Monthly Archives: February 2014

Haiti, here I come!

I blogged recently about joy and the thing that brings me my greatest joy in life is my faith. I believe in Jesus. I believe he loves me and you and all of us and calls us all to bless and serve one another.

One way I’ve been able to live out my faith is by supporting two students in school at Mission of Hope, Haiti  Mamay and Sheilla.

haiti kiddos

Adorable kids the same ages as mine and our family has enjoyed corresponding with them and loving on them from afar. And now I have the opportunity to meet them! And serve those that educate and bless these precious children every day as I’ve been selected to join a mission group heading to Titanyen, Haiti, this June. And I’m stoked!

While I am in Haiti I will be working with Mission of Hope. Y’all, they have been at the center of serving Haitians for over 12 years and are doing amazing work, some of which includes:

  • Feeding 50,000 children each day
  • Providing medical care for 100 people each day
  • Educating 2,500 kids each year
  • Caring for 60 orphans
  • Providing a spiritual hub for the community through Church of Hope

For years my church, Gateway, has partnered with Mission of Hope to serve the spiritual and physical needs of those in the region. I’ll be right there working along side them to bless the orphans, many of who lost parents in the earthquake, the students and the villagers.

My hope is to serve as Jesus would serve.

I’d love it if you would consider praying for me and my team. Prayer is powerful and we’re going to need it! To be who God wants us to be and to do what God wants us to to. And for our health. I really don’t want to get all those shots for nothing!

If you are so inclined, you have the chance to join me in this adventure by contributing to my mission fund. The total trip cost is $1750 and I believe with all my heart the experience will be totally worth it. If this is something you’d like to do, you can donate online by clicking the GIVE NOW link. But seriously, no pressure. Just you getting to this part of the post is a blessing and accomplishment! 

And listen, if you don’t share my faith, that’s cool. If you’re curious about my faith, I’d love to chat with you about it. Or feel free to check out Gateway, a place that understands no one is perfect and welcomes your questions. We have campuses and networks all over Austin and we stream our services live online each Sunday. Another great resource that tackles tough questions is Explore God. We all have questions — even those of us that believe. Don’t hold them back.

Alright, I think this is officially my longest post ever. Thank you so much for sticking with me and any consideration you may want to throw my way.  

Haiti, here I come!

Joy

I’ve been overwhelmed by all the happy lists. You know the ones… these 6 things will make you happier… science says these 10 things will create happiness… supremely happy people do these 20 things… do these 12 things differently and you’ll be happy… and y’all, this was from an 8 second Google search.

I’m sure I could spend actual time researching the topic and discover more, but I can guarantee you that it wouldn’t bring me happiness. Because here’s what strikes me about all these lists: happiness is fleeting. Most of these suggestions are situational. It doesn’t make them wrong — change your situation, work out more, smile more, be more grateful and you will be happier.

Apparently, happiness is easily influenced.

But wouldn’t it be better to seek true joy? Something that doesn’t vanish just because you’re having a bad day. Or experiencing a loss. Or going through a tragedy. Or didn’t get to the gym. Something in those times that actually lifts you up. That’s joy. And that comes from something greater than a list.

seek joy

Bye, bye Jenga. Hello, margin.

I haven’t blogged in a while. Partly because of the holidays. Partly because of holiday recovery. But mostly because of margin.

I’ve always been proud of leading a well-balanced life. Society has applauded my efforts with best sellers on the topic of having it all. As a women, it’s what we start to believe is expected  loving wife, patient mom, driven professional, best friend, nutrition expert, educator, community volunteer, world changer.

And we might even be able to pull it off. But at what cost? To me the cost was margin. Meaning, I had none. Things were so well balanced that there was no margin for error. No margin for the unexpected. No margin for forgiveness, especially for myself. My life had become a game of Jenga™, in constant fear of it all crashing down because there was simply no wiggle room. No margin.

jenga

Well, no more. I’m declaring this the year of margin.

I’m going to engage professionally with projects I’m most passionate about. But I’m also going to allow myself to enjoy my kids more and appreciate their special kind of chaos. I’m going to plan more nights out with my husband and more double dates with friends. I’m going to embrace solitude and actually work out (a little). I’m going to let others help me more and (try to) stop feeling responsible for the actions of others. I’m going to appreciate the flexibility of life and be mindful to keep the margin a margin. Because, let’s be honest, it can turn into Jenga™ again real quick. So here’s to the year of margin. Hold me to it, ok.