Life in my Shoes

Friday, July 22, 2016

Mission Trip 2016 ~ New York City {Part 2}

On our second morning in Queens,

our mission team hopped aboard the subway train

(which we did every day multiple times a day)

and finally walked the remainder of the way to the church that would be

the base for our ministry that entire week.

Parking is almost non-existent here and most people drive on Saturday to get their groceries and go to events, and will park it for the rest of the week and take the trains to work every day, or walk!

All Nations Baptist Church

Once at the church, our lady sponsors would meet in the kitchen where

we would begin lunch preparations for the rest of the team.
What fun I had getting to make up yummy desserts while the rest of the teens

had more training sessions with the local missionaries before we split up into our

teams for the afternoon of evangelism.

After lunch this first day, our team walked into Brooklyn to team up with Pastor Josh Byrd

of Redeeming Grace Baptist Church.

Pastor Byrd gave us a walking tour of his community and told us about the Muslim and Hindu people groups that walk in darkness without the light of Christ in their lives. They are kind neighbors

to he and his wife, but very entrenched in the traditions

of their culture and religions.

He took us to several street corners where we passed out cards inviting people to his church

and engaging them in conversation.
We all learned fairly quickly that building a church in a community such as this takes perseverance

and a willingness to connect with your neighbors.

We were so impressed with how many people already knew him simply because he and his wife walk their dog every evening to meet people in their neighborhood and to put themselves out there.
Ashlyn had never done anything like this before,

and it was totally out of her comfort zone.
She soon found her niche though and that inviting strangers to church

really isn't all that scary.
Not everyone took what we were offering, but she learned to be ok with that too.
Mission work takes time and often the fruit seems meager.
But that is not what we're called to.
We are simply to plant the seed.
Make disciples.
Let God bring the increase.

The Light of the World is Jesus.

Our ethnic food adventure for this evening was Thai food.
Although I did not get pictures of the food I can assure it there were lots of noodles

and it was all delicious!!

Thursday, July 21, 2016

Mission Trip 2016 ~ New York City {Part 1}

Several weeks ago, my two oldest girls and I had the amazing privilege of going to New York City to minister to several different people groups there and to work with missionaries who are currently living among these people groups.

I have to admit.

Visiting New York City has never been at the top of my bucket list.

I tend to avoid hugely crowded metropolitan areas.

If there is a short-cut around the traffic and congestion, I'm taking it.

I intentionally miss dollar day at the zoo because I know it will be crazy crowded and my children will have no chance of seeing anything up close.

So the idea of getting lost in New York City has never once appealed to me.

But last year when this opportunity was mentioned to our family, that it would be a "Missionaries-in-Training" program with the first week attended at our church camp with intensive training seminars with seasoned missionaries, and then a week of reaching out to Jewish and Muslim communities in Queens, New York, we became really excited about it!!

What an incredible trip it was:

This year Ashlyn expressed desire to go on a missions trip.

She watched her sister go off to Ghana, Africa, Guatamala, the Philippines, and Mexico over the last few years,

and she felt ready to go on a trip herself.

But with her being a Type 1 Diabetic, I wrestled with letting her go off with a group not terribly familiar with the management of this condition, nor what to do in an emergency situation, and so far away from home. But because this trip was contained within the United States, I had a tremendous peace about her going as long as I could go with her.

All of the team leaders were completely on board with this plan, thankfully, and I was excited

to get to go on my very first mission trip as well.

This trip was divided up into two legs with the first week being held at Southland Christian Camp in

Ringgold, LA. While there, the teenagers participated in a week of regular teen camp but were also

pulled out several times a day during regularly scheduled activities for training sessions which focused on preparing their hearts for mission work, cultural awareness, and evangelism techniques.

Due to the the restraints of my husbands work schedule, and the children we still had at home, I was not able to participate in that first week.

.At the end of that week, I met up with our group in Dallas where we jumped a plane to

New York City.

Upon our arrival, we were whisked to our tiny hotel

(space is at a minimum in Queens),

where a wonderful Peruvian meal was brought in for us.

What fun to get to try a different ethnic meal every day we were in NYC.

Don't let that green sauce scare you.

It was delicious over the broasted chicken, along with the beans and rice, and fried bananas!!

Yummo!!

The following morning, the Lord's Day dawned bright, clear, and warm.

We had breakfast in the "second basement" of our hotel where we were briefed about the activities of the day. Our ministry that day was going to be to the Jewish communities at Shalom Baptist Church.

To get there, our group of about 30 teens and adults walked several blocks that morning to the closest

subway station. We hopped on board the train and were whisked away several miles to the stop closest to the church. We did this every morning.

What an adventure!!

We crossed busy streets and over bustling sidewalks to the basement entrance of a large apartment building.

As my mind processed this unusual Sunday morning commute, I thought:

"Here? Way down in the dark corner of this building is where they meet? How does anybody find their way here?"
But they DID!!

The walls of the church space were adorned with the most gorgeous artwork depicting Jewish scenes and symbols. Most, if not all, had been painted by the Pastor. He had gotten a degree in art from

the University of Michigan many years ago, and came to New York on his own to start his art career.

He got involved with unsavory friends and alcohol and ended up in the hospital with alcohol poisoning. When he got home, he picked up the Bible for the very first time that someone had handed him not long before this.
He ended up at a church which taught Him of God's great love for Him and the transforming power of the blood of Jesus. He accepted the Lord as His Savior.
He eventually felt called to reach the Jewish people of that community in which he was saved,

and now he uses his tremendous gifts not for his own gain, but that the love of our Messiah might reach Jewish people.

On this particular day, this church was participating in a community street festival.

They had a booth set-up with free Bibles in Hebrew, Japanese, Aramaic, Chinese, Russian,

and several other languages prevalent in that area.

We had a free painting craft open for children to open doors for inviting families to their Vacation Bible School to be held later in August.

We walked up and down the street festival and talked to other vendors and handed out flyers

inviting people to come to their church and to stop by the booth for a Bible.

I was very surprised at how gracious the people of this community were.
My pre-conceived ideas of irritable, cold New Yorkers shattered as nearly everyone kindly accepted

our materials and many stopped to ask genuine questions.

As I stood on the sidewalk behind this booth handing out invitations to attend Shalom Baptist Church, the words of one elderly lady stirred my heart:

"I was born a Jew, and I will DIE a Jew," she shot at me as she refused my hand.

So many who need a Savior, so many given the truth, so many blinded by their religious traditions.

Saturday, July 16, 2016

5 Things Our Family is Doing In Response to the Dallas Police Shootings

Last week an event took place not very far from our home that had historic significance. It will go down in the history books as the deadliest attack on law enforcement since 9/11.
It shook our home.
My husband is a police officer.
One cannot fathom the broad range of emotions you feel as you watch the live news coverage of such an event, and watch the death toll climb.
Just hours after I heard my husband tear off the velcro that holds the bullet-proof vest around him during his long 12-hour shift, and just hours before he was scheduled to be back on duty.
It was an attack on my husband's chosen profession.
And officers were hand-picked to die because they were born a specific color.
I've had some time to process this over the weekend just as we're watching the President visit our area and the long lines of cars are filling our highways as they make their way to the funerals of these fallen heroes.
We all want to do something.
I didn't simply want to perpetuate the hate and take sides.
I began praying.
Begging God for ways to share His truth with my family.
Because doesn't all this hate start in our homes.
Isn't that where people have learned it?
Suggestions.
Innuendos.
Finger-pointing.
Name-calling.
Stereotyping
The easy responses.

But God made some things very clear to me over the last week!
Things that our family will be doing and things we won't be doing in response to this:

1. We will absolutely NOT allow name-calling of any kind in our home.

That includes demeaning conversations of people of other races. Do not allow your children and family members to continue to divide everyone into groups based on colors or stereotypes. Do not allow your children to separate themselves from those they perceive as less intelligent, or less valuable than themselves by calling a person a name. Including, but limited to, their siblings. Stop the hate and teach them it is wrong on all fronts. Keep the hateful talk from entering your home through media. Don't allow your children to watch videos that refer to people as certain colors. Don't allow television programs or movies into your home that use inflammatory, argumentative behaviors that only serve to inflame prejudice.

"The words of a wise man's mouth are gracious;

but the lips of a fool will swallow up himself."
Ecclesiastes 10:12

"Pleasant words are a honeycomb, sweet to the soul,

and healing to the bones."
Proverbs 16:24

2. We will continue to engage people of cultures different from ours.

Our church has had Vacation Bible School all this week, and these boys came to my class.

They are from the Republic of the Congo.

They only speak Swahili, and I only English.

But God's love is a universal language!

What an amazing opportunity I have been given to work with these precious women

who have been in transitional housing because of homelessness.

The organization I work with is a shelter for homeless, pregnant women,

and their stories would both break your heart and amaze you!!

Nothing gives you a heart of compassion for people of different cultures than to sit down with them

and hear what they've endured and how difficult it often is for them

to reach their dreams and goals for a brighter future!!

3. We are turning off the news.

Do not keep the flood of sensationalism going. They are simply out to get the next story and create hysteria where there is none. With the ability of the media to get to anything that is just beginning they create an atmosphere of fear-mongering over something that hasn't even happened yet. What fear that creates in our children as well as adults.
As we were watching the live coverage of the shootings Thursday night, I could feel the physical tension in my back. I could sense the anxiety rising up through my spine. By Friday, I had to turn it off. There was nothing new they could possibly tell us. All the numbers were in. They had discovered the name and story of the shooter.
The names of the fallen officers had been published. It was simply a rehashing of all we had watched the night before. Then the ugliness began. The divisive dialog.
Shut it off. Jesus Himself admonishes us to think on those things that are "honest, just, pure, lovely, of good report." "If there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things!"

4. We are refusing to see this as simply a skin problem, but a growing sin problem.

As the wife of a white police officer in a city that borders Dallas, where our home is 20 minutes or 14 miles from the unimaginable events of last night, I have a lot on my mind.
I'm sure I have nothing new to add to the dialog of the last week.
But I do feel that as a believer in Jesus Christ, a born-again child of God, that I must bring a little perspective.We cannot keep seeing things as simply a racist issue.
It's a smoke screen being used by the Devil.
The problem is NOT racism.
The bottom-line problem here is sin.
Hatred is sin. Murder is sin. Prejudice is sin.
Officers shooting innocent people out of hate is sin.
Angry people shooting at officers is sin.
Mafia members killing each other is sin.
Serial killers chopping up and eating their victims is sin.
Extremists strapping bombs to their bodies and blowing up everyone around them is sin.
Separating ourselves into color groups to give ourselves permission to point fingers and think we're better than that group over there is sin.
No race or culture is free from it.
EVERY single ethnicity has its issues. Not one of them is better than the other.
We HAVE to stop seeing people as simply a skin color or cultural group. We must take off the glasses that gives color to our attitudes.
"Let him that hath no sin cast the first stone." ~ Jesus
The answer to the problem is Jesus.
We must look to Him and see everyone around us the way He sees us.....as beautiful, unique creations designed to bring glory to Him through His endless creativity and diversity. We are ALL created by Him and for Him. He loves us and we are to love each other as He loves us......unconditionally.
Yes, evil must be stopped.
But evil doesn't stop evil.
The answer for this troubled world is Jesus. He is the Way, the Truth, and the Life!!

5. We are choosing to see ALL people as God sees them.

Not as a color, but as a beautiful creation of His who He loves in spite of choices and bent to sin. As a sacred life. All lives were created for a purpose and it is not up to us to decide when that life should end. We are going to go pay our respects at the memorials set up at the Dallas Police Department and we are going to pray for all the families that lost loved ones last week. We are teaching our children they are never to assume something about a person based simply on their skin color, but on the character of their heart. We want them to have the mind of Jesus:

"For the Lord does not see as man sees;

for man looks on the outward appearance,

but the Lord looks at the heart."
I Samuel 16:7

Obviously, this is not an exhaustive list.

Be creative in ways you show support to your local police officers and their families.

Take some goodies to your local police station and pray with the officers there.
Give an officer a hug and tell him you appreciate his sacrifice for your safety.

Tie a blue ribbon on a tree at an officer's home.

Pray for the families in your area that lose a family member in a bad police shoot.
Send them flowers or a card if you can to express your condolences.
Every life matters to the God who created them, and for that reason, we should too!

Thursday, June 2, 2016

Fun times and field trips during Mom-Mom's visit!!

The week following Lexi's graduation weekend was our first official week of summer vacation,
and my Mom was also still here visiting with us from Ohio!!

We were able to do some fun things together because of our new relaxed schedule!!

Swimming at her hotel.