simple things = clean water

I'm gaining a greater appreciation for simple things.  

I'm growing more satisfied to just be home, more satisfied reading instead of being on the run, and I hope gaining in understanding of what Christ talked about when He offered us rest in Him, and encouraged a more simple life.

Perhaps the most simple physical need of man, is clean, germ free water.  We take it SO for granted - taking long showers, swimming when we choose, drinking directly from the facet, running our washing machines and yet a great deal of our world spends many waking hours trying to provide their family with enough water just to get through each day.  

When water filters are built in Guatemala, wells dug in Nepal and water storage and filters provided for the rescued children in Cambodia, it also creates the opportunity to share the top need of all mankind, the eternal rescue that only Jesus can provide.  It creates a chance to walk along side of people who had no hope even for their most basic needs, and to give them the true hope found in our Savior!

Today we listened to Crossroads' special guest for the weekend, Gerber describe his country, Guatemala and their needs.  We as a staff got to surround him physically to pray for he and his family.  We got to physically touch and pray for a man making a great difference in this world.  He reminded us how Jesus always used the simple things to accomplish great things.  He also talked about how Jesus used what and who were available - very convicting about being 'ready' not too busy!

We prayed for generous offerings this weekend to address the needs of precious, less fortunate people that we love in Guatemala, Cambodia and Nepal.  We can send our touch across the world by being faithful this weekend.

Will you help us provide physical life and the hope of Jesus to our brothers and sisters across the world? 

the school in Santa Maria

I'm finally getting my final pictures from our mission trip to Guatemala posted!

Today I'd like to show you pictures of the Proximos Pasos School in Santa Maria de Jesus, Guatemala - where I spent a lot of my time!

This is the all girls school, now ready to go up through the 8th grade which is unheard of in this area of Guatemala! And it's Christian education! The thing that really makes this School exceptional is that most girls in this area only get up through a 3rd grade education, but Mission Impact works tirelessly to sponsor more and more girls! It's their only hope out of an otherwise hopeless home life - married by age 13 in most cases.

One of the things I found genius, was the fact that they had a lot of male teachers who love the Lord with all of their hearts, in order just to show the girls what a man looks like that loves and serves the Lord. The culture is largely abusive of girls in their homes and look at them as possessions to be married off and denied an education.  This school and the understanding they gain of the Lord is their salvation in many ways.

We got to be at the school just a day or two before the girls began to attend for this school season. It was an honor to work with the girls when they came to tour the building, do some crafts and get familiar with what to expect!

We went ready with crafts and things like stickers and
bracelets to make!

This is one of their precious teachers!

You have to look closely to spot the Crossroads helper!

Surrounded by beautiful girls that now have hope through
school scholarships - many from Crossroads attendees!

This was the group of girls they brought in to meet their sponsors!
So exciting to meet our Guatemalan girls!

Steve Ritchey meeting one of his girls!

Our beautiful girl!

This is our team working with the amazing teachers to prepare everything
for their rooms and bulletin boards!

I have learned the Lord will provide the opportunity if you're willing. I'm an example of a reluctant missionary, you would think by now I'd totally listen to my amazing husband and just do whatever he's excited about without even asking... (he's always right - it gets old)


Guatemala was the best, I can't wait until next year to go back and check out even more of the beautiful, needy country!

Guatemala changed me

My first blog following our trip to Guatemala had to be about the hopeless faces of the children.  The most innocent, most abused and most helpless to do anything about their situations.

I loved these older gentlemen
talking as they walked by us.
Possibly friends for years and year
or maybe even brothers.

But tonight as I sat down to finish going through pictures I felt that tug at my soul once again.

The conditions I saw in Santa Maria have left a hurt deep inside me.

This is an example of a normal home in Santa Maria

Houses built of rusty metal, a font wall of
block and shards of glass along the top for security.

Wood for cooking is stored on open roof.

You can see a boy if you look closely using the same sink
his mother washed clothes in and scooped cooking water from.

I guess the sadness I feel comes first of all because I think of Jesus' words when He spoke about 'the least of these' and the times He told us to care for the poor, and that He said they would ALWAYS be with us.  What is so difficult to accept is that what we saw would not be impossible to solve - to change - to rescue!  But this can only be accomplished through great patience, care and a lot of respect for their society and the way they do things.

The spiritual darkness there is deep, abuse within families - very common, and the temporary escape from hopelessness that alcohol offers destroys what remains of many families forcing the church to take a strong stand against it, even at the risk of appearing judgemental.

Complicated.

The bottom line is - we can help.  Our teams working side by side with the coffee farmers and the villagers building stoves or water filtration systems accomplish multiple things at once.  We get to help teach them how to meet their most basic needs for clean water and cook stoves that are vented - while showing them what it means to find true, eternal hope in Christ.  They know we're different and they cannot figure out why we would take the time not only to come once, but to come year after year and build on-going relationships with them as we teach them how to solve problems, and point them toward a Savior.

It was such a privilege to go and I hope to return, over and over!  Meanwhile, I can cover them in prayer as they tirelessly continue the work that we got to be a small part of for a week.

Ladies or girls carry heavy bowls of corn, many times
on their heads, daily for grinding to make their tortillas.

I've never seen such strong people - the
amount they carry is mind boggling.

watching mules and horses pass by makes you feel
like you've taken a step back in time.

I loved the creativity of the children - playing with old tires or anything they could find.

This is a look inside a home that we were honored
to be invited into.  How these people raised the
beautiful children below in a mostly dirt floored room
is beyond me!

These are other sites we saw around the village as we took a prayer walk through the village.

This was the entrance to the graveyard. 

I even got to see how a funeral takes place one day while standing on a balcony. 

 Last weekend celebrating the Sanctity of Life drew my attention again to the voiceless unborn, the babies that never will be.

While being in Guatemala introduced me to a voiceless people although fully born - mostly forgotten and ignored.

Oh Lord, how you must long for us all to come running to you...

loving family

I headed to Ashland after work today since my sister was visiting my parents, and I knew I wouldn't see them again until after vacation.

Nothing makes me happier then to spend time with my family!

Great Grandpa Forbes can make the most entertaining noises!

Oliver loved playing with Aunt Cristy

It doesn't matter what else is going on, there is nothing that is a greater blessing then family!!

We ended our evening at our precious friends, the Rudrick's listening to the Guatemala team members tell how God is using the experiences of their trip to strengthen them as believers while creating life long friendships between the team members!  This is the church as God intended.

Olivers good friend

The 2015 Crossroads Guatemala Team

is there more I should do

This morning was the first morning I've had a morning fully at home since returning from Cambodia.

It was a little piece of heaven!   Moving slowly around the house - cooking fresh eggs and toast - doing laundry and hanging it out in the beautiful sunshine and of course brewing the best coffee in the world - Lousantiville which is grown by the Guatemalan farmers we support at Crossroads and available by the pound at Crossroads!

While I worked on these things I became overwhelmed with a desire to spend time in the Word and with my heavenly Father…this desire was very very strong and it made me excited to feel like I was growing in Him and longing to spend time in study and prayer.

One contributing factor to this desire is also the grieving my heart is feeling regarding the atrocities going on around the world right now toward believers.  I pray the Lord will choose to intervene especially on behalf of the women and children that are so helpless to defend themselves.

The men committing these heinous acts are impossible for me to figure out at all.  Do they not have children themselves, or nephews and nieces they care about?  The only way I can justify the crimes they are committing is to assume they are driven and possessed by satan himself.  Could the human mind itself without evil influence think up such things?

I'm sitting here asking the Lord what my part to play in ending these injustices are.  It's not like I can fly over to Iraq and march in and physically help anything - what can I do?  Is prayer the only option?

I am certainly determined to continue in prayer over this horrifying mess - but, Father is there indeed more I should be doing?