Harvest in Peru

SO...I haven't been blogging since...forever. Life has just been more important. Our house has been filled with children, we've added a college student to our family, and we have been doing some international missions with our church. It's crazy but blessed!!!!

So far, my heart has been in Nicaragua and TJ's heart in Peru. We are a house divided, not by football allegiance, but by which country has pressed into our hearts! You should hear the banter in broken Spanish or mostly English on my end, haha! Then TJ mentioned a trip to Peru that had maybe only 1 young woman on the team. In Latin American culture, it isn't appropriate for a man to lay his hands on the women to pray for them and honestly it would be a little strange to see a group of all men trying to put on a VBS, even though they always help and play with the kids. I considered it and...We prayed and prayed and we have babysitters for that week!
 
Even though my heart is breaking that I can't afford to see these precious faces this winter and go to Peru we are heading to Chachapoyas, Peru January 2nd.

We have heard that the village we are visiting has only just now heard the gospel. Seriously! Never. Heard. About. Jesus. A man walked 10 miles to hear the gospel preached and brought the message back to his village. We have been told the harvest is ripe! I think we will also be visiting "Wilma's school" that TJ helped a mission team from Dayton counsel at last May. We will possibly be doing a construction project, medical outreach, VBS, eyeglasses outreach and will be speaking at churches in the evenings. I am learning that with missions we really can't plan for the next day or even hour. We have to be flexible and just love on the people who are in front of us that very moment.

We need your help...
PRAY- Pray that God would have the hearts of the people we meet softened and ready to accept the love we offer in the name of Christ.
SUPPLIES- We need everything but I'm sure we can only take very little since we will have an in country flight. Craft supplies, streamers, glue, crayons, coloring books, tinsel, inflatable balls, jump ropes, frisbees, gum, shoes, old eyeglasses...etc. Anything that is light and can show love!
SUPPORT- Travel is very expensive to get to from Tennessee to the village in the Andes Mountains. If God moves your heart in this way, you can send a check to:
First Church PO Box 12 Dayton, TN 37321
and make sure to put Burdine Missions on the memo line.

Also, I would be more than honored to come share what God is doing in our lives and the lives of our new friends at your women's group!

I plan to share more on this blog of our past missions and I hope the people who we love so much will minister to you as well.

"I tell you open your eyes and look at your the fields! They are ripe for harvest." Luke 4:35

"Jesus Hippie"

I don't have any excuses for ignoring this blog except I've had more important things to do. Period.

In the last year, we've moved, TJ started a new job, we've  been incredibly sick, had an enormous amount of children in and out of our house, and begun doing missions with our new church. Life is busy and I'm a complainer. I'm tired. TJ's tired but we've been called to raise our brood plus a few and to ministry.

When TJ and I went to tour the campus of Asbury Theological Seminary several years ago, we met with an admissions counselor, obviously. I thought he was the craziest person I had ever met. We quickly dubbed him the "Jesus Hippie." We also quickly learned the famous was full of them!  When he got married he told his wife to quit her job "because marriage is hard enough. She can stare at the ceiling all day for all I care. Maybe she'll learn to paint or sew." Then he proceeded to tell us how they sold everything they had and moved to seminary with...nothing...no money...no place to live...no food. They lived in their van because God called. Seriously? Who does that?!? The cafeteria workers fed them. They got jobs at the school and eventually got an apartment. He put his wife through seminary...and then let her stay home with their children! They were expecting their 4th child while he was attending seminary. "It's all good. Our 2 bedroom apartment is bigger than the 3 bedrooms on campus." Yep, 2 bedrooms. I feel like we fill up our 4 bedroom house pretty easily. He said checks just come in the mail when they needed something. I remember asking, "Who just sends you money in the mail?"

This man's attitude has perplexed me for years even after our every need has been provided for ...even after I have been able to stay home with our four children...and learn to paint and sew...even after checks have come in the mail or cash or gift cards put in our hands or food delivered. Every time I'm shocked at how God provides. I'm sitting on the balcony of a condo at the beach that was gifted to us...worrying about tomorrow. Not because we really have a need but because I forget to look over the years, to see the big picture, to see how God has provided, to trust that He's got it already. 

God is good, life is hard. Let's not grow weary. Let's run looking into the distance even in the midst of life, and dirty diapers, and kids who are hungry/dirty/abused, and children peering into our window while we change clothes because "I would really like it if I could just come inside." Let's run toward the goal He's given us not just toward tomorrow.

Therefore I do not run like someone running aimlessly; I do not fight like a boxer beating the air.  No, I strike a blow to my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize. (1 Corinthians 9:26, 27 NIV)

Day of the Devil Mama

I have all these neat things I want to blog about, but today...oh my...today. Something happened this morning between my shower and burning my eggs. I'm not sure what it was, but it was like Satan was attacking me from all sides. Maybe it's that in 3 days I'm going to speak to a girls' Bible class about the pain of "not waiting" and I don't have a clue what I'm going to say. Maybe it's that the only girl in the class that I know told everyone how "awesome" I am...NO PRESSURE. 

Here is a rundown of the morning. I'll save you the complaining and just make a list.

Burnt eggs.

Kyle screaming the entire time I attempted to make a Lost Dog poster for our corgi...sniffle.

Spilled entire bag if makeup in the car. 

Couldn't find mascara or eyeliner. (Those are the most important next to foundation you know.)

Late for library story time.

Kyle knocked my coffee out of my hand at the front door of the library.

Shaving cream craft (enough said.)

Both animal shelters were unstaffed and locked.

Kids screaming in the car over Captain Crunch.

Driving around an apartment complex looking for the dog only to have the police chief call and ask why I am being so suspicious...he was joking...sort of.

I may have yelled...screamed...texted my husband to whine...laid on the couch... and drug myself to church. By this time I was turning around some. When we got home, Cole told me his Bible verse when  I wasn't really listening and then...then he said, "Mama can I start leading a Bible study for our family every Saturday night? Come on Carter lets go have Bible study right now!"

As the guilt of my wretchedness creeps in, I remember something I wrote a couple of years ago. "God knew I would be the best person to love, raise, and teach these precious babies even at my worst." God is using me despite myself. I'm not taking credit for Cole wanting to start a Bible study. That credit belongs to the amazing people at WNL. God is still at work in our family and in the hearts of these precious babies despite me, my attitude, and my selfishness. 

I'm thankful he has already paid my for my sins today and the guilt is gone. Let go of your guilt and realize that we can never be good mothers, sisters, friends, employees without HIM. I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. Romans 7:18

There is nothing good in me but HIM.

I think of you...

With every drop of clean water,

I think of you.

With every dish I wash,

I think of you.

With every drop of medicine,

I think of you.

With every cry of my little ones, with every smile,

I think if you.

With every game we play,

I think of you.

Every time I lay my head down on my pillow,

I think of you.

I came home from Nicaragua thinking "God, how could you leave my friends, your people, in that place and put me in this place? They love You so easily, and I doubt You every time I don't get my way." I have finally decided that I don't have to know what God is doing, but I know who He is. Psalm 116 says He is gracious and righteous and full of compassion. I felt like I loved these people so much after only a week. How much more does our Heavenly Father love them? He has known them since the beginning of time. I know he is faithful to care for ALL His people and somehow they know it too.

Princess Maria

I recently went on a short term mission trip to Nicaragua

with 11 people from our church that was led by Go International. I thought I would be writing endless posts about our adventures. Instead, I find that my heart has been so deeply affected by these people and our God that I can't find the words. For today I leave you with this. Look into the beautiful eyes of Maria. Imagine them full of tears and pain as she explains to me that she can't go to school while she writes her name in my notebook in the most beautiful cursive. She can't go because she doesn't have a uniform. She doesn't have 1 white shirt and 1 blue skirt folks. That's all that is keeping her from learning, from making a better future for herself and her country. 1 shirt and 1 skirt is all that stands between hunger and food, a tin shack and a home, and shoes and bare feet for Maria. How can God use you to help her and others like this precious child of the king?

I have a dirty little secret...

Actually it's a big dirty secret. Are you ready?

Add in two more loads to fold and 6 more to wash! And...I washed a goodnight this evening...

FANTABULOUS...sigh. Now my washer smells like pee and is full of salt waiting for the delay sanitary wash about 5 am. Did I mention I have 6 more loads to wash?

A friend stopped by today and I think we just stared at each other and wallowed in our exhaustion. We are in the same place - 4 kids that are relatively the same age. Why one of us didn't take the kids and let the other take a 5 minute nap I'm not sure. Maybe it's because we were afraid one baby or the other would cry. Anyway, overwhelmed would be an understatement at this point. 

So instead of crying, which I could easily do, I am going to choose JOY. (That might have been something Joyce Meyers said. I honestly can't remember so I hope she doesn't sue.) I am going to choose joy because my children have clothes, because I have a washing machine, and because I am able to stay home and TRY to wash them. I am going to choose joy because my child is healthy enough to pee in a goodnight and...put...it...in...the...laundry basket. I am going to choose joy because even if none if these things were true for me that God is still good, that He is still God, and I know somehow He is using even this huge pile of laundry to work through me. 

We Jumped Out of the Boat!

I've been offline for a couple months except for my iPhone. I am still searching for the wireless adapter for my desktop. It's probably buried deep in a box with our cast iron skillets or maybe it fell off the U Haul. I finally confiscated T.J.'s net-book to blog. We moved this June. We didn't just move...we got out of the boat. We were comfortable. I was comfortable. I didn't want to go into full-time ministry if it meant moving around often. We were happy near our family and friends. Then God made us so uncomfortable that we were ready to get out of the boat. Honestly, we were ready to do a running cannonball. I wonder what would have happen to Peter if he had jumped out of the boat and ran to Jesus instead of just walking.

Anyway we packed up our junk things into the biggest U Haul ever and two more trailers, said goodbye to our family, three church families, and friends and moved to Dayton, TN. You see, God had gone years ahead of us (as he always does). He had prepared the way by placing friends and Pastor Ken and Phyllis here in Dayton. God and all the amazing people at First UMC Dayton provided amazingly for our family. There is plenty of crazy story to tell about our journey. I leave you with this for now: It's 45 minutes to the nearest Hobby Lobby or Target, but we love it here!