Oh Me of Little Faith!

Coming Soon - Our New Prayer Cards! 

Since Kris and I began this journey with Wycliffe Bible Translators almost a year ago, we've been asked a lot of questions.  Where are you going to live when you get to Mexico?  What are you taking with you?  How long are you going to stay?  What are you going to do with all your stuff?  While these are all great questions, the truth is, we don't know the answers to most of these questions.  All we know is that God has called us to go, He is working out the details, and despite my bad habit of worrying, He is going to continue to work out the details.
The best example I have is that of our house.  A couple of months ago, I was reading an article on the computer about how bad the housing market is (like I needed a reminder).  We had just met with a realtor about putting our house on the market and, to be honest, I really didn't think it was possible for us to sell our house and close before we left for Texas in July.  In fact, I was already thinking about possible alternatives.  Maybe we should go ahead and put up a "for rent" sign, just in case it doesn't sell.  Oh ye (me) of little faith...Two weeks after we put our house on the market, we had an offer.  Three days later we had a contract.  If selling the house wasn't enough of a miracle, we then found out that it was a cash offer and that we could close on July 8th and hand over the keys as we drive off to Texas on the 10th.  Yes, we are still in shock, but I know we shouldn't be.  God is bigger than a slow market and His timing is perfect.
So, day by day, as we continue to pack up the few things we are taking with us, we'll do the best we can to answer all the questions.  Although, at the end of the day, all we can do is trust God.  Tonight I was reading a selection from Oswald Chambers' My Utmost for His Highest and wanted to share a passage:

One of the difficulties in Christian work is the question- "What do you expect to do?"  You do not know what you are going to do; the only thing you know is that God knows what He is doing...Have you been asking God what He is going to do?  He will never tell you.  God does not tell you what He is going to do;  He reveals to you Who He is.  Do you believe in a miracle-working God, and will you go out in surrender to Him until you are not surprised an atom at anything He does?  

Home Sweet Home

Boxes, totes, and suitcases, OH MY!

I have decided to hide all my calendars because every time I look at one, I start to feel the pressure.  I really can't believe how fast these past few months have flown by!  It is very strange to feel excited, exhausted, relieved, and anxious all at the same time.  I remember when Kris and I were living in Spain back in 2003.  We were getting ready to come back to the states and were looking at places we could live.  I said to Kris, "Where are we going to call home?"  The beginning of our married life was very "nomadic" in style since I was in graduate school and then Kris' work sent us overseas.  At that time, I couldn't imagine finding a place that would really feel like home to us.  That was a little over 7 years ago, and I've begun to realize that Columbia, South Carolina has become that home to us.  This will always be our kids' hometown, and I am so thankful that their earliest memories will be of the people and places around here that we have grown to love.
This past week has been very emotional for me, and I'm sure tears will continue to flow over the next few weeks.  With the school year coming to an end, we've started to experience a lot of "lasts"- my last community Bible study, the last TimeOut for moms, the kids' last mission friends, etc.  We're having a huge yard sale tomorrow, the house is on the market and Kris has one more week of work.  Suddenly, the reality that we are leaving home has hit me.  Don't get me wrong.  We are all excited about this new adventure God has placed in our lives.  Every time we tell our story and the story of those who do not have the Word of God in their own language, we feel a new sense of urgency to follow God's calling.  I keep coming back to that expression "home is where the heart is".  A piece of our heart will always be in Columbia, SC, but I also know that God will give us a heart for our new home in Texas and then Mexico.

By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going.  By faith he made his home in the promised land like a stranger in a foreign country; he lived in tents, as did Isaac and Jacob, who were heirs with him of the same promise.  For he was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God.  Hebrews 11:8-10 (NIV)

Treasure Hunt for Memories - A Birthday Surprise

Happy Birthday, Da!

“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal.  But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal." 
Matthew 6:19-20 (NIV)

I've spent the past several weeks starting to go through all our stuff as we prepare for our move to Texas.  Because our rental in Dallas is fully furnished, we won't need to take much with us.  That means we will need to get rid of almost everything we've manage to "store up"!  Sometimes I think that stuff multiplied in the attic!  I often read this verse from Matthew as I try to remind myself that these "things" are just things.  I want to start storing up heavenly treasures, and I want my kids to understand the importance of doing things that will have eternal effects.  I want them to understand the value of forming deep, lasting relationships and the importance of giving rather than receiving.  Instead of contantly hunting for earthly treasures, we need to invest our time in sharing God's love and gathering memories that are theif-resistant!

The kids and I had the chance to make one of those memories yesterday when we gave my dad a special birthday surprise.  After a conversation with my mom last week, I decided to bring the kids down to Florida to help celebrate my dad's birthday.  We decided to keep it a secret from my dad.  The next day I told Kieran about our plan and he asked me what we should get "Da".  I asked him what Da liked and he said, "Well, he likes to see me.  He likes to play with me, and he likes to fish."  From that answer, we came up with a plan to give Da a present he would never forget.  Kieran decided that he and Elyse would hide in a box and jump out (they practiced saying "surprise" and "boo" all the way to Florida). 

When we were almost to the house, I called my mom to make sure my dad would answer the door.  We got out of the car and put the box in front of the door.  The kids jumped in.  I rang the doorbell and ran to hide behind my parent's van with my camera.  It took a while for my dad to answer the door, and I really can't believe the kids stayed still and quiet that long!  As you can see from the video, my dad had no idea what was going on.  We was so surprised and excited.  The only thing that would have made it better is if the other 4 grandkids had been hiding inside, too! 

Birthday surprise memory complete and stored away!

God's Power is True!

Jesus asked the boy’s father, “How long has he been like this?” 
“From childhood,” he answered. “It has often thrown him into fire or water to kill him. But if you can do anything, take pity on us and help us.”
“If you can?” said Jesus. “Everything is possible for one who believes.” 
Immediately the boy’s father exclaimed, “I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!” ~Mark 9:21-2

In Mark 9 we read the story of a father whose son has been possessed by an evil spirit.  Like any parent, he was desperate to find relief for his son.  Also like many people at the end of their rope, he turns to Jesus for help.  My favorite part of this story is when the father says, “I do believe, help me overcome my unbelief.”  At first he seems to be contradicting himself.  However, I realized that I live in this state of mind most days.  I believe in God and I believe in his provisions for me and my family.  On the other hand, I struggle daily with worry, stress, and lack of faith!  This constant struggle between my head and heart leads me to pray the same prayer, “I do believe, help me overcome my unbelief.” 

A few weeks ago, Kieran gave me a good illustration of what it means to fully trust God.  He woke up in the middle of the night crying that his ear hurt.  I gave him some Motrin and put some drops in his ears.  He would not calm down so we prayed and asked God to heal his ear.  I took him back to his bed and lay down with him.  In a few minutes he was asleep.  I dozed off thinking about calling the doctor in the morning.   About an hour later, he suddenly woke up and said, “Mommy, my ear doesn’t hurt anymore!  The medicine worked…no…God made the medicine work!  God’s power is true!!”  After his exclamation, he put his head back on the pillow and went to sleep.  The next morning, he woke up and said nothing more about his ear. 

As our family enters this season of change, we will continue to trust and believe that God’s power is true.   We will also be prepared for those days when we will need to cry out, “help me overcome my unbelief!” 

I Love You, Too!

Last week, Elyse started coming up to me, giving me a hug, and saying, "I love you, too."  At first, I just smiled and said, "Ahh, thank you."  Now, she has figured out that we like it, and she does it a few dozen times a day.  At first I thought it was cute because she was saying it backwards (instead of waiting for someone else to say, "I love you" for her to reply, "I love you, too.").  This morning when she said it to me, I realized something.  By adding the simple word "too", in a way, Elyse is telling me she loves me without any expectations.  She loves me without me saying it first. 

Wouldn't our society be a lot less dysfunctional if we took on this approach to loving people?  If we would try to love people without a list of expectations and requirements, our relationships would probably be a lot healthier.  We have a perfect example of this in the Bible.  God loves us before we even have the capacity to love him back.  We can come to him with all our imperfections and problems and he simply says, "I love you, too."  Most people have at least heard of John 3:16, but it really does sum up this perfect love.  "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life." 

As we enter this "month of love", I hope we'll all take a moment to say to someone (maybe even someone who has never said it to us), "I LOVE YOU, TOO!"

Be Still...

2010...what a year it has been!  As we approach 2011, I am in awe of all the wonderful gifts God has given us this past year.  Some of the gifts were not wrapped in the prettiest of paper (more like hospital gowns), but in the end, we are so grateful!  I am happy to report that as we ring in the new year, Kris' hip is feeling much better (he even started back at the gym last week!!), Elyse's has had no signs of recurrence of her lymph node infection, and, as you know, Kieran's kidney reflux is a thing of the past!  Praise God! 

I've decided to invite a guest writer for this final blog of the year.  As I was looking through some old notebooks, I came across a devotional that Kris had written a few years ago for our church's Christmas devotional book.  I thought it was very appropriate as we wind down the holiday season and gear up for the new year

Be still and know that I am God.  Psalm 46:10

As the father of a two year old, I wish I knew what it meant to be still and know that He is God.  Actually, there are times that I wish my two year old knew what it meant to be still!  I find it difficult to "be still".  This is probably one of the Biblical concepts that I struggle with the most.  Our culture encourages instant messaging, 24 hour shopping, and news around the clock.  It is hard to find time just to be still.

During this time of the year, it is very easy to get caught up in the hustle and bustle of the holidays.  From the busyness of shopping for gifts to getting together with family and friends, this is a busy time of year.  Don't get me wrong, all these things are great, but I wish I could learn what it means to "be still". 

I am reminded of Mary.  She had quite a lot of busyness in her life.  She had been visited by an angel who told her that she was going to give birth to the son of God.  Then shepherds came and told her about more angels that had appeared to them.  That was a lot of activity!  All of the people who heard about it were amazed.  It was exciting!  But the scriptures tell us that "Mary treasured all of these things and pondered them in her heart."  Here is someone who could have easily gotten caught up in the excitement of her life, but instead she took it all in and pondered upon those things in her heart.  I think that if I were to figure out how to "be still" it might look something like that.  So, the next time your life starts to get to busy, "Be Still". 

God bless and happy 2011!

Mommy, I'm all better!

Those were the magical words that I heard today from my son! As many of you know, both Kieran and Elyse were born with something called vesticoureteral reflux or kidney reflux (for us non medical people). Kieran was diagnosed when he was a year and half after having a UTI. Every year they have to be tested to see if the reflux has improved or gotten worse. For 2 years in a row, Kieran's "level" decreased and we had high hopes that he would grow out of it (some children do). Unfortunately, at our last check-up, Kieran's level had gone up and the reflux was now present on both sides. After meeting with a pediatric urologist, we decided to try a procedure which involved putting implants on both sides of his bladder to try to correct the reflux. The other options was surgery which we wanted to avoid if possible. In October, Kieran had the outpatient procedure. The doctor told us we had to wait 2 months to find out if the procedure was a success.

Today was that two month appointment so Kieran had to go to the hospital to have another VCUG (which is not a pleasant procedure...especially for a little one). Kris took him this time and I went to a friend's house to pray and keep my mind occupied. At 2:30, Kieran called me and told me that he was all better and the doctor said he was fine. The tests showed that his reflux was gone, his kidneys were fine, and we never have to go back to that doctor again! Of course, I broke down in tears. I think Kieran was a little confused by my response. He'll understand one day!