Jesus In Disguise (Post from 1/9/2017)

Mother Theresa said “each one of them is Jesus in disguise”. She was speaking about the people she served while in Calcutta, India. This woman gave every breath she took to Jesus and allowed him to work through her; she is truly an inspiration. This quote has resonated with me and has given me a different perspective on those we continue to serve here in Madison, as well as those we plan to serve during our year of service starting in 19 months (wow, this is coming up fast!). If we all saw people for what they are, a child of God, we would start to see Jesus in everyone. We may start to realize that if we care and treat everyone how we would Jesus, our world’s problems would be eliminated. Yes, I understand, this is very Utopian, even heaven-like, and yes naive. But truthfully, 1 act of kindness is like a ripple in a pond, it continues and grows and spread. So if I can continue to make ripples in the pond, maybe I can have an impact on our world. I have a new hope for change and faith that I can make a difference; my children and my family can make a difference. I have new faith that our small ripples can spill out to others around us and these ripples have the potential to grow into larger and more impactful changes in our world.

Loving Those Closest To Us (post from 12/25/2016)

I was reading Mother Theresa’s book A Simple Path and found so many opportunities for reflection and growth, which has also let to multiple conversations with the kids about loving others and showing that love with kind and loving actions and words. (Granted, this usually comes up while they are fighting with each other.) But we have had great conversations about different ways to show our love for one another, because as Mother Theresa said, “Love begins by taking care of the closest ones–the ones at home”. We must first love ourselves and then our families before we can go spread that love to others.

So I asked my children to write 3 things about each of their family members–things that they loved about them, things they excelled at, things that made them special and unique, etc. What they came up with was really fun to read…
Anjali wrote:
To David: you are good at karate, you are nice, you have neat handwritting
To Lucia: you are funny, you are small and cute, you are nice
To Mom: you are a good mom, you are happy, you are nice
To Dad: you are merry, you are always happy, you are kind
David wrote:
To Anjali: you are amazing, you are cool, you are nice
To Lucia: you are awesome, you are cool, you are nice
To Mom: you are nice, you are courteous, , you are cool
To Dad: you are courteous, you are nice, you are cool
Lucia wrote:
To David: you are good at karate, you make me happy when you play with me, you make me happy when you read to me
To Anjali: you are good at gymnastics, you make me happy when you put me to sleep, you make me happy when you make me lunch
To Mom: you are a good cooker, you make me happy when you play with me, you make me happy when you put me to bed
To Dad: you make me happy when you read me stories, I like it when you give me Mentos, you are really good at hunting

I love how simple some of these are. They also surprised me, as things I didn’t even think of mean something to them. This just goes to show that we don’t know how our actions are going to impact the lives of those around us, so let’s all go out and shower everyone with love and kindness. “Spread love everywhere you go. Let no one ever come to you without leaving happier” (Mother Theresa). This is my new goal. I want to shine His light everywhere I go.

Planning Frustrations (post from 10/6/2016)

Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. (Isaiah 41:10)

I am having a hard time keeping my frustration in line. While we have found 2 places who would gladly accept our children for this volunteer experience, most other places they are not as welcomed. I have found it to be exceedingly difficult to find opportunities where the children can volunteer and serve alongside Jeff and I. While there are agencies that are willing and able to accommodate the children, we cannot afford to participate in their programs at $2000 per week per person, even with their “discounts” for children under age 12.

It seems we have identified a need: to support, connect, and provide helpful information to families looking to volunteer with younger children around the world at a minimal cost.

I know that I need to keep in mind that God has a plan for us and that if his will is for us to continue on this path, he will continue to guide us and lead us where we need to be. But this is no easy task for a person who likes to have everything planned out way in advance. This is a test for me: Can I be patient in waiting to see God’s will and patient for Him to show us the path He has in store for us?

The Waiting Game (post from 9/22/2016)

Tom Petty said it best, “the waiting is the hardest part”. With a little less than 2 years to go, both Jeff and I find ourselves having to be patient. We are both ready for this endeavor/journey, but know now is not the right time. What keeps us going since making the decision to pull the kids out of school and out of everyone’s comfort zone to travel the world for 1 year while serving and attending to those in need, is that we continually experience people, events, sermons, books, etc that continue to strengthen our desire and God’s will for us to keep moving forward; to continue the process of “going deep” into our faith in Jesus and God’s plan for our family. Its going to be a long 2 years of waiting and planning, but we truly believe that God’s plan for us is beyond our comprehension and that He will always guide us on our way, if we just listen with open hearts.