I was surprised at myself as we got off the plane in Idaho. I was dreading moving our girls again and wishing we could just stay in the comfort of my family in Maine...but as the plane landed it was as if a new grace and joy just came over us. Both Shawn and I looked at each other and smiled. We were glad to be here.
That was only increased as we were picked up by our host family and taken to our new home for the next 3 months. It is a wonderful guest house that includes our own washer/dryer, space to entertain, and a play room for the girls! Thank you Jesus! Ellie began sleeping through the night after just a few nights here!
I hit the ground running working on the Children in Crisis track for the Vineyard College of Mission, helping them with their marketing stuff and helping with the Children at Risk conference
(click here) We are pretty stoked as momentum is building for that and it looks to be an unprecidented event within the Vineyard in that it will be local churches, para-church organizations, NGO's, UN guys and more all looking at the issues together and seeing how we can work together to fight the great injustices that we are seeing!!
After the last 6 months, I personally would say that the greatest lesson I learned was from 1 Cor. 13...though I give all of my stuff to the poor but have not love, I have
nothing...that's my version anyway..."love" - what does that mean? Well, I think it means the way you treat each and every person along the way. If I am reaching out to the poor, then God asks me to love the poor well, He also asks me to love my teammates well, He asks me to love my family well, He asks me to love the rich well, and He asks me to love the other people that are reaching out to the poor in ways that maybe I don't always agree with well! "Though I give all my posessions to the poor but have not love, I have nothing..."
Makes me want to get on my knees and repent for every judgemental, uncooperative attitude I've ever had. And it makes me want to cry out to Jesus to come and let His grace and unity cover this conference as we all try and work at this together. Join me in praying for that, OK? I know that each and every one of us that are sons and daughters of the living God have a part to play in the fight for justice and great love in the world. We each have something that God has placed in our hands to fight! May we each give that thing and give it with passion...and the puzzle of justice will change the world. I know that I won't see the end of suffering until the kingdom is here, but when I get to heaven and have to look the little girls in the eye that are currently being raped for profit accross the world, I want them to know that I did everything I could to make it stop!
