befores and afters

This week we had a group from our church return from a mission trip to Honduras with the same organization I'll be going with to India. It has been so moving and exciting to hear about the miracles they have witnessed and to see the move of God they brought back from this country. I don't think any of them expected to experience what they did. With that said I want to write about what I expect and think about this trip before it happens. I am confident I will look back on June 23rd after I wake up from the most ridiculous jet lag and have totally different things to say about India and Jesus.

I have been on about 6 I guess mission trips since I was 15, all to Mexico except one to the Dominican Republic. And they were all great don't get me wrong. Each one taught me new things about the Lord, about His people, about the world. Somehow though it didn't hit me until this week that though I may seem slightly familiar with missions, Jesus is about to completely rock my world, inside and out, upside down. I don't think I can even fathom right now what I will see. I imagine a lot of people, a lot of precious children, a lot of broken hearts, a lot of sorrow. I imagine a dark place that is ready to be permeated with LIGHT. I imagine beautiful people with wonderful hearts, desires, dreams, all waiting for the God that came to awaken it in them. I expect miracles, healings, restoration, newness. I expect to never ever want to come back. (don't tell my mother) I expect to be humbled, to be over joyed and to cry a whole lot. I expect new perspective, not because I live in America and I have food on the table every day but because I don't think we let Jesus move the way He wants. I think often times we/me limit the miracles He does because of our unbelief and laziness. I imagine that after going there and witnessing a free unlimited group of people ready to receive from God all that he has to offer, Im going to be blown away by the power he already has that I've just never allowed myself to see.

But then again who knows....maybe it will be everything I expect and more. Nevertheless, I am told to expect giant spiders- but I've already talked to Jesus about that so I expect him to have killed them all before I get there.

[Countdown to India: 79 days]

another donation update- say what?!

Happy Wednesday almost Thursday!

Just a short but sweet donation update- I swear Jesus moves faster than I can blog! Today my total funds thus far are $1,240. Can you believe it? It is beyond humbling to see Him move on my behalf in the lives of people I know. I could go on and on but its past my bedtime. I promise I'll blog about different things soon but I just wanted to keep everyone in the loop! Keep praying and believing with me. I have a feeling this is going to be a life-changer. ;)

P.s. we will be doing a fundraiser this week at a local frozen yogurt spot so keep that in your prayers too! (and come if you live in Boone- its at Sweet Frog from 5-9pm Friday!)

"But blessed are those who trust in the Lord and have made the Lord their hope and confidence. They are like trees planted along a riverbank, with roots that reach deep into the water. Such trees are not bothered by the heat or worried by long months of drought. Their leaves stay green, and they never stop producing fruit."      

                                                                                            Jeremiah 17:7-8

[Countdown to India: 83 days]

more than enough

So wow. Forgive me if I stumble through this post but I am just blown away by the goodness of God and the generosity of some amazing people in my life. I don't know where to begin except by first telling you that today I surpassed 1/3 of my trip cost and currently have $1090. I just cant believe that.

Lets back track to today at 3pm when I found out how much my shots would cost. These shots are not mandatory however highly encouraged. The CDC tells me in order to go to India safely I need the following shots:

Hep A: $51 ----> most important
Typhoid: $89
Malaria pill: $6 

I'm thinking wow my health is very important but I'm already raising this "daunting" amount of $3,000 and trying to get $200 more aside from that for my visa-these shots may not happen. I started today with $95 from various people for my visa wondering where the other $105 will come from, not even thinking about my shots. I left work only to find a letter waiting for me on the mail table. Its from my dear friend in Virginia that I absolutely adore (shes really great). I'm thinking oh I bet this is for India, she is so sweet, she did not have to do this. Remember: 200-95=105. In this envelope is $160. I catch my breath and do more math. 160+ 95=  255. Now remember that really important Hep A shot I need ($51)? After all this math you will come to see I have $4 to spare after getting my visa and this shot. I can get both! I never thought Id be more excited about a needle but I am, I am so excited. Jesus thinks of everything.

The thing I am starting to realize for myself throughout this process that I have already seen on smaller scales in my life is that Jesus is a planner. Long before I even decided to go to India, had a relationship with Jesus, was born even, Jesus already set in motion the means for this trip, through all of you. Whether you realize it or not, you giving towards this trip, with your time, your prayers or your money was an obedient response to Jesus. And I'm so thankful for it. I am even more excited than ever for this trip, for this move of God so far away but already starting in me.

"No ones ever seen or heard anything like this, never so much as imagined anything quite like it- what God has arranged (made ready, prepared in advance) for those who love him. But youve seen and heard it bc God by His Spirit has brought it all out into the open before you."  1 Cor. 2:8-9

I am blown away by the ABUNDANT gifts of God.


Its always surplus, never just enough. Always more than enough. 


[Countdown to India: 85 days]

All Those Little Faces: Elizabeth Vargas Explores India’s ‘Gendercide'

Hello! I have exciting news for all of you today!

1. My passport came in yesterday! I had to get it renewed but it only took 8 business days. Im pretty sure this is a new record for the US Government.

2. I have received more donations: one check by my sweet sweet friend Kaitlyn and another from a prior employer! This brings my total donations to $235 and with my deposit $335. Still believing for more!

3. Yesterday I sent in my time off request to my boss. I pretty much had to ask for 2 weeks off which is a lot in grown up work world. In less than 24 hours my time off was APPROVED! I really thought it was going to be a much more difficult process but praise the God who ALWAYS makes a way! For real.

Now that the good news is taken care of I want to share with you some reasons why being active in India is beyond important and a matter of life and death. Right after I decided to go to India, so about a couple months ago, my roommate and I watched this news piece about a startling issue going on India- gendercide. Please take some time to read and watch this report about the little girls who are disappearing across this country. As a woman I cant even imagine being unwanted by my family and society. From my blessed and priveleged position I have promised to help these girls and believe you can make a difference too.

‘All Those Little Faces’: Elizabeth Vargas Explores India’s ‘Gendercide’

"Six months ago, I traveled to India to see firsthand what the prime minister of that country calls a national shame. It is the systematic, widespread, shocking elimination of India’s baby girls. Some 50,000 female fetuses are aborted every month in India. Baby girls are often killed at birth, either thrown into rivers, or left to die in garbage dumps. Its estimated that one million girls in India “disappear” every year.

I traveled first to Delhi, where I met a woman who is a member of the privileged, educated class. Her name is Mitu and she is a pediatrician, married to a doctor. When she became pregnant, she said her husband’s family pressured her to have an illegal ultrasound to see if her twins were girls or boys. There are clinics everywhere in India, offering ultrasounds. We walked down street after street and saw signs everywhere advertising ultrasound services. There are even technicians who pack portable ultrasounds and travel to villages offering their services. The dirty little secret is that many couples use the ultrasound to find out the sex of their baby. If they find it’s a girl, hundreds of thousands of mothers-to-be abort the fetus. 50,000 girl fetuses are aborted every month in India. It is a staggering number. And it has created whole villages where there are hardly any women. We went to one such village in the province of Haryana. Everywhere we looked, we saw boys, young men, old men, but very, very few women. It was unsettling, especially because we knew this was not some freak of nature, but a result of the deliberate extermination of girls.

The reason so many Indians do this is financial. A family with a girl will pay a dowry to her husband’s family when she marries. It is a long cultural tradition in India that new laws cannot seem to break. So a girl means the family will lose money, property, or cattle on the wedding day. A boy means the family will gain those things. The illegal ultrasounds and the illegal gender abortions are used by India’s middle class to guarantee they get sons.

Poor women who cannot afford these services will simply kill or abandon their babies. Some will take their newborn girls to a drop box, usually in the middle of the night, and leave the baby there. One drop box is at a place called the Unique Orphanage in Punjab. We went from the village with no women, to the orphanage with no boys. There are only girls here…60 of them…all cared for by a wonderful woman who will raise each and every one. It is striking to see all those little faces, some two days old, others teenagers, all unwanted by their biological families. They are actually the lucky ones. Their parents didn’t kill them. They now have someone who loves them.

The orphanage is crowded – I counted three, sometimes four girls in each bed — but also immaculate. No one knows their real birth date, so once a year they have one giant birthday party for everyone. As we left the orphanage, I thought back to a temple I visited days earlier where newlyweds make a pilgrimage, to kneel and pray. Not for wealth, or long lives, or success. They pray for a baby boy, and not for a girl. Some of them are willing to kill to make that wish come true."

Watch Elizabeth Vargas’ report below:

http://tinyurl.com/c5cy22e

This is why Angel House is so important. To see how you can help this organization specifically, click here: http://www.angelhouse.me/index12.html

[Countdown to India: 91 days]

donation update!

Happy Thursday everyone! I just wanted to quickly let you all know where I am with donations and thank some wonderful people who have already given! I'll start with a quick story for some important background info.

My deposit for this trip of $100 was due last week. I did not have the money at the time and was graciously given an extra week to turn it in. There were people I could have asked for the money but I really felt like it was important for me to invest in a trip I just asked my friends and family to invest in. I prayed about it and stood on Philippians 4:19 which we all remember from a prior post-

"...the same God will supply ALL my needs..."

Anyways, I decided last night to just write the check in faith knowing that it was pretty much what was in my bank account and believe Jesus to do what He says He is going to do- provide. I wrote the check this morning- havent even dropped it off at church yet- and already the Lord has blessed me with it back.

This is where my donation update comes in: Today I got my first two donations in the mail! Which is really exciting in and of itself and also because the two checks together equal the amount of my deposit! Isnt God good? I was telling my friend all this and commented that I think its so funny that we are surprised and get so excited when Jesus fulfills His promises like He wasnt going to or something. I should be excited but I should also be expectant; they go hand in hand.

THANK YOU to the two who have already donated and to the rest of you for your responses of excitement and support for my trip! Your prayers and encouragement are amazing and quintessential to the success of our trip. Continue to pray about how God wants to use you for India 2012 and feel free to contact me with any questions you have! I will be posting some videos and articles soon about the current state of India and some issues that are dear to my heart.

Have a great day and remember to thank Him for it! TGIT!

[Countdown to India: 96 days]

100

Well, despite a short moment of deep thought and some effort, I couldn't really come up with anything to blog about today. But I wanted to blog anyways because today marks the 100th day until we leave! In 100 days I will be on a flight across the world that will seem like a lifetime. In 100 days I will set foot in a different hemisphere, on a different continent. In 100 days I will be immersed in Hindu culture, surrounded by new sights, smells, sounds, people- that Jesus is madly in love with p.s.- the main reason I'm beyond excited to go. So that's that. I'm going to India in 3 1/2 months!

[Countdown to India: 100 days]

the t word

Hello everyone. I suspect if you are reading this blog you probably already know me in some capacity. If so, it probably didnt take long to figure out that I beyond hate... gosh I cant even say it...spiders. I hate them so much. I shiver just thinking about them now (which is why this post will be one of the hardest). With that said, the following may surprise you just a bit, as it did me.

As you well know, I have spent the last several months researching everything I can about India. From the basics to random facts, I could now tell you a lot about this country. Sunday evening I sat on the couch with my beloved roommate, who is going to Ecuador this summer, as we researched our trips. That's when the lightbulb went off. During all this time it never once occurred to me that there might be the t word in India! I panicked. I typed it in google but couldnt even muster the courage to look at the results. I closed my eyes and begged my roommate to take a look. She laughed ( one of ridicule I assure you) and said "youre not going to like this" In her sweetest voice she began to read from the all knowing pages of Wikipedia, "The t word has roots in India and Africa...several species bla bla bla" At this point I feel like theyre all over me. She tells me its safe to look and points to a map of the world. On this map India is covered in green. She says "every area covered in green has the t word there." My stomach sunk. All this time Ive been praying about safety, and sickness, and travel, and overcoming fears of a new language or a new place and all this other stuff when what I should have been praying for is Jesus to kill all the t words in India.

I know all this seems silly and I know theyre just s words but I just imagine waking up and brushing my teeth and seeing one in the bathroom and Im stranded all day standing on top of the toilet because we have a stand off and no shoe is big enough to conquer him. Its crazy and I realize in no way mature but its just how I feel. Ive done really well to avoid these on past international trips and I really have no interest in meeting one, ever. With that said, please pray for me! Im so serious. I need prayers. I dont want to face my fears at all really but If I have to Id like help from Jesus. Also, any suggestions on good repellant and things to squish them with will be much appreciated.

[Countdown to India: 103 days]