Changing the world Together

   How fast our fleshly minds wander into greater plans. Whether for a better job, bigger house, newer car, better clothes or our thoughts, opinions and attitudes are better and how the world should be on the same page as you. After all, no one else has life better figured out than ourselves, right? Being from the mission field I have struggled with this concept but on a slightly larger scale.
    Anyone in missions knows money isn't something that grows on trees, though in some desperate times us missionaries can be found double checking the concept. With this harsh reality and being my mothers daughter I found myself struggling on right from wrong, was I being selfish or selfless, frugal or was my wallet dropping too much money? I naturally want to help people. But I found myself wrestling with MY calling and using money that I could use for MY ministry or donating it to others and supporting THEIR calling and THEIR ministry. Where was the line and when I cross it where am I crossing it into? I had tossed these questions up and watched them float off into a land of answers never found for over a year. Then Uganda happened. My heart ripped and shredded from my chest. Tears fell enough to have filled lake Victoria. Dreams invaded and calls were made. And I was the one to answer. To begin an organization to help children all around the world. With less than $5 in my account and no job I hadn't any idea where to start other than spread the news and my story. I needed the body of Christ in order to be the world changer I was to become. Reaching out and finding support I had come across a huge realization- I wasn't the only one with a calling. Obviously I had heard of callings and I had known people were doing missions long before I had ever heard of them. What I failed to understand was the passion behind it and the bigger picture to the change to come once their ministry was fulfilled! It had taken a month or two for this realization to really click but when it had I understood my heart was all wrong. My mentality, subconsciencly, was my ministry vs theirs and how can I show mine will impact more of the world. The moment this became apparent to me my heart sank, my stomach churned, and I felt sick. How could I even remotely compare saving  orphaned children with sex trade trafficking? Or preaching the word and writing bible studies to feeding the homeless? Or fighting abortion to pouring into a friend going through divorce?  After all doesn't one edify the other? Do I not need a preacher and bible study to help teach me of his love? Do I not need a friend pouring into me? What if they neglected that ministry? After all one cannot pour out what they do not obtain, correct?  It is cliche, but we are the body. "The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts; and though all its parts are many, they form one body. So it is with Christ. For we were all baptized by one Spirit into one body- wether Jews or Greeks, slave or free- and we all were given the one spirit to drink. Now the body is not made up of one part but many. If the foot should say, " because I am not the hand, I do not belong to the body," it would not for that reason cease to be part of the body. And if the ear should say, "because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body," it would not cease to be part of the body. If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be? But in fact god has arranged the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be. If they were all one part, where would the body be? As it is, there are many parts, but one body. The eye cannot say to the hand, "I don't need you!" And the head cannot say to the feet, "I don't need you!" On the contrary, those parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indespensable, and the parts that we think are less honorable we treat with special honor." - 1 Corinthians 12:12-23 With this being biblical how can one remotely argue their ministry is far greater than another when we cannot function without the other. Yes, one can have their ears removed and still function, but they are not complete. I'm reminded of a conversation I had with a friend just over a year ago. I said, "isn't it crazy how we are all part of Jesus? One body? Man, I'd be so satisfied if he called me a toe." She snapped with sincerity, "ILL TAKE THE ARMPIT!!!" Even the role of the armpit is crucial. Maybe the armpit means running through the jungle searching out tribes who've never heard of Jesus. Or it's ministering to a widow. Regardless, another part of the body is touched and transformed into greatness.
   I have found with all this my answers. We are NOT only called to OUR ministries! We are first called to love the world. To care and love them with all out hearts. If we are doing this we turn no eye on any ministry! We pick up whatever part we can and help. I am convinced after months and years of prayer, that not one single ministry will change this world. But instead all of them combined and helping one another will. There is no competition is Jesus; only love.

  So friends lets pick up our crosses lay them at his feet and find someone else to help bring theirs to him while we're at it! I call the left side, and I hope to see you on the right so that nothing drags its way.

  Together we are world changers. Apart we fight a losing battle!

Here's to changing the world as we know it!
Krista June

What if the Storm Never Ends?

    

     As I was driving home from work today I was thinking through my attitude minutes prior. I had realized it was nasty at best. Quickly the mind did what it had been trained to; think of an excuse as to why. Sadness was the first and longest standing reasoning behind the miserable person I had just been. Infuriated with myself I begged God to help me release the lies and pains that rest deep within and claim and declare the truth to who I was. Without a doubt I knew that He would answer me. That is who my Father was after all; a care giver whose favorite thing to do was forgive and love me. These thoughts swam their way through my mind just as my vision blurred enough to see the rear lights in front of me shine brightly in heart shape. You can imagine the fright that ran through me, unable to see clearly, or so I thought. Blinking a few times to clear up my contacts I realize shortly after my contacts were fine, God was simply showing me what he felt for me. I followed the car for another 10 minutes or so and the hearts never faded for more than a second at a time. I am, as you are, deeply cherished and loved.

      Shortly after arriving home I found myself, like I often do, looking at pictures from our Uganda trip. Contemplating the drive and what God had shown me the questions started flowing. "How did I know He would answer me? What if I never knew anything good of Him, forgiveness, love, willingness to talk with me? How would I handle life if I grew up with these kids?" and many more. What hit me the hardest was that I experienced a small taste of what these children endure, I could escape back home to a "better place", and the biggest of all the issues... I never had to return. In fact, I could leave whenever I pleased. I starred and starred at the broadest of all the pictures. To be honest, it was one that many times I quickly skip past not giving it a thought. A scene shot of what every day typically looked like with everyone being candid. Matt with two or three babies peeing and pooping on his lap. Whitney holding and caring for Joy. Celia holds McGuire joking and laughing with the kids. London getting his hair done. Tex sitting on the ledge, legs hanging off, with a few of the kids leaning on his back and lap. Anthony talking shop with some of the adults in charge. And each one of the kids with, doing something, or looking for a Muzungo or working as they were directed. Sadness devoured my heart. The one thing God allowed me to witness on a 15 minute drive home was something every single one of these children lacked... love. As the Freight train of sadness crashed my heart into the steal wall all I could find the words to pray were, "Father, help it to end."

      The realization that found my heart was some people, children and babies too, all around the world never can escape the storm. The storm doesn't have some cute name like "Katrina" or "Harry" its name is life. There's no rescue teams coming in or blood drives being run just for them. Or at least not enough. We don't see on our weekly football games a website for others more fortunate to donate. It’s as if they don't exist. What terrorizes my thoughts continually, night after night, is that most these people live lives as if mother nature or some other horrific event happened, when in all reality, they were born into it. As most of you know my niece was born in June 2013 and we had been taking care of a 3 month old while in Uganda. I can't help but to recall my plane ride home thoughts as I'm sharing this with you now. They ran something like this, "Joy hasn't any choice to what happens to her. She will be used and mistreated most likely all her life. She will likely never be above "lower class" in the eyes of the world. She was brought into this world in a miserable, evil, way (mother was raped by her uncle). And at least once in her life she will likely wish she were never born. All because for some reason God made her and destined her life to be Ugandan. She had no choice. As where my niece (Khloe. I didn't know her name at the time) will be born in one of the most wealthy countries on earth, will not only have a mom and dad that love her but aunts, uncles, grandparents. All of which is anyone ATTEMPTED to hurt her in ANY fashion would protect her if it meant their own death. She will have opportunities to become anything she wants. Her health won’t suffer from malnutrition, worms, or HIV (most likely). And why? Because God placed her in North America. She, like Joy, has no choice. Yet, Khloe will know love, compassion and forgiveness much sooner than Joy. She will have opportunity Joy can only dream of. I don't get it." I understand these thoughts may not be how life pans out for either of these two. But I know the odds are DRASTICALLY in Khloe's favor. My heart can’t help but to ask why? A teacher of mine, Troy Sherman, shared an alarming static while he was with us. It reads, "In the United States of America ALONE spend $480 BILLION dollars during Christmas time ONLY EACH YEAR! It would take TEN BILLION to solve WORLD hunger." World hunger could be solved with just $10 billion. Of course my heart is strong for the Ugandan people, children especially, but the WORLD. I can't help but to sit here and ask, "Why Lord? Why are so many suffering? And worse Lord, why are so few helping?"

      I don't write any of this to rise up guilt. On a general basis I hate that tactic. But I can't shake the feeling of my heart being crushed between sadness and fury. My tears flow understanding that in my lifetime I'll be a blessing if I bring just one person out of the storm. While my muscles tense and jaw clinches with determination to make it the world. After all, what makes me so special I get to feel and see Gods love in the rear light of a car while others never get to? God so loved the WORLD he gave his one and only Son...

 

With power to clear the clouds for at least one,

Krista June

The Beauty of Gods Love

      I know to which the road our father is placing me on. But sometimes that just isn't instant enough for our human flesh. I simply want to be on it now and not on the journey before which it comes. What I am realizing and understanding more now than ever though, is that its the journey before that makes the end destination as magnificent and grand as it seems to be. Without all the bumps, prayers, love and support of others, lessons in-between would any of the results seem so glorious? My guess is no. So, with that being said, here I sit on the road of growth- somewhere between knowledge, love and wisdom.
     God has been speaking to me these last few days about loving through the storm. To some this seems like an impossible task. And if I were to be honest Id reveal once upon a time that was me. But as these last weeks of 2013 enclosed I realized that the moment we allow anything negative into our hearts is the moment we lose. Yes, it may be difficult to not spit off at the tongue as your heart is crushed and dismayed but I challenge you to think of just how hurt and dismayed God was as we ate from the tree, spit and thrashed on his ONLY son, and choose STILL not to walk with him. Did that stop him from paying the price? In his hurt did he say, "never mind, child, you are not worth it?" No, he still took us on his back and carried us and allowed life to be restored in us.
     In Genesis 1:31 God tells us, "He saw what he had made (man) and it was good." Just before it reads (Gen. 1:26) "Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock over the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground." How remarkable is that? God claims that we ARE good! From the first of the days he claimed we were good! And we were above all other creatures for we were in the likeness of HIM! God: an adored, admired or influential person. In an another definition it reads: A superhuman being or spirit being worshipped. WE ARE MADE IN HIS IMAGE! Why is it we beat ourselves up and degrade ourselves? Are we understanding that by doing so we are diminishing the beauty of who God is?
    I know some of you reading this are saying, "Well, I am not as worthy. If only you knew my past, Kris, you wouldn't say that I was made in His image." Oh, How I express this with the deepest of love, you would be entirely wrong! I can say so very confidently because later in Genesis 3:21 after Eve and Adam ate of the forbidden fruit, while they sat embarrassed because they were unclothed; "God made garments of skin for Adam and his wife and clothed them." There were consequences to Adam and Eve's actions, yes, but what loving parent do you know that when their child disobeys and does something harmful to themselves in the process not discipline out of love? Adam and Eve did the one and only thing the Lord said for them not to do. In doing so they brought death and destruction upon themselves and every person who would be born after. They released sin onto the earth... to ALL OF MAN! I'd like to ask you, who may be feeling unworthy, what have you done that has brought such repercussions onto ALL of man? I am not dismissing the hurts you may have caused or endured. I'm simply asking, if God still loved Adam and Eve enough to care for their embarrassment, why wouldn't He still love you and call you good?
     I started this post sharing I want the end result. If I had that right now, would I be able to feel his love for me today? Probably not to the degree I am. Keep trucking and know you are made in the image of God, the highest and holiest of ALL things, and you are GOOD!

    Here's to the journey before the destination!

Kris