I have something pretty deep that has been playing through my mind for over a week, but I have been afraid to put words to it. I feel convicted about a trend I see in America and it breaks my heart. It is a long explanation, but if you are up for it then please continue reading...
In an attempt to stay relevant and up to date with my kids' interests, I have been reading some of the books they love. One of the most recent ones is the Percy Jackson series. In the first book, the main characters are on a quest and they need to get to a certain place by a certain day. As the days are getting closer to the deadline, they wind up in a casino in Las Vegas. The workers at the casino give everyone in the casino lotus flowers to eat, and these flowers cause people to forget their purpose. They dull the mind to what is really important and then the characters were free to enjoy life with no worries in the casino. Obviously there is a lot more to the story, but this is the part that I keep mulling over in my mind.
Life in America is a lotus flower, the same may be true in other countries, but I can only speak of the culture I know. We are distracted by hours upon hours of TV, video games, and social media. Kids are enrolled in a high number of activities and parents are running around endlessly to keep up their busy schedules. Are these things really worth all the time and attention we give them? Is our kid really benefitting from the endless activities? Are we really making a difference in God's kingdom with what we choose to do with our time? Some of us are being blinded to our mission by the constant and never ending entertainment at our finger tips. We get too busy with these things that the work God has laid out before us goes forgotten or put on the back burner. How do we stop?
In James (James 1:22) it says to be doers of the word and not hearers only. Being a doer of the word means serving others and being in a meaningful relationship with those around us. It means choosing to put aside meaningless entertainment for the betterment of God's kingdom and His people. As an American, this does not come easily to me nor does it feel natural. There are many times I still miss my opportunities, but I do not want to have my senses dulled by meaningless things. I want to stay on my mission without distractions because when I am on my mission, I am the happiest I have ever been in my life. I live with purpose and with a greater capacity to love because I am reaching out to my neighbors.
So many people have come and gone from Beautiful Gate and have said they never want to forget what they have experienced. Many have remembered and come back or made some big changes in their lives, but for many others months later, life has taken over and their love for Beautiful Gate is forgotten. I remember being afraid of that very thing when I went home from my mission trip and I prayed that God would burn my memories into my head for the rest of my life so I would be changed (He did a little more than just that though which is why I now live in Lesotho, God knew I needed immersion for a few years for that prayer to be answered). Satan's number one defeat for us is distraction so we do not listen to God and choose the better path which He has chosen for us. I encourage you, as well as myself, to stop eating the lotus flowers being offered by satan and offered by our culture. May we all find a meaningful way that we can live and serve Him because life is short and we will need to make an account for our choices. God bless you all as you journey this life He has graciously allowed us to live!
Monday, May 18, 2015
Sunday, May 10, 2015
Motherhood
I am so thankful for the family that God has allowed me to be a part of. I do not deserve them, I am not worthy of their unconditional love, yet God has allowed us to be together anyway! I am reminded of the days before I became a mother and my friend, Meredith, said that being a mother is a huge blessing. Children should not be considered a burden because they are a blessing from God. Thank you Meredith for giving me the right perspective. I have never forgotten your words and when I am tempted to complain or be discouraged, I am reminded that God is trusting me with His children. He has given me a chance to disciple and prune 3 of His beautiful children. I want to live my life with this attitude of gratefulness because I know that life is not always what we expect or what we plan for and it is not always as long as we expect either so we should live, laugh, and love freely while we have the time!
And because anyone who knows the 5 of us knows we cannot be serious all the time....
I am madly in love with my crazy family :)
PS> Thanks for taking our pics Christina Terpstra, you are amazing and patient.
Wednesday, May 6, 2015
Joy
I am attending a bible study with a few other missionaries and we are studying the topic of joy. It has made me do a lot of thinking about what is joy and do I have evidence of joy in my daily life......
As a child, I always tried to be the clown in my family in order to diffuse tense situations and I loved to make people laugh. I never could go more than a minute mad at someone because my smile came very easily. I did not have an easy time all the time as I grew up, but I was always smiling and people would describe me as joyful.
When my sister died, she took my joy with her. I lost my easy going and happy attitude and became more introspective. I realized that God was not as safe as I had once thought He was and that bad and hard things could really happen. I lived 3 years in a state of joylessness (poor Bryan had to deal with me during this time) and felt very empty, but I knew I needed help and decided to seek counseling in order to find some joy again. After a few months, my smile came back. I could face what was coming and what had been with a smile on my face.
When I moved to Lesotho and faced the reality of life for people living in a 3rd world country, my joy began to slip. Life is hard, children die, people have conflicts and how do we live each day in such a reality. I am learning that joy is not just the happy feeling it once was to me. I have not lost my joy, it just looks different that I thought it would. I find joy each day in the faces around me; my family, my friends, my amazing co-workers who love me even though I look different and am terrible with their language and the 60-70 kids I see each day. Joy is not just a happy feeling, joy is knowing that "all is well with my soul." I am content that I am right where I am suppose to be, and I am doing what the Lord wants me to be doing and that brings me joy. I am happy with what I have and do not feel like I want or need more, I am content and have peace with that part of my life too.
I have joy in knowing that God is in control of everything so I do not need to live each day worried or anxious. I can be free to do my best knowing that my heavenly Father will pick up the pieces that I miss. When bad and sad and hard things happen, I will shout and I will cry, but I do not live without knowing "all is well with my soul." I find great joy in the Lord and my prayer is that I will live in such a way that I can share His joy with everyone I meet. It never hurts to show His joy with a smile on my face so I will try to keep that going too :)
May you find joy in your life wherever you may be. If it is in the long and drawn out days of waiting for a child, God knows and His timing is right for you and you future child. If you are going through a time of mourning, there is hope that you will find joy again through the happy memories. If it is praying for a lost soul, we pray with hope for the ones we love and we can live in joy of knowing that God does not want anyone to perish.
John 15:11 "These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be complete." words of Jesus
As a child, I always tried to be the clown in my family in order to diffuse tense situations and I loved to make people laugh. I never could go more than a minute mad at someone because my smile came very easily. I did not have an easy time all the time as I grew up, but I was always smiling and people would describe me as joyful.
When my sister died, she took my joy with her. I lost my easy going and happy attitude and became more introspective. I realized that God was not as safe as I had once thought He was and that bad and hard things could really happen. I lived 3 years in a state of joylessness (poor Bryan had to deal with me during this time) and felt very empty, but I knew I needed help and decided to seek counseling in order to find some joy again. After a few months, my smile came back. I could face what was coming and what had been with a smile on my face.
When I moved to Lesotho and faced the reality of life for people living in a 3rd world country, my joy began to slip. Life is hard, children die, people have conflicts and how do we live each day in such a reality. I am learning that joy is not just the happy feeling it once was to me. I have not lost my joy, it just looks different that I thought it would. I find joy each day in the faces around me; my family, my friends, my amazing co-workers who love me even though I look different and am terrible with their language and the 60-70 kids I see each day. Joy is not just a happy feeling, joy is knowing that "all is well with my soul." I am content that I am right where I am suppose to be, and I am doing what the Lord wants me to be doing and that brings me joy. I am happy with what I have and do not feel like I want or need more, I am content and have peace with that part of my life too.
I have joy in knowing that God is in control of everything so I do not need to live each day worried or anxious. I can be free to do my best knowing that my heavenly Father will pick up the pieces that I miss. When bad and sad and hard things happen, I will shout and I will cry, but I do not live without knowing "all is well with my soul." I find great joy in the Lord and my prayer is that I will live in such a way that I can share His joy with everyone I meet. It never hurts to show His joy with a smile on my face so I will try to keep that going too :)
May you find joy in your life wherever you may be. If it is in the long and drawn out days of waiting for a child, God knows and His timing is right for you and you future child. If you are going through a time of mourning, there is hope that you will find joy again through the happy memories. If it is praying for a lost soul, we pray with hope for the ones we love and we can live in joy of knowing that God does not want anyone to perish.
John 15:11 "These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be complete." words of Jesus
Tuesday, April 28, 2015
Sickness Update
Yesterday I asked for prayers for 2 girls who are in the hospital. One of them was discharged and returned to BG today, Praise God! I love answered prayers. The other child is still in need of a lot of prayer because she is being tested for TB and we are praying that she does not have it because she is so small and it would be hard to fight against. We are trusting God for her healing and thank you for your prayers on both of their behalf.
Monday, April 27, 2015
Sickness
After a summer of good weather and good health, sickness has come to Beautiful Gate and it has been pretty nasty. Coughs, colds, diarrhea, vomiting, fevers and pneumonia. Most of the BG kids have thick "nasal discharge" and colds. Last week 2 of our babies (neither of whom are matched for adoption) were admitted to the hospital for pneumonia. One of them was so severely sick that it is truly a miracle that her life was spared. I am thankful for our nurse's quick action and thorough examination of our kids because she caught both cases early. I am really grateful for God's healing hand in their lives so far and will continue to pray for Him to heal them completely as they are both still in the hospital.
As I write about the BG kids, I have my youngest daughter leaning against me and barking like a seal. She has a pretty nasty cold herself and I am praying that she will be able to get some good sleep tonight so she can better fight it. Please pray for her to feel better too along with all of our staff, volunteers and kids. If you are coming on a team in the near future some hand sanitizer would be a good idea to add to your items to pack :)
As I write about the BG kids, I have my youngest daughter leaning against me and barking like a seal. She has a pretty nasty cold herself and I am praying that she will be able to get some good sleep tonight so she can better fight it. Please pray for her to feel better too along with all of our staff, volunteers and kids. If you are coming on a team in the near future some hand sanitizer would be a good idea to add to your items to pack :)
Monday, April 20, 2015
Love
"Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love,
I have become sounding brass or a clanging cymbal.
And though I have the gift of prophesy, and understand all mysteries
and all knowledge and though I have all faith so that I could move mountains,
but have not love, I am nothing.
And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my
body to be burned,
but have not love, it profits me nothing."
1 Corinthians 13:1-3
Lord help me to love the way that you love. Help my love to "bear all things, believe all things, hope all things and endure all things. (v7)"
I have become sounding brass or a clanging cymbal.
And though I have the gift of prophesy, and understand all mysteries
and all knowledge and though I have all faith so that I could move mountains,
but have not love, I am nothing.
And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my
body to be burned,
but have not love, it profits me nothing."
1 Corinthians 13:1-3
Lord help me to love the way that you love. Help my love to "bear all things, believe all things, hope all things and endure all things. (v7)"
Monday, April 13, 2015
Orphans in their Distress
What does it really mean to take care of orphans in their distress???
Is it only providing a place of safety and shelter where they can get their basic needs met? Making sure their clothes are not dirty and torn and that they get 3 warm meals a day. If those are the only requirements, then I'd say that it is not a command that requires a whole lot from us, really only money is required for that kind of care.
As I look around at the kids who live here, I see so much more than those basic needs, but I fear that sometimes the real needs are not being seen. Throw a bit of food their way and that should take care of it right? Pay for a roof over their head and then at least they are not on the street or getting rained on, right?
What about their dignity and their little hearts that are so broken. Dignity that allows them to be treated the same as other kids who have parents. Treated in a way that shows them love and not pity. What about their emotional needs so their hearts can begin the long and slow process of healing? Don't they need people in their lives to just listen to them and hear their story and then they can feel that they have value.
Sometimes people refuse to give their money to Beautiful Gate because they do not see any "orphans." They say they do not see the kind of kids that are exploited on the television; dirty, sad, and lonely on a playground of broken equipment and dirt. They do not get the point that no child should be forced to live that way and because of some people's expectations for "that kind" of orphanage, some children are being denied their dignity so orphanages can get more money. It sickens me.
What if it was your biological child who was orphaned? Would you want more than the basics for them? Would you want someone to love them and listen to them share their hopes and dreams? Wouldn't you want them to have so much more than a roof over their head? If you do not have children, what would you have wanted if you were orphaned? What would it really mean to take care of you in your distress? That is what I think about each day that I watch the children here playing, laughing and crying. Taking care of orphans is a joyful sacrifice of time, energy and resources. It means dying to ourselves daily so we can pour God's love and mercy over His precious children.
Is it only providing a place of safety and shelter where they can get their basic needs met? Making sure their clothes are not dirty and torn and that they get 3 warm meals a day. If those are the only requirements, then I'd say that it is not a command that requires a whole lot from us, really only money is required for that kind of care.
As I look around at the kids who live here, I see so much more than those basic needs, but I fear that sometimes the real needs are not being seen. Throw a bit of food their way and that should take care of it right? Pay for a roof over their head and then at least they are not on the street or getting rained on, right?
What about their dignity and their little hearts that are so broken. Dignity that allows them to be treated the same as other kids who have parents. Treated in a way that shows them love and not pity. What about their emotional needs so their hearts can begin the long and slow process of healing? Don't they need people in their lives to just listen to them and hear their story and then they can feel that they have value.
Sometimes people refuse to give their money to Beautiful Gate because they do not see any "orphans." They say they do not see the kind of kids that are exploited on the television; dirty, sad, and lonely on a playground of broken equipment and dirt. They do not get the point that no child should be forced to live that way and because of some people's expectations for "that kind" of orphanage, some children are being denied their dignity so orphanages can get more money. It sickens me.
What if it was your biological child who was orphaned? Would you want more than the basics for them? Would you want someone to love them and listen to them share their hopes and dreams? Wouldn't you want them to have so much more than a roof over their head? If you do not have children, what would you have wanted if you were orphaned? What would it really mean to take care of you in your distress? That is what I think about each day that I watch the children here playing, laughing and crying. Taking care of orphans is a joyful sacrifice of time, energy and resources. It means dying to ourselves daily so we can pour God's love and mercy over His precious children.
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