spread happiness

 

"Whoever is happy will make others happy too." Anne Frank

Have you been spreading happiness and joy to others? What? You say you are trying to find your happiness and joy. Well let me give you some of mine. Here is a smile and good vibes coming your way!

That's all it takes, put a smile on your face, even when you don't feel like it. It will change you whole demeanor and did you know that when you smile when you talk, you even sound positive! Try it. 

Well team one came home yesterday from Honduras. I hope they had an uneventful trip home. I have not talked to anyone yet. And team 2 arrived to Honduras yesterday. Last week, the pictures of the construction team was awesome. They worked so hard and got so much done on the church in Tela. Congratulations guys! I have to admit, some of the pictures were a little scary seeing you all hanging around and sitting on the rafters on the roof. All I can say is that I was holding my breath! And it is good to know that no one fell off the rafters or ladders way up high on the roof!

This week, team 2 will be concentrating on medical clinics for well check ups and prenatal checks w/ultrasounds. It is amazing to see the team work on the OB pts and give them a look and picture of their little one before they are born. We take these things for granted here because they are readily available for us. Not so much available in other parts of the world. 

In addition to the medical clinics, construction work, the team also conducts children ministries and prayer walks around the neighborhoods. It is a lot to put into one week, but somehow it always seems to get done...every year. The team touches so many hearts and lives through it all. Please join me in praying for them this week for safety, health and for them to touch the people they are helping. 

I have to say it again, I miss going with the team. I am really praying hard and it seems like God is directing me back. I thought I was moving on from going to Honduras, but I have been so much that it has become part of my life. Missions will do that. Even if you go to different places, you just can't stop working for God and doing his mission work. 

So who knows, I may be returning to Honduras next year. And I feel that tug to get back into medical missions again. I don't want to lead it like I did before, but I would love to be part of the team, seeing people and providing that healing touch.

Whatever trial you are going through, take time to work through it then get back out there. I had to take a break because of some personal things going on with me a few times, but God always leads me back. He will find a way.

Mark 16:15 reads: "And he said to them, 'Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation.'

John 20:21 states, "Jesus said to them again, 'Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you.'

Blessings to all,

Honduras team made it!

 

They made it! The team made it to Tela yesterday. I am so happy the travels were uneventful. You just never know when you go out of the US with getting through customs and the flight itself. I know they are going to have an amazing time in Tela and touch so many women and kids through those ministries, but also the men will be working alongside the locals on construction projects. This gives them the opportunities to create new friendships but also build up the ones already created over the years.

And this may take time and a lot of prayer for God to touch someone's heart and for them to listen and accept it and then follow that voice. A few years ago, in Tela, we were going on our prayer walks through a neighborhood. It was me and 3 others on our team. One of them was one of the men that had been on construction projects in the past. This lady invited us into her home and we always ask what we can pray for and she was telling us about her family. Her husband was in the states working and sending back money for her because he couldn't find work there. One of her children was gone and she had not heard from him in months and she was so worried that something had happened to them. We prayed for her and hugged and gave her some encouragement with the word of God. She was a believer and went to church, but as you know, when hard times come, it can be hard to trust God. Our group spoke with the local pastor we were working with about our experience and he said he would follow up with her.

Later that week, her husband came home and she told him about her experience with us and that we were praying for them. The local pastor went out to visit with them and he accepted Christ and started to go to church with her!! AND.........This man we were praying for is one of the local workers that was helping us on our past construction projects! WE KNEW HIM and was already praying for him!!! You see, you never know how God is going to use you and work through you. You have to trust and have faith that HE knows what he is doing. Oh, her son did call her back before we left for home and he was safe. 

This is why I love missions....to be a part of something bigger. You just never know what God will do!

Romans 8:28 (NIV): "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose." 

Ephesians 2:10 (NIV): "For we are God's handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do." 

Blessings to all,

Are you resilient?

 

Resiliency. The capacity to withstand adversity and bounce back from difficult life events. Do you have resiliency? Have you experienced it? Are you capable of bending but not breaking? 

There have been many times in my life that I have seen things or experienced trauma and felt like I just wanted to give up, but I pushed through, I kept going. I have been discouraged from experiences in my life, but that is the bending. The key is not to allow it to break you. 

Courage doesn't wait. Where has God put you? Because God has placed you right where he needs you to be. He has placed those thoughts of missions, helping others, volunteering in your mind. You just need to step out with courage. I remember when the thought of missions came into my mind. It took me almost 10 years before I ever took my first trip. But I prepared myself through volunteering at church. Just that small thing helped me build courage to talk to other people, develop my testimony to share with others without fear. 

Sometimes, on mission, I have gotten discouraged. I have felt helpless to help others. You may not know what to say to help encourage someone. It's hard. I know, I have been there. In the medical clinics, I have been at a loss for words, but God planted them right on my lips. I have had moms tell me they had to choose food or medicine for their kids because they didn't have the money. I have had young girls, like age 16, tell me they were married and expecting their first child and didn't know what to do. What to do you say in these circumstances? Only God can give you the words to help encourage them, to help them know they can do this thing called life and push through.

But it take people with courage to go on mission, to be the hands and feet but also the voice of God. They will not know the love of God unless someone shows them and tells them about it. This may be in your own back yard or community or you may be called to leave your home and travel to another country. Whichever the case, it takes courage that only God can give  you. 

How do I stay resilient? Treasure the small experiences. I remember holding those tiny babies in the clinics and how their smiles brighten even the darkest of times, even if I did get peed on! I remember the children ministries and out playing games with them and trying not to fall when skipping. Just hearing their laughter is enough to fill your heart (yes they were laughing at me, but that's ok!).  On our prayer walks through the neighborhoods, so many people welcomed us into their home. They were so excited to talk with us and learn more about what God has for them. 

Those are just a few of many, many times I have in my memories. And I plan on making more of those memories. 

Matthew 5: 13-16 states;  “You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot.  You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden.  Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house.  In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven."

Blessings to all,