Love Finds You In Sunset Beach Hawaii - Review

Maybe it's because I ling to go to Hawaii.  Maybe it's because I so thoroughly enjoyed Robin Jones Gunn's work in the past.  When I picked up Love Finds You, Hawaii, it was purely for those reasons. 

When Love a finds You In Sunset Beach, Hawaii is a cute story about Sierra Jensen, a missionary that had been serving in Brazil, and Jordon Bryce. A photographer chasing his dream.  When both, through a stream of coincidences, end up in the same Hawaii vacation spot, they are both at a point where they have some decisions to make.  A friendship and an attraction to each other was not what either of them expect.

For a romance, it wasn't very romantic.  I did think that the book did a great job at having the characters turn to God as they dealt with the decisions they had to make at the pivotal points they both had reached in their lives. 

This was a light read.  It didn't truly impact my life deeply, and maybe it wasn't supposed to.  Sometimes light reads surprise me with depth.  This one wasn't like that, but that's alright.  I still enjoyed the story.  

Coming Home Soon

My girls are headed to the airport.  I won't see them until tomorrow morning, but I'm excited that they had such a great week in Alaska!

The scenery looks so incredibly beautiful. I had to share a couple pics the girls have sent.

While In Alaska

My girls are in the middle of their missions trip to Alaska.  I have received random photos from them.

Kim and Jasmine, working on the coffee shelter.

They are excited to be building a coffee shelter since coffee runs through the veins of this family.  

Laura, working hard.

They have had mild weather so far, but today I heard they had a winter weather advisory... In June!  They are also dealing with 22 hours of daylight.  

Jasmine, having some private time.

They will be home Sunday.  I'm missing them and will be happy to have them home.

Laura

And They're Off...

Three of my girls are headed to the airport to fly to Alaska for a short-term missions trip.  I am so proud of them, and nervous too!

Laura, Kim, and Jasmine - Alaska bound!

I pray for their safety.  I pray that God touches each of their lives in a major way.  I pray that he fills their hearts with His love for others.  

I know the experience will be educational.  Laura has never flown before.  Neither Laura nor Jasmine have seen the Rocky Mountains.  Kim went on a missions trip to Alaska a couple years ago when she was in college.  It touched her greatly. 

Kim standing on the Bering Sea in Alaska in 2013.

I am so excited for them, even as my mommy heart cries out in prayer and already misses them.  

Commissioned To Go

In a few days three of my daughters will be going on a short-term missions trip to Alaska.  This morning they were commissioned by the pastor of my daughter's church (who is helping sponsor the trip) for the journey ahead.

This will be the first missions trip, other than local projects, that Jasmine and Laura have taken.  It will be Laura's first plane ride!  Both girls are excited and nervous at the same time. 

I will be praying the entire time for God to do amazing things on this trip.  I will also be praying for their safety and health.  

It is a bit tough to let my girls go so far away without me, but I know that they will be with their big sis.  I also know that God will be with them every step of the way.

What Is My True Mission Field?

I write a lot about homeschooling on this blog.  A few years ago I changed the name of my blog from what it was (not important) to Home Mission Field after a missionary came to my church.  He talked about how not everyone will go to a foreign land for mission work, but that we all live in a mission field.  If we just looked at the people in our lives, the ones we see day to day, as our mission field, we could change the world for Christ.  Each life we touch for Jesus will then go out and do the same.

After some prayer, I realized the missionary was correct.  I would love the adventure of foreign missions, and have friends that are moving their entire young family with five children to Zambia to be full-time missionaries.  

But... That isn't what God has called my family to do. God called me to homeschool my children, and for seven years I have obediently followed what He asked. I have kept my journey online, blogging about curriculum choices and field trips and projects.  I've included some posts about my faith.  I written about some of the struggles we faced, including our time of unemployment and discovering our home was making us sick from mold.  

But lately I noticed my desire to write has not been as focused as it once was.  I began to ask God why, and I realized that I strayed from my original purpose.  Yes, blogging about our journey in homeschooling has helped me see just how far I have come, the lessons learned along the way, and the adventures we have had.  I'm sure God is not finished with them or us.

But... My home mission field is about much more than homeschooling.  I love homeschooling, and have no plans to stop posting about our learning adventures.  I have just found that, after a few years, we have settled into a groove of what works for us, and writing about it all endlessly isn't as intriguing for me as it was when everything was new. (At least not intriguing enough to write about daily.)

When I first began blogging, I did it all on my desktop.  Now, I still use my desktop, but I find I write a lot of posts from my smartphone.  I find that I have enjoyed the brief posts I have done about cash living or creating my heritage wall or my faith.

I find that I have other things God wants me to write about, and they all concern where God has me focused... On my Mission Field right here at home.  I long to write about marriage, since my marriage is a big ministry.  I want to write about homemaking, because so many feel that making a home is not something from God.  I want to write about education, not of just my children, but continued learning as a mom and an adult that can't afford to go back to college.

I sat down and began brainstorming ideas for what I could write, and the ideas kept coming.  Even as I'm in the middle of a series on homeschooling lessons I have learned through the last seven years, I am thinking about a series on marriage.  

Be prepared for changes coming to My Home Mission Field.  I think God is gonna do something with this little 'ole blog after all.  And if I never have a bunch of readers or do more than blog about what I feel God wants me to blog about, I will still have fulfilled His purpose. 

Teen Mission Week

It's been a busy week.  My two teenagers have been gone, participating in Teen Mission.  Teen Mission is a local mission's trip.  Area churches band together with their youth and volunteers to help local residents with service projects.  They try to help elderly, handicapped, and other local groups with things such as painting, building decks or wheelchair ramps, landscaping, etc.  Every evening the churches band together to have a service.  The kids shower at the local high school and sleep at a different church.

My husband with Jasmine and Laura after the pool party

My girls love the week.  They make some awesome friends and are changed by serving others, by being the hands and feet of Christ daily for one week.  The evening services hold what they call "Yay God" confessions where the teens and leaders talk about what God did during the day.... Not what they did.   The evening services are also open to the public.  On Wednesday evening we had about a dozen Chinese exchange students from the local college arrive for service.  How exciting! 

Kim (center) practicing for worship

It's not all work and no play, however.  There was a swim night at the local pool. The teams head to the beach the final day.  And, for the comfort of parents, modest swimwear is a must.  Usually that means shorts and tshirt a over swimsuits. 

Laura, on the front page of the local newspaper, for a Teen Mission article

My husband was asked to play bass in a couple of the worship sets with Kim, my oldest daughter.  Kim and her husband, Caleb, are youth pastors at one of the churches that participates.  Our family got to see more intimately the heart of this mission by meeting many of the leaders.  We weren't disappointed.  These leaders have such a love for Christ, for these young people, and for the community.  It touched me greatly to know that the churches represented had many members praying for the teens involved in Teen Mission.  This crossed denominational barriers and left only room for Christ.  

Pictures from the week will follow in a separate post.  They are usually released after the work week is finished. 

A Missions Trip To Nicaragua

Tasha leaves this afternoon.  My little girl, now all grown up, is heading to Nicaragua on her first missions trip.  She will be gone for twelve days.

I find myself praying for her often. "Lord, keep her safe."  "Lord, keep her healthy." "Lord, bless her on this trip with more of You."  

She will be traveling with a church group, including her boyfriend.  This will be his seventh trip to Nicaragua.  He loves missions and has a heart for the people of Nicaragua. He is excited to share his love for missionary work and the Nicaraguan people with Tasha.  

I'll be waiting anxiously for their return, excited to hear all about the trip and all that God did there.  

Do You Cherish the Word?

http://www.faithit.com/its-just-a-one-minute-video-but-it-totally-wrecked-me-with-the-power-of-something-i-take-for-granted/

In one day I watched this amazing video of Chinese Christians receiving Bibles.  The look on each of their faces just took my breath away.  My heart lurched in my chest.  I have seen little as beautiful as the reaction of these Christians to a box of Bibles.  It certainly puts to shame Bill Nye and all the others that want to trash the Bible as just some book that couldn't possibly be the Word of God. It ranks up there with watching a person give their heart to the Lord, a birth of a baby, a wedding of two God-loving souls in the covenant in marriage, or a baptism in the Holy Spirit. 

Right after I watched that wonderful video, I caught sight of this article by Charisma magazine online:

http://www.charismanews.com/opinion/watchman-on-the-wall/42673-facebook-takes-place-of-bible-in-most-american-s-lives

Sadly, both the video and the article were on Facebook.  The irony was not lost on me, but God wanted to reaffirm a lesson He's been whispering to my heart.

It got me thinking.  Do I feel the same way about my Bible as those Chinese Christians?  I doubt that the Chinese Christians that were hugging and crying over the privilege of having God's Word would put Facebook first in their lives. 

And yet I am free...free to own Bibles, free to worship Jesus, free to speak His name openly...even though there are those that would like those freedoms eliminated here in America.  I am free...but I often check my Facebook in the morning before I open my Bible. 

This past Sunday my pastor stated, "We need more face time with the Lord and less Facebook time.". Little did he know that his words would be brought back to my memory with the viewing of a video and the reading of an article. 

A few months ago I was reading about David Wilkerson in another article.  It stated that he made a decision when he was young to not watch television, and spend that time in prayer instead.  It was during those prayer times that he felt led to minister to gang members.  I have to ask myself if that would have happened if he had made the decision to just veg in front of the TV for a couple hours instead.

George Mueller spent much time in prayer.  He saved thousands of children with his orphanage.  He never asked others for money. Instead he prayed and trusted the Lord to provide.  The Lord did provide, often miraculously.  Throughout his life, George Mueller read his Bible over 200 times through.

We want strength to handle the adversities in life. We want joy that isn't destroyed by our tough times and tragedies. We want family members and loved ones saved.  We want God to show Himself in our lives, in our schools, in our towns, in our government, and in our country. 

 We hear stories of amazing miracles happening in other countries, even ones that punish or even kill Christians.  We hear of underground churches held in secret in these places just exploding with growth.  We hear of their hunger and thirst for the Lord and His Word.  And we....

we...

We what?  We turn on another sitcom?  We hit that Facebook app button once again on our smartphone or tablet?  We catch up with others lives, commiserate on the latest snowstorm, or pick a fight with someone we disagree with about some current political hot button issue?

I state this not as a condemnation, but as a confession.  I know I am not alone, but that doesn't change how God convicted my heart.

I am in the Word often.  Bible time with my daughters is my favorite time of my day.  And yet, I don't always take personal time to dig deep into the Word on my own.  After teaching, cooking, laundry, and running errands, I am easily swayed to veg in front of the TV and not do more. It's easy to put off prayer time with, "I'll do it later."

Sometimes I do, and sometimes exhaustion overtakes me and I fall asleep without focused time in prayer.  I don't want my life to be one in which the Lord comes sometime after Facebook.  I don't want Him as simply the start of my homeschool day.  I don't want Him relegated to exhausted prayers by a worn out Mom as I fade out of consciousness.  I want more.

I want to hold my Bible as those Chinese Christians did.  I want to cling to my time with Him, guard it, make sure it isn't a duty but the deepest desire of my heart.  If He is the Way, the Truth, and the Life, it stands to reason that things that I allow to steal from the Way, the Truth, and the Life would hold opposite qualities. 

Is Facebook the way?  No.  It's a tool and wonderful for allowing me to feel connected to my grown daughters and other loved ones, but often its way causes conflict and hurt.  It's easy to stir up trouble, to vent without thinking things through, and to cause as more hurt than joy.  I've been there. 

Is television the truth?  Well, if you watch it for any length of time, you will see much that conflicts with the truth of Scripture.  In fact, I would venture to state that the prince of the air loves breeding all sorts of inequities on the airwaves of TV. Like Facebook, television is a tool.  I like a good comedy or drama as much as anyone, but when I haven't prayed, but I have time for that rerun...or even that new episode, I wonder if my priorities are a little eschew.

Neither of these or any of my other pastimes (Words with Friends for me) are the life. They may not be negative or harmful, but they won't bring me the LIFE that is found only in Christ.  

Those Chinese Christians knew the Life was revealed in the pages of the Bibles they cherished.  I don't anticipate they will toss their cherished Bible on the coffee table while they spend hours on Facebook.  I'm willing to bet that they spent hours devouring every word, perhaps copying it onto notebook pages for others that want the Word of God, even if it's just a portion, but have no access. I am willing to bet that they hid those Bibles from confiscation, willing to go to great lengths to protect the precious Word. They knew Life wasn't in their entertainment or their government, but in what had been deemed illegal for them.

If Christians around the world can risk their freedom and their very lives to serve Christ, finding the gift of His Word so life giving, then I am sure I can follow my convictions and truly treasure and relish in my relationship with my Savior and Lord.

Alaska Missions Trip

My oldest daughter, Kimberly, went on a mission's trip last week to a village in Alaska.  She was part of a team from her Bible College.

Kim on the Bering Straight

She was overwhelmed at all that God did, both in the villagers, in the team, and in her.  God definitely used the experience to speak to my daughter's heart.

This photo is my daughter on the Beiring Straight.

She was awed by the beauty of Alaska.  She hasn't forwarded a lot of pictures yet, but this one was very striking. 

I thank God that He is leading my daughter down His path.  I miss her some days, but there is a peace in knowing she is where God wants her.  She is 8 hours away by car.  She will be getting married in a couple months, but will still live where she is going to school. 

A Missionary's Impact on the World... and a Young Girl

A couple years ago we had a young missionary at our church named Lisa.  A missionary serving in Bangladesh, a country where it is illegal to convert from the Muslim faith to Christianity, Lisa was drawn to helping young girls that were victims of the s*x-slave industry.

After working in or for Bangladesh for nine years, God has given Lisa new plans.  Today Lisa came back to visit our church.  Our church sponsors Lisa.  It was great to see her after a few years.  Hearing the stories of the young girls was heartbreaking. 

Lisa is heading to France in a few months.  Working with Muslims is something that God had placed on her heart.  There is a growing Muslim population in France.  There is also that same plague in our world... The s*x slave industry.  Lisa shared a statistic that shocked me: "There are more slaves in the world now than ever before in history."

Think about that for a moment.  There are more slaves than during the Roman Empire.  There are more slaves than when slaves were working fields in America and other countries.  And many of these slaves are girls, young children, that are sold for s*x.

Laura remembered Lisa from the missionary's first visit.  Laura feels called to missionary work. While the ugliness of the world is only now beginning to creep into her education, she is still quite sheltered.  I'm completely okay with that.  As she learns of this fallen world, I pray that she sees the hope that can only be found in Christ.  It is this hope that missionaries like Lisa are trying to spread with those most of us would never see to help.

Could You Pray This Prayer?

While reading aloud Elisabeth Elliot: Joyful Surrender to my daughters today, I came across a prayer that Elisabeth copied into her Bible.  She had copied it from a biography written about Betty and John Stam, missionaries to China that were killed in the Communist Revolution.  The story of the Stams inspired many to become missionaries, including Elisabeth Elliot. 

John and Betty Stam

Elisabeth Elliot had actually met Betty Stam and Betty's parents as a child, when Elisabeth's parents hosted the missionaries at their home.  Elisabeth was touched by the tragic death of Betty and her husband John and the story of their martyrdom.  She copied this prayer into her Bible when she was only a young girl:

"Lord, I give up all my own plans and purposes, all my own desires and hopes, and accept Thy will for my life.  I give myself, my life, my all utterly to Thee to be Thine, forever.  Fill me and seal me with Thy Holy Spirit.  Use me as Thou wilt, work out Thy whole will in my life at any cost, now and forever."

Can we say that same prayer?

Could we say it knowing that the future might be like the Stam's?  Could we say it knowing that we might have to endure what Elisabeth Elliot herself endured, the loss of her husband Jim Elliot to the Auca Indians of Ecuador?

Neither the Stams nor the young Elisabeth knew what God's plans were when they wrote those words.  And yet, I don't believe they would have changed that prayer or their devotion to serve Christ.