Back to Life; Back to a New Reality

Leaving Kenya and heading home was a 36 hour process.  A journey.

Katie's all  packed up wrapped up and ready to go!

 My friend Sarah and I just before we boarded the plane in Kenya heading back to Uganda.

From Uganda, we flew to Istanbul Turkey and

got our first taste of familiar food!!!!  (Rachel, Kelsey, & Ashley)

From Turkey to Washington DC and then onto Charlotte!

Finally HOME!!! 

Check out the mirror in our bedroom.  It is covered in Bible verses!!!  Thank you Leann!!!  I won't be taking them down anytime soon :)

The first 12 hours I was at home, I loved on my children, took a bubble bath along with 2 hot showers, and slept 8 straight hours!!! 

I can't wait to share Africa with you and all that God did while we were there.  I've asked Him to give me time to recall, reflect and write.  I want to "lay low" this week and listen to the Lord as I remember all that He has done.  I feel like Mary in Luke 2:19, "But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart."
 
So, the reason I'm writing now is to tell you about what God has done since we've been home. 

*My family picked us up from the airport Sunday night.  When we got in the car, guess what song came on?  How He Loves by Dave Crowder!  My favorite!  God wasted no time - He seranaded me before we were out of the airport parking lot!!! 

*On Monday morning, Shawn & I spent a lot of time praying together.  Praying for others.  Praying for ourselves & our future - asking for guidance, wisdom, & direction. Almost immediately, God showed us this scripture:

“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."  Matthew 6:19-21

WOW!!!  God is clearly telling us to invest our lives in eternity and not things of this world.  This is huge for us given that Shawn does not have a job and is seeking employment.  But more than employment, my husband is seeking God's will for our family and our future - and Africa is definitely a part of that.

*Then I read  my "Experiencing God Day by Day Devotional" by Henry Blackaby.  I needed to read January 7, 8 & 9 to get caught up.  Here are a few points from each.

January 7 - "We Live by Revelation"

"Without revelation people run wild; but one who listens to instruction will be happy." Proverbs 29:18

"The world operates on vision.  God's people live by revelation.  The world seeks grand and noble purposes and goals to achieve.  People dream up the greatest and most satisfying things in which they can invest their lives.  Institutions establish goals and objectives and then organize themselves to achieve them.  God's people function in a radically different way.  Christians arrange their lives based on the revelation of God, regardless of whether it makes sense to them.  God does not ask for our opinion about what is best for our future, our family, our church, or our country.  He already knows!  What God wants is to get the attention of His people and reveal to us what is on His heart and is His will, for God's ways are not our ways! (Isaiah 55:8-9)

Whenever people do not base their lives on God's revelation, they "cast off restraint."  That is, they do what is right in their own eyes.  They set their goals, arrange their agendas, and then pray for God's blessings. Some Christians are living far outside the will of God, yet they have the audacity to pray and ask God to bless their efforts!

The only way for you to know God's will is for Him to reveal it to you.  You will never discover it on your own.  When you hear from the Father, you have an immediate agenda for your life:  OBEDIENCE.  As the writer of Proverbs observed: "Happy is he who keeps the law."

January 8 - Exceedingly Abundantly

"Now to Him who is able to do above and beyond all that we ask or think according to the power, that works in us."  Ephesians 3:20

"At times, we feel as if we could impress God with all we are trying to do for Him and His church.  Yet God has yet to be impressed with even the most grandiose human aspirations (Psalm 8:3-4 and Phil. 3:7-8.)  Our problem is we become too easily enamored with our own plans.

We need to remind ourselves that the Father sees the "big picture" that His power far exceeds our limited imagination.  We must set aside our own agenda, however lofty.  We must never become satisfied with our own dreams, for they are finite at best.  When we follow God's direction we will witness things happening in our lives that can only be explained by His powerful presence.  How could we be satisfied with anything else?"

January 9 - Prayer Discovers God's Agenda

"Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, He got up, went out, and made His way to a desserted place.  And He was praying there."  Mark 1:35

"It was common knowledge among the disciples that they would find Jesus praying during the early morning hours.  When they needed Him, they knew to go to the place of prayer.  When Judas betrayed Jesus, he led his cohorts to Jesus' place of prayer.

Every time the Lord Jesus faced an important decision, He prayed.  When He was being tempted to do things by the world's methods instead of the Father's, He prayed.  When it was time to choose His disciples, He prayed the entire night.  If the Son of God required a night of prayer in order to determine the Father's mind, how long might it take us in prayer to clearly determine our Father's will?

Because Jesus was so often surrounded by crowds, He knew He must find a quiet place so He could clearly hear His Father's voice.  Jesus had many people seeking to influence the direction of His life.  His disciples wanted Him to go where the crowds were.  The crowds wanted to crown Him king.  Satan tempted Him to make compromises in order to draw a following.  Jesus knew His mission was not to attract a crowd, but to remain obedient to His Father.  It was prayer that set the agenda for Jesus' ministry.  Prayer preceded the miracles; prayer brought Him encouragement at critical moments; prayer enabled Him to go to the cross; and prayer kept Him there despite excruciating pain.  Follow the Savior's example, and let your time alone with God, in prayer, set the agenda for your life." 

*Then I heard a pastor on a Christian TV station say: "You can't have the world and Jesus too. Do what God calls you to do, and dig ditches to pay your bills if you have to!"  (He also talked about the faith of Moses discussed in Hebrews 11:23-28. And he mentioned the Ethiopians!!!  I plan to dig deeper into the Hebrews passage to see what God wants to reveal to us there.)

What really makes me stand in awe of God is that He revealed all of this to us within about 2 hours after our prayer time!!!  All of this happened on Monday by noon!!!

WOW!!!  Only GOD!!!

Now you know why I need lots of time to ponder and process Africa!

Loving HIM with all my heart & soul,
Nancy

Today's Results

"May my prayer be set before You like incense;
may the lifting up of my hands be like the evening sacrifice."
Psalm 141:2

Thank you so much for your prayers!

My mammogram today went very well.....

Everything came back CLEAR!!! 

God answered our prayers!

What a HUGE PRAISE!

God also allowed me the opportunity to share my story of how He revealed my cancer back in October with the mammogram technician.  After sharing my story, the wonderful technician shared her faith (in God) with me.  We had such a sweet time together!  Really sweet - sharing God stories.

Through teary eyes, she also shared some meaningful words of wisdom spoken to her when she was young by her grandmother who said....."One day, I will be gone.  Your mom and your dad will be gone.  But GOD WILL ALWAYS BE WITH YOU.  So, make sure you talk to Him and know Him."

Right before I left, I told the technician about God's call to Africa and asked her to pray for us.  She looked at me and commented that I was "doing my faith right" by living it out, but she had "done hers all wrong" because she never went on a mission trip or anything. 

Immediately, the Holy Spirit had me remind her that she most certainly IS fulfilling God's call.  HER JOB IS HER MISSION FIELD!  And she IS a missionary, one who ministers to women - lots & lots of women - every single day.  God allows her to spend time with  hurting women, scared women, sick women, tired women, hopeless women etc.  And He gives her the opportunity to encourage them, calm them, hug them, smile at them, listen to them, and pray for them.  WHAT A PRIVILEGE!  WHAT A MINISTRY!

She thanked me for encouraging her and told me how much she REALLY needed to hear that.  With those words, I knew she was the reason God sent me to that office today.

God is so faithful! 

Interestingly, the radiologist I saw today, Dr. K., is the same one who had the pleasure of preparing me for surgery back in December.  You remember, the one who was supposed to insert a needle in the right spot for my surgeon.  Only, he couldn't get it to work; I nearly passed out on him; and it took over an hour & about 22 needle sticks to finally get it right.  Poor fellow.  He probably saw my chart today and had a strong urge to run in the opposite direction!

However, in spite of his better judgement, he met with me and delivered the good news of my mammogram results.  I'm sure he was VERY thankful that he did not have to do any procedures on me today!  

After my appointment, I couldn't help but drop in on my friends downstairs at the radiation office.  It was so good to see them and talk to them.  As strange as it sounds, I truly miss seeing them every day!  I don't miss getting radiation, but I really do miss them!  They are very special to me. 

And speaking of special, my husband's Grandma passed away last night.  She had been in a nursing home for over 5 years with Alzheimer's.  Recently, she developed gangrene and the infection became toxic.  Her body just shut down.  She was 85 years old.

Grandma Swicegood, Faith Wrenn & Tanner at Christmas in 2008

So, tonight we spent the evening with Grandpa.  He seems to be doing okay.  I know he misses her. 

Grandpa Swicegood, Tanner & Faith Wrenn

We sat around listening to him share stories of his life.  He is currently 89 years old and has experienced a lot in his lifetime.  He served in World War II, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War.  He was in the Coast Guard, Navy & Air Force. 

His brother introduced him to Grandma one Christmas when he was home on leave.  After dating for 6 months, they got married and had 2 sons, 4 grandchildren, & 2 great grandchildren.  They stayed married (in sickness and in health) for 65 years!  WOW!!!

Would you mind lifting up a prayer for Grandpa right now?  This has to be very difficult for his heart.

THANK YOU!
Loving HIM with all my heart & soul,
Nancy         

More Broken Pieces

"Something is wrong when our lives

make sense to nonbelievers." 

Francis Chan - "Crazy Love"

My (extended) family takes vacations together every year.  It's a tradition that started before I was born and it continues today.

Usually we rent a house with a pool at the beach.  This year, we decided not to wait until the summer.  For the first time since the grand kids (my kids & my siblings' kids) started school, everyone had the same spring break.  With everything our family has been through in the past 6 months, my mom decided to plan a beach trip now.  

Since the weather this time of year is unpredictable, we did not rent a house.  Instead we rented 2 units at a large hotel with indoor pools and a water park because the grand kids love to swim.  This of course meant all of us couldn't stay in the same unit.  We had to split up.  And we had to share the pool area with lots of other people.

On Thursday (the 6th day of our vacation), I spent a lot of time reading in the pool area.  As I looked up to lay eyeballs on the kids I was responsible for, another string bikini (worn by an older lady) came into view.  YUCK!  I complained to God again about the indecency surrounding me.  Surrounding MY KIDS!  "God, I can't take this anymore!  Next year, we need to go back to staying in a house with a private pool."

I supported my position by reminding Him of some of the other things we saw during the week too like...

*Saturday night, everyone except my husband & I went out to eat at a restaurant that is usually really fun for kids.  (My kids rode to the beach with my mom (Nana) because Shawn had to work & we were going to get there later than everyone else.)  Apparently this restaurant is not a place for kids on Saturday night.  A bachelorette party showed up and things got out of control. There was dancing on tables & flashing.  Just what I want my kids to see, especially my 14 year old son - NOT!  When we stay at a house, we usually cook dinner instead of eating out.

*At the pool area, lots & lots of young girls (middle schoolers) wearing skimpy bathing suits and tiny shorts -trying to catch the eye of teenage boys.  And parents allowing their daughters to dress this way.

*Grown women of ALL ages, shapes and sizes wearing bikinis that barely covered themselves.  Some things were just meant to be PRIVATE!!!  My poor 11 year old niece kept saying, "There is another sight to keep me up at night!!!"

*Older children being told repeatedly by the pool staff not to hang on the basketball goal and to stay in the water while shooting the ball.  They would comply until the staff person was out of sight & then they went back to breaking the rules.  They treated authority like it was something to be skirted instead of obeyed.  They just wanted to do what they felt like doing, regardless of the rules.  Defiance at its subtlest.  The younger kids of course copied the older kids.     

*A lady sitting next to me outside by the pool received some bad news about a job she wanted - it was given to someone else.  She started using words I haven't heard in a looong time.  She was cussing up a storm.  And she was loud.  By the grace of God, my children did not hear her.  She was livid (and sober.)  She blamed everyone from the president of the United States to the person who did the hiring.  Her husband had to leave.  He could not take it anymore.  She blamed him too for telling her the bad news, even though she asked him what he had found out after he spoke to someone on the phone about the job.

*Parents drinking (alcohol) & drinking & drinking some more while their children played in the pool. 

By Thursday, it was more than I could handle.  I wanted to climb inside my Christian bubble and float away.  I wanted to rescue my children from the worldly exposure.  I wanted to put blinders on my nieces and nephew - and my husband!  I wanted to ask people, "if Jesus was sitting beside you, would you dress that way?  Talk that way?  Act that way?

But then God reminded me of the prayer I've been praying for over a year now..."Lord, break my heart for the things that break Your heart."

My anger turned to sadness.  My heart softened.  Tears started flowing.  Then my heart began to break.  Into pieces.  Lots of pieces.

It broke for the women at the bachelorette party who were out of control and filling their emptiness with alcohol and outrageous behavior instead of the love of our Savior.

For the young girls and women of all ages who were longing to be noticed & considered beautiful.  Even to the point of compromising themselves for the attention.  Not realizing that God made them to be the apple of His eye.  That their bodies were created to be the temple for His Holy Spirit.   That while society puts so much stock in physical appearance, God looks at the heart. And that the King is enthralled with their beauty.

For the children who struggled with authority - finding it difficult to deny their own selfish desires to obey the rules.  They have no clue what kind of impact this behavior can have on their lives as they grow older.  They have absolutely no idea that this pattern can make it more difficult for them to hear God and obey Him.  Nor were they even thinking about the influence they had over the younger kids who were watching them and imitating them.

For the lady who was irate and feeling hopeless about her job situation.  For all of the disappointments in her life that had brought her to such an angry place.  For the personal rejection she felt even though this may turn out to be an opportunity for something else - bigger and better.  And for the depth of her pain that would trigger such a public tirade. Her hope was in a new job instead of in the living hope of Jesus Christ who has amazing plans for her. (Jeremiah 29:11)    

For the parents needing to relax but seeking an escape and choosing alcohol as their means.  They either do not know or have decided to deny that Jesus came & died for them, to give them life - abundant life.  Jesus will also give them rest - rest for their soul.  Ohhh and for their children who are learning by their example and the generational strongholds that could result.  I have a lump in my throat just typing this. 

I am not sitting in judgement.  I am humbled in brokenness as God continues to answer my prayer.  He is removing the scales from my eyes to help me see reality - to be touched by it instead of isolated from it.  

Once God opens my eyes (and yours) to the reality of this world, we can't pretend it doesn't exist. 

If and when we allow our knowledge of reality to make the journey from our heads to our hearts, then we will begin to act and DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT!

Our comfort or isolation is not the answer.  Being equipped and ready for action is.  Jesus said it Himself in John 17 in His prayer to His Heavenly Father for His disciples...

"I have given them Your word. And the world hates them

because they do not belong to the world,

just as I do not belong to the world.

 I’m not asking You to take them out of the world,

but to keep them safe from the evil one.

They do not belong to this world any more than I do.

Make them holy by Your truth; teach them Your word, which is truth.

 Just as You sent me into the world,

I am sending them into the world.

And I give myself as a holy sacrifice for them

so they can be made holy by Your truth." 

John 17:14-19 

And to think that I would have missed all of this if we would've stayed by ourselves in a house with a private pool.  I would have missed God. I would have missed His answer to my prayer.

Are you willing to leave your Christian comfort zone and minister to those who are lost and hurting around you?

If so, ask God to show you someone with a specific need and then use you to meet that need.  He will.  He is just waiting for you to make yourself available to Him.

Jesus said,  “The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few.  Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into His harvest field."  Matthew 9:37-38

The needs of the world are so great.

Loving HIM with all my heart & soul,
Nancy