leavin on a jet plane?

I have been agonizing for weeks about how to present this.....so I have decided to just come out with it...no cute stories, no spiritual applications to work on your souls.....just gonna lay it out plain and simple like...

WE WANNA GO HOME FOR CHRISTMAS BUT DON’T HAVE ENOUGH MONEY TO DO IT!!!! 

Would you just consider how you could help us out with this?  

Did I mention that it is going to be Luis’ 40th birthday in December?  Since he grew up in NYC, he would LOVE to spend that milestone with friends and family at home!  Don't you wanna help make a missionaries dream come true?

Did I mention that our youngest daughter Brooklyn doesn’t remember snow!?  She thinks that Santa Clause is a skinny Congolese man who speaks French.  Don't you

 

        

 It is going to be Hannah's 9th birthday in December and Amira's 11'th.  They would REALLY love to spend it with their Nana and Papa.

 Don't you wanna help make a missionaries kid's dream come true? 





In all seriousness, it has been a hard year and we really need a break.  Would you pray about how to help us?  We wanna get refreshed so that we can come back recharged ready to hang with kids who have faces like this.....

If God is laying it on your heart to donate financially .... go to

 tscnyc.org / give / contribute to a missions trip / morales family zambia

Or you can mail a check or money order to 

Morales Family 

Times Square Church 

Missions department 

1657 Broadway FL 4

NYC, NY 10019

earmarked Morales family / zambia

Slow and Steady

STREETWISE OUTREACH is a ministry that has been birthed out of a desire to see the homeless, drug addicted and purposeless children of Lusaka rise up and take hold of their place in God...to recognize that they were born with a purpose and a plan. 

 FEARFULLY AND WONDERFULLY MADE BABY!!!!!! AW YEAH! 

The reason we show up at 8:00pm every Wednesday night in the same parking lot is because we believe that in being a regular and steady presence they will begin to understand God’s tenacity for their souls.  You can’t imagine that alone is having on them.  

As I write this I am thinking of David.  He is an older boy who LOVES Mike Sampson.  Mike is a quiet, gentle, steady, solid presence.  He loves to stand at the back of the truck and hand out the tea to the boys.  David, with out fail, gravitates to Mike and simply stands right next to him the entire time.  He doesn’t move from his side for the full hour we are out there.  I don’t even think that they talk very much.  They just stand there with each other.  Slowly but surely David will give bits of his story to Mike as he learns to trust him.  But first he needs to believe that Mike won’t hurt him.  David has had to live a survivors childhood.  In order to survive the means streets of Lusaka he has had to shut parts of himself off.  HOW SAD!  

That is what STREETWISE is all about.  SLOW AND STEADY WINS THE RACE!   There is no quick fix, no 5 step program to a greater you.  There is us being the arms and feet of Jesus extended to a dying and forgotten society of kids left to fend for themselves and wander aimlessly through their broken lives.  

How can you help?

We desperately need people to pray!  Would you consider committing to praying for us on a regular basis?  Prayer is the key to everything!  

 Would you consider coming over to help out for a bit?  That would ROCK MY FACE OFF!!!  

We need financial support.  In order to continue in what God is doing here we need you to consider giving up Starbucks for a day and sending that 10 bucks over here?  

YOU GUYS ARE AWESOME AND YOU ROCK!!!

If God is laying it on your heart to donate financially .... go to

 tscnyc.org / give / contribute to a missions trip / morales family zambia

Or you can mail a check or money order to 

Morales Family 

Times Square Church 

Missions department 

1657 Broadway FL 4

NYC, NY 10019

earmarked Morales family / zambia

tapestries

Weaving our various threads into a tapestry is sometimes challenging and daunting.  Especially when our threads come in so many variations.  Some of us might be spun from llama fur, some from lambs wool and some from camels hair. 

What happens if you take a llama from Peru, a lamb from England and a camel from the deserts of Morocco?    Lets say that the tint of purple dye in Egypt is going to look a bit different from the purple dye in China because the process and ingredients used are going to vary.  (I actually have no clue, but flow with my thought here.) All this gets thrown into a big box in a tangled, knotted mismatched mess and somehow the contents of that box are supposed to work together to create a pattern.  Like the one in the picture above.

The weaving process takes a great deal of humility on our parts.  It takes a great deal of patience and understanding.  Say you are a nice butter yellow soft lambs wool and you think that your color and texture would be suited nicely next to a creamy pink, but Jesus thinks outside of the box.  He is going to put you next to the neon blue camels hair.  At first it seems as if it clashes and chaffs badly, but if we let humility and patience be our plumb line, and let the perfect work of righteousness to have its full effect,  the work is stunning!!!  It may not be what you had in mind, it may not be how you wanted it to happen, but it is better than you ever thought it would be!

As you can imagine living in Africa for 6 years, I have had to face many cultural misunderstandings.  The most recent one has really taken my breath away because it hasn’t been as clear cut as the ones in the past.  I felt comfortable in this particular situation to address things as an American woman would and I was W-R-O-N-G!   The responses I got in return was hard to swallow.  I got before God and was like “WHAT HAPPENED!? What went wrong??”  My emotions were raw and I felt like FORGET THIS, I QUIT!!!

To make a long story short, God is amazing!   I called my mom, cause she rocks my face off and she always is chock full of wisdom!   She calls a spade a spade and WILL NOT let me feel sorry for myself.  (Also she knows the challenges of working as an American woman in a male dominated society, India...makes Zambia look like a walk in the park)  Basically she asked me the question “Were you addressing things as an American or as Christian?  Was humility the plumb line or your opinion?”  As she spoke I felt the warm flood of peace wash over my heart and the hopelessness was gone.  I knew my heart was right before God, but I was filtering the situation as an American woman, not as a Christian being guided by the voice and standards of Jesus.  

Whats the punch line?  

Are you feeling misunderstood?   Do not let a misunderstanding drive a wedge in your relationships.  What we should be doing is taking steps back and getting God’s perspective and HIS cultural understanding.   

Jesus is the Divine Weaver who knows the best way to make all our colors and textures blend together in a beautiful pattern that will make the world take notice.   

What is STREETWISE?

YEAH!!  We finally came up with a name!!!  What do you think? 

STREETWISE is about building relationships.  The children who live on the streets believe that they are less than human and they aren’t valuable.  The mandate God has given us is to sit in the dirt with them, learn about their lives, hand out some hot tea and build relationships in order to show them that they are valuable and worthy of love because God has declared it so!  

Many of you have heard me speak of Joe.  He is doing SO WELL!!!  He has spent 9 months at a TEEN CHALLENGE facility out side of the city and has thrived beyond all our wildest imaginations!  After surviving on the streets of Lusaka for 11 years, God has truly transformed his life!  He has been giving the opportunity to go to Swaziland to further his education at another TEEN CHALLENGE facility.  He is a bit freaked out about it.  It was a huge step for him to leave Lusaka, let alone leave the country!  Pray for him!  

It is very exciting time for us because God has been laying on the hearts of some of the people who we attend church with to get involved.   We had our first “team meeting” a few weeks ago and I was ELATED!  We sat with FIVE extra people who have felt the call of God for the homeless kids and want to be a part!  For all this time it has just been Luis and I, so to have others come along and want to share the burden with us is SO exciting! 

How can you help? 

We need to raise money to purchase a ministry bus.  We would love to have a bus that will become our ministry center.  

We need financial support.  Lusaka is VERY expensive to live.  In order to live we need at least 4,000 USD a month.  Would you pray about how God would have you help in that department?  

Pray for more people to come along to help.  We would love to be able to start feeding, but simply don’t have enough hands.  Also, there is another spot that we would love to extend to, but again, we need more bodies.  

In closing....PRAY!  Pray about how you can help!  Pray for us!  Pray that God’s will is done in the lives of these precious kids!  

Like I always say, a missionary is only as effective as the people supporting them in prayer!  

WE LOVE YOU GUYS!!!

My Prayer in the Car

I found this in my journal from a few weeks ago.  I was house hunting (NOT fun to do in Zambia) and was feeling very overwhelmed and exhausted.  This is what came out....


Lord, 

I thank you that your arms are strong enough!  

I thank you that your shoulders are broad enough! 

I thank you that you don't judge me for being frustrated and confused at times. 

I thank you that you don't get angry with me when I don't understand your ways and throw a fit about it.  You patiently wait for me to get a grip, then you pick me up, wipe the road dust off my bottom and we continue. 

This is my hearts cry....
I NEVER wanna be so right that I am wrong!  So, in my frustration and disillusionment help me to settle on WHO you are!  Give me wisdom to navigate the minefields of my emotions. 

My heart is stired by a noble theme!  You are my GOD!  

You love me for who I am, where I am, not for what I do!  

You are my purpose!

in spirit and in truth!

A thought just struck me right between the eyeballs.  One I have had several times, but REALLY needed to be reminded of it. 

I can trust God’s word even though I don’t “FEEL” like it!  Even though things surrounding me tell me otherwise.  When my thoughts are swirling and I can’t get a grip on my emotions, God’s word is TRUTH!!!!  It is alive and living!!  Thats a fact!  You can take it to the bank and do whatever you are supposed to do at a bank.  

Yesterday I was in church and, quit honestly, didn’t want to be there.   Worship time came and after a few songs I felt the Spirit of God tell me “This is your cave experience”.  Remember the story of David when he was running for his life from King Solomon?  His life wasn’t going to well at that point and he was forced to hide out in a cave.  Bummer!  But, he worshiped anyway at the mouth of the cave!  He worshiped because God is worthy!  He worshiped because no matter what his life was telling him, God is STILL God!!  Nothing changes that fact! 

So I worshiped!  I put my feelings aside and I worshiped!  Don’t you think that is what is meant when we are told to worship in spirit and in truth?  

It doesn’t matter what is swirling around you, internal or external....the truth is this....Jesus Christ is the same yesterday today and forever!  Jesus Christ is your hope and your salvation!  Jesus Christ is the author and perfecter of your faith and NOTHING can ever separate you from Him!  

If you don't know Jesus personally (I am not just talking about believing that he existed, but really KNOWING HIM) I URGE YOU!  No, I IMPLORE YOU!  Cry out to Him!  Fall on your face and ask Him to show himself to you!!  Then sit back and wait.  Jesus WANTS to be in your life!  He WANTS to help you navigate the vast experience of life and give you purpose and meaning to all you see and experiecne.  He wants to take your pain and make it something beautiful . 

STRONGER, Hillsongs

There is love that came for us

Humbled to a sinners cross

You broke my shame and sinfulness

You rose again victorious

Faithfulness none can deny

Through the storm and through the fire

There is truth that sets me free

Jesus Christ who lives in me

You are stronger, You are stronger

Sin is broken, You have saved me

It is written, Christ is risen

Jesus You are Lord of all

No beginning and no end

You’re my hope and my defense

You came to seek and save the lost

You paid it all upon the cross

You are stronger, You are stronger

Sin is broken, You have saved me

It is written, Christ is risen

Jesus You are Lord of all

There is none

our faith life

God allows all things to happen in our lives, the good, the bad and the ugly.  It has always been my natural reaction, my human reaction to point fingers, blame and get angry when the you know what hits the fan.  Yet, this has always been my hearts desire. 

psalm 139:23-24

Investigate my life, O God,

    find out everything about me;

Cross-examine and test me,

    get a clear picture of what I’m about;

See for yourself whether I’ve done anything wrong—

    then guide me on the road to eternal life.

I think about a conversation I had with my daughter yesterday.  I told her that I will do anything in the world for her because I love her more than life itself.  Meaning, if her life has to be hard for a bit in order for her to grow and be a stronger woman, then so be it.  

Doesn’t it stand to reason that God, being the perfect parent, feels the same about us? 

He isn’t as concerned with our happiness as he is about us becoming whole and complete, lacking in nothing.  

My faith life has been forced into the open and I haven’t been very happy about what I have seen.  It is easy to be stoic and brave and appropriately humble when things are good and the planets are all in a line.  But the planets don’t stayed lined up all the time do they?  Storms are a natural part of life and deserts exist for a reason.  

An amazing reality has struck me hard between the eye balls.  GOD LOVES ME!!!   When I am so weary I can’t pray, and opening the Bible causes my mind to race....GOD LOVES ME!  When I have to go into survival mode for a bit and trust God for the strength to put my left foot in front of the right, GOD LOVES ME!   

He loves you not for what you can offer him, but for who he made you to be!  It is not just a pretty cliché we hang on our walls and put on t-shirts.  God has been allowing me personally to go through the mental battles I have been going through to remind me that He loves me for me!!!  

You are valuable to God because he makes it so!  Just for who you are, where you are!