My mission…should I choose to accept it.

I must admit that I’ve tooted my horn of “doing missions full time” for quite a while now. Since it’s the one thing outside of being a mom or a wife that really sparks my world, it’s almost all that I talk about…okay…I will go so far to say at times its all I even think about.

But something strange has happened recently. Something totally unexpected that has eclipsed my desire to serve on the mission field thousands of miles from the safety net of the United States. It’s the missison field next door, at work and with the strangers that I see every day who are in so much pain and are searching for something more.

Since we’re currently in Minnesota (as my youngest son finishes high school and we wait for our marching orders) I’ve had the opportunity to be blessed by an amazing Minnesota winter. The snow was sparse and the cold was often just a chill. In fact, this last week we found ourselves basking in the warmth of 75 degree days filled with sunshine and delightful breezes.

In Minnesota, that’s nearly unheard of! So much so that people have donned shorts, traded in their mukluks for flip flops and have thrown open the windows of their houses to enjoy the uncommon valor of a new spring.

But even with all the gloriously beautiful weather, something very serious about a character flaw of mine hit me between the eyes. Although I fill myself up with the Word of God on a regular basis, I attend a fantastic life giving church called River Valley in Apple Valley, MN, I attend life groups and I do kind things for people, I’ve neglected to “share my Jesus” with those who are hurting around me. Why is it that we as Christians feel so safe going on missions trips to third world countries yet freeze in terror when there’s someone next door who is hurting so deeply and so obviously that all it would take is a kind word and a few moments to begin to make a life giving change?

Case in point: the other day as I was pulling out of the garage, I noticed a young teenage girl sitting at the end of her driveway with her dog. They sat alone. At the end of the driveway. But how she was dressed caught my eye. Short shorts and a skimpy silver bikini top. Of course being a good Christian woman, instantly I prayed for her…(isn’t that what all good “Christians” do…pray?) I prayed that she would realize that she has value and doesn’t need to dress like that to get atttention. Don’t get me wrong, there’s nothing wrong with a bikini (in the right setting)…I own several. But wearing them to tan in your own back yard is different than wearing them to be noticed for the wrong reasons.

Well, I felt I had my bases covered. I mean, I DID pray for her! The rest was up to God to bring her father, her mother or someone of influence into her life so that she felt love, value and self worth growing in her life. So I, being a “good Christian” went on my merry way.

Until the next day.

The next day I was pulling out of my driveway heading to the post office and saw her again. Same short shorts, same bikini …out walking her dog. Again I felt so sad for her…wanting attention from the world so badly that she was willing to walk her dog at 8:30 in the morning wearing not much more than a bandaid. So I did the Christian thing: this time I smiled and waved…and THEN prayed for someone of influence to cross her path and show her she has value. Wow…was I on fire then!  (tooting my own Christian horn) ugh.

Yeah, I know. I wasn’t quite playing with all my cards either time, was I? You see, I saw a young girl. Alone. Dressed to attract the wrong attention and I prayed for God to send someone her way to just show her she has value.

Here is what I found out:

I proved that within the first few seconds of my first prayer for her that GOD ANSWERS PRAYERS! You see, fefore I could even utter the words, “Father, please send someone her way to show her your love” he had already done it. He sent me. BOOM! BAM! PRAYER ANSWERED! That my dear friend, is the love of the Father. Sadly however, I was far too blind to see that my mission field was not thousands of miles away, it was at the house across the street. I was God’s answer to that prayer.

God uses us where we’re at. We need to stop praying for someone else to do what God has us there for.

I won’t miss the next opportunity to talk to her and introduce her to the Jesus in me who wants to be her friend, confidant and savior. The one who thought so much of her, who valued her so much, that he died and rose again…for her!

A Captive Audience

Have you ever noticed that many times during Paul’s life he had a captive audience?  An audience that in no way was going anywhere without him?

Think about it…he was often imprisoned or under house arrest for sharing the Gospel. And  much of the time he was actually CHAINED to the guards. Wow, CHAINED!  Now that’s a CAPTIVE AUDIENCE!

My mind wanders to the fun he had sharing the Good News of the saving power of Jesus with the prison guards as well as with the other prisoners.  Paul loved what he did!  In fact, he loved it so much and was so unafraid of what might happen to him next that he said:

Philipians 1:21

For to me to live is Christ, to die is gain. 

It wasn’t always though that Paul preached. In fact, he often ministered to the guards and other prisoners.

I’m sure there were many interesting nights, but imagine this night…

The guard is fast asleep (soooo not doing his job), instead of watching the prisoners. A terrible earthquake strikes and the doors of the prison cells fly open! Bits of ceiling hit your head as you are tossed around on the floor, bouncing off of walls…trying to establish your footing.

(Now mind you, in that era, if prisoners escaped jail or prison, the guard watching them was put to death.)

It’s dark, there’s rubble everywhere and there’s terror heard in the streets. The guard is now ready to kill himself with his own sword – because let’s face it, he knows the rules and he also knows that any prisoner worth their salt would not stay in prison if they had the chance to high-tail it out of town free and clear.

But Paul, who was imprisoned with Silas, called out and told him to NOT kill himself…all the prisoners were still in the jail!

Can you imagine going from cell to cell and seeing the banged up prisoners who could have fled still waiting patiently in their cells?

That night, Paul and the others ministered God’s love to the guard, who then in turn took them all to his home and fed them a meal and cleaned up their wounds from the falling rubble of the earthquake. Then to top it all off, Paul had the opportunity to bring the guard and his household into perfect freedom …into a personal relationship with the Lord!

What an amazing way to minister. Paul had a captive audience  (the guard) and he (Paul) was the one who helped set the captive audience free.

Acts 16:19-40

¹⁹ When her owners realized that their hope of making money was gone, they seized Paul and Silas and dragged them into the marketplace to face the authorities. ²⁰ They brought them before the magistrates and said, “These men are Jews, and are throwing our city into an uproar ²¹ by advocating customs unlawful for us Romans to accept or practice.”

²² The crowd joined in the attack against Paul and Silas, and the magistrates ordered them to be stripped and beaten with rods.²³ After they had been severely flogged, they were thrown into prison, and the jailer was commanded to guard them carefully.²⁴ When he received these orders, he put them in the inner cell and fastened their feet in the stocks.

²⁵ About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them. ²⁶Suddenly there was such a violent earthquake that the foundations of the prison were shaken. At once all the prison doors flew open, and everyone’s chains came loose. ²⁷ The jailer woke up, and when he saw the prison doors open, he drew his sword and was about to kill himself because he thought the prisoners had escaped. ²⁸ But Paul shouted, “Don’t harm yourself! We are all here!”

²⁹ The jailer called for lights, rushed in and fell trembling before Paul and Silas. ³⁰ He then brought them out and asked, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?”

³¹ They replied, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved—you and your household.” ³² Then they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all the others in his house. ³³ At that hour of the night the jailer took them and washed their wounds; then immediately he and all his household were baptized. ³⁴ The jailer brought them into his house and set a meal before them; he was filled with joy because he had come to believe in God—he and his whole household.

³⁵ When it was daylight, the magistrates sent their officers to the jailer with the order: “Release those men.” ³⁶ The jailer told Paul, “The magistrates have ordered that you and Silas be released. Now you can leave. Go in peace.”

³⁷ But Paul said to the officers: “They beat us publicly without a trial, even though we are Roman citizens, and threw us into prison. And now do they want to get rid of us quietly? No! Let them come themselves and escort us out.”

³⁸ The officers reported this to the magistrates, and when they heard that Paul and Silas were Roman citizens, they were alarmed. ³⁹ They came to appease them and escorted them from the prison, requesting them to leave the city. ⁴⁰ After Paul and Silas came out of the prison, they went to Lydia’s house, where they met with the brothers and sisters and encouraged them. Then they left.

What an interesting night that must have been!

Habetta Hums

I’ve been blessed.

While to some, this may not seem much like a blessing, but to me, it touches the very core of my heart.  I have the opportunity every day to meet new and interesting people from around the world. And yesterday was no different.

You see, on top of another new job, I’m currently working at a factory doing ‘light assembly’ of everyday items that you have probably either used or most certainly have seen. Now I say ‘light assembly’ because that is what people in the industry call it. But there really isn’t anything LIGHT about it. You stand shoulder to shoulder with people and work as fast as the conveyor belt will take the product…often around 3600 pph (pieces per hour). You break a sweat in the first five minutes of work…and if you don’t carry your own weight, you are deemed lazy and removed from the line – which means that you probably will not be coming back to that factory the next day unless they’re desperate for someone with a pulse.

It’s an entirely different kind of work with an entirely different kind of people, and if you were to categorize the workers upon their looks alone, you would probably be terrified to work there. They’re tattoo’d and serious, they’re ethnicities are of people that we as Americans are often afraid to encounter in our lives. That is, of course, what you would see on the surface alone. Once you take the veil off your own eyes, you will begin to realize just how much they are like you. Hopes. Dreams. Needs. They, unlike many of us (me included, and for that I am ashamed of myself) are desperate for work to survive – not to purchase the latest and greatest toy or luxury vacation…desperate to SURVIVE.

It’s cut throat.

Yesterday I was put on a small line with only four people. The equipment wasn’t working properly and thus our numbers were miniscule to what they should have been…at first. But believe me, once the equipment was tweaked, we busted our butts.

The people on my line were Tina (the line lead), Sampson and Habetta. Habetta was different from any other person I’ve worked with to date. Why?

Habetta hummed.

Through the sounds of the noisy hydraulic machinery on both sides of me, I heard the peaceful sound of human humming. It wasn’t long before I realized it was Habetta, a transplant from Kenya, who was making music in her heart which eminated above the noise of the line.

Throughout the night, I wondered why she was humming, but refused to ask.

Why?

Because it was peaceful on a line that was filled with stress and furious motion.

AND because if I asked her she might become self conscious and stop humming and in no way did I want that to happen! This was a relaxing sound of peace and joy that was coming from a human being who faced extreme hardship, yet has a smile that could crack even the toughest old scrooge on Christmas day.

So I frantically worked and wondered why she would hum…and hum all night.

To me, even though she was handed a life of extremely difficult situations: war, starvation, separation from her family and loneliness…she was at peace.

Habetta hummed.

Psalm 71

¹ In You, O LORD, I have taken refuge;
Let me never be ashamed.
² In Your righteousness deliver me and rescue me;
Incline Your ear to me and save me.
³ Be to me a rock of habitation to which I may continually come;
You have given commandment to save me,
For You are my rock and my fortress.
⁴ Rescue me, O my God, out of the hand of the wicked,
Out of the grasp of the wrongdoer and ruthless man,
⁵ For You are my hope;
O Lord GOD, You are my confidence from my youth.
⁶ By You I have been sustained from my birth;
You are He who took me from my mother’s womb;
My praise is continually of You.

⁷ I have become a marvel to many,
For You are my strong refuge.
⁸ My mouth is filled with Your praise
And with Your glory all day long.
⁹ Do not cast me off in the time of old age;
Do not forsake me when my strength fails.
¹⁰ For my enemies have spoken ^[against me;
And those who watch for my ^[life have consulted together,
¹¹ Saying, “God has forsaken him;
Pursue and seize him, for there is no one to deliver.”

¹² O God, do not be far from me;
O my God, hasten to my help!
¹³ Let those who are adversaries of my soul be ashamed and consumed;
Let them be covered with reproach and dishonor, who seek to injure me.
¹⁴ But as for me, I will hope continually,
And will praise You yet more and more.
¹⁵ My mouth shall tell of Your righteousness
And of Your salvation all day long;
For I do not know the sum of them.
¹⁶ I will come with the mighty deeds of the Lord GOD;
I will make mention of Your righteousness, Yours alone.

¹⁷ O God, You have taught me from my youth,
And I still declare Your wondrous deeds.
¹⁸ And even when I am old and gray, O God, do not forsake me,
Until I declare Your strength to this generation,
Your power to all who are to come.
¹⁹ For Your righteousness, O God, reaches to the heavens,
You who have done great things;
O God, who is like You?
²⁰ You who have shown me many troubles and distresses
Will revive me again,
And will bring me up again from the depths of the earth.
²¹ May You increase my greatness
And turn to comfort me.

²² I will also praise You with a harp,
Even Your truth, O my God;
To You I will sing praises with the lyre,
O Holy One of Israel.
²³ My lips will shout for joy when I sing praises to You;
And my soul, which You have redeemed.
²⁴ My tongue also will utter Your righteousness all day long;
For they are ashamed, for they are humiliated who seek my hurt.

I need to learn what Habetta has learned…to hum despite my circumstances. To praise and thank God for all that he’s given and is giving me. I need to praise Him in the trials and difficult times.

I need to hum.

Tuesday April 19th

It’s early in the morning and I’m getting ready to head off to work.

I would like to pose a question to anyone who may read this simple blog. As Christians, how are we different than anyone who believes differently or doesn’t believe at all?  If someone were to have the ability to sneak a peek into your world would they see  or hear you doing something different than being a loving follower of God – SHOWING that love to those around you? OR would they see the hurt that is caused by your words or actions?

I’ve recently had the “opportunity” to be hurt by several people I love. People who say they love me, but their actions are far different than their words. Is how I respond to the hurt that was caused by their words is as crucial to God as their hurtful words to me? Do I snap back and tell them they hurt me or do I just forgive and try to forget and let it go?

What does the Bible say about how we should treat others? What does it say about asking for and giving forgiveness?

After you’ve pondered that for a while, or perhaps sent a comment on it, think about this:

Recently I posted items on ebay to help raise funds for our mission ministry. I’ve sold several items and one winner on ebay sent me a message. It was a message I certainly didn’t expect (or even think of for that matter!) but was truly touched and blessed that two strangers could be so kind. THAT is the kind of love we as Christians are suppose to show to others – those we know and those we have yet to know. We are to love each other – unconditionally.  I’ve included their message below…Good still wins!

“I’m hoping you can send me a revised invoice for the total PLUS ADD $20 as a donation for your cause. You may be able to add it to the shipping, I’m not sure. If you can’t revise the invoice I can send you a check or money order. This is not a scam, we have been on ebay for a long time and just wanted to add some extra cash to help out. We too do missions work and know how difficult it can be at times raising needed funds. Let me know how you want to handle payment and we’ll do it. Thanks, God bless you and your husband in your work.”

Sincerely, Reg and Ginni Hallman

Now THAT was a cool message… Thank you Reg and Gina Hallman… God bless you and your ministry!

On the move…

 

Well, unfortunately I have not been able to keep with this on a daily basis as I had hoped to.

I have managed to get a link to one of our videos on youtube for our mission trip last fall to Costa Rica… enjoy! Simply click on the word “videos” above. The entire team worked their tails off during the rainy season there to install an emergency septic system for one of the children’s homes there.

While many things have happened since my last post, I can only crank out a few lines for an update because of time contraints.

Our lives seem to be more and more on the cutting edge of the next mission. Currently, we have been asked to head to Costa Rica again in June to help out a team which will be working on several projects within Hogar de Vida. Mike and I are excited about the opportunity, but we also know that with each trip, there are challenges. And anyone who has ever done missions in a foreign country is aware of those challenges and how they can so deeply affect you physically, emotionally and spiritually.

Thankfully, we have wonderful family and friends who support us back here in the states through prayer and financial means. You guys are all soooo amazing!  Thank you!

We have recently started to post items on ebay which will be sold to benefit our ministry in Central America as well as the prep work to arrange programming, line up teams and prepare for projects abroad. Please take  a look and if you see anything that you can use, go ahead and bid!  All of our items are in very good condition – and some are even brand spanking new! I’m including a link to one of the items (just so you can find us easily) We are known as missionsinmind on that site as well. For your ease in finding us, our link is: http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=110674214711&ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT#ht_500wt_1111 . Please feel free to peruse all of our items…and if you have any questions, shoot us an email!

Thank you and may you all have a day filled with wonder and joy!

Orphans making the most of life...

 

Peace…

Julie and Mike

 

 

 

Today…

Well today certainly is a new and interesting day already!

I stumbled upon a friend’s blog at wordpress and thought – “what the heck?! I can give this blogging thing a whirl!” Besides, Mike has been talking about getting more of the word out on missions and the projects that we’ll be working on, so this is an amazing and free way to do it. So you, my dear friends and family, are the first to read my somewhat unadulterated words, thoughts and what-if’s as they come to me. I will try to infuse each day with an interesting tidbit and I always invite your comments and thoughts!

As many of you know, we’re seeking the Lord on doing missions full time. But, missions in and of itself is not the only thing that we’re about. No sirree! We actually have a lot going on between our two noggins and hearts!  I have two wonderful sons (Geoff and Dustin) and Mike has 4 children (Louis and Lauren are his biological children, Trebor is his formerly adopted son and David is his “little brother”). We’re very proud of all six young people and pray for them all and over them all on a regular basis.

One constant thought in my mind is that my children are such a blessing to me.  A dear friend of mine (Darlene) gave me a beautifully embroidered wall hanging as a gift when my oldest son (Geoff – now 20 years old!) was born. It clearly states what I feel:

Psalm 127:3 Behold, children are a gift from the Lord. The fruit of the womb is a reward.

So I urge all you moms and dads out there…remember how precious your children are. They grow up fast and the love and discipline that you instill in them  as they are growing up will one day be something that they will turn to you and thank you for…

Now back to Mr. Anderson and myself…

Sure we want to do missions! Mike feels the call for discipleship and sharing his skills with other men to help spread the gospel. I want to work with battered women and children – helping them to create better, Godly lives.

But we also have “normal” interests…Our “normal” interests range from live theatre to movies, books to writing, hopping on the back of a motorcycle with lots of horse power to hopping on the back of a real horse and going for a thrill ride.

Currently we’re undergoing a time of fasting and prayer for our friends and family… Got something you would like prayer on?  Drop us a line…

Till tomorrow…

Peace -

Mike and Julie