Category Archives: China

Contemplation

Posted on by
1

January 2, 2011: It’s the second day of the new year. For many people that means the opportunity to start over again, to succeed where there has been failure, to bring life where there has been death; but because somewhere along the way I became a cynic, to me a new year just means I have to remember to write 2011 instead of 2010. Why does the turning of a calendar page give me the right to anticipate great and wonderful circumstances? I face 2011 with trepidation. Dare I hope that deliverance will come and finally I’ll be set free to live out my dreams?

2010 was actually a pretty amazing year for me, one of the best in a very long time. I traveled to China and Haiti, became a published author, and completed my first half marathon. That’s a lot for one girl to do in twelve short months. But, it’s not enough. I’m that spoiled child in the toy store who wants one of everything! At this juncture, there are no plans on the horizon. The only thing I know for certain is tomorrow morning I have to get up and go to work, something I really don’t want to do. Accounting is NOT my passion.

What is my passion? Adoption and orphan care. My experiences in China and Haiti opened my heart and eyes to the world of abandoned children. This summer I followed closely the journey of our friends and pastors as they traveled to Ukraine to adopt two sisters. I wept at their heartache and rejoiced at their victories. Those two little girls are precious to me in a way that I can neither understand nor explain. The team leaders from our Haiti trip recently returned to that country to spend time with the little boy they have chosen to be their son. They posted a “family picture” from Haiti that caused me to weep for joy when I saw it. You see, I’ve met their son, I’ve hugged him and played with him. I understand what being adopted into a loving family means for these beautiful children.

My desire for 2011 is that will God open doors of ministry, only for me to travel to more foreign lands and love on babies, but opportunities to share my experiences and thereby ignite a similar passion in others. It takes no special degree or skill to love a child, it only takes a willingness to serve, and a desire to reach out beyond our own self inflicted borders.

When Worlds Collide

Posted on by
2

When I was a little girl my Daddy built my sister and me the coolest toy box ever. Made of wood, painted blue with a puppy decal and hinged white top, it held almost all of our toys. It was so big that sometimes I would get inside and close the lid. I liked hiding in there, as long as I knew I could get out whenever I wanted. Once, trying to tease me, Daddy sat on the lid, trapping me inside. I tried to remain calm but fear captured all rational thought and I panicked. Screaming, crying and beating on the box I demanded to be let out. Of course Daddy rescued me immediately, but my toy box hiding days were over for good.

There are seasons of my life when I still feel like I’m trapped in that toy box, demanding to be let out, like now. After spending four years in full time ministry, through circumstances not of our choosing, my husband and I found ourselves reemployed in secular jobs. At the time, those jobs were a blessing, God’s provision when we needed it. But today, I am less than satisfied with my circumstances. Most people decide what to do with their lives in their early twenties. Me, I am a late bloomer; it has taken me forty two years to arrive at this pinnacle. My heart’s desire is to live out the gospel in a tangible way, travelling the globe, offering Christ’s love to orphans and widows, and serving in whatever capacity Father directs. To say that I sense impending doom would be melodramatic, but I am certain change is on the horizon. Right now my two worlds work in cooperation, but collision is imminent. How do I navigate this transition? There is no chartered course.

Before travelling to China, my discontentment was easily held at bay. Post China, it is magnified. Travelling to Haiti this week will compound the issue. These trips do not spell the end of my global ministry. The nations of Africa call to me. Do I deny the cries because my vacation days are consumed? Questions abound while answers are elusive. For now, I wait patiently in the toy box, trusting that when the time is right, Father will open the lid and grant my freedom!!!