"I will give thanks to you, O LORD, among the peoples; I will sing praises to you among the nations." Psalm 108:3

Putting Purpose to Your Passion

What is your passion?

Is it children?  Cooking?  Knitting?  China?  Gardening?  Christ?

How does your passion show up in your life?  Is it something that you do or experience by yourself?  Or do you use your passion to bring joy to the lives of others?

I recently spent a long weekend in the state of Washington with a group of people passionate about both Christ and China.  Together we stepped through a time of focused strategic planning and the result is chinaconnect - a ministry with the mission to share Christ's love with the Chinese people through service and relationship.  They willl create and provide opportunities for people of all ages, on both sides of the Pacific, to to serve and share their faith.  To learn more or see how you can get involved, check 'em out here.

I've been meeting with a couple who have a passion for addressing the immediate needs of widows and orphans.  A trip this summer to Romania resulted in the meeting of a missionary who introduced Nicolle to widows living in mud homes which will likely collapse under the winter's first snow.  She has a renewed sense of urgency for putting her call to serve others into action.  Stay tuned...some great stuff is about to happen!  Keep your Eyes Wide Open....

For Christmas this year, my sisters and I have decided not to give "physical" gifts to each other, but rather find some way to serve, to bring joy, or meet the need of someone else.  I'm still fine-tuning what I'm going to do, but I know it'll involve kids who are not experiencing many of the blessings that life has to offer (I have 3 nephews, one sister is a teacher) and likely Christmas cookies (my sisters and nephews all like making, decorating, and eating them). 

I encourage you to take a couple of minutes to check out this video on The Advent Conspiracy.  Maybe it will give you some ideas about how we can bring focus back to the real meaning of and for Christmas.

So, what is your passion?  How can you put some purpose to it to impact the lives of others?  Think about it.  Then do something about it!  You'll be glad you did!

Two weeks and thousands of miles away...but still on the top of my heart...

In some ways, it seems like far more than two weeks have passed since my heart-touching trip to Ukraine; in other ways, it was just yesterday.  But regardless of the days or miles that separate us, the people - big and small - I met and the memories I experienced are still very much on the top of my heart.

Every time I pick up my cell phone I see Sveta and her big cross-eyed smile grinning back at me.  Multiple times each day I think and share about the blessings and contrasts that I witnessed:

• The cold eyes and demeanour of the orphanage director who only wanted to talk about financial support for remodeling and murals;
• The kind, warm, deep eyes of the director who spoke of his dislike of designated giving and his desire to focus on meeting the needs for the children's food, care, and programs instead of some of the much evident repairs;
• The children who looked and smelled of wet diapers quietly rocking themselves for comfort since they knew that their cries would bring no response;
• The children who laughed and played, who listened to Christian CD's in the hallway and had posters of their favorite sports teams hanging over their beds;
• The 21st century version Ukrainian orphanage version of the quilting bee...10 toddlers sitting in a circle working on potty training;
• The therapy space that was pridefully showed to us, but which was obviously unused since it had mirrors and other equipment laying in its midst;
• The beautiful murals painted by orphanage teachers, on their own time, at their own expense, so that the children could have brighter surroundings;
• The joyful giggles of toddlers racing after plastic mushrooms - seeing who could gather the most - while their teacher played a jubilent tune on the piano;
• Malinka problinka (my poor spelling)...small problem...camp without electricty...bus without a wheel...;
• Experiencing the joy and delight with a new, special friend at her first stay in a hotel;
• The sophistication and brilliance of a gold-domed, painting and image filled church;
• The simplistic beauty of three wooden crosses on a sandy hill at a camp in the woods;
• The hearts of new friends working to translate the hearts and passions of others we met, helping to forge relationships filled with hope and faith as we crossed the country;
• The excuisite ornamentation and professionalism of the ballet featuring dancers from around Europe and Asia;
• The self-composed songs sung around a candle lit table in the middle of the woods, while cooking and eating dinner, playing cards, collapsing chairs, and working to stay warm (and yes, Olexiy, I have a video);
• The reminder that God is good...all the time...even when it looks like He is hiding...and that happiness, joy, and blessings that can be found in the simplicity of a balloon or a sticker can remove the darkness of the world, barriers, and any situation surrounding us, if we will only remember to pause and look;
• The joy of Jesus in a hug, a smile, the squeeze of a finger, the changing color of a leaf, the peace of a sleeping baby, the passion of those striving to serve Him regardless of their language, education, financial status, or outlook on life; 
• And oh so many more....

Pray big...believe big...big things happen...

Children of Ukraine