Anniversary Day

58 years ago today, my uncle and auntie married.  53 years ago, my own parents tied the knot.  Another set of cousins are married 54 years today; as well!  39 years ago, my Grandpa married my Grandma Gladys and 36 years ago, my sweet cousins were hitched.  11 years ago, I married my best friend; joining the family tradition. 

 

It is to those who have gone before me and shown me that through thick and thin, marriages can and do last.  My favorite line of this song, "Don't let your praying knees get lazy and love like crazy!" 

 

I am so glad we got married on June 12th.  Really, though, I am just glad I married my dear husband.  It wouldn't matter what day I was wed if it was to the wrong man.  So, win-win for me!

I told him today, "I can't promise that I will be here for the rest of your life.  I can promise you that I will love you for the rest of mine."

I am blessed to have a legacy of Godly marriages.  All of my aunts and uncles have been married to their one and only spouse, showing me each day that choices are made and as long as we keep God between us, nothing can separate us. 

Happy Anniversary, honey.  Thanks for putting up with me and spoiling me like you do.  I love you!
Happy Anniversary Daddy & Moma - thanks for your example every day!
Happy Anniversary Uncle G and Aunt K - You prove that young love does last a lifetime.
Happy Anniversary cousins!  You continue to be a Godly couple for me to see!

Praying Knees

One month ago, on May 11th, I was sitting in a small Friends church in Juli, Peru.  it was Mother's Day.  We were the first ones to arrive and our host cleaned up the meeting house and visited with us while we waited for others to arrive.  We weren't early, per say, but we arrived on time and thus, were early.

We sang fifteen songs over the course of 2 1/2 hours.  Some of which were in Aymara, not Spanish.  Doing the best I could, I opened my ears and listened with my heart the praise that poured from their lips in a language I had never heard.  When we sang in Spanish, I sang out, mixing my gringo voice to theirs. 

I remember the sermon, about Hannah and her dedication and follow-through:

Crushed in soul, Hannah prayed to God and cried and cried—inconsolably. Then she made a vow:

Oh, God-of-the-Angel-Armies,
If you’ll take a good, hard look at my pain,
If you’ll quit neglecting me and go into action for me
By giving me a son,
I’ll give him completely, unreservedly to you.
I’ll set him apart for a life of holy discipline.  (1 Samuel 1:10-11 Message)

And God granted her request and she gave birth to Samuel within the year.

 She stayed home and nursed her son until she had weaned him. Then she took him up to Shiloh, bringing also the makings of a generous sacrificial meal—a prize bull, flour, and wine. The child was so young to be sent off! ^25-26 They first butchered the bull, then brought the child to Eli. Hannah said, “Excuse me, sir. Would you believe that I’m the very woman who was standing before you at this very spot, praying to God? I prayed for this child, and God gave me what I asked for. And now I have dedicated him to God. He’s dedicated to God for life.”
Then and there, they worshiped God.  (1 Samuel 1:23-26 Message)

I remember the pastor speaking about Hannah's pain.  Oh,how I missed my own moma and my children this day.  I missed my home church, my husband, my family.  He spoke of how she was bullied, how miserable she was; how she was in pain.  I remember the hearing of her joy when Eli told her to, "Go in peace."  God gave me peace that I was right where I was supposed to be on that Sabbath; so far from home.

I remember sitting there on the hard old pew and thinking, "Hannah believed."  She believed that praying made a difference.  She believed that fasting and getting on ones knees and asking another to pray for her was important.  I remember thinking, "Do I believe like that?  Do I pray like that?"

The answer is simply, "No.  No, I do not."  With the feeling of hope from Hannah's life came the feeling of "less than" regarding my own.  Suddenly, everywhere I looked, I saw strong prayer lives being lived.  I began asking God to show me more.  And He did. 

Of course He did!  From Juli, my heart wanders to Tacna...

Praying scriptures.  Setting time aside to prayer for my petitions and praises.  Setting time aside to pray for others.  Getting on my knees, the floor soft from carpet reminding me of the cement floors the older Peruvian ladies knelt on and acted like they didn't feel the pain!  I am such a baby.  I felt the cold cement floor, alright.  Felt it within moments of kneeling on it.  Minutes went by which seemed like hours to my body, before the last amen was said and the Body stood. 

An older hand squeezed mine.  Then another.  Knowing in their eyes.  Love in their eyes.  Thankfulness in their eyes. 

It was worth it.  The pain - it was worth it.  We were praying together and He was there with us!

As I kneel in prayer, I am glad when it gets a bit uncomfortable.  It serves as a reminder to me.  A reminder of my time in Peru when we went forward and got on our knees and prayed for each other.  It reminds me to "toughen up."  It reminds me that my knees have a long ways to go before they are accustomed to the hard ground; much like process the bottoms of our feet go through to walk barefoot.  Our feet start tender and after making ourselves harden them up; only then can we walk freely on the bare ground and sharp rocks.  So goes the process of getting my knees ready for what is to come. 

#nwymperu2013

Transitioning Home

I've been a home one-week now from Peru.  I can honestly say, in a way it seems like I've been a home a long time and my time in Peru was very long ago.  I'm not sure why I feel that way; I just do.

A lot has happened since I came home; for one thing.  Family time, work time, rest time, lots of visiting and lots of not knowing exactly what to say moments.

My teammate, Mareesa, added many pictures from our time in Peru on her blog.  She is an amazing photographer and one can really see Peru through her kind eyes.

I am embarrassed to say that I need to go through all the pictures on my camera - move them to my computer - and get some of these posts that are in my heart and head actually on here!

In the meantime, I am slowly transitioning back into what my life is; while at the same time, trying to make changes of what I desire it to be and most importantly, what God desires my life be.

~ Lazy mornings in bed with my boys.

~ Relaxing moments throughout the day on my balcony - alone and with others.

~ Fun moments with our new baby chicks.

~ Bible Study prep time for our new summer study beginning tomorrow, "One Thousand Gifts."

 

~ Memory work for camp scholarships with the kids.

 

~ Summer schedules.

 

~ Catching up on all the things that only I can do and didn't do for a month!

 

~ Summer budgeting, menus for meal, garden planting and care.

 

~ Family, friends and faith!

 

All the while, remembering that it doesn't matter how crazy the path I am on may seem, it still leads to Jesus!



One Child at a Time

Good movies grip your thoughts for a couple of hours. NOT TODAY hopes to grab hold of your heart … and never let go. Like every good movie, NOT TODAY engages you with its story. But the story is more than just about the characters on the screen; it's also about a people group virtually enslaved and the human trafficking trade centered in India.
Beaten down by the centuries-old caste system, the Dalits are mired in India's thriving sex trade with young children being bought and sold every day. Friends Media, a ministry of Friends Church in Yorba Linda, California, created this powerful new film to be a voice for the voiceless. NOT TODAY executive producer Pastor Matthew Cork says:

Working in partnership with the Dalit Freedom Network, Friends Church has made a $20 million commitment to build 200 schools for Dalit children. With education, young Dalits gain an understanding that we are all created equally and can live purpose-filled lives.

Can one movie change everything in India? No. But what if that one movie could open the eyes of millions and challenge them to join in this meaningful fight? "There is a longing in the human heart for freedom," says Pastor Cork. "It is a universal longing."
NOT TODAY is a powerful reminder and call to action. If not today, then when?

Last September I wrote about the Olympics coming to Brazil.  This hasn't changed - they will be in Brazil and the brothels will be more than ready; as well as recruiters for human slaves. 

What can I do to make a difference?  How my life change after watching the movie, "Not Today," visiting Ecuador and spending three weeks in Peru (both developing countries)?

Child Sponsorship through Compassion International.  How does this help?

~ Poverty is the number one cause for children being trafficked.  Eliminate the number one cause and we have made a HUGE impact on the chances of a family's willingness to take a chance on getting that "better life for their child."  Compassion provides the better life - for all of them. 

It's easy for me to get overwhelmed when I see the percentages and numbers of children being sold into slavery.  I have to keep it real for me - one child at a time.  Mother Teresa said, "If you can't feed a hundred people then just feed one."  I'd add,

"If you can't save a hundred children then just save one." 

Beyond the physical saving of the life comes the spiritual saving.  Compassion works through the local church to "release children from poverty in Jesus' name."  It's all encompassing.  Relieve the hunger problem, the housing problems, the medical issues and the family has hope.  Hope for their children.  Restore the family and show them the redeeming love of Jesus!

One child at a time.  Once you are on Compassion's page, keep your eyes open for this picture:

it means "Child lives in an area with higher risk of exploitation and abuse."

For $38/month, your sponsorship provides:

Food and clean water

Medical care

Educational opportunities

Important life-skills training

Most important of all, your sponsored child will hear about Jesus Christ and be encouraged to develop a lifelong relationship with God.

There is hope!  You can do something important - some HUGE - life-saving.  I have seen first hand the difference Compassion International makes.  If I couldn't come home and tell you that it's authentic, we wouldn't be sponsoring four children right now.  I wouldn't have shown my parents a child in Peru who needed their help; I wouldn't waste my time writing you!

NOT TODAY is a powerful reminder and call to action. If not today, then when?

Twisted Guts from Tacna

Twisted guts: That feeling in the pit of your stomach when your guts are all tied in knots and the ache that accompanies it in your heart. (Adj.)

Tacna is our last big stop on our three week trek in Peru.  After a wonderful worship service, a delicious meal of chicken soup followed by fried octopus and freshly fried corn nuts was cut short in a rush to make the bus to Ilo.  A flood of goodbyes, well wishes, God blesses and come visit agains filled my ears and my heart.  

Oh, the love.  It truly is nearly indescribable.  Sincere smiles, cheek to cheek kisses, hands in hands, arms in arms from one brother or sister to the next and then again.

They didn't want us leave, and I wasn't ready to.  Too fast.  So many faces.. What if I can't keep the name with the right person?  What if we don't connect on Facebook, will I ever see them again?  

Experiencing first hand the love I was given has planted a seed that is being watered with each person I meet.  A seed with the desire and prayer that I might someday visit my family here again and introduce my dear husband, my children and oh the joy if my parents could come again, too.

As I wrestle with the pain of goodbyes, I am praying that the Lord will keep our heart strings tied and I can get to know my new hermanos better through our use of technology.

Adios, Tacna.  Until we meet again, keep the faith, stay strong and let's keep in touch.  I will remember to pray for you.  That I can promise.

Mutually Encouraged Part 2

Part 1 that I shared last night at Buen Samiritano:

http://mamacitalujan.blogspot.com/2013/01/mutually-encouraged.html?m=1

then added:

Thank You, Jesus!  The verse He drew me to and the words in our own mission statement repeated and drove home my take-away... We are ministering every single day.  We don't have to go to another country to fulfill our mission but wherever we are called to be on that given day, share a spiritual gift with another so that they can be blessed and then we both will be encouraged and comforted by our own faith.  

Now that I am here, getting to know you, I am more than encouraged by your faith & the work God is doing in you; I am challenged!  You have shown me that I am lacking in some areas, like your weekly prayer & fasting time at Nueva Esperanza.  I know that when I get back home, The Lord will reveal more areas in my life that He wants me to grow.  

I will never forget my 3 weeks here in Peru.  The friendships I have made, like with Victoria, rebekah, olinda & so many more of my Peru brothers & sisters are ones I will treasure.

Thank you for loving me.  My parents were not exaggerating when they described your love & friendship.  

God is doing amazing things in your lives!  Don't stop now.  Share the good news with others... in church, across your street, throughout Peru and around the World.  You are an encouragement to me & I thank God for you!

Juli, Peru

Go here to read my post from my first home stay in Juli!

http://nwfriends.org/peace-with-justice-joy-lujan-9/