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Reminiscing trips around the world

3 Jun

It’s sort of like when you graduate from high school, or have the last night of summer camp, you have to reminisce.

It’s my birthday, and I’m in the Philippines, so I felt like posting something a little different today. This is my last blog trip, which makes me sad, however, it’s not the last trip I will blog on. I just won’t be going with Keely and Shaun anymore. With my new position at Compassion I will be doing a lot more Short Term Missions Trips so I need to make myself available for those trips. However, I just have to say that the blog trips have truly been life changing for me. They are the very reason I am working full time for Compassion now. God is good. I have loved the friendships that I have made, I have learned so much about the importance of story and I especially love my the many friends I have made and I especially love Keely and Shaun.  Anyway, in honor of my life changing experiences on blog trips, I made this video, maybe more for me than anybody else. Music by Eric Hutgen – Rivers

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Guatemala – A happy ending!

6 Oct

I love cheesy movies that you can predict the ending and everyone lives happily ever after.

Well….I have lived through a happy ending today.  I experienced one of the biggest blessings I have come across as a Compassion employee, sponsor, blogger ever.

On my last trip to Guatemala, I met a little girl that captured my heart; I called her a gem.  I wrote about her.  Darlin was her name.

Darlin wrapped up my heart with her sweet spirit, her beautiful eyes and smile.   We hung out together while I was at her project.

Toward the end of the day, I grabbed an interpreter and I asked Darlin about her sponsor.  She was in the Compassion project, she was receiving all the benefits, but she had never received any kind of news about her sponsor.  She did not know her sponsor’s name.   It made me so sad.  Here was this beautiful girl with so much to give.  It didn’t even dawn on me that she might not have a sponsor.

I remember our conversation that day. After I asked her about her sponsor, I felt compelled to make sure she knew she was loved.

“Do you know that Jesus loves you?”  I said.

“Yes.”

“Good. Do you know that God has an amazing plan for your life?”

She looked at me and smiled bashfully, as if she was not sure about this.  There was something missing in her life.

“Darlin, can I pray for you?”

“Yes.”

I had seen the neighborhood that she lived in. It was a dark place full of gangs and horrible poverty.   As a mother, I was worried about Darlin.  I wanted to take her home and keep her safe.  There was a heavy spirit in this little girl.  I prayed that God would show His love to her and she would know God’s love.  I prayed that she would know how important she is to God.

We hugged as we said goodbye and I knew I would remember Darlin.

Well……here comes the happy ending.

Just yesterday, Autumn contacted me.  She had followed our blog trip and had read my post about this precious girl I had met.  She saw my picture with Darlin and recognized her as one of the children she had seen on the Compassion website.  She went back onto the website and sponsored Darlin.  Darlin was one of those children that had waited over six months for a sponsor.  Autumn sponsored her and immediately wrote a letter.

Now Darlin will know her sponsors name.

I know that God has brought these two together and I believe Autumn will have a huge impact on Darlin’s life.  Oh my goodness, this is a happy ending!

These are the reasons I blog.  Out of a million children sponsored with Compassion, I got to witness two people coming together, and I feel so thankful that God gave me a chance to watch the happy ending.  I am thankful for answered prayers and I look forward to hearing about Darlin and Autumn.

Why don’t you be an answer to prayer today?  Click here!

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Between Two Worlds

16 Sep

I came home from Guatemala Sunday night, went to bed, and 12 hours later I woke up to attend my first meeting for Support for Early Learning and Families.  I happen to be the Community Collaborator and I help bring community people together who work and care about young children in our city.

My goals for the day were to keep up, catch up, and follow up.  I left one world to come home to another world and my brain spent the day trying to figure out how to switch gears.  How do I do this, God?

I attended meeting after meeting.  My world had suddenly changed from being with children who live in extreme poverty, being with church leaders who are doing tremendous things, being with bloggers who are pouring out their souls to tell stories, to being with people from my community who care about kids.  There were educators, health care workers, mental health professionals, and early childhood professionals, people on the left and people on the right, non-Christians and Christians at these meetings, and each person seeing the world through his or her own lens.

I sat in one meeting and my eyes felt heavy.  I was so tired from my trip, probably more emotionally than physically.  Every trip I go on tears away at my soul.  Every trip requires processing.  My turn-around time for processing was short.  As my eyes started to get heavy and my brain fought to stay tuned, I looked at the people in the room and I thought to myself, what would they be like today if they had seen what I had seen last week? How would they see our city?  How would they act today?  Would they come in with a different view?  Would they be angry?  No telling, but it was worth the contemplation.

So I sat there and thought about these people and thought about the children in my community.

My mind began to wander a little further.  (My boss follows my blog so now the true confession).

We were talking about kids and poverty in my city.  Hunger.  A woman explained some of the statistics of my own city.  Unemployment, job losses and how this affects kids.

I would picture the child in the small slum home, dirt on her face, no shoes.  Could it be as bad as what I had just seen?

Another picture would come to my mind.  The American child who is in the foster care system, or the child who is made fun of at school because her clothing is not very nice.  Then I imagined the family who sees all their American neighbors making it, but they are trying to put food on the table due to lost jobs.  I sat there in this meeting wanting to burst open with emotion…. Inside I was screaming…  ”I can’t take it!”

God how do I do this?  I hear the stories of need right in my back yard.  It looks so different than what I just saw in Guatemala.  Our world here is much prettier.  Our system is better, and we have more to offer the family in need.

Does God hear the cry of a mother in Guatemala praying for her next meal more than He hears my prayer of helping my daughter through her play auditions?  Does He hear the child in Africa praying for his dying mother more than He hears the child who lost his mom to prison and will now go into the foster care system?  Does God prioritize these prayer requests?

So how do I navigate in these worlds that seem so far apart?  Next month I will go to a board meeting then to the Ecuadoran Amazon.  I will meet about a community grant then head off to Ethiopia.  I feel a bit schizoid at times trying to bring my worlds together.

I don’t have answers.  I don’t know why I have these two different worlds.

Tonight, I went to youth group with my kids.  The worship team sang this song by David Crowder, and as we sang this chorus, my eyes filled up with tears.  I looked at my sweet Isabel as she closed her eyes and sang with all her heart, and I heard the words clearly.   “For the rescue of us all, that we may live.  For Redemption from the fall, we might live.”

My worlds may seem far apart, but I tonight I realized they are closer than they appear.  This fallen world looks different from place to place, but we still need a Savior.

For the Glory of It All

Lyrics by David Crowder

At the start

He was there, He was there

in the end,

He’ll be there, He’ll be there

And after all our hands have wrought

He forgives

Oh the Glory of it all is:

He came here

for the rescue of us all

that we may live

for the glory of it all

for the glory of it all

All is lost

find Him there, find Him there

after night

dawn is there, dawn is there

After all falls apart

He repairs, He repairs

Oh the Glory of it all is:

He came here

for the rescue of us all

that we may live

for the glory of it all

oh He is here

for redemption from the fall

that we may live

for the glory of it all

oh the glory of it all

the glory of it all

oh the glory of it all

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Making Happy Feet in Guatemala!

11 Sep

I know this beautiful girl who has a big heart.    At 5 years old, this little girl traveled to Indonesia and visited her sponsored child.  At that time, her father and I wondered if she would be too little to understand, but we watched this 5-year-old  reach out and profoundly minister to her sponsored child, Kristy. Kristy was frightened of “the white people” and cried when we came to her home.  Isabel instinctively walked up to her, put her hand on Kristy and sang, “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star.”  Kristy settled, and Isabel and Kristy shared a moment that would carry on into a global friendship.  Now both girls are 11 years old and they call each other “cousin”.

Last year we had the chance to take Isabel and our other two daughters to Kenya, and after that trip, Isabel started a ministry.

Realizing she made more in her allowance than some Kenyans make in a month made her decide to do something.  She started Shoes for Kids.

A year after that trip she saved $30 and bought three pairs of kid shoes for me to take on a Compassion blog trip.  That was in March.  Others pitched in and Isabel ended up collecting 30 pairs of shoes. Now, six months later, Isabel has collected shoes that have traveled to a half a dozen countries.

Back in July, Isabel put out this urgent plea on my blog.  She found out her dad was coming to Guatemala.  Sure enough, generous friends and strangers donated new shoes for kids, and we sent a pile for my husband to deliver.  He took those shoes to the very project we visited today.

After that trip, my husband insisted we come back to this project that is situated next to the city dump. 20,000 families reside in the most horrendous conditions.

When I showed up today, I told the project director who I was and she lit up.  She had delivered all the shoes and told me about it.

Later she gave me pictures to show me who those shoes went to.  As all the bloggers stood around and listened, I barely held it together. She gave me a beautiful letter for Isabel.

So then I brought out the new bags of shoes. We piled them up and pulled these out.

Amanda had brought some shoes that her daughter had grown out of too. Quickly we found a recipient.

After seeing such difficult things this week, I must admit it felt good to give something tangible.  Poverty is overwhelming, and somehow, being able to give a bag of shoes tends to ease the pain.

For Isabel and me, seeing  shoes with holes, and bare feet makes poverty real.

It becomes my breaking point.  I have so many shoes in my closet and when I see something like this, I can’t take it.

After we handed out the shoes, I studied the picture that the project director had given me from the last shoe drop.  In the picture was a little boy that I recognized, because he was right in front of me with a beautiful pair of shoes on his feet.  I wished my little Isabel could have been there at my side.

My daughter has a heart of gold.  Her little ministry is special.  No, we have not collected thousands of shoes, and she has no idea what a 5013C is for non-profit status.  None of that stuff matters to her. She just wants to know that some child somewhere has a pair of shoes on their feet.  So she built her own website, opened a twitter account @shoesforkids22, and continues her little ministry.

Before I left for this trip, I was tucking Isabel into bed and I said, “Isabel, do you ever imagine the child who will step in those shoes and what their life is like?”

She responded, “Mom, of course I do, that is all I think about.”

Dear Isabel,

Your ministry made some happy feet today.  I am proud of you.  Keep up the good work! Love Mom

If you want to help Isabel and her ministry, you can email us at shoesforkids@comcast.net and we will let you know how to donate gently used or new shoes.  I have a trip to Ecuador next month with Compassion, and Ethiopia after that and my husband has a Brazil trip.  You can even designate what country you want the shoes to go to.

If you don’t sponsor a child yet, I would highly recommend you do this for you and your kids.  It is such a blessing!

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Treasures in The Dark

10 Sep

I found a gem today here in Guatemala City, and I wanted to take this little treasure home. Her name is Darling, and she is nine years old.  She is sponsored, but she has never received a letter from her sponsor.  She clung to me today as we got to know each other.  Her bashful spirit, sweet smile, and affectionate hugs were more beautiful than any masterpiece I have ever seen.  She was a treasure, so today I prayed for her and told her that she was loved and valued!

Sometimes I just want to pack them up and bring them home.  These precious lives.  I want to rescue them from neighborhoods infested with gangs. My heart continuously breaks for these children as I see the conditions they live in.  All I can do is pray.

As we walked through the neighborhood to visit the homes of two Compassion children, four bodyguards escorted us.  They kept a watchful eye on the street corners around us, so we could visit the homes of the children without any problems with the gangs. The streets were empty because parents won’t let their children play outside in this gang infested neighborhood.  A reminder of the darkness that surrounds this impoverished place.

But in this dark place, I found beautiful treasures.

Back at the church project, we had the chance to meet the staff and hang out with kids.

The Compassion project director and the church pastor were amazing.  Watching them maneuver amongst the children and tenderly care for the kids inspired me.

I saw Jesus in them.  The pastor has been at this project for 15 years, and his commitment to children was obvious.

While at the project, I saw masterpiece…..

after masterpiece……

created in the image of God.

Before we said good-bye, we prayed for the project director.

I was reminded that in this place, there are servants who daily care for these works of art, and because of their commitment, their love, and their compassion, poverty cannot destroy these little treasures.

What a blessing to be apart of this ministry!  What an amazing day of seeing God’s beauty amongst these children.

Defend the cause of the weak and fatherless:

Maintain the rights of the poor and the oppressed:

Rescue the weak and the needy:

Deliver them from the hand of the wicked.

Psalm 82:2-4

To read the other bloggers posts from today, click here.

Today’s photo’s are by my dear friend and awesome photographer Keely Marie.

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A Cup of Gratitude

8 Sep

She looked out her door waiting for us to walk by.    She had a smile on her face.  I wasn’t sure what she wanted, but I had this feeling this woman had a plan.   As we walked on the sidewalk approaching this woman’s house, she stood there outside her door waiting for us.  As soon as we were next to her home, she gleefully handed me a cup.  It was filled with a warm drink made of corn and cinnamon.  Our country staff person looked at me and said, “she wants to offer you and the group this drink.  Please take it, so you are not rude, but don’t drink it for it might make you sick.” It’s always awkward to take food that you know you can’t safely consume, but I smiled and thanked this woman with my most enthusiastic voice.

I was rather surprised thinking this random woman would offer us something.  After all, we had just finished visiting the home of Lisa-Jo’s sponsored child and were making our way through the neighborhood back to the bus.  Who was this random woman who sweetly gave me this cup?

I looked inside this woman’s small home and I watched her run back inside to her small kitchen area to prepare something.  She skipped through her home as if she had a happy tune playing in her head.  I was felling horrible that she would use her resources to prepare something for us.  We were strangers!  It seemed wrong, especially as I looked around at this impoverished neighborhood and knowing I could not drink what she had prepared (unless I wanted to spend the rest of the week in my hotel bathroom).

After a couple of minutes in her kitchen, the woman skipped back to us with an entire pot of this creamed corn drink.  She gave us plastic cups and her entire pot and sent us on our way.

Today we went to a project where 195 children sang to us at the top of their lungs.  The church project we visited today began 16 months ago and has dramatically changed the lives of the children who are attending.  One of the major problems in this area is malnutrition.  At the project, the children get fed. Today, I saw happy children dressed up,

wearing bright colors and beautiful smiles.

I watched them praise God singing, “LORD YOU ARE GOOD YOUR MERCY ENDURES FOREVER.”

From the outside looking in, these kids seemed like normal, happy kids.  I did not see poverty.

As we drove to the neighborhood of  Lisa-Jo’s child, I recognized it.  I recognized the smell; I recognized the dirt, the garbage, the metal roofs, the flooded streets, and the mangy dogs.I recognized poverty. This is where the children live.  This is where poverty takes hope away.

But the church project?  What a contrast.  A safe place, a refuge….a happy place.  Truly what the church should be; a place that brings hope.

So who was this woman?

She was the mom of one of the children from the project.  A mother who simply was grateful for what Compassion had done for her child, and through this cup, she said thank you.

Humbling.

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We Have Arrived!

7 Sep

WE HAVE ARRIVED.  I love saying that!

I am so thankful tonight to be in Guatemala City with our bloggers.  I have already had some good laughs and some great conversations, so I know we are going to have a good week in Guatemala.  This is my 4th blog trip as a leader and it’s such a privilege to be a part of these trips.    The interaction from home, the messages, the comments, the twitters make this trip special.

“What if I can’t write very well this week?”

“What if we don’t get any kids sponsored?”

These are questions that were asked today. These are the same questions that have been asked on every single blog trip I have been on.  I know that each of our bloggers on this trip feel a bit of anxiety, not only because of the travel, but to perform.  I get that.  I also know from leading worship at my church that the band can have the most amazing performance and musicianship, but apart from God, it means nothing.  Apart from the Holy Spirit, words are just words, so I pray our bloggers find peace in knowing that they can just share from their heart and use their gifts. They don’t need to worry about it.

Well, I am not going to lie, I pray we get kids sponsored on this trip, but I also know this trip is about  more than getting kids sponsored…. so much more.

To me, it’s about the stories of the people we will meet and about our great God and what He is doing.   It’s about the miracles and about the mothers and fathers of children who now have hope.  It’s about challenging us Americans (and Canadians, and Europeans etc) to share our wealth, to be compassionate and to love those the world has left behind in the darkest corners.

This morning, as I left my house, and kissed my babies goodbye, I got to the airport and looked at all the messages, twitters and prayers for this team of bloggers. I was moved.  I was moved by the fact that several of our past bloggers wrote stories today, and sent kind words and prayers.   I was moved to know that people care and want to follow along.  I felt at peace knowing that we are surrounded by an army of people who are praying and hoping for the same outcomes as we are.

So thank you for your prayers this week as we experience the ministry of Compassion in Guatemala.  Keep em coming!

You can help too! Spread the word about this trip and help us free some kids from poverty!  Here is the link to our blog page where all the posts will be shown. Pass it on.

Written after a long day of travel so forgive me of any typo’s or grammatical errors.

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