Do you recognize this darling? Remember the posts I had shared about the little tiny 2 year old from Haiti who needed heart surgery? Here she is just a year later....so transformed and growing that I wouldn't even have recognized her!
Just had to post this as a testimony! One of those rare times that as a nurse I get to see the miracle answers to prayers I so often pray over children, and that I so rarely get to be witness to! Thank you to the Healer!
Monday, February 27, 2012
Wednesday, February 22, 2012
Our Eyes Are Telling
For 2 months now, I have been journeying with the kids through the very thing that I thought I had lost: Faith. Imagination. Looking forward to that thing you cannot yet see.
Every time I speak to the kids, I am very aware that it is the Holy Spirit speaking through me...because it is not just the kids who are being spoken to, but me as well!
"Your eye is a lamp for your body. A pure eye lets sunshine into your soul. But an evil eye shuts out the light and plunges you into darkness."
Every time I speak to the kids, I am very aware that it is the Holy Spirit speaking through me...because it is not just the kids who are being spoken to, but me as well!
"Your eye is a lamp for your body. A pure eye lets sunshine into your soul. But an evil eye shuts out the light and plunges you into darkness."
So Holy Spirit talked to us on Sunday. He said, "Look up. Look at me. Look into the Kingdom of Heaven. And just watch. Watch as your whole body turns into light. The light that is Christ Jesus Himself."
We can't always use our physical eyes. So we closed 'em. We opened the eyes in our hearts as we listened to Revelation 4. We let Holy Spirit paint the picture in our minds.
Unfortunately for you....most of the kids took theirs home. A couple were left behind as posted here.
Let this be the beginning of a journey deep into the Kingdom of Heaven. Let's explore every facet, every nook and cranny. Let's be changed into creatures so full of light, so full of the love and adoration of our Dear King, that nothing else matters! Amen!
Thursday, February 16, 2012
Time Out
He told them, "My soul is crushed with grief to the point of death. Stay here and watch with me." Matthew 26:38
Wow! I just have to post this. It is not to do with the kids, but rather my own journey with the Lord. Honestly, for the past 3 months I have been in a very difficult place. A place where it seems my hopes and dreams have died. I do not know how to keep looking to the Lord. I do not know how to hope anymore or hold onto faith. I am not sure if I can call good a Lord where there is sickness, sadness, death...and He doesn't SEEM to do anything about it. These are all real questions and troubles. And I need more than words to be the answer.
But here is what I do know:
1) He will NEVER leave me.
2) I will know what it is to know that He is my only way, the only way I will live to hope again.
3) He has been where I am. He knows it deeper than I will ever have to (I am pretty sure I won't walk the walk of his crucifixion while I on this earth...)
Man, I love that Man! I love love love Him! When I do come back around to the place where I call Him good.....because I will(and really, I am calling Him good in my heart of hearts as I know only someone so good would never leave me)....I will know that I know that I know that I know what is true.
He loves us because He loves us because He loves us because He loves us because He loves us because He loves us because that is who He is!
"Blessed are the poor in Spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven." oooh yes please, take me there!
Monday, February 13, 2012
Ocean of God's Love
This last weekend may possibly be one of the funnest I have had with the BR kids. I am really seeing them through God's love and it is bursting in my heart!
We talked about loving others the way God loves. We get to see what God sees in a person and then share that message of love with the person.
Laying out a blue sheet, we called this the ocean of God's love. We all jumped in. Not into the water itself, but we were floating around in it in barrels. The kids closed their eyes and imagined the scene: bobbing around, smelling the salty air and hearing the seagulls call out.
Then we asked Papa God to pour his love into our barrels. And he did! Little giggles travelled around the room. The kids then listened for each other what God had to say about each one. We focused on one child at a time and all the kids shared that message of God's love over each child. It was astounding! Words like this:
To one child: I see a spool of thread in your heart, and every time you love someone, God is sewing more love into your heart.
To another child: I see God sending you into a puddle to get water, and then you are taking that water to a village so that the whole village has enough water. It is a puddle of God's love.
And another child: I see a shell and you are listening to the sound in the shell, and it's God's voice. Every day you go to the shell and hear the message of love from God to you.
Still another child: I see a shield around you, God is protecting you.
Another child: I see a flower blooming, you are full of God's love.
I could go on and on. There was so much love bursting in that room. We had big hugs from our Papa God that morning! And the good news is, HE is like a rushing water, he is a chatter box and he never stops talking to one of us!
We talked about loving others the way God loves. We get to see what God sees in a person and then share that message of love with the person.
Laying out a blue sheet, we called this the ocean of God's love. We all jumped in. Not into the water itself, but we were floating around in it in barrels. The kids closed their eyes and imagined the scene: bobbing around, smelling the salty air and hearing the seagulls call out.
Then we asked Papa God to pour his love into our barrels. And he did! Little giggles travelled around the room. The kids then listened for each other what God had to say about each one. We focused on one child at a time and all the kids shared that message of God's love over each child. It was astounding! Words like this:
To one child: I see a spool of thread in your heart, and every time you love someone, God is sewing more love into your heart.
To another child: I see God sending you into a puddle to get water, and then you are taking that water to a village so that the whole village has enough water. It is a puddle of God's love.
And another child: I see a shell and you are listening to the sound in the shell, and it's God's voice. Every day you go to the shell and hear the message of love from God to you.
Still another child: I see a shield around you, God is protecting you.
Another child: I see a flower blooming, you are full of God's love.
I could go on and on. There was so much love bursting in that room. We had big hugs from our Papa God that morning! And the good news is, HE is like a rushing water, he is a chatter box and he never stops talking to one of us!
Tuesday, February 7, 2012
If You Belong to God, You Hear God's Voice (John 8:47)
For all of this new year (so far), the Boiler Room kiddos and I have been embarking on an exploration of hearing God's voice.
First we looked at his voice as a rushing river, a mighty ocean. We saw that He is called "the Word." And we concluded....that God is a Chatterbox!
So we went to the cross to give Jesus all the ways we hadn't believed we could hear God's voice, and all the ways we didn't think He spoke to us. The result=LAUGHTER. We were rolling in laughter, literally, as we saw the Father laughing over us, cheerfully saying, "Yes, give me all that junk that you don't want or need and look at what I have to give to you! I am speaking, I love to talk to you!"
God is always speaking. If you quite your mind and open your ears, you will hear him. Maybe it's waking up to a song playing in your mind that you hadn't listened to for years, or you'll read it on the little note attached to your tea bag, or you'll look at a painting that stirs something in you, or the smile of a sick child will encourage you to keep hoping, or the sky will seems to reach out it's arms and swallow you up in a mysterious hug.......just listen!
First we looked at his voice as a rushing river, a mighty ocean. We saw that He is called "the Word." And we concluded....that God is a Chatterbox!
So we went to the cross to give Jesus all the ways we hadn't believed we could hear God's voice, and all the ways we didn't think He spoke to us. The result=LAUGHTER. We were rolling in laughter, literally, as we saw the Father laughing over us, cheerfully saying, "Yes, give me all that junk that you don't want or need and look at what I have to give to you! I am speaking, I love to talk to you!"
God is always speaking. If you quite your mind and open your ears, you will hear him. Maybe it's waking up to a song playing in your mind that you hadn't listened to for years, or you'll read it on the little note attached to your tea bag, or you'll look at a painting that stirs something in you, or the smile of a sick child will encourage you to keep hoping, or the sky will seems to reach out it's arms and swallow you up in a mysterious hug.......just listen!
Sunday, January 29, 2012
Let's Get Up to Date!
I know I have said I would only be keeping this blog going during my mission trips....but it has been a year and a half ago now that the Lord said to me: "Amanda, you are a missionary to Kansas City."
Welp, here I am. Missionary in Kansas City.
What does that look like? Well, mostly it looks like opening my eyes as wide as I can so to see every facet of his never ending extending love bursting brighter than the brightest light heart!
For now I will be keeping this blog to share the stories and experiences of an awesome bunch of kids and the things we learn together about our Daddy God (who we have so far established is "always in a good mood!")
Welp, here I am. Missionary in Kansas City.
What does that look like? Well, mostly it looks like opening my eyes as wide as I can so to see every facet of his never ending extending love bursting brighter than the brightest light heart!
For now I will be keeping this blog to share the stories and experiences of an awesome bunch of kids and the things we learn together about our Daddy God (who we have so far established is "always in a good mood!")
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
Just to be with you, He gives EVERYthing!
"I've heard it said that a man would climb a mountain just to be with the one He loves. How many times has He broken that promise? It has never been done. Well I never climbed the highest mountains, but I walked the hill of Calvary. Just to be with you, I'd do anything. There's no price I would not pay. Just to be with you, I'll give anything. Yes, I'll give my life away. And I know that you don't understand the fullness of my love, how I died upon the cross for your sins, and I know that you don't realize how much that I give you, and I promise I would do it all again. Just to be with you, I've done everything. There's no price I did not pay. Just to be with you, I gave everything. Yes I gave my life away. " -Third Day
This past weekend I had one of those experiences that gives just a little bit more insight into the extravagant love of the Most High King whom I serve and devote my life to. I was compelled by a love that can only be accredited to Christ. The kind of love that compels a young boy to take a beating from his father when really it was meant for his younger brother. A love that compels a mother to take in a child out of the rain who is from "the other side of the tracks." A love that compels a father to spend all his savings to save his child's life.
The kind of love that would compel someone to spend ridiculous amounts on airfare, fly 11 hours and drive 2 more to then spend ONLY 3 hours with the one she loves. And in all that travelling, taking a risk. The risk that maybe the one she travelled to wouldn't remember her, or would be asleep that whole time, or just wouldn't receive her.
On Saturday I was welcomed into the home of a dear family, the Wallace's. Husband, wife and 2 little ones greeting me with hugs at the airport. Sunday morning, having made beans and rice for Dev and her father, and with small gifts of love it tow, we drove the 2 hours to find Dev in the PICU at St. Joseph's Children's Hospital.
When meeting Michelet, Dev's dad in the hallway, we exchanged a warm embrace and huge smiles! He then led us into Dev's room. She had just been given a new IV, and was very upset. I handed her the little baby doll I had brought. She took her in her arms right away. When Michelet asked if she remembered me, Amanda, she hesitantly looked and said, "Amanda." To help her remember I said to her, "heyou!" (this is what all the kids called us until the learned our names.) She gave a big smile then and kept saying, "hey you!" and giggling.
She came into my arms and sat on my lap playing for quite some time. She played with her doll and we sang all the songs we used to sing while at the clinic in Haiti. While still on my lap she began to shake. I wondered what it could be. The nurse thought it was just tired muscles. It turned out to be a high fever! The nurse then put cool cloths on her forehead and tummy. (I had the nurse put one on her baby doll too). Her dad was able to talk to her mom for the first time since leaving Haiti for the surgery. Listen to Dev's cute grown up conversation with her mom, "Yes, I am doing well. How is my brother? Has he died or he is alive?" (think in terms of "alive and well," rather than morbidly-I think it's a cultural way to converse). When, at the end of 3 short short short hours that passed as if it were only 20 minutes, saying goodbye felt a bit like leaving Haiti all over again. Somehow though, I had this idea that this was not the last I would see little Devekynabens!
For the next 24 hours Dev was in isolation as blood work was done, ect. All being negative to date-praise Jesus! And the most recent report being that Dev is up and walking around, playing in the play room and loving it!
My mama's heart just grows and grows for the children all across this planet earth! It is one that takes in joy and pain all at once and expands in ways that sees no limits in the fathomless depths of Christ's eternal love!
This past weekend I had one of those experiences that gives just a little bit more insight into the extravagant love of the Most High King whom I serve and devote my life to. I was compelled by a love that can only be accredited to Christ. The kind of love that compels a young boy to take a beating from his father when really it was meant for his younger brother. A love that compels a mother to take in a child out of the rain who is from "the other side of the tracks." A love that compels a father to spend all his savings to save his child's life.
The kind of love that would compel someone to spend ridiculous amounts on airfare, fly 11 hours and drive 2 more to then spend ONLY 3 hours with the one she loves. And in all that travelling, taking a risk. The risk that maybe the one she travelled to wouldn't remember her, or would be asleep that whole time, or just wouldn't receive her.
On Saturday I was welcomed into the home of a dear family, the Wallace's. Husband, wife and 2 little ones greeting me with hugs at the airport. Sunday morning, having made beans and rice for Dev and her father, and with small gifts of love it tow, we drove the 2 hours to find Dev in the PICU at St. Joseph's Children's Hospital.
When meeting Michelet, Dev's dad in the hallway, we exchanged a warm embrace and huge smiles! He then led us into Dev's room. She had just been given a new IV, and was very upset. I handed her the little baby doll I had brought. She took her in her arms right away. When Michelet asked if she remembered me, Amanda, she hesitantly looked and said, "Amanda." To help her remember I said to her, "heyou!" (this is what all the kids called us until the learned our names.) She gave a big smile then and kept saying, "hey you!" and giggling.
She came into my arms and sat on my lap playing for quite some time. She played with her doll and we sang all the songs we used to sing while at the clinic in Haiti. While still on my lap she began to shake. I wondered what it could be. The nurse thought it was just tired muscles. It turned out to be a high fever! The nurse then put cool cloths on her forehead and tummy. (I had the nurse put one on her baby doll too). Her dad was able to talk to her mom for the first time since leaving Haiti for the surgery. Listen to Dev's cute grown up conversation with her mom, "Yes, I am doing well. How is my brother? Has he died or he is alive?" (think in terms of "alive and well," rather than morbidly-I think it's a cultural way to converse). When, at the end of 3 short short short hours that passed as if it were only 20 minutes, saying goodbye felt a bit like leaving Haiti all over again. Somehow though, I had this idea that this was not the last I would see little Devekynabens!
For the next 24 hours Dev was in isolation as blood work was done, ect. All being negative to date-praise Jesus! And the most recent report being that Dev is up and walking around, playing in the play room and loving it!
My mama's heart just grows and grows for the children all across this planet earth! It is one that takes in joy and pain all at once and expands in ways that sees no limits in the fathomless depths of Christ's eternal love!
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