Je ne parle pas francais...but I'm going anyway.

Bonjour! In five days, I will be boarding a plane with eight other people on a mission trip to Paris, France. I was excited, until it really hit me today that this is really happening, and then a little fear and doubt started to creep in. I start to think: "What are you doing?" "And just who do you think you are?" "What in the world are you going to do to help?" "You are not very good with words and speaking to people." "You don't even speak French for crying out loud!" Ok, ok...yes I know, Je ne parle pas francais...but I'm going anyway. And that is all God asks us to do. I was reminded of that this morning in church. The pastor said something that calmed my fears: "God doesn't call the equipped, but He equips those He calls." Wow...did you catch that? Because it took me a minute. Think about Moses. The guy had a speaking problem and God wanted him to lead the people. Huh? Can you imagine the taunts from the people: "Hey Moses....I'm sorry man...can you speak a little louder...what did you say?" And Moses had no problem pointing out his faults to God. He said: "O, Lord, I'm not very good with words. I never have been, and I'm not now, even though you have spoken to me. I get tongue-tied, and my words get tangled." But God answers: "Who makes a person's mouth? Who decides whether people speak or don't speak, hear or do not hear, see or do not see? Is it not I, the LORD? Now go, I will be with you as you speak, and I will instruct you in what to say." Exodus 4:10-12 How cool is that? It reminds me that all God asks is that I go. He will help me with the words. And I pray with all my heart that if my words come out tangled, then my actions will speak louder. I have been practicing my French this weekend and I plan to practice everyday this week. But in the end, I know that the thing that will make the most difference in the lives of the people I connect with next week, will be the language that comes from the heart. The language of the love and salvation of Jesus. And that is THE language we all need to know and speak. Please pray for us if you will. Jesus t'aime. Au revoir.

To understand is to experience.

I got food poisoning this week. It has been one of the worst experiences ever. I haven't been that sick in awhile. In fact, I'm still recovering. I feel like I have a food hangover. I feel like I've been hit and don't know quite how to get back up. I don't know what it is I ate, and I certainly didn't mean for this to happen, but it did...with a vengeance. I found myself in the position of the patients I work with who are going through cancer treatment. Fever, chills, fatigue, nausea, vomiting, and a lot of other stuff I will spare you. All of a sudden I was forced to stop my life for a little bit, and I didn't want to. I imagine that is how my patients feel as well. I kept thinking about all of the advice I give to them as they are going through all of this and all I could think was..."Wow, you really don't understand how difficult this is for them." "You want me to eat? How, when all I can do is look at a toilet bowl when I do?" "Drink fluids? , yeah, whatever...I don't even want to swallow my own spit!" These were just some of the conversations I had with myself. The worst part is that I was alone. I've been petsitting for a friend, so I was going through this by myself...except when the little doggie would look give me a lick from time to time. No one to cover me up, no one to say "Can I get you anything sweetie pie?". But it is ok, I am a big girl now...I guess. So I did what a big girl would do...I cried. Then I prayed. What do I do wrong God? Don't you see that I have a lot to do this week? I can't be sick...I've got to go to work to help everyone else who is sick! But then I heard God speaking to my heart. "Sometimes we go through bad stuff, not because of something we've done on purpose, but because this is not a perfect world, and those bad things happen sometimes. But the cool thing is that because you experienced this and I was there to help you through it, you can much better understand and help someone else now." Fun experience? No! But you can bet it will be an experience that I will never forget. It will help me to be much more empathetic and understanding to my patients than I was before, and therefore.... it was worth it.
"All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is our merciful Father and the source of all comfort. He comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort others. When they are troubled, we will be able to give them the same comfort God has given us." 2 Corinithians 1:3-4

Seeking the Lost

I just adopted a dog from the animal rescue league two weekends ago. I was so excited to be able to take in a new dog for our family. We named her Abby. I felt this compassion in my heart for this poor dog, who had been abandoned, rejected, neglected, and given up on by her previous owner. She was actually taken to the pound to be put to death. Why? I can only imagine that maybe she didn't behave well enough, maybe she didn't live up to the owner's expectations, maybe she wasn't cute enough, smart enough, the list could go on. I don't know. But I do know that when I look at her through my eyes, I love this dog with all my heart. She didn't seek me out but I looked for her. I searched for one that I could shower with my love and affection and call my own, even though she has never done a thing for me. When I looked in her eyes and and held out my arms and asked if she wanted to go home with me, wagging her tail and licking my face, she happily said yes. We made our payment to release her ownership to us. And then I rejoiced in my heart that she was mine now, the pound could never take her away again! She rested in my arms and lap all the way home as if to say, finally...I am with the one who truly loves me. God spoke to my heart that this is a parallel to His love for us. We are in need of being rescued. Your previous owner, Sin, wants to send you to your death...the ultimate dog pound...Hell. He makes you think you have a home here, but you find that you can never be good enough, people abandon you, you may feel neglected, rejected, not cute enough, not smart enough, and the list goes on. But did you know that there is a God who desperately longs to rescue you into His family and shower His love on you. He is looking for you, not because you have done anything, but because of His great love and mercy. He made a payment to rescue you through the death and resurrection of Jesus. He paid your dog pound fine so that you would always belong to Him. Now imagine if the end of this story had been different. What if after seeking Abby out, she refused to come to me, turning away, growling, or just indifferent. My heart would break, because all I want to do is rescue her and love her and give her the life she is longing for. I am glad that this is not how the story turned out for Abby. And I am glad that this is not how the story turned out for me. I have realized that I can never be good enough to earn this kind of love. All I could do was come when He called me. And then I curled up in His lap knowing that I am finally home with the One who truly loves me. He took me in, loved me, and gave me the life I have always been longing for.

"For the Son of Man came to seek and save what was lost." Luke 19:10

Cancun, Mexico Mission Trip 2010

Our team just returned from our mission trip to Cancun, Mexico. It was an incredible experience. We went to bless others, but I felt like I was blessed instead. We started each day in prayer and Bible study. We were reading chapters 14-21 in the book of Luke. I was amazed how each day, the chapter we read spoke so much to what we were doing. Being my first time in Mexico, I loved the experience of being immersed in the country, the people, and the language there. The people were so kind and inviting. I made some great friends there that I will never forget!

A big part of our mission was to go out into the local communities to meet physical needs with food and clothes. Even though I have seen poverty here in the USA, I have never seen the kind of poverty I experienced there. The first home we visited was probably no bigger than my bedroom, which housed a family of 5. No running water, no air conditioning (and it was HOT...I don't think I have ever sweated so much in my life!), no refrigerator full of food, not even a door to their home...only a curtain. I felt humbled as I listened to the family talk about how blessed they are. Then I think about all of the stuff I have at home and all of the times I have complained about wanting more. Yet here is a family that has so little, yet they are grateful. Maybe it is our culture, maybe because the more we have the more we want, maybe we are just unaware...I'm not sure. But I am asking you...if I complain about anything again...will you please hit me? Well...a little pinch will do.

I loved that during this time, I began to see the parallel in what we were doing to demonstrate to others the love of Jesus. Just as we offered a free gift of food to meet physical hunger, Jesus offers us food to fill our spiritual hunger. We are always hungry it seems...yet nothing will ever really satisfy us until we taste His love. ( Taste and see that the Lord is good...Psalm 34:8). Since I have tasted this love, I have felt so full...only faith in Jesus can do that!

Walking throughout the area, we prayed with people, invited them to church and testified to the love of Jesus. The greatest blessing is that we had people pray and put their faith in Jesus as their Saviour!

I will always cherish this experience. It has deepened my faith, made me grateful, humbled my heart, and made me want to tell the whole world what Jesus has done for me. I know I will never be able to reach everyone...but I have some new brothers and sisters in Christ in Cancun now. And that makes me want to CELEBRATE!!!!

Mission: Cancun

I will be leaving in the morning with 6 others to take part in a mission trip to Cancun, Mexico. When most people think of Cancun...they picture the beautiful beaches and lavish hotels. However, outside the resort area the local people are living in poverty...physical and spiritual. I don't know exactly what I will see, or how I will be able to help...but I do know that I want to go and let God use me to show the love of Jesus...to be His hands and feet. Please keep us in your prayers if you will...to be a light in the darkness. And to be a witness to others that whether living in wealth or poverty...that those whose faith is in Jesus are the richest ones of all...for they have true treasure...hope, peace, joy, and eternal life.