Secret Blog

This blog is not going to be well written. It is not going to flow and it probably will not even make sense.  I do not really know how to start and I have no idea where it will end.

There is an image that I cannot seem to get out of my head.

It goes like this:

Jenna, Thomas, and I were walking away from Charles and John one day kind of disheartened by their refusal to drop their alcohol.  We could all feel the weight of God's broken heart falling on our shoulders.   We know that God has so much in store for them.  We also understand the power that alcohol holds on so many people's lives.  We have been told so many times that beer makes life's problems fade away.  Beer makes reality disappear as they fade into an easier escape.

Anyways, the picture is this.

Jenna could not stand it any more and in all of the boldness of Christ she left Thomas and I in hopes of really breaking through with these guys.  I could see her from the distance as she knelt down on her knees in front of John and Charles.  Unafraid of their homelessness, she became their friend.  She got down on their level and looked at both of them through their eyes and into their souls. I watched her from a distance as she showed them her breaking heart.  As tears flooded down her face she pleaded with them to let go of the lifestyle that has been pulling them down for so long.  With every ounce of heart and energy that she had, she showed these guys the gospel of Christ.  I could see John wiping the tears off her face as the Holy Spirit filled the bridge that they sat on.

This picture shows me what it means to Love Deeply and Fervently.  As I watched Jenna and John and Charles....I felt the weight lift off of my shoulders.  Not because John and Charles came off of the bottle....because to our knowledge they haven't....but because I knew that through Jenna we were doing all that we could do to show them the truth.  I knew that God was using the hands that she laid on them, the feet that carried her there, the knees that she bent in front of them, the mouth that she boldly opened, and every single one of her tears to show these guys that Jesus means it when he says he loves them.

Then there is a second image that is stuck in my head. It looks something like this:

The inside of our van.

It is stuck in my head because for the last few days we have not been able to pull ourselves out of it.  We are tired.  Really tired.  We have both verbally said that we have grown weary in doing good and are ready to have consistent showers and a comfy couch for a few days.

Somehow these two images come together in this verse. "But you, always be sober-minded, endure suffering, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.  For I am already being poured out as  a drink offering..." 2 Tim 4:5-6

We know that we are called to rest.  And we are taking that time now.  But we also know the crazy joy that comes from knowing that we are pouring ourselves out as drink offerings unto the Lord and into the lives of the people like John and Charles.  We do not have to do anything but yield to God and He blows our minds up with images like these.

So....I don't know.....this is what the Lord is showing us.  So please, pray for John and Charles.  Pray for us. Pray for God to do what only He can do.  Pray hard.

This is the fancy ending....
:)

The Way of Holiness

Soon after arriving in Chattanooga, TN we drove to the top of the highest mountain.  From there we could see the entire city as well as hear the still, small, whispering voice of the Lord more clearly. We could hear the heart of the Lord beating for the needs of His people in Chattanooga. There are people roaming the streets of this city with no home, no shower, no doctor, and consequently no hope. God's heart overflows with a desire to cloth the homeless and feed the forgotten.  As our hearts began beating in sync with His we began reading and proclaiming Isaiah 35 over the area.

"The wilderness and the dry land shall be glad; the desert shall rejoice...Strengthen the weak hands, and make firm the feeble knees.  Say to those who have an anxious heart, 'Be strong; fear not!'...Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, the ears of the deaf unstopped; then the lame man leap like a deer and the tongue of the mute sing for joy."

As we came down off of the mountain, we began meeting the people that the Lord had in store for us. He immediately began to reveal to us people whose lives were full of dry areas in desperate need of some living water.  We met Tammy, Sammy, John, Charles, and Jerry.  Jerry was our first friend.  Thomas, our new friend and temporary VanGoer, picked him up off of a corner because he was holding a sign that said "Hungry." We met with Jerry a couple times to feed him physically with hopes of feeding him spiritually.  Jerry grew up in foster care.  He moved from family to family and says that "some of them" treated him ok.  He dropped out of high school after deciding that his one and only goal in life was to get out of the government's control.  When he turned 18 he emancipated himself.  As far as we know, freedom from foster care brought Jerry the most happiness that he has ever felt.  What is even sadder, Jerry has no desire to find happiness beyond that.  He is content with living on the streets.  He brags about how much money he can make on the corner some days and admits that he spends most of it on alcohol and marijuana.  

John and Charles have been friends for about 15 years.  They met each other on the bridge and have been roughing it on the streets together ever since.  John was married in 1993.  Together they had a baby girl.  He said, "We were going to church, baptized, and saved...I guess I have just backslidden." After the divorce John says that he just stopped caring.  To John life became seemingly meaningless.  He hit the streets and the alcohol and has been content there for far too long.  Charles has three kids that he raised on his own after his wife left him.  His 2 girls became nurses and his son, a computer technician.  They really want their daddy around but they do not want the drunkenness that comes with it.  Charles says, "I ain't gonna lie to ya, I really like alcohol.  It helps me stop hurting for a little bit." Some nights the beer makes him feel ok about his life and some nights he "still goes to bed crying." Both of them are finally ready to get out of their lifestyles.  They just cannot find the strength and the courage to do so. John said he is finally ready to live his life again and Charles said that God has been calling him to Himself for awhile. He felt the power of God when his knee started feeling better after we prayed for it and is continually feeling that power as God asks him to set down the bottle and pick up the cross. Though they are still so deep in their walks away from the Lord, they are now beginning to see a small light at the end of the tunnel.  

Tammy and Sammy are a married couple from Knoxville. They've lived a life of hard drugs and alcohol until seven months ago. They decided there was more to life than the bondage they were in and it was time to take hold of the life God intended them to live. After throwing out their needles, the dark world they were in got even darker. Sammy lost his job, they couldn't afford housing with heat or electricity, and they found themselves worse off than they ever were while doing and selling drugs. They felt Satan tempting them to return to his world of lies and temporary satisfaction so they packed up and fled to Chattanooga. In their words, "If you wanna change your ways, you have to change your playground." They both brag about the freedom the Lord has brought them and how the joy He has given them is better than any high they've ever gotten (and they've tried it all). Since we've met them, we've watched as God provides for them in such a timely fashion. When they ran out of money for a motel, a church deacon showed up to cover the fees. When they needed clothes for interviews, a man named Greg clothed them. When they were overdue for a hot meal, the Lord allowed us to feed them. After applying at every place they could find, Sammy finally said, "I've done all I can do and now I feel like its time to wait on the Lord." Two days later he gets a roofing job making $12 and hour. They admit that changing their ways was far from easy and they still have a long way to go but because they were willing to live according to the Spirit and set their minds on what the Spirit desires, the Lord has become their rock.

Charles told us how its hard to be looked down on and judge by those who "have it together." They either glance in pity, look past them as if they aren't even there, or change routes to avoid them all together. We forget that these people on the streets, no matter why they are there, are still people with beating hearts and feelings just like ours. They have faces, names and stories to go with their lifestyle. No one dreams of being a drunk or wants to grow up and be homeless.  Nobody wakes up and says to themselves "I hope people look at me in disgust today." Each of the people that we were blessed with in Chattanooga is in a different stage of their life and we are in no position to judge them or to justify our choosing not to help them.  We are called to love at all costs.  For Jerry we may have watered and for John we may have planted but either way we played the part that God called us to play in their lives...and all we had to do was show up. As followers of Christ we are called to invite people to the sweet life in Christ through loving them beyond, and even because of, their choices. 

We are learning that we lead people to salvation through walking alongside them towards the cross.  We  help them as they work out their own salvation with fear and trembling.  We just have to be there with love....and they will see the sweet Spirit of Jesus in us.  A random man named Tom told us today, "There is something sweet about your spirit." After showing up over and over for John he said, "Nobody has ever treated us this way." So....we are challenging anybody that made it all the way through this entire blog.  We want you to pick somebody in your town.  Pick one person to be consistent with.  Consistency shows somebody that you care about them, that you are concerned about them, that you respect them, and more importantly that you love them.  Love your neighbor this week by giving them whatever they need and then watch as God gives the growth.  If you decide to commit, let us know who you pick and everything that God does because we want to pray with you.  

Isaiah 35 goes on to say....

"For waters break forth in the wilderness, and streams in the desert; the burning sand shall become a pool, and the thirsty ground springs of water...and a highway shall be there, and it shall be called the Way of Holiness." 

Let this be true of our country. 

       

Even Gangstas Have Hearts

"Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen: to loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and break every yoke? Is it not to share your food with the hungry and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter- when you see the naked, to clothe him, and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood?" - Isaiah 58. 

After a few days in Atlanta, doors began to open and we found ourselves standing in the middle of the ghetto.  

The area is called Vine City and it is straight up scary. The streets are covered with black men and women staring down every car that passes by. Their faces are so hard.  No smiles. No laughing. No crying. No emotion.  They just stand there, lifeless.  To the physical eye, their faces scream that they are not scared of anything.  To the spiritual eye, their faces scream that they are scared of everything. They are scared of both life and death and understand the fragility of their time on this earth.  They stand there looking as if nothing and nobody has the power to crack through their tough layers.  So many people are fooled by their looks but we know that Jesus Christ has that kind of power. A lot of them hang out around this pole that we call, "The Pole of Death." It is a telephone pole that has like 6 or 8 stuffed animals nailed to it.  A lot of the animals are decapitated and some have ropes around their necks. Back in the day the gang members would just throw some shoes over the telephone lines to mark their territory.  Now we see that they are into murdering stuffed animals instead. There is a darkness and a heaviness about this area that immediately broke our hearts. We realized really fast that our praying and fasting was done in vain if we did not hold strong to what Isaiah said.  If we fast with the intention of simply avoiding food, we have it all wrong.  Fasting is twofold.  We fast A) to hear from God and B) with the intentions of putting action to His visions.  

So...there we were. 2 white girls driving around the worst ghetto in Atlanta in a creepy white van.  Naturally, we parked and got out. People were literally stopping in the middle of the street to stare at us.  They were so confused as to why we were there and why we were not scared of dying.  A few guys warned us saying things like, "The people here are not right." All we could say in response was, "We know, that is why we are here." One guy named Dred stopped and stuttered for a while to get his question out, "Who are y'all?" We told him that we were there in the name of Jesus.  He pounded his heart and said, "Ya'll really mean it. Ya'll really mean it." We are two talentless, random, white girls who showed up on a door step with little to say and limited plans on what to do and God began moving.  

We spent the week mimicking the Dream Center's idea of "Adopt a block." We went door to door asking whoever opened up if they needed any food, cleaning supplies, household items, etc. One by one they told us what they were in need of.  We wrote down all that they mentioned and then asked if we could pray for them.  We prayed for Anthony's car to start.  We prayed that Crystal would be able to take care of her grandchild.  We prayed that Marvin would find some of his stuff that was stolen.  We prayed life over Paulette, Keith, Flava, Michael, Geraldine, Mel.  We prayed comfort over James and Cheryl who recently lost their dad and brother and whose mom has cancer. God continues to remind us that it has nothing to do with us or what we have to offer but with a willing heart, his glory will fall. Each time we entered the neighborhood, we had to fight through the fear of the possibilities. As we did, the Lord showed up and we walked away rejoicing in his power to move beyond any social, cultural, or 

stereotypical barriers.

At the end of the week, it was time to shop. We went to the store and bought groceries and supplies for nine homes. Everyone who requested groceries received ground beef and hamburger helper, spaghetti and sauce, rice and beans, oatmeal, bread and toilet paper. Those who also needed cleaning supplies got bleach, laundry and dish detergent,  pine-sol, and sponges. The bill came to $130 and it provided four meals for eight families as well as cleaning supplies for five. With a small amount of effort and and a small amount of funds, the Lord can do great things.  It really does not take much. We want to be able to make a deep impact on a few rather than just scratch the surface of many...so we are going to invest in these 11 or 12 houses. 

When we delivered the goods we were greeted in all kinds of ways. Some were surprised that we actually came back and many were rejoicing in the Lord. Anthony told of how his car started as soon as we left and that his sister was reunited with her son that she had given up for adoption...He gave all the glory to God. Paulette could barely get a word out because she was overwhelmed with praise over what the Lord has done. After praying over her earlier in the week, she received a phone call that her son had gotten out of jail. She clapped her hands, raised her arms, and jumped for joy repeating "the Lord works in mysterious ways!" She smothered us with hugs and smiles and we celebrated God's power together. Marvin greeted us with the genuine joy to just be able to share his heart with us, "his sisters in Christ." He shared with us about who he is in Christ. He said that people have always called him things like, "Captain Ugly" or "Mr. Burnt up." He said that to the world he may be poor, ugly, and weak, but he is complete in Christ. Even those passing by were drawn to the Spirit that was falling on that place. People were calling us the "Girls that came to help people." They were coming to us with prayer requests because they believed that for some reason, our God was answering. We promised our return as we parted ways and once again, marveled at the work of God.

Isaiah goes on to say....

"Then shall your light break forth like the dawn, and your healing shall spring up speedily; your righteousness shall go before you; the glory of the Lord shall be your rear guard. Then you shall call, and the Lord will answer; you shall cry, and he will say, 'Here I am.'"

In our weakness...He is strong. (Savannah, GA)

Sometimes it seems that God will show just enough of his character to bow us down before Him...and the more He reveals to us, the more we realize how much more there is to learn. We came on this journey expecting to blow into towns and flip it upside down with whatever words that the Lord would give us to say. Instead, we are finding ourselves sitting back, learning, and soaking in the grandness of God while automatically/consequently falling down more and more at the foot of the cross. 

We met a girl named Jill the other day.  She reminded us that when God says His “strength is made perfect” in our weakness, that He means it.  She said it is a dependent relationship between strength and weakness. God needs us to understand our smallness in order to make Himself big through us.  If we think we know it all already or if we think we are strong enough to win every battle already...God has no room to work.  He wants to blow up the United States with His name...but in order for us to be used in this battle, we need to duck and let him fight over us/for us.  God tells us to “Be still, and I will fight for you.” He tells Martha that “only one thing is necessary,” to sit at the feet of Jesus and listen to what He wants from us.  If we continually fight to do big things, just for the sake of saying “Big things happened in Savannah,” nothing eternal will grow. It is only God who makes big things happen, not us....because when we become strong in ourselves and in our own plans, God becomes weak in us. 

So...with that being said...we are learning an armpit load about what God is doing in Savannah, GA. There is a church named Savannah Christian with a guy named Paul on staff. Paul in kinda in charge of the local missions.  We talked with him for awhile about our heart and desire for the city and he sent us to some precious Hispanic pastors named Israel and Jose.  They are both leading up a ministry with the illegal immigrants in Savannah.  Paul told us that a lot people disagree with the ministry.  There are people who think that we need to stop taking care of the illegals, and send them back to where they came from.  Then Paul continued, “It is world wide missions right here in our front yard. They are going to be here no matter what. We might as well show them the love of Christ while we can.” (We put quotations around that like it was  verbatim but it may be a word or two off). If a man finds the Lord while here in the States, he will take his new life back to his country and share it with his people....thats global missions. 

When we pulled up to the small church, we saw about 20 guys playing soccer or sitting under a little canopy thingy.  We tried to talk to a couple of them and learned pretty quick that they do no speak much english. Israel told us that the foreigners use to wait outside of an old gas station for day jobs. They would drink all day, fight, and steal.  Then when somebody would pull up for a couple workers they would all pounce on the vehicle like animals trying to get in for some work.  The cops kicked them out of that area and this church took them in on their property.  At first Israel said it was a mess.  He said that the guys were just as chaotic on the church property as they were outside of that gas station.  Through the Lord’s provision, Israel and Jose fought hard to being order to the craziness. They now have a system for the men. They arrive early in the morning, sign up, and when the employers drive in Israel, assigns the workers according to skills and hours. The church provides muffins and coffee for breakfast and serves them lunch 6 days a week. The Lord has produced fruit in this ministry over the course of a year. By his Spirit, God has made soft the hearts of hard men and put in them an appreciation for those who are serving him faithfully. They now help with work around the church, clean up after meals, and many attend services on the weekends. Some have come to know Jesus as their savior and others are beginning to ask questions. The Holy Spirit no doubt has his hand in the ministry.

We are spending our days cooking lunch for the workers. We’re working along side of Pastor Jose and are learning a great deal about mexican cooking. We share meals and play soccer with the men but we struggle to communicate with them. We are praying that they can see the light that lives in us even though we cannot verbally share it with them.  We have found ourselves in a position that forces our reliance upon God. We are uncomfortable and awkward but confident in God's ability all at the same time. When it  comes to speaking spanish, we are weak...but when it comes to breaking barriers, God is strong.  We are dependent on Him.  So, we dare you to join us in prayer :) 

On the Road Again

Hello all!! Do forgive us for the lack of posts during the holidays. We made an unexpected trip back to Texas because Jenna's grandmother, Memaw, had heart surgery. After carotid artery surgery, quadruple bypass, and a valve replacement, the Lord has brought her through successfully. She is has recovered without complication and will be adding many more years to her 80 years of life.

We are now in Savannah, Georgia. We do not have any contacts here, but we are faithfully praying while we await God's vision for us in Savannah. Keep praying. We love you :)

Miami - Church on the Door Step

God has done it again....divine appointment.  We visited a church called Central Bible Sunday night where we were told that we needed to meet a man named Jeff Jennings.   The church was filled with people who approached us with such loving and welcoming spirits.  We left the building that night knowing that we wanted to go back as soon as the doors were opened again because of the abundant life that flooded the place.  

That Wednesday night we went to Starbucks to write up our previous blog post and a friendly smile opened the door for us.  He sat near us.  We blogged and creeped on him at the same time.  There was something Jesus-y about him. He was preparing a sermon for his youth students and after seeing our bibles, he sparked conversation.  Our creepy analysis was right. After finding out he was the man we were planning to meet (Jeff), we shared the story of Jesus calling us out and our mission to spread the Good News. Later that evening, Jeff took us out to eat sushi with his students and then handed us the keys to his office....pretty big step considering it was only our 5th hour of friendship. It has been another beautiful display of the body moving in stride with one another as God leads without hesitation.  Jeff and his wife have an incredible love for God and it is evident in their deep and fervent love for people.  They seek people out, find their needs, and meet them as quickly as they can. When their brothers or sisters are in need, they open both their hearts and their possessions. They love beyond word and talk, they love in deed. They demonstrate what Jesus meant when He said that true love is laying down our lives for the sake of our friends. (1 John 3:16-18).        

We met another family who was staying at the church the same night that we were.  We learned that we had a lot in common with them....both from Texas, living out of our vehicles, and answering the call God has placed on our lives. For the sake of privacy, we will call them the Gogetters. The Gogetters have an 18 year old in college and 2 kids that they homeschool...a  15 year old an a 10 year old. God has called the them to open a Dream Center in Miami (If you don’t know much or anything about Dream Center, check it www.miamidreamcenter.org). Their mission, “Find a need and fill it. Find a hurt and heal it” is exactly what the Gogetters have set out to do. After God confirmed Miami was the place they were suppose to be, they packed up, headed to Florida, and have been living by faith ever since. They are currently waiting on the doors to open for a facility for their ministry. They are funded but refuse to use their money on housing because it leaves so little for ministry. In order to continue their outreach, they have been living in their two vehicles for several months. 

They prayer walk the city throughout the week stirring up God’s Spirit for the present and the future. They bag up and disperse donated food throughout some of the struggling areas in Miami. On Saturdays, they do adopt-a-block. They walk door to door asking each family if they have any needs (food, clothing, prayer etc...). If the family allows, the Gogetters pray for the families right there.  When people ask, “Where is the dream center located?” The Gogetters respond, “Right here on your door step.”  The area, Liberty City, is a place that most people do not even consider stepping foot in. It is filled with drugs and violence.  Consequently, so many people, including members of the church, avoid even driving through the area. But not the Gogetters.  They walk straight into the chaos and knock on the doors.  Despite the struggle of not being “fully operational” due to not having a building, the Gogetters don’t compromise their duty as Christians.  It is a true example of being a church who literally and physically meets people where they are at.  Sometimes, the church is called to step outside of our expensive walls and go into the streets where people have needs that only God can meet.  Sometimes, we need to be like the Gogetters and bring the church to the world instead of telling the world to come to church. 

We went out on Friday night to South Beach to try to do some evangelizing (fancy Christian word for telling people about Jesus).  When we arrived we circled up and prayed.  We realized during the prayer that within our circle stood some Assembly of God, some Nondenominational, a Messianic Jew, and a couple of Baptist girls.  It was beautiful.  Though we differ in some details, one truth is the same..that is, Jesus Christ and Him crucified. 

Then it began. Walking up the party roads of South Beach.  Doing the most uncomfortable thing for us...passing out tracks.  It is so hard for us sometimes to understand the effectiveness of trying to explain the entire gospel by passing out index sized cards that ask, “Are you going to Heaven or Hell?”  We sat back and watched as Andreas (no idea how to spell his name) went at it.  He was passing out tracks left and right.  He says he is like a fisherman surrounded by so many potential catches.  Eventually, we decided to try it out....why not? So we split up.  We are more relational so we did not talk to 34987098 people like some did. Instead, we just spent a lot of time with a few. (We believe that God has gifted us all different...to be able to reach out to different types of people). Stacie got paired with a guy that we called Big Daddy (because that is what his sweater said). 

They prayed over a homeless lady as she was sleeping and then moved onto a few girls who were hanging out down the road a little.  They were all sipping a little but not quite drunk.  Big Daddy basically jumped right into things, asking them if they were saved. Which was so outside of what we are use to.  Eventually the conversation was just between Stacie and 4 of the girls. (Side note-they were not drunk and fully attentive).  After explaining to them who Jesus is and what salvation looks like (through the words of the holy spirit), two of the girls accepted Jesus as their Savior!!!  We believe these were authentic salvations.  We made sure that they knew what they were getting themselves into and explained to them what new life in Jesus looks like.  Afterwards, we walked some more and hung out with some coast guards.  Who told us about their salvation experiences back in Texas (at Sky Ranch).  They were no longer living the lifestyle that Christ wanted.  So we told them to be like the prodigal son, and go home...where mercy and grace await them.  They knew what they needed to do.        

The Lord has reminded us over and over again that He has his people everywhere.  Devoted Christ followers who are willing to go to the ends of the earth.  True Christians who nail their flesh to the cross daily for His name’s sake. People who love without expectation of anything in return.  Their love is uncontrollable because it is the overflow of Christ in them.  The God inside the Gogetters, Big Daddy, Andreas, Jeff, Angie, and the God inside of Central Bible Church is flooding into every crevice of Miami.  They are individually and corporately shouting through their God-given love that this Jesus thing is true.   

Ps. This is our dream van...

Florida- Confusion to Contentment.

We want yall to stay updated through the good times and the hard...Though we would love to post a story of victory and success...these last couple of weeks have definitely been on the harder side. Arriving in Florida has seemed to bring with it one shut door after another...

We have planned on buying a national park pass since we left Texas. It would be 80 dollars to stay at any national park for a year and through it we could take showers and cook food on our grill.  When we arrived in Naples, we found out that the only camping grounds for the everglades were located in homestead (though the entire tip of florida is practically the everglades).  So, we picked up and moved to Homestead.  When we arrived in Homestead, we tried to buy the national park pass only to learn that the pass only covers the entrance fee, not the 16 dollar a night camping fee.  Since the park nearest to Homestead did not have showers, we could not afford it.  So we continued to sleep in our van, waiting for the Lord to guide us.

We enjoyed a turkey dinner at Denny's and Jenna's mom so beautifully bought us a night's stay in a hotel for Thanksgiving night after 4 days of not showering. It was very much needed and so beautiful of her.  The next morning we woke up to learn Memaw, Jenna's grandmother, had been in turmoil over us through the night. She woke up in the early hours of the morning and was reminded of Luke 10...when your peace does not rest but returns to you, move on from that place.

That afternoon during our Jesus time we stumbled upon Proverbs 15:22. It says "Without counsel plans fail, but with many advisers they succeed." Proverbs 3:21-23 says "My son, do not lose sight of these-keep sound wisdom and discretion, and they will be life for your soul and adornment for your neck.  Then you will walk on your way securely, and your foot will not stumble." Throughout our lives the Lord uses people to tell us which way He desires us to walk. Scripture reveals over and over people who either followed the advise of the wise (in the Lord) or disobeyed it. Those who disobeyed it failed in their plans, just as the proverb says. The mixture of Memaw's advise, our lack of peace, and the discernment that the Lord has given us we knew it was time to move forward.

Next stop...Miami, Florida. We spent our first day in the city fasting, praying, and seeking God's guidance. Again, we were a bit overwhelmed with the lack of "success" until Monday night the Lord reminded us that He is the calm in the chaos and the peace in the storm. We began to take our eyes off of our circumstances and set our minds on whatever is true, noble, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent, and praiseworthy (Philippians 4:8).  Through the fruitful seasons and through the harsh seasons, we are called to "Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice..." (Philippians 4:4). We have experienced God move in diverse and great ways since we have began this journey. Now, we are at a place where He is telling us to "Be still, and know that I am God.." Psalm 46:10.

Easier said than done. We are both do-ers, on the go, hands to the plow kind of people with such an urgency to spread the love of Christ. We took that mentality and made ourselves miserable. We walked the streets, drove around, and stretched ourselves to frustration. On top of the spiritual confusion, we were physically exhausted due to continuous sweating and lack of showering. Out of desperation to be clean, we washed our hair in the McDonald's sink (the handicap stalls have their own sink and mirrors). For more efficiency, we took our van to the self service car wash and killed two birds with one stone. Cleaning the van wasn't one of them. We washed our bodies as well as the clothes we were wearing...nothing like a high pressure shower :)

After a week of filthiness and aggravation, we were reminded of the words of Paul, "I am not saying this because I am in need, for i have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through Him who gives me strength" Philippians 4:11-13.