Go! Show Hope's Short Term Mission Trips

As many of you know, short-term mission trips have played a very large part in my life.  Show Hope, an orphan care ministry that is very near and dear to my heart, leads short term mission trips to Haiti and China during the summer and you can apply now.

I wish that everyone I knew would go on a trip, so I have been pondering and praying over this blog for the past couple of days. I have written, erased, and written again. And then I realized that there’s basically one thing that I want to say: If God is nudging you and if doors are opening, “Go.” Don’t overthink it, don’t wait to win the lottery, don’t wait for a humongous sign from God, just ‘go’.

I could write an entire book on convincing you why you should go. But the truth is that I don’t want to convince you. I want you to go because the God of the Universe is inviting you to sacrifice your time, money, and heart for what he has in store for you.

I am not arguing that you must go across the ocean to be changed by God, it can happen whenever you are seeking God’s heart. But, I am being honest when I say that traveling to a different culture to experience the raw vulnerability of the plight of the orphan will immensely shatter your world.

God calls everyone to care for orphans. Not everyone is called to adopt or to give money. But, everyone is called to care for orphans. You may not know what that looks like for you personally, but it is on a trip like those that Show Hope conducts that you can discover for yourself what God has gifted you with and in what ways he has called you to personally care for orphans.

I have been on three of Show Hope’s short-term trips- once to Haiti and twice to China. 

In Haiti, you partner with another organization, called Hands and Feet Project. They have a home that cares for more than 70 children of all ages. You will serve the orphanage in whatever way they may need and you will participate in activities with the children.

  

In China, you will be staying at Maria’s Big House of Hope, a medical care center for more than 140 children with special needs. You will interact with the children and with their nannies and help fill whatever needs the MBHOH staff may have.

Both trips will incorporate orphan care training that has been developed and carried out by the Show Hope staff. It is within this ‘training’ that you will discover the facts and figures when it comes to orphan care and adoption, you will learn how you can play a part in alleviating the orphan crisis, and you will discover how deep God’s heart is for the fatherless.

I have traveled with multiple other ministries and churches. But, the method in which Show Hope prepared and trained me was unparalleled. The reality is that these trips are in fact ‘short-term’. It takes intentional work to make sure that they have a lasting impact on your life. Show Hope prepares you well and keeps your focus on Jesus.

In case you’re still on the edge about whether or not to go, I have included a list of reasons that may push you one way or another.

• Maybe you know that there are more than 150 million orphans, but you can’t wrap your head around it. GO! The minute that you hold a child in your arms the statistic will no longer be a number but a child. 
• If you want to meet an awesome group of students that has the same mindset as you- Go. I have met some of my closest friends on the trips- friends who understand me and who I share precious memories with.
•  Don’t let money hold you back. I have seen hundreds of students raise beyond what they needed for trips in a matter of weeks.
• Invite a friend to go with you. Sometimes it helps to have someone who you can walk through the before, during, and after of the trip with. Make sure that both of your hearts are in it.
• Don’t go if you just want to see me. This summer, I will be the intern at Maria’s Big House of Hope, along with my best friend. So yes, I am a giant perk of coming… but don’t let that be your only reason.
• Don’t go if you need to restart your spiritual life. Yes, the trip will change your life, but if you’re looking for the next high to keep your faith going, don’t go. The trip should be a stepping-stone in your spiritual journey, not a catapult from one end to the other.

The orphan is very near and dear to God’s heart. He did not forget about them; they were not simply a second thought. So, we cannot forget about them. We cannot shove them to the sides of our lives. We must grab them into our arms, protect them, and fight for them. Perhaps your next step in caring for orphans is going on a short-term mission trip.

Here is the link to sign up:

http://showhope.org/be-hope/get-involved/

Please share this with anyone else who may be interested- we want the teams to fill up! And feel free to ask me if you have any questions.

A Plate of Cookies

My life has been in a really good place the past couple of months. Life has been treating me well. I have no wants, no needs, and few struggles.

But in my season of seemingly ‘easiness’, the Lord has placed people and families in my life that are in heart piercing situations. Good and faithful people are struggling and suffering with hurt, sickness, death, and the list goes on.  It has been difficult for me to watch and a lot to process.

There were days that I wondered aloud to God why I wasn’t suffering. Seems bizarre to wonder such a thing, doesn’t it?

Then there were days when I just wanted to lock myself in my room because the weight of all those friends hurting was pushing into my ‘perfect’ little world.

Then I would go through moments of pure anxiety—what if God was preparing me for a storm? What if in this calm I was supposed to be getting ready for a tragedy in my own life?

I finally became so utterly frustrated with my life that I began to feel defeated. What was I missing? It was hard for me to express my thoughts and emotions about it to friends because I knew it sounded stupid- I was frustrated because “nothing was wrong”- I was afraid of being judged. I finally expressed my thoughts to a mentor and friend. And what she said baffled me- “People who are ‘suffering’ want ‘normal’ people in their lives to have fun with, to enjoy life with, to pick them off of the ground, and to breathe life back into them.”

It hit me like a ton of bricks when I realized that for the past couple of months I had been completely and utterly selfish. I was so focused on my problems- or lack there of, that I was missing the opportunities the Lord had placed in my life to bless others, to be a small light of hope on their dark days.

So, what does hope look like? What does it look like to provide encouragement?

I’ve never been one to give words of encouragement. I can listen really well and I can nod my head but I’m never very good at forming words to mirror my heart. So my love languages are giving gifts and acts of service. One of my favorite things to do is to give gifts on days that aren’t holidays or birthdays. I love it when people aren’t expecting it and I love trying to do it anonymously (but I’m AWFUL at lying so that doesn’t always work out well.)

The Lord has given me the means and the ability in this season to look people in the eye and say, “I’m here for you, but just in case my words aren’t enough, here is a plate of cookies.”

So, if you’re in a place of hurt, a season of darkness, or just having a bad day, please, give me a call, shoot me an email (my favorite!), or show up on my doorstep and ask for a plate of cookies. I’m not very good in the kitchen, so the cookies won’t change your life (and it’s just a metaphor) but I’m confident in the fact that the Lord reveals to some of us those who we can rely on and reveals to others of us those whom we can minister to on day to day basis. I’m ready to pray for you. I’m ready to share what I know with you. I’m ready to encourage you, as I know how.

My arms are open, my heart is ready, and my oven is on so come on over and with the Grace of God maybe my cookie can give your day a little silver lining. 

Love, Sarah

In July 2011 my life was forever changed when I held a sweet child in my arms, a child who had been orphaned. For some reason, God placed her in my lap and she never left my heart. I prayed for her often but it wasn't until November of that year that I felt burdened beyond explanation to pray for her. I prayed for her almost every waking hour- between classes, in the car, before bed, in the shower, whenever I could, I was praying. Praying that God would give her a family. Praying that God would comfort her wherever she was. I begged everyone I knew to consider adopting her, but no one stepped up.

So, I did the only thing left that I knew how to do. I blogged. I wrote her letters. Here and here.

And a couple of months later I received an email from a woman whom I had never met, who lived in another state, and who I had no connections to. Tearfully I read that her and her husband had decided to adopt the little girl I had been praying for relentlessly. Liliana was going to have a family.

I have followed their journey on facebook and on her mother's blog. I have read everything I could about them. I have stalked their pictures, getting an idea of who Liliana's mom, dad, and four siblings would be.

With every picture I clicked on, with every facebook post blog entry I read, and with every video I saw I knew in my heart of hearts that long before time God had picked this family out to be her's. He had known that Liliana would be born to people that for some reason could not take care of her. He knew that she would travel from orphanage, to special care center, to foster home. He knew that she would one day sit in my lap. He knew that two people's hearts would be broken by her picture. He knew that these two people would bring her into their family. He knew the hardships that she has endured and that she will continue to go through. He knew that her parents would be the right ones to guide her. He always had her in his hands and he always will.

I have realized a truth. No matter who I talk to, what I blog, or what I feel it is not me who gives orphans hope; it is simply and only God. God is the one and only reason that today Liliana is with her forever family.

In my previous blog posts I wrote Liliana letters to communicate how I felt. I figured I would do the same today:


Dear Liliana,

Today I saw you in a video. It's the first time that I have seen you move since I held you in my lap two years ago. Today I am no longer separated from you by an ocean, but by a few states. But today I don't matter. Today you are with your family.

A couple of nights ago I had dreamed about you. I dreamed that you were crying and I went to comfort you. But as I held you in my arms you called you "Daddy!" and you reached out for your dad. He held you in his arms and it was there that you were comforted.

So, my heart is full of delight because I know that from tonight on you will have someone to always hold you, love you, and comfort you. However, I continue to pray that one day you will allow your heavenly father to comfort you. Because it is in Him that you ultimately find true rest, healing, peace, and comfort.

I feel as if I know you, but I honestly don't. So, I am praying for the person that you are and the young woman that you will become.

There are some things that I have learned so far in my life that I want to impart to you...Cling to what is good. Hate what is evil. Do not be polluted in this world. Let your beauty be from the hidden person of your heart, which is of great worth in God's sight. Love your parents even when you don't agree with them. (You have some of the best in the whole world) Spend as much time with your siblings as you can. Watch Princess Diaries. Find a passion or two. Read A Voice in The Wind.  Find your identity in the one who made you. Travel as much as you can. Dig into God's word. Find a good group of friends. Don't care about boys too much. Enjoy God's beauty. Love life.

I know that perhaps our paths will never cross again. But, just know that as you live life I am praying for your life and know that I am especially praying that one day we can be sisters in the family of God.

Love,

Sarah