Wednesday, February 16, 2011
Friday, February 11, 2011
Break Camp!
I haven't blogged in a few days, not even to express how happy I am to have Michael & Elijah home. Mainly because I didn't know what to say. When Michael returned from his 6 weeks in Haiti he was very discouraged. Nothing he had planned to do while he was there actually came to fruition. Our plan was to get at least a good start on the house. But nothing in Haiti comes easy. NOTHING! Reflecting over the past few weeks, Michael would say that none of his time there was wasted. He stayed very busy working on "orphanage stuff" and getting teams where they needed to be, but his disappointment came in seeing that we are really no closer to moving than we were before he left. Of course, if Michael is disappointed, then so am I. But God keeps reminding me that this is HIS deal and that everything will happen in His time. His still, small voice keeps telling me, "If this was easy, I would have called anyone to do it, but I called you." Not to say that Michael or I have any special qualities that would allow us to do this, but God has made it clear over the last year that every trial, valley, death, hardship, etc. that has happened in our lives up to this point has been God preparing us for this.
It is easy to doubt your calling. Looking at our circumstances we would say (and have said) that there are too many obstacles. Not enough money, no way to get a car in country, no resources to build a house. But all of this is Satan's attempt to keep us from doing the Lord's work. Then today I read Joshua 3. Read it when you can. The Israelites were told to cross the Jordan, but they had to take a step into the flooding river in Faith, then God would stop the water from flowing. And that's exactly what they did.
v15b -16 "Yet as soon as the priests who carried the ark reached the Jordan and their feet touched the water's edge, the water from upstream stopped flowing."
And then it says " they stood on dry ground" the truth is they had to step out! WOW!
I guess we've been waiting for everything to be ready in our eyes, but in verse 5 Joshua says, "Consecrate yourselves, for tomorrow the Lord will do amazing things among you."
And then today, my devotion says about Joshua 3:
"The people were not to wait in their camps until the way was opened, they were to walk by faith. They were to break camp, pack up their goods, form in line to march, and move down to the very banks before the the river would be opened. If they had come down to the edge of the river and then had stopped for the stream to divide before they stepped into it, they would have waited in vain. They must take one step into the water before the river would be cut off.
We must learn to take God at His Word, and go straight on in duty, although we see no way in which we can go forward. The reason we are so often balked by difficulties is that we expect to see them removed before we try to pass through them. If we would move straight on in faith, the path would be opened for us. We stand still, waiting for the obstacles to be removed, when we ought to go forward as if there were no obstacles."
This is where we are now, we have to hold our plans loosely. Pray that we can take this step of faith even when the waters are still flowing!
It is easy to doubt your calling. Looking at our circumstances we would say (and have said) that there are too many obstacles. Not enough money, no way to get a car in country, no resources to build a house. But all of this is Satan's attempt to keep us from doing the Lord's work. Then today I read Joshua 3. Read it when you can. The Israelites were told to cross the Jordan, but they had to take a step into the flooding river in Faith, then God would stop the water from flowing. And that's exactly what they did.
v15b -16 "Yet as soon as the priests who carried the ark reached the Jordan and their feet touched the water's edge, the water from upstream stopped flowing."
And then it says " they stood on dry ground" the truth is they had to step out! WOW!
I guess we've been waiting for everything to be ready in our eyes, but in verse 5 Joshua says, "Consecrate yourselves, for tomorrow the Lord will do amazing things among you."
And then today, my devotion says about Joshua 3:
"The people were not to wait in their camps until the way was opened, they were to walk by faith. They were to break camp, pack up their goods, form in line to march, and move down to the very banks before the the river would be opened. If they had come down to the edge of the river and then had stopped for the stream to divide before they stepped into it, they would have waited in vain. They must take one step into the water before the river would be cut off.
We must learn to take God at His Word, and go straight on in duty, although we see no way in which we can go forward. The reason we are so often balked by difficulties is that we expect to see them removed before we try to pass through them. If we would move straight on in faith, the path would be opened for us. We stand still, waiting for the obstacles to be removed, when we ought to go forward as if there were no obstacles."
This is where we are now, we have to hold our plans loosely. Pray that we can take this step of faith even when the waters are still flowing!
Thursday, February 3, 2011
Only 4 More Days!!!!
Only four more days until Michael and Elijah come home. It's been the longest 5 weeks of my life! Elijah got to fly over with a team on Monday and Michael was so happy to see him. Turns out it was a good week for Elijah to be gone with all the snow days. No make up work at school!
Several things have happened since I last blogged. None of it, of course, adding to the progress on our house, but all good stuff. Several teams have come and gone, served the people of Haiti and brought glory to God in the process. The team that is there now is a group of good friends who have donated their time, money and resources to improving life at the orphanage. They are now working on the electrical system.
Several things have happened since I last blogged. None of it, of course, adding to the progress on our house, but all good stuff. Several teams have come and gone, served the people of Haiti and brought glory to God in the process. The team that is there now is a group of good friends who have donated their time, money and resources to improving life at the orphanage. They are now working on the electrical system.
Snowing here, but 90 degrees in Haiti!
I know that moving to a third world country will bring lots of new experiences, but I think the funniest thing I have heard was when Michael called to say he had been waiting for hours for Yves to meet him in PAP. When Yves finally arrived they had had a wreck on the way when the chicken truck in front of them lost a box of chickens and it hit the windshield of their car. Luckily everyone was ok, except probably the chickens. Only in a third world country!
Elijah is very happy about this purchase! Every boy should have his own machete, right?
These sweet girls have taken to calling Elijah bubba.
And these are a whole lotta grapefruit that they picked and brought back to the orphanage.
This is the final product! It only took 5 weeks, but we now have a pad!! I think the house is going to go in that slot and sort of be built into the side. It's supposed to help keep us cool.
Elijah standing on the pad looking toward the orphanage.
Just want to say thanks to all of you who have prayed for us, checked in on us, called etc. It has made all the difference to us without Michael for so long!
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