Outside Our Comfort Zone

We are incredibly proud of both our guys, for a lot of reasons (Mom brag moment here). They are both excellent students and have received recognition in their schools, not only for their academic achievements, but also for their behavior, hard work, and willingness to help others. I was a little nervous at first, putting them in a public school, but they have been challenged to live and defend their faith in some very good ways. I see them growing, asking questions, seeking to understand why we believe what we believe, and making their faith their own, more than just what Mom and Dad say we believe. God is definitely at work in their hearts. And that is an amazing thing to watch happen in the lives of your kids.

Even when - no, especially when - God calls them to do something that is out of their comfort zone. And mine.

For the past few years, our church has sent a student ministries team on a mission trip to Bogota, Colombia. Stefan is one of six students who will be going on that trip this July.

Bogota, Colombia (Image Source: Wikipedia)

When he first told me he wanted to go, I'll admit my heart sank a little. It was scary enough for me to send them to a public school, but Bogota? Colombia? That's not even in the United States! But do you know what he said to me? "I never really considered going before, but this year, the minute they started talking about it, I felt God telling me to go. I feel like He is challenging me to share my faith in an environment that is out of my comfort zone."

How can you argue with that? What a blessing that God is speaking to him, and that he is sensitive to hearing and obeying His voice!

Bogota is the capital of Colombia, and it is a relatively large city. It is the home of the Colombian government, and they keep all the nation's wealth within the city. Our church partners with a church in Bogota to do their missions outreach. The six students and our youth leaders will be staying in Bogota.

But the real ministry will take place in the slums that surround the city. The photos below were taken by our Student Ministries Pastor on the trip a few years ago.

Because Bogota is where most of the jobs and wealth are, people flock to the city looking for employment. Some find jobs, but many are not educated and can't find work. Either way, most of them can't afford to live in the city, so they settle in the slums, where they live in open-air homes with no electricity and possibly even no indoor plumbing.

So why are our students going? Why not just send them the money the students raise? As one of our youth leaders explained, when we think about what it means to live in poverty, we tend to think in terms of finances and material wealth - things we have that they don't. But if you actually talk to an impoverished person, you will quickly discover the money is not as important to them as the way they are treated. They feel worthless. Not respected. Treated like second-class citizens.

A big part of our church's commitment to this community of impoverished people is to show them they are worth our time. They deserve to be loved and respected. And they are just as valuable to God as we are.

Our team will be spending time with children in the slums, from 3-4 years old on up to their teenage years. They'll play sports and games, have fun, and simply invest their time in these kids. They'll also be helping to teach English at the church in Bogota as part of their trip.

I'd be lying if I said I wasn't nervous about Stefan taking this trip. But I have told my kids so many times, "I just want you to do what God wants you to do." And I mean that with all my heart.

I'm excited to see how God uses him, and how God will use this trip to continue shaping him into a man after His own heart!

I Am Not Sad

A realization struck me the other day, and caught me off guard: I am not sad.

It’s been 3 ½ years since my mom’s phone call awakened us at 5:30 a.m. and she tearfully explained that my dad had gone to heaven.

A year and a half since we sat in the ALS specialist’s office with my mom as she quietly posed the question, “Do you understand that this will take your life?”

Almost a year since I answered the expected call from the Hospice nurse, informing us that my mom had joined my dad in heaven in the early morning hours.

I miss them every single day.

But I am not sad.

They never knew the son-in-law they loved as a son had cancer.

They don’t have to watch the news and see all the awful things I believe would have grieved their hearts.

There is no more dialysis. No more feeding tube. No more sickness or loss of physical abilities due to disease.

They are healed! Whole. And forever home with the One who redeemed them.

My dad always liked Don McLean, so we listened to his music a lot as kids. In his song “Vincent,” he makes the statement, “This world was never meant for one as beautiful as you.”

I guess that’s how I feel about my parents. Yes, they were sinners. But the blood of Jesus made them something beautiful that didn’t belong to this world. They were incredible servants of God who spent their entire time on this earth pointing people to Jesus.

Now they are finally home. One day, my husband and I, and both of our boys, will join them.

How could I be sad about that?