A Sweet Kiss Straight from the Heart of God

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I may have already written this at some point in the past, but sometimes God sends unexpected blessings and I call them "sweet kisses straight from God". Sometimes it's a front row parking spot when I'm in a hurry. Sometimes it's an unexpected note of encouragement. Sometimes it's a sweet new friendship or a word sweetly spoken from one of my children. Sometimes it's a verse of Scripture that I needed right in that moment.

And in Africa it's getting loved on by the same child two days in a row...unexpectedly. I didn't even know it had happened until I got home and started looking at the pictures. The first picture is this sweet girl at Katie's house getting a new pair of shoes on Saturday. Then on Sunday, she grabbed my hand as soon as I got off the bus at Canaan's Children's Home. These two places are not close...probably about 10-15 minutes away by bus, so I'm not sure how some of the children ended up in both places. She sat with me through most of the singing and Bible story time. At some point, we got separated and I was with other children. And then right before we left, she found me and Tabby took our picture. I'm not sure of her name, just that God sent me a sweet kiss that I didn't open until I was back in Tennessee.

He is a big God and He does exceeding abundantly. I went to Africa to be a blessing and I came home incredibly blessed. I can never thank Him enough or give Him enough praise. He is a God who is involved in the details of our lives...don't ever doubt that!

A Broken Heart Once Again

Sunday in Uganda. We weren't leaving for church until 9:30, so we had some extra time in the morning. Tabby and I bought our bottles of Coca Cola and headed down to the lake after breakfast. Uganda is beautiful. It's a lush country--at least in Jinja where we were.


As I read the Bible and prayed, I found two verses that I wrote in my journal.
Psalm 9:18-19
For the needy will not always be forgotten. Nor the hope of the afflicted perish forever.

Zechariah 7:9-10
Dispense true justice and practice kindness and compassion each to his brother; and do not oppress the widow or the orphan, the stranger or the poor; and do not devise evil in your hearts against one another.

I asked God for a heart of kindness and compassion. I asked Him to break my heart for what breaks His. My heart was so broken on my first trip to Africa that I really didn't know if I could have the same intensity of a broken heart. Well, God heard my prayer that day.

We headed to Pastor Isaac's church (more about him tomorrow). There is freedom in African church services. The service ran from 10-1 and was fabulous. Papa Duck (Jesse) got to share and also Dr. Josh. I loved getting to hear from them and how God was moving within our group.

After church we headed to Canaan's Children's Home (an orphanage in Uganda). We were told that some of the children were with family for the holidays, so there were only about 40 that would be there. We arrived and there were so many more than 40. Lots of children from the village had come to see "Mzungus (white people)". The children grab your hands before you get off the bus and start loving on you and walking you over to seats. It is just precious.




And then you sit and begin to wonder about their stories. Gloria, who is just a beautiful girl. What will her future be? Why is she here? She wrote God and Gloria on her paper. So tender, so ready and willing to be used of the Lord. Use her in a mighty way, Lord.


Gustav...a talented artist. He has so much potential. Will he have the opportunities to fulfill his giftedness? Lord, I hope so.



I looked into their eyes and some had happy eyes, but some were sad. Those eyes would pierce straight to your heart. The kids were scattered. Some doing crafts and some playing soccer and then this little boy appeared at my side. Severely burned all over his face. He didn't have a nose. My heart felt like it had been crushed into a million pieces. I wanted to take his picture so desperately, just so I could remember the moment. Break my heart for what breaks God. I believe the wickedness of our world and the sickness and adversity these children have to face breaks the heart of God. The children love for you to take their picture and then show it to them on the screen. I couldn't take his picture because I honestly didn't know if he knew what he looked like and I didn't want to be the one to show him. Tears welled in my eyes as I told him of the love of God. He just looked straight through me. I didn't know if he understood or if the pain was just so deep that the words couldn't penetrate to his heart. I loved on him for a few moments and then as quickly as he appeared, he was just as quickly gone. I didn't see him again before I left Canaan's that day. My heart was broken. I went back to the room and just cried for this boy. What happened to him? Who did this? Was it an accident? God, this just doesn't seem fair?

God answered my prayer that Sunday in Uganda. He broke my heart for the children of Uganda. He gave me a love for them and an understanding that this life in Uganda is not easy. They have endured more adversity in their lifetime than I have in my 37 years of life. I pray that God will take the adversity and turn their ashes into beauty and give them an incredible and powerful testimony that will draw others to Christ. He is our only hope!

A Slice of Humble Pie

Today I'll tell you about my first piece of humble pie I ate while in Africa. I had several slices...maybe even a whole pie by the time I was done with the trip. I'd love to share that I'm all mature and Spirit filled and God didn't have to bang on my hard head while in Africa, but that just wouldn't be the truth.

Today I am going to talk about the reason that most of the team signed up for the trip to Africa. Katie's. Katie's story is fascinating, no doubt. She is a girl completely surrendered to the Lord, but once you've been to Africa you don't need a story like Katie's as a reason to go back. I'd get on a plane next week and go back to anywhere in Africa just because there is something incredible about the place. I can't put it into words, but the Spirit is alive and moving, there is freedom and just something that my soul craves that gets fulfilled when I go to Africa.

So, we head to Katie's with lots of crafts and 400 pairs for shoes for the kids in the village that come to Katie's for lunch every Saturday. Katie's girls are incredibly welcoming. Tabby and I ended up at the side of the house....not sure how, but we did. Some of Katie's girls were putting flour into plastic bags. 3 heaping scoops to be exact.


The children go home with flour, rice, beans and soap after a trip to Katie's on Saturday. So Tabby and I got to work. We enjoyed getting to know Katie's girls. They are beautiful and funny and we decided to co-labor with them. For awhile it was fine and then the job got kind of tedious. I started thinking about how hard their lives are and how the work is never done. They were cooking the beans right next to us and the smell of smoke was starting to bother my lungs. Hours later as I'm still putting flour and beans and rice into bags, I'm starting to get a little selfish. I want to be running and playing and singing with the kids from the community. That's what I came to do, but I'm stuck in this corner(pity party) with big bags of flour and I'm covered in flour from head to toe because I have a three year old helper whose fine motor skills are not perfected.


I decide to throw a little pity party in my brain and heart even though there was a smile on my face. And then a still small voice, "Be my hands and feet". That's what I got. Still I wanted to run and play and sing some African songs. And again, "Be my hands and feet". Okay, I heard. I'll submit.


And so, most of the flour was done and I headed into Katie's house to get away from the smoky air for a few minutes.

The process of handing out shoes was well under way. The kids lined up and got sized first, then they got their feet washed and dried and fitted for a new pair of school shoes. I sized kids for awhile. Then I dried their feet. I put neosporin and bandaids on several feet because they had sores. I prayed over those sweet feet as I dried them. I heard the singing outside and although there was a tug to go sing and dance, I knew my assignment for the day. Be His hands and feet. Be Christ's servant in whatever way you can. (Not that singing and dancing with the kids isn't being His hands and feet, but that wasn't what Christ would have for me that day). I ended up in a dark hallway with rows and rows of shoes searching for correct sizes with a small flashlight. It wasn't glamorous. It won't win any awards or make it into any magazines, but I knew that I was fulfilling my call that day. I was a servant not looking for a pat on the back or any kind of approval except the approval of my Lord Jesus Christ. I believe that He said, "well done" at the end of that day. Sumer and Angela and several others offered to relieve my duties in the hallway so that I could go outside and sing and dance, but I was living in my sweet spot that Saturday in Africa. I was living out my passion of serving others before myself. And so, my first Saturday in Uganda I ate a big serving of humble pie and it tasted fine. God reminded me that it's not about me, it's about Him. I decided that on Sunday, I would be His hands and feet again. Simon (one of our team leaders)could've asked me to scrub African toilets and I would've obeyed because I knew that the assignment would've come straight from the hands of our precious Lord.

There is a BUT GOD and the end of this story. God honors, blesses and rewards our obedience. I wasn't looking for anything at the end of the day. I was content with a job well done. BUT GOD had a special blessing for me. One of Katie's girls, Hellen, developed an attachment to me. I don't know when and I don't know how. I don't even remember having a conversation with her. But God chose to bless me with a special friend, Hellen. Every time our bus went to Katie's (at least one time each day for the next several days), Hellen would run out and search the bus for me. She didn't search for anyone else...she scanned up and down the bus until she found me. She would hug on my neck and hold my hand. A sweet bond that the Lord created. And in those sweet moments, God reminded me that He searches for me in the same way. The eyes of the Lord move to and fro throughout the earth that He may strongly support those whose heart is completely His. (2 Chron. 16:9) May my heart be full and completely His each and every day of my life...not just one Saturday in Uganda.

Party of Five from TSC

A mission trip is always hard to process. What to talk about first? Am I able to talk about it or do I need more time? Words cannot describe the smells or sights or emotions that you experience. All the words just seem so inadequate when you try to describe everything that you've seen and done. But, I'll do the best I can and hopefully you'll understand at least some.

When Derek and I go on mission trips, we have an agreement to not communicate with each other. This arrangement isn't for everyone, but it works for us. It's better for me not to know what's going on in my world back home. We completely disengage from the world as we know it. For 10 days, I am not a wife, I am not a mom, I am not a preschool director, I don't have any responsibilities or cares...I am simply a girl willing to be the hands and feet of Jesus.

One of the reason I love mission trips is because I can discern the Lord's voice much more clearly...it's probably because I don't have facebook, tv, blogs to read, clothes to wash, a house to clean, meals to prepare, schedules to keep, etc. I love that I'm going to change someone's life in Africa and God changes mine in the process. I love that I leave with a couple of friends and come home with a family of Africans and Americans. I am richer because of the experience.

The first lesson to be learned...patience. Nothing much to do on a 15 hour flight except get to know your neighbors on the plane and rest. Prepare your heart for all that you're about to experience and set any agenda aside that I might have because I can pretty much guarantee that it's not God's agenda because His ways are not our ways.

When I went to Zambia in 2008, Brian was our papa duck. Jesse became our Papa Duck on this trip and he did a fabulous job. The shoes were hard to fill because Brian was funny and made me laugh so much in Zambia. Humor is a huge part of the trip because otherwise you can easily become depressed. Jesse did not disappoint. He's a silly boy with a heart of gold. He made me laugh and smile every single day.





We had to exercise patience at the Ethiopia airport when we waited in line for hours to get our visa. The Ethiopian workers don't get in a hurry. We were tired and it was late, but it was out of our hands. We stood in line and talked about Colossians 3...putting on patience and a heart of compassion. I heard some testimonies from the Birmingham group about their faith and their church. It was a sweet time of waiting and waiting some more.

Sumer, Angela and Tabby were great travel companions as well. The big phrase the whole trip was "chains are falling" because we realized we were attached to our American ways which included overuse of hand sanitizer, no bugs and staying on schedule and being on time. By the end of the trip, hand sanitizer just didn't seem so important and we were eating fruit and bread that had gnats and flies on it and we knew that "we're leaving at 10", really meant, "maybe we're leaving around 11". In the end, none of it matters, because God moved in mighty ways. He is a great big God and I realized that my faith needs to be stretched and increased.

Africa Eve

Well, it's the eve of the trip. We leave around 5:15 tomorrow morning for DC and then head for Ethiopia at 8:30 tomorrow evening. We'll have a nice short 15 hour airplane ride. I have plenty of sermons on my ipod and plenty of reading material, but I'm hoping to get some good sleep on the plane as well.

If you read Big Nanny's blog about packing, you know that I was quite shocked when they told us that all of our clothes needed to go in a 30 lb. carry on. Then it was changed to 15 lbs. I really thought it would never happen, but I'm travelling lighter than normal...I still wouldn't say light, just lighter.

Shocking I know, but I have decided not to travel with my study Bible. It may be the first time I've travelled without it and I hope I don't regret my decision. Even though Angela made fun of me, I really know exactly what side of the page certain verses are on and how they're marked. I guess I'm too dependent on it, because a Bible is a Bible and the Word of the Lord is living and active whether it's a study Bible or a teeny tiny Bible. :-)

There's 31 of us on the team, five from our church. I already love two of them to death, but I'm pretty sure by the end of the trip, I'll love Jesse and Tabby just as much. Mission trips bind hearts together forever!

Tabby, Alicia, Jesse, Angela, Sumer

Yesterday I was a bit stressed :-), tonight I am sad. I know I'm supposed to go, but it's hard to leave these sweet faces. Saying goodbye is never easy.

We just had a sweet prayer time as a family. Elizabeth prayed that I wouldn't get sick and she prayed the other day that I wouldn't die or anything like that. Matthew prayed that I wouldn't get "spelled by a witch doctor" and that the witch doctors would turn good. Stephen prayed that the Africans would have enough food and water to live. All sweet and needed prayers!

And of course I'm thankful for this sweet guy who supports me without wavering and allows me to go without question.
Those sweet kids and my dear husband are four reasons that some would decide not to go...the risk is too great...but for me the risk is in not going. The risk is in being disobedient to what God has called me to do.

And so, I go to bring good news to the afflicted, to bind up the broken hearted and to proclaim freedom to prisoners all in the name of our precious Lord Jesus Christ. (Isaiah 61) May all the nations rise up and call Him Lord! He is worthy to receive honor and glory!!

Thanks for praying for us!!

Perfect We're Not

Well...I should be packing, but I'm not. I was motivated to write a blog post about packing after reading Big Nanny's, but it may or may not happen.

I know sometimes perceptions can be wrong. I hope you don't think our family is perfect and I would especially think that's hard to believe if you even randomly check this blog.

This past week has not gone as expected. Derek's last day of work until January 4th was December 23rd. This was working perfectly for my mission trip, because the kids go back to school on the 4th.

But Derek was on the phone most of Christmas Eve. He spent most of Saturday on the phone. He was on the phone several hours yesterday. He has been on the phone for about 12 hours today...seriously and he's not done! My kids have played more than the recommended amount of wii and ds. They have watched more tv than anyone would recommend. Elizabeth even decided to take my travel size shaving cream and paint the bathroom wall. I was not only frustrated because I didn't have travel size shaving cream, but because now my bathroom wall is messed up.

Yesterday morning, Derek decided to take down one of those 3M sticky things that aren't supposed to leave a mark. Well, it left a mark alright. It tore the drywall right off. Whether it was user error or faulty product, I don't know. I was irritated Sunday morning. Why did Derek have to take it off right then...before church...before my trip...and now there's a big spot of exposed drywall on my painted wall. There's nothing else to say except, bless Derek's heart, he didn't say anything...he just went and got the spackle out of the garage and started to patch the spot. I wanted to scream...not sure why, just feeling all the stress of trying to wrap everything up before you leave town for 10 days.

This post is pretty random, but it is proof that life never goes as planned. This wasn't how I wanted my last week before my trip to be. We were supposed to go to the movies, go to Chuck E. Cheese, just hang out together as a family. Instead we are scattered, stretched and stressed! But we're still family and we'll stick together through it all.

I'm reading a book called You Were Born for This. He talks about how opportunities come along when we're not even thinking about them. They are not always convenient, but we have to decide whether to be available for God to work through us. If we're not, He'll find someone else or another way. A friend gave me this book to prepare for Africa and while I may have ideas of what I think God is going to do, I'm pretty sure that He has a different plan. He always does and His is always so much better. So, I'll leave a house with kids that have had too much screen time, a bathroom with shaving cream paint and a nice big white patch of spackle on my gold wall...but you know what, it doesn't matter. I'm leaving a husband who's dedicated to his job and three kids that I love to pieces to go and do what God has called me to do...minister to others across the world.

In the end, God's plans are perfect even if they include shaving cream and spackle!

In his heart, a man plans his course, but the Lord determines his steps.
Proverbs 16:9

Christ is Always Enough

Casting Crowns has a song on their new cd called Always Enough. It is one of my favorites on this cd. Christ is always enough. Here are part of the lyrics.


Your love is peace to the broken
Faith for the widow
Hope for the orphan
Strength for the weak

Your love is the anthem of nations
Brings out to the ages
And You're Always Enough for me

This Christmas season, I've been burdened for those who are celebrating Christ's birth along with sorrow. Those who have an empty chair at the table this year. For the family that tragically lost their child this year. For the mother that lost a baby that God took straight from her womb to His glorious heaven. For those who have lost a parent or grandparent either this year or in recent years. For those who have lost a spouse, their life partner. For the sweet seven year old boy I met whose daddy is in prison and who's mommy isn't in the picture. There are empty chairs at that boy's table. We all have empty chairs at our table. Someone we wish was sitting there, but isn't. For me personally, it's a child that would've been born in 2000 and a sweet grandmother that is incredibly precious to me. They are both celebrating Christ's birth in heaven! I love that no matter what we're walking through that Christ truly is always enough!

There is an empty chair at each of our tables though that can be filled. It's the chair for Jesus. I hope He's sitting at the head of your table and leading your family. Remember that He is our guest of honor. It is His birthday! I hope you don't forget to invite Him to His party! Don't leave His chair empty!

Happy Birthday Jesus! Thank you for all have done and all that you do for us! Please be with those who are hurting and comfort them. May they know that you're sitting at their table and that You are always enough!!