An answered prayer

Last week, there was a team working in Jinja and part of their team consisted of medical personell so they had medical clinics throughout the week and I had the privilege to help out with these clinics. It was nice to have a little change of pace from the usual routine of life here, but I'll admit, doing those clinics was heart wrenching work. There were countless kids that looked like the kids you would see on the "Save the Children" commercials, kids with HIV, starving, Malaria, and the list goes on...

There was one case though that really got to those of us who were working. We held a clinic at a prison that is across the lake and there we tended to the medical needs of both prisoners, guards, and the families of the guards. This one lady came into the clinic and was seen by one of the nurses. Afterwards, the nurse was crying and we came to find out that the baby was a week old and had a ridiculously high fever and had the signs of meningitis. The doctor who was there made sure the baby was rushed to the hospital and we were able to arrange for the baby to get the proper medical care in town. After people all over the world praying for that baby boy, we got the word that he was actually recovering and that he did not have meningitis but was still going to die most likely that day if he hadn't gotten the treatment. Today, that little baby was discharged from the hospital and was able to go home. And before he and his mom went home they came by the church so I could see them. It was too cool seeing that little boy as he was fairly alert considering he was a week old, and feeling his little head without that blazing fever, and we found out that he has been eating.

I can't help but think that God has one special plan for Derek, considering just how well He orchestrated everything in order to ensure his survival. Now, I just ask for prayers for him to continue to grow as they are very concerned about his weight, and also for his family. His father refused to seek medical care for him before we came and has six other children with women other than Derek's mom and therefore does not treat Derek or his mom very well. It's awesome though to know just how much God can work through this crazy hard situation, that He does hear our prayers, and that He truly is the great physician!

This picture is of Derek on my veranda after being released from the hospital. The think in his hand is so that his mom can give him antibiotics from home. He's so tiny, but God loves him even before he's done anything to earn that love - we truly have such an awesome God!

The Lord of the Flies

I find it funny that sometimes the coolest things we learn, we so frequently forget to share with others. I read how the apostles speak of how they can't help but proclaim the things they have seen and heard, and then I just allow some of the biggest lessons God is teaching me to slip my mind. One of the coolest things I've read lately that God has actually brought to light in a couple of books I use to study from is how in 2 Kings 1, it talks about how King Ahaziah asked his men to go and inquire of Baal-Zebub - and most believe this is adapted into the name Beelzebub which is used in the New Testament that is synonymous with the name Satan. Well, the kind of cool thing that a couple of commentators have pointed out was that supposedly this Baal-Zebub was symbolized by a fly although I don't ask me why (sorry, couldn't resist). If you look at what flies really do, they basically drive us absolutely crazy and distract us. They distract us from a conversation, meal, etc... Now to think that's really one of Satan's key attack mechanisms - distraction. He can't really touch us, but he can render us ineffective and try to send as many distractions our way as to get us away from what God has really called us to. How guilty I am of falling for his ploys in this area especially! Anyways, I guess it's the conviction that I have pertaining to this that caused me to take such notice, and the fact that God had it stand out to me on more than one occasion, can kind of cause one to wonder if He's maybe trying to teach me something about it...hahaha...hmmm...

Just let it go

So ever since I came back from Sipi Falls, I've definitely been on heightened alert for things in my life that I wouldn't mind changing. I'm pretty sure, aside from the various sinful attitudes I have, one of the biggest things that I feel God is trying to drill into me is that I just basically need to lighten up. I'm always so tightly wound, and let's be honest, if I'm like this now, I'm pretty much going to die of a heart attack by the time I'm thirty because of how I blow stuff out of proportion and just take things way more seriously than I should. There have been various things God has sent my way in order to test this lesson out, and I'm going to be honest with how I've pretty much failed every single one of those tests with flying colors. Sometimes I like to write it off as a personality trait, but really I need to have joy and stop holding so tightly onto things. Even now I try to put it into the not "sin" category, but let's call it what it is...a lot of times it is that nasty little three lettered word. It's sin when you don't trust God and allow yourself to take on the martyr mentality, it's sin when you gossip about others who don't live up to your "standards", it's sin to stress out to the point that you snap at people, it's sin to allow the work to over shadow the "better thing". Oh if only I could remember that! And really it's all just summed up in another nasty word: pride. Oh what a wretch I am, but thankful that I have His Spirit living in me and the promise that He is faithful to complete the good thing he began in me. I guess it's a good thing God is one for "tough cases" because sometimes I just don't think I'll ever really get it.

“Seeking his face”

Well, as I have previously mentioned, it’s been a bit of a doozy this past month and a half and honestly looking at the next four months or so things don’t look like they’re going to get a whole lot easier. On top of that, my birthday was marked by some of my closest friends leaving. But honestly, right now I’m getting pretty stoked to see how God is going to rock my face off through it all. He even has already begun to chisel away some things and open my eyes to things He is desiring to see change in me.

On the eve of my birthday, I read Psalm 24 because I had heard of a good friend of mine who likes to read the Psalm that corresponds to her birthday. Psalm 24 is what the song “Give us clean hands” is written about. It’s about living blamelessly before God and seeking His face. I can’t help but think that’s going to be the theme for the next year - truly seeking HIS face. I know I should be doing that every day of every year, but to really make that the desire of my heart for this year specifically. To see and know Him. 1 Corinthians 8:3 says how we love God because we are known by him. Our relationship with God is based off of a mutual transparency, if I’m real with God about myself, He will show me more of who He is in return, and I think that’s just too cool for words to even think about what that really means.

Now, as I was able to get away on my mini vacation, that’s really what I hope to do - spend this time seeking Him. Spending this time like Elijah did beside the Brook at Cherinth where it really was just him and God as God equipped him and broke him so that he would be ready for the next things that were coming his way. Oh how I pray that I will be able to look back at this year as kind a “12 stones” year so to speak (those who have read the book of Joshua hopefully you know what I mean). That 24 would be a landmark year in maturing to whole new levels in my walk making leaps and bounds in the pursuit to be holy as He is holy. God only knows what this year will hold...

24...and it begins

So the birthday festivities began on Sunday. After having the incredibly hard goodbyes, one of my friends took me and another one of our friends whose birthday was the week before mine to stay at a little hotel just about 2 miles from our compound. There was a beautiful little pool and we rocked some delicious pizza and just hung out. It was awesome, although I feel bad that I was kind of a kill joy because of what had transpired earlier that day. Then on Monday, we hung around at the pool some more and then on our way back to the church, I decided to stop and get a massage to try and further decompress from both the goodbyes and the children’s outreach. And for about twelve dollars for an hour long massage, can you blame me?

Then on Tuesday, it was like my birthday had just continued, because Bev made fajitas for me. In case you didn’t know, the fajitas we make hear are my #1 favorite meal. Not only did Bev rock the fajitas, but Ryan also slaved away in the kitchen making lasagna so that it would be ready for my real birthday.

By the time my actual birthday rolled around on Wednesday, I was already feeling pretty loved and it only got better with the numerous text messages, phone calls, e-mails, and the insane amount of facebook well-wishers. The day was really low key and honestly, it was perfect. I woke up and had my usual morning routine of coffee and quiet time, and then Ryan and I went to the gym. From there we went to Ozzie’s which is one like the “town diner” so to speak amongst the missionary community. I got hooked up with an awesome breakfast and as Ryan so lovingly put it in a way only a big brother could, “You ate more than I’ve ever seen you eat before!” But if you can’t have a cinnamon roll, eggs, hashbrowns, and a little bacon on your birthday...then life is just sad! From there I traversed across Main Street to the Source Cafe for one of their amazing iced latte’s and spend some nice time with good ol’e C.H. Spurgeon. And after spending some time there, I continued in the consuming of beverages and went to Flavours to try their pina colada mango smoothie and got several new books to read on my iPod - you know adding to my collection of my “old dead guys”.

It was then time to head home where I was able to just chill on my veranda and take in the beautiful day. Then it was time for service, and it was awesome because since it was the first Wednesday of the month, we had communion (more on that and my birthday in another post). After church it was party time! Judy and Rochelle decked out my chair in balloons and had two Alvaro Passion’s (my favorite soda) waiting for me at my seat. We had Ryan’s amazing lasagna and garlic bread and I honestly didn’t think life could get a whole lot better. Then it was time for the cake...and man oh man. It was layers of chocolate goodness decorated in M&M’s and it was just awesome! After taking cake to our staff and their families, I cam back and opened presents. Let me just say that I have amazing friends...well, they’re more than friends...they’re another family to me and I’m so blessed to have them while I do.

It really was such an amazing birthday and it still hasn’t finished. I was basically forced to take some time away for a couple of days and so I’m at Sipi Falls, where it’s super cool and rather rustic. I have my own little bungalow that all it has is a huge bed that is sitting on a bed frame made of stone and my door is open (it’s got a top and bottom) and I have two HUGE waterfalls right outside. It’s been awesome to just have the quiet and read and I’m stoked to have the whole day tomorrow to just hang out with God in His amazing creation. Talk about an awesome birthday!!!!

The R.A.C.E

So due to some issues with a previous plan we had to reach out to the kids of our community, Jess came up with the idea to do a race day for a kids outreach. We started the planning process about a month or two ago, but because of other events (i.e. the youth conference), planning didn’t really happen until about the week and a half before the actual event. I’ll be honest when I admit that I wasn’t 100% invested in this event because I was just so drained from the conference not to mention all the other internal battles waging within me. But we planned, we bought supplies, we made ribbons, we mapped out the course, we put out fliers, and made radio advertisements and before we knew it, the event was upon us. Of course I switched into full gear a little late in the game and ended up spending a sleepless night the night before getting things the way that I normally do before big events. By 8:00 in the morning the tents were up, the course was marked, the sound equipment was set up, and our start and finish signs were posted. One thing I can’t quite get into my head is the idea of time here and how it’s different from my idea of time and therefore most of our volunteers arrived AFTER the kids did. I had done my usual planning, but really, absolutely NOTHING went according to plan as far as volunteer line up, how the races would go down, etc... but it was truly a miracle with how the races actually almost finished on time. I had my key guys who really reminded my of Gideon’s army after God siphoned the weaker ones out - I had about 8 guys (and a couple girls who really came through and I basically used them for everything because you would never realize just how hard it is to try and explain some of the positions to people whose second language is English. And the bottom line is that all those kids heard the Gospel and about 50 of them seemed to respond to the invitation to receive Christ into their heart.

23 - it was a very good year

I won't lie, when I think about the fact that I'm only just now about turn 24 (in about 15 minutes), I'm pretty much amazed at what God has done in my life up to this point. Even just in this past year it's been amazing all that has taken place. I've gotten stretched in so many ways and given responsibilities that I'm pretty sure technically shouldn't have been given to someone of my age. I kind of feel like the kid who accidentally got put in the "gifted" or smart kid class -where you really didn't deserve to be there, but because of it you were able to grow more than you would have being in the class that you "belonged". I know that's kind of a funny illustration, but you know that's how I roll.

To write out everything would seem like I was bragging, but I'm seriously just in awe that it all has happened in just one year and seriously to God be ALL the glory, honor, and praise. I thank God for how He has helped me to grow through these different situations, and although they have been harder to go through than words can ever describe, I wouldn't have changed a single thing from this past year.

Now as I embark on this 24th year of my life - 24 seems so "adult" in my mind - I can't help but wonder what this year is going to hold. Already, there are several struggles and "growing opportunities" that I know are coming, and I just kind of wonder if that's supposed to be a clue about how the rest of the year is going to be. I know there will be several new seasons beginning in my life both personally and ministry wise, but through those changes, I rejoice in the fact that our God NEVER changes, He is more faithful that words can say, and the word that He keeps opening my eyes to in reference to Him is the Rock. During this next year, I'll probably need to hold on to that rock for dear life, because I'm pretty sure it's going to be one wild and crazy ride. 24...ready or not here I come!