Here is a little somethin’ somethin’ I have been alerted to regarding the Amazon. Apparently, it has been raining a ton. So what does this mean for us? Well…..(deep breath), it means that we get to ride in a canoe after it has rained lots and lots making the river high and more exciting . The canoe skippers don’t mind because they won’t bottom out as much, but they have to navigate through a lot more debris. I keep thinking it sort of like a theme park ride where you don’t always know what’s going to jump out of you, except that something really could jump out at you…like a big fat Anaconda. Ok…I am so kidding. Our staff person, Andrea, says she has never seen an Anaconda in this area of the Amazon, but that doesn’t mean she hasn’t seen snakes in this part of the Amazon. We will get to that in a minute.

So, we are going to take this canoe to our jungle lodge where we will have absolutely no contact with the outside world. Imagine a group of people who spend a good portion on their computers living without Internet or phone connection. We are going dark my friends. Then we will spend the night right on the river in a quaint jungle lodge, wake up on Friday morning to canoe 45 minutes down the debris filled river and land on a rocky beach. Finally, we will trek up through the jungle to the Compassion center.

So back to the snakes. The other thing that my dear staff person from Ecuador let me know is the mud is deep from the rain…and oh by the way… she saw a viper out here two weeks ago. She is recommending boots for the trek to the Compassion center.

Now, hopefully I haven’t freaked my mom out, or anybody else because we wouldn’t do anything that would put us in great danger, but it could be exciting, and as Bon Jovi says, we will be livin on a prayer.

Honestly, it should be amazing! Can’t wait to tell you all about it on Friday night!

Oh by the way…I use to be a lifeguard.

I really do love that my husband invests in his girls! I love the father in him, and that he has influenced our girls to be brave, strong and bold. I also have loved the 20 years we have been married! June 15th, 1991!

My children bless me.  Each of my children has accomplished so much, and I couldn’t be more proud.  From Grace’s Jazz Player of the Year award, to Julia’s leadership awards, I am without the right words to express my joy.

Then Isabel.  Yesterday, she was like a kite that was swept up into the sky by the wind; today she is like a rocket that has been launched into space because of the Storyline Conference.

Last night, before bed, we were praying all sorts of interesting prayers because of her nerves.  We prayed she would not throw up on Donald Miller, we prayed she would not burp, or do other embarrassing things in public.  Today, two hours before she would be going on stage, she was getting very nervous again.

So we prayed.

Right before she stepped on that stage in front of 500 professional people, she broke into “double dream hands” and little “head, shoulders, knees and toes” action, and I knew she would be ok.   She started giggling.  God is good.

She rocked her story.  In fact, she made me promise to come on stage with her in case she forgot her words, but I was more like a statue, she did not need me.  I didn’t have to say a word because when you have passion in your heart, and you care enough, and you have God in the mix, it all works out.  Isabel articulately told her story because she cares so deeply.

But then, Donald Miller asked the audience this question.  “How many here brought shoes?”

Across the auditorium hundreds of hands came up.  Isabel’s face was priceless.  My husband was so moved he forgot to film the moment.  Then Donald handed Isabel a check of an amount that will certainly launch her ministry in a new way.  “This is to launch you, Isabel.  Thank you for inspiring us and telling your story,” he said.

Boy, did this launch her….like a rocket!

After the conference, many many people came to her, offering her their skills, their talents.  From movie producers to PR people, to writers, bloggers, photographers, the offers rolled in.  This conference is themed around living out a good story, and tonight the story is ALIVE!  While I write this update, Isabel is writing email after email to these people that have generously offered their gifts to serve in her cause.  It’s inspiring.  She has been moved like a mountain.

I leave Friday for Bolivia.  My friend, who is one of the leaders of the church I am traveling with, told me about a child we will visit.  He is a 16-year-old boy whose parents have died.  Just recently, he lost his only sibling, his sister.   My emotions are kind of off the charts right now after traveling to the Philippines and having this lively week at home.  I couldn’t help but feel like life is so unfair, when I heard this news.  What a privileged life I lead, yet so many around me hurt.  They just hurt.  Deep hurt.

I see the smiles in my children, the accomplishments, their happiness, then I hear about some child who has lived in the SHOES of Job and has suffered gravely.

Trying to process all of this after a week in the Philippines, after a week at home with LIFE, LIFE, LIFE…is so much…

…so much to process.  “And this is my story, and this is my song.”

Tonight I feel.  I feel joy, I feel tender-hearted to this orphan, I feel proud of my children, I feel overwhelmed by God’s tremendous moment in Isabel’s prayers, I feel like there is so much more to do.  Not in the world of chores or duties, but in the world of people.  We must relieve some pain.  We must be givers.  We must live a good good good story. We must be like Jesus, giving our lives to save others.  We must GIVE…

…to save others.

I have learned a tremendous amount by watching my children come alive in their faith.  It’s such a God thing, and honestly, I can’t take credit.  I am not that good, but I care.  I care about my own life story, and I care about my children’s life story and I care about the story of this young boy in Bolivia.   I just care.  And sometimes I care too much about what people think, and then I stop speaking truthfully or I start trying to please people rather than speaking TRUTH.  The TRUTH is…there is a lot of pain in this world, and there are a lot of us who live privileged lives…and we just need to get off our butts, or get our pocket book out and do something.  If we don’t do something, then I would say something is wrong.  Do I sound judgmental?  I don’t mean to be, but why would you let a child lie hopeless in a street if you have the means to help?  Why wouldn’t you feed someone who is starving?  Why wouldn’t you help a neighbor if they are suffering?

It’s about living a good good story.

Are you living a good story?

There are a million reasons to live a good story today.  And on this site, you may find a few.

Thanks for letting me process tonight.  I don’t usually write this much.  Tonight I am just soaking in the story, and asking myself the same questions.  Is there more I can do?

When we experience the generosity of others, don’t we become more generous?  And…when we become more genorous, don’t we experience the generosity of others?

or the bakery…your life is pretty good.

This place is charming.  My girls are smitten with the Italians.  Ok…I admit, I am too.  They know how to make you feel good.  Just put a big sticker on our heads that says, “SUCKERS FOR ITALIANS”!

Stephen and his new best friend, Marco, dropped off the rental car yesterday.  Marco has been such a great help.  He co-owns the Casa San Matteo (our new home in my dreams).  He is one of those people you meet that makes a trip, a place, and a vacation more special.  He has gone above and beyond to care for the Jones’.   Months ago, when I was trying to figure out where to stay in this area, I was stressing and agonizing because there have been times that I have booked a place overseas (and in Italy) based on description and pictures, only to show up and find that there really isn’t a beach next door, and… oh by the way, the hot water doesn’t work.  It’s disappointing when you spend lots of hard earned money and you don’t get what you expected.

I found this place on-line after searching, researching and reading reviews.  I needed a place that fit in our budget. I choose the Casa San Matteo because of all the excellent reviews.  However, The Casa San Matteo has exceeded our expectations becoming our little slice of heaven on earth!  I feel like a queen here.  This place is so beautiful with the high ceilings, the architecture, the art, the windows, the tile,

…. and of course the view.
After traveling to the corners of the world and seeing the poverty that I see, I feel so undeserving.  What a gift this has been and what a treat to be surrounded by such exquisite beauty.

And then there is Positano.  What can I say?  I passed through this place 25 years ago as a young college student.  It left an impression and I always knew I wanted to return.

Stephen says we will come back.

We threw our plans out the window this week skipping all the excursions we had planned.  We decided to soak it all in while in Positano.  In a beautiful place like this you don’t want to rush.  As tourists, it’s easy to feel like you must see everything.  It’s tempting to go and go and gather all the post cards and learn every story.  I suppose for some this is ok, but for us, because of all the travel we do, we decided to stop and enjoy this place, this gift.  No big tours, no big excursions, only flowers, the view, the sea, the sand, the food, the art, the people, the little bakery up the stairs, the shoe shop down the hill that makes shoes on site, the Italian woman yelling up the way, the waiter singing as he serves.  This is what we wanted in these few days.  The glory of God wrapped up in a small town of 2,500, on the Amalfi coast of Italy.

Beauty is to be enjoyed, never rushed.

Tomorrow we head up to Rome, however, we hired a friend of Marco’s to drive us. He calls himself an artist of special trips, and he is creating a journey for us to see things the Italian way.  He is planning something special.

Something special.

Sounds like my kind of journey.

Sometimes it’s hard to reconcile the things that I have seen in the world with the…“something special”.

Why me?

Why “something special”?

I think there is something special in every place, whether at home or in Italy, or in the slums of Nairobi, or the shanty house of Guatemala. Our eyes just need to open up enough to see it and our ears just need to open up enough to hear it.

He loves us.  Oh How He loves us. God has something special for us.

As the bells ring on our final evening in Positano, all I feel is a sense of gratefulness for this life and this time, realizing that…

…beauty is to be enjoyed, never rushed.

Adventure travel with the Jones!

It all started at 4:30 am when we woke up after being out late the night before to see the lights at the Eiffel Tower.

At 5:30am, Isabel threw up in the hallway of the hotel.  At 6:00 am we arrived at Orly Airport for our flight to Naples.  At 6:30 am, Isabel threw up at the security checkpoint. Unfortunately, she wasn’t ready for it, and the security people at Orly airport were able to experience an exciting moment with the Jones.

At 7:00 am we were sitting on a plane.

At 9:30 am we were landing in Naples… and Isabel was throwing up in one of her little sick bags.

At 10am we rented a car to drive out to the Amalfi Coast to Positano.

At about 11 am we blew a tire in a serious way. It was not like a simple fix either.  The tire was completely ruined. So… while we were on a narrow, two-lane coastal road, with traffic, in Italy (and a cliff), we had to pull over leaving traffic to stack up behind us.  While Stephen and Julia were changing the tire, Isabel was throwing up in the back seat of the car (luckily she had a barf bag), Grace and I were dealing with our luggage on the side of the road (because we had to unload the entire car to get to the spare tire).

At 11:05, an older Italian man, who appeared out of nowhere, arrived at the scene.   At first, we were unsure of his motivations.  He only spoke in Italian, however, he carried on quite the conversation, despite the fact that we tried to tell him we did not speak Italian.  He talked…he talked…he talked some more…he directed traffic with lots of hand gestures, he seemed as if he was informing all the people passing by in their cars what had happened.  After the tire was changed, we loaded up in the car, and he gave us the approval nod that everything was going to be ok… and he sent us on our way.

By 12:15 pm, we arrived in Positano.  Julia and I descended 100 steps down a narrow pathway to find our 18^th century villa, and there we met the manager, Marco, our new best friend.  Tomorrow, Marco and Stephen are driving to the town next to us (Sorrento), to get a new tire so that we don’t have to drive on the spare.

By 1:00 pm, our stress was washed away by some amazing Mediterranean food.

The rest of the day was completely wonderful and relaxing.

Our villa sits high above the sea, giving us a spectacular view, and the weather was perfecto! 

As we discussed our highs and lows tonight, we actually laughed at the comedy of the day.  Wow, was it hard! However, between the old Italian man at the scene of the flat tire, and Isabel throwing up all over security in Orly Airport, we had quite the adventure.

Each of my girls amazed me today! Grace provided us with some fantastic comic relief,  Isabel never complained and hung in there like a trooper (she is feeling much better tonight), and Julia was an amazing help by assisting her dad in changing a tire, and helping her little sister clean up after she got sick all over herself.

This IS TRUE Love!

Sometimes, the hardest days of travel, and in life, are the very days that bring your family the closest.

Traveling far, and growing close.

The storm of the century came just as predicted.  All week the news has been warning us, cautioning us, to PREPARE. The news channels have been on high alert and reporters have been scattered across the greater Portland area to track the storm.   A storm such as this has not occurred for years.

Sure enough, the blizzard came in the night.  We woke up only to find that we had been snowed in.  School had been cancelled.

Out in the yard, the animals scurried around.  The birds, the squirrels, they didn’t know what to do.  Where would they find their food through the death of winter?

My mother, in the later years of her life, must be frightened…frightened by such a storm.  My mind goes crazy to think of her trapped in for winter.  Would she starve?  Isabel decided that she would brave the storm to check on her grandmother. Bundled up, she set out with this tracker dog.  Levi tested the contents of the snow to see if it was safe. He is a very talented tracking dog as well as vocalist. (see Keely Marie’s blog for proof).

Into the treacherous snow, across the meadow into the forest, over the river, to Grandma’s house they would go.

My husband, departed early this morning flying (on a plane) to Ohio for a Michael W. Smith and Amy Grant show.  Surely he would worry about us.  In his concern he texted this morning asking about the roads.  I responded.

“ The Toads are ok, but the snow has thickened.”

He wrote back, “I hate it when the snow gets thick on the toads.”

(Still using a serious voice)

I panicked when I realized that that I had texted a typo.  My glasses! I have misplaced them and made a serious typo only to confuse my worried husband who must be horrified at the idea of a toad invasion during a snow storm.  What could be worse?

Some people who have lived in other parts of the United States, such as the Dakotas, Colorado, Alaska, the Midwest, think that we are silly to shut down everything during these snowstorms.  Whatever! They make fun of us for cancelling school.  They say we make a big deal out of a small amount of snow.  I don’t know what they are talking about.

They do not see nor understand that this crazy storm is life threatening.

We dug our way out this morning to measure the depth of the snow.

I was thankful we had such a large ruler.

Isabel made it home safely from Grandmas house.  I had worried that she might get lost in the snow, but thankfully she built herself landmarks along the way so she could find her way back.

They say the weather conditions won’t change for two days. We had a small break from the blizzard today, but dear friends, they say more snow is on the way.  Please remember us in the northwest during this dangerous time.

BEING JESUS – by Isabel

When you’re doing good things, like for example giving shoes, you feel so good about giving and helping out. You are being like Jesus, you are doing what you know is right.

In John 13:10-12 it says

“Jesus answered, “Those who have had a bath need only to wash their feet; their whole body is clean. And you are clean, though not every one of you.” 11 For he knew who was going to betray him, and that was why he said not every one was clean.

12 When he had finished washing their feet, he put on his clothes and returned to his place. “Do you understand what I have done for you?” he asked them. Jesus answered, “Those who have had a bath need only to wash their feet; their whole body is clean. And you are clean, though not every one of you.”

Have you washed any ones feet before? I feel like I need to wash peoples feet. When some people talk about washing feet they don’t mean literally, but I do. Soon I want to go on my own trip and give kids shoes myself, and when I do I will bring a rag. I will be their Jesus just for a minute. I will clean their feet and slip on their new shoes. I hope I can bring joy in their life.  I hope I can give them hope and happiness.

I am not the only one that can do this. You can give them shoes too. You can send shoes to me and I guaranty that those shoes will go overseas to a kid in need. My goal for February is to get 500 shoes to kids. You can be their Jesus for a while.

Isabel

Go to SHOESFORKIDS website to learn more!

To ride a canoe up the river at sunset, to watch children bathing by the shore, to see families maneuvering their boats through rocks and rapids, makes a suburb girl like me feel humbled by such simplicity and beauty.

God is an artist.

Most days were hot and humid. The team dug trenches, finished a zip line, hauled sand and gravel through the thick jungle full of bugs and snakes, installed third world power lines made of trees, and played with beautiful children.  It was work, but this group of people from Buckhead Church never complained.

Tuesday, the sky opened up with a magnificent storm. We rode the canoe through rain, thunder and lightning soaking us to the bone.  When we arrived at the project, it was too flooded for us to work, so we sang, played and enjoyed the cool weather.

As the children arrived, I noticed many children with bare feet covered in dirt and mud. I became aware of how many children in this village did not have shoes.  I went on a covert mission for www.shoesforkids.me to distribute shoes to as many children as I could without drawing attention.

I did not have enough shoes for everyone, but I did meet little Shiloh and gave her shoes.  She was afraid of me at first because I sort of stalked her. She was three, and I looked pretty big and scary to her. Eventually, she let me approach, and once I put those little Sketchers on her feet, she became my best friend.  Those shoes were her first pair ever, and she wore them the rest of the week.  She sought me out everyday, and I was so tempted to bring her home, but I decided her parents might not like that.  I will take her home in my heart.

This is Douglas.  This is Douglas with some sweet girls. As you can see, Douglas has a beautiful smile.

God revealed himself to me through Douglas. His crippled body goes unnoticed when you witness his joyful spirit.  As I spent time with him this week, his beauty amazed me. Watching Douglas climb the ladder of the slide was like watching someone reach the top of Mt. Everest. He worked so hard to get his body up the ladder, but once he reached the top, you could see the joy in his face as he slid down. I will not forget Douglas and how he smiled while he danced, sang, and prayed with us this week.  He taught me about contentment in all circumstances.

Water

The lack of clean water became real to us when we watched all the Compassion children trek through the jungle, down an embankment to the river to wash their dishes after lunch.  One by one, they would go down to the river.  Thankfully, the people from Buckhead Church completed the water project, and by Thursday afternoon, water was flowing to the church project and community.

The Jungle

I walked deep into thick jungle a couple of times.  I never saw a snake and I only suffered a couple of bug bites thanks to my husband who sprayed all my clothes with bug killer juice. I thought of him daily as I put on my bug resistant clothing.  Thank you Stephen!

The Children of the Amazon

They know nothing of materialism. They don’t watch TV, clothes are just a covering for their skinny little bodies, food keeps them alive, and water….is for thirst.  The river is their playground, bathtub and a source of food.   When you ask a child what they want, they have no answer. Food, water, friends, a river, a community, a jungle, a church, love…. this is enough.  Compassion makes sure they receive what they need and they are content.

At the end of the day, Michael, one of the Compassion kids, walked us down to the canoe. As we motored away, Michael sprinted along the rocky beach in his bare feet to keep up with our boat.  Watching him sprint with all his might on the rocky beach was like watching the gracefulness of a deer.  If I should try such a move, I would end up with two broken ankles and a head injury for sure. When the beach ended, he stripped his clothes off in one fluid motion and plunged his skinny body into the river wearing only a smile and red underwear.  This was his grand tribute to us.  I envied such freedom.

On our final night in the jungle, we sat outside and talked about the week while we watched a distant thunderstorm. The children had so little yet, they seemed so happy. I could see the river glisten from the moonlight and hear the sounds of the jungle and I thought to myself, the whole earth is full of His glory.  What a life.

Our God is amazing to create such a place and He deserves our worship.

This was my impression of the Amazon.

You see, this is Man Month.  My husband has planned various trips that I would deem as manly.  He has a trip to San Francisco this weekend with his friend Wingman, for a fun event, then he has a golf tournament in North Carolina with The Hoppers (a southern gospel group), and of course his annual P heasant hunting trip where he and several other men travel to South Dakota and shoot birds, then the birds come to my home and sit in my freezer because they are so gross looking.  BTW….does anyone have a good pheasant recipe?Now that I have exhausted you all with my run on sentences, I am cherishing the next couple of days while he is home.  Despite this being Man Month, I am squeezing in a trip with Compssion to Ecuador into the Amazon for 10 days.  No big deal….right?  Ok big bugs here I come.  Actually, this will be my first time to the Amazon and I am pretty excited about this unique experience, even if it is Man Month.

Meanwhile…..our home has been infested with hormones. Possibly this is what has led to Man Month. Raising three teenage type females is hard work and while my husband is away, I am AMAZED at how complicated this task is.  I love my girls, but oh how they challenge me.  My 15 year old is an amazing person.  She is full of spice.  This month she has taken on the task of studying the book of Timothy, reading about the history of Ephesus and conquering the question of women in leadership in the church.  No lie! While she studies, she multi tasks by sending out thousands of texts.  Did I mention she was 15?  The girl is incredibly independent and confident, yet needs a full time chauffer to drive her to the multiple events she involves herself in.  She often forgets there is a family in her life that she must answer to so we have to remind her to look deep into our eyes once in awhile. You know what I mean if you have a 15 year old. Love that girl! My other girls simply study and learn from their older sister.

So you ask me how I am doing with this being Man Month?  Some days are like a peaceful easy feeling.  Other days are like a Scorpion song, “Rock you like a hurricane.”  So I am living it one day at a time!

As I tucked my daughter in tonight, she shared with me what she is feeling about her Monday.  She is at an age where some girls are marking territory while others are wrapping themselves in insecurity.  It is an age where girls won’t make a move unless their friends are in agreement.  They need approval, and when they don’t sense approval, they move into insecurity.  It’s an age where a young girl is trying to define herself and is frequently misunderstood.  They look for trusted friends….and  feel betrayed.

Trust and betrayal: Grace is learning what these words mean.  It’s a difficult lesson that we all have experienced.

Grace and I have been talking about what a true friend look like.  Every middle school girl has her flaws, just like the rest of us, but deep in the heart of a girl, there is a character. Our character is not what is on the surface.  Our character is what is underneath.

She will trust someone’s words only to find out later they were not true.  I will ask her “Should you continue to trust this person?”

She reveals her heart and will learn she has been betrayed by gossip. I will ask, “Should you continue to tell them your secrets?”

They will see her flaws.  Will they help her with them or hurt her with them?

As we talked tonight, I sensed she would be ok.  She has some good friends in school  but she is dealing with an environment where the ways of the world can take its toll on the heart of an 8^th grader.  Also, one of her best friends is moving; a wonderful trusted friend who shares her faith.   These are difficult things to deal with.

So tonight I pray for her.

Lord, take care of my Gracie.  I trust you with her.  I trust you will surround her with the right people.  Give her wisdom and discernment.  Help her make good decisions.  Heal her heart when it is broken.  Protect her heart from those who are wicked.  Help her know how valuable she is to you.  Help her see you daily.  Give her the boldness she needs to walk this path.

And when she does feel lonely, let her know you stand with her, beside her, faithful forever.  Thank you God for my sweet Grace.  Amen