At my volunteer work in a thrift store on the other end of town (whose proceeds go to fund care of orphans in Uganda as well as for a farm and clinic there), I have a lot of ministry opportunities and things that happen which make me consider my own walk with the Lord.
Last week Thursday, we had a lady come in who was in the store for nearly an hour but who was nearly ready to leave without finding anything. “Can I help you, ma'am?” I asked.
Her shoulders drooped as she spoke with me. “I really like hippos, you know. I collect them. I go to different thrift stores all the time to see if they have a T-shirt or any little figurines or anything with hippos on them. Guess I didn't find anything today.”
I was really shocked to hear that. Secretly, I thought there was no way that we might ever something with hippos in the store for a long while... we sell what people donate to us, and for the nearly month and a half or so that I had been in the store, I could not recall anything like that. “Um, as far as I know, we don't have anything in the store like that. But you could leave your name and number, and we'll call you when we do. Sorry, I just have no way of knowing when we will... it's not that common that people will donate something like that.”
Well, that's okay, I won't leave my name and number,” said the lady. “I live nearby here and come by here fairly often. I'll visit again looking for the same thing.”
I shook my head after she left, thinking that there was no way that we would have what she wanted.
The very next day however, someone donated a hippo! It was really unbelievable. It was this gigantic hippo someone bought in Kenya for decoration that is kind of painted weird colors like orange, yellow and red. It hangs on the wall with kitchen wooden spoons and a spatula hanging beneath. Each of the utensils also has a hippo at the top. Pretty cool- straight from Africa and exactly what this lady wanted!
This reminds me so much of how the Bible says that we should Ask, Seek, and Knock. We should not feel afraid to ask the Lord anything. If the Lord can the very next day give this hippo lady what she is searching for... such a minor, little thing that I don't think that she may have even bothered to pray for... then he will so much more hear and answer our own requests. Sometimes, we think the Lord may not be answering our requests, but his answer may in fact be “WAIT.”
Well, after two years of seeking to raise the financial support and having missed two deadlines set for me now by my missionary organization to raise 100% of the financial funds, it seems certain the Lord has something else in store for my future other than going to West Africa with this organization. We will find out more details about this situation in November.
Really, as Christians we are all called to be missionaries wherever we are now. Wherever you are now, God has put you there for a purpose. And wherever you are, you are to tell others about Jesus, to teach and make disciples of all as we are told in Matthew 28, where Jesus gives the Great Commission.
I know that the Lord is using me in surprising ways right here in the United States. On Tuesday of this week, I went over a friend's home for Fujinkai (Japanese Women's Bible Study). There I spoke to my friend's daughter Yoko, who has an incurable disease and spends much of her days on the couch or in the bed. I told Yoko she reminds me of the poet Emily Dickinson! She is quite smart and whenever I see her she is always so unbelievably cheerful (okay, maybe the poet Emily was not so cheerful heh heh). I enjoy speaking to her so much! Perhaps also I can bring her some sunshine (encouragement). When I saw her on in September during our Fujinkai (Japanese Women's Bible Study meeting), I told her that she should think about doing something with her free time and perhaps consider writing stories- perhaps for kids. It is something simple that she can easily do whenever she feels well and it will be a wonderful way to bring joy to the lives of others.
Yoko took a class in creative writing before, but she had not really considered that she could try to write stories outside of class. As soon as she heard what I had to say, she seemed really excited and sat up like someone had struck her by lightning. She asked many questions with great vigor, sitting up straight and speaking in a strong voice with her most radiant sunshiny smile. For a few moments she completely forgot her own illness and pain and looked like any other healthy person you might see on the street! Some of her questions were,“How do you write? Where do you get your ideas? Do you really think I could tell a story other people would be interested in?”
It was moving to be able to sit down and speak with her about writing and stories and boo, the word arts that have meant so much to me in my own life, comforting me much despite some very damaging abuse and difficult times that I experienced early in my life. When I left her home, I couldn't help wondering... if I was not in her life, who else would have shared this with her? I'm not sure. Who knows? Perhaps it was for such a time as this- precisely to encourage Yoko- that God has made me a part of that Fujinkai group from the beginning. Although Yoko is limited with her physical capabilities, she is such a precious person to me and I hope that we can find some ways (such as through her writing stories) that many other people in this world can appreciate her beautiful spirit.
There are other people too who God has placed into my life right now in Grand Rapids, using me to bless them in some surprising ways. I would like to speak about them too here in this blog, but since this post is long enough already I will save that for another time. For now, He is keeping me here to do more good work right here in my hometown. One person can make a world of difference.
DELAYED BUT NOT DENIED.
On a side note, this is a very challenging time in my life as my paternal grandmother Margaret is in and out of the hospital. We don't know how long she has to live, actually. Especially this is taking a big toll on my father, who is not a strong Christian and who does not really pray and leave things in the hands of the Lord. If you can pray for her health and his depression that would be good.
I'd like to close with this Scripture reading from the King James version of 2 Corinthians 4:8-9: “We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed;”
NIV version: “We are hard-pressed on every side, yet not crushed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed.”
Same passage (plus a little more afterwards) from the Message version of the Bible: “We’ve been surrounded and battered by troubles, but we’re not demoralized; we’re not sure what to do, but we know that God knows what to do; we’ve been spiritually terrorized, but God hasn’t left our side; we’ve been thrown down, but we haven’t broken. What they did to Jesus, they do to us in trial and torture, mockery and murder; what Jesus did among them, he does in our lives! Our lives are at constant risk for Jesus’ sake, which makes Jesus’ life all the more evident in us. While we’re going through the worst, you’re getting in on the best!”
Saturday, October 23, 2010
Sunday, October 17, 2010
poem of pain, song of sorrow
My friend Connie and I ran into a local poet on the street here on the last day of voting for ArtPrize... the first poet laureate of Grand Rapids, Mrs. Linda Nemec Foster. She encouraged me to share some of my poetry on my blog. I guess I will try that.
yellowing leaves
last glimpse of light before night
all things are shadows
What does our guture hold? Death lies before us all my friends. But it is not the end. There is a life to come after this one. Are you ready for eternity?
This I write in pain, too sick to be able to go to church today. Still, I seek to share what I know about my Heavenly Father (Our Father) and my Jesus (Our Jesus) with the world. That is what it means to be a missionary, indeed. . .
yellowing leaves
last glimpse of light before night
all things are shadows
What does our guture hold? Death lies before us all my friends. But it is not the end. There is a life to come after this one. Are you ready for eternity?
This I write in pain, too sick to be able to go to church today. Still, I seek to share what I know about my Heavenly Father (Our Father) and my Jesus (Our Jesus) with the world. That is what it means to be a missionary, indeed. . .
Friday, September 17, 2010
Money Matters... But Prayer Matters More! Mighty, Mighty Prayer!!!
To partners along this journey:
I have reached nearly 90% of my financial support ladies and gentlemen! That is a blessing. However, that amount is mainly just on paper, as the majority of people who have agreed to contribute a certain amount have not yet started to give anything yet. My administrators are worried about this... also, as I failed to reach my last deadline (August 31) to raise 100% of my funding, I may not be allowed to continue raising support and be asked to leave this organization. Right now, my administrators are considering whether they will grant me an additional extension until November. So right now I need extra bunches of prayer from everybody!!!
If the Lord called me to do this missions work overseas in West Africa, then He will provide. If I do not raise the funds, then He does not wish for me to go. It's in the Lord's hands. (If He wants me to stay here in Grand Rapids, Michigan I think that that may be to help foster revival in our overly legalistic church culture here...)
“Oh, it's all about the money! The money is the most important thing, isn't it?” a college friend of mine said on Monday.
Oh no, that's not the case.
It is true that there are certain people in ministry who are money-hungry, unfortunately. I met a pastor in town who told me “A church is a business, basically.” I wonder how many other pastors in America might agree with him... however I disagree with that. I think Jesus would too.
Let's remember how Jesus kicked out the money-changers who were making a lot of cash in the temple:
"It is written," he said to them, "'My house will be called a house of prayer,' but you are making it a 'den of robbers.'"
From Matthew 21:13.
The church should be a place that is concerned number one with the souls of men and women. We are called to be fishers of men. As I speak to people whom God places in my path wherever I go, I seek to help them to make one step closer to walk closely with our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, if they are Christians. As a missionary, I remind myself that is the most important thing in my prayers and every morning enjoy reading through Ephesians 6:13-20 to put on the whole armor of God.
I would like to close with a wonderful classic inspirational little prayer guideline I found hanging up on the wall, almost forgotten, at my part-time work at the missionary thrift store recently. Let's all seek to pray more for this world around us. I promise you this- PRAYER WILL ALWAYS MAKE A DIFFERENCE, although the results may not be what you expect. Sometimes God may simply change your attitude about something that might at first seem to be negative which is going on in your life.
There are so many people hurting. We all must do our part to help out! Let the people of God rise up and be the worldwide change agents who we are called to be!
PRAY THROUGH THE SEVEN CONNECTIONS
------------------------PERSONAL------------------------------------
YOUR RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD
-------------------------MARRIAGE------------------------------------
YOUR MARRIAGE OR THE MARRIAGE OF THOSE CLOSEST TO YOU
-------------------------------FAMILY------------------------------------
YOUR CONNECTION WITH THOSE YOU'RE RELATED TO
------------------SMALL GROUP/FRIENDS-------------------------------
THE CLOSE GROUP OF FRIENDS YOU CONFIDE IN
---------------------------CHURCH FAMILY--------------------------
YOUR WORSHIPPING COMMUNITY
----------------------------------KINGDOM--------------------------
THE NEEDS OF CHRISTIANS WORLDWIDE
--------------------------------WORLD--------------------------------
THOSE IN YOUR LIFE WHO LACK A SAVING RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD
I have reached nearly 90% of my financial support ladies and gentlemen! That is a blessing. However, that amount is mainly just on paper, as the majority of people who have agreed to contribute a certain amount have not yet started to give anything yet. My administrators are worried about this... also, as I failed to reach my last deadline (August 31) to raise 100% of my funding, I may not be allowed to continue raising support and be asked to leave this organization. Right now, my administrators are considering whether they will grant me an additional extension until November. So right now I need extra bunches of prayer from everybody!!!
If the Lord called me to do this missions work overseas in West Africa, then He will provide. If I do not raise the funds, then He does not wish for me to go. It's in the Lord's hands. (If He wants me to stay here in Grand Rapids, Michigan I think that that may be to help foster revival in our overly legalistic church culture here...)
“Oh, it's all about the money! The money is the most important thing, isn't it?” a college friend of mine said on Monday.
Oh no, that's not the case.
It is true that there are certain people in ministry who are money-hungry, unfortunately. I met a pastor in town who told me “A church is a business, basically.” I wonder how many other pastors in America might agree with him... however I disagree with that. I think Jesus would too.
Let's remember how Jesus kicked out the money-changers who were making a lot of cash in the temple:
"It is written," he said to them, "'My house will be called a house of prayer,' but you are making it a 'den of robbers.'"
From Matthew 21:13.
The church should be a place that is concerned number one with the souls of men and women. We are called to be fishers of men. As I speak to people whom God places in my path wherever I go, I seek to help them to make one step closer to walk closely with our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, if they are Christians. As a missionary, I remind myself that is the most important thing in my prayers and every morning enjoy reading through Ephesians 6:13-20 to put on the whole armor of God.
I would like to close with a wonderful classic inspirational little prayer guideline I found hanging up on the wall, almost forgotten, at my part-time work at the missionary thrift store recently. Let's all seek to pray more for this world around us. I promise you this- PRAYER WILL ALWAYS MAKE A DIFFERENCE, although the results may not be what you expect. Sometimes God may simply change your attitude about something that might at first seem to be negative which is going on in your life.
There are so many people hurting. We all must do our part to help out! Let the people of God rise up and be the worldwide change agents who we are called to be!
PRAY THROUGH THE SEVEN CONNECTIONS
------------------------PERSONAL------------------------------------
YOUR RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD
-------------------------MARRIAGE------------------------------------
YOUR MARRIAGE OR THE MARRIAGE OF THOSE CLOSEST TO YOU
-------------------------------FAMILY------------------------------------
YOUR CONNECTION WITH THOSE YOU'RE RELATED TO
------------------SMALL GROUP/FRIENDS-------------------------------
THE CLOSE GROUP OF FRIENDS YOU CONFIDE IN
---------------------------CHURCH FAMILY--------------------------
YOUR WORSHIPPING COMMUNITY
----------------------------------KINGDOM--------------------------
THE NEEDS OF CHRISTIANS WORLDWIDE
--------------------------------WORLD--------------------------------
THOSE IN YOUR LIFE WHO LACK A SAVING RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD
Saturday, September 11, 2010
Summer without Ice Cream? Or, “On Food and Faith”
Usually I wake up to my chubby yet handsome kitty cat 'yowing' (as my mom calls it) for me to feed him.
Well, that just goes to show how important food is. I think much of the time 70% of our thoughts are about food. This is not based on a formal survey. No, it's based on speaking to my friends and others.
So an important question might be... hey, what do missionaries eat anyways?
They probably eat a bit different than you or anyone else you know. Last week Tuesday night, I had for dinner some Cracked Pepper and Olive Oil Triscuits (delicious whole grain crackers) and some french fries. I was meeting with a friend somewhere special on the last day of August and I did not really have money along to buy a good meal. Neither did she, actually! So we made do with what we had. Then I came home so late (although we did have good fun and talked about very important missionary stuffy) that I was far too exhausted to want to eat. All I wanted really to do was sleep, so I popped a few crackers in my mouth and jumped in the bed.
In contrast, the following day my dinner was quite different. On Wednesday, September 1st, I was very blessed as my home church Blessed Hope decided to take our youth out to Craig's Cruiser's, which is the local kid-friendly popping spot with go-karts, miniature golf, laser tag, arcade games, etc. As I was able to tag along I got free access to the pizza buffet. There to the amazement of all I quickly devoured five full plates of food, easily eating at least two times more than all of the teenage boys in my line of sight. Oh yeah, I can definitely throw down when it is time to eat something seriously.
That was the first time in three months that I had eaten pizza. Oh, the joys of cheese. Nothing quite matches the ooey gooiness of warm, greasy, cheese. I feel inspired to write a poem about it, my friends...
So don't be surprised if your local missionary eats some strange things. The missionary you know may be 1) fasting for a special time of prayer, 2) not have much time to eat because she has a deadline to try to raise financial support, so she eats whatever is in arm's length and will take no longer than five minutes to devour before she leaves out the door to her next event/appointment, or 3) just not be able to afford a good meal at that time. Things get even more complicated when you are speaking to a vegetarian, like me.
A word about fasting- I wish that more Christians in America would practice this more. The giants of the faith in the past- from the people I know like John Wesley and Mr. Whitfield (famous for his sermon, 'Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God') all made fasting part of their faith practice. Fasting can help us to forget about the flesh and our everyday cravings to concentrate more on our relationship with God and what is eternal and lasting. However, amid the decadence and slavery of modern American society to our twin idols of materialism and entertainment, there are serious, devoted Christians out there who have never heard their pastor or anyone else for that matter even discuss fasting! Ah, the shame of it all!
I spoke with a Christian near the start of summer who honestly had no idea what fasting was or why anybody would want to do it.
Jesus said his disciples would fast.
14Then came to him the disciples of John, saying, Why do we and the Pharisees fast oft, but thy disciples fast not?
15And Jesus said unto them, Can the children of the bridechamber mourn, as long as the bridegroom is with them? But the days will come, when the bridegroom shall be taken from them, and then shall they fast.
Matthew 9:14,15.
There are also many Biblical examples of people who followed God and fasted: Hannah, (I Samuel 1:6-8, 17-18), Paul (Acts 9:9,17-19), Daniel (Daniel 10:3-13) and many others. I don't have the space to devote to a full study here, but here is a great site for more info: http://www.dianedew.com/fasting.htm
I also wish more Christians out there would consider doing the Daniel Fast. It can truly help you clear your thoughts and help you to clear your mind of the crap that the world around us is constantly pushing on us, so that you can focus on the still, small voice of God and what He would have you to do. God is always speaking, but are we always listening? Many times, the answer is no.
Here is a great site about the Daniel Fast: http://daniel-fast.com/about.html.
There are many good books about the Daniel Fast, you can poke around on Amazon.com or my personal favorite bookseller site www.abebooks.com and find one of those for detailed info.
Please consider making a special time to devote to fasting and prayer. Prayer changes things. Sometimes God does not answer our prayers how we want to. However, we still must trust Him. God reserves the best for those who allow Him to make the choices in our lives. God also chooses the same thing for us that we would choose for ourselves, if we knew all of the facts and circumstances of the situation. He knows what is best.
So... hope this blesses you. I'm praying for everyone who reads this. Please pray for me, too! We all need to seek to listen more to God's voice, and not our own or anyone else's.
Well, that just goes to show how important food is. I think much of the time 70% of our thoughts are about food. This is not based on a formal survey. No, it's based on speaking to my friends and others.
So an important question might be... hey, what do missionaries eat anyways?
They probably eat a bit different than you or anyone else you know. Last week Tuesday night, I had for dinner some Cracked Pepper and Olive Oil Triscuits (delicious whole grain crackers) and some french fries. I was meeting with a friend somewhere special on the last day of August and I did not really have money along to buy a good meal. Neither did she, actually! So we made do with what we had. Then I came home so late (although we did have good fun and talked about very important missionary stuffy) that I was far too exhausted to want to eat. All I wanted really to do was sleep, so I popped a few crackers in my mouth and jumped in the bed.
In contrast, the following day my dinner was quite different. On Wednesday, September 1st, I was very blessed as my home church Blessed Hope decided to take our youth out to Craig's Cruiser's, which is the local kid-friendly popping spot with go-karts, miniature golf, laser tag, arcade games, etc. As I was able to tag along I got free access to the pizza buffet. There to the amazement of all I quickly devoured five full plates of food, easily eating at least two times more than all of the teenage boys in my line of sight. Oh yeah, I can definitely throw down when it is time to eat something seriously.
That was the first time in three months that I had eaten pizza. Oh, the joys of cheese. Nothing quite matches the ooey gooiness of warm, greasy, cheese. I feel inspired to write a poem about it, my friends...
So don't be surprised if your local missionary eats some strange things. The missionary you know may be 1) fasting for a special time of prayer, 2) not have much time to eat because she has a deadline to try to raise financial support, so she eats whatever is in arm's length and will take no longer than five minutes to devour before she leaves out the door to her next event/appointment, or 3) just not be able to afford a good meal at that time. Things get even more complicated when you are speaking to a vegetarian, like me.
A word about fasting- I wish that more Christians in America would practice this more. The giants of the faith in the past- from the people I know like John Wesley and Mr. Whitfield (famous for his sermon, 'Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God') all made fasting part of their faith practice. Fasting can help us to forget about the flesh and our everyday cravings to concentrate more on our relationship with God and what is eternal and lasting. However, amid the decadence and slavery of modern American society to our twin idols of materialism and entertainment, there are serious, devoted Christians out there who have never heard their pastor or anyone else for that matter even discuss fasting! Ah, the shame of it all!
I spoke with a Christian near the start of summer who honestly had no idea what fasting was or why anybody would want to do it.
Jesus said his disciples would fast.
14Then came to him the disciples of John, saying, Why do we and the Pharisees fast oft, but thy disciples fast not?
15And Jesus said unto them, Can the children of the bridechamber mourn, as long as the bridegroom is with them? But the days will come, when the bridegroom shall be taken from them, and then shall they fast.
Matthew 9:14,15.
There are also many Biblical examples of people who followed God and fasted: Hannah, (I Samuel 1:6-8, 17-18), Paul (Acts 9:9,17-19), Daniel (Daniel 10:3-13) and many others. I don't have the space to devote to a full study here, but here is a great site for more info: http://www.dianedew.com/fasting.htm
I also wish more Christians out there would consider doing the Daniel Fast. It can truly help you clear your thoughts and help you to clear your mind of the crap that the world around us is constantly pushing on us, so that you can focus on the still, small voice of God and what He would have you to do. God is always speaking, but are we always listening? Many times, the answer is no.
Here is a great site about the Daniel Fast: http://daniel-fast.com/about.html.
There are many good books about the Daniel Fast, you can poke around on Amazon.com or my personal favorite bookseller site www.abebooks.com and find one of those for detailed info.
Please consider making a special time to devote to fasting and prayer. Prayer changes things. Sometimes God does not answer our prayers how we want to. However, we still must trust Him. God reserves the best for those who allow Him to make the choices in our lives. God also chooses the same thing for us that we would choose for ourselves, if we knew all of the facts and circumstances of the situation. He knows what is best.
So... hope this blesses you. I'm praying for everyone who reads this. Please pray for me, too! We all need to seek to listen more to God's voice, and not our own or anyone else's.
Monday, August 30, 2010
Maybe it's not too late. Only you can answer that.
“You have eight days to raise $379 a month,” mom said last Sunday, August 15.
“Don't say that!” I growled, pulling my hair. “That just makes me feel even more stressed out!”
“Oh no, that means that she is going to go back to work again. You are going to overwork yourself. That's what they're going to put on your tombstone- DEAD FROM OVERWORK,” my brothers said. “That might not be too bad, though. It would be a lot quieter around here without you around.”
Etc., Etc.
So that is a little picture of me and my family around my house recently.
Yes, I have been told that August 31st is my deadline to raise 100% of my funds to do the missionary work. Or else I will not be allowed to leave. You can imagine this is a tad bit stressful. However, I have prayed to put this all in God's hands. Like one of the pastors said on the radio... “God will not say, 'Well done my successful servant. Oh no. Our success or failure is in the hands of God. Our duty is to be faithful.' ” Hopefully I will be granted another extension so I can continue to attempt to raise funds... however that has not been decided yet.
I look back over the past two years that I have spent attempting to raise funds for missionary work, and I am so thankful for my journey thus far... regardless of my ultimate success or failure.
I have been trying to help another missionary friend to help a little kid in Guyana (South America) receive some free skin grafts after a terrible burn he suffered when he was only two years old. By divine appointment I ran into a woman from Detroit here in Grand Rapids whose daughter is a nurse in a burn unit. After years of searching, we may have found success praise God as this nurse may know a doctor in Detroit willing to help! What a blessing!
I have helped to inspire at least one young lady from France that I know of to become a missionary.
I was also very thankful to speak to about 100 or 150 college students one-on-one at URBANA '09 in St. Louis about missions work. Who knows if someone I spoke to may later decide to become a missionary or do some other great work for God? That is way cool exciting.
Adventures with God may send you up, down, all around, and you may have no idea where you are heading next. Still, they are never boring! I can't wait to see what the good Lord has me to do next.
More to share later on today. Right now I have to hurry off to my part-time job/volunteer work to help a young lady from Uganda with two thrift stores...
“Don't say that!” I growled, pulling my hair. “That just makes me feel even more stressed out!”
“Oh no, that means that she is going to go back to work again. You are going to overwork yourself. That's what they're going to put on your tombstone- DEAD FROM OVERWORK,” my brothers said. “That might not be too bad, though. It would be a lot quieter around here without you around.”
Etc., Etc.
So that is a little picture of me and my family around my house recently.
Yes, I have been told that August 31st is my deadline to raise 100% of my funds to do the missionary work. Or else I will not be allowed to leave. You can imagine this is a tad bit stressful. However, I have prayed to put this all in God's hands. Like one of the pastors said on the radio... “God will not say, 'Well done my successful servant. Oh no. Our success or failure is in the hands of God. Our duty is to be faithful.' ” Hopefully I will be granted another extension so I can continue to attempt to raise funds... however that has not been decided yet.
I look back over the past two years that I have spent attempting to raise funds for missionary work, and I am so thankful for my journey thus far... regardless of my ultimate success or failure.
I have been trying to help another missionary friend to help a little kid in Guyana (South America) receive some free skin grafts after a terrible burn he suffered when he was only two years old. By divine appointment I ran into a woman from Detroit here in Grand Rapids whose daughter is a nurse in a burn unit. After years of searching, we may have found success praise God as this nurse may know a doctor in Detroit willing to help! What a blessing!
I have helped to inspire at least one young lady from France that I know of to become a missionary.
I was also very thankful to speak to about 100 or 150 college students one-on-one at URBANA '09 in St. Louis about missions work. Who knows if someone I spoke to may later decide to become a missionary or do some other great work for God? That is way cool exciting.
Adventures with God may send you up, down, all around, and you may have no idea where you are heading next. Still, they are never boring! I can't wait to see what the good Lord has me to do next.
More to share later on today. Right now I have to hurry off to my part-time job/volunteer work to help a young lady from Uganda with two thrift stores...
Thursday, August 19, 2010
Tears on Tuesday
I would still like to write about 'What this missionary eats,” however I'll have to postpone that for later.
This whole week there is an AME (African Methodist Episcopal) Conference in town, and I went to the Tuesday 7PM Missionary Society Meeting. I was so moved by the speakers that night I really want to share part of that experience with you.
Nearly everyone was dressed in white to symbolize holiness except for me. I was wearing yellow and green (my favorite suit) and felt nervous and out of place. The inspiring speakers quickly made me forget my discomfort at not color- matching everyone.
One speaker prayed over us near the beginning and said, “It is time for us to put away any negative sayings. No more 'I CAN'T.' No more 'I WON'T. Or “I DON'T HAVE ENOUGH RESOURCSE TO DO THAT.' No. We have to put all that away.” As she prayed I felt the Lord was hitting me on the head, and telling me to rest in him. To stop looking at the number of the Amalekites (the people and conditions that are against me) and to lift my eyes to the hills (where the Lord has his holy forces waiting to grant the victory).
I believe it was Sister Carolyn Graves who went up and began to speak about the book The Color Purple by Alice Walker. She said Celie talked about her father told her “You poor, you black, and you ugly.” Celie in response wrote, “It's true that I'm poor, I'm black, and I may be ugly. And I can't cook. But I'm here!”
That caused tears to come to my eyes surprisingly quickly. I tried to blink them and wipe them away, but they continued to flow.
When I walk into a church, I can tell many people reject me on sight before I say a word. I've seen a pastor jerk away from me when his eyes fell on me and he noticed that there was one African-American person in his church. I know there are people who refuse to accept that I could possibly be a missionary because they have never seen someone who is a black and who is called to be a missionary.
I even had someone I consider a friend nearly laugh in my face when I tried to speak about how I intend to go overseas and translate Bible Stories for people who do not yet have the Scriptures in their own heart language. I believe that person cannot imagine someone poor like me, plain-spoken, and from a rather modest household could possibly have rocksolid faith to do something that big for God. How could I be the chosen one?
Well, I trust God. I know I am not a big somebody. I'm just a little someone. That's OK. I don't have to be awesome. God is awesome.
Sister Graves also told a wonderful story about a mule who fell down a minister's well which was only halfway dug out. The donkey tried to climb out, but there were men up above who kept throwing shovelfuls of dirt on his back.
The mule began to speak to himself to encourage himself to keep moving: “Shake it off, and step on up.” He shook off the dirt and put one hoof in front of the other, until slowly he made his way out of that deep hole.
It's the same thing with us.
Whenever you try to do a great work for God, there will be people all around you who will tell you to quit, stop, and go back. Don't pay no mind to what those people tell you. Some of them are just jealous. Don't sit with them. Don't reflect back on what they say. Just shake it off, and step on up. Little by little, you will eventually reach your goal.
SHAKE IT OFF AND STEP ON UP!!!
Hope this encourages you, wherever you are and whatever it is that you are facing on this day.
Yours truly has almost completely raised the funds that I need to go overseas to Guinea-Bissau for 2 – 3 years to translate the Bible. Right now, I am only short $376.55 a month. Is there anyone out there who can make some financial contribution and to reach this goal? My organization is telling me that unless I raise this money by the end of the month I cannot leave. If the Lord is calling you to be part of my financial team, please contact me! Blessings to you.
This whole week there is an AME (African Methodist Episcopal) Conference in town, and I went to the Tuesday 7PM Missionary Society Meeting. I was so moved by the speakers that night I really want to share part of that experience with you.
Nearly everyone was dressed in white to symbolize holiness except for me. I was wearing yellow and green (my favorite suit) and felt nervous and out of place. The inspiring speakers quickly made me forget my discomfort at not color- matching everyone.
One speaker prayed over us near the beginning and said, “It is time for us to put away any negative sayings. No more 'I CAN'T.' No more 'I WON'T. Or “I DON'T HAVE ENOUGH RESOURCSE TO DO THAT.' No. We have to put all that away.” As she prayed I felt the Lord was hitting me on the head, and telling me to rest in him. To stop looking at the number of the Amalekites (the people and conditions that are against me) and to lift my eyes to the hills (where the Lord has his holy forces waiting to grant the victory).
I believe it was Sister Carolyn Graves who went up and began to speak about the book The Color Purple by Alice Walker. She said Celie talked about her father told her “You poor, you black, and you ugly.” Celie in response wrote, “It's true that I'm poor, I'm black, and I may be ugly. And I can't cook. But I'm here!”
That caused tears to come to my eyes surprisingly quickly. I tried to blink them and wipe them away, but they continued to flow.
When I walk into a church, I can tell many people reject me on sight before I say a word. I've seen a pastor jerk away from me when his eyes fell on me and he noticed that there was one African-American person in his church. I know there are people who refuse to accept that I could possibly be a missionary because they have never seen someone who is a black and who is called to be a missionary.
I even had someone I consider a friend nearly laugh in my face when I tried to speak about how I intend to go overseas and translate Bible Stories for people who do not yet have the Scriptures in their own heart language. I believe that person cannot imagine someone poor like me, plain-spoken, and from a rather modest household could possibly have rocksolid faith to do something that big for God. How could I be the chosen one?
Well, I trust God. I know I am not a big somebody. I'm just a little someone. That's OK. I don't have to be awesome. God is awesome.
Sister Graves also told a wonderful story about a mule who fell down a minister's well which was only halfway dug out. The donkey tried to climb out, but there were men up above who kept throwing shovelfuls of dirt on his back.
The mule began to speak to himself to encourage himself to keep moving: “Shake it off, and step on up.” He shook off the dirt and put one hoof in front of the other, until slowly he made his way out of that deep hole.
It's the same thing with us.
Whenever you try to do a great work for God, there will be people all around you who will tell you to quit, stop, and go back. Don't pay no mind to what those people tell you. Some of them are just jealous. Don't sit with them. Don't reflect back on what they say. Just shake it off, and step on up. Little by little, you will eventually reach your goal.
SHAKE IT OFF AND STEP ON UP!!!
Hope this encourages you, wherever you are and whatever it is that you are facing on this day.
Yours truly has almost completely raised the funds that I need to go overseas to Guinea-Bissau for 2 – 3 years to translate the Bible. Right now, I am only short $376.55 a month. Is there anyone out there who can make some financial contribution and to reach this goal? My organization is telling me that unless I raise this money by the end of the month I cannot leave. If the Lord is calling you to be part of my financial team, please contact me! Blessings to you.
Monday, August 16, 2010
My trip to Egypt (to do missions work, of course...)
Hello to Partners along this journey,
Every day this week I plan to have a new update! There is just so much to say about what I have been blessed to be able to do recently. I am just back from Detroit, where I helped feed about 300 families as part of a very blessed “Food 4 Families” project with a church there that I will be excited to share with you all in detail soon.
First though, I want to talk about something that happened a little earlier: I volunteered for a week at a local VBS which was run by First Community AME here in Grand Rapids (known as FAME for short).
The Bible story we learned about was Joseph: From Prison to Palace (http://egypt.group.com/). We had a virtual 'trip to Egypt' which allowed me to have fun by wearing my authentic African dresses every night. YAY~!
It really was a joy to work with the kids and also very good preparation for overseas missions work. And what is the best preparation to do missions work, you may ask. Well, the answer is simple: teaching! Sharing the gospel with others really involves all of the teaching skills at the basic level.
I originally thought I was only going to be helping the children at VBS do a craft where they wrote their name in hieroglyphics. Oh no, the church leadership challenged me instead and asked me to be a 'family leader' of about 10 kids for the entire time. I was happy that they had confidence that I could do a good job of the role, however at the same time I found myself thinking... it has been a while since I taught in a classroom, can I still do a good job of it all?
For the week, we learned about the story of Joseph. The very first day, after everyone wrote their name on a nametag and introduced themselves, I held up the Bible to show that this story of Joseph comes from the book of Genesis.
Immediately, one young boy about 6 or 7 said in a loud voice, “I don't like the Bible!”
My mouth just fell open. I never imagined that someone might say or think such a thing. Someone in in high school said to my face “The only people who believe in Christianity are unintelligent and ignorant,” and I thought at the time that was just the absolute worst thing but I had never imagined someone might dismiss the Bible simply because they thought they did not like it, or even hated it?
The boy went on. “My mom and dad don't read that book,” he said proudly. “It's too long. I don't see how anybody could read it all anyways!” He crossed his arms, as if he dared me to say something different.
While I was still thinking of something to say, the beautiful young teenage girl who was assisting my group was very offended. “Look- If you aren't going to cooperate- if you don't want to be here, then you can just go home!”
The boy scratched the back of his neck and looked down at the ground, perhaps a bit embarrassed. O felt like everyone in the group was staring at me, expecting me to say something.
First I turned to my assistant, touching her lightly on the arm. “He's just saying that because he is young and doesn't know anything about the Bible. That's why he's here. We have to help him.” I also couldn't help thinking sadly that he must have heard his mother or father say something similar about the Bible to say something bad about it with so much confidence.
There was a lot of things I could have said. It is just so ironic that the boy himself did not realize his own name (Isaiah, although it was spelled different than the standard way) came out of the Bible! I could have mentioned that. Like my mother suggested afterward, I could have said with a grin “Now come on. What did the Bible ever do to you to make you not like it?” Perhaps I could have said “Don't you realize that this is Vacation BIBLE School. What we do here is learn about the Bible?”
I decided to not make a big deal out of what he said. I knew from past experience that if I said too much to correct him in front of the other kids, they might tease him and treat him like an outsider. After all, nearly all of the other kids were both older and also attended church regularly. They understood that you should respect the Bible, although they themselves might not understand all of the reasons why. I wanted to preserve the family feeling of the group.
I turned to Isaiah. “Well, this week we'll be learning about Joseph. That is a really good story that comes out of the Bible. And there are many other very good stories in the Bible too that can teach us about all sorts of things. I like the Bible! I think you will, too, if you keep learning more about it.”
Then I simply continued with the lesson. I think my teenage helper got upset with the little boy or with me because of what happened, though. After that day, she didn't come back to help me. That's OK. I ended up getting another young man in the church to help our family group out.
As for little Isaiah... he is not from around here. Seems like his grandmother drove him and his cousins to church for this VBS. I am so thankful for her witness, because perhaps his parents are not being the witness that they should be to him, if they are Christian themselves.
Isaiah enjoyed the VBS. He walked around with the Egyptian collar, Egyptian hieroglyphic nametag, and headband he made very proudly. At the end of our first day together, I was surprised when he actually pulled out a Bible and looked at it as though it might be interesting. At the end of the third day, he went even farther. He opened it and turned the pages with a thoughtful look on his face. I'm sure he was wondering why everyone else kept telling him that it is an important book.
Unfortunately, he only came the first three days. I was planning to buy him a Children's Bible and give it to him on the last day, but since he never came back afterwards I never got a chance to do that. I was disappointed that I couldn't share more with him about God, about life, about wisdom, about hey everything! However, I have to remind myself that missions work is often like that. We simply plant the seeds, and we must move on before seeing the results. We only have to trust God that he will grant the increase.
At work today, a song came on the radio which said 'Life goes on, even though the thrill of living is long gone.' Hah. If you find yourself losing a sense of the excitement and mystery of life, then volunteer and do some quiet work to help others in the Lord's name. You will find that you too are blessed more than you could have ever imagined.
Galatians 6:9 (New International Version)
"Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up."
Next blog: What this Missionary Eats (you WILL be surprised)
Every day this week I plan to have a new update! There is just so much to say about what I have been blessed to be able to do recently. I am just back from Detroit, where I helped feed about 300 families as part of a very blessed “Food 4 Families” project with a church there that I will be excited to share with you all in detail soon.
First though, I want to talk about something that happened a little earlier: I volunteered for a week at a local VBS which was run by First Community AME here in Grand Rapids (known as FAME for short).
The Bible story we learned about was Joseph: From Prison to Palace (http://egypt.group.com/). We had a virtual 'trip to Egypt' which allowed me to have fun by wearing my authentic African dresses every night. YAY~!
It really was a joy to work with the kids and also very good preparation for overseas missions work. And what is the best preparation to do missions work, you may ask. Well, the answer is simple: teaching! Sharing the gospel with others really involves all of the teaching skills at the basic level.
I originally thought I was only going to be helping the children at VBS do a craft where they wrote their name in hieroglyphics. Oh no, the church leadership challenged me instead and asked me to be a 'family leader' of about 10 kids for the entire time. I was happy that they had confidence that I could do a good job of the role, however at the same time I found myself thinking... it has been a while since I taught in a classroom, can I still do a good job of it all?
For the week, we learned about the story of Joseph. The very first day, after everyone wrote their name on a nametag and introduced themselves, I held up the Bible to show that this story of Joseph comes from the book of Genesis.
Immediately, one young boy about 6 or 7 said in a loud voice, “I don't like the Bible!”
My mouth just fell open. I never imagined that someone might say or think such a thing. Someone in in high school said to my face “The only people who believe in Christianity are unintelligent and ignorant,” and I thought at the time that was just the absolute worst thing but I had never imagined someone might dismiss the Bible simply because they thought they did not like it, or even hated it?
The boy went on. “My mom and dad don't read that book,” he said proudly. “It's too long. I don't see how anybody could read it all anyways!” He crossed his arms, as if he dared me to say something different.
While I was still thinking of something to say, the beautiful young teenage girl who was assisting my group was very offended. “Look- If you aren't going to cooperate- if you don't want to be here, then you can just go home!”
The boy scratched the back of his neck and looked down at the ground, perhaps a bit embarrassed. O felt like everyone in the group was staring at me, expecting me to say something.
First I turned to my assistant, touching her lightly on the arm. “He's just saying that because he is young and doesn't know anything about the Bible. That's why he's here. We have to help him.” I also couldn't help thinking sadly that he must have heard his mother or father say something similar about the Bible to say something bad about it with so much confidence.
There was a lot of things I could have said. It is just so ironic that the boy himself did not realize his own name (Isaiah, although it was spelled different than the standard way) came out of the Bible! I could have mentioned that. Like my mother suggested afterward, I could have said with a grin “Now come on. What did the Bible ever do to you to make you not like it?” Perhaps I could have said “Don't you realize that this is Vacation BIBLE School. What we do here is learn about the Bible?”
I decided to not make a big deal out of what he said. I knew from past experience that if I said too much to correct him in front of the other kids, they might tease him and treat him like an outsider. After all, nearly all of the other kids were both older and also attended church regularly. They understood that you should respect the Bible, although they themselves might not understand all of the reasons why. I wanted to preserve the family feeling of the group.
I turned to Isaiah. “Well, this week we'll be learning about Joseph. That is a really good story that comes out of the Bible. And there are many other very good stories in the Bible too that can teach us about all sorts of things. I like the Bible! I think you will, too, if you keep learning more about it.”
Then I simply continued with the lesson. I think my teenage helper got upset with the little boy or with me because of what happened, though. After that day, she didn't come back to help me. That's OK. I ended up getting another young man in the church to help our family group out.
As for little Isaiah... he is not from around here. Seems like his grandmother drove him and his cousins to church for this VBS. I am so thankful for her witness, because perhaps his parents are not being the witness that they should be to him, if they are Christian themselves.
Isaiah enjoyed the VBS. He walked around with the Egyptian collar, Egyptian hieroglyphic nametag, and headband he made very proudly. At the end of our first day together, I was surprised when he actually pulled out a Bible and looked at it as though it might be interesting. At the end of the third day, he went even farther. He opened it and turned the pages with a thoughtful look on his face. I'm sure he was wondering why everyone else kept telling him that it is an important book.
Unfortunately, he only came the first three days. I was planning to buy him a Children's Bible and give it to him on the last day, but since he never came back afterwards I never got a chance to do that. I was disappointed that I couldn't share more with him about God, about life, about wisdom, about hey everything! However, I have to remind myself that missions work is often like that. We simply plant the seeds, and we must move on before seeing the results. We only have to trust God that he will grant the increase.
At work today, a song came on the radio which said 'Life goes on, even though the thrill of living is long gone.' Hah. If you find yourself losing a sense of the excitement and mystery of life, then volunteer and do some quiet work to help others in the Lord's name. You will find that you too are blessed more than you could have ever imagined.
Galatians 6:9 (New International Version)
"Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up."
Next blog: What this Missionary Eats (you WILL be surprised)
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