Live Boldly!

A friend of mine shared this on facebook last week and it truly spoke to me. 


"To be “called” means you’ll always be moving from something, toward something. If what you’re doing isn’t working, seek God for fresh instructions. If your goal is to fit comfortably within the framework of where you started and make no waves, you’ll never enjoy what God has for you up the road. You can’t pray for growth and resist change. Do you know why Jesus healed blind people in different ways? So we’d never be able to say, “This the only way.” Acknowledging that keeps you sharp, keeps you humble, and keeps you credible as a leader." ~ Jentezen Franklin


We are all called. We were put on this Earth to help each other by Jesus example.   Changes are scary.  Changes are hard.  But stepping out in faith that God will walk along side of you wherever you are is when you grow the most and how you help other's grow. 

There is no right or wrong way to serve God.  No excuses....no regrets....make your waves....dare to be bold.....lead as many people to an eternal life in Heaven as possible.

         

Matthew 5: 14-16       

“You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.

During the hard times.

   Praying for all of us who have feelings of hopelessness, pain, anxiety and fear creeping into our lives.  Cling to the promises of His Word.  We may never know what's going on behind the scenes but without faith ....all we have is despair and sorrow.  I NEED to trust that God's plan is better than anything I could imagine even if I have to wait until I meet Him face to face to understand.


When it seems all hope is gone......For I know the plans I have for you. declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. — Jeremiah 29:11


When the pain is too much to bear....  Seek the LORD and his strength;  seek his presence continually!  1 Chronicles 16:11


When you aren't able to find your next breath...  I can do all things through him who strengthens me.  Philippians 4:13
\

When you are afraid.... fear not, for I am with you;  be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you,  I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.  Isaiah 41:10


When you aren't strong enough on your own.... Have you not known? Have you not heard? The LORD is the everlasting God,   the Creator of the ends of the earth. He does not faint or grow weary; his understanding is unsearchable. He gives power to the faint,   and to him who has no might he increases strength. Even youths shall faint and be weary, and young men shall fall exhausted; but they who wait for the LORD shall renew their strength;   they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary;   they shall walk and not faint.  Isaiah 40:28-31

My "I Just Need a 5 Minute Pity Party!" Post

I feel bad for even writing this because there are so many people with so many bigger problems in the world....trust me....I see them daily.   But today....in my head....it is going to be a hard Mama/Wife day.....I'm not going to lie....it's going to suck.  And if I hear one more person say, "God never said it was going to be easy"  I think I'll scream.  We knew none of this would be easy.  We would have been slightly delusional if we thought moving away from all you know would be EASY!  But today is an especially "not easy" day.  Brian and Maddie are flying back to the States for a not yet determined amount of time.  We have never been apart more than a week.  Sydney is getting married in December.  We couldn't be happier.  This is an amazing new chapter in all of our lives.  But first....we have to get there.  Our current funds are not enough.  So Brian is going to leave his job on the mission field and go work in the States.

I woke up this morning feeling panicky.  Tears were coming but thankfully my brain told me to PRAY.  Instantly God took me out of my "selfish" thoughts and pointed me to His gifts.

I am so grateful to God for......

• My families health.
• Brian's former boss Dave for allowing him to come back to work whenever needed.
• For Nana to fly Maddie home with Daddy so she can see her friends and family she misses.
• My husband being willing to do whatever it takes.
• For Go MAD's understanding when we have to leave our jobs for awhile.
• For Mario to stay home and be the man of the house and protect his Mom.  :)
• For Sydney and Mark who are so understanding that a wedding can be beautiful and low cost.
• For Raegan flying here for a week to see her Mom and keep me from going insane.
• For Tyler to host her Sister and helping her with Homeschooling.
• For my parents and Maddie's friends who host her.
• For all our friends who are hosting Brian with your sofas and extra bedrooms. 
• Nana and Papa for picking them up at O'Hare and the use of your truck for Brian.
• Churches for having him share what we are doing here.
• For the staff/interns here to fill in the void while he is gone.
• For my friends here that are keeping me sane.

I'm truly mean every word from the bottom of my heart....but I am writing this down and should probably print it so Mario can read it loudly to me when I go into a full blown panic attack.  ;)


Philippians 4:13
I can do everything through him who gives me strength.

Thank you Jesus!

Why I think EVERYONE Should Do The Ice Bucket Challenge!

  The ALS Ice Bucket Challenge has been a HUGE success!   I can say with 100% confidence that whomever started it NEVER could have imagined such a response.  Praise Jesus because ALS is a horrible debilitating disease.  They deserve to have research going on to give HOPE and a CURE!

  I did the Challenge....but as bad as this sounds, I had mixed emotions.  I am a missionary working on the field seeing people having to have limbs removed because lack of funds for medical care.  I see starving children almost on a daily basis.  I see woman working as prostitutes because they have no other way to provide food for their families.  So my heart was saying....BUT what about all the other's in the world that need help too!  But the Nurse in me is saying, "But ALS sucks!  They need attention too!"  I have said it before and I will say it again...be careful when you ask God to break your heart for what breaks His. 

  So it boils down to this...there are SO MANY of God's children that need your help.

  Now the reason why I think everyone SHOULD do the ALS Challenge is because we need to get a small taste of what it's like to be uncomfortable....even for just one minute.  And then become ADDICTED to that feeling!   We need to do WHATEVER it takes to step outside of OURSELVES and our COMFORT AND GIVE TO OTHERS.  I am praying that you will WANT....to EVERY SINGLE DAY...do something that hurts....whether it's do without that Starbucks Coffee....pack a lunch instead of eating out....downsize your house, cars, entertainment fund, start your own fundraiser for a cause near and dear to you,  or WHATEVER God lays on your heart and GIVE because you LOVE JESUS that much!  Because EVERY CAUSE deserves to be a SUCCESS. 

Matthew 16:24-26 (ESV)

Take Up Your Cross and Follow Jesus

²⁴ Then Jesus told his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. ²⁵ For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. ²⁶ For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what shall a man give in return for his soul?

I CHALLENGE YOU!

We're all in this together!!!

If you live in Sosua, Dominican Republic chances are great that you have met Benito.  Benito works at a very busy area downtown where all the shops are including where we bank.  He is quick to point out a good parking spot and keeps a special eye on our car so nobody bothers it.  He always has a smile and kind words.  He never complains and is always quick to give God the glory.  So when Brian told Maddie about the condition of Benito's wheelchair, Maddie quickly new that she wanted to spend some of the money she was blessed with from Pastor Steve (see previous post) to bless Benito.

 

He was literally in tears and what REALLY touched my heart was that as we left he told us he would be praying for Landy to fully heal.  CAN YOU SAY AMAZING??!!!

 

 

 

2 Corinthians 1:4

who comforts us in all our suffering, so that we may be able to comfort others in all their suffering, as we ourselves are being comforted by God.

 

 

Sleep well Nelson!

I seriously LOVE working with people that have a heart for children!  The staff at Go MAD's Firm Foundation Children Center may be little but it is MIGHTY!  Every time we have a family come in with special needs they jump into gear and pull out whatever is needed, including their own food for lunch, clothes, etc.   So it was not surprising to me when one of our employees, Tania, brought a young neighbor to the clinic for treatment because his mother is 8 months pregnant and was sick in bed.

  His name is Nelson.  He is Haitian and he suffers from albinism.  He is the sweetest kid you will ever meet.  Tania brought him in for help because he has a bad rash for over a month.  We need to get Nelson to a dermatologist in a nearby town so we paid his mom a visit today to see how we could help.  I am so grateful that we did. 

When we arrived at an old run down abandoned resort, climbed a make shift ladder......

 and then to the roof of the building this is what we found. 





                                                     This is where Nelson sleeps.

I will give you a closer look.....

This is where his mother makes his meals....

 

 
 

 

 

 

 

This is Nelson's good buddy.

 

 

 
 
 
 
 

The really cool thing is God knew Nelson needed more buddies.  He actually orchestrated a pastor in a small town of LeRoy, Il to have a enormous heart for missions AND children.  This amazing pastor had given my children both $100 and told them to find a mission of their own in the Dominican Republic.  So both Mario and Maddie have been praying about how they can make their $100 grow to make a HUGE impact.  But what God showed us today was.  It doesn't have to be HUGE to many.  Sometimes being HUGE to one at a time is enough.

 

 So with part of Mario's gift from Pastor Steve we sprang into action! 

 

We made a special delivery to a special child of God....he was so cute...he just kept scratching his head in disbelief! 

Thank you God for the heart of Pastor Steve Ward.  Thank you for the heart of my son Mario.  Thank you for allowing us to delivery Nelson a soft comfortable place to sleep tonight.

 1 Sam. 2:8 He lifts the poor from the dust-- Yes, from a pile of ashes-- And treats them as princes sitting in the seats of honor. For all the earth is the Lord's And he has set the world in order.

The Good, The Bad and the Ugly and Some Ridiculous!

    As we get ready to celebrate our 1 year anniversary of entering the mission field I thought it would be appropriate to share my emotions on this crazy roller coaster ride.  I would LOVE to say that these are feelings I have had throughout the year occasionally but the reality of it is....I experience MOST on a  DAILY basis.  I would be lying if I said this has been easy.  The only absolute I can tell you is how much I have to rely on God for strength and sanity!  So here are just a small portion of my thoughts through the day and quite literally how quickly they can change.

• LEARNING A NEW LANGUAGE IS SO HARD!!!!!!!!!  I want to crawl in my bed and throw the covers over my head!

• I feel like I made some really good choices today!

• Man.....I screwed up!

• Thank you God for using me to save a life today (either physically or spiritually)

• The ugliness of sin from abuse, greed and sexually immortality makes my heart shatter into a million tiny pieces.

• I really miss fast food drive thru's!!!!

• I'm not doing enough!

• The beauty God shows me in the hearts of people and on his earthly creation literally makes my heart feel like it's going to burst.

• Just curious but why did you invent mosquito's and allow such high humidity?

• There's so much need and I am just one person.

• Why me???  Why did I have to move so far from my family that I adore?

• I love it here!!!

• I want to go home!!

• Thank you Lord for the AMAZING people you have placed in my life.

• Can I not do anything right???

• I am so proud of my family for being so strong.

• Stop asking me for "things"!

• Please someone invent a microchip to insert into my brain so I can be instantly fluent in Spanish!

• It's so awesome to work along side of my husband!

• I am with my husband wayyyyy to much!

• Thank you Jesus for leading me here.

• I am blessed! 

• Use me Lord!

I am grateful for every single one of these thoughts and feelings because when we are pushing ourselves out of our comfort zone....that's when we grow closer to God. 

 

Bring on the CARBS!!!!!!!!!!!

   

 

 

    Pastor Megan has been preaching a wonderful sermon breaking down the Lord's Prayer, sentence by sentence.  I seriously love this because one of my pet peeves is reading prayers aloud from memory and not truly taking the time to think about what we are praying about.  Recently she spoke about "Give us this day our daily bread".   Pray for what is a necessity...not just our desires. And to especially notice it says, Give us not Give me.

     
     So this got me thinking.   Last year when we were preparing to step onto the mission field and serve the people in the Dominican Republic, it was an extremely scary time to sell and give away everything you thought you worked so hard for.  And then QUIT your PAYING job....you know, the one you have "control' over.  The one you trained for and interviewed for and negotiated and accepted a certain salary that you could live on, buy cool things put some in the bank and prepare for you retirement!  But you know what is even BETTER???    I may not even have realized this until after about the first six months....but it is fundraising.  I know that sounds absolutely NUTTY but let's think about this.  I put God in control of all my finances.  Can you think of anyone better to do that?  He is my provider, my boss, my CEO of my life!  I am literally on my knees praying GIVE US EACH DAY OUR DAILY BREAD.  I get to witness the miracles of the people He places in my life to physically send us money to live on and let me tell you.... It is AMAZING!!  Because it gives us all a chance to become what we are put on this Earth to do.....Work together, Share the Word to those who don't know God, serve those who can't help themselves, reach out to other's who have no hope.   I get to witness family, friends, churches and complete strangers saying Yes to God's call.  It's SO COOL!!!!  And all along I feel closer to God than ever before because I  LET GO of doing things my way.  I know you have heard this so many times but it's TRUE....God's way is always way more awesome than what our human minds could come up with.  I have said this many times and I will keep saying it.  Fundraising was (and still is) the BIGGEST faith growing time of my life.  It is constant communication with my Father, receiving reassurance and valuable lessons from Him to keep walking in faith and only look at Him for my next step.  He shows me how to help others, and reminds me to TRUST even when times get hard.  He provides the resources to make it all possible.

    So I will keep praying for us ALL to have our daily bread.  And I thank Him for guiding me to a situation where I can witness that each days meal is TRULY provided by Him.   I have NEVER been so aware in my life that every single item, my car, my home, every can in the pantry down to the carton of milk in the refrigerator has been provided by my Heavenly Father.  It's not mine....none of it.  It is a gift to share.  None of it is something I deserve but it's what has been entrusted to me to further His kingdom.  So I will continue to use all the resources I have to GO and SHARE and MULTIPLY it all for our King.

  Please, if God has been pushing you to step out of your comfort zone, to let go of some of your control and put more trust into following where He is leading you.  Don't resist.  It's the greatest gift you can give yourself and your family and above all.....HIM. 

  If one of those ways you would like to help is by partnering with us on the front line of fighting human exploitation.  We would be honored and faithful with your gifts.  Your support means that we are in this TOGETHER.   I will be praying for you! 

www.gomadministries.org   Click on Make a Donation in the bottom left side in the yellow box.  Next click the drop down box that says, "I want my donation to be designated toward..." and choose Brian and Jenny Bland.   Thank you! 

  

  
    

Sharing HOPE to the Naysayers!

It isn't the first time and I'm sure it won't be the last but a few days ago we had the misfortune of hearing a man in our community sputter the sentence, "Sure...they post pictures of the ocean and then come home to fundraise."  So I would just like to take a moment to address the person I will refer to as "Mr. Crabby Pants".  

Mr. Crabby Pants, I want to tell you about the typical day in the life of a missionary.  We go to work just like you.  We are faced with SEVERE poverty.  Not just, "Oops I don't have enough money to pay for my car this month." kind of poverty but "I can't FEED my kid even ONE MEAL TODAY or I can't pay for my child to the treatment for a life-threatening disease so they can breathe.." kind of poverty.  So we pray with them, we ask AMAZING people back home who are also being the HANDS AND FEET of Jesus and they GIVE unconditionally and they TRUST that we are all working together to help families who were born into a less fortunate circumstance.  Mr. Crabby Pants....that is just one days example.  But it occurs every day with slightly different events.  It's HARD to face, it's DIFFICULT to understand, it SADDENS us to our CORE.  Sometimes we feel like we didn't even help at all that day. We are on a limited budget.  We can only do so much.  It heartbreaking.  But we can pray and we can plant the seeds.
 
And we wake up and we do it again the next day. 

So Mr. Crabby Pants....I would like to tell you why the OCEAN is so important to us and why we like to share ocean photos.  It's a sign of HOPE.  And we know EVERYONE needs HOPE!  When we look out at the ocean we see how MIGHTY our God is!  We see the BEAUTY in His CREATIONS!  We understand that HE is in CONTROL of EVERY detail in our life.  We see that Our Savior's DEPTH is BEYOND anything we could ever comprehend.  Through the CEASELESS motion we realize His LOVE for Us is NEVERENDING.

I want to encourage you Mr. Crabby Pants to stop being a NAYSAYER and get out and help someone.....EVERY SINGLE DAY.  It's the reason why we are put on this Earth.  And then....my prayer is you find your "OCEAN"....the BEAUTY in something that God created!  Stand in AWE of HIM....BE INSPIRED.....  AND GUESS WHAT?????    IT'S FREE!

Now for the LARGE PRINT.  We know that the negativity of a few does not represent the entire community....I just had to speak from my heart because it's like what my Mom says, "Part of being a missionary is raising awareness!"  So now you are fully aware of the ugly side.  :)    It is SERIOUSLY because of you all that we are able to do what we do.  THANK YOU TO ALL OF OUR FRIENDS AND FAMILY FOR YOUR LOVE AND SUPPORT. YOUR HUGS WILL CARRY US THROUGH ANOTHER YEAR!  GOD BLESSINGS TO YOU ALL!

Isaiah 43:16

            

Thus says the LORD, Who makes a way through the sea And a path through the mighty waters

Best way to start the day!

Ok....so along with living in the Dominican Republic, which I believe is one of the most beautiful places on Earth, and having the privilege of meeting the kindest, most grateful families to serve, I also have the fortune of attending a truly God loving church.  And the icing on THAT cake is we have a sweet Women's Bible Study.  We are studying a book now called, "What Happens When Women say Yes to God" by Lysa Terkeurst.  But don't let the word "Women" stop you from continuing reading this or the book!  It's true for all of us!

I wanted to share one of my favorite parts (so far anyway).  It is the prayer that she says EVERY MORNING before her feet hit the floor.

         God, I want to see You.  God, I want to hear you.  God, I want to know you.  God, I want to follow hard after you.  And before I even know what I will face today, I say yes to you.

Now I absolutely love this prayer.  BUT, I and I am sure most of you are so guilty of just mumbling the words and not TRULY meaning them.  So for myself I break it down sentence by sentence to remind myself that I am talking to the Creator of this Universe.

God, I want to see you.....in every face of every person I meet, in the eyes of a child and in the beauty of the world.

 

God, I want to hear you.....in the fears of a mother's voice, the cries for help, in the sounds of laughter and in songs of praise.

 

God, I want to know you.  I want to know what makes you happy, how you want me to live my life, what plans you have for me.  The  way I can do this is by praying and listening and by studying the Scripture so I know what pleases you.

 

 

God, I want to follow hard after YOU....not after the TEMPTATIONS of the WORLD....but after YOU!

And even before I know what today brings.....I will say YES to You!   If you ask me to GIVE AWAYS all my POSSESSIONS, give a CHILD a HOME, FACE my worse FEARS, LOVE the UNLOVABLE, FORGIVE the UNFORGIVABLE,
LEAVE my SECURITY.... NO MATTER WHAT!   JUST as YOU did for ME!  And because I LOVE you that much!

Turning 14!

Tomorrow is my sweet baby girl's 14th birthday!  I can't believe what a blessing she is!  I can't imagine how quiet and how much less laughter there would have been in our home without her.  It would probably surprise most of you that know her what a comedic side she has.  She has the biggest heart and truly wants to make people happy.  So tomorrow we celebrate Maddie! 

But for so many in the world, age 14 is not a celebration.  In some areas is the age where orphans are no longer adoptable.   I have said before that when you ask God to break your heart for what breaks His, you have to be able to handle the sorrow that follows.  So I pray and ask God for answers on what I can do.  Use my life Lord!  Help me provide a home, provide love, provide awareness. 

My dream is that every child has a place to call home before they become an adult.  Can you imagine not having a family to call to celebrate a new job, buying a home, an engagement, a new baby?  Give us the desire Lord to do as you ask. 
          

John 14:18                    

“I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you.

A Day of Celebration and Prayer!

Today, January 7th we will be celebrating our sweet Naomi's 1st Birthday!  )If you don't know the story of this amazing little girl former known as Calencia....please scroll back and read about her life....it is nothing short of a miracle.)  

Photos of Calencia when she was 8 months old and only 9 pounds.

 

 

I want to be sure to explain what the word celebrating TRULY means in this case.  I can remember celebrating my own children's 1st birthdays.  What a fun milestone!  They are hopefully sleeping through the night, have cut a tooth or two and were truly showing their unique personalities.  With Naomi's celebration it is all about PRAISING God that she LIVED through His HEALING.   That she has a NEW family that is FEEDING her and LOVING her and ENCOURAGING her to develop into the life that God has planned for her.

 Photos of Naomi just 3 months later!

BUT......even with all this Naomi's physical struggles are not over.  Yesterday Naomi, her brother Carlo and her parents (Debbie and Bill) walked over and invited us for cake on her birthday.  They had probably been back home about an hour when Carlo ran over, knock on our door and said, "Mom needs you....Naomi is sick!"  I ran to their house to find out she had been vomiting for a half an hour and would have episodes of choking.  She was stable at that moment but we talked about her cleft palate and how the food was probably irritating it when she went vomited.  She began laughing and smiling and her looked better so I went home and advised them that if it happened again to go directly to the hospital.  10 minutes later Carlo was knocking on my door as Debbie and Bill pulled up in the car.....Naomi was grey and struggling to breathe.  I jumped in the car and we drove to the hospital that is literally 3 minutes away.  Again she was stable when we got there but the doctor listened to her lungs and said she had aspirated.  (She had inhaled fluid into her lungs.)  They admitted her to start IV antibiotics to prevent infection.

So now on her 1st Birthday, we celebrate Naomi's life in Jesus who has given her STRENGTH to be a FIGHTER.  And we PRAY for her little body to continue to HEAL.  We thank God for families like Debbie and Bill that LOVE enough to give up their COMFORTABLE lives so a child can have HOPE.  We continue to pray for SALVATION and GRACE for the birth mother that has lived a life of PAIN and SORROW.

PLEASE lift this family up in prayer today and thank God for continuing to show us miracles.

Psalm 107:19-21

Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble, and he saved them from their distress; he sent out his word and healed them, and delivered them from destruction. Let them thank the Lord for his steadfast love, for his wonderful works to humankind.