I have been at The Church at Hopepark in Nashville, TN for 7 years now. I love my church, love my pastor, the staff and the beautiful people that I get to know and worship with and do life with. I am frequently involved in the music there and I am honored to be able to use my gifts.
I am always BLOWN away by the love and encouragement I receive when I do this. I sang at a women's event last night there and the responses already have just touched me so deeply. Sometimes it is hard to get up and lead people in worship or communicate a song, especially when I am struggling with something personally or having a tough day, or just the whole feeling of being unworthy to even do that.
I really felt like I had nothing to give last night. I even left the event thinking, man, this could have gone so much better if I had done this, that, etc.
But, I have had such wonderful feedback. It is just a reminder that God uses us in our weakness, when we are weak, He is strong.
Hopepark Family, you will never know how powerfully you touch my life. I love my church and the family I have made there. When I drive down the big driveway to the church, I thank God that I have such a wonderful community of believers to share this life with. Thank you, I love ya'll so much.
Sunday, August 30, 2009
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
Reynosa Day 2
So, the distribution trip is done. And I am getting on a plane in a couple of hours. I told you about Sunday's distribution at the church, and how great it was. And yesterday was just as amazing. We went to an orphanage in Reynosa, Mexico and to be honest, I was preparing myself for one big ole ugly cry. I was expecting to see all these sad faces and have children trying to leave with me and so on. That is not what I found there.
We entered the orphanage that morning and unloaded shoes as dozens of little dark eyes watched and then went back to their coloring because it was alot more interesting. The orphanage is a 2 story facility. For the standards in Mexico, it is very clean. The smells weren't always the best, but generally this place was clean and neat and sunny. I was pleasantly surprised.
After we got the shoes unloaded, I sat with a group of little girls (probably about 5-8 years old) and colored with them. It was frustrating and comical to have limited communication, but they were very patient and we worked around it. They just enjoyed having a buddy to color with.
I just happened to bring a bunch of stickers with me to Mexico. At Target, I decided against the candy and bought stickers of cars, SpongeBob, hearts, butterflies(mariposas in espanol), stars (estrellas in espanol), DORA and happy faces. I pulled the stickers out, and...IT..WAS..ON. They went nuts, I had kids with stickers all over their face, clothes, backpacks....IT WAS FABULOUS. I kept having negotiations with little folks that wanted more, and of course, I would give in every time and say "uno mas" (one more).
I snuck in the little kids area later and watched as they napped, and saw a precious angel with a star sticker still on her cheek.
We had lunch at the orphanage and they served us first, we has something called Menudo. Moses, our Mexican pastor/tour guide/bodyguard/man about town/powerlifter, informed us that this word means "common". Menudo was a stew filled with a tomato broth, hominy and cow knuckles, stomach, and many other things I don't want to know about. I tried, ya'll. I ate all the hominy. Some of our other girls couldn't do it, and they tried too. SO, Mercedes, the lunch lady of the orphanage (who looks like lunch ladies look in the US...guess it is universal), came over and brought us cheese quesadillas because she said they made them anyway for the other kids. I love Mercedes, for many reasons, for honoring us with a meal and for realizing that we were not all fans of cow knuckles.
As we finished us, they brought the younger kids in to eat. I went over to a table and helped them feed the kids. The children at my table were anywhere from 10 months to 2 years. I spoon fed a little girl her lunch and entertained a very animated little girl and a boy named Victor. Everytime I would smile at Victor he would do that belly laugh that babies do, and throw his head back. The goal of lunch was to get the kids to eat with their spoons, not their hands. It was a sight. We chanted in Spanish "manos no, cuchara si" (hands no, spoon yes)
After lunch, we started fitting shoes. I have to say the more I do this, I love it. I love getting down and fitting people with shoes. I think it is even more personal than when you give someone clothes or anything else, there is just something about dealing with a person's feet that touches them in a different way. We had just a few cases where we didn't have the exact size, and we gave them something a half size or so bigger because they are still growing. Generally, the Mexican people are smaller than Americans, with tiny little feet. I fitted sweet shy, little boys, and girls who even though they are young and in poverty, wanted girly shoes, the school shoes we brought, which they definitely need, were not quite as froo-froo as they would have liked. I loved this, universally, girls are girls.
I had one little girl that was born with webbed feet. Her name was Ingrid and she had surgery not too long ago to repair it, but there is still a definite deformity to her foot. She was very shy about taking her boot off. I finally got her to and we found a pair that didn't irriate her foot. I just wanted to kiss her little feet. I told her in Spanish that she was beautiful and her feet were too. She melted my heart.
I noticed that when we got to the older girls to fit, it was a little harder to break through to them. You could see in their eyes that alot of hurt was there. I just wished I could have talked more to them, communicated better, stayed longer.
At the end of the day, I decided to walk into the young kids area during naptime. It was so peaceful in there. hey had classical music playing and in each section, there were little sleeping angels. I leaned over the ledge and just watched the sleep. I wonder what their life will be like, if they will make it? Will they grow up and have a family, will they resist the cycle they were born in to? A couple of kids were awake, and they remembered that I was the sticker lady, to which I replied "no mas" (no more). I found one sticker on my shirt and I gave it to a little boy, about 3. I leaned down and stuck it on his shirt, and hugged him. He just squeezed me so tight, I didn't want to let him go.
I noticed yesterday that in the midst of being orphaned, and in an area of poverty, these children are generally very happy. They are fed and loved by a group of amazing people, and have a safe haven there. Things in their life could be better, yes, it definitely could. But they are loved, and cared for. And I was so touched by that day, by that experience. I want to do what I can to make their world better, whether that is by sending shoes, money, or going back with stickers and coloring books. I left burdened but I left happy. I got to love on them, and I was loved in return. And isn't that what is most important?
I want to thank all those children for reminding me of this one thing: If we do not have love, we have nothing.
We entered the orphanage that morning and unloaded shoes as dozens of little dark eyes watched and then went back to their coloring because it was alot more interesting. The orphanage is a 2 story facility. For the standards in Mexico, it is very clean. The smells weren't always the best, but generally this place was clean and neat and sunny. I was pleasantly surprised.
After we got the shoes unloaded, I sat with a group of little girls (probably about 5-8 years old) and colored with them. It was frustrating and comical to have limited communication, but they were very patient and we worked around it. They just enjoyed having a buddy to color with.
I just happened to bring a bunch of stickers with me to Mexico. At Target, I decided against the candy and bought stickers of cars, SpongeBob, hearts, butterflies(mariposas in espanol), stars (estrellas in espanol), DORA and happy faces. I pulled the stickers out, and...IT..WAS..ON. They went nuts, I had kids with stickers all over their face, clothes, backpacks....IT WAS FABULOUS. I kept having negotiations with little folks that wanted more, and of course, I would give in every time and say "uno mas" (one more).
I snuck in the little kids area later and watched as they napped, and saw a precious angel with a star sticker still on her cheek.
We had lunch at the orphanage and they served us first, we has something called Menudo. Moses, our Mexican pastor/tour guide/bodyguard/man about town/powerlifter, informed us that this word means "common". Menudo was a stew filled with a tomato broth, hominy and cow knuckles, stomach, and many other things I don't want to know about. I tried, ya'll. I ate all the hominy. Some of our other girls couldn't do it, and they tried too. SO, Mercedes, the lunch lady of the orphanage (who looks like lunch ladies look in the US...guess it is universal), came over and brought us cheese quesadillas because she said they made them anyway for the other kids. I love Mercedes, for many reasons, for honoring us with a meal and for realizing that we were not all fans of cow knuckles.
As we finished us, they brought the younger kids in to eat. I went over to a table and helped them feed the kids. The children at my table were anywhere from 10 months to 2 years. I spoon fed a little girl her lunch and entertained a very animated little girl and a boy named Victor. Everytime I would smile at Victor he would do that belly laugh that babies do, and throw his head back. The goal of lunch was to get the kids to eat with their spoons, not their hands. It was a sight. We chanted in Spanish "manos no, cuchara si" (hands no, spoon yes)
After lunch, we started fitting shoes. I have to say the more I do this, I love it. I love getting down and fitting people with shoes. I think it is even more personal than when you give someone clothes or anything else, there is just something about dealing with a person's feet that touches them in a different way. We had just a few cases where we didn't have the exact size, and we gave them something a half size or so bigger because they are still growing. Generally, the Mexican people are smaller than Americans, with tiny little feet. I fitted sweet shy, little boys, and girls who even though they are young and in poverty, wanted girly shoes, the school shoes we brought, which they definitely need, were not quite as froo-froo as they would have liked. I loved this, universally, girls are girls.
I had one little girl that was born with webbed feet. Her name was Ingrid and she had surgery not too long ago to repair it, but there is still a definite deformity to her foot. She was very shy about taking her boot off. I finally got her to and we found a pair that didn't irriate her foot. I just wanted to kiss her little feet. I told her in Spanish that she was beautiful and her feet were too. She melted my heart.
I noticed that when we got to the older girls to fit, it was a little harder to break through to them. You could see in their eyes that alot of hurt was there. I just wished I could have talked more to them, communicated better, stayed longer.
At the end of the day, I decided to walk into the young kids area during naptime. It was so peaceful in there. hey had classical music playing and in each section, there were little sleeping angels. I leaned over the ledge and just watched the sleep. I wonder what their life will be like, if they will make it? Will they grow up and have a family, will they resist the cycle they were born in to? A couple of kids were awake, and they remembered that I was the sticker lady, to which I replied "no mas" (no more). I found one sticker on my shirt and I gave it to a little boy, about 3. I leaned down and stuck it on his shirt, and hugged him. He just squeezed me so tight, I didn't want to let him go.
I noticed yesterday that in the midst of being orphaned, and in an area of poverty, these children are generally very happy. They are fed and loved by a group of amazing people, and have a safe haven there. Things in their life could be better, yes, it definitely could. But they are loved, and cared for. And I was so touched by that day, by that experience. I want to do what I can to make their world better, whether that is by sending shoes, money, or going back with stickers and coloring books. I left burdened but I left happy. I got to love on them, and I was loved in return. And isn't that what is most important?
I want to thank all those children for reminding me of this one thing: If we do not have love, we have nothing.
Sunday, August 23, 2009
Reynosa Mexico Trip Day 1
I just back to our hotel in Texas after our first distribution. Our little group of 8 left the hotel earlier and entered Mexico with our shoes, stopping to have lunch before the distribution. I ate something like a deep fried baguette, filled with ground meat, cilantro, avocado and hot suace, called "lonches", and it changed my life. I also drank a Coca Cola sweetened with real cane sugar...wow. We walked around the market for a little while, and it was just a market, full of stuff.
Then we headed outside of the city area to Reynosa to a church just getting out of their service. We got there, and unloaded the shoes, and it was a little crazy for a while. We tried to get everyone in an orderly line, and sometimes it worked, sometimes it didn't. All in all, we probably gave away 200 plus pairs of shoes, mostly to children. We would measure their sweet little feet with a paper measuring chart, and do the best we could to find their current size or something they could grow into. The pastor's middle daughter, Abbi, became my little sidekick and a tremendous help. She translated for me, helped me measure and I just felt such love and grace from this 10 year old. She is going to grow into an amazing woman. She blessed my heart with her sweet face and freckles.
You go on these trips to do good work for others, that is the bottom line. But you are the one who receives the good work. I was measuring these sweet babies feet and looking in their deep dark eyes and making faces at them so they laugh and smile, I had them wiggle their little toes to make sure the shoes worked. I realized today that the stinky feet smell doesn't even bother me; I welcome it, because that means I am a part in helping to make their world better.
Tomorrow is the orphanage, which I know will be amazing and beautiful and hard too, because I will want to bring them all home with me.
For right now, I am headed the the McAllen Wal-Mart, to introduce Ellen and Nancy, two sisters from NYC and Miss Alex from North Dakota, to their very first MOON PIE.
I am out, ya'll.
Then we headed outside of the city area to Reynosa to a church just getting out of their service. We got there, and unloaded the shoes, and it was a little crazy for a while. We tried to get everyone in an orderly line, and sometimes it worked, sometimes it didn't. All in all, we probably gave away 200 plus pairs of shoes, mostly to children. We would measure their sweet little feet with a paper measuring chart, and do the best we could to find their current size or something they could grow into. The pastor's middle daughter, Abbi, became my little sidekick and a tremendous help. She translated for me, helped me measure and I just felt such love and grace from this 10 year old. She is going to grow into an amazing woman. She blessed my heart with her sweet face and freckles.
You go on these trips to do good work for others, that is the bottom line. But you are the one who receives the good work. I was measuring these sweet babies feet and looking in their deep dark eyes and making faces at them so they laugh and smile, I had them wiggle their little toes to make sure the shoes worked. I realized today that the stinky feet smell doesn't even bother me; I welcome it, because that means I am a part in helping to make their world better.
Tomorrow is the orphanage, which I know will be amazing and beautiful and hard too, because I will want to bring them all home with me.
For right now, I am headed the the McAllen Wal-Mart, to introduce Ellen and Nancy, two sisters from NYC and Miss Alex from North Dakota, to their very first MOON PIE.
I am out, ya'll.
Thursday, August 20, 2009
This weekend I will be in Reynosa, Mexico
In an orphanage, full of children that were not wanted by their families or were left there because no one could care for them or chose not to. I have been on mission trips before here in the States. And I have been touched and challenged and humbled each time because I realize my life is not as bad as I think it is.
My mom has already said "please do not put one of the children in your suitcase and bring them home", she knows me all too well.
What I want this weekend is to engage with another human being and just offer them love, kindness, patience, gentleness, and the gift of shoes of course, I am going on behalf of Soles4Souls.
And I want to do that here too, at home, the ultimate mission field. Our mission is all around us. In our homes, work, circle of friends, our extended family...our enemies. Those opportunities are everywhere, just waiting for us.
I love Elisabeth Elliot, I used to gobble up anything she wrote, but her writings are very challenging and they cause us to look inward and do some soul searching. So, like the selfish, self-absorbed, busy with my own life person I can be, I avoid them because I don't want to feel that feeling, you know the one where you feel like you aren't doing enough, searching inward enough....
"Here lies the tremendous mystery - that God should be all-powerful, yet refuse to coerce. He summons us to cooperation. We are honoured in being given the opportunity to participate in his good deeds. Remember how He asked for help in performing his miracles: Fill the waterpots, stretch out your hand, distribute the loaves" Elisabeth Elliot
I hope to bring back beautiful, amazing stories...godspeed.
My mom has already said "please do not put one of the children in your suitcase and bring them home", she knows me all too well.
What I want this weekend is to engage with another human being and just offer them love, kindness, patience, gentleness, and the gift of shoes of course, I am going on behalf of Soles4Souls.
And I want to do that here too, at home, the ultimate mission field. Our mission is all around us. In our homes, work, circle of friends, our extended family...our enemies. Those opportunities are everywhere, just waiting for us.
I love Elisabeth Elliot, I used to gobble up anything she wrote, but her writings are very challenging and they cause us to look inward and do some soul searching. So, like the selfish, self-absorbed, busy with my own life person I can be, I avoid them because I don't want to feel that feeling, you know the one where you feel like you aren't doing enough, searching inward enough....
"Here lies the tremendous mystery - that God should be all-powerful, yet refuse to coerce. He summons us to cooperation. We are honoured in being given the opportunity to participate in his good deeds. Remember how He asked for help in performing his miracles: Fill the waterpots, stretch out your hand, distribute the loaves" Elisabeth Elliot
I hope to bring back beautiful, amazing stories...godspeed.
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