Inasmuch as we went to bless the people of Samuhu, it was they who blessed us, and so much more than I can find the words to properly express.
They went so far above and beyond to take such incredibly good care of us. We went on this trip to work, not asking for anything in return, and yet what we were given feels like so much more than anything I could have imagined or possibly have given back. They took us in, treated us so, so well, and made us feel completely at home in a new country on a different continent.
While, yes, we did do "work" on our trip, none of it actually felt like "work" the way we think of it. The entire time we were there we were making new friends, building new relationships, learning about a different culture, and experiencing a beautiful way of life. While we did discover some surprising things about our lives in the states that we have a little more appreciation for now, their culture exhibited some wonderful differences that we want to hold onto and share with everyone back home. (And I'm not just talking about the amazing food and the mate...) ;)
The Argentine people's hearts are so beautifully welcoming, generous and kind. My husband and I fell in love with the country but even more so with the people. Their hearts for each other and for us, strangers from another country who could barely speak their language, inspired us to come home and do our best to share that sense of love and belonging not just with the people who are already in our lives, but with the people we meet daily in our community, and each person that comes here to visit.
The experience left us longing to go back, to see those remarkable people again, to introduce them to our children, for our children to see and experience this beautiful nation and culture and for them to see what a different way of life is like. We were really inspired to dig in work toward our dream of one day being on a long-term mission ourselves.
I don't know when we will be able to go back, but whether it is a year from now or 5 years from now, I cannot wait to return and be able to see the people we met ,who will be forever in our hearts.
Thank you, Anthony and Jessica, for inviting us and sharing this place and these people, that you so love, with us. Argentina will always have a place in our hearts.
Thursday, June 30, 2016
Tuesday, June 28, 2016
The People...
As beautiful as the country is, the people are even more incredible!
From the moment we arrived until we boarded our flight out, the people of Argentina went so far above and beyond anything I would have ever dreamed of asking to take such good care of us. Their kindness and selfless generosity will be something that I will forever cherish and strive to emulate in my own life.
We were greeted at the airport in Resistencia by the Pastor/Missionary we were going to serve and a couple men who so generously invested their time and personal vehicles to transport us to and from the airport and get us safely where we needed to go. The guys spent the first night there at the beautiful home of our hosts and an incredibly kind couple personally provided us, (women), a lovely room in a hotel in town.
At the church in Samuhu, where we spent the majority of our trip, the people had gone out of their way to make sure our stay was as comfortable as possible. They worked hard converting the classrooms into bedrooms for the guys and getting the house out back ready for the women. They took us in and provided us wonderful accommodations during our stay.
These are some of the incredible women who gave tirelessly of themselves and their time every day to provide all of our delicious meals and make sure we were well fed. In the evening they made sure our laundry was done for us. They made trips to the store to make sure that we had not just what we needed but little comforts and extras as well. They were such a beautiful example of the hearts of the Argentine people. These beautiful women went so far above and beyond to make sure we were so, so well taken care of. I could never thank them enough for all that they did for us.
Even the young guys and ladies went out of their way to welcome us and include us! They threw us such a lovely party so we could come together and watch the U.S. vs. Ecuador match in the Copa America Centenario. They made us tea and provided us snacks. The three of us that went had so much fun! They really made us feel like we were part of their community, not just visiting outsiders.
A couple days later we were invited to join them for their afternoon gathering up at the sports complex where they play basketball and volleyball. My husband and I and one other team member went and had a great time just experiencing life as they live it.
The people of Samuhu, from the youngest to the oldest, we so kind, generous, and welcoming. Not only did they make us feel completely welcome and at home in a land so far away, but they really made us feel like family. They blessed us beyond words and for that I will be forever thankful.
Even the employees at a cafe in Villa Angela took the time to offer us coffee and a place to relax while we waited to be able to eat dinner after siesta.
Each person we met along the way, including the Superintendant in Samuhu, who took the time to meet us, gave such warm greetings, and spent time showing us how easy it really is to truly connect in spite of language barriers.
When it was time to depart they walked us out, they helped load up our bags and they prayed for us for safe travels.
Even though I didn't leave a shoe there, like the guys suggested at the football party, Argentina and her people will forever be in my heart. Until the next time we meet... May the Lord bless you richly! <3
From the moment we arrived until we boarded our flight out, the people of Argentina went so far above and beyond anything I would have ever dreamed of asking to take such good care of us. Their kindness and selfless generosity will be something that I will forever cherish and strive to emulate in my own life.
We were greeted at the airport in Resistencia by the Pastor/Missionary we were going to serve and a couple men who so generously invested their time and personal vehicles to transport us to and from the airport and get us safely where we needed to go. The guys spent the first night there at the beautiful home of our hosts and an incredibly kind couple personally provided us, (women), a lovely room in a hotel in town.
At the church in Samuhu, where we spent the majority of our trip, the people had gone out of their way to make sure our stay was as comfortable as possible. They worked hard converting the classrooms into bedrooms for the guys and getting the house out back ready for the women. They took us in and provided us wonderful accommodations during our stay.
Even the young guys and ladies went out of their way to welcome us and include us! They threw us such a lovely party so we could come together and watch the U.S. vs. Ecuador match in the Copa America Centenario. They made us tea and provided us snacks. The three of us that went had so much fun! They really made us feel like we were part of their community, not just visiting outsiders.
A couple days later we were invited to join them for their afternoon gathering up at the sports complex where they play basketball and volleyball. My husband and I and one other team member went and had a great time just experiencing life as they live it.
The people of Samuhu, from the youngest to the oldest, we so kind, generous, and welcoming. Not only did they make us feel completely welcome and at home in a land so far away, but they really made us feel like family. They blessed us beyond words and for that I will be forever thankful.
Even the employees at a cafe in Villa Angela took the time to offer us coffee and a place to relax while we waited to be able to eat dinner after siesta.
Each person we met along the way, including the Superintendant in Samuhu, who took the time to meet us, gave such warm greetings, and spent time showing us how easy it really is to truly connect in spite of language barriers.
When it was time to depart they walked us out, they helped load up our bags and they prayed for us for safe travels.
Even though I didn't leave a shoe there, like the guys suggested at the football party, Argentina and her people will forever be in my heart. Until the next time we meet... May the Lord bless you richly! <3
Monday, June 27, 2016
The Places...
Even through we only got to visit such a small part of Argentina we were in awe of the scenic beauty. From the big city to the small towns, from the wonder of Iguazu to the quiet drive through the countryside, Argentina is a reflection of God's love for us experienced in the magnificence of His creation!
We flew into Buenos Aires and were struck with the sheer size of it. From the airplane window it seemed to stretch on forever. Unfortunately, we didn't get to see much of Buenos Aires apart from the drive from one airport to another on our last day in Argentina, but what we did get to see left us wanting to go back and spend some time there.
From Buenos Aires, we flew up to Resistencia. We got in late at night but the view of the cluster of lights from the plane was brilliant.
We got our first glimpse of the amazing hospitality of the Argentine people when we stepped off the plane and were greeted by our host and two men who had come to volunteer their time and personal vehicles to transport us an hour and half from the airport in Resistencia to Saenz Pena.
Our first night there, the men in our group stayed with our host in their beautiful home, and the three of us ladies were put up in a lovely hotel by a very kind and thoughtful couple from the church in Saenz Pena.
We didn't get to spend much time there, but we did get our first taste of their amazing food and we got to see the local church before we set out on our way to Samuhu.
The majority of our trip was spent in Chaco, primarily in Samuhu. Samuhu is where we went to help with the building project. It is where we got to know some of the wonderful people of Argentina.
We spent 7 days in Samuhu. By the time we left, Samuhu felt like home. From the closeness of the community to the way they live life there was so much to love and even more to learn from and bring home with us.
When we weren't at the church we were out in the community at community group meetings, seeing the town, getting treats at the local shops, spending time engaging with the youth in the activities that they enjoy, experiencing a different way of life and falling in love with the people and the culture that make up this beautiful country.
From Samuhu we took a 10 hour over-night bus ride to Iguazu Falls. I could try to find the words to describe the splendor and awe, but ultimately words would fail. It is so great and so grand that even photographs do it no justice. Standing along the raging waters of Iguazu leaves the observer feeling small in the presence of the glory of God's creation. It draws you in with it's awesome beauty. Let me just say... Go. See it.
We took another 10 hour over-night bus ride back to Resistencia. We spend our last night in Resistencia. The view from our hotel room was beautiful both during the day and all lit up at night. We got to go out and see parts of Resistencia during the day, and though the majority of the shops/businesses were closed for holiday, it had a unique feel that could easily capture your attention.
A few of us went across the river to Corrientes. It is a beautiful city filled with remarkable architecture and captivating scenery. We walked along the boardwalk, stopped for a bite and took in the stunning sunset. It was the perfect way to end our grand adventure!
Argentina is a gorgeous country filled with breath-taking views, yet all of that pales in comparison to her people.
We flew into Buenos Aires and were struck with the sheer size of it. From the airplane window it seemed to stretch on forever. Unfortunately, we didn't get to see much of Buenos Aires apart from the drive from one airport to another on our last day in Argentina, but what we did get to see left us wanting to go back and spend some time there.
From Buenos Aires, we flew up to Resistencia. We got in late at night but the view of the cluster of lights from the plane was brilliant.
We got our first glimpse of the amazing hospitality of the Argentine people when we stepped off the plane and were greeted by our host and two men who had come to volunteer their time and personal vehicles to transport us an hour and half from the airport in Resistencia to Saenz Pena.
Our first night there, the men in our group stayed with our host in their beautiful home, and the three of us ladies were put up in a lovely hotel by a very kind and thoughtful couple from the church in Saenz Pena.
We didn't get to spend much time there, but we did get our first taste of their amazing food and we got to see the local church before we set out on our way to Samuhu.
The majority of our trip was spent in Chaco, primarily in Samuhu. Samuhu is where we went to help with the building project. It is where we got to know some of the wonderful people of Argentina. We spent 7 days in Samuhu. By the time we left, Samuhu felt like home. From the closeness of the community to the way they live life there was so much to love and even more to learn from and bring home with us.
When we weren't at the church we were out in the community at community group meetings, seeing the town, getting treats at the local shops, spending time engaging with the youth in the activities that they enjoy, experiencing a different way of life and falling in love with the people and the culture that make up this beautiful country.
From Samuhu we took a 10 hour over-night bus ride to Iguazu Falls. I could try to find the words to describe the splendor and awe, but ultimately words would fail. It is so great and so grand that even photographs do it no justice. Standing along the raging waters of Iguazu leaves the observer feeling small in the presence of the glory of God's creation. It draws you in with it's awesome beauty. Let me just say... Go. See it.
We took another 10 hour over-night bus ride back to Resistencia. We spend our last night in Resistencia. The view from our hotel room was beautiful both during the day and all lit up at night. We got to go out and see parts of Resistencia during the day, and though the majority of the shops/businesses were closed for holiday, it had a unique feel that could easily capture your attention.
A few of us went across the river to Corrientes. It is a beautiful city filled with remarkable architecture and captivating scenery. We walked along the boardwalk, stopped for a bite and took in the stunning sunset. It was the perfect way to end our grand adventure!
Argentina is a gorgeous country filled with breath-taking views, yet all of that pales in comparison to her people.
Sunday, June 26, 2016
What We Did...
Was go.
What God did while we were there was nothing short of amazing.
By the time we all gathered at the airport in Portland to board our flight to Argentina, God had already done so much. He had poured out His blessings on each one of us and on our team as a whole. He miraculously provided us the money to go. He provided the funding for the materials for the building project. He removed the many obstacles and put all of the pieces in place so each one of us could be on this trip. Each bit of resistance we encountered in preparation for the trip was met with resolution from God. It was so clear to us that God's grace was covering this trip.
From the moment we got up that morning until we finished the building work, the enemy was constantly scheming up ways to derail God's plans, but God is so much bigger and stronger than him and God took good care of us.
I woke up not feeling well. I knew something was wrong, but I didn't have the time to get to a doctor on my way to the airport, so Steve and I prayed and off we went. We had a safe and uneventful trip down there. I wasn't feel any worse, so I was thankful for that.
When we got there we were met by our host and two other men who had so graciously come and volunteered their time and vehicles to transport us an hour and half from Resistencia to Saenz Pena. On the way there one of the cars got a flat tire, but the guys made quick work of getting the spare put on and we were back on our way.
The next day we gathered together and had our first Argentinean meal, which was amazing to say the least! The meat was so tender and flavorful, and empanadas! Yum! Then we were off on our way to Samuhu, where we would be helping with the building project. I wasn't feeling any worse but I wasn't feeling any better, so I asked the team for prayer.
We began our stay in Samuhu with the evening service. We got to experience the very same presence of God in a very different culture. Worship was absolutely beautiful. We were able to pray for people and God spoke to the people through some of our team members. It was such an encouraging experience!
The next morning we began work on the building. Before we even got started God had protected one of us from serious injury. It was crazy to hear about what happened and know how badly it could have ended up, yet God was with us and He was protecting us. It was quite literally a miracle. So, we set about our work, moving thousands of bricks, making sure they were wet, filling and carrying buckets of cement and water. It was our job to make sure that those who knew how to lay brick had everything they needed to work as efficiently as they could.
I woke up the second work day feeling worse. The pain was getting worse and I was getting a little worried about the progression of the problem. Steve and I talked about it and we remembered that his doctor had sent some "in case" rescue medications. One of them "should" work to improve my health, but it could cause other problems. We decided it was worth the "risk" so we prayed there would be no side effects and I began taking the medication. We dug in and kept on working.
That evening was their weekly prayer meeting. We were asked to minister as we felt called to and share as we felt led. We had all been praying about what God would have us share. One of our incredible team members was learning some worship songs in Spanish so she could lead worship. (And she did a fantastic job!)
As we prepared to enter the church for the service, I had this overwhelming feeling of utter uselessness. I didn't have the talent to lead worship, I had never received a word from God for anyone, I had never prophesied or seen anyone healed from my prayers. I felt like a total failure. I felt like I had nothing to offer. I felt like I shouldn't be there.
I prayed anyway. I prayed that if God wanted to use me, He would use me as He saw fit. That He would provide whatever wisdom, knowledge, healing, word, etc. that He wanted to share, and I took a deep breath and went in.
While I was sitting there God spoke to me. He reminded me of the importance of each part of the body and how He fit them all together to work as He designed. I wasn't sure if the word was for me personally or for me to share. I began looking through the Bible to find the verse. I felt like if I was going to share this word, I needed the scripture verse to go with it. I looked and looked but just couldn't find it for the life of me. So, I began to think I wasn't supposed to share. (Which was oddly relieving. In spite of my desire to be useful, I am terrified of getting up and speaking in front of anyone. Seriously. Terrified.) I decided to just say a quick prayer and tell God that if I was supposed to share, He needed to give me the verse. And... He did. I got so nervous. I was going to have to get up and go share. I felt sick. But I did it anyway. I felt like I was yammering on and wasn't sure if I was making any sense, but I did it. I got up and shared a word... it was crazy, but it was exciting to feel God using me... me!
That service was amazing! God did so many wonderful things. He united us in worship. He used the testimonies of our team to encourage people. He them prophetic words through our team. He ministered to the people and He showed them His love. It was an awesome experience!
The next day, half of our team had come down with a cold of one kind or another. The medicine I was taking had started to work and I was finally feeling better. We took the afternoon off and went to Villa Angela. We walked, enjoyed the beautiful scenery and had some of their fantastic ice cream before we stopped at a cafe for dinner. It was a much needed rest to allow our team's health to recover.
We worked hard the rest of the week, moving more brick and keeping the builders supplied. We accomplished a fair amount of building in 5 1/2 days. During this time we got to know some of the local people. We began building relationships and falling in love with a new culture.
In the evenings we got to attended some of the community groups. We got invited to a party to watch the U.S. play Ecuador in the Copa America Centenario. (Which was AWESOME!) We had fun and fellowship and got to know each other better. We didn't just build a building, we built friendships.
Our last day in Samuhu was spent celebrating the church with the people that we came down to serve. They had their Celebration Service in honor of the 49th anniversary of the church. It was a wonderful way to spend our last hours in this place we had come to love.
My husband dedicated a baby. Our Pastor, that came with us, shared a sermon. Our teammate led us all in worship, alternating flawlessly between Spanish and English, bridging the gap between us and them. We prayed for healing. We prayed for direction. We saw a family united at church, people healed, prophetic words from God that people had been longing to hear.
God did so much for the people of Samuhu in the seven days we were there. It was awesome to see His hand at work in their lives. He blessed us beyond anything we would have ever imagined through the beautiful people that we came to serve. He touched our hearts and He united us all as brothers and sisters. I learned so much about myself, and about the life I want to live. I was encouraged, inspired and changed.
Argentina will forever be a part of me.
What God did while we were there was nothing short of amazing.
By the time we all gathered at the airport in Portland to board our flight to Argentina, God had already done so much. He had poured out His blessings on each one of us and on our team as a whole. He miraculously provided us the money to go. He provided the funding for the materials for the building project. He removed the many obstacles and put all of the pieces in place so each one of us could be on this trip. Each bit of resistance we encountered in preparation for the trip was met with resolution from God. It was so clear to us that God's grace was covering this trip.
From the moment we got up that morning until we finished the building work, the enemy was constantly scheming up ways to derail God's plans, but God is so much bigger and stronger than him and God took good care of us.
I woke up not feeling well. I knew something was wrong, but I didn't have the time to get to a doctor on my way to the airport, so Steve and I prayed and off we went. We had a safe and uneventful trip down there. I wasn't feel any worse, so I was thankful for that.
When we got there we were met by our host and two other men who had so graciously come and volunteered their time and vehicles to transport us an hour and half from Resistencia to Saenz Pena. On the way there one of the cars got a flat tire, but the guys made quick work of getting the spare put on and we were back on our way.
The next day we gathered together and had our first Argentinean meal, which was amazing to say the least! The meat was so tender and flavorful, and empanadas! Yum! Then we were off on our way to Samuhu, where we would be helping with the building project. I wasn't feeling any worse but I wasn't feeling any better, so I asked the team for prayer.
We began our stay in Samuhu with the evening service. We got to experience the very same presence of God in a very different culture. Worship was absolutely beautiful. We were able to pray for people and God spoke to the people through some of our team members. It was such an encouraging experience!
The next morning we began work on the building. Before we even got started God had protected one of us from serious injury. It was crazy to hear about what happened and know how badly it could have ended up, yet God was with us and He was protecting us. It was quite literally a miracle. So, we set about our work, moving thousands of bricks, making sure they were wet, filling and carrying buckets of cement and water. It was our job to make sure that those who knew how to lay brick had everything they needed to work as efficiently as they could.
That evening was their weekly prayer meeting. We were asked to minister as we felt called to and share as we felt led. We had all been praying about what God would have us share. One of our incredible team members was learning some worship songs in Spanish so she could lead worship. (And she did a fantastic job!)
As we prepared to enter the church for the service, I had this overwhelming feeling of utter uselessness. I didn't have the talent to lead worship, I had never received a word from God for anyone, I had never prophesied or seen anyone healed from my prayers. I felt like a total failure. I felt like I had nothing to offer. I felt like I shouldn't be there.
I prayed anyway. I prayed that if God wanted to use me, He would use me as He saw fit. That He would provide whatever wisdom, knowledge, healing, word, etc. that He wanted to share, and I took a deep breath and went in.
While I was sitting there God spoke to me. He reminded me of the importance of each part of the body and how He fit them all together to work as He designed. I wasn't sure if the word was for me personally or for me to share. I began looking through the Bible to find the verse. I felt like if I was going to share this word, I needed the scripture verse to go with it. I looked and looked but just couldn't find it for the life of me. So, I began to think I wasn't supposed to share. (Which was oddly relieving. In spite of my desire to be useful, I am terrified of getting up and speaking in front of anyone. Seriously. Terrified.) I decided to just say a quick prayer and tell God that if I was supposed to share, He needed to give me the verse. And... He did. I got so nervous. I was going to have to get up and go share. I felt sick. But I did it anyway. I felt like I was yammering on and wasn't sure if I was making any sense, but I did it. I got up and shared a word... it was crazy, but it was exciting to feel God using me... me!
That service was amazing! God did so many wonderful things. He united us in worship. He used the testimonies of our team to encourage people. He them prophetic words through our team. He ministered to the people and He showed them His love. It was an awesome experience!
The next day, half of our team had come down with a cold of one kind or another. The medicine I was taking had started to work and I was finally feeling better. We took the afternoon off and went to Villa Angela. We walked, enjoyed the beautiful scenery and had some of their fantastic ice cream before we stopped at a cafe for dinner. It was a much needed rest to allow our team's health to recover.
We worked hard the rest of the week, moving more brick and keeping the builders supplied. We accomplished a fair amount of building in 5 1/2 days. During this time we got to know some of the local people. We began building relationships and falling in love with a new culture.
In the evenings we got to attended some of the community groups. We got invited to a party to watch the U.S. play Ecuador in the Copa America Centenario. (Which was AWESOME!) We had fun and fellowship and got to know each other better. We didn't just build a building, we built friendships.
Our last day in Samuhu was spent celebrating the church with the people that we came down to serve. They had their Celebration Service in honor of the 49th anniversary of the church. It was a wonderful way to spend our last hours in this place we had come to love.
My husband dedicated a baby. Our Pastor, that came with us, shared a sermon. Our teammate led us all in worship, alternating flawlessly between Spanish and English, bridging the gap between us and them. We prayed for healing. We prayed for direction. We saw a family united at church, people healed, prophetic words from God that people had been longing to hear.
God did so much for the people of Samuhu in the seven days we were there. It was awesome to see His hand at work in their lives. He blessed us beyond anything we would have ever imagined through the beautiful people that we came to serve. He touched our hearts and He united us all as brothers and sisters. I learned so much about myself, and about the life I want to live. I was encouraged, inspired and changed.
Argentina will forever be a part of me.
Saturday, June 25, 2016
How God Prepared Us...
There is nothing apart from God that could have prepared us for what was to come. This trip was going to depend heavily upon our faith and trust in Him. We knew when we signed up for this that we would have to prepare, but what we didn't know was that we had already been preparing for over a decade...
We have lived on a very tight budget since we had our first child. There were complications with the delivery and I was unable to return to work for 6 months. Going from two incomes to one took a bit of time to figure out and adjust to, but once we did, we felt that the benefits to our son outweighed the income potential after the cost of childcare, so I officially became a stay at home mom.
We went through seasons of abundance and seasons of lack. There was a time when we supported our family of 4 on $10/hr., a time when we had a good income and savings to pull from, there were periods of unemployment after layoffs when we had no idea how we would pay bills or feed our kids, and the season we are in now of "just enough" but no extra to spare. Through all of it, God has met our needs and even blessed us with extras.
This year has been an incredible season of stretching and growing our faith and a time of miraculous provision. Our year began with a trip to Disneyland. If you have been following my blog, you know that we drove all the way to California in faith that God would provide the money for our hotel and park tickets when we got down there. Why did we do that? Because our "plans" to fund our trip took a detour and our back up plan wasn't coming through. Still, we were encouraged to go and put our faith in God, in His timing and His ability to sort out the details and provide. It was crazy. It felt absolutely insane. It was terrifying. We could have abandoned our plans and stayed home, but we didn't we went anyway. You know what? God came through. BIG TIME. Not only did He make a way for us to have a place to stay AND go to the park for 4 days, but He blessed us with fun little extras along the way.
When we got back we expected to go back to life as normal, but God just kept bringing miracle after miracle as answers to what felt like mountains in our way.
When we signed up for this mission trip, with a $2,000/month budget and no savings we knew we were going to have to do some serious fund raising to be able to meet the $5,000 cost. We did bake sales, started a Go Fund Me account, asked businesses for donations and got to work looking for ways to earn the money we needed. God faithfully met our initial deposit of $400 through our amazing friends and family within the first couple days of starting our Go Fund Me account. We felt so blessed and encouraged that we really were supposed to be going. We were able to raise enough money to get our passports in just enough time, so we really felt like everything was falling into place!
Then we ran into the potholes in the road. One after another plan and attempt to raise money fell short. We were a month out and still needed to raise $4,000. We began to doubt. We wondered what we were going to do. We talked about maybe just sending my husband since he was the one who we were sure was supposed to go. We were starting to consider that we may not be going and then something stopped us... Disneyland. God reminded us of how He was faithful and blessed us with something that we wanted for our family. How much more faithful would He be to provide for something He had called us to?!
So, we waited. We prayed and we gave it to Him. We put the burden of provision in His very capable hands. A couple days later an anonymous donation came in for us that would cover the majority of what we still needed! A few donations and a bake sale later and the cost of the trip was paid for. :) God faithfully provides, y'all.
Two weeks before we were to leave for the trip my husband got a job offer. He went to his employer to notify them and ask if they could offer anything comparable so he could stay with them, but they declined. So, a week and a half into his new job we were off for our mission trip. Naturally, being at a new job means no vacation pay. So, he would be taking the full trip unpaid. Like I said before, we don't have savings... yet. So, this also meant trusting God to provide for our needs. We really believed that after all that He had done for us to be able to go on this trip, He had a plan to take care of the rest. So we put that too in His hands and prepared to go.
At the same time our plans for childcare for our children had a sudden change and we found ourselves praying for God to show us what to do. We had less than two weeks to organize childcare for our 3 kids and transportation to their sports/dance events, church, etc. God brought all of the pieces together so that we were able to leave with all of the loose ends handled.
So, with a teary "goodbye" we set off on our grand adventure!
We have lived on a very tight budget since we had our first child. There were complications with the delivery and I was unable to return to work for 6 months. Going from two incomes to one took a bit of time to figure out and adjust to, but once we did, we felt that the benefits to our son outweighed the income potential after the cost of childcare, so I officially became a stay at home mom.
We went through seasons of abundance and seasons of lack. There was a time when we supported our family of 4 on $10/hr., a time when we had a good income and savings to pull from, there were periods of unemployment after layoffs when we had no idea how we would pay bills or feed our kids, and the season we are in now of "just enough" but no extra to spare. Through all of it, God has met our needs and even blessed us with extras.
This year has been an incredible season of stretching and growing our faith and a time of miraculous provision. Our year began with a trip to Disneyland. If you have been following my blog, you know that we drove all the way to California in faith that God would provide the money for our hotel and park tickets when we got down there. Why did we do that? Because our "plans" to fund our trip took a detour and our back up plan wasn't coming through. Still, we were encouraged to go and put our faith in God, in His timing and His ability to sort out the details and provide. It was crazy. It felt absolutely insane. It was terrifying. We could have abandoned our plans and stayed home, but we didn't we went anyway. You know what? God came through. BIG TIME. Not only did He make a way for us to have a place to stay AND go to the park for 4 days, but He blessed us with fun little extras along the way.
When we got back we expected to go back to life as normal, but God just kept bringing miracle after miracle as answers to what felt like mountains in our way.
When we signed up for this mission trip, with a $2,000/month budget and no savings we knew we were going to have to do some serious fund raising to be able to meet the $5,000 cost. We did bake sales, started a Go Fund Me account, asked businesses for donations and got to work looking for ways to earn the money we needed. God faithfully met our initial deposit of $400 through our amazing friends and family within the first couple days of starting our Go Fund Me account. We felt so blessed and encouraged that we really were supposed to be going. We were able to raise enough money to get our passports in just enough time, so we really felt like everything was falling into place!
Then we ran into the potholes in the road. One after another plan and attempt to raise money fell short. We were a month out and still needed to raise $4,000. We began to doubt. We wondered what we were going to do. We talked about maybe just sending my husband since he was the one who we were sure was supposed to go. We were starting to consider that we may not be going and then something stopped us... Disneyland. God reminded us of how He was faithful and blessed us with something that we wanted for our family. How much more faithful would He be to provide for something He had called us to?!
So, we waited. We prayed and we gave it to Him. We put the burden of provision in His very capable hands. A couple days later an anonymous donation came in for us that would cover the majority of what we still needed! A few donations and a bake sale later and the cost of the trip was paid for. :) God faithfully provides, y'all.
Two weeks before we were to leave for the trip my husband got a job offer. He went to his employer to notify them and ask if they could offer anything comparable so he could stay with them, but they declined. So, a week and a half into his new job we were off for our mission trip. Naturally, being at a new job means no vacation pay. So, he would be taking the full trip unpaid. Like I said before, we don't have savings... yet. So, this also meant trusting God to provide for our needs. We really believed that after all that He had done for us to be able to go on this trip, He had a plan to take care of the rest. So we put that too in His hands and prepared to go.
At the same time our plans for childcare for our children had a sudden change and we found ourselves praying for God to show us what to do. We had less than two weeks to organize childcare for our 3 kids and transportation to their sports/dance events, church, etc. God brought all of the pieces together so that we were able to leave with all of the loose ends handled.
So, with a teary "goodbye" we set off on our grand adventure!
Friday, June 24, 2016
Why Did We Go To Argentina?
I could give you the standard response "Because we felt called to go." and leave it at that.
While that statement is very true, it leaves out so much. It does not adequately convey why we would invest months into fundraising projects or studying the country, it's history, people, culture, language, and things like industry and agriculture. It wouldn't explain why my husband would take so much time away from a brand new job or why we would sacrifice half of a month's income to go and work for free. You wouldn't understand why we would leave our three children for 14 days, missing important events for them like dance shows, closing ceremonies for a first baseball season, to come home exhausted, half way through our son's milestone birthday.
While we really did feel strongly that we were supposed to go, simply saying just that does not do any justice to the path that brought us on this incredible journey. So, I want to take a second and share with you why...
It all started with a guy on a mission taking the time, during his trip back to the states, to visit a small community group meeting and share what God was doing in another country not so far away.
We met Anthony at a community group meeting. He was back in the U.S. for a short time and he stopped by to share about all of the amazing things God was doing in Argentina. In the brief time he had, he spoke about his beautiful family, the people of Argentina and all of the amazing things God had done since he and his wife moved to Samuhu in Argentina.
We were so inspired by all that God had been doing and we were deeply encouraged by all of the people whose lives were being impacted through the work that they were pouring themselves into. To say that Anthony's testimony of how God has blessed their mission "inspired" us hardly scratches the surface of how we felt after hearing from him. We left the meeting full of a renewed excitement and determination to follow through with the passion for missions that God had put in our hearts.
We decided, as a family, that we wanted to support this mission, so as a first step we began giving monthly to their mission fund. It wasn't much, but we believed in what they were doing and we wanted to help in whatever way we could, so we gave.
Being missionaries ourselves is something that has been on our hearts since we first committed our lives to serving God. Over the years, we have had multiple people, that didn't know us, confirm what we were feeling by telling us that they believed that God has a call in our lives for missions. We have seen other confirmations in a less supernatural way in the form of field of employment, connections being made, and opportunities popping up.
Fast forward a couple years...
We had the awesome opportunity to be ministered to at our church's Prophetic Commissioning last year. Which is a fancy way of saying we had some wonderful people with incredible prophetic gifts come to our church and prophesy over us. Basically what happens is they fast, pray and prepare themselves to hear from God, what He wants to say to us, and they share that with us. We were so encouraged by what God spoke into our lives! Some of it was things that only He knew were on our hearts, some of it was confirmation of what we have been doing and working toward, and some of it was new, exciting, plans that God has for us. Some of those new things have since happened and some of them are still to come, but all in all, this last year has been a crazy amazing ride!
After our Prophetic Commissioning, we really dug in and started serving more in our church and our community. We also took the first step in our church's mission training program. One of the many things we do as part of our training is go on some short-term missions. When we heard that our church was going to be sending a team down to Argentina to help the people of Samuhu with a building project we got really excited. We knew we were supposed to go and we couldn't wait to meet some of the people and see some of the places we had been reading about in Anthony's newsletters.
Let me take a second and throw in a tiny bit of back story before I continue... After high school, my husband was supposed to go on a mission trip, to Argentina, through the church he was part of at the time, but for various reasons, he did not end up going. So he felt like this opportunity was a chance to go fulfill a call in his life that he really wanted to answer.
We were so excited to be a part of this trip that we emailed the pastor before there was even a meeting date set. We went to the first meeting and honestly felt a little discouraged that we would not be able to take our kids with us, which was what we really hoped to do, but we really believed we were not supposed to walk away from this opportunity so we committed to going, we dug in to start preparing and we gave it to God, not knowing how much of a leap of faith this whole journey would be...
While that statement is very true, it leaves out so much. It does not adequately convey why we would invest months into fundraising projects or studying the country, it's history, people, culture, language, and things like industry and agriculture. It wouldn't explain why my husband would take so much time away from a brand new job or why we would sacrifice half of a month's income to go and work for free. You wouldn't understand why we would leave our three children for 14 days, missing important events for them like dance shows, closing ceremonies for a first baseball season, to come home exhausted, half way through our son's milestone birthday.
While we really did feel strongly that we were supposed to go, simply saying just that does not do any justice to the path that brought us on this incredible journey. So, I want to take a second and share with you why...
It all started with a guy on a mission taking the time, during his trip back to the states, to visit a small community group meeting and share what God was doing in another country not so far away.
We met Anthony at a community group meeting. He was back in the U.S. for a short time and he stopped by to share about all of the amazing things God was doing in Argentina. In the brief time he had, he spoke about his beautiful family, the people of Argentina and all of the amazing things God had done since he and his wife moved to Samuhu in Argentina.
We were so inspired by all that God had been doing and we were deeply encouraged by all of the people whose lives were being impacted through the work that they were pouring themselves into. To say that Anthony's testimony of how God has blessed their mission "inspired" us hardly scratches the surface of how we felt after hearing from him. We left the meeting full of a renewed excitement and determination to follow through with the passion for missions that God had put in our hearts.
We decided, as a family, that we wanted to support this mission, so as a first step we began giving monthly to their mission fund. It wasn't much, but we believed in what they were doing and we wanted to help in whatever way we could, so we gave.
Being missionaries ourselves is something that has been on our hearts since we first committed our lives to serving God. Over the years, we have had multiple people, that didn't know us, confirm what we were feeling by telling us that they believed that God has a call in our lives for missions. We have seen other confirmations in a less supernatural way in the form of field of employment, connections being made, and opportunities popping up.
Fast forward a couple years...
We had the awesome opportunity to be ministered to at our church's Prophetic Commissioning last year. Which is a fancy way of saying we had some wonderful people with incredible prophetic gifts come to our church and prophesy over us. Basically what happens is they fast, pray and prepare themselves to hear from God, what He wants to say to us, and they share that with us. We were so encouraged by what God spoke into our lives! Some of it was things that only He knew were on our hearts, some of it was confirmation of what we have been doing and working toward, and some of it was new, exciting, plans that God has for us. Some of those new things have since happened and some of them are still to come, but all in all, this last year has been a crazy amazing ride!
After our Prophetic Commissioning, we really dug in and started serving more in our church and our community. We also took the first step in our church's mission training program. One of the many things we do as part of our training is go on some short-term missions. When we heard that our church was going to be sending a team down to Argentina to help the people of Samuhu with a building project we got really excited. We knew we were supposed to go and we couldn't wait to meet some of the people and see some of the places we had been reading about in Anthony's newsletters.
Let me take a second and throw in a tiny bit of back story before I continue... After high school, my husband was supposed to go on a mission trip, to Argentina, through the church he was part of at the time, but for various reasons, he did not end up going. So he felt like this opportunity was a chance to go fulfill a call in his life that he really wanted to answer.
We were so excited to be a part of this trip that we emailed the pastor before there was even a meeting date set. We went to the first meeting and honestly felt a little discouraged that we would not be able to take our kids with us, which was what we really hoped to do, but we really believed we were not supposed to walk away from this opportunity so we committed to going, we dug in to start preparing and we gave it to God, not knowing how much of a leap of faith this whole journey would be...
Thursday, June 23, 2016
It's Over Already?!
Time flies. I know, it's an over-used idiom, but none the less, true. Time just keeps on marching and when we are busy, or having fun, our perception of it's passage really does change... or is that just me? ;)
I can't believe that our mission trip went by so quickly! It has been such a great feeling to be home with my babies again, getting all the hugs and snuggles I want, but there is a part of me that misses all of the beautiful people we got to meet and the incredible places we got to see.
Coming home brings with it it's own flood of emotions, not unlike the torrent that was raging through me before we left. There is relief to be home. Comfort in the familiar. Joy in being reunited with my children. Peace in having survived it all relatively unscathed. Sadness in saying "goodbye" to the people I quickly came to love. Longing to see the beauty of the sunset that filled the sky as far as I could see. The wish that we could bring the beauty of the community aspect of life in Argentina back with us...
It is funny how different this trip was from what I imagined it might be like. Yes there were cultural differences. Yes, there were conveniences we didn't have there that we have at home. Yes, we invested long hours and did some good physical work in addition to the spiritual work. BUT... none of it felt like "work". It was fun. It was invigorating, exciting, scary, normal and new all at the same time.
We put in long days. I was up by 6:30 a.m. most days and didn't close my eyes to sleep until midnight or 1:00 a.m. Even though I didn't stop to sleep during siesta, I never felt drained. There was this incredible energy from being in a new place, with new people, and so much to see and learn, that I wanted to just keep "experiencing" rather than rest. We had such a limited time there and I didn't want to waste any of it.
There is so much to talk about, and I can't wait to share some of our adventures with y'all!
To be continued...
I can't believe that our mission trip went by so quickly! It has been such a great feeling to be home with my babies again, getting all the hugs and snuggles I want, but there is a part of me that misses all of the beautiful people we got to meet and the incredible places we got to see.
Coming home brings with it it's own flood of emotions, not unlike the torrent that was raging through me before we left. There is relief to be home. Comfort in the familiar. Joy in being reunited with my children. Peace in having survived it all relatively unscathed. Sadness in saying "goodbye" to the people I quickly came to love. Longing to see the beauty of the sunset that filled the sky as far as I could see. The wish that we could bring the beauty of the community aspect of life in Argentina back with us...
It is funny how different this trip was from what I imagined it might be like. Yes there were cultural differences. Yes, there were conveniences we didn't have there that we have at home. Yes, we invested long hours and did some good physical work in addition to the spiritual work. BUT... none of it felt like "work". It was fun. It was invigorating, exciting, scary, normal and new all at the same time.
We put in long days. I was up by 6:30 a.m. most days and didn't close my eyes to sleep until midnight or 1:00 a.m. Even though I didn't stop to sleep during siesta, I never felt drained. There was this incredible energy from being in a new place, with new people, and so much to see and learn, that I wanted to just keep "experiencing" rather than rest. We had such a limited time there and I didn't want to waste any of it.
There is so much to talk about, and I can't wait to share some of our adventures with y'all!
To be continued...
Wednesday, June 8, 2016
The Final Countdown...
Last night was bittersweet.
As I sat and watched the last baseball game of the season, I couldn’t help but feel a little sad. Both of our boys still have one more game, but I won’t be there to see them play. Our daughter has a dance show next weekend, she gets to perform her new solo for the first time, and I won’t be there to cheer her on. I am excited to go on this adventure, but…
Here we are. It is the morning before we get on a plane to Argentina. As I sit here watching my babies sleep there is a war of emotions battling inside me.
We have been planning and preparing for this mission trip for months. There has been so much busy-work. Songs to learn, a new culture and history to study, another language to practice, all of the necessary paperwork, fundraising, and daily life on top of that. Things have been so chaotic. I haven’t had much time to really prepare myself for the trip ahead.
While I was planning my will, praying about where the kids would go in the event of our deaths, I had moments of panic, moments of fear and a whole lot of regret. Regret for time wasted on meaningless things. Moments to make precious memories pushed aside as we were driven by tunnel vision, intent on the task at hand. I thought of all of the things I still want to do with and for my children, and how I do not have enough time to do them all before we go. There is part of me that is straining against the inevitable, part of me that is screaming...
Yet…
I am so excited to see what God is going to do on this trip! The lives He is going to touch, the hearts He is going to change, the lasting impact He is going to have. We are going to see Him do some incredible things! Not just for the beautiful people that we are going to serve, but for us as well. I know that I will come back different. I will be blessed by this experience and hopefully it will cure that tunnel vision of mine and help me be able to take a step back and just breathe in the moments that really matter.
As I sit in bed writing this, I am surrounded by my sleeping children. I look at these precious people, resting peacefully and I can’t help but wonder if this is the last time I will see this. I am not a pessimist and I prefer the optimistic perspective, however, there is always the reality that we never know when our time will come. We never know, from moment to moment, which will be our last. We are not promised tomorrow. So as I watch their chests rise and fall while they lie sleeping, blissfully oblivious to world around them, I thank God for each one of them, and for this moment. I pray for comfort and peace for them while we are away. I pray for joy and fun memories to fill their days. I pray that I will be useful on this trip. I pray for protection for our whole family. I pray that I will be able to have many more moments like these when I get back. Most of all I pray for His will in our lives.
Lord, speak to my heart through the chaos of emotions. Quiet my mind and open my ears that I may hear the still small voice. Give me courage to step out in obedience. Give me faith to take the leaps. Let this trip be a good experience for them as well. I pray that they will grow in faith as they fully trust in you to take care of them while we are away. Lord, comfort our hearts with the knowledge that you are sovereign, you love us fiercely, you have great plans for each one of us and you are faithful to see them through. Let us rest in the comfort of being held safely in your hands. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
It is time to finish the packing, notarize the wills, get groceries for the kids, and nail down all the last minute details. We are at the point of no return, so as 10 would say…
or in Spanish…
“Vamonos!” ^_^
Saturday, June 4, 2016
My Children Are My Greatest Gift...
“A woman giving birth to a child has pain because her time has come; but when her baby is born she forgets the anguish because of her joy that a child is born into the world.” – John 16:21
When I found out I was pregnant I was afraid. Honestly, I was absolutely terrified. I had not wanted to have kids. I did not want to be a mother. I believed all of the hateful lies I had been told growing up so I knew I would be a crappy mom; how could I be anything else? I did not want them to have the experiences I had, or worse, and I knew children cannot be protected at all times. Even if they could, they shouldn’t be. Part of “growing up” is learning how to pick yourself back up when you fall. How we handle conflict, pain, frustration, pretty much all of life, as an adult is formed when we are children. If we aren’t allowed to experience those things we cannot be prepared to handle them as adults? I hated what I saw happening in the world... so much hate, so much abuse. Our marriage was not in a good way. Sure we were friends and we even still had fun, but we were both so broken and disconnected from each other. We weren’t living our faith, heck, we weren’t doing anything with our faith.
It’s funny how God takes our greatest fears and uses them for good…
It has consistently been my experience that in times when I have to face my fear or step out in faith and do something that terrifies me, in those moments when I feel most alone, I am closest to God and the results have been some of the greatest blessings I have ever experienced. Our children are the greatest blessing we have ever received apart from forgiveness through His mercy and grace.
“Children are a heritage from the Lord, offspring a reward from him.” – Psalm 127:3
When God blessed us with children He knew that the love we would feel for them would give us a tiny grasp of the concept of how greatly He loves us. See, we knew that He “loved” us, we just didn’t understand what that really meant. He knew that having children would shift our focus from ourselves and our own needs to the needs of someone else. He knew they would bring us purpose, direction and unity. He knew that in not knowing how to raise a child to be a healthy adult, we would draw near to Him to lean on Him to show us. He knew that having children would lead Steve to give his life to the Lord. He knew that our quest for a church would bring us to our “home” at City Harvest, with the “family” we so desperately needed. He knew we needed strong examples of how to live out our faith, how to raise our children and how to trust Him. Their example taught us how to love others without judgement. We discovered a passion to help others. We found our value, our worth, our purpose. God literally gave us new life.
A father knows what is good for his son, how much more does our Heavenly Father know what is good for us! <3
We didn’t have to raise our children alone; He would be with us every step of the way. “All your children shall be taught by the Lord, and great shall be the peace of your children.” – Isiah 54:13 As much as we love them, He loves them so much more. Sure we make mistakes, a lot of them, but God is faithful to honor our right choices. His plans for our children are good and He is faithful to complete the good work He has started in them. See, their lives, how they turn out, that doesn’t depend solely on us! BEST NEWS EVER!!! We may make mistakes and mess up, but God can heal the wounds we cause. We are open and transparent with our kids about our own brokenness. Not to excuse our mistakes, but to just be real with them. We aren’t perfect and we don’t always do the right thing. We apologize when we hurt them, we admit when we are wrong, we ask their forgiveness and we do the best we can. Then… we trust God with the rest.
The Bible says “Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it.” – Proverbs 22:6 That is our hope. Our hope is in God and it is not misplaced. Our children are in the best hands and we could not be more blessed by who they are becoming. They have hearts that love the Lord, when they sing praise they are pouring out their hearts to Him, they love to bless others and offer to serve whenever they can. They each have their own quirks, bents and struggles, some I am sure that we have contributed to, but God is doing so much good in their hearts. As much as I was afraid and still pray for God’s hand and protection in their lives, I see the blessings of the Lord in who they have and are becoming.
“I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth.” – 3 John 1:4
They are my greatest joys.
I love you always and forever, with my whole heart. You are the BEST gifts that God has ever given me. <3 You are going to do GREAT things. xo
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