I attended a women’s luncheon this morning.  It was lovely.  They spoke on their recent mission trip to Haiti.  They told of how God moved them during their mission trip.  They spoke about the “God Stops”  that occurred.  You know, those things that make you say…”that was a God thing”  They shared about the environment and the poverty.  They were down their ministering to women and children.  They taught, prayed, encouraged and loved those Haitian women and children.  They gave them gift bags with different items in it.  They went to the special needs area and ministered to those kids.  Then…after they spoke about it they showed a slide show. 

Now, when you hear someone speak it moves you, but when you add an image to it…whoa!!  The photo’s spoke volumes to what God did while they were down there.  The women that were overjoyed with the gift bags.  The circles of prayer that we saw in the pictures.  The delight on our ladies faces knowing that the presence of our everliving God was there.  Than they showed the special needs center and I lost it.  It really hit home with me.  Having a child with special needs, in a wheelchair, needing full time care, I know what goes into this kind of lifestyle.  I know the weariness and exhaustion that parents get.  These kids though were in a center.  And not just any center, one filled with poverty.  Oh, the humbleness that poured through me.  Tears bounced from my face as I thanked our heavenly Father for the blessings he has given my family and than prayed for the children in the slide show. 

We don’t know how well we have it.  I know that the economy is bad and people are loosing their jobs but man…when you look at areas like Haiti it is mind boggling. 

I know that those women left for that mission trip with anxious hearts.  Hearts filled with anticipation, fear, and excitement.   I also believe they came back women on fire for Jesus.  They witnessed CHRIST!!   One of the ladies said she could tell that the Haitian women were hungry to learn about Jesus.  How about you, are you hungry for Christ?

footnote:  a friend of mine graciously gave me this newsletter.  You can click to download :  haitti-mission

You train for marathons and races.  It is not easy.  You know what you have to do.  Be in shape.  Run with all you got.  Focus on the finish line.

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It has been gorgeous here in Northern Ky.  Sunny, warm and lovely.  It is   fun seeing God’s creation come back alive.  My daughter, Phoebe, has been hard at play outside.  Riding her bike, sidewalk chalk, digging in dirt.  Oh, to be a kid again.  I have enjoyed watching her and cheering her on as she flies down our street on her bike, that does have training wheels. 

So, I wanted to look at some things I learned at Hearts at Home.  Stop over to a friend’s  blog,  Jennifer @ focus findings.  She has a great article on “reclaiming your family.”   That was the jest of the weekend.  Reclaim your marriage, reclaim your children, reclaim authority, etc.

I felt another theme was “foundation.”  The definition of foundation is:

• We need to build a foundation in our homes before we can move forward to a plan of action.  You would not build a home without a blueprint so we need to have a blueprint of what we want our family to be.  Think about it, there is a foundation to every building, tower, amusement park ride.  There is even a product called foundation for the makeup we wear.  It is the base for everything.

Where is your foundation and what is it made of.  I want my families foundation to be Jesus Christ.  Here are some biblical truths: 

Ephesians 2:20 

²⁰built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone

Psalm 62:2  

² He alone is my rock and my salvation;  he is my fortress, I will never be shaken

Psalm 31:3  

³ Since you are my rock and my fortress, for the sake of your name lead and guide me 

I want Jesus Christ to be the foundation for my family.  I want my girls to know that he is the rock of salvation.  When tough times come and they will, I want them to lean on Christ.  Know him and his word.  I want them to build character, morals, respect, obedience, and all of the fruits of the spirit.  I want to build my families foundations on biblical truths. 

We will have a tough job in these worldly times.  More pressure to be of this world and conform to it.  It is hard because we live in a culture where we try to keep up with others and we base our worth and value in what we do, where we live, what we drive and the list goes on and on. This is dangerous.  This can make for an unhappy home.  Competition is grueling on the soul.  Instead of competing and trying to keep up why don’t we support and encourage one another.  Families are gonna be different.  But one thing remains the same.  GOD!!    Stand strong, dive deep into God’s word!   Know  your worth in God.   He loves you so much that he sent his son to the cross so we could live in eternity with him.   

We are called to be like Christ and bring others to know him.  This takes being a disciple.  Be grounded in the foundation of His word, having daily quiet time, prayer, surrounding ourselves and family with christian friends.  Being accountable to one another.  Encouraging one another and loving one another. 

 The stakes are high.  They are worth it!

I am back from the Hearts at Home national conference.  We had a blast.  I had so much fun I forgot to take lots of pictures, but here are some. 

from left to right: Karla, Carol, Jennifer, Lori and Tricia

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