And. . . They're Off!

It's the coldest night we've had so far.

There was much on the farm to be done. 

Much to do before they could go. 

To a people in need. 

There is winterizing the well. 

Because cows can not live with out water. 

There are instructions and lists to be made. 

Nieces and High School students willing to help. 

To rise before dawn in the bitter cold. 

To serve. 

And to think my farmer is letting it all go. 

He is willing to push aside the anxiety. 

The fear of something going wrong. 

To go. 

To head to a people made in the image of God. 

The same as you and me. 

Yet so needy. 

A people who live and breathe and have their being. 

He is going again. 

He's taking a whole team this time. 

Because when you're moved deep in the soul you can't shake the desire. 

You've got to go. 

So he is.

 So is she. 

They're taking the farm boy. 

And there, in the land of Haiti, they will give of themselves. 

They will leave behind death and the cancer. 

They will leave behind classes and bills. 

The stresses of this life. 

To go. 

To give. 

To learn. 

To share. 

Will you join me in praying?

Seeking wisdom from the God of the Universe. 

The one who called all these people into being. 

The One who knows the plan. 

The One who asks us to go. 

Isaiah 40:31

but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.

The Heartbeat Of Women

It's right there on the return address label. 

I am surprised by the emotion it evokes.

I shouldn't be. 

I should be used to this by now

But I'm not. 

Rose Bud Lane it says. 

Someone lives at Rose Bud Lane. 

It stirs in me that raw, yet warm memory feeling. 

Mom called Clarissa, "Rose Bud".

Dad called her Rag Weed. 

 Mom; gone now to live with Jesus. 

Dad; companion with the memory thief. 

 Rose Bud was the perfect name. 

She was rosy and sweet when she was born.
I dressed her in everything pink.

I treasured all the sweetness wrapped in that bundle.

And now she has the most contagious and infectious laugh. 

She has joy and confidence.

Her eyes sparkle when she laughs and the days of Rose Bud seem so long ago.

She spends the day fasting and raising support for World Vision. 

She brings God's love to a local kid's group. 

I spend the day with women. 

 We hear the journey of one woman. 

It is good to hear the faith journey's of each other. 

It is good to share them. 

We are strengthened by the stories. 

In some way we can connect. 

Something said, stirs in us. 

It is the way of our ancestors.

Quilting and canning gatherings.

Times to share, talk and work. 

Times of encouragement when winters were long. 

Times of Fellowship when the sun warmed the earth. 

So much we have pushed aside. 

No time for gatherings and sharing. 

We are too busy with the bustle of the urgency. 

We race from one activity to the other all in the name of "what's best" for our kids. 

But I wonder. 

Have we got it all wrong? 

In the desire to move away; to be independent of our families have we destroyed what God intended? 

We have lost community;

the gatherings and sharing of work. 

Reminders of; you are not alone, echo through my mind. 

They are the heartbeat of this country. 

They are the heartbeat of this farm. 

Barn raising's and spontaneous gatherings are terms that resonate within us; 

a picture of groups working together to create community.

Maybe it's time to clear the calendar.

Forget about how clean the house is or what someone might think. 

Forgo the movie and forge a new relationship. 

Invite someone over. 
The Rose Bud label was from a woman.
Sharing a book.
Reaching out.
Walking the journey with me. 

It's time to be real.

Time to listen to the stories that long to be told.

Offer to help a friend with a project. 

Be intentional about gathering. 

Be intentional about listening.

We each have needs and we don't have to do it alone. 

We can be the hands and feet of Jesus. 

Showing love to all as we walk this journey. 

Clarissa comes home. 

She is reflective. 

She has been with others. 

She has fasted in the name of World Hunger, 

she has shared God's love. 

It changes you. 

Colossians 3:17

And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, 

do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, 

giving thanks to God the Father through him.