First Class Conversations

My first time flying first class was great. Comfy seats, free snacks, lots of leg room (not that at 5'4" I need extra leg room, but hey it was nice.) The anthropologist in me couldn't help surveying the people around me and cataloging some of the differences between first class and coach. One interesting difference was in the conversations I encountered. Most talk was shallow and didn't stray far from Hilton vs Marriott or US vs Delta.  No one seemed to be too interested in anything other than business. I was surrounded by success, business owners, share holders, and VPs, but felt no connection with anyone.

I got bored with their conversations and began to drift off to sleep just about the time it started raining. And then the conversations shifted to what an inconvenience the rain was going to be in getting to their business meetings. When we landed the captain explained that because of the lightening we and about 60 other airplanes were sitting on the tarmac and we were going to be delayed for sure. Suddenly, first class was on their phones rebooking their flights and complaining to the flight attendants about the delay.

If I wasn't out of place already, now I really was. I welcomed the rain, delayed flight and all. Sometimes we need a delay - the people surrounding me clearly needed to slow down. I settled into my comfy first class seat and decided to enjoy the extra few minuets I would get to enjoy the experience (meanwhile the lady in the seat next to me was busy yelling at the customer service agent about having to have a first class seat.)

Turns out I made my flight and did so without rushing and stressing about it. I am glad that recently God has been slowing me down and teaching me to rest in Him. I may not have enjoyed my first class experience at all otherwise. I wouldn't say that the others in first class with me this morning enjoyed their flights at all. How many times am I so distracted by my to do list that I don't even notice that I am missing out on a great experience? "Be still & know that I am God." Ps 46:10

It was back to coach for my connecting flight, but I didn't mind. I had wonderful conversations with those seated around me. We shared purchased snacks and some good laughs. I may have had more comforts in first class, but nothing replaces genuinely sharing life with others, even for a brief moment on a plane to Jamaica. 

Five Weeks of Learning

I can't believe the summer is halfway over already. It has been a blur of long days and late nights. But what a ride it has been! I am so glad that Christ is not done changing me yet. I've learned so much over these past several weeks.

Week one was a blast. Each day we hosted a children's program each day with lessons that led up to one big community event on Thursday night themed Jesus the Miracle Worker. It was an amazing thing to see the community come out for a night of fun, but leave with an understanding that the Creator of the universe loves them so much He died for them. I learned the importance of preparation this week - the team I was with put so much work in before the trip they could enjoy and let the Holy Spirit move during the trip.

Week two was full and fun. We were at another school working with a program called ASTEP, which is for grade six students who failed their end of e year test and could not progress to the seventh grade. Many of these students can not read and have a difficult time with math. This week God showed me the value of encouraging words and giving someone my time. Proverbs 18:21 says that the power of life and death is in the tongue and I saw this come alive. A the start of the week these boys were hostile and distant, but after a few days of loving on them they were completely different students! It's amazing the change that can come from a positive word.

Week three was in the mountains of Jamaica. Again, my group worked in schools. This week God worked on my fiercely. It seemed like everything that could change and go wrong did. God showed me that His plans are better than mine, no matter how much work I put into them, and that He is in complete control. I was humbled as I saw God move hour by hour through what I thought was chaos and constant change. Looking back now, I can't imagine the week going any other way.

Week four was equally as awesome as the other weeks. Unity was my lesson for the week. I had three teams come together under one mission in two different locations. It was a beautiful thing to see each group surround one another in love and support. By the end of the week they had become one family. It was a terrific example of what the body of Christ looks like when we walk together in unity.

Week five was in Costa Rica with my youth group. What a great thing to serve with my students again and see God work through them. This week's lesson was in Christ being my sustainer. Hebrews 1:3 tells us that Christ sustains all things by His powerful Word, and I felt that this week as I was beyond exhausted. I began the week empty but finished the week full and energized. What an amazing thing to know that it is Christ that filled me and allowed me to continue to serve with my family.

Please keep your prayers coming as I have three more weeks in Jamaica starting tomorrow and then two weeks in South Africa. I am looking forward to seeing God move in mighty ways over the next several weeks and I will do my best to keep you all posted. :)

This pic is of our group in Costa Rica in front of the church we painted.

It's a bird! It's a plane! Yup, it's a plane.

What a full day of travel I've had. After some flight delays and rerouting, I am on my way to Jamaica. Praying Pelican Missions has a full summer of trips ahead of us, and Jamaica has its fair share. I am excited to begin this season of leading trips, after putting so much work into planning them. I know that all our hard work and detailed scheduling is going to pay off. At the end of the summer, I will consider my trips a success if the students and individuals who came to serve in Jamaica go back home knowing that they were the hands and feet of God and are changed because of it. I am looking forward to seeing how God is going to change me as well.

Please keep the prayers coming and I will keep the updates coming. My previous blog post has a listing of all the stops I am making this summer and details some specific ways you can pray for me and my hubby, my teams, Jamaica, and Praying Pelican Missions. I appreciate your support and love and encouragement.

Remember, you don't have to get in a plane and cross the ocean to be the hands and feet of Christ. Sometimes all you have to do is cross the street. :-)

Recently Mailed Postcards

By now many of you should have received a postcard in the mail from me of my missionary travel schedule this summer. As exciting as it is to see so many wonderful places in such a short period of time, I recognize that the only way I'm going to make it through the summer is with prayer, which is why I sent the postcards out. The most important thing that you can do to support me & Praying Pelican Missions is to lift me and my teams up in prayer this summer. Please put these postcards in a place that you will see on a daily basis. Even now I am feeling the enemy's attacks, as he tries to destroy the work the Lord has already begun. 

There are some very specific things you can pray about this summer on my behalf:

#1 - For my husband and myself, that God will continue to strengthen & protect our marriage as we both serve the Lord this summer.

#2 - For my teams serving in Jamaica and for Praying Pelican Missions, as we lead thousands of students and individuals onto the mission field in nine different countries, that God would work in their hearts as they serve others & that He will draw them closer to Himself.

#3 - For the people of Jamaica, that God would begin to do a work in their hearts, as He reveals Himself to them and His desire to know them in a one-on-one relationship, & that they would come to know His saving grace.

I want to thank you in advance for the prayers that you will lift up for the above requests over the summer. I know that this is what God has called me to do, this is what he has created me to do, but I also know that I cannot do this on my own, so thank you for your prayers. Through your prayers you will be an active participant in what the Lord is doing around the world.

I have one final request of you. Not only would I ask for your prayers, but I would also like to pray for you. Please take some time and message me or text me and let me know how I can be praying for you this summer as well. Even though you may not be serving on the foreign mission field this summer, I know that God has great plans in store for you & that you will need my prayers too.

Thank you for agreeing to partner with me and I with you in prayer over the summer. I will do my best to post updates on a regular basis here on my blog.

Upside Down Postage Stamps

In my family we have a tradition. When we mail each other letters we place the postage stamp on upside down. When I asked my grandmother what that meant she told me that it was a way of saying I love you. Through the years I've continued to place my stamps on the envelopes upside down, unless of course it was a bill, & I never really looked anymore into why we put postage stamps on envelopes upside down.

The other day, however, I became curious and so I did some research on the Internet. There were a lot of different opinions about why people put postage stamps on upside down, but the one that I think my grandmother would agree with is this:  In wartime, soldiers were discouraged from including anything in their letters that might show affection or that might put their loved ones in danger if the enemy intercepted their correspondence. And so soldiers and their families began placing their postage stamps on envelopes upside down as a way of being able to say I love you without actually having to write the words.

So if you ever receive a letter from me and you notice that the postage stamp is on upside down, now you know it's a way of saying I love you in my family.

"How are you?"

Have you ever said something to someone in a conversation and thought, "Why on earth did I say that? I didn't even know I felt that way!" Well I had one of those moments today while talking with a good friend of mine in the church parking lot. She caught me by surprise by genuinely asking me how I was doing. As I responded to her I began to realize that I was feeling disconnected from those around me. Up until that point I hadn't felt like anyone genuinely cared what my response was to the "How are you?" question and so I hadn't really asked myself that question. So it surprised me when I answered her the way I did. As I began to pray about it later the Lord began to reveal to me that I do the same thing to others. I ask them how they are at times when they can't really answer the question honestly - maybe we are just passing or maybe we are in a location too crowded to share. When my friend stopped and asked me how I was she did so at a time when neither of us were pressed for time and we were not surrounded by other people who could have interrupted our conversation and so we were both able to openly share. It was refreshing. The lesson I learned is this: I must be intentional about when I ask others how they are and make sure to genuinely want to hear their answer to that question, otherwise I will leave them feeling the same way I was earlier today.

As I study the life of Christ, I notice that each of His conversations were intentional and genuine. He was never too busy to stop and minister to others, even when He was pressed for time (like when Lazarus was dying). He made it a point to connect with and make time for others and I must do the same. We are all busy and have stuff in our lives that easily get in the way of our connecting with others - the key is found in the second greatest command in Scripture, to love others as we love ourselves. This includes genuinely making time to ask others how they are, because we like it when people do this for us. You never know how that simple question is going to influence their day.

What I have been up to the last few months...

Thanks for your prayers over the past few months. I have been busy in my new position as a full-time missionary, but it has been a blessed time. I am daily learning that it is only in His strength that I am able to keep up with all that there is to learn and do and plan.

I spent Christmas and New Year’s with a team in Jamaica, serving in the parish of Kingston. In the mornings we hosted a Vacation Bible School program at one of the local churches and then in the afternoons we helped lay foundation for a church building in a rough area of the inner city. It was a great blessing to watch students share Christ’s love with the communities in Kingston.

I had the opportunity in February to travel on mission to India through my church. India was like nothing I had experienced before. Idol worship is a major part of their daily activities. It was heart-breaking for me to see individuals with barely enough to eat give their food and money to temples and idols that cannot see or hear their prayers. Each day the group of us traveled from house church to house church sharing our testimonies and emphasizing what Christ has done in our lives. Most of the time I felt as though I weren’t doing any good at all, until we heard report that several individuals had decided to follow Christ after hearing our stories. This was a great reminder for me that sometimes all we must do is share what Christ has done in our lives and the Holy Spirit will do the rest. The cost is great for someone deciding to leave Hinduism and their family gods to follow Christ. Their family will disown them and in some cases try to kill them. In fact, the last day as we were heading to the airport we stopped at another house church whose members had fled to that particular part of India to escape religious persecution. Many of their family had been killed because of their professions of faith in Christ, and yet they still boldly follow Him. Remarkable.

A few weeks after returning from India I left for Jamaica again, this time for a month. I helped lead four back to back trips in different areas of the island; Port Maria, Falmouth, St. Anns Bay, & Kingston. We hosted Vacation Bible School programs, participated in construction projects, visited infirmaries & children’s homes, and even had a group of medical students come and serve with us. If you haven’t read it already, check out my blog entry entitled “When Words Fail” about one of our encounters at an infirmary. God is always faithful to show up each day. You can also check out our trip journals at PrayingPelicanMissions.org that detail our daily activities and experiences.

While there I also met with several pastors who are over churches that some of our upcoming teams will be serving alongside. It was a very productive time. Plus, it was wonderful to be able to spend Easter worshiping with the people of Jamaica. 

Your continued prayers for my husband and me are appreciated as I continue to plan trips for this summer. I know that this is not something I can do on my own. I will be returning to Jamaica at the end of May through August. Don’t forget that it’s not too late to come along for a week or two! There is much work to be done and we could use your help. If you cannot go but are interested in giving to my ministry or the ministry of Praying Pelican Missions, simply click on the donate button on the right side of my blog page. :-)

And to think this is what I am blessed to experience every day I serve in Jamaica. Makes you want to join me doesn't it?