He is EVERYWHERE!!!

February 1, 2013 

God was EVERYWHERE today!!!

The  moment my feet hit the floor this morning I felt at peace.  All the anxieties and worries that I had felt over the last couple of weeks had disappeared. 

We arrived at the Asheville Airport at 5:45 and began unloading our crates and luggage.  Jeff hauled all my stuff to the Delta counter where Kelly was already waiting.  We said our goodbyes (which are always hard) and he rushed out to move the car and head off to work.  I stood in line filled with excitement and a bit sad from our parting.  I few moments later Debbi arrives and behind her are her sweet hubby Michael AND my hubby!!! It was just what my heart needed a second goodbye!  

As our troops started to arrive one by one and the crates and luggage began piling up there was a man waiting  behind us, we offered for him to go around but he was happy to wait.  It turns out that he had been visiting Camp Kanuga in Hendersonville and he himself ran a camp in Washington.  It was a pleasure to talk to him as we were processing our things.   

One by one we weighed our trunks holding our breath that they were the required 50lbs.  God's hands were on the scales and our weigh in was successful.  We had planned to have to pay $45 each for our second checked baggage.  The night before Jim found out that because he is 'special' he can check in with up to 8 guest and they do not have to pay the fee!!!  What an exciting savings!!!  Kelly was flying stand-by and got THE LAST seat on the flight to Atlanta...another whoot whoot for God!!

One of my little fears that I had was that I was going to have to try and lift my luggage up to the overhead compartment.  By the time we boarded our plane in Atlanta there was no more room in the overhead compartment....cha ching....I left it at the door for it to be loaded under the plane!!!   

I just felt like God was carrying me through every phase of the journey thus far the peace that I woke up with continued to follow me through the morning.  As I walked down  the aisle searching for my seat I heard someone call out my name...as I searched to find the source I expected to find one of my team members who had boarded earlier but to my surprise there sat Jim & Julie Nelms!!!  Jim and I had worked together at State Farm over 10 years ago.  Jim is who introduced me to Grace Community church and he and Julie now serve on one of the islands off the coast of Honduras.  I was so excited!!!  I could not believe that they were there!!!  My heart was already happy but it almost exploded!  Thank you Lord for such a wonderful gift.  

 Big Sigh.....EXHALE....GRIN....Smile....Awesome God!!!!

(L-R) Mary Dean Beland, Me, Jim Nelms, Jlulie, their son & Pastor Jim

He Speaks in Honduras, the beginning

In January 2008, my first trip to Honduras, Pastor Jim asked our team if anyone would like to give their testimony at the service that night.  As is very normal for me I immediately replied NO WAY....there is no way in the world that I am going to stand on the stage of a church and look into a sea of faces and expose my heart.  

That day we traveled up into the mountains to serve in a medical clinic people came from miles around...walking....just to see a doctor.  We took photos of people and printed them right on the spot (via a printer hooked to the cigarette lighter in the truck)  Some of those people had never had a photo of themselves and were so happy to have that 4 x 6 photo.  We played games with the kids, painted little girls finger nails and just had an amazing time.  There was joy all over that mountain side.  

The whole time we were there in the back of my mind I kept hearing the Lord tell me to give my testimony.  To which I would once again reply with I can't.  Finally by the time we came down off the mountain I submitted & agreed but only if He would give me the words to say. 

It was the first time that I had ever shared my testimony publicly and honestly I am not sure what I said but I know that the Lord gave me the words that night.  I looked out into a see of faces and in the midst of the brown eyes and dark hair I saw smiles from light colored skin, friends that truly knew me and knew my heart.   That trip was the beginning of a journey for me.  I realized on that trip how much God  loved me despite my failures and short comings. Have I believed it every day since then? No way....there have been times when I have totally forgotten it all together but as time has gone on He gently reminds me that He will never leave me nor forsake me....that He is for me ....and that He gave it all.  

Call this a teaser but that is where it started 5 years ago....that brings us to 2013 and what He taught me this time...FEAR....I learned that I am a very fearful person but  he proved to me over and over again on my  journey that the fear does not come from him ....that He is in control.    Stay tuned to hear how my fear was proven wrong and where God was on my journey.

 

The home  for girls lit up at night

Like most people, I look forward to Fridays...the end of the work week and the start of the weekend. 

However,   the work week ends for me tomorrow & instead of Friday marking the end it is the beginning of my great adventure!

I am excited, nervous, apprehensive, anxious, and did I mention excited?

It has been such a wonderful blessing to watch God build this team of ladies.  What started as myself and Debbi has now grown to a team of 6 ladies & Pastor Jim.  We all have different gifts, talents, fears & insecurities but isn't that what makes a great team? 

As I have mentioned before our idea is go and refresh, encourage & lift up the teachers of  Compassion International. Funte de Vida school, and the ladies of the Fuente de Vida hogar las ninas. (Home for girls)  But I know God has something much bigger planned....bigger than we could even imagine and that is what I am looking forward to the most...sitting back and letting God be God.

Please pray for us as be meet tomorrow to pack the footlockers & duffel bags that will carry the items we will be taking.  God has blessed us with 40 Bibles and devotional books, we will also take hygiene products donated by many folks in the area....clothes and items needed to care for the girls at the home. Please pray that exactly what needs to go will fit!  Also pray for good health & safety for our entire team.  And finally...last and most definitely not least that we will be open to the Holy Spirits leading.  That we wouldn't be so wrapped up in our own agendas that we miss what he has planted for us. 

Thank you so much! I look forward to sharing with you when I return on the 8th.

She's bringing sea shells....

I feel like a different person from the one who posted the blog entry last weekend.  I am revived, refreshed and ready to fly!  This week I received encouraging notes & counsel from friends;  they were definitely messages from above.  Don't ever think that God doesn't use you because you never know what a kind world, encouragement or even a smile will do to make a difference in someone's heart.

Our 'team' met again last night to review our plan.  It was so exciting to see how pieces of the plan are starting to fit together.  Although we have a 'plan' we were reminded to be flexible.  (Big SMILE inserted here) you never know what will happen, that is part of the great adventure.

Today I was able to mark several things off my list.  My task is to get the journals that we will give the ladies (they will also receive a bible and devotional book

I believe I mentioned in my previous post that we are going to be making boxes with mosaics on the top.  We will be using broken plates, marbles, and I am going to be taking sea shells.

I have bags and bags of shells that I have collected over the years.  Today I was going through them selecting ones to take to Honduras.  One of the bags was marked "Beach Trip 2004" .  If you had told me 9 years ago that I was picking up shells to take to the Central Mountains of Honduras I would have not believed it.  Indeed His ways are not ours. 

 

 

On Your Mark....Get Ready.....

Broken

 

Tonight our whole team met for the first time.  What started out as a team of two has grown to 6 ladies and Pastor Jim. 

As I was getting ready for church this morning I was thinking to myself 'how are we going to minister to these ladies, none of us speak Spanish.'   I have written about the language barrier previously in my blog...it seems to always work out...but this time it is different.  We really needed to be able to talk to share our message.  When I arrived at church sweet Mary Beth came up to me and said "did you hear? I'm going with you on the trip"....Whoo hoooo....Oh BTW she is fluent in Spanish!  

As we set around the table brainstorming this evening we mentioned to Pastor Jim that we would like to take some devotionals & did he know of a source where we can get them discount? Well, not only did he know someone he had just been talking to someone a few days ago that would like to help Honduras Fountain of Life in just that way!  Not only can we take the devotionals we are taking Bibles! God at work ahead of us :-)

We sat reading scripture, talking about how we can refresh the ladies that work so hard serving others there?  The idea of brokenness  became our theme.  How we are all broken? The crafts we are planning, the verses we started to compile all pointed to our brokenness and how He loves us despite that.  We talked about sharing our testimonies with the ladies during the second session...my heart began to race....and the lies in my head began to over shadow the conversation around the table.  How can I share my testimony?  How can I even consider this? What was I thinking? I can go and wash their feet....I can hug them....I can share that way but give my testimony??  Share my heart?  THIS REALLY A BAD IDEA!!!!    

I drove home quiet....radio off....replaying all those things in my head.  I can't.....! What if? I CAN'T....WHAT IF?   By the time I got home I was in tears.   Thankfully when I arrived home Poppy needed to go outside and I could calm down.  Then I heard that little voice again and I heard ...."You are right ....you can't but I can"  I came in and wrote in my journal:

WHAT IF?
I CAN'T.....

BUT HE CAN.

I am still a little apprehensive and unsure but I am reminded that I am not the one in control.  He is and shows me that time and time again.  Please pray that I will remember that....not just at this moment but all the moments to come.  

 
 

He Speaks

 

God speaks to me in so many ways and as I have said before I am always amazed.  It is so exciting when I hear a song, read a verse, talk to a friend who out of the blue says something that relates to what I am experiencing etc.  

I receive an email every day from Tommy Hayes with Messiah Ministry, a morning prayer.  Below is the email I received yesterday.  I was so encouraged by what it said, not only in relation to my upcoming trip to Honduras but also concerning transitions that I am experiencing in my life.

 

Now the Lord said to Abram, 'Go from your country and your kindred and your father's house to the land that I will show you' " (Genesis 12:1).

You're a God who speaks to Your people, a Father who speaks to His sons and daughters. You love us because You are Love, and part of the expression of Your relationship of love with us is Your communication with us. You help us hear Your voice, both in Your written word and Your spoken word (John 10:3).

Part of the great adventure of faith is learning to hear Your voice. And then when we believed we've heard it, we also learn to trust it and obey it. All the while, You are patient and kind to help us learn, help us trust, help us obey.

Abram heard Your voice and Abram obeyed. And though he made many mistakes along the way, You counted his heart of faith toward You and his passion to seek You as righteousness (Romans 4:3). His righteousness was not because of anything he did, but because of who You created him to be in relationship with You - a son of God, in the frailty and sinfulness of human flesh and blood, who was willing to learn to hear and follow the voice of God.

You told him to go. And he did. Not knowing all that would unfold before him in this land that You would show him, not knowing the heights of joy and the depths of pain he would encounter and endure. But it was only through obedience that he could receive the blessing of all You had planned to pour into his life and through his life into lives of generations to come (Genesis 12:2-3). And I believe that's Your heart for each one of us-"that the blessing of Abraham might come upon (us) through Jesus Christ, that we might believe the promise of the Spirit through faith" (Galatians 3:14).

That's what I desire, Lord. So help me hear and trust and obey. Give me grace to go when it's time to go, through every transition and into every new season. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

Tommy Hayes

http://www.messiah-ministries.org