Status Quo

I was asked the other day, what is it exactly that I do here at Eden house, and at first my response was a little filled with just jibberjabber. But as I thought about what I actually do, it's not really something that will fit into a neat and tidy status quo box that we've created in society. So.... I will try to answer but everything in me, just wants to say.....I am simply living life with this beautiful family. Everyday looks different. Every little thing we're trying to bring the Kingdom to the girls. It might mean I play a board game with the girls, that I paint 200 plus fingers and toes with nail polish, that I wash Apheridii's hair who has been recovering, or that I simply might talk with the Founders, Vern and Audrey, about how God has blessed their lives. There are not any concrete schedules, I guess you could say, besides love till your eyes can't stay open. Wake up and repeat. This is a slow life, where the little things point you to the Creator in a way that seems to pierce your inner most being every time. And most of you know that I can have this mentality of Go Go Go, and however despite all that, this just feels so right, and so close to the Father's heart. It always seems to me that whenever we slow ourselves down do we start to see the Spirit, feel His hand, and begin to smell the fragrance of God's presence in your life. So today, slow down. Bring the Kingdom, to the least of these. Lets forget about the status quo of life and start focusing on the words of Christ by loving till it hurts and forgetting what the world wants from us.

Growing Love

Well, so much has happened since my last blog and so many lessons and things that I have learned simply from living this thing called life. On monday morning we got a call from one of our beautiful girls that she had been hit by a car while driving her motorcycle to work. My heart kinda dropped and my first reaction was, is she okay? Yes, she had been brought to the hospital but information was very vague through it all. So we got in the car and headed over to the hospital where we found out that she had been brought up to the OR for surgery. Once again my heart dropped. My thoughts were, well it must be bad if she has to have surgery. So we go up to the OR, and see her laying in the bed, very scared and still shaken up from the entire thing. We begin to pray over her, for healing and just the calmness of His spirit, and little tears begin to fill my eyes. I have been given a love for these girls in just a short amount of time. A love that is hard to explain, accept that it must be God given. I was concerned for her as if she was mine to take care of, and didn't really even know I was capable of these types of things. However through it all she has been a trooper, and came through surgery and is now still recovering in the hospital.
On Tuesday we had to leave for Chiang Mai for our family vacation, where the girls went to a camp, and then we took them to the Chiang Mai zoo. At the camp, they had a section where they taught the girls about social problems in Thailand. And these issues covered, drugs, prison, aids, and abortions to cover the least. And during this session the man wanted the girls to pray and thank their mothers for giving birth to them, and going through with it. And I looked over the crowd and most of them were holding their faces, and crying very queitly. And I realized that some of these girls have never been given the chance to meet their mom. And some come from very hard situations that seem unfair and unjust. After the session, we all walked out, very quietly and very broken. My most cheerful girls, had no smiles, and the giggles were turned into a sea of quiet stillness. My heart was broken for these girls, and all I wanted to do is crawl into a room and just cry. And through my small amount of Thai and broken english, I try to make sure they are ok. And they all respond with yes, ok, good.
Within these past few days, my heart for these girls has grown from wanting to help, to needing to love on them till there is nothing left. Sometimes I forget really what they have been up against and what they have been through, because of all the giggling, smiling, cheering, and spunkiness. My desire for them to know true love, respect, and God's Spirit has grown leaps and bounds. There is no turning back. This is not something thats good, this is something thats imperative. This is not mission work, this is life. Love speaks us into action. I will act in love, because that is what I'm called to do.

Landed

Well I have landed in this beautiful country where things just seem to make sense for me. And everything that I once remembered came rushing back, from smells, to the way the morning sky looks when the sun rises. I have already fallen again for these people that love beyond boundaries and it makes me laugh. At first, I was a little anxious and nervous like anything, but know now that this is where I need to be. I just want God to move, I want God to allow blessings in this new journey.
Upon arriving after being here only a couple days, a phrase was said, that now has new meaning to me. She was talking about the desires of her heart. And for the first time, I considered what the desires of my heart truly are.....and I can say I am in it. Walking in it, loving in it. God is here, moving and working and beginning to beat those battle drums. Souls are being won, darkness is losing in Asia, and Light is being spread. New things are always scary at first but claiming victory is part of winning the battle. So wherever you are, claim it today. Christ has already won it for you. So don't walk around in chains that He's already broken, run, run in freedom.

Chained Up Love

Well, my ticket has been booked and in one week I am off to the beautiful land that ruined me for the good. I am beyond excited and filled with so much joy that it's beginning to seep out of me. However with all the joy also comes a little sadness with leaving some people behind. Which brings me to this thought that has ultimately bothered, hurt, and frustrated me to a point of now ranting.
I think its funny how people think that love is supposed to act a certain way. And if it's anything outside of the norm than it gets questioned. When looking at the life of Christ and the love He had, it was selfless, everything about it. And I think we all to easily fall into the idea that love requires chaining each other down. But yet Christ died for the sake of freedom. It does seem a little contradictory. So my question is that if your relationship is supposed to exemplify the love Christ has for his church, then why are suffocating each other? And why is anything outside of that looked at as crazy? Now this may be a little uncomfortable for some, however we were never called to a life of comfort. So me leaving to go to Asia which is something I feel so compelled to do, while my husband waits to hear from His Maker seems crazy, but should it? Love sometimes can be confusing because we let emotions filter in, but from the actions of Christ it seems quite simple. Until we as a people start really understanding that love moves past the boundaries we gave it, we will never truly love how Christ intended it. So lets unchain each other, walk in freedom, and see what happens.