Her favorite song is "This Little Light of Mine"
Her favorite snack is string cheese
Her favorite toy is my old cell phone
Her favorite game is peek-a-boo
And she is my favorite thing in the cabinet!
Saturday, February 27, 2010
Friday, February 26, 2010
Soundtrack of My Soul
I'll never forget sitting in my driveway that dark autumn night. It was late, I was returning home from some evening activity, and my heart was trudging through all the trouble that comes with teenage angst. I don't really remember exactly what I was so upset about, but I remember a certain song come on the radio just as I was parking my car, and as my fingers slowly loosened their grip from the steering wheel, the pent-up tears gently weaved their way down my cheeks and into my lap. I sat in the darkness and listened. It was as if God Himself was whispering those lyrics of healing straight to my battered heart. And as the song continued, I hung on every word, and let the message soak into my soul.
Zephaniah 3:17 says that God sings over us. Just like a mother stands over her child's crib and sings songs of comfort and love, God the Father tenderly stands over His children, singing words that speak to their hearts.
Lately, the song "Your Hands" by JJ Heller, seems to be the soundtrack of my soul. Of course, if you've turned on Christian radio at all during the last 6 months, you've probably heard it at least 4 dozen times. But even though I've heard it at least that much, it still touches me in much the way that other special song did in my driveway so many years ago. It's the message that I need to hear right now. It is the melody that resonates with my heart. It is the gentle voice of love. It is my Father singing over me.
Zephaniah 3:17 says that God sings over us. Just like a mother stands over her child's crib and sings songs of comfort and love, God the Father tenderly stands over His children, singing words that speak to their hearts.
Lately, the song "Your Hands" by JJ Heller, seems to be the soundtrack of my soul. Of course, if you've turned on Christian radio at all during the last 6 months, you've probably heard it at least 4 dozen times. But even though I've heard it at least that much, it still touches me in much the way that other special song did in my driveway so many years ago. It's the message that I need to hear right now. It is the melody that resonates with my heart. It is the gentle voice of love. It is my Father singing over me.
Thursday, February 25, 2010
A Snowy Thursday Afternoon
It's quiet around my house . . . at least for the moment. Juliette is taking her nap, and I'm fighting off the urge to sneak in a few Zzzz myself. It snowy and overcast, and just one of those sleepy afternoons. Ahhh.
Honestly, I am thankful for the peace and respite of this afternoon. We were traveling all last week, Seth had a work training session in a large city a few hours away, and Juliette and I jumped at the opportunity to accompany him. These days, I always jump at the chance to visit Wal-mart. Haha!
Besides the training session, we also tagged along on a retreat with the Christian college group from our alma mater last weekend. The same campus minister and his wife are still serving the students there, so it was great to catch up with them and to meet all of the fresh faces of students that are actively involved in that ministry. I have to confess, I must be getting old - I mean "more mature". Freshmen are looking younger and younger to me.
There was plenty of snow on the retreat too, so we took Juliette tubing. I wasn't sure how she would handle it, but she is a trooper. She wasn't scared one bit, and never complained about the wind or the cold.
But when I finally asked her if she would like to go inside and take a nap with daddy, she didn't hesitate to say yes.
Honestly, I am thankful for the peace and respite of this afternoon. We were traveling all last week, Seth had a work training session in a large city a few hours away, and Juliette and I jumped at the opportunity to accompany him. These days, I always jump at the chance to visit Wal-mart. Haha!
Besides the training session, we also tagged along on a retreat with the Christian college group from our alma mater last weekend. The same campus minister and his wife are still serving the students there, so it was great to catch up with them and to meet all of the fresh faces of students that are actively involved in that ministry. I have to confess, I must be getting old - I mean "more mature". Freshmen are looking younger and younger to me.
There was plenty of snow on the retreat too, so we took Juliette tubing. I wasn't sure how she would handle it, but she is a trooper. She wasn't scared one bit, and never complained about the wind or the cold.
But when I finally asked her if she would like to go inside and take a nap with daddy, she didn't hesitate to say yes.
It was so refreshing to get to pray and worship with old and new friends alike. I'm so thankful for the ministerings of the body of Christ!
~~~
My latest adventure has been coaching the 5th and 6th grade drama club at the elementary school here on the High Arid Plains. I had just been praying that God would open up some more doors of ministry for me, particularly involving young people, when a mom asked me if I'd be interested in coordinating this venture. Not completely what I was expecting, but I've sort of come to expect the unexpected from God.
Honestly, I don't really know what I'm doing, but thankfully a friend is helping me and we are just trying to string it together as best we can. I'm hoping that the kids have a good time and don't catch on that we are just sort of making things up as we go along.
I have to confess, I have been using my dvr to record old episodes of Whose Line Is It Anyways? for inspiration. Again, I must be getting "more mature". I don't remember that show being so cheesy!
~~~
Spiritually, I've been wrestling with some pretty heavy questions regarding my response to the sin in other's lives. How does one make room for repentance, healing, and restoration without making room for sin itself? What does forgiveness and love look like? How can I be Christlike towards those who aren't?
I've been reading several books, and steeping myself in God's word, and trusting that He'll help me unravel some these mysteries, or at least guide my next steps. Honestly, that's all I ask. Direction for each new day. My "more mature" mind can't really wrap itself around much more than that anyways. Let's just say, it's good to know one's limits.
Monday, February 15, 2010
A Beautiful Testimony
Recently I received the following testimony from a dear friend (my former employer's wife). They and their six children recently moved to Fiji last year to be work with a medical mission group. It is long, but definitely worth the read.
I have been asked by several people how we ever ended up in Fiji in the first place. So, please bear with me as I share with you the ‘long version’ of the beginning our of our new life. I have prayed for years that God would use me as a missionary,to serve him wherever he might call me. First, in my home, and then to the endless frontier of Africa (in my dreams)!! I have dedicated my children to the Lord, and asked that he use them all as his ministers of the gospel to a lost and dying world. I have asked him to use them to reach people that have never heard the good news of Jesus before. Because of the fact that my husband loved the creature comforts of America, I was content to take 'short term' mission trips, and prayed that my children would be the next Hudson Taylors and Amy Carmicheals of the world.
The Lord, however had a different plan. During the year, 2007, life as we knew it began to unravel. Mike has always done well in business, and although he has never been a workaholic, success seemed to chase his every step. After acquiring all that he had dreamed of... a loving family, a 35 acre ranch in Colorado, a ski condo in Granby Ranch, and his most cherished Range Rover... an unpredicted chain of events threatened to change everything.
Without going in to every detail, circumstances outside of our control began to ebb away at the secure life Mike had worked so hard for. Fear and panic moved in, and nothing in his power could fix the mountain of challenges and hardships that appeared imminent.
As I watched this apparent disaster of our lives unfold, I held fast to my Saviour. I believe the promises that God has made, and asked that he would use all of the trials we were going through for good in our lives. I prayed that God would draw Mike close to him, and give him the strength to get through each day. There were certain peoplewho had chosen to attack Mike's company, and spread malicious lies about him and his partner. Others who had made promises and signed contracts, but failed to follow through. One who stole over a million dollars, and left the country, leaving Mike's company to shoulder the blame and loss. Many enemies had arisen, along with the turbulent economy. I prayed that Mike would trust God to be his provider, and that he would be able to forgive those who had intentionally hurt him.
The Lord was faithful to do much more than this! He gave Mike a challenge which would ultimately change his life and send us to Fiji!! What kind of challenge, you ask? This journey began in our hot tub! A certain friend of ours used to enjoy long soaks in the hot tub with Mike, as they would discuss life's joys and sorrows. During this time of intense stress, their hot tub conversation turned serious. As Mike shared the struggles of holding it together, and his concerns for the future, our friend encouraged him to listen to a series of lectures by a man named Herb Larsen. Mike had the mp3's sitting on his desk for weeks without picking them up. At our friend's insistence, and God's divine timing, we were able to listen to about 6 of the sessions on a trip to the mountains. Mike was captivated by Herb's story, and drawn to the challenge that Herb gives to everyone he meets. Herb's story was one of deliverance from the onslaught of the pressures of thisworld, by pursuing the most important thing first.
When Herb shared his similar struggles with business stress, anxiety,and a lack of peace in his life, Mike's heart was engaged. He knew that he needed something in his life that was desperately missing. Hehad always been in control of things. He always planned everythingout to the last detail, and could manage problems with his own intelligence and resources. All of a sudden, when he realized thatthe new issues that had come up were beyond human fixing, he was at a point in need of supernatural help. This help was what Herb'schallenge offered.
The challenge was this. Simple, but not easy. Give the first hour of your day to God, through prayer and Bible study, and do it for 60 days. God promises that if we seek him first, and seek his kingdom and his righteousness that he will give us all that we need. Mike decided to take the 60 day challenge. God had always been an important part of his life, but he had never been the object of Mikes'pursuit. He realized he spent many hours a day working just to survive. Why not give God a try? After 60 days, not much had happened. Mike was still pretty miserable, and wondering why God seemed so far off. After 90 days, things started to improve. Not on the outside, where circumstances continued to spiral out of control. The change was internal. Mike started to internalize God's word and his promises. He realized that God did answer prayer, because the word of God became alive to him.
As God's Spirit was being invited in, the stress and worry started to fade. Mike could handle the stress with greater peace, and gave each new ordeal to God, as they came. He could sleep better, and regained confidence for the future. As God started to work miracles in helping resolve the business issues that had come up, Mike realized that even when everything was resolved that his heart was no longer in the business world. He no longer had the desire to make a lot of money, and acquire a more luxurious life. Instead, the commands of Jesus seemed to resonate with him. The charge to care for the poor and the needy, and the orphan and the widow seemed to fill his thoughts more than buying the next gadget. He told God that he had lived the first half of his life for himself, but that he wanted to give the rest of his days to serving Him. For possibly the first time in his life, he offered a prayer of true surrender to the Lord. Mike told God that he was willing to do whatever he wanted, and go wherever he wanted him to go. He prayed for direction and guidance for the future.
About this time, we had some friends over and we were discussing this whole situation. Mike shared his heart to do something with his 9-5hours that would make a significant difference for eternity. Our friend suggested we look into a particular ministry in Fiji. He followed up by sending Mike a link to the website for this ministry. From the time Mike looked at the website, he could not stop thinking about Fiji. The ministry is called the Dream Machine foundation, and Mike was so interested in their work, that he told me we may be called to go to Fiji as missionaries! I actually laughed at the idea! Fiji? None of the missionary books I have read were about Fiji! And I also reminded him that we were not going anywhere as missionaries, because we had a lot of problems to deal with here in the states! My initial thought was that he just wanted to run away from everything and hide in Fiji. Nice, huh?
Well, God set me straight in his gentle and patient way. When I realized that Mike was not kidding, and he really didn't want to runaway from things, I opened my heart to the idea of Fiji. I prayerfully looked over the website wondering if God truly had a plan for us to serve him in Fiji. I saw that Fiji truly is a very poor country, in great need of help. Much of the population has no access to decent, if any, medical care. Only a couple of generations away from extreme cannibalism, the people of Fiji are in definite need of Jesus' love and truth. Religion is mixed in Fiji between a form ofChristianity, Islam, Hindu, and occult. Many residents take on the religion of their chiefs, and are regular church goers, but they never hear or see the way of salvation that they need more than anything.
As I came to the conclusion that God may be leading Mike in this new obsession with Fiji, I called him, and told him that the possibilityof going to Fiji was looking more appealing to me. I told him that I understood that there are true needs there, and that perhaps, someday, we could do something down there. It was just a brief conversation, but seemed to be pivotal. A little while later, Mike called me and told me that his business partner and friend, Jon Thompson wanted to get together to pray with us about the possibility of going to serve in Fiji. He made it sound urgent, and they wanted to meet that night at a coffee shop to seek the Lord's direction in the matter. I was somewhat amused as I consented to meet them. Surely, they were pushing this thing a little faster than necessary!
When we sat down, with our chai teas and coffee in hand, Jon opened up by saying he felt this was a crossroads in our lives. He felt that this could be the beginning of a whole new chapter in our lives. Mike was somewhat quiet, probably wondering how Jon had attached himself to this calling to Fiji. Jon's wife, Monique was definitely guarded about the idea, having first heard about it, possibly an hour before our meeting. She had the same objections that I had expressed, including, 'how can we consider missions with all of our issues goingon right now?' All that being said, we each prayed a prayer of surrender, offering up our lives to the Lord, opening ourselves up to his leading.
A few days later, Monique called me with a request. She had been praying about this whole idea of Fiji, and really felt convinced that we shouldn't be considering going anywhere with the guys' business in the state it was in. They had an abundance of houses for sale at this point, none of which had been selling. The dead market was a source of grief for many builders, at this time, and Mike's company was suffering greatly. Monique felt impressed to make an audacious request of God. She wanted us to pray in agreement with her that they would sell 5 houses within 30 days. I agreed to pray in agreement with her, and shared this request with our children. My son, Ben,asked me this question. “Mom, if we sell 5 houses in 30 days, does that mean that we are going to Fiji?” I remember my reply as if it was yesterday. “Well, Ben, its not like we are telling God that if he sells 5 houses for us, then we will go to Fiji, but if we do sell 5 houses in 30 days, that would be an absolute miracle, and could very well mean we are going to Fiji!”
I never told Mike about our little prayer agreement. So, about 10 days later when he called me with excitement in his voice, he had no idea what we had been praying. “Guess what happened today!” What? I asked. “We got 5 contracts on houses to build!” Yes, in one day, Mike’s company received 5 contracts. This was the first of many miracles, and direct answers to prayer.
From that point, we continued to pray that if Fiji was Mike’s idea, and not God’s idea, that he would shut the door. The last thing we wanted to do was to pack up our family, and move across the world on a whim. However, as we prayed, it seemed like God continued to open doors wide. As this letter is already getting too long, I will summarize some of the highlights.
*After an opportunity to meet with the founder of the Dream Machine Foundation, he told us we had his blessing to go to Fiji, and work with his ministry and their sister foundation, the Mission at Natuvu Creek.
*After meeting with the founders of the Mission at Natuvu, we also received an invitation to come and serve full time in Fiji. They had both turned many people away from coming down to serve, but felt we were the ones they had been praying for to help them further the ministry.
*After returning home from our initial visit to Fiji, we told God thatwe were willing to go to Fiji, but that he had many ‘giants’ that had to be slain before we could go.
*The hardest thing to do was to share this new direction in life with our friends and family. To my surprise, no one tried to talk us out of going, and even my precious Mom, who it was the hardest to leave, gave me her full support and blessing.
*Mike and Jon’s business partner gave them full permission to leave the business in his hands, and was also selflessly supportive in our decision to go.
*Our 35 acre ranch, which easily could have taken a year to sell in the current market, went under contract within 30 days for the price we were hoping for. Actually, I have to give you more details on that answer to prayer. As soon as we returned home to America from Fiji in February of 2009, we felt certain that we should prepare our home to sell, so that we would be ready to go to Fiji, whenever God opened the door. We thought maybe it would be a year, before we could put things in order for us to go. So, when we put our home on the market after a couple months of fixing things up, we were patient for things to move slowly.
However, after showing the house several times within the first week or two on the market, I realized that this was going to be no easy endeavor. It is a lot of work to make a home for 6 children look good enough for a showing, and then clear everyone out of the house for 2 hours. So, as I closed the door one day after a showing, I silently cried out a prayer to God, “Lord, please let the next showing be theperson who buys this house. I really don’t want to go thru this process over and over again, so please don’t let us get any more calls until the it is the right buyer!”
We had just attended a church service, where the speaker had reminded us to make our prayers specific. This prayer was specific, and perhaps a bit selfish, but it was a cry from my heart. Well, as a result, the telephone stopped ringing. Uh oh. Mike did not like the lack of interest we had in the house for the next couple weeks. Should we drop the price? What is happening, he wondered? Finally,the phone rang again with another showing! Could this be the one? I told Mike about my prayer request, so we were hopeful that we would have a buyer.
To cut the story short, I will just give God all the glory in telling you, that he did answer this prayer with a YES! I never had to show the house again, and this showing resulted in the sale of our home. To make the story even better, I will tell you that God provided the perfect closing date, and the perfect place to live, while we waited for our move to Fiji to solidify. To him be all the praise!
*The sale of our home was not without consequence. It meant that we had to find homes for our donkey, 5 horses, 1 colt, 3 dogs, 2 goats, 4 chickens and one barn cat. This was no small feat to conquer in a short period of time, especially considering that each pet was more like a member of the family. I will keep this praise simple in telling you that every single animal went to a home that we felt good about, and each one has a great story to go with it! For lack oftime, just be confident that God cares about every detail of your life. From where you live, to what you wear, to what happens to your dairy goats when you sell your ranch☺
*Acquiring our visas was a daunting task, as well. We were given the run around from people in Fiji many times, and were not sure how to proceed with getting to stay in Fiji for more than 4 months at a time. At a point, when we didn’t know how to proceed, the name of a Fijian contact here in the states was given to us. After a long and fruitful conversation with Mike, this contact was able to secure us 3 year visas within about 2 weeks time! One more giant slain, and miraclesecured☺
*How does one go about moving to Fiji from the middle of the US anyways? We know we had to take a good amount of our belongings with us, and that packing a container would be the best way to go. But where do you get one of these, and how do you pack it and then ship itto Fiji? This was one more of the many answers to prayer. God connected us to a ministry in our very own hometown of Loveland, CO,that had been praying for a way to help the people of Fiji! When they heard our story, they not only opened up their warehouse to us to use to pack, and store our belongings, and to load our container at, but they also donated another container full of donations to bless the people of Fiji. This whole situation blew us away, as without thepeople of H.E.L.P. International in Loveland, we may still be in Loveland, ourselves☺
*One of my biggest prayers during this time of transition was that my family would be unified in our decision to move to Fiji. With 2 teenage girls, and 4 other children who loved their comfortable life in Colorado, this was not a simple desire. Everyone who talked to us about our decision to move our family across the world especially wondered about our oldest daughter’s plans. She was almost 18 and could have chosen to stay in America with friends. My heart was delighted that the Lord spoke to Jessi individually and showed her his plan was for her to go to Fiji. This did not mean it was easy.
All of the children experienced pain and loss, as we prepared to leave. Buckets of tears were shed, as we said goodbye to SO many loved ones. Jessi and Mike especially mourned the loss of our ranch and their precious animals, but we all clung to the promise of Jesus,which says that whoever gives up houses, or fields, or family for his sake will receive a hundred fold in this lifetime. After the first few weeks of being here, we have seen the promise being fulfilled. Truly, in giving up all we had in America, we have received much. I already feel like we have gained more than we have given.
*The stories are endless about how God led us to Fiji. When there were so many distinct answers to prayer, we were convinced that God was paving the way so clearly, so that when we found ourselves on a lonely island in Fiji, and we wondered how we ever got here, we would not wonder if we had made a huge mistake.
So, now here we are. And this question has sometimes threatened to enter our minds. Especially as we saw Mike’s health declining rapidly. Mike has struggled with back and neck pain in the states,but he was confident that if God was leading him to Fiji, that God would provide the strength for him to serve. Building a house from scratch was going to be quite a challenge! So when his body seemed to be weakening, discouragement was trying to conquer Mike’s mind.
However, I saw God prevail even in the trials. Mike would not allow himself to lose heart. The anxiety that was common to him in the states, before, was absent in this trial. Even though things looked bleak, he was confident in the God who had sent him to Fiji. He chose to look at the good, instead of the bad. And now, I can tell you that he is getting stronger again, and feels the worse has passed. Mike’s team that is working with on the house has been so amazing and such a source of encouragement to him. Peals of laughter and praise music trickle away from the jobsite regularly. This home that we are building is an offering to the Lord, and he is already being lifted up in the process.
We laugh when the locals talk to us about the size of our house. At about 1900 square feet, they think we are building a palace! Just over half the size of our ranch in America, we thought it would make quite a humble home. Compared to the Fijian’s homes, though, it does look like a mansion. And we have to ask, should we have chosen to live more simply? Should we learn to wash our clothes by hand, and cook over an open fire? Should we eat more cassava, and less potatoes? One of our friends commented that we are living in ‘little America’ in the middle of Fiji. This is true, in a sense. And this is another reason I praise God.
You see, God has a mission for all of us. He birthed us, and wired us all with a genetic makeup that is meant to worship him, and serve him. And he has planned out all of the steps we are to take, and the places we should live. He has chosen people to live for his glory in all walks of life. From Laguna Beach, California to the ghettoes of Newark, New Jersey. From the desert plains of Namibia, Africa, to the earthquake shaken island of Haiti. He has his people everyone, and he uses his people to be his hands and feet on this earth.
He knows us and knows how we will thrive and what we can handle. He knows that a slightly pampered, rural family with 6 children from America may struggle more than they can handle if they are thrown out on to the streets of India, and forced to live like the natives. He knows how he wants to use us, and how much we can adjust, and he designs the plans for us accordingly. Which is the beauty of this Mission in Fiji.
Designed by Americans who are used to the comforts of home, but who have been changed by serving the people of Fiji, the Mission at Natuvu Creek allows people to come and serve without completely leaving the comforts of home. We have been able to give up many things, but not all things, and for this, we praise HIM!
While I haven’t driven a car for 5 months now, and we have grown used to riding on a dirty, bumpy bus, I can still take a hot shower and cook in an American style kitchen. While we haven’t watched TV in about 5 months (no loss there:), we can still show movies on our projector, operated by a generator on the outdoor walls of our cafeteria. While I haven’t been able to run to Walmart to pick up a loaf of bread when we run out, I have been able to mountain bike 15 minutes down a muddy, potholed filled road to pick up most things that we can’t live with out. We have no complaints here.
When people ask us how we chose to come to Fiji, the answer is simple. God chose Fiji for us. Never in my wildest dreams did I think Iwould serve God is such a remote, hidden paradise. Never did I dream that I would have 4 Fijian students in my homeschool that call me“Madam”. Never did I imagine the kindness of my 16 year old student,who just peeked in my window to make sure I was alright. (Yep, the fever seems to have backed off as I am still typing away!!)
Never have I experienced the pain that comes to the surface, as a song or event triggers a memory or sensation from ‘home’, and I realize that I can not just go back to the states on a whim. Never have I experienced the joy that has come from seeing God work here in such tangible ways.
When we spoke to one of the missionaries who lived here about 10 yearsago, she reflected on her year in Fiji. She told us that her year here was the best year of her life, and the hardest year of her life. I can relate to those feelings. When God takes us out of our comfort zone and our normal routine, it is then that he can become the most real to us.
How about you? Is God calling you to take a risk for him? To visit the widow down the road from you? To invite the noisy children next door over for some cookies? To give a hug in Jesus’ name? To turnoff the TV, and go serve dinner at a homeless shelter? Wherever you are, God has a purpose for you.
I would encourage you all as I close what is probably my longest update ever. Take the challenge. Seek God first. Pick up that dusty Bible off your shelf, and see what God has to say to you. I promise that it will be the most rewarding decision you ever make.
I have been asked by several people how we ever ended up in Fiji in the first place. So, please bear with me as I share with you the ‘long version’ of the beginning our of our new life. I have prayed for years that God would use me as a missionary,to serve him wherever he might call me. First, in my home, and then to the endless frontier of Africa (in my dreams)!! I have dedicated my children to the Lord, and asked that he use them all as his ministers of the gospel to a lost and dying world. I have asked him to use them to reach people that have never heard the good news of Jesus before. Because of the fact that my husband loved the creature comforts of America, I was content to take 'short term' mission trips, and prayed that my children would be the next Hudson Taylors and Amy Carmicheals of the world.
The Lord, however had a different plan. During the year, 2007, life as we knew it began to unravel. Mike has always done well in business, and although he has never been a workaholic, success seemed to chase his every step. After acquiring all that he had dreamed of... a loving family, a 35 acre ranch in Colorado, a ski condo in Granby Ranch, and his most cherished Range Rover... an unpredicted chain of events threatened to change everything.
Without going in to every detail, circumstances outside of our control began to ebb away at the secure life Mike had worked so hard for. Fear and panic moved in, and nothing in his power could fix the mountain of challenges and hardships that appeared imminent.
As I watched this apparent disaster of our lives unfold, I held fast to my Saviour. I believe the promises that God has made, and asked that he would use all of the trials we were going through for good in our lives. I prayed that God would draw Mike close to him, and give him the strength to get through each day. There were certain peoplewho had chosen to attack Mike's company, and spread malicious lies about him and his partner. Others who had made promises and signed contracts, but failed to follow through. One who stole over a million dollars, and left the country, leaving Mike's company to shoulder the blame and loss. Many enemies had arisen, along with the turbulent economy. I prayed that Mike would trust God to be his provider, and that he would be able to forgive those who had intentionally hurt him.
The Lord was faithful to do much more than this! He gave Mike a challenge which would ultimately change his life and send us to Fiji!! What kind of challenge, you ask? This journey began in our hot tub! A certain friend of ours used to enjoy long soaks in the hot tub with Mike, as they would discuss life's joys and sorrows. During this time of intense stress, their hot tub conversation turned serious. As Mike shared the struggles of holding it together, and his concerns for the future, our friend encouraged him to listen to a series of lectures by a man named Herb Larsen. Mike had the mp3's sitting on his desk for weeks without picking them up. At our friend's insistence, and God's divine timing, we were able to listen to about 6 of the sessions on a trip to the mountains. Mike was captivated by Herb's story, and drawn to the challenge that Herb gives to everyone he meets. Herb's story was one of deliverance from the onslaught of the pressures of thisworld, by pursuing the most important thing first.
When Herb shared his similar struggles with business stress, anxiety,and a lack of peace in his life, Mike's heart was engaged. He knew that he needed something in his life that was desperately missing. Hehad always been in control of things. He always planned everythingout to the last detail, and could manage problems with his own intelligence and resources. All of a sudden, when he realized thatthe new issues that had come up were beyond human fixing, he was at a point in need of supernatural help. This help was what Herb'schallenge offered.
The challenge was this. Simple, but not easy. Give the first hour of your day to God, through prayer and Bible study, and do it for 60 days. God promises that if we seek him first, and seek his kingdom and his righteousness that he will give us all that we need. Mike decided to take the 60 day challenge. God had always been an important part of his life, but he had never been the object of Mikes'pursuit. He realized he spent many hours a day working just to survive. Why not give God a try? After 60 days, not much had happened. Mike was still pretty miserable, and wondering why God seemed so far off. After 90 days, things started to improve. Not on the outside, where circumstances continued to spiral out of control. The change was internal. Mike started to internalize God's word and his promises. He realized that God did answer prayer, because the word of God became alive to him.
As God's Spirit was being invited in, the stress and worry started to fade. Mike could handle the stress with greater peace, and gave each new ordeal to God, as they came. He could sleep better, and regained confidence for the future. As God started to work miracles in helping resolve the business issues that had come up, Mike realized that even when everything was resolved that his heart was no longer in the business world. He no longer had the desire to make a lot of money, and acquire a more luxurious life. Instead, the commands of Jesus seemed to resonate with him. The charge to care for the poor and the needy, and the orphan and the widow seemed to fill his thoughts more than buying the next gadget. He told God that he had lived the first half of his life for himself, but that he wanted to give the rest of his days to serving Him. For possibly the first time in his life, he offered a prayer of true surrender to the Lord. Mike told God that he was willing to do whatever he wanted, and go wherever he wanted him to go. He prayed for direction and guidance for the future.
About this time, we had some friends over and we were discussing this whole situation. Mike shared his heart to do something with his 9-5hours that would make a significant difference for eternity. Our friend suggested we look into a particular ministry in Fiji. He followed up by sending Mike a link to the website for this ministry. From the time Mike looked at the website, he could not stop thinking about Fiji. The ministry is called the Dream Machine foundation, and Mike was so interested in their work, that he told me we may be called to go to Fiji as missionaries! I actually laughed at the idea! Fiji? None of the missionary books I have read were about Fiji! And I also reminded him that we were not going anywhere as missionaries, because we had a lot of problems to deal with here in the states! My initial thought was that he just wanted to run away from everything and hide in Fiji. Nice, huh?
Well, God set me straight in his gentle and patient way. When I realized that Mike was not kidding, and he really didn't want to runaway from things, I opened my heart to the idea of Fiji. I prayerfully looked over the website wondering if God truly had a plan for us to serve him in Fiji. I saw that Fiji truly is a very poor country, in great need of help. Much of the population has no access to decent, if any, medical care. Only a couple of generations away from extreme cannibalism, the people of Fiji are in definite need of Jesus' love and truth. Religion is mixed in Fiji between a form ofChristianity, Islam, Hindu, and occult. Many residents take on the religion of their chiefs, and are regular church goers, but they never hear or see the way of salvation that they need more than anything.
As I came to the conclusion that God may be leading Mike in this new obsession with Fiji, I called him, and told him that the possibilityof going to Fiji was looking more appealing to me. I told him that I understood that there are true needs there, and that perhaps, someday, we could do something down there. It was just a brief conversation, but seemed to be pivotal. A little while later, Mike called me and told me that his business partner and friend, Jon Thompson wanted to get together to pray with us about the possibility of going to serve in Fiji. He made it sound urgent, and they wanted to meet that night at a coffee shop to seek the Lord's direction in the matter. I was somewhat amused as I consented to meet them. Surely, they were pushing this thing a little faster than necessary!
When we sat down, with our chai teas and coffee in hand, Jon opened up by saying he felt this was a crossroads in our lives. He felt that this could be the beginning of a whole new chapter in our lives. Mike was somewhat quiet, probably wondering how Jon had attached himself to this calling to Fiji. Jon's wife, Monique was definitely guarded about the idea, having first heard about it, possibly an hour before our meeting. She had the same objections that I had expressed, including, 'how can we consider missions with all of our issues goingon right now?' All that being said, we each prayed a prayer of surrender, offering up our lives to the Lord, opening ourselves up to his leading.
A few days later, Monique called me with a request. She had been praying about this whole idea of Fiji, and really felt convinced that we shouldn't be considering going anywhere with the guys' business in the state it was in. They had an abundance of houses for sale at this point, none of which had been selling. The dead market was a source of grief for many builders, at this time, and Mike's company was suffering greatly. Monique felt impressed to make an audacious request of God. She wanted us to pray in agreement with her that they would sell 5 houses within 30 days. I agreed to pray in agreement with her, and shared this request with our children. My son, Ben,asked me this question. “Mom, if we sell 5 houses in 30 days, does that mean that we are going to Fiji?” I remember my reply as if it was yesterday. “Well, Ben, its not like we are telling God that if he sells 5 houses for us, then we will go to Fiji, but if we do sell 5 houses in 30 days, that would be an absolute miracle, and could very well mean we are going to Fiji!”
I never told Mike about our little prayer agreement. So, about 10 days later when he called me with excitement in his voice, he had no idea what we had been praying. “Guess what happened today!” What? I asked. “We got 5 contracts on houses to build!” Yes, in one day, Mike’s company received 5 contracts. This was the first of many miracles, and direct answers to prayer.
From that point, we continued to pray that if Fiji was Mike’s idea, and not God’s idea, that he would shut the door. The last thing we wanted to do was to pack up our family, and move across the world on a whim. However, as we prayed, it seemed like God continued to open doors wide. As this letter is already getting too long, I will summarize some of the highlights.
*After an opportunity to meet with the founder of the Dream Machine Foundation, he told us we had his blessing to go to Fiji, and work with his ministry and their sister foundation, the Mission at Natuvu Creek.
*After meeting with the founders of the Mission at Natuvu, we also received an invitation to come and serve full time in Fiji. They had both turned many people away from coming down to serve, but felt we were the ones they had been praying for to help them further the ministry.
*After returning home from our initial visit to Fiji, we told God thatwe were willing to go to Fiji, but that he had many ‘giants’ that had to be slain before we could go.
*The hardest thing to do was to share this new direction in life with our friends and family. To my surprise, no one tried to talk us out of going, and even my precious Mom, who it was the hardest to leave, gave me her full support and blessing.
*Mike and Jon’s business partner gave them full permission to leave the business in his hands, and was also selflessly supportive in our decision to go.
*Our 35 acre ranch, which easily could have taken a year to sell in the current market, went under contract within 30 days for the price we were hoping for. Actually, I have to give you more details on that answer to prayer. As soon as we returned home to America from Fiji in February of 2009, we felt certain that we should prepare our home to sell, so that we would be ready to go to Fiji, whenever God opened the door. We thought maybe it would be a year, before we could put things in order for us to go. So, when we put our home on the market after a couple months of fixing things up, we were patient for things to move slowly.
However, after showing the house several times within the first week or two on the market, I realized that this was going to be no easy endeavor. It is a lot of work to make a home for 6 children look good enough for a showing, and then clear everyone out of the house for 2 hours. So, as I closed the door one day after a showing, I silently cried out a prayer to God, “Lord, please let the next showing be theperson who buys this house. I really don’t want to go thru this process over and over again, so please don’t let us get any more calls until the it is the right buyer!”
We had just attended a church service, where the speaker had reminded us to make our prayers specific. This prayer was specific, and perhaps a bit selfish, but it was a cry from my heart. Well, as a result, the telephone stopped ringing. Uh oh. Mike did not like the lack of interest we had in the house for the next couple weeks. Should we drop the price? What is happening, he wondered? Finally,the phone rang again with another showing! Could this be the one? I told Mike about my prayer request, so we were hopeful that we would have a buyer.
To cut the story short, I will just give God all the glory in telling you, that he did answer this prayer with a YES! I never had to show the house again, and this showing resulted in the sale of our home. To make the story even better, I will tell you that God provided the perfect closing date, and the perfect place to live, while we waited for our move to Fiji to solidify. To him be all the praise!
*The sale of our home was not without consequence. It meant that we had to find homes for our donkey, 5 horses, 1 colt, 3 dogs, 2 goats, 4 chickens and one barn cat. This was no small feat to conquer in a short period of time, especially considering that each pet was more like a member of the family. I will keep this praise simple in telling you that every single animal went to a home that we felt good about, and each one has a great story to go with it! For lack oftime, just be confident that God cares about every detail of your life. From where you live, to what you wear, to what happens to your dairy goats when you sell your ranch☺
*Acquiring our visas was a daunting task, as well. We were given the run around from people in Fiji many times, and were not sure how to proceed with getting to stay in Fiji for more than 4 months at a time. At a point, when we didn’t know how to proceed, the name of a Fijian contact here in the states was given to us. After a long and fruitful conversation with Mike, this contact was able to secure us 3 year visas within about 2 weeks time! One more giant slain, and miraclesecured☺
*How does one go about moving to Fiji from the middle of the US anyways? We know we had to take a good amount of our belongings with us, and that packing a container would be the best way to go. But where do you get one of these, and how do you pack it and then ship itto Fiji? This was one more of the many answers to prayer. God connected us to a ministry in our very own hometown of Loveland, CO,that had been praying for a way to help the people of Fiji! When they heard our story, they not only opened up their warehouse to us to use to pack, and store our belongings, and to load our container at, but they also donated another container full of donations to bless the people of Fiji. This whole situation blew us away, as without thepeople of H.E.L.P. International in Loveland, we may still be in Loveland, ourselves☺
*One of my biggest prayers during this time of transition was that my family would be unified in our decision to move to Fiji. With 2 teenage girls, and 4 other children who loved their comfortable life in Colorado, this was not a simple desire. Everyone who talked to us about our decision to move our family across the world especially wondered about our oldest daughter’s plans. She was almost 18 and could have chosen to stay in America with friends. My heart was delighted that the Lord spoke to Jessi individually and showed her his plan was for her to go to Fiji. This did not mean it was easy.
All of the children experienced pain and loss, as we prepared to leave. Buckets of tears were shed, as we said goodbye to SO many loved ones. Jessi and Mike especially mourned the loss of our ranch and their precious animals, but we all clung to the promise of Jesus,which says that whoever gives up houses, or fields, or family for his sake will receive a hundred fold in this lifetime. After the first few weeks of being here, we have seen the promise being fulfilled. Truly, in giving up all we had in America, we have received much. I already feel like we have gained more than we have given.
*The stories are endless about how God led us to Fiji. When there were so many distinct answers to prayer, we were convinced that God was paving the way so clearly, so that when we found ourselves on a lonely island in Fiji, and we wondered how we ever got here, we would not wonder if we had made a huge mistake.
So, now here we are. And this question has sometimes threatened to enter our minds. Especially as we saw Mike’s health declining rapidly. Mike has struggled with back and neck pain in the states,but he was confident that if God was leading him to Fiji, that God would provide the strength for him to serve. Building a house from scratch was going to be quite a challenge! So when his body seemed to be weakening, discouragement was trying to conquer Mike’s mind.
However, I saw God prevail even in the trials. Mike would not allow himself to lose heart. The anxiety that was common to him in the states, before, was absent in this trial. Even though things looked bleak, he was confident in the God who had sent him to Fiji. He chose to look at the good, instead of the bad. And now, I can tell you that he is getting stronger again, and feels the worse has passed. Mike’s team that is working with on the house has been so amazing and such a source of encouragement to him. Peals of laughter and praise music trickle away from the jobsite regularly. This home that we are building is an offering to the Lord, and he is already being lifted up in the process.
We laugh when the locals talk to us about the size of our house. At about 1900 square feet, they think we are building a palace! Just over half the size of our ranch in America, we thought it would make quite a humble home. Compared to the Fijian’s homes, though, it does look like a mansion. And we have to ask, should we have chosen to live more simply? Should we learn to wash our clothes by hand, and cook over an open fire? Should we eat more cassava, and less potatoes? One of our friends commented that we are living in ‘little America’ in the middle of Fiji. This is true, in a sense. And this is another reason I praise God.
You see, God has a mission for all of us. He birthed us, and wired us all with a genetic makeup that is meant to worship him, and serve him. And he has planned out all of the steps we are to take, and the places we should live. He has chosen people to live for his glory in all walks of life. From Laguna Beach, California to the ghettoes of Newark, New Jersey. From the desert plains of Namibia, Africa, to the earthquake shaken island of Haiti. He has his people everyone, and he uses his people to be his hands and feet on this earth.
He knows us and knows how we will thrive and what we can handle. He knows that a slightly pampered, rural family with 6 children from America may struggle more than they can handle if they are thrown out on to the streets of India, and forced to live like the natives. He knows how he wants to use us, and how much we can adjust, and he designs the plans for us accordingly. Which is the beauty of this Mission in Fiji.
Designed by Americans who are used to the comforts of home, but who have been changed by serving the people of Fiji, the Mission at Natuvu Creek allows people to come and serve without completely leaving the comforts of home. We have been able to give up many things, but not all things, and for this, we praise HIM!
While I haven’t driven a car for 5 months now, and we have grown used to riding on a dirty, bumpy bus, I can still take a hot shower and cook in an American style kitchen. While we haven’t watched TV in about 5 months (no loss there:), we can still show movies on our projector, operated by a generator on the outdoor walls of our cafeteria. While I haven’t been able to run to Walmart to pick up a loaf of bread when we run out, I have been able to mountain bike 15 minutes down a muddy, potholed filled road to pick up most things that we can’t live with out. We have no complaints here.
When people ask us how we chose to come to Fiji, the answer is simple. God chose Fiji for us. Never in my wildest dreams did I think Iwould serve God is such a remote, hidden paradise. Never did I dream that I would have 4 Fijian students in my homeschool that call me“Madam”. Never did I imagine the kindness of my 16 year old student,who just peeked in my window to make sure I was alright. (Yep, the fever seems to have backed off as I am still typing away!!)
Never have I experienced the pain that comes to the surface, as a song or event triggers a memory or sensation from ‘home’, and I realize that I can not just go back to the states on a whim. Never have I experienced the joy that has come from seeing God work here in such tangible ways.
When we spoke to one of the missionaries who lived here about 10 yearsago, she reflected on her year in Fiji. She told us that her year here was the best year of her life, and the hardest year of her life. I can relate to those feelings. When God takes us out of our comfort zone and our normal routine, it is then that he can become the most real to us.
How about you? Is God calling you to take a risk for him? To visit the widow down the road from you? To invite the noisy children next door over for some cookies? To give a hug in Jesus’ name? To turnoff the TV, and go serve dinner at a homeless shelter? Wherever you are, God has a purpose for you.
I would encourage you all as I close what is probably my longest update ever. Take the challenge. Seek God first. Pick up that dusty Bible off your shelf, and see what God has to say to you. I promise that it will be the most rewarding decision you ever make.
Sunday, February 14, 2010
Saturday, February 13, 2010
Popping for Less
Juliette is going to see her "Pop" next week. That is how she says Grandpa. It is also how she asks for a lollipop and one of her more favorite snacks - popcorn.
The good news is that I recently learned a cheaper way to make her happy. Instead of buying the regular microwave popcorn, or using a lot of butter/oil to pop the corn on the stove top, I have just been putting a single layer of popcorn in a glass dish and popping it for around 5-6 minutes. An entire bag of regular popcorn is about the same price as a package of microwave popcorn packets, but I bet it makes 30 times more popcorn.
A warning though. You need to cover your dish with a plate. Otherwise, you end up with this:
Oh well. Lesson learned.
The good news is that I recently learned a cheaper way to make her happy. Instead of buying the regular microwave popcorn, or using a lot of butter/oil to pop the corn on the stove top, I have just been putting a single layer of popcorn in a glass dish and popping it for around 5-6 minutes. An entire bag of regular popcorn is about the same price as a package of microwave popcorn packets, but I bet it makes 30 times more popcorn.
A warning though. You need to cover your dish with a plate. Otherwise, you end up with this:
Oh well. Lesson learned.
Thursday, February 4, 2010
Annoying People
Sometimes I find people annoying. It's terrible. But I do.
And I'm annoyed over little things too. Like the way they say the word "good", or the way they talk about their husband/child, or even the way they eat.
It's pathetic. How could I be so annoyed over such trivial things? It totally isn't Jesus-like one bit. I mean, could you imagine Jesus glaring at Peter when he talked with his mouth full?
Certainly Jesus was a bit more full of grace. But boy could I use some of that grace right now.
My fuse has seemed extra short the past few weeks. It would probably do me a whole lot of good to put myself in a time-out for awhile. At least long enough for me to have an attitude adjustment.
Something has got to change. That's for sure. I mean this finding-people-annoying-thing is getting really, really annoying.
And I'm annoyed over little things too. Like the way they say the word "good", or the way they talk about their husband/child, or even the way they eat.
It's pathetic. How could I be so annoyed over such trivial things? It totally isn't Jesus-like one bit. I mean, could you imagine Jesus glaring at Peter when he talked with his mouth full?
Certainly Jesus was a bit more full of grace. But boy could I use some of that grace right now.
My fuse has seemed extra short the past few weeks. It would probably do me a whole lot of good to put myself in a time-out for awhile. At least long enough for me to have an attitude adjustment.
Something has got to change. That's for sure. I mean this finding-people-annoying-thing is getting really, really annoying.
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