Little Treasures

I'm back from Tyler! The ministry in Texas, called Living Alternatives, was great! They have different areas, all working with young pregnant women, including an adoption agency, a pregnancy resource center, building blocks program for women to earn baby clothing and prepare for motherhood, and Fatherheart. Fatherheart is this wonderful, huge house where girls can live while they are pregnant, and I got to stay there too :) It was so insightful to watch everyone in action.

Now I am back at home, and realizing Ana Cristina and I have a lot to do and to learn. But Beverly, the director and founder of Living Alternatives, said she almost wished she could come to Colombia because starting something new is where to find the fun and adventure and the 100% dependence on God. She's so right.

My little sister just flew down to Florida to intern in a church. That makes about the 67th thing she's doing that I've never done, talk about taking adventures! But Abby was saying something that really hit home with me too. It's so good for us to be together because we remind each other why we go on "adventures" and take risks and do crazy things. We just love God more and more by doing them, sometimes he even uses us, and in experiencing all of that we couldn't imagine a better way to use our lives. Those are the people so important in my life, the people that encourage me and make me love God more just by being around them. I think we all know we need those people. I am realizing I should value them more and keep deepening those treasures in my life.

Mother's Day

I'm enjoying my last bit of time at home before I head off to Tyler this week. Being home is about the most refreshing time of the year. Today my dad and I had a fun time team-preaching for mother's day. And, of course, in honor of Mother's Day, dad started with a story about his mother, which is quite funny.

My grandma is living at a home in Alaska. It's almost like a nursing home except that only five people live there, and it really feels like a home. Now, all of these women combine a bit of reality with a bit of their own perceived reality, and one of these ladies really believes that the house they live in is her house. My aunt Janet visits my grandma every day, and one day while she was leaving the "owner" of this house followed her out to the car (even though she's not really suppose to be outside alone). She called after my aunt saying, "I have two questions for you, well, one really: What am I suppose to do with your mother?"

Makes me wonder what her second question was. :) But it is a problem. We have to do something with the people that show up in our lives. We shared about influencing lives, kind of the same way our mothers influence us. Talking about all of that really energizes me to get back to Colombia and be with girls, pastoring and teaching them, for another semester. We do have a lot of power, for good or bad, to influence the people in our lives. Even though resting at home is nice for a while, I'm so lucky that I get to do something that I love and is worth while for my "career."

God has continued working in surprising ways for our ministry, I guess I should probably call it His ministry. Little by little he has been taking care of us through unexpected people. Now, in addition to our beautiful house, we have curtains, silverware and a few kitchen items, and rent is coming in for another month. We do have a good father.

Happy Mother's Day to all of the moms. Thank you for all of the influence you have had on us children!