Missions Monday- What is your mission?

I know that finding your purpose in life can sometimes be overwhelming. Trying to hear what GOD wants you to do can be frustrating, sometimes. So, during those overwhelming frustrating times, what is your mission? Your mission is to LOVE.

Why love?  Well, because GOD says. :) John 15:12  in the NIV says, "My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you." That's pretty clear.  GOD commands us to love. Sounds easy, right. Yeah, sure it is. It is easy to love those that are easy to love. That's not really what GOD is talking about, though. We ALWAYS have to love. Even when we don't feel like it. Even when it's hard. Even when people seem unlovable. We still have to love. 

Loving is not always easy. It can be one of the most difficult things we do. Sometimes is seems like GOD places us in the paths of what we consider the 'unlovables'. Every one's 'unlovable' is different and our reasons for avoiding love are different. Maybe we've been hurt in the past. Maybe those 'unlovables' remind of us that hurt. Maybe we have built protective walls that we are just not willing to tear down. Whatever our reasons for avoiding love, we have to get over them. We have to move past the hurt, or the issues and get to lovin'. :) 

Once we really grasp the reality of GOD'S love for us, how can we not want to love like HE loves? He gave HIS son, HIS life, HIS everything for us. The sacrifices HE has made are tremendous, can we not make the commitment and small sacrifice of loving our 'unlovables'?

GOD has left explicit instructions on what love is, what it means to love, and how love works. Take these words to heart and work on sharing love with your 'unlovables'.



1 Corinthians 13

1 If I speak in the tonguest of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal.2 If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing.3 If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast,t but do not have love, I gain nothing.

4 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.5 It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

8 Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away.9 For we know in part and we prophesy in part,10 but when completeness comes, what is in part disappears.11 When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put the ways of childhood behind me.12 For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.

13 And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.

Missions Monday-A missions trip of our very own.

I am pretty sure I have mentioned that I have a heart for missions. I was always fascinated with the missionary stories I heard as a kid. However, I didn't grow up in a church that was very missions minded. We are lucky to have found a church here in Texas that is VERY missions minded and it is wonderful.

I know that I have a calling to missions. Not sure how that is going to play out, but I know that GOD has placed that calling on my life. When we moved to Texas from England, and we found this wonderful church, I began praying for direction. We had decided that I would stay home the first year we were here so that everyone could get settled, then I would start back to school. I had no idea what I was going to go to school for. I had wanted to be a teacher when I was younger, but the more I thought about it I wasn't sure if that was the right choice now. I had narrowed it down to teaching and nursing, then I began to pray. During that prayer time GOD told me to go with nursing and that eventually that would lead me into some sort of missions related thing. Now, I thought that was awesome news. However, my husband was not a believer at the time and his view on missions was pretty much "why can't you guys just leave those people alone and let them believe what they want to belive". I believe there were several references to The Crusades mentioned as well.  So, I moved forward with the nursing thing and figured GOD would have to work on the husband thing.  After much prayer from many people, and the loving acceptance he felt at our church, my husband gave his life to the LORD. His views on missions changed and I continued to plug on with my schooling. 

Recently our family had the priviledge of meeting the Freeman family, who spoke at our church on Missions Sunday (which is the 1st Sunday of every month).  I wrote about that experience here. It really ignited a passion for missions in our family. Shortly after that our church announced it was going to be a part of a missions trip to Haiti. This is a building trip, for men ( not that women aren't capable, but the logistics are easier when it's just a group of the same sex). My husband jumped at the chance to go. I couldn't have been more thrilled.

After a bit of stress with getting paperwork sorted, (he was born in Germany, and we didn't have a properly certifed copy of his Birth Abroad form to send in for a passport and we couldn't find an expired passport until recently) he has finally turned in his passport paperwork and he's ready to go just as soon as that passport gets here. I am so excited and thrilled for him, and a little bit jealous. I know that this is going to be such a blessing for him and I can't wait to hear how GOD works through this team during this trip. This group of men are going to help build buildings that were destroyed by the recent earthquake. It is going to be a lot of hard, but rewarding work.

Now that we have sorted out all the paperwork issues, it is time for the planning stages of this trip. We do have  cash set aside for this trip. However, I know that some people that want to go on this trip but do not have all of the funding necessary. We were recently blessed by an anonymous donation toward Dave's Haiti trip from someone at our church that will help pay for some of his costs. I would like you the chance to help with this Haiti trip.  First and foremost we need this entire team covered in prayer. Our church is going with several other churches. If you could cover all those involved in prayer leading up to this trip, during this trip, and during their return, we would greatly appreciate it. We all know that the enemy loves to throw monkey wrenches into the works of such wonderful projects as these. We would also like to give those of you that are interested in donating funds to help meet someone's fundraising needs. I have created a paypal donation button that I am going to attempt to attach to this post. If that doesn't work, I'll stick it somewhere over there----->. Any money that is donated will go straight toward this Haiti trip help someone meet their financial goals. We will donate the money to those that need it. If you want the money you donate to go specifically to Dave, please let me know when you make your donation.

Your prayers for this trip are much coveted and greatly appreciated.

Missions Monday- Swaziland and the HIV and Aids Epidemic

This is a fairly new blog and you guys know I've been tweaking things and trying to figure out a regular posting schedule and theme. Well, in light of our family's recent connection with the Freeman Family, I have decided to make Monday's theme "Missions Monday". Obviously, I'll be posting missions related stuff. It might be information about certain countries, or missionaries. It could be projects we are working on as a family. It could be ways you can help out or do to help the missions cause. Whatever the post, it will be missions related. :)


As my first Missions Monday post, I thought I would share a little I have learned about Swaziland. Now, I am in no way an expert. This particular nation and family weigh heavy on our hearts as a family so I am doing a bit of research about it.

Did you know?

(information collected from http://www.avert.org/aids-swaziland.htm unless linked to another website)

• In February 2010, UNAIDS Executive Director Michel Sidibe visited Swaziland where he presented a report estimating that three in every 100 people in Swaziland will be infected with HIV every year leading to an expected 18,000 new infections each year by 2012.

• Approximately 190,000 people in Swaziland are HIV positive, including 15,000 children under age 15 .Swaziland has the world’s most severe HIV/AIDS epidemic, posing a serious challenge to the country’s economic development.

• As elsewhere in sub-Saharan Africa, the huge number of people dying from AIDS in Swaziland exacerbates existing poverty, which in turn leaves individuals vulnerable to the adverse affects of HIV. When those of productive age die from AIDS or are too sick to work, there is less income and therefore less food for families. Lack of adequate food and nutrition leaves individuals less able to cope with HIV if they are infected, as effective treatment depends on a good diet.

•  Around 39 percent of the population are under 14, and those over 65 only account for 3.7 percent.

• HIV/AIDS is also responsible for 47 percent of under-5 mortality in Swaziland.

• There are only 2 physicians available for every 10,000 people, and one nurse for every 356 people in Swaziland.

• The government estimates that only 16 percent of people aged 15-49 years old have been tested for the virus and know their results

• The extremely high rate of tuberculosis (TB) co-infection with HIV is also a major concern and the main cause of mortality in the country