Life is A Journey; Each decision a step... - Homeschool Blogger

My Kids

Mon, 26 May 2008 13:58:00 -0500

New Beginnings...

Mon, 26 May 2008 13:56:00 -0500

I'm learning that I'm not the same person I was when I left home last June. I've been broken and spilled out. My heart isn't the same anymore. My cold, hard heart has been melted by God's love for me. He showed me a beautiful life that has peace and real happiness. I learned I can trust Him and that there is so much more to life when you give of yourself to others and spend time with them. He shows you His love and lets it shine out of you to others.
     Before I left I must admit I was a pretty miserable person. I held a lot of grudges in my life and I didn't want to be hurt. I kept my heart closed to feeling. I hated to cry and I hated to show even happiness. I wanted to be unreadable. I didn't want anyone to know what was going on inside of me.
     In Pinagbayanan I learned to love and be loved. I worked with those kids and I prayed with those kids. I tried to teach and be taught. I worried over them and prayed for them. I cried with them and for them. And when I left them they cried. As I walked away from my house the tears just poured from my eyes. "I'm leaving them."
My student Meriam...she lived with me, played with me, ate with me, cooked with me, worked with me...she begged me not to go. "Ma'am don't " she said one night at my door. "Don't what?" I said. "Don't Ma'am!" A little worried I replied again "Don't what?"--- "Don't GO Ma'am!" She hugged me and cried. "Your one of my best teachers Ma'am, I love you. Don't go please! If you have to go home...go, but come back! I want you to teach me next year!" This same thing happened two nights in a row. This time Meriam brought with her Jezzle my other second grader. "Don't forget us Ma'am" Over and over I heard those words as I said my goodbyes.
          How can I forget them? I'm haunted by their memory every time I close my eyes. I want to see my kids again, I want to go back. I want to be with them. I don't want them to harden their hearts because it hurts to let someone you love go. I don't want them to be afraid to love because someone might leave them.
         As our van pulled out of the driveway at LMN in Idaho I stuck my head out the window and waved to Jennie one last time. "Mahal Kita! At Ingat ka!" (I love you and take care!) Again tears rolled down my cheeks...

Let Your Heart be Broken
Let your heart be broken for a world in need:
Feed the mouths that hunger,
Soothe the wounds that bleed.
Give the cup of water, and the loaf of bread.
Be the hands of Jesus, serving in his stead.

Here on earth applying principles of love.
Visible expression, God still rules above.
Living illustration of the living word,
To the minds of all who've never seen or heard.

Blest to be a blessing, privileged to care,
Challenged be the need, apparent everywhere.
Where mankind is wanting, fill the vacant place.
Be the means through which
The Lord reveals His grace.

Add to your believing deeds that prove it true,
Knowing Christ as Savior, Make Him Master too.
Follow in His footsteps, go where he has trod;
In the worlds great trouble risk yourself for God.

Let your heart be tender and your vision clear;
See mankind as God sees, serve Him far and near.
Let your heart be broken by a brother's pain;
Share your rich resources, give and give again.
Words & music - Bryan Jeffery Leech

The Philippines...

Fri, 22 Jun 2007 01:04:00 -0500

I am here safely in the Philippines.

We are heading out to our Village on Sunday. My friend and I will be in the same village afterall and we are both very excited for our teaching to begin. I will be teaching the kindergarten grade and that is the grade I wanted so badly to teach! I have had many experiences already, but sadly I don't have the time to share many of them. I have been here just over a week and a half and I am very much enjoying the climate here and the new experiences. The people have been very friendly and generous. The fellowship has been very nice! And the kids! Oh the kids are so much fun and so sweet! I've never had this much fun in all my life! Even the 'kids' my age are fun and I've had a lot of fun getting to know them.

Love them, Like you love Jesus...

An Experience...

Fri, 22 Jun 2007 01:00:00 -0500

The Hospital ...
Sabbath evening Tiyo Jim had to go to the hospital to do some things there. There was a case that needed attention. He invited Leroy and Jennie to go with him. I was invited too, but I stayed behind. I generally don't handle well going to visit the hospital so I stayed here. When they got back they told us of a young lady who had Cancer and was very sick. Also a man whose arms had been blown off in an accident with Dynamite. Other stories too, but those were the two main ones.

On Sunday morning Leroy, Shelma, Jennie and I went Walking/Jogging with 3 of the girls from the church here. We were up at 5 am and Walked till around 7am. We Came back and Tiya Moni asked us to go to the market and pick up some mangoes and a few other things for breakfast. We got back around 7:30am and helped Shelma make breakfast. Sara (one of the girls) stayed to have breakfast with us. We had a good time with her. She left and we cleaned up the kitchen.

A few hours later a man we had seen around town came by wanting to know where Tiyo Jim was. He didn't speak very good English and Shelma was the only one at home here who knows Tagalog. He stayed here till Tiyo Jim came for lunch. He needed Tiyo's help to get some much needed medication for his daughter who is in the hospital. The one with Cancer. His son is also in the hospital with malaria. They got to the hospital and they were told it was too late, she had died.

Tiyo brought him back here after trying to get a truck to come and someone to help get the body ready for burial. But since it was Sunday no one in the Capital would get things going, so Tiyo and the father came back to the house here ate and invited us to go with them. So The three of us: Leroy, Jennie and I went with him and the father to the hospital. When we go there her family was in her room. Her Brother, husband, daughter, mother, and another young girl.

Tiyo had purchased some 'plastic' at the store and some twine. We wrapped the body for burial and took it out to the truck. We drove out to her village, to her family's hut. So they could bury her. They were not crying but in their expression was such solemn sadness. The language barrier made it hard to say anything but I was glad I could be there to help. The little girl held my hand on the way out to the truck from the hospital. I felt so bad for the family. She was only 27 years old. Death here is just a part of people's lives. There are at least two funeral processions that pass everyday. The hospital isn't what you are imagining at all. It is bare of most things that make a hospital. The beds are bamboo mats, and the rooms are empty of furnishings except for the beds. This hospital is very run down. Medications just aren't available here and there are so many people suffering. Please Pray for the needs of the hospital.

P.S. Tiyo Means Uncle in Tagalog the local language here. We call Jim... Uncle Jim and his wife Aunt Moni. Aunt in Tagalog is Tiya.

The Bible Stands

Wed, 16 May 2007 12:44:00 -0500

The Bible stands like a rock undaunted
’Mid the raging storms of time;
Its pages burn with the truth eternal,
And they glow with a light sublime.

Refrain

The Bible stands though the hills may tumble,
It will firmly stand when the earth shall crumble;
I will plant my feet on its firm foundation,
For the Bible stands.

The Bible stands like a mountain towering
Far above the works of men;
Its truth by none ever was refuted,
And destroy it they never can.

Refrain

The Bible stands and it will forever,
When the world has passed away;
By inspiration it has been given,
All its precepts I will obey.

Refrain

The Bible stands every test we give it,
For its Author is divine;
By grace alone I expect to live it,
And to prove and to make it mine.

Refrain

Words and Music by Haldor Lillnas 1917

Leaving my Homeland...

Sat, 12 May 2007 23:30:00 -0500

Well folks I'm gonna have to say Goodbye for a long while, not just yet, but soon enough!
It may or may not shock some of you but I am leaving for a 9 month Mission Trip to the Philippines. I'm going to be teaching kindergarten & 1st graders. I sent in my application 3 weeks ago and I just got the 'green light' acceptance last week. So I am getting ready to leave. I'll be leaving on the 11th of June!! I have just four weeks to get ready! I've got lots to do and I won't have internet over there so not many updates either. A friend and I are going together and we may end up in the same village or different ones, I'm not to sure yet. But at any rate there is lots of planning to do and I'm very excited about this opportunity to see where God leads.

Please Keep me and the trip in your prayers!

Kelsey

"I will not let thee go, except thou bless me."

Fri, 11 May 2007 01:01:00 -0500

Jacob wrestled with the Angel of the Lord till the day broke.

Genesis 32:26
And he said, Let me go, for the day breaketh. And he said, I will not let thee go, except thou bless me.

"I will not let thee go, except thou bless me."

"If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.
But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering: for he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed.
For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord.
A double-minded man is unstable in all his ways."

-James 1:5-8

When was the last time you prayed all night? When was the last time you wrestled with the Lord in prayer and would not quit until you were sure of what you were asking for? How often have we experienced the real power of prayer? God is mighty, and all powerful why don't we ask more of him. Nothing wavering.

Not often enough...

What if you were asked to go?

Fri, 27 Apr 2007 13:29:00 -0500

Everyone loves a good story.

I don’t know about you but I love mission stories. I grew up hearing and reading the many missionary stories published; stories of great bravery and courage, of great faith and love for mankind, stories that gave inspiration. I loved them! I read and reread some of them. My favorites were written by Norma Youngberg. Her thrilling stories of the lives of missionaries and the lives of the people they worked with captivated me and my imagination enjoyed the vivid scenes her writing portrays. Missionaries go everywhere, some even come to America. As funny as it sounds you can be a missionary anywhere, America or the farthest corner of the globe. Now being a missionary isn’t all sunshine and roses. But a person working for God, under his guidance will have beautiful stories to tell. When God is for you who can be against you?

So I have a big question for you. What if God asked you to go spread the Good News in a foreign land? Could you honestly say “Here am I Lord; Send me…” Or would you have to say “Lord just as soon as I get done with my career” Or “But Lord, I can’t leave my Job”, “I haven’t finished college”, or any number of reasons. How many of us could give up all that we have here, respond to the call and leave tomorrow?

A lot of us procrastinate. We all try not to be procrastinators but a lot of us still are. I’ve been told Jesus is coming soon, and I believe it! But I’m not actively doing anything about it, I’m procrastinating. There is work to be done. There are people to reach. But we all go on with life as though we are going to wait till time gets short before we will start getting busy. We procrastinate. What if we only had 1 year? Just 365 days before Jesus came. I don’t know about you, but I’d be worried! There isn’t enough time! For those who aren’t watching (‘procrastinating’) it says “…the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night.” 1 Thessalonians 5:2 If we are God’s servants, we cannot be lazy.

Well I will say that God doesn’t call everyone to a foreign land. But not enough people are willing to give up the earthly pleasures they have here. We need to realize that our goal in life on this planet is service to our Creator and realize that all we are and have are gifts from Him, and that we are bought with a price, we are servants of the Great King. We are on trial, we are on Probation. Our time here is to test us, to refine us, and to see if we will do the work to which we have been called, to see if we are just Christians in word; or truly servants of Christ.

It takes Faith to live your life with God. It takes Love to live your life with God. It takes work to live your life with God.

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.” Galatians 5:22&23

“And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. Let us not be desirous of vain glory, provoking one another, envying one another.” Galatians 5:24-26

Be the Change You want to see in the World.

Sun, 22 Apr 2007 12:03:00 -0500

"Be the Change You want to see in the World."

Sounds easy, Right?
Well change doesn't come easy for me, change means a lot. Change means active control over things that need to be different. It takes work, and I can feel pretty lazy when I know something is going to take steady work to fix. Oh if it's a quick fix I'm always ready to hear it. Lets face it, we are all hypocrites in some way or another. Honestly, none of us are perfect. But if we can change and show others that it's worth it to change we can change more than ourselves. We can change the world around us. We can strive to be Perfect. Strive to be like Jesus.

Philippians 2:5-11
"Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:"
Matthew 5:14-16
Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid.
Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house.
Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.

If we are to be lights unto the world how can we shine if we aren't filled with light from Jesus. We can't show him to others unless he is dwelling in us. And we can't have him dwelling in us unless we change. And become more like he is. Unless we have the 'mind' that Christ had and have his righteousness covering our sins, we cannot change or show others Christ.

Mathew 5:6
"Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled"
Psalms 34:14
"Depart from evil, and do good; seek peace, and pursue it."

We have to get to know Jesus, we have to know him personally in order to be more like him. We have to spend time with him daily, and have to know him to be like him. We have to pursue good traits of character. It takes work, and lots of persistence. Good habits take a while to make, but once they are formed they are lasting.
Why do we settle for the way we are? Why is it so easy to say "well I like the way I am. I don't really need to change." We get so comfortable with who we are that we stop pressing forward. We stop growing literally! We become lukewarm, and we become proud 'Christians'. Thinking we are o.k. and everyone else still needs to straighten up. We become hypocrites, just because we are Christians doesn't mean it's the end. Raise the standard Higher. Don't become satisfied with your attainments, grow in Grace. Grow in his Love.

- © 2006 Kelsey j

We Are Americans

Tue, 17 Apr 2007 13:00:00 -0500

We are Americans. This is one of the most prosperous nations in the world. We all have grown up with a privilege. No matter how much we have disagreed with our parents, or struggled financially, or wandered from our Lord, we are privileged. Now I want no excuses. We aren’t under privileged. Now I have a feeling I know what you are all saying. You’re saying to your selves “What is her point?” My point is exactly this:

What are you doing with that privilege? What will you do with that privilege? America isn’t our only privilege. God is our greatest privilege. He has the power of the whole universe, and you are afraid to move forward in faith. How do I know this? I know this because; it’s been a fear for centuries. There is a place for fear, fear is human! But we need to give this fear into Gods hands.

"There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love." (**)

I’ve grown up in an Christian home. From my earliest moments I’ve been raised to the knowledge of my heavenly Father. I’ve heard that He is going to come again. I’ve heard of faith, trust, prayer, love, patience, hope and the Christians’ joy. But it’s lacking everywhere I look! Even in my life. Christ is coming, I do believe it! But if we think he is going to come, just going on with life doesn’t help him come. So we just wait in idleness, going on with our daily lives. Getting wrapped up in our “American Dreams”; not living, walking or showing Christ to others. Our little bit of light we do have will go out. Other than a basic faith that God exists, do we have any real faith. A friend said just today “If faith of a mustard seed can move mountains, why can’t we move mountains?” In America we don’t have to use faith in everyday life. We loose our faith if we don’t exercise it. Can you remember the last time you exercised your faith? If you can even remember, your faith is probably pretty rusty. We all know what happens when we don’t exercise. Use your privileges! Your life in America, your God, your faith! Give God your life. Not just your heart, your life. Give it to Him with no reservations, no exceptions! Become His servant. Your life will be different, yes! It won’t be your life, it will be God’s. The ruler of the Universe, remember. When you work for the ruler, he can send you anywhere, give you any ability, and give you as much faith as you can handle. Give him a chance and I guarantee your “American Dreams” will grow dim. I’m sure you won’t be disappointed.

(**)1 John 4:18

P.S. another draft not finished yet.