Five-Minute Friday: Fall

June 6, 2013 by · 46 Comments

Today I’m linking up with Lisa-Jo for Five-Minute Friday.

Join me!

The rules: Write for five minutes. No editing, revising, overthinking, or backtracking. Just write.

Today’s Topic: Fall

So I should take this Five-Minute Friday prompt and write about the absolute, utter, TOTAL klutz that I am.

Really.

I embrace the title pretty much every day as I fall over nothing. 😉

But when I first saw the prompt, I went back to a memory…one I hold in my heart and will forever.

In October of 2010, we experienced our first fall season since 2004. (Yeah, leaves don’t get all crunchy and fall off trees in the tropics. That’s really quite the bummer.)

There was one afternoon in early October when my husband came home from work, and we took our then-four-month-old baby girl outside with us and played in the leaves.

We raked.

We did a lot of jumping.

We took a ton of pictures.

And? I totally even took a huge, crashing dive into the largest pile.

It was one of my favorite days ever and holds a special place in my heart each time I think of it.

Sometimes we take the littlest things for granted…like a change in seasons.

And while we still enjoy fall, I know that season in 2010 will be our favorite for a long, long time.

MelMaeleavesOne of my favorite pictures of me with my girl that day.

Five Minute Friday

Sig

Filed Under: adventures, family, Five Minute Friday, Indonesia, just life, Maelie, remembering, where I am

Behind the Scenes: She Rows a Boat

June 4, 2013 by · 22 Comments

photo(5)It was later in the afternoon, but the sun was still beating strong. And, in the summer, we so love to play outside so we grabbed our sunglasses, put on our shoes, and hopped out to the backyard. (Probably literally…she’s quite the jumper.)

There’s the playhouse and the Cozy Coupe and the slide…those are the faves. Many, many hours have already been spent with them just this summer, and we can’t wait for more.

She makes a beeline for the pool, the one we put up on Sunday (and accidentally overflowed…oops), and I give her the gentle reminder that she should never touch it if mommy or daddy aren’t next to her. And then I also stick in that reminder that it’s still freezing and we should wait a few more days before we try to swim. (Poor thing…she’s been ready to dive in since it had about an inch of water in it. 😉

She cooperates and heads to the sandbox.

We love the sandbox.

We do, but it’s not usually what she wants to play with first. (I guess because it’s there year-round, and we’ve been known to let her play in the sand in February. 😉

I flip the lid off and toss it in the yard, expecting her to sit down next to me to dig and make tracks and fill buckets. She looks at me as I dig with the blue shovel but doesn’t join.

Instead, she walks around and grabs a few things.

The squirt guns we’d been playing with earlier, the plastic bag of accessories she’d been carrying around all day, the pink shovel from her sandbox.

Then she climbs into the middle of the lid, sits down…and thinks for a moment.

Mommy, may I have the blue shovel?

I hand it to her, curious at what that little mind is working on at the moment, but she doesn’t keep me in suspense for long.

In fact, I don’t even need to ask.

One shovel in each hand, she moves them back and forth and starts to sing.

Row, row, row your boat, gently down the STREAM!
Merrily, merrily, merrily, merrily, life is but a DREAM!

(She likes to emphasize the ends of phrases in songs. Perhaps loudly. And, by perhaps, I mean always.)

A little imagination, and my girl is rowing her boat to Uncle J and Aunt K’s house across the street…or, at least, according to her that’s her destination.

Because, really…when you’re a toddler with a huge blue flower on your head, two squirt guns by your side, and a bag full of necklaces and bracelets, what more do you need before you head out on a new adventure in a sandbox-lid boat?! 😉

Somewhere in there, I dive for my phone to snap a picture before it’s too late, and soon it is.

Just a few minutes later, she’s moved on to something else. We throw frisbees, chase the dogs, and even fill a bucket with sand.

But, secretly, I’m hoping that we’ll row her boat to another destination soon. :)

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Happy Tuesday, friends! So my regular Tuesday posts with the God-Sized Dream team ended last week. I have to admit that I was a little heartbroken and dreading Tuesdays just a tiny bit. But…Crystal to the rescue! I met this sweet friend through the dream team…and she had a fabulous idea for a new way to connect on Tuesdays.

In her words…

“Social media and online relationships can make us feel like everyone else has it all together. We’re edited, proof-read, Pinterest-perfect versions of ourselves  (or so some might think!) when – in reality? There is an unfinished pile of laundry around the corner. That cute toddler smiling for the camera just had a massive meltdown seconds ago. That yummy breakfast-for-dinner you just showed us on Instagram? It’s because the cat licked the chicken that was supposed to be for dinner. 
 
“Behind the Scenes” is a fun link up where we show those photos – but tell the real story behind them. The sneak peek behind the scenes, a look past the edges of the photo to the real life behind it.
I hope you’ll hop over, have a look, and take some time to connect with us. Crystal’s place is fantastic, and she’ll make you feel right at home. Hope to see you there!

crystalstine.me

Sig

Filed Under: adventures, Behind the Scenes, being mommy, family, friends, just life, Maelie, where I am

A Mess of Batik…and Identity

June 3, 2013 by · 6 Comments

The other day I was digging through some boxes we’ve stored in our basement.

Some of them contain items we shipped back to the States from Indonesia three years ago, and while we’ve gone through the boxes at least once since then, we weren’t in the place yet where we could just start pitching everything we don’t use. (Though that day is definitely closer now. ;))

I was actually digging (and making a total mess…really) for a book that I’d had shipped to me in Indonesia and thought I’d brought back. It figures that I didn’t find the book, but I did find?

This.

photo(3)

Yes, it kind of fits me like a great, big, batik, tent. 😉

But, before you cringe…let me tell you the back story.

During our years in Indonesia, I loved all things batik, especially the patchwork kind. Purses, shirts, even skirts…I couldn’t get enough of it. When I stumbled on this tank top in a little batik shop in Yogyakarta during our Christmas trip of ’08, it was like finding a treasure. And so I bought it and wore it and loved it. (And I’m guessing packed it up to ship home way before I actually left Indonesia because my prego belly was probably way too big for it by then. ;))

And that shirt wasn’t the only batik thing I brought home. A couple skirts, shirts, a kebaya, blankets, more bags than I can count… IndonesiaBags

Yep, I stocked up. (And, bonus points to the person who can count how many batik purses are hidden in all of that.) 😉

I wanted to make sure I had enough batik to get me through however long it took me to…

Well, I’m not exactly sure how to finish that sentence.

For several months after my return, I wanted that piece of Indonesia.

The kind I could look at and hold in my hands, the kind that could remind me of the place that still held so much of my heart, even if my feet weren’t planted there anymore.

I’d wear those batik shirts around and carry the cute bags and find a little piece of my identity in the fact that even if I couldn’t be there, at least I could remember it.

But eventually that day came…the day when I pulled out a bag I bought at Target. And I dressed in my jeans and and equally-Target tank top, probably with some Old Navy flip flops thrown in there, too.

I’m not sure how, or even exactly when, it happened, but I became ok with not having that piece of I’ve-obviously-been-somewhere-most-of-you-haven’t-and-that-place-is-my-identity, thrown out there for the world (or at least my little C’ville) to see.

Finding that shirt the other day brought me back to that place…and reminded me of the silly things I sometimes find my identity in.

While a cute bag is always nice (can I get an amen, here?! ;)) and so is a fun, unique shirt…if I’m choosing to label myself with something that trivial, then I have a long way to go.

I guess I still do.

We all do.

That’s why I’m thankful that I’m redeemed, that He’s called me by name, that I’m precious and honored in His eyes…that He loves me.

That. I’m. His.

And as I sit here writing this, still wearing that tent-like tank top, it’s a beautiful reminder, one I need every day.

Thank you, Father.

photo(4)

But, seriously…I added a striped sweater. Don’t you totally think I should wear this on our next date night?! 😉 

Sig

Filed Under: adventures, fashion, Indonesia, just life, remembering, travel, where I am

My God-Sized Dream: I Dreamed Some Dreams…

May 28, 2013 by · 36 Comments

We’ve been walking the path of God-sized dreams together for a few months now. Will you share an update with us about your dream? Let us know where you are with it–the happy and the hard. Tell us how we can pray for you and your dream too.

In 2005 we packed our bags for parts unknown.

Bandung, Indonesia.

Looking at a map, I was pretty sure it was about as far away as I could get from the Midwest, the place I had always called home.

Nevertheless, we did it. We crammed our lives into a suitcase and seven rubbermaid containers, shipped our dog on an airplane, said goodbye to all we knew, and we did it.

Moved to Indonesia.

And it became home.

At the time, we had no idea that we were living a dream.

We were aware that living and teaching overseas was something we’d wanted to do for awhile.

We were even more aware that God had called us to do it. So we answered with a yes.

And we fumbled and faltered and rejoiced and celebrated and cried and loved and lived and so many other things.

It changed us forever.

We lived out a dream, one we didn’t even know we had dreamed.

And months ago…maybe even years ago…another little dream crawled into a corner of my heart. I wanted to take the Indo-stories and experiences my Father had given to me and put them all into one place.

Write a book.

I even gave it a title. Lessons from Indonesia: On Life, Love, and Squatty Potties. 😉

And so when my friend, Holley, accepted me as a member of her God-Sized Dream Team last November, what I expected to pursue wholeheartedly during this time was writing this book.

After all, this was the dream I had in my heart.

And I wrote the book.

I did.

Hours upon hours at a corner table in the Starbucks on 31, more hot-turned-cold cups of coffee than I can count, and more smiles and tears, too…

…and it sits on my laptop and on my nightstand and in the hands of a friend…in the form of 120ish pages and 37,000 plus words. It is my heart and soul, the place where I bled love and life and happy and sad and so many memories…and it is a dream in every way.

That rough draft, read by one other person so far, represents the journey to a dream…one that I need to keep pushing forward to achieve…by writing book proposals that I don’t know how to write yet and handing it to people…even if it’s scary and makes me bite off all of my fingernails. 😉

I was fully aware that this dream I’d dreamed was a dream that I wanted to chase with abandon.

But over the last few months, there have been other things that jumped into my path.

For example…this space.

Yes, it’s been around for awhile. :)

And I guess I never really set out to make my blog a dream when I started it all in 2011. It was always my safe place, a place to laugh and cry and love and share it all. Of course, like any blogger, having an audience is nice, but it wasn’t my dream at the beginning.

And then?

These beautiful women from all corners started to stop by. Leave some comment love. Invite me to their spaces and into their hearts and lives.

A community was created and the dream to keep writing and sharing and loving people through my words was born. Or maybe another dream just grew.

And a few months ago, I let a dream…one that had been locked up tightly…out into the open. I let the whole world know that I want to write for (in)courage someday.

There it is again. :)

And I thought that maybe this whole letting-my-dreams-spill-out thing was over.

Two big dreams, and I’d shared them both.

But God has a funny way of working in hearts when we make the decision to go with His plan. And He brought something else into my life.

Mercy Ships.

Not as an I-need-to-do-this-now dream, but definitely as something that has made an impact on my heart and could be a possibility for us down the road. That’s a bit frightening and heart-pounding to think about. So, for now, we’re just lifting that one up and placing it into His hands.

Now, several months after the dreaming began, I find myself looking at three, and probably more, dreams that have somehow taken root and grown and changed me.

Some days it’s all I can do to simply catch my breath and make the choice to walk another day by His side in obedience.

Walk hand in hand. Not run ahead. Not drag my feet behind.

The truth is that, with these dreams, I’m not sure where I am.

Yes, I’m pursuing publishing a book.

And. Slowly.

This process is not for the faint of heart. I’m finding that out, and the reality of how difficult handing my words over to other people is…well, it’s breaking me and it’s harder than I ever thought it would be.

And my dream of being a contributor for another blog…well, that one is in the works. It’s not for (in)courage, a space that I still love and would, someday, still love to write for. But there’s another opportunity, one that I am truly excited to watch unfold. Hopefully I’ll be able to share more soon. :)

And moving to Africa to live and work on a ship? God has said a clear, Not now. I am ok with this…more than ok.

In all of this dreaming, He has been teaching me the beauty of now.

I’ve dreamed some dreams within the last several months, and though things don’t look at all like what I pictured they might, I am truly enjoying the journey.

And I’m so blessed by each of you who have been part of it.

Happy Tuesday! Today we’re spending some time reflecting on our God-Sized dreams at Holley’s place. We’d love for you to hop over and be part of what God is doing in some amazing hearts and lives.

God-Sized Dreams

Sig

Filed Under: (in)courage, adventures, barefoot, blessings, encouragement, friends, God-Sized Dreams, Indonesia, just life, remembering, what I'm learning, where I am, writing

What’s Coming…

May 26, 2013 by · 12 Comments

I ran a 5k yesterday.

It wasn’t my first, and it won’t be my last because I’m a runner, and even if I gripe and complain sometimes about the actually running part that comes with being a runner, it really is my escape and a loved and necessary piece of my life.

I hadn’t particularly trained well for this race.

I’ve been running about twice a week and throwing in a Tabata workout here and there, but my last two 5k distances were minutes over what I was expecting to pull in a race. So I think it’s safe to say there was some discouragement (and grumbling ;)) when I rolled out of bed yesterday morning at 6 a.m.

A friend picked me up at 6:50ish, and we headed down to the race area. She had looked at the course map, but I had decided a few days prior that I had no interest in seeing where the race was going or what hills may or may not be included. (I hate hills. With a fiery passion, perhaps.)

All I knew was that there was a finish line, one that I would be very happy to see.

And that was enough.

I pinned on bib #914, stuck the little timer-thingy (proper term, please?) on my shoelace, trotted down to the starting line with my friend, and we were good (well, ish) to go. 😉

melbeforerace

Here’s me before the race…and before I found out about all the hills. That’s why I’m smiling. 😉

The first mile is typically the hardest for me, but when I heard the time shouted out at the marker, it was encouraging to know I was still going to break 30:00 if I could maintain my pace. It seemed though, as I was approaching the halfway point…and perhaps the ridiculously painful hill (One of about TWELVE…ok, ok, I’m exaggerating. I think there were four or five.) that this feeling of I-can’t-do-this-anymore began to overtake my mind, and I couldn’t shake it.

I made the decision at that moment, as I literally struggled to keep my feet moving, to do two things.

First, I started singing whatever song about being strong that I could think of. (I’d left my headphones in the car.) Steven Curtis Chapman’s His Strength is Perfect, won that little contest. As a side note, I haven’t heard that song in probably a decade…no clue where it came from.

Perhaps I needed the truth found in those words?

His strength is perfect when our strength is gone; He’ll carry us when we can’t carry on.

At that moment, truer words had never been spoken. 😉

And, second, I started looking around me.

Also at that moment, we were running the part that went near the river.

Confession? Even in my pain, it was pretty.

And the beauty that surrounded me pushed me through that mile and into the next, where the adrenaline finally kicked in and my strength returned. I wouldn’t say the last mile, plus the dinky little .1 added to it, was a walk (or run) in the park, but I crossed the finish line…

…the one I was beyond thrilled to see…

and there was such relief. Like, I’m-pretty-sure-there-were-tears-in-my-eyes, relief.

In the end, I was so thankful, I hadn’t known what was coming (aka: THE HILLS). Not only would I have most likely psyched myself out of trying and pushing myself completely if I had known how hard it would be, but I would have been too focused on just getting to my goal to find something beautiful along the journey.

How true is that in life?

How many times do I wish with everything in me that I knew exactly where the crazy of life was taking me?

…or that I could know how it will all turn out?

…or even simply for a promise that it will be beautiful?

I get so caught up in wanting to know what’s going to happen that I forget to focus on the gifts that come with each step along the way.

The lessons from that 5k run and the grueling 28 minutes and 58 seconds (yay for breaking 29!!!) yesterday are planted in my heart forever.

Yes, I will probably be a little more intentional about training for races in the future…

But maybe I’ll be a little more intentional about finding beauty along the way, too.

Sig

Filed Under: adventures, blessings, encouragement, just life, running, what I'm learning, where I am

Five-Minute Friday: View

May 23, 2013 by · 68 Comments

Today I’m linking up with Lisa-Jo for Five-Minute Friday.

Join me!

The rules: Write for five minutes. No editing, revising, overthinking, or backtracking. Just write.

Today’s Topic: View

Oh, I miss the view.

I can still picture it in my head…the green everywhere.

The mountains that seemed so close I could touch them.

The way God fingerprinted every little detail of that beautiful place.

And I got to live there.

I remember one of the mornings I took the motorbike out for a drive, and I just couldn’t get enough of my surroundings. Maybe it meant more for this Iowa girl who was used to flat plains and no mountains, but I just soaked it all in.

And now I’m glad I did, for it is still in my mind.

Still in my heart.

I can still close my eyes and picture every detail.

It was an incredible view, amazing scenery, placed in a country where the vast majority of the people were very poor.

I like to think that it was a small way He chose to bless them. :)

I miss you, Indonesia.

IMG_4072

Five Minute Friday

Sig

Filed Under: adventures, blessings, Five Minute Friday, Indonesia, remembering, where I am

My God-Sized Dream: Rejection

May 21, 2013 by · 24 Comments

What part of your dream feels the riskiest? Have you ever had people misunderstand or disagree with your dream? What do you do when your dream is scary or when others don’t support you?

I was never that girl…the one boys lined up for, the one girls invited to their slumber parties, the first one picked for a team, the cool one.

And though those feelings were always present while I was growing up, the worst years were middle school and into high school.

Kids were mean, just because they could be…maybe it was fun for them?

I’ll never forget that day during my freshman year of high school.

It had actually started out a few weeks before as I was sitting at lunch with a few of the “friends” I usually ate with. We’d been talking about a few random things, and I confessed that there was a boy in my algebra class that I thought was really cute.

For some reason they thought this was information worthy of bringing up repeatedly, even if he was within earshot. Because, you know, it’s fun to be fourteen and Completely. Obnoxious.

Have I mentioned how much I don’t like mean people? And mean girls are even. worse.

They would talk about it often, seemingly day after day after day.

And what I didn’t know one day as I took my usual spot at the table? That they’d planned a little something.

How nice of them. 😛

One of them leaned over and whispered to me, Hey,                         wants to eat lunch with you.

I remember giving them a strange look and questioning them, but these “friends” insisted that he was expecting me to go over to his table.

Reluctantly I glanced over his way, and he saw me. My heart was pounding, but I took the risk and I picked up my things and stood up to walk over to him when all of his friends (and he was surrounded by at least eight or ten guys) grabbed their trays and left the table, leaving him alone with me walking toward him.

He looked at me, and we both realized what they had planned. And the look on his face said everything.

Sorry, I’m not interested.

Let’s just say I couldn’t get out of there fast enough. I’m pretty sure I went straight to the bathroom stall, my favorite one on the end, for a good cry.

Rejection.

It hurts, stings, leaves a mark. It damages self-confidence.

I’m mature enough now to realize that those awkward, teenage years don’t define me as a person. I don’t think of them often, and I certainly don’t dwell on the day when I realized that those friends really weren’t friends at all.

But when it comes to dreaming?

Dreaming God-Sized dreams like writing books and being a blog contributor? (And maybe even working on a medical ship someday? ;))

I fear rejection. It kinda makes me shake in my pretend boots. (Hey, it IS flip-flop season. ;))

The day I handed over my rough draft to one of my dearest friends…the actual, physical, letting-go of the draft was painful. Here was my heart and soul on paper, and she was only the first in a long line of people who will eventually (hopefully) read it.

What if she hates it? (P.S. Thankfully, she didn’t. :))

What if I really am a terrible writer?

What if I get a bad review or a nasty critique?

What if there’s not a publisher out there who likes it?

Or, worse, what if no one buys my book?

I suppose these are things all writers stare down at some point…but this is somewhat new territory for me. And if I think about it all for too long, I start to feel overwhelmed.

And sometimes?

Completely terrified to keep moving forward…because, honestly, those next steps scare me.

And, for me, next is a book proposal. I kind of did things backwards, not realizing I could submit a proposal without actually finishing the book. But, hey…live and learn and do things in creative ways, huh? 😉

And I have to be honest and tell you that I listen to the enemy’s whispers far too often.

I let him tell me that my writing is no good and that no one will want to read it and that I’m a nobody in the bloggy world.

Thankfully, I know the Truth, but there are always those doubts.

Because with risk comes the possibility of failure. Of rejection. Of a confirmation of those feelings of inadequacy.

I have certainly failed in my life, and I’m not finished with failure, I’m sure.

From being a wife, mommy and friend to writing, dreaming, and doing, there are those days when I feel as if I’ve failed miserably.

Each day I have to remind myself that I’m His.

That this dreaming? It’s for Him.

And so I’ll pick up that rough draft again and pore through it. Pick out a few chapters. Send them with the proposal.

Allow my restless heart to beat fast and furious as I wait for a response, knowing that on the journey to a dream, there’s always risk.

But along with that risk is the opportunity for the Giver of my dreams to bless unexpectedly and wildly.

And that’s what makes this dreaming and doing worth it.

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Happy Tuesday, sweet friends! Thank you for stopping by and reading my words. If you’d like a glimpse into the heart of some amazing dreamer friends of mine, you can find us linking up at Holley’s place. We hope you’ll join us for some inspiration and encouragement!

God-Sized Dreams

Sig

Filed Under: adventures, barefoot, blessings, encouragement, friends, God-Sized Dreams, just life, remembering, where I am, writing

My God-Sized Dream: Another Dream?

May 14, 2013 by · 38 Comments

For next week take this “do what you can” step for your God-sized dream: Share about your favorite nonprofit organization. They are all God-sized dreams in action. How have they inspired you?

Friends, I just want to warn you that this turned into a novel. But, hey, if my dream is to write a book… 😉 Please read it anyway. Maybe it will change your life…I hope so. I know it changed mine.

~Mel~

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It’s safe to say that my husband and I have a heart for other cultures, overseas ministry, and making a difference in the lives of people we meet.

We spent several years with an amazing organization, the Network of International Christian Schools. (NICS) During that time we were living in Bandung, Indonesia, and working at Bandung Alliance International School (BAIS); Tobin as the IT Director/Yearbook Teacher, and I taught mostly upper elementary with one, extremely memorable, year of teaching preschool/art/random math. 😉

It was life-changing, to say the least, and opened our eyes to what truly experiencing another culture looks like. We loved Indonesia, and we also loved the people there; because when you live in another country that long, whether you plan on it or not, those people find a place in your heart. And sometimes occupy a large territory of it, too.

We stayed five years.

Therefore, I AM 5% Indonesia…and no one can take that from me. (However, if I live to be older than 100, I may need to reconfigure the percentage. ;))

Being part of NICS changed our lives…and lives are being changed all over the world. If you happen to be a teacher and are interested in overseas teaching, this is the organization to check out. There are twenty schools around the world in some amazing places.

In reality, the chance to be part of NICS and BAIS was a dream come true, even if we didn’t know we were dreaming it at the time. OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

And then we moved “home”…though, since living overseas, the word home is extremely relative.

We bought a house and are putting our roots down deep. I suppose things would look different if we didn’t have a family, but we do…and we want Mae to have a place to call home.

God has blessed us above and beyond what we could have dared to hope for…an amazing neighborhood and community, an incredible church, friends who are family and now a part of our hearts and lives forever.

But does that mean we’ll never go again?

There was a time in the last two plus years when I would have told you, Absolutely not; we’re here to stay. Forever. Probably with a theoretical foot stomp thrown in there because I’m like that. 😀 I look around me, and sometimes I just have to catch my breath because I’ve fallen in love with where we are. Pulling up those roots would tear up my heart, and I think I’ve always had it in my head that this is it.

And it really could be.

But God has a funny way of stirring a heart and reminding it that He’s got it all planned, and those plans are mapped out beautifully, according to what He knows is best for us. Not what we think we know.

He hasn’t called us to do anything else yet.

And He may not; so we stay and pour what we have into our lives here and now. I love this place and am incredibly thankful each and every day that we are blessed enough to call this place our home.

But I have to tell you a secret, one that made me literally weep all over the keyboard of my Macbook last week.

Lately, my heart’s been wondering…Could it be that we might go again?

I don’t know…I just don’t. 😉

What I know is that I came across this.

Mercy Ships.

I did not go looking for it. In fact, until last week, after Holley gave our assignment for this week, I’d never even heard of it.

I actually discovered it when a friend from Indonesia posted his sister’s blog on Facebook…she is a nurse for Mercy Ships Africa.

So, of course, I had to check out the website, which linked to a 60 Minutes special. (Which I’m going to post. Which you need to watch.)

I cried the entire way through it…all the while, letting more dreams take root in a corner of my ever-bleeding-for-someone heart. Because, of course, my husband and I don’t have medical degrees. Or plans to get them. Hey, it’s best to stay within your giftings. 😉

But in browsing their website, I discovered something…or a few somethings.

First, people raise their kids on these ships. For a long time, we talked about how wonderful it would be to raise Maelie on the mission field. And there’s a school…school = teachers. I do love to teach.

But guess what? They also need a writer…someone to write publications for press, someone who can give a glimpse into this amazing ministry, someone who can love these people and share their stories.

Can someone please come to my house and attempt to calm down my ever-racing, I-want-to-do-this, heart? :)

And, lo and behold, they need IT . Folks, he’s good. If the guy can deal with Indo technology for half a decade and not lose his sanity, I’m pretty sure he could deal with it anywhere. Even on a floating vessel. 😉

Those of you who know me will not be surprised that my ENFP brain couldn’t spin fast enough. Let’s go! Let’s go! it shouted…and potentially still IS shouting.

I may or may not have started packing our bags. 😉

And I’ll admit to you that I had to cry this out for a few days before I came to the place of truth. That place that said something like, Mel, not now. Maybe someday, but not now. Ok, that voice was most likely my husband. 😉 

It’s a truth I had to wrestle with…the one of joy in where He has us for now; the contentment of praying for His will and going if someday, He does say, Go; but staying if He says stay.

That wrestling ended up being good because a peace took over my heart, and I handed it to Him. I love that I can trust Him to show us if this might be in His plan…when it’s His plan. That day is not today…and it probably won’t be for several years. (Though He could definitely surprise us! Hello, Indonesia? Neither of us saw that one coming…)

But what I know is that I found myself completely fascinated, burdened, and stirred by this ministry that has somehow missed my radar for so long. It’s one where people are literally being the hands and feet of Jesus to some of the poorest of the poor…

Loving people.

Saving lives.

Making an eternal difference.

All of the workers pay their way for the privilege of being part of what Mercy Ships does. These God-Sized dreamers are my new heroes.

Would you consider supporting someone who is part of this amazing ministry?

You can go here to do that.

Friends? I think there might be another God-Sized dream taking root in my heart.

I have no idea what it looks like, but I can’t wait to watch.

**************************

And here’s the clip from 60 Minutes…the best 12 minutes you will spend this week. If for no other reason than simply having your eyes opened, will you watch it? I want to be honest and tell you that this news clip is somewhat graphic and difficult to watch…and they warn you of that on the video. I ask you to watch it anyway.

Thanks for stopping by today, friends! On Tuesdays I link up with my dreaming sisters at our sweet friend, Holley’s place. Will you join us and see what God is doing in some brave and beautiful hearts?

God-Sized Dreams

Sig

Filed Under: adventures, barefoot, encouragement, God-Sized Dreams, Indonesia, just life, remembering, what I'm learning, where I am, writing

Five-Minute Friday: Comfort

May 9, 2013 by · 56 Comments

Today I’m linking up with Lisa-Jo for Five-Minute Friday.

Join me!

The rules: Write for five minutes. No editing, revising, overthinking, or backtracking. Just write.

Today’s Topic: Comfort

peru2

I remember the first time I left my comfort zone for parts unknown. (Oh my goodness, did I just rhyme? I totally didn’t plan that. AT ALL.) 😉

I was twenty years old and dying to get out of the country…Peru was my destination, the northern Amazon region. For three weeks, several friends and I spent our days teaching Vacation Bible School, singing for different groups of people, hanging out with streetkids…and our nights on a houseboat on the Amazon. All of it was out of my comfort zone, and I

Loved. Every. Single. Second. Of. It.

I was completely smitten with every aspect of the adventures I had there…and realized only when I returned home that I hadn’t really missed my comfort zone.

In fact, I kind of didn’t want to go back to it. True story. 😉

That trip taught me so much about the things He can do with this heart and life when I’m willing to step out and do something new, sometimes-crazy, and almost-always scary.

And it led to some other pretty big steps of faith…marriage, five years in another country, more crazy adventures than I can count, having a daughter, moving “home” to a place when I didn’t know a soul, making a home in that place, beginning the writing journey…the kind where I’m not sure how it ends.

Or if it does. Probably not. (Will we have laptops and Five-Minute Friday in heaven? I’m thinkin’ so…) 😉

Life is full of those steps out that make my heart pound with fear and anticipation…may I always be brave enough to take them, knowing that He is all the comfort I will ever need.

And when I remember that…well, He can do anything.

That’s pretty awesome.

Five Minute Friday

Sig

Filed Under: adventures, culture shock, Five Minute Friday, friends, just life, remembering, where I am, writing

Five-Minute Friday: Brave

May 2, 2013 by · 48 Comments

Today I’m linking up with Lisa-Jo for Five-Minute Friday.

Join me!

The rules: Write for five minutes. No editing, revising, overthinking, or backtracking. Just write.

Today’s Topic: Brave

There’s this part of me that thinks I’m brave.

For one thing, I’ve done a few crazy things in my life…

Swimming in the Amazon with the pirañas.

Moving to another hemisphere.

Learning to surf in most-likely-infested-by-sharks waters.

Vine swinging in the jungle.

 IMG_1283

Yep, that’s totally me. 😉 

I used to thrive on those moments that made me feel spectacular, the ones that were exhilarating, the ones that literally took my breath away.

But bravery? Comes in more forms than adventures that may teeter on the side of foolish.

When I think of bravery…I think of those people who inspire me.

Those sisters who write with abandon and passion and choose to stand on Truth even when lies are screaming all around.

Those dear dreamers who take their stories and lives…the broken but redeemed, cracked but shining,…all completely beautiful, and use them to bring Him glory as they chase with abandon what He’s called them to do.

Those sweet friends who walk in His grace and shine Him each day, no matter what happens.

Those are the ones who are brave. 

Inspiring.

And I’m so thankful for them. For each of you.

Five Minute Friday

Sig

Filed Under: adventures, encouragement, Five Minute Friday, friends, remembering, where I am
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