Bible Verse Sign

Last summer I put together a surprise nursery for a friend.  I wanted to do as much DIY as I had time for to save money.  I had her pin some different things, and one thing we talked about was a bible verse. I had her choose one for each gender.  My plan was to do a piece of subway art on this wood, but when I went through the whole template/mod podge routine, and even an attempt at handwriting it....I just could NOT fall in love.  I had a white mess of messy penmanship.  So, my wood got a white wash.  I painted and scrubbed it off with a damp paper towel in enough layers that I covered up my handwriting.  I then found this quote ready to cut on my Cricut on Etsy and I purchased it.  I rubbed it down on the wood and once it dried I sprayed a clear coat of clear spray so it would stay (I was worried mod podge would wrinkle it).  Last, I glued rope around the top and bottom.  I love the way it turned out....after a few trial and errors.

Thanksgiving Bible Journal

I recently saw a tutorial using a napkin on bible pages.  I decided this Thanksgiving to use the napkins from our family dinner.  I cut out the portion of the picture I wanted to use...

     And then I peel off the back of the napkin so it was only one layer.  Sometimes napkins are three ply, so...just something to watch for with napkins.  I then used Gesso and spread it on the page and pressed the napkin down while it was wet and smoothed it out.  I took a paint brush and pressed it down some more.    If you try to apply it to the napkin it may tear the napkin, so this was an easier approach.  The nice thing is that if the napkin is a light enough color you can still see the words below the page.
     This time I journaled about a recent verse my pastor covered from 1 Peter 1:25.  The gist of the sermon was about the everlasting power for the gospel and the history of the bible and all the ways man has tried to destroy it, yet the words remain.  I started reflecting on the fact that a few hundred years ago I had ancestors that cross the ocean to America with these bibles.  Based on the timing of their voyage and what was going on in the countries they left it's highly likely they left for religious reasons.  I don't know all their names, or their stories, but they read these exact words once upon a journey and because of those decisions I sat down for Thanksgiving with my family....and my faith and the mystery and wonder of how God works and how He ties us all together with a bible that points to His son.  It's an overwhelming and comforting truth I can never truly understand or express on this side of heaven.

Bible Journaling

One of my new adventures for the year is bible journaling.  My goal is to do at least one a month.  I may do more (knowing me) but I also don't want to rush the process or forget the reason behind the goal.  Every year I set some sort of goal for my faith journey, and this year was no exception.  I have been reading up on bible journaling over the last year and decided this was right up my alley.  I love anything artsy, and to be able to play around with that passion in the bible while I really marinate over verses is right up my alley.  My main hiccup is not to get lost in the criticism (my own).  This first page was a tough one b/c I struggled with criticizing my writing, playing around with pens, and second guessing where I wanted everything to be 'placed.'  I finally just made myself stop and go with what I had. 

I used some gems on this page.  My bible is actually the ESV version that uses the word jewels instead of rubies, but I chose the word rubies b/c it's my birthstone.  I think God and I are OK with that.  I washi taped a journaling card over the verse and wrote one of my quotes and a reminder....regardless of it all....I have a Father in heaven who things I'm precious and loves anything I offer up in His honor.  I won't make all of the pages this thick, but....I think this one needed a little bling.

Brazil 2016

 I genuinely believed I would not be in Brazil this year. (Click on Brazil below to read more about the missions over the previous 5 years).   It's a good thing I have wiser friends and a big God who intervenes in my worldly thoughts.  It's a long story, but the short version is my house is literally falling apart (roof, new ac unit, plumbing back up etc), and I am currently holding my car together with duct tape (I wish I were making that up).  There have been family circumstances that require a lot of attention and I just thought....not this year.  I didn't see a way.  I told the team I wasn't going.  Twice.  One member put a deposit down for me, and then a few good friends that know my heart, and believed in the mission long before me blessed me and I found myself in Brazil.  It was a bumpy ride (plane delay upon plane delay, boat delays due to paperwork not being completed because the whole country was on vacation it seemed....all except for the military (who stopped us five times)).  There were bumps in the villages, but in the end, there was peace because I know where I was supposed to be...it would be impossible not to know after the journey that came before.

 I love Brazil.  I consider the people I've met there family and I'm homesick for them already.  I was homesick just hours after leaving them.  Some of the best people I've ever met call it home, and meet me on this boat each year.

 I can't tell all the stories in a blog post, but I can share a few photos.  Kids holding bibles of their own for the first time, ladies getting pampered, medical and dental teams coming to villages in desperate need because an already difficult journey is almost impossible now with a chaotic country government.

 One of our team members began a Bucket Ministry after encountering all the people along the river sick from drinking the parasite rich water.  He raises funds all year for filters, and parasite medicines for each family member.  The team goes village to village and trains the people on how to use the buckets, and they also share the story of living water that last longer than the seven years these buckets promise.

 Each day the team splits up and spends time with the children (vbs and this year....water balloons), women, and men, and we also walk house to house to meet those who are unable to come to us.  I believe in missions that don't take me any further than my house, my next door neighbor, and my city, but I also know God sends us to all the nations until all have heard.  I'm blessed to get to make this journey and see the harvest God has prepared along these shores.

 The last few years we have added a Tex Mex dinner for our translators and boat crew.  When we leave, these folks remain-continuing the mission with the missionaries who call these villages home.  These are truly my brothers and sisters and I look forward to the yearly family reunion on these boat decks each year.

I'll pray about next year, but in the meantime, I pray for these folks I left behind on the shore.  I can't wait to hear updates, and I can't wait to be able to revisit these friends someday in heaven and introduce all those that made it possible to all those I got to spend a few minutes with on this side of heaven on the shores of the Amazon River.  

Wooden Cross

Happy Easter!  I made a wooden cross this year for the yard.  I cut the design out of some plywood with a jigsaw and then I painted it with some white house paint.  I then painted over that with brown....and did a white wash (water and white paint) brushed on top of all of that to give it a streak-ie look.  I put a coat of polyurethane over the whole thing.   I nailed it to a yard stake and added a ribbon to the center.

Brazil 2015

 At the end of June I headed down south to Brazil...again.  This was my fifth summer.  Each summer I think it will be my last, but each summer I'm called again.  This year, I went in with the same thought, but every boat trip down the Amazon I fall in love with the people, places, and stories along the jungle and all I can think about is going back.  It's not an easy trip-living in a hammock, no air, lots of heat and moisture-constant sweat, and full days of work.  At the end, I know I've had the opportunity to work with some of the most fabulous people on planet earth, and I've acquired a boat load of new brothers and sisters I'll see on the other side of heaven..if not next year in Brazil...which has happened before.

 This year we expanded the bucket ministry.  Our doctors deal with skin infections caused by the bugs and hostile plant atmosphere, and all sorts of internal problems caused by the river water.  Enough money was raised for 500 filters (50 dollars each) and buckets.  We drew a crowd, taught them how to use the filters.  This year some of our team was able to fly out to the villages we saw last year where our first 100 buckets were passed out, and the locals were proud to show them their bucket filters, and stories of better health that came along with this gift.

We flew into Manaus and headed 24 hours up the river.  We then spent 6 days in 6 villages along one of the tributaries off the Amazon.  

We traveled with a local pastor and the missionaries who spend their time in these villages.  It never ceases to humble me to compare all I was born into versus these people that live with dirt floors, wood walls, and palm leaf ceilings.  Even by America's humblest standards I am abundantly blessed.  Then again, life is simpler along the river-there are fewer conflicts interfering with who God is, and what He offers.  There are no false promises, just genuine faith.  They are thirsty for the gospel.  Yet, there are also universal problems.  We found one lady sitting on a little couch (a rare site) in the family's open kitchen area.  Her family had left for the day to go to the city and she had nothing to eat or drink.  She began crying as soon as we stepped onto her porch out of loneliness being met.  We brought food and water from the boat.  We also passed another house where there was a domestic dispute.  We spent time talking to the husband, and more time nurturing his wife.  She was limping and bruised, but more than that, devastated by her community who all knew that her husband took out his frustration with his fist, but they refused to interfere.  It makes my heart ache still, yet what an honor to be able to tell her she was loved, that we cared, and to step in and be the hug she has needed all these years.  My prayer is that the counseling with stick, and that our compassion will be remembered long after we leave the village.  

 The Amazon is a beautiful place with stunning sunsets, even more beautiful sun rises, daily rainstorms.

 In Manaus, there is a point where the Amazon and River Negro meet, but never quite combine due to their varied densities.

Wild animals are daily sites.  We met monkies, parrots, snakes, and birds of every color.  

...but the Amazon's most beautiful offering are the people.  They welcome you into their homes-each home pulls out their finest chairs, and stops whatever they are doing to entertain their new guest.  It's hard to come back to America with locked doors, and worldly beliefs.  I crave the simpler ways where nobody is a stranger for long.  I've learned a lot about loving others and welcoming newcomers from the people along the Amazon.  We share the bible.  Each member of our team has different ways of worshiping, through different denominations, but we all share the bible and our love of the people of the Amazon.
I don't know if I'll go back next year, but I know I'll be sharing the stories from this year's adventures long into eternity.

Visiting Israel

      This past June my Mom and I traveled to Israel.  It was on her bucket list.  Up until the last few years, I had not really thought about it much, but having gone-I can truly say it was the trip of a lifetime.  There is no way I could do it justice through writing, or pictures, or words.  The best advice I have is...whatever you dream of doing, move this ahead of that thing on the number one spot.  True, it's probably best enjoyed by Christians or Jewish people who want to go on a pilgrimage, but the mix of cultures, and ancient history is something you can not find in any other place on earth.
     When we decided to go, many people questioned the safety of the decision.  It's my philosophy that I don't take chances with my safety, but I also know I'm under God's protection and He ordained my birth and my death and nothing will take me sooner.  I felt safe in my decision.  The people in Israel are also prepared for danger...more so than most in America.  While I was in Israel, I never felt like my safety was at risk, but I did receive notifications from my national news app about a situation back here in Dallas that involved bombs and an attack on the police force.  It reminded me how fragile life is everywhere we go, even back home.
    We were originally going with the church, but they moved the date b/c of a conflict, so we joined a group called American Israel Travel.  They are geared towards religious groups, though our group was a mix of denominations, so some approaches were what the Catholics would be used to, others the Protestants.  All this to say-read and know your bible before you go-there is one basic truth to Christianity, but other things have many approaches.  What I discovered is how much more I need to be reading, but I feel like now that I've visited the setting of my favorite book, it will pop off the pages even more.

     I won't go day by day or step by step, but these are just a few of my rememberings from this trip!      One, we visited the above city Tel Megiddo.  It had been the home of 26 different groups of people.  I was reminded as we went through how the archeologist discovered each area A)  How new the country of  Israel is...it's only been a state (again) for 50 years + now.  So many of these discoveries are fresh!  Can you imagine what they will discover in another fifty years?  As the archeologist was uncovering this site he used the measurements in the bible for King Solomon's measurements...and they knew where to dig....and found exactly what the bible said the measurements would be.  Wow.  I won't even talk about my math skills, but less my building skills!  It amazes me how so many earthly matters back up biblical statements we believe by faith, but can prove so often as well.  

      We spent 8 days touring all over Israel, visiting ancient sites.  I sat on stones of buildings that have been there for over 2000 years. In America, if it's 100 years old we rope it off and put it in a museum.  In Israel, it's just another stone from another ancient city.  We also set sail across the Sea of Galilee.  Though the towns and buildings are new-I sat there in awe thinking-Jesus sat on these waters and looked at these same mountains.  He gave his disciples the keys to the kingdom.  We visited towns around the shore where He proved his Divinity with miracles and spoke words that would become our bible to the crowds that gathered.

 We spent another day at The Dead Sea.  It would be impossible to describe the weightlessness that comes with this water.  Like an ice cube, it's impossible to stay down...you just sort of pop up.

 We spent three days in the Old City of Jerusalem.  These steps would have been the ones Jesus walked up to leave his sacrifice at the temple.  We explored the different areas of the old city, each unique, yet intermingled with history.

I stood at the Western Wall and watched religious Jews and visitors tuck prayers into the cracks in the wall.  It's the closest they are able to get to the temple mount, which currently belongs to the Muslims.  This is the Muslims 3rd holiest site.  

I've read the bible.   I know what happens.  I felt the pain and the tension standing between those two worlds as well.  I'm praying for the Peace of Israel.  I'm grateful for the time spent in the middle of my bible stories growing up.  I'm thankful for a family that came first, a faith that has never failed me, and the opportunity to experience this beautiful land with my Mom who read me those stories when I was a little girl. 

Brazil 2014

 First, did you know that the cashew grows attached to a fruit?  This is my fourth year to visit Brazil, but my first time to see these little beauties growing.  The Brazilians told me they usually toss the nut and just eat the fruit.  What?  Do they know what we pay for those little guys in America?  Each morning cashew juice is offered at breakfast, but I assumed it was like almond milk...not that I know how that is made either, but....it certainly wasn't attached to a fruit in my head!
 I go to Brazil for many reasons, too many to really explore in one post, but one big reason is this guy...

Bill has been to Brazil about 20 times.  He spends the entire year raising money to help build churches, wells, and just try to make life better for the folks along the river.  He's 85.  I can barely handle this trip at 35.  When I grow up, I want to be just like Bill...with, maybe, a little bit cleaner vocabulary.  He pretty much keeps us laughing from the airport, to the Amazon and back again.  

 I'm also totally inspired by this lady, Phyllis.  She keeps us sane, and organized.  She can juggle just about anything, including 6 well behaved children, 3 with special needs who are incredible-all who help out with our trip, one who has joined us the last two years and absolutely is the smile I need on the boat.  I'm inspired by his love for Jesus.  He's also one of my favorite parts of the trip and I feel blessed to get to call him friend.  Phyllis gets us all there safely, with paperwork, pills, and shots, AND organizes all the daily groups, packs all the supplies, and always comes up with new ideas to make each trip more amazing.  The last few years we've been taking this camera that prints off sticker photos on the spot.  We stick them to adorable scrapbook paper with accessories and give them to the families who usually have few to no photos.  It melts my heart.

 And then there are the people, the babies, the women who work hard from sun up to sun down.

 There is the water, the yearly flooding, the floating homes...

 I love to pull up to a village and see them waiting there...

 ....when we leave it's not uncommon for the entire village to be waving us off.
This year we were joined by a guy, Chris, who went two years ago and saw the river water that is the part of most family's daily life.  It causes all sorts of illnesses with the parasites living in the waters.  He raised enough money to buy 100 buckets this year (50 dollars each) and he gave them out from village to village and showed the villagers how to use them.  One bucket would actually keep an entire village with fresh water for 7 years.  It's pretty incredible-100 liters a day, for seven years, and it filters out all impurities.  Most of the folks on our boat were willing to try the water.  Look, it's not that I don't trust the filter, but....somebody had to be available to call the medics should the filter be a dud....so I sat out this round.

 The Amazon, no surprise, is an array of colorful flowers and fruits.  I can look around at just about any time and see our folks pulling fruit off trees to try it out-the known-bananas, pineapples, oranges, coconuts, sugar cane, Brazil nuts, and all the exotic I have no idea how to name.
This flower comes from a tree called the jumbo tree and below it's branches these petals fall and create a pink carpet.

 ...but seriously, these babies...

 At each village we get off and try to bring a little bit of pampering and fun while the doctors and dentist do their work.  We host VBS for the kids, the men often hand out fishing supplies, and the women usually try to find the women of the village and give them a break from all their chores with community, nail, hairs, crafts etc.  One afternoon, after giving out foam stickers to decorate with in the morning, one of the kids came back for the afternoon, and she had used her extra stickers to stick her puppies name across it's forehead.  She also highlighted his private area with a c.....

 This year, the flooding was taking longer than normal to go down, so there were a few villages where we set up camp in the local schools, and then a speedboat took misc groups to other  villages or floating homes to visit with the people.  Share our faith.  Hear their stories, and often give them a hug from America and let them know we love them, and are thinking about them.

I wish I had words to really wrap around all I learned this year.  I've heard it and know this well-no story is the same as the one I wrote the year before on the river.  There are new challenges (this year, it was the bugs).  But God has prepared this time for these people, and He wrote His love for them in my heart.  I feel blessed to get to see how much God loves them, and how it's impossible not to-the joy that reflect from their hearts despite their circumstances.  Each visit is a big family reunion with the translators who travel with us, then group I travel with, and the people we meet and will see one day in heaven.  This year I went to Brazil with so much chaos back at home-my house is falling apart, my Mom had a terrible fall and was facing surgery, extended family has been dealing with life altering tragedies, but I knew God called me, and the trip reminded me of how much I have, how much I am blessed with in the midst of storms, and how equipped I am to deal with the things back home with a loving Father to guide me.  Yes, it's difficult compared to what I know, but not compared to the rest of the world.  If God wants me back in Brazil next year, I'll be there, who am I to say no?  So, I place my yes back on the table and will wait to see what happens next year.

Amazon Cross

 I made these crosses for a few of my friends this year after my trip to the Amazon.  Each year we visit, part of our time, and funds go towards building churches for the missionaries establishing churches in the villages we visit.  This is one of the churches we visited this year.  Some of the teams actually take part in building these churches, it depends on the timing and purpose of your visit....

 ...each church is built with these bricks and lots of cement they mix on site.

 When we visit the new churches, there are always broken bricks around the foundation from some of the bricks that didn't make it.  This year I collected some of the broken pieces on the ground.

 I brought them back home with me, then bought some wooden cross bases from the craft store, colorful beads, and spackling.

 I used some spackling to attach these to the crosses.

 I let them dry, then smoothed more spackling between the cracks.  I took a paper towel and cleaned off the tiles, then pressed little colorful beads into the wet spackling to give it some color.  I painted the sides a light brown.

 ...and now....a little memento from the Amazon and a piece of the work we got to take part in while we were there.