Interior Renovation

                Sin is not pretty. It isn’t glamorous or fun. Sin destroys everything around it. For followers of Jesus, sin has got to go. But shoveling all the gunk out of your heart is extremely difficult. Confronting and dealing with sin has been a major theme lately. God has been getting rid of a lot of old me. It has been painful, embarrassing, and frustrating. Being on missions involves a lot of on-the-job training in the heart department.

                When I got to Huntsville, I thought I was a pretty alright Christian. After all, I had given up my summer and passed all the interviews, right? I had been over tons of tests about the things I am good at and the areas God has gifted me in. I was totally unprepared for what I would find about my weaknesses. I didn’t know I was lazy or selfish or impatient. I wouldn’t have described myself as self-centered or proud. But the ugly truth is that I am all of these things, and they began to interfere with ministry.

                I became frustrated with my partner and other team members who were different from me. I wasn’t taking the time to understand where they were coming from and I was determined to be superior to them. In many ways, my partner’s character drew attention to things that mine was lacking. Rather than look stupid, I got angry. I wouldn’t hear what she thought because I couldn’t take responsibility for my failures. But my heart has been doing this for a long time, so I was pretty skilled at it. I wrote people off as confusing and I blamed our communication issues on them. I know that the enemy was attacking our team to cause division. In my pride, I caused problems that came close to destroying it. And I didn’t even know I was doing it.

                But then God began to move. Even though my heart was in the wrong place, he heard my prayers for help. I wanted him to come in and vindicate me, but what he did was much better. He brought restoration. He began to open my eyes to how selfish I had been. Relational problems that I blamed on Myriam were my problem, not hers. Broken, I felt sure that she would hold it against me. It was what I deserved. But God showed up again. Myriam was obedient and full of grace. She forgave me in a way I’ve never seen acted out before. The God kind of forgiveness. I couldn’t believe the closeness that was possible once that happened.

                Unfortunately, there was more that God needed to show me about myself. All those times I asked him to search my heart and change it, I didn’t think it was going to feel like pulling teeth. But again, my character needed renovation. Things seemed to work with Myriam and me for a while and then fall apart again. I was reading Jeremiah and waiting for God to get started on those plans to prosper me and not to harm me. Rescue me, boo Babylon! But one evening, I saw my attitude get out of control and hurt Myriam’s feelings. I saw what I had done and felt genuinely sorry and asked her to forgive me. She did and I naturally proceeded to do the same thing ten minutes later.  I suddenly realized how prone I am to sin. It became devastatingly clear to me that God is holy and I am sinful. Dirty, nasty, ugly sin is my default. Those chapters about Israel’s unfaithfulness were about me. I came to Myriam again for forgiveness. I tried to explain to her how I felt. Why would God even choose me to serve him? I’m so incapable, so unworthy. No matter how much I try and accomplish, sin will always be my default setting.

                I am so glad to have Myriam as a partner. We talked and we prayed. Overwhelmed, I laid on the floor. At that moment, I felt like the only place I deserved to be near God or the people I had mistreated was on my face. I felt like Isaiah, who said “Woe to me, I am ruined!” when he stood before God.

                And then! God kept showing up!!! The following morning, we went to church. The sermon was on Hebrews 3:12-13. “See to it brothers that none of you has a sinful, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God. But encourage one another daily as long as it is called Today so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness.” We talked about the proper response to sin: conviction> confession> repentance> restoration. But the thing that I was most surprised by was the idea that my heart is not a personal matter, but a community one. As a follower of Christ, I am committed to a body of other people. It is to be my joy to say, “I take responsibility for your heart and I give you access to mine.” That means my sin hurts my brothers and sisters. It also means that it’s their business to help me out. I had been brought to the floor by seeing my sin. But that wasn’t a stopping point. Once I was humbled enough, it was time to bring my sin issue to other believers. I needed to confess and repent and get help moving on. James says, “Confess your sins, one to another, so that you may be healed.” I never knew that I could do more than share my success with other believers. I never knew that in the Church I could find love and support when I share my failure.

                The last bit of my notes that morning make the whole thing make sense. When “church people” hide their sin from each other, we turn into hypocrites. We walk outside the church doors and the world can see through us. They see that we are fake because we have practiced being fake with each other. All these heart changes God has been making on me have been necessary to doing effective missions. I learned that I have sin. I learned that my sin is a cancer that I need help removing; I never want to allow it to spread to the rest of the body. I learned that sharing good and bad with each other is not only possible, but beautiful. I learned a new way to love. When I recognize that I’m less and others are more, I am willing to serve in ways that are over and above general niceness. So many lessons, so many weeks, so many challenges to live up to. They all lead to one thing. The last line of my notes for Sunday looks like this:

 

Authenticity in here ----->  Authenticity out there

 

House Happenings

                What a very lot I have to tell you. For starters, I’d like to say a big thank you to those of you who have been praying for me and for this ministry. I have seen TONS of evidence that I’m being prayed for. God is really moving here! Some of it has been with our guests, some with the volunteers, and a whole bunch inside me. I have crashed and burned a lot lately. Lucky for me, I serve a God who is an expert at turning failure into something beautiful. Thank you for lifting up this ministry to the Lord. He continually provides. Thank you for praying for growth in my life. A few times I have wished you wouldn’t put me through so many growing pains. But I consider it pure joy, my brothers, when I experience trials of many kinds, for the testing of my faith produces perseverance.

                I may need to break things up into a couple different posts. I’d like to give you a rundown of a typical day at the Hospitality House. That is going to be a bit of a challenge, since there is always something new going on here. No two days are exactly alike, but at the same time they are. Confused yet? Me too.

                A day in our life starts early. When guests are in the house, we start making breakfast at 6am so that we can serve at 7. During breakfast we pick up laundry, hang out with guests, and try to get everyone out the door by 8. Breakfast always consists of biscuits and gravy. We use frozen biscuits and a gravy mix, but people are none the wiser. They’re actually delicious! Our first few weeks we goofed around the kitchen trying to read all the labels, but now we know where everything is. We whip out all the jellies and cereals and hot pads for breakfast in no time. Once the guests are gone, we try to finish getting ready and doing quiet times. It has gotten to be a pretty special occasion if I manage to get any makeup on. Sometimes I reach the end of the day and realize I haven’t even looked in the mirror. Not that it matters. Prison tats are sort of a deal breaker for me as far as the dating pool goes ;)

                Business hours are from 9-5 so staff and volunteers are here during that time. This is when we accept donations, take phone calls, and handle clerical things. We also need to make sure rooms are clean and reset with clean linens, reading materials, and marked bibles. After big weekends, this can take a big portion of the day. The beds need to be made and the rooms tidy. If you see something out of whack, you just fix it. No need to ask anymore. We try to remember to eat lunch. We clean the kitchen like a hundred thousand times. That thing has an uncanny ability to get dirty every time you turn around. After 3:00, guests can start checking in again. Cook dinner, socialize, hope for sleep. Lather, rinse, repeat. Debra and Joe have been out a lot lately, so Mark, Myriam, and I have been responsible for keeping things in line. Most of the times when Debra is away, she is spreading the word about the House. She shared with us that God constantly reminds her that this is HIS ministry and HE will provide for it. He has done just that, over and over. After worrying about spending for the BGCT Convention, we were blessed with a huge donation along with a sweet note from members of a church Debra spoke at. Thank you Lord!

                This week is extra fun! We have a youth group here for a mission trip. They came in today and will be helping out all week. Lots of things have to go undone around here, since we can only do so much. Having their help will give us the chance to do some necessary projects. I spent some time with the girls at dinner and it was a lot of fun. Youth ministry is the only place where you get points for being obnoxious. I dig that. They have a girl named Sam. I couldn’t help but ask if it was short for San Anthrax. Needless to say, she (and those of you not from Earth,TX) was confused. But I got a laugh and some general teenage approval. Win.

                I have a HUGE lesson/heart change/ God event to write about. But I’m wrapping this puppy up and I’ll give that one the time and thought it deserves. For now I’m going to get some rest. This post is just to let ya know I’m still alive. I have not forgotten all the beautiful faces that I know are supporting me. In fact I get more and more anxious to see you all again. But I am incredibly blessed to be in this place. God is good. So very, very good.

 

Judy Moody

                You may have noticed… I’m insane. Yep. Basket case, loon, the whole nine yards. So even though my post yesterday was full of bubbles and joy, today not so much. It was super wonderful to get the care package from people who love me. Maybe the reminder of the support I have at home made me wish I was there. Maybe I need to put on my big girl pants and get over myself. At any rate, I’m not feeling super enthused about this day.

                We haven’t had any guests in a couple of nights so that’s a bummer.  I appreciate the rest, but our purpose is so clear when there are people around.  Things are harder for me when I don’t see the point. But of course, the house has business as usual. We are working on making a thousand cookies for a convention next week and Jamie and I are continuing our efforts on the case statement.

                This evening, Myriam and I decided to go to a college group at one of the local churches. It was your typical young adult thing, sing a few songs and split up for discussion. But tonight I felt a bit alienated from the church talk. We talked about denominational differences and what the bible says about different issues. Normally, I would eat that stuff up. I agreed with a lot of people, but I still felt a certain frustration. I didn’t contribute much. I just couldn’t care about some of it. My life here at the Hospitality House is so intentional. I want people here to know the love of Jesus. I don’t care if people want to dunk or sprinkle or if crackers count as the Lord’s Supper or if women need church bonnets. Doctrine is great. Following biblical guidelines is important. I’m just a little grossed out by church culture right now.

                I used to live in this world where things like that mattered. I used to face problems like which bible study to choose from and panic if someone asked me to pray in front of everyone. Here, in this place that is unfamiliar, my priorities are changing. I’m tired of gorging myself on spiritual knowledge and then not doing anything with it. It’s making me fat and sick inside. Here, it’s about people. It’s about love. I stand rooted in the bible, the truth of God’s word. But I am so over hearing it and doing nothing about it.

                I’m not upset with the church we went to or even the Church as a whole. Walking out your faith is so incredibly difficult. If anything, I want to encourage my brothers and sisters when I talk about church. I want to be part of the solution, not complain about how the Church is or isn’t. Conviction sucks. I don’t like being aware of my complacency. But there it is, out in the open so that I can move on. Onward and upward, my friends. How can we be the body of Christ today and tomorrow and next week? How can we read our bibles and know what to do with it?

 

 

                Thank you for praying for me and keeping up with the posts. I have not shared as many stories as I would like to, but that seems to be the pattern with blogging in general. Since it’s a slow week, maybe I’ll get to post some fun blurbs about our experiences with guests. Please be in prayer for all of us here at the House and our function as a team. There are 4 executions scheduled for July. Could you pray about my health? I’ve been getting headaches that make it hard for me to do what I need to do. Also pray that I will know God’s voice and recognize it. Pray that I will do what it says. Pray that I don’t act out of my selfishness, but with his love.

Thank You!!!

Wow! I have so much to say today! Unfortunately, I'm having some computer trouble I haven't had time to fix so I'm posting from my phone. I won't write much, but I needed to send a huge thank you to everyone who worked on the care packages we received today. My Wayland family is awesome! Myriam and I got 2 packages today full of goodies. Snacks, pens , bubbles, and more. The best part was all the notes written from my bsm and Wayland folk letting me know they are praying for me. It was so great to read them. My card from Primera said from YOUR church, Primera Iglesia Bautista. That means so much to me!! I posted a video to Facebook sharing a journal entry from last night. Just hours before getting this package, I was asking God some tough questions. Is this even worth it? I don't wanna pour my life into following him if it's not. Pursuing God means giving him everything. Am I really on board for that?

This morning I got up and stayed busy. I wasn't ready to think about the answers to my questions and I was avoiding God. Finally, I got on my face. Looking over some notes from church, I began to ask who God i. Do I even know him? Call me a weirdo, but I began to think of Sleeping Beauty's song.  *I know you, I walked with you once upon a dream*    I found my way to 2 Timothy 1 and looked at Paul's absolute certainty. "I know whom I have believed and I am convinced that he is able to guard what I have entrusted to him for that day. " It occurred to me that I do know who God is. My song became my prayer. I know you. I walked with you. I can do this. You are worth my everything.

Shortly after this, Jamie knocked on our door to announce a package that had come for us. Go Now told us one was coming and that we should film ourselves opening it. We had no idea what it was. I had no idea it would be full of the things I missed most, the love and support I left at home. After asking the Lord if following him was worth it he answered. His own words, hidden in my heart came to me in that moment.

"Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart. "

The Power of Puzzles

                I write to you tonight with tears streaming down my face.  Our Heavenly Father has been so good to us! There is so much joy in serving him!

Today we had the opportunity to speak to kids at VBS about missions. We talked about God’s call on our lives and theirs. We thought together about the dirty jobs God asks us to do for others. I heard God’s voice so clearly when I was a child myself.  I am so passionate about missions and I believe that it is never too early to teach our kids about sharing Jesus. Towards the end, their teacher prayed for us and the Hospitality House. I guess God wanted to remind me that prayer is powerful, because their prayers for us were answered even before the day was over.

Fridays are busy nights. A little while ago, I stepped out of the main rooms to video chat with one of my best friends, Krista. She is also on a summer mission trip. It was such a blessing for me to talk to her! I was so happy to see her face and hear her stories about what God is doing through her.  Just as I finished talking to her, my partner Myriam charged into our room. “I love puzzles!” she exclaimed. She began to tell me about the conversation she had just shared with a young boy staying at the House tonight.

Months before this trip, I found bible story puzzles at the dollar store and picked them up to bring to Huntsville. Tonight, Myriam and four or five boys stretched out on the floor to work on the puzzles. As they worked, she asked one of them what he knew about the story. Myriam explained how Jonah had disobeyed God and ended up in a big fish. She talked about Ninevah and their sin and helped the boy to understand what sin looks like in our lives. They looked at another puzzle showing Moses parting the Red Sea.  Myriam asked her new friend what he knew about Jesus. He told her that he knew that Jesus is God and that he is in heaven. Myriam told him he was only partly right. Jesus is God and he did return to heaven, but that’s not the whole story. Jesus is actually everywhere. He was there with Jonah in the fish. He was there with Moses at the Red Sea. Now, he lives in Myriam’s heart and is with her wherever she goes, all the time. The boy thought about this.

 

 

“I wish my dad was with me all the time,” he quietly reflected.

What pain these children suffer. I ache for them. As a child of terrific parents, I am always devastated to see the brokenness in the lives of the Hospitality House kids. I can’t even express how incredibly important it is for children to have fathers. I wish we could give them what I have. But then again, perhaps we can.

Myriam told this boy that she too goes long periods without seeing her dad. But she is comforted knowing that God is her Heavenly Father. He is always with her. She can spend time with him by reading more of the stories in the Bible. The boy was really interested. Unlike a lot of our House kids, he is a reader. He was excited to hear that there was more to the stories and all he had to do was read the Bible to find out. Myriam went back to the storage room to find one just for him. We had some beautiful, leather-bound bibles donated recently. She presented him with the brand-new bible and challenged him to take good care of it. It was a very nice bible and he must be careful, but most of all he must read it. The boy beamed. 

Don’t forget the other boys gathered around. Each of them overheard the conversation as Myriam guided a searching child toward the light. Praise God for opening up these doors! Please pray that this young man dives deep into God’s word.  Pray that God would guide him to things he will understand. Pray that the transformative power of the gospel will change his life and the lives of his family. Praise God that one who was lost now has a lamp to guide his feet.

Flashbacks

Good evening, folks! Things are quiet in the House tonight, but don’t let that fool you. My brain is scurrying through a host of things to be done in the coming hours, days, and weeks. The most exciting current project is a new frontier for me.

The House was recently able to hire Jamie, the spring intern, as the full time Development Coordinator. One of her new jobs will be exploring the world of grant writing. As Hospitality House looks to expand to serve more families, we will begin looking at possible funding from foundation grants.  Jamie has been sent to a few grant writing classes to help her get started. This week, I had the privilege of being her copilot! We road-tripped to Ft. Worth to attend a course on case statements, an integral part of the process.  As it turns out, grant writing is completely relevant to me! Basically, it boils down to persuasion. Foundations receive hundreds of grant applications every day and there is a lot of competition. Our job is to communicate the impact of our organization and its importance in the community. I am thrilled to start, because I truly believe in the ministry here at Hospitality House. What we do here is unique and necessary. It will be my pleasure to document what this ministry is all about and why it deserves support.  I’m also excited to build a great skill to add to my resume. I can only hope that the rest of my career leads me to other organizations that I am passionate about. Maybe I have found myself a future job!

Tonight, I sit here collecting facts, figures, quotes, and notes to use in our case statement. There is a photo album with newspaper clippings from the House’s early years. Lots of repeats about the 24 –hour build done by the Texas Baptist Men. Lots of stories on the first director and his wife. Lots of reports about how the House has changed the lives of families across the state. As I read through these, I am so very inspired by the service and commitment of those who have come before me. So many of the people in these articles faithfully support the House to this day. Recorded here are the lives of committed followers of Christ, serving others with everything they have. What a legacy!

Youth. Beautiful, reckless, stupid youth. The passion inside the hearts of young people is easily ignited by the power of the gospel. Young people are often involved in grandiose movements and experiences. And so often, in our zest for life we forget the legacies that paved the way. We treat Christianity as if it’s new. We seem to think that we are the first ones who ever really understood the Bible and followed God’s will. What a shame! For generations, people have followed God with a perseverance that we can’t even conceive of. This is my own personal shout-out. Wisdom and faithfulness long before me puts me in the position to serve today.

In other news, I made some yummy truffles today. We are trying to decide what to feed the trustees tomorrow for lunch since we are on our own like big kids. Debra and Joe are taking a well-deserved break visiting their daughters. My esteemed colleagues and I are having a good time holding down the fort J

 

Things to pray for:

 

Execution next week- pray for the family as they travel and grieve. Pray for us to be sensitive

to their needs. Pray that God uses this difficult time to open people up to the gospel.

 

Good memories- Pray that Myriam and I remember all the tasks that need to be done in

Debra and Joe's absence. There is to be no falling down on the job!

 

My best bud Krista- She is also serving with GoNow in the Pacific Rim. Her emails tell me that

God is opening many doors for her to minister to the women in her area. But as the only girl

on her team, she faces tough circumstances. Pray that she is healthy inside and out and

everything in between!

What's New

     You'll have to forgive my HUGE delay on posting! It has been business as usual (and sometimes unusual) non-stop! When I do get a few hours to take a break, I almost always need a nap. But as it turns out, if I'm not working or sleeping then my greatest desire is to spend time with God. I want so badly to spend time in his word and in prayer. I am so in need of him, so desperate for intimacy with him. You haven't heard from me because I'd rather talk to God!
     That is absolutely not to say that I am super-spiritual and that since I'm a "missionary" I'm perfect now. In fact, I am pretty much a disaster waiting to happen. I have learned that I am selfish and lazy and arrogant. My desperation for God these days comes from a recognition of how very inadequate I am for this job. I need the Lord to change my heart. I need to be transformed into a person who serves with humility and love. There are tasks 24/7 that I need Christ's character to do. I think that God brought me to Huntsville to get over myself. It's not about me. It's not about me. It's not about me.
     We have been doing all kinds of things since my last post. Typical house business consists of checking in guests, housekeeping duties, cooking meals, and office tasks. These take up a majority of our time. Breakfast is served bright and early and guests check out by 8am so our mornings start at hours that I didn't know existed. Of course, all our hard work pays off on the weekends when we spend time with the families. I love making and eating dinner with the big crowds on the weekends. We share stories and find out about each other. The kids are a blast and when you love on them, it blesses their parents too. We also get a lot of older people, which is right up my alley. Many of our volunteers are older, as well. So many of them have been serving the House year in and year out and it would be impossible to do this ministry without them. I love that I can be a part of showing how much we appreciate and honor their work.
     We have had a garage sale fundraiser, painted a wall, washed cars, and eaten a lot of frozen yogurt. Never a dull day. This week's big project: VBS. One of our staff members is teaching 3rd grade bible story for vacation bible school at her church. At the last minute, she ended up losing all her helpers and she was in a PANIC. Summer missionaries to the rescue! With Debra's help, the four of us brainstormed how to make this work. Today we spent several hours decorating the classroom to fit the outer space theme. I gotta say, we are a dream team. Our space ship room looks fantastic! Myriam and I will be teaching a few of the lessons and I am way excited. We are even dressing up in our homemade space suits! Third grade is my favorite!
     I hope these posts are making it to all my prayer partners. Each of you is so special to me and have been instrumental in bringing me to this place in my life. Thank you for your prayers and your love. Continue to pray for our guests and the conversations that we have when they are here. ---One night I asked my facebook friends to pray about it and the whole house exploded in spiritual conversations! Thank you, God!--- Pray for us as we teach bible stories this week, that we would be faithful and accurate teachers and that the Holy Spirit would open the hearts of the kids to understand. Pray for Myriam and me as we learn to work together as a team. God is already breaking down walls and obstacles. And finally, the whopper, the House has been interested for a long time in purchasing the property behind us so that we can serve more families. Interest in the idea and donations to the House have been pouring in lately. Still, that is a huge project to take on and we have a  long way to go. My time here has taught me a great deal about the needs of prisoners and their families and the way that God can move in their situations. I hope my updates cause you to think about these things as well.
     This is as much time as I can stand to spend on this. 8952035 other things to think about and never enough sleep. Of course, I have a hundred stories of individuals and moments that I have encountered that I could write pages and pages about. Ask me in August.Thank you for sticking with me when I was struggling. It doesn't matter because it's not about me, but I am getting more and more happy to be here. The only thing I can say is Praise God!

Week One: Check

                Today marks one week here in Huntsville, or as the locals say, “Hunts-vle”. It has been very busy! We jumped right in by meeting lots of pastors, directors, and people in all types of ministry in the city. There is an extensive network of restorative justice ministries here, designed to meet the needs of prisoners and their families as they face different stages of incarceration and re-entry. Here at the Hospitality House, we rely on donations to stay open, which the community is faithful to respond to. Saturday we will have a garage sale to raise money so we have been accepting anything and everything. Most of the time, we take whatever is given, use what we can, and pass on the rest to these other ministries. Many of the people involved in restorative justice have been in prison themselves, which is an awesome testimony to the change Jesus Christ has made in their lives.

                After a lot of introductions, we had the chance to go to a release. One of the units was scheduled to release 142 people on..was it Tuesday? It doesn’t really matter I guess… We showed up in our red Hospitality House shirts to wait with the families gathered outside the unit. They were waiting to pick up sons, brothers, husbands when they came out. The atmosphere was tense. When we arrived, the groups were spread out and isolated. These families have found that society blames, ostracizes, and looks down on them for the crimes of their loved ones. They have become guarded in order to protect themselves. But then, something started to happen. A pony-tailed guy on a motorcycle showed up. He stood in front of everyone and began to explain how the release process would go. He told the families what to expect, what to do, and what to watch out for. He talked about the ministries available to the men as they faced this new step. He gathered us all in a circle to join hands and pray. After we finished praying, people sort of hung around. Rather than spreading back out, they began to sit closer to one another. Myriam and I were able to have some great conversations and pray with some of the women waiting. The morning was very long. They had been told to arrive at 8:00am, but hours later were still waiting. The longer we waited, the more people began to talk to one another. People shared tables, conversations, and sometimes a lot more.

                Finally, around noon, the parole officer came outside. We all knew he would talk to each family and then go inside. Soon after, the release could move forward. You could feel the anxiety as the moment some had waited so long for came so close. And then it was time. Dressed in ill-fitting ‘street clothes’, men exited the prison in a single file line. How can you describe the beauty of that moment? A little boy jumping into the arms of his father or families touching their loved one as if to make sure they are real. It wasn’t a time to say, “You deserved it”. It was simply a time to congratulate people on a joyful day.

                In the same instant that some experienced such joy, there was also an element of deep sorrow. So many of the men had no one waiting for them. They marched on, eyes straight ahead, to the bus station. My knees shook when I saw, for a split second, one man’s lip quiver before he forced his face back to an unaffected stare forward. I don’t know why no one was there, but I sure wished that things were different.

                I’m worried that this post will become pretty lengthy, so bear with me. I’m hoping that my prayer partners have been looking forward to an update. I’d really love to hear from you, too! In fact, I have struggled a lot this week. I have so many things that my friends on other missions don’t. We live in a comfortable house with plenty to eat and everything we are used to. Still, I miss my home. I love my family so much and I underestimated the difficulty of being away from them. I miss my friends and the way they understand me without words. I have been sleeping whenever I can. I really need your prayers. On the other hand, God has been so faithful to me. I really relate to Peter lately. He so adamantly insists that he will follow Jesus no matter what and turns around and betrays him. He steps out on the water only to look away and sink. I’m so there. I’m standing here on the water, because I know God called me out here. But the waves rise around me and the wind howls in my ears. But my God is so good. He reaches out to catch me. Peter goes on to be a loud voice for the Lord. I know that with the help of my Savior, I can press on. I can walk through this time and come out victorious. He is teaching me to need him, to spend time with him, to be intimate with him. I rejoice in the difficult times and I ask for more because God uses them to make me strong.

                One last, critical thing: We finally had guests! The weekends are busy times. The House was packed Friday and Saturday. There were a couple of families that spoke mainly Spanish. I tried my best, but Myriam really took over in the translation department. We had tons of kids, too. I had a blast with them. Some of them came from loving families, while others were not so lucky. All of them were thrilled to have my attention. We played games and did puzzles and stayed up too late. I tried to emphasize how very smart they were and point out their best moments. I meant it, too. One of our second graders did almost an entire 300 piece puzzle on his own! I was so happy when a regular volunteer showed up to do art with the guests. She teaches art and has done a lot of study in art therapy. The little ones drew funny faces and colored their names. The adults did an altered book project. She showed us some examples of how giving a new life to an old book can be a healing process. One of her own projects was filled with memories and pictures of her sister who she lost to cancer several years ago. Some of the guests really got into it. I started a book and decided to tell the story of this summer. Right up my alley!

                I’ve washed a lot of sheets, made a lot of biscuits, had a couple meltdowns, and met a ton of people. I drink a lot of water and the frozen yogurt place has changed my life. My skin loves it here! I’m baby soft. I may die of a nosebleed when I head back home in August. Thank you for reading and praying. Please pray for me to be emotionally healthy, but also know that I'm moving forward! Hope to hear from lots of you!

Getting Started

I have journaled quite a bit about orientation and the first few days that I intend to post. Right now I'm updating from my phone because my computer is acting up and I am too tired to care too much. So I'll keep it short. Orientation in Dallas went well. We got lots of really valuable information and I was able to see two of my very best friends before taking off. My partner, Myriam, and I are off to a great start. We have different personalities but the same love for sharing Jesus with others.  Here at the House we are working on getting the hang of things. Our room is very nice and I'm glad to be on the kind of mission trip where you get hot water and a comfy bed. There is a lot to do each day and there is not really a "typical" day around here. Everyone at the House has been friendly and happy to see us. We won't have any guests until this weekend, but today we had a work crew of inmates come to the House. We were up early to make a big breakfast, loaded with things the men don't usually get to see. We prayed together and then shared a meal and great conversation. Some of the men had clearly had a life-changing encounter with Christ and are working towards a new life. By the time we cleaned up and tackled a few other tasks it was time to make lunch. Things didn't wind down til around 5:00. Then we went to a Wednesday night service at our director's church. We had the chance to hear a testimony from a man who had formerly been incarcerated. I was so blessed by his story. Not because he was an eloquent speaker or because he had a thrilling story. In fact, you could see he was no professional. The reason his testimony was so fascination was its complete focus on the work of Christ. In essence, it was simple. He used to be broken and the Lord made him whole. He made a commitment to obedience to God and his life was blessed as a result. Not a prosperity gospel, just the evidence of God's love and provision.

Of course I don't want you to think that I came to Huntsville and now I think all prisoners are the bomb. I know the justice system is important and that there are consequences to our choices. What I am seeing here is the redemptive power of God in the lives of believers. There is no one too far away for the Lord to find him. And once he does, the Church has room to receive a new brother or sister. The man who shared tonight is now linked up with other men to stay accountable. Believe it or not, many of these men are law enforcement officers. The very people he used to avoid are now his closest allies. With man, that kind of bridge is unthinkable. But nothing is too hard for God!

 Our job here won't be prison ministry. We probably won't know the details of our guests and the crimes their loved ones are incarcerated for. We are here to serve them in a safe, judgement-free environment. We meet needs because we follow our master's instructions. We love because he loved us. I'm glad we were able to see another facet of God's work here in Huntsville. Maybe the insight we got today will help us to be even better servants when we meet our first guests this weekend.

Prayer Update

     Huntsville is getting very close! I leave on Friday for orientation in Dallas. We will leave from there the following Monday. By we, I mean my partner and I. She is from El Paso.  She and I will be living and working together this summer at the Hospitality House.

                This post is to update my prayer partners. I am so thankful for those of you that will be praying for us and the people we will be serving. Prayer is so vitally important. There is nothing that we can accomplish outside the power of God working in us. Even better, there is nothing we can NOT accomplish when he does! Here are some suggestions for things to pray about:

 

                                Safe travel to Orientation and the field

                                Good relationship with my partner

                                Obedience to God

                                Physical and emotional health

 

I also encourage you to check out the House’s website. http://www.thehospitalityhouse.org/support-us/ways-to-pray Here is a link to their list of prayer requests. You can look around and see what they are all about and even see some pictures of the House. Looking through this makes me want to dance around. I am so excited! There are so many things about this job that make me feel well-suited to serve in this way. Pray that I am able to use the talents and skills God has given me without getting prideful. I want to serve with humility and gentleness. I need to learn to give God credit.

                I’m gonna go out on a creepy limb here and give you my email address. I would really like to hear from my prayer team throughout the summer. katie.bice@wayland.wbu.edu If I didn’t ask you to be on the team, but you’d like to anyway, let me know! If you have any questions I’d love to clear them up. If I did ask you, thank you for following through. I chose people who have been instrumental in my life. If you are excited about me serving as a summer missionary, you are probably part of the reason I am.

                I really have to wrap up. It’s time to peel potatoes. Hooray for one week at home! Two hoorays for no more caf food!!  #dormproblems

No, Mom, of course it wasn't a school night....

     I was already in bed, pajamas on, winding down for the night. My phone told me two things: 1) it was midnight 2) Valerie was calling. Before the word "waffle" was out of her mouth, I was out of bed and putting on shoes. And so begins another late night journey to Amarillo for Waffle House.

     Plainview has an IHOP. It's open all night and is frequented by hungry, nocturnal college students, especially during finals season. But Waffle House is on an entirely different level. The entire experience is much more than nighttime snacking. Five of us pile in a car and take off to satisfy some of human beings' most pressing needs. It is something like escape, freedom, familiarity, independence, hanging your head out the window and turning up the music. And hope. Waffle House nights mean that this isn't all there is. Not Plainview, not college, not this year, not myself. Life isn't about waking up on time and doing what you're supposed to do. There is magic in every moment.

     Chocolate chip waffle with a lot, a lot of chips. The cute old lady taking our orders knows exactly what this means. Holy deliciousness, Batman. You see some strange folk in the night at Waffle House. Next to a truck stop. And the jukebox makes for a sort of musical roulette.

     And then we came home. And how does this even matter? And am I seriously going to relate things to God again? Come on folks, have you been here at all?

     He made us for community. He made us for abundant life. He made us for ADVENTURE! The Christian life was never a safe life. We can be so content going about our business and then going to church and lather, rinse, repeat. We accept IHOP as all there is. Sometimes God does pretty cool things in our lives but that is the exception, not the rule. I don't want that! I don't want a life that tastes like cardboard! I want to follow Christ into the world. I want to jump out of bed when he calls and do whatever it takes to go where he is going. I want to meet the strange folk. That's what he did.

     It's ok to have a home, a routine, a pancake. Put your life in a box if you want, but leave the lid open. Besides, God can't be in a box. Climb out and experience him for real.

Next Stop, Huntsville!

Good evening ladies and gentlemen! Welcome to my small corner of the interwebs. I’m feeling extra bloggy tonight so let’s get going!

I see that some of you have received your GoNow letter from me! Of course, you read about my plans for the summer, but for those of you who haven’t checked your mailboxes, here is a short preview. I have applied through my school’s BSM (Baptist Student Ministry) to be sent as a GoNow missionary for the summer. After a long process of applications and interviews, I have been appointed to Huntsville, TX. Huntsville is home to some of Texas’s largest prisons. From May 18 until August 14, I will be staying at a hospitality house designed for those coming to visit loved ones in prison. This ministry takes a special interest in “the other victims of crime”.  The house provides lodging, meals, and spiritual support for families dealing with the incarceration of their loved ones.

For me, this means cooking, cleaning, answering phones, and doing whatever else needs to be done to help things go smoothly during the week. On the weekends, I get to spend time with the families and build relational bridges to Jesus. The temporary loss of a family member to prison can cause major strain on a family. During this difficult time, I will have the opportunity to talk about the hope found in Christ and the transformation he can bring to anyone who asks. Over and over in my own life I have seen the Lord bring a beautiful and joyful ending to a painful story. I love that I will be participating in God’s transforming power in Huntsville.

Know what else? There are a truckload of kids who desperately need Christ to change the trajectory of their lives. Check out these stats http://emu.edu/now/peacebuilder/2011/03/justice-for-children-whose-parents-are-in-prison/ . Without the ministry of the hospitality house, these children are on a path toward the same choices their parents have made. Through loving on these kids, we can teach them how to make their own positive choices. The house emphasizes keeping these children in school, a factor that decreases the likelihood that they too will end up in prison. These kiddos need to know that they are valuable creations of God and that he has great plans for their lives. And if I have anything to say about it, the time that they spend at the hospitality house will be a blast!

I don’t know if it has come across…but I’m excited!!! It is getting hard to concentrate on school, but these last few weeks are pretty important. In other news, I woke up this morning and told this day that I owned it. It belonged to me and it would be great. I should do that more often! It’s been a long and lovely day and I feel the kind of healthy tired that tops off a day. I am sure that I planned to say more, but I am anxious to get this posted.

Long Time No See

How very behind I am! I need to get back up to date so I can start posting GoNow updates. For the moment, here is a piece of my application for summer missions. We were asked for 2 experiences that give good insight about us. This is really close to my heart. I am becoming more and more aware of how many people experience depression. What was once a painful topic has become a wonderful ministry tool. Here is a bit about that:

About one year ago I came to a place where I needed to admit that I was struggling with depression and I needed help. Since starting college, depression and anxiety had been slowly creeping up on me. They began to show up more and more, straining my health, focus, and relationships. Prior to this time I felt that depression was a sign of a deficient faith. If you know Christ, then his joy ought to fill your life. Anxiety implied to me a lack of trust in God. When I began to feel these things in my own heart and mind I became very troubled. Had I failed God? Was I doing something wrong? Fortunately, my family was very supportive. They encouraged me to see my doctor. I began taking an anti-depressant and saw almost immediate results. I felt more like myself than I had in months. It seemed that I had a chemical imbalance that could be adjusted. However, after several good months, I began noticing bad signs again. I became nervous, overly sensitive, and spent most of my time asleep. I thought the problem had been fixed. I was hesitant to admit that it was back. I thought God had used my medicine to heal me and now things were going bad again.

The same inadequacy I had felt before plagued me. I returned to my doctor and increased my dosage. The experience sounds like a dark time for me, and at points it was. However the consistent factor in all of this was God. He never left my side when I asked difficult questions. His word confirmed to me that his work on the cross was sufficient for me. He would never change his mind about me based on failure or success. When my depression robbed me of enthusiasm, he assured me that he had created me for a purpose and that my life was going somewhere worthwhile. I began to understand that this was a trial in my Christian life, not an indication of some failure, and that God was able to see me through. I gained empathy for others experiencing depression and a desire to minister to them. Today, I still take my medication and have begun seeing a Christian counselor. My depression and anxiety are manageable. Still, there are times when I rely heavily on God’s help and comfort. Because of my constant need for him, my prayer life has exploded. I understand the faith of the men in the fiery furnace. My God will deliver me, but even if he does not I will praise him. If God takes away this struggle from me, I will rejoice in his healing. If he does not, I will rejoice in his love in the midst of it.