Happy Birthday to Me!

My daughter runs throughout the room singing at the top of her lungs...her toes tapping the hardwood floors, her t-shirt swaying in the hall, her voice giggling at the words of her tune...

"Lordy! Lordy! Look who's forty!" 

Yes...in just a few days it is...it really is...that day we all think about in our 20's....that day we feel is so far off...that day we just know will come with us still wearing high heels, a short skirt and long, flocks of beautiful hair...

That day is just around the bend...the Big 4-0...black balloons, a huge glowing flame on the top of the cake, and my daughter frolicking through the house reminding me of it's soon to be arrival....

AND....

I will embrace it! I will praise my living God that He has given me 40 wonderfully crazy, wonderfully adventurous, wonderfully FULL years! I will praise Him for my faith and my family and my friends. I will praise Him for my health, and my happiness, and my humor at the wrinkles on my forehead! 

I will embrace it and I will praise HIM!!

I might even wear heels! (probably not a short skirt...but yes, maybe heels!!) 

"For this is the day the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it!" 

Psalm 118:24

Dreams come true...

So a few weeks back I woke in the middle of the night from a dream that our little Lucy in Sierra Leone had died. My heart was hurting at having no way of knowing if this was really true or not. That same week, without me saying anything to my family, my seven year old daughter said to me, "Mom, we wouldn't even know if Lucy died would we?" 

And in fact we wouldn't....

Today I received an  email from my friend Tina who is in Sierra Leone right now being the voice for the voiceless! She found out that a few weeks back, our dear Lucy, did in fact almost die!  She became incredibly sick and was near death.

PRAISE GOD HE HEARD OUR CRY AND OUR LUCY LIVED BY HIS GRACE ALONE!!!

This week Tina will be meeting with the people who be to try to move Lucy and another little boy, Moses, to our center at The Covering. PRAY! PRAY! PRAY!

I am calling on all of you...my sincere prayer warriors...I believe in the power of prayer...I claim James 5:16...I know Jesus still lives and He wants us to cry out to him!!!!

PRAY! PRAY! PRAY!

Love to all with tears of joy in Pella!
Jen

Prayer Request

Sorry to be delayed in writing this week. I do have a prayer request...

I have begun pursuing Christian writing and that has kept me busy this week. I have some publishers interested in my work. Please pray for God to open and close doors as He sees fit. Please pray for Him to smooth the process and provide Christian authority and guidance to me in this process!

Love you all....
jen

Luv u 2

Luv u 2.

The words came across my phone in a text message. My heart about lept out of my chest! My eleven year old son was texting me that he loved me! Anyone who knows kids, knows that this is not the age for a boy to be showing outward expressions of emotion to their parents. I mean they are in that pre-teen stage...trying to figure out who they are, too cool for hugs, but still wanting the occasional physical touch from their mom or dad.

I was thinking, this must be how God feels when someone turns to Him and gives Him the glory and the love. He waits for us to respond to his unconditional love. He waits for us to say, "I love you Lord!" He waits for us to show an outward expression of our love.

"Today if you hear my voice, do not harden your heart!" 

Hebrews 3:7b

From the heart tonight...

Pea Salad

So I used to know this lady and when we had gatherings, she would bring a pea salad. And everyone loved her pea salad because she came in with it in a clear bowl, totally transparent, so you could see all the lovely ingredients…peas and the creamy dressing and grand yellow chunks of cheese, the good kind, the Velveeta cheese!

She would walk into the party with the bowl in her hand and her purse in the other. And she would sit that pea salad on the table and with a smile on her face she would proceed to talk with all of us at the party. She would laugh and share stories and was someone you really felt like you could relate to. She didn’t challenge people or make us feel less than we were. She didn't say anything that caused me to question my life or made me think about living in a different way. She just was fun and easy to talk to. A nice person with great pea salad!

And when she left the party and gathered up the empty bowl with just the inklings of a tiny bit of that creamy dressing in it, we would all look around and think to ourselves, “Well that was nice!”

And someone might even say, “And she makes great pea salad.”

But you see, a few weeks later we learned that our friend with the pea salad…the one we all loved…she was hiding a deep dark hurt. She had troubles in her heart. There were things in her life that just tore her up. Ate away at her and changed who she was on the inside. But she vowed to herself, not to share it with us. She vowed to keep it inside. She didn't want to challenge us or hurt our feelings. She just wanted to be the lady with the pea salad. Butm the laughter, the fun…it was all a façade. It was an artificial front. She was someone else entirely on the inside.

So, today...today is a rough day. I don't know why. It has come out of nowhere really. Today, I feel like becoming the lady with the pea salad. I want to throw in the towel and simply put on the happy face. I want to stop asking for money.  I want to stop sharing the stories. I don't want to care so much. I don't want my heart to be pierced. I will leave Africa in Africa.  I want to go back to wondering what shoes my kids should wear to schooI, what color we should paint the bathroom, and what I should put in the crock pot for supper.

Today, I feel like showing up at the party of daily life with a smile on my face, just laughing and chatting with everyone. I will live here and enjoy my nice comfortable life with three cars, four bedrooms and lots of friends.

And today, I will bring the pea salad!

But inside…inside I will be hurting.

Sorry, not my normal uplifting, inspiring post but just from the heart!

Why Africa?

A few months ago  my 11 year old son, Kobe, shot 1000 three pointers to raise money for the kids at The Covering in Sierra Leone, Africa to have a basketball hoop. From his initiative, Kyle Korver, NBA player jumped on board and did a promotion in our town with Kobe. At that promotion, was CJ, a college student I had in class last semester. CJ decided to put on a golf fundraiser which will happen August 1st at Bos Landen Golf Course in Pella. Another student in my class, Zach, will raise money and golf in that event.

Do you see the ripple effect taking place here?

Today, as Zach was trying to raise money to support the children in Africa, he was asked the question, "WHY AFRICA?" 

How do you respond to that?  Why Africa?

I am not sure who the person is that asked Zach this question. I do know I have been asked it several times myself and it is usually followed by something like, "Well, I mean there are people here in the U.S. who need help."

To me, I guess that is irrelevant. I could give the people who say this an entire lecture on the difference between what we consider poverty here and the poverty I saw there. I could tell them about the insane obesity rate that actually exists among the poor in the United States. I could show them a video of the little baby in the hospital in Sierra Leone who was so malnourished that she couldn't even cry. But you see, to me, that is not the real answer to the question...

To me, no one, not a person in Harlem, a person in Pocahontas, Iowa, or a peson in Africa, deserves help more than anyone else does. We are all sinners. We all need mercy and grace. We all need to experience the hands and feet of Christ. Even though the facts would substantiate a much greater level of poverty than in the United States, living in Sierra Leone does not make the children there MORE deserving of my love and help.

To me, the answer to the question, "WHY AFRICA?" is simple:

BECAUSE GOD CALLED ME THERE! 

I don't know why He put these children on my heart over the children in inner city Des Moines. I don't know why He chose a place that is miles away and many dollars to visit. I just know HE CALLED.

You see...my calling is Sierra Leone. My calling is Lucy and Maligie and Emmanuel and Sheriff and Betty and Fallah and Foday. My calling is to educate and love and give in that country.

But you...you my friend, if you are listening and willing to obey...you also have a calling. You also have a place, a person, a reason for which God wants to use you!

My sister, Anne, volutneers her time to the Family Resource Center in her town. Kate holds events and fundraisers for the National Guard family support programs. My mom gives quietly over and over again to her family and anyone else who crosses her path. My dad shares Christ, even as his body is pumped full of chemotherapy. And my friend, she works tirelessly to support women who have experienced the death of their children.

They have all been called. They help here in the United States. They heard the call. They felt the call. And they obeyed!  Just like me...they know that all of us are sinners in need of a savior. They know there are people who need to be ministered to. People who need to see Christ. They know that God has a plan and a purpose for each of our lives...and they simply obeyed the call.

Why Africa?

Because He told me to! 

So the question remains, what is He telling you to do?

"The LORD called Samuel a third time, and Samuel got up and went to Eli and said,

"Here I am; you called me."

1 Samuel 3:8

SWIMMING UP ABOVE

There was a tragedy in our town last week. Two boys were attending a Christian camp and they drowned in our local pool. Nobody knows how it happened. The parents are feeling unbelievable grief. Fellow campers are feeling lost. Everyone is feeling guilt. Why didn't I see them struggling? Why didn't I pay more attention? How come I didn't ask more questions about their swimming abilities?

My friend's son was in the pool at the time of the accidental drowning. Shortly after the incident he questioned his mom. I will paraphrase their conversation here:

Son:   "So Mom, the boys were at the bottom of the pool, drowning, needing help, then laying on the bottom: dead. And we were just swimming, going on, having a good time above them?"

Mom:  "Yes. Yes you were. We were. We didn't know they needed help. I am so sorry honey!"

Son: "Mom, isn't that just like our daily life?"

Mom: "What do you mean honey?"

Son: "Well, every day people around us are drowning. They are slowly dying. They need help. They need Jesus. And we are just going on above the water. We are just swimming along, having a good time above them!"

Oh...out of the mouths of babes!!!!

STOP SWIMMING SISTER! Take the time today to walk next door, to initiate the conversation, to share Christ! I know I am convicted!

The Party!

Tonight my nine year old, Luke, had his last baseball game. He had made the all star team which was a great accomplishment given he is the middle child! You see, he runs in the shadows of his older brother and younger sister. He wears hand-me-down baseball pants, takes whatever color Gatorade is left in the fridge, and fights to get a word in! But he made the All Star team and we were happy he had the stage in our family. Tonight was his final game of the season.


It didn't start or end too well. The other team was just out hitting, out fielding, and all around out playing them! They were bigger, faster and stronger. I think we ended up losing 17-1 in four innings!!


Luke is a pretty easy going kid and he didn't take the loss too hard. In fact, after the game, he asked if he could have a friend spend the night. But, the friend had to decline because he was attending a birthday party the next morning.


As we drove home, Luke mentioned the party. He said all the boys were going. He named about four of his friends who had been invited. He said they were talking about it in the dug out. They were even going to Adventureland, which is a really great amusement park! Now that is a party!


And...in a moment I will forever regret as a mother, I said to Luke, "Well, why weren't you invited?"


The minute the words came out of my mouth, I had regret about saying them. He didn't know why he wasn't invited. He just knew everyone else his age who had been in the dug-out with him was invited. He just knew they were going to have a blast and he wasn't going to be there. He didn't know why. He just felt left out, horrible, and simply uninvited!


A couple tears streamed down his face. He quickly turned his head to look out the window. He didn't want to make eye contact with me and he surely didn't want his little sister in the backseat to see him crying. Slowly his dirt stained hand crept up his face to wipe the tears away.


You know, there is another huge party going on right now. The angels are singing and dancing. The streets are gold. God is there in all His glory! There are no tears or heartache or pain. It's called heaven and the Bible explains it in great detail.


Some of us will join that party one day. We will dance and sing and praise our Lord and Savior. Can't you just feel the joy! We won't see pain. We won't feel disgrace. We won't know the words "turmoil" or "heartbreak" or "hardship"!!  A big 'ol foot stompin, booty shakin' party!!!!


And...some of our friends, some of the people we work with, some of our very own family members might stand outside the gate and look inside and see us. The joy. The love. The glory on our faces because we accepted the invitation from God to believe in His son, to accept His saving grace, not by works, but by faith. There we are...just having a grand old time with our Lord and Savior and all His believers!


They will peer through that gate, our friends, our co-workers, our family... and some, some of them, much like Luke, might cry a few tears and say, "WHY DIDN'T YOU INVITE ME?"


Today...invite them...everyone you know...invite them...share the love of Christ. Share HIS invitation! Tell them how to get in the door of the party!  Don't let them feel the neglect that Luke felt...INVITE THEM!

For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God.

Ephesians 2:8

The green dumpster

There is a huge green garbage dumpster in our driveway. It is not pretty. It kindof smells. And I keep looking at it thinking about the cleaning I have to do this week to fill that thing! 

You see when we bought our house there was a basement with a wall of paint cans. The previous owner was an artist. Well, she left all of her paint...blue, green, shades of pink....most of it dried up and useless.  It has sat in our basement for almost three years now. I just haven't mustered the time and energy to dispose of it.

But today...today...there is a green dumpster...and by the end of today...it will be filled. All the leftovers, all the cast-offs, all of our useless junk will be dumped in there to be carried away to the landfill.

It got me thinkin...God is kindof like a dumpster...(I know, it feels weird to even write dumpster and God in one statement). But He is in some ways. He wants us to bring Him our baggage from life. He wants to know what it is that holds us back. He wants to clean our basement so to speak.

So, look at this dumpster again....

What do you need to dump?

Pride?

Greed?

Past relationships?

Unforgiveness?

Selfishness?

A sin of the past that you can't seem to forget?

Do it now my sister! Take this time and just dump it onto the shoulders of our loving,

forgiving, healing savior Jesus Christ!

Dear Lord, Take it all. Take it all. I am sorry for my past mistakes, the sins in my life. I can never measure up to your holiness except through your love, grace and forgiveness. I am dumping it all on you Lord. I am ready for you to be my landfill and carry it away!  In your holy, precious, forgiving name I pray! Amen.

Blue Water!

"Mommy!!!!!!!  COME HERE!!!!"

My daughter came running out of the bathroom with an excited  yet confused look on her face. The tone in her holler alerted me that there wasn't anything medically wrong. She wasn't bleeding. There wasn't a limp in her step. She was excited. Yet, her tone also told a story of confusion. 

As I raced behind her to the bathroom doorway, she pointed her crooked little finger at the toilet and said, "Mama! The water is BLUE!!!"

And, yes indeedy...the water in the toilet bowl was blue!. You see Doug had brought home some Tidy Bowl blue cleaning tabs. Apparently it was his quiet way of telling his working-mother, child advocate to Sierra Leone wife, that we needed a deep cleaning in our home!! So, just the night before my daughter came hollerin' from the bathroom, I had dropped one of those puppies in the back of the toilet and yes, indeed, the water this morning was BLUE!

Fast forward...3:00 p.m.....same afternoon...

"MOM! THE WATER IN THE BATHROOM IS BLUE!"  

This time, a few hours later, it was my nine year old son who was doing the hootin' and a hollerin' from the bathroom. He too had this look of surprise. He too had a face with a look of confusion. He had never seen anything like it! He even added, "And when I pee it turns GREEN!" 

This was something new to my children! This was something they weren't accustomed to in our home. This was out of the ordinary in their lives! This was different and unexpected!

Do you see where I am going with this?  There are circumstances in our life that come out of nowhere. We are plugging along, just gonna go in and pee, when.... BAM...THE WATER IS BLUE!  

Let me elaborate...

We are plugging along and BAM...the doctor says, "cancer".

We are plugging along and BAM...we are told we are going to lose our job.

We are plugging along and BAM...our husband is to be deployed.

We are plugging along and BAM...we face a friend who has betrayed us. 

We are plugging along and BAM...our child rebels.

We don't see the BLUE WATER every day. It is different. It is out of the ordinary. It is a surprise. Our brain, or our heart, doesn't quite know how to process this. We don't quite know what to do with this blue water!

My children, when they saw the blue water, when they saw something out of the ordinary, they came running to me! "Mama! THE WATER IS BLUE!" 

And...I HAD SEEN IT BEFORE! It wasn't new to me. It wasn't a surprise. I had placed it there. I was not confused, or upset, or disheartened about the blue water. I knew the outcome...a clean toilet bowl!

GOD SEES IT TOO! Cancer, death, deployment, unemployment, betrayal, adultry...none of it is new to Him. He has seen it all. He is not surprised. 

He wants you to come running to Him!  He wants you to take your confusion to Him and say,

"GOD! THE WATER IS BLUE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

"Come to me all you who are weary and heavy burdened, and I will give you rest."

Mathew 11:28