Balance

I know in the game of life we are supposed to have that perfect balance between work, family, and recreation. For most people, it is never a complete circle it usually looks like a broken wheel. In one of the Grassroots classes we took, we had to place a dot on a line in each category on the wheel and then draw the circle connecting the dots. Needless to say it looked worse than a broken wheel. There is a line in a movie that said, “All work and no play makes Johnny a dull boy.” We have really been struggling with feeling like we have to work 24/7 because there is so much need, but it has finally caught up with us. We have an every Wednesday night Bible study that is going great and we have a set date every Monday with some friends to get together. Today Mike and I hiked about 5 miles around a mountain top and looked down on the beach and the community that we live and work in. It is so breathtaking. These are the moments when we just want to Thank You God for allowing us to work here. We have the beauty mixed in with the poverty. The last few Sundays we would come home after church and work and then our evenings would be filled with answering e-mails etc. for volunteers. We have some decisions we have to make about how much we are trying to take on and we ask you to pray for us to make the right ones. We don’t want to hurt anyone’s feelings by telling them we can’t take on anymore work load, but the reality of it is we can’t do it. The volunteer teams have increased again for this year we had 19 teams last year and we have 31 teams committed to coming this year. We also have 39 long and short term vols planned for this year and it is only April. To top it all off my parents are not doing well and this puts a lot of stress on family. Please pray that the medication that they have switched my mom to will help her with her early to moderate stages of Alzheimer’s. My dad is already under 24 hour care with my mom so if she progresses, it will force us to have to make even tougher decisions. Thanks for your prayers and support we feel them here.

Days Gone By

As I realize how long it has been I am amazed at how quickly the days have gone by. Last year Avril asked me if I would give an oral hygiene presentation to all of our prevention staff and it finally came to fruition over the last couple of Friday’s. I spent a lot of time writing the presentation on Power Point and it was awesome the way God hooked me up with a local hygienist to help me get the brushes, toothpaste etc. to give to them. I was very much in my element doing this even though I had never done a presentation like this before. They were excited to learn so much about their dental health and didn’t realize how much the health of their teeth and gums related to the rest of the body.
We have also been working diligently at getting the new website up for Living Hope. We have had a volunteer here for a week helping us to set it up and put it together. She is going to maintain the site for us back in the States and this is such a huge answer to prayer. We also had another volunteer that came in to serve wherever she was needed and it turned out she works for World Vision and has worked with streamlining over 30,000 volunteers. Needless to say we have asked her to help us put together the volunteer portion of the website to take it to the next level. The website is www.livinghope.co.za
We have to consider some tough decisions with my parents so please pray for us. Pray for wisdom and guidance. My mom had to get off the medication that she was taking for memory and within a matter of days she has digressed quickly. My Father already has Alzheimer’s and needs my mom to take care of him. Financially there are some big issues at hand. My strength comes from the Lord and I know that in His timing he will give me the direction I need.

God usually knows how to get our attention

Sometimes we don’t understand why God allows things to happen in our lives, but looking back on situations we generally get the picture that He was looking out for our best interest. As I watched the Dow Jones Industrial trickle down like a time bomb today, I can’t help but wonder what God is up to? There are so many elderly people including my parents and mother in law who are losing so much in the stock market and they are asking should we pull out before it hits rock bottom. Most investors and people our age say, “You can’t pull out now there would be no way you could ever get back what you lost.” The truth of the matter is it was never ours to begin with. It is all God’s! His desire is for us to be good stewards of what money he has entrusted to us for the short time we are on this earth. I learned this lesson about 2 ½ years ago that God will use whatever controls us the most to turn us back to him. We have friends and family who are losing their jobs, homes and everything they have invested in the stock market. God is trying to get our attention!! We must turn back to Him and ask for help in time of need. This is what He is up to! Most of us think we can make it in our own power but the reality is we can do nothing without a relationship with Jesus Christ. Jesus said in Matthew 6:24, “No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money. America is serving money and I believe God is taking drastic measures to turn our eyes back on Him. He will allow the United States to fall to its knees and ask for forgiveness so that His ways are made known to all. He will use people, including people like President Bush and Obama, to get the attention of His People. Mike and I learned through the Crown Financial Bible Study that we did about 4 years ago, that there are over 2350 verses in the Bible about money or possessions and the only thing talked about more is love. Jesus knew that there would be many issues over money and that is why we must look to the word of God for instructions on living a life the way God would have us live. He promises us in Hebrews 13:5, “Never will I leave you, never will I forsake you.” I am so passionate about this time in our lives and I pray that God will use this to draw His people back. If you are one of the many that are struggling in these tough times, may you turn your eyes upon Jesus! God disciplines us for our good. Matthew 6:25-34 gives the best advice. Do not worry about tomorrow.