Wednesday, January 13, 2010
A Prayer Answered!
Every year since we've been in Bettendorf, our school's start date has moved up a day. This school year started on August 10, so we have been fearing that this coming school year would start on August 9, which would be just four days after Haley arrives back home. Beth had told us that it took her a good three weeks to really want to interact much with people again when she came back last summer, so naturally we've been a little concerned about the potentially short transition time for Haley. We have been praying that the pattern we've known would be changed and that school wouldn't start until August 16. I just checked the school district's website, and our prayers have been answered! Praise the Lord!!!
Monday, January 11, 2010
"It Pretty Much Ruined My Life Forever . . . But In A Totally Good Way!"
When our family was back in Pella for Christmas, Haley met up with her friend, Beth, who she will be going to Africa with next summer. They pulled into my sister-in-law's driveway late on a cold Saturday night, and immediately I called and texted Haley and asked her to bring Beth inside so I could reacquaint myself with her and get a picture of the two of them for this blog:
For the next hour or two, we pummeled Beth with all kinds of questions because she had been to Uganda last summer. We discussed packing ideas, sleeping conditions, and bathroom concerns. We learned that when in Africa, you eat what Africans eat, even if it's fried grasshoppers or a fish on your plate with its eyes staring at you. She shared with us the extreme importance of submitting to your leaders' authority at all times and how strictly that is enforced for the sake of the missionaries' safety. Miracles are witnessed in Africa, but much demonic activity is also present and witnessed as well. A comment was made by Beth that if you're not called to go to Africa, it is not wise to go. As soon as she said that, my heart welled up with fear and the question of "How do we really know that Haley was called?" started to consume me, but immediately there were looks and comments between the two of them that assured this mom's heart that these two girls have clearly been called to go.
Finally, Beth was sharing her own personal story with us, and she made a comment that was still on my mind the minute I woke up that next morning: "It pretty much wrecked my life forever . . . but in a totally good way!" That has played over and over in my mind ever since then, and it has really caused us to think and pray about the long-term effects of what this trip will mean for not only Haley but our family as well. How will she transition back into the materialistic culture of the United States after spending two months in a culture of extreme poverty? Beth shared that a year's salary there is typically $300 and that it takes $36 a year just to pay for one child's education, which is really hard to attain for those children who were forced to kill their parents and who are now orphaned or being raised by aunts and uncles or whoever will take them in. How will Haley come back and possibly be thrown back into her public school environment and her role as a swim team captain possibly just four days later and be expected to relate to all these teenagers who haven't seen and experienced what she has seen? The new school calendar for 2010-2011 is supposed to be posted on the website today, and my prayer is that school won't start on August 9 as we fearfully anticipate but August 16 instead. She'll need all the acclimation time she can get! How will Haley react to innocent comments made by our own family when someone complains about the food on their plate or doesn't understand why they can't get the new pair of jeans they think they need? Will she be able to sleep peacefully at night, or will visions and stories of horror lurk in her mind forever? Ultimately, will she continually be drawn to helping people across the world, or will she somehow find satisfaction in doing the Lord's work right here in Iowa or at least in the United States?
All of these things have been rather heavy on my heart, but God in His infinite wisdom has made a point of reconfirming in my heart that she is doing exactly what He wants her to do. Last week I picked up the book, "The Dream Giver," by Bruce Wilkinson that I had been in the process of reading since before Christmas but had set aside for the last month or so. The whole time I had been reading it, my mindset had been on our own personal journey that we've been on in our business, but lo and behold, when I got to the last chapter or two, the author's words brought me to tears as he shared his personal dream of helping orphans in Africa. Then this morning I went to Beth Moore's website, and lo and behold, her daughter Amanda's blog entry brought me to tears as she shared a meaningful message that ended with her new awareness of the child soldiers in Africa. I knew right then and there that it was finally time to publish this blog entry of my own that had been swirling around in my head since Christmas but not until I prayed about it first. Lo and behold, when I opened up my Bible, these were the verses that were emphasized for today's reading from Genesis 26: "I will cause your descendants to become as numerous as the stars, and I will give them all these lands. And through your descendants all the nations of the earth will be blessed. I will do this because Abraham listened to me and obeyed all my requirements, commands, regulations, and laws." How amazing is He that He would set that verse right in front of me today?
Once again, we are reminded that our God is totally in control. We are so honored to be His servants, His hands and feet, even if it means "totally ruining our lives forever." His ways are good all the time!
May I end this by humbly asking for prayer? Haley has not only been feeling very overwhelmed with her schedule for this new semester, but now some of the things that we have been putting off till after Christmas need our attention. We need to start checking into the shots she needs, we're looking into flights to and from Texas, and we're continuing the search for just the right bedding options that can be easily and lightly packed but that will keep her warm when she's tenting in the middle of Zambia's winter season. It's not like she can just go to Wal-Mart and pick up something different once she's there, so we need to make the right choices on this end. She still needs to raise about $4250, so we're praying for wisdom in how to most effectively do that and for soft obedient hearts to respond to God's nudgings. Finally, she'll be taking a class called "Perspectives on the World Christian Movement" at our church every Sunday afternoon January 17 through May 9. This will add to her stress load, but she's very excited to have this opportunity at such a perfect time. Our hope and prayer is that it will give her much insight and knowledge as she prepares for her trip.
Thank you so much for reading this and caring for us. May you sense God's presence and peace in your own life today!
For the next hour or two, we pummeled Beth with all kinds of questions because she had been to Uganda last summer. We discussed packing ideas, sleeping conditions, and bathroom concerns. We learned that when in Africa, you eat what Africans eat, even if it's fried grasshoppers or a fish on your plate with its eyes staring at you. She shared with us the extreme importance of submitting to your leaders' authority at all times and how strictly that is enforced for the sake of the missionaries' safety. Miracles are witnessed in Africa, but much demonic activity is also present and witnessed as well. A comment was made by Beth that if you're not called to go to Africa, it is not wise to go. As soon as she said that, my heart welled up with fear and the question of "How do we really know that Haley was called?" started to consume me, but immediately there were looks and comments between the two of them that assured this mom's heart that these two girls have clearly been called to go.
Finally, Beth was sharing her own personal story with us, and she made a comment that was still on my mind the minute I woke up that next morning: "It pretty much wrecked my life forever . . . but in a totally good way!" That has played over and over in my mind ever since then, and it has really caused us to think and pray about the long-term effects of what this trip will mean for not only Haley but our family as well. How will she transition back into the materialistic culture of the United States after spending two months in a culture of extreme poverty? Beth shared that a year's salary there is typically $300 and that it takes $36 a year just to pay for one child's education, which is really hard to attain for those children who were forced to kill their parents and who are now orphaned or being raised by aunts and uncles or whoever will take them in. How will Haley come back and possibly be thrown back into her public school environment and her role as a swim team captain possibly just four days later and be expected to relate to all these teenagers who haven't seen and experienced what she has seen? The new school calendar for 2010-2011 is supposed to be posted on the website today, and my prayer is that school won't start on August 9 as we fearfully anticipate but August 16 instead. She'll need all the acclimation time she can get! How will Haley react to innocent comments made by our own family when someone complains about the food on their plate or doesn't understand why they can't get the new pair of jeans they think they need? Will she be able to sleep peacefully at night, or will visions and stories of horror lurk in her mind forever? Ultimately, will she continually be drawn to helping people across the world, or will she somehow find satisfaction in doing the Lord's work right here in Iowa or at least in the United States?
All of these things have been rather heavy on my heart, but God in His infinite wisdom has made a point of reconfirming in my heart that she is doing exactly what He wants her to do. Last week I picked up the book, "The Dream Giver," by Bruce Wilkinson that I had been in the process of reading since before Christmas but had set aside for the last month or so. The whole time I had been reading it, my mindset had been on our own personal journey that we've been on in our business, but lo and behold, when I got to the last chapter or two, the author's words brought me to tears as he shared his personal dream of helping orphans in Africa. Then this morning I went to Beth Moore's website, and lo and behold, her daughter Amanda's blog entry brought me to tears as she shared a meaningful message that ended with her new awareness of the child soldiers in Africa. I knew right then and there that it was finally time to publish this blog entry of my own that had been swirling around in my head since Christmas but not until I prayed about it first. Lo and behold, when I opened up my Bible, these were the verses that were emphasized for today's reading from Genesis 26: "I will cause your descendants to become as numerous as the stars, and I will give them all these lands. And through your descendants all the nations of the earth will be blessed. I will do this because Abraham listened to me and obeyed all my requirements, commands, regulations, and laws." How amazing is He that He would set that verse right in front of me today?
Once again, we are reminded that our God is totally in control. We are so honored to be His servants, His hands and feet, even if it means "totally ruining our lives forever." His ways are good all the time!
May I end this by humbly asking for prayer? Haley has not only been feeling very overwhelmed with her schedule for this new semester, but now some of the things that we have been putting off till after Christmas need our attention. We need to start checking into the shots she needs, we're looking into flights to and from Texas, and we're continuing the search for just the right bedding options that can be easily and lightly packed but that will keep her warm when she's tenting in the middle of Zambia's winter season. It's not like she can just go to Wal-Mart and pick up something different once she's there, so we need to make the right choices on this end. She still needs to raise about $4250, so we're praying for wisdom in how to most effectively do that and for soft obedient hearts to respond to God's nudgings. Finally, she'll be taking a class called "Perspectives on the World Christian Movement" at our church every Sunday afternoon January 17 through May 9. This will add to her stress load, but she's very excited to have this opportunity at such a perfect time. Our hope and prayer is that it will give her much insight and knowledge as she prepares for her trip.
Thank you so much for reading this and caring for us. May you sense God's presence and peace in your own life today!
Wednesday, December 23, 2009
Friday, December 4, 2009
My Pondering Mind
This morning as I was spending some delightful quiet time with the Lord, it dawned on me that maybe it was time to share with you a few of the things that have been rolling around in my mind. After all, that's what this blog is intended for . . . to share Haley's trip from a mom's perspective. Giving you only the fun details would be great, but I want this to be an honest portrayal of what it's like to send a child to Africa! At the end of the trip, I want to be able to look back and see exactly how God works out detail after detail, and I want you to experience His goodness with us!
First of all, it has been amazing to me how many times the subject of Africa and orphans has come up in things like conversations, radio broadcasts, sermons, and emails. Have I just never paid attention before, or is God just strategically placing those things in my life right now? For example, when we were standing in line for the state swim meet awhile back, we were visiting with my cousin's wife, Tiffany, and her mom, Tamy, and eventually we learned that Tamy had spent time loving on the children in Zambia a couple summers ago. She shared with us how special it was to love on those children, and I could see the genuine love of God in her eyes as she was describing it. I love how God brings insight into my mind through all these things! I'm learning to be more diligent in praying for Haley's heart as she prepares for her trip and praying that God's love will ooze out of her as she loves on those children.
Secondly, I'll be completely honest here. Fund-raising is heavy on the brain right now. We've been blessed to receive a packet in the mail from Global Expeditions with a lot of fund-raising ideas, so we're trying to figure out the most effective strategies in the midst of Haley's very busy schedule. She's involved in youth group, a small group, choir, volunteering at the Lydia House, working two part-time jobs, baby-sitting for a family on Friday nights, and of course, keeping up with an intense amount of homework. She's a busy girl! We have found ourselves in prayer together many times as we lay all of it at His feet and totally trust in Him.
Finally, I want to share with you that over Thanksgiving Haley met up with her friend Beth in Pella and Dura, a representative from Global who has been to Africa twice already. Their time was way too short, but Haley was able to glean so much information from them in a little bit of time. The realities of living in a tent, cozying up next to girlfriends for warmth, sleeping on a mat, living with primitive bathroom conditions, and maybe only being able to shower twice in a month's time started setting in, yet she came away with so much enthusiasm for her trip. I'm just amazed at how God is moving in her heart and am realizing more and more that when our daughter comes back to the States, she will be a changed person forever. It's a combination of scary and exciting all at the same time, but we'll continue to let God be our guide.
First of all, it has been amazing to me how many times the subject of Africa and orphans has come up in things like conversations, radio broadcasts, sermons, and emails. Have I just never paid attention before, or is God just strategically placing those things in my life right now? For example, when we were standing in line for the state swim meet awhile back, we were visiting with my cousin's wife, Tiffany, and her mom, Tamy, and eventually we learned that Tamy had spent time loving on the children in Zambia a couple summers ago. She shared with us how special it was to love on those children, and I could see the genuine love of God in her eyes as she was describing it. I love how God brings insight into my mind through all these things! I'm learning to be more diligent in praying for Haley's heart as she prepares for her trip and praying that God's love will ooze out of her as she loves on those children.
Secondly, I'll be completely honest here. Fund-raising is heavy on the brain right now. We've been blessed to receive a packet in the mail from Global Expeditions with a lot of fund-raising ideas, so we're trying to figure out the most effective strategies in the midst of Haley's very busy schedule. She's involved in youth group, a small group, choir, volunteering at the Lydia House, working two part-time jobs, baby-sitting for a family on Friday nights, and of course, keeping up with an intense amount of homework. She's a busy girl! We have found ourselves in prayer together many times as we lay all of it at His feet and totally trust in Him.
Finally, I want to share with you that over Thanksgiving Haley met up with her friend Beth in Pella and Dura, a representative from Global who has been to Africa twice already. Their time was way too short, but Haley was able to glean so much information from them in a little bit of time. The realities of living in a tent, cozying up next to girlfriends for warmth, sleeping on a mat, living with primitive bathroom conditions, and maybe only being able to shower twice in a month's time started setting in, yet she came away with so much enthusiasm for her trip. I'm just amazed at how God is moving in her heart and am realizing more and more that when our daughter comes back to the States, she will be a changed person forever. It's a combination of scary and exciting all at the same time, but we'll continue to let God be our guide.
Monday, November 16, 2009
Thanks, Dad!!
Back in 2007 when Haley was raising money for her Australia trip, we created the cookbooks that are featured on the right-hand side of this blog. It was such a fun project to do because we gathered awesome recipes from friends and family all over the United States and then compiled them into one really terrific cookbook which we were then able to sell to many of those same contributors and so many others who graciously supported her endeavors. We are forever grateful to those of you who had any part of this!
At that time my dad was one of our biggest supporters of this project, and as soon as he found out about Haley's plans for Africa, he wanted to know if we had any more of those cookbooks that he could sell for her. He's shameless when it comes to promoting his granddaughter because he's so proud of her and what she's accomplishing! He called us again tonight to tell us that he's sold another ten and wondered if we could send a few more the next time someone heads that way! Wow! Thanks, Dad! We appreciate all your help so very, very much!
If anyone would still like one, feel free to contact us or stop in and see my dad, Marv, at Pella Motors! They make great Christmas gifts! We're down to 50 of our original 550 cookbooks that we had for sale, so they won't be around much longer the way he's promoting them!
At that time my dad was one of our biggest supporters of this project, and as soon as he found out about Haley's plans for Africa, he wanted to know if we had any more of those cookbooks that he could sell for her. He's shameless when it comes to promoting his granddaughter because he's so proud of her and what she's accomplishing! He called us again tonight to tell us that he's sold another ten and wondered if we could send a few more the next time someone heads that way! Wow! Thanks, Dad! We appreciate all your help so very, very much!
If anyone would still like one, feel free to contact us or stop in and see my dad, Marv, at Pella Motors! They make great Christmas gifts! We're down to 50 of our original 550 cookbooks that we had for sale, so they won't be around much longer the way he's promoting them!
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
Where In The World Is Haley Going To Be?
My husband is a brilliant man when it comes to many things, but he's always been the first to admit that geography is not his thing. When he started asking Haley some really bizarre questions last night about where she will be, she started out by chuckling at his lack of knowledge but then gave me this look of "Mom, we really need to help Dad figure this stuff out!" We started by pulling out a Bible and finding a map of the world in the back.
Next we pulled a book that is full of maps from the shelf and even ended up with the vintage globe that was given to our family by his Grandma Nellie.
It's a little hard to see on this picture of the globe, but Haley will be spending her first month in South Africa, which is the southernmost country in Africa, and then her second month she will be in Zambia, which is a little bit north of South Africa. Have a little fun and pull out your own assortment of maps and see what you can learn about the location of these countries! They are definitely a long ways from home!
Next we pulled a book that is full of maps from the shelf and even ended up with the vintage globe that was given to our family by his Grandma Nellie.
It's a little hard to see on this picture of the globe, but Haley will be spending her first month in South Africa, which is the southernmost country in Africa, and then her second month she will be in Zambia, which is a little bit north of South Africa. Have a little fun and pull out your own assortment of maps and see what you can learn about the location of these countries! They are definitely a long ways from home!
Sunday, November 8, 2009
"Hands and Feet" by Audio Adrenaline
This is one of Haley's favorite songs because it depicts the cry of her heart . . . to be His hands and feet.
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