Memorial Day Meditations

“Wherever you are, be all there. Live to the hilt every situation you believe to be the will of God.

— Jim Elliot

This speaks to me of so many things. Of course I want our children who are overseas right now to be "all there". I want them to capture the moments and realize how special they are. When I was in Bible school I remember thinking how special the time was and making a conscious choice to savor every moment. I knew it was a time I would always cherish and I didn't want to waste it on not being "all there". How thankful I am now for those rich days of growing in God's ways. But what about today? Did I live this day--to the hilt? Was I "all there"? Hmmm--a good evening reflection. And what about those times I don't want to be "all there". How about times of loss or conflict? These can also be the will of God.

Today we still have a bit of sickness, so we stayed at home. I made some yummy food (fried chicken and scalloped potatoes) and the girls played in a little kiddie pool. We tried our hand at horseshoes but the rain chased us inside. Aside from David having to change the rotors and brake pads on the car while being sick, the day was relaxing for us all.

Last Sunday, I took the girls to a Mother/Daughter Tea to hear the life story of a Vietnamese woman I have come to know. Her name is Waterlily and she is the first person I have met who escaped from Vietnam during the war. I was in high school during that time and I remember wondering if my older brother was going to be drafted. I knew a girl in my school whose brother died there. It was a hard time for our country but meeting and hearing Waterlily's testimony of escape and God's ultimate rescue of her life has made me so very thankful. Today, we reflect on the many who have died that we can live in freedom. I will always be thankful for those soldiers who have risked their lives to protect us. Today, I pray and thank God for Dustin A. He is a dear friend's son who chose to go back to Iraq because he was needed. I am thankful for his wife who has supported him even though it means she is separated from him and is raising their child. Our country is filled with men and women of courage. Today, I pause to be grateful and thank God for them and for my freedom.

The Ends of the Earth

Having not blogged in such a long time makes me unsure of where to start! It has almost been a year since I was diagnosed with breast cancer. My dear friend Becky who encouraged me so much died April 19th. What mixed emotions I feel. Becky was an absolute joy to know. Her walk with Christ was one of the most precious I have ever seen. She loved Jesus. I sat with her the day before she died, though I did not know it was that close. She was at home. She told me Jesus was either going to heal her or as she swooched(my word) her hand up in the air , Jesus was going to take her home. He took her home the next evening around 5:00. I miss Becky but I can picture her rejoicing to be with her Jesus whom she trusted like no one I have ever known. That is a legacy worth leaving!!

On another note, I have one child in Haiti and one on the way to Africa! Jess is in a remote area of NW Haiti at a medical mission and hopefully will be able to use her LPN skills, be an encouragement to our missionary friends and their children and be used by the Lord to serve the people. To all her friends, she has arrived there safely and is only sad that she will miss the birth of Kathryn-Matt and Ashley's little one on the way. Josiah is on the way to join a team of young men and women who will be giving Bibles and sharing Christ and their own personal testimonies. I am excited for both of them--and praying. So many people have been instrumental in their being able to go and for that I am so grateful. I have learned so much from those who have invested in the lives of my children. It has given me more understanding of how the body of Christ works and taught me to be open to being used by the Lord.

We have gone to a new Sunday School class the last two weeks. Our teacher is talking about how we are body, soul and spirit. We live in our body. Our soul is our mind, will and emotions. Our spirit is the part of us that is dead because of sin but is made alive when we are saved. Now that is your layman's explanation but I really like this scripture from 1Thessalonians 5:23 where the apostle Paul says,

"And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body (italic mine) be preserved blameless until the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ."

I can see how easy it is to be led by my emotions or my OWN will or by what makes sense in my intellect but God wants me to be led by His Spirit. That takes communication--spending time alone with God and in His Word. When I spend time with the Lord, I am always glad I did. This is what we all did when Jess was interested in going back to Haiti and Josiah was thinking of Africa. We tried to set aside our desires and discern what God's Spirit was saying in these matters.

On a lighter note, I get a few weeks of just having younger children at home!! Of course our oldest is still here on the grounds but he is busy with school and work, so he is not always here. The girls hope to have lots of mommy time and I hope to have lots of little girl time!!

I am also hoping to be able to learn a few more things about blogging, finish classes that were put on hold as we helped older children prepare for their mission trips, find all the books I need to sell for the used curriculum sale coming up in June and enjoy the beautiful outdoors!!