Will They Be Cared For?

Our lives have been filled with the most precious baby animals in the last few months.  Our dog Stella had 7 puppies on July 22 and then 3 weeks later a mama cat found her way into our guards house and had 3 kittens.  The cat family quickly moved to our back doorstep and the puppies to the front doorstep.  It was all quite peaceful until the puppies started coming into the house with their muddy feet and sneaking shoes and making them chew toys.  The kittens were found inside the box spring of our bed and the mama at home in our living room! They eat a lot and are everywhere!  It was time to find new homes.

This wasn't as easy as I thought.  It was easy to find people willing to take the babies but would they provide good homes, good enough?  There was no way we could keep 10 new little critters but I found myself worrying that no one could care for them well enough.

I have been thinking a lot about Jesus and his time here on earth.  How did God feel as he let him go?  Was there anyone good enough for him?  Anyone that would care for him the way that his father had?  No.  As a new baby is born, is there anyone that can care for them well enough?  What is God thinking as each new baby is born? How does he let them go into a world that will hurt and betray?

God is always hoping for us.  He desires that each of us turn our hearts quickly to Him so that our hope will be renewed, and our strength restored.  He is with us always, saying just look at me.  He is all that we need, all the time.  He will care for us, in ways that we could never imagine.  We just have to see him.

We are keeping a few puppies but the others have gone.  The kittens and mama cat are soon going to new homes.  They are ready and they too will have all that they need.  I am so thankful when I remember to put my eyes on God and He renews my perspective... More important than anything is that we keep our eyes on Jesus, keep loving others and encouraging them to see the hope that He always has for us.

I know in my life I have chewed up my share of flip flops and hurt others.  I have been a nuisance and a bother and gotten into others space... I am thankful that God renews and restores relationships also and is showing me how to love better everyday.  I hope that I will always be willing to be changed and made new.

Learning To Say Thank You...

For the last year I have been meeting with a group of Nicaraguan women every Friday morning for a simple Bible study.  Every meeting starts with sharing something good that happened during the previous week.  Many times the good things that are shared are actually difficulties that occurred and God showed himself faithful.  A week ago, Elizabeth shared that she was thankful that we get to meet together every week and remember the good things because it is so easy to only see what's hard, broken and bad and so many people never see or share about the good. 

Elizabeth, Karla and Nidia preparing lunch for a team.

In James it says that "every good and perfect things is a gift from God coming down from the father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows".  We have a choice to see the good things or not and I truly believe that when we see the good, however big or small, we have seen God at work.

I am thankful to have the desire to look for God everyday and all around me... He looks like every good thing.  And the Bible says that if we look for Him, we will find Him, if we look with all of our hearts.

Last week as we closed our time together in the Bible study I asked if anyone had any prayer requests... Elizabeth said with tears in her eyes, "just for you Katie, that God will give you all that you need, always". 

I am thankful so thankful for Friday mornings.

The Greatest in the Kingdom...

"Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.  

Whoever receives one such child in my name receives me..." 

Matthew 18:4, 5

As we entered Verbo Iglesia on a Wednesday in July, I was surprised to see the church filled with children for the weekly prayer meeting.  I was disappointed as I wonder where are the adults.  I was wondering what will the team from Grace Bible Church think that there are only children in the prayer meeting.  I wondered if they would be disappointed with all that they have done to help build and encourage this church in Rio Blanco.   

As I sat pondering and feeling discouraged God gave me new eyes... The church was FILLED with children.  WHY CHILDREN?  Children go where there are good things, things that feel good, where they experience peace and love and joy.  I don't think they came to church that night expecting to grow in Bible knowledge or be checked off for attendance, they came because they knew the love of God was in that place!  

The reason I fell in love with Jesus as a 10 year old girl was that I was so loved by a group of people at summer camp and they shared with me the reason for their love.  God is love.  

Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, 

and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God.  

1 John 4:7

11 year old Anna Claire praying... I love that Jenn is watching

As the week went on, I noticed how the children and youth just wanted to be at the church all the time, they wanted the love, freedom, peace and protection that was offered by this place and it's people.  Like a whole lot of giant sponges everyone of these kids is soaking up everything that is being poured on them by Pastor Sergio, Marisol, the Verbo family and each team that visits.  I am so thankful that God changed my perspective that day and He allows us to see things the way He does when we are willing. 

"Do not let anyone look down on you because of your youth, 

but set the believers an example in speech, in conduct,

in love, in faith, in purity." 1 Timothy 4:12

University of Washington goes to the Rio Coco

Payton Young with new friends from the Rio Coco

 

 

Our team of 19 traveled in two canoes

 

 

I don't know that we really believed we would return to the Rio Coco so soon after our first trip in November, but we did!  We are encouraged in 1 Peter 3:15 to always be prepared to share a reason for the hope that you have... we shared the hope that we have for the people of a small village on the Rio Coco called Sanivila and 11 kids from the University of Washington wanted to be a part of the work God is doing.

Ignacia finding clothes for the kids.  People gave so much to make this trip possible!

The team, led by Payton Young, arrived in Managua on March 21.  We traveled 2 more days in a van, a truck and canoes to finally arrive in Sanivila.  We spent 6 days in the village digging latrines, playing with children, sharing food and clothing, sleeping in hammocks, bathing in the river and the best part of all we shared the JESUS Film in the Miskito language, not once but twice!

Patrick and Taylor ready to take the first pick at the dirt, only 8 meters left to go!

Visiting homes and praying for families.

Tim and Taylor ready for a good night sleep

Making our way home...

Our week was filled with lots of singing, laughter, deep conversations, mourning and fresh revelations from God.  God is so good and faithful, His hand was on this trip. There are 11 kids that returned to the University of Washington yesterday ready to live with purpose,  wanting others to see the love of God in their lives and wanting to share God's Word in their houses.

It was a week, more than we could have asked for or imagined.
 

Believing in Others

"Prayer is the way we recognize potential in others", says author Mark Batterson in his book The Circle Maker.  1 Corinthians 14:3 says a prophet speaks words of comfort and encouragement as prompted by the Holy Spirit. We need each other. We need to speak words of encouragement to one another, to build one another up, just as scripture says (Hebrews 10:24,25).

As I was reading this morning I couldn't help but think of the message I posted yesterday of the family that Larrys knows and his desire to be the reminder of hope and encouragement for others.  This story followed in my reading...

I grew up in an alcoholic household where I never heard a positive word. On my way home from school I would always stop in at Jimmy's, the local dry cleaner, because I knew he kept candy on the counter.  He got to know me, and told me one afternoon, "Michael, you are a very smart boy. Someday you are going to run a very big business." I would listen to him in disbelief and return home only to get called a "dog" and knocked around by my dad. But you know... Jimmy the dry cleaner was the only person I can remember believing in my... Today I run a multimillion dollar health care organization, just like Jimmy predicted. I guess you could say that a dry cleaner was the prophet in my life.

It only takes one person to speak the words of hope that motivate another to dream.  It only takes one person to believe in another, for great things to happen. "Our words have the potential to change lives by helping people discover their identity and destiny in Jesus Christ." 

I want my words to bring life and not death (Proverbs 18:21).  And when we don't have words to say, let our actions be the encouragement that build one another up.

I've learned that

people will forget what you said,

people will forget what you did,

but people will never forget

how you made them feel.

 -Maya Angelou

 

Hope for the Future

In the past few months Larrys has walked with a family through a difficult time.  Janet, a mom of 3 girls is suffering from severe depression.  Her depression is debilitating and she lost her job.  Her husband, a construction worker, was without consistent work and began to drink.    The girls became so concerned about their mom that they were not able to continue in their normal activities.  One of the girls cries all the time.  The others take care of normal household responsibilities.  Without a steady income and with 5 mouths to feed, the girls were going to have to drop out of school.  There was no extra.

Larrys became very concerned.  He has known these girls since they were born and hopes for a great future for them.  He worries that their situation will keep them from their dreams, from the future they have hoped for.

That’s when Larrys came to me and asked what I thought of helping them with their education.  He thought more about the idea, and in a more general sense, what if we offered scholarships to kids that don’t have anyone believing in them, encouraging them to hope for a better future and those whose parents just can’t, what if we did that for them?

Larrys has grown up in a country where many people have stopped dreaming, the result, people live for today and they do what feels good now.  Many end up pregnant, caught in an addiction or struggle with unemployment their whole life.  He knows what it’s like to live without the encouragement of another and when no one believes in you. But he will never blame anyone; his father died when he was young and he knows his mom did her best to care for him and his 7 siblings.  

Larrys desire is that we walk with kids as they continue in their education. We will dream with them, encourage them and be their biggest cheerleaders along the way. 

How?  Of course we will pay their tuition and required supply fees.  But we know that giving “everything” rarely helps, so families will be responsible for transportation, uniforms and food.  We will meet individually once a month with each student. We will have group activities, for kids to know each other and be encouraged.  We will serve others together; we will teach them to see the needs of others and how to love well.  And finally, we will encourage them to make a life long choice to do the same for someone else. 

Our mission is to connect others with Christ and each other, this program fits well. We have already begun supporting Geyzel and Alejandra, their classes begin the end of January.  If you would like to be involved so we can support other kids in this way, please let us know.  We are making a proposed budget at this time and will have more information soon.

“Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.”

-Nelson Mandela

Rio Coco 2013

Cuando se terminan las palabras entonces recordamos que una imagen dice mas que mil palabras...

Get the flash player here: http://www.adobe.com/flashplayer