A Thrill of Hope!

This Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years was wild! Just the way we like it:)

No matter what occasion, when all the kids and grand kids are home- things just become infinitely more interesting and loud...

For Thanksgiving we did our annual ginger bread competition. Truth be told, there is no actual ginger bread in sight! This years theme was "Your Favorite Place" so I reconstructed a Peruvian hut along the Amazon River (you can see the anacondas hanging off the roof and in the shiny black water) and a hammock off of the hut! I was this years winner, although, rumors of mercy points being given were heard. Guys, jealousy is ugly.

Below is Lisa's favorite place: our Aunt's house in Michigan

Laur's favorite place: Mackinac Island, Michigan

                    My dad had a big milestone this year... He turned 60! So, naturally, we roasted him :)

Christmas Eve at the kids table!

And to top everything off, some how we all managed to be in town on the SAME day! Some of us came from Italy, Michigan, Kentucky, and Cleveland but we made it! Blessed beyond belief to have these ladies.

Life is good. God is great. AND I just read that because of the Italian influence on the Somali people, they love pasta and marinara sauce! I will have a little bit of home, even among the Somali! Any day now, I should receive my books on learning the Somali language. It will be like no other language I've ever attempted to learn. Jesus, take the wheel!

Please pray that as I live in "Little Somalia" in Kenya, we will be seen as trusted people, rich in hope, peace and love. 

This is how they will recognize you as my disciples, when they see the love you have for one another -John 13:35

Recently, Somalia was ranked as the second hardest place to be a Christian in the world according to the World Watch List. World wide, the amount of Christian martyrs doubled from 2012 to 2013 and strife between Christians and Muslims is rising as well.  Many people still continue to flee from Somalia into surrounding countries, so pray that they do not spread strife, but instead come looking for peace. With all that being said, I believe that God is up to something great in Africa. Will you be a part of it?

Fundraising has really picked up this year as I book churches to speak at and friends and family to share dreams with. However, the need is still there to raise more money and I know I was never meant to do this alone.  If you feel led to help in any way, from financial help, praying or even helping me come up with unique and creative ways to raise money, please email me any time! 

God bless you! I hope you had a wonderful holiday and I am believing for a bright and fulfilling 2014 for everyone!

To donate, you can go to giving.ag.org and type in my account #2957769 or snail mail it to:

AGWM

1445 N. Boonville Ave

Springfield, MO 65802

*Please include my account #2957769 on the memo line!

Sent Out!

Last month, I spent a week in Springfield, Missouri where I met with 100 other Missionaries and Missionary Associates. There we were encouraged, trained, prayed for and SENT OUT! Below are those that are assigned to various places in Africa:)

It was incredibly refreshing to hear stories of how God called so many to the mission field! 

God continues to amaze me and I honestly cannot wait to be in Kenya, loving the Somali people, teaching them English and sharing God with them!

This is an incredibly dark and dangerous time for the Somali people. War, violence, famine forced many people out of their homes and country. In surrounding countries they are victims of rape, beatings, extortion, kidnapping and murder. 

The Somali people are incredibly hospitable, in fact, the word "Somali" literally translates into "go and milk" because they invite you to come and milk their camel and enjoy each others company. When you drink milk- whether it be from a cow, almonds or coconut, please pray that the Somali people will find peace, joy and relationship with Jesus.

"He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds." -Psalm 147:3

On a lighter note, I've been keeping track of God moments. Since ending my time with Agora September 1st- God has provided for me in a number of ways! My bank account seemed to always get down to $30 during the time I was without work and looking for a job, and, God proved Himself faithful over and over again! I was able to buy a $650 plane ticket for $10 in order to fly to Missouri, received cheap/free car repairs, free phone after mine was stolen, speaking engagements, random gifts of money from people and eventually an extremely flexible job- that doesn't interfere with my fund-raising! What I am most grateful for though, besides His tangible provisions, is His sweet sweet peace. Through every car repair, lack of money or setback, God made it incredibly clear to me that He has me. What else can I ask for?

"Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us, to Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever. Amen!" -Ephesians 3:20-21

P.S. I am still fund raising!! I have been blessed with friends, family and churches who have been supporting me but I still need more help in order to go to Kenya. Please pray about supporting me!                

               

You can give online at giving.ag.org and use my account #2957769

Or you can send payments to:

 AGWM

1445 N. Boonville Ave

Springfield, MO 65802

and be sure to put my account # on the memo line:)

God Bless you! 

Living Dead :)

In January of this year, I began to pray a lot about what's next. I always thought that I would move to South America and open an orphanage and help people. Nice idea, but God had other plans. I began to work my way through a devotion book called The Live/Dead Journal. Live/Dead is an organization that plants churches in East Africa. They send missionaries there as school teachers, business men, etc. God began to put working with Live/Dead in Kenya on my heart and He hasn't relented yet. 

I am now officially a Missionary Associate with the Assemblies of God :D Over this next year (and as soon as possible), I will be working, paying off school loans and raising money so that I can spend 2 years with the Somali refugees in Kenya. I will be working as a Teachers Assistant in a primary school with the possibility of teaching English to women- 2 things that I love to do!

There were a lot of things that God had to do in my heart before I agreed to go. I was overcome with a lot of fear in the beginning. What if something happened to my family while I was away? What if there was political unrest between the Somali's and Kenyan's and I got hurt, attacked, scarred, disabled, etc.? There are things that I love about living in America, certain freedoms I enjoy. There are things I want for my future that will have to be on hold while I'm away. Even silly things like trading tank tops and shorts for long skirts and shirts with sleeves caused me to hesitate. However, I considered the cost, I counted it... and God's worth it. The people of Kenya are worth it.

 If I have but one candle to burn, I'd rather burn it out in land filled with darkness than a land flooded with light.- John Keith Falconer

So I'm going to learn their language, become friends with them, eat their delicious food, have tea, hold babies, teach, assist, love, share and relate with them. I'm going to find ways to represent Jesus-well.

On that note, I am in serious need of financial support. I am looking for monthly partners to support me so that all might know God's love!  If you would like to donate either monthly or a one-time gift, please go to giving.ag.org and type in my account #2957769.

For more information on what Live/Dead is about, check out this link:

http://eastafrica.live-dead.org/about-us/

What Do We Stand For?

Back in February of last year, a group named Fun came out with a song, Some Nights. It’s catchy and upbeat yet the lyrics haunt me:

…O Lord, I’m still not sure what I stand for oh What do I stand for? What do I stand for? Most nights I don’t know anymore…
 …I found a martyr in my bed tonight She stops my bones from wondering Just who I am, who I am, who I am Oh, who am I?

True to Fun’s style, they manage to sum up this generations approach to life- a casual, nonchalant stance on the fact that, actually, we have no stance at all. Well, that’s not fair. We do have stances; after all we have strong views for or against pro-life, gay marriage, gun control, etc. Many of us will do our homework on which presidential candidate to vote for, however, we have a casual and nonchalant stance toward God. THE most important decision that will shape how we live this life and what will happen after we die and most of us have no thoughts. We may have questions, but hardly will look for answers. Does He exist? Who is He? Is He near or far? Did He make us and forget us? Is Jesus really God’s Son? What about Buddha and Muhammad? Is there only one right way to heaven or will we all get there?

Having trouble answering those questions? You’re not alone! Many of us wrestle with them, even those raised in Christian homes. I struggled with the idea that God was involved in my life and that He loved me no matter what. I felt distant from Him. It took 5 years of pushing God away to realize how unsatisfied I was without Him. I had many friends but felt alone, a job that helped people but felt unfulfilled, and a constant desire for wanting to be more. More of what, I had no idea, but surely there was something more. Enter Jesus.

In a second He changed everything. He showed me what He thought of me, gave me purpose and my reason for living… living well, and loves me like crazy. They say that a man with an experience is never at the mercy of a man with an argument. Well that’s me. You can tell me what you think about God if you’d like, tell me He’s mean, unjust and pull out the Bible to prove it, but I’m not interested. I’ve experienced Him. I know the difference He’s made in me and those around me. There was a man that loved me enough to die for me. My stand is for Him, always. My identity is found in Him, forever.

So, since we are clearly not a lazy generation, with all the social injustices and equal rights that we fight for, I encourage you to do something for yourself. Search out what you stand for, or most importantly WHO you stand for. Know why you believe it on a deep and personal level. Let it change who you are and how you operate. Make it a priority. I recommend Jesus, who “came so we can have life and have it to the fullest.” –John 10:10. He's my greatest adventure.

Oh your cross, it changes everything ~There my world begins again with you~ Oh your cross, it's where my hope restarts~ a second chance is Heaven's heart

- Rend Collective Experiment, Second Chances

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W6RNJ6HDTpU

It's all happening so fast!

This school year we have been blessed with 8 awesome students! They are passionate about serving the Lord and having Him guide their steps. What a blessing! We started the school year with a missions trip to Mississippi to visit Dr. Perkins who is doing work with racial reconciliation in Jackson.

Our outreaches this semester are to the West Side Market where we minister to the vendors, holding VBS in our apartment complex, teaching morals to an inner-city school and also participating in an after school program from junior high students.

Above is a picture of our students at the Scranton Road Health Fair helping pass out food :) I'm always amazed to see the transformation take place in the students. Most of the time, they don't even know it's happening! On a personal note, I have begun the process of becoming an Assembly of God missionary! Please pray as God guides me into His perfect will for my life. Love you, thank you for your prayers and support! Linny

I left my heart in the Amazon

This summer trip to Peru blessed and refreshed me! We took a team of 15 back to Iquitos and to some of the same villages along the river. The students ranged from 15-24 in age and 12 out of the 15 of them were girls! They were so willing to lead devotions, build relationship with strangers, encourage eachother, I'd gladly work along side of them every day!

A couple of my favorite memories were leading a group of kids to the Lord during our VBS time. It was so sweet to see them raise their hands and repeat in Spanish that they want Jesus to be their best friend and guide them through life! Another moment that I'll remember is when a group of us when into the village leaders home. He was very hospitable to us and soon we began talking about what he thought of the movie we showed him the night before called God Man. While he did not accept Jesus that day, the Holy Spirit used each one of us to show him the truths about God and I believe that one day soon, he'll come to know Jesus as Savior!

Lastly, the kids are always my favorite memory! They are so sweet and loving and helpful! Often, they'd see us carry something and they'd take it out of our hands and put it on top of their heads and run ahead of us and wait at our set up site. The tiniest little girl helped me down a hill, giggling the whole way as I tried to keep up with her and not fall. We played a simple hand game that they loved so much and repeatedly wanted to play. The night we had to say goodbye to them, it was pitch black out and I held a little boys hand all the way to the boat until our fingers slipped out of eachothers hold. Him and his friends chased our boat along the shore yelling "Ciao" and "I love you" while waving their flashlights, until we could no longer see them. Those moments stick with me and they remind me that this is what I was created to do. There is no doubt in my mind that I'm called to full time missions, that children will be the center of my focus and that God has a plan for each one of them and us! Also, I was able to stay behind and go to Machu Picchu and Cuzco for a couple days. I think I see God best when I see His creation. He just amazes me!

End of an Era

We wrapped up this first school year with a day of graduation and rememberance as we shared some of our favorite memories through out the year and the trip. We poked at our quirky/weirdness, wreckless driving, strange sayings, embarrassing moments and also how God revealed himself to us. I was so blessed to hear the students look back and see how God changed their heart or opened their eyes to things we've missed. A couple things the students have learned was that you never graduate from being a servant, Jesus washed the feet of His disciples. They also caught a glimpse of God's heart for the nations and that's something that they will take with them.

Somewhere inbetween Iquitos and Nato, we were all on a bus heading to the river and I looked over at my students and palm trees were flying by their heads and straw huts were set in the background and they were reading their devotions and Bibles and God just whispered to me, "Look how far we've come." And it had nothing to do with our location, and everything to do with how much we've grown since the begininng of the school year. I was so blessed to be a part of their life in a small way and experiencing their changes. Thank you for supporting us and being a part of God moving, I know these students are world-changers!

I didn't quite finish the last part of the trip to Peru, but I'll just list some of my favorite parts of the trip: *In the city, the children kiss you on the cheek and say ciao when it's time to leave *Seeing people come to know Jesus as their Savior *Playing volleyball and soccer with the kids *Vacation Bible School with the kids *The kids *Chasing the kids on the flooded sidewalks as they yell "haylo!" *Taking baths in the Amazon *Walking out of the church, knee deep in water and looking up at the stars and upside down Big Dipper with the students *Worshiping in Spanish and English with a bunch of teenagers from Iquitos *Meeting all the crazy YWAM'ers on the base *The kids *Seeing God restore a village and a Pastor *Being a part of a baptism in the Amazon River and baby dedication *Dancing with the kids *Going bathroom on the boat, while it was moving (see picture below) *Getting out of my bed to drive 15 minutes by myself to find carlos and give him a Bible and tell him that God loves him *Trying to talk in spanish and use gestures to ask questions to puzzled spanish speakers *Learning to live dead *The kids *Talking about our strengths from our own tents at night as a group *Nightly church services *Finding a dead alligator on our boat as a gift from the community. *Knowing that God has confirmed that long term missions is something He has for me *Realizing that my passions are kids, sports and God and that I can combine all 3 of those on the mission field and feel refreshed and alive! *Our wonderful translator and guides who led us and cooked delicious meals for us as we traveled up and down the Amazon! *Eating alligator, fish eyes and worms *Trying to mime to one of the men in the village that we want to fish and then when we finally are out on the river, we realize we forgot our poles! *The kids

Even though you weren't there, please know that the people that were touched during our time there was because of you. Thank you for your prayers, your financial support, and your encouragement. Please continue to pray for us as Agora recruits for Fall semester and for our summer trip back to Peru in July. For more pictures, go to: http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.700160650818.2104235.53701690&type=3 As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love."- Ephesians 4:1-2