So you're going on a mission trip, now what?

When I first told people I was going to Haiti I got more negative responses than positive ones. Someone even said "I think you all are crazy for going over there".  Mark Batterson puts it best in his book "All In".

Mark Batterson – When did we start believing that God wants to send us to safe places to do easy things? Jesus didn’t die to keep us safe. He died to make us dangerous. The will of God is not an insurance plan; it’s a daring plan. It’s time to quit living as if the purpose of your life is to arrive safely at death. 

What is a Missionary?

 

Wikipedia: A missionary is a member of a religious group sent into an area to proselytizeand/or perform ministries of service, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care and economic development.^[1][2] The word "mission" originates from 1598 when the Jesuitssent members abroad, derived from the Latin missionem (nom. missio), meaning "act of sending" or mittere, meaning "to send".^[3] The word was used in light of its biblical usage; in the Latin translation of the Bible, Christ uses the word when sending the disciples to preach in his name.

Missionaries in the Bible 

When looking for missionaries you don't need to look much farther than your bible. John the Baptist was the ultimate missionary.

• John preached with boldness (Matthew 3:1, 2; John 1:29-37).
• He knew Christ was the focus and not himself (John 1:20-23; John 3:28-30).
• Sometimes John doubted, but he always trusted Jesus’ direction (Luke 7:19-28).

So now what?

Once you have planned your trip there are a few important items you have to take care of. First you need a passport. The sooner the better, since it takes 4 to 8 weeks to get back. Next you need to find out what type of vaccines are required in the country you will be serving. Talk with your Doctor they will help set up your vaccines. Research the country or city you will be going to. Learn as much as you can about the people, the culture, the history. Talk to people who have gone on mission trips. They will give you insight.

The most important item to take care of is your spiritual health. Make time to do a mission trip related bible study. I was recommended Helping without hurting by Steve Corbett and Brian Fikkert to prepare for my mission trip. You can buy the book here http://www.cschristian.com/product/659894/Helping_Without_Hurting_in_Short_Term_Missions

It is also a good idea to have regular meetings and a retreat before you go so you can gel with your mission team. We have started having fundraisers. Tomorrow we are having our first dinner after church. We are making chili chips and cheese and serving sweet tea. We have a table set up at the door where people can make donations. Our dinner fundraisers do pretty good and we can have them once a month until our trip. Most of us will also write support letters and send them to family and friends. A support letter is a letter in which you tell your family and friends where you are going and what you will be doing and ask them to prayerfully consider making a donation towards your trip.

Here is a link to the slide show I will be showing the congregation before our benefit dinner: https://youtu.be/aG3DoMSt6Cs

Links I found helpful:

http://www.ywam.org/get-involved/outreach-trips/

http://preparemymission.com/spiritual-prep/

http://www1.cbn.com/missions/what-to-pack-on-your-summer-mission-trip

Missionaries in the bible 

http://www.whatchristianswanttoknow.com/missionaries-in-the-bible-10-to-emulate/

http://www.kingjamesbibleonline.org/Bible-Verses-About-Missions/

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Learning to Surrender

One of the hardest things for me to do as a Christian is to let go and let God. I hold onto everything so tight. It's like I'm telling God, "No, you can't have it, it's mine". I've worried about it for so long and invested all my strength and time getting worked up about it that I don't want to let go of it. I want to be in control of it even though I've not been making any progress coming to a solution. Why do we do this to ourselves? If we would just give it over to God and let him take care of it then we would be at peace, but that's not what we do. We refuse to give it up and we end up making things worse for ourselves.

I've been struggling the past week. Homeschooling a child with ADD and Aspergers is not for the weak of heart. We are both getting burnt out and sick of each other. I know that homeschool is the best thing for my son right now. He is safe, he is getting individual attention, his curriculum is Christ centered, and he can work at his own pace. I went to Revival at my church last night and Bro. Frank Jolly said something that spoke to me. He was talking about waving the white flag and surrendering to God. That really struck a chord with me and after I couldn't stop thinking about that I got out of bed at 1 am and started researching verses about surrendering to God.

 

Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.   Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.   For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.

Matthew 11:28-30 KJV

Proverbs 3:5-6
⁵ Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.
⁶ In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.

Psalm 9:10
¹⁰ And they that know thy name will put their trust in thee: for thou, Lord, hast not forsaken them that seek thee.
 

Psalm 46:
¹⁰ Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth.

James 4:8
⁸ Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded.

Whenever my heart is troubled, I find solace in the word of God. It has never failed to quieten my heart when I open the bible. It's where all the answers are. If you are feeling overwhelmed hide yourself in his words. Before you open the bible pray and ask him to lead you. Most of the time when we are feeling anxious and overwhelmed its because we have strayed away and not made time for God. He is a jealous God and wants our love and devotion. He wants us to spend time with him without distractions. He craves an intimate relationship with us. We can accomplish this by setting aside time everyday to read the bible, pray, and sit quietly with him letting him speak to us. We are in the age of technology. I had friends who during the 21 day fast set strict rules for technology. They were not allowed to check social media if they hadn't done their bible study that day. Isn't that great? That's how we should be every day.

I know that I am feeling overwhelmed because I have let worry get in the way of my time with God. He has been there all the time waiting for me to come to him, but instead I have pulled the covers over my head and have been paralyzed with everything going on. What I should have done is run to the arms of my Father. That should be the first thing we do. I know I will be studying more and spending more time with him. I truly believe that will fix everything. Just giving my burdens to him and trusting him to take care of everything. He has our best interests at heart.

 

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We got a Shiranian!

Drama has been wanting a puppy for years. I really wanted to wait for a therapy dog who was trained for autism and food allergies but http://homeschoolinthewoods.com/elections.html are really expensive. So while I secretly coveted a peanut sniffing dog my friend's Shih Tzu had a one night stand with the Pomeranian next door. My Mom has always had Pomeranians and I love the little dogs and a little dog would really be better for us since we don't have a fenced in yard. I told her I wanted one and was first on her list.

 

The Shiranian's were born!

These puppies were the cutest things I had ever seen! Just little balls of fluff. They were born before Christmas. Drama already picked out a name for his pup, Kopi. If you are familiar with Think noodles Minecraft video's then you know where he got that name. His Minecraft mentor has a dog named Kopi which means coffee in Singapore. Kopi has lived up to her name since she can be very hyper, as expected for a puppy.

You will always remember your child's reaction to getting a pet. When Drama got his kitten Penny he was ecstatic and his reaction to Kopi was the same. He couldn't believe how tiny she was. He held her close and kissed the top of her little fuzzy head. He was a little disappointed the first night that she was too tired to play. It was late when we got her and we were ready for bed and I thought she was.

The first night was awful

 

No sooner had we closed our eyes when the screeching started. If you've never had a puppy or a kitten then you will be traumatized. It's their first night in a strange place, away from their Mom and siblings. So they are terrified. They start to panic when Mom doesn't come running when they cry so the terrified little cries become soul crushing banshee shrieks. I had the puppy in my room so I would take her out and cuddle her and make sure she went to the bathroom and wasn't hungry. This happened almost every hour. By the third night I put her in the  bathroom with the fan on because I desperately needed sleep.

 

Now I've been told they need a wind up clock wrapped in a blanket to simulate their moms heartbeat. I've yet to find a wind up clock so she is still sleeping in the bathroom until she can sleep through the night. I do go and check on her once during the night and let her use the rest room. She still cries but it is getting better.

 

I was lucky that her mom showed her how to use puppy pads before she came to live with us. She uses the puppy pads really good but has had a couple of accidents. She is a really sweet pup who is very playful. Right now she likes to bite and chew. She really likes to play with my cat Ginsberg. He tolerates her pretty well. Drama's cat Penny, however, is still adjusting and won't come near her.

Shiranians are great little dogs. Everything I have read about them says they are easy to train and they are very intelligent. I know she will make Drama a really good dog and will be very therapeutic for him. He has more responsibilities now that he has two pets to pick up after and feed. I am grateful that I have a son who loves animals just as much as I do. Maybe we can get her some therapy dog training. Very thankful to my friend Kim for giving us this precious dog that will be a lifetime friend for Drama.

         Kopi Cupcake Caramel born December 8, 2015

21 Day FAST.....Halfway Point!

If you are doing the 21 day fast, CELEBRATE! You are halfway there! By now you should have settled into a routine. The hangriness should be gone. I personally decided against doing the Daniel Fast or The Daniel Plan for my 21 Day Fast. I am saving that for Lent. I may do the Daniel Fast Friday through Sunday to end my 21 day Fast, but that is depending on if I feel led.

I decided to give up Meat, Soda, Fast Food, and Sweets for this fast. I have a HUGE addiction to Fast Food and Soda to the point to where it is gluttonous so giving up those items is big for me. Being a single mom, sometimes I rely on fast food to feed my family. It's cheap and easy. It also shows on my rear end and love handles. I have noticed my son getting a little bit pudgier than normal. I know it is because of how we eat. I decided this year we were going to start eating healthier. I refuse to call it a resolution because I never keep my resolutions and this is something we have to change.

If you mess up on your fast, just pick back up and keep going. You are going to be tempted. This past Sunday I was watching the Playoff's at my Dad's house and he had gotten a huge sackful of Krystal's and I had to watch everyone eat them while I forced down my salad. I would have loved to cheat and eat those Krystal's but I knew the remorse would be worse than the deliciousness. Also have you noticed the food commercials? I think food commercials should be banned. My stomach was eating itself by the time I left my Dad's house.

I enjoy eating healthy my problem is my big appetite so it take a lot of green stuff to keep me full. Also again, being a Single Mom on a fixed income food is expensive, allergy free food is even more expensive, and buying healthy food for myself is sometimes not an option. I have just found ALDI. I will definitely be going back there for my healthy food. It is food at half the cost of regular grocery stores. You can find some really good deals there so as I get accommodated to shopping there hopefully I will be able to give you some pointers.

For my daily devotions I found a really great plan on my YouVersion Bible app. It is called the 21 Day Fast. I have really enjoyed reading it every day. I did not do the bible journaling for this fast. I will be doing it for Lent. I tend to do more for Lent than I do for the 21 Day Fast. I sort of use the 21 Day Fast to prepare myself for Lent since they are close together.

Someone in my Sunday School class mentioned wanting to fast more often and I think that is a great idea. It would be nice to fast when I feel led to and by myself when no one is doing it with me. Also to do so in secret. Just God and I knowing about it. This year for me is all about taking care of my body so I can serve others better and drawing closer to God. Always working on our intimacy, just like a marriage so it doesn't become stagnant.

More about the 21 Day Fast http://www.jentezenfranklin.org/join-fastingmovement/

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Schoolhouseteachers.com Yearly Membership Review

I can't tell you how excited I was to be able to review the Yearly Membership to this awesome website. SchoolhouseTeachers.com has everything you need to make homeschooling your child a breeze. We use an online service for our homeschool needs but we haven't found the electives we need at an affordable price. There are many courses by subject included in the subscription for SchoolhouseTeachers.com such as:

• Art
• Drama and Speech
• Bible
• Computer and Technology
• Electives
• Foreign Languages
• History, Geography, and Social Studies
• Language Arts
• Math
• Music
• Nutrition, Health, and Fitness
• Science

We were most excited about Computer and Technology. Drama loves everything that has to do with computers and video gaming. I found a Computer Science/Programming course by Chris Yust that had all of this. Not only will he be learning computer science and programming but they have found a way to incorporate his most favorite game into these lessons, Minecraft. If your kid is as Minecraft crazy as mine is then they will love these computer classes. Starting in the 10th module they start learning how to make Minecraft mods in Java. Other site and programs that teach this are out of this world expensive so this was an excellent find. Another thing that I want to point out is the credentials of the teachers on this site. Christ Yust is a 17 + year software engineering professional with a Masters in Electrical Engineering. I trust that Elijah will learn a lot from him.

The Computer Science/Programming course consists of Twelve modules meant to be studied once a week for a year. There is a completion certificate and students will earn 1.0 Computer Science credit.
I bought a binder at Walmart and printed out the first module.  It is a lot of reading material but if your child is interested in learning about computers then they will find it interesting. Some of the modules have helpful tutorial videos that you play at certain points during the lesson.

Another course we are very excited about is Film Making. You can find it in the Electives. Director/Producer/Co-writer George Escobar co-founder of Advent Film Group teaches this class. I had to pinch myself when I found this. What an opportunity to learn from someone with over 25 years of experience in the field. Drama doesn't have much interest in filmmaking, but he does have a HUGE interest in producing YouTube videos so this class will help him get started.

I keep my niece a lot and I plan on homeschooling her as well. She will be 2 in February. We have already started working on the Alphabet and Numbers and other preschool lessons. I was very impressed at all of the preschool lessons there are. This site is for the whole family from Pre-K to Adult, there's something for everyone.

 

When you go to www.SchoolhouseTeachers.com the first place you want to go is START HERE. From there click on NEW MEMBERS HUB, on this page you will find loads of helpful information and the FAQ.

I really hope you enjoy this site as much as I did reviewing it. I know that I will use it with my son and my niece. Thank you for reading my blog! Please give it a like and a follow. My followers get a special 1/2 off a year subscription to schoolhouseteachers.com just use the code CREWFOLLOWER The coupon is valid through 1/31/2016.

The 21 day fast

Mm Every year a small group of us at church do the 21 day fast. It starts on the first Sunday in January. I enjoy fasting. I usually do the 21 day fast and then I do Lent. In the beginning it was too much about the fast itself and I really struggled with it. I was so focused on what I was given up and it left me empty in my stomach and my heart. Then one Lent season I decided to keep a scripture journal. With lent there are certain scriptures you read every day. I would write them and then write what that scripture meant to me or how I interpreted it. After that, my fasts became more fruitful. I began to focus on what I was gaining instead of losing. Instead of simply giving up things I added things to my life, like the scripture journaling. It can be as simple as reading the word every morning or becoming more involved in church.

More about the 21 day fast

http://www.jentezenfranklin.org/fasting/

It's no secret that I have a problem with my weight. This year, and years past, I made the resolution to lose weight. This year I hope will be more successful since I have a goal. I'm going to Haiti in June with my church. I want to be in shape so I can keep up with my much more healthy compadres. I have a feeling we will be doing a lot of walking so I don't want to be left behind breathless. I want to be healthy so I can serve to the best of my abilities. 

I'm using this years 21 day fast as a starting point for my weight loss journey. I've used The Daniel Plan before for fasting and I really like it. I usually reverted to my old eating habits as soon as the fast was over, but this year I plan on sticking with it to help with my lifestyle change. 

The Daniel Plan is pretty simple, if it's natural you can eat it. It cuts out everything processed. Now don't be like me and focus on what you can't have because you will quit without a second thought. Think about what you CAN have. I was just on Pinterest doing some research for this post and some of the recipes that popped up left me salivating. Something I'm going to try this year to make it more of a successful fast is planning out my meals in advance. That way I'm not bored or left hungry. I've pinned some great new recipes that I am dying to try like Pineapple Whip and Minestrone soup. I'm also partial to fajitas and lots of Mexican food which is something I can have. 

What's the difference between The Daniel Plan and The Daniel Fast? The Daniel Plan allows you to have lean meats, The Daniel Fast does not. You can also have some whole wheat grains. Anyone who can do the whole 21 days on The Daniel Fast is my hero. I'm just not there yet. I may try to do the last few days just on The Daniel Fast.

Differences in The Daniel Plan and The Daniel Fast

Don't focus on the food!

Food for me is a drug. It's how I cope with my emotions. I have to relearn how to love myself that does not involve shoving deep fried food in my mouth. During a fast the main focus should be your relationship with God. If you're hung up on the food part then you aren't going to accomplish what the fast is about. I will be posting more about Fasting and lifestyle changes in the days to come. There are a lot of things that I am going to be focusing on this fast. Mainly prayers for my son and his future, his relationship with his heavenly father, and prayer for guidance.

Links:

The Daniel Plan

https://danielplan.com/start/

The Daniel Fast

http://daniel-fast.com/