Emily Richards - A Brilliant Adventure in Northern Ireland

A Week of Road Tripping!

It has been a week or so since I last checked in with all my faithful blog readers!  Tanner and I were on what the Irish refer to as holiday and what we know as vacation!  Because we were given a week off of school, Tanner and I decided to take the time to travel around the Green Isle.  We left early on the morning of October 26^th along with our friends Eric and Mary Whyte and Shelly Boyd that we have met here at Bible School.  Eric and Mary are a lovely married couple from Canada, and they only live two doors down from us in Student Housing.  We have been truly blessed by their friendship and are looking forward to the many more months ahead of spending time with one another!  Shelley is from a town here in Northern Ireland called Hillsborough!  She is so fun and Tanner and I are so grateful for her friendship.  She loves us really well as she is always willing to drive Tanner and I to the grocery store or the doctor’s office or the bank . . . you name it!  But, not only does Shelley drive us places and help us settle into life here in Northern Ireland, she is an amazing friend full of encouraging words and thoughtful insight into what God is doing in my life especially!  I am simply blown away by God’s goodness in brining these wonderful friends into our lives. 

  

 

Eric, Mary, Shelley, Tanner and I all set out on this road trip on Monday morning in Shelley’s little 2-door car.  So . . . to say it was a bit “tight” in the car is a slight understatement.  With all of our bags, coats, boots, cameras . . . and the food bag of course, we were packed in like a little can of sardines.  On Monday we drove from Belfast, Northern Ireland to Cork, Ireland (by way of Dublin).  We only passed through Dublin, but Tanner and I plan on going back soon to visit.  We made it to Cork in about 4 ½ hours . . . not too bad.  We even made our own Peanut Butter and Jelly sandwiches on the way to save money on lunch.  Shelley had never heard of a Peanut Butter and Jelly sandwich.  I guess it isn’t a very popular sandwich here.  We explained that in North America a lot of kids take Peanut Butter and Jelly sandwiches to school with them to eat for lunch.  She thought it was hilarious.  But, I think she enjoyed her sandwich.  After arriving in Cork, we spent the rest of the evening exploring the city center!

On Tuesday morning, October 27^th, we woke up nice and early and headed to the Blarney Castle, which is right outside of Cork.  This is where the infamous Blarney Stone is located.  The weather was a bit foggy and misty, but that is actually a good day here in Ireland . . . so we have learned to be thankful for mist as opposed to torrential downpours!  The Castle was beautiful and we climbed all the way to the top!  All of us kissed the Blarney Stone . . . well all of us but one certain Tanner Richards who claims he has a bit of Irish heritage!  How is that even Irish . . . going all the way to Blarney Castle and NOT kissing the Blarney Stone.  As you can see in the photos below . . . it is a bit of a challenge kissing the Blarney Stone as you have to bend backwards over this little opening looking straight down to kiss the stone . . . a little bit freaky!  Anyways, we had a really fun time exploring the Castle and the gardens around it.  We found some wonderful little waterfalls . . . absolutely brilliant. 

 

 

 

Afterwards we all piled back into the car, made our Peanut Butter and Jelly sandwiches again and headed toward a town called Killarney.  While in Killarney, we visited another Castle, The Ross Castle.  The Castle sits right on water and it is gorgeous.  We were there right about Sunset, so we were able to sneak a few photos in before the sun said goodnight.  Speaking of the sun setting, it gets dark here around 5 pm.  I know it gets dark early in the winter back home, but MY GOODNESS.  It is hard to stay energetic after Sunset when it is so dark. 

 

From Killarney we headed to a small town called Ballinskellig on the South West coast of Ireland.  We spend Tuesday evening in a hostel there and enjoyed the coastal view when we awoke on the morning of the 28^th.  We spent the morning exploring the coast, taking some fun photos of Castle ruins.  We even ventured up a few roads to the top of this beautiful hill for a stunning view of the coast!  There were quaint cottages at the top of the hill that are available for artists, authors, musicians, etc. to rent for time of rest and inspiration to further their particular art form.  How cool is that!  

 

 

 

So, from Ballinskellig we headed over to the Dingle Peninsula to the town of Inch and Dingle!  We stopped in the town of Inch to take photos of the beach . . . too bad it was too cold to go for a swim!  It would have been fun to spend a day simply relaxing on the beach, soaking in the rays . . . but the clouds were doing their best to restrict the sunlight.  And from Inch we headed to Dingle to try and spot the infamous Dolphin named Funghi that lives in Dingle Bay.  However, we arrived about an hour too late for the Dolphin cruise that takes you out to look for the Dolphin.  From Dingle we headed to Limerick for our next pit stop of our trip.  We didn’t do much in Limerick other than eat at a classic Irish Pub.  We had a great meal while listening to live traditional Irish music!  Tanner and I loved it!

 

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On Thursday morning, October 29^th, we headed from Limerick to The Cliffs of Mohr on the West coast of Ireland.  The drive was beautiful . . . all the driving we did was absolutely stunning!  Sometimes I would look out of my window and see small mountains rolling into the sea, while other times I would notice miles and miles of the greenest pastures full of sheep.  When we arrived at The Cliffs of Mohr, we spent a few hours exploring.  We walked along the nicely cemented and well-guarded path along the cliff’s edge until we came to a sign warning, “Do not cross beyond this barrier.”  Well . . . there were loads of other tourists passing beyond the barrier, and being in a group of adventurous youngsters, we too decided to cross the barrier.  Ok . . . time for my disclaimer . . . just because I was one of the five in this group of adventurous youngsters DOES NOT mean I wanted to cross beyond this sign to walk on a slippery, muddy path less than 10 feet away from falling off the cliffs!  NO THANK YOU!  But, I tried my hardest to be a trooper.  Well, about five minutes into our little hike, after I had already yelled about 3 times at those in our group to be careful and watch what they were doing because I was so paranoid someone was going to get hurt, I simply broke down in tears.  I mean . . . I lost it . . . and I was so embarrassed.  Tanner sat with me for a while and then we turned around and walked back to the safety that is cemented and guarded walkways!  It was crazy . . . seriously . . . there were times that you were only a few feet away from falling off of Ireland! 

 

 

 

From the Cliffs of Mohr we headed to Galway!  Galway is a great town . . . we had loads of fun wandering the streets and finding a good place to eat.  Again, we ended up enjoying some fabulous traditional Irish music at the Spanish Acres Pub.  After spending the night in Galway, we headed on Friday morning to perhaps my favorite stop of the entire trip, Kylemore Abbey and Gardens.  From Galway, we drove another 1 ½ hours West through amazing fields and more stunning scenery, until we came upon the Kylemore Abbey.  The Kylemore Abbey has been the home of Benedictine Nuns since around the time of World War I.  This beautiful castle sits on a lake and we enjoyed walking all around the premises, visiting the Abbey, the Church and the Victorian Gardens.  I am not exaggerating when I say this place was in the middle of nowhere!  There was an absolute serenity and peace as we spent time exploring the Kylemore Estate!  If you are ever afforded the opportunity to travel to West Ireland . . . try and visit the Kylemore Abbey.  It was definitely worth the drive out!

 

 

 

We headed home Friday night, and were back in Belfast by midnight!  The trip seemed to fly by.  Tanner and I were not only blessed to see more of God’s beauty through nature, only further falling in love with our God and His absolute creativity, but we were also blessed by Eric, Mary and Shelley and the conversations we had all throughout Ireland.  We still can’t believe that we are really in Northern Ireland, that our dreams are actually becoming reality.  Thank you, thank you, thank you for supporting us on this journey . . . especially for all your prayers.  It is our prayer that we continue to seek after God’s will for our lives and that we will continue to be available and used by God to be living testaments of His grace and goodness!

 

How's About Ya?

How's About Ya?  That is a Northern Irish way of saying, "How are you doing?"  Well, may I first apologize for the small blogging hiatus I took for the last few weeks . . . Tanner and I have been rather busy in school.  We just finished our first round of assignments, and we are glad to have our essays all polished off and turned in.  It was a privilege to study and prepare our essays as we learned new things about God’s word and how it affects and influences our daily lives. 

 

I guess last time I blogged we were about to go on the C.S. Lewis tour around Belfast.  It was an absolutely fabulous tour!  We were able to see Little Lea, the house C.S. Lewis grew up in and we most certainly spotted a certain lamppost on the tour!  It was amazing to see how much of Lewis’ growing up in Belfast really did influence his writings.  I am looking forward to reading The Pilgrim’s Regress, as C.S. Lewis composed this entire work in Belfast documenting his return to the Christian faith after abandoning it for some time.

 

School has been going well.  I have thoroughly enjoyed all my classes, but I particularly enjoyed a class we had a few days ago specifically discussing the book of Isaiah.  We focused particularly on the first chapter.  For those of you familiar with Isaiah 1:17, then you probably know why I particularly enjoyed the class.  The verse states, “Learn to do right!  Seek justice, encourage the oppressed.  Defend the cause of the fatherless, plead the case of the widow.”  As I am learning in my Old Testament Prophet Books class, many prophets came with a message regarding pure worship of God, one involving a life wholly committed to God AND social justice.  Isaiah is speaking on behalf of God to the Israelite nation when he addresses the issue of true worship.  While the Israelites were busy with their worship rituals, making sacrifices and joining together in church services, the marginalized were completely forgotten about and disregarded.  Why was this an issue worth addressing?  In a predominantly patriarchal society, if the husband or father went missing, so did the protection and the provision for all other family members.  If a modern day prophet appeared in our churches in America, would he bring a similar message?  Please hear me say that church IS important and our bible studies ARE necessary.  But perhaps we busy ourselves so much so inside the walls of the church that we forget what is decaying on the outside.  It is my prayer that the church can continually be a people that love God and worship him through worship both within the church walls and out.  As Jesus said, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’  This is the first and greatest commandment.  And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’  All the Law and Prophets hang on these two commandments” (Matthew 22:37-40).

 

This past week has been bittersweet as we remembered Maria on the 21^st.  I miss her.  I am sad that I haven’t seen her in 524 days.  I miss so much the way Mom would do her hair in the sloppy side bun.  I miss how she laughed; she could cackle with the best of them.  I guess I could go on and on as I miss every part her, but perhaps what I miss the most is the joy she brought.  If I could only hear my mom laugh again at Maria’s complete social aloofness, or hear my three sisters playing together as beautifully as any three sisters could, or watch Caleb come in the living room and pick Maria up only to spin her around a few times and gently toss her onto the couch, or watch Will Franklin teach her Randy Jackson’s “Yo Yo Yo Dawg” voice, or overhear my Dad lovingly explain to Maria why she can’t just throw absolute tantrums every time she wants her way . . . and her precious apologies were thoroughly endearing.  Because of the beauty of Jesus, and the gift he brought us with eternal life, confirms that I will absolutely see Maria again.  I can’t wait to awake from this dream to see the face of Jesus, the one who redeems and walks with us through the valley of the shadow of death and the even the dark caves of doubt and anger.  What a glorious day!  And, I know that Maria will be right behind him, with her face covered in crumbs and her hair tossed up in a bun!  What a marvelous sight!

 

So, what else has been going on with us in Northern Ireland?  Well . . . we are currently on fall break and we are heading on Monday, October 26^th to travel down to the south of the Irish Isle.  Hopefully we will make it to Cork to see the Blarney Castle and maybe Tanner will kiss the Blarney Stone.  I think I will carry a wet wipe with me so he can wipe the germs off of the stone wherever he chooses to kiss it!  We are road tripping with a few friends from Bible College, so it shall be a blast!  We will post photos when we get back!

 

Thank you for your continued thoughts and prayers.  We are honored and blessed by your support in our adventure here in Northern Ireland.  Please continue to pray that God will mold us during this year, and that Tanner and I will be willing to follow Him wherever He may call us.  

Discipleship, Milk Shakes and C.S. Lewis

Our first week of school is over and we are certainly looking forward to all we have to learn in the upcoming year.  Tanner and I are each enrolled in the following classes: Biblical History, Old Testament Bible Books Study: The Prophets, and Biblical Discipleship.  In addition, I am taking a class regarding the history and biblical context of mission work while Tanner is taking a class about preaching in Christian ministry.  What an amazing opportunity we truly have ahead of us.  Perhaps my favorite thing about our class schedule thus far is the time carved into our schedule for spiritual reflection and prayer.  On Tuesday mornings we have school wide Chapel, allowing time for the student body to come together to worship and listen to a devotional message.  On Tuesday afternoons, we have an hour for “World Focus” prayer.  During this hour, we break into small groups to pray for specific regions in the world and pressing issues and needs prevalent in the respective region.  We also have Midday prayer on the afternoon of Tuesday through Friday.  This might be my favorite aspect of the schedule as we gather together and take time to reflect and think through God’s faithfulness even in the normal happenings of a school day.  Even in being here just one week, I have realized the benefits and appreciated the joy it brings me to diligently stop the hustle and bustle of everyday life in order to consider God’s faithfulness and grace ushering me through even what may seem routine.  

Tanner and I have already been assigned a couple of papers, and we have eagerly begun working away.  Tanner is working on his Biblical History question in which we must discuss certain aspects of King Solomon’s reign as it is portrayed in I Kings.  And I have chosen to tackle our Biblical Discipleship assignment first.  We have been asked to develop a ministry approach to discipleship that might work within our own home Church.  We have certain guidelines we must follow and requirements to meet.  I have read quite a bit today about discipleship within the first century church.  Discipleship was a process, determined and decided and a life-long event in first century Christendom.  When one became a Christian, he or she became a committed follower of Christ.  I don’t know if any of you have experienced this in your own faith communities, but sometimes we cheapen this idea of discipleship to simply some program we must complete or something to cross off our religious checklist.  I have sometimes mistaken discipleship as a quick fix, when in reality the beauty of discipleship is that it lasts a lifetime.  We are committed to the process of becoming more like Christ, daily learning His ways and following in His footsteps. The culmination of discipleship is when we see our Father face to face and hear Him say, “Well done, good and faithful servant” (Matthew 25). 

 God has led us to a truly beautiful place for an amazing journey together.  Tanner and I have had the privilege of meeting so many wonderful new friends at Belfast Bible College.  The diversity of age, ethnicity, life experiences, and theological perspectives and opinions is so exciting.  But one common thread ties us all together, and that is the hope we have in knowing Christ as our personal Savior.  Many of my new friends have stories of extreme brokenness and pain woven into their past.  The pain of poverty, abuse, abandonment, loss of loved ones, addictions, depression . . . the list could go on.  I have yet to meet someone who doesn’t have a past painted with the dark colors of pain and grief.  And yet in midst of all the brokenness, God has somehow shown Himself faithful and worthy of all trust and all praise.  He has drawn each and everyone of us to a new understanding of His character, leading each of us to a deep yearning to know more of who He is and how we might effectively make His renown known throughout the whole earth. 

On the practical side of things, some of you might be wondering if I took any adventures into town or around our new city here in Northern Ireland.  Yes!  I have had quite a productive week in Northern Ireland.  Tanner and I officially opened a bank account here so that we can pay our school fees, we attempted to visit the Doctor so as to register for health care but we must return on the 28^th of September, we took a big shopping run to Super Tesco (thanks to our lovely friend Shelley who transported us there and back), we consumed TWO Jenz milkshakes (more about this later), I took my first visit of this stay into the Belfast City Center to activate our Cell Phone, and I went on an amazing drive through a bit of the countryside to see my friend’s, Shelley, house and meet her lovely family!  Whoo . . . what a whirlwind.   Shelley introduced us to Jenz milkshakes.  Jenz is a little shop off of Lisburn Road that sells milkshakes, coffee and sandwiches!  But, their signature item is the Hippy Shakes.  A Hippy Shake is sort of like a Blizzard or McFlurry in that you pick one out of like 20 candy bars to mix into your vanilla milkshake!  It is a bit overwhelming for indecisive people like me, but I REALLY loved the Oreo Hippy Shake.  If we lived in a Utopia, I would drink an Orea Hippy Shake every day, but unfortunately calories do count even here in Northern Ireland.  I also had a blast seeing Shelley’s house this week and meeting her family!  Her house is beautiful, and the drive from her house back to Belfast Bible College was simply picturesque.  I felt like I was in a movie!  And Shelley’s family was so welcoming, so interested in America and what life was like back home.   It made me miss my own family and friends!  

Today is winding down, and tomorrow will prove itself another day in our Northern Irish adventure.  We are taking a C.S. Lewis tour tomorrow afternoon, and I am really quite excited!  While I have read many of Lewis’ works, perhaps A Grief Observed is one of my favorites.  Maybe because it is the most recent piece of his I picked up; however, I appreciated Lewis’ uncanny reaction and response to grief and the monster it can be. 

May I end with a quote I read in one of my readings today, it comes from a man by the name Cyril of Jerusalem.  He said, “It is the sincerity of your resolution that makes you ‘called.’  It is of no use your body being here if your thoughts and heart are elsewhere.”  When we reflect on our life, on our jobs and current duties as perhaps students, teachers, wives, husbands, mothers, fathers, etc., may we realize that our work is only sincere if we do it with the entirety of who we are.  And perhaps we might venture back to what I mentioned at the beginning of this blog: discipleship.  In our pursuit of knowing Christ and making Him known to the world around us, are we investing ALL of who we are?  Christ deserves our all, may we endeavor to deny ourselves, take up our cross and follow Him more whole-heartedly today than we did yesterday (Matthew 16).

So the Northern Irish journey begins . . .

Well . . . Tanner and I have officially made it to Northern Ireland safely!  For those of you who may not know, Tanner and I are both enrolled as full-time students at Belfast Bible College for the 2009-2010 school year (www.belfastbiblecollege.com).  We are both in the one-year certificate program and are extremely excited to have the opportunity to study alongside one another and dedicate this time to focus our thoughts on what God may have for our future.

We have officially been in Northern Ireland one week, and we really like it here!  Our first week was rather busy, and I have to admit that I am glad we just stayed in our apartment all day today to chill our and relax.  We arrived to Northern Ireland on Saturday, September 12^th.  Some dear friends welcomed us at the Belfast International Airport.  My brother, Caleb, recently married Julia Anderson.  Julia’s older sister, Kristen, lives here in Belfast with her Northern Irish husband, David.  So, David and Kristen welcomed us when we arrived last Saturday and helped us settle into our new place.  They even took us to Super Tesco (which is similar to Super Target or Super Wal-Mart), and we were able to grab a few items to help furnish our new apartment.  We are living in a small flat on the campus of the Bible College. 

         

We spent the rest of Saturday and all day Sunday unpacking and resting for the week ahead.  And while we saw other students around campus, we really didn’t meet any new people until orientation started on Monday morning.  Orientation lasted from Monday, September 14^th until Wednesday, September 16^th.  Orientation was amazing and a bit overwhelming as a lot of information was thrown our way.  We tried to catch all the details we needed to, but seeing as how we were fighting jet lag, I am just praying that we will be on time to our classes and have all the right papers filled in for this upcoming Monday!  

David Shepherd, the principal of the school, gave a small sermon/talk on the first day of orientation.  He explained that Belfast Bible College is most certainly a place to come and be academically challenged and encouraged and propelled to learn new things regarding scripture and theology.  However, that reason for coming to school should be second in comparison to the importance of living in the light as we live in community with the brethren at the Bible College.  Belfast Bible College exists to encourage its students to know the heart and character of God deeper and extend that love and grace toward our neighbors.  David talked about the importance of living in community, and not only living in community, but living in the light within community.  If even just one brother or sister in the community is living in darkness, then the WHOLE body suffers.  I am continually amazed that God has brought us to such a unique community here on the outskirts of Belfast, Northern Ireland. Tanner and I are not only looking forward to this next year, but we need this experience to teach us what it means to live in true community with other believers.

         

The second day of orientation began with a lecture from one of the professors within the Post-Graduate studies department.  He spoke for nearly an hour regarding devotion versus academics.  While he encouraged us to do all our work with excellence, he pointed out the importance of our walk with God and the supremacy it must take when studying at Bible College.  Our walk with God, our personal quiet times and our prayer time must remain primary, allowing the daily grind of homework and assignments to fall into place accordingly.  When I attended college in the United States, I went to the largest Christian University.  And while I absolutely LOVED my time at the University and grew tremendously in my personal walk with God specifically by being involved with my church, this idea of devotion being primary over academics was most certainly not shared in any of our orientation sessions.  While loving God with our all our mind is most important, we must not forget how vital it is to also love Him with all our heart, soul and strength (Mark 12:30).

          

Official orientation ended around lunchtime on the afternoon of September 16th.  After lunch, all the students along with the student life committee headed to a place about 45 minutes from school called Castlewellan.  We all stayed in this huge Castle for two nights, and had the opportunity to dine together, walk around the beautiful lake with one another, enjoying sports and worship together!  What a picturesque way to end your first week in Northern Ireland and to meet all the students you will be seeing around campus for the next year or so.  Tanner and I met so many amazing people!  Before we moved to Northern Ireland, I was afraid I would be the “old married” lady living on campus.  I had fears that others would be intimidated to befriend me because . . . well I don’t really know . . . I just was worrying way too much.  There was no need for me to worry because Tanner and I have already made many friends, from many different places.  Out of the 200-member student body at Belfast Bible College this year, over 30 different nations are represented.  I have new friends from Scotland, Germany, USA, Brazil, Hong Kong, Northern Ireland, England, Kenya, Slovakia, Canada, Poland, Sudan . . . the list could go on and on.  Two doors down from our apartment lives another young married couple, Eric and Mary.  Eric and Mary are from Canada and we have truly enjoyed getting to know them.  We had them over for dinner the other night, which was a hoot seeing as our kitchen table takes up the ENTIRE space in our dining room/kitchen.  Anyways, in the process of getting to know one another, we have come to find out that Mary has volunteered in an orphanage in China, Eric has one biological sister, 3 sisters adopted from China and 2 brothers adopted from Ethiopia, and they have been to Nashville before and even know where Barbara’s and Puckett’s Grocery in Leiper’s Fork are!  (For those of you who aren’t from our hometown, these are both two obscure restaurants close to our home in Franklin).  Isn’t that so like God!  Wow.

         

One afternoon while we were still at Castlewellan, someone noticed the hat that I was wearing had James 1:27 embroidered on it.  My friend, Shelly, asked me what that verse said.  We were sitting around a picnic table with a handful of other friends from Northern Ireland and England.  I told her that James 1:27 talks about pure and faultless religion being one in which the Church, the body of Christ, cares for orphans and widows.  Just quoting this verse opened up a really intriguing and encouraging dialogue regarding orphan care.  Everyone around the table began talking about orphan care and what we might be able to do to even make small differences in the lives of children even in our own backyard.  An English man named Bill, who is in his late 50’s and is attending Bible College with his wife, Nola, piped up and began talking from the perspective of an orphan.  Come to find out, Bill was adopted in the 1950’s domestically in England.  He has a big heart for helping the children in the foster care system here in the United Kingdom.  And after our 5 minute conversation regarding orphans and what we might do to even show them just a glimpse of our Father’s love, my friend Shelly suggested we pray.  And what unfolded over the next 10 minutes was so powerful and deeply inspiring.  Young people and old people, those that were once orphaned and those that knew nothing about the issue, were interceding on behalf of so many children who need forever families.  And not only were prayers offered for these children, but a sincere request was made for God to grant us wisdom in how we can adequately and appropriately respond to the issue.  Young people . . . we were praying for our generation to be the one that changes the mindset about adoption and orphan care within the Church.  And the power of prayer cannot be underestimated.

         

Well . . . I suppose this is a bit of a wordy blog.  Thank you for reading and for supporting Tanner and I as we are on our Northern Irish journey.  We have already had many amazing experiences and made wonderful memories.  We are confidant that God has great truths He wants to reveal to us this year.  

" . . . It's The Climb"

I am officially in China and am so grateful to be traveling alongside of my family and some of our best friends.  We landed in China at about 2 pm yesterday, and as a way to conquer the jet lag before it conquered us, we headed out early this morning to visit The Great Wall of China!  Wow . . . I have been to The Great Wall twice before, but something about this time was special!  I am sure having my hubby with me was part of it :)  But, I do have to tell you that I was OVERWHELMED by the beauty of creation.  The view from the top of The Great Wall was stunning!  What an amazing Father we serve.

I do have to admit that we broke out into spontaneous song more than once as we climbed to the top, all belting Miley Cyrus' latest hit, "The Climb."  That song took on a whole new meaning today as I was climbing . . . and climbing . . . and climbing some more . . . seeming to always wonder what was "waiting on the other side."  I kept saying to myself, "If you can just make it to the next little hut, then you will be able to see the next part of the wall and where you will have to climb next."  And, if I hadn't caught myself quickly enough I might have missed all the beauty that was in the present climb up to the next hut.  What a life lesson for me . . . I seem to easily get distracted from there here and now by striving for the not yet.  It is my hope that I continue to enjoy "The Climb," choosing to see the beauty in the moment, yet knowing that a breathtaking view awaits at the top.  

I hope you enjoy the photos!  Please continue to keep us in your thoughts as we open Maria's Big House of Hope in just two days!  Wow . . . "The Climb" of this past year for our family has sure seemed steep at times as we have wondered if the beautiful view at the top will come.  I believe we are about to get a glimpse as we open Maria's Big House of Hope and watch beauty arise from the ashes.   

Sew Hope :)

This is the absolute BEST PART of my job! I just had to share this photo with you! I am headed to China on the 28th of June and can't wait to be there. We have been receiving so many donations to take with us on our trip. Just last week my husband's Aunt stopped by with 30 hand crocheted and knitted blankets for the babies at Maria's Big House of Hope! They named their project "Sew Hope" and pray over each blanket as they make them! How cool is that!! Ask anyone who works in the office with me and they will tell you I'm just LOVING these blankets. I feel so honored to be one of the people who will be passing them out at Maria's Big House! God is so good and I am just really thankful today that I know Him and that I have the opportunity to work at such an amazing place! WWW.SHOWHOPE.ORG

Grace for the Moment

I can envision the scene now: an overcrowded street, full of sweaty bodies pushing and pressing up against one another just to be near and see the man everyone is talking about, the man named Jesus.  And one amidst the crowd is a woman who has suffered from bleeding for 12 years.  It says in Mark 5:26, “She had suffered much under many physicians, and had spent all that she had, and was no better but rather grew worse.”  She had tried all the medicine and all the remedies the world had to offer . . . none of them had healed her.  And having heard about Jesus and his ability to heal others, she believed in the power of being near to him, of touching him and feeling him presence.  So she made her way through the crowd believing in faith, “If I touch even his garments, I will be made well” (vs. 28).  I’m sure she had to work very hard to reach him, pushing her way through the crowd and stretching her arm as far as it possibly could reach just to make the distance.  And believing in faith that she would be healed from her disease, she grabbed his garment.  Knowing that healing power had gone out from him, Jesus stopped dead in his tracks and asked, “Who touch my garments” (vs. 30).  The disciples thought he was crazy for asking the question, as a sea of faces surrounded them.  “Who touched me,” he asked a second time (vs. 31).  The woman, shaking with fear, approached Jesus and fell to his feet.  “Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace, and be healed of your disease” (vs. 34).

 

In just one moment, in just one single touch, undeserved grace and healing mercy were hers.  Today, as I remember Maria and the journey God has taken me on since her home-going a year ago today, I understand the power that is in the healing touch of God.  And while He didn’t heal Maria with the touch we selfishly wanted, He healed her forever!  While I am here, still on this side of eternity, I must continue to move toward Jesus.  I have to push through the crowd of emotions: anger, fear, doubt, sadness, grief, stretching the hands of my heart to grab a hold of Jesus.  And it is in those moments when I truly move toward him and cling to him that the sea of emotions is calmed.  I understand my need for grace: grace for the moment, grace for the day, and grace for this life.  And just as Jesus told the bleeding woman after she had been healed, “Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace, and be healed of your disease,” I must remember that faith in Jesus is what leads to complete restoration of the broken hearted.  To be honest, there are moments that it is hard to see God as the one who heals and comforts his people.  But I must have faith in those moments, and in having faith, my heart will be healed.

 

I pray this encourages you today.  Thank you for your continued prayers for my family and me as we remember our sweet Missy Moo today.

OK...now is the time....Vote for the best Dad in the world!

The voting page is up. Alright Chapman fans, lets see you show up.  : )

You can cast your vote for Steven in the Artist of the Year category right now!

You may vote once online and once via text messaging.  

Vote Today!  

VOTE ONLINE by clicking here.

VOTE BY TEXT by texting DOVE SCCHAPMAN to 72648.  (vote codes are not case sensitive)

Did I mention vote today?!?!   : )

The voting page is up. Alright Chapman fans, lets see you show up.  : )

You can cast your vote for Steven in the Artist of the Year category right now!

You may vote once online and once via text messaging.  

Vote Today!  

VOTE ONLINE by clicking here.

VOTE BY TEXT by texting DOVE SCCHAPMAN to 72648.  (vote codes are not case sensitive)

Did I mention vote today?!?!   : )

Maria's Big House of Hope

Here is is!  This is Maria's Big House of Hope located in Luoyang, China.  Caleb and I are standing outside of the building, and we look so small compared to the size of Maria's BIG House.  I am currently in China, with a team of 9 other friends and family to move furniture into Maria's BIg House of Hope and help in preparing the facility for babies to move in soon. 

It has been an unbelievable treat to be at this special place as it is in its final preparation stages.  Our team has prayed and asked God to come and dwell in this place.  We have prayed over the cribs as we have assembled them and moved them to each floor.  And, we have experienced God through the touch and the encounter with His most special children . . . the orphans.

In addition to spending time at Maria's Big House of Hope, we have also had the opportunity to visit with orphans in the local orphanage.  We spent time playing with the older children yesterday.  My husband and sister-in-law, Tabby, did a few gymnastic tricks for the older orphans, while all the musicians on the trip were able to entertain the kids with a few songs, including Blessed Be Your Name.  I became quickly attached to an older orphan by the English name of Will.  I told him I have a younger brother named Will, and dialogued a bit more with the very broken Chinese I can barely speak.  He showed me around the girls' rooms, and then we went down to the 4th floor, room 8405.  He was so excited to show me his bed, his few pillows, and his one blanket. Those were his possessions in entirety; however, he was so proud to show me.  What an amazing reminder of how extremely blessed we are, and the beauty of finding joy in every little blessing we have been given.  

Finally, I can't help but mentioning a little orphan we met on the 5th floor of the local orphanage.  Robin and Joyce Hill, the couple that will be in charge of overseeing Maria's Big House of Hope, currently have a special care unit on the 5th floor of the local orphanage to care for the most sever special needs children that come to the local orphanage.  One of the older orphans on the 5th floor was named Eleanor.  Eleanor is 9 years old, the same age as Shaoey, and she is blind and has some sort of mental handicap. We were visiting Eleanor during her dinner hour.  I watched her listen to her nanny's voice, move toward the nanny, open her mouth and receive her nourishment.  She sat there quietly waiting for her nanny to feed her.  I thought about the amazing example Eleanor is for us as Christians.  We are to hear the voice of our Lord, our ultimate provider and care-taker, move closer to Him and receive truth that gives LIFE.  We are not to consume of the junk food that Satan tries to feed us, rather, we are to move toward Him, responding to His gentle voice, and eat and drink deeply!  Oh how God shows up in the fields of the fatherless.  

My prayer for you today is that you hear and recognize the voice of the Lord Almighty, and that you move closer toward Him and receive life everlasting!

Feliz Navidad!

 

I am writing you from the beautiful country of Honduras!  I arrived in Honduras early yesterday morning along with fellow Shaohannah's Hope staff members, Nick Lyndon and Wendy Cosby.  We are so enjoying our time here.  We have had the opportunity thus far of visiting 3 homes for vulnerable and orphaned children.  We are being hosted by Buckner International, and have had the privilege of participating in their Shoes for Orphan Souls program.  New shoes are collected in the USA and other locations wishing to donate, and then they are sent to various countries and distributed at these homes for highly vulnerable children.  Some of these children don't even have a pair of shoes on their feet, and we have been able to offer a pair of new shoes to these children.

Please pray for the children of Honduras.  They are such beautiful children, and so precious in God's sight.  I feel so honored to be able to spend a week with such wonderful treasures.  My challenge to all of you is to remember these children, and the millions around the world just like them, during this holiday season.  Remember to pray for those who will wake up Christmas morning without a family to celebrate with.  

Stay tuned for more updates from Honduras!