Guatemala Video

I wanted to share some pictures with those of you who have been following my journey to Guatemala and back. I hope it gives you a small glimpse into my time there! Please join me in praying for the men and women and children I encountered while there...many of whom you will meet in this video. If the font is too small to read, enter full screen mode by pushing the button in the bottom right hand corner of the video. Enjoy!

Guatemala: The widow's mite

When do we learn to hoard our vast-beyond-measure stuff? When does the chubby baby sharing a saliva-slimed cracker with anyone and everyone turn into the intemperate toddler who must have everything? Is there salvation for our greedy hearts?

^"1 As Jesus looked up, he saw the rich putting their gifts into the temple treasury. ² He also saw a poor widow put in two very small copper coins. ³ “Truly I tell you,” he said, “this poor widow has put in more than all the others. ⁴ All these people gave their gifts out of their wealth; but she out of her poverty put in all she had to live on" (from Luke 21).

She came and sat down before me, weary from the load she literally and figuratively carried. She smiled shyly, and I was immediately captured by her joyful smile and the radiant beauty of the daughter she held in her lap. Through a translator, we quickly said our hellos and moved onto the more serious matter, that of the medical needs she and her daughter shared. With the resources brought over by our team from the States, I did my best to help her. I gave her a toothbrush and vitamins, some medicine for their ailments. A mite from our millions.

She returned with a mite from her poverty, proving her richness in spirit. As she was standing to leave, repeating over and over, "Gracias, gracias, muchas gracias," she slipped the ruby red headband off of her head and handed it to me. A gift from the richness of her heart.


The red headband is not the most expensive gift I have ever received, nor the most extravagant. It stole my breath just the same, as did what seemed like hundreds of other love offerings I received over the course of my time in Guatemala.

America may be one of the richest countries in the world as far as material wealth goes, but while I was in Guatemala, I watched more than one widow offer her only mite to Jesus. In some ways, they have more than we could ever hope to have.

To conclude our week of clinics, we were blessed by an incredible body of believers who worked alongside us in their own church building. They held a service in celebration of God's work, giving each member of our 31-member team a beautiful gift...a mite from their poverty, from the richness of their hearts.

What have you done with your wealth?

Guatemala: I didn't know, but He knew

"Then your light will break forth like the dawn, and your healing will quickly appear; then your righteousness will go before you, and the glory of the LORD will be your rear guard" (Isaiah 58:8)

Where do I begin? Last fall, God led me to apply for a medical mission trip to Guatemala with my church. I did not know what lay ahead...but He did. I did not know that this beautiful, mountainous country would grab a hold of my heart and steal my breath. I did not know that my mind and hands would be captivated by the work of serving the medical needs of some of the most poverty-stricken people on this earth. I did not know that I would work side by side with new friends who love Jesus passionately. I did not know...but He did.

Many of you have been following my journey to Guatemala, supporting me in prayer and with financial gifts. I cannot thank you enough. God is using you to touch lives thousands of miles away...and I pray that He continues to reap what has been sown.

Over the next several weeks, I will share stories of God's work in Guatemala...and needs that I saw and experienced there, for which you can continue to pray. We saw an estimated 2,000 patients while there, and nearly 100 people accepted Christ. The people I met and touched and hugged are not numbers, though. They are children of the living God...and I can't wait to introduce you to some of them.

To Him be the glory!

And we're off!!!

Off to Guatemala...please pray for the team and I! Will post more upon my return = )

Am I pro-life?

Many people might want to throw their computers out the window after they read what I am about to write. Keep reading anyway.

Here it goes....

Being pro-life is not everything.

Are you still there?

Let me elaborate...

There is a difference between being anti-death and being pro-life. One can oppose death and at the same time not actively support life.

Understand where I'm at?

A couple of months ago, I sat across from a young girl, holding her hands and welcoming her tears. Let me tell you her story. "Lashawna" is homeless. She sleeps on friends' couches and takes a meal where she can get it. She has no contact with her family...if you can even call "them" that. Her father abandoned the family when Lashawna was a baby. Lashawna's mother was physically abusive to all 3 of her kids, but especially to Lashawna's younger sister, who has some special needs. Lashawna and her sisters were removed from the home and passed from foster home to foster home until, at 18, Lashawna aged out of the system...which pretty much brings us full circle. Homeless. Familyless. Hopeless. And now pregnant. Lashawna came to me considering abortion.

It is easy to check a box on a ballot. It's easy to spout off an easily defined conviction at a cocktail party. But what do you say to Lashawna?

Homeless. Familyless. Hopeless.

I can tell her not to abort her baby.
I cannot guarantee she will have help raising her baby.
I cannot guarantee she will have a place to live.
I cannot promise that she will have the resources to buy prenatal vitamins and diapers.
I cannot promise that her child "won't end up like me...being passed from home to home" if she chooses adoption.
I can tell her not to abort her baby. But I can't promise her any of those other things, because there are plenty of statistics to sabotage those promises. Unless I choose to be actively pro-life for her and her child, they will end up being just another one of those statistics (and there are plenty not-so-good-ones to choose from).
~~~~~~~~

Recently, I stumbled across THIS ARTICLE. Oh my. It is pretty much my heart, summed up on a page.

Friends, we are so eager to shout to the world that we are "PRO-LIFE!" But are we truly pro-life, or just anti-death?

I am terrified to admit it, but I must say that my answer to Kinsey Thurlow's question would have to be "no." There are hundreds of thousands of kids waiting to be adopted here in the US. Millions more around the world. If we, the people of God, are not even caring for these kids, why would we be arrogant enough to think we could take on thousands more? ***I am by NO MEANS saying that abortion is right, good, or any of the like. (And I'm also not saying that GOD could not handle the thousands of lives that are in jeopardy here)***

I'm just giving you something to think about at your next cocktail party...Abortion creates brokenness. However, the faces behind abortion are complicated. They are hurting. They are also uniquely beautiful. And they need us to be pro-LIFE for THEM, too...not just for their babies.

I've heard a couple of people respond to Thurlow's article by saying that God's people have not been educated about foster care and adoption, that what we need to do is focus on educating people about the need.

As a full-time student (who has been a student pretty much since she was born), I'm here to educate YOU about...well, education.

learning [lur-ning]:
--noun
1. by systematic study in any field of scholarly application.

2. the act or process of acquiring knowledge or skill.
3. the modification of behavior through practice, training, or experience.

Let me just say this. It is the job of my professors to present information. As a nursing student, it is my job to show up to class, study the reading material, review what is presented, and apply, both to my life and to my nursing practice, the information I am receiving. My professors do not bang on my door each morning, make sure I am up and reading my textbooks, lead me to class, or watch me review. These things are not in their job description.

I'm sure there is truth to the statement: "The Church has not been educated about foster care and adoption." I'm also sure that God longs for His people to actively pursue His heart...to actively pray that He would burden them with the things that burden His heart. I'm sure that He longs for His people to study His Word, to intentionally look for ways to carry out His work here on earth.

So here is my plea. Don't let ignorance be the barrier between you and God's heart. Don't wait for someone to spoon-feed you. Take it upon yourself to learn His likes and dislikes, His passions and burdens. PRAY that God would reveal to you ways you can be not only anti-death, but also PRO-LIFE. STUDY God's Word...I'm pretty sure you'll see God's heart for the oppressed shine through. REVIEW how God might have you act. {And don't think, by any means, that I am not including myself in this plea...I am, as you read this, taking a dose of my own medicine.}

Let's give people like Lashawna a reason to believe they do not have to resign themselves to the statistics. Let's come alongside them and give them a home, a family, and a hope in the God who loves them more than they could even fathom. I may not be able to promise many things, but I can guarantee that our God is not only against death, but also very much for LIFE. And He longs to raise LIFE out of death...through the hands and feet and servant hearts of His people.

Random Thoughts on a Saturday

As I continue to learn new things about the human body, I am constantly blown away by God's creativity and incredible attention to detail. For example, how is it possible for this much information...

...to somehow become imprinted in a human brain in only 10 weeks? Here's to hoping all that imprinting worked well! I am so ready to put these...

away for a couple of weeks, so that I can focus on this:

The past two weeks have been full of craziness {i.e. almost passing out in the middle of giving blood for the first time. Sigh. I must have "blood donor loser" written across my forehead...}, difficulties {I thought they promised us we were done with check-offs forever?}, incredible blessings {lots of meaningful time with dear friends}, anxiety {are the words "money" and "stress" forever linked together?} and a sense of overwhelming thankfulness for all God has done and is doing in my life. I am so excited to begin this...

and I'm so thankful for lots of memories of this sweet man...

One of my biggest fears after my Dad went to heaven was that I would forget...that I would lose my remembrance of the incredible legacy he left. Recently, God has been putting this fear to rest, as hardly a day goes by when I am not thinking of or talking about my dad!

Though I don't have many insightful things to say today, I do have many things to be grateful for, including the many people who have been praying for me.

What are you thankful for today?

Because I am a dork...

...I read parenting books. Yep, that's right. Parenting books.

I know that God made me to be a mom. In fact, I've known for quite a while. According to my sister, I came out of the womb saying, "I want babies! I want babies!" Uh, yeah. Something like that.
I know this makes me a dork and all kinds of weird in some people's eyes, but I figure...if I know what God wants me to do (at least in part), why not start reading up now? I don't want to stumble into the role of parent. I want to model intentionality to the kids that I believe God will one day entrust into my care. So I read parenting books. And plead with God the whole time that He would grow me into the godly woman He is preparing to lead these children.

Being a dork, I thought I would share with you some of the books I am currently reading. Take it or leave it = )

Book #1:
GREAT read. Here's an incredible thought: What if you raised your son or daughter to know and love Jesus intimately, then he or she went on to share the love of Jesus with 10 people, who went on to share the love of Jesus with 10 people, who...well, do you catch my drift? By intentionally pouring into your own child, you are potentially impacting the world for Christ. That is the basis of this book.

Book #2:

Because I have a passion and perhaps a calling to one day minister to kids from hard places, I am always interested in reading more about creative discipline methods. This book is a wealth of ideas...and some of them are pretty funny too = ) A great resource, in my opinion, and fully principled from God's Word!

Book #3:
I just started reading this book, but already I can tell I will like it. In this rush-rush culture, the family dinner has fallen to the waste side...a very sad turn of events, in my opinion. This book is all about reviving the family dinner and enhancing it to be a fun and meaningful family time! It is FULL of creative ideas, all the way from how to decorate the table to how to involve your children in the preparation process. There are recipes to try too = )

Book #4:
Because God uses the most unlikely people to change the world for Him, children are TOO SMALL TO IGNORE. God has a plan and a purpose for the children you touch shoulders with every day...and a reason why He has you touching shoulders with them. Great read.

Book #5:
This is not so much a parenting book as it is an EVERYONE book...because there really are FIELDS of the fatherless.

Book #6:
It's always a good thing, in my opinion, to better understand your child or the children in your life. To know what fuels their little hearts and fills their "love tanks"...important stuff!

Book #7:
I haven't read this one yet, but I'm excited to = ) The front cover gives a pretty good synopsis.

Book #8:
This is another one on my to-read-list. It is a memoir about one family's adoption journey into a large family...supposedly with a good dose of humor added. I will let you know = )

Book #9:
Many adoptive parents would say this is a must read for the parent of children from hard places. Definitely a great resource! The author, Karen Purvis, and her team also hold yearly conferences and have a website full of other great resources for foster/adoptive parents. I am really hoping to make it to one of her conferences soon!

Book #10:
I may be a dork, but I'm not stupid. I realize that parenting is a HARD job, but it is also a DIVINE privilege and RESPONSIBILITY. I'm not a parent yet {obviously}...and I know I can never be one without God's HELP and WISDOM. Yes, I read parenting books. I also spend a lot of time {often while reading the other books} praying that God would equip me for the role of parent...so that whenever He may allow me the privilege of taking on such a role, I will not just stumble into it, but will take it on with grace, humility, and God-strength.

So there you have it...a taste of my parenting-book obsession. If you know of any other good books, please fill me in...I'm always on the lookout = )