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.

Looking at the Little Things

     When I took the first steps to apply to come to Torreon, I didn’t know where it would all lead. Of course I hoped that I would be able to come down and serve, but what if God said no? After I sent in my application I prayed, a lot. I prayed God’s will be done. I prayed God would begin to prepare me for my time of service if it was His will I go. I prayed God would prepare my heart. And I prayed Isaiah 6:8 “Here am I; send me”. Now I am down in Torreon, NM, committed to spend at least a year of my life helping children, loving them, and showing them Jesus. All of my prayers were answered. I want to focus though on HOW God prepared me. 
     
                Preparation #1: Dealing with a variety of ages. Several months before I came down here, before I knew whether I was approved to go, I had the privilege to babysit 5 wonderful girls on a regular basis. The ages ranged 13 – almost 2. This year in school we will have 30 some students from K – 12. All with different personalities and interests. Through babysitting I was able to teach, direct, and care for 5 different age groups and 5 different personalities.

                Preparation #2: A.C.E. Curriculum. Had we not moved to Indiana, I would never have gone to Bethany Fellowship School. I probably would have never have done the A.C.E. curriculum. But because my God is big and great, He allowed me to go to Bethany School and have a good education but also get me used to the curriculum. The Torreon Navajo School uses A.C.E., granted its different being a teacher, but I don’t have to learn how the curriculum works.

                Preparation #3: A want to go. Ever since I was younger I have had a desire for mission work. Though I didn’t know where God would lead me, I knew I wanted to serve Him wherever He sent me. Along with that, due to hurts and heartaches, redemption and grace, I can understand better the hearts of those around me with broken homes. Do I know every detail? No, but I can help in the best way I know how.

                As I look back I see that God has prepared me all my life through for this moment. Right down to the sweeper! And no joke, the sweeper I used while I babysat is the same model that the mission has down here. The beautiful thing about life is that this moment right now is most likely preparing me for something else down the road. God is so good in that way!

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.

More Than A Name

  Sometimes I struggle with my past. I think people are judging me, not for who I am, but for where I come from or who my family is. I think "They think nothing good can come from a one-parent family. My dad left and there's no way I can be better than him. I won't measure up to my friends who have a "normal" family."

  I was having my devotions and I read John 1 as part of the study. I've read this before or at least heard it, but verse 46 jumped out at me...

  {And Nathanael said unto him, Can there any good thing come out of Nazareth? Philip saith unto him, Come and see. ~John 1:46}

It hit me...Jesus was judged not for himself but for where he came from. Nathanael didn't know who Jesus was, Jesus's personality, Jesus's background. All he knew was the One called Christ was from Nazareth and he didn't believe good could come from there.

I have often heard the expression "Whatever you go through remember Jesus has gone through it too and understands." Yeah right....Jesus doesn't know EXACTLY what I'm going though because... Jesus didn't this and Jesus didn't that. No, too often I'm proved wrong. And tonight that has happened again. Jesus was judged like a book by its cover.  Just like I've felt I am sometimes. Good came out of Nazareth and I hope and pray that good comes from a Wray.

Blessings~
Savannah

Every Storm Runs Out of Rain

  Lately we've had lots of rain. Have you ever noticed how beautiful the sky is after a good rain? When the sun is covered by a cloud but its bright rays reach out and touch the dark clouds in the distance. Some of the most beautiful pictures have been captured just after a rainstorm. Have you also noticed how there's a peace and a calm feeling in the air?

The same is like when we have trials in life. The storm is ugly, it may last for a really long time, you may feel like you will never have peace again. And then it breaks. The thunder stops, the clouds start to disappear, Christ starts to shine through and the picture is perfect. We feel peace and a new calmness. We know we can face the next storm because we are stronger from the last one.

I love the beauty of a rainstorm. I also love the beauty brought forth from trials and hardships in life.

Every storm runs, runs out of rain.
Just like every dark night turns into day.
Every heartache will fade away.
Just like every storm runs, runs out of rain.

It's gonna run out of pain
It's gonna run out of sting
It's gonna leave you alone
It's gonna set you free
{Every Storm Runs Out of Rain}

One of my favorite songs sums it all up. Just like one of my favorite verses sums up what Jesus does in our life...

...to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that he might be glorified.
{Isaiah 61:3}

The Sorrows We Bare

I was reading my devotional in Psalm 126 and came upon verse 5, "Those who sow in tears will reap with songs of joy." (NIV)

This reminded me of Psalm 56:8 "You've kept track of every toss and turn through the sleepless nights, each tear entered in Your ledger, each ache written in your book." (The Message) and I love how the good old King James states the verse, "Thou tellest my wanderings: put thou my tears in thy bottle, are they not in thy book?"

There have been nights where all I can do to pray is kneel and bawl! God says that He knows every thought and He knows every language. The old hymn that says "Tears are a language that God understands" is so true. I'm sure we've all cried our fair share of tears. Whether we have shed the tears, endured the pain, and stayed in the fight because of the passing of a loved one, struggles with your significant other, or whatever it may be, we have the promise that it is not in vain when we believe in God.

I picture God storing up every tear, sorrow, and ache, and placing them in a big jar. As we go through life He takes each one and he adds it to this beautiful sculpture that He is creatively designing. Yet, this is our life, each tear, sorrow, and ache shapes and molds us into who we become and are, good and bad. It can be something beautiful the God wants to give u when you stand before Him receiving your crown. And He will say "Remember this situation? Here is what I created with it. And here, here is that time you..." And He points out some of the most significant points in your life of great pain and sorrow and all you see is beauty.

Whatever you are going through God will help you through it. You may not see the beauty now, you may not see it till you reach Glory land. By following God through the hardest time in your life, you may be creating the most beautiful part of your statue!

The Sermon That Spoke

I must confess, lately my spirit has not been one of happiness. Today it would have been very easy for me to stay home. I was sore from basketball/volleyball and then work. Mom and my sister were watering. Why should I go to church? Well, I had to take care of the bulletin, so I went. I went with a battle in my spirit. I got to church and began to lighten up. After Sunday school and the opening I felt better. Then our newly elected minister preached his first sermon as a minister. And as he talked I felt the burden rise from my shoulders. I felt lighter.

We all have days/weeks/months where we are on top of the mountain. We are so close to God we should be His right hand man (or woman). But then we all have those valleys were God is up there but we can't see Him through our rain cloud. This has been me the last little while. No matter what I try it just rains harder.

Then today God through Rodney spoke to my heart. He read from 2 Kings 2. The passage where Elisha is with Elijah just before he is caught up in the whirlwind and taken by God. They journey to 4 different places. Gilgal. Bethel. Jericho. Jordan. Rodney then compared to these 4 places with our spiritual walk.

Gilgal, conversion. We are convicted and brought to Christ, but we can't stay at conviction. We must begin to grow and be nourished by the Word, fellowship with other believers, and teachings on Sunday and Bible studies. Paul talks about being babes and needing to grow and eat meat. We have to move on.

Bethel, house of God. Part of growing is learning about God's promises for you, then resting in those promises. I think we all find a promise that is personal just to us from God. One of my absolute favorites is 2 Corinthians 4:8-9. It promises me that NO MATTER WHAT I go through....with God I will OVERCOME it!

Jericho, strongholds. We all have strongholds in our lives, but do we have them in our spiritual lives and walk with God that we need to break down? Something blocking full communication with the Father?

Jordan, new beginnings. We all come to valleys, areas in our walk where God is "far away". Jordan isn't new though, and crossing your Jordan isn't a one time thing. You will cross your Jordan several times and have to begin again. Your Jordan may also change when you have to recross it. Trusting in God will get you through your Jordan and back to your mountain.

I was truly blessed with the challenge of meeting these places in my walk head on and hopefully you have been too!

Blessings~ Savannah

Prevailing Plans of God

Many are the plans in a man's heart, but it is the Lord's purpose that prevails.
                {Proverbs 19:21 NIV}

How true this verse is. We make plans for today, tomorrow, next week, next month, next year! We plan it out and with luck those plans will be played out correct? Yes, most times, but when God wants to shake up your plans, there's nothing that's going to stop Him!

Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.
                 {Matthew 6:34 NIV}

The day we left started as any other day. Then our day changed. God's plan prevailed against our daily plan, and I am not at all bitter about that day.

It changed my life in a good way.

I have friends and family in both states that love me, support me, and will be there for me.

Most of all I have an {AMAZING} God who proves {His love}, {His power}, {His grace}, and {His peace} over and over again!!

I have no doubt in Him. And all because His plan prevailed that one fateful day.

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.