A Taste of Honduras

Some great friends of mine have put together a send off party for me next weekend. The invitations have been sent out via email, snail mail and word of mouth mail. :) If you didn't get an invite and you are in the area and would like to come just send me an email and I will hook you up with the details.

I was going to post the invitation on the blog because it looks soooo awesome...but then the responsible side of my brain said, "that's not a very good idea, Heather, it has addresses and emails and other vital information on it." So I listened to the voice of reason.

But the cool part is that I can post a picture of the front of the invite! Yay!!! Thanks to Rob Gros' extraordinary graphic design skills (much better than my Twitter skills, hehe) I have this beautiful invite to share with you...take a look-see!

Now...doesn't that make you want to come to the party?!

Saturday Night Prayer

So we are doing the count down thing until I leave ... and we are down to 14 days!! Today was my last day at work and I am so excited to be free to pack and visit with family and friends.

I wanted to let you all know that I will be receiving prayer at the Saturday night service at Highland this weekend! What an honor! I can remember watching Natalie receive prayer before she left and now I will be in the same place, wow!

I would love to see you there if you can make it. It will be cool to have all my prayer warriors in the same building praying for me at once! How awesome!!

Love Like a Hurricane

I have had this song in my heart since we got back from Catlalyst a few weeks ago. It goes like this...

He is jealous for me
Loves like a hurricane
I am a tree
Bending beneath the weight of
His wind and mercy

I was telling Natalie this morning about Psalm 42:7. It was the scripture in the devotional we both read. It says: "His waves and His breakers wash over me."


I do feel like I am in a hurricane right now. With less than 3 weeks until departure there still so much to do and so many people to see and so many necks to hug.

But I guess it is my choice to see this storm as something that will make my roots grow deeper into Him. That these are winds of mercy, because He loves me, He wants me to be stronger.

I can't live in regret for the things that may not get done here before I go. I have a feeling this is going to be part of the process of leaving Honduras when I come back in 2009. There will still be so much work to do there. There will still be so many needs. I will have to leave the work undone and the needs unmet.

This is very difficult to swallow.

But the next verse in the song goes like this:

And all of a sudden
I am unaware of these afflictions eclipsed by glory
And I realize just how beautiful You are
And how great Your affections are for me
Oh, how He loves us, how He loves us so

And heaven meets earth like a sloppy wet kiss
And my heart turns violently inside of my chest
I realize I can't maintain these regrets
When I think about the way that He loves me

So, I choose to let the winds of mercy whip me and bend me to the will of God. And I will grow my roots deeper into the Word and I will become a stronger tree.

Maybe when the storms are over, I will have grown big enough to offer someone shade beneath my limbs. And I can give them rest and tell them how the storms in my life produced the cool shade they now find comfort in.

CORDS!!!!

What is it with me and cords????

I was very careful to put the cord that connects my cell phone to the computer in a very safe place so I wouldn't lose it, but now I can't find the safe place!

aww, man!

I have some great pictures I want to share with you guys. I am only telling you this so you can experience this frustration with me!

So just think about it...are you wishing you could see the really great awesome pictures right now?

good. I am wishing I could share them with you. If you read this please pray that God will show me where that all too elusive cord is hiding! It has got to be in my room somewhere!

Tickets and Documents

So did I mention that I have my very own ticket to Honduras? Well I do!! It's weird to look at the itinerary and see a return date of Sept 14, 2009. It's like I am looking at the beginning and the end of a journey I haven't even started yet.

I have begun rounding up all of the official government documents that prove I am a US citizen and making copies of them to leave in the capable hands of friends and family. You know just in case something happens to my passport, God forbid!

It is getting really real now. There is such a burning passion inside of me, a passion to serve. I have kinda been flying under the radar lately. Pastor Mike said I am in a season of low RPMs because I am getting ready to rev things up in Honduras. It took a little while to get used to not running in overdrive all of the time. There were some points I felt utterly useless, but I understand the necessity of it now.

There had to be a time of pruning back. John 15:2 says that, "...and He prunes the branches that do bear fruit so they will produce even more." This season has been just as important in preparing me as the times when I was serving like crazy.


I just want to make sure that I stay connected to the vine, you know? Jesus says, "remain in me and I will remain in you. For a branch cannot produce fruit if it is severed from the vine, and you cannot be fruitful apart from me." Lord, keep me close to you. I want to stay at your feet, forever obedient to your word and will.


It is crucial that we stay connected to the body of Christ, the church. I am so grateful for HPC and the friends I have met through the internship. I hope all of you get to experience that kind of connection in your church.

What is Missions?

Dan O asked us to draw a picture of what we think missions is. Those of you who know me, know that I am not an artist. I can't draw...but I can scribble. So I scribbled away and drew a globe inside of a heart with a cross behind it.

This is my heart for missions. It is bigger than me. It is bigger than you. It is about love, people, relationships, living with others, sharing the love of Christ, giving yourself for others, instilling hope, sacrificing like Jesus did, and pouring out everything we've got for those who don't have anything.

Missions.

It can happen anywhere...it is not confined to a place because it is about people.

It is not restricted by a certain method but it has one message - Jesus.

Missions.

Oh that word lights a fire in my heart. It burns inside of me with a passion so great I feel like I might melt all over the floor.

I think I figured it out.

I am in love with missions.

Sunday Night Missions Class

(Pic from Dan O's twitter)

So I had a blast talking with the HPSM Missions class last Sunday! It is an incredible group of interns who are dedicating their lives to Jesus and have a heart to do that on the mission field. I can remember sitting in those classes last year...man we got to hear from some incredible people...and to think, I got to share in that honor! WOW!

I spoke about the journey as I know it...from when I found out about Honduras until now. It was incredible to be able to walk them through the emotion. I shared a few scriptures that God dropped in my heart that very night:

Psalm 55:1-2
Listen to my prayer, oh God. Do not ignore my cry for help! Please listen and answer me for I am overwhelmed by my troubles.

Psalm 62:1-2
I wait quietly before God for my salvation comes from Him. He alone is my rock and my salvation, my fortress where I will never be shaken.

They are only 7 chapters apart in the Bible but they are polar opposites in emotion. There have been parts of this journey that left me feeling anxious, worthless and totally helpless. But I had to walk through those times to experience for myself the goodness and faithfulness of God. Now I know Him personally as rescuer, as comforter, as friend and protector.

Even though sometimes I felt like the book of Lamentations was my journal, I would do it all again if it brought me closer to Him. This is all about a deeper relationship with God.

I am glad to say that the season of uncertainty has passed for now. I am on my way to Honduras in only 29 days! I am certain that there will be many challenges ahead, but I am also certain that God can handle them all! I have made the transition from Psalm 55 to Psalm 62, and I understand a little bit more now about my Father.

Hooray, Online Giving Now Available

Tax deductible online giving is now available though Go Global! You can access the donation page by clicking on the link in this blog, going directly to www.goglobalmissions.com or through the donation page at www.dreambigmissions.com.

Also, due to the high volume of sales on the jewelry page of DreamBigMissions I have just posted a bunch of new pieces! That's right, support a missionary and give one of a kind Christmas presents this year! Hehe

New Addition

I wanted to let you guys know about a friend of mine, named Deborah Williams. She is about to embark on a (possibly life long) journey as a missionary to Moze, Africa. Check out her blog when you get a chance!

She has such a sweet spirit and a heart to serve the underserved.

She is raising like $30,000 dollars...yeah I know it makes my $6,000 look kinda puney. So go visit her page and leave her some encouraging comments. I know what it's like to be faced with an obstical that feels too big for you to take on, so we need to lift her up in some major prayer!

Love you all!!!

Familia de Honduras

I wish I could share with you all the bond that God is developing between me and the Williams family. It is so cool how He puts things in my path. My cousin called me the other day and asked if I would be able to use 3 cases of MRE's in Honduras. I wasn't sure how to get them down there but I said I'd ask Wendy and see if we could figure something out.

Turns out that Dr. Martin can use them when he goes waaaay out into the mountains for days at a time. Isn't that cool? God is not only providing for me, He is providing for the Williams family, and Allison...not to mention Natalie and Pat in Swaziland, and the countless other missionary families on the field.

We serve a really big God and He is very good at multitasking.

Catalyst Conference

I am so excited to be going on a road trip with the HPSM interns! It is the perfect time to break away and spend 8 hours of quality time in a van with 15 of my best friends! I have been looking forward to this for weeks.

We are going to the Catalyst Conference in Atlanta, GA. There are gonna be some amazing speakers and I am so looking forward to learning more about the Lord. I hope to get some pictures for you guys, so stay tuned!

Consecration, Obedience and Love

There has been a lot going on in the past week. A lot of work, a lot of blessing and a lot of growth.

Three people have come up in my studies that I can't seem to get away from. Daniel, Hosea and King David. I have been praying that I would have Daniel's consecrated spirit...his holy standard. I am praying that I would have Hosea's obedience and his love for others. And lastly, I have been praying that I would have David's heart for God.

These are strong prayers, but these were strong people.

I so admire Daniel's courage and how he stood up for his beliefs when others around him crumbled. I admire how he gained respect by giving respect and how he held up a standard of holiness in a empire full of sin.

I admire Hosea's sheer obedience of God. He lived his life as a vessel for God to show how He loved His people. Hosea married a prostitute and loved her...really loved her, like God loved Israel and like He loves us now. He had that 1 Corinthians 13 kind of love long before it was written down.

I admire David's heart for the things of God. He wasn't perfect and he knew it. He knew he needed God's correction and leadership. He loved the law because he knew he needed it. He honestly loved God.

I want these things. I desire to have qualities like these men of God. If I would be remembered for anything I would want it to be that I loved God like David, that I was obedient like Hosea and that I was consecrated like Daniel.

There are 38 days before I leave for Honduras, less than 5 weeks. I have been talking to God about making these last days effective. That I would have time to do everything I need to do and spend time with family and friends. But there is something more important that the things I do here...it is what I do in my spirit.

I am dedicating the next 38 days to Him, so he can make me more like Daniel, Hosea, and David. I am joining Pastor Dino in his Spiritual Adventure Pursuit. I think it looks a little different for each one of us...but this is a special time for us to grow closer to the Lord.

Pray, fast, listen, grow...will you come with us?

3 is greater than 1

I got an email from Wendy today, and as always I got excited when I saw her name in my inbox. She was telling me about another awesome blessing from the Lord. When I went down to Honduras and saw the dorm being built right in front of the hospital I started praying that it would be finished in November so I could move into the little room on the second floor when I arrived. I was thrilled when Wendy told me that the roof, doors, windows and electrical was complete. I mean...that is no small task when you need all of the money and all of the labor to get the job done. Yay God!!

Then when they decided Allison was going to come as a medical intern we had to rethink the little room on the second floor becasue it would be pretty tight with 2 people bouncing around up there in a 10x12 space. So God opened the door for us to stay in the Williams' 2 bedroom guest house. With a little TLC it would be a great place to stay and only a 5 minute walk from the hospital.

Now there is a third place...a missionary couple has given permission for us to stay in their house which is only 30 feet from the hospital and a bit bigger than the little guest house.

So let's step back and look at how our God provides for His children. I needed one place to stay and He has provided three possibilities! Talk about being bigger than I can ever imagine! I just love Him, love Him, love Him!!

I think I will take Wendy's advice and try out all three while I am down there, haha!

I can't wait!!

ASAP

I had the incredible opportunity to speak at HPC's after school program this month. I got to go to each of our campuses and see the kids and talk to them about HIV/AIDS, pregnancy and abstinence. It was so cool to hang out with the kids in an environment that promotes healthy relationships and gives kids a safe place to be.

The staff members at all of the ASAP sites are incredible. They have such a big heart for the kids and they really care about who they are and where they are going. They give their time and their love to these kids almost every day of the week. They are constantly sacrificing to make sure the kids have a better opportunity to be what God wants them to be.

I really hope I get to see them again before I leave. I had a blast!

Blown Away!

I have just been blown away by the kindness and sacrifice of some wonderful ladies! I have had the privilege of being an intern twice in my life. My first internship was at North Oaks Medical Center in Hammond, LA where I had the honor of learning from and working with some of the best people in the world.

They taught me a lot about being a good dietitian but they also taught me the value of relationships. I have kept in touch with them as much as possible over the past year and they have blown me away with their love.

They were a big part of my financial support and prayer base for the Swaziland trip and now they have gone over and above to help me do God's work in Honduras. Talk about second mile giving! I can almost cry because of their sacrifice and their love. They are steadfast and true...kind of like a guy I know... named Jesus.

I have learned so much about God's faithfulness from the people He has placed in my life. Not only does He teach us through His Word but I think His favorite way to get His point across is by using people. He created us to reflect Himself. His goodness. His mercy. His kindness and His sacrifice.

So I am giving a BIG Thank You to my NOMC Family!
I love you all so very much!

Round Two

So the first garage sale was a success!

Have to give a shout out to Tabitha and Mrs. Vicky for letting me use their house for the massive undertaking! On top of that, Tab got up with me at 4am two days in a row to set out the goods.

I have to thank the Perret's too, they let me borrow some tables and I really don't think the day would have been so successful without them!

Oh and if it weren't for Mary Beth and Rachel donating their stuff to the garage sale...I would have had one table with like 20 items on it and made a whopping total of $13.55.

Here's to people being generous with their stuff, and God for providing abundantly!

So here I am ... posting from the metropolis of Livingston, LA where I am having my second garage sale in 1 week.

Am I crazy, you ask? Well, yea.

I am crazy for the Lord and I am doing everything in my power to get where He wants me to be! So if you are praying for me in the next few minutes...pray that God's favor will rest on this garage sale, and that everything will sell so that I don't have to have another one!