Bring on the Rain!

Ever heard the phrase, "When it rains, it pours"?

We found out the truth behind that on our recent trip.

When you think of the jung|e, you likely think of rain.... lots and lots of rain! And for most of the year, this is very applicable. Someone once told us that the difference between rainy season and dry season is that during rainy season it rains all day and during dry season it rains every day. In other words, it's always raining!

But, as with anywhere in the world, there are still dry spells. And it just so happens that the area we were installing the water filtration system was having a dry spell. This was good for the team as they were working on a dirt covered hill and rain would have only served to complicate matters. It wasn't good for the locals, however, as they relied on the rain for their "clean" water source. No rain means no water.

Now, water is something that we ALL take for granted here in the States. As a matter of fact, most of us flush our toilets with cleaner water than most of the rest of the world has to drink. One of the ladies in the village told me that during times that they were without rain and unable to go upriver to buy fresh water, they would walk to the river, fill a bucket, let it sit for 24 hours to allow the mud to settle, and then drink the top half that was "cleaner". They don't have electricity or gas so there is no way to boil the water. They just drink it and pray they don't get sick.

This seems like a good time to insert a picture of what this water looks like:

Notice you can't see this kid from the chest down? Now, think on the fact that everything--EVERYTHING-- goes into the river. People bathe in it, do laundry in it, wash dishes in it.... and yeah, they see it as a giant toilet.

Would you drink it?

Before you say no, remember, there are times when it's that or nothing.

Anyway, it hadn't rained our whole time in the Jung|e. It was Wednesday night and the men had just completed the water system that day, giving the village 5,000 gallons of water storage and a system to clean it.... something they had been praying for for YEARS.

We were having our evening devotional time together and sharing about how good God was to allow everything to go so smoothly and with no injuries. It was decided that the only thing left to do was to pray that God would send the rain to fill the three huge water tanks.

Everyone was tired so it was off to "bed": hammocks for most. Keep in mind, it's nighttime and we're on a houseboat in the middle of the river. Within two hours, we started to hear the sound of rain drizzling down the boat. Then the wind starts to pick up. Then the lightening commences.

Then comes the rain!

Next thing we know, water is pouring into the sides of the boat through the windows. Michael, the missionary whose boat we were on, was pulling up the anchor and heading up river to keep the boat from being tossed too much. The speedboat attached to the side of the big boat was taking on water, so my hubby and Andy had to jump in the boat in the pouring rain and lightening to bail it out.

This hard rain lasted for about 30 minutes. By the end of the storm, everyone was soaking wet, the boat interior was soaking wet, and we were wide awake at midnight (including our 6 month old baby boy)!

What was everyone's first reaction to this abrupt awakening?

PRAISE THE LORD HE SENT THE RAIN!

The next day we were back at the village and found out the tanks were filled almost completely. The water filtration system worked like a charm. And for the first time in years, the missionaries had clean water to use and to offer to the village.

And guess what. It didn't rain the rest of the time we were there.

Isn't it good to know that we have a God who controls the rain and sends it at just the right time?

Amazon September 2010

Ok, so I plan to write some really detailed blogs, but I wanted to go ahead and get a general one out because we have so many people asking about our trip!

If I could summarize it in one word..... well, it would be impossible to do! It was by far the best trip yet and God's hand was all over it from start to finish. I'll just give some highlights and elaborate on some of the biggest blessings in future blog posts:

• Absolutely no trouble going through the Bogota airport! With a group of 11 and big containers of water filtration systems, an inverter charger, and lots of other potentially "scetchy" looking items, we thought for sure we'd be held up in the Bogota security checkpoint. Nope! Got through without so much as a box being opened.
• We were going to have to pay over $500 in extra baggage fees on our Bogota-Leticia flight and the lady who checked us in completely waived the fee! It worked out perfectly because we ended up needing that money for supplies later on the trip.
  
• No one got sick on the trip! Between a new environment, hard work, lack of sleep, food we were unaccustomed to (though very good!), and bug bites galore, we anticipated some sickness during the 10 day trek, but God protected our immune systems the whole time!
• The entire water system was set up in 5 days and the filtration system worked like a charm!
  
• No one was injured (aside from some cuts and bruises) and there was plenty of opportunity for injury!
• Richard was able to attend a tribal council meeting with several influential tribal leaders to share the reasons behind our efforts to bring clean water. This meeting also helps us get a name with the tribal leadership for the future of our ministry. HUGE!
  
• The team worked GREAT together and each evening we had an awesome time of sharing and connecting. This was the first mission trip for 5 of the guys and they were all flexible and I don't remember hearing a single complaint even though we were packed tight on a houseboat and the heat was intense. God brought together a great group!
• One evening, the houseboat was stuck on the shore. For 2.5 hours the group worked to free the boat and God miraculously made it happen! (More to come on this story!)

And the stories go on and on of how God provided! Thanks to EVERYONE who prayed for us. We have no doubt that God is going to use these efforts to further his work in the region.

Please stay tuned for more detailed updates!

Our Home for 8 Days

God's Training Ground

I think sometimes I tell myself that I'm more spiritually equipped and ready for what God has for me than I really am.

Let me explain.

Our trip is in less than a week now and my mind has not slowed down for days now. There has been, is, and yet will be a LOT of planning and coordinating involved in this trip. There is an unbelievable amount of materials to bring down with us and a lot of logistics to take into account. So I found myself yesterday excusing myself for not spending some quiet time with God. After all, I have a lot to prepare for over the next several days....

Even typing that I out now I realize just how absurd that thought process is. We are preparing for a trip that could potentially have an eternal impact on the people we are going to work with and I tell myself that I'm too busy to spend some time with an Almighty God because I need to prepare for it?

WHAT?!

What preparation could possibly be any more important than me seeking God in His Word and being on my knees in prayer that God's hands will be all over this trip making it more fruitful and "successful" [whatever that may mean] than we could even imagine?

That's when I read this devotion from Oswald Chambers in his famous "My Utmost for His Highest" book: http://utmost.org/

If I don't praise God and "make time for Him" while I'm on His training ground, what makes me think I'll be ready to stand when the time comes to stand?

Thank you God for once again giving me a spiritual slap in the face.

I am so thankful for a God who loves us enough to pursue us.

When God Pays the Bills

Have you ever prayed to God to provide food for you and your family?
I don't mean that little, "God, thanks for this food. Please bless it to our bodies. Amen."

I mean literally prayed that God would provide food because you have no idea where your next meal will come from.

I haven't.

And I'd venture to say that very few, if any, of us have.

That hit me the other day as I was praying to God. I remember stopping in mid sentence while I was talking to God and saying, more to myself than to God [though I think He overheard], "What's wrong with me? What am I praying for?" This thought came to me because I realized how selfish my prayers are. It's all about: God, please do this for me and please do that for this other person. Thank you, Amen.


I realized that I, in the life I lead right now, don't NEED God. I never pray for clothes to wear. I never pray for food to eat or clean water to drink. I never pray for a place to sleep. I never pray that I'll have the strength to get out of bed or the courage to stand up for what I believe in. Why? Because I have never needed to pray for any of those things.


When I go to the kitchen, I know there will be food. And not just food, but choices about what food to eat. And if I don't see what I want there, then I'll run to the store or pick up my phone and order food to be delivered right to the front door.

I've never prayed for a clean water source. As a matter of fact, I buy a filter to filter my clean tap water.

I can't think of a single time when I've prayed for somewhere to lay my head....except maybe that one time when our air-conditioner went out in the middle of summer and the part was on back-order for 3 weeks. Then I was begging for some relief for my "discomfort".

So what's the big deal? If I have no need to pray for these things, why should I concern myself with them?

Maybe the problem isn't so much that I don't ask God for these things, but the fact that I don't thank Him for them either.

I expect them. I take them for granted, day in and day out. I think our spiritual state in America makes it pretty clear that if we continue to live at this comfort level, we will need God less and less. And now that we've redefined Christianity, we think it's ok to be comfortable. We think that God has blessed us for us.

When Richard and I started our Radical Journey, we told God together that we wanted to suffer for Him. Why would we pray that?? Because suffering brings true fellowship with Christ. As Paul put it in Philippians 3.10, "I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death..."

That's a pretty bold prayer to pray because I think it's one that God will answer. And I wouldn't say He's answered it yet, but I have noticed Him testing our faith on numerous levels: including financially.

This is somewhere that I struggle: trusting God in the area of finances. Like many people, I find security when our bank account and savings shows a certain number. There's just a certain peace that I get when I check it and everything seems in order. So, naturally, if those numbers aren't quite within my "comfort range" there's a certain uneasiness that follows.


In other words, I have no faith in regards to money.

Without going into a lot of detail, we've had some big expenses come up as of late. Things that we weren't expected like car problems (oh the stories I could tell) and some other "inconveniences". I've watched as our savings have slowly dwindled well below my preferred number and I've felt that stress level begin to rise.

You know what's been great about it though? Seeing how God steps in and says, "How about you just trust me."

So I thought I'd give that a try... you know, let God take care of us instead of trying to figure it all out. Novel idea, right? After all, my worrying doesn't seem to accomplish much.

And guess what. He has provided. In marvelous ways that glorify HIM.

Richard sold his truck to the first person he showed it to (who does that??). His flying schedule has been out of control [in a good way] for the past month. I recently got a bonus at work that couldn't have come at a better time. We've seen the random generosity of several people who have given directly to us or towards our mission trip coming up.

And we've been able to give more to missions than we ever have before. Praise God!

What have I learned? Well, for one, it sure is nice to be able to relax in God's hand when unexpected bills and expenses come along knowing that, while they may have come as a shock to us, He knew about them all along.

And at the end of the day, regardless of what the numbers in our bank account are, God is in control. And our situations and frustrations and trials and heartaches are all designed to bring glory to Him.

But even more than those things, it's nice to know that even if we didn't have food to eat, a place to sleep, good health, or clean water and even if we didn't have the money to pay the bills....God would still be a good God. Because He is God. And good is one of the things that defines Him.

God didn't meet these needs so we could be happy and content and say, "Thanks God." God met these needs so we could tell others what a great God we serve and it's by Him and through Him and in Him that we have all that we need.... and more.

"But God doesn't call us to be comfortable. He calls us to trust Him so completely that we are unafraid to put ourselves in situations where we will be in trouble if He doesn't come through." -Francis Chan

Trash Into [Eternal] Treasure

Please tell me we aren't the only ones with a "junk" room!

You know what I'm talking about. That room that's sort of a catch-all for all the stuff you have that doesn't really have a place but you don't want to get rid of it because you "might use it one day". That room where you throw anything that's just laying around when a last minute guest is coming by and then it ends up staying there permanently. Maybe yours goes by the name of a "storage building" that you pay monthly for. Yeah. You know what I'm talking about.

Well, we had a room like that and it was bad! We just celebrated our three year wedding anniversary and this room had grown exponentially since that time. It started out with just some boxes from when I moved in after we got married. Then it started piling up as we would just put things in there to "go through later". It started out in our office but eventually it moved to our spare bedroom to make room in our office. Then, we had our son so it all moved back to our office to make room for baby.

It was basically a mobile dumpster of stuff that neither of us had any desire to go through.... so we didn't.

While reading "Radical", we were convicted about how much stuff we have. Things we don't need and don't use that just clutter our home. But not only the things in our "junk room", but the surplus of dishes, pots, pans, towels (yes, you can have too many), clothing, shoes, bags, etc. Seriously, once we sat down objectively and evaluated, we were blown away by how much we really had.

It took us taking off our "American eyes" and seeing it from a Biblical perspective. By "American eyes", I mean the way that we look at what we own and somehow justify it because we don't have as much stuff as "that other guy". Sure, compared to a LOT of people in the USA, we don't have a lot. But compared to the majority of the rest of the world, we have enough for several families!

So once again we were faced with a choice: get rid of the excess and use it somehow for good, or keep it and let it take up space in our homes, serving no purpose but to make our lives more stressful. (If you're like me, clutter = stress.)

We chose Plan A and here's what we did:

1. Cleaned out the cabinets. We had so many dishes, pots, pans, appliances, and utensils that we never used. Who needs 3 skillets, 3 sets of dishes, 4 spatulas, 2 coffee makers, 2 deep friers, 3 crock pots, and cups and glasses out the wazoo?? A hotel maybe? Anyway, we downsized our kitchen big time! We left only enough dishes for us plus two in case we had friends over for dinner and got rid of any duplicate appliances and more than half of our cups and glasses.
2. Got rid of some towels. When we got married, it seemed everyone thought it important to give us towels. "You can never have too many," we were told. Turns out, that's not true. More than 15 towels for two people (Elliott has his own, too) seems a bit on the excessive side. So we cut those down to less than half. This gave us a wonderful amount of space in our bathroom closet, not to mention cut down the towel load for the washer tremendously! (What can you do with used towels, you ask? There are animal shelters that are constantly asking for towels and bed linens. Or, as in our case, you may have a family member whose son just moved out and took most of theirs! ha!)
3. Emptied the closets of excess. I think Richard was most happy about this one. We don't have a lot of closet space in our house (read: one closet), so it's hard to organize and maintain organization unless you're on top of it daily. And, well, sometimes organizing apparel isn't No. 1 on my to-do list if you can imagine that. So, prior to even setting foot into the closet, I determined to get rid of any clothing I hadn't worn in the last 6 months (besides winter clothing since I obviously hadn't worn that within that time frame). It was hard, but I stuck to my goal and literally got rid of three full boxes of clothes between me, Richard, and Elliott. I had no idea we had that much clothing and most of it we hadn't worn in well over a year! I also downsized on shoes, purses, and bags. There were plenty in that category that we never used as well.
4. Got rid of the "we-might-use-this-one-day" stuff. This included, but was not limited to a dart board that we had won at a "Chinese Christmas", keepsake boxes, photo frames, unused wedding albums, jewelry, some furniture, vases, random decorative items, etc.

So by now you're thinking that we are some super pack-rats, right? Well, if you had walked into our house prior to this proverbial detox, you would have thought our house was organized and clean (aside from that one room we never opened). But it's like in our spiritual lives, if you start digging deep, you start finding things that you didn't really notice were there before. Things that need to be cleaned up. And it was amazing how the more we got rid of, the more we wanted to get rid of because it was very liberating! (Cheesy, but true.)

Anyway, after clearing through every room in the house and putting every must-go item into our dining room, we had to decide how to best use this "junk" for good. And what better way to get rid of junk in a productive way than to have a yard sale??

We did just that and decided that no matter how much we made, it would all go straight to some missionary friends of ours who have some upcoming needs. We were so happy when the yard sale was over and we had made a decent amount and could surprise our friends with this love offering.

Now, everybody knows that you don't sell everything at a yard sale (much to your dismay, no doubt). So in our hunt for a good charity to give our leftover items to (besides the catch-all Goodwill), we heard about one nearby that gives free items to families who have lost their homes in natural disasters as a way to help them get back on their feet. We loved that idea so Richard's mom took all of the excess to this organization and they were happy to take it off of our hands (apparently in this economy, people don't give like they used to and a lot of charities are suffering).

So, maybe this isn't really a "radical" change in our lives...more like a "practical" one. But it was good to know that the junk that had been weighing down our home could be used to lay up eternal treasures instead by giving to those in need who are doing the work of the Lord.

And we're still getting rid of things and trying to pay better attention to the needs of those around us. We've found if our hearts are tender and our eyes are open, it's a lot easier to see that we are surrounded by those in need... not of our "stuff" per se, but of the Savior who died for them. And sometimes that Savior's love is expressed by our tangible giving.

Stayed tuned because I get the feeling that soon God's going to call us to do something really radical for Him!

"Trying" to give more.....

Picture this: It's Sunday morning and your church has brought in it's "monthly missionary" and given them 5 minutes to share what God is doing on the field. (Five minutes is generally long enough to introduce themselves, but hey, don't want to "bore" the congregation with missions.) After hearing, and possibly even seeing, the needs, you feel a tug in your heart. You think to yourself, "I really wish we could afford to give to causes like that. We just can't."

The service moves on: you hear the announcements, shake hands with the people around you, listen to the sermon. As the service comes to an end, your stomach is loudly announcing that it's lunch time. So you meet up with "the usual gang" and try to decide where to go eat and life proceeds as usual.

This is the scene across America every Sunday morning. I know it well because I've been a part of it for so long.

Something that the book "Radical" has really brought to our attention is how we are all quick to agree with the fact that something in American culture needs to change, but we are very slow to act on it.

For example, everyone would agree that we need to do more for missions, right? I'd say as long as children around the world are starving we'll be willing to admit that's the case. But how many of us sacrifice--really sacrifice--to give to missions?

That was a reality that hit home for us. As missionaries ourselves it's really easy to get frustrated when we see the lack of giving. We justify it and say, "Well, we give this amount so we're doing our part." But are we?

We hear preachers teach that we are to tithe and then "try" to give above and beyond to missions.

In my short 24 years of life, I've discovered that if we set out to "try" to do something, the likelihood of ever actually doing it is slim to none. We have to decide without question that we will do something. Besides, I'm unable to find anywhere in the Bible where God says that 10% plus "trying" to give above and beyond is what He asks of us. Isn't the question not so much how much of our money are we going to give to God, but rather, how much of God's money are we going to keep for ourselves?

The problem with giving 10% and a "little more" to missions is that we start to think that's ALL we have to do. We convince ourselves that as long as we're doing that, we're good.

Hm. I think God frowns on that.

In light of this, God did some serious convicting in our own hearts. We took a look at our monthly expenses and, while we were giving above the "typical" 10% of income, we were comfortable there. There was no sacrifice. The truth is, we were spending a lot of money on luxury things...like eating out. It's hard to justify saying, "We can't afford to give more to missions." when we spend so much on unnecessary things like that.

So, we had a choice: ignore what God was saying to us or do something about it. And, well, ignoring God is not recommended. My hubby came to me one day and said, "If we can afford to eat out, we must be able to afford to give to missions. Period."

I was on board with that. "You're right," I said. "Good point."

"So, from now on, anytime we eat out, we will match that to missions," he continued.

"Oh. Um. Ok. Yes. That's right. That sounds good," I replied. But in my head I'm thinking, "That's a little "radical" isn't it?"

That's the point!!

So, beginning August 1, we started following through with that commitment. And the results weren't what I anticipated!

Several things have happened:

1. We've started eating out less. We literally could not afford to match in giving what we had been spending in eating out. It was a big wake up call to us about how much money we "wasted" eating out when we had plenty of food at home (we were just too lazy to cook!)
2. We've discovered that it's a lot of fun to cook together! Trying new recipes and cooking together is really underrated!
3. But most of all we've learned that there is extreme joy in giving sacrifically. Each time we have eaten out, we've said, "Ok, who's this gonna go to??" Yeah, we had our budgeted giving. But what a blessing to be able to give "a little something extra" to some missionaries who have some transitions going on in their lives or to a ministry just getting it's feet off the ground!

So, we're only about two weeks into it, but it's been an exciting time already. No doubt it's a challenge because who doesn't like to just sit down at a restaurant after a long day and let someone serve you?! Eating out is definitely part of "our culture". But when a luxury like that prevents us from reaching the lost for Christ, something doesn't add up.

That's where we are. Looking forward to more radical changes in our lives!

What radical thing is God calling YOU to do?

Chandler, Platt, and Chan: A Good Dose of the Bible

Have you ever just come to the place where you say, "Ok, God. I hear ya."?

Generally for me it takes a while before I say, "Oh, you're talking to me!" This past March we were at a missions conference in Alabama when we met Tracie and Josh Lansford. They are church planters in Austin, TX and have a strong passion for reaching this city for God. During one of our conversations, they mentioned the book Crazy Love by Francis Chan. That wouldn't have really been a big deal except for the fact that was the third time within about a week that someone had suggested to us that we read that book! I told her that and she said, "Well, I think we have a copy in our car. Let me go get it!"

So, with a copy in hand, I had no excuses.

I love to read, but it's easy for me to get started on a book, read about half, and never finish it. (I know, not a good habit.) But this book was different. I couldn't put it down!

After finishing the book (which I highly recommend), I had a new perspective on God. I realized that for too long (ie my whole life!) I had been putting God into this little box, limiting Him with my lack of faith.

And so began a journey for Richard and myself that over the last 4 months has included tears, lots of prayer, several "ah-ha!" moments, and a whooole lot of Bible reading. And it's a journey that continues on... and hopefully one we will never come to the end of while living on this planet!

But in addition to all of these things, it's a journey that we'd like to share. Why? Because it's thanks to people like Francis Chan (author of Crazy Love), Matt Chandler (The Village Church, Dallas, TX) and David Platt (The Church at Brookhills, Birmingham, AL) who were willing to share what God has done in their lives with their congregations and, really with the world via the internet, that has challenged us on levels that we've never been challenged before. And we hope that you will be challenged by how we are challenged!

I think that the title of David Platt's book most accurately defines this journey: Radical.

God has called us to this. Sure, our ultimate goal is to reach the lost on the foreign field. But He has called us to live radical lives, right here, right now.

I hope you'll join us. It's an awesome ride!


(Here are some books we recommend: Crazy Love by Francis Chan and Radical by David Platt.... but only read them if you want your life to change :) Oh, and while you're at it, go ahead and "youtube" Matt Chandler. God is using these men in a big way!)