Anticipating the new

Here we go 2016.
I guess I could say that looking forward to a new year fills me with great excitement but also with a little bit of anxiety. I've had a few exciting years here lately. While I am so grateful for the work that God has done and is doing in my life and heart, I also know that there were some really rough parts in there. While I don't like the hard parts of life, they allow me to see Him so much more clearly, and for that I'm incredibly grateful.
I made some resolutions for this year; Things like running more, volunteering, reading more, meeting and building friendships with my neighbors and writing more. All of these are important things and things that I know will be so rewarding and grow me into a better person.
I also made some goals; things like being more aware of people around me, being present especially when I have opportunity to invest in people, showing grace, knowing God more and being sensitive to the Holy Spirit. Now that I have the goals, I'm working on breaking that down in practical steps to make sure that I'm working towards these things.
I read a book last summer called "The Happiness Project" by Gretchen Rubin. In the book she said she had so many great things but that she should be happier. She set out to make a plan to become happier. I know that happiness comes and goes, but it was interesting to read about the tweaks she made in her life so that she would be happier... In a quick summary, I would say that the main thing she did was to take away distractions and focus on what was important. While I am so grateful for the things I have been given, that gratefulness doesn't always come across in my attitude. So I guess in a nutshell, my resolution for 2016 is first to be grateful and to live a way that shows it.

I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. ¹² I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. ¹³ I can do all this through him who gives me strength. And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:11-13, 19

Reminiscing on the old

I can hardly believe that we're about to cross into 2016.
I am amazed over the past two years just how many changes have taken place in my life. I ended up at almost the exact same place that I was at the beginning of 2015 but I've been around the world and I am such a different person. But not. I've learned so much and experienced so many joys and tears.
As I look back over the past year I am so, so thankful.

I got to travel to Africa! Some people dream about that for their whole life. I made so many sweet Mozambican friends, learned a new language, and now have a family there after spending ten months of my life with them. I also got to experience the grace and mercy of Christ in a new context, in a culture that has a simple but intensely deep faith. I want that. I look back over my videos and pictures and cannot help but get a huge, dorky smile on my face as I remember the goofy smiles, the English attempts, the dance lessons, and races down the slide while feeling great sadness that I will never see those sweet people again until we all reach heaven.

I got to return home to my incredible family. They gave me a fabulous greeting at the airport with a host of smiling Polcyns complete with signs, balloons, flowers and too many tears of joy. I spent some time with them and then drove up to Ohio and spent time with my family which was only possible because my sister got me a nannying job. I had so much fun watching three little boys and our days were active and fun as we toured all the parks in the area and spent a lot of time at the splashpad park. My sister got married also and we are so excited to welcome a new brother into the family... (He's not in the picture, but all of the siblings are present except one who was not able to get the time off from her teaching job in Korea).

I returned to Texas at the beginning of August and returned to my receptionist job that I had pre-Africa. It was nice to come back to a job and co-workers that I already knew. I also got an apartment not too far from work and get to see my family very often. Its an incredible blessing that I am soaking up because I never know what God has in store for me next!
We never know what tomorrow holds. That is the adventure of life. I read sometime recently that 'attitude is the difference between an adventure and an ordeal.' The challenge is that when life turns out different than I had hoped or planned, to bounce back as quick as possible and move on. My prayer is that I would have my eyes open and be prepared to be obedient to God as I navigate life.
Some days the decisions and interactions felt really hard. And they were. But looking back, I can see God's hand in many of them and I trust that the others will make sense some day. But I also continue on with hope.
"Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. I say to myself, “The Lord is my portion; therefore I will wait for him.” The Lord is good to those whose hope is in him, to the one who seeks him; it is good to wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord." Lamentations 3:22-26

Heaven.

This is an old entry. It is from January 2014 but just some thoughts on my time in Potosi Bolivia.

There are so many things from the week that struck my jaded heart. 

The faces of Nallely and Alexandra who laughed and smiled as they said 'what's your name' and 'how old are you' and then would respond to the question ten thousand times in hopes that they would earn English.

Experiencing the joy of worshiping the Lord together with our Bolivian brothers and sisters, singing with abandon--for hours; never wondering what time it was or when we could leave-- as I often do at my own church. We wanted to be there, soaking up every minute of it.

The church leaders who gave a week of their time to travel to their neighboring villages to meet people there that they could encourage and follow up with at a later time.

The gentle serving of my brothers and sisters as they loved on children they had never met and each other. There was such respect and kindness in their interactions that I rarely see in others or even in myself.  

And through the whole week resting in the fact that God is with us. Always with us. May I always see Him and seek Him as the treasure of highest price.

When the things of the world are stripped away (technology, materialism, self-centeredness) and replaced with the things of Christ (presentness, contentment and serving) we get a glimpse of heaven. Of life how I'm sure He meant it to be. 

I wondered how I would go back to work. A place that is mostly absent of the things of Christ--because the people in it are of the world. But as I walked into my workplace Monday morning God said, "YOU. You are a glimpse of heaven to a world that needs to see it".  

The Cost of Different

There is the saying we hear in church a lot: we are to be in the world but not of it. It is adapted from the verse below: “I am coming to you now, but I say these things while I am still in the world, so that they may have the full measure of my joy within them. I have given them your word and the world has hated them, for they are not of the world any more than I am of the world. My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one. They are not of the world, even as I am not of it. Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth."  John 17:13-17 This is a great prayer and worth nothing. Usually I think I do pretty good at not being of the world. However, when I see someone who is godly, someone who has shaped their entire life around the teachings of Christ I can see how far off I am. I am in the world, obviously. I am not of it... Technically. But when I honestly look at how my life measures up to the life of Christ, I realize that I am a lot more like the world than Him. As I see daily examples of the indifference of the lives of "Christians." I wonder if in America Christianity will grow or implode. We idly stand by, say a few prayers or attend a church service every so often, but our lives are no different. We talk the same as the world, we 'stand' for the same things, or at least we don't stand for anything different, in many cases silence is interpreted as agreement; we watch the same things, spend our money the same way and many times Christians try their hardest to look like the world so they will not have to explain themselves. I believe that God can do anything. But, how often do I/we let myself/ourselves be the one(s) that He uses. I guess the more we live in the world and think ourselves a part of it, the more we expect things and we feel that we have rights and entitlement to things. Not that we should be allowing others to take advantage of us, but do we need to live like everyone else? What about counting the cost to follow Christ. "Large crowds were traveling with Jesus, and turning to them he said: If anyone comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters—yes, even their own life—such a person cannot be my disciple. And whoever does not carry their cross and follow me cannot be my disciple. Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Won’t you first sit down and estimate the cost to see if you have enough money to complete it? For if you lay the foundation and are not able to finish it, everyone who sees it will ridicule you, saying, ‘This person began to build and wasn’t able to finish.’  Or suppose a king is about to go to war against another king. Won’t he first sit down and consider whether he is able with 10,000 men to oppose the one coming against him with 20,000? If he is not able, he will send a delegation while the other is still a long way off and will ask for terms of peace. In the same way, those of you who do not give up everything you have cannot be my disciples. Whoever has ears to hear, let them hear.” Mark 14:25-33, 35 Just the fact that He calls us to 'count the cost' before following Him should make us stop and think. Our life will not look the same as those who do not follow Him. We may make less money, we may not have all of the comforts, but we should have a different attitude and our lives better be characterized by humility, grace and love. God has chosen us to be His people. We are to be like Him and that is most definately different from being like the world. Sometimes it will hurt. Sometimes it will mean purposely allowing ourselves to be hurt to keep humble and to consider others as better than ourselves. Our lives may not be glamorous, or we might not live the 'high life'. But that is what we have to take into account when following Christ. He wants us to count the cost lest we jump in and decide shortly into the journey that we don't want to follow and bring disgrace to His name. "If a commission by an earthly king is considered an honor, how can a commission by a Heavenly King be considered a sacrifice?" --David Livingstone, Doctor and Missionary to Africa in the 1800's. Look him up.

True Sacrifice

Lets take a few moments and look at an event in David's life.
2 Samuel 24
Remember the part where David wonders how many people are in Israel so he takes a census. Afterwards, he was convicted of his sin in taking the census to measure the size of his army. As his punishment, the Lord sent an epedemic on the land and 70,000 people died. David says to the LORD that he was the one who had sinned so the punishment should not be on the entire people. The LORD tells him to go to Araunah's threshing place, build an altar and to offer a sacrifice. When David tells Araunah of God's command to build an altar and offer a sacrifice to end the epedemic, Araunah eagerly offers it to him for free. David's response is one that should be all of ours when we are asked to offer something: "I will not offer to the LORD my God sacrifices that have cost me nothing." (2Samuel 24:24)

As we spent our days in Potosi, this was so meaningful to me as I saw it lived out daily.
These people, who had not had much time to prepare for our coming, provided meals for us from their meager supply. And not only that, they served us generous portions. And they did it cheerfully.
As I prepared for this trip, there were many times I wondered how I would pay for it. The job I had did not work out and a month before leaving I did not have a job. There were many who graciously and willingly helped me financially. What a blessing and how very grateful I am!
I purposely did not send out a ton of letters or ask as many people to help that I could have. I knew that I wanted it to cost me something too. I knew that if it was costing me something to go that it would mean more and that I would have to trust God to provide. I didn't expect to have to trust so much but how wonderful to have Him to trust.

I personally have never had to wonder where my next meal would come from. I have never been in such a tight spot that I did not know where I would lay my head to sleep at night. God has always been so good to me. Yet, I hold back to be so good to others.
I hold onto my material goods too tightly. I worked hard for my money and things and I am not very generous with them. Often what I give is out of my excess and does not cause me any "discomfort" or really cost me much.

How these wonderful people challenged my attitute and my heart.They don't have an abundance of anything, yet they share what they do have.

God has given His very own Son. For a people who had done nothing for Him except mock Him and bring dishonor to Him. That was a tremendous cost. And I just toss a few dollars into the offering plate, give a few hours of my time here and there or offer a little bit of emotion to the work of Christ.
What a shame.
May I give more. May I love more. May I hurt for Christ. May I sacrifice, really sacrifice, myself for the furthering of His kingdom.

Bolivia Overview:

So many thoughts and emotions from the 10 days I spent in Bolivia.
It was such an incredible experience and I don't even have the words to express just how amazing it was or know where to start. So I will give a brief overview and follow up with more specifics later.

We arrived in Bolivia on Tuesday, January 1. It was a holiday which meant that everyone was off school and work. Eduardo came with his van with Laura, Rachel and Kristina to pick us up at the airport. We went to the house where we would be staying.  Dr. Jorge met us there and we went over some details for the week. We then sorted through bags and bags of donations. Dr. Jorge would go later to get some more things to hand out in the villages for later in the week. As we sorted through the donations that were given, it seemed like we had a lot; as we got to the villages, what we did have seemed very minute. However, God used what we did have and we did not run out after seeing about 500 people.

We left on Thursday for Potosi (actually villages on the way to Potosi). We had been preparing emotionally for the week but it is a little hard to know what to actually expect when you have never been there. I had seen pictures before and heard stories, but it wasn't until I actually began to see the villages and the people that I was in awe of their beauty. The mountains rose majestically in every direction. The skies were a brilliant blue and opened widely before us. The serenity of the people, their generosity to share what they had: food which is a precious commodity and even their own matresses. Their gracious welcome was humbling.

We were joined by Maritza, a nurse; Eliana and her son Jesus who is a patient of Dr. Jorge; and Carlos, a professional clown. What a joy they were to have along. Maritza, who patiently instructed us how to help prepare the food, washed dishes and served us all week. Eliana who helped out whenever she could and Jesus who was so curious and brought never-ending smiles to us. He was the most adorable and well behaved child any of us had ever seen. And Carlos--he also brought much joy and laughter to us and the children. He also provided advice and encouragement to us. Dr. Jorge gently cared for team members as 6 or 8 of the team from Cochabamba became sick. He calmly found transportation to and from each of the towns that we visited after our bus driver left us in Macha after a 15 hour bus drive on the first day.
We were well cared for by Dr. Jorge, Carlos and Maritza. It was such a comfort to know that God is always with us and never surprised by circumstances and he provides people to be His hands and his face to us.

Probably one of the greatest things about mission trips is that they separate you from your comfort zone and you are made more aware of your inadequacies. God must be trusted. There is no other option. And the beautiful thing is that you get to see him provide time after time after time.

Questions in the midst of Certainty

Sometimes we cannot see past our present circumstances but the amazing thing is that God does. I have been reading through Judges and when I got to chapter 6 I was struck by the many pictures of grace that God shows to a reluctant, scared guy.

When Gideon is first encountered, he is threshing wheat secretly for fear of the Midianites. The angel of the Lord approaches him and what does he call him? (Judges 6:12) "the LORD is with you, brave and mighty man!" Gideon responds by stating that if God really was with his people, they would not be in the situation they were in. And the response, he gives Gideon a job: to lead the people in battle against the Midianites.

As we all do when we are given a huge task, Gideon immediately tells him why that is not possible: not only is his clan weakest but he is the least important of his family. He better get someone who has better credentials. That is not a good excuse and the LORD answers, "You can do it because I will help you. You will crush the Midianites as easily as if they were only one man." (6:16). Excuses don't work with God since he obviously had made up his mind.

I think that at this point, God is addressing the one thing that is holding Gideon to his present, oppressive situation--his fear. Perhaps he feared failure, perhaps he feared what others would think, perhaps he thought that no one would go with him and he would be alone. All of those fears are answered when the LORD says that HE will be with him. This kind of reminds me of some other people in the bible and in real life.

So Gideon acknowledges that God has showed up and called him to obedience so he prepares his heart to do what God has said. He takes the first step. Then after the offering he gathers 10 guys to help him tear down his own father's idol to Baal and offers a sacrifice to The True God. But again, he is scared so he does it in the dark. Obviously the next day people notice and they go to his dad and ask what happened to the idol and they threaten to kill Gideon. But Gideon's step toward obedience spurs his father to obedience as well and his father tells the men to 'let Baal defend himself.' Then Gideon gathers his army.

As soon as he does that, he does the thing he is most famous for--he asks God for a sign. Twice. I guess I always though he was a wimp or unspiritual for doing such a thing. That was when I was ignorant and a child. As I have been reading this passage it gives me a great picture of the patience and grace of God. He responds to excuses and impatience with answers and love. Who are we to question the word of God. But yet, we are very finite and in our weakness we want to know that we embark on a 'scary' or huge task that someone has our back. And especially that we are doing the right thing.

And as I read this I am reminded that God doesn't hold our questions against us. He requires obedience and as we obey, sometimes we need reassurance along the way. God gives that.

Kill The Snake

As I was playing the piano this morning I was struck by the words of an old hymn, "When I Survey the Wondrous Cross" by Isaac Watts. This hymn is beautiful and one of my favorites.

"Forbid it, Lord, that I should boast,

save in the death of Christ my God;

All the vain things that charm me most,

I sacrifice them to His blood."

I was convicted of these words and how it is so simple to get caught up in 'vain things.' The things are different for everyone, but I think they are anything that distracts us from the grand calling we have as believers to follow and serve Christ. I think one of the greatest entryways into our minds, leading to temptation is that black box which is in every living room in America--and maybe every other room of most houses. We watch shows, movies and commercials all the while knowing that the lifestyle, images and language presented in them are against the very morality that Scripture calls us to.

Last week I was at a Fields of Faith event. It is an outreach for high school students. The speaker at this event told a story:

There was a little girl who had a pet snake [true story] for her birthday. She fed the snake every day and it would sleep next to her, curled up on a pillow beside her on the bed. After a while the snake stopped eating and would not even eat different foods that the girl would try to feed it. The snake also stopped sleeping curled up on the pillow next to her, instead it lay stretched out, parallel to her. One day they stopped to ask a veterinarian what they could do to make the snake eat. They told her about the strange behavior of the pet. When he heard that the snake was not eating and now lay stretched out next to her, he said,

"When you go home, you need to kill the snake."

He explained that the snake was preparing itself to have its most fulfilling meal yet--the very girl who had loved it and given it so much attention.

The speaker looked at the youth and said, 'Some of you need to go home and kill the snake.' Those little sins in our life, we have to get rid of them! Satan looks to what we spend most time and thought on--those are our priorities and he will use them to his advantage to trap us in sin.

Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walks about, seeking whom he may devour 1Peter 5:8

If we are not constantly on guard of our thoughts and affections, we could very easily become victim to the schemes of the devil. Satan is very real and not passive.

I have been thinking about how it is usually vain and stupid things that fill most of my thoughts. I forget about the greater work that God is doing in the world. Even though I cannot go out and save every person out of Satan's grasp or rescue every person from their dark lifestyles. There are some things I can do--and hiding in my own safe world is not an option! As a believer I NEED to pray, pray, pray! I need fill my mind with things that will challenge me and inspire me to serve God and others. I can pray for ways to serve in my church and community. And there are many more ways to combat the ways of Satan in the world...

"...Now it is high time to awake out of sleep; for now our salvation is nearer than when we first believed. The night is far spent, the day is at hand. Therefore let us cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light. Let us walk properly, as in the day, not in revelry and drunkenness, not in lewdness and lust, not in strife and envy. But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh to fulfill its lusts." Romans 13:11-14

So many things I could say about this passage, but I won't because I really think Paul said it best. We have been--can I say--embarrassed, of our Christian beliefs, but if they were lived out I really believe that my life and this world would be a very different place.

Compassion International

This is Isidoro.
Having the opportunity to be Isidoro's sponsor through Compassion International is one of the greatest joys of my life.
I started sponsoring him in 2006. He was 9.

Here he is this year.
He has Bizzy's birthday and is 3 days older than Michelle.

Isidoro is probably the only person who ever answers my letters. I LOVE getting his letters. He tells me about his family, what he is learning in school, that he got a beautiful new sports uniform, he describes his neighborhood. AND, there is always a picture that he drew me. I hope I can go visit him and meet him in real life someday.

His last letter said, "Siempre estoy orando por usted para que Dios la bendiga y la progeja. Siempre me siento muy contento al saber que siempre cuento con su apollo. Se despide usted esperando tener noticias pronto con mucho amor."
Which is translated, "I pray for you so that God is blessing you and watching over you. I am happy to count on your support. Bye to you now with much love, hoping to hear from you soon. With much love."
I am so blessed to know Isidoro and I pray that God continues to use him to bless his family and city. Maybe when I get to heaven I will see the extent of how our friendship affected my life, his life and the lives of others.

My favorite kind of Saturday

Hard work never hurt nobody. True. It actually helps everybody.

Some of my favorite memories growing up involved a lot of long, hard work. When we woke up on Saturday mornings we knew that it was going to be a work day. And it was normal. The fun thing was that we would all be working together. Dad would give us jobs to do and he would come back and check on us every once in a while. But the best part was when he would be satisfied with our work and we would feel like a million bucks.

I had been wanting to plant our garden ever since I came back from Ohio. Last Saturday I woke up and the house was strangely quiet. I looked out the window and saw dad, mom, Josh and Tim in the garden. I was so excited and knew it was going to be a good day. I went out and we pulled out all of the dead, dried up plants and whatever weeds we could. Then dad started giving out jobs and I volunteered to mow. What a job. It took 2 times to get all the tall grass down, Bekah, Michelle and Tim picked up the grass while Josh used the Weedeater. Dad cooked steaks and hot dogs on the grill for lunch and then we got back to work and tilled the garden, planted our new seeds and then Jon and Paul came home and the guys put cement in the small garden pond. We watched and enjoyed a gorgeous day and family.

Boy, I'm sure glad mom and dad decided to have all us kids! Many hands make light work.(--Mom always said this to us.)

Spring of 12

We are ready to begin a new semester! After a wonderful weekend of prayer, planning and being reminded of the urgency and the command to make disciples, we are ready to move forward and to reach our friends and our campus. We pray for open eyes to see the people around us and opportunities that Christ places before us, we pray for boldness combined with grace in sharing the gospel as well as clarity in speaking. We appreciate your prayers as well!

Dirty Feet

Children have no reservations. They say what they think. They trust who they find trustworthy. They do what they feel like without thinking what others think.
I wish I would be more like that sometimes. I think that is what Jesus was talking about when He said that unless we become like a child, we cannot enter the Kingdom. (Matthew 18:3)
Example:
I was playing with some children just a few days ago in a sand/gravel box. I buried my feet in sand and pebbles. One little girl said, 'I'll help you!' and dumped a whole bottle of bubbles on my feet, hoping that would un-bury them. It obviously didn't and them my feet were all sticky and sandy. I laughed and she apologized for making my feet a mess. When it was time for us to go inside, I just threw on my flip-flops thinking that I would wash my feet in a bit. The little girl stooped down and with her hands brushed the mud off my feet.
As she did that so, I was aware of the humility in that quick and simple action. She didn't stop to think that she would get her own hands dirty, but saw that my feet definately were dirty and so she wanted to clean them.

CBHT

Spent the past two and a half days at Convencion Bautista Hispana de Tejas. What a joy to be there. I had wanted to go for a long time and my first opportunity was last year, but I was out of town :( However, this year when they asked me to work at a booth for BSM at the convencion, I cleared my schedule and gladly went. Excited to be in a place where people love the Lord and are living that out daily.
Because I went to a Bible School that trains a lot of people for ministry and pastoring, I get to see them at a place like this. It was a very happy reunion. (www.bua.edu)
I drove home last night with a heart full of gratitude that God brought me to Texas and has allowed me to meet so many wonderful people who love Him and are serving Him. Upon receiving my associates degree six years ago, I had no idea what God had in store for me. Looking back I can see His hand in so many areas. So I don't doubt His will for me. Even if I don't understand some things, I know that He has been so faithful and will continue to be.
It also was really wonderful to meet others who don't know about BSM and share what God is doing on college campuses in Texas. We were able to encourage people to spread the word to college students that they know to get involved and to grow in the faith. I also left challenged by the great need of so many who don't know the Lord and are trying to fill the emptiness in their lives with anything. We have a huge job and a wonderful cause with eternal implications.

Dios Tiene un Proposito

I heard this from a boy today that fully believes it. He has no family and traveled over 1000 miles all by himself, eventually ending up in a boys home. He trusts that God is going to take care of him. It was so encouraging to talk to him, and he was such a precious boy. And very brave.
I was humbled as I was talking to him as I often don't fully believe that God has a plan for my life and that He has great things in store. Granted these things may not be the things that I have in mind, but His way is better and it is His will that I learn to become like Him. Sometimes the uncertainty and the frustrations are meant to make me more holy. He is Good and He is Love. Fully. I must rest in Him and trust in Him.

mission a

Spent this past week at Mission Arlington. This place is so special to me and it was really fun to introduce four of my friends[they also happen to be students in the BSM] to this wonderful place.
Katie, Charles, Janiece, Ashley and Emmanuel. [We visited Southwestern Seminary on Monday night and they have a beautiful campus with this lovely garden]


Matt has worked at Mission Arlington for 13 years and loves Arlington. The city, the people and the ministry--which at times can be really tough. He shared some really challenging stuff with us every day. One thing that he said that is so inspiring to me is that missions isn't just what you do for one week a year when you go on a 'mission trip'. It should be a lifestyle and it should be the way we live the other 51 weeks of the year. He is a very humble guy, but he unashamedly challenges us to live following Christ's example. Giving worth to everyone, no matter what they look like, how much money they make or what kind of 'home' they have.


Miss Tillie started Mission Arlington 25 years ago. She is such a beautiful woman and full of wisdom. She is also the strongest lady I know, no joke! She loves this city fully. One thing that she challenges us and anyone who ever goes to Mission A with--that everyone needs to hear about Jesus. If it is pouring, hailing, sleeting, and negative 50 degrees, you better not cancel church. People need to hear about Jesus. They do not do anything half-heartedly and are so devoted to ministry. I love this woman.
Also in this picture on the far Left is Marc, Marc is the pastor of the church that we worked with on Sunday as well as where we held our Rainbow Express in the mornings. He is and his wife volunteer their time to minister to the members of that apartment community as well as hold down full-time jobs; they are raising two daughters and are about to welcome their third in 2 months. What an example of faithfulness in serving they are! We were blessed to be able to spend a lot of time with them!


Heather has been at Mission Arlington for longer than 3 years[because that's how long ago it was that I first went]. She is a great servant and loves the kids. I am so encouraged and blessed every time I go and just see how much she loves people. I am encouraged by her commitment to serve and give up so much to be there serving Arlington. Lets just say they don't work a 9-5 there, its pretty much an 8 to whenever everything is done day and that would be every day of the week. But everything that is done at the mission is because of God. They bathe everything in prayer and trust Him to provide for them.


I really have a billion things I could say about these wonderful ministers of the gospel and the wonderful work they are doing in Arlington. I know they wouldn't like it. But I am grateful for such wonderful witnesses and I pray that God will continue to bless and use their ministry while challenging us to live with abandon for the glory of His name.

We also got to spend time with a bunch of really great kids telling them about Jesus and playing with them.

Janiece teaching the Bible verse to the kids. Psalm 119:105: 'Your Word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path.' The hand motions really helped the kids remember the verse!


'M' drew a lovely heart picture with all of our names and wanted everyone to see it. We had to close our eyes though while we were walking there so we wouldn't see it until we were right on top of it.

Charles sharing with the kids how Jesus has changed his life.

Ashley coloring on the parking lot with two girls who came the second day.

'R' and I coloring our pictures. He was one of my favorites! A little rough on the edges, but really sweet and would randomly run up and give me a hug. He filled up cups with water for everyone and even delivered them.

its my job

I have been thinking a lot about the events that have been taking place in our world... genocides in Africa, civil unrest in the Middle East, and now an earthquake, tsunami and radiation leaks in Japan. I am reminded of the hope that we have in Christ. We can rest assured that in the end He wins!

“God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging.” — Psalm 46:1-2

However, I have also been thinking a lot about our world and how we have or have not impacted it. I think about our ignorance, petty arguments, complacency and general disinterest in anything except our own comfort and we have some pretty interesting times. All of these terrible things are happening. When will we wake up?!

My sister said was that there was a man who is Hindu who said that Christians don't really believe in a resurrection; otherwise they would not be living the way they are. How very true.

What about that hope? How is that challenging us and changing the way that we live?!

Didn't Jesus call us to leave everything behind and follow Him? Why, then, do we still posess everything that the world does?
Didn't Jesus say that we would be hated? Why do we worry so much about being accepted then?
Didn't Jesus tell us to go? Why, then, are we staying?!

Where is the urgency? Why do we not take His gospel seriously? Do we really not trust Him to keep His word?

Tomorrow is not guaranteed to us. We are not guaranteed another week or even another day. There is an urgency. Time is short. There are millions of people who are dying and will be sent to a Christ-less eternity. An eternity of lost-ness. If we really loved them, we would tell them--even if they are offended or don't want to be our friends anymore.

I have been so convicted and challenged of this. I have always thought I was not an evangelist and that it is the job of the person with the gift of evangelism to tell people about Jesus. False! It is my job. It is anyone who claims to follow Christ's job. If I don't tell them, then I have failed them. If I don't tell them then I don't really love them. They are going to hell. Let me repeat, they are going to hell. Hell is a terrible, horrible place, worse than we can imagine and they will be there for all of eternity.

How can I stand by and just let them go there? Especially when they could be with Jesus for all of eternity.

Father help us--help me-- to trust you and to preach your Word so that others will hear!

'Do not work for the food that spoils, instead, work for the food that lasts for eternal life.' John 6:27



Recommended reading:


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Amazing Grace

Been reading Ephesians this week. I recommend it!
One thing that has really stood out to me is that He chose us long before we even existed. He didn't one day realize that He wanted some things done, so he just randomly grabbed people to do it. We have always been His plan. And the most amazing thing about that to me is that He knew what kind of people we are! He knew that He would be dealing with a sinful, disobedient, rebellious people, but chose to use us and to show His glory through us. I am blown away. Check this out!
Ephesians 2:1-10
1. In the past you were spiritually dead because of your disobedience and sins. 2. At that time you followed the world's evil way; you obeyed the ruler of the spiritual powers in space, the spirit who now controls the people who disobey God. 3. Actually all of us were like them and lived according to our natural desires, doing whatever suited the wishes of our own bodies and minds. In our natural condition we, like everyone else, were destined to suffer God's anger. 4. But, God's mercy is so abundant, and His love for us is so great, 5. That while we were spiritually dead in our disobedience He brought us to life with Christ. It is by God's grace that you have been saved. 6. In our union with Christ Jesus He raised us up with Him to rule with Him in the heavenly world. 7. He did this to demonstrate for all time to come the extraordinary greatness of His grace in the love He showed us in Christ Jesus. 8-9. For it is by God's grace that you have been saved through faith. It is not the result of your own efforts, but God's gift, so that no one can boast about it. 10. God has made us what we are, and in our union with Christ Jesus He has created us for a life of good deeds, which He has already prepared for us to do.

Love, not hate.

This past Wednesday was the first pancake day. Pancake days are my favorite lunches! A. Because we set up outside
B. Because we make a billion fresh pancakes and serve them to students
C. Because we get to meet so many new kids and invite them to join us at free lunches or Bible studies.
That day also happened to be 'trade your soul for a Klondike bar' day sponsored by the Athiest Agenda. Local news even came out to cover their event at which was attended by a only several students.
One guy came up and talked to one of the BSM kids and said, 'I can tell that you guys are doing this out of love. The other group is acting out of hate, but thank you guys for showing love.'
May that always be said of us!

Here are some pictures of the great times we always have. It really is a very festive day. Who knew that pancakes would make so many people so very happy.

April is a wonderful pancake artist.


A constant line. Pancakes are popular!


These guys love pancakes


The cooking crew.

Focus Weekend

The last weekend of October, we went to an apartment complex which is known to have many refugees that live there. Many of these families fled their country and are not only very far away from home, but now indebted because of plane tickets, etc. They receive some money to help them live until they can find jobs, but most of their kids do not even finish high school as they have to quit to work to help support their families. Some students have been investing in the lives of many of these children for several months.
I wasn't really sure what to expect, but ready for whatever God had for us. The first night we went to different apartments, inviting them to come to the party. We played games with them, had food for the kids and then the kids watched a movie and ate popcorn. Kevin made friends with a man from Iran who stayed and talked with us for a long time after the kids all left. He made some hot tea and brought it out to us. He was asking us many questions about our culture, political structure, etc, most of which of his questions, we did not know the answer to. He then told us that one thing he has noticed about Americans is that they have many freedoms, but do not take advantage of them. We can freely vote. We can get an education. But we often do not even care. We were challenged to learn about our country so we can tell people like him who are just coming to live here.
The following day we gave the residents some donations of clothing and also played games with the kids. We distributed The Jesus Film, dubbed into their own languages and many families were excited to actually get to see a movie in their own language.
The following day we took the kids to a Fall Festival at a church attended by many of the students. One of the little boys came up to one of the students and asked if he could come to that church every week.
We met kids from many different countries: Burundi, Iran, Rwanda, Thailand, Tanzania, Burma, etc, etc. As I was talking to them and hearing their stories, I was saddened to think that the beautiful children have only known war, poverty, political unrest, murder, and genocide for their whole lives. Living in America, we will never know the fear and pain that they have known in their short lives. I pray for those kids and believe that God will heal their hurts and I pray that some of them will come to know Him and will come to know his unconditional love that will remain with them even through the pain and fear and hurt.
(*Because of privacy, I will not post any photos of the childrens' faces.)

Stop, Look and Listen

STOP: I am so grateful for this time off the past few weeks. As much as I would have liked to skip over the whole sick part, I will take it for the beautiful time I have had resting.
LOOK: It is Fall! It is cooling off outside and the weather is just magnificent. So beautiful to go outside, sit on the swing with my Bible and a book and read while listening to the birds sing and feel to cool breeze with the sun shining on my face. I really wanted to get out of the house yesterday, so I went to get a haircut. I was tired of feeling frumpy ;) It happens when you don't feel super-great for several weeks, you want to feel comfortable and that's not usually pretty. So, a haircut would be good and a nice chance to get out of the house. After the haircut I walked to the town square while I was waiting for my sister to pick me up. The sun was shining and it was a little warm. There is a very nice fountain in the square which was so inviting... and no one to yell at me, so I sat on the edge with my feet in the water. I sat there basking in the beauty that He shows to me every day, yet I am usually to busy to see and grateful for a forced break to notice it. Today Jenny took me to a church here in town that sells pumpkins and we bought four cute pumpkins in varying sizes for only 4.50. I already baked one and made pumpkin chocolate chip muffins and will think of something creative to bake tomorrow. The other three pumpkins are providing festive decorations around the house right now. Then we went to the park and ate sandwiches and sat by the river. I am really enjoying slowing down and doing some things that I am always too busy for. Today's agenda, besides the pumpkin stuff was planting a dying flower--I really hope it will revive itself! Maybe I'm not a green-thumb, but a little practice never hurt! Then I baked honey wheat bread! I'm super-proud of myself for that one! I have never made bread without a bread machine and it actually turned out really good and everyone thought it was very yummy. Maybe I should open a bakery :)
LISTEN: This time has also been so wonderful to enjoy God and to be silent before Him. Sometimes I get so busy doing things for Him that I forget to enjoy Him. It has been so nice to sit down with my Bible and read it. Not for a Bible study that I am going to give later. Not to keep up with everyone in our weekly readings, but just to hear from Him. He does still speak through it into my life. Into the things I have been struggling with. Not that I have gotten it down, but I have been challenged in several areas, the greatest in knowing HIM. In really knowing HIM, not just because of what people say, but for it to be my personal relationship with Him. Nothing fake, but a real, genuine relationship with Him. It is a struggle sometimes to pretend that everything is perfect in my relationship with God, but that's the idea the people have. Especially with the fact that I'm in ministry, I should have a perfect relationship with God and I should know everything. I'm not and I don't. I'm learning, I'm far from perfect, but I want to continue growing and to know that I will never arrive, but I want to persevere.
I have been pondering this passage for several weeks: "Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. Therefore I do not run like a man running aimlessly; I do not fight like a man beating the air. No, I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize."--ICor.9:24-27 I'm not exactly sure what Paul meant by it, but it has challenged me to not just preach, but to live what I preach. I don't want to be living anything false, whatever comes out of my mouth I want to be truth, not just in fact, but as an outpouring of my life because that is truly what I believe.