Does God want you to write something down today?

Today I flipped over the sermon notes page from church and began answering questions. I don't always do this, but if a sermon is particularly compelling, I find I WANT to dive deeper. 

I get to question 4 and look up Romans 15:4, which says, 

"For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through endurance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope." 

My pastor's questions were: What does the verse say about finding encouragement? What simple, overlooked practice is required here? Will you take the action step and do it in order to enjoy endurance and encouragement.

I absolutely love how God works in my life. Earlier this week, I circle verse 3 in Proverbs 16, which says, 

"Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and your plans will succeed." 

As I read it, I was reflecting on two specific times in my life that I COMPLETELY surrendered to the Lord. 

1. When I quit my job at the State Journal-Register, which was barely allowing us to make ends meet in our new, huge, custom-built house. We took Financial Peace University at the same time, began tithing for the first time in our lives and just became like rag dolls in our faith. We relaxed and let God own it. Because we were out of options anyway. 

In six months, we paid down some debt, increased our expenses by tithing, created NO new debt and sold our house in the month when we thought we might actually have to put a mortgage payment on a credit card. 

I have to be very clear here. The math did NOT add up. We didn't even write a budget, because it was a bad, bad situation before I quit my job! The fact that we did what we did was only by the grace of God, a miracle that blessed our family immensely. 

2. When I accepted the Lord's call to go to Sierra Leone. I had just quit another job; we had a stack of medical debt after being debt free for a couple years; I would have to figure out how to pay for this trip and then travel alone.

I didn't ask why or resist, because the fact that this was God's will for me was made perfectly clear! 

It should be no surprise that He provided. By the time I wrote letters asking about 20 people to donate toward my trip, I had raised more than half before I asked anyone to give! By the time I went before my church's mission committee to seek a contribution toward the expenses, the trip was covered. By the time I returned, I had more donations to cover the cost of three vinyl banners and 1,000 brochures for my missionary friends. 

So, what does this have to do with the scripture in Romans and in Proverbs?

Write it down. When God provides for you, write it down so you will remember. As you go through tests, twists and turns in life later, your own written testimony — in addition to God's word, like Proverbs 16:3 — will encourage you. 

Friends, I'm going through another trial. And for the first time since high school, my stress level is through the roof. Yet, I know better. 

God has given me the gift of encouragement, and I KNOW through past experience that He will indeed provide! I'm delighted that this week He made it clear that I need to remember those instances to draw on His encouragement!

Later in Proverbs 16, verse 9, it says

"In his heart a man plans his course, but the Lord determines his steps." 

In this season of my life, starting Mighty Strong Girls, I KNOW what He would have me to do. The destination is clearly marked so I know what I'm shooting for. God has given me a clear vision.

In my human tendencies, there are days I just want to arrive. I'm frustrated by what feels like spinning wheels, financial woes and shackled plans. But there is no end point for God's work. When we arrive at one destination, He creates another. My steps are truly each determined by Him and in sync with His will. And He is wiser than I am! 

I have to be ready to take each next step, focusing only on it and through Him and His provision, to reach the ultimate goal. In this manner, He keeps me close through prayer, and reliant on Him! It feels good to know He loves me so much that He wants to keep in constant contact with me! Have you ever noticed, where there's love, there's obedience — even when there's not a full understanding — so that we can keep our faithfulness?

What's your story? Write it down, even if it's only for you, to encourage you when you're in life's trenches that His provision will come in His time! Or, pray about whether God wants you to share your story as a testimony of encouragement for others! It makes such a huge difference when you can be fueled by encouragement instead of slowed down by discouragement! 

Merry Christmas from our family to yours!

Dear friends and family: 

'Tis the season for madness. I'm not talking about long lines, busy schedules or unhealthy eating. It's that time of year when we make Ryker get in family photos with the rest of us. For most families, it gets easier to take family photos the older the kids get. That theory does not hold true in the Denney house, where a photographer's child just cannot get his act together for a photo shoot that could take 20 minutes. With Ryker, it lasts half the day. And if we're lucky, we get ONE good shot. 

This year, we nearly missed Abby's musical rehearsal and didn't get all the poses mom wanted and had to eat lunch in the car. But we decided to go with the flow and do something different and Abby-inspired .... because the memory isn't really in the "perfect" photo anyway. The memory is in the experience and all the outtakes that come with the perfect shot. 

Enjoy our 2012 digital (and "green" and might I note...on time!) Christmas cards by clicking on the gray link below, and if you have the time, read the letter posted below!  

2012 Christmas


     2012. 
     No ordinary year. 
     Reeling from a serious bout of pneumonia turned into potentially deadly sepsis, Dan was still off work and recouperating in January. As the high doses of steroids wore off, his back condition -- a herniated disc -- was suddenly at its worst! It had not quite been six months since he'd had three rounds of high-dose steroid injections in his spine. Still, he ended up getting three more. 
     As the demands of raising children and balancing a household became apparent, Amy stepped away from the first 9-5 full-time job she'd had in nine years and only managed to keep for seven months! Then she went on a short-term trip to Africa to get stories and photos and build a website and blog for missionary friends, Rick and Paula Miller. Check it out at lifegateinafrica.org. Dan and Amy are praying about a planned trip to Sierra Leone in December 2013. If you are interested in construction, journalism or orphans, start praying about joining us! 
     Dan took a short-term trip to Ukraine in August, and about the same time, Amy officially formed Mighty Strong Girls, a non-profit to battle the downward spiral of negative self image in girls. She is officially a missionary and working to raise up supporters for this new ministry. 
     Keeping us busiest of all are the kids! Baseball and softball in the spring. A fun two-week session of drama camp in the summer. Ryker emerged as a great leader on his football team this fall. They lost twice as many games as they won, but they were so fun to watch! They battled back to win an exciting bowl game, and as soon as football ended, basketball began. Abby auditioned for the 9-year-old lead in "White Christmas" at a local theater. She didn't get the part, but she landed on the children's choir. She's singing and dancing in three numbers, with opening night set for well, tonight! We'll be busy with that the next three weekends, and both kids are ready to audition for another musical. They keep us chasing our tails, but it also prevents us all from getting into any trouble! 
     The orphan we support in Sierra Leone apparently wasn't immune to the family drama. He got a nasty case of malaria that threatened his brain and landed in the hospital. Not the kind of hospital we might want our children to go to. He was in a small dirt-floor room with no window or door coverings for IV  medicines and other treatments for several days. But James, who is 9, pulled through and we got to see photos of him smiling in front of his orphanage after he recovered. Praise God for so many answered prayers! 
     Dan was elected elder at our church this fall and is looking forward to serving as a leader at Athens Christian Church once again. 
     We can't thank you, our precious family and friends, enough for your prayers in the last 12 months. They have been the most emotional and challenging months of our married life, draining us financially and emotionally. And yet, this time has left us feeling nothing but blessed. We were filled up with the Holy Spirit, thanks to you! I'm literally moved to tears thinking about how you prayed us through each and every encounter -- good or bad -- we experienced in this last calendar year and gave us your support through any means you have available. God has been so, so good to us, and we are far from spiritually drained. He has filled up our tanks, given us more hope and grace than we deserve, and inspired us with visions of how we can use our gifts to serve Him in 2013. We are ready for anything and looking forward to all of it! 
     May God bless you abundantly in the coming days, weeks and months! 
     Much love,
     Dan, Amy, Abby & Ryker Denney

P.S. The kids think it's pretty funny how easily I made this face! Watch the video for more funny faces! :-) 

Jehovah-jireh

This is like one of Dan's favorite things to say. It means "the Lord will provide." He picked it up after our first mission trip to Mexico, after noticing how all situations -- no matter how seemingly hopeless -- seemed to be worked out in God's favor and for his glory. 


And so it seems fitting and appropriate that days after I asked for prayers for Dan's passport and for our personal finances as both relate to his upcoming mission trip to the Ukraine, God heard our prayers. By several "venues," we realized we will have EXACTLY what we will need to replace Dan's income for the 15-day trip. We learned that and then discovered two days later that his passport is in the mail on the way to us. Praise God! Jehovah-jireh! (As a side note, we finally got the payment plan we were seeking with a healthcare provider, too, which helped further put us at ease!)


I cannot thank you enough for blanketing these issues in prayer! I was so elated at how God blessed us and showed us so quickly that he was working things out -- not for our benefit, but for his. We serve a mighty God! A God who is revealing and unraveling his calling on my life right now -- plans I will share later this week! Please be sure to check back and see the awesome plans he has in store for me next. And no, I'm not going back to Africa....yet anyway! 

Praise God for my husband and his heart for missions!

One of the "things" that was holding me back when God called me to Africa this spring was that Dan had JUST decided to go to the Ukraine on a summer mission trip with Athens Christian Church.


He went to the informational meeting. And what my heart (selfishly) desired was that he would come back and announce that we were both going to the Ukraine. We were eager to get back into short-term missions! 


However, the trip would be very task-oriented. Very manual labor task-oriented. I am a weak assistant for my project-loving husband when it comes to moving simple furniture. This was NOT the trip for me! They would be digging a cellar, moving or building (I'm fuzzy on the boring construction-related details!) a wall and putting in a ceramic tile floor. All very appropriate and fitting tasks for Dan. It was like the trip description was written with him in mind. No orphans to photograph. No stories to collect. Not even a VBS to plan. 


And so when I was called to Africa and then finally admitted to myself that the trip was a good fit for me and would definitely fulfill a need for Rick and Paula, I still hesitated. Because of finances. Because Dan already committed to this trip; he was emotionally tied in and eager to go! I didn't want to destroy that, and two big, expensive trips for each of us in one year seemed unlikely. Especially since I'd just left my job and we were -- for the first time ever -- a one-income family. 


But God indeed provided the first time around, and I have complete and total faith that he will again. Despite Dan not getting "paid time off" with his job. Despite the frustratingly slow trickle of work I'm getting. Despite the fact that we're still waiting on his passport (a long story I PRAY I won't have to blog about!)


Just today, a family member handed us a check for $175 to "feed the kids" while he's gone. How awesome is that?!? 


Dan will go to the Ukraine with a pastor from ACC and two other construction worker types. They have a long list to accomplish, not a lot of resources where they're going and a small crew. 


Will you pray that God will provide in mighty ways for them? That he would allow them to complete projects in a way and pace they hadn't imagined? And that they would all grow in a brotherhood of faith with a spiritual renewal that fills them up? 


These short-term commitments are scary for us -- not because we're afraid of the work or the place we're going or the things we're doing. Financially they have ALWAYS been hard to plan for because we don't get "paid days off." So even if we raise enough money to cover the cost of the trip itself, the bills still come even though the paycheck doesn't! Will you also pray that Dan's trip doesn't financially set us back? Pray his employer would see the good in it and pay for his time off, or even better that he would reach someone back home for Christ through his actions! 


In the past, we've always planned ahead for trips like this. Lately, we're living on faith and it's the hardest thing I've ever had to do! 


But it's a choice we made when we agreed to be obedient to God's will for our lives. After we noticed this one disturbing trend: In the six months I was working full time, making more money than ever, we weren't doing ANYTHING at all mission related. We weren't even financially contributing to any causes, despite all that extra income. Then Dan got sick. And I became miserable in my job. God made us aware that we'd turned our back on something that used to be our passion. 


If we want to take a vacation (we've taken three week-long vacations in our 12 years of marriage), we have to work more or save more. Or, we can work more or save more for a LIFE-CHANGING experience. 


Dan has never complained. Never grumbled that he doesn't get to relax on the beach or jet set somewhere exotic. If it comes down to a choice, he WANTS the mission trip. Spiritually, emotionally, mentally (maybe not physically!), he comes back more refreshed and renewed. So it's a no-brainer for him. And, while I'm more likely than he is to want an exotic vacation, I must admit if I had to choose one or the other for the remainder of my life, I would go on mission trips. They really are that great!


Today I want to praise God for Dan. For the awesome servant I married who is such a courageous husband and dad. For a man, who despite major physical pain and challenges in the last two years, isn't afraid to push forward, to travel halfway around the world to a remote village in the Ukraine and be the hands and feet and mouth of God! 





I almost forgot...praise God (I think!) for a husband who isn't too proud to buck cultural norms and put on a skirt when the mountains are colder than he expected on our first mission trip to Mexico. Yes, he really did this, and the Mexicans asked that he never return. No, I'm kidding. We have no idea what they said. We don't speak Spanish. But I'm thinking one of those beautiful African patterns would look lovely on him. I wonder what the Africans would say! 

How can you live a life that matters?

God undoubtedly called me to a trip to Africa. It was eerie, because it was so clear and distinct. And it caused me to fear God, as we all should in a healthy sort of way. Not obeying suddenly was more scary to me than obeying -- despite the fact that I would operate outside my comfort zone to further his will for me. 


The comment I heard most often was "You're faith is so strong." Or, "I don't think I could do that."


Oddly enough, those are similar to words I said the first several times I met and talked to Paula Miller, the very missionary I visited and assisted in Africa this past April. Her response resonates so deeply with me now, and was confirmed at a recent sermon at my church preached from Deuteronomy 28. A summary -- obedience is blessed; disobedience is cursed. 


Another comment I got was, "God's never spoken to me like that." 


I believe God talks to all of us; sometimes we simply aren't actively listening. His word itself gives us the directions we need to be obedient. 


Still, it's clear that everyone can't obey every single command of Jesus' in the same way. Not everyone is called to do the SAME thing, or to sell everything they own, but we are ALL called. I love this video and what it reminds me about obedience and how being obedient doesn't always necessarily mean an audible voice of God. Sometimes it's just doing what we know in our heart to be right because he told us it is.


You can check out the video HERE.


Is his written word (instruction manual) enough for us? Or is this where we create "holes" in the Gospel? I have absolutely cut out holes in my Gospel. I've repented, and now I crave the opportunities and abilities to fulfill his word. 


If you're interested in EXACTLY how God wants to use us to help around the world or in our own backyards, check out these specific scriptures at World Vision's Web site HERE. Read them, meditate on them, pray about them, incorporate them in your life in a way that makes sense and has an impact! I can't wait to get started! Can you?

Hanging out in the waiting room

Romans 5:3-5 (The Message)
There's more to come: We continue to shout our praise even when we're hemmed in with troubles, because we know how troubles can develop passionate patience in us, and how that patience in turn forges the tempered steel of virtue, keeping us alert for whatever God will do next. In alert expectancy such as this, we're never left feeling shortchanged. Quite the contrary—we can't round up enough containers to hold everything God generously pours into our lives through the Holy Spirit!


Have you ever arrived for a doctor appointment only to find the waiting room brimming with people and illness? Naturally it's a day when your to-do list is longer than your weekly grocery list. And you can just feel your teeth gritting and grinding in frustration and annoyance as you sit and stew for minutes, then an hour and you haven't even been called back yet. "What the...."





What if you instead turned your entire perspective around. You walk in and excitedly realize you might get a whole hour -- to pray, read your Bible, meditate. What a gift from God that you can set everything aside and focus on him and what really matters most. Passionately patient!


Right now, I'm in one of life's waiting rooms. God called me to leave my full-time job with nothing lined up to replace lost income and help pay our mounting medical debts. Then he called me to go to Africa without even a dollar to finance my own trip. Why would he do this? Why am I still sitting here jobless? 


It would be easy to complain, and don't get me wrong -- I have bad days and get stressed! But God has already shown me he will provide. He DID provide -- every last penny for my mission trip. And while we're not making much headway on medical bills, I was just able to pay all our bills in the third month of me being unemployed with a few odd jobs here and there. 


This, how ever ridiculous it may sound, is my choosing. Yes, I COULD get a job. I am perfectly capable. But when I prayed in January that I would surrender myself to God's will, I made a commitment that I would have faith and let him worry about the details. Sound nuts? We're such control freaks about our lives that it is very, very difficult to walk where he leads! Well, he very clearly led me to Africa and then worked out every last detail. What a faith strengthening exercise that was!


So I'm back in the waiting room, reminding myself not to get frustrated. God has called me again, and I am working toward obedience. Can I follow him in faith without losing hope? Can I shout my praises in worship while hemmed with troubles? I think I MUST, because I promised and he's never let me down yet. And he has a promise, too...that he will show me what to do if I am alert (which is hard to do when I'm annoyed and frustrated!), that I will become virtuous in my waiting, that I will not feel shortchanged and that he will pour generously into my life through the Holy Spirit. 


Wow. Making a choice about how I view my waiting room seems quite easy in light of this! I will wait, excitedly, for him to keep his promises to me!

Angry and sad and confusing....oh my!

Warning: This post is harsh, but it gets better. So please in the name of all that's decent and right in this world, stick with it, love me in my unlovable state and read it all the way through!


Lately I've been sad a lot. God's really breaking my heart for the things that break his. And it's, well, really truly heart-breaking in ways I never knew I could be be heartbroken. 


For instance, I couldn't listen to an NPR story on chronic acute malnutrition in a Yemen village this morning without bawling. 


Maybe because I've seen it...face-to-face. And "it" has a name. Lots of names. Sadly I didn't even get this woman's name, because I had to walk away. I could not muster a single word, and I was "working" lest I cry right then and there! She has given birth to eight children. Three of them are currently walking the earth. She has named and then said good-bye to five of her own, burying them in the ground before they had a chance to grow up. And here's the thing: It's not a fluke. This is one of many, many sobering realities for the poorest on our planet. Did she do something to deserve this life? Just try to look one of them in the eyes and ever say or think it. The reality is THIS COULD BE YOU. The only difference between this woman and me is the place we were born. 

I've also been angry lately. Oh, so angry. At God somewhat for the state of our world, for not giving me more resources to help the heartbroken. But mostly at other people. With their new cars, vacations, ridiculous "toys," weekly mani/pedis, rituals that involve their hair. You get the point. I'm angry at how it seems people take things for granted. I am angry at the reality that a mom in Africa is forced to wait a week to take her dying child to see a doctor because she doesn't have $1 -- the amount it takes to get a cab and get there.


Did you know that Americans spend $31 billion on their pets every year, $13 billion on plastic surgery, $65 billion on jewelry and an astounding $705 billion on entertainment and recreation? 


Did you know if every American church-goer tithed, there would be an extra $168 billion? To eliminate the most extreme poverty on the planet for more than a billion people, it would require 40 percent of that -- $65 billion. 


These numbers -- presented in "The Hole in Our Gospel" -- kind of make me more sad. 



I am angry, too, because the place where I come from -- my upbringing, my world -- put such a high value on "things," more stuff and achievement that is tied to a dollar figure. I watch as people I love look down their noses at their own family members who can't "afford" a car or boat or RV (loan) and snub their own blood, blaming them for not being successful enough to pay their own way. 


Then I wonder where my parents would have been without the occasional handout from my grandparents or where we would be without my parents helping out. Certainly we wouldn't have paid off all our debt without the occasional shoes, back-to-school clothes and food that my own and my husband's parents have aided us with over the years. And without their help, how could we possibly leave a legacy for our own children. How can we teach them what money means if we aren't showing them? 


1 Timothy 6:17-19 says "Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share. In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they make take hold of life that is truly life."


I love the way Richard Stearns also describes the parable Jesus tells in Matthew 25:14. The master gives to each "according to his ability," but what he expects is that we multiply our gifts for his kingdom. I want my kids to know: It all comes from God; we are not entitled to it but entrusted with it and we are to use it to further his kingdom. 


God talks to us more about money than most any other subject. He WANTS us to have wisdom in this matter. This I know well, but I'm reading along thinking of all the people I know who could do so much to further God's kingdom, to end pain and suffering, to feed the poor, to help a woman in Africa watch her children grow past age 5 or get a cab to see a doctor. I was literally getting mad at what the people in my life are NOT doing. Can you imagine my indignation and self-righteousness? 


Then I read on in Stearns' book last night to discover that 87 percent of non-churchgoers view Christians as judgmental, 85 percent view Christians as hypocritical, 70 percent view us as insensitive to others and 72 percent believe we are out of touch with reality. 


Yikes. Was he writing that for me? 


And so I MUST turn the table if I am to call myself a Christian. I must get that darned plank out of my eye. Because to be Christian is to be Christ-like. And besides loving ALL people, Christ was forgiving, revolutionary, truthful, radical and genuine. 


There it is. MUCH WORK is to be done in me. Who am I to be sad or angry and then judgmental when I'm sitting here among the 1 percent of the world's wealthiest people? And then, to make matters worse, look at that scripture in Timothy again. He is calling out the "rich," and while I may not feel rich in my society, the reality is I AM rich, and there's no dollar amount on the call to action here: Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share. The time for action is NOW. 


The church doesn't exist within the four walls where I worship every Sunday. And I love this quote in Stearns' book, too, by Billy Sunday: "Going to church doesn't make you a Christian any more than standing in a garage makes you a car."


Will you take this challenge with me, Christian sisters and brothers? Will you take the church to the people? Will you help be the hands, feet and mouth of Jesus? Will you be radical and revolutionary with me? 


Look at the woman above again. She's beautiful, isn't she? She's happy (probably more so than most Americans) and she has faith in a great God who can perform miracles. Brother and sister, WE are her miracle! She is praying for us, for us to be the hands and feet. 


God gave us all the tools and resources to change the world. We have all we need to end poverty. But until we join forces in faith, we can never create the church that God envisioned!

Breastfeeding in military uniform: Really? Who cares?

I recently blogged about the Time magazine cover on breastfeeding, and then linked to the story about these military moms nursing on Facebook. 


But I just can't get the story out of my head. Because there's more I want to say. Because darn it, my opinion and our attention shouldn't be on breastfeeding. It shouldn't be focused on a "controversial" military policy. My innermost desire is that we would hone in on basic human rights. That we would be aware. That we would drop petty opinions in lieu of "bigger issues" on our globe that should DEMAND our attention. And yet time after time, we turn a blind eye on what really matters and get fired up over some of the most ridiculous so-called problems in the world.  


Yes, breastfeeding is wonderful. I think it's the best way to feed babies. For some moms, it's the only way. Breasts have been over-sexualized, in my opinion, in America, to the point of ridiculousness. But like I said, it's not about breastfeeding. 


Yes, the military has a policy. And yes, these gals have disregarded it. Does it mean they disrespect their country? For God's sake, of course not! That's a huge leap! If they did, would they be serving in the military? Personally, I would not violate a dress code. Because to me, a job is a job, and if they can't provide me basic privileges to nurse or pump as a human being, it's simply not worth working for that employer. I'm a quitter, not a policy fighter. Never have been. But for the sake of argument, maybe these moms found the dress policy to be reasonable when they signed up for the military and then discovered how impractical and inconvenient it was once they were nursing. God knows my perspective on a lot of things changed once I became a mom. Should we assume they have no respect for the Air Force or their country because they nurse their babies in uniform? Because they seem to be fighting a policy that -- whether proven true or not -- they believe inherently discriminates against women? Should we encourage or participate in berating them? Really? Seek first the plank in your own eye before going after the speck in your sister's! I certainly couldn't throw the first stone, lest someone pick up a stone and examine my sinful life!


This also seems like another "excuse" to question whether women should even be in the military, not that I would ever want to fight side-by-side with men in combat. But today a woman can choose to, and the truth is the gender of a pilot dropping bombs on another country is hardly consequential, is it? The fact is they are there because they want to be there, and that policy was more than likely written before breastfeeding moms were allowed to serve in the military. Sometimes policies need to be changed and updated based on new circumstances. Period. 


But I also said it's not about military policy. 


Because the truth is eating is a basic human right. And to deny a baby the opportunity to eat because of a dress code is deplorable, especially as mothers in developing countries give birth and then cannot even produce breast milk because of malnutrition. Honestly, they and their babies are dying. Right now. One reason among many that are completely preventable: Starvation. So pardon me if I suggest that we divert our attention from this so-called controversy and look toward one worthy of our attention.


Here's a glimpse of what I mean by "bigger issues:"


Each year in Africa, 30 million women become pregnant, and 18 million give birth at home without skilled care.

Each day in Africa:
• 700 women die of pregnancy-related causes.
• 3,100 newborns die, and another 2,400 are stillborn.
• 9,600 children, after their first month of life and before their fifth birthday, die.


This is according to Opportunities for African Newborns, a publication developed by a partnership of UN agencies, donors, NGOs, professional organisations and individuals to be useful for all those who are committed to accelerating progress to save the lives of African mothers, newborns, and children.

"At least two thirds of newborns and a similar proportion of mothers and children could be saved with cost-effective interventions that already exist in the policies of most countries, but do not reach the poor," said Dr. Gertrude I. Mongella, President, Pan African Parliament, African Union. "Strengthening newborn health is a win-win-win for mothers, babies, and children. The price is affordable at an extra US$1.39 per person. Imagine if all the funds used for destruction and conflict in Africa were redirected to the health and survival of newborns."


Do we have enough people in our very country with $1.39 they could spare to save a life? That's a bigger issue.


Let's focus our energy on partnerships for a better world for babies who didn't choose the circumstances they were born into, not silly bickering over controversial breastfeeding images and whether or not someone's violation of a dress code makes them somehow less than human! 

A malnourished boy eagerly eating a meal of rice in Africa.

My sincerest thank you to you all!!

I just don't know how to do it. To adequately thank everyone. Some of you prayed. Some gave money. Some gave encouragement. Some gave advice. Some gave love. 


But only some got thank you notes. I FINALLY finished up my notes, though not all have been delivered. This is a big step, if you know me!


Ryker thought I should send one to everyone who prayed for my trip to Africa. I didn't even know how to begin to tackle that list. So I mailed out or handed out notes and prints to those who financially supported my trip. However, I want to say that while these people made it possible for me to pay the bills, my trip simply could not have been accomplished without the prayers. Or the encouragement. Or the love. Or the advice. 


You were all such a critical part of this very important project in my life, and for that I thank you. From the bottom of my heart. I'm not sure what that expression means. But it sounds like a deep gratitude. And that's certainly what I feel for all of you. 


Here are some of my favorite images from Africa that I gifted to some of you. Please follow the blog with stories from Sierra Leone at lifegateinafrica.org to get the full story on these photos and the people in them plus much more! 

{Much love}
Amy

African kids are so ... awesome!

Brigette Village is a fishing community, so the beach is often where the action is and we spent a fair amount of time camped out there. I took photos from lots of angles above and then walked down to get some shots and stories of the men fishing, mending nets and selling their catches to the women who were waiting on the beach for the boats to come in. All the while, there were others there selling and working. I got so caught up in the beautiful, busy scene, I didn't notice I was the only woman on the beach without a scarf on my head. Rick got scolded by a man and brought me a scarf. Not wanting to pause for a break, I simply threw it on my head and continued. But there's quite a breeze on the beach, and it wouldn't stay put. All the women have their scarves tied in different ways, creating fashion statements with beautiful material. I figured it couldn't be too hard to tie it up and make it stay put. But I was wrong! I handed Rick my camera and fumbled through trying to tie the scarf, getting nowhere fast. A group of children following me (they follow white people everywhere!) included a couple giggling girls. So, I looked at them and asked if they could do it for me. I wasn't sure they would understand (few speak English), but I bent down and they fixed me right up in about 15 seconds. :-) 

The next day, we visited a neighboring village and used a high school classroom to hear testimonies. I stepped outside to take photos and interview some of the adult church members. And low and behold, the children all came running out of the school to see what the white people were doing. I kind of felt like a rock star. 

And just look at their precious faces!

While we were waiting for our ride, we all thought Paula might disappear in the sea of children. The pastors tried persuading them back to their classrooms, but like most children, they didn't want to miss any of the excitement going on in the village!

Smiles in Africa

Everywhere I went, children yelled, "Snap me!" Nobody seemed afraid or hesitant to have their photograph taken. 

But while many children would grin from ear-to-ear when a camera turned toward them, adults had a way of shutting off any happy expressions. Nearly every grownup I photographed had to be urged to smile with their teeth. And I have to say, the urging was nearly necessary, because how much more personality do you see behind the toothy grins? Special thanks to Rick Miller and Pastor 'Professor' 'Doctor' Justus for helping get some authentic smiles....totally worth it!

I'm back!

I will have plenty to write about my first trip to Africa. But I really want to spend some time in prayer about it so that I choose the right words and fulfill God's purpose. 


First, though, I want to thank all of you for holding me in your prayers! I was VERY nervous about navigating the airports alone. My flight into London arrived an hour early. I laid on a bench and slept for three hours, waking up to find out my outgoing flight to Freetown was delayed by four hours! It was a long day in Heathrow, but God heard your prayers and found a few angels who looked after me. One man I met in Heathrow ended up in line in front of me at the very chaotic scene at the airport in Sierra Leone. He took my passport and told all the officials we were traveling together, moving me swiftly through the tight crowd. He had grown up in Freetown but moved away 20 years ago and was very comfortable with the circumstances that were quite foreign and intimidating to me at first glance. What a God-send he was! On the way back, I made the much tighter schedule of connecting flights so that I got home right on time to see my babies! I encountered absolutely no problems in the airports. Praise God! 


And the conditions at the Guest House were much better than I anticipated. And I ate locally prepared food in the villages, and did not get even the slightest bit sick. But best of all, I videotaped and photographed dozens of local people who were eager to share their stories about the impact Rick and Paula Miller's ministries are making in their lives. We were very fruitful in crossing every single "to-do" off of our list, even despite a few hiccups. Thank you so much for praying for me. Thank you, God! 


I'll post at least one image for now, with many more to come. This is a group of siblings in Brigette Village. The moms all carry babies slung tightly in fabric across their backs. Here, big sis is taking care of the baby just like a mom would. All the kids in the village look out for one another. 

I will be a hummingbird, God!

A friend and former co-worker of mine read my blog about how God had called me to go to Africa, and it reminded her of this song, "I Refuse." She is a missionary. A full-time medical worker who uses much of her paid personal time off to help children in Haiti. She goes more than once a year. I admire her, among so many others. 


Not everyone can go, it's true. But as I followed through with obedience on this call in my life right now, I was reminded by a speaker at a conference that the body of Christ is composed of many parts. I can be his eyes, but thanks to many financial supporters of my trip, I have feet to get me there. And with prayer support, I have hands. I may be physically going alone, but I'm accomplishing nothing alone. I initially tried to say NO to this trip because I didn't have the funds. That's not what God wanted. He pursued until I said yes, still without the finances. And then they came. I must humble myself to be reminded it's not about me; it's simply me letting God use me to accomplish his will in a much bigger story. He pulled at my heartstrings and showed me the cost of saying No. This week, I will be a hummingbird. Consider this video and the song lyrics to "I Refuse." 

I Refuse lyrics
Songwriters: Benjamin Glover;Joshua David Wilson

Sometimes I
I just want to close my eyes
And act like everyone's alright
When I know they're not

This world needs God
But it's easier to stand and watch
I could say a prayer and just move on
Like nothing's wrong

But I refuse
'Cause I don't want to live like I don't care
I don't want to say another empty prayer
Oh, I refuse

To sit around and wait for someone else
To do what God has called me to do myself
Oh, I could choose
Not to move but I refuse

I can hear the least of these
Crying out so desperately
And I know we are the hands and feet
Of You, oh God

So, if You say move
It's time for me to follow through
And do what I was made to do
Show them who You are

'Cause I don't want to live like I don't care
I don't want to say another empty prayer
Oh, I refuse

To sit around and wait for someone else
To do what God has called me to do myself
Oh, I could choose
Not to move but I refuse

To stand and watch the weary and lost
Cry out for help
I refuse to turn my back
And try and act like all is well

I refuse to stay unchanged
To wait another day, to die to myself
I refuse to make one more excuse

'Cause I don't want to live like I don't care
I don't want to say another empty prayer
Oh, I refuse

To sit around and wait for someone else
To do what God has called me to do myself
Oh, I could choose
Not to move but I refuse

I refuse
I refuse

PEACE

And so it hits...the feeling of being overwhelmed. Lots to do. Things to cross off my list. Buy. Prepare. Appointments to schedule. Bills to pay. Groceries to stock up on. And the list rolls on and on. In my head. At 3 a.m. Monday. 


Typical -- at least for me -- is the anxiety that comes with the preparation for something big. In this case, it's leaving my family for nine days to travel -- alone -- to Sierra Leone. And for me, anxiety usually attacks at night. I had a big case of it on Sunday night. I could not fall asleep, and then I woke up in the same trap of mentally going over my list. 


Don't get me wrong. It's a big list. With important tasks. Yet I decided instead of tackling it Monday morning I would...leave my house. Leave town. Leave it behind. 


I packed my bike, my Bible and a small notebook into my Jeep along with my kids on Monday morning. I dropped the kids off at school and headed to a nearby bike path. 


Before I set off, I sat in the driver's seat and thought about what scripture I would read. I could pick up where our family last left off in our Bible reading plan. I really wanted to dig into some Proverbs. They're always so encouraging, and I could definitely use some wisdom and guidance. 


But my fingers gravitated elsewhere. They headed for Philippians, chapter four. I love Paul's letters, especially the short ones that are jam-packed with gospel truths, advice and encouragement. 


I rode five miles to a pond where I could settle in for some solitude, albeit to the sound of interstate traffic, and meditate on Paul's words. 


It was soul food for me at this moment. Because the anxiety I felt Sunday night didn't compare to the worry that overwhelmed me when I read my email after dropping off the kids at school. 


Let me back up. One of the necessities required for my upcoming travels is a Visa. To get that, I needed my travel itinerary and a yellow fever vaccine (I couldn't travel until 10 days after getting it). Once I had that, I began communicating with a travel agent. We picked some dates, and then I spent the next 3 days trying to reach my sister in Germany and change the date so I could spend a day with her and my brother-in-law who -- it turns out -- would be in London during my layover. It wasn't a long enough layover and they were leaving about the same time, but I figured the timing of this must be from God. So I went to business trying to rearrange the date of arrival in London. That killed several days. (And didn't work...the price was $600 more for 24 hours with my sister. Boo.)


I was waiting to apply for my Visa until I booked the flight. In my haste, it didn't occur to me that the arrival date in Sierra Leone wouldn't change, only London. By the time I finally contacted the Embassy of Sierra Leone, I discovered I would have to MAIL my passport to Washington D.C. It was now 10 days before my trip. This was the email I read right after I dropped off the kids Monday morning. A call to my husband didn't ease my worries. He seemed as freaked out as me, and so I decided that God definitely was sending me on this journey so I could "give it to him." 


As I settled down to find calm and comfort in Philippians, I came to one of my favorites, verse 6: "Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving present your requests to God."


Wow. Don't be anxious about ANYTHING. Okay. I definitely didn't like the feeling that was overwhelming me this morning. My acid reflux was a reflection of how severe the toll of stress was! I wanted, no I craved this reassurance. Praise God for it!


But my mind also settled on the word THANKSGIVING. In all my worry, how quick I was to forget how easily God brought me to this very moment. Everything had come together. He had shown me, quite clearly, this was his will. Not that I had quickly accepted the call, but he had reassured me all during March and early April that I am to do this. The constant reassurance came in so many forms and through so many people, and yet I had not expressed my gratitude to God! I had a lot to be thankful for! 


Moving to verse 7, Paul says if we come to God with prayer, leaving anxiety behind, we get a reward: "And the peace of God which transcends understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus." Further down in verse 9, "Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me -- put into practice. And the God of peace will be with you."


Paraphrasing verses 11 through 13, Paul says he's learned to be content, that he's actually learned the SECRET to contentment in ALL circumstances, whether "well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want," which is "I can do all this through him who gives me strength." I used to visualize Jesus giving me strength in sickness or difficult days of mommyhood, but after attending a Fellowship of Christian Athletes conference and listening to a Christian NFL quarterback whose name escapes me at the moment (Dan would be disgusted! LOL!), I have  new perspective. He said Paul's secret to contentment came when he realized that if everything he treasured in life was stripped away, having Christ would still be enough. Because the only thing with absolute certainty is Jesus. We WILL face trials and challenges. Everyone's will be different. The question is, do we worship those things and people that could be taken from us so much so that if they are, when they are, we will be bitter, angry at God and discontent? Or will Jesus be enough in all our circumstances? The secret to being content, to being at peace, is to know that Jesus is always sufficient. Easy to say; harder to put into practice! (Makes me think of "It is Well with My Soul" hymn-writer Horatio Spafford, who exemplifies this much like Job!)


As I wrapped up this precious time alone with God, I wrote down one more verse from chapter four, verse 19: "And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus." 


These are Paul's words after scribbling notes of thanks for all the gifts his supporters had sent him. That resonated with me, as a big portion of my trip is already funded because of those people around me who wanted to support this both in prayer and financially, and I treasure them as I do Paul's promise that my God will come through. 


Then I wrote in all capital letters: PEACE and CONTENTMENT. It was really what I needed in this moment, in this day. I needed it as an ailment for my anxiety but also as a secret weapon for what's to come. Without it, I would have been a wreck later that day as the well-meaning postal worker rattled off all the reasons I shouldn't go to Sierra Leone and that I had left myself a tight time frame to get my Visa with the wiggle room of...one day! I pray it also comes in handy to help me find rest and revival on my flights and calm confidence during the nerve-wracking airport navigation portions of my trip. 


Actually, I know it will. Because of God's promise. And he reassured me once again as I encountered these words: 

From my morning devotion: May the God of peace . . . equip you with everything good for doing his will. HEBREWS 13:20-21, NIV 

And as I opened Dan's bible to look up a scripture this morning and found a highlighter tucked between the pages where he had very recently marked this verse: Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain. 1 Corinthians 15:58. 

That Visa WILL come. I WILL go to Sierra Leone. But I WILL still need (and love to have) your prayers! And no matter what...I WILL have peace and contentment. 

Thanks for sharing in this journey!

{Much love}

Amy