beshiningstars's Xanga

let me be a child...

Sun, 18 May 2008 00:40:49 GMT

Tonight I babysat for seven children (two of them being my younger siblings). It was loud, adventurous, filled with laughter and tears (referring to the children, of course). After we ate supper, one might well have scraped the carpet and planted a vegetable garden with all the pizza toppings that had fled sticky hands and messy mouths. The tally for the evening rounded up to: one messy diaper, one band-aid, three rambunctious boys playing a full-fledged baseball game in the basement, fourteen pieces of pizza devoured, two spills, six hapless donkeys chased endlessly around their corral, a dozen fistfuls of hay fed to the cow, and one sleepy little boy. As I rocked the youngest member of the brood, and gazed out upon the silhouette of the mountains against the twilight of evening and pondered life, I looked around me and realized: this is life. I shall allow the remainder to go unsaid - interpret it as you will. And remember the words of our Lord - "unless you become as a little child..."

Cactuses and Worms

Wed, 27 Feb 2008 16:12:33 GMT

"I asked the Lord
for a bunch of fresh flowers
but instead He gave me an ugly cactus
with many thorns.

I asked the Lord
for some beautiful butterflies
but instead He gave me
many ugly and dreadful worms.

I was threatened.
I was disappointed.
I mourned.
But after many days,
suddenly,

I saw the cactus bloom
with many beautiful flowers
and those worms became
beautiful butterflies
flying in the wind.
God's way is the best way."

- written by Chun-Ming Kao from prison

Dear God, I lay it all down again at Your feet. I desire nothing but You alone! Once more, I surrender my hopes and dreams and all that I am to You! I trust You - Your way is indeed the best for my life!! Take the dust that I am and mold me into Your image!! Amen.

For we who are alive are always being given over to death for Jesus' sake, so that His life may be revealed in our mortal body. - 2 Corinithians 4:11

Remember...

Mon, 04 Feb 2008 22:56:25 GMT

Remember those in prison as if you were their fellow prisoners, and those mistreated as if you yourselves were suffering. heb.13:3

Lately I have been pondering the plight of my brothers and sisters across the world who know nothing of comfort or ease, only suffering for the precious name of God. I have been burdened for them, yet feel helpless to truly feel their pain as my own. How much richer will Heaven be to their dimmed eyes when once they gaze upon the One for Whom they died!! Here are some quotes from those "of whom the world is not worthy".

" They can take my clothes, all my property,

but they cannot burn Christ and the church from our hearts."

-Thomas

"If there are no struggles, then there is no battle."

- Mexican evangelist

"It doesn't matter whether I live or die,

as long as Christ shines in me and the gospel increases."

- Brother Hua

And this is my prayer:

From prayer that asks that I may be

Sheltered from winds that beat on Thee,

From fearing when I should aspire,

From faltering when I should climb higher,

From silken self, O Captain, free

Thy soldier who would follow Thee.

From subtle love of softening things,

From easy choices, weakenings,

(Not thus are spirits fortified,

Not this way went Thy Crucified)

From all that dims Thy Calvary,

O Lamb of God, deliver me.

Give me the love that leads the way,

The faith that nothing can dismay,

The hope no disappointments tire,

The passion that will burn like fire;

Let me not sink to be a clod:

Make me Thy fuel, O Flame of God!

- Amy Carmichael

CONGRATULATIONS JULIE & DAVIE STOLTZFUS!!

Mon, 10 Sep 2007 21:02:10 GMT

The beaming couple...

a wedding present made for them in Thailand...

Sisters forever!!

My buddy and I...

Putting on Davie's corsage...

with their neices and newphew...

the bride consulting with the program attendant =)

The bridesmaids...

The groomsmen...

Proud parents of the bride...Happy 28th Anniversary Mom & Dad!!!

Best Friends Forever!! I love you, Jul!!

Life in Laos...

Sat, 30 Jun 2007 10:57:30 GMT

Living in Laos for a week proved to be quite the adventure... after spending a day at an English center in the capital city, our team moved in with a native family in a small village. We slept on a semi-enclosed porch, showered in an outhouse, and ate fish and rice every day. We dug holes for the foundation of a schoolhouse, chopped grass, and planted rice. We spent time with the children, observed the culture, and practiced incarnational living. We gave our hearts away to the people of that small village. Observing a Buddhist funeral and the people's denial of grief proved very gripping and we left with a deeper love and burden than ever before. My prayer is that we may have left the smallest glimmer of the Father's love in that place!!!

Our stellar team - Dru, Emily, Christine, Beth, Shelley & Ryan

Our home away from home away from home... The shower room...

Got milk? Hanging out in our little bungalow...

Digging holes (or digging ourselves into holes) with the villagers...

Planting rice...and wading in mud

Mowing the grass (that the cows missed) in front of the hospital with machetes

Hanging out with the kids...

The tragedy of a Buddhist funeral...

A Collage of Happiness and Hopelessness

Wednesday, June 06, 2007

Wed, 06 Jun 2007 02:45:36 GMT

Ah, China continues to beckon me back...a land of beauty and darkness, cities of skyscrapers and idols, a people whose hearts are aching for a Love they do not know. Here are pictures of our trip. Naomi and I stayed in the city teaching English while the rest of the team headed out by bus to shed His light to the scattered villages.

OUR TEAM

NAOMI AND I

THE LAND

THE CULTURE

THE PEOPLE

THE ENGLISH CENTER

"So I returned, and considered all the oppressions that are done under the sun: and behold the tears of such as were oppressed, and they had no comforter..." - Ecclesiastes 4:1

Saturday, April 28, 2007

Sat, 28 Apr 2007 14:58:44 GMT

Smiling faces, red and yellow taxis (sangtows), exotic foliage, rice, hot spices, spirit houses, motor bikes, bhat (money), iced coffee, sweltering humidity, lizards, piles of shoes outside doorways, mosquitos, night bizarre, wooden idols, cheerful greetings, aching hearts, lost souls...Thailand. Need I say more?? Amidst the myriad of books and studies (or because of), we continue to seek the heart of God. May He grip the depths of our souls with the lostness of those around us and may we display His likeness and shine His light radiantly in the darkness surrounding us!! He alone is worthy!!

City of lost souls - Chiang Mai

Riding the sangtow

Delectable Thai food!!

Hanging out with Heidi and her precious

children!!

Got pain?? Those of us who endured the

process of getting shots...

A babe sleeps amidst the chaos of life...

Journeying onward

Fri, 20 Apr 2007 06:50:27 GMT

Well, I now write from the other side of the world! Wow!! Already the country, the culture, the people, their very hearts beckon to mine and I long become immersed here and shine the light of Christ in this corner of the world. O.k. so we get here after essentially 2 days. Somewhere along the line we lost a day... very strange!! We definitely managed to present a proper touristy spirit in the airport at Taiwan as we stood in a group blocking the center passageway attempting to read little squiggles among a myriad of numbers to determine where our gate should be. We did find it eventually with the help of some locals whom we couldn't understand but did communicate with through various repeatings and gestures. We finally arrived weary in body but resolute in spirit. We were blasted with a wave of HEAT... wow... at present I cannot imagine what cool feels like. Maybe I should see if there is still some snow for sale on ebay. I daresay one would receive only a wet package. =) Well, this is enough rambling for one post. I beg your prayers. Our classes begin on Mon. morning and I long more than anything to draw closer to the heart of Christ and to be a vessel in His Hands!! I bid you adieu for now...

Imprisoned Souls

Tue, 13 Feb 2007 06:56:40 GMT

I look up into the night sky beyond the rolls of barbed wire and metal bars...and I silently plead for God's help. Then with the clang of metal doors behind us, we enter the room and are greeted by smiling faces and hurting hearts. If one looks beyond the smiles there lies a depth of pain hidden in their eyes that I know nothing of. Sometimes glimpses of their stories come through, other times they remain carefully hidden behind walls of bravado and happiness. The glimpses we do get are heart-breaking: tales of rejection, of abuse, of children born and taken away, of broken relationships, of death. And I wonder - what do I possibly have to offer them?? Absolutely nothing of myself, but everything because of Who Christ is!!! How I pray that His light might pierce the darkness that these young women live in and shatter the shackles of their souls!!

"He brought them out of darkness and the deepest gloom and broke away their chains. Let them give thanks to the Lord for His unfailing love and His wonderful deeds for men, for He breaks down gates of bronze and cuts through bars of iron." - Psalms 107:14-16

Ponderings and Ramblings of Life...

Thu, 18 Jan 2007 01:34:19 GMT

~ Coffee shops + friends + laughter and tears = good times ~

~ Only true friends will see the pain in your eyes beyond the smile on your face. ~

~ Stuffing tumbleweeds the size of oak trees into miniscule garbage bags without wearing gloves may be hazardous to your health!! ~

~ The essence of genuine love is laying down your life for others (literally and figuratively) ~

~ Frog's eyes actually aid in the process of swallowing food. (Delicious) ~

~ God cannot reveal His dreams for our lives until we have surrendered our own meager plans to Him! ~

~ Viewing distant fireworks through the eyes of young women in prison is similar to catching glimpses of God's beauty while restrained here upon earth. ~

~ Running on a tile floor with slippery socks can produce hysterical (not to mention painful) moments ~

~ We are closest bound to Christ's heart in the midst of suffering. ~

~ And....CONGRATULATIONS DAVIE AND JULIE!!! Yes, tis true! Wedding bells toll in the distance. To paraphrase an old adage, "I am not losing a sister, but gaining a brother!"