Love is the Mission

When I was a child my hopes and dreams were much simpler then they are now.  They consisted of a  new bike, going ice skating, watching a movie, going camping or having a warm chocolate chip cookie.  My earthly parents would be the ones to allow these dreams to come true.  Especially if they were things that were good for me, or that they knew I needed and would not misuse.  Sometimes I had to work for the things I wanted in life, and other times they were given to me simply out of love. My dreams today are much bigger, more complex and not only about me.  My Heavenly Father  is the one that will bring them to fruition in His time.   If they are good for me, for others, if I need them, if I will not misuse them.  Sometimes I have to work to bring these dreams to fruition, sometimes He gives them simply out of love. As most of you know I run a non profit organization named Village to Village.  We are moving into our fifth year of lovi...

We recently returned home from Guatemala, home is always an odd word when you see how much of the rest of the world lives.  What their homes are made of, how they cook, clean, what access they have to clean water, fresh food and medication is much different then ours.  One thing is very much the same with them and most of us.  They have joy.  They are full of laughter and light. I do get a bit jealous when I am in other countries because they do something so much better then I do.  They spend time with each other, they cook and have meals together and talk. Not once a month or once a week but every day! Growing up, Sunday was our meal day with friends.  We never had to wonder if mom would be up early getting things ready for lunch after church.  I did not appreciate this near as much then as I do now.  Why do I not move to make this a habit when I know how good it is?  Usually it's because life is to busy, but I have allowed that.  I...

I have struggled this month to find time to sit down and take a few minutes to blog.  I do not like the busyness   that I am in the midst of right now but am slowly learning how to let things go that do not have importance. With  Christmas just a few weeks away, I am reflecting on the Christmas traditions we had with our children. I always wanted our kids to understand that Christmas was not what the world had made it. It was the Birthday of our King.  We always baked a Birthday cake for Jesus.  It was a sweet reminder of what the day actually was all about. I wonder if we could begin to give gifts that matter to Christ. If our Christmas season would feel a little more special or meaningful.  We continue the traditions of giving gifts to family which can be stressful financially and mentally but what if we began to give gifts of time, baked goods, child care for a young            couple?  I believe this is th...

Today is my second day of self quarantine.  Our team had to return from Moldova earlier then expected and now we need to stay in our homes for two weeks.   It's been quite an eventful week.  As we registered with the state department before we left, there were no indications that we should not leave.  During our layover in Austria we started to realize something was happening as we heard that we may not be able to get into Moldova.  During our 1st day in Moldova, our team heard there was a ban in the United States for those traveling from Europe.  Throughout the four days we were there, it seemed like hourly news was coming about airports closing, bans beginning and stores at home running out of the basics because people were so fearful.  There were many calls to the Embassy in Moldova, airline carriers and family. In the midst of all of the chaos, we had no fear.  Not once did we think we were in danger.  The question ...

We just returned from a trip of a lifetime to see our son and his wife in Sweden.  A place I never really thought about going to. It was not something on my bucket list or a place you would normally go on a mission trip to.  It was a sweet time with our kids and the beauty there is like nothing I have ever seen.  Every sunset is magical, they just happen at two in the afternoon instead of five.  It's not normal for us to travel outside of Village to Village or to travel with my husband. His idea of a trip away is to another state, not another country.  My husband has always had a kind heart so anytime he could speak into someone's life he did.  Even when he was uncomfortable himself.  Some of the things we have tried to teach our children is kindness, to love everyone, not be judgmental and to represent Christ well.  For us there is no other option then to be God's hands and feet in every situation at every moment.   Think ...

This Christmas Season has been one filled with many changes.   Our son and his wife are in Sweden so it’s our first Christmas without them.   Our daughter and her new husband sharing their first Christmas with us, bringing their animals, putting us with four cats, one dog and five chickens!   We are my mom’s main caregivers, which brings a lot of joy but also much more responsibility.   The nonprofit is in the midst of moving to a new season, filled with so many great opportunities to change lives but also brings the need to raise more money than seems possible. It’s a bit crazy! But the Lord continues to show me that every moment counts, every penny we share counts, every hug, kind word or shared baked good counts.   In a world where we are taught to be selfish I am more than thankful to be where I am, doing what I am doing and continuing to hear God’s voice in it all. My husband and I had the privilege of taking some of our local home...

Some moments are hard.  Some days are hard.  Some years are hard.  How do we live this life of knowing in our hearts that God has a plan yet having to wait, wonder and stay focused in the midst of the unknown?  We do it through the vision of a Rhino. I run a very young nonprofit.  Our goal is to live simply so others can simply live.  We are passionate about investing in one person at a time because we know to that one person what we do can change their life.  But funding is always the hard part.  Just because I am passionate about it does not mean everyone else around me is.  God has given us a vision for the future, we know it's from Him.  We have stepped out in faith but now is the season of waiting.  It's hard.  There is nothing more we can do, we have prayed until we no longer know the words to use and we have done all we can to move forward and share what God has placed on our hearts with others. There have been other...

Growing up I dreamed of all the things I could be and do: maybe be a teacher, veterinarian, concert pianist, business owner.  I would cook delicious, nutritious meals, bake the most amazing desserts, be a super mom and wife, begin an after school/preschool program, travel, love on those who needed loved on and be His hands and feet.  Not all of those things happened though.  I taught my children as all moms do. I loved many pets, I played the piano but hated practicing, I cooked because I had to, I baked because I love sweets.  I was not a super mom or wife but I did the best I could. I loved well, disciplined when needed, wiped tears, slammed doors and prayed more then you can imagine.  I was able, by the grace of God, to begin a sweet after school program with a preschool following a few years later.  When I realized it was bigger then I was, God moved me and brought in an amazing leader.  I traveled and moved a lot since my dad was a pastor....

"Do for one what you wish you could do for everyone”.  This was part of what I heard from our pastor on Sunday. Mother Teresa said, “If you can't feed one hundred people then feed one”.  This takes so much pressure off because I don't have to try to change the world, but it causes me to know that I do have to move.  Do something for someone.  There are no more excuses.   We have so many distractions in our lives: jobs to go to, meals to prepare, children or elderly parents to care for and marriages to build. As well as the things we don't necessarily need to do but spend hours on like social media, movies, television and video games.  We can feel like we don't have time to visit the neighbor, bake the load of bread for the friend or invite the overwhelmed family of young children over for supper.   I am in the midst of struggling to find balance.  I want to love my family, friends, coworkers and neighbors well but as an...

As Americans, we take so much for granted.  The car we drive to the job we get paid for. The cup of coffee we enjoy in a heated coffee shop on a cold day. The store we go to to purchase anything from clothes, to food, to towels or home decor. The food we have on our tables each day (many times being thrown out because we don't like leftovers). The clean water we drink. The schools our children attend beginning at the age of 5 through 18 at no cost, where teachers are paid to invest in our children, nurses are there to take care of our children, cooks are there to feed our children. That may be the normal in the United States but it's not in many other areas of our world.  If we own a car we are in the top 30% of the wealthiest people in the world.  If we can purchase a cup of specialty coffee or tea, we are spending what some people earn in one week. One week! While we sit in a warm shop or our homes, an estimated 79% of people have no electricity and rely on wood or...

I used to believe that the things I did on earth were simply to get me to Heaven, to His Kingdom.  As a child I feared hell so I desperately wanted God to live in my heart and did what was right because of my childish thoughts. The joy I have now is because I know we are living in His Kingdom now.  We have the ability to talk with God, hear His voice, be His hands and feet.  We not only hear stories from the past but are living them every day of our lives.  How amazing is that? I know our daily lives can seem very ordinary.  We go to work to pay our bills.  We get groceries to feed our family.  We do laundry, clean our homes, wash our cars, mow our lawn.  It all can at times take the wind out of our sails.  But what if our outlook changed?  We go to work to invest in those we work beside, we pray for them, love on them, invest in them.   We get groceries at a store where we care for those that check us out.  We do the daily...

     The last year of our family's lives have been all the things: new, scary, terrifying, fun, unsettling, but also amazing.  Everyone of us has transitioned in some way or another:      The marriage of our daughter and gaining a new son.      Moving to a smaller home in the country.      Adding bees and chickens to our little settlement.      Skin cancer diagnoses.      Surgeries.      Moving our elderly mom with Alzheimers in with us permanently.      Starting an Airbnb.      Having our grown children move in with us for several months while in      transition to Sweden.      Our son and his wife moving to Sweden.      Hearing the call of God on Village to Village and moving forward with      some huge unknowns.      Hosting the largest event in five years th...