Greater Things

The thoughts for this post started quite a while back, and I've finally semi-finished it now that I'm on Christmas break!  Again, I'm not a very good writer, and I'm not good at communicating my thoughts, so if you have any comments or questions or even disagreements feel free to comment.  I'd love to hear what people think of my posts and if they've helped, encouraged, or caused you to think of new things or anything like that! =)  

As I was walking back to my dorm from lunch by myself today, I was thinking about my life.  Why am I so different?  So often I feel like I’m so alone.  No one really understands me, and I don’t really understand myself.  Since I was little, my parents always told me I had the gift of love.  They always talked about how I had such a big heart.  I’ve always loved people, I’m happiest when I’m with people, and I get my energy from being around people.  As special as this gift of love sounds it’s not always that great to have, especially when all you’ve got is your ability to love others.  I never was extra good at any sport or school subject or anything, really.  I don’t write well, I don’t like science, I’m only decent at math, I can’t dance to save my life, balls scare me and I end up hurting myself and looking ridiculous when I try to play any kind of sport, I’m a slow runner, I’m not a very eloquent speaker, I don’t have any cool talents, and, surprisingly, I am really pretty shy.  I’ve gotten to try lots of things like horse shows, cake decorating, piano, photography, but I never really found my specialty.  I’m just not very good at much of anything.  Also, having the gift of love does not guarantee that everyone loves you.  More often than not you get taken advantage of.  People know I’ll always be there, I’ll always forgive, and I’ll always love.  They know I’ll be there when they need me most, but in the meantime I’m not the most fun person to be around.  I’m weak, sensitive, scared, and extremely insecure.  So, what am I here for?  How in the world can I do anything of any worth?  Despite all these things there is one word that doesn’t fit me in the slightest, but it’s followed me around since I was 12. Great.  That's the reason for the name of my blog!  A prophetess, Ruby Temple from Nicaragua, once anointed me and told me that I would do something great.  I don’t know what that means or how I am to accomplish this, although I do know it will only be with God’s help, but I have those words to remember and hold on to as I “press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me . . . I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 3:12&14)  When I went to Brazil in 2010 the theme for the missions trip was “Greater Things.”  We learned the song in Portuguese and sang it in schools, on streets, in the church and on our hotel rooftop in Rio de Janeiro while we looked at the Christ statue, lit up looking out over the city!  This year I have the incredible privilege, through my school, to attend the Urbana Student Missions Conference.  I recently received a packet in the mail, which contained some information about Urbana.  One of the themes for the conference was written on a handout and it read, “You were made for something great.”  Coincidence?  I think not!!  These so called "coincidences," I believe, are one of God's ways to get our attention and speak to us!  I’m not saying I’m better than anyone, but I do know that I’m different, and that I’m set apart for something.  Something great!  I know that whatever this is God will receive all the glory.  

1 Corinthians 1:26-29,31 says, “Brothers, think of what you were when you were called.  Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth.  But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong.  He chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things – and the things that are not – to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before him . . . Therefore, as it is written; ‘Let him who boasts boast in the Lord.”   This is another way I know I am chosen.  Its so encouraging to read the gospels and see the weakness of the disciples, and to see how, when Jesus was gone, the Holy Spirit gave them boldness whenever they needed to accomplish great things for God.  Before Jesus called them to follow him, the disciples were just fishermen.  That means they were learning their father’s trade, which means that they weren’t the top kids in their class.  No one had seen much potential in them.  Jesus chose the ones that no one else had chosen.  That’s encouraging to me, because no one has ever really chosen me.  When all else fails, God can work wonders with the failures like me!  I am not a great person, I’m not anything super special, but I am God’s tool, and, with me, I believe He can do great things!  My job is SURRENDER.  Surrender to His will.  This doesn’t mean that I don’t get to live, that I’m trapped, that I’m a slave.  Surrender to God’s will means life to the fullest! (John 10:10)  This life is rich with deep joy, purpose, and freedom!  Whenever I’m faced with something difficult I remind myself that God has a plan for me, and “if God is for [me], who can be against [me]?” (Romans 8:31)  Nothing can stop God!  If I surrender myself to His will, nothing can stand against God doing awesome things using me!  So, I got a C on my Interpreting the Bible paper?  Well, that’s not the end of the world.  That C can’t stop God’s plans for my life, so what am I getting so stressed out about??  That guy doesn’t like me.  So what?  God has a plan for me, and maybe he would hold me back!  Feeling rejected by others doesn’t mean I’m rejected by God.  I am CHOSEN by Him, and so are you!! 

God has a grand plan for your life as well.  You are also chosen!  He wants to do something incredible with you!  Something that will bring you joy, life, and purpose!  Whether you feel like you have nothing to bring or you do have a special talent, God has a grand plan for you life!  Jeremiah 29:11 says, “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD.  Plans to prosper you and not to harm you plans to give you a hope and a future.”  I’m sure you’ve heard it before, but let it encourage you again!  All you have to do is say “yes” to God’s plan!  This is for believers as well as non-believers.  Just because you say you’re a Christian doesn’t mean you’re fully living out God’s plan for your life.  Maybe you’ve said “yes, God, I believe in you.”  Maybe you’ve “prayed the prayer,” but have you truly SURRENDERED?  Are you living a fully committed life or are you living a comfortable “good boy/good girl” life?  Are you doing those uncomfortable things that you know God’s asking of you or are you just going to church, reading the Bible, being nice to everyone, as much as possible, and trying not to sin?  God wants SO MUCH MORE for you!  There’s so much more to God and to being a Christian than that! This life I’m speaking of is AWESOME, but that doesn’t mean it’s easy.  Growth isn’t comfortable, and sometimes it’s painful.  I’ve spoken of this a little in previous posts, but I’ll have to go into that a little deeper in another post. ;)  For now remember:  You are chosen to do GREATER THINGS for God!  Say yes, and surrender, and listen for God’s voice!  Let Him guide you!

 "No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him" 1 Corinthians 2:9

Clifford Court

This year at school I have the incredible privilege of being on University Ministries as one of the Community Outreach Co-Chairs.  We have a homeless ministry, a grandparents ministry, and my children's ministry at Clifford Court!  These ministries exist to give Judson a chance to serve and get involved in the Elgin community.  Clifford Court is small community of government housing that consists of 28 apartments.  Most of these families are single parent families or the father just isn't ever around.  There are about 30 kids living in this community from ages 2-18.  My ministry focuses on the younger kids, but when the older kids show up we'll talk to them and give them a snack.  I'm in charge of coordinating a children's ministry on Monday afternoons for the kids.  I have as many Judson students as possible meet me in our commons and we walk over to Clifford Court.  We have a snack time, large group games and lesson, songs and chants, dance battles, small groups, and crafts.  The small groups are something that I have made new this year, and it's been great!  The girls answer questions and get to know the Judson girls, and the boys don't really pay attention, but they get fun positive male attention from the Judson guys!  It's great!  This last week I was teaching about Jonah and how God was kind to the people of Ninevah and forgave them when they repented.  We asked the kids if they thought they could do something bad enough that God would not forgive them.  They all said "yeees."  So, we explained to them that there was nothing they could do that God wouldn't forgive if they were sorry.  One of the little boys said "Hhmm ok I think I understand now."  That melted my heart.  The Judson students are also really getting into this ministry and that makes me very excited as well.  During the summer, the kids at Clifford Court get to go to a summer camp called Riverwoods.  Several of the students who have come to Clifford Court and fallen in love with the kids are thinking about working at this camp over the summer!  Overall, this ministry has been slightly stressful, but it has been a huge blessing!

Season of Growth

It's been a while since I've written a blog, and there's a lot God has been doing in my life since being back at school, so I figured I'd share it with anyone willing to read.  So, here it goes!  Last school year, my first year at Judson University, was a great year, but it was also full of struggles.  These struggles were mostly internal.  No one could really tell except for the fact that maybe I didn't smile as much as a used to.  I freaked out every time I had a test.  I got so anxious and stressed that I would feel physically sick.  Also, I went through a very hard break up.  I was still struggling with this when the school year was over.  During the summer I grew tremendously.  I became so much closer to God.  I saw a little more of the deepness of God's love, I learned forgiveness, and I was full of joy seeing the fruit of the things God was teaching me!  I was determined that this school year would be different!  I had high expectations.  I moved into school a week before freshmen and new student orientation, because I have a position on University Ministries running a children's ministry in Clifford Court, an area of government housing walking distance from campus.  That week consisted of meetings on leadership and other things, worship, fun, and prayer.  It was great, but it also left me exhausted going into the first week of classes.  Classes started, I started to become overwhelmed with my responsibilities at Clifford Court, classes, with the theatre program at school, grading, and tutoring.  I was gripped with a fear of failure.  I didn't know who I could talk to about what I was feeling.  I felt that my "troubles" would be a burden to people, and no one would want to listen.  I was fearful, feeling inadequate, feeling worthless, and feeling much like I had the year before.  I became disappointed in myself for going back to how things were last year after I had grown so much over the summer.

A few weeks ago much of those feelings of worthlessness and other things I was going through finally came out of the deep place inside me where I was trying to hide them. I opened up to a group of classmates and teachers.  I realized some of the reasons I'm struggling with my self worth, and I became closer with friends who encouraged me and lifted me up.  As a result of that I now have friends I know I can talk to when I'm feeling really low, and I have friends holding me accountable.  One of my professors has also agreed to meet with me to talk through those struggles with me more.  That's not all, though.  I'm taking a class this year called Mentoring in Christian ministries.  For this class, I have to mentor someone and be mentored by someone.  I don't know many people in this area, but I asked the wife of my Advisor for my position on University Ministries to be my mentor.  So far, I've only met with her once, but she has already provided the challenge and accountability I've been lacking in my life for a long time.  I'm also in Practicum I this semester.  For Practicum, I am going to a Middle School ministry on Wednesday nights and leading a small group of 6th grade girls.  For practicum, I have a supervisor, who is the Middle School pastor.  My friend, who is doing practicum with me, and I meet with him every other Thursday to talk about ministry, the Bible, our lives, . . .  This man is so wise and I'm already learning so much from him!

All in just a few short weeks God has put some incredible people in my life!  I've never received so much encouragement and affirmation and I've never felt so challenged as I do this year!  In many ways this has been very difficult and uncomfortable, but I can see and feel God working in my life!  He's placed each of these incredible people in the position they are in in my life at the exact right moment for exactly what I needed them for.  God heard my prayers for this school year, and he hasn't let me completely fade back into how things were last year.  He didn't let me wallow in self pity, He didn't let me give up on my commitments because of my fear, and He has taken care of my every need, and He's walking with me through every challenge!  WOW, I'm just amazing by how He's working.  I'm still struggling, still dealing with stress, anxiety, and fear, but I'm struggling with joy, because I know it's shaping me into the woman God wants me to be!  I still have those moments when I slip back into old habits, but God's always there to pick me back up again in my quiet prayer time, when I read the Bible, and in the form of the many great people in my life!  My trials look very different from the trials of another.  They may seem small, but, as one of my friends explained to me, God knows what I can and cannot handle right now.  I'm learning to consider these trials pure joy as I see God working through them in my life.  I'm also learning that you can't really heal until you open up to others.  I'm so very thankful for the people God has strategically placed in my life!  
 

James 1:2-4 says: "Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance.  Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything." 

Colombia: A Different Kind of Mission Trip

After our family trip to Nicaragua in 2006, my mom and I fell in love with the big brown eyes of the precious Hispanic kids.  There was no doubt in my parents' minds that one day, when I was grown and married, little Hispanic kids would be part of our family, but this happened in a very different way than anyone in my family expected, and it happened much sooner than expected as well!

The baby of our family, my little sister, was about to turn 13, and I was about to start drivers ed.  My oldest sister had just graduated high school and was getting ready to go to Community College.  We were a happy little family very comfortable with our happy little life, but when you get comfortable with your life, you can be sure that God's about to shake things up, and He sure did!  It all started with an interview on the radio with Steven Curtis Chapman.  My parents were driving back from something, probably an event at church or something, but they were in separate cars for some reason.  My dad usually listens to talk radio, but that day him and my mom were both listening to Christian radio, and they both heard the interview on the radio with Steven Curtis Chapman about the adoption of his three daughters from China.  As they were listening, in separate cars, they both heard this little voice in the back of their heads saying, "our family needs to adopt a couple brothers."  They both thought something along the lines of: "That's crazy.  We're happy with our girls, they're self-sufficient, and we're comfortable where we're at."  They talked about it a little when they got home, but pushed it off to the side and tried to forget about it.''

Sometime after that, my great aunt either received or called a wrong number, but her and this woman she didn't know ended up striking up a conversation.  Before they hung up, the woman asked my great aunt to pray for a little boy from Russia, who had not bonded with his adoptive family.  An adoption agency was looking for a new family to adopt the boy.  My great aunt send out a mass email to family and friends, including my family, asking for prayer for this little boy.  When my parents got the email they remembered that day in the car, and as scary of a thought as it was, they decided to talk with me and my sisters, get some more information, and start the adoption paper work.  Sadly, I don't remember the day my parents approached us with the idea of adoption, but from the beginning I was excited and all for this idea!  So, my parents filled out the paper work.  When filling out the paper work for this agency they had to answer the questions: "Where would you most like to adopt from?"  My parents decided to go ahead and put Latin America, even though they were moving towards adopting this boy from Russia.  A few days after the paper work got to the agency we received a phone call.  I still remember hearing the message play on our home phone answering machine.  The agency informed us that they had already found a new home for the boy from Russia, but they there were two brothers from Colombia ages 5 and 11, who they thought would be a great match for our family.  Brothers, just like both my parents had felt we were supposed to adopt, they were older, just like my parents wanted, and they were from a Latin American country like the precious children we had fallen in love with in Nicaragua.  My parents knew this was God saying "These are your boys."  From that point on my parents continued to take step after step towards adopting Mauricio and Miguel.

A year after we started the adoption process, we finally got the go ahead to go to Colombia, meet the boys, make sure we got along, fill out more paperwork, and bring them home!  We bought the tickets, planning to be in Colombia for a month, and we booked a couple hotel rooms at the Radisson Royal Hotel in Cali, Colombia!  We were there for quite a while before they let us go meet the boys.  Those few weeks felt like a vacation!  The staff at the hotel were the sweetest people ever.  They were so helpful, and by the time we left they felt like family.  We spent time swimming and working out and updating friends through facebook and email.  I remember sitting in on several meetings informing us about the boys, the kinds of foods they liked and didn't like, the things they liked to play, their best friends, and their reaction to the news that they had a family.  We kept hearing over and over that these boys were just great boys, even though the youngest was a little ornery.  We even went to the orphanage for a meeting, but didn't get to see the boys.  Finally, the day came when we were able to go to the orphanage, meet the boys, and bring them back to the hotel to begin their lives as part of our family!  My whole family gathered in a meeting room.  They had us stand facing the door that my soon-to-be brothers would walk through.  The wait seemed like forever.  The door kept opening to let teachers in who wanted to see the boys meet us for the first time.  We'd all kind of jump every time we saw it move.  At last the boys walked in carrying flowers and gifts for us!  The next moments were full of tears, smiles, and hugs!  The boys had made earrings for me and my sisters and a necklace for my mom.  They also brought us picture albums of them growing up in foster care and in the orphanage.  After that my entire family, all seven of us, went back to the hotel.


The boys went crazy playing with the various toys we had brought and the few things they had been able to take with them from the orphanage.  We also brought them to the hotel pool, where they eagerly jumped right in and swam like they had grown up in a pool.  The rest of our time in Colombia was spent trying to communicate with the boys, taking walks to parks, birthday parties, going to the zoo, visiting an old church, eating authentic Colombian food, more swimming, and lots and lots of time in the hotel rooms.

We got to go back the the orphanage with the boys, got a tour, and threw a going away party for them. When we got to the orphanage all of the kids started chanting "Mauricio y Miguel!!"  They seemed so happy for the, but they were also excited about the chocolate and pop we had brought for the party.  We talked and played with the kids while the boys played soccer.  My dad even got to pray for the kids.  It was awesome, but so sad not knowing when and if these kids would find homes like Mauricio and Miguel had.

Some of the kids at the orphanage

The day we had booked for our flight back home was fast approaching, but the paperwork to bring the boys home was not yet complete.  My dad had to get back for work, so we made the very difficult decision to send dad and my three sisters home while mom stayed in Colombia for another week with the boys.  We all cried, even the boys.  But, a week later we were all home.  The boys loved playing on the trampoline, exploring our property, and playing with the cats and our dog, Moses.




That was now three years ago, and it seems like they've been with us forever!  Some people have wondered, "how do you invite more children into your family, and love them like they are flesh and blood?"  It's easy!  God has filled my heart SO full of love for these two boys, my precious brothers!  Yes, they are your typical little brothers.  They are loud, crazy, annoying, and the older one doesn't think he can ever be wrong.  We argue, and I order them around when they get out of control.  But, I still love the, and am SO very thankful that God chose my family to be their family!  I just hope that they know how much I love them.  Yes, adoption is hard at times, especially when they speak a different language, but it is so worth it!  It breaks my heart just thinking about what would have happened if my family hadn't adopted these boys.  Adoption is beautiful, and when you think about it, we're all adopted, children of the King of Kings.

"How blessed is God!  And what a blessing He is!  He's the Father of our Master, Jesus Christ, and takes us to the high places of blessing in Him.  Long before he laid down the earths foundations, He had us in mind, had settled on us as the focus of His love, to be made whole and holy by His love.  Long, long ago He decided to adopt us into His family through Jesus Christ. (What pleasure He took in planning this!)"  Ephesians 1:3-6 (The Message)

"This resurrection life you received from God is not a timid, grave-tending life.  It's adventurously expectant, greeting God with a childlike "What's next, Papa?"  God's Spirit touches our spirits and confirms who we really are: Father and children.  And we know we are going to get what's coming to us -- an unbelievable inheritance!  We go through exactly what Christ goes through.  If we go through the hard times with Him, then we're certainly going to go through the good times with Him!" 

Romans 8:15-17 (The Message)

How powerful is that?!  Long before He knew us to had a plan to adopt us, and He was excited about it!  We were the "focus of His love."  Think what we would be if He hadn't made that decision to adopt us.  We wouldn't be part of God's family, and we wouldn't be able to join His family in heaven.  Think of what you were before you were adopted into His family.  You were lost, without purpose, without perfect love, confused, not knowing who you were.  But, not only has He adopted us and made us part of His family and loved us so perfectly, but He has also has promised to walk with us through every part of life, give us a full life, and an inheritance!  His Spirit is here to help us and guide us through the awesome plan God has for our lives, and also to help us to know and be confident in who we are.  We are His dearly loved Children!  We didn't do anything to deserve that!  Let that sink in.  Praise God and be thankful!  God is so good!

Me and Miguel a couple years ago heading to see some fireworks!

Me and Mauri this past June in Guatemala! 

Missions Internship: Thoughts and Lessons

Crossings

Now that I've caught you all up on Guatemala I'd like to share some thoughts I have and lessons I've learned during my internship with the Crossings Community Church Missions Department here in Oklahoma City.  It's been quite a summer!  In an earlier post I briefly described what I've been doing in my internship here, but I would like to elaborate a little more in this post.  Crossings really has some great things going on, and God is moving here!

One of the best things about this internship is being around such great leaders!  As part of the internship program, all the interns from various ministries have weekly meetings with leaders in each department of ministry in the church.  In these meetings, the church leaders explain what their ministry does, how they do it, and give us tips that they have learned from years of ministry.  The interns also all received teaching on self management, managing others, professionalism, studying the Bible, spiritual gifts, personality types, working with volunteers, etc.  And this isn't even counting what we do in our individual departments!  It's a lot to take in, and I'm still processing it all!  Good thing I took lots of notes.  The interns also got to sit in on a Ministry Staff meeting where we simply talked about the importance of spiritual discipline in ministry, the core aspects of this being Prayer, Bible Study, and Spiritual Direction: Interacting with "the flock."  In this meeting, we also shared prayer requests and prayed for each other.  I have gotten to go on a few coffee outings with the worship department and just soak up some wisdom from a few of their great leaders.  I've also had several great conversations with my boss, the missions pastor, sadly I didn't take notes during those.  I've been able to attend several mission trip prep meetings for a group going to Roatan, Honduras in October!  I just hope I can retain some of the things I've learned!  It's been a bit of an overload, but it's been great!

A few of the crazy 3rd grade boys

This summer I helped with Vacation Bible School in two different locations.  First, I led a group of 21 3rd grade boys for the VBS at the main campus of Crossings.  In total 1,150 children attended this VBS.  My job was to lead them to their different activities, sit with them and make sure they behaved during these activities, serve them snack, help them with crafts, and follow up on the lessons.  This was a crazy and exhausting week, but I really did enjoy the boys even when I felt like I was constantly telling them to stop misbehaving.  I got some hugs and even a gift card to sonic at the end, so I think they enjoyed it, too!  The teaching was great and a few of the boys had some really good comments and questions about it.  I hope I was able to help guide them closer to Jesus!

My group at Crossings Comunidad

The second VBS I helped with was with Crossings Comunidad, which is Crossing's Hispanic church.  This was very different from the VBS at the main campus.  This time I had a class of four-five 4-6 year olds.  This time I was a leader, taking them to their different activities, and a co-teacher, giving them their Bible lesson two out of the four days of VBS.  I was given a book that mostly just contained the Bible story for each day, so I got to plan visual aids, a few small games, an a couple crafts!  Overall there may have been about 50 kids.  Some spoke english, some spanish, and most were bilingual!  We had worship in both spanish and english, which I LOVED.  The kids were so sweet, and it was sad to have to say goodbye to them at the end of the week.

Some of the boys at sports camp
 found a frog

One of my buddies at sports
 camp

 On another week I helped at a Sports Camp that Crossings holds and two of their inner city partner schools in Oklahoma City.  I helped with sign-in and bracelet making, for those who either came to sports camp and didn't want to play sports or were tired of playing sports.  The kids either made bracelets with me or rotated from soccer, to kickball, to basketball, to other games like relay races and such.  After the third rotation we had a small Bible lesson to read to them before they played one more sport and went home.  A lot of the kids came from hard family situations.  With this group of kids there were many fights between them because they had to stand up for their sisters, brothers, or cousins.  You could insult these kids all you want, but you'd better not mess with their family!

One of the props we made

Get together at The Club

The things that kept me busiest in the office were planning for the Kids Bible Club, which is held for 2nd-5th grade kids at one of the inner city schools, and The Club, another Bible club for kids in 6th-11th grade that is held at Crossing's Community Center.  I've been going to meetings, looking up verses for the kids to memorize each month, finding fun ice-breaker games, organizing supplies, re-writing scripts, putting together editing weekly lesson plans, brainstorming for set ideas, among other things!  I'm pretty excited for these clubs to get going, but a little sad I won't be around to attend and help out during these clubs.  These kids are so blessed, and the missions staff and all their volunteers pour so much into these kids!  It's pretty incredible!  I got the chance to meet some of the kids from The Club last week.  We had a get together with them to catch up with them and to prepare some props for The Club! It was so fun!

Another project I've been a part of is writing a curriculum for missions education for the children's ministry at Crossings.  Every month in sunday school, the missions department takes over and teaches the kids about missions, how their church is involved in missions, and how they can be involved.  It's been fun coming up with a theme, Mission Possible, and planning fun ways to teach these kids about missions.  Each person from the curriculum writing team, including me, has been assigned 1-2 months to write the scripts for these missions weeks at sunday school.  Most of our meetings consist of the Mission Impossible theme song, invisible ink, cool sunglasses, things appearing on a zip-line to the stage, trench coats, secret agents, goofy bumper videos, Rumble the mascot of the Oklahoma City Thunder, local missions, global missions, interviews, and more!  Another instance where I get all excited about what's going to happen as I help plan for it, but I wont be around to actually see it.  I believe it will be a great year for missions education in children's ministry!

The times when I have down time in the office I spend updating my blog and reading When Helping Hurts by Steve Corbett and Brian Fikkert, God's Love Letters to You by Dr. Larry Crabb, and Beyond the Pain by Jonathan Farrant.

I've also gotten to attend two work days at two of the inner city schools the Crossings is partnered with.  The first school work day I went to was at the beginning of my internship.  The team I was assigned to was in charge of landscaping.  We cut down TONS of dead trees and branches hanging over walkways, cleared weeds, and trimmed bushes.  There were other teams doing painting in the buildings and on the road.  A few of the students at the school helped as well.  This school is a high school, and a lot of the kids who attend have been kicked out of other schools, and this school is their last chance at getting through high school.  The kids and the Crossings team worked hard and got a lot done.  The second work day I went to was just yesterday at an elementary school.  At this school the main ministry comes in the form of teacher helpers.  Members of the congregation "adopt" a teacher and commit to praying for them and their class and coming to school twice a month.  These teachers have disclosed information to their teacher partners and asked for prayer for things they haven't told anyone else in the world.  Its such a great ministry!  But, yesterday what we did was help the teachers prepare for their first day of school, which was today!  I started the morning by helping the gym teacher write the names of each teacher in the school on basketballs, kickballs, and soccer balls.  Then I helped a teacher clean up her room, set out books, organize desks, and tape name tags to desks.  The teachers said that there was no way they could have been prepared for school if Crossings hadn't come to help.  They were so grateful.  After helping the teacher, I joined a group in the library folding flyers for the parents of the students to take home.  Most of the people who came for this work day were older, but they were so much fun!  While we folded the flyers we sang old sunday school choruses, made jokes, and had lots of laughs.  It was a great day!

I only have two more weeks here at Crossings.  It's gone by so fast!  Next weekend I will be attending the Willow Creek's Global Leadership Summit, which Crossings hosts through a live simulcast.  I'll most likely have a separate blog post about that!

As much as I've enjoyed my time here at Crossings, one of the things this internship has taught me is that I don't want to be a missions pastor.  The office experience was good, but not my calling.  There are a lot of hands on things to do, and a lot I didn't get to experience because it happens in the school year, but I don't want to have an office where I send emails and plan meetings while watching pictures of kids in Guatemala, Nicaragua, Honduras, Mexico, Colombia, and Brazil as they come up on my picture slideshow background on my laptop.  I want to be there in those countries with those kids speaking spanish to them, teaching them about Jesus, rolling around in the dirt with them, taking care of them, sweating like crazy, taking cold showers, eating tacos, having people show up late to events, and doing ministry.  That's where I'm called.  I know it'll all happen in God's timing, but it's hard not to be impatient, and it's hard not to feel like I'm wasting my life sitting in an office or doing homework in my dorm room.  I could definitely use some prayer for patience!

Guatemala: Last Day of Ministry and Saying Goodbye

6-29-2012

Puppet Master at the School

This morning I got to hang out with Juanito!  I talked with him about longer term trips before having breakfast.  After breakfast we had a devotion and talked and prayed about our attitudes when we go home.  Then we packed up the van and left for our last school assembly.  This was a bilingual high school, so many of them knew at least a little english.  One boy called out to me and said, "Hello, you are my friend.  I love you!"  I'm guessing his friends dared him to use the little english he knew. haha  We had to wait around for a while before starting our program.  My team performed La Casa Se Quema followed by the teachers at the school doing their own version of the skit.  Apparently it was hilarious, because the kids loved it, but I couldn't understand.  After that we did Jalon.  Only a few kids and one or two teachers were willing to participate.  After the skits I shared a life story!  It made me so nervous, but I think it went well.  I hope it made an impact!  Juanito translated for me, but he introduced me as "Mir-I-nda," which is a kind of soda that they have there.  Juanito thought that was pretty funny. After my testimony my team did Puppet Master and Pastor Chris spoke.

English class at the school

Basketball at the school

Following Pastor Chris's message most of the guys went to play basketball against the school's team while another group of us sat with some English students and tried to make small talk.  Mauri and I talked with a group of four young men.  Most of them were in their last year of school, and the majority wanted to be engineers.  We talked about family, hobbies, places we'd like to visit or places we have been, and a little bit about church.  There were many times we couldn't understand each other, but one of the boys was pretty good at English and ended up translating for the rest of them when they didn't understand.  He also told me I had pretty eyes.  When the guys were done with basketball we were served lunch by the tourism class.  The kids in this class were learning out to serve tourists and prepare food for them.  They did a great job; the food was great!

Missionary Juanito, and his girlfriend, our cook.
Please keep them in your prayers!  Such wonderful people! 

We went back to the base just for a little bit and then went to Antigua to an orphanage for kids with cerebral palsy.  The kids we saw were between the ages of 8 and 15, but you really couldn't tell.  They are going to be in that facility for the rest of their lives.  They were all in medal cribs that looked to me like cages.  The women who were working there are angels, but they are really under-staffed and so unable to give the amount of attention these kids need.  It's so sad.  Most of them just laid there.  Not many were responsive.  There was one little boy who was actually sitting up and I talked to him for a while.  He understood me when I would say body parts in spanish and would point to his nose, eyes, lips, knees, etc.  He would also copy me if I clapped and several times stuck his hands through the bars and would just hold my hands for a little bit.  We then helped the staff feed the kids.  I fed Diego.  They told us to make sure the kids eat all of the food, because they don't know that they need it.  Diego couldn't even hold himself up, but propped up on a pillow and with lots of coaxing for him to open his mouth and a little bit of a mess I got him to eat most of the food.  One of the boys, who wasn't in as bad a condition as most of them were, was in a wheel chair.  He was a feisty little guy and would yell at you if you didn't do what he wanted.  He was getting upset trying to do something with a toy drum and a string, so I helped him and then went to walk away, but he yelled "Muchacha!!" We walked around and tried to talk with some other kids for a little bit when we were done feeding them and then we went back to base and had dinner and played on the street with the neighborhood kids.  I had to tell the kids we were leaving in the morning.  Chelsea gave me a big hug and started crying.  It was one of the hardest goodbyes.  We had to come off the street and back inside by 9pm, so I just spent time with my team before going to bed.

Guatemala: Just flow

6-28-2012

Doug leading devotions

After breakfast this morning we walked to a small park/wood the missionaries refer to as "Prayer Forest."  We spent 30 minutes by ourselves spread out around the area.  I spent my time praying, listening, singing, and reading.  It was a great time to re-focus and spend some time just me and God.  Then we gathered as a group under a tree and the missionary, Doug, led us in a devotion.  Then Nathan led us in some worship songs and we all talked about what we had been learning from this trip so far and we encouraged each other.  After that we walked back to base and made PB&J and loaded in the vans to head to a school for a school assembly.

Town square 

  When we got to the school, no one was there.  We learned that the government had randomly shut down 90% of the schools for the week.  The missionary, Jonathan, shared with us one of the things he has learned from living in Guatemala: Never ask Guatemalans why.  Just flow.  Things happen and "it is what it is."  God has a plan.  Jonathan talked with the people at the school for a while and found out that one of them had a connection with the "second in command" of the city.  He told us where to go and who to get in contact with for permission to do some street outreach in the "town square" of the relatively large city the school was located near.  They asked permission, and it was granted us!  The missionaries told us they had only done a street reach in this city once before.  So, we set up our sound system in the middle of the city and started announcing that we'd have a program in 10 minutes.  A lot of people stopped by and even more stayed around the outskirts just listening and watching from a distance.  They were a tough crowd.  Not many laughed and most didn't want to engage, but they did listen.  My team did La Casa Se Quema, Puppet Master, Jalon, and Heart skit.

Trying to get the kids on the street involved in Jalon

Puppet Master

Teaching dances =)

Dana, the sound man

The kids dancing and watching

The other two schools we had planned to go to were shut down as well, so we ended up just going back to the base.  Instead of sitting around the base since our plans were canceled, we took our sound system to the soccer field, blasted some music, did some foot races, and started a soccer game.  So many kids showed up!  Whole families sat around the soccer field visiting and watching us goof off with their kids.  We were there until it started getting dark.  Me and some from my team who weren't playing soccer started a dance party!  We taught the kids the Cha Cha Slide and the Cupid Shuffle.  It was a blast.   I also got together a big group for "Pato, Pato, Ganzo" (Duck, Duck, Goose).  This ended up in kids dog piling and tickling me and Alex yelling, "Loco! Loco Mirinda!!"  We came back to base for some pizza, took a trip to the tienda, and then I ended up passing out in the main room for a few hours before waking up, getting ready for bed, and spending some time with some people on my team.

Everything we had planned for the day didn't turn out, but God had a different plan, and this ended up being one of the best days of the trip!  The missionary, Juanito, said that he  hadn't seen so many of the people from the neighborhood gather together like they did tonight.  He might possibly continue to do an outreach like this.  Praise God!  His plans are so much better than ours!

Guatemala: No words could explain..

6:27-2012
Today I got to help Brittany with breakfast! After breakfast Juanito shared his testimony and told us about a youth ministry he is wanting to start through soccer!  He will be will be putting together a soccer team to play locally and also to serve locally.  (If you would like to learn more about this ministry and what Juanito is doing or if you would like to support him you can go to his newsletter at this link: http://www.scribd.com/doc/99148548/July-Newsletter-2012  )

Jalon skit on the street! 

When he finished sharing we went to a church and partnered with some of the youth from the church to walk around and invite people in the town to come to our program in the street and later that night at the church.  Daniel, the young man from the church in my group, pointed out the volcano.  It was much closer than when we are at the base.  He also showed us a video of it erupting at night when you can actually see the lava!  When we got back to the church the street program had already started.  My team did the Puppet Master, La Casa se Quema, and Jolon, skits and then passed out t-shirts and Pastor Chris preached.

When the program was done we talked with some of the kids who hung around after the program before going into the church for some down time.  There was a small carnival going on, so we took some time to walk around that and played some games with the little girls outside the church.  The pastor's wife made lunch for our whole team and the people who were there from the church!  After lunch we walked down the street a little ways to a school, where we had an assembly with the Puppet Master skit and La Casa se Quema.  We also had a dance party.  This group of kids was pretty easily excited.  They laughed, whistled, and cheered more than any other group we've had!

Once the school assembly was over we went to the missionary's house to relax and have dinner before going back to the church for another program.  Their house is higher up in the mountains.  We were so high up that we were literally in the clouds!

La Casa Se Quema at the church

Once we got back to the church we stood outside and invited people walking by to come to the program.  One man I invited had a very swollen hand, his finger was cut off, and there was something wrong with his arm.  He let me and Dallas pray for him.  I couldn't understand most of what he said, and he didn't show up for the program, but that time of prayer was definitely powerful, and I could feel the Lord there with us.  There was also a group of girls playing on the street in front of the church, and I quickly made friends with them.  The service started with four worship songs.  They had a power point, a track, and a guy singing.  Then our whole team went up front and were introduced to everyone before Matt have his testimony.  The girls followed me to the front of the church and rolled around on the floor and untied my shoes while Matt was talking.  Then we sat down again and we did the Puppet Master.  During the service one of the girls fell asleep on me and Courtney, and her mom came and got her.  At the end of the service Pastor Chris did an alter call, and the only way I can describe it is powerful.  Many of my team members didn't really know what was going on, but we knew the Lord was working.  People were sobbing and crying out to God while my team walked around and prayed for them.  Everyone was a little shaken up after that!

When the service was over my team was served coffee and cake before going to a woman's house who needed prayer for healing.  My whole team squished into her small house and prayed for her.  She said she felt a little better when we got there and started praying for her.  We then left the house and came back to base.

Guatemala: A Day of School Assemblies

6-26-2012

Today I woke up and got dressed for our three school assemblies today!  I went outside to brush my teeth and found Pastor Chris going crazy while doing his hair.  He's probably the most loco gringo on this trip. haha  But anyways, we had breakfast and I got to put the missionary's baby to sleep. =)

We then loaded up all our stuff and ourselves into the vans to head to the first school.  This school was a high school.  We did a few skits and Pastor Chris spoke.  At the end he did an "alter call."  Many of the kids raised their hands to accept Christ!!  Pastor Chris then had our team go around and pray for the kids.  I just went around and put my hands on and prayed for many of the girls.  I came to a couple girls and started praying that they would know God's amazing love, and that He would pour it out on them so they could start to comprehend the realness, deepness, and perfectness of His love!  I almost started crying.  I wish I could have told them all about what I've been learning about God's love.  I wish I could have helped them understand.  I wanted so badly for these girls to feel His love like I have been.  I longed for more time with them, but they all had to go back to class after we were done praying.  A sweet lady served us cake and pop at the school before we left.

Sitting with the girls during the program.  Can you find me?

After our snack we went to another school with younger kids.  We had just the girls in the gym this time, and we came back later and did a program for the boys.  When we got there we had about 30 minutes to just hang out, so we blasted some fun music, played limbo, and had a dance party before the actual "program" started!  Then we all sat down for the program.  I sat with a big group of girls, who I talked with and became my special group of friends for the day! =)  Sadly, their names were hard to pronounce and remember, and I forgot them. =(  For the program we did heart skit and La Casa se Quema.  Pastor Chris pulled up some girls from the school to do La Casa se Quema.  The little girl he picked to play the daughter was hilarious!  She got so excited she was jumping up and down.  So precious.  After the program the girls gave me so many hugs!  I was attacked by group hugs like crazy. The girls I had been sitting with gave me a huge hug!  I told them they were my sisters in Guatemala and that I loved them and would miss them.  They squeezed me even harder and said they loved me too.  It makes me cry just writing about it.  I miss them so much!  We just stood there hugging for a while.  Then they all started getting their notebooks and asking us to sign them.  We had to leave after that to go get some lunch before coming back for the boys.

Hugs!

Me with some of the boys

When we came back to do the program for the boys we got to go to their theatre!  It was a pretty nice space for the program!  We didn't have the time to just hang out like we had had with the girls, but I did get to go around and talk with some of the boys about school and how old they were and things like that.  We did the program and then passed out candy.  The boys went INSANE for the candy!  Someone would toss a handful from the stage and they would all be on top of eachother to get some.  It was hard to make sure every boy got some, because there were so many!

When we left the school the missionaries took us to a place where we got to hike up to a cross that overlooks Antigua, Guatemala!  We got about 10 minutes of time on our own to pray.  Then we came together and one of the missionaries, Jonathan, shared a little of his testimony and about the ministry they have in Guatemala.  He then passed out a book he had written called Beyond the Pain.  It's an incredible book that I would recommend to everyone!  Then we took some group pictures and loaded back in the vans to go have dinner at a taco place in Antigua!  The tacos were delicious, and after dinner we got some ice cream and walked around Antigua a little bit in the rain.

When we got back to the base there were kids outside, so we went out on the street and talked with them for a while.  Six year old Brittany was stuck to me.  =)  We had a meeting about tomorrow's schedule and went back out to play with the kids.  One of this girls had a lid of something with a panda on it, so I told them about my nickname "Miranda Panda."  They thought that was pretty funny.  I also got to go in someone's house and see their flowers that they sell!  They were very pretty, and pretty much filled their little yard.  A group of little girls taught me how to play a game that involved some sort of tag and walking around in circles doing different things like pretending to brush your hair, or hopping on one foot.  Then I went to the tienda with Matt, Jaci, and Dallas to give some money back to a guy who had given Matt too much change earlier.  I didn't do too well communicating what happened, but there was a woman there who understood my awful spanish and explained it to the store owner.

We walked back to base where I just hung out with people while they played cards and then stayed up talking with Cooper, Dallas, and Jaci.  While we were hanging out we felt an earthquake!  It was a pretty cool way to end the day! =)

Guatemala: Concrete and Kids!

6-25-2012

Today I woke up at 6 with everyone else in my cabin.  This gave me the opportunity to have some quiet time in the main room for a while before breakfast.  I was pretty tired, because I had stayed up so late, so I had a few cups of coffee with my breakfast.  After breakfast Jason led us in a Bible study on unity.  Each person on my team shared what strengths and talents they believed they brought to the team.  After this we all got ready to work on some stairs on base for the missionaries.  I got to share my brothers' adoption story with Doug's wife then went to help carry buckets of concrete to the guys working on the stairs.  I had so much energy, it was crazy!!  Must have the been the coffee . . . or God! =)  We worked on the stairs all morning and a little into the afternoon.

When we were finished with all we could do on the stairs for the day we changed for children's ministry.  We had some time to rest up a little.  I got to go on the roof of the bunk house.  From the roof you can see into everyone's yards.  The houses were very small shanty type houses.  Nicer than some of the houses I had seen in the dumb in Nicaragua, but still very small with dirt floors and animals crammed into their tiny yards.  We also took a walk to the tienda.  The second I stepped inside the tiny shop a little girl named Chelsea attached herself to me.  She was precious!  We chatted a little and she walked with us as we headed back to the base from the tienda.  

Me, Jessica, in my lap, and one of her friends

Painting faces

After we had some time to relax and catch our breath from the construction work we got our supplies together for children's ministry.  I was pretty tired and almost fell asleep, but I regained energy when I saw the huge line of kids from the neighborhood lined up outside waiting for us to bring them candy!  We walked with all the kids to the soccer field where the older boys played soccer, the younger kids played baseball, and the little ones did face paint and nails.  I helped with the face paint the whole time.  I was surprised again that I was able to hold some longer conversations with some of them.  I painted butterflies, flowers, hearts, poka-dots, and even a car on a little boy named Thomas!  I accidentally painted a bug, so, after I pointed it out,  a little boy dumped a big handful of them all over me!  We wrapped up the face paint, nails, and games, and we walked back to the street in front of our base to have the B team perform "La Casa Se Quemma."  Then Pastor Chris played a game where he gives a prize to the first kid to bring him something like a shoe, a necklace, or a jacket.  The last thing he asked the kids to bring was a gringo, so me and a few others from my team were immediately grabbed, dragged into a mob of kids, and shoved at Pastor Chris.  It was during this "program" part of the evening that I met Jessica.  After the "program" we brought the kids into the base and helped serve them dinner.  This is something the missionaries do every week, and it's probably the best meal a lot of them get all week, and maybe the only thing they get to eat all day.  When all the kids had finished eating, I went back out to the street and just played with the kids there in front of the base for hours.  Jessica was attached to me the entire time.  I would be holding her and then she'd call me a grandma, so I would pretend that I was too weak to hold her and collapse on the ground, so she would start to yell "You're not a grandma!  You're young, you're young!!!!"  To get me to stand back up and hold her.  She thought it was hilarious.  Eventually it ended up in kids attacking me and creating a dog pile.  Then I hung out with Jessica and a group of her little girl friends and they taught me a few hand clapping games.  Their names were Lizzy and Daniel, and Chelsea from the tienda also came and played with us.  They all held onto my hands and arms and told me I was their favorite and they loved me.  A few people from my team and I stayed on the street playing with the kids through dinner until a while after dark when Pastor Chris made us come in.  It was awesome!

Me and Jessica

Jose, Mauri, Me, Chelsea, and Matt

God gave me a few jobs today that I didn't really care for.  They were definitely not my forte.  1. I have no clue how to build things or mix concrete.  I felt very helpless and was worried about getting in the way or messing up while helping with the stairs. 2. I am not an artist.  I don't know why the kids kept coming back for my blobby butterflies and hearts, and I knew the other people doing face paint were better at it than me.  But, missions trips are not about me.  I need to give my all in every task I'm given and have a good attitude about it, which God helped me with!  It ended up being one of the best nights of the whole trip!