As I run, my feet pound prints in the sand.
I gaze at the crashing waves that come forward and then pull back.
The waves and I are similar.
I draw near to You, because I need you to breathe.
The waves came forward because they were designed to do so.
I too, was designed. To desire You. To draw near to You.
Yet, like the waves, I pull back.
My focus becomes consumed with the things of this world. My desires shift to the approval of others more than You. I wrestle with pride, the fear of rejection, anxiety, and unforgiveness.
As I run through this life, I run fast. I am busy with day to day tasks. I am busy serving You. I am busy trying to please others.
When I tune my ear to hear Your voice, I hear You gently whisper my name. You beckon me to come splash and play with You in the water. You desire to refresh me with Your presence. You encourage me to just...BE. To be present in this very moment.
You lure me to the sand bar. The only bar that offers Living Water. When I drink from Your presence, I have a saltiness on me that others can taste. I have a glow on my face from Your Son.
In these moments, I am reminded that You Alone are my Sustainer. You delight in me, You cherish me.
I praise You, Oh Createor of Heaven and Earth. I am thrilled with the beauty of the sunrises and sunsets You paint in the sky. I am thankful for my morning mercy flowers that remind me each morning, Your mercy is new.
I praise You, for You Alone are Perfect.
You are Holy when I am unholy.
You forgive me when I feel unforgiveable.
You are humble, yet Worthy.
You are the Miracle Maker.
You are the Agape-lover example.
You are what I am not on my own strength.
Create in me a pure heart, a miracle heart. Make me more like You, and less like myself, I pray. I love you!
Notes:
1. Psalm is pronounced "salm-yeah" where the P is silent at the beginning, but makes a "yeah" sound at the end
2. This Psalm is inspired by the Redemption study with my Bible study girls and a run on the beach a few weeks ago.
A Box of Ziti Goes A Long Way
The room was buzzing with excitement! Lots of people were sitting at tables. Voices talking and laughter filled the air. Servers were coming quickly in and out with garlic bread, baked ziti, and fresh salad stacked onto plates. Live music in the background.
On Saturday, April 14, 2012, Derek and I hosted a Ziti dinner to raise money for our upcoming trip, World Race. The turnout was incredible! At the highest point, we had 63 people, along with others coming later on in the evening. We estimate about 80 people total!
The amount of people coming was not the most incredible part. The way everyone came together and helped, was a beautiful sight to behold!
We are thankful for Char and Tom Urso, Christina’s parents, for purchasing all the ingredients to make the ziti, along with preparing it.
We are thankful for Jeff and Pat Simke, Derek’s parents, for purchasing all the drinks, ice, plates, silverware, and napkins.
We are thankful for those who helped serve food in the kitchen, to the people, along with cleaning up afterwards: Suzanne Almeida, Kristin Rhodes, Christy Palys, Jordan Simke, Cat Urso, and both sets of parents.
We are thankful for Kristin Rhodes assisting with setting up for the event and collecting money at the door.
We are thankful for Christy Palys taking pictures.
We are thankful for Kim Amstoy, Adelle, and Grandma Julie who helped prepare dessert.
We are thankful for the beautiful sound of music, and the musicians who helped: Tommy Two Thumbs, Eddie Locket, and Chase Foster.
We are thankful for Jb and his mom giving a ride to our friend Yvra.
We are thankful for all who came to partake in the yummy food and fellowship.
We are thankful for the generous and willing hearts to give. We are thankful and excited to share, that on Saturday evening, the Lord provided $2,248!!! Praise God!
Without any of the people mentioned above, Saturday night would not have been possible! We are thankful for the time and energy you sacrificed to help us out. We love you guys!!!
Last Sunday after church, there was a celebration for a family very close to us. This family has been a very integrated part of our lives these past four and a half years. The cake and refreshments seemed bittersweet as the church shared emotions of sadness because of the move, but our joy as this family embarks onto a new and beautiful season.
One thing Derek and I used to do with our intentional community consistently every Saturday night, was something called “The Thankful Box.”
Throughout the week, people could randomly write things they were thankful for on scraps of paper and place them in the “Thankful Box.”
Saturday evenings were filled with feasting, fellowship, and worship through prayer, Scripture reading, and song. To end the night, we would take turns reading from the “Thankful Box.” Emoticons were highly encouraged to be acted out when one read a thankful note.
I want to take a moment and share what is in my thankful box this week. It is overflowing with the good things God has done!
I am thankful for the Lord providing someone to help continue the Burrito Project in Lake Worth, even after the core of Coral House has moved into different places and seasons. His timing could not have been more perfect, as He brought a woman named Renee into our lives one week before the Burrito Project was scheduled to end. I am thankful for His faithfulness.
I am thankful for letters that bring healing and forgiveness. I am thankful for the beautiful gesture of hand-picking a flower.
I am thankful for having health insurance, and being able to get my gum graph surgery done this past Thursday. I am thankful for the Doctor and his kindness. I am thankful for the process of healing.
I am thankful for the Lord exceeding my expectations once again. In my mind, I had set a goal of raising $7,000 towards World Race by the end of February. The Lord gave us more, and now we have a total of $8,000 raised! I am thankful for His provision through His people!
I am thankful for my Bible study girls. I am thankful for their listening ears, their wisdom, their thoughtfulness, and the AGAPE love that radiates in each of them. I am thankful for the new study of REDEMPTION we are beginning.
I am thankful for the Lord bringing healing to a student at my school who had 1% chance to live as she needed emergency brain surgery and then was in a coma. I am thankful that my God is BIGGER than a 1% chance to live, and that HE is the GIVER OF LIFE!
I am thankful for the kindness of a man at my gym. He randomly told me he wants to treat me to two sessions with an amazing trainer. I am thankful that God knows the desires of my heart, even the silly ones. I am thankful that He knew I myself would not spend the money to hire a trainer, but it is something I would love to do. I am thankful He chooses to lavish His love on us, just because.
I am thankful for the beautiful weather at the park today. I am thankful for the Lord providing food for us to share. I am thankful for the hands that helped serve. I am thankful for the lessons my friends at Bryant Park continue to teach me.
I am thankful for my family. I am thankful for the safe return of my grandparents after they spent a month visiting family in Arizona. I am thankful for my two beautiful and talented sisters. I am thankful for my brothers-in-law that bring me much laughter. I am thankful for my parents and my in-laws. I am thankful for my family related by blood. I am thankful for the family God has adopted me into. It is much larger than anything I ever could have imagined.
I am thankful for the Lord giving my husband the gift of music. I am thankful that I get the privilege of listening to him play the piano and guitar as he makes a joyful noise.
I am thankful for fresh fruits and vegetables.
I am thankful for my car. I am thankful that it is a tool that can be used to serve others and give them rides to and fro.
I am thankful that my God continues to make beautiful things out of my dust.
When I was in eighth grade, I went on my first missions trip. There I met my husband, Derek. We went to New Orleans, Louisiana where we worked with the homeless and inner city children. That trip sparked a fire in me, a passion for the continent of Africa. Eight years went by before I made my first journey there.
Scripture tells many stories of God revealing a “next step” for Bible characters. Sometimes, the waiting time for that “next step” is years. Take David, for example. He was anointed King of Israel, yet did not officially become King until about fifteen years had gone by. David went through quite a refining process during his wait. Jesus was born onto this earth fully God, fully man. His ministry did not begin until He was thirty years old. (I am not suggesting that you always have to wait years before doing what God has given you a passion for…sometimes you have to GO immediately, like Abraham and Jonah.)
In 2008, I went to Cameroon, Africa for seven and a half weeks. I lived with a missionary family, the Friesens. Dan, Lisa, and their children live in the village of Big Bekondo and are helping translate the Bible into the native tongue, Oroko. I had the opportunity to develop relationships with the people and children of Big Bekondo through farm working, Vacation Bible School on the front porch, morning runs with the locals, visits to elementary schools, and Bible drama. This amazing trip challenged me on many different levels, and I am so grateful for my time with the beautiful people there.
When in Big Bekondo, I doodled a tattoo to help me remember my trip. This was also inspired by Romans 10:15, “How beautiful are the feet of those carrying the good news!”
Upon returning to the States, my passion seemed to fade. Perhaps it was the busy-ness of my first year teaching, being engaged, planning a wedding, living in community, burrito projects on Saturdays…life was full, and I was perfectly content living here in Lake Worth with my current support system. I had been and gone to Africa. My trip was done, so my desire to go was gone.
About a year after my return, things began to settle down. I ran into a friend who had a beautiful hand-made bracelet. When I inquired where she got it from, she told me, “Uganda.”
A small spark became lit once again inside of me.
She proceeded to tell me about this wonderful organization called, Light Gives Heat. They have given the people of Uganda a sustainable life through a job and a monthly income. The people who work for Light Gives Heat in Uganda make jewelry out of recycled paper and purses out of scraps of fabric. Some fun facts about Light Gives Heat that I love are:
· The founders were originally going to Uganda to adopt their daughter, when
this organization became an idea.
· They are a Fair Trade organization
· They offer consistent incomes to the people in Uganda.
· Their products are BEAUTIFUL (This one is an opinion. )
I have partnered with Light Gives Heat for a few years now. I am one of many who have helped sell their jewelry to friends and family. Just recently, I became a Sales Representative for their organization. I have my own website, and can make 20% profit on what I sell. (Whatever profit I earn will go towards our World Race support). I am honored to have this opportunity to help the families in Uganda from this side of the world.
I am also EXTREMELY excited that one of our stops on World Race is…UGANDA! The small spark has become a large fire! Please check out my website listed below. You too can help bring good news to people on the ends of the earth. The good news of clean drinking water, food, shelter, and education.
Usually our wants do not match our needs. Our basic daily needs may consist of food, water, shelter, and community. Our wants are much more specific, such as a certain type of food, a preference of the temperature of water, a choice of where we lay our head at night, and a selection of who we spend our time with.
Reality is, I don’t need to eat all organic food, have ice cold water, a nice comfy bed, and to be surrounded only by people that I easily get along with. I may want these things, but they are not a necessity for my survival.
Need is defined as “a physiological or psychological requirement for the well-being of an organism,” according to the Merriam-Webster dictionary. Want can be defined as “having a strong desire for.”
Just recently I was journaling and reflecting on the book of James. I came up of list of things I want, and realized that I could easily replace the word want with the word need in these statements…the reason why is because I want the Jesus to become more, and me less. Yet I also need Him to become more, and me less.
My list of Wants/Needs:
· I want to believe when I ask, so I may not be double-minded.
· I want to pass the test, so I might inherit the crown of life.
· I want to trade my anxiety for prayers of thanksgiving.
· I want to be slow to speak, so I might be quick to listen.
· I want to meditate on the Word that gives life, so I might be transformed.
· I want to trade in my idea of religion, for God’s pure and faultless pursuit of those
in distress.
· I want to become poor in the eyes of the world, so I might become rich in faith.
· I want to love myself less, and love God and my neighbors more.
· I want to trade my judgmental attitude for a law that gives freedom.
· I want my God’s mercy to triumph over my judgment.
· I want to trade in my earthly wisdom for heavenly wisdom.
· I want to trade in my envy and selfish ambition for sincerity, consideration of
others, mercy, and good fruit.
· I want to sow in peace, so the Lord may bring about a harvest of righteousness.
· I want to trade in my pride for humility.
· I want my faith to be shown by good deeds.
· I want to stop cursing man, and praise God for His creation of mankind.
· I want my heart to be pure, so my words and thoughts may also be pure.
· I want to persevere through trials, so I may be made complete.
· I want to recognize how lost I am, that I am found.
· I want to recognize my sickness, so I might be healed.
· I want to see how enslaved I am, so I might be freed.
· I want to lose my voice, so He can speak through me.
· I want to lose my intelligence, so I might have faith like a child and enter the Kindgom.
· I want my plans to fail, so His may prosper.
· I want to come to the end of myself, so He might overtake me.
This year is my fourth year of teaching third grade at Barton Elementary School. Barton is located in Lake Worth, Florida, and is a Title I School. What is a Title I School? Basically, it is a school that receives additional funding to meet the needs of the low-income students. One example of where that funding goes to is to ensure my students get to eat. Most of my students receive free, or reduced-price of breakfast and lunch on a daily basis.
Every year since I have been teaching, my amazing Mom does a toy drive at her school. She teaches Algebra at King’s Academy in West Palm Beach. Her students and their parents are so gracious to donate gifts for my students annually. This is the pile of gifts for this past year, December 2011.
I am going to tell the story of Wednesday, December 21, 2011 through the eyes of one of my precious students, Ketshanee.
“This morning I just knew something exciting was going to happen! Mrs. Simke said we would be having some visitors and a holiday party, but there seemed to be more to it than that. I was so happy to see Mr. Simke come visit our classroom again! He played some Christmas music and we sang along."
“There we are, me and my classmates! I am the one in the far back, the fourth person from the right with white beads in my hair. Don’t we look super excited to get a present? Most of our parents can’t afford to get us a present. And trust me, I don’t think Christmas is all about presents. Mr. and Mrs. Simke were actually questioning why we don’t celebrate more of the Jewish feasts instead of the holidays of the Caesars…whatever that means. But, I think everyone would agree, this present giving was a beautiful moment to be a part of!”
“We all opened our presents at the exact same moment. Mrs. Simke’s mom counted, “1,2,…3!” Then we all tore open our packages!”
“Each boy received a sports ball. They received either a basketball, football, or soccer ball. Each girl received a board game. I got Clue Jr. I am going to play it tonight when I get home!”
“The last thing I want to say on behalf of my class, is THANK YOU SO MUCH!!! Thank you to Mrs. Urso, her students, and their parents for their generosity! I hope you all had a MERRY CHRISTMAS!”
This area is a way that we have been continually stretched again and again in regards to our faith. In Matthew 5, Jesus says: “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they. Who by worrying can add a single hour to his life?...But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore, do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.” (verses 25-27, 33-34)
We chose to trust that Jehovah Jireh, our Provider, will provide what we need for this Race! We have seen Him at work already, and are so appreciative for the gifts of prayer and financial support that have already been contributed! Your prayers are MUCH needed, so keep ‘em coming!
We need a total of $31,000. To break it into smaller numbers, if 50 people pledged $50 a month for a year, we would have $30,000 raised. This amount does not include travelers’ insurance, supplies (such as tent, backpacks), and other miscellaneous expenses (such as visas, flights to and from training camp, and to and from our launch point).
We had a few people ask where the money ($31,000) is going and we found this chart on another racer’s blog.
Our 65% covers the following: (Keep in mind, we multiply by two, since we are raising $15,500 for each of us)
$4,235 x 2 = $8,470 for our intercontinental travel for the year
$460 x 2 = $920 per month, broken down as:
$3.75 x 2 = $7.50 per day for food
$5.25 x 2 = $10.50 per day for lodging
$3.00 x 2 = $6.00 per day for transport
$3.33 x 2 = $6.66 per day for long distance travel (buses, trains) and miscellaneous supplies
And in case you’re curious, here are our fundraising deadlines for the July 2012 World Race:
$7,000- Due 5/6/2012 (2 weeks before Training Camp)
$13,000- Due 6/17/2012 (2 weeks prior our trip)
$22,000- Due 10/1/2012 (End of 3 months on the field)
$31,000- Due 1/1/2013 (End of 6 months on the field)
Our goal is to have the money prior to the above deadlines. We want to have as much of our support raised as possible prior to leaving for our trip.
So, what are we doing to contribute?
As of this past month, we are dedicating one of Derek’s pay checks each month to our trip. This is a step of faith we believe we must take. We have cut back on some of our expenses while we are living here in Lake Worth, so we too can contribute.
We are selling handmade jewelry and purses.
First, we are selling bracelets made by families in the Philippines made through an organization called Threads of Hope. These bracelets cost only $4 a piece. $2 goes directly to the families in the Philippines, $2 goes towards our trip. Please contact Christina at runrgurl48@gmail.comif you desire to purchase them from her to support our trip.
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