Longing for a Heavenly Country

We have been in Ethiopia for 4 weeks and there are times, I have really struggled with feeling lost and purposeless. Today God reminded me that by faith He calls people to step out and into His calling ( Hebrews 11) and they may not always see the promise or the fulfillment, but they are called to step out. We are choosing to step out in His calling whether we feel it or not right now!!

Hebrews 11:8-9
"By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going. By faith he made his home in the promised land like a stranger in a foreign country; he lived in tents, as did Isaac and Jacob, who were heirs with him of the same promise."

Hebrews 11:13-16
" All these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance, admitting that they were foreigners and strangers on earth. People who say such things show that they are looking for a country of their own. If they had been thinking of the country they had left, they would have had opportunity to return. Instead, they were longing for a better country—a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them." 

Lord, I long for your heavenly country, more than my home country. I could return to my home country but instead I will look forward to the city you have prepared for me. And be happy that you are not ashamed of me. You are not ashamed- even though I waiver in my faith and sometimes want to leave this place and go live my easier life in ventura. A lie that I battle often right now, is that in ventura, I actually felt like I had more purpose than I do here. Here my purpose is so nebulous. The reason I know this is a lie is that we each have the most purpose when we are in the center of His will, walking in His calling, regardless of location. The reason my purpose here feels so confusing sometimes is because there are huge needs here and God has given us lots of vision and direction, but some of the details are still being worked out. It's hard to say "no" to some of the needs even if it's clearly not God's will for us. We have been called to community development and hospital/building work. We have vision for CHE ( community health education) but relationship building takes so long and in my heart sometimes this feels so lazy and slow and inefficient to me. However, I know in my mind that this isn't true and actually the slow process of community development is powerful and results in transformation! There is no way to shorten the amount of time it takes to build trust and relationships. It takes a LONG time to empower locals and give them skills and confidence instead of doing it all ourselves!! This is a hard reality for my personality that likes quick results. I knew this would be hard, but now I'm actually experiencing it.  The doctor and type A personality in me wants to have something to show for my time- something tangible. It's so easy for me to work in the hospital and have fun... It would be so easy to get caught there and never get out in the community. Hospital medicine is interesting, intellectually stimulating and the needs are never ending ( I enjoy it!!) However, in the end, I want to be a part of seeing long term community transformation, not just short term health. Lord help me. Help me to find my guidance and direction in You ALONE- Not in my own beliefs or work and Not in the beliefs and culture of the beautiful people surrounding me. But in YOU!!  By faith, He called us here, even though sometimes I didn't feel that excited.  He has work He wants to let us join here. By faith I choose to join it!! By faith, I choose to beg the Holy Spirit for filling that I might here and see where the Father is working and join Him. 
Lord help me to only do the work you are doing and nothing else. Show me where you are working in Soddo community, the hospital, the compound, my husband and my kids- and let me join you!! Make me sensitive to the leading of the Holy Spirit. Give us connections you want us to have. 
Help me (and my family including my kids) to abide in you (the vine) and bear much fruit!! 

John 5:19-20
Jesus gave them this answer:“Very truly I tell you, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does. For the Father loves the Son and shows him all he does. Yes, and he will show him even greater works than these, so that you will be amazed.

John 15:5
“I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.

-Kavi

Soddo Christian Hospital Promo 2014

I wanted to share this great video that Soddo Christian Hospital prepared.  We are so excited to be partnering with SCH this year. The Simpsons are there now and the Yates will be there soon to take part in the great work of the hospital.

Sabbath

This is a funny season for our team.  

Kavi and Taylor have gone to Ethiopia, yet Adam and I are still in Ventura preparing to leave sometime this summer. Thus although our posts, may be slightly different in tone, I believe that God is still teaching us very similar things in these seasons of life, despite our distance. 

Here are some of my ponderings this morning, 

12 “Observe the Sabbath day by keeping it holy, as the Lord your God has commanded you. 13 You have six days each week for your ordinary work, 14 but the seventh day is a Sabbath day of rest dedicated to the Lord your God. On that day no one in your household may do any work. This includes you, your sons and daughters, your male and female servants, your oxen and donkeys and other livestock, and any foreigners living among you. All your male and female servants must rest as you do. 15 Remember that you were once slaves in Egypt, but the Lord your God brought you out with his strong hand and powerful arm. That is why the Lord your God has commanded you to rest on the Sabbath day.

This is the longest (most words) of the ten commandments. The fourth commandment, just after don't take the Lord's name in vain. And yet I often ignore it.  In times of significant studying, like in college and  medical school I fairly regularly took a sabbath, and in fact remember that the tests and the times in life when I did sabbath I earned high grades and higher board scores than when I didn't.  Somehow the stress of life or the business of home has allowed me to forget the purpose and meaning of sabbath.  I busy myself with laundry or dishes or email (not "work") with all the time I have off or on my day of rest.  It sort of defeats the purpose. Especially now that we have a baby and we preparing to move to Ethiopia, there is so much stuff "to do" at home that it easily pushes its way into every day and every moment of "productive" time I have, but then joy and rest in the Lord escape me.  And I trust in  myself and the work of my hands more than the Lord.  I would have thought I learned my lesson, but alas, I need to learn it again.  

I am just so thankful to God that we can get into this rhythm before we move overseas, when the intentional time of rest is going to be all the more important for our health, but also for God.  Ultimately, sabbath is an outward expression of our hearts, that we love and trust that God will provide, even more than my desire to exert control over all the details and days of my life.  And what a fundamental thing and tangible way to communicate this to our son, to those around us and a reminder to my own heart. It is sweet in Deuteronomy 5 that this is the only commandment in which God gives us a small part of the reason why we are to obey.  To Remember.  To Remember that you were once slaves in Egypt, but the Lord your God brought you out with his strong hand and powerful arm. 

Now, I don't want to be legalistic about it (which I often have the tendency to do), but to stop and rest, just like the Lord, and ponder on his love and sit back enjoying creation to say "it is very good." (Gen 1:31) 

-Michelle

God encourages my heart through popcorn

Matthew 6:25-26

 “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?"

We had been in Addis Ababa for 5 days and I was starting to mourn for my Children the loss of easy snacks. I know they will grow in so many amazing ways living in this country and so I try to not mourn for them the small losses. But that day I couldn't help myself. Elias was begging for all his favorite snacks which we didn't have and then started begging for popcorn. Now... We can easily get popcorn in Ethiopia, but we didn't have any at that moment and wouldn't have time for an outing for a couple days. My kids have been chronically hungry (they will not starve:) but they never eat as much as they would want because they are not used to the food.) I was feeling in need of hope and joy, but not able to take a break to meet The Lord and I kept feeling slightly low. Then we received a knock at the door and it was one of the house cleaners holding a bowl of popcorn. Somehow this was God speaking straight to me. He was reminding me of how much He cares about all of our feelings and the small seemingly unimportant things. That He, God of the universe, delights in blessing His children!! That He will provide for all our needs- even our emotional needs. It may not always look like popcorn on our doorstep, but He will never fail to surprise us with His delight in us. Thank you Jesus for your faithfulness to give me hope and joy through a small bowl of popcorn.

-Kavi