my boys

During Peru there were two little boys that I connected with in two different villages. Even though I just spent a day with each of them, I miss my time with them. It is a little hard to know I probably won't ever see them again, because even if we return, we probably will not return to their villages (the local missionaries do the follow-up with each village). So I share my love of these little boys with you….

Junior

In the first village, I had noticed a mother sneak up the side of the hill that was covered in brush to watch as the children played Peruvian dodge ball. She had an infant baby with her, and her son, who looked to be four years old. I noticed her son couldn't walk right and he couldn't talk either. He watched the other children play, and sometimes came to the top of the hill to crawl around before his mother would call him back. As I watched, I felt a tug in my heart to go talk with the Mother. I introduced myself the best I could with the little Quechua I knew. She told me her son's name was Junior (pronounced "hoo-nee-or"). I felt a connection already as that is the nickname I call my brother. I motioned to Junior's mother to see if I could hold him, and she had such a surprised look on her face that someone would actually want to hold her son. She nodded "yes" and I picked up little Junior. It broke my heart that because a little boy was handicapped, his mother would be surprised someone would notice him, let alone want to hold him. We are so blessed here in America, in more ways that we ever know.

Holding my little man.

Junior and his mother.

My second little boy was in village three, and I had the opportunity to hold him after he had fallen asleep in his big brother's arms during our children's program. He gladly let me hold him so he could color. I had time to sit with this sweet little boy and his sister later while other children were playing ball. She called him Hermano, "brother". He was such a sweet little guy. And I loved his sister too.

Holding my little guy from village three.

He's awake. His sister is helping him look at the camera.
Typical older sister. Haha.

Aren't they just beautiful children?

She took such good care of him.

Sitting with his sis.

So if you get the opportunity to hold a child, don't let it pass, for there are children all over the world who would dearly love to be held.

peru

Stopping to stretch our legs in the Sacred Valley

We are home from Peru and we had an amazing trip. We have been so blessed with the prayers and support given, and we know this trip would not have been possible without the many people who stepped up in so many ways while we were gone.

Machu Picchu

Our time in Peru seemed to go so quickly, from the moment we arrived in Lima, where we spent the night in a missionary guest house. From Lima, we flew to Cusco where we traveled by bus through the Sacred Valley to a town called Ollantaytambo where we took the night train to Aguas Calientes. The next day we took a bus to Machu Picchu. This portion of the trip was intended to allow us to acclimate to the altitude, but was so much more as we toured the ancient Inca ruins. We would be spending most of our time in Peru at elevations of 11,000 to 14,000 feet. The mountains in this part of Peru are especially beautiful. That afternoon we returned to Aguas Calientes where we took the afternoon train to catch our bus back to Cusco. Toured Cusco the next day, visiting markets and historical sites, (and a huge parade) and then caught our plane back to Lima. Our 8-hour bus ride (a neat double decker) to Hauraz went safely, and it was nice to stretch the legs again. We were now in the hometown of our missionaries, Ade and Rachel Yanac. Ade took us on a practice hike in Hauraz up to the cross overlooking the city. It was a bit of a tough hike coming off the bus ride. The day ended at Ade and Rachel’s home, where they served us a meal as a group and we were able to spend time with their family.

Life on the trail. Good sleeping!

Tuesday started our trek up the mountain to our first village. The next five days proved to be amazing and humbling as we worked with the children in each village. Our team was working alongside the AWI missionaries who had translated the New Testament into the Quechua language. Together we would do a children’s program in the school (passing out children’s Bibles, teaching, and coloring) and then we would spend the afternoons playing with the children. In the evenings, the families would come and watch the Jesus Film and then we would share testimonies and pass out the Bibles to each family. 

Such pretty colors

The Quechua people are so beautiful, and their traditional clothing is very colorful, with the full skirts and tall hats. The stars at night were so clear and the sky full of their beauty. It was the first we had ever seen the Milky Way that clear and so close. Nights were cold as we slept in our tents (around 30 degrees), but as soon as the sun came over the mountains in the morning, it was again hot. We were incredibly blessed to have such a wonderful team, and each day of the trip we were reminded of what a special group we were with!

Lunchtime on the trek

With the AWI missionaries. (Ade next to me.)

peru

Jeremy and I are really excited about the opportunity we have to go to Peru this July. We are going with a group from church and will be heading to the Andes Mountains where we will be hiking at 13,000 feet and camping during the nights. The Bible has recently been translated into the Quechuan language and we will get to take these Bibles to remote villages where they get to read God's Word for the very first time in their own language. That really really excites me!!! The children will get children's Bibles too, with pictures and we will teach in the schools and villages as well.

Eighty degree days, twenty degree nights, hiking 6 to 8 miles a day, sleeping in tents, buckets baths, rice and veggies for dinner…..it really sounds perfect. And I've had to amp up my workouts and healthy eating. The kids are pretty excited for us to leave too, because they get to go to the zoo…and other fun things Mimi has planned. I know I will miss them terribly though!

We would really appreciate prayers in the following areas:

1. Preparation to be apart from our family; that our hearts will be strong.
2. Physical strength for the journey, safety, and closeness for our team.
3. Preparation of the hearts of the people to whom we will share the Gospel.

If you are interested in learning more, you can let me know…I would be thrilled to talk more about this trip or the ministry going on in Peru. Here are a few more pictures from those who have gone before:

Hiking to the mountains.

Setting up camp.

The beautiful colors of the local people.

the cost

I've had some requests to start blogging again, so I will intro 2014 with some thoughts of late.

I am reading three books right now, and those combined have given some great insight and urgency into my life. David Platt's Follow Me; Adoniram Judson, a biography of America's first missionary, who served in Burma; and Fit to Serve by Coach Powers.

My dear friend Noel, serving as a missionary to the Czech Republic, gave me Coach Powers' book to read and it has been very encouraging to my goals to get my body in shape after having three children. Powers states that "humanity is the pinnacle of God's creative work….and our physical fitness is wholeness in the body and within one's spirit." Though we live in a fallen world, God wants to restore as much as possible so that we can accomplish our destiny and finish the race set before us! The point of our strength should not be to impress the world with outwardly beauty but instead to find our strength to serve the Lord with obedience and abundance. I love this line from the book: "The first reason we should become physically fit is because Jesus paid for our freedom." Our bodies are important because, with them, we carry out our mission assignments to further the purposes of his kingdom.

Follow Me. A call to die. A call to live. David is such an incredible writer  - if you haven't read the book yet, I definitely suggest you read it. Reading this book deepens my conviction that in the next ten years other countries will begin sending their missionaries to America, because WE are lost! David has this paragraph from the book that speaks on repentance. "We can't fathom a Christian on the other side of the world believing that a wooden god can save them, but we have no problem believing that religion, money, possessions, food, fame, sex, sports, status, and success can satisfy us. Do we actually think we have fewer idols to let go of in our repentance?" I have many friends who are missionaries, but as the Lord hasn't called us to a foreign mission ground, we are building our ministry here, where I guarantee taking a stand for Jesus will become increasingly more unpopular and controversial. It is imperative that we teach our children to be willing to walk away from everything this earth has to offer and stand for Jesus, even in the face of death.

I found the biography of Adoniram Judson in the church library. The more I read the more my heart wanted to know about him and his journey. Judson was the first foreign missionary from America, and his heart was for the people of Burma. His translation of the Bible into the native Burmese language is still the only Bible translation for the Burmese people. His life was filled with heartache, starting with the miscarriage of his first child on the boat from America, the loss of his wife Ann, and two more of their children. Judson remarried a widowed missionary's wife named Sarah, who also died along with four more of their children. Judson remarried while in America to Emily Chubbock who returned to Burma with Judson, where their daughter Emily Frances was born. In 1850, Judson's wife Emily would lose both 61-year old Judson, and their newborn son Charles within ten days of one another. Two years later she would die at the age of 36. To love a people so much as to sacrifice everything so that they know Christ is what this life is truly all about! To this day, there are still people risking their lives to save the Karen and Kachin people of Burma, and they need our prayers!

To bring it home, when you give it all to Christ, it all is for his glory. He knows what will bring to him the greatest glory, and we submit ourselves to his mission, and pray for those who are lost. My dear friend Pat was such a man, and his wife Cheryl is so strong in Jesus that even in her loss she brings hope. I look at Emily and Judson….and Pat and Cheryl….and know that serving with your spouse in the greatest journey on earth is never for naught. The cost is great. 

habitat: local build

For July's ministry focus I am featuring Habitat for Humanity. Jeremy and I have worked with them for several years now in different capacities. After Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans, Jeremy led three teams of men down to rebuild homes near the Ninth Ward, over a period of three years. I helped organize and raise funds/supplies here, as it was a men's-only trip. The guys took all the supplies needed down with them. We even arranged for our favorite chef and her assistant to be there and feed the men daily. It really was amazing as they finished out several homes in the period of one week.

For those unfamiliar with Habitat for Humanity, it is a Christian organization that builds home for people in need, whether from natural disaster or a need for a new start. They state on their website that they have more than 1,500 local affiliates in the United States and more than 80 national organizations around the world. They have helped build or repair over 600,000 houses and serve more than 3 million people worldwide.

Our latest venture with Habitat is really special to us because our friend Stacy is in the process of getting her home built. We are really proud of her because she has dedicated many hours so she could start her build, as well as become a part of her local Circles group to actively move out of poverty. This home is an exciting change for her family.

Starting in the morning: no walls.

Two sides up. Doing prep work for the third wall.

Stacy's goal for this house: to run an air nailer. 

Mission Accomplished!

Building the final exterior wall before the rain hits.

Jeremy and Matt nailing the top plate.

Ralph, 85, was a pleasure to work with.

Ralph and Loraine have worked over 30 years with Habitat.

All four sides up.

This will be an ongoing project we are helping with this summer until it is complete. Again, we are very excited for Stacy and her family.

If you are interested in being involved with Habitat for Humanity, I recommend you start at the local level and get a taste for what they do. It is pretty amazing. They respond to natural crisis across the United States, so there is opportunity to get involved in the capacity as well. They always need hands to help with the work.

Visit their website at www.habitat.org

manna: drive for the 100

Thank you for the ideas on who to support and feature during our June Drive for the 100. We were introduced to a new local ministry called Manna by our friend Vicki. Manna gathers food from companies like Panera Bread, Brethren's Home in Greenville, WalMart, Krogers, and the food pantry in Sidney and then creates meal packages for local people in need. Manna has volunteers that pack and deliver the meals - no one in turned down from receiving a meal. Manna, and organizer Donna Reed, work hard to make this ministry a reality. They are not funded by any one organization and depend on donations, grants, etc.

If you too wish to support this ministry, please email me directly and I will provide you with the information.

"For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink....whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me." Matthew 25:34, 40

drive for the 100

Each month I have been featuring different ministries and people who are serving the Lord in various ways. This month I want to take a new twist to this and allow people to spotlight ministries that are close to their hearts. For the entire month of June, people can email me or post a comment below describing a ministry or person that inspires others to follow after Christ. Jeremy and I will choose one of the submitted ministries and donate $100.00 to their mission. I will do a special blog post at the end of the month with the stories and a special feature on the one we choose. I think this will be a very exciting way to become aware of how so many people live sacrificially for the Lord.

Here are the guidelines:
1) The person must be a Christian and/or the ministry must be Christian-based.
2) Submit a paragraph explaining how you know the person/ministry and how they are changing lives.
3) Include a way to donate to them. (address, Paypal, church, etc.)

seth:thailand

This month's ministry post is very special to me as I am featuring my brother who just returned from three months in Thailand. He was able to share about his mission at church yesterday, and I again was very impressed with his dedication to what the Lord has called him to do. He will be returning to Thailand and Burma next year for full time ministry.....so he will be spending until the end of the year preparing for this journey. As his sister, it is hard for me to see him go, but I know with all my heart that the Lord has called him and I am so proud of him for being obedient.

Seth made good friendships with the local people, and he received an invitation to come back to teach the Bible and help with local ministries in both Thailand and Burma. Seth would FaceTime us while he was there, and we were able to "meet" a few of his friends, especially Deng. Seth worked with an organization that helped ethnic groups receive medical aid, dental exams, Bible teaching, and education.

Seth started studying Thai a year before he left.
While in Thailand he took formal lessons with a tutor.

Seth assisting with dental exams.

Teaching the kids about the camera.
They had never seen a camera before.

Teaching from the Wah Bible in the evening.

Teaching at the church.

Reading from the Wah Bible when he first learned to read Wah.
The kids helped him learn. Very neat.

The hut his group was given to start a dental clinic.
I should say they were given the land the hut is on....

Friends Deng (left) and Chatree (right)

Playing with the tigers. (He always has liked cats)

hands for the soil

In this month's mission focus I am excited to share about my very special friends Pat and Cheryl serving in Haiti. Pat ran a successful, and award-winning, nursery and landscaping company here in the States. He is very gifted at working the soil, and plants seems to thrive under his care. Cheryl is a nurse with such a loving heart, and is the type of lady you want to run and hug every time you see her. When God called them to Haiti, they were not certain exactly for what purpose, but they knew to simply be obedient.

Pat and Cheryl moved to their home in Haiti and started being themselves: Cheryl caring for the needs of the people around them, and Pat started working the land. Everytime I read an email from them or a blog post, I see how much the Lord is using them on their mountain in Haiti. When God calls someone to a new area of ministry, he doesn't change their gifts: He uses the ones He has already given them.

Pat working the ground soon after they arrived in Haiti.

When they first moved to Haiti, Pat was working the ground where black beans has been planted all over near their home. Now, he has his own garden and puts his hands to do what the Lord has naturally gifted him to do: work the soil and make things grow. Just as a note, to get water to the garden, it has to be put in a bucket lower on the mountain and carried by hand up to their garden. It truly is a lot of work! Following is a bit from his latest post:

This "jarden" just keeps growing, both in size and the plants are growing too.  The onions especially get everyone's attention. They can't believe they are filling out.  They think the soil here is not good enough to grow onions.  I always thought you could grow onions in the driveway!  All I've done different is water them. Today I added another row of carrots.  Seems we can eat them faster than we can grow them.  A local farmer showed me the banana leaf trick.  Plant your seeds and the banana leaves serve as a temporary shade structure until they are big enough to mulch.  The sun is so intense here everything needs some protection until it is established.  And a thick layer of mulch helps keep the soil cooler and moist.  The little nursery is ready for the rain to come too!  I got lots of little trees to plant in the erosion control ridges I've dug across the field behind the house.  Trees for food, animal forage, nitrogen fixers, shade, firewood, leaf mulch and eventually a start on reforesting this barren place.  I have my plans for growing things here, and really believe that this is part of what we've been called here to do.  But the bigger part is just doing it and letting people notice that it can be done and it's not really that hard or expensive. We are starting to get  opportunities to teach how others can grow their own produce plus some for sale without investing a lot more than time and energy. 

The "jarden" with banana leaves.

Another view of the garden.

I just love these people dearly. They truly have a heart to follow the Lord and reach the people around them. Pat and Cheryl are not only teaching their people in Haiti about Jesus, but they are teaching them a better, more sustainable way of life.

laura: worldrace 11n11

This month I would like to introduce you to my friend Laura who is now preparing herself for a mission called the WorldRace. She will be leaving everyone and everything she has known, to go with a group of people on mission for eleven months, touching the lives of people all over the world. It was a big move and I have seen so much excitement as she prepares for this journey. She will be traveling to Ireland, Romania, Ukraine, India, Nepal, Mozambique, Swaziland, South Africa, Thailand, Cambodia, and Taiwan.

Laura with a little friend

I was first introduced to Laura's desire to go on mission last summer when she told me she was accepted to be a part of the WorldRace. She informed me she was selling most of her possessions, moving back in with her parents until she left (she has been on her own for awhile now), and dedicating herself to the mission to which she has been called. So what will she be doing on this mission? Holding babies, building homes and churches, fighting human trafficking, living in real communities and sharing Jesus with people the world over.

You can help! Really. Laura needs to raise $15,000 to fully participate in this mission. Essentially, she is living off of that amount for one year, while traveling to several communities around the world, eating what they eat and living like they live. If 150 people give $100 she will be covered. So what is the next step? You can be a prayer partner, you can financially support, you can help raise funds, you can create opportunities for Laura to share what Jesus is doing in her life.

1. Visit her blog, get acquainted, and click "Support". 
2. Follow her blog while she is on mission: http://lauraschaefer.theworldrace.org 
3. Print her support card (below) and share with friends
4. Allow her to share about her upcoming journey at your church or school
5. Fill a jar with spare change and let kids join in the fun of supporting a missionary
6. Send tax deductible support via mail to:  Adventures In Missions P.O. Box 534470 Atlanta, GA 30353-4470

Caring for others in Jesus' name truly is the adventure of a lifetime, whether they are in your community or across the ocean. For the least of these we share all we have been given, because Christ gave all for us!

holly: ethiopia

My second ministry feature will be on my friend, Holly, twin-sister to Noel, whom I featured earlier this month. Holly is serving in Ethiopia. When I first met these girls they were serving together at a local church; Noel worked with children and Holly worked with youth. They would tell these amazing stories of places all over the world they had been on mission, sometimes together, sometimes independently. They are the only children in their family and have the sweetest parents, Jim and Rosie. The girls told this story of when their dad visited them while they were living in Haiti. He is a die-hard golfer and brought his clubs when he visited them. Who knows where he was planning to golf, but he brought them anyway. He found a metal roofed house in their village and began whacking the golf balls off the roof. That's Jim.

Holly and Noel

Holly was one of the first people I told after Jeremy and I were engaged. Jeremy was counseling a group of high-school boys at the time, and I volunteered when needed to teach youth seminars and talk with teen girls. She told me, "If something special happens, use the code 'bling' to let me know." We were meeting soon after my engagement, and I said, "By the way, "BLING." The biggest smile came across her face and, as only Holly can do, she showed her joy.

I'd like to share a bit from her blog, www.crosstrainafrica888.blogspot.com.

Sometimes I think we feel like we can’t approach {God} because we’re too dirty or too guilty- or not cleaned up enough. I remember many times staying away from “churches” or “fellowships” because I wasn’t where I needed to be in my relationship with God. I didn’t think Him or others would appreciate me coming that way. And of course, I liked those things not being known. Thankfully, because of Jesus, our sins can no longer separate us from God. Jesus paid for our sins…so we can approach God with full confidence. Sometimes we try to clean up or mask our “issues.” Here in Ethiopia, people cover up in shawls and blankets. But I believe God wants us to press in to Him, confidently. Our closeness to Him is up to us. He knows us to the core of who we are. He sees us. And still loves us. Amazing!

Village life in Ethiopia

When Holly arrived in Ethiopia in 2011, she described life there like this: "I think when you shake off the fast pace of the western world and slow down to really breathe, walk, and connect with people...days seem much more full and you feel much more tired too."

students in the class she teaches

Holly uses a free time during her English classes to allow students to talk, and she uses it as an opportunity to share God-moments with her students while helping them learn English. Check out her blog for more on what she is doing in Ethiopia. She takes everyday experiences and finds the truths from God's word to apply.

A servants heart. Obedience and a willingness to go where Jesus calls. A true heart of a missionary.