my week

Julio is in Venezuela.  He left like, a week ago, and I miss him.  Hopefully he'll be back by Wednesday.

I picked up my wedding dress!
I ordered my bouquet!
We've bought our tickets to go to Venezuela after the wedding, and later, to Argentina and Chile!
I need to call the potential caterer!

My dad and 3 other folks from their church were in Colombia for 12 days, visiting remote areas to meet people and see how little bitty Moncure Baptist Church can get involved with local pastors to help tell stories about a God who loves them and wants them to know him.
I got to spend Thursday with the group; it was a treat to get to chat with my father on buses, as if he had just popped into Colombia for a routine visit!

preparing the heart to let go

Julio and I went to NC for three weeks.
While I was gone, J. was really nice to Bibi.
As soon as I got back, he started being bratty again.
A week later, Bibi went to Venezuela for twelve days.
J. had a really bad attitude with me almost all the time that she was gone.
He asked me if, as soon as Bibi got back, I was going to leave.  I told him no.
She arrived yesterday, to everyone's delight.
At bedtime, she went to pray with J., and he started being really mean to her, insisting that he wanted me to tuck him in, even though she had been gone for two weeks.  With tears in his eyes, he said, "But Emily's leaving tomorrow!!!"

That explains a lot about his attitude.


I've been having a hard time emotionally, knowing that I'm preparing to leave.
I know I have to trust God to keep taking care of the kids, and I do trust Him...  but still, I love them all and it is, and will be, difficult to let go.  I'm thankful that Julio and I will have a few months outside of Colombia after the wedding, because even if we were closeby, we wouldn't be allowed to visit Kiwi House for a while, to help with the transition (for everyone: the kids, Bibi, any new staff in the house, and myself).  Nothing will make the letting go easy, but it will be a bit easier to not be close enough that not visiting seems like rejection or discipline.

Even as I'm praying for God to help us all with this transition, I find myself crying as he answers the prayers for new people to help in Kiwi House, and for the children to accept them.  I find myself crying as I see the work God's doing, and the work that is still to be done.  I find myself crying because I'm leaving, and crying because it's still not time to leave:

Living in the tension of the present, the waiting, the going-but-not-yet-gone, has always been difficult for me.

I also find myself laughing more at the silly, everyday stuff.  I find myself smiling more as I listen to and talk with the four of them.  And, I find myself enjoying their company more intentionally.

New Song

He has given me a new song to sing,

    a hymn of praise to our God.

Many will see what he has done and be amazed.   
They will put their trust in the Lord.

(Psalm 40:3)

A healthy, seven-year-old boy bikes around the house on a sunny Saturday morning, inventing songs for Jesus as he pedals through the mountain grass.

Four years ago, this same boy was often seen alone in his neighborhood streets at night, entering into bakeries to demand bread for his hungry belly.  

God has truly put a new song in his mouth and heart, just as He has done and is doing with so many children that Formando Vidas (Shaping Lives) works with... and many other organizations all around the world!  (Good Shepherd's Fold in Uganda, for example).

And this is one of my prayers for their lives:  That many will see what God has done, be amazed, and put their trust in the Lord!

truth is power

To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”  -John 8:31-32

A while back I wrote about this verse, too, about how we often hear verse 32 out of its context:  You will know the truth and the truth will set you free.
But first, we must 1. hold to Jesus' teaching  and 2. be his true disciples (living and growing in becoming more like him).

Last night, we had a special time of worship and fellowship with the ministry team.  Bibi and Julio's church often sends short-term missions teams, and right now part of the worship team is here for two weeks, helping in different areas of the ministry, painting the Oaks House, and last night, facilitating this space for us to connect with God and with each other out of our routine.
As the words of songs familiar and not washed over me, I started declaring my belief:  that I can, and will see the Spirit at work in and through me.  That, to those who believe in Jeses, rivers of living water will flow out from within.  ... Even if I mess it up? (yes)  Despite my mistakes (yes) and losing my temper (yes) and not living in the Spirit (yes) and by the Spirit's fruit in my life?  YES.
Because I've been giving my natural self more power than what I've been giving to the Spirit and to Jesus' blood.  And in so doing, I was giving the devil a foothold, more power than he deserves!

One of our teens has recently experienced a lot of fear: not being able to sleep, waking up at night feeling like someone is in her room... Fear paralyzes us, and gives our spiritual enemy power over us.  But holding to Jesus, and claiming the truth of the power of His blood, frees us to live fully.

Jesus was our ultimate example of living in the Spirit.  Let's not believe the lie that "it was easy for him because he's God!" -- because he willingly put off his Godhood and took on the form of a man, and became obedient to all that affects mankind.  And yet, Jesus learned to live completely dependent on His Father, and to live in the Spirit... that mysterious "living in the Spirit"... Jesus knew that he needed God and that he couldn't live in a way to please God without utterly depending on Him, and staying in constant contact with the Father, listening to the Spirit.

...I long for that.

recovery

On Monday I had sinus surgery.  The procedure was quick -- about an hour, I think.  It was the first time I had general anesthesia, and I'm very thankful that I didn't have any of the side-effects I'd be warned about, especially vomiting.  I hate vomiting.  My only side-effects were crying a lot and that I wasn't cold.  I usually sleep with wool socks, a sweatsuit, two thin blankets and a down comforter, but that night I was hot without socks or a sweatshirt, and I couldn't stand any more than a sheet and small fleece throw blanket!
In this surgery, the doctor went in through my nostril, peeled back the skin, and cut off part of my deviated septum.  She also burned some other enlarged bone structures.  The point of all this is to open up more space to help me with my chronic rhinitis and sinus infection problems.

It's really not painful...

But it sure is ANNOYING!

I have to do lots of nasal rinses and I can't blow my nose, even though I always feel like I need to.  Pretty much all the time that I'm not squirting water up my nostrils I have dried blood boogers that pull at the insides of my nose.  Along with the stiches and some sort of plastic (?) sheet covering the burned bone, I'm almost always uncomfortable.  The first two nights were the worst, since I had giant sponge-like plugs up my nostrils and I felt like I was choking.  I'm so grateful for my friend, housemate, and sister-in-law to be for sharing her bed with me, helping me clean out my nose, passing me my pills, and taking care of me in general.  My fiancee comes around to make sure I'm being obedient and not doing anything too strenuous, and to keep me entertained by covering his nose with gauze and whatnot.

I sure hope this helps.  Because this recovery is really tiresome.

water miracle!

A few weeks back, I wrote about the water emergency up here at the farm... that one of the springs is dry, and the other barely dripping, and it hasn't been raining that much, and the reserve water we had disappeared...
I also wrote about how, a few years back in a terrible drought, our farm was the only one around here that still had water -- and it was miraculous, especially when we learned that one of the biggest reserve tanks had a crack in it.  Yet we never had to buy water; Jehovah Jireh, who caused water to burst forth from a rock in a Middle Eastern desert, also did a water miracle on a Colombian mountain.  God confirming himself as sovereign provider!
When our director left for a trip at the end of May, he measured the reserve and told us we had approximately 120 square meters of water: 3 months' worth.  We've been careful.  We've been praying for rain.  We've been trusting God.
On Saturday (over 5 weeks after he checked the tank) I went up to measure the water.  It appears that we now have MORE water than before he left!!!  The springs are still not flowing like they should, and there haven't been any heavy rains, yet... the water hasn't diminished.  It has, in fact, been multiplied!!!

And THAT, my friends, is a miracle.

Self-defense

Not defending my viewpoint, my actions, or myself... it's so difficult for me.
I'm sure I'm not alone.
Comparing myself ... to you, or that guy over there, or the lady in the grocery store... comparing myself doesn't help, doesn't change the problem, doesn't calm arguments.
A gentle word turns away anger.  But...
In order to give a gentle word, my anger and self-defense must first be deflected, right?

Admitting our short-comings takes away their power over us.  Just like giving sin it's name takes it out of hiding and begins to weaken the death-grip.
I have a problem with always wanting to be right.  And with defending myself in that right-ness.

The thing is, it isn't my "rightness" -- but my self-defense -- that is all wrong.  My approach is only self-serving, self-covering, self-justifying.

And recognizing that my rightness, or my approach to it, is resoundingly wrong... is not enough.
Recognition of the problem is important, but it can't end there.
For a while, I have correctly recognized false beliefs -- for example, "If someone doesn't recognize or admit that I'm right, or that I'm doing x,y or z well, correctly, the best way possible... then my value is lessened.  Therefore, I must defend myself tooth and nail, in order to defend my worth." That's a lie, but I bought into it -- but recognizing the false belief isn't all it takes to be free!

So Jesus was saying to those Jews who had believed Him, “ If you continue in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine; and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.”

In John 8:31-32 there are three distinct steps to being FREE (from the lies I've believed):
1. believe in Jesus
2. continue in his Word
3. know the Truth, and be free

I've only been walking half-way through this process, so it's no wonder that I haven't felt "free indeed."  I believe in Jesus, I read and study the Word, and I often recognize my problems, but I haven't combated them with the Truth found in the Word, committed that Word-Truth to heart, and applied it on a daily basis.

So, someone doesn't appreciate my brilliance and right-ness?  Someone doesn't value all that I do or say as I wish they would?  Someone doesn't respect me?  That doesn't take away my inherent, God-breathed identity and worth.  And I can back it up with this Word-Truth:

But whatever things were gain to me, those things I have counted as loss for the sake of Christ... and count them but rubbish so that I may gain Christ, and may be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own derived from the Law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which comes from God on the basis of faith...
(Phil. 3:7-9)

And for each false belief that's been keeping me from living in the freedom Jesus came to give... there is a Word-Truth that the Holy Spirit wants to give me.  It's time to say "no" to my self-defense, and "yes" to this Truth.  It's time to make a habit of reciting it to myself in the moments I feel attacked, or want to attack others.

no more long-distance!

Julio is living here in La Calera now.  It's really great to have him closeby, to see each other every day, to be able to call each other without using up all of our minutes!  Also, it's a bit surreal... after so long of being long-distance, we're finally in what could be considered a "normal" relationship!
The weird thing is, the other times he was here visiting, it was short-term and he was on vacation.  Nowadays, though, he lives and works here; he has a schedule and so we're having to learn to be in a "normal" relationship in that sense, too.
It's always a balance, huh?  When you're apart, the calls and emails might be spaced further apart, but somehow you manage to dedicate your full attention to them.  When you're in the same geographical location, time is and must be divided between a variety of valuable endeavors: you may get more face-time, but it's less undivided.

But it's all good!

refuge

Keep me safe, O God, for in you I take refuge.

I said to the Lord, "You are my Lord: apart from you I have no good thing."

As for the saints who are in the land, they are the glorious ones in whom is all my delight.

The sorrows of those will increase who run after other gods.

I will not pour out their libations of blood or take up their names on my lips.

Lord you have assigned me my portion and my cup (you are my portion); you have made my lot secure.

The boundary lines have falled for me in pleasant places; surely I have a delightful inheritance.


I will praise the Lord, who counsels me; even at night my heart instructs me.


I have set the Lord always before me.  Because he is at my right hand, I will not be shaken.


Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices; my body also will rest secure,


because you will not abandon me to the grave, nor will you let your Holy One see decay.


You have made known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence (in your presence is fullness of joy), with eternal pleasures at your right hand.



Psalm 16.
Not the one I was looking for today, but definitely something I needed to read.  To let soak in.  To receive.
"Apart from you I have no good thing."  not one. not my friends, not my family, not my fiance, not the kids, not this ministry and vision, not even the sun to warm me... apart from Jesus, nothing is good.  with Jesus, even the struggles lead to something good.  beauty for ashes.  gladness for mourning.  laughter for tears.  life for death.
You are my portion.  and you are enough.  more than enough.  sufficient.  abundant.  overflowing. never-running-out.  
The boundary lines have fallen for in in pleasant places.  Surely I have a delightful inheritance.  and not by chance.  surely you, oh God, have chosen an inheritance that is delightful, and boundary lines that are pleasant for me.  your will and your plans are not only perfect and good, but also pleasing and agreeable.
I will praise the Lord!
I will not be shaken
my heart is glad
my tongue rejoices
my body also will rest secure
...for in you I take refuge
in your presence is fullness of joy.




His presence IS the blessing.  I need to receive what's already mine: fullness of joy, security, stability, peace, every good thing, the assurance that God holds the outcome in his hands, and that even as he allows difficulties, it is to work them into a beautiful redemption in our lives.

photo journal of the past month in La Calera

My broccoli plants went to flower.
The day before I cut them to bring inside,
I saw a humming bird
drinking from these delicate blossoms.

I went horseback riding with Annika
and her friend, Justina.
I live in a beautiful place!

Sunday was a cinnamon rolls
kind of day!

TabbyCat thinks she owns my room.
Here she is, lazing about in
my dirty clothes bag.

Today is my birthday!
I received sunshine, as well as
two dozen sunflowers from Julio!

Water

Here at the finca (farm), we don't have public water service.  We exclusively use rainwater and springwater for all of our bathing, dishwashing, toilet-flushing, clotheswashing, and animal-watering needs.  For drinking and cooking purposes, we have large water bottles (think: the water cooler at the office) that we refill in the city weekly.
Thanks to La Niña weather phenomenon, we had way more than enough water in our numerous, enormous, underground cisterns and above-ground tanks.  Our director (and neighbor) told us we were free to take long showers, flush the toilet even if it's just "yellow" (instead of "letting it mellow"), not have to save our shower water for flushing, not have to use water from the rain barrels to wash clothes... in fact, we needed more space in the cisterns to hold all that water!
Last week, he went up to check on a cistern that he had left filling from overflow from another tank.  Somehow the water is disappearing, even though he didn't find any leaks.  Now, instead of our overflowing supply, it looks like we only have less than three months' supply of water!

So now, we need to be very conservative with our shower and dish water; not using as much, and reusing it for flushing purposes.  And, as much as we like sun, we need rain.  We also need to find out if there is a leak, and fix it!

Two and a half years ago, when I first came up to live at the farm, there was a drought.  I'm talking severe dry spell.  All the neighbors were periodically buying truckloads of water to fill their tanks.  It wasn't raining, and the springs weren't flowing.  This went on for a few months.  We had to be good stewards of the little water we had, but even as frugal as we were (only washing clothes in the city, for example, and taking bucket-baths), there was no way we could still have water, because on top of the climatic situation, we discovered that the cistern was cracked.
Yet, we never ran out of water.  I learned to trust God as faithful provider of water.  (Jehovah Jireh H20?)

So now, it's time to conserve and be wise.  But it's also time to trust; not to worry!

soul encasements

My friends, Sara and Stephen, recently had a beautiful baby girl.  She's amazing, and they are enthralled new parents.  When Ingie and I went to visit them, I was amazed at how relaxed this first-time mom and dad are!  We had a really great visit, including delicious chicken and veggie stir-fry with pasta (made by yours truly), Crepes and Waffles limited edition choco-mint ice cream (yum!), and laughter to the point of tears.

Stephen said something that really amazed me.  He commented that his view of sexuality has been transformed now that he's a father.  Sara's words as Zoe quietly nursed, "We had sex and SHE is the result," gave a tangible, breath-filled, example of this miracle, complete with ten tiny, perfect toes.

"Yeah, I mean, it's this thing that we take so lightly, but... it creates soul encasements."

And when we treat sex and sexuality as a matter of little consequence, then we treat the lives that are created as unimportant as well.

My fiancé is preparing to help lead a weekend workshop/conference about sexuality at his church.  There are so many myths and unanswered questions and untouched topics, especially within the Christian church, that we tend toward sexual disorders or, at the very least, not enjoying our sexuality to the full extent that God designed and intended it for!  So, even we who walk in relationship with the creator (and inventor of sex and sexuality) are tricked into looking the other way, trying to ignore something so vital, or understand it via others' theories.  We can't keep ignoring our sexuality, church.  Nor can we let Sex reign as god.  Sexuality and spirituality are intertwined.  It creates soul encasements...

If we're concerned with souls, why are we doing so much damage -- and letting damage be done -- with this twisted sexuality?

engaged!

Here's an exciting announcement:  I'm engaged!!!!!!!

Still no wedding date yet... we really haven't even started trying to figure out the details yet!  Julio, my fiance (!), is still in Venezuela (where his family lives), but will be moving to Bogota next month!  yipee!!!

http://joyinthemargins.blogspot.com/2012/04/what-jesus-prays-for-us.html

I kindly and humbly suggest that you take a minute to read this blog.

For those who are parents, or who have family members and friends who aren't "all they could be" (read: perfect), or who work in the social services realm:
How are we reacting and what are we praying in the face of their misbehaviors?
What might Jesus (or others) be praying and interceding for on our behalf, daily?

with hope~
emily

name

Last month, I went with my friend, Julio, to a weekend seminar called Ancient Paths, which is part of a ministry called Family Foundations International. Through a series of videos, the organization´s founder, Craig Hill, shares about God´s system of blessing families, a system that He built into the Hebrew culture, but which we have mostly lost.
There is also one video session about spirit-soul-flesh, and the struggle we live out daily because of our triune being. If the Bible says that we are dead to sin and the flesh, and instead live in and by the spirit, why do we still find ourselves dealing with desires and actions that work against our God-renewed spirits?
He described our three-part being as a series of three rooms, with two mutually exclusive doors. If the door between spirit and soul (emotions, mind and will) is open, then the door between soul and flesh is closed. The reverse is also true -- the soul-flesh door opens and the soul-spirit door closes.
So how do we live in the Spirit, as we are instructed to do in Galations 5?
Hill said something very interesting in his talk: if we try to live in the spirit by consciously avoiding the flesh, we will fail!
Not very encouraging? Or maybe it is... He connected this concept to Hebrews, where the author speaks so much about God´s rest and entering into that rest. If we stay hyper-focused on the sinful nature and attempting to avoid living in the flesh, we end up doing just that (like a dieter eating the chocolate cake he thinks all day about NOT eating, or like a driver swerving off the cliff because he´s looking at the ravine instead of the road he wants to stay on). We can´t and won´t succeed on our own, because our soul (mind, will and emotions) is not strong enough... it is stuck in the middle of spirit and flesh, and does not want to give up its autonomy (MY will, MY thoughts, MY feelings). Living in the Spirit demands that my spirit submit to God´s spirit... that I die to MYself. That I REST in God. That I stop trying so hard.
Years ago, at a camp, God changed my internal name. I had been called STRIVING -- always attempting to do everything right. He told me that my new name was SAINT -- resting on Jesus´ perfection and sacrifice, the work already done for me.
On the last night of the seminar last month, the small group leaders turned in a little card to each participant. This card listed the participant´s name, its meaning, and a verse. I knew that my name, Emily, meant diligent one. I remembered reading somewhere that my middle name, Rebecca, meant deceiver. I could joke that I was diligent about deceiving! However, that night I was freed from my own joke, as the card handed to me said:

Emily: diligent or laborious
Rebecca: destined to God, abiding in God

So there, in my very name, is the paradox that Hill spoke of, and that God had already spoken to me in the striving-to-saint conversion. I can and should and do work, but it is valid only to the extent that I am resting in God. Abiding. Being, not doing. Living in the Spirit. Not inactive, but aware that my activity cannot save me, doesn´t make all the difference; God and His work does.

what's up with my immune system??

This is the basic question I'm asking myself now, and for the past month.
After getting better from my 8-month-long sinus infection, I felt really optimistic. No surgery! I can breathe! I'm not congested!
Then, a month later, I got a cold, with my typical symptoms of sinus congestion.
A week after that, I got some sort of stomach bug or parasite.
About a week and a half later, I felt like I was getting another cold, and then it turned into a recurrence of a virus I got three years ago when I first moved to Bogotá.

Last night I slept for 12 hours, and right now the thing I most want to do is go take a nap.


I've started taking Scott's emulsion again, which I think helped my immune system health while I was taking a spoonful daily (I ran out about a month ago).
But really?! What's all this about?!

Another theory is that my mild case of chicken pox (varicela zoster) as a child may have left me susceptible to catching and retaining other viruses in the same family (the gingivostomatitis that I got three years ago, and that is now acting up again is in the same family of viruses). Are any medical professionals reading this? Does that even sound possible?

Or, any tips on boosting my immune system health? I'm sick of being sick.

the gift

J. gave me a gift: a clear plastic bottle, 1.5 liters, cut off just below the neck, empty of its original beverage and now filled with… dirt.  Dried out dirt, nothing else in it, save only a little twig, shoved into the dirt.
What kind of gift is this?  It’s ugly, I don’t really want it.  I receive it, a bit confused.  But he insists, “It’s for you!  Look, I found it, I put this stick in it, I made it for you.”  I’m sure he found it in the yard, cast off from some previous school project.  I suppose that at some time it had something growing in it but now it’s just a useless, cut-off soda bottle, filled with hard dirt.
I receive it and don’t know where to put it so it goes on the kitchen counter and then later, after a day or two, I sneak it outside and hide it behind a fence post.  But he finds it and brings it back to me and says, “Look, this was outside.  I brought it for you; it’s yours.”  So, resigned to the fact of my gift, my unwanted gift, my not-sure-what-to-do-with-it gift, I set it up in the windowsill on the other side of the sink.  There, J. can see it, and I can see it but it won’t be too obvious.  A month goes by and the bottle of dirt stays there.  I don’t pay it much attention, I don’t do anything to it; still I don’t really want it.  Until one day, I see that a thin blade of grass has emerged, so I sprinkle a few drops of water on it.  Then a week or so later something else comes up.  So I continue to water it and see what will happen.
  The result?  It is a beautiful little plant, with heart-shaped leaves, bright green on the upperside and purple on the underside:  a shamrock.  And I am just astounded that from this worthless gift -- this found nothingness that I did not want and tried to cast off but wasn’t allowed to, that was given in love – something can grow from that.  Something beautiful can grow from it, something I do want, even though I could not conceive of it when the gift was given.  I showed him the plant, and I said, “Look what grew!”  He smiled.  “Look at the leaves, they’re shaped like hearts because you gave it to me in love.”  He nodded and grinned and kept playing Legos.

The shamrock is still there and it’s growing, and recently it sent up a long shoot with several buds.  Soon it will have little lavender blossoms.   When something is done in love, even when there seems to be no hope, something good can come out of it, something beautiful can grow out of that act.  It’s still in the ugly old coke bottle.  Part of me wants to replant it, but part of me likes keeping it in that, to remember.  There is a song by a group called Gungor that says, “You make beautiful things out of the dust, You make beautiful things out of us.”  And Bethany Dillon sings, “Only You can see the good in broken things.”  I’m so glad that J. didn’t let me cast it off, that God didn’t let it go unnoticed out there in the yard, but that I was forced to continue with this ugly, difficult, unwanted thing, and learn how it could grow into something beautiful where I didn’t expect anything good.
That’s what I hope for in life, and in these kids and their families.  Formando Vidas exists to honor God through regenerating at-risk children, their families, and their future generations.  Sometimes these kids come to us like an undesirable, dirt-filled, broken piece of trash.  But they come to us as a gift.  And sometimes we can’t appreciate the gift, but God is a giver who knows the seeds that are buried that we can’t even imagine.  And he’s the one who makes things grow.  He’s just inviting us to see the process and sprinkle drops of love, order, and hope into their parched lives.

“See, I am doing a new thing!  Now it springs up, do you not perceive it?  I am making a way in the desert and streams in the wasteland.”  (Isaiah 43:19)

The 'rents

I'm pretty stoked today because my parents are coming to visit us for two weeks!  They'll be getting in late tonight, so in preparation I'm making beds and re-cleaning the bathroom and mopping.  Dad has a LOOOONG list of fix-it jobs that he can take his pick from:  everything from fixing a cabinet door hinge, to replacing a toilet's water valve, to chopping firewood!  Mom and I will be scrubbing mildew off the wall, working in the garden, and making some cute stepping stones!  Then, next weekend, we'll go with the kids to Chinauta, in "warm country."  It's about four hours away... remember last January when we went with Tony and Laura to an awesome house with a pool and fruit trees?  Well, we're heading back to repeat the bliss!

Here's to a great visit with my parental units!

snacktime!

One little boy at "The Jungle" Bible club really wanted his snack, and fast!

To help with organization, kids who must wait to be picked up (as opposed to being allowed to leave on their own) have their hands marked with a smiley face in magic marker. Since, however, snacks are handed out as the children leave, this means that the "unaccompanied minors" get theirs first!
Having learned this rule in the past, he stood off to the side of the lines of his happy peers, sucking his grimy hand with great gusto, to wash off the mark and pass through the line sooner, rather than later!

A little before...
Some smallish children started lining up, even though there was still plenty of time to play. One volunteer encouraged them to go enjoy the games and toys, the climbing wall and swings, the hanging bridge and other play spaces.
Their response?
---"We want the snack!"
The volunteer, not a regular at the Jungle, reassured them:
---"Don't worry; they'll call you when it's time."
---"But we don't have to wait for them to call us. We have to be ready!"

This reminds me of a story that Jesus tells in Matthew chapter 25:
“At that time the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. Five of them were foolish and five were wise. The foolish ones took their lamps but did not take any oil with them. The wise, however, took oil in jars along with their lamps. The bridegroom was a long time in coming, and they all became drowsy and fell asleep.
At midnight the cry rang out: ‘Here’s the bridegroom! Come out to meet him!’  Then all the virgins woke up and trimmed their lamps. The foolish ones said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil; our lamps are going out.’
‘No,’ they replied, ‘there may not be enough for both us and you. Instead, go to those who sell oil and buy some for yourselves.’  But while they were on their way to buy the oil, the bridegroom arrived. The virgins who were ready went in with him to the wedding banquet. And the door was shut.  Later the others also came. ‘Sir! Sir!’ they said. ‘Open the door for us!’
But he replied, ‘I tell you the truth, I don’t know you.’  Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour."
He also tells other stories about being ready, about being on the lookout and being wise in one's actions and decisions.

Maybe they were just some kids wanting cookies and juice... but they understood that the world (spiritual and physical) isn't waiting on them and that good things come to those who desire them and are willing to make the necessary arrangements (albeit sacrifices) to receive what they long for.


Which of you, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone?  Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake?  If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!
(Matthew 7:9-11)


We are in the process of buying and remodeling the buildings that house the Jungle.  This is an important step in Formando Vidas' work of building friendship and trust with at-risk kids and their families, and sowing seeds of the gospel in their lives.  We've been approved for a match-grant of up to $36,000 US dollars.  That means if we raise that money, it'll be doubled to a total of $72,000, which is enough to pay off what we owe and finish the initial rennovation!
Formando Vidas is not in the business of buying and owning properties.  We view property and buildings as tools to reach the kids, where they are.  Wanna help the Jungle keep going, keep reaching more kids?  Please consider joining us in this venture!  If you want more information to share with your friends/family/church group, let me know.  Check out the website, too:  www.colombiastreetkids.org
Also, to donate toward that match-grant fund raising, you can send a check to Formando Vidas at:
Formando Vidas, Inc.
c/o Robyn Patzig
4520 Shadowridge Dr.
The Colony, TX 75056(just include a separate note that says it's for the BigFoot fundraiser)
or see this page:  http://colombiastreetkids.org/get-involved/donate/ to donate through paypal or from another country!

May you hunger and thirst for righteousness -- so that God will fill you up!  

farm girl

Today I got out to work a bit in the garden, and thought I'd post a few pictures of the progress!

 My main task today was to empty out one side of the compost silo that Tony built for us (remember him and Laura?  They're now in Brazil serving at a YWAM base www.tonyandlauralewry.blogspot.com).  The product of months of micro-organisms and our fruit and veg waste?  A wheelbarrow load of delicious, nutrient-rich dirt!  I put it under the eaves so that it won't get filled with rainwater and be IMPOSSIBLE to move.  Another day I'll spread that good stuff around and make some plants happy!

Like these: 

forefront:  beets, broccoli

behind: rosemary, strawberries, lettuce, thyme

far right: weeds, scrawny potatoes

TabbyCat and one of the girls came over to check out the new growth.

The dogs sat around being useless, but at least not actively destroying our property, as they are want to do.  Please note the artistic lines and shadows.  The dogs appreciate fine art.  That's why the white one's name is Van Gogh. (I kid you not...)

Happy Valentine's Day, by the way!

family reunion!

First off, sorry I've been rubbish at the whole blogging thing for the last month! I hope you still like me. :)

So, I got to come home to beautiful North Carolina for 10 days! (I leave tomorrow to go home to beautiful Colombia.) Motive for the trip: My cousin, Jeanne's wedding. Jeanne Kearney Moore is my closest cousin in age, less than a year older than me. She's a beautiful woman with a sweet spirit, and I was so thrilled to be able to celebrate with her and her beloved, Joseph (Jody) Moore. Jeanne is from my mom's side of the family, which is the big side of the family. There are 6 children, 20 first cousins, and 12 (or more?) great-grandchildren. Not everyone could go, but a large majority of the family was present, including folks I hadn't seen for more than three years!

(Beth, Marjory, Iris, Miriam, Jeanne, and Emily)


I also had a lot of quality time with my parents, brothers, sisters-in-law, niece and nephew, and paternal grandparents.

(Emily and Finley)

(Candice, Emily with Abel, and Ryan)


It has been a great time, a time of rest and enjoying the company of others. I'm really grateful to be here!

childish

When I was a child I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a [woman], I put childish ways behind me.
(1 corinthians 13:11)


I think that I may have found my verse for the year. Lord willing, (and the Bible tells us that He is the one who gives us the desire and the ability to act -- see Philippians 2:12-13 below) this year will be one in which I will take bold steps of faith into growing up the childish patterns of speech, thoughts, and reasoning -- all of which lead to actions -- that have been cropping up more and more of late.
As 1 Cor 13:11 will be my mantra (written on my mirror in dry-erase marker as of today), the Israelites' taking of the Promised Land will be my point of reference and my reassurance of God's faithfulness. In Numbers 13 and 14, the people of God choose fear instead of faith and courage. God tells them to get up and go capture the land he is giving them, but they think it's impossible to beat the fearsome giants that inhabit the place. (Note: The result of their disobedience, that decision to disbelieve Him, were 40 years of wandering until the whole generation died out.)
But the trick is this: God was going with them! He already had the victory over those literal giants, and he already has the victory over my emotional and spiritual giants today! So, if he's inviting me to go up and fight against them, I'm in!

Later, in the book of Joshua, the Israelites chose to believe and act upon that faith. The result was that they defeated the cities and people groups exactly as God said they would, when they followed his instructions to a T. This year, I don't know what the strategy is, I don't know what He'll ask of me, but I know that I choose to believe, because my God is Bigger!


"Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed—not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence—continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose." Phil. 2:12-13

twenty-twelve

Another new year!

I'm pleased to say that I am becoming more of a "new years" person... I was able to enjoy a nice dinner with "family" and friends here in Colombia, and I didn't give in to the urge to sleep at ten o'clock. The night was gorgeous, with a clear, starry sky that we enjoyed looking at as we all stood around a bonfire talking, laughing, and praying for the new things that God has for the coming year.

There are Big Things on the horizon for 2012, friends. I'm still not sure what that will look like, but it's exciting, and I want to continue learning to live in the present and enjoy each moment.

In sad news, another kitten died. She got really sick with diarreah and her eyes were all gunky. After several days like that, she couldn't make it anymore! I took the remaining two to the vet today, where I bought some eye drops and got them de-parasited. Hopefully that will help their immune system get stronger and they will be able to grow big and healthy! (And hopefully their adoptive families will receive them SOON, because I'm tired of all the mess in the laundry room, and I want my cat back to normal again!)

I don't feel like I have much to write, honestly... is this some sort of writer's block? Patience, perseverance, living each day... is this part of the new "season" I've entered, where the changes are less dramatic? Even though I see big changes on the horizon, I think it may be a slow dawn, taking her time to revel in shades of gray and pale gold. May I (and you) learn to revel in the first light as well.