On Planting, and Watering, and Growing

Hey everyone!

It is definitely Amanda's turn to write a blog, but she hasn't done it yet, (hmmm...) but I wanted to take a few minutes and write what has been on my heart lately.  We are leaving 3 months from last Thursday, and our deposit is due in about 2 weeks.  We have delivered many support letters, and are now just waiting on God's perfect timing.  It is much easier said than done.

I have been spending the past 5 months since I've returned from Kenya really meditating on what it means to be a servant, and whether or not I made any sort of a difference at all during my time there.  If I am being completely honest, those 6 months were the most difficult 6 months of my life, however, the experience changed me from the inside out and I will never be the same again.  My biggest struggle with the experience came from my own human desires and needs to have my work validated and affirmed; it's so difficult to attempt to plant seeds and try to love people as much as you can and not see the fruits of your labor.  In Kenya, I would spend my time with the boys, and I would pray and pour my heart into their lives, and they would still choose to live on the streets and sniff glue.  For every boy that wanted to change, there were 5 more running to the streets.  The hopelessness of the country starts to wear on you, and it takes submission to the Spirit to keep from becoming cynical.  I cannot begin to explain the toll it takes on your heart and your spirit to be amidst the poverty, corruption, and spiritual oppression that exists in that country and so many others like it in Africa.

I did not build anything, I did not teach in a classroom or perform surgeries or donate millions of dollars for relief in Kenya.  It still pains me sometimes, to wonder if I even made a difference.  But I had to really give my heart and my actions over to God.  If I can say anything about missions, it is this: you cannot change anyone.  But God can.  You have to sacrifice yourself everyday and devote your time to God, and trust that He will take care of it.  It sounds really silly, and I wish I could give you the actual insight that is coming from my heart, but all I can say is that it is so much harder to really live it out than it sounds.

I actually took the time to read through most of the New Testament during my 6 months in Kenya, and I came across this verse that convicted my heart.  In 1 Corinthians 3, it says, "After all, who is Apollos? Who is Paul? We are only God’s servants through whom you believed the Good News. Each of us did the work the Lord gave us. ⁶ I planted the seed in your hearts, and Apollos watered it, but it was God who made it grow. ⁷ It’s not important who does the planting, or who does the watering. What’s important is that God makes the seed grow. ⁸ The one who plants and the one who waters work together with the same purpose. And both will be rewarded for their own hard work. ⁹ For we are both God’s workers. And you are God’s field. You are God’s building."

 We spend so much time wondering if we are doing this whole "life" thing right, that we forget that that's not even the point.  We are meant to serve and love God, nothing more.  It is not my job to change Kenya or the Dominican Republic, or even the people of Sacramento.  It is my job to humble myself and dedicate my time and my service to loving people and reaching them, because that is the job that God has given us as His children.  It does not matter who plants the seed and it does not matter who waters it.   It does not matter how many kids run to the streets in Kenya because God is in the business of changing lives, and I am in the business of following God.  If I skip that middle step, and try to take over God's business, then this spiritual economy that we have going on is screwed because I never took a business class and I hate money.

This is my prayer for our team, and for my own life and my own calling: that we would simply seek God's will and somehow get transfer into the lives of the people that we meet, no matter where we go.  Loving people is a tricky art, one that may or may not ever be mastered by any human, but it is our calling to attempt it, and trust that God will clean up the mess we make anyway.  We are so excited as a team to get out there and spend time with God's beautiful babies and the wonderful people of the Dominican Republic.  Above all, we seek to honor and serve Him.  Please keep us in your prayers as we continue on this exciting journey!  We love you all, and thank you for reading!

Love,
Marissa

P.S. We also need financial provision.  As I said above, our deposit is due in a few weeks.  Please say some prayers with us! Thank you!

P.P.S. On a brighter note, I spent some time with a guy from Kenya who now lives in Sacramento and goes to my church.  He was a street boy in Nairobi, and sniffed the glue and even went to jail.  But he and I talked a lot about his life and my experiences in Kenya, and how I question whether my time in Africa even matters.  I asked him if he remembers seeing any wzungu (white people) in Kenya, and he said he did.  He remembers their help, and he remembers going to an orphanage started by a mzungu and that was where he turned his life around.  He was sponsored by Compassion International, and is now here in America. 

So, it matters.   (Not that it matters whether it matters.  Because it doesn't.  But it still makes me smile.)

Video Blog # 4! Team UNITY

“Surely we can change…something.”

The other night the three of us went to what we thought was going to be a college and young adults group at a church up in Vacaville. It turns out they’ve done some reorganizing with the program and what we went to was a jr. high and high school event. We were cool with that, especially because we only were really going for their worship anyway. Worship was great at this place, passionate anointed people leading a huge group of young people in praising God, it was awesome and I’m glad we all went. We bailed after worship and then we did what we always do; we sat in my car in the parking lot, listened to music, and talked to each other. That night we actually had things to do in my car! We had a stack of 120 support letters for this trip to stuff into envelopes and get ready to send to everyone we know. We sat there for probably two hours listening to a David Crowder Band CD and folding letters. It was great, and we always have good conversation. But then something happened. We had just finished putting together the last of the letters, and were just talking when the last song on the CD came on. Amanda whispered, “Turn it up.” For the next six minutes we sat there without saying a word to each other but simply listening to this song, soaking up every word. It was one of the holiest and most worshipful moments I can remember in a long time. It didn’t take a big band, fancy lights, a big group of people, or a snazzy video to go with it all. God met us where we were. He met three college students sitting in a car in a random parking lot in Vacaville. It was perfect, just sitting there with those two friends and being moved by the Holy Spirit in that way was something special. And then there was the song itself. It wasn’t just some random David Crowder song, and this one has been speaking to me for a long time now.

“Where there is pain,
Let us bring grace.
Where there is suffering,
Bring serenity.
For those afraid,
Let us be brave.
Where there is misery,
Let us bring them relief.
And surely we can change,
Surely we can change,
Oh surely we can change…something…the whole world’s about to change.”

“Surely We Can Change” by David Crowder, it’s quite a song.

For a long time I’ve been chasing this idea that I can somehow, with the help of God, change the world and make a huge difference here, all the while thanking Him that I haven’t become too cynical to believe otherwise. I often have conversations with my friends about this stuff, whether or not we think we’ll make a difference. Most of my friends think it’s impossible to make s significant difference in our world today. But I love this song because it’s about just that, about making changes in the world, and not big sweeping changes but rather real change that effects the entire world, change that stems from single acts of kindness, peace, and grace, change that affects one person at a time. Just look at Jesus, he completely changed history by teaching his message and loving weirdos. This song is why I’m so excited for the Dominican Republic. I get to go to a foreign country and love people for eight weeks, what could be better than that? I’ve always said that I want to change the world, and I hope that we are.

Like I said, I’ve had plenty of conversations lately about my place in changing the world. Often I become discouraged because my friends believe there’s nothing we can do that has any significance. But when I look at myself and where I’m at, I think I’m at a point in my relationship with God and my own willingness to go for Him that there’s nothing else I can do but at least try to change…something.

-Matthew

Video Blog #3! We put together support letters!

Video Blog #2! We have a support letter!

We finally have a finished support letter. We're a little excited.

"The greatest among you will be your servant."

Hey everyone!


It's time for our weekly blog update. We'll try and update this thing at least once a week, usually on Mondays when we have our team meetings. We're really getting things going with this trip; we've all told our families, we're starting to really feel God's call and each of us are getting real confirmation from God that this is what He wants for us. We are continually praying for His guidance and further confirmation that this trip is God's will. I know we would all really appreciate continued prayer for us as we continue stepping in faith to be His hands and feet.


But the big question many people have been asking us is "Why are you going?" This isn't an easy question to answer, and we've all been wrestling with this call. We've all had to ask ourselves if this is really what God wants for us. There are plenty of reasons to want to go on a mission trip: it's something exciting to do, it's a new experience, it's an opportunity to get away from all the crap here for a few months. But when it really comes down to it and after we've all prayed and looked into ourselves I think the answer to that question is simple. Aron said it best, we want to go because we "want to be like Jesus."


Jesus says, "If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me." (Matthew 19:21). That's a pretty heavy command, I wish I could sell all my crap and live like that. Honestly though, I'm not at that point yet, but this trip is a first step. Jesus tells us to take care of the poor and the orphans and that's what I'm doing this summer. God is giving me the opportunity to do what he commands and give up two months of my summer vacation to serve others. I can't wait. In Matthew 23 Jesus says, "The greatest among you will be your servant. For whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted." (Verses 11-12). We're not going so we can tell everyone what awesome people we are, we're not interested in our own glorification but rather God's glorification through what we do. We're going to serve the people of the Dominican Republic. We're going to serve God. 


Keep us in your prayers! Thanks everyone!


-Matthew

First Official Video Blog!

All four of us are here for our first official video blog! Mustaches! Thin is in!

Our First Video Blog!

Our First Blog!

Hey Guys!

It's Marissa, Aron, Matthew & Amanda! We are so excited for our trip to the DR this summer. For those of you who don't know, and somehow stumbled upon our blog, we are going on an 8-week mission to Santiago, Dominican Republic this summer! We are planning to leave June 18th and return August 14th! Our main duties (as we understand) will be to work in the orphanage with the kids, and work in the schools teaching English. We are SO excited to answer God's call and be His hands and feet.

We ask for your prayers of protection over each one of us as we begin this journey. In the past 3 days, we have experienced the attack of the enemy in a few of our team members, and, though we know that God makes everything glorious, the stuff going on pretty much... SUCKS. Keep us in your prayers, as we continue to make plans, and please pray for the remaining team members, as they still have to talk about our plans to their family members! Hooray!!!

Love,

Marissa