Winna Mon

I get songs stuck in my head on a regular basis. Fortunately, they are usually inspirational songs that those around me love to hear (please note the sarcasm). It could be anything from God Bless America, to the Sound of Music's Do-A-Deer song. The lovely lyrics mixed with my divine musical abilities make it an experience that everyone enjoys. Tonight, as I was in the laundry room, a beautiful song arose from my soul, and I thought that it was just so inspirational to my roommate, who started laughing with the overflow of the joy of the Lord, that I just had to put the wonderful lyrics here for you to enjoy as well.

The song: Winna Mon. The artist: Ron Kenoly. The date written: 1996, it was a long time ago, when I was a wee child. The inspirational message: Jesus is da winna and we are on da winning side! Ya mon!

It is such fun to see

Such fun to see

Satan lose

It is such fun to see

Such fun to see

Satan lose

Jesus is the Winna mon

The Winna mon

The winna mon

Jesus is the Winna mon

The Winna mon all the time

I am on the winning side

I am on the winning side

The winning sideThe winning side

I am on the winning side

The winning side all the time

In Matthew chapter two

Satan lost

When Jesus was born in a manger

And in the wilderness

Satan lost again

At the Mount of Transfiguration

Yeah!

At the crucifixion

Satan lost again

When Jesus rose triumphantly

From the grave

And at the ascension

Satan lost

Once more

When I was born again

Yeah!

Winna mon

Jesus is the Winna mon

The Winna mon all the time

Winna mon

Jesus is the Winna mon

The Winna mon all the time

He the Winna

The Winna

The Winna

Jesus is the Winna mon

The Winna mon all the time

SING YA HEART OUT! YA KNOW YA LOVE IT MON!

Please tune in next time as I give dance tips for the song: Shut de do (Keep out de devil). ;)

Speak Mercy.

I love Mercy Ministries! Mercy is a Christian organization that reaches out to the hopeless and hurting with the love and acceptance of Christ! They have homes throughout the United States and internationally as well. These homes welcome young ladies ages 13-28 who are struggling with life controlling issues such as, eating disorders, abuse, depression, unwanted pregnancies, and more.

These girls come to Mercy free of charge and live there for about 6 months. They are able to receive counseling, nutrition help, schooling, and they experience the love of Jesus Christ. I have been able to visit Mercy on several occasions and I can say that MERCY WORKS! Girls who come in broken and hurting leave healed and restored! They provide safety, love and HOPE!

We have been talking about Signs of Hope at The Branch lately, and MERCY IS A SIGN OF HOPE to me! Proof that God is still working in and through people who are surrendered and yielded to Him! The girls at Mercy inspire me, they are true heroes, people who move beyond their circumstances and learn to live a life full of the grace and power of God!

No matter what we go through in life, our God is stronger, bigger and better! He has a plan for us beyond anything we can even imagine! That's huge! He is faithful to carry us through and He is so incredibly good!

Thanks Mercy for saving lives and restoring hope!

For more info about Mercy Ministries, visit their website: http://www.mercyministries.com/ and you can visit their video blog here.

Band Aids

There is something about putting a band-aid on a child that makes me feel good. Not that I'm happy that they were hurt, but I like getting to help stop the pain and of course saying those comforting words, "It's all better now." Since the church office, where I work, is located in our school building, I get many opportunities to help the kiddos feel better.

Helping people is my passion. I want people to fulfill their dreams, to enjoy life, to know that they are cared about and loved! But there are so many times where I feel like there is nothing I can do. I want to see the end of the problem, I want the pain to stop immediately, I want lives to be forever changed right this instant. Maybe that is why I like band-aids. You know band-aids are usually used for minor cuts and scrapes, I can say with finality when I put a band-aid on a child's knee that they will be okay. Life isn't always like that, sometimes I see things that hurt my heart, I hear of problems and I can't do anything about it. BUT...

The good thing is that God can and will! He is our hope, our strength, our comfort. He is always there to help, and He is so faithful! The Bible says that He will take care of us, that He has great plans for us, that we have a future, and that we will be followed by goodness and mercy ALL the days of our lives! That is not a band-aid that is a CURE!

It's so good to know that we can go to God with all of our cares and give them to Him and that He will take care of us. You know, when a child needs a band-aid, they don't just sit around saying, "Oh, it sure would be nice if I had a band-aid, I wonder what I should do," no they go to someone they know can take care of them. That's how it is with God. We don't just need to sit around thinking about our problems and how it would be nice to know what to do, instead we can go to God, He is there for us to share our hearts and He is the solution! HE IS EVERYTHING WE NEED!

MeeMaw

Today I went to visit my great-grandmother, who we children affectionately call MeeMaw. MeeMaw is 96 years old, but I don't think she looks it. She has been losing her vision and hearing for awhile. Sometimes she remembers me and sometimes she doesn't, I usually have to tell her who I am.

When I go to visit her, I paint her nails and tease her about finding herself a boyfriend. She always replies that she has no time for that and we laugh. She really likes red nail polish, but today she asked me to paint them black and white. I didn't have black and white polish, so I stuck with red and told her she would have to wait until Halloween for me to paint them black and we laughed again.

I can remember MeeMaw taking me to lunch and to Peebles department store when I was little. I always loved going with her. I remember that she always had Bubblicious or Bubble Yum gum in the top drawer of her chest. She always loved reading and she enjoyed word searches. She would also give me her little samples from the beauty shop where she got her hair done every week, so I had some nice little lotions and shampoo. Since she lived across the street from us, my brother, sister and I would go up there often. I remember forgetting my house key on numerous occasions and having to go knock on her bedroom window so that she would come open the door for me to hangout until my parents got home.

I'll admit that sometimes it feels inconvenient to go visit her. She lives in another city and so sometimes I don't feel like driving, or like trying to come up with things to talk about, but then I think about her. What must it feel like to not be able to do the things you once did all the time. What is it like to need someone to dress you to take you to your appointments, to tell you when to eat and when to take your medicine.

I believe that sometimes our society is so busy that we start to look at spending time with people as something to check off our to-do list rather than a chance to learn, to help, to bless, and to love. We really need to get back to honoring people, even those that seem to not have much to offer. We need to honor our elders and our families and do everything we can for them.

I love my MeeMaw. She loves me. The greatest gift I can give her right now is my time.

People are not an interruption in our lives- they are why we're here! ~Christine Caine

May I have a stoplight, please?

So, after sharing my Spanish blunders in the Little Miss Perfect post, I thought I would share a more recent incident...

I took a group of youth girls to Guatemala this past July. One day we went to start a fire when we realized that we were out of matches. Being the team leader and the Spanish speaker of the group I ran up to the cafeteria to ask for matches. So I walk in the cafeteria and say hello and ask how everyone is doing, and then I ask for what I think is matches. But I mixed up my words, I asked for a semáforo, which is a stoplight. Suddenly, I am back in the room where I asked for soup instead of soap, and I am turning red (because everyone in the room is looking at me with that, "What in the world are you talking about" look, you know what I mean), the problem was that I knew that I knew the word for matches, so I am standing there, thinking very hard and finally say, "ummmm, I don't know, matches?" and yes, I said it in English. Fortunately, someone understood and I was handed a box of matches. I say thanks and walk out, and decide that I am in major need of a Spanish review. By the way, I felt about as cool as the lovely stoplight people in my picture, but they still got me beat in the coolness area. Oh, and if you are wondering, the Spanish word for matches is fósforos, it actually is pretty close to the word for stoplight.

I am also studying Spanish everyday again, so that I don't lose anymore of it. If you speak a second language, I would like to personally encourage you to practice it everyday, or don't and then send me stories of your mistakes ;)

A Morning Walk

The Lord is my shepherd [to feed, guide, and shield me], I shall not lack. He makes me lie down in [fresh, tender] green pastures; He leads me beside the still and restful waters.

Psalm 23:1-2 (AMP)

True to Your word, you let me catch my breath and send me in the right direction. Psalm 23:3 (MSG)

I have been enjoying my morning walks for a few weeks now and decided that I should share a few glimpses of the beauty that I see while walking. Okay, so here's the disclaimer, the pictures do not do my trail justice, so just imagine them being way prettier. Now breathe deeply, and come along on a journey with me. Feel free to walk in place while looking at the pictures, it may help with the visualization.

Here we go... This is the first bridge I cross on my walk. It invites me to embark on a journey.

A view of the creek. Lovely. Can you find the squirrel in this picture?

I love the sound of water trickling through the rocks. Very peaceful.

Another view of the creek. I just love it. As I walk, I think about how amazing God is and how beautiful His creation is and I am thankful!

Another bridge to cross. There is just something about bridges that I love, and they remind me of change, I don't know why?

It just keeps going and going. I know I mentioned that it's so peaceful, but it really is. It's just time for me to get to know Jesus better and to share my heart with Him.

Okay, so this is the big rock that sticks out into the water. I will typically get off the path and go stand on this rock and look out over the water. I think I am going to take a book out there one day and just sit on the rock and read.

So there you have it, my little morning excursion. I am thankful for these walks, I believe that they are seriously a special part of my journey with Christ. During this season, I have been growing! I know that change is coming, I can feel it. I think that through my walks, where I get to see the trees and all of nature as they are now, and how soon I will see them changing, is a special way of God showing me the amazing beauty of every season of life! I truly love life and am embracing all it has for me right now and in the future! Life with God is so amazing!

A Heart for Adoption

God decided in advance to adopt us into His own family by bringing us to Himself through Jesus Christ. This is what He wanted to do, and it gave Him great pleasure. Ephesians 1:5 (NLT)

I believe that adoption is a beautiful thing. God chose to add us to His family through adoption, and because of that, we are given a wonderful life, where we can walk in a moment by moment relationship with God, we can fully trust and rely in Him, and we can confidently come to Him and He delights in us!

When I think about adoption, I get excited! It thrills me when people want to add to their family and give a child not only a home, but a loving family, where they can grow, play, and know what it means to be wanted. The Bible says that God places the lonely in families (Psalm 68:6), and I believe that adoption is one of the ways He does that.

I have several friends that are in the process of adopting a child or a couple of children. Some of them are adopting internationally, others through the foster system and others through private organizations. Some are adopting older children and others are waiting for a precious baby. These families are getting very familiar with the waiting that goes along with this process. I have seen the joy on their faces as they talk about their future children, I have seen the hope when they hear about a possibility. I have seen disappointment when roadblocks appear, and I have seen the perseverance and determination that they possess, knowing that adoption is part of God's plan for them, and that one day, they will hold their child (or children) in their arms.

I know that this process can be tough on these families, I am sure that they have cried many tears. Sometimes, I wish I could do more for them, than just giving them a hug and an encouraging word. One thing that I can do is pray. I can pray that God will lead them to the right people that will help them in the process, that God will continue preparing their hearts for their children, that God is preparing the children's hearts, and that God is helping the birth parents know that they are giving their children a wonderful future and that adoption is an expression of true love. I can also pray for the legal process to run smoothly, that if they are running into any complications that they will be resolved.

Would you join me in praying for my friends and all families that desire to bring children into a loving home where they will grow up being loved and accepted and taught about our amazing Lord? Thank you!

Little Miss Perfect

I admit, at one time in my life I had Little Miss Perfect Syndrome, okay, so I gave it that name, but it's true, I had issues. I don't know when it started, but at some point in my childhood, I must have decided that I didn't like getting embarrassed, messing up, or not being the best. Sounds pretty normal, right? I took it to the extreme, I somehow decided that perfection was possible, or should I say, convincing people of my perfection was possible, I would always know the truth. So, I set down this road of pleasing people and making myself look good. I was a great student, I actually loved school, so making wonderful grades worked out well. Plus, I was a pretty good kid, so the obedience factor wasn't too terribly hard. The difficult part was always being okay, and how to handle things that I wasn't so good at. If I was upset, I would typically act like it was no big deal, and then go to my room and cry alone. I never played sports, because, well I am not athletic at all, and I didn't want to look bad, so I just steered away. Now, I know that sounds sad, it's not really. I had a wonderful childhood with a ton of great memories, it was just a personality issue for me. I always wanted to be able to handle everything.

So, when did it change? I would say that occassionally I still show signs of wanting to look like I have it all together, but I think most people do that. The big change for me came when I had to learn Spanish. I don't know if you've noticed from all of my posts, but the year I spent in Nicaragua was probably my first, major life-changing year. That was the year that a lot of my pre-conceived ideas got messed up, that was the year that I decided more of what I wanted to do with my life, that was the year that I truly fell in love with other cultures and helping people, and that was the year that my world was majorly shaken. So, it only fits that my perfection complex got destroyed as well.

Remember me saying that I didn't like to mess up? Well, I would say that it is pretty much impossible to try to learn a new language without messing up. When I first moved to Nicaragua, a friend of mine went with me. We were together constantly, no joke, we were NEVER alone. Well, she spoke Spanish, and so, I never did, I didn't want to look bad, so, I would have her translate for me ALL THE TIME, day in and day out. Now, I have had to translate for people before and it can be tiring, so I imagine she got tired of it, so one day, she told me that she wasn't translating for me anymore. WHAT?! I could not speak Spanish, how was I supposed to communicate? That was awful! I was so mad at her, but it actually turned out to be one of the best things. So, what did I have to do? Learn. Well, I began studying a lot, but then I had to speak to people. Boy did I mess up. I remember one day trying to tell the lady we lived with that we needed soap in the bathroom. So I told her that we needed sopa. I had heard the word sopa before so, surely that meant soap. She looked at me with a strange look and said, "What?" So I say sopa and start making the hand motions like I am washing my hands. While laughing, she brings me a bar of soap, and points out to me that sopa means SOUP! I was so embarrassed! But, that was just the first of about 500 million little mistakes that I made.

I just had to learn to get over my pride. I made mistakes all the time, and guess what? The people still loved me! It actually drew me closer to them, because I could just be real, bad Spanish and all, and they felt free to try out their English with me, they saw me as approachable, and genuine as opposed to haughty and arrogant.

What's the moral of the story? Well, if I would have been so busy trying to make myself look perfect, I would never had learned Spanish, would not have been nearly as effective, would not have made the friendships that I did, and I would still think that sopa means soap.

Have you ever met those people that seem to have it all together? Go ahead and admit that it annoys you... it does me. Sometimes I even get intimidated by them. But, then I remember, that I can just be me, with ALL my MANY imperfections, and that I will likely be able to help more people, have more fun, and I will definitely be able to LAUGH a whole lot more! I must have taken it to the complete other extreme, because I am now content to be incredibly goofy, nerdy and well, completely imperfect. So, just be you, and smile! You are wonderful, just the way you are! Enjoy every minute of it!