Lydia Joy

December 7, 2017

Adoption is a long and hard process. Over the last 2+ years I have watched Zack and Hollie go through every step. There have been so many prayers and tears... A few big changes... And so much anticipation leading up to this night, when we finally got to see Zack and Hollie with Lydia in person. Such joy! She is just so precious!

Mollie picked out a sweet little toy to give Lydia, and late after church on this Wednesday night we loaded up the church van to go to the air port.  I held it together…. thankfully…. and we got to see Hope and Gage meet their sister for the first time.  I even got a couple hugs from my new little buddy!

I can't help but think of what a beautiful picture I've witnessed. Ephesians 1:5 (Msg) says "Long, long ago He decided to adopt us into his family through Jesus Christ. (What pleasure he took in planning this!)"

Thinking about how much my friends went through to take this sweet girl home as their daughter will always bring a tear to my eye and give me such peace about how much THE Father wanted and planned for me, His daughter.  

Feeling such gratitude for answered prayers, the Fuller FIVE, and salvation through Jesus Christ!

Generous Compassionate Hope

Someone in the crowd said to him, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.”Jesus replied, “Man, who appointed me a judge or an arbiter between you?” Then he said to them, “Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; life does not consist in an abundance of possessions.”  {Luke 23:13-15}

 In everything I did, I showed you that by this kind of hard work we must help the weak, remembering the words the Lord Jesus himself said: ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’ {Acts 20:35}

…………………………………………………….

We recently went through a short series with our youth about greed.  It stood out as something I definitely need to remember and also, something I hope to always teach Mollie. 

The gist is… Greed will ultimately make you miserable.  To break the “gotta have everything…. and right now” selfish mentality that is so prevalent these days, we need to do three things:

1.  We have to offer generosity and increase the joy in our lives. 

2.  We need to pay attention to those around us and show compassion in any situation. 

3.  We need to offer the hope of Jesus to the world around us.

People are always wanting more.  It doesn’t matter what it is… money, clothes, electronics, make-up, cars, boats, houses, vacations… if it isn’t more of Jesus, there is probably a problem.  When this issue of greed comes up, I always think about seeing my friends sell everything they own and move to China to be missionaries.   It’s gut check time when you have to choose one tub of things to keep out of your whole house.  One tub, people!  How Christ-focused do you have to be to do that?  It is an awesome gauge to use…. ask yourself, if I was asked to give this up, would I be able to?  When the answer is no, you have become consumed with something that isn’t worth your time.  And then the more you have, the more it takes… or the more you want.

Greed will eventually steal your happiness.  Steal the joy that should radiate your life (if you know Christ).  And the easiest way to cure greed…. is to give.  Being generous is a wonderful trait!  One that I strive to have in my life.  And, one I’m constantly trying to teach Mollie.  I am blessed to know several generous people in my life but I would say my best friend Melissa, is the most generous person I know. 

She gives so much of herself and asks nothing in return.  I have seen her selfless attitude first hand so many times…. She gives her time endlessly to ministries at church.  Now that she has a great women’s ministry off the ground, she is starting a children’s ministry from scratch.  She gives her money to people in need or ministries at church, even when she needs it herself.  She gives her undivided attention to everyone she talks to… and plays with every baby or kid around.  Just last night I watched her play “Anna and Elsa” with my daughter through a whole football game.  And lastly, she gives her influence…. being open to talk to others about things she’s learned.

I know first hand that it is such a blessing to have someone like this in your life.  If we give of ourselves to others, joy will come.  And if we pay attention to needs and look for ways to meet people where they are, greed will melt away.  And if we can somehow spread the hope we have in Jesus… there are no limits to the blessings that will fall.

The challenge to take away is this….. Ask yourself where you can practice generosity… with your time…. with your money…. with your attention… with your stuff…. with your influence???  And make a conscious effort to get over whatever is holding you back and do it!  Always remember that the people around you need compassion.  Look for ways to serve them, help them, or stand up for them.  And pray that God would help you shine His light and show hope to someone that needs it.  If you take the time to look around, I promise there is someone right in front of you that is craving a generous act, compassionate smile, or word of hope.

Mission Nicaragua 2016

MARCH 12-19, 2016

I came across these two quotes from John Piper:

“To belong to Jesus is to embrace the nations with Him”

and

“Go, Send, or Disobey”

I am so proud of my Nate for keeping His eyes on Christ and His mission, not only for himself and our family, but for our youth and church and THE Church.  He is humble, strong, sensitive, patient and a wonderful leader!  I couldn’t be more proud of him.

Nate is constantly putting himself aside for the sake of Christ.  My heart simply swells with joy, love and pride when I think of how well he leads groups to Nicaragua year after year…. And even more when I think about all the Nicaraguan lives that have been forever changed because he took the time and energy to put these trips together.

Even though I miss him every minute we’re apart, I know this is necessary and so very eternally important.  Not only do we see lives forever changed in Nicaragua, but it always changes, and blesses, every person in our groups.

Over the last five years, we have seen around 1,200 Nicaraguan people give their lives to Jesus.  On this last trip, they were amazed to see 881 salvations throughout the week.  It was a wonderful trip!

In the months leading up to the trip, we had several fundraisers.  Always fundraising…. from September to March.  Anyways, one of them was a garage sale.  Mollie isn’t too big on giving away any of her toys, but we were able to make some small cuts.  When it came down to having two “Joy” figurines (from the movie “Inside Out”) she wanted desperately to keep both.  Then after a few days of her thinking about how it could make a Nicaragua little girl very happy, she gave it to her Daddy to take with him.  It was so sweet to see her little heart wanting to help.

So that’s exactly what Nate did.  He found the perfect time to give “Joy” to a sweet little girl in Nicaragua. Her name is Catherine and Mollie still talks about making her happy when her dad gave her “Joy.”

It reminded all of us that small sacrifices given with great love means more than anything.

They also had a great fun day where Nate sledded down a huge volcano.  That. Is. Crazy!

We were also super proud of our great youth that went down this time.  It was the second trip for a few of them, first international anything for three of them, and the first time on a plane for another… They did so great and we couldn’t be more proud of them…. Dylan, Colin, Maddie, Katelin, Kayleigh, Shelby

The Waiting Game

WAIT:  verb (used without object)

1. to remain inactive or in a state of repose, until something expected happens

2. to remain neglected for a time

3. to look forward to eagerly

When I hear the word WAIT, the first thing I thing I think is…. “story of my life.”  Then I quickly survey my life and realize there are certain, very important, things where I didn’t have to WAIT too long. Like meeting and falling in love with my wonderful husband in the 8th grade.  But in every instance…. the WAITing ones and the not…. I can see God’s provision in my life.  There are still some things that I don’t understand, but I know in time God will show me a huge life lesson…. case in point: the year 2010.

The above definitions for the word WAIT give me mixed emotions: 1. sad, 2. depressed, and 3. hopeful.  When WAITing on anything, for just a short time or for years, it seems, maybe, as if God has forgotten you… He’s not hearing the cries of my heart, people… Or maybe the situation gets the best of you and you just quit praying all together.  That’s where I get when the WAITing game seems like too much to bear, where I feel totally “neglected for a time” and ready to sleep/eat my worries away.  But then sweet little definition #3 comes…. and I can continue to “look forward to eagerly” the blessings that God is going to give me soon.  And, look at all the beautiful blessings that are right in front of my face.

WAITing on God is something that is commanded:

“But you much return to your God, Maintain love and justice, and WAIT for your God always”  Hosea 12:6

“WAIT for the Lord, Be strong and take heart and WAIT for the Lord” Psalm 27:14

“Be still before the Lord and WAIT patiently for Him” Psalm 37:7

“Yet the Lord longs to be gracious to you.  Therefore He will rise up to show you compassion.  For the Lord is a God of justice.  Blessed are all who WAIT for Him!”  Isaiah 30:18

We WAIT for His providence, His salvation, and His blessings….. Especially these days, where we are privileged to live in an instant and selfish United States.  But there are some benefits to WAITing on God.  It leads to expectancy… It leads to hope… It leads to trust… And it leads to patience.

“In the morning, Lord, You hear my voice.  In the morning I lay my requests before You and WAIT expectantly.”  Psalm 5:3

“We WAIT in hope for the Lord.  He is our help and our shield”  Psalm 33:20

“I will WAIT for the Lord… I will put my trust in Him”  Isaiah 8:17

“But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we WAIT for it patiently”  Romans 8:25

And, we can always know that we are not alone.  And that things can always get worse or be worse.  Everyone is WAITing on something.  What I do while I WAIT is what’s important.  I can’t let myself grow bitter and more selfish… only better and more reliant on The One who’s in charge. 

Thinking through the Bible… there are soooo many people that WAITed years for God’s promises to be fulfilled:  Abraham & Sarah, Zechariah & Elizabeth, Joseph, Daniel, David, Ruth, Esther, Moses, Jacob, Paul, and even Jesus Himself.  Everything happens in God’s timing and who am I to ask why something isn’t happening right when I want it.

As I am turning 30 in a few short weeks, I am grateful for the knowledge I have on this subject…. way more than the average lady my age, I know that.  It has made me into the woman I am today.  Though it has been a hard lesson to learn, it has helped me to be more grounded and more grateful.  Life is too short to worry about whatever I am WAITing on.  I have learned that it is so comforting and so beautiful to fully rely and trust God for the desires of my heart.  He knows my heart and I pray everyday that it would be pure and steadfast.  That’s the bottom line.  That’s the end of my WAITing game. 

(Some of this was taken from BibleGateway.com.  A great resource that’s always at your fingertips)

Nicaragua 2014

(This post is picture heavy.  Too many good ones.)

This trip challenged me in ways I didn’t know I could be challenged.  I knew from the beginning that I had to physically show God that I put my life, Nate’s life, and Mollie’s life in His hands.  It was a HUGE obstacle for me.  It sounds silly, because God is the one that gave us life, but for me handing all my worries and fears over to Him, in this way, was something new… Mostly because we have Mollie now.

I thought I had learned that lesson last year, when Nate went over there without me.  But with Mollie it was a whole new ballgame.  I had every irrational fear you could have…. the one about us dying on a plane and leaving Mollie without parents topped the list.

It was all totally insane, but God showed me how to fully rely on Him.  I knew I needed to go on this trip to teach myself a lesson.  Children are a gift from God and to not fully give them back to Him is selfish.  God even sacrificed His one and only Son for me, so what in the world was I doing?  When my friend Hollie was going to Nicaragua the first time, she was having a hard time leaving her son.  I remember telling her that if God and Jesus were in the same situation as humans here on earth, I thought God would totally leave Jesus with his grandparents so He could go share the good news.  It’s a funny thought, but it helped me to get over myself.

Anyways, back to our trip.

 

 We had a great group.  It was too much fun traveling and working with these wonderful peeps.

Nate preached at the first church we went to.  He always does a great time and makes me oh so proud to be his wife.  We didn’t go a day without face timing with Mollie and Grandma and Papa.  Thank goodness for technology these days.

 

When we went to churches, everyone was always so happy to see us.  The kids wanted to hug us and stare at us and definitely take pictures.  We also got to go into several schools.  It was amazing.  The teachers would happily invite us in and we would tell them all about Jesus.  In this class, at the first school we went to, all of the kids accepted Christ into their hearts.  There is nothing like hearing thirty second and third graders repeat the sinners prayer after you.  It was also a great experience for me to see our group go through something like this for the first time.  I love watching people experience overseas missions for the first time. 

These pictures are from one of our first fiestas.  Again at a school.  We played games and put on a funny skit.  Hollie and I reprised our rolls as the drunks and we were trying to get Lauren, aka Sinbox Sally, out of her sin.  Then we again shared the gospel and I got to take my picture with some of the girls.

 

Hollie, Me, Lauren and Emily….. ……………  ….Nate, Garrett, Zack, David, Kevin and Jerry.

Nate liked holding babies this year.  You could tell he was missing his little girl, but not as much as me.  I was having a super hard time being so far away from her.  If we were out and working, my mind was fixed on that.  But as soon as we were on the bus or back at the team house, I was a wreck inside.  But we all made it, and Nate also had a little too much fun being the Strong Man in the skit.

(Top Left) Nate and I with some kids at another school.  (Top Right)  Us with some of our fabulous translators.  (Bottom Center)  Hollie, Brandi, and I at one of the schools.  This moment was probably my favorite one of the trip.  Leading a whole class to Christ with two of my best friends!

 

We got to visit the ocean again.  So beautiful.  And Javi translated for me when I gave my testimony.  It was a little different this year because I shared about my struggle with fear.

(Above) More face timing with my girl.  And a little girl that held my hand for close to 30 minutes while we were inviting everyone to the fiestas.  She was sweet and would just look at me with the biggest smile.  I told her she was muy bonita and that she was my new amigo.

(Below) On our free day, we went ziplining.  That was super fun… and I saw a monkey!  We also ate some steak and went to the market (where there is a dormant volcano that looks like a huge lake).

    

March 16-21, 2014