Remembering Belize

Twelve years ago I had the opportunity to go on a trip that has stayed dear to my heart over all these years. On July 6, 2001, this 20 year old who had been homeschooled, had never been away from home for more than 2 weeks at the time, had never been on an airplane, and who had just graduated from nursing school and passed the NCLEX-RN with no working experience embarked on a 2 month journey that changed my life.

Have you seen the commercial with the little girl saying, "I want more, I want more!" and the statement, "Everyone knows bigger is better"? Well, one thing I learned on that trip is bigger is not always better. Our society tells us that we have to have more to be satisfied, and we feel like we have to be like everyone else in order to be accepted. Twelve years ago, I got to live with a group of people who taught me differently.

My trip was to a village in northern Belize, and my job was to work as a nurse in the medical clinic there. I quickly learned that while the people there may live in block homes or thatched roof huts with no running water, they had huge hearts with so much love for others.

There were families who would work hard during the week; yet, on Saturdays, they would open their home to the village children for a day of VBS.

There were other families who would open their homes for us to come have lunch and make sure that there was bottled soda for us Americans who couldn't drink the well water.There was so much giving from people who didn't have much. What they had they were willing to share and seemed to get so much joy in doing so. 

Not only did these people show great hospitality, but they showed hearts who longed to worship their Creator. The church building may not have been the biggest or the prettiest, but the people who made up the church were beautiful.

I think of the verse in Hebrews chapter 10, verse 25 which says, "not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another..." The people of Patchakan did not forsake meeting together. They had Sunday School and worship on Sunday mornings. They had Sunday evening service, and many times after the service they would have a time of singing praise songs.

 Many times during the week we would be invited to dinner and prayer meetings at friend's homes. There were also many opportunities to just sit around together singing praise songs.

There were times of difficulty during my trip, but God sustained me and taught me so much. There are many times when the hustle and bustle of this American life drag me down that I long for the simplicity of that village life. I long to see those smiles and those expressions of worship as we sat around on quiet evenings and sang praise songs. Sometimes I really think we miss out in America. Our society says that bigger is better and more will satisfy. But in reality, the only way more will satisfy is more of God and more love for others. 

Today, may we each take a few moments away from the hustle and bustle of life to remember our Creator and thank Him. For in thanking Him and worshiping Him and living for Him we truly live a life that is bigger and better than anything we can ever imagine. May you feel blessed through the love of Christ today!

21st

Today I am humbled. I am grateful for the things that God has given me, and it humbles me when I think of those who are in need and suffering right now. I have always had a heart for missions and want to be used by God to help others.

It's the 21st of the month, and as I awoke this morning, my mind immediately went to The A21 Campaign. The A21 Campaign is an organization that works for the abolition of slavery in the 21st century. I thought about the 27 million people around the world who are trapped in slavery. Even in the U.S.- men, women, and children bought and sold for someone else's pleasure. It's easier to brush that thought out of your mind and ignore it. It's heartbreaking to dive deeper, learn the statistics, and hear some of the stories of people who have lived through human trafficking. We can look at the numbers and realize freeing 27 million people is quite the daunting/ impossible task! But when you look at touching one life at a time, it seems a little more doable.

We cannot save the world, but we can change other people's lives by touching one life at a time. If you are interested in ways to get involved please check out 21 ways to get involved. Learn more about The A21 Campaign by clicking here. Shared Hope International is another organization working to eradicate sex trafficking. Wrapped in Freedom is a ministry that sells custom handmade bracelets with a percentage of their sales going to help organizations fight against sex trafficking. I can say from experience, their bracelets are beautiful, and they are wonderful to work with.

It may seem like too much information at the these sights or too much to do. However, if we each can choose a few things, we will touch many lives. For me, education is important. As I became educated with the facts of sex trafficking, my heart of judgement was turned into a heart of compassion for the victims. Prayer is vital for these ministries as well as for those who are entrapped in and rescued from slavery. One thing that has really impacted me is being able to write an encouraging letter to a survivor. Can you imagine how they must feel and what they have to overcome when they are rescued? May those who are rescued be touched with the love of Christ through His followers.

Please pray with me today for those entrapped in slavery, for those working to abolish slavery, and for those rescued from slavery.

DEFEATED

Have you ever felt this way- defeated? You had a vision. You put your energy into making that vision a reality only to meet opposition at every turn. Yet, you overcame each roadblock only to come to another. You come to that last roadblock, and there it is - the feeling of defeat. "This is NOT how it was supposed to turn out!"                                                                                                                   

I have the problem of only seeing the here and now - forgetting what God has done for me in the past and not seeing the good that can come in the future. I like things to happen in my timing and often forget that God's timing is PERFECT! He has proved to me so many times that if I just rest in His timing, knowing He is sovereign- He does more than I could ever ask or imagine.                  

So, I hit that roadblock. I forget about all the good that has come from the energy that I put into that vision. I forget that God is bigger than whatever has made me feel defeated. I begin to question, "Is it really worth it- the hard work, putting yourself out there, the feeling of hurt when it did not turn out how you thought." I begin to think that it's just easier not to care so much- you don't get as hurt that way.                

Then I remember God! He is sovereign, He gave me this passion, and He is bigger than this roadblock. What I think didn't turn out right can be made beautiful IN HIS TIME. When the focus turns to God, I start remembering the good that He has done with my energy, the lessons I learned through the roadblocks, and I can rest knowing His timing is always perfect. 

Lessons From a Mud Run

Several months ago I was asked by my younger brothers to join them in doing a mud run. They wanted it to be a family event. I was intrigued by the thought of doing a mud run, yet it was totally out of my comfort zone. My husband and his family told me I was crazy for even thinking about it. However, I was very honored that my 14, 23, and 24 year old brothers would include me since I have several years on them and two kids. I finally decided that it was worth going out of my comfort zone to have this experience with my brothers.

So the months of training began. Then it was time for the race. The day of the race was cold and rainy. Just what you want to go playing in the mud, right?!

I was a ball of nerves when we got to the race. We checked in and started warming up. As our start time approached, we made our way to the starting line- stretching and jumping around- just trying to stay warm. The air around us was cold, but thankfully the rain had stopped. Finally we were off and running. Our family was there to cheer us on. We crossed the bridge and headed out into the woods for the next 4 miles and 15 obstacles.

Each moment my focus was on the path ahead of me. Taking it one step at a time. One obstacle at a time. Not worrying what was further down the trail. Of course my brothers are a lot faster than me, but my brother Paul had promised to stay with me and help me through the race. He encouraged me the whole time saying, "You can do this," or "You got this, Stacey!" 

As we popped out of the woods for the last few obstacles, our family was there to cheer us on. They would yell out encouragements and advice and cheer when we succeeded. 

As we neared the finish line my focus was on reaching the goal and finishing well. Our last few obstacles were climbing walls, jumping over a fire pit, and getting past the gladiators. To be honest, I don't even remember jumping over the fire pit because I was so focused on getting past those gladiators and crossing the finish line. 

As I have thought back over the mud run, I have thought about running our Christian race. Several verses have come to mind. One passage is Hebrews 12:1-2 which says, "Since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith..." Along the race, we saw muddy jackets, shirts, and gloves that had been left along the trail. Runners had shed that which was holding them back from the finish line. Our sin holds us back as a weight- we are to lay our sins at the cross, looking unto Jesus who is the finisher of our faith. 

As I finished the mud run, I was looking at the finish line. Tackling each obstacle to get me one step closer to my goal. As we run the Christian race, our focus and sight should be set on Jesus.

A verse about encouragement I have thought about is Heb. 10:25, "Let us not give up meeting together as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another." As I ran, Paul was there every step encouraging me. Family and friends were at obstacles cheering us on. Even people alongside us in the race who we didn't even know would encourage us and help us. In our Christian walk, we are to encourage one another and cheer each other on. When someone is there with you cheering for you, it gives you an extra boost, more energy, and the desire to work harder to succeed.

My dad was unable to be in the race due to an injury. However, when I got to the monkey bars covered in mud, he called me over to him. He gave me advice and then proceeded to let me wipe my dirty, grimy hands on his clean pants leg so that I would have a chance to get a grip on that obstacle. Are we willing to get a little messy in order to help those around us get a grip on obstacles in this life? Unfortunately, I have spent too much time looking the other way because I didn't want to get involved. Life can get messy, but I pray that God will help me be willing to reach out my hand to help someone who my be lying face first in the mud. 

I am so grateful for the experience that I had. It was such a special time with my brothers and the rest of my family. You never know what awaits you when you are willing to take that step out of your comfort zone. I never imagined the spiritual illustrations that I would gain from doing a mud run. 

May you be blessed today and may we encourage one another!

A Blog? Why?

I am NOT a writer. I am a small town, country girl. I am a wife and mother. I am ordinary. I am sometimes shy, my grammar is incorrect at times, and at other times my words just don't come out right. I am NOT perfect. I make mistakes, but I am made whole by my Savior who loves me and died for me. I am covered by His grace.

So, the question is, "Why would someone like me start a blog?" The answer lies in a passage of Scripture that has been on my mind for over 6 months. Hebrews 10:24-25 says, "And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. Let us not give up meeting together as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another."

I may not have new ideas or the best ideas. My thoughts may come across scattered, but my prayer is that through sharing things that are being learned through Bible study, books, prayer, and everyday life situations, we may be encouraged.

I will warn you that there will be grammatical errors and despite spell check, there will be spelling errors. This blog may be updated everyday, every week, or once every few months. However, if you can look past my flaws, I invite you to follow with me and let us encourage one another.