Reading in Preparation

I have been doing a lot of reading lately. Two books in particular have struck me as life-changing. The first is called "Children and the Supernatural" by Jennifer Toledo. It is the story of how children all over the world are being filled with the Holy Spirit and allowing Him to work. What makes this book so close to my heart is that her story begins in Kenya. Here is a link to an interview of Jennifer about her experience in Kenya by Sid Roth.                                                          

The other book is "Revolution in World Missions" by K.P. Yohannan. It is a common book in Christian circles, probably because copies are routinely given away free. I had had a copy for a few years, but had never read it. In preparation of our trip to Africa, God told me that I needed to read this book. It is the story of the founder of Gospel for Asia. As a native from India, he does a wonderful job of pointing out how comfortable we are in North America. We just do not realize that outside of our affluence, 2/3 of the world live in such poverty. Here is a quote from page 42-43:

  "Often when I spoke at a church, the people would appear moved as I told of suffering and needs of the native evangelists. They usually took an offering and presented me with a check for what seemed like a great amount of money. Then with their usual hospitality, they invited me to eat with the leaders following the meeting. To my horror, the food and "fellowship" frequently cost more than the money they had just given to missions. And I was amazed to find that American families routinely eat enough meat at one meal to feed an Asian family for a week. No one ever seemed to notice this but me, and slowly I realized they just had not heard the meaning of my message. They were simply incapable of understanding the enormous needs overseas."

What I take away from this is: How many times have I been presented with how great the need is, and I am uncaring, or at the very least completely unable to imagine the suffering and the hunger because I have never suffered or hungered like the 1 billion hungry people in 2/3 of the world. I am so grateful that I have the opportunity to go and see how great the need is. I do not doubt that God will break my heart when I see the destitute first hand. It is my responsibility, however, to prepare my heart to perform God's work for me, whether it be in Africa, or here at home.
In a fun "Pray by Numbers Game"*, it was prophesied that God has given me a work to do and that I am to do it. I know He has called me to both Streets Alive and Africa and I thank everyone for their support - in prayers, monetarily, emotional and even physical support (Thanks to my hubby and mom for looking after my kids!)



*The Pray by Numbers Game is a simple exercise. Count the number of people in your group (X), and place papers labelled 1 through X in a hat. Everyone grabs a number, but does not look at it. Then the group prays for the person representing each number. God may give a word, phrase, vision, or a myriad of other things. One person records what is said, and each person gets to see at the end what was prayed over them. It is not uncommon to find that God has given you something about yourself!

Giving Thanks, Looking Forward

Poster designed by Sydne Maisonville, age 9.

It's been a whole week since we've posted on the blog and what a week it was!  Thursday, January 17th started out with Lacey and I on the morning show with Charles Sciortino on 98.1 CKVN.  Thank you so much to Charles and the staff at CKVN for welcoming us into the studio and helping us to share our story with Lethbridge!

After my family and I left the station, we were en route to Great Falls, Montana, USA, where I am originally from, for a memorial service for one of my old friends.  It was a bittersweet day.  While I know it may seem to have little to do with our mission here for Home of Hope, I wanted to share a little bit of my experience here as it really impacted me.

I had heard about my friend's passing on Friday, January 11th.  It was the birthday of my former Sunday School teacher, who had also passed, and I had been taking the day to remember her.  The news of my friend's death threw me for a loop and I immediately sank into overwhelming grief.  I began looking back at all of the memories I had of him.  The more I thought, the more I cried and at one point, I almost felt as though the part of my life that included him was also gone.  It was very painful and I spent the next several days trying to work through my grief and focus on our planning for our mission trip.

When my husband and I arrived at the chapel for my friend's celebration of life, we did not expect a Christian service.  My friend was an amazingly eclectic person, but not one that I had remembered subscribing to one religion.  We were pleasantly surprised when his cousin, who led the service, began to speak.  He was a Christian and related to the Lord many times in his speech.  It was a comfort to our hearts.

Here is where I began to see the correlation between my friend's passing, or rather his life, and our work with Home of Hope. My friend had a big heart.  He saw no race, no gender, no life circumstances.  He did not seek out the richest, the most beautiful, or the most perfect people.  He loved genuinely and with his whole heart.  He looked not at the outside, but to the soul.

My friend's cousin so gently pointed out that there was once another man on this earth who did the same.  A man who sat with prostitutes, visited the homes of the tax collectors, and beckoned even the smallest of the small to come unto Him.  He is our Savior, our Lord Jesus Christ.

No, I do not compare Jesus to a mortal man; rather, I see how we as Christians can embody His goodness. How we should strive to take on His character more everyday.

I lost a friend; but, I gained the Godly eye salve to see what I could be...what we all can be.  God has used this experience to change my heart, to open it and to let His love radiate through me.  I do not need to look back with sorrow, but rather look forward with joy in knowing that God can use me and you to share His love with the world.  It doesn't have to be a large production.  It doesn't have to be difficult.  All our Lord is asking is for us to open our hearts to those in need.  They could be our neighbors or they could be worlds away in Africa.  It all begins with a smile, a cup of coffee, or a listening ear.

Thank you again for your support of our journey.  God bless you all!

Love,
Michelle

All Hands on Deck!

...Praying hands, that is.  We're asking you to be a part of our prayer team.  As we work hard to prepare for our mission trip, evil spirits will work hard to try to deter us from doing God's work.  Will you help us?  Areas where we could use prayer are:

• Strength - We need strength to work toward reaching our goal of serving in Rwanda and Kenya.  We also need strength to battle against negative influences that may try to shift our focus.  We need strength to handle what we will face in Africa and the sorrow and tragedy we may see.
• Health - Prayers that we are healthy as we prepare for our trip and while we are on it.  We will be doing our best to take preventative measures against the prevalent illnesses of the area with vaccinations, etc.  Please also pray for the health of our families and our fellow missionaries.
• Protection - Please pray for protection for ourselves and our fellow mission workers while we travel and are in Rwanda and Kenya as well as the protection of the loved ones we leave behind.
• Blessing - Please pray that we can be of good service and a blessing to all those we meet and work with in Africa
• Financial Miracles - We are working hard to fund raise for our trip and organize all finances necessary to be a part of this mission. Please pray for financial miracles for us so that our trip may be fully funded and any monetary burdens to be lifted.

Once again, thank you so much for all of your love and support!

Blessings to you all with much love,

Michelle