OK, I'm posting twice today. I get news updates sent to my email daily... mostly I scan the headlines, occasionally I actually read the articles. As you can imagine the hot topic right now is the Swine Flu.
While I am very sorry for Mexico and the little boy who passed away in Texas, ultimately I'm very sad that this topic gets so much news coverage while the thousands of children who will die of Malaria today won't be recognized in any news story.
And Malaria isn't the only killer either...
I like that Compassion considers these thousands of children news worthy and worthy of standing up for. I like that Compassion is Biting Back.
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
Because I Need the Reminder
Working for Compassion is a blessing beyond what I can describe but it's still a job and there are still days when the normal work annoyances cloud my vision and turn me into a grump. Thankfully there are things to remind me that the normal work annoyances are so very small, especially compared to the reality that children all over the world might not even be able to eat today.
So, let me share with you the reminders I have to "suck it up and do my work" as though I am working for the Lord (and especially when I'm feeling annoyed).
So, let me share with you the reminders I have to "suck it up and do my work" as though I am working for the Lord (and especially when I'm feeling annoyed).
- Our recruitment department has a flyer with the words "Over 1 million impoverished children depend on YOU to come to work everyday." I copied that phrase from the flyer onto my white board (I should probably put it on my bathroom mirror too...but then my roommate would have to read it everyday and it's not necessarily true for her).
- Chapel. Today a Compassion leader talked about servant leadership.
- And here's the biggy for today...blog posts by our Compassion India Bloggers. This is the 3rd trip that Compassion has done where they take some great bloggers on a trip and ask them to do what they do best which is tell stories and invite people into their experiences. I LOVE reading blogs and I've read all the posts from the India Bloggers so far. They have communicated authentic messages to me of despair turned to hope...reminding me that my own despair will pass and hopefully turn into hope as well.
I need these reminders because there are some days that I feel far removed from the children and days when I feel like I'm caught in a funnel cloud and days when my annoyance is stronger than it should be. The children are what keep me doing what I'm doing on those days. The children are the hope I have for what God can do. The children are my reminder.
Friday, April 24, 2009
Because They Opened Their Homes
Happy Friday to you!
This post is installment 3 of "I love Tanzania." I've shared with you that meeting my sponsored child was a life changing event and how the lives and faces of the children touched my heart...well this post is about our home visits.
While on the Tanzania trip I was able to visit 5 homes. These are the homes of some of the children that are part of Compassion's projects. The purpose for the home visits seems to be multi faceted. One thing we would try to do is hear what being a part of Compassion has meant to the family and meet other relatives living in the home. Another aspect was the opportunity we had to encourage the families and pray for them. One of the strongest purposes is so that we can get to know more about living in poverty. Our group of sponsors stayed in a pretty comfy hotel with plenty of food and water and space for everything we brought along...part of going on a Compassion trip is learning as much as possible about poverty and the best way to do that is to see it with our own eyes.
Within these home visits we were told we could ask anything but something about that felt too invasive to me. I wanted to be polite and not embarrass them in anyway but there were others in my various visit groups that didn't hold back. I think all of our questions were still very appropriate but it seemed to change the dynamic of the visit for me from "meeting a family" to "researching a family". To spite any of the apprehensions I had about sitting in these homes and talking with the families and not wanting them to feel like they were on display- I truly loved this aspect of the sponsor tour.
Not every home visit was a happy one. In one of the homes we learned that the mother was sick with HIV and afraid for her child's future after she was gone, in another home it seemed there were too many mouths to feed and not enough food (which I know is the case in so many other homes). On another visit we were happy to learn that in a community where men can and do take several wives that the young sponsored boy in that home had already determined he would only have one wife. Another visit brought a marriage proposal or at least the question of when I might return because the father in that family wanted to marry me off to someone in his tribe.
These were totally an eye opening experience...here's a few (actually a bunch) of photos from our home visits. The thread that wove through each of these visits and never changed was the fact that all of these families graciously invited us into their lives and homes and offered so much of themselves to a group of people they knew nothing about.
While on the Tanzania trip I was able to visit 5 homes. These are the homes of some of the children that are part of Compassion's projects. The purpose for the home visits seems to be multi faceted. One thing we would try to do is hear what being a part of Compassion has meant to the family and meet other relatives living in the home. Another aspect was the opportunity we had to encourage the families and pray for them. One of the strongest purposes is so that we can get to know more about living in poverty. Our group of sponsors stayed in a pretty comfy hotel with plenty of food and water and space for everything we brought along...part of going on a Compassion trip is learning as much as possible about poverty and the best way to do that is to see it with our own eyes.
Within these home visits we were told we could ask anything but something about that felt too invasive to me. I wanted to be polite and not embarrass them in anyway but there were others in my various visit groups that didn't hold back. I think all of our questions were still very appropriate but it seemed to change the dynamic of the visit for me from "meeting a family" to "researching a family". To spite any of the apprehensions I had about sitting in these homes and talking with the families and not wanting them to feel like they were on display- I truly loved this aspect of the sponsor tour.
Not every home visit was a happy one. In one of the homes we learned that the mother was sick with HIV and afraid for her child's future after she was gone, in another home it seemed there were too many mouths to feed and not enough food (which I know is the case in so many other homes). On another visit we were happy to learn that in a community where men can and do take several wives that the young sponsored boy in that home had already determined he would only have one wife. Another visit brought a marriage proposal or at least the question of when I might return because the father in that family wanted to marry me off to someone in his tribe.
These were totally an eye opening experience...here's a few (actually a bunch) of photos from our home visits. The thread that wove through each of these visits and never changed was the fact that all of these families graciously invited us into their lives and homes and offered so much of themselves to a group of people they knew nothing about.
Enjoy the photos.
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
Because Sometimes I Feel Invisable
Invisible, insignificant, inconsequential, irrelevant...I know they all mean close to the same thing but I just kept going because they all start with 'i' and because I might use all of them to describe how I feel about myself at times.
This is not a pity party so don't feel like you have to 'cheer' me up (although I always love being encouraged)...this is just a fact of life and I think we all feel like this at some point or another, even if our life is going awesome.
Well I've been feeling this feeling a little more than usual this week and I think it's because certain things in my life are passing me by and people don't notice me or think of me when I think they should be. It's because I have hit a lull in certain areas of my life and the part of me that needs to be recognized is being stifled by the part of me that doesn't care anymore. Sorry to be so vague but who knows who reads this and I should probably keep things a little ambiguous.
When I talk to God about this, He brings the normal verses to mind about His sufficient grace (2 Corinthians 12:9) and knowing all the hairs on my head (Matt 10:29-31)...that sadly enough only partially comfort me. I spoke of hope last week and look how quickly I've switched from feeling hopeful about my life and my circumstances to feeling all the 'i' words I mentioned above. I don't think I'll wallow in this place for long, but somehow it's where I am today. Maybe tomorrow will bring a new revelation from the Lord...
This is not a pity party so don't feel like you have to 'cheer' me up (although I always love being encouraged)...this is just a fact of life and I think we all feel like this at some point or another, even if our life is going awesome.
Well I've been feeling this feeling a little more than usual this week and I think it's because certain things in my life are passing me by and people don't notice me or think of me when I think they should be. It's because I have hit a lull in certain areas of my life and the part of me that needs to be recognized is being stifled by the part of me that doesn't care anymore. Sorry to be so vague but who knows who reads this and I should probably keep things a little ambiguous.
When I talk to God about this, He brings the normal verses to mind about His sufficient grace (2 Corinthians 12:9) and knowing all the hairs on my head (Matt 10:29-31)...that sadly enough only partially comfort me. I spoke of hope last week and look how quickly I've switched from feeling hopeful about my life and my circumstances to feeling all the 'i' words I mentioned above. I don't think I'll wallow in this place for long, but somehow it's where I am today. Maybe tomorrow will bring a new revelation from the Lord...
Sunday, April 19, 2009
Because I Am Rich
It was Compassion Sunday today at our church. Since I started attending my church 2 years ago I have been praying for this day. It exceeded my expectations in so many ways. I was mostly praying for a 'normal' Compassion Sunday (table in the lobby, announcement in the bulletin) low key type stuff. My church is not really low key in anything we do though... So when the pastors of my church took a trip to Peru in February and decided to dedicate an entire service to sharing their excitement about partnering with Compassion, I was overjoyed. Not only did they share about their trip to Peru and how their hearts are sold on what God is doing there, they dedicated the entire service to informing the congregation about poverty and one of the most tangible ways that they can help...sponsoring a child through Compassion.
The service started with the Rob Bell video "Rich" and it was a powerful reminder that I am rich. I own a car, I have a roof over my head (larger than 6x8 ft), I can drink my tap water, I get to eat everyday and I don't have to worry about a preventable disease taking my life. I am rich. His video was also a good reminder of something else: far too often my perspective shifts from seeing and helping people around me...to me, my stuff and wanting more stuff. I want the others focused perspective to permeate my heart and mind. That is my prayer tonight...when I forget and get wrapped up in me, please Lord pull me back to loving and giving to those around me.
Our church requested 75 packets from one specific area in Peru for our Compassion Sunday. At the end of the day there were only 18 packets left over. Another of my expectations was far, far exceeded. Our church on average has around 300 people in attendance and my heart was overflowing with praise that God touched that many people in our church to sponsor.
I chose a little girl from the Peru packets to sponsor. I'll introduce you to her in a later post. Because our church plans to do some short term missions trips to the area our sponsored children are from I'm already praying for the incredible opportunity it would be to meet her.
The service started with the Rob Bell video "Rich" and it was a powerful reminder that I am rich. I own a car, I have a roof over my head (larger than 6x8 ft), I can drink my tap water, I get to eat everyday and I don't have to worry about a preventable disease taking my life. I am rich. His video was also a good reminder of something else: far too often my perspective shifts from seeing and helping people around me...to me, my stuff and wanting more stuff. I want the others focused perspective to permeate my heart and mind. That is my prayer tonight...when I forget and get wrapped up in me, please Lord pull me back to loving and giving to those around me.
Our church requested 75 packets from one specific area in Peru for our Compassion Sunday. At the end of the day there were only 18 packets left over. Another of my expectations was far, far exceeded. Our church on average has around 300 people in attendance and my heart was overflowing with praise that God touched that many people in our church to sponsor.
I chose a little girl from the Peru packets to sponsor. I'll introduce you to her in a later post. Because our church plans to do some short term missions trips to the area our sponsored children are from I'm already praying for the incredible opportunity it would be to meet her.
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
Because You Only Need A Speck
Of HOPE that is.
God's been talking to me about hope a lot this week. It started at small group Monday night. A woman who had pretty big, real reasons to give up hope shared her story of trust and forgiveness. I was moved. I have a current situation where I just want to get frustrated and give up and walk away and her story stopped those feelings cold. I found myself praying while she spoke that God would show me how to love those that are frustrating me. I felt the Lord telling me to be faithful and have hope that He would guide me.
The second dose of "Have Hope" came this morning in my quiet time. I'm doing a Beth Moore Study and we are on that sweet day that Jesus came back to life and appeared to his disciples and nearly every verse was about hope. If you know Beth Moore studies then you understand the amount of verses this included.
Third lesson on hope came this morning in chapel. Jim Mellado, president of the Willow Creek Association spoke about his near death experience 2 summers ago and how each 'step of survival' illustrated the various steps of hope in our life. It was moving and powerful. He told us hope specializes in dead end situations. While I believe that, I still think I have a good amount of hope without having really experienced what I would consider dead end situations. When you are in those situations it's important to choose the right direction and then just start moving. God will provide more hope as you start moving, He'll provide grace and resources and direction to keep you going...but you have to start moving. Jim asked us "What we were about to give up on?" and I was instantly reminded of the same situations I thought of during small group Monday night.
Okay, okay, God, I get it. Either my hope has been fading and I wasn't aware of it...or God is prepping me for a situation where my hope might be challenged. But I am totally aware that this is my area to mediate on this week...
"Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no on can fathom. he gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint." Isaiah 40:28-31
God's been talking to me about hope a lot this week. It started at small group Monday night. A woman who had pretty big, real reasons to give up hope shared her story of trust and forgiveness. I was moved. I have a current situation where I just want to get frustrated and give up and walk away and her story stopped those feelings cold. I found myself praying while she spoke that God would show me how to love those that are frustrating me. I felt the Lord telling me to be faithful and have hope that He would guide me.
The second dose of "Have Hope" came this morning in my quiet time. I'm doing a Beth Moore Study and we are on that sweet day that Jesus came back to life and appeared to his disciples and nearly every verse was about hope. If you know Beth Moore studies then you understand the amount of verses this included.
Third lesson on hope came this morning in chapel. Jim Mellado, president of the Willow Creek Association spoke about his near death experience 2 summers ago and how each 'step of survival' illustrated the various steps of hope in our life. It was moving and powerful. He told us hope specializes in dead end situations. While I believe that, I still think I have a good amount of hope without having really experienced what I would consider dead end situations. When you are in those situations it's important to choose the right direction and then just start moving. God will provide more hope as you start moving, He'll provide grace and resources and direction to keep you going...but you have to start moving. Jim asked us "What we were about to give up on?" and I was instantly reminded of the same situations I thought of during small group Monday night.
Okay, okay, God, I get it. Either my hope has been fading and I wasn't aware of it...or God is prepping me for a situation where my hope might be challenged. But I am totally aware that this is my area to mediate on this week...
"Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no on can fathom. he gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint." Isaiah 40:28-31
Sunday, April 12, 2009
Because He Has Risen!
Today marks a pivotal day in Jesus' life. He fulfilled his promise and the teachings of the profits, He changed what the people thought of Him, He conquered sin, death and hell by defeating Satan and rising from the dead 3 days after His crucifixion. He did it to save His people (who believe in Him) from not having to experience hell...and He did it for Me and for You because that is what Agape Love is.
This morning as I peered out the front window to yet another snow storm...
My first thought was a line from the hymn "Nothing But the Blood" of how Jesus' blood washes us white as snow. Clensed from the stains that sin leaves by Jesus' sacrifice on the cross. What a beautiful reminder, Jesus! Thank you Lord for having that kind of Love for mankind.
Nothing But the Blood
by Robert Lowry
What can wash away my sin?
Nothing but the blood of Jesus;
What can make me whole again?
Nothing but the blood of Jesus.
Refrain
Oh! precious is the flow
Oh! precious is the flow
That makes me white as snow;
No other fount I know,
Nothing but the blood of Jesus.
Saturday, April 11, 2009
Because He's Growing So Fast
Three years ago, my world brightened...my heart was taken by the sweet little face of
Cameron Myles
Today, Cam Cam (as I sometimes call him) is turning 3. He is such a loving and inquisitive little boy. I wish I could be at his little birthday party but I am happy I had the opportunity to listen to his 'oos' and 'aahs' and 'oh mys' over the phone as he opened his gifts. His presents were reflective of most of his favorite things: Thomas the Train, John Deere, and Minnesota Twins.
He has so much life ahead of him (God willing) and today on his birthday I pray that as he lives that life he eventually becomes a man of integrity, who is passionate, caring and self-less. I pray that he grows to love the Lord and desires to live his life for Him. I hope he keeps his child-like playfulness and always loves with hope and abandon. He is a blessing!
Our phone calls often end with:
Cameron: Bye
Me: Bye , little man
Me: Bye , little man
Cameron: Love you
Me: Love you too
Cameron: Love you too
Wednesday, April 8, 2009
Because Making Good Choices is Hard
In all of life really...but in particular in the area of food. I feel like I have spent most of my life being displeased with my nutrition and fitness choices (because I wasn't really choosing nutrition and fitness period). A year ago, I got very serious about the fitness side though. It's made a huge difference from just being able to keep up with friends, to changing clothing sizes, to being able to run a 5K. The nutrition side sort of just came along without a huge amount of work. I counted some calories and chose more fruits and veggies over other stuff.
However about 4 months ago I got tired of counting calories and a little switch in my head flipped to where I started telling myself "you work out...you should be able to eat whatever you want to". That's probably true if I wanted to maintain where I had arrived but I don't want to maintain where I am right now and I was fooling myself into thinking that the nutrition side would be easy. All that to say, I've been 'stuck' at this point for a while so I've decided to go back to counting calories.
It's a little bit eye opening to count calories. Last night my roommate made our favorite Pumpkin Bran Muffins. We can seriously eat like 12 of these in 5 days or less, no foolin. They are so good and falsely seem healthy because they have flax seed, wheat flour, and wheat bran in them. Last night I decided I should know what the calories are on these things...it's 299 per muffin. Whoa, I don't think I would have guessed that because I was so sure they were healthy. Well, we have discussed doing some substitutions to try to make them a bit more healthy next time. If we substitute applesauce for the oil, splenda or some other no calorie sweetener for the sugar and cut the chocolate chips in half we can save almost 100 calories per muffin.
I feel like this week has been a turning point for me...like I'm back on the nutrition saddle so to speak. I'm planning to run a 2nd 5K in a couple weeks and a 10K at the end of May. My roommate wanted to go out of town for my birthday and I sort of turned her down because I want to run a 5K that weekend too (now there's a new side of me...choosing running over a fun mountain trip).
However about 4 months ago I got tired of counting calories and a little switch in my head flipped to where I started telling myself "you work out...you should be able to eat whatever you want to". That's probably true if I wanted to maintain where I had arrived but I don't want to maintain where I am right now and I was fooling myself into thinking that the nutrition side would be easy. All that to say, I've been 'stuck' at this point for a while so I've decided to go back to counting calories.
It's a little bit eye opening to count calories. Last night my roommate made our favorite Pumpkin Bran Muffins. We can seriously eat like 12 of these in 5 days or less, no foolin. They are so good and falsely seem healthy because they have flax seed, wheat flour, and wheat bran in them. Last night I decided I should know what the calories are on these things...it's 299 per muffin. Whoa, I don't think I would have guessed that because I was so sure they were healthy. Well, we have discussed doing some substitutions to try to make them a bit more healthy next time. If we substitute applesauce for the oil, splenda or some other no calorie sweetener for the sugar and cut the chocolate chips in half we can save almost 100 calories per muffin.
I feel like this week has been a turning point for me...like I'm back on the nutrition saddle so to speak. I'm planning to run a 2nd 5K in a couple weeks and a 10K at the end of May. My roommate wanted to go out of town for my birthday and I sort of turned her down because I want to run a 5K that weekend too (now there's a new side of me...choosing running over a fun mountain trip).
Tuesday, April 7, 2009
Because It's In Your Face
I'm not a student but I still took a Spring Break this year. Myself, Christy, Melissa and Melissa's Mom all headed to Washington, D.C. for a week. I had never been and I must say that I was quite impressed. I kept feeling more and more patriotic as the week went on...it's really hard not to. It's in your face (at least when you hang out at all the touristy, historical locations). It's not that I'm not patriotic now but I realize there's a lot I don't know about the founding of this nation and the men and women who have led it over the years. It made me want to read books about our presidents and history books about all the wars we have been involved in (since each one has a memorial).
I thought D.C. was beautiful. I only felt unsafe one time (I expected more since I had heard that the crime rate is really high). I look forward to visiting again someday. Oh, and I thought the time of year we were there was wonderful...temps were great for me (I dislike getting too hot), it rained a few days but nothing too major and the Cherry Blossom Festival started while we were there.
Here's a few photos of the week.
Arlington National Cemetary
WWII Memorial with the Washington Monument
in the background.
Cherry Blossoms with Jefferson Memorial
in the background.
Friday, April 3, 2009
Because She's Following the Lord
My friend Becky is leaving for Thailand tomorrow.
She's going to be there for 3 months. I think it will be a long 3 months for me...I really love spending time with her. We've been friends for around 5 years now and the thing that first brought us together was our love of missions. She was the missions leader of the young adult class I was in at church. It was like my 4th time attending the class and I thought 'I need to meet people, I love missions, I'm joining the missions team'. Thus starts an amazing friendship. We've shared a lot over the last 5 years.
I write about Becky today because I am extremely proud of her. I'm proud of her because she felt her life getting too comfortable and saw that the Lord was moving her on to something new. At the time she had no clue what that 'something new' was but she sold her house, let her job know she'd be quitting when she figured out the 'something new' and started her search for God's next thing for her. It's been several months of prayer, searching and wise counsel and the Lord has led her to Thailand.
Becky is an amazing woman of God. The organizations she will be serving with in Thailand will know that about her right away. I am fairly sure that God has some incredible experiences planned for her while she is in Thailand. I share with you my friend Becky's great adventure because I love her and I'm proud of her. If you want to follow along on her journey feel free to check out her blog (Becky...if you read this I hope you don't mind I passed your blog along, I love you!).
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