When the Creative Juices Flow...

Here at the mission, as part of a way to reach out to the kids, we are allowed to have them stay on Wednesdays after school for the afternoon and evening. This past week we had 2 of the high school girls over. We played a game after our chores were done and then moved on to making popsicle coasters for cups. One of the young ladies was ready to paint hers. So we got her the necessary tools and she promptly put about a coin dollar sized amount of several colors of paint on the paper plate. For Jana and I’s coasters we used nickel size amounts of paint.

At first I wanted to say something, but I decided not to. We could put the extra she didn’t use back into the bottle, no problem. So she started painting and got several colors on. She was waiting for it to dry and she took her brush and began to swirl all of the colors on her plate together. I was a tad shocked and all I could see was a bunch of wasted paint.

Her colors made a weird brown and she began to add a lil to her coaster. Then she took paint and added it straight to the coaster, not putting it on the plate. I’m sure by the time she was done, she had added another inch to her coaster in paint alone. When she finished, the coaster actually turned out sort of cute. It had a rustic-y look with extra colors. She had a lot of fun making the coaster, start to finish.

I realized, the wasted paint didn’t matter. The smile on her face and the memory she made did. Sometimes in the moment, all you can see is the waste someone is making or what they’re costing you by using this material or this tool. What we need to focus on is the memory they are making, the smile they see on your face when they proudly show you their project. The encouragement they receive from you will last far longer than the scribbled picture or paint smeared coaster.

What I have written next is taken from the movie Me Again. So if it sounds familiar, that’s where you’ve heard something like it.

In 2013 the average cost of raising a child from birth to age 18 is $245,340. If I did my math correctly, it comes to $1.50 per hour. For a buck 50 per hour, you get to watch one of the most wonderful miracles God has ever created. For one dollar and fifty cents an hour, you get to be a hero when you heal a scrapped knee with a band-aid and a kiss. You get to be the star of a little life, shape, mold, and guide that little life to become the best he or she can be. For $1.50/hour you get to have faith building talks with your teenager. Trust me I’m sure there were somedays my mom would have paid someone to take me away rather than raise me during my teenage years, so I’m probably not winning you over with those thoughts. But in the end, raising a child, whose life you’ve impacted over those 18 years, seeing their struggles, victories, failures, and successes, is it worth $1.50 per hour? I don’t know, you do the math.

Trusting God

    Dear Reader ~ I have now moved to Cuba, NM. I am down here for one year to teach Navajo children about Christ. So you will most likely now be hearing about my adventures down here!

    So as I have journeyed to the land of sage and cactus I have had to put my faith in a God who WAY bigger, more powerful, stronger, and mightier than I. At first it was easy, I had my mother and my sister here. So putting my trust in Him was fine and good! Then, they left. They went over 1000 miles away back to our homeland of 386 acres, 800 trees and 100% humidity (A facebook joke). And for once in my life, faith and trust were two difficult words to swallow.

    I KNEW God could keep them safe, provide for them, and comfort them. But I wasn’t on the plane, I didn’t know that they would be ok getting home. I couldn’t control any part of their safety. Everything was out of my control. As the days have passed it’s gotten a lot easier. The heart of my faith is there, not just my head. I now know and feel in my spirit that God will and is taking care of them.

    Adjusting to the land and the different way of life has been fairly easy. Am I homesick? Yes occasionally, but I know there is a God that holds me and my family in his hands and in 18 years He has never forsaken me. Just recently I felt the effects of being homesick in full swing. I didn’t know why I had come down here. Why had I chosen to leave friends and family to be with strangers in a foreign land? I opened my Bible to Psalms and found the 17^th verse of the 25^th chapter.

                The troubles of my heart are enlarged: O bring thou me out of my distresses.
Well after reading that and then talking to Him by my bedside, I felt a lot better. Of course then talking to my mother 10 mins. afterward definitely helped.
   “God is good all the time and all the time God is good.” ~God’s Not Dead. Just remember as you go about your everyday, as you encounter disappointment, separation, sorrow, and discouragement, you have a God who will bring you out of your distresses. Trust that God with all your heart and you will have nothing to fear, and nothing to want.

That Perfect Love

As I babysit each week, the 4 year old is allowed to watch an hour of show per day. So sometimes we watch Disney movies, princess movies to be a little more specific. Which I enjoy as much as her for some I haven't seen for a long time. Though we can't always finish the movies, they have recently left me thinking about the perfect man.

If you have ever watched a princess movie, you know that no matter what, the prince/hero always has a bunch of obstacles to overcome. For example: Cinderella; Prince Charming goes through the kingdom putting the mysterious glass slipper on every young maiden's foot to find his true love. Sleeping Beauty; Prince Philip risks life and limb to go through a forest and fight a dragon just to kiss his love and save her and her kingdom. Hercules; Though this movie is about a guy, he of course meets the one girl he can't live without! Her life is taken and to save her he has to swim in a sea of souls to get her. The catch is, as he swims his soul is slowly sucked away and if he doesn't get out in time he will die. Well, as you expect, the last hope is gone and then WOOSH he pulls them both up and saves both their lives. Yea!

There point I want to bring out is that even at 18 years old, after watching Cinderella 3, I was left wanting a love story where love overpowers the biggest, most evil spell and everything is perfect in the end. Then I realized, love overpowers everyday in the little stuff. When a husband and wife argue or disagree but come together, even after a little time being away from the other and cooling off, and they work it out, love has just conquered. When something drastic happens to a loved one and the family grows closer, love has just conquered. When life throws lemons and the couple or family make lemonade, love has conquered. Love does not have to make leaps and bounds over evil or bad times to be proven strong and real. Love goes over bumps and potholes and proves each day that it is alive and well. There is no such thing as perfection in a relationship, but with God all things are possible, and its those days where the impossible becomes possible and the mountain becomes an anthill. Those are the perfect days that we need to cherish.

~1 Corinthians 13~

A Mother's Legacy

In church on Mother's Day we celebrated mothers and of course heard about different mothers in the Bible. Mothers such as: Hannah, Jochebed, Mary, Elizabeth, Lois, and Eunice. These ladies not only just mothers of famous God-fearing men. They are women who left a legacy that is to be followed by us today.

Hannah, mother of Samuel, couldn't bare children. She offered to God her child if he would bless her with one. God blessed Hannah with a son. To long for a child only to give him up after 3 or so years had to be so hard for her. But Hannah was not giving him up in vain, she knew she was giving him to God for God's service. Total sacrifice to God on Hannah's part produced more good fruit; 1: Samuel grew up to be a Godly man. 2: Hannah was then blessed with more children.

Jochebed, mother of Moses, also made a great sacrifice for her child. When Moses was born all baby boys were being murdered. His mother and father, for the sake of their son, hid Moses in the bulrushes of the river. Pharaoh's daughter found him and adopted him. Not knowing Jochebed to be his mother, the princess hired her to be Moses's nurse until he was old enough to not need her. Though Jochebed still got to spend time nursing Moses, she had to return him to Pharaoh's daughter. The faith Jochebed had to give up her son, knowing God would take care of him is powerful. It is recorded in Hebrews 11 that Moses's parents saw he was a proper child and were not afraid or the king's commandment. Their faith was strong.

Mary, mother of Jesus, and Elizabeth, mother of John, were the mothers to two boys who became influential men, and one the Savior of the world. Both women had a great joy within their hearts as they carried their babies for 9 months. I'm sure they still had their struggles but deep in their hearts, knowing their boys were special, they had a love and a joy no one could steal.

Lois and Eunice, grandmother and mother of Timothy. These women were very important in the life of Timothy. They taught him faith in Jesus. Timothy did not have 1st generation Christian parents, he had a background of a faith-based family. If you are blessed with a background of a faith-based family you know those blessings of seeing Christ work in generation after generation. If your family is newer to the faith or you are the only Christian in your family, build that faith-based family. Show your children what God is all about that they may pass it on and you may become a legend for Christ.

There is something these mothers all had in common. Whether they raised their children for many years or only a few years, each mother was full of God so much that it spilled over into their children. A mother has a bond with her child that goes farther than any other bond. A mother invests in her child, prays for her child, cares and loves for her child. But the real challenge is to teach them a love for God that goes as deep as the mother/child bond. A mother's impression on her child will be the one that sticks the most.

I was blessed to spend the day with my Great Grandma on my father's side for a day. Her hands shook as she pulled her wore Bible off the end table. She could have read anything, watched something, but instead she chose to read her Bible. My Great Grandmother has been through a lot in her lifetime, but God has always been faithful and he continues to show that by providing for her and loving her. That is a testimony to me to always have faith in God. He will provide for u and take care of us. A few years ago my family visited Virginia for a wedding. My Great Grandparents on my mother's side were well known in that area so we had some connection to it. On the way home my mother made a comment about how everyone knew Great Grandpa's. But even though they talked about my Great Grandpa who was a minister, they really remembered my Great Grandmother. She worked quietly behind the scenes with a meek and gentle spirit and that's what people remember more than the sermons my Grandpa preached. The women of the Bible and the women in my life inspire me to be a better woman in Christ, whether I ever get married or not, I want t strive to be like these women in my daily life.

Be a Sidekick!

I babysit for 3 girls twice a week. On Monday the 4 year old and I went outside and jumped on the trampoline. As little girls do she began to be silly and asked what song she should sing. So I gave her a few suggestions. Among others I suggested If You're Happy and You Know It. The first two verses she sang just fine.

Then we got to the last verse and this is what she sang, "If you're happy and you know it touch your head. If you're happy and you know it wave your hands in the air. If your happy and you know it be a superhero. If you're happy and you know it then your life will surely show it. If you're happy and you know it be a superhero."

As cute as it was I wondered about being a superhero. Moms and Dads are superheroes to their children. Moms clean up messes, do laundry, keep everything in order and seem to never wear out (though they really do!). Dads go to work everyday and come home in time to play and then fight off the monsters under the bed. Can someone like me, average Jane who doesn't have a family yet, be a superhero to someone?

The definition of superhero is a very heroic person. So to a child I may make my superhero debut by killing a spider or catching a drink before it spills. But can I be a superhero to someone I've never met before? As I thought about this I thought about MY favorite superhero, Jesus Christ. Died to save my sins that I may go free. There are many fictional superheroes who save the world everyday from bad guys. My superhero saved the world once but saves me everyday. In reality I'm just the sidekick. I stay by Jesus's side, taking the Word to the people but letting Him do the real saving. I don't have the power that He has. The Bible actually talks about sidekicks, it calls them disciples.

 And I can do my job as a sidekick by telling a stranger about the one and only true Superhero who has the power to save them. Telling them that God has saved them from their sins, that they don't need to live in darkness. Telling them God loves them because they are His child. Then Jesus comes in and takes care of the rest.

All God's Children

What is beauty? Is it having the perfect hair, spotless make-up, a body that makes the guys drop their jaws and the wardrobe to help with that? Is it a lifestyle that portrays all this, smoking, and drinking as good? Who defines what beauty is? Who was the first to say she is beautiful and you are not? Who started the fashions and created the high expectations men and women try to live up to each day?

I am guilty of judging people by their looks far too often. Thinking thoughts like "They really chose to go out in public like that?" "Wow how did those to end up together he/she is not attractive and the other isn't bad looking?!" Unfortunately thoughts like this are way to common in my head. Yet sometimes I will see someone and the person I'm with will say they don't look pretty or handsome but I see beauty in them. We are to have a God-given love for every person we see and meet. Whether we think they are beautiful or not, we don't know their heart. How can we judge when we don't know what that tattoo means to them, what that scar is from, or why that beautiful person has their head hanging low.

God created us all special. Some He just created extra special. Down Syndrome, and Autism are just two of many special needs that God allows some people to have. The children and then adults that have these needs are far to often abandoned by the people who should be loving them. But no, they are weird, not normal, not right, I only want children who are perfect. No, they are created by God with love and grace just like you and me. Don't abandon or push away these precious souls, they want love and care just like you and me!

What about the "normal" kid next door? Down syndrome and autism are more noticeable needs but what about ADHD, asthma, or a simple malfunction in the brain that causes one's face to not corporate correctly? Right next to you could be someone who doesn't act quite "normal" but they aren't quite weird (If that makes sense!). God made us all special, with different talents and gifts ready to be used to glorify God. We shouldn't criticize or down the gifts and talents God has given others. Nor should we make fun of the special needs or differences God has given to them. We are all God's children.

Happy Heritage

Last week my brother, sister and I went to my Grandparent's house and helped Grandma in her yard. She mentioned that she was moving away from flowers to more garden art, due to being older and not being able to take care of the plants as she should. It makes me sad because I have always enjoyed Nana's full bushy, colorful, vibrant flower beds. But even though she is getting out of flowers she has left with me a love for them and a want to have big, full bushy, colorful, and vibrant flower beds. And after dead heading quite a bit of Lamb's Ear, I now have no desire to plant any Lamb' Ear.

We worked in a flower bed in the front of the house, taking out dirt and leveling it. Years ago she had put plastic in the bottom of the bed thinking this would help with weeds, it actually drowned the plants because it held the water. But what really got me was when she said, "Who would have thought all those years ago when I put that plastic in that my grandchildren would be helping me dig it out?!" Isn't it amazing how she had no idea she would have 11 grandchildren by the time she was ready to take the flower bed out? Time flies and moments go so fast but God is good and following Him I believe we will all leave a good Godly Happy Heritage!