I went to India- and the lessons God had for me ....and YOU! PART 1

I have been home from India about 2 weeks. It will be in my heart forever, and I can't wait to get back there. But WHY did I go and WHAT DID I LEARN? Well, the answers to these questions are truly of the miraculous nature, so I will cover them in a couple of posts so you don't have to sit for hours and read. 

So here goes.

I had never felt really "called to Missions". I had never felt called to go to India. But, last year I made a conscious decision to strip away a lot of *extras* in my life, and focus more on God and loving Him. I felt Him say the time is short, and He wanted us draw closer to Him. Much fruit was gained from this, but most of all, I felt like I *heard* Him much more. Quiet can do that apparently.

I read a post on Facebook from my closest friend that mentioned she was planning on going to India on Missions for two weeks. I felt God say, "GO!" I laughed OUT LOUD. I was standing in my messy kitchen actually laughing at God telling me to go to India. I have 6 children. I run two businesses. I basically do like EVERYTHING at my house to keep it running, and usually people are fed and clothed. India? Two weeks? Bwahahahahaaaa! Then I realized I was acting like Sarah in the Bible when God said she was to have a child in her advanced age. Ooops. Better stop laughing and pray about this.'

I approached my husband cautiously with this new idea, pretty sure he would think I had been abducted by aliens. He did not say anything. He looked at his calendar. He walked into our room and shut the door. Hmmmm. Crickets. Then he walks out with tears in his eyes and hands me an envelope. It was savings bonds from when he was a child. He said he had never had a good enough reason to cash them until now, and offered it as my first support donation. (Wow) I guess I am going to India.

I started to process of getting support letters written, and felt God very clearly say NOT TO WORRY about the financial part of this trip. He would provide. Well, he better! I certainly can't afford to just finance it! So my kids and I stuffed envelopes and prayed over them, and I sat back expecting the money to just start rolling in. LOL. A few weeks passed by and I had about 3 donations, one being from my parents of course. The deadline for the first half was quickly approaching like a dark cloud. I started to worry. I felt guilty about the worry- felt like it was a lack of faith. But I just. couldn't. help. it. 

I set off for a quick trip to a home school convention with some of my sweet momma friends. I needed a miracle in 3 days. I needed about $1500. I confessed to my friends my lack of faith and begged them to pray with me about the situation. I felt like God was trying to teach a lesson to me about TRUST and I kept thinking about the Israelites wandering in desert and getting their manna provided WHEN THEY NEEDED it. Not before. They couldn't save it. It was there just when they needed it. But, oh boy, that is tough to wait.

The next evening my husband called to say he had a card from the mail and was told we should open it together. It was from my Aunt whom I had sent a support letter to. I told my friends - maybe this is the miracle! Maybe she sent a large donation! Maybe, just maybe it was close to the $1500! Could God really do that?

Well folks.....wait for it....IT WAS $5000! Yes. BUT WAIT, THERE's MORE! There was a letter. It said that she had already donated to my trip online, and she felt confident I would be 100% fully funded through means OTHER THAN this check. But she didn't WANT ME TO WORRY. *She* didn't want me to worry! Really, that letter was penned by her from my Heavenly Father to me. It was *HE* who didn't want me to worry- just like He said! And wouldn't you know it, friends, all $1500 of the money I needed for that deadline DID roll in those 3 days, so that I did not need to use that check from my aunt. Of course. Sometimes I think God like to show off a bit :)

With that lesson learned, and my faith renewed, the second deadline was also met TO THE DOLLAR right when I needed it. 

He provided. Just like He said. Lesson #1. Stay tuned for the next post for Lesson #2. 

On Pierced Hands and Feet, and the Silence of Saturday...

     This season of Lent, of preparation for Easter, has been an especially meaningful one for me this year. We have delved into the meaning and practices of Lent and of the Jewish Passover during our home school. I personally have been doing various Scripture reading programs on my own to prepare my heart as well. I think all this *focus* has made me more sensitive to seeing His story played out all around me everyday, and seeing new significance in little things.
     First, I began pondering His wounds. His hands and feet. Is there perhaps some significance there? What does the Bible say about hands and feet? About His and about ours? What do you use our hands for? Well, quite honestly, we use them to sin. Many of the ten commandments require the use of our hands to break them. Commandment Two- Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image. Thou shalt not "make". Making involves our hands, as well as our hearts. Even if we make something an idol in our hearts, we usually act out our *worship* with our actions, our hands. Remembering the Sabbath and keeping it holy? When we don't, we are usually *working* with our hands. Stealing, murdering, adultery.....all involve our hands. And what about our feet? Let's not leave them out! They take us to the place of sin. We could use them to "flee every appearance of evil", but we do not always do that. Maybe having HIS hands and feet pierced for us, as he paid for the sins of OUR hands and feet is quite symbolic. And after the resurrection, Jesus sent the disciples out to spread the Good News to the world. We are to be His HANDS and FEET. Being His hands suggests that we are to minister, serve as He would. Being His feet means taking the Gospel to people around the world (and in our own backyards) that need Him. Since His hands and feet were pierced, we need to be His body now.
     Second, I started to think about Saturday. Saturday was silent. SILENT. No answer, no movement, no hope coming from the Lord. I understand how that can feel. So many of us have had deep, intense times of personal struggle when we simply do not hear from God.
     Some of you know my story. I had a history of struggling with eating disorders before I got married and had my first child. I was not aware that that made me a prime candidate for postpartum depression. Well, let's just say it hit me hard. SLAM. I was thrown into the deepest pit of my life. I could not scrape my way out. I prayed until I could not find anymore words. I slept holding my Bible, crying out to God for help. I felt like David in the Psalms when he cries out continually with no response from the Lord. Why was He silent. Why wouldn't He rescue me? Why was I being given "too much to handle"? Well, here is the thing: He DOES give us too much too handle, because that is when we are FORCED to turn to Him. I would also learn to trust in Him even when I couldn't *feel* Him. That was "my Saturday".
     In one of my readings this Lent, I read that "we would like to have death and resurrection put together within one hour of each other. We cannot face the thought that God will keep us aside for so long a time; we cannot bear to wait. All is darkness, but it is only for a night, a full night. Afterwards you will find that everything is given back to you in glorious resurrection..." Oh, that night (series of many nights in my case)is hard. It is silent. Just like that Saturday when Jesus was in the grave. But, SUNDAY came! You can't get to Sunday without having Saturday! And I praise God for my Saturday, because it did teach me to trust in Him, no matter what.
    When my Sunday came, and the resurrection of my spirit was given, He restored my joy and turned my mourning into dancing! He gave me FIVE more children after that, when I thought I would never be able to have anymore. I have been completely healed, with no touch of postpartum at all! He restored the years the locust had eaten. Praise the Lord!
    So, during this silent Saturday, remember that Sunday is coming! All will be made new and be restored!
Happy Easter!

Thankful for the *Naughty List*

   

  I am glad for the "naughty list". The other day, I was wrapping (well, I was trying*to wrap) Christmas gifts, and my sweet 2 year old was *helping* by crumbling and unrolling all the paper, and pulling tape strands at least 2 feet long. I quickly warned her that this might earn her a spot on the "naughty list". She did not care one bit. And then I started pondering the whole "naughty list" thing. There never would even BE a Christmas without the naughty list. That tiny baby that was actually God came because we are all on the "naughty list". Jesus came to save us from our naughtiness. He who is completely Holy and wholly God, came in a dirty, smelly manger because that is where we are. He did not wait until we were on that "nice list." In fact, he didn't just come down to earth that first Christmas, he later actually took the punishment of that naughty list for every single one of us!  For " But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us." (Romans 5:8) This is what Christmas is all about. Yet, we teach that you only get great gifts if you are on that nice list. Well, I am so glad that is not true. I got the greatest gift of all while being on that naughty list. And so can you!

Giving gifts with meaning- Gold, Frankincense, and Myrrh

**** reposting from my old blog****

Gold, Frankincense and Myrrh

     A few years ago, I read a little blurb in some magazine about a family that had a Christmas tradition of giving their holiday gifts using "gold, frankincense, and myrrh as a framework.  I decided I could tweak the idea a bit, and make it something really meaningful for our house.  I always "reteach" the kiddos at the beginning of the Christmas season about the three precious gifts of the Magi, and facts about the various gifts and their meaning.  (You can find lots of information on the internet)  We then organize our gift giving into those 3 categories :gold, frankincense, and myrrh. 

     GOLD:  These are the extravagant gifts.  God's gift to us in His only Son, Jesus, is extravagant.  Gold is a precious metal, and was an expensive and extravagant gift for the Wise Men to give to Jesus.  I give each child one main "gold" gift.  They also get to pick out "gold" gifts for each other.  These are usually "just for fun" toys, that they know each other are desiring.  We wrap these gifts in gold paper, of course!

     FRANKINCENSE: These are gifts for our spiritual, educational, and emotional needs.  Frankincense is an aromatic resin from a tree that is made into incense and perfumes because of its' fragrance. Smelling a sweet fragrance is good for us on the inside, so are these gifts. Examples are books, Bible studies, music, etc...  Here are some neat facts about frankincense:  It comes out of a plant with a very hard bark.  It actually "bleeds" out, and the resin that seeps out is called "tears". These plants can grow in extremely harsh circumstances, even on solid rock! Their root system is so strong, that even the strongest winds cannot uproot them.  And guess what?  The "tears" from these plants are even more fragrant and valuable!  It is not hard to notice the parallels to our walk as Christians.  The frankincense gifts have the purpose of keeping us strongly rooted in the Lord.  We wrap these gifts in green paper to signify the strength of the tree.

     MYRRH: These are gifts that benefit our physical bodies. Myrrh is also a sweet smelling resin that "bleeds" out of a tree, but it is mostly used for medicinal purposes.  It is often used as an oil, and was one of the main oils used in the Egyptian embalming process.  Many cultures have used myrrh in numerous ways to treat an impressive amount of maladies. We even use it today in our toothpastes and mouthwashes, and to lower cholesterol.  Our "myrrh" gifts are usually articles of clothing. (Everyone has to get some new "slacks" for Christmas, right?)  We wrap these gifts in red paper.

     Having these three categories helps me a lot in organizing my gift giving.  I keep a list of each family member, and their gifts. I can quickly look and see who needs a certain type of gift, and it prevents me from getting off track.  It also helps keep our focus on the true meaning of Christmas - that JESUS is the most incredible gift of all, and we are giving gifts to each other in honor of Him.

From Stressed out Maniac to Satisfied Soul Mama, All in a Week's Work...

How the first few week have been going...
     I have had many people ask how our first few weeks of home school have gone, especially those who know that I have dramatically switched things up this year. I left the "system" I have relied on for the past 7 years, to "change it up". (Read blog post from July 23rd, 2014) This year we are focusing on Scripture, memorizing it, living it, and loving it.
     The first few weeks are always SUPER FUN. Getting kids back in the habit of waking up earlier, and getting to work. We have had maybe two mornings so far where we started on time. We are starting our day, every day, with Bible time together. I purchased composition books for all the kids to use as Bible/prayer journals. Each day, we write what we have read, and some important thoughts about it, or verses to memorize. We have enjoyed drawing some fun pictures, like Jesus and Peter walking on the water. We have had some great discussions during this time. It's awesome to have a high schooler, all the way down to preschoolers in the room, and hear the comments. My 4 year old raises her hand each day with what we have dubbed "Deep Thoughts with Khloe". They are hilarious. It's usually something like, "I am going to make up a Bible verse." The other kids tell her that she can't. She then says, "It will say that God loves us and He loves us very much." Love it.
     We are working on memorizing the Lord's Prayer from Matthew 6, in an effort to learn to pray more effectively. I made this poster on my Heritage Maker's site to help us.

 We have traced our hands, and we are learning this visual with our fingers to help us learn the prayer, and how to pray.

     The rest of our "schooling" is progressing. It's tough getting used to sitting and concentrating. The biggest challenge we face is the 2 year old. She is a HOT MESS!  She is either standing ON the school table, drawing all over herself with marker or eating glue sticks, or she is climbing on my back as I bend over to help someone with math. If she is not right there, we need to be afraid, VERY AFRAID. Here are some example from the last 2 weeks:

Yes, she covered the kitchen with soapy water, had some fun with chocolate syrup, painted my bathroom mirror using my make up brushes with toothpaste, colored with markers all over the floor, cut her shirt to pieces with scissors, and broke ALL of the eggs in the fridge. So fun. Good thing she is so dang cute.

     But on the flip side, THIS HAPPENED: My three big kids got baptized! Oh, how my soul sings!

 In the last few weeks of more deep conversations of faith and prayer, three of them decided it was time to make a public proclamation of their faith. It has all been worth it already. Fruit is showing. So midst the hard days, I can remember that His mercies are NEW EVERY MORNING! Praise the Lord!

'Twas the Night Before Homeschool.......

'Twas the night before home school, and all through the home,

Mom was  going over new curriculum with a fine-toothed comb.

The pencils, markers, and crayons were laid out with care,

and Mom hoped that in the morning they'd still be there.

The children were jumping on top of their beds,

refusing the new bedtime and giggling instead.

Mama was stressed out about starting again,

but Dad said not to worry, as he kissed the baby's chin.

But how will she do it? She thought with a fright,

As the older kids were still not down for the night.

There's math, and reading, and grammar to teach,

Maybe she could just run away to the beach?

And Bible, science, and history, too!

A huge responsibility, that much is true.

The days will be busy, with school and just "life",

Some days with triumph, some days with strife.

But she has been called to this job, whether she is ready or not,

and God will equip her, for He loves her a lot!

He reminds her it's more about discipleship than a grade,

And this time when they are little will so quickly fade.

Just love them, He says, and I will supply new grace each day,

You are doing this for me, just trust and obey.

So she shut all her books, and climbed in bed for the night,

And prayed to her Father will all of her might.

"Lord, bless this new year, and teach us your way."

And now she felt ready to face the next day.

    So, it has started. School has started in the Wright household. As many of you know, we are doing things a bit differently this year, and I invite you all along on this journey. It is always scary to implement "change", and this is kind of a big one around here. I have always leaned on Classical Conversations' curriculum for most of what I do, so going a different route feels strange and unknown. I am hoping some of my ideas might work, yet I know that some will massively fail. 

    I have totally revamped our curriculum and "school day" this year in an attempt to return to my original reasons for homeschooling. I want to focus on "hiding God's word in their hearts", and learning together to pray more, and love God in all we do. 

     So, what does that look like? First, I bought them all journals for Bible/prayer time. (I just got those composition notebooks). Each morning, we begin all together with a time of Bible reading and discussion. In their journal, they are writing down the passage we read, and a short summary of what was read. Obviously, I help the littles with this part, and only have them write a few key words themselves. If we come across a verse we want to memorize, we write that down as well. We are shooting for one memory verse each week for this. I have also picked a few larger Scripture passages to memorize in addition to these weekly verses. I am making posters of these to hang around the house, to help with the memorization. The first passage we are working on is the Lord's Prayer, as I am going to use that as a basis of learning HOW to pray. In the back part of our Bible journal, we have made a "Prayer Journal" section. We are writing down prayer requests and answers. 

     A few years ago, at a homeschool convention, I purchased two Bible studies by "Explorer's Bible Study." I never implemented them (remember, that is the reason for this change- never feeling I had the "time" to get beyond Math and reading skills). This year, we are doing them! For the preschooler and 1st grader, we are doing "Jesus, My Shepherd." Each day there is a short reading, and simple questions for them to answer. For the older children, we are doing "God's Perfect Plan- Exploring Bible Prophecy From Genesis to Revelation." There are verses to look up each day, and more in depth questions for them to answer.

     I am also planning on using Bible verses as copywork for handwriting. Why buy a handwriting curriculum? We will also use verses and passages for grammar work. We can parse the verses and diagram them. We can rewrite passages in our own words, using the stylistic techniques we learned in the Institute for Excellence in Writing course. (CC Essentials program)

     On top of all this Bible, of course we are still doing math, reading, and the other major subjects.We just aren't going to stress about them as much this year. They are all ahead in their work, so it will be refreshing to have a different focus. If we don't get to much history or science this year- oh well!  We will still sing our CC timeline song and history/science sentences (just at home, instead). These give them plenty of history and science education, even if all they do is sing them once in awhile this year. The older kids have already done this CC Cycle, and the littles will get it later when we are back.

     There you have it, that is the plan. I invite you to follow this blog and our journey. I am praying that I see an amazing move of God on my children's hearts this year~