It's 2009! I can't believe how fast time goes. Noelle is five years old!
Tony's working hard to get the 1965 Mustang GT project ready to head to the paint and auto body shop on Jan 12. That means that mom is working double time trying to keep up with Noelle and Isaac on the weekends so that Tony can be in the garage. I'm just not used to that. I told Tony last week that this is proof that I'm not meant to be a stay-at-home mom.
We are excited to see what this next year brings as we dive deeper into trusting God and putting all of our hope in His plan for our family.
By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another. John 13:35
Saturday, January 3, 2009
Saturday, July 5, 2008
My Lessons
I've narrowed my learning experiences for this trip into 4 basic lessons. Of course there's so much not addressed here in terms of knowing God's sovereignty and accepting His justice even if it doesn't make sense to us - experiencing the lives of these people whose lives were torn apart by the earthquake - serving God every step of the way and trusting that He is faithful to protect both our team and my family at home.
I read a book on this trip called Cold Tangerines, that was recommended by my friend Rachel. It is a collection of short stories about how everyday life can be seen as extraordinary with the influence of God's love. I'm going to quote this book a few times here as the author's words seem to capture my heart better than my own words would.
1. Copper Pennies - In Cold Tangerines, the author talked about how once you start collecting something you notice them everywhere you look. She compared this to the little pennies that God puts in our path to say "What can I do today to remind you again how much I love you and how good this life is?". God certainly met me in this manner and showed me in tiny, tangible ways that He purposely places gifts meant specifically for me into my day just to say "I love you, Carrie'. During the church service where we were working in Ica, a mother went forward to pray and I offered to hold her baby. This 4-month old baby boy was so precious and I just held him and prayed blessings and protection over him for the remainder of the service. That was a gift directly for my heart as I missed my own babies. In Cold Tangerines she says "It is rebellious to choose joy, to choose to dance, to choose to love your life".
2. 100% - During our team debrief/processing time one evening we were singing a song by Lifehouse called Everything. The words we sang included
You're all I want, you're all I need. You're everything, everything.
How can I stand here with you and not be moved by you?
Would you tell me how could it be any better than this?
Being able to sing these words with all of my heart and mean it in spite of being away from what I thought I need and want most in this world was an incredible experience. God is IT. 100% of me wants to live for His glory and I want to see myself consumed to reflect nothing but him everyday in everything. I want my life to be "The act of life lifting up and becoming an act of worship and celebration, a sacrament, an offering." and as in Cold Tangerines, the author notes "When you've tasted it, smelled it, fought for it, labored it into life, you'll give your soul to get a little more, and it's always worth it".
3. Community - God showed me a lot about community during this trip. Watching these students love on one another despite differences was amazing. The vulnerability and honesty they brought to the table shocked me and made it clear how as adults we stifle and hide so much of ourselves in an effort to avoid all vulnerability. God calls us to have a place of community where we can know others and be known by those people - completely. I will be seeking harder to find this community and create the space needed for honesty among us. Cold Tangerines puts it this way, "The truest thing is making a life with God, with honor, honesty and community. It demands that we release the need to be the best."
4. Challenge - I believe my biggest challenge is in telling my story honestly. God has made it clear to me that I was not sent to Peru so that I can come back and tell everyone how fabulous Machu Picchu was. That is not my story - at least not all of it. I am to take this opportunity to present the truth and share my heart with other people. To be vulnerable and take the risk of opening myself, my experiences and my beliefs to the people who surround me.
God has been revealing himself to me so personally, and I love it. May this journey continue to consume me leaving me changed in every possible way.
I read a book on this trip called Cold Tangerines, that was recommended by my friend Rachel. It is a collection of short stories about how everyday life can be seen as extraordinary with the influence of God's love. I'm going to quote this book a few times here as the author's words seem to capture my heart better than my own words would.
1. Copper Pennies - In Cold Tangerines, the author talked about how once you start collecting something you notice them everywhere you look. She compared this to the little pennies that God puts in our path to say "What can I do today to remind you again how much I love you and how good this life is?". God certainly met me in this manner and showed me in tiny, tangible ways that He purposely places gifts meant specifically for me into my day just to say "I love you, Carrie'. During the church service where we were working in Ica, a mother went forward to pray and I offered to hold her baby. This 4-month old baby boy was so precious and I just held him and prayed blessings and protection over him for the remainder of the service. That was a gift directly for my heart as I missed my own babies. In Cold Tangerines she says "It is rebellious to choose joy, to choose to dance, to choose to love your life".
2. 100% - During our team debrief/processing time one evening we were singing a song by Lifehouse called Everything. The words we sang included
You're all I want, you're all I need. You're everything, everything.
How can I stand here with you and not be moved by you?
Would you tell me how could it be any better than this?
Being able to sing these words with all of my heart and mean it in spite of being away from what I thought I need and want most in this world was an incredible experience. God is IT. 100% of me wants to live for His glory and I want to see myself consumed to reflect nothing but him everyday in everything. I want my life to be "The act of life lifting up and becoming an act of worship and celebration, a sacrament, an offering." and as in Cold Tangerines, the author notes "When you've tasted it, smelled it, fought for it, labored it into life, you'll give your soul to get a little more, and it's always worth it".
3. Community - God showed me a lot about community during this trip. Watching these students love on one another despite differences was amazing. The vulnerability and honesty they brought to the table shocked me and made it clear how as adults we stifle and hide so much of ourselves in an effort to avoid all vulnerability. God calls us to have a place of community where we can know others and be known by those people - completely. I will be seeking harder to find this community and create the space needed for honesty among us. Cold Tangerines puts it this way, "The truest thing is making a life with God, with honor, honesty and community. It demands that we release the need to be the best."
4. Challenge - I believe my biggest challenge is in telling my story honestly. God has made it clear to me that I was not sent to Peru so that I can come back and tell everyone how fabulous Machu Picchu was. That is not my story - at least not all of it. I am to take this opportunity to present the truth and share my heart with other people. To be vulnerable and take the risk of opening myself, my experiences and my beliefs to the people who surround me.
God has been revealing himself to me so personally, and I love it. May this journey continue to consume me leaving me changed in every possible way.
The Rest of the Story
On Thursday, we finished our work at the church in Ica, and rode the bus back to Lima. Friday after breakfast, we took cabs (I felt like I was on The Amazing Race) to the colonial area of Lima and we toured the Monestaria San Francisco and the catacombs that have been excavated under the church. It was very cool - creepy, but cool. We then walked from the Monestary to the Peruvian Presidential Palace and watched the changing of the guard.
We ate lunch at the plaza and then took cabs back to Parque Kennedy where the Flying Dog Hostel is. We shopped at a local market for souveniers and had dinner at a chicken restaurant in the Larco Mar shopping center on the beach.
We caught a flight from Lima to Cusco at 9:30 Saturday morning. We dropped our things off at our hotel in Cusco and then had lunch at this restaurant with huge windows looking over the entire city of Cusco. It was so beautiful and the sky is incredibly blue at 11,000 feet. We toured some Inca ruins at Saqsayhuaman - they are absolutely unreal. The size of the rocks they use and the precision of their work is incredible! After a short rest at the hotel we headed to dinner in downtown Cusco where we sampled the local delicacies of Guinea Pig (not so highly recommended) and Alpaca (really good! tender and not too gamey).
Sunday was our day at Machu Picchu. We got up to catch our bus at 5:45 and rose 1 1/2 hours to the train station then rode another 1 1/2 hours to the town at the base of the mountain. We rode the tourism buses up the windy road to the entrance (at roughly 40 MPH on a VERY windy road). I learned to not pay attention to the road when we were traveling in Peru - if I did it got me a little concerned about my safety.
We entered the park and headed straight up the Inca Trail for the Sun Gate. The Inca Trail comes up of Chile and was traditionally used as a main access point to reach Machu Picchu. This was my crowning glory - I made it all the way up to the gate and I was so proud. We then followed the trail back down and toured the ruins for the afternoon. This place is amazing. I was showing Tony pictures and I look at them and think - I was there! Incredible. Their ingenuity and workmanship is breathtaking and the Andes mountains themselves are amazing.
We ate dinner in the town at the base and caught our train back to the bus and then on home to the hotel in Cusco. Our flight left Cusco at 7:30 the next morning so it was a short night of good sleep and then off to the airport. From this point, we spent 18 of the next 30 hours traveling.
Now I'm home, back in the arms of my kids and Tony. It was a great trip and absolutely worth every sacrifice made, but it's nice to be home knowing everyone is safe and sound and together.
We ate lunch at the plaza and then took cabs back to Parque Kennedy where the Flying Dog Hostel is. We shopped at a local market for souveniers and had dinner at a chicken restaurant in the Larco Mar shopping center on the beach.
We caught a flight from Lima to Cusco at 9:30 Saturday morning. We dropped our things off at our hotel in Cusco and then had lunch at this restaurant with huge windows looking over the entire city of Cusco. It was so beautiful and the sky is incredibly blue at 11,000 feet. We toured some Inca ruins at Saqsayhuaman - they are absolutely unreal. The size of the rocks they use and the precision of their work is incredible! After a short rest at the hotel we headed to dinner in downtown Cusco where we sampled the local delicacies of Guinea Pig (not so highly recommended) and Alpaca (really good! tender and not too gamey).
Sunday was our day at Machu Picchu. We got up to catch our bus at 5:45 and rose 1 1/2 hours to the train station then rode another 1 1/2 hours to the town at the base of the mountain. We rode the tourism buses up the windy road to the entrance (at roughly 40 MPH on a VERY windy road). I learned to not pay attention to the road when we were traveling in Peru - if I did it got me a little concerned about my safety.
We entered the park and headed straight up the Inca Trail for the Sun Gate. The Inca Trail comes up of Chile and was traditionally used as a main access point to reach Machu Picchu. This was my crowning glory - I made it all the way up to the gate and I was so proud. We then followed the trail back down and toured the ruins for the afternoon. This place is amazing. I was showing Tony pictures and I look at them and think - I was there! Incredible. Their ingenuity and workmanship is breathtaking and the Andes mountains themselves are amazing.
We ate dinner in the town at the base and caught our train back to the bus and then on home to the hotel in Cusco. Our flight left Cusco at 7:30 the next morning so it was a short night of good sleep and then off to the airport. From this point, we spent 18 of the next 30 hours traveling.
Now I'm home, back in the arms of my kids and Tony. It was a great trip and absolutely worth every sacrifice made, but it's nice to be home knowing everyone is safe and sound and together.
Wednesday, June 25, 2008
Peru Update - It's Been Great! God is Good!
It’s Wednesday morning, so our trip is already half over. Travel took nearly two full days. We got to a hostel in Lima at about 3:30 am last Friday morning. Then we rode a bus from Lima to Ica, a 6-7 hour bus ride. Taking in the scenery was amazing. You can’t even imagine it, but there are just mountains of pure sand and these people build a home to live in and attempt to eek out a living for their family.
When we arrived in Ica, we dropped our bags at our hotel in the city – Hotel Siesta. Then we drove about 10 minutes to our work project. We were greeted in an amazing display of love…as each of our 27 team members got off the bus, they would be swarmed by a group of kids hugging and kissing them saying “Bienvenidos”. It was great!
The church where we are working is in San Martin, a village or “suburb” of Ica. The church runs a school program with Compassion International and the earthquake destroyed the pastor’s home, so where it stood they have erected another building for the school. Our responsibility has been to put a second story on this building.
The program serves 214 children. They take only two kids per family and those children get an education, sponsorship, and 3 meals per week at the church. There are two buildings that Bridge Builders had built a few years ago and those successfully withstood the earthquake with very little damage. Most buildings and homes in the area were/are made of adobe bricks and mud mortar. And there’s nothing to build them on but this fine, soft sand. Not exactly a firm foundation.
Our groups has worked so hard. These students are amazing, they play hard and have so much fun, but when you give them a job to do – they flat get it done. We’ve spent hours upon hours in a brick line. Someone in our group has an exact count, but it’s in the neighborhood of 3,000+ bricks at this point. They use solid bricks along the outside walls and where there is a supporting wall beneath and then use the lighter, holed bricks for the interior walls. We’ve used local brick layers, it’s interesting to watch them work – using “old-school” tools and technology to ensure that they’re square and exact.
I never knew so many tools could be made of rebar. Their ingenuity is incredible. If they need it, they make it. Hacksaws, hammer handles, rebar benders, saw-horses. I tied rebar into columns most of the day on Monday. And to do that, we used hook-like tools made of rebar for twisting our wires. I found tying rebar entirely satisfying in the way a new habit occupies you and all you can think about is finding time to knit or paint or tie rebar! I love it and the repetition clears your mind giving you space to think and to take it all in.
We attended the church service on Sunday night at the church. It is a Pentacostal church, so it was very charismatic compared to what most of these students have been exposed to at home. It was an incredible experience and an honor to be allowed to observe and participate in their worship service.
The pastor set up several home visits where smaller groups of 6 or 7 from our team would go and see the homes of some of the children from the church program. It certainly changes your perspective on life at home when you see how these families live. The family I visited said that they get running water for one hour, every other day. I tried to imagine running a household around when I had water available. Trying to plan ahead for every ounce of water I might need in order to cook, eat, clear, do laundry and dishes, and drink only after boiling. The mother who we talked to could only say that she has to trust God to feed her children, and her hope is to one day be able to pray asking God for something beyond survival. The earthquake has certainly changed their lives. While they have been impoverished before, any semblance of a life or home they had been able to create was stolen from them. They live for more than three months with no home at all. Three kids, mom and dad in a grass hut, sleeping under the stars.
Tomorrow we leave the church, and San Martin, and Ica. We will make the 6 hour trip back to Lima and spend a day there before flying to Cuzco. It’s interesting to watch and participate in the questions being raised by these students about justice, fairness, God’s love and how all of that looks in the face of stark poverty. How are American’s so entitled, so blessed, so worthy of “having it all” while we see suffering in the world…and what are we to do about it? We’ve had some great discussions, it’s so fun and challenging to be discussing these issues rather than discussing underwriting and profitability philosophies.
God has been so evident and faithful to me personally on this journey. I have prayed that He would cultivate my gift of discernment and give me open ears to hear His voice. He has provided several opportunities on this trip to have my hearing and my discernment tested and confirmed. What a faith-builder!
I am reading a book my friend Rachel gave me and the author talked about collecting pennies. She noted that most of us view a penny and worthless and hardly stop to pick one up if we see it. She tells that she has begun collecting these copper pennies that no-one notices or wants or cares about. She found that once she started looking for pennies, she began to see them everywhere. That’s how it is with God – he places tiny displays of his all-out love for us into our paths everyday, but we view them as worthless pennies, we don’t take the time to notice them, let alone stop and cherish them. I am seeing that God totally puts moments into my day – specific moments mean distinctly for me and no one else – a love note just for me. I pray that He would increase my vision for these gifts and let me gain a greater appreciation for how He intentionally makes life extraordinary.
I am confident in my purposes on this team and on this trip. It has been a somehow freeing experience working alongside the students and sharing in their laughter. It makes me realize how boring we all become as adults. We see it as becoming more proper, more appropriate, more grown-up – but I’m seeing that we lose our passion, our curiousity, the life within us fades with time and routine and habits. I find myself refreshed and inspired to take action in the areas that sit lifeless in my world.
I can’t wait to see my family and to share this experience with all of you.
When we arrived in Ica, we dropped our bags at our hotel in the city – Hotel Siesta. Then we drove about 10 minutes to our work project. We were greeted in an amazing display of love…as each of our 27 team members got off the bus, they would be swarmed by a group of kids hugging and kissing them saying “Bienvenidos”. It was great!
The church where we are working is in San Martin, a village or “suburb” of Ica. The church runs a school program with Compassion International and the earthquake destroyed the pastor’s home, so where it stood they have erected another building for the school. Our responsibility has been to put a second story on this building.
The program serves 214 children. They take only two kids per family and those children get an education, sponsorship, and 3 meals per week at the church. There are two buildings that Bridge Builders had built a few years ago and those successfully withstood the earthquake with very little damage. Most buildings and homes in the area were/are made of adobe bricks and mud mortar. And there’s nothing to build them on but this fine, soft sand. Not exactly a firm foundation.
Our groups has worked so hard. These students are amazing, they play hard and have so much fun, but when you give them a job to do – they flat get it done. We’ve spent hours upon hours in a brick line. Someone in our group has an exact count, but it’s in the neighborhood of 3,000+ bricks at this point. They use solid bricks along the outside walls and where there is a supporting wall beneath and then use the lighter, holed bricks for the interior walls. We’ve used local brick layers, it’s interesting to watch them work – using “old-school” tools and technology to ensure that they’re square and exact.
I never knew so many tools could be made of rebar. Their ingenuity is incredible. If they need it, they make it. Hacksaws, hammer handles, rebar benders, saw-horses. I tied rebar into columns most of the day on Monday. And to do that, we used hook-like tools made of rebar for twisting our wires. I found tying rebar entirely satisfying in the way a new habit occupies you and all you can think about is finding time to knit or paint or tie rebar! I love it and the repetition clears your mind giving you space to think and to take it all in.
We attended the church service on Sunday night at the church. It is a Pentacostal church, so it was very charismatic compared to what most of these students have been exposed to at home. It was an incredible experience and an honor to be allowed to observe and participate in their worship service.
The pastor set up several home visits where smaller groups of 6 or 7 from our team would go and see the homes of some of the children from the church program. It certainly changes your perspective on life at home when you see how these families live. The family I visited said that they get running water for one hour, every other day. I tried to imagine running a household around when I had water available. Trying to plan ahead for every ounce of water I might need in order to cook, eat, clear, do laundry and dishes, and drink only after boiling. The mother who we talked to could only say that she has to trust God to feed her children, and her hope is to one day be able to pray asking God for something beyond survival. The earthquake has certainly changed their lives. While they have been impoverished before, any semblance of a life or home they had been able to create was stolen from them. They live for more than three months with no home at all. Three kids, mom and dad in a grass hut, sleeping under the stars.
Tomorrow we leave the church, and San Martin, and Ica. We will make the 6 hour trip back to Lima and spend a day there before flying to Cuzco. It’s interesting to watch and participate in the questions being raised by these students about justice, fairness, God’s love and how all of that looks in the face of stark poverty. How are American’s so entitled, so blessed, so worthy of “having it all” while we see suffering in the world…and what are we to do about it? We’ve had some great discussions, it’s so fun and challenging to be discussing these issues rather than discussing underwriting and profitability philosophies.
God has been so evident and faithful to me personally on this journey. I have prayed that He would cultivate my gift of discernment and give me open ears to hear His voice. He has provided several opportunities on this trip to have my hearing and my discernment tested and confirmed. What a faith-builder!
I am reading a book my friend Rachel gave me and the author talked about collecting pennies. She noted that most of us view a penny and worthless and hardly stop to pick one up if we see it. She tells that she has begun collecting these copper pennies that no-one notices or wants or cares about. She found that once she started looking for pennies, she began to see them everywhere. That’s how it is with God – he places tiny displays of his all-out love for us into our paths everyday, but we view them as worthless pennies, we don’t take the time to notice them, let alone stop and cherish them. I am seeing that God totally puts moments into my day – specific moments mean distinctly for me and no one else – a love note just for me. I pray that He would increase my vision for these gifts and let me gain a greater appreciation for how He intentionally makes life extraordinary.
I am confident in my purposes on this team and on this trip. It has been a somehow freeing experience working alongside the students and sharing in their laughter. It makes me realize how boring we all become as adults. We see it as becoming more proper, more appropriate, more grown-up – but I’m seeing that we lose our passion, our curiousity, the life within us fades with time and routine and habits. I find myself refreshed and inspired to take action in the areas that sit lifeless in my world.
I can’t wait to see my family and to share this experience with all of you.
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