Childlike Faith...

As I write this I feel the weight of my eyelids closing down…the intensity of the sun will do that to you.  It is as if you need twice as much energy here to get things done because the sun just sucks it right out of you.  Anyways, I wanted to post an update to let you all know what I’ve been doing this past week.  Last week I helped out with a VBS in a village that has limited access to hearing the Gospel.  It was amazing to be a part of that team and to reach out to and pour into kids in that village.  The woman who helped us to run the VBS (we’ll call her “Ms. J”) shared some of her story with me.  She has been hoping for years for there to be a church started in her village.  She desires to get a Bible study started among the children of the village and to build that community.  God provided funds to build a ramada on the land that she has recently been given approval to call her own (they have to receive permission from the tribal leaders to be granted the land) & she hopes to use this to reach out to the people in her village.  When asked how many believers there were in the village she answered, “Just me.”  I believe she was talking about adults because I know her son is also a Christian.  God did a great work last week not only among the children at VBS, but also in bringing encouragement to “Ms. J’s” heart.  We held a revival service in that village one night last week & it was the first of its kind.  This week we will be returning to do a block party in that same village to reach out more to the people there.  We also had a youth rally on Friday night here.  It was fun to see the kids running around playing team games (including a hotdog eating contest….one kid ate 7 hotdogs in 5 minutes!) & to hear one of the team members do Christian rap. 

This week we will be doing block parties around town and in several of the villages on the Rez.  Pray for people to come and to have open hearts to what God wants to say to them through these times.  I am also working alongside a Chinese Baptist Church who is here this week…I think of it as a cross cultural experience within a cross cultural experience. Haha.  Seriously though, it has been such a blessing to work with them.  Some of the kids from the houses around the church have been coming with us to the different villages.  Now, they may just be looking for something to do, but it is still great because it allows for them to hear the Word and to be poured into during these times. 

As an aside – no trip to the desert seems complete without being pulled over by border patrol… (they were trying to be helpful to us though) – A few of us were going to watch a football scrimmage game for one of the youth that goes to church here, and on the way got stuck in a huge dust storm.  Of course I used the opportunity to take lots of pictures of the dust and clouds. J  The road we were on has a lot of washes going across it (we would call these dips in the road or ditches back in the Southeast) – these normally wouldn’t be an issue, but when it rains out here it almost always floods these washes.  The ground is very hard since it is so dry and so is unable to soak in the water like most places can.  It just pools on top causing flash flooding.  The Border Patrol saw us and pulled us over to warn us that if we kept going in that direction we would likely get stuck because of all the washes.  The villages are many miles apart and so we would be in a bind as you could imagine. Anyways, I know that has nothing to do with the rest of my blog, but thought I’d just share that story as well to give you a little insight into life out here.  

Ten Sure Ways To Know I’m On The Rez…

1       At any given moment you may find yourself in a dust storm…& we’re not talking little ones either

2.       It’s 100 degrees at 10:30 in the morning…

3.       Getting pulled over by Border Patrol is not out of the ordinary

4.       You have to watch where you step, not because you may trip over a crack, but because you have to look out for snakes, tarantulas, scorpions, cacti, and horse & cow poop (the open range makes for lots of it)

5.       Time is relative….we operate on “ish” time. I love it. J

6.       The desert is DARK at night – no light pollution here, making for an incredible view of the stars. You can literally see millions - & yes, I have seen the Milky Way out here.

7.       There are as many dogs as there are people.

8.       There is no grass.

9.       Monsoon season means 12 inches of rain…for the entire year (& lots of frogs during the month of July).

10.   The most incredible sunsets I’ve ever seen. J

Ninjas, Vampires, & Actors...Oh My!

Summer has always held fond memories for me.  When I was a kid it meant spending countless hours in the pool, eating Hawaiian Shaved Ice, sleeping late, & playing outside until it was so dark you couldn’t see and Mom & Dad made me come inside.  As a teenager I spent long days practicing baton so I would do well on the field Friday nights come football season, & there would always be a week that I would spend somewhere doing mission work.  My love of traveling & my love for serving others came together and I felt like I thrived the most during those hot summer weeks of inner city ministry in different parts of the U.S. (As a side-note….Ironically my first mission trip was to New Orleans – little did I know back at age 14 that I would someday live there for a while as a missionary) During college Summer meant a break from writing papers & cramming for exams, a time to relax and spend time with family, and the duration of those mission trips increased to several weeks. It was after my Freshman year of college that I realized God was clearly placing a call on my life to be a missionary.  Since then, Summer has also meant rekindling relationships either on the mission field in the places that I continued to return to time after time, spending time with my family (even if briefly), and yes – still going to the pool every now & then. J Last Summer I fell into a job at a 5 week camp for elementary school kids. Little did I know when I said “yes” to working there, the tremendous blessing that I would receive from it & how much of a "God thing" that it really was.

The past months have been a time of transition in my life (& even though I am still in a transition time, I am going in a slightly new direction … more on that later) God’s provision is amazing, and at just the right time & in HIS timing, He provided me with the opportunity to work at that same camp again this Summer.  It has kept me busy, often exhausted at the end of the day, yet has been more of a blessing that I could have asked Him to provide for me through that camp.  We just wrapped up our 5 week camp, & I was reminded of how God continues to bless me with amazing friends wherever He sends me - & enables me to maintain those friendships across distances.  It was great to get to work with (& be silly with) Sarah & Kim again, and to form new friendships as well.  We spent time with 80-ish kids everyday & though we were the teachers, we had just as much fun as the kids.  From Stone Mountain, to pool trips, to playing ninja, vampires, & using our *AMAZING* acting skills (HAHA) – we always seemed to be able to have fun no matter what we were doing.  I guess this blog is kinda a tribute to my co-workers from Summer Safari.   God used the laughter that we shared to in some way help me through a difficult time of transition from one place I love & captured my heart to another place that God is leading me to (even though I’m not completely clear on all those details yet…)   

Tomorrow I will leave to go back to a place that has also captured my heart….I fell in love with it many years ago, and that feeling has never left.  To be back in the desert, back to days of 110 degree heat, to big open skies, some of the most amazing sunsets I have ever seen, and nights with a canopy of millions of stars…none of that even compares to love I have for the people that have such a grip on my heart.  I sit here with an excitement (not sure I’ll be able to sleep tonight with the thought that I will actually be in Arizona tomorrow…), but also an anxiousness – I haven’t been there in a year & ½ - will my kids remember me? Will they remember the countless times I gave them piggyback rides, or the deep conversations I shared with some of them, or the basketball games, the hugs, the silly games we played, etc., the LOVE that I have for them? Willl they? ---You know, I have come to realize that it doesn’t really matter.  We are called to love.  Whether someone loves us back or not – whether or not someone even notices how much we love & care for them, we are called to love them with the love God has given to each of His children.  So I will strive each day to do that.  I am anxious in another way – because of the love I have, I am anxious to see how they have grown – what have they faced in the past year & ½? This I know – it will bring me to tears, maybe out of a brokenness for difficult things they have faced, or maybe out of a joy from how I’ve seen them grow – I will be brought to tears.  This is okay.  So, whatever tomorrow brings, I am approaching it with an expectation of God to be working (He is ALWAYS at work around us – we just have to open our eyes to see what He is doing) - & to see how He wants me to join Him in that work. 

Rocks and Other Stuff

I have always seemed to be able to hear God more clearly when I am outside in His creation.  I don't know if it's because I can see His beauty and glory reflected in nature, or if it's just because He has hardwired in me a love for being outside....regardless, He speaks to me quite often through nature.

On Memorial day my brother, sister, & I went for a hike. It was so great to be outside enjoying God's creation on such a beautiful day with 2 of my favorite people in the world. We hiked on trails through the woods in the mountains and it was so serene.  Yet, there is something about the quiet of the forest that is very LOUD.  Though it is quiet from what we consider to be "noisy", it is alive with sounds of crickets chirping, frogs croaking, leaves rustling in the wind, sticks crunching under our feet, water making its way down the stream, and other typical sounds of the forest.  It is loud. And it is beautiful.

We made our way up to some rocks that people climb on all the time.  They jut out over the valley below and make for beautiful pictures.  They can be dangerous, but are also safe if you are careful. I had been on several different trails & rocks up there before, but never at this particular spot.  It was breathtaking up there on a day with a blue sky & just enough clouds in the sky to make shadowy spots on the trees far below us.  My sister and brother had both been to these rocks before and went to the one that reached out the farthest over the tops of the trees way below.  After taking several pictures for them it was my turn to walk out there and have my turn. :)  Now, I'm not one to really be too afraid of heights, but as I looked at the trees below and realized that if I fell there was nothing there to stop me, I got a little nervous for a second there.  My brother said, "Be careful looking down while you are walking because the trees will sway in the wind and might make you dizzy." To which my sister responded, "Just look at the rock where you are stepping & not at the trees and you will be fine."  So I did. I looked down at the rock and focused on where I was stepping, rather than on the fear of falling and I was fine. I then looked up and was able to see all of the beauty around me from that point of view - from that rock. God showed me through that experience that if I always focus on Him - The Rock - I will have a firm place to put my feet and can walk with confidence that He is holding me up.  He is a firm foundation, does not shift and change with the wind, and is steady.  If I would have focused on all of the things around that rock I may have gotten dizzy & lost my balance.  I might have been like Peter- who sank in the water when he took his eyes off of Jesus and looked at how big the waves were around him.  Yet, God showed me that no matter what is going on in my life, or in the craziness of the world today, if I always remember to keep my focus on Him I will have that firm foundation and be able to step boldly.               

Through my Eyes

I've been meaning to blog for well over a year now. In fact, I created my blog account last summer, yet it has never been used.  Why? I have no clue. :) It's time to make use of this blog.  This first blog probably won't be very profound, but as a friend has told me many times before - I am the only one who can see through my eyes. I am the only one who has lived the exact experiences and circumstances as I have.  So it is time for me to share that voice.

Writing is fun for me. It is also a way of expressing myself that I cannot always do by just speaking. It gives me the freedom to express my emotions, my thoughts, the memories of events in my life, my concerns, and the things that God is showing me. At times my blog will likely encompass some of all of those things.

Today's blog will be an expression of a few things I was made aware of earlier this week on an afternoon jog. Now, some of you who know me well probably are wondering when in the world me & jogging started to get along. haha. Over the course of the time I was in New Orleans I developed a habit of walking down by the Mississippi River - this somehow turned into a sort of "liking" for exercising in that way. Now that I'm back to small town, I still walk outside, but the view doesn't quite compare to the Mississippi.  The smells are not the same. I never thought I would miss the stench of my hair and clothes after coming back from being in the French Quarter. But I do. When I come home now I just smell of duck poop and fish. Those things aren't necessarily bad though because they mean that I have been outside in God's creation doing something that I enjoy. That is a reason to rejoice. :) 

I noticed two things while I was on this particular jog. 1. There was a man carrying 3 little kids on his sides and back. & 2. After a while my muscles start hurting - this is inevitable and happens at some point everytime I walk/jog/run.  These things seem to be no big deal in themselves but it was what they reminded me of that was significant. When I saw the man carrying those three kids on his back across a ditch a picture of God's love came to mind.  He carries us like that. The ditch was too wide and too deep for those kids small legs to cross.  God carries us - but unlike the man, His arms are infinite.  He is unlimited and is able to carry ALL of us. That is amazing to me - that God WANTS to carry me. He wants to hold me and help me over those ditches.  Now for the second observation I made that day:  When I was a kid I had a lot of "growing pains" in my legs. It would hurt as my legs were stretching and growing.  Along those same lines as I run and exercise I am working and building the muscles in my body.  It is painful at times, but it builds up my endurance and strenthens me in the longrun.  Though I am unable to visibly see the change as it is occuring, I can still feel the burn and pain as I run.  All this time my muscles are changing gradually and building, even though I am unable to see it happening.  It is only after time passes that I realize growth has occured - I am able to run for longer periods of time and distances without getting tired, and my legs do not hurt quite as much as they did before after only a short time. They are continually strengthening and building endurance the more I run.  Our spiritual life is definitely like this. Growth sometimes/oftentimes is painful when we are going through it. Though we may not always understand why circumstances are the way they are, God can use it to grow us in a way that we will only be able to see later.  It is imperative that we fix our eyes on Him and "keep running" even when it is painful.  He uses those times to strengthen us and shape us to be more of who we can be in Him.

For those of you who made it to the bottom of this - thanks for reading. :)