He wants your heart

You know how Facebook tells you what you were doing "on this day" in the past? Every once in awhile I am actually surprised and don't remember posting some thing or another. Yesterday I came across a quote that I posted 4 years ago. It came from my pastor, Scott Miller, and a recent message he had delivered. (Click here to listen.) And while the circumstances around the day that I posted this are fuzzy, I know the truth is still an important one and I was stuck again by the core of the words. 

"Whatever trials you might be going through, wherever life is taking you, God is in control of this. He is orchestrating your life, but He WANTS your heart. He wants your heart. More than anything else He wants your heart."

He wants me! He wants my heart and whatever He allows in my life is to bring my heart closer to Him. Wow. This gets me thinking about all the things I know my friends and family have gone through. I can't explain the death of your child, or why he suffered disease and disability for his entire life. I don't know why God allows the pain of a husband who struggles with addiction that crushes your soul. I am at a loss for words why some children live a loveless life with abuse and others are rescued to be loved deeply by a new family. And I don't understand why I was chosen to live an incredibly blessed life with everything I could possibly need and want, while others are called to live in war-torn countries with poverty, destitution, and lack of clean water.  But I do know that God uses the trials in our lives to draw us close to Him. Just like a loving parent pulls their crying child close, He desires to hold us in His arms. To embrace us through our trials and pain. He wants nothing less than our heart. ALL of our heart! "More than anything else He wants your heart." Share

Mexico Bound

Just thought I would update my blog followers....this is an e-mail sent to friends and family. (These are pictures from last years trip.)

We leave tomorrow morning at 0730 from A-town and will arrive in Dinuba, CA sometime around 8 pm (or later) to stay for the night. We then will travel on to San Luis, Mexico on Saturday and will arrive sometime in the later evening.

After talking with our contact in Yuma, he said that the climate in San Luis and surrounding areas is very peaceful and there is no reason to be nervous about the dangers we have been hearing about on the news.

We’ll be helping the local church work on some projects during the week as well as handing out some food and clothing to the people of San Luis. They have so little there and many of them live in conditions that (to us) are simply deplorable. We will also get to spend time with the children who live in the orphanage that we will be staying at. These kids are so sweet and I can't wait to see some of the friends I made last time!

We are excited to spend time with the people and do what little we can to impact their physical living conditions. We hope you will be praying for us while we are gone.

We will be leaving San Luis next Friday afternoon and arriving in Dinuba, CA in the evening to stay the night. We will then be headed home on Saturday the 27th and should arrive in Albany sometime in the evening.

Looking forward to sharing pictures and our experience with you when we get back! The girls are REALLY excited and so are we. We are hoping the drive down/back will be smooth and that the kids will be un-annoying (is that a word?). Right now the long car ride is my biggest concern...since Adam needs to drive most of the time so he doesn't get car sick, I will be "on" most of the time to keep the kids calm and quiet since we will be in a van with 6 other people.

Thank you everyone for caring about us, our safety, our sanity etc. We love you all!

Love,

Adam, Bethany, Emily, Megan and Faith

Ephesians 6:10-12 (The Message)
And that about wraps it up. God is strong, and He wants you strong. So take everything the Master has set out for you, well-made weapons of the best materials. And put them to use so you will be able to stand up to everything the devil throws your way. This is no afternoon athletic contest that we'll walk away from and forget about in a couple of hours. This is for KEEPS, a life-or-death fight to the finish against the devil and all his angels.

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Inglesia Mision Betania

On Monday of our visit to San Luis Rio Colorado Mexico, we visited this neighborhood church. Inglesia Mision Betania. After driving around the neighborhood with a loud speaker and clowns running along, we drew in a crowd. Our group shared testimonies, the gospel and a couple of clown skits. Afterwards we were able to hand out some clothing as well as beans and rice. One of our team members knows how to make balloon animals, so he had quite a line of kids waiting (patiently even!) for their balloon animal.

Still Processing

I am still in a processing mode. Its amazing how differently I have begun to view life. This is my fourth trip to Mexico (as a short term missionary) and my first as a real "adult" :) But the affect has been the same. I still don't have words to share my experience, but I am processing it all and hope to have something soon. So for now, just some pictures.

This first one is a collage of the 23 hour trip south.

A few shots from the orphanage that we stayed at. They have amazing facilities and amazing kids there! (Check out the link in my previous post.)

Victoria, BC, Canada