Why I love Jesus

I am blessed by the ladies I work with! This week one of them shared with me what she is learning in her devotions. She wrote me a note of why she loves Jesus today, with scripture to back up each item. She said, "I feel like I've fallen in love with Jesus all over again. It is like rediscovering the most beautiful, passionate relationship there is to man. When you start looking for reasons why you love Jesus you won't be able to stop seeing it." Now we are constantly seeing blessings instead of things that are just not working out our way.

Our list is…

2 Samuel 22:47 Our God lives!

The beautiful reminder that our sins have been washed white as the snow outside
2 Samuel 22:31 God can be trusted
Ephesians 1:4-5 Before creation God chose us to be His daughters
Romans 8:15 We don’t have to fall back into fear
Romans 8:31-39 Nothing can separate us from Him
1 Corinthians 6:20 He paid the cost for us
He cast our sins as far as the east is from the west
He is infallible and He thinks of everything
We deserve Hell and there is nothing good in us
Christ goes before us
Galatians 2:20 He was crucified for me
Isaiah 26:3-4 He is trustworthy, perfect peace, and everlasting rock
2 Chronicles 20:12 He can fix our eyes on Him and He will overcome
God is always good and I am always loved
Deuteronomy 6:4-5 He is the one true God
Laminations 3:23 He is faithful
He loves me because He loves me
We are surrounded by people who love us
John 1:14-16 We have received gift upon gift
He is out pursuer
He is all we need
Psalm 16:2 The is no good but God
He created us with enough understanding to accept His love
Jeremiah 32:17 Nothing is too hard for Him
We can cast our cares on Him
Genesis 16:13-14 He is omniscient and is in total control over all things
I am constantly made aware of how messed up I am and how good He is
The sunrise this morning
The Gospel is why we love, why we have peace, and why we can choose joy

Caribbean Cruise

Carnival.com

Last week I went on my first cruise with my parents, sister, aunt, uncle, two cousins, and one of their girlfriends. I was excited to be leaving the country again and to see more of the world. I tried to prepare myself for the tourist mindset instead of the missionary. Overall it was a great trip. The weather was perfect. We didn't have problems with luggage. It was mostly what I expected; laying out in the sun, snorkeling in the ocean, and watching shows on the ship. 

My favorite port was Belize City. For a couple of reasons: it reminded me a lot of Haiti and my sister, Hannah, and I took a tour by ourselves to explore some of the Mayan ruins. We took a two hour bus ride to the ruins so we saw a lot of Belize and our tour guide shared a lot of information. Because it did look so similar to Haiti I think it was hard for me to be okay with being a tourist but our guide told us tourism is their biggest form of revenue and she loved us being there, taking pictures and telling our friends about it. So that made me feel better.

In Cozumel and Roatan we found beautiful beaches to relax on and at Grand Cayman the nine of us went snorkeling over a sunken ship, fed stingrays, and played with starfish. This vacation was filled with many things I had never done before and I loved that I got to experience these countries with my family. I'm glad I got to go some places by myself first though because after seeing how everyone drives I don't know if my mom would have let me leave America :) 

Pignon

This past week Jim, the Regional Director, came to visit all the NMSI missionaries in Haiti. He saw the orphanage in Mirebalais and came to church with us on Sunday. It was good to have him here; to show him what I am doing and talk through things. I learned a lot more about NMSI and what they do. He traveled to Jacmel and Gonaives during the week.

 

This past weekend I went with him to Pignon. Mioche is the missionary living there. Pignon is quieter than Port-au-Prince and a lot easier to walk around. I joined some ladies from the church making paper beads for jewelry they send to the US to sell. They taught me how to make the beads. We visited the school and church Mioche has started. There is an American missionary couple running an orphanage just down the road from Mioche. I got to meet them and see their place. It was a good weekend seeing more of Haiti and meeting more people doing God’s work.

We got to fly back through MAF, Missions Aviation Fellowship. It was a five seat plane. I was reminded of how beautiful Haiti is from above.  

Amsterdam.

The last week of October I took a trip to Amsterdam, The Netherlands with my church from back home, Graceway. It was a cultural discovery trip. There were 17 of us that went ranging in age from 14 to 69. We stayed in the Memphis Hotel to the south of the city. From there we could walk or take the tram anywhere we wanted to go.

In the mornings we met in the conference room and Jeff taught us about different cultures and how we can better relate. I wish I could retell all his stories and share all the knowledge he gave but here are a few things that stood all to me this past week.

·         There are 180 different cultures of peoples in Amsterdam compared to 150 in New York City. Jeff challenged us to listen to the different languages we heard during the day. I did this and found myself disappointed that I listened to the many languages put didn’t know what they were. I could pick out the major ones like Spanish and French but nothing else.

·         We all tend to be ethnocentric. This means we tend to see the world through our own cultural lens, whether that be American culture and/or Christian culture. God did not call us to plant American churches in every nation, he says to make disciples of every ethnic group. The only way to establish the Gospel among a people is through their culture.

·         New ideas in society can be traced:

                First with the intellectuals

                The educated –ideas get passed down through the school systems

                The workers

                And finally the middle class

·         Thomas Aquinas sought balance between Grace (God the Creator, heaven, heavenly, invisible) and Nature (the created, earth, earthly, visible). Catholicism rejected nature from the 5^th-15^th century. The Renaissance brought nature back but rejected God’s truth. People didn’t change what they were thinking, they started to change the way they were thinking.

·         We have formed a Christian culture that is so inward focused we have lost connection with the viewers. Post Modern thinking means wanting to participate. They don’t want a show a church.

·         “Expect great things from God, attempt great things for God.” William Carey.

In the afternoons we were free to explore the city. It is so quaint. The gardens I walked through were beautiful and tranquil. I could have sat there for hours reflecting on God’s creation.

I went to the art museums and saw Rembrandt’s, Van Gough’s, Vermeer’s, Gauguin’s, Cezanne’s and many others. It is so surreal to see this works of art in person that I have seen hundreds of times in my art books.

My favorite part was visiting the churches. I saw the Old Church, the New Church, Zuiderkerk, St. Bavo’s, St. Nicolas, and Begijnhof Chapel. I love seeing the grander and majesty of the old churches built to glorify God.

You can go to my Facebook to see pictures from the trip.

Welcome to the Garden

Last night we had a garden party at DIG! We had Christmas lights draped from the ceiling and small tables set up for students to sit around. Some of the girls helped me bake Oreo cheesecake, lemon bars, and pinwheels.  We had cans of pop for students to enjoy. Some other girls helped serve Common Meal. One of our students read the creation story during the beginning praise. We wanted to create a beautiful, fun atmosphere for people to enter into the story because God did not only show grace at the cross but also in the beginning in the garden. He showed grace in the undeserved love he showed us. Brad shared a quote from N.T. Wright, “One of the central elements of the Christian story is the claim that the paradox of laughter and tears, woven as it is deep into the heart of all human experience, is woven also deep into the heart of God.” In both joyful laughter and painful tears we can see remnants of the garden. Through tears we see the way things were not intended to be. Contrary, through laughter we glimpse a piece of the perfect creation.

Projects I have been working on this summer

Here are a few projects I have been working on this summer getting ready for the new school year.

  This is the view of the stairs. We used to have the Alumni's pictures framed on this wall. A group of students helped me paint the stairwell and I rehung the Alumni's pictures.

On the main level between the restrooms I

created our Grow trip tree. I drew the tree out, put nails in at all the points,

and wrapped string and twine to create a tree. I hung pictures from the trips

we took last year.

Downstairs we have our vision statement on windows hanging from the ceiling. This was put together last year but the statement was written with window paint. This year I used my sister's Cricut to cut the letters out of contact paper.

Katie, a student last year, made our shalom sign. This summer I added the black wooden frame. It helps it stand out so much more. 

On the main floor I hung four windows. They are labeled Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, and Supplication. We have provided markers so that students can write their prayers on these windows. 

Haiti

"I don't want to glance over poverty because I have seen it before. I don't want to overlook those I encounter because I think I already understand. I don't want to ignore what is right in front of my face because I feel like they hold lessons I've already learned." -Alece

This was my fourth trip to the Northwest Haiti Christian Mission in Saint Louis du Nord, Haiti. The Northwest is the poorest region in Haiti; I saw this more this time than any other trip. Our team of 15 people traveled six hours by school bus from Port au Prince to Saint Louis. We arrived around 10:00 at night. We blew up air mattresses and found sheets and pillows while trying not to wake everyone else that were already in bed. When we took our second flight into Haiti the plane was full so we had to check our second carry on at the door. We didn’t see those bags again until Saturday, the seventh day of the trip. God taught us all many things from not having everything we thought we would need for the trip. A few of us had all their things so we shared and did laundry frequently. Not many teams can come back saying they went shopping at a Haitian market for underwear.

I was worried and didn’t want to put too much expectation on seeing some of the Haitians I had met last year. A lot of the interpreters only work for one summer or just a few weeks at a time. Anything could happen in a year since I last saw the boys who stand outside the mission selling bracelets. I was so excited when I saw Rodlen. He came up and gave me a hug when I was playing with some younger kids in the nutrition program. He told me he got to attend school this past year and I noticed he had on a lot nicer clothes on. I didn’t see him for the next couple of days and the other boys said he was sick. But he came running up to me again when we were watching the soccer game.

Every afternoon at the church across the street the mission teaches an English class. A few of our girls went every day. I went once to the beginner class and once to the advanced. In the beginner class we were paired up and helped our partner read through a children’s book. We then asked them to retell us the story to make sure they understood what they were reading. In the advanced class they have been reading through “Hatchet”. Melissa, the teacher, wrote out vocabulary and explained each word. It put in perspective for me how hard it is to explain the meaning of words we use all the time. I was partnered with Tony. He was a really good reader and when Melissa asked a question I was proud of him for the answer he gave. I talked with a few of the other guys as well, Sonny and Taylor. Some of the interpreters for the mission grow up going to an English speaking school but these guys are taking this class so that hopefully soon they can start working at the mission.

At the mission we have devos in the morning and at night. Some of the guys and girls from our team lead worship every night. I don’t think if I can describe the difference between worshiping staring at the mountains with the wind blowing compared to standing in straight rows, inside, staring at the words to the songs on the screen. It was incredible.

My Bible was in my second carry on. I couldn’t use my phone for any sort of daily Bible reading. Even being on a mission trip where the point is to commune with God all day and with devos twice a day I wanted more than anything to be in God’s Word. This past year I went through the James Bible study by Beth Moore. I memorized James 1 so for seven days that was the Word of God that I had and I can’t even count how many times I repeated it.

When people talk about mission trips, and changing the world, and sharing the gospel, and giving to the poor, the glorified stories that come are about relationships made and kids held but there are things that happen behind the scenes that make all of that possible. A few days we stayed at the mission and did projects they needed to get done. The church across the street needed to be repainted. First though the current paint had to be scraped off the concrete walls. When you sign up to go to Haiti this isn’t one of the things you picture yourself doing, but our team had good attitudes and started scraping. After about two hours there were 15 eyelevel, about 2’x2’ patches of exposed concrete on the brown walls. Each team worked on the church while we were there and by the end of the summer the teams will be able to start painting.

The grocery ministry is when you go to the market and buy a bag of groceries, pick a house at random and ask if they need groceries today, then ask if you can pray with them. We bought three bags and had passed out the first two. We arrived at an intersection in the road. Someone yelled out left so we turned and stopped at the first house we came to. I figured this house got stopped at a lot and we should go down further down the road but the woman told us she was the grandmother of the house. Her daughter travels an hour one-way to work every day. The grandmother takes care of the kids at home. She told us how the day before someone had stolen her money so she couldn’t buy food for the day. All they had eaten was the fruit growing from the tree in their yard.

 The brothel in Saint Louis is walking distance from the mission. The girls on our team went and met the women in the common area with their kids. I shared a story from 2 Kings 11. I wanted to share a story about a woman who followed God but is also lesser known. Even growing up in church I don’t remember hearing any stories about Jehosheba. She saved the heir to the Israelite kingdom. She didn’t have any power in the kingdom but knew that the boy needed to be protected. We may not think we can do great things or we are beautiful but when we think those things it breaks God’s heart because we are his daughters and he calls us beautiful and created us to do great things. A team went to the brothel every day and on our final day we invited the women to the mission for a Princess Party. We decorated the chapel and had cookies and muffins. The women received jewelry and decorated crowns. More teams shared what it means to be daughters of the King. I think the women really enjoyed it.

The Neighbor’s Project is where a church in America partners with a church in Haiti. A group from a church in Fredericksburg, VA traveled to the church in Berger, Haiti every day. I had the opportunity to join them for two days. The church in Berger is a tarp attached to the pastor’s house held up by bamboo poles. The group from VA was able to provide a tin roof for the church. Amazingly, maybe for the first time in history, the roof was on before church on Sunday. After Sunday service the team brought water purifying systems to pass out to twelve families. They were so easy to use I was able to help pass them out and show how to use them.

A lot of the times when we show up at a church a lot of young kids come to hear a Bible story and receive a snack. In Berger we had the chance to talk with the teens on a deeper level and gave them a change for them to ask us questions. It was encouraging to see so many show up and have questions for us.

We traveled to Anse a Foleur, where the voodoo temple is. The Haitians who worship at the temple believe in the God we know but also offer sacrifices to spirits they believe protect, heal, and seek revenge on their behalf. We view the temple and walk to the monument to pray for the one true God and truth to be revealed to these people.

On our last day we went Hut to Hut asking if we could talk with and pray for people. Our whole team went which can be intimidating so a few of us stood back at each house. At one house I was standing back from a man from a neighboring house came out and asked what we were doing. We told him and he told us his name was Gin asked if we could pray for him. Of course! He invited us into his home and introduced us to his wife, Finel, and new baby, Jaylen. After we finished praying we put TOMS on Jaylen’s feet. Haiti received 100,000 pairs of TOMS and 30,000 went to Northwest Haiti Christian Mission. My backpack was full of little kids shoes we were able to deliver to many families that day.

We were supposed to arrive back in America around midnight Thursday morning. God had other plans. Our plane from Port de Paix to Port au Prince was late so we missed our flight from Port au Prince to Newark. This isn’t the first time anyone has been delayed in Haiti; we were in good hands with the mission. They knew what hotel to take us to and bought us hamburgers and French fries for dinner. We stayed at Coconut Villa. I was surprised at how nice it was. They had a pool to swim in! I saw a lot more of Port au Prince than I had ever seen before. Contrasted with the Northwest region, everyone living in the capital looks like they are living the “good life” even though they are poorer than both you and I.  

Summer

It was officially summer in Warrensburg last Monday which means I was able to start on my summer to-do list. It seems for every thing I have marked off in the last week I have added two more things. But I love it! I am excited to have time to think out and make the small changes that are going to have big impacts this next year. One project I finished last night was painting my wing-back chair in my apartment. A couple of years ago I was out for a walk with my friends and I saw this chair out on the curb in front of some one's house. We carried it back to my house. But as you can see it was pink with blue flowers. Ick! So I found instructions on how to paint upholstered furniture here and set off transforming my chair.



Before

After



Spring Break part 2

We are home and back to work and school.

In Tennessee, God's creation was beautiful and the weather was perfect. The most repeated things students keep saying is how awesome it was that they could be themselves on this trip and were accepted. So many friendships were made this past week. I pray they continue and spread to others in our community.

At the beginning of our trip on Sunday morning we went to Crossings in Knoxville. Caleb taught on the book of Luke. Mark and Caleb came during the week and taught through the book of Nehemiah. I learned a lot and thought I would share a thought from my notes with you.

On Sunday I heard a parable I have heard probably a hundred times (and you probably have too), but this time I heard something differently. Luke 19:11- 24 says,
And as they heard these things, he added and spake a parable, because he was nigh to Jerusalem, and because they thought that the kingdom of God should immediately appear. He said therefore, A certain nobleman went into a far country to receive for himself a kingdom, and to return. And he called his ten servants, and delivered them ten pounds, and said unto them, Occupy till I come. But his citizens hated him, and sent a message after him, saying, We will not have this man to reign over us. And it came to pass, that when he was returned, having received the kingdom, then he commanded these servants to be called unto him, to whom he had given the money, that he might know how much every man had gained by trading. Then came the first, saying, Lord, thy pound hath gained ten pounds. And he said unto him, Well, thou good servant: because thou hast been faithful in a very little, have thou authority over ten cities. And the second came, saying, Lord, thy pound hath gained five pounds. And he said likewise to him, Be thou also over five cities. And another came, saying, Lord, behold, here is thy pound, which I have kept laid up in a napkin: For I feared thee, because thou art an austere man: thou takest up that thou layedst not down, and reapest that thou didst not sow. And he saith unto him, Out of thine own mouth will I judge thee, thou wicked servant. Thou knewest that I was an austere man, taking up that I laid not down, and reaping that I did not sow: Wherefore then gavest not thou my money into the bank, that at my coming I might have required mine own with usury? And he said unto them that stood by, Take from him the pound, and give it to him that hath ten pounds.

By investing the money, the first and second servant were telling their master, the nobleman, they believe he will become king and they want him to become king. Because if he hadn't become king the servants would have lost the money. This isn't just a story about how to invest what God has given you. Jesus wants to know if you will risk everything and bet on him. Do you have the courage to risk what God has given you?

Here are a few picture from the trip...


Hiking to Chimny Tops



Just Dance



Knoxville

Change in routine

Today was an unusually warm day for February. In Warrensburg it was in the 60’s! I decided to walk on campus and spend some time outdoors. As I made my way to the benches in front of the Union I saw one of my old professors sitting and eating lunch with a couple of other professors. I stopped and said hi. We discussed some of my old classmates and where they are now and what they are up to. I told her some of what I have been doing at CCH and how I love it. We said our good-byes and I moved along.

 I found and empty bench and took The Screwtape Letters, my notebook, and a pencil out of my bag to start reading and writing notes for the community group members to discuss. I got about a chapter read before one of my friends, Jenna, passed by. She was headed inside the Union to get some cake. Apparently for 18 years now the university has had a 90% employment rate after graduation. So what better way to celebrate, then by giving its students free cake! I followed her inside. We each picked up a piece of chocolate cake and found a seat on a sofa.

Jenna told me she has been reading Leviticus, where God lays out the laws He wants the Israelites to follow. The more she read and studied the more she learned the things the Israelites were required to do in themselves had no significance but because God had commanded them was what made the acts worship to Him. We questioned and discussed why God set so many rules and how it is different from today. Beth Moore says, “Relationships are the goal of regulations.” In the Old Testament not everyone could have a relationship with God, but today it is possible.

SURPRISE!!!

This past weekend Anna, one of my best friends, and I went to Wyoming. We went to surprise Nadine, another friend, on her wedding day. God brought Nadine here for grad school last year. She met Daylen, the other staff intern, and now they are happily married!

The ceremony was in a small church so when the doors were opened for Nadine and her dad to walk down the aisle Anna and my faces were the first ones she saw. She was shocked! It was the perfect reaction. Nadine looked beautiful! The whole wedding was perfect. There wasn’t too much “show off” of every wedding has to have this or that. It was simple and lovely. Everything that was done pointed to God.  It was in the most beautiful setting too!

Daylen and Nadine left the church in a one horse open sleigh.

The reception was wonderful. It was very relaxed. Even though Anna and I didn’t know anyone else but Brad and Cailyn, Nadine’s parents and Daylen’s parents were very happy that we could be there. It was so much fun dancing with Nadine and her friends from undergrad.

So my soul longeth after thee

          
             Today for lunch I left the Campus House and headed to Lions Lake. I got in my car and it said the outside temperature was 100°. But I was determined to eat outside and enjoy the beauty of God’s creation. I drove around the lake and saw some benches but they were in the sun so I decided to park and sit at a picnic table under a shelter. There were several geese who wanted to enjoy the shade of the shelter as well. Again though, nothing was going to deter me. I ate my sandwich and chips rather quickly keeping an eye on the closely approaching geese. There is a trail through the woods that I had taken before with a few friends. I decided to eat my apple as I walked.

           

              As I walked I talked with God. I told Him how beautiful everything was and how thankful for where He has brought me in life. I just wanted to tell Him so much more, it was over pouring but I didn’t feel like I had the sufficient words. So I stopped. I told God I was sorry I kept talking when I should be listening. Not a minute later I heard the leaves rustle to my left. I looked up and there were two deer. I froze and stared at them. They stared back at me. I stood there for a long time just watching them until this guy came by riding on his bike. I probably looked pretty strange just eating my apple staring out into the trees.

            Do you have a specific animal or experience that you know when you see it God showed up just for you? That for me is deer. And this time God was telling me, “Megan, you’re right, you need to shut up. You do a great job listening to everyone else, now you need to listen to what I have to say.”