Teaching Touchmath in Kenya

I mentioned in an earlier post that we homeschool our three children.  Our journey in this area could fill a separate blog.  Through it I found an amazing math curriculum called Touchmath.  At its core, Touchmath is really more of a teaching method than a curriculum. Without going into all the technical details, Touchmath makes it possible for children (and adults) to learn and master the four basic math operations faster and easier than with traditional methods.  I have had the privilege of introducing several families to Touchmath and seeing the difference it has made for them.   At our last team meeting I learned that I will be getting the chance to introduce the teachers at several feeding stations and orphanages in Kenya to Touchmath.   I am not trying to come to these teachers and show them a “better way”.  They are amazing women serving their Lord by meeting the needs of His little children.  They are doing a very difficult task, in very difficult conditions and I believe that Touchmath could make their job a tiny bit less difficult.  But even if it doesn’t I hope my efforts will show them the concern God has given me for them.

I am not a giant in the faith.  I am not very good with people. I am not a gifted communicator.  But God doesn’t need me to be any of those things.  When I am willing, He can use all the mundane details of my life - even math. 

Writing My Testimony

I’ve been working on writing down my testimony.     If you are considering a mission trip and you haven’t already written yours, I would encourage you to take some time and write it down.   Nothing fancy or formal – just how you came to faith in Jesus and what He is doing in your life.

I have always thought my testimony is a bit…. well plain.  You might feel the same way about yours.   It has encouraged me to remember that even the most dramatic testimony does not drawn people to the Lord.  The Lord draws people to Himself; and He can do that through my plain testimony just as easily as someone else’s dramatic one.  Here it is.

I was blessed to be born into a Christian home.   I remember being taught from a very young age that I was separated from God because of my sin and that without Jesus, I could not go to heaven.  I didn’t fully understand all the specifics of sin but I did understand that without Jesus I couldn’t be with God because of it.  I don’t remember how old I was.  I don’t remember asking my parents to pray with me.  It seemed pretty simple to my little brain – I needed Jesus, because He could fix what I could not.  So I closed my eyes (and covered my head with a pillow just so Jesus and I could really be alone) and asked Jesus to be my savior.    Fortunately I came to faith in Jesus as a little child.  Unfortunately, my faith remained childlike as I grew physically and mentally.  I wasted years with little fruit to bear witness to my faith.  Thankfully, that is not the end of my testimony.  Philippians 1:6 says “being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus. “  I love that verse.  God sent Jesus to save me from my sin AND THAT’S JUST THE BEGINNING!   God doesn’t give up when I am slow to change.  He doesn’t cast me aside when I allow myself to become weighted down with my selfishness.  He is carrying on the work He began in me. 

Autumn

$1475 down $3525 to go.

I just wanted to share a quick update on where we stand with raising the money.  As the title of this post suggests, we have raised $1475 so far.  That leaves roughly $3500 left to raise by January 11^, 2011.  Thank you to everyone who has donated and prayed.  Please continue to pray that God will provide the financial means to make this trip possible.  $3500 seems like such a huge amount.  But I keep reminding myself that nothing is impossible for God. 

I have added a “Donate” button in the column to the right.  It runs through PayPal.  If you know someone who has a heart for missions and might be interested in supporting us please forward them a link to this blog. 

Inadequate me - All Powerful God

I’m glad God is big because I sure feel small. Okay, inadequate is more the word.  The more I try to change, to invest my time in things with eternal significance, the more I realize how selfish and sinful I am.  Matthew 25:35-36 speaks about loving people; meeting them at the point of their need.  I want to love people this way.  I want my life to point people to Jesus.  But the truth is, meeting people at the point of THEIR need is a messy, time consuming business.  The occasional volunteer gig is more my style.  But coming alongside someone on a regular, on-going basis, a situation where I can’t just “love” or “serve” at my convenience; that’s been……ugly.  Like I said, I’m glad God is so big; bigger than my sin and my selfishness.  I’m grateful for verses like 2 Corinthians 5:17 which says “if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!” 

We had another meeting for our trip to Kenya.  The team will be assisting with a conference for pastors and their wives.  The ladies on our team will be presenting the Chronological Bible Study to the pastor’s wives.  (That word – inadequate – keeps coming to mind.) 

But God isn’t just big; He’s gracious and merciful too.  The kids and I have been reading through the account of Moses in Exodus.  Did you know that Moses felt inadequate also.  The Lord reminded Moses that He, the one true God, was in control.  God reminded Moses that his performance wasn’t as important as his obedience.  Pray that when I feel inadequate, I will focus on obeying God and leave the results up to Him.

If you want to hear a really uplifting song based on this verse visit www.seedsfamilyworship.net Click on “Media” and then “Listen Online”.  You will see a grey bar that says “Seeds of Courage”.  Click the drop down arrow at the right and choose “Seeds of Faith”.  Then choose song #11 “New Creation”. 

For more information on the Chronological Bible Study visit www.w3cbd.org

Autumn

The Details are Beginning to Come Together

I am pleased to share the wonderful news that we were able to raise the deposit money by the deadline so we are officially on the team.  I am so encouraged by the generosity the Lord continues to inspire in His people.  My parents lead a weekly Bible study group in their home.  My mom had been asking them to pray for us.  One night they surprised my parents by presenting them with $500 to go towards our trip.  Many of these precious people have never even met us.  What a mighty God we serve!

Since my last post we also attended a second planning meeting.  We received more details about the exact itinerary.  We will now be leaving on February 3rd, which happens to be my birthday.  It’s going to be a happy birthday for sure.  We will be working in Nairobi, Kitale, Eldoret, Kakamega, and Kisumu.  We got to see pictures from some of the feeding stations that we will visit.  We will be working in conjunction with two mission organizations while we are there, Global Field Evangelism http://gfekenya.com and Light Ministries www.mikecurry.com/.  I have been reading the “Kenya Journal” on Light Ministries website. 

Our team leader also encouraged us to start preparing physically, emotionally, financially, spiritually and relationally.  I thought his advice was very applicable to anyone going on an overseas mission so I wanted to summarize it for you briefly.

Physically – Begin working on stamina and hydration.  Begin drinking the right amount of water every day and continue to do so while you are gone. (Make sure it’s bottled water while you are out of the country.)

Emotionally – Nothing can really prepare you but become more educated about the poverty and desperation you will see so you won’t be a total basket case.

Financially – Support letters, scholarships, etc.

Spiritually – He asked us each to pray and ask God to lay a message on our hearts. Also, Satan will attack so be aware.

Relationally – Begin to cultivate relationships with the other team members so we will have a good working relationship during the trip.

And You Will Be My Witnesses

“And you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”  We are so excited about going to Kenya but if that was the only place we ever witnessed we would really be missing a part of God's plan.  This verse, recorded in the first chapter of Acts, is the last words Jesus spoke before He ascended into heaven.   Jesus was telling his disciples to start witnessing right where they were and then move out from there. When we apply this to our lives, our neighborhood is our “Jerusalem”. 

Michael and I began hosting a backyard bible club for our kids’ friends last spring.  I wish I could tell you that I was inspired by this verse to witness to the families in our neighborhood.  Unfortunately, that would be a lie.  I didn’t really want to start a bible club.  With homeschooling and working part-time life was busy enough.  I was already helping in a Kindergarten Sunday school class each week.  Surely that was good enough.  But I wanted to obey the Lord and through a series of events He confirmed to us that this was something He wanted us to do.

I won’t lie. It has been a lot of work.  (Try having 8-14 children over for two hours and you will see what I mean.)  But it has also been a wonderful blessing.  I have learned so much about the Lord.  I have learned that there is great satisfaction and peace that comes from obeying the Lord when obedience is not easy.  I have learned that, while it is important to know my limits, there are times when the Lord may challenge me past them.  And when He does, His grace will be sufficient if I rely on Him. 

The kids enjoy an ice cream sundae party they earned by memorizing Bible verses.

We were studying about David and Goliath.  If you look up in the tree you will see a helmet that marks how tall Goliath was.

If you can't go to "the ends of the earth", God will show you ways you can witness right where you are - in your Jerusalem.

Visiting Orphans

Maybe you are interested in a short-term mission trip but your church doesn't have any upcomming trips planned.  Never fear! I've got just the website you need http://www.visitingorphans.org/. They work with churches and individuals who are interested in  - well I guess the name says it all - visiting orphans. 

Two other sites you might want to check out are www.bridgeafricainternational.org and http://www.lovingheartsbabies.com/. 

Even if you aren't considering going on a mission trip, I would encourage you to check out these sites.  Regular people are doing amazing things to the glory of God all over the world.  Your heart will be stirred.  Ephesians 2:10 says "For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do."  I love this verse.  But when I spent some time reading it a few months ago, I got  a terrible feeling.  You know that feeling when you realize you have left something important undone.  Maybe you forgot to study for a test.  Maybe you forgot that your boss needed a report run before that big meeting.  Maybe you just forgot to turn the iron off before you left the house.  I began to realize that it was very likely that I was so wrapped up in my own life that I was overlooking the good works God had prepared for me.  I began to wonder if I would appear before my heavenly Father one day filled with a mixture of panic and regret for these things which I had left undone. 

Get out of your box and consider what "good works" God might have planned for you!

Vaccinations - Round 1

Michael and I went yesterday for our first round of vaccinations.  We each got 3 shots.  I will definitely have more compassion for my children the next time they get shots.  I say "first round" because we will each need 2 more doses of Hep B, as well as a Yellow Fever and Typhoid vaccinations. (Typhoid is a series of pills - not a shot.)  We may also need a Polio and MMR booster and there is a slight possibility that we will need a meningitis vaccine.   My arm hurts just thinking about it.

If you are planning a mission trip, the best source of info about which vaccines you need is the CDC website.  From the home page, click on Traveler's Health, then Destinations.  Countries are listed in alphabetical order.  You can also search for a list of Travel clinics in your area.  The problem will be finding a provider which also happens to be on your insurance.  Most local health departments also carry the vaccines.  However, our health department was not much cheaper than the out-of-network provider and our insurance would only reimburse for 60% of either.  (Compared to the price of a Dr.'s visit co-pay for an in-network provider.)  Thankfully, after some hunting I did find a provider who offered the vaccines and was on our insurance. 

The kids came with us and Abigail laughed the whole time I was getting my shots.  I guess, for an eight-year-old, it was a bit of justice.

Autumn

Hard To Be Humble - Support Letters

I mentioned in my last post that mission trips are expensive.  More specifically, our mission trip will cost roughly $5200.  In the past I assumed that we had to have that money in the bank before we could even consider going.  After all, if God meant for us to go wouldn't he bless us with a nice fat savings account to fund our trip?  Then I heard our pastor preach a sermon in which he mentioned that no one should let money be the only barrier. 

Now I will be honest.  That just does not make sense to my analytical, accountant brain, but I called the church missions office anyway.  I found out that our church does have a scholarship program for mission trips.  I'm sure Bellevue is not unique in this.  I'm sure that many churches have similar programs.  So start there. 

However, my heart sank as I heard the words "up to half."  Don't get me wrong.  Up to half the cost of a trip is very generous and more than we would have any right to ask for; but we simply didn't, and still don't, have even half the cost.  Some families could probably cut some extras and save up the money.  We are not one of those families. I'll share more about that later.

That call to the church missions office was over a year ago.  When William and Amanda join the mission team to Malawi (They arrived safely by the way. Please continue to pray for them.)  I found out about support letters.   For those of you who are unfamiliar with support letters, they are usually sent out by individuals who are either going into the mission field long-term or going on staff with a non-profit that can not afford to pay them.  Turns out, support letters can be used to raise money for short-term mission trips as well.  So now the financing was at least within the realm of possibility.  Now just a few final hurdles - our pride and doubt.

I hate talking about money.  Okay, really I just hate talking about OUR money.  As a bookkeeper, I am used to discussing other people's money -  other people's debt, other people's cash flow shortages.  In my mind, there is only one thing worse than having to discuss our personal finances with someone and that is having to ask someone for money.  Now I would likely have to do both.  Over the past few years God has really hammered away, like a master blacksmith,  at my prideful heart in this area of finances.  He has given me a chance to see that while, in my sin nature, I would rather not depend on Him, He is more greatly glorified in my life when I do. 

Remember when I said we were not one of those families that could come up with the money by cutting some extras.  Trust me, we have looked. There are no savings accounts or college funds. We have one car. We live in a modest 1032 sq.ft. home but there is not enough equity to borrow against even if we could get a loan in this economy. We have a GoPhone that I load with $15 each month. We don't eat out. We stay home during Michael's vacations. Michael and I rarely exchange gifts for birthdays, Christmas, anniversary, Mother's/Father's day, etc. Our children do not participate in activities like sports, music lessons or dance (unless Grandma pays for them as a Christmas gift). They get three presents each at Christmas and for their birthdays they must choose between a family party at home with presents or a party with friends at one of the traditional birthday spots with NO presents. As a general rule, we don't buy convenience meals, snack foods, lunch meat or the expensive breakfast cereals. We recently had a garage sale and sold everything I could possibly scrounge up to pay for Michael's passport. If there is a penny to be pinched I have pinched it. In fact, I have dug sticky ones out of the car, washed them and rolled them. I am not complaining. I am very grateful for everything that we have and I know that compared to people in the inner city and most of the rest of the world we live very comfortably. I am sharing these details because I want you to feel assured that we tightened our budget before sending out support letters.

So I began to compose our letter and compile a list of family and friends.  I picked up the forms from the church that needed to be mailed with each letter.  I even had my mom take a family picture, so I could mail it with the letters. While doing these things my mind was filled with thoughts like - "The economy is terrible, no one will give." Or "People will view this trip as frivolous.  No one will give." And "What can you really accomplish in 11 days.  No one will give."  I had to take these thoughts captive and remind myself that we are only responsible for obeying God.  We were responsible for laying down our pride and sending the letters.  God is responsible for what people do with them. 

I mailed the letters Monday. 

Autumn

Boldness and Obedience

As I said in my last post, a mission trip has been in my heart and on my mind for awhile.  The problem is, I get so busy in the details of everyday life that I rarely stop to consider...Well, to be honest, I rarely stop to consider beyond dinners, lesson plans, laundry, etc.  Money was another issue.  Most mission trips run from $1200 - $3200.  We have already cut most luxuries out of our budget to allow me to homeschool the kids.  Where would we get the money?  Anyway, every once in a great while I would pause and look around at my life and wonder if I was living out all that God had planned for me.  But then I would settle back into my usual routine. I have stepped out in boldness in a few ways.  Michael and I started a backyard Bible club for the kids in our neighborhood.  My sister-in-law, Mandy, and I had begun to discuss helping a small church in Arkansas do a VBS.  Both these felt like steps in the right direction but somehow I felt like God was saying, "Your getting warmer, but you don't quite have it."

Last spring there was a post on the forum of the homeschool support group I belong to.  (Yes, we homeschool our three children.  No, I do not worry that they will not be properly socialized :) )  Anyway, the post was about some bead necklaces being made by a group of women in Uganda.  It contained a link to the blog of a young woman from Tennessee who moved to Uganda.  Her story is amazing!  (See the links section to the right to find her blog.) But it got me to thinking. The basic difference between me and her is boldness and obedience. 

Shortly after this I learned that an acquaintance from the homeschool group was raising money to adopt 2 kids from Ethiopia.  She and her husband have four kids.  They are a family of six who can't wait to be eight but international adoption is expensive.  I marvelled at their persistence and determination.  I was impressed by their humility as they did several creative fundraisers.(I will post their link soon.) But it got me to thinking.  The basic difference between us and them is boldness and obedience.

Then my sister and brother-in-law started reading Radical by David Platt.  (That's who told be about it.)  A month later they were signed up for a mission trip to Malawi.  I was excited for them and a little jealous. But then I started thinking.  The only difference.....You guessed it! Boldness and obedience. 

Psalm 138:3 says "When I called, you answered me; you made me bold and stouthearted."  I can tell you that God has been as faithful to supply us with boldness as he was to King David.  Michael and I went to one other mission meeting before the Kenya meeting.  As we began to tell God we were willing to consider a mission trip, He began to remind us in more and more ways that all things are possible with Him.

William and Amanda left for Malawi this morning at 4:00 am.  At around 4:00 this afternoon, after several state-side connections, they were about to begin their 17 hour flight to Africa.  I am keeping my niece and nephew for the first 4 days of the 13 days they will be gone.  I am so glad I get to be part of their support team.  They will be working with Malawi Children's Mission (link to the right).  I am so grateful for their example of obedience.  Obedience when it's not easy; and even when they are not feeling so bold.  Please pray that God will keep them safe. 

The Beginning of an Adventure

For several years now I have been drawn to the idea of a short term missions project.  It is one of those things that just kept coming back to mind.  Until now it has been just another one of my grand daydreams.  Then the Lord used a book, a blog  and the daring obedience of some friends and family to inspire me to action.  

Okay, truthfully the book is better described as - challenging.  If you've read Radical by David Platt you will understand what I mean.  I will post more about the blog and the obedient friends and family later. 

Anyway, we started checking into upcoming short-term mission projects at our church and Kenya came up.  I submitted our applications this past Thursday.  We have to raise the money for our deposit by September 19th but once we do that we will officially be on the team.

I am new to blogging.  Our lives, this project, our story is really very ... - ordinary.  But I'm hopping that sharing this process with you will help other ordinary people think outside of their "box" - and their continent, and their hemisphere, and ...Well you get the idea.

Autumn