You don't have to speak Mandarin to know that he was asking me for more. I don't know how long I did this - maybe two hours or so. The children were such a delight to watch. Chinese children have their hearts wrapped around my finger!
Sunday, December 6, 2009
Gone Fishin' in China
In Chengdu, I spent the afternoon buying and giving fish food to children at the park. They fed the "goldfish" in the pond and were delighted when the carp sucked the air at the top of the water. The fish were so thick that the duckling could actually stand on top of the fishes backs! The little guys below had a really great time watching the action after tossing the food into the water.
You don't have to speak Mandarin to know that he was asking me for more. I don't know how long I did this - maybe two hours or so. The children were such a delight to watch. Chinese children have their hearts wrapped around my finger!
You don't have to speak Mandarin to know that he was asking me for more. I don't know how long I did this - maybe two hours or so. The children were such a delight to watch. Chinese children have their hearts wrapped around my finger!
Grant's Room
His door was closed. He was sleeping. I went in to wake him to start his day. This is what I found...
What to do? Do you have one of these in your home? :-)
What to do? Do you have one of these in your home? :-)
How do you know if you're called to be a foreign missionary?
Do these faces move you?
Do new cultures fascinate you?
Do new foods excite you?
Does meeting new people float your boat?
Do the hurting cause your heart to hurt?
Do you long for them to know the Truth?
God's heart is for all people to know Him. He wants them to know the saving Grace that sets us free. He wants them to experience Love that is limitless and boundless. He longs for them to know Peace - true peace that is not shattered by the sorrow and sadness that life brings. Pray today if He has called you to go. Does He want you to uproot your family and move to a closed country? Maybe... How beautiful are the feet that bring the good news. I can't think of a better way to live out the rest of my life.
Wednesday, December 2, 2009
Heart of God - Beautiful Feet Bootcamp Graduation
After five months of intense studying and training (which includes reading books and more books, push ups, crickets and show tunes), our Beautiful Feet Missionary Bootcamp Class #15 of 2009 graduated and are ready to head to the field! 
See the feet on the wall behind them of the others that have gone before them!
Eric talked about David's three mighty men that brought the king a cup of water. It was a great challenge. Maia even cried a little.
The crowd was really big! There were a thousand people there! Ok, I'm terrible at judging how large a crowd is. Maybe there were 200.
We sang and worshiped together.
John talked a wee bit too. (He uses his hands and eyebrows a lot.)
Jim and LaVina sang.
Then Tom, Jamie and John handed out the graduation certificates.
And lastly, we prayed for them and sent them on their way. We've got someone going to Taiwan. Others are thinking about China and still others about Thailand. We'll see where God is calling them to go in the next few weeks! Congratulations BFBC class #15 of 2009!
See the feet on the wall behind them of the others that have gone before them!
Eric talked about David's three mighty men that brought the king a cup of water. It was a great challenge. Maia even cried a little.
The crowd was really big! There were a thousand people there! Ok, I'm terrible at judging how large a crowd is. Maybe there were 200.
We sang and worshiped together.
John talked a wee bit too. (He uses his hands and eyebrows a lot.)
Jim and LaVina sang.
Then Tom, Jamie and John handed out the graduation certificates.
And lastly, we prayed for them and sent them on their way. We've got someone going to Taiwan. Others are thinking about China and still others about Thailand. We'll see where God is calling them to go in the next few weeks! Congratulations BFBC class #15 of 2009!
Tuesday, December 1, 2009
Mornings at My House
My mornings start with a weenie dog barkin' for her breakfast.
There's no peace and quiet until this little chore is done!
It's a serious affair not to be interrupted by a pat on the back or a rub on the tummy. There's growlin' goin' on if you come near her plate!
Aaaaahhhhh....but after wards - it's nap time! Even though she just got up from sleepin' all night! Murphy is 14 1/2 now. The old girl can snooze if she wants to.
There's no peace and quiet until this little chore is done!
It's a serious affair not to be interrupted by a pat on the back or a rub on the tummy. There's growlin' goin' on if you come near her plate!
Aaaaahhhhh....but after wards - it's nap time! Even though she just got up from sleepin' all night! Murphy is 14 1/2 now. The old girl can snooze if she wants to.
Saturday, November 28, 2009
I Know the Source of Peace
When I'm broken and depressed. When I'm worn out and have no emotional reserve. When I think I can't make it through another day, I go sit with my Father and my Lord. I ask Him to cover me with His love and peace. I say very little but desire to be simply in His quiet presence. He always meets me there. He tucks me into His hands and wraps me in His love. Even when I'm ripped and torn I know He is at work in my heart. My Jesus longs for me to come to Him and to sit with Him and Him with me. I often can't start my day if I haven't found refuge in Him.
The people of India know nothing of this kind of Love. They have no source for this kind of peace. This morning I was sitting and thinking of them and realized that they will spend their entire lives trying to please a god that doesn't even exist. The god they have created is a fickle God and will determine their future on a whim. They spend each day trying to be good enough for the scale to tip in their favor hoping that they will be granted eternity in heaven.
My God is not fickle. He doesn't rule by emotion or on a whim. He doesn't keep score. His love for me is boundless, limitless and has no breaking point. How do you live without that kind of love and hope? Really. How do you live without a source of peace? Their gods have never offered hope or love and have never given them even a moment of peace. By the time you're 44 don't you just give up? There's no way the scale would ever tip in my favor. Hopelessness would set in. I got the incredible gift of being taken by a native Indian deep into his country. He took me across Mother India by car, taxi, train and plane. I've been in small towns and great cities. I've been in villages and in the jungle. And what impressed me the most was the blank look on the people's faces.
They are faces of lives that are hard and worn down. They are faces that dreamed of a better future but now know it doesn't exist. Not in Hinduism anyway. These children still have hope in their eyes. Their quiet ways entranced me and moved my heart to a deep longing for them to have Hope, and to know Love and to know Peace. Pray for India. Pray for her people to know the love of God. Pray for her children that they might not be trapped in hopelessness but to live free in Christ - tucked in the hallow of his hand.
The people of India know nothing of this kind of Love. They have no source for this kind of peace. This morning I was sitting and thinking of them and realized that they will spend their entire lives trying to please a god that doesn't even exist. The god they have created is a fickle God and will determine their future on a whim. They spend each day trying to be good enough for the scale to tip in their favor hoping that they will be granted eternity in heaven.
My God is not fickle. He doesn't rule by emotion or on a whim. He doesn't keep score. His love for me is boundless, limitless and has no breaking point. How do you live without that kind of love and hope? Really. How do you live without a source of peace? Their gods have never offered hope or love and have never given them even a moment of peace. By the time you're 44 don't you just give up? There's no way the scale would ever tip in my favor. Hopelessness would set in. I got the incredible gift of being taken by a native Indian deep into his country. He took me across Mother India by car, taxi, train and plane. I've been in small towns and great cities. I've been in villages and in the jungle. And what impressed me the most was the blank look on the people's faces.
They are faces of lives that are hard and worn down. They are faces that dreamed of a better future but now know it doesn't exist. Not in Hinduism anyway. These children still have hope in their eyes. Their quiet ways entranced me and moved my heart to a deep longing for them to have Hope, and to know Love and to know Peace. Pray for India. Pray for her people to know the love of God. Pray for her children that they might not be trapped in hopelessness but to live free in Christ - tucked in the hallow of his hand.
Monday, November 23, 2009
Pumpkin Pie & Momma - Thoughts on Heaven and a Lesson on Leaf Making!
If you're a girl, Thanksgiving is cookin' in the kitchen with your mom. It's an all day affair that actually begins the day before! My skills in the kitchen are terribly lacking...to the point where my Mom designated me as "clean up girl." No matter what I try, it seems like I'm on the brink of disaster! But I can do pumpkin pie. And I can make some awesome leaves for my pumpkin pie too. Thanks to my Momma. She taught me how. So I'm passing it on to you. It's ridiculously easy. I guess that's why I'm successful at it! 
First make your pumpkin pie. Eric's grandmother used to make pumpkin pie from scratch. I mean the whole shabang! You know, where you actually bake your own pumpkin, scrape it, season it then make the crust and bake the pie. Whew! The first real danger for me would be trying to cut the thing in half to cook it! When I met Eric, I made a pumpkin pie for us and he thought it was the best pumpkin pie he'd ever eaten. "Please don't tell my grandmother. It takes her all day to make one pie. How do you make yours?" Libby's of course! (I even get the already seasoned can of pie mix.) Momma and I did like to make our own pie crust but for the leaves, the roll out dough is the best. That's the secret.
So roll out the pie crust. Get a large and small leaf shaped cookie cutter and cut as many as you can out of one pie crust. To make the leaves look sorta "real," draw veins on the leaves.
Next roll up ten or so balls of foil - golf ball sized. Lay the leaves over the balls of foil. This way they come out looking wavy and not flat like you pressed them and pulled them out of a book. Now cook them until they're golden brown. 
You see, it's not about the taste with the leaves - it's about the prettiness! After that, be sure to let them cool completely or they'll break into pieces when you try to pull them off the foil balls. Heck, mine break into pieces anyway 'cause that's how things go in my kitchen when I cook! Then arrange them on your pie. That's it! It makes for a fancy pumpkin pie and it's really easy to do!
My Momma - She died last March of pancreatic cancer. Last year I couldn't stand to be in the kitchen. Every time I'd go in there tears would stream down my face. You see, we lived with her. It's her kitchen that I cook in. She's everywhere and she's nowhere. But today, I'm feeling better about it. It does take time for sure. Last week I met with Dianna Bellow for a coffee date one cold afternoon. Dianna and I talked about Mom and the last year and about heaven. She said that "it's seemless to go to heaven. And there is just a veil between heaven and earth. Such a thin veil that a breath can pass through it." I don't know about you, but her words impacted me so much. My eyes brimmed with tears. To be so close to my Savior and my Momma. What a comfort and joy. Happy Thanksgiving everybody.
First make your pumpkin pie. Eric's grandmother used to make pumpkin pie from scratch. I mean the whole shabang! You know, where you actually bake your own pumpkin, scrape it, season it then make the crust and bake the pie. Whew! The first real danger for me would be trying to cut the thing in half to cook it! When I met Eric, I made a pumpkin pie for us and he thought it was the best pumpkin pie he'd ever eaten. "Please don't tell my grandmother. It takes her all day to make one pie. How do you make yours?" Libby's of course! (I even get the already seasoned can of pie mix.) Momma and I did like to make our own pie crust but for the leaves, the roll out dough is the best. That's the secret.
So roll out the pie crust. Get a large and small leaf shaped cookie cutter and cut as many as you can out of one pie crust. To make the leaves look sorta "real," draw veins on the leaves.
Next roll up ten or so balls of foil - golf ball sized. Lay the leaves over the balls of foil. This way they come out looking wavy and not flat like you pressed them and pulled them out of a book. Now cook them until they're golden brown. 
You see, it's not about the taste with the leaves - it's about the prettiness! After that, be sure to let them cool completely or they'll break into pieces when you try to pull them off the foil balls. Heck, mine break into pieces anyway 'cause that's how things go in my kitchen when I cook! Then arrange them on your pie. That's it! It makes for a fancy pumpkin pie and it's really easy to do!
My Momma - She died last March of pancreatic cancer. Last year I couldn't stand to be in the kitchen. Every time I'd go in there tears would stream down my face. You see, we lived with her. It's her kitchen that I cook in. She's everywhere and she's nowhere. But today, I'm feeling better about it. It does take time for sure. Last week I met with Dianna Bellow for a coffee date one cold afternoon. Dianna and I talked about Mom and the last year and about heaven. She said that "it's seemless to go to heaven. And there is just a veil between heaven and earth. Such a thin veil that a breath can pass through it." I don't know about you, but her words impacted me so much. My eyes brimmed with tears. To be so close to my Savior and my Momma. What a comfort and joy. Happy Thanksgiving everybody.
Snot Turns Black When You're Playing in a Leaf Pile (HGM - Oklahoma)
There are at least 50 oak trees on HGM property and each year they provide a great big pile of FUN! We burried Logan. Lost him completely - so we thought! Esa even cried when she couldn't find him! He turned up though. Snot turns black when you play in a leaf pile! Then off on the ladybug they went touring the campus. There was lots of yelling and laughing. They're some of the cutest kids in the world!
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