Coincidences? I think not!

No one is where he is by accident, and chance plays no part in God’s plan.
A Course in Miracles 

When you pray for something: clarity, guidance, understanding, etc. you are looking for answers and a response, right?  I think so!  I hope so! 

Growing up, I remember my mother constantly saying, "There is no such thing as a coincidence!" At the time, I never questioned, doubted, or even wondered what she meant by this.  Now, as an adult I have decided that no, there is in fact no such thing as a coincidence!  

God knows.  He has a plan.  He understands and has paved the way for us and will guide us where He wants us to be, no matter what.  All we have to do is be willing to wait, listen, be patient, and continue to pray!  

This year, we have been praying about something very specific for our family.  The past week or so, it seems that the longer I look, the closer I pay attention, the more open I am to hearing God's answer and not mine...the more I see, the more I hear, and the more I realize!  

I know that this is a vague explanation of my realization that there are in fact no coincidences in life.  I have my reasons for being vague, but here is one example of what I am talking about and I would love to hear what you think!

3 times I have gotten in the car and a certain song was playing on the radio...one that means so very much to my husband and I.  This one song, "Until the Whole Word Hears" by Casting Crowns has played a huge role in our walk through missions and has touched our hearts since our very first trip to Honduras.  No, not a coincidence...but a memory being brought back to the forefront of my mind!  

Here is the video we made back in 2010!



The past 24 days of 2013 have been extremely eye-opening and we are super-excited to see what God has in store for the rest of the year and years to come!

Adoption - WHAT, WHAT IS THIS!?! I NEED TO ASK BIG!

Brian and I have talked about adoption for a really long time, since we were dating (10 years ago). Then, as I have blogged about in the past, Brian's brother and his wife (famous blogger, Whitney from "Our Hearts are in Ethiopia") adopted our precious nephew last December (2009), this has been something even closer to our hearts. They began their adoption process in January of 2009 and we were fortunate enough to witness their experience first hand! WHAT A BLESSING THAT WAS! On December 19, 2009, I knew for sure that our lives would never be the same! SEE PREVIOUS POST

NOW...
Adoption is definetely weighing heavily on the heart. WHY? I know this isn't something we can do realistically right now...it is so expensive, and we do not have the money for something like this...our children are so young and we have so many bills...what about time off, time for bonding, time for travel...BUT...I KNOW this is something that I feel called to, something that is deep in my heart...so what is it that I REALLY KNOW and what am I going to do about it? (If this seems confusing to you...imagine what it's like in MY head!!!) I can tell you ONE thing I KNOW without a DOUBT. GOD AND ONLY GOD KNOWS.

So I ask myself..."Who are YOU to be questioning what God has put on your heart? Who are you to doubt the timing of anything that God calls you to?" I am but a mere human who is trying desperately to do things right. No, I'm nowhere near where I am striving to be - "CHRIST-LIKE", but the effort is there...so what am I going to do about these emotions and this love for adoption on the forefront of my heart, my soul, my mind?

SO now I ask "WHAT" and "WHY?"

These are the questions of the hour! I've been catching up on reading some blogs and I decided to do some research! I learned that in 2009, only 4 adoptions were completed from Honduras to the United States. In 2008, there were 11 and in 2007 there were 22. Can you believe that??

Of course I feel pulled to Honduras, because I have been called there to serve and do missions. I pray that the opportunities to do this never cease! (A whole different topic to be discussed in a future blog, I'm sure!) BUT, as you can see from the numbers...this isn't a common place for international adoptions. So I am left to pray, to listen, and to study...God will show me when He is ready. God will lead me when it is time. I pray that I am strong enough to hear Him and to Follow Him NO MATTER where He leads me.

Our pastor has been preaching a series titled "ASKING BIG"! It is about how we pray to God, and what we should be praying for. Some questions that we have been asked are:

1. What are you going to spend the rest of your life doing? (your plan?, God's plan?, Are you sure that your plan IS God's plan?)

2. We have been urged to "GET DEEP with GOD!"

3. Are you doing what you were created to do?

4. Are you asking about the BIG things in life?

Luke 11:9-10 say, "So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened."

So....ASK, SEEK, KNOCK, REPEAT!!!!

I know that there is MUCH rambling taking place here, so in conclusion...I am praying and I am going to be ASKING BIG!!!!!

Good News!

Today I received a message from a friend that brought tears to my eyes!

I've been planning my next trip to Puerto Lempira, Honduras during Thanksgiving break of this year! I mentioned that I wanted to go back to P.L. in November when we were on our way home from our trip this past Spring Break. Brian said that he also wants to go back but that he would have to wait until Spring Break 2011 so I could go in November and March! His only stipulation was that he would rather have a couple of men travel with me.

The difference this next trip is that we are planning to fly the whole way instead of taking a bus from San Pedro Sula to La Ceiba. I started talking about the planning and sharing the idea with people at church. Several families have expressed interest in joining this trip!

I think that the trip should be booked sometime in August to keep the airline prices lower! The farther in advance we book, the lower the prices should be, right!?

Well, my dear friend Holly, who was also a member of TEAM TEXAS to Honduras during Spring Break 2010 called me today and said that she and her two daughters would be joining me for this trip! I heard the message and started crying because it makes me so thankful that God is providing a group to travel in November!

I am so excited and I can't wait to get the plans finalized! Please be praying with me for this trip and for my very special friends, the Waits family as they are packing up to move in 5 more short weeks! They will be moving to La Ceiba on August 6th to attend language school with their 4 children. They will finally arrive in Puerto Lempira in October and then we will bring them some love from "home" in November!

At this time, there are 12 possible travelers! YIPEE!!!!

If you are interested in joining this trip, let me know! To find out more about the efforts being made in Puerto Lempira, please see www.reachouthonduras.org.

Until next time...

Amy

Spring Break 2010 - The Journey to Puerto Lempira...

I realize that when people read blogs, they typically don’t care to read a minute by minute description of someone’s life. Rather, people like to read about the thoughts, points of view, and analysis on life, events, situations, etc. I want to blog about as much of my trip as I can…as a form of documentation for myself because as time goes by we loose so much of our short-term memory and I do NOT ever want to forget each every single special moment that Brian and I (and Team Texas!) spent in La Moskitia (Puerto Lempira, Honduras).

My first thoughts that I recorded in my journal after boarding the plane in DFW were these, “The nervousness is gone, I am completely at peace, and the excitement to serve God has completely consumed me. I can say with absolute certainty that this moment, this week is where God has been leading me. I know that THIS is what I am supposed to be doing, I know that THIS is where I am supposed to be.”

We did go through El Salvador, but it was a very short lay over and we were quickly back in the air in route to San Pedro Sula, Honduras.

The feelings I experienced after we got off the plane in San Pedro Sula were ones that I was unfamiliar with. We were trying very hard not to be the typical “American tourists”. We had to stand in line for a short time at the customs desks. It wasn’t fear…AT ALL, but it was a feeling of being careful, vigilant, and aware of my surroundings, more so than I can ever remember doing in the past. This was my first time ever to be in a foreign country, one that has a COMPLETELY different culture from what I have ever been exposed to. It was very eye-opening.

Once we had claimed all of our luggage, Alex found the driver of the shuttle to the hotel we were staying at. Our group gathered in a cluster and followed our driver out the doors, headed to the shuttle which had been parked in the parking lot. As soon at the glass doors opened and we stepped out in the darkness of night, we were swallowed by the thick, humid night air of Honduras! I can still envision the senses I paid such close attention to as I stepped through the threshold and actually took in my first look outside!

The smell was one of the first things I noticed, but as I am searching for the right words to describe it, I am at a loss. I suppose the closest description I can paint is that is was a faint burning smell. Not a bad smell, not a fruity pleasant smell, it was just different. And, I loved it! I loved that I was in a whole new world from anything I had been to, and I loved that God had called us to this country.

Once we were boarded and settled on the shuttle, I was simply along for the ride! I tried to take in as much as I possibly could of everything I could see in the limited light that shone through the darkness of night. The driving of course was completely different from what I am accustomed to!!! I tried not to acknowledge how fast we were going, and I concentrated on the giddiness I felt fluttering like butterflies in my tummy with the building anticipation of being so much closer to our final destination!

After dropping our bags in our rooms, we met in the hotel restaurant and had a great meal and an unwinding and relaxing conversation. Every one of us was completely exhausted from the day!

It was here, at the restaurant, that I looked at my husband with the look and thought of, “WHO ARE YOU!?!?” He revealed that he really does know way more Spanish than he led any of us to believe!!! I was so proud of him, and I admire his modesty! We joked that he was hiding his fluent Spanish speaking ability!!!

After leaving the restaurant, we went to the little convenience store on the hotel grounds to buy bottled water for brushing our teeth and for the next day. I chose 3 huge bottles of water and confidently set them on the counter to pay. I looked straight into the cashier’s eyes and (using my VERY limited Spanish) I asked her, “Quiero dinero?” I actually asked her this same question with these same words a total of THREE times, and the only response I got from her was a look of confusion. I began motioning at the water bottles trying to communicate that I wanted to know how much money I owed her. Brian lightly nudged my arm, stepped beside me and shaking his head, and while trying to hold back his laughter, he explained, “You just told her (the cashier) that you want money!!!” I was mortified! Of course the members of my group, Wendy and Alex who were standing right there got a HUGE kick out of this embarrassment! This became something that was brought up numerous times throughout the week and each time we all cracked up laughing! Hey, what can I say…I was making an effort and I failed miserably!

We finally got back to our hotel room at 11:00 and prepared our things for the travels we would do the next day to La Ceiba. We had to be awake, ready, completely packed, and we were meeting the group at the hotel restaurant at 7:45a.m. Needless to say, we fell asleep before our heads actually hit the pillows!!!!

I know this is an abrupt place to stop, but there will be more tomorrow!

Finally...on our way!!!

What an awesome event to prepare for! To ready yourself to GO WHERE GOD has CALLED you...there aren't words to express the emotions and strength that take over your body at a time like this! I am so thankful to my Lord for showing me where He wanted me to serve Him, and I am so very thankful that I slowed down enough to listen to what He was telling me!!!

Throughout this post and many to follow, one thing will always remain constant...all GLORY is given to GOD and GOD alone!

We had so much to do in preparation of leaving the country to head to a 3rd world country! Of course the week before our trip was even crazier than our usual weekly routine. At work, between grades being due, OPEN HOUSE to prepare for, and planning, awards, organizing after TAKS, etc...this consumed most of my time throughout the week!! Friday night was full of saying goodbye to family and friends! Brian and I were up until 2:30a.m. Friday night packing, organizing, cleaning, and checking our lists multiple times!!! It was worth it, all the preparation and overpacking...right???!!!

Saturday morning, March 23 was ROUGH!!! We were exhausted! I was up at 6:00 a.m. and rushing around to finish last minute chores!!! Our goal was to get out of there at 9:00 so that we could get everyone dropped off and get to the airport by 12:30.

Our entry way, ready to be loaded to the car!!!


At 8:30ish, one of my best friends, Mindi V. called to make sure that we were still home and said that she was on her way over because she wanted to see us before we left. As Brian and I were loading the Expedition with what seemed to be half of our house, she pulled up!

She sat and talked to us for a bit, and after the car was loaded and the kids were all out in the driveway, I asked her to take a family picture of us.

After the family picture was taken, Mindi told us that she wanted to pray with us. We formed a circle in our driveway, held hands (kids included), bowed our heads and she prayed over us for our safety, for the children and the people in Puerto Lempira, and for our children while we were away. I was extremely touched and moved by this, Mindi has been 100% supportive and was a true prayer warrior for us throughout the planning, preparation, and duration of this mission trip. After we prayed, Mindi and I gave each other a huge hug and we were both in tears! This level of support is something that I love about our friendship, and knowing that we had this prayer warrior behind the mission trip was a comfort from God!

We loaded the kids and pulled out of the drive way, our first stop was to take Canon to Aaron and Whitney's. He was thrilled to be able to play at WHITNEY's HOUSE!!! He wasn't interested in saying good-bye because there was just so much that he "needed" to do!!! All of which included "PLAYING!!!!!" Of course, saying good-bye was hard, I knew that all the kids would be fine, but I was still torn up about leaving them!!!

Next stop was my parents' house! They would be keeping Mason and Brady on Saturday night. Mason got to ride me Papa and us to take us to the airport!!! We had to make a quick run to REI to get a few last minute things!! (One of the best items that we took is the BUG BAND!!! I didn't get a single bite!!!)

My dad dropped us off at the gate and of course we were the last ones there! My nerves were going crazy! I think there were a lot of fears about the unknown and the unexpected! After FINALLY getting checked in and through security, we had about 45 minutes to wait at the gate before they started boarding the plane!

Alex and Laura explained that somehow we had gotten 5 seats in the "Business Class" and they were giving those to us (Brian, myself, Holly, KT, and Wendy)!!! We had a very comfortable ride from DFW to San Salvador, El Salvador...our first stop!

Honduras Video....Spring Break 2010

When you can see God working in your life...

In December of 2009, I met with a lady from my church whom has turned out to be one of the greatest people I know! Laura had just returned from Honduras in November with her husband, Alex. They had decided to move their family to Puerto Lempira, Honduras in answer to God's call for them to be long-term missionaries.

Laura and I started talking at a Christmas party for the kiddos at church and I began asking her a ton of questions about their adoptions of their two youngest sons and of their mission in Honduras. I learned a lot but I was thirsting for more. The following Wednesday we met at Starbucks to chat more about these topics. I originally thought that my interest would be focused primarily on the adoptions, because that has become so near and dear to my heart. However, as we were talking, my passion opened up towards the mission work in Honduras. The more we talked, the more I wanted to know, the more I needed to know! I became completely invested in what was going on in P.L., Honduras. I felt like I NEEDED to go there myself. This is when we discussed getting a team together to go during Spring Break. I was still slightly unsure of how this was going to work, but I felt confident that God was calling me to serve Him in Honduras for Spring Break!

While Laura and I were talking at Starbucks that afternoon, Brian walked in...knowing that we would be there. He was feeling a bit "left out" of the meeting so he decided to crash it!!! I loved it, and I'm pretty sure Laura did too! Brian mentioned a number of times that afternoon and the days following, that he would support me 100% in going, but that he didn't see himself going. His reasons were primarily based on the fact that money is not falling from the trees in our backyard, and he was very concerned about leaving the kids while we travel to a 3rd world country. We planned on me going, we didn't know how I was going to get there, who I would travel with (because there was a chance that Alex and Laura would go before I could leave), or how any of the details would work out. We thought this would be a good way to spend part of our income tax return!!! I spent a great deal of time praying and studying God's word in preparation for the trip.

It worked out that there was a group of 8 of us who would travel together to Puerto Lempira for Spring Break. Alex, Laura, Aidan, Arlee, Holly, Katie, Wendy, and myself would form the Spring Break Team from Texas! As you can see this team is heavily weighted by the females. Alex (Laura's husband) and Aidan (their son) were the only males going. This was a concern of ours, we wanted more men to join us. There seemed to be a few possibilities, but nothing concrete.

One evening at a church meeting for Sunday school teachers, Laura was not feeling well at all. As soon as the meeting was over, she was ready to leave, but on her way out the door, she approached me and said she had a question for me. She asked me if the main reason that Brian wasn't going to go to Honduras with us was because of financial reasons. I explained that yes, I felt that this was primarily what was causing him from not going, along with his concerns for our 3 young children. She responded by saying that someone from our church (Pin Oaks Christian Fellowship) had contacted her and was donating $1000 for BRIAN to go to Honduras with us. I could NOT believe what I had just heard!!! Laura explained that the people who had donated the money wanted to remain anonymous, and if Brian didn't feel that he would be able to go that they said to at that point give it to another man from the church who might be able to go. Laura included that if I knew who it was, that I would be so touched, and she shook her head and smiled a smile of love and gratitude!

My jaw dropped, my eyes swelled with tears, and I was speechless. There had been so many prayers devoted to this and my desires for Brian to be there with me for this experience...and here it was, layed out in front of me...GOD WAS WORKING IN OUR LIFE AND I COULD LITERALLY SEE IT BEFORE MY VERY EYES.
I told Laura through the tears that were clouding my eyes and clogging my throat that I would talk to Brian and that I couldn't believe how this came from out of nowhere...this was a gift straight from God and there aren't words that are worthy of expressing my gratitude, appreciation, admiration, and love for my Lord, my Savior.

Brian and I talked about it and of course we told Alex and Laura that he would love to accept the opportunity to go to Honduras to serve in any way that God might use him.

Isn't that amazing! As I am reflecting on the entire process I am brought to tears again at the realization that NO MATTER WHAT...if you will just stop and listen, God is talking to you and HE WILL PROVIDE!!

Our Journey and Growth as we prepare for Honduras - Spring Break 2010

WOW, our Lord God is almighty! His undying and unconditional love constantly takes my breath away. I have had the privilege to witness God's love in some extremely powerful situations this past year. Through this witness of how miraculous our Lord truly is, my heart has been opened. God has called me to reach out to the Fatherless and the Widows in this world. James 1:27 tells us that "Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world." I have never felt as pulled towards a cause as I am for this mission.

Once I embraced the fact that God was calling me to serve Him in minstering through missions (even if it is short-term missions, for now...) I knew that I had a lot to do to prepare myself. I decided I needed to study God's word so I could understand more about why he is calling me to Honduras, I had to listen to what He was putting deep into my heart, and I had to be open to the plan that He has for me.

I started by studying 1 Corinthians 12, this is an eye-opening chapter over Spiritual Gifts. Every single child of God has been blessed with a gift from our Lord. 1 Corinthians 12:27-31 spells it out very clearly to the body of Christ: "27 - Now you are the body of Christ, and with each one of you is a part of it. And in the church God has appointed first of all apostles, second prophets, third teachers,....those able to help others, those with gifts of administration,....31 - But eagerly desire the greater gifts." Verse 31 has taught me that the greater gifts are those that are more beneficial to the body of Christ. Paul previously made it clear that one gift is not superior to another, but he urges the believers to discover how they can serve Christ's body with the gifts God has given them. Our spiritual gifts are not given to us for our own self-advancement; they were given to us to serve God and to enhance the spiritual growth of the body of believers.

This March 13th-20th, I will be traveling to Puerto Lempira, Honduras on a short-term mission trip. A group of 9+ people including my husband, Brian, and I will go with our friends the Waits family who are moving to Honduras for long-term ministry. During the trip we will visit three children's orphanage homes: Familia Alastero, House of Hope, and Mama Tara's Orphanage.

Among the many goals we hope to reach through this mission trip, we aim to devote ourselves to loving on the children there, we commit to sharing Christ's love with the people in Puerto Lempira, to teach the orphans by reading and doing crafts with them, there will be physical labor in the possible construction of bunk beds for the older children whom dwell in these orphanages, we hope to put on a sort of soccer camp for the children in Puerto Lempira (this is an exciting way that Brian will be able to use the amazing talent and passion that God has given him!) and we promise to do all of these things in service to our Lord God Almighty.

For more information about the ministry, check out the website Reach Out Honduras.

Did you know that Honduras is the 2nd poorest country in the Western Hemisphere, only slightly behind Haiti? The region that we are going to is called the La Moskitia region. This region is considered poor and remote even by Honduran standards. Medical care is close to nonexistent from the country's government and it is left primarily up to charity and missions to care for the people who reside in this region. (Missionary Air Group – Honduras and Reach Out Honduras)

Puerto Lempira is the largest town in the La Moskitia region of eastern Honduras. There are not any paved roads throughout the entire town and there is an overwhelming amount of poverty here. (Reach Out Honduras)

I believe that God is calling me to serve Him on this mission because of the gifts He has given me; I have a talent in teaching, speaking, loving, and sharing with others my passion for Christ. I know I can reach out to the people in the La Moskitia region to show them God's grace, love, and compassion. I pray that I am able to make a difference. I hope that God will work through me to make an impact on even one soul.

I need your help. I need your help in supporting us in prayer, praying us along these next few weeks in preparing our hearts and readying our minds.

There are already SO many ways that we have literally seen God’s work on this journey. Please check back very soon to read more about our testimony in how God has worked in marvelous and phenomenal ways, even to enable us to make this mission trip a reality...in a way that we NEVER imagined would be possible!!!

In Him,

Amy