The Alabaster Box

I love this song.

Luke 7:36-50

Earthquake in Christchurch, New Zealand

A 6.3 magnitude earthquake struck Christchurch, New Zealand yesterday.

God help them!

La Mer

La mer
Qu'on voit danser le long des golfes clairs
A des reflets d'argent
La mer
Des reflets changeants
Sous la pluie

La mer
Au ciel d'ete confond
Ses blancs moutons
Avec les anges si purs
La mer bergere d'azur
Infinie

Voyez
Pres des etangs
Ces grands roseaux mouilles
Voyez
Ces oiseaux blancs
Et ces maisons rouillees

La mer
Les a berces
Le long des golfes clairs
Et d'une chanson d'amour
La mer
A berce mon coeur pour la vie

- Charles Trenet

February 19, 2011

"Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of His saints." Psalm 116:15

"But Jesus said, 'Let the little children come to me and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of Heaven.'" Matthew 19:14

"He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be any mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away." Revelation 21:4

Rest in peace, Jonah.

Spring

I look at the muddy, brown, gray, dead, landscape around me and am tempted to think of the symbolism it gives me about state of my heart.

And then I am reminded of all of the life teeming beneath the surface of this world around me...the magic and mystery of spring. When water and sunlight collide and life emerges from a seemingly dead land.

"O God, you are my God; earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you; my flesh faints for you, as in a dry and weary land where there is no water. So I have looked upon you in your sanctuary, beholding your POWER and GLORY. Because your steadfast LOVE is better than life, my lips will praise you. So will I bless your name as long as I live; in your name I will lift up my hands." Psalm 63:1-4

Spring gives HOPE. The coming of spring after a long, hard winter is a classic illustrative metaphor. But sometimes our hearts need springtime too. Our hearts need HOPE.

"Hear my cry, O God, listen to my prayer; from the end of the earth I call to you when my heart is faint. Lead me to the ROCK that is higher than I, for you have been a refuge, a strong tower  against the enemy." Psalm 61:1-2

Hope is life. But this week, I was reminded of the fragility of life. Our hope is not here, but in eternal life. In our Isaiah Bible Study about God, we are learning about the MIGHT, POWER and SOVEREIGNTY of God. His absolute control of history and individual lives. In this week's study there was a question that stood out, "When is it acceptable to question God?" The appropriate and Biblical answer to that would be, "Never." But in my heart I wanted to write, "When there is the death of an innocent child." Because that's what our family has been unwilling witnesses to this week - the death of an innocent child. A tragic accident...ten minutes alone...the what ifs and maybes and the desire to go back and change the past. The intense emotions, the prayers, tears...we have participated in these as Believers in the Body of Christ should...but by the grace of Christ, it hasn't been us at the hospital all week receiving bad news from surgeons; it's not our pain or our tragedy.

Why?

New believers are like tender plants in spring time. Too much frost, too much sun, too much water, too much wind...all these can kill a small plant. And in spiritual warfare, when you are grappling with cold, hard realities like death, and wrestling with questions such as, "Why would you take my son?", it is like huge blasts of icy wind that can kill infant faith.

Or it can make you stronger.

Sometimes "old" Christians, can feel young. Not new or fresh...but weary, tender, vulnerable, weak...I look at another's pain and I wonder, "Why not me...US?" And I look at the state of my heart - my worries, my desires, my complaints, my wants...me, me, me, my, my, my...and am overwhelmed with acid disgust at my selfishness. My self-centeredness. My sins. My...my...my...

Your Righteouness.

Like light behind a cloud, I am reminded of something bigger then myself...stronger...more glorious...more agonizing...more passionate. And like the hot rays of the sun the TRUTH bursts forth in a song more ancient than Time, more fulfilling then LOVE or ANSWERS...

"I have blotted out your transgressions like a cloud and your sins like a mist; RETURN to me, for I HAVE REDEEMED YOU. SING, O Heavens, for the LORD has done it; SHOUT, O depths of the earth; break forth into SINGING, O mountains, O forest, and every tree in it! For the LORD has REDEEMED Jacob, and will be GLORIFIED in Israel." Isaiah 44:22-23

"HE has REDEEMED my soul from going down into the pit, and my life shall look upon the LIGHT." Job 33:28

"Break forth together into SINGING, you waste places of Jerusalem, for the LORD has comforted His people; he has REDEEMED Jerusalem." Isaiah 52:9

"Christ REDEEMED US, from the curse of the LAW..." Galatians 3:13

Death and life...winter and spring...this earth is a cycle. There is no end to suffering, sickness, death, depression, riots, lies, selfishness, idolatry, bloodshed, murder, ignorance, war, destruction...the list goes on and on...It is the universe we live in. Marred by sin. Eating away, trying to destroy us, destroy who we are and Who we stand in.

But we are not of this world.

We are not part of this cycle of death and sin...though it affects us deeply, painfully.

We are of Another Kingdom.

We have been given HOPE, the eternal Springtime of the heart. Through His life in us we have ABUNDANT LIFE, HIS RIGHTEOUSNESS, STEADFAST LOVE, HIS GLORIOUS LIGHT...all these things we walk in, bending low perhaps in the force of spiritual winds and battles, but not breaking. Not always getting our answers, or the answers we want - but confident in this very thing...He who began the GOOD WORK in us, WILL FINISH IT.

March on...march on. Singing as we go...

"THE LORD HAS REDEEMED US."

My Jesus, I Love Thee

My Jesus I love Thee
I know Thou art mine
For Thee all the pleasures of sin I resign
My gracious Redeemer
My Savior art thou
If ever I love Thee
If ever I love Thee
If ever I love Thee, my Jesus ‘tis now

I love Thee because Thou hast first loved me
And purchased my pardon on Calvary’s tree
I love Thee for wearing the thorns on your brow
If ever I love Thee
If ever I love Thee
If ever I love Thee, my Jesus 'tis now.

I love Thee in life
I will love Thee in death
And praise Thee as long as Thou lendeth me breath
Oh, I will sing when the death dew lies cold on my brow
If ever I love Thee
If ever I love Thee
If ever I love Thee, my Jesus ‘tis now.

A Pocket Full of Sunshine

"Fear not, for I have redeemed you; for I have called you by name, you are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through the fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you. For I am the LORD your God, the Holy One of Israel, you Savior...Because you are precious in my eyes, and honored, and I love you.

Isaiah 43:1-2,4

"Who shall separate us from the LOVE of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword?...No, in all these things, we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us."

Romans 8:35, 37

"For at one time you were in darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light."

Ephesians 5:8

"May you be strengthened with all power, according to His glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy, giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in Light."

Colossians 1: 11-12

"I got a pocket, got a pocketful of sunshine.
I got a love and I know that it's all mine.
Do what you want, but you're never gonna break me.
Sticks and stones are never gonna shake me.

Take me away, a secret place.
A sweet escape, take me away.
Take me away, to better days.
Take me away, a hiding place.

I got a pocket, got a pocketful of sunshine.
I got a love and I know that it's all mine.

Do what you want, but you're never gonna break me.
Sticks and stones are never gonna shake me.
I got a pocket, got a pocketful of sunshine.
I got a love and I know that it's all mine.

Wish that you could, but you ain't gonna own me.
Do anything you can to control me.

Take me away, a secret place.
A sweet escape, take me away.
Take me away, to better days.
Take me away, a hiding place.

There's a place that I go that nobody knows.
Where the rivers flow and I call it home.
And there's no more lies; in the darkness, there's light.
And nobody cries, there's only butterflies.

Take me away, a secret place.
A sweet escape, take me away.
Take me away, to better days.
Take me away, a hiding place.

Take me away, a secret place.
A sweet escape, take me away.
Take me away, to better days.
Take me away, a hiding place.

The sun is on my side.
Take me for a ride.
I smile up to the sky.
I know I'll be all right.

The sun is on my side.
Take me for a ride.
I smile up to the sky.
I know I'll be all right"

-Natasha Bedingfield

Prayer Request

"He hath never failed thee yet.

Never will His Love forget.

O fret not thyself, not let

Thy heart be troubled,

Neither let it be afraid."

- Amy Carmichael 

My heart is heavy today...reminders of the Sovereignty of God fill my heart, but I pray for her, who is suffering. O God, let it not be so!

Praying for little Jonah...

Jesus, Love of My Soul

Jesus, lover of my soul, Let me to Thy bosom fly, While the nearer waters roll, While the tempest still is high. Hide me, O my Savior, hide, Till the storm of life is past; Safe into the haven guide; Oh, receive my soul at last. Other refuge have I none, Hangs my helpless soul on Thee; Leave, ah! leave me not alone, Still support and comfort me. All my trust on Thee is stayed, All my help from Thee I bring; Cover my defenseless head With the shadow of Thy wing. Wilt Thou not regard my call? Wilt Thou not accept my prayer? Lo! I sink, I faint, I fall— Lo! on Thee I cast my care. Reach me out Thy gracious hand! While I of Thy strength receive, Hoping against hope I stand, Dying, and behold, I live. Thou, O Christ, art all I want, More than all in Thee I find; Raise the fallen, cheer the faint, Heal the sick, and lead the blind. Just and holy is Thy Name, Source of all true righteousness; Thou art evermore the same, Thou art full of truth and grace. Plenteous grace with Thee is found, Grace to cover all my sin; Let the healing streams abound; Make and keep me pure within. Thou of life the fountain art, Freely let me take of Thee; Spring Thou up within my heart; Rise to all eternity. - Charles Wesley

Saint Louis-du-Nord, Haiti, 2007

The first time I went to Haiti, in November of 2007, I didn't have a blog to share all of my pictures. Ironically, it is the one trip I have been on where I have taken the most pictures. So, I waded through all 700+ pictures and it brought back a flood of memories...

Haiti from the sky...Gonaives to be exact.

On the streets of Port-de-Paix

Be still my beating heart...Fafa and Gail

The morning crowd

Souri!!

Is it me, or is there some attitude in this picture? :)

My evening lessons in Haitian card games

My first Creole lesson

The streets of Saint Louis

I don't have any words for this picture..

In the school...

Berger, Haiti...the most beautiful place on earth

Photo op!

I remember her...her name is Bel...doesn't she live up to her name?

Hmm...if there is a way to manuver the big truck through this mudhole, Jakob will figure it out...and he did.

Poor baby

What can I say...I attract a crowd!

Market day

Crossing the river on the way to Roch Rond...and may I add that I never participated in the whole "line crossing"...it seemed to me if one went down, everyone went down.

Ayiti bel

This gentleman asked me to take a picture of his chickens. So I did. At least that's what my translator said that he said...

Rex in the dental clinic

Don and Company

Awww...Marie and Baba

Sprite!

The last night

Tortuga

Map vini, Ayiti

Valentine's Day

They say February is the month of Love. That is because February 14th, is Valentine's Day.

Generally, I hate Valentine's Day.

It's not my intention to always be detrimental - I know I display many dissenting opinions on my blog, and I try to have some reserve, despite how harder it it becoming to ignore the decay of American society. So given that most single people hate Valentine's Day, I should rephrase my opinion and say that I hate what Valentine's Day has become.

Valentine's Day is another one of those holidays, like Christmas and Easter, that has completely lost it's true meaning behind all of the commercialism. There are many people who don't know the true Christian meanings to Christmas and Easter, but many Christians aren't even aware of the Christian roots to Valentine's Day. Many think it is a day in celebration of love, while in fact it is become more like a day to guilt you into buying a gift for the one you love. But neither of these meanings are true. While the truth of Christmas and Easter have slowly decayed over time, the facts behind Saint Valentine's Day has been warped from almost the very beginning.

Early Christianity thrived in the pagan atmosphere of the Roman Empire. The very acts of persecution and
denigration meant to hinder the spread of Christianity, only served to encourage the spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ, as the blood of the martyrs watered the seeds that their Christlikeness planted in the hearts of their persecutors. And so the Church flourished...

The month of February is the second month of the year in the Julian and Gregorian calenders. It is named after the Latin term, februum, meaning purification, via the cleansing ritual of Februa, held on February 15, which acknowledged the coming of Spring. Februa is one of the several Roman festivals and rites that were held in the month of February. 

Valentine, (Valentinus) was a real man, who lived during this significant period of time for the Church, during the reign of Claudias II. History and tradition has blurred a little of the reality, and many historians believe that the traditional figure of Saint Valentine, revered by the Catholic Church, is a combination of several martyrs by that name. The most common belief is that Valentinus was a Christian priest, who secretly married Christian couples, who were forbidden to marry by law, in an effort to stop the advancement of Christianity. When he was caught, he was thrown in prison and tortured. He continued to share his love with those in his care, by sending letters to his brothers and sisters on Christ from prison. Another tradition says, that while in prison he fell in love with a young girl, who visited him in prison. She was the daughter of the jailer, and suffered from complete blindness. Supposedly, God enabled Valentinus to miraculously heal her, before his execution. His farewell letter to her was signed, "From Your Valentine". He was beheaded February 14th, either 269 A.D. or 270 A.D
Not very happy, true. Associating the day of Valentine's death, with a holiday celebrating Love and Marriage is really Geoffrey Chaucer's fault, using the legend of Saint Valentine combined with the original pagan holiday of spring to produce some Romantic/Christian/Pagan celebration in his writings. Very little people realize that February 14th, is more of a solemn remembrance to the martyrdom of a Christian saint, then a time to share flowers and jewelry and  chocolates with the one you love. None but Christ Himself, may ever know who the true Valentine was, and what he did and how he suffered. But it must have been great, if he is still so memorialized.

When I think of these things, and the true meaning and history of Valentine's Day, it is very sobering. But that doesn't mean that it is not cause for a celebration of some kind. Saint Valentine, whoever he truly was, showed True Love in his actions, his life and his death. It takes that perfect Love, that casts out fear, to die for your Christ. To bear all things, believe all things, hope all things and endure all things. (I Corinthians 13) The best, most beautiful, all-encompassing description of LOVE is given by Thomas a Kempis (1380-1471 A.D) in his book, "The Imitation of Christ." I read it and was prostrate. While Valentine's Day has become all about the gifts, instead of the gift of LOVE itself, Thomas admonishes us, "A wise lover regards not so much the gift of Him who loves, as the LOVE of Him who gives. He esteems affection rather than value and sets all gifts below the Beloved."

Remember the gift of TRUE LOVE...not just February 14th, but every day of the year.

"Love is a great thing, yea, altogether a great good; it makes light everything that is heavy, and it carries unevenly all that is uneven. For it carries a burden which is no burden (Matthew 11:30), and makes every bitter thing sweet and tasteful. The noble love of Jesus drives a man to do great things, and stirs him to always long for what is more perfect. Love wills to be on high, and not to be kept back by anything low or mean. Love wills to be free, and estranged from all worldly affection...

Nothing is sweeter than Love, nothing stronger, nothing higher, nothing wider, nothing more pleasant, nothing fuller or better in Heaven and earth; because Love is born of God (I John 4:7) and cannot rest but in God, above all created things. A lover flies, runs and rejoices; he is free and not bound. He gives all for all, and has all in all; because he rests in One highest above all things, from whom all that is good flows. He respects not the gifts, but turns himself above all goods unto the Giver.

Love oftentimes knows no measure, but is fervent beyond all measure. Love feels no measure, thinks nothing of labors, attempts what is above it's strength, pleads no excuse of impossibility; for it thinks all things are possible for itself and all things lawful. It is strong for all things, and it completes many things, and brings them to effect, where he does not Love faints and lies down. Love is watchful, and sleeping, slumbers not. Though wearied, it is not tired; though pressed, it is not straightened; though alarmed, it is not confounded; but as a lively flame and burning torch, it forces its way upward and securely passes through all. If any man Love, he knows what is the cry of this voice. For it is a loud cry in the ears of God, the ardent affection of the soul...

Love is swift, sincere, kindly affectioned, pleasant and delightful; brave, patient, faithful, prudent, longsuffering, manly and never seeking itself. (I Corinthians 13:5) For where a person seeks himself, he falls from Love. (I Corinthians 10:33; Philippians 2:21). Love is circumspect. humble, and upright; not yielding to softness, or to lightness, not attending to vain things. It is sober, chaste, firm quiet...

Enlarge me in LOVE, that in the inward palate of my heart I may learn to taste how sweet it is to LOVE, and in LOVE be dissolved and to bathe myself. Let me be bound by LOVE...let me sing the song of LOVE; let me follow Thee, my Beloved, on High..."

-Thomas a Kempis

HAVA NAGILA!

It started when my sister got home from her choir practice.

Actually, it started before that.

In case it hasn't been obvious from my blog, I'm getting really tired of winter. And cold. And snow. And ice. It's really easy to be depressed in the winter. The cold does strange things to your mind, like making you wonder if drowning is a really pain-free way to die...OK, so I'm not suicidal,but it is frightening because you can see how people with no hope or truth can despair.

But despair is a sin. And it happens. Even to the children of God, when that familiar demon perches on your shoulder and starts whispering. The children of Israel had very good reasons to despair in Isaiah. The prophet foretold that they would be captured by the king of Babylon and 130 years later, what God predicted happened. Imagine being seized from your homeland, made a slave in a foreign country where you were forced by threat of death, to worship false idols. You would be wondering if God remembered His promise to you. If He even remembered you...if He cared. But He had already ordained a means of escape, even before the tragedy occurred. He had Cyrus, king of Persia conquer Babylon and allow the Jews return to Jerusalem. All of these events were foretold 200 before they happened, and were planned far, far before in Eternity.

Because the Truth is, God never forgot the children of Israel. He comforted them and upheld with the right hand of His righteousness. His plans and visions for Israel never changed, even in the midst of discipline, because His relationship with them was a covenant relationship, and nothing, nothing no kings, or powers, or sin could ever change His steadfast LOVE. And still that remains today, because we are in a covenant relationship with God through Christ:

"No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the LOVE of God in Christ Jesus our Lord." Romans 8:37-39

Sometimes things seem worse than they are. But we always have this triumphal declaration to hold up above our heads..."MORE THAN CONQUERORS!"

So while contemplating these things, and the praise that the children of Israel offered God for their deliverance, my little sister came home from choir practice with a new song. Anna is learning, "Hava Nagila", a traditional Jewish song and dance of praise. She has been flitting around the house singing it and playing it on the computer for two days now, and try as hard as I can, I can't get it out of my head. But that's OK, because it makes me smile. I wonder how long this song as been around, and how long God's children have sung it in praise to Him. The words are:

Hava nagila, hava nagila, hava nagila v'nismeha

Hava neranenah, hava neranenah, hava neranenah v'nismeha

Uru, uru ahim! Uru ahim b'lev sameah!

Let's rejoice, let's rejoice, let's rejoice and be happy!

Let's sing, let's sing, let's sing and be happy!

Awake brothers! Awake brothers, with a happy heart!

If this song doesn't make you smile and want to dance, then there is something wrong with you!

LET'S REJOICE!

Of Herbs and Flowers

"Light is sweet and it is pleasant for the eyes to behold the sun." Ecclesiastes 11:7

It is the coldest day of this winter so far. The air is as sharp as a knife. It is -1degrees F this morning. I think it has warmed up to 5 degrees F. It is supposed to be 19 degrees F today. But at least the sun is shining! Next week it is going into the 40s and it will just keep going up!

I can't wait for spring. For green, living things... I've never been big on gardening, even though I've always had good intentions. My mom's gardening enthusiasm influences me in February and March, but wears off when I actually start weeding...But this year I'm going to buy some herbs and flowers and plant a garden. Definitely some Gerber Daisies...I love Gerber Daisies

 ...ain't they pretty?


I used to be an Herb Enthusiast. I had a book all about herbs and herbal gardening and practically had it memorized. I wanted to become a crazy old lady with acres and acres of herb gardens and cures for every illness. Maybe I'll be a crazy young lady and still do that...The truth is, herbal healing, if you take away the ties with Eastern mysticism and hippies, is still better then conventional medicine. I was reminded of  this last week when I was sick with a cold.

I was feeling miserable, and the cold medicine wasn't working anymore. I read that it isn't good to take cold medicine long-term. Not only do you risk overdosing, but your body overreacts negatively to decongestants, by producing even more mucus. Lovely. So, in a last measure attempt, I brewed a very strong tea of peppermint and dried chamomile and yarrow, which I had dried myself two years before. I drank about a pint of that hot tea, and crammed vitamin C and garlic supplements down my mouth. That night I slept better then I did on when on cold medicine. The next morning I knew I was getting better. I took more Vitamin C and garlic supplements. One day later my sore throat was gone and my headache was gone and now I'm all better. My only regret is that I always forget about herbal medicine, and I should have taken it earlier in my cold, before I felt so bad.

The U. S. National Library of Medicine has listed over 100 ailments and conditions that chamomile is able to treat, including the common cold. Peppermint has a long, glittering history spanning thousands of years of medicinal use. Yarrow is a humble, hardy little plant that not many people have heard of, but has also been around for hundreds of years. It intensifies the medicinal uses of other herbs when combined with them, and also serves as a tonic, anti-allergic, and circulatory treatment. Garlic is naturally antibiotic and anti-viral and is used traditionally to treat coughs, and infections. And of course, Vitamin C is a powerful antioxidant and immune-booster, necessary for good health.

I was amazed at the power of the herbal medicine I took and how very, very quickly it took effect. That's why I want to grow more herbs. I recognize the need that some conventional medications are needed and cannot be replaced. (Like...ibuprofen.) But there is something appealing in the freedom of being able to treat your sicknesses without running off to the doctor, or popping pills that are designed to treat more symptoms then you have. Good health, preventative supplements, and smart medicine are the best treatments for illnesses. And sunshine. I hope to continue learning more and more about herbal medicine and to continue using it for the rest of my life.

Just a little, random lesson.

"And the Lord will guide you continually
and satisfy your desire in scorched places
and make your bones strong;
and you shall be like a watered garden,
like a spring of water,
whose waters do not fail."

Isaiah 58:11

The Call

It started out as a feeling
Which then grew into a hope
Which then turned into a quiet thought
Which then turned into a quiet word
And then that word grew louder and louder
'Til it was a battle cry

I'll come back
When you call me
No need to say goodbye

Just because everything's changing
Doesn't mean it's never
Been this way before
All you can do is try to know
Who your friends are
As you head off to the war
Pick a star on the dark horizon
And follow the light

You'll come back
When it's over
No need to say good bye

You'll come back
When it's over
No need to say good bye

Now we're back to the beginning
It's just a feeling and no one knows yet
But just because they can't feel it too
Doesn't mean that you have to forget
Let your memories grow stronger and stronger
'Til they're before your eyes

You'll come back
When they call you
No need to say good bye

You'll come back
When they call you
No need to say good bye

- Regina Spektor

The Decomposing of America's Musical Taste

I was gearing up to write a scathing post about the SuperBowl half-time show last night. But why repeat what almost everyone with the smallest grain of musical nuance has already fumed about - when I can just link you up to Weeklyscoop's opinion? Which as usual, is right on the button. So was the Washington Post's opinion.

So, with those links up there, let me add a few words of my own.

Last night's performance by the Black Eyed Peas was rotten and putrid in so many ways, it's not even worth listing them all. Not to mention that even guest appearances by Usher, Slash, and some strange Mad-Hatter character who rose up from the out of the stage, did nothing to boost them. The greatest display of talent in last night's halftime was how quickly the stage hands set up and took down the props and stage on and off the field. It was just another confirmation that the slow decomposing in the cess-pool of America's musical talents and tastes have reached an all-time low...

Mexico and Missions

"Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of His saints." Psalm 116:15

This past week friends and family put Nancy Davis, age 59, to rest.

I don't know her. I never would have heard her name if she had not left this earth the way she did. But Nancy Davis and her husband Sam, were both missionaries to Mexico, where they had been serving God through the Mexican people for over 30 years. They planted churches, offered support, served and were dedicated to their call. As one friend told CNN, "They lived and breathed Mexico..."

Nancy Davis was shot in the head late January, by a Mexican drug cartel gunman. She died later that day.

This story has been on the news for the past week. In between reports from Cairo, reports on unemployment, and stories on the massive winter storm, FoxNews found a little air time to run this story on the brutal death of an American missionary. And it broke my heart. I pray for her family, and I pray those who loved her, and I pray for those who murdered her.

FoxNews used this story to make the point, yet again, on the danger of the U.S. and Mexican border. Although the Davises were shot at in their truck,  in the outskirts of San Fernando, the media always reminds us that Ciudad Juarez, is one of the most dangerous cities in the world right now. And when I hear that reminder, and stories like Nancy Davis' that show us serving the LORD is always a risk - I can't believe that I actually went on a mission trip to Juarez and had that opportunity from God. It is a memory I will always treasure. It is precious, sobering thing to be used of God.

So...inspired by all of the memories, I looked through my pictures from my Mexican trip, and decided to share some...

                                                                       The desert.

                   BPS - "Bearing Precious Seed", the name of the ministry taken from Psalm 126:6

I know the quality of this picture isn't very good, but the first night we were in El Paso, we climbed to the top of a mountain and looked out over the city lights of El Paso and Juarez and prayed for the cities. It is a special picture to me. Juarez is a city soaked in blood - but it needs the blood of Christ.

Assembling the Gospel of John and Romans in Spanish to hand out.

First day over the border: the minute Jon jumped out of the bus, he marched straight to these kids and handed out tracts.

Cody and a little Mexican kid...so, so, SO adorable!!! (uh, the kid...)

Listening to Bible stories and puppets

Mexican cemetery

Knocking on everyone's gate in this neighborhood sharing the Gospel and inviting everyone to the Preaching that night. We did that every afternoon. It was very common to see drunks, and people high (or low) on drugs wandering around. One group even came right in on a "deal." But they handed the dealer the Gospel anyway. One day, the small group I was with was walking with, were making our way up a small hill. Suddenly, from behind us a truck of Fedarales all dressed in black, with their faces covered, came roaring up behind us, passed us, and stopped at the top of the hill where there was an intersection. The soldiers jumped out and ran to the four corners of the streets with their huge guns. The guy I was with must have seen alarm on my face. He said, "Don't worry, they won't hurt us." I wasn't scared of them, it was the police for goodness sake! I was scared of whoever they were waiting for and scared of getting caught in some crossfire - thankfully, nothing happened. We walked right on past, and started on another neighborhood.

Some significant statue...but I don't remember why...

Shopping in the HUGE shopping center..."Looky! Cheap Mexican pillows...we're such smart shoppers!!"

Downtown Juarez

The border "plaque"...don't need to read it, just walk right on by!

This picture was taking coming back into the States on our last day. I wish I had some pictures of the Fedarales, but we weren't allowed to take pictures of the police or border agents because it's too dangerous for them. They are all targets of the drug cartels.

Horrible. Just horrible.

My friend, Eastlyn, loved the desert. She loved the dry, red, crumbling beauty of the Southwest. I agreed that there was beauty, in a way. But I prefer the green mountains of my Haiti.

But thank you God for answering a three year old prayer and allowing me to go to Mexico!