My sister and her family are coming to Georgia all the way from New Jersey for a few weeks. I am going to take the opportunity to enjoy her and her three little ones as much as possible. When they visit, there is very little downtime, which I have to have, to write on Graceful Gaines, so I won’t be posting for a few weeks. I pray that you all have a fabulous 4th of July and that you actively seek to see God in the world around you. Hope to see you back here soon.
Have an awesome day!
Wendy 🙂
Last week on our Salkehatchie mission trip, when it the time came to paint Miss Annie’s house, we had to do some prep work. Her front porch was screened and if we didn’t cover the screen with some sort of protection, the brand new paint would have dripped on it and ruined it.
Our best intentions would have caused damage.
Some of the teens got a little impatient with all of the taping and cutting and hanging. It took some time. They just wanted to paint, but those of us who were older and hopefully wiser, insisted that we get the porch covered before we painted. I am happy to report that not one drop of paint got on her screen.
Our painting prep project reminds me about the massive amount of prep work that went into the entire experience last week. I have thought about all of our lunches and dinners that our director Amy, set up for us through different churches, and one town hall. I have thought of the many hands that prepared each meal for complete strangers, simply because we were helping members of their community, members many of them didn’t even know.
I have thought about our breakfast angels who got up at the crack of dawn every morning to prepare and serve us breakfast with a smile. They had to plan for a week’s worth of breakfasts for a lot of people. We wouldn’t have been very productive if they hadn’t done all of the work way ahead of time. A pop tart wouldn’t have kept tummies full for very long. Those ladies did a bunch of prep work.
I have thought of the site leaders who had to plan in advance for the materials we needed to work on the homes. They had them delivered to the work site so we were ready to go on Monday morning. Because of the prep work, the teams were able to immediately get to work and bonds and relationships were quickly formed.
I have thought about the Holy Spirit at work and how each person there was either personally convicted to come or their parents had been convicted to send them. There were a few who didn’t come by choice and didn’t really want to be there. But, by Friday, each one of them said they would be back the next year.
God knew where they needed to be and He prepared their hearts along the way, for something magnificent. They didn’t miss it.
I have thought about my own family and our convoluted story of how we ended up there and how God was preparing three years ago, for my entire family to attend this year.
Our Salkehatchie trip literally takes my breath away when I think about all of the prep work God did through so many people, to make it happen.
Ephesians 2:10 keeps coming to mind. “For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”
God is definitely the Master of preparation. He really does have a plan. I can’t wait to see what He will do next year.
Have an awesome day!
Wendy 🙂
On Thursday of our mission trip, our work site finished up. It was early. There are normally small tasks to do until the very last minute. But, this year, we got it done early. Our site leader shook his head and said it was a first for him in his many years, like twenty-plus, in working at Salkehatchie camps.
The two men with big trucks and trailers had a discussion of whether or not they should go ahead and pull their trailers out or wait until the next day when we returned to place our cross in the yard. They went back and forth, but eventually decided to go ahead and break everything down and pull them out.
As a bonus, they dropped them off at the church and took the entire crew out for milkshakes. We were all thrilled. Later, after we got showers and got ready to go to dinner, a storm rolled in. We were thankful that we weren’t caught out in it and didn’t think too much of it, initially.
Right before we left the church to go to dinner, our homeowner, Miss Annie, called our camp director, going on and on, about how lucky we were that we had pulled our trailers out. Apparently, the storm that came through at her house had taken down a huge limb right where one of our trailers had been parked and the wind had turned over our porta potty.
On our drive to dinner, I shared the information with the group of teens in my car. The younger ones riding in the back, weren’t particularly impressed. But, the eighteen- year- old, riding in the front with me, who was a veteran of Salkehatchie, and had helped out for years, got quiet a minute and grinned as the news sunk in.
He told me that in all of his years helping that he had never known a crew to pack up and pull out trailers on a Thursday and asked me wasn’t it amazing how God was at work?
I was amazed myself and also amazed at the wisdom of this teenager, but then, when we have our kids do God’s work regularly, then I suppose, we shouldn’t be surprised when they recognize Him at work too.
We stopped by the work site after dinner to see the limb. The tree had actually split and the trailer that had been underneath it all week, that was full of tools and already scheduled to work at another Salkehatchie camp in a couple of weeks, would have without a doubt, been crushed.
But, God had a plan for that trailer and its contents and for the family who I am sure desperately needs it in a couple of weeks, and so He intervened.
After seeing it, I think my doubters in the backseat were convinced as well. Miss Annie was also amazed at the protection God had provided. She told us that she knew that God was working for us.
I am still filled with awe at the miracle we got to witness. I’m so incredibly grateful that God chose to show His face in that way, to a bunch of teens, still fairly new on their faith journey, so much so, that I wanted to share it with you too.
I pray that you are amazed and moved as we were.
Have an awesome day!
Wendy 🙂
On a recent mission trip that my family attended, we toured two houses in need of repair. My daughter and I felt drawn to one and my hubby and son felt drawn to the other. This, as it turns out, was not by accident.
This was my hubby’s and son’s first trip to a Salkehatchie mission camp and they were not particularly excited about it in the beginning. My daughter and I had talked about it regularly since the year before. Our experience had filled us with such passion for returning and helping others that we found it difficult to contain it.
It’s kind of like when people first come to know Christ and they can’t stop talking about their newfound faith. Those of us who have walked with Jesus for a long time, can find ourselves getting annoyed, if we’re not careful about it.
My hubby and son were growing a little weary of hearing about our mountain top experiences and about the amazing group of faithful servants who we not only worked with, but had come to think of as family.
I prayed all year that God would provide a way for us to return this year and that the men in my family would be as moved and inspired as my daughter and I had been.
Well, you know what they say: “When you pray for rain, you better get an umbrella….”
Orlando, the homeowner, on the work site that my hubby and son were on, had spina bifida and had spent his entire life using arm crutches. He had inherited his house from his parents, but it was badly in need of repair.
It was very dark inside. The carpet was decades old. The kitchen was a loss. There wasn’t a working toilet in the house and the house was covered in years of grime.
Orlando had been waiting for help for years and he was clearly depressed. He didn’t have much to say at all, when our group came through the first time.
But, although he thought he had been forgotten, God was at work.
In the span of five days, his life was changed. A crew came in and scrubbed everything from walls, to floors, to furniture. A new toilet and vanity were placed in his bathroom. He got a washer and dryer and new floors. His counter tops were replaced and walls were painted. He got new carpet.
My hubby headed up the carpet crew and got to spend a lot of time with Orlando. He was incredibly touched by his story. He was moved by the way that Orlando brightened up each day. He was amazed at the way Orlando took more and more pride in his home as the week went on. He was thrilled when Orlando accepted the cross necklace that he offered him.
At the end of the week, each person who attended and worked, was asked to stand up and share with everyone a symbol that demonstrated how God had shown Himself that week.
When my hubby shared his, he began by saying that he had spent the entire week on his knees, dealing with carpet. While on his knees, he saw God in every staple and every tack strip. In short, while on his knees, he saw God everywhere he looked, including in Orlando’s newfound smile.
I don’t think he could have said it any better. Perhaps we should all try it. He’s already talking about going back next year.
Have an awesome day!
Wendy 🙂
Last week, my family attended a mission work camp in South Carolina. This was my second year. I was no longer a rookie. I went in with skills and confidence that I didn’t have the year before. When we visited the two houses we would be working on, only one needed a roof. That was the once I chose.
I had learned a fair amount about roofing the previous year and I was ready to go. Monday, I got up on the roof and got busy and we got a lot done, so much so, that it was decided to rotate some newbies to the roof on Tuesday.
Our crew was a little larger than we actually needed and all of the grown ups, me included, believed it was better for the youth to be busy at work on the roof, than the adults.
I was grounded and a little bummed. I had been waiting for an entire year to serve as the hands and feet of Christ and now I wasn’t even on the roof.
But, God had other plans for me this year.
Our homeowner was named Miss Annie. She was disabled from years of seizures. Her body was week and she had to use arm crutches, but her spirit was strong. Everyday, she had one of the teens staying in her house to escort her with her wheelchair, outside to our work trailer. She would then sit down and visit for a couple of hours.
She had a heartbreaking story to tell and she really wanted to share it. She told of a family riddled with mental illness. She told of the death of a disabled grandchild, right there in the house we were roofing. She told of the death of her mother, also in that house and of the stroke that left her daughter disabled.
She talked about poverty and the inability to afford physical therapy, but she also talked of hope.
She said that when her roof began to leak, she bought buckets and she sought help. She said for three years, she had been passed over; and the rains kept coming, so she bought more buckets and kept praying.
She told me that she hoped to get stronger so that she could volunteer at the hospital to visit with people who were up there for days on end like she had been with her granddaughter. She said that people who took the time to visit with her had been the only bright spot some days.
She told me that our group was an answer to her prayers.
Miss Annie made me laugh and she made me want to cry. Some of her stories were hard to hear, but she needed to tell them. She needed for someone to sit with her and listen. She needed for someone to care about her journey.
God used Miss Annie last week to teach me that the ears are just as important to the Body of Christ as the hands and feet are. He taught me that sometimes we can do just as much good planted firmly on the ground as we can high in the air. He taught me that attentively listening to someone can sometimes accomplish the same amount of repair as a hammer can.
We all have a part to play. Sometimes I need reminding. Perhaps you did too.
Have an awesome day!
Wendy 🙂
This week, my family and I are embarking on a new adventure. We are all participating in a Salkehatchie mission camp and as usual, I am amazed as I look back at how God was working to get us there.
A few years ago, at my last church, a family moved into our area from South Carolina. The father in that family, had participated in Salkehatchie for many years and was always more than willing to talk about it. Honestly, I never gave the mission trip idea too much thought. My kids were younger then and I was called to run Vacation Bible school.
A couple of years passed and at the last minute, our youth leader decided that the youth summer mission trip would be to a Salkehatchie work camp. They are all over the state of South Carolina and they had no idea which one they would attend.
In the end, only three teen girls, the youth leader and a college student attended and my daughter’s life was changed forever.
I’ve no doubt, looking back, that it was no coincidence that the place they ended up was a smaller church. Some of the camps have over a hundred kids. This one could only take forty. It was a community. I also have no doubt that God was behind separating my daughter from her two best friends that she took with her, although at the beginning of the week, she was devastated.
She ended up forging beautiful brand new, Christ centered friendships with the people on her work site. She ended up helping to lead praise and worship, playing her guitar. And since she had to actually be the hands and feet of Christ out in the world, she ended up growing her faith.
She came home talking about her experience constantly. If I’m honest, we kind of got tired of hearing about it.
The next year came and she wanted to go, but we had changed churches and no one would commit to go with her. She wanted a buddy. But, those servants of God, at that camp, kept reaching out to us. They would text her and message me on Facebook.
I was willing to go with her, but we hadn’t really saved up for two of us to go. The leadership there was undaunted; they offered to scholarship one of us. I didn’t have a Vacation Bible school to run; I felt perhaps God was calling me to a new ministry.
We both returned talking non-stop about it. I prayed about the money to go the following year and what do you know? God provided.
This year, our entire family is going. I shared here, a few days ago, about how my church’s attempt at VBS this year, didn’t get off the ground and how I was disappointed, but not discouraged. I received so many sweet comments about the passion that others had seen in me for that ministry and how they too, were disappointed for me.
But, last year, at Salkehatchie, those people were shocked that I felt called to work with young children at VBS. They felt like I was definitely called to work with teenagers in service to the community.
And that’s why we have to keep our eyes on Jesus on this journey we call life. It’s not about what we think we want or do best. It’s about embracing wherever He has called us to be and whatever He has called us to do, right now in this season at this moment.
It’s about glorifying God with every little bit of our passions and talent. Sometimes I need reminding. Perhaps you do too.
This week, I will join with other Christians to repair the home of someone who is desperately in need and I won’t be posting, but I can’t wait to share all of the many ways that God will show Himself to us this week.
We appreciate your prayers. Meet you back here soon.
Have an awesome day!
Wendy 🙂
On a recent trip to Jekyll Island on the Georgia coast, my family visited a place called Driftwood Beach. For the most part, it isn’t really driftwood. It’s actually huge oak trees and some pines that have either been eroded by the ocean or have blown in from storms.
So, it’s a beach littered with many dead trees. There’s nothing exciting or beautiful about dead trees. Right?
But, in this case, the trees have been left alone, untouched by man, and nature has done its work. The wood has been bleached white and dried out by years of sun and salt and the results are stunning.
I had never seen anything like it and I couldn’t put my camera down. Every step and turn produced something else that had me mesmerized. Tiny beach creatures had made their homes among the trees. The living readily embraced the tree skeletons.
People get married on that beach around those trees. I am told that photographers from around the world come to photograph them. The light is supposed to be particularly stunning at sunrise.
It amazed me how art had been created by simply letting nature take its course. When man stepped out and let nature step in, uncommon beauty reigned.
I thought about Driftwood Beach, long after our trip and I have looked through my pictures dozens of times. They don’t even begin to capture the spirituality of the place. I thought about how our lives often seem littered with a bunch of dead and useless, driftwood type baggage.
I thought about how we often hate that baggage or are ashamed of it and try to do anything to get rid of it on our own. We often fail miserably creating even a bigger mess in the process.
But, what if we gave all of that driftwood, that baggage, to God and let Him do something beautiful with it? What if we placed it at the foot of the cross and asked Him to redeem it? What kind of beautiful things could He create if we only trusted Him?
What if we truly believed that we are loved and treasured and when we repent and ask for forgiveness, not only are we truly forgiven, but our past mistakes can become canvases for God’s grace?
What if we let go of our desire to try to fix things and let the Creator of the universe create beauty among our ashes?
Driftwood Beach is a reminder that He’s a master craftsman. We simply need to surrender and get out of His way.
Perhaps you needed reminding today.
Have an awesome day!
Wendy 🙂
As I was reading through Acts, chapter three, for my online Bible study, Peter’s words and actions really spoke to me. Yes, this was the same Peter who was always kind of running off at the mouth. Yes, this was the same Peter who was a simple fisherman. He had certainly never been to seminary. Yes, this was the same man who denied even knowing Jesus, not once, but three times.
At first glance, he doesn’t seem to have that much going for him, does he? But, when you put Jesus in the mix, everything changes. While Peter had many shortcomings, Jesus knew he would one day be a force to be reckoned with, so much so that He renamed him from Simon to Peter. The Greek of Peter is Petra and it means, “the Rock.”
While Peter’s faith in Jesus may have wavered, Jesus’ faith in Peter did not.
Let that sink in for a moment. How does that make us feel about our own faith that sometimes sputters?
In the chapter I read yesterday, Peter and John were on the way to the temple for prayer. These men had been present for the first Pentecost; and had seen the Holy Spirit physically at work, yet they were going to the temple for prayer.
When I read that, I thought about how we react when we see a miracle of some kind. When something works out that shouldn’t have or when circumstances seem to magically fall into place, we feel grateful and in awe for a little while. But, do we feel called to go and pray and worship with other believers? What does that tell us about the power of praying together?
On the way to the temple, they encounter a crippled beggar. He wants money. I wonder if it even occurred to him to ask for more. He just wanted enough to get by. How often do we just think about the misery of our current circumstances and desperately hope and pray for a quick surface fix, but not for true healing?
Peter was able to give the beggar much more. Peter told him he didn’t have any silver or gold, but that he would give him what he did have and what he had, was way more precious.
He told him, “in the name of Jesus of Nazareth, walk.” Acts 3:6b
Then he reached for his hand and helped him up and the man was healed.
There’s power in the name of Jesus. The Bible tells us that throughout the New Testament and I sometimes wonder if modern-day Christians have forgotten that.
Like Peter, every single Christian has the power to give words of hope and life to the world around us. Like the beggar, we all have the ability to seek more than momentary fixes. We have the ability through prayer, to seek true healing for what cripples us and holds us hostage.
And then, when great things happen, like Peter, we can give all of the glory to God because we know that’s where the power comes from and then He will continue to use us and the Kingdom will continue to grow.
What do you know? We can change the world. Sometimes I need reminding. Perhaps you did too.
Have an awesome day!
Wendy 🙂
A couple of nights ago, I had a restless night. I tossed and turned as my body desperately needed to sleep, but my mind refused to shut down. Maybe that has happened to you?
An opportunity that I had prayed about for a long time, was lying at my feet and while I was excited about it, it would require change. It represented the ending of an era and the turning of a page, all good stuff, mind you.
But, change is hard for this gal. I embrace it as much as I can, but sometimes, well, sometimes I would like for life to just freeze as it is for a while, so I can enjoy it for a little longer.
And so, sleep eluded me as my mind raced backwards and forwards. Intellectually, I knew it was all going to be fine, but my churning stomach told a different tale. When I got up at 4:00 to get a drink of water, I marveled at how dark it was outside, which matched my emotions. At 6:00, I gave up trying to sleep and went downstairs for a cup of coffee.
I pulled out my daily devotion, which at the moment, was in the Book of Acts. The reading was about Pentecost and when the Holy Spirit literally roared into action. It’s exciting stuff. It’s almost easy to forget how distraught those early Christians were at the time.
Jesus had risen from the dead. He was with them again. Good had conquered evil and all was good. The disciples were looking at their happily ever after, the end.
But, Jesus left again. This time He ascended into Heaven for all of them to see. He told them He was going. He told them that He was leaving them for a good reason, so that the Holy Spirit could come. He told them to go to Jerusalem and wait.
A group of around 120 fearfully waited and prayed, just as they were told and the Holy Spirit showed up in a huge way. They were able to speak in different languages and to heal the sick, which never could have happened if they hadn’t embraced change and the unknown, change that was likely painful for them.
The Church was born that day and all Christians have that group of obedient believers to thank.
As I was thinking about that Pentecost, I walked over to my counter to get another cup of coffee and was struck by the sunlight streaming through the trees. It had been so dark when I sat down to read my Bible, yet such a short time later, the light was dispelling the darkness and it was beautiful.
I was reminded of a favorite verse: “This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all.” 1 John 1:5
It was like a little message from Heaven that it was all going to be alright. Sometimes I need reminding that when we put our plans in God’s hands, that will always be the case. Perhaps you needed reminding too.
Have an awesome day!
Wendy 🙂
For the past few months, my church has been planning our very first Vacation Bible School in our new location. I am super passionate about that ministry and I spearheaded all of the planning. I put together a budget and I ordered a ton of stuff. I spoke to the congregation and they were on board.
I had all of these retired people, many who had never participated in VBS, but they volunteered and were ready to throw open the doors of our little church and use their hands and hearts to share the love of Christ.
I was excited. They were excited. Things seemed to be coming together.
But, then, we only had a few kids sign up and we had to cancel.
I was disappointed, but not discouraged. I’ve been walking with Jesus long enough to know that my plans, no matter how pure hearted and ready to serve they may be, don’t always line up with God’s.
Like the little tree in the, “Tale of Three Trees,” I really just want to stand tall and point to God, and like that little tree found, God’s plans sometimes look different from my own, but that’s okay. I’m not God. I’ve learned that it’s okay to not have the answers as long as I’m trusting in and walking with the One who does.
But, those sweet people in my church community were so concerned about me. I got e-mails and people pulled me aside to talk to me. My hubby was questioned by several members about how I was taking the news.
And that’s what community is supposed to be about. Isn’t it? We come together and support each other to glorify the God we serve. Then we reach out to each other and love one another when life doesn’t turn out like we planned.
My heart was just as moved by their enthusiastic willingness to serve in a ministry where they personally had no kids or grandkids, as it would have been if we would have actually had VBS. For me, it was a matter of the heart, the collective heart of our church community. It didn’t matter that we didn’t have VBS; it only mattered that they were willing to be the hands and feet of Christ to an unknown group of children.
It is true that I’m very passionate about VBS. But, I’m most passionate about pointing the way for others to see God in any way He sees fit. The fact that I’m part of a faith community willing to do the same, that’s an incredible blessing and maybe that was the faith lesson God intended for me to learn.
He’s always at work and as long as we are willing to follow His lead with open hearts, we never have to be discouraged, because we never really fail. Perhaps you needed reminding today.
Have an awesome day!
Wendy 🙂