Han and I went for coffee yesterday at a little cafe about two blocks from our house. We had a good time talking over her mission trip, and I did everything in German!!
This is for my Mom. I wanted her to know that Hannah's ratty, nasty, sad-looking blanket has officially been to Hungary, Croatia and Bosnia and survived (sort of) to tell the tale. I know she'll be relieved. :)
Boris was so happy to have Han home that he just sat there in her dirty clothes pile all day. I'm sure he was pretty ticked when it disappeared into the washer and then the drying rack!Not to us, O LORD, not to us, but to Your name give glory because of Your lovingkindness, because of Your truth. Psalm 115:1
It must be Sunday morning, because it's almost 8am, and nobody in my house is moving, yet. Except, of course, me. The cats woke me up at 4am, and that was all she wrote. So I've been up for quite a while, chit-chatting with folks on the other side of the world as they got ready for sleep. The great news is that our church doesn't meet until 4p.m., so there will be time for a nap. Sundays are very leisurely for us, and since it's 9 degrees Fahrenheit outside, I'm pretty sure we won't be venturing out for anything except church.
Hannah and the team returned from Bosnia at about 9p.m. Friday night, and boy, were they tired!! She slept until 10 yesterday, then she wanted to go for coffee with me so she could talk about her trip. Since she's almost 15, and I've worked with teenagers most of my life, I'm so thankful that she still wants to have coffee time with Momma. By the way--nothing is more Viennese than coffee. There is Kaffeehaus Kultur here--coffeehouse culture. It's one of the things that Vienna is famous for, and one of my favorite things about living here. So we went and had coffee (and I ordered all auf Deutsch, thank you very much!), and she talked and talked and talked about what happened, what she learned, how God worked, and how the trip made her different. It was time well-spent for both of us.
I'm going to be honest--Han has been on plenty of mission trips, and I almost never give it a second thought. But this one, this one was different. First of all--Bosnia. I'm an 80s-90s girl, and just the name Bosnia conjures up all kinds of terrible images. So that was a little nerve-wracking for me. Then, of course, the weather. It was terrible. They were driving. We didn't hear from them for long stretches, hours and hours at a time. All the information we kept getting was that Bosnia was an absolute disaster, literally, that the government was telling people to stay in their houses if at all possible. And our kids were in a van. Driving in that weather. Scary. Scary. So this one was a bit harder for me to "let go and let God," if you will. But after listening to her talk, I was faced, once again, with the truth that our growth as believers comes in the hard times. And mission trips give us lots of opportunity for hard times to come.
Some of you may think we are crazy to let her galavant all over Europe, working without us and outside of our control. But I would say to you that the wonderful girl that Han is, the kindness and compassion and boldness for Christ that so many people remark on about her is a result of tough times. Han has known suffering for Christ. She has known sacrifice. She knows what it is to have cold feet--literally--for the sake of others knowing about Jesus. And that has been the refiner's fire for her. So much of the great stuff about Hannah could not have happened sitting comfortably in a church pew in Middleburg, Florida. So what has she gotten out of mission trips? Why should you strongly consider sending your child on one?
--Perspective. Hannah has had the chance to see real poverty. Sarah Beth served in Uganda at an orphanage. They have seen what it is to not have enough to eat, to be grateful for a loaf of bread and some cheese. The world is HUGE. It is full of need. And Jesus explicitly told us that we are to take care of need. So the one-two punch a mission trip brings in this area is that kids get the chance to see that they have an overabundance for which to be thankful, and they see the importance of fulfilling the edict to take care of the orphans and widows of the world.
--Being His hands. Our IMB theme this year has been "His Heart. His Hands. His Voice." Middle-class Americans get very little experience being those things. And it's not about just feeding the hungry. It's making relationships. It's doing things outside your comfort zone. It's eating stuff you probably think is yukky. (Ask SB about her experience eating goat!) It's learning to be all things to all people so that He is glorified and some might come to know Him.
--Knowing the real church. I posted a link about youth ministry on my wall this morning, and it's gotten quite a reaction. It's an indictment of some things that have become prevalent in youth ministry in America--and probably in a lot of adult ministry, too. We can get caught up very easily in the show of American church, can't we? About the production, about who will sing what solo, about looking 'cool' so people will want to come. And I understand that, and I also know that it comes from a place of wanting people to know Jesus. But it can also pull us way, way off course. Church overseas often looks far more like the 1st century than the 21st century. My children love being part of a small church that works to fulfill the mandates of what church should be. One of the things I loved hearing was from Hannah's friend, whose parents drove us home from the school Friday night. She remarked on how amazing it was to lead the service at a church in Croatia Sunday morning, because there was such a feeling of family and love and of really knowing one another. They shared in something special together, and it was more than just all speaking the same language and knowing the same songs and looking all alike. It was way beyond smoke machines and graphics. It was 7 kids and 3 adults, a guitar, some singing, and sharing the commonality of loving our Savior. Priceless.
--Real Prayer. When they got to Budapest, their leaders told them all to pray to see what they should do next. They all came up with the same answer--go on. Now, this Momma is a planner and so is her girl, so that was hard for Han. But hard times give our kids (and us!) a chance to know real prayer. Not just, "God bless us. God do this. God do that. Oh, and bless the missionaries." :) Real, honest to goodness, where-should-we-go and what-should-we-do prayer. All sought in the name of glorifying Him. You can't tell me that is not an experience that will serve Hannah well in her life. It is. It absolutely is.
--It's all about Him. Everything is His, and it's all about Him and His glory. It's not about whether or not you want to do something. In fact, it's not about you at all. American parents have made a drastic mistake in making our kids think that everything in life is about them, their needs, their desires, their schedules. It's not. And we do them a terrible disservice if we allow them to be centered on self, if we choose to make their lives easy. Events are fine and good--there's nothing wrong with summer camp and great Wednesday night services and Sunday School fellowships. But if there is never anything else, if church never becomes about service, about someone other than them, we've missed the mark with our kids. Because you know what those kids turn into? Adults who spend their whole lives thinking it's all about them. They populate our churches. They are the people who complain about the sermon, who say things like, "I just didn't get fed today," who make pastors so discouraged that they leave the pastorate. They are the people who post terrible, awful, rude political rants on facebook and then are nasty to anyone who disagrees with them. They are the people who do not make the world a better place for being in it. I have no interest in raising those people. I pray that my kids would love Jesus, would treasure His Word, and out of an overflow of their love for Him, would love the world around them. I pray for generations and generations who serve the living God, who show compassion to those they meet, who love mercy and walk humbly with their God. That only happens if it's all about Him.
I'm thankful this morning that the team arrived safely, that they had an amazing trip, that God showed up in really unexpected ways. And I'm thankful that my children have had the chance to know God in easy times and in hard, that they have had the opportunity to do hard things for His glory. It's taken me a while to get there, but I see every day the benefit of their times of struggle, and I'm grateful. Wherever you are in the world, I pray that you are heading to church this Sunday knowing that it's all about Him, and that you are looking forward to hearing your girl and her friends lead worship at church, too. Blessings to you and yours!
His,
Kellye
It must be Sunday morning, because it's almost 8am, and nobody in my house is moving, yet. Except, of course, me. The cats woke me up at 4am, and that was all she wrote. So I've been up for quite a while, chit-chatting with folks on the other side of the world as they got ready for sleep. The great news is that our church doesn't meet until 4p.m., so there will be time for a nap. Sundays are very leisurely for us, and since it's 9 degrees Fahrenheit outside, I'm pretty sure we won't be venturing out for anything except church.
Hannah and the team returned from Bosnia at about 9p.m. Friday night, and boy, were they tired!! She slept until 10 yesterday, then she wanted to go for coffee with me so she could talk about her trip. Since she's almost 15, and I've worked with teenagers most of my life, I'm so thankful that she still wants to have coffee time with Momma. By the way--nothing is more Viennese than coffee. There is Kaffeehaus Kultur here--coffeehouse culture. It's one of the things that Vienna is famous for, and one of my favorite things about living here. So we went and had coffee (and I ordered all auf Deutsch, thank you very much!), and she talked and talked and talked about what happened, what she learned, how God worked, and how the trip made her different. It was time well-spent for both of us.
I'm going to be honest--Han has been on plenty of mission trips, and I almost never give it a second thought. But this one, this one was different. First of all--Bosnia. I'm an 80s-90s girl, and just the name Bosnia conjures up all kinds of terrible images. So that was a little nerve-wracking for me. Then, of course, the weather. It was terrible. They were driving. We didn't hear from them for long stretches, hours and hours at a time. All the information we kept getting was that Bosnia was an absolute disaster, literally, that the government was telling people to stay in their houses if at all possible. And our kids were in a van. Driving in that weather. Scary. Scary. So this one was a bit harder for me to "let go and let God," if you will. But after listening to her talk, I was faced, once again, with the truth that our growth as believers comes in the hard times. And mission trips give us lots of opportunity for hard times to come.
Some of you may think we are crazy to let her galavant all over Europe, working without us and outside of our control. But I would say to you that the wonderful girl that Han is, the kindness and compassion and boldness for Christ that so many people remark on about her is a result of tough times. Han has known suffering for Christ. She has known sacrifice. She knows what it is to have cold feet--literally--for the sake of others knowing about Jesus. And that has been the refiner's fire for her. So much of the great stuff about Hannah could not have happened sitting comfortably in a church pew in Middleburg, Florida. So what has she gotten out of mission trips? Why should you strongly consider sending your child on one?
--Perspective. Hannah has had the chance to see real poverty. Sarah Beth served in Uganda at an orphanage. They have seen what it is to not have enough to eat, to be grateful for a loaf of bread and some cheese. The world is HUGE. It is full of need. And Jesus explicitly told us that we are to take care of need. So the one-two punch a mission trip brings in this area is that kids get the chance to see that they have an overabundance for which to be thankful, and they see the importance of fulfilling the edict to take care of the orphans and widows of the world.
--Being His hands. Our IMB theme this year has been "His Heart. His Hands. His Voice." Middle-class Americans get very little experience being those things. And it's not about just feeding the hungry. It's making relationships. It's doing things outside your comfort zone. It's eating stuff you probably think is yukky. (Ask SB about her experience eating goat!) It's learning to be all things to all people so that He is glorified and some might come to know Him.
--Knowing the real church. I posted a link about youth ministry on my wall this morning, and it's gotten quite a reaction. It's an indictment of some things that have become prevalent in youth ministry in America--and probably in a lot of adult ministry, too. We can get caught up very easily in the show of American church, can't we? About the production, about who will sing what solo, about looking 'cool' so people will want to come. And I understand that, and I also know that it comes from a place of wanting people to know Jesus. But it can also pull us way, way off course. Church overseas often looks far more like the 1st century than the 21st century. My children love being part of a small church that works to fulfill the mandates of what church should be. One of the things I loved hearing was from Hannah's friend, whose parents drove us home from the school Friday night. She remarked on how amazing it was to lead the service at a church in Croatia Sunday morning, because there was such a feeling of family and love and of really knowing one another. They shared in something special together, and it was more than just all speaking the same language and knowing the same songs and looking all alike. It was way beyond smoke machines and graphics. It was 7 kids and 3 adults, a guitar, some singing, and sharing the commonality of loving our Savior. Priceless.
--Real Prayer. When they got to Budapest, their leaders told them all to pray to see what they should do next. They all came up with the same answer--go on. Now, this Momma is a planner and so is her girl, so that was hard for Han. But hard times give our kids (and us!) a chance to know real prayer. Not just, "God bless us. God do this. God do that. Oh, and bless the missionaries." :) Real, honest to goodness, where-should-we-go and what-should-we-do prayer. All sought in the name of glorifying Him. You can't tell me that is not an experience that will serve Hannah well in her life. It is. It absolutely is.
--It's all about Him. Everything is His, and it's all about Him and His glory. It's not about whether or not you want to do something. In fact, it's not about you at all. American parents have made a drastic mistake in making our kids think that everything in life is about them, their needs, their desires, their schedules. It's not. And we do them a terrible disservice if we allow them to be centered on self, if we choose to make their lives easy. Events are fine and good--there's nothing wrong with summer camp and great Wednesday night services and Sunday School fellowships. But if there is never anything else, if church never becomes about service, about someone other than them, we've missed the mark with our kids. Because you know what those kids turn into? Adults who spend their whole lives thinking it's all about them. They populate our churches. They are the people who complain about the sermon, who say things like, "I just didn't get fed today," who make pastors so discouraged that they leave the pastorate. They are the people who post terrible, awful, rude political rants on facebook and then are nasty to anyone who disagrees with them. They are the people who do not make the world a better place for being in it. I have no interest in raising those people. I pray that my kids would love Jesus, would treasure His Word, and out of an overflow of their love for Him, would love the world around them. I pray for generations and generations who serve the living God, who show compassion to those they meet, who love mercy and walk humbly with their God. That only happens if it's all about Him.
I'm thankful this morning that the team arrived safely, that they had an amazing trip, that God showed up in really unexpected ways. And I'm thankful that my children have had the chance to know God in easy times and in hard, that they have had the opportunity to do hard things for His glory. It's taken me a while to get there, but I see every day the benefit of their times of struggle, and I'm grateful. Wherever you are in the world, I pray that you are heading to church this Sunday knowing that it's all about Him, and that you are looking forward to hearing your girl and her friends lead worship at church, too. Blessings to you and yours!
His,
Kellye
3 comments:
Kellye,
Thank you so much for your words and for sharing your daughter's experiences.
I, too, have had to "let go and let God". Many years ago, six or seven I think, my son told us he was going to serve God in the Czech Republic. He didn't know the language, didn't know too many people there, and had no/little money - he had just graduated from college. But God had spoken to him and he would follow. His journey has taken him many places and he has had so many God-filled experiences. His latest experience was driving that van filled with those precious kids.
Once again, thank you for sharing and continue to challenge the world with thoughts about what God wants us to do for Him.
God bless!!
Bless you sweet girl, and your family. Thank you for such an encouraging note. I am frightened sometimes at the selfishness we, in the states, allow to run rampant in ourselves and our children. I will continue to pray daily for you guys. God is using you in a huge way to encourage me in difficult times. Hugs for Hannah. Linda Mc
Kelley,
Thank you so much for your insight on so many topics. I am inspired with each one. I am brought to my knees because I am in such a comfortable spot in my life.
My sons are grown and have families, but I know they did not have the difficult times that they needed to 'grow' them.
Thank you for your faithfulness to our God.
M. Barnes, FBC, Bushnell
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