesus was full of both)

Sometimes I do look around and think to myself and maybe even say to God, "Really, that just seems like you're asking too much?"

For example,
When parents are faced with losing a very young child...the cost is great.
When a close friend has the second miscarriage in a row...the cost is great.
When our pastor and his wife have to walk an incredibly difficult road...the cost is great.
When a couple that desperately wants just one baby cannot get pregnant...the cost is great.
When a friend has been without a job for a very, very long time...the cost is great.
When you to choose to follow God and everything seems to be going wrong...the cost is great.
When young children lose a parent or both parents...the cost is great.

Sometimes I just think, it's too much. Why do they have to endure such heartache and pain? Sometimes it's God, sometime's it's the enemy sifting a family like wheat...but God allows it. He promises that we will never endure a trial without the way of escape. He promises that He is faithful even when we are faithless. And I believe that He never wastes a hurt.

Aiden's story....I met Aiden while in Africa. She's probably 19 years old and she stole my heart when she shared her story. She's all alone. She lost her mother when she was 7 or so. Then she lost her father when she was 9 or so. She lived with her grandparents, but now they're gone as well. She has no one...literally no one. But we sat on her bed and she said, "I know that God has a plan and that there's a reason that He's left me all alone."

Honestly, I'm rarely at a loss for words, but I didn't know what to say. My mind said, "Yes, there's a reason and a purpose". My heart screamed, "God this is too much to demand of a person." She has no one...no family or at least no family that's willing to help her. So instead she stays at the shelter thanks to Project 61 and Great Hope Church. And I am forever changed because of a young women that despite her circumstances is trusting God and believing that God has a plan. I don't know that I'd have the same response or the same faith or even be able to pull myself out of the bed in the morning having endured such heartache. I'm praying big things over her life. I am trusting that God has a great big plan that brings Himself incredible glory! I hope I get to see it all unfold. If not, I'll ask someone in heaven to find Aiden so I can hear the rest of the story. Because I know and believe that God really does have a plan for why He's left her all alone.

Lord, please take what Satan meant for evil and turn it into something good and beautiful that brings You glory!

Love Is Messy

I was trying to go to sleep last night and my mind kept drifting back to Africa. I've been in a pit/funk/mood...whatever you want to call it since I've been home (poor Derek and the kids...they just might disown me or send me to a hotel!) It is completely normal to have this "post mission trip depression", but this time it seemed much worse, because I left a dear friend in Ethiopia. And honestly, each time I go, another little part of my heart stays and it just hurts to get on that plane and come home.

But some other things happened this trip, that just made it even more difficult to leave Ethiopia. I met our sponsored child in March when he went with us to check out the boarding school. He's quiet and artistic and has a very pleasant personality. (So much of this culture is violent and dramatic and he is everything, but those things....love is blind!) Anyway, I was so excited for Derek to meet him. The first day Yasen kind of stayed by my side. After that, he really warmed up to Derek. There were five separate English classes and the Lord worked it out where Derek was Yasen's teacher. I do believe that this was God ordained. Yasen and Derek had a fabulous week together. At one point, Yasen asked if he could come back and stay at the guest house because he didn't have a bed. It warms my heart to know that soon...he will have a bed at boarding school. He also told me he was hungry and I'm sure he was...soon, he will have three meals a day.

His father showed up at the church one day and told us, "I give you my son. He is now your responsibility". Derek and I worked to clear this up very quickly. Yasen has a mother and father and a twin sister. We are not looking to disrupt his family situation. We just are willing to give him an opportunity for a good education. We explained this to his father through the interpreter and Derek told him that he still needed a father to guide him and direct him, etc. I was all tongue tied...I don't think I said anything. His father then went on to tell us that he is Muslim and that he is being persecuted because he is sending his son to a Christian school. He told us that it was a good opportunity for him and that's why he was willing to endure the persecution.



Wow...love is messy. This father obviously loves his son. Love is messy, because life would just be simpler if I didn't know...if I hadn't ever gone...if I didn't want to go back..... But I do know....I did go...and I do want to go back. There are risks involved with love...there are prices to be paid. God gave His only Son that Derek and Alicia and Stephen and Matthew and Elizabeth and Yasen and Yasen's father and mother and sister might have eternal life. Yes, it's messy. Everything isn't perfect...there are things to work through, but hope is alive in Ethiopia. God is proving Himself mighty and I believe that Yasen and his family are just a small part of the storyline. I'm thankful that I get to watch our God do great and mighty things!!

Love Well

I'm starting with the hardest post first...goodbyes. It's always fun to go. It's always hard to leave. On our last day in Ethiopia, Derek said something about how hard it is to say good-bye, but that it's never a reason not to go in the first place or to not come back. Sometimes the good-byes hurt so deeply that it makes me think I don't want to go back, because I don't want to have to say good-bye again.

First, it was saying good-bye to our sweet sponsored boy, Yasen. He fell apart to say the least. He basically cried most of the day on Friday. It ripped our hearts apart.



And then I had to say good-bye to one of my dearest friends. Matt, Derek and I had stopped by their house on Saturday to get some last minute video footage and she had planned to not come to the airport. So we circled up and prayed and I started crying about two seconds into the prayer. Corey and Sumer's oldest son Caleb said, "Ms. Alicia, why are you crying?" during the middle of the prayer. I giggled, but just went right back to crying. I must've been quite the sight because Caleb was quite concerned about my crying and even mentioned it on the way to the airpot a few hours later. So Sumer and I hugged for a long time and cried in each other's arms. It was horrible. I will forever remember what my sweet friend Kathleen always says though. If you hurt deeply, it means you have loved well. And so I must've loved really well because I could feel the hurt in every fiber of my being. I can barely see now because of the tears in my eyes. And if one good-bye wasn't enough, Sumer decided to stop by the guest house later that day and we had to do it all over again. And it hurt just as much the second time
around.


But I would do it again and again. My challenge to you is to love well. If you say good-bye and don't hurt deeply, then have you truly loved? My friend Sumer and every friend I have is worth every tear that falls when I have to walk away and say good-bye.