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| Kelcy and Lisa making buckeyes |
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| From left: Nate, Maddie, Brooke, Vic, Miranda, Miss Lucille, Rocky, Me, Lisa, Catie and Sarah |
Then, with every intention of coming home to serve my wife, I end up being sick. Not only that, but my good-feeling rainbow lasted about 2 minutes. It's not cool how I can be so intuitive to her feelings and then turn around and be so dull to them. So, advice to any future mission workers--don't come home and complain. Trust me.
Her week was one where she was dealing with sick kids on her two snow days. My son promptly hurled on our clean bed sheets on Tuesday, which sent my wife to the nearest laundromat on one of the coldest days in January. My daughter felt ill too. I just contacted the illness that was still lingering in the home upon my return. The devil knows how to use our immune systems to his advantage.
It wasn't his only trick that week, especially on my family. One of the girls who could not travel with us had problems of her own which directly influenced our mood. Her mother has been dealing with brain cancer (not sure of the duration, but cancer in that area would be a major cause of concern) and she was reluctant to make the trip. That week, her mom went into the doctor to set up surgery, which they ended up pushing to the end of the month. We ended up praying for Ashley there in the van, and when we said our devotions, because most of the group knew her, especially Brooke who is a best friend. Sadly, Ashley's story does not end there. Upon our return, Ashley's mother fell into a coma and later passed just a few days back. Such an awful feeling it must be to lose a mother. I don't think I'd be ready at any age, and Ashley is in college. Young girl with a tremendous weight to carry.
Brooke was beset by another factor earlier in the week. A year ago, she went on a mission trip to Haiti. She's since come back totally transformed to the nth degree than she already was (she gave her life to Christ on a mission trip to Alabama about 4 years ago, one where my daughter served as well). Well, one of the special needs children she met there, Naika, was born with hydrocephalus which causes swelling in the brain. Shortly after her own surgery where a shunt was placed to alleviate the swelling, she passed away. You can read some of her story and her family's lives here.
The trip started with a death in my family as well. My aunt Rachel passed after a short battle with cancer herself. What a woman of faith. I will always crave her macaroni salad and remember her laughter. She was one of many sisters to my step-father. She came to live with us when I was in junior high. Despite the trouble I was and regardless of the divorce that separated our families, she always proved that love can conquer all things. I know my sister took the news pretty hard, and all I wanted to do was somehow be there in Texas for the Castillo family.
I can't say that these stories of death or strange coincidences are anything new to any trip. Satan is always at work. He surely wasn't even done with me or my family. While away, my wife's family dealt with the effects of alcohol abuse and a defiance of God's authority. While I'm not going into certain specifics because much is still ongoing, I will say that you can pray for my brother-in-law and his family.
On our last night together, Rocky had all of us perform a "Talking Behind Your Back" ceremony of sorts. One by one we sat in front of the group while the group spoke indirectly about what God was doing in your life, of how they saw God in you. Powerful. We were all in tears much of the night until way past midnight. If the bonds of this group weren't already defined because of earlier friendships, they were sealed there in that church basement. Such power in the words God's gives us when we life one another up in Spirit. Such power in relinquishing all the hurts that bind us, of which there were many. I know God is saddened to know that these rocks, these cornerstones of faith, have backgrounds in brokenness that is still unhealed. Alcoholism, atheist siblings and parents, temptation and broken hearts. Without God, none of us would have been there on that trip. With God we were all made beautiful, and all of our plans were His plans and not ours. Such power in giving that away to a God who wants to steer the ship of our lives into safe harbor.
Indeed the tapestry of coincidences I always find within a group were very evident once again. One of the girls, Sarah, reminded me of one such story. When we first got Lisa into our family and changed her school, Sarah was one of her very first friends. She lived down the street--where she still continues to live--went to our church and befriended Lisa right away. I have pictures of them back in junior high just before trick or treating on Halloween and ones like these.
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| Sarah and Lisa |
Once they were in high school, they remained friends, perhaps not as close as both would have liked. Lisa was an athlete and was always surrounded by softball girls and baseball boys. Sarah was in band. The one thread that kept them in common was being in youth group.
In 2011, a swath of tornadoes repeatedly hit Alabama for 4 consecutive days in April. The news was reported here in Ohio, and typically all you do is watch the destruction, listen to the stories of perseverance and maybe make a donation. I'm not sure all the ins and outs or the conversations of who inspired whom, but our church ended up recruiting over 50 youth and adults to help in clean up. Those efforts led to camera crews and stories in our local paper. And who was interviewed?--Sarah. It was her heart that brought many of those college kids together for their first ever mission trip when they were in high school. In a sense, if it weren't for her endeavors, Brooke would not have met Christ because it happened on that trip. My daughter most likely has a different path because of it as well. Vic, Miranda and Catie (you can read some of their testimonies on that link) also went on that trip. Much like the interweaving of stories with Miss Lucille and her former student, each person there in Illinois have helped shaped someone else's life, brought them closer to God or got them to see a person of faith in a new way, simply by saying "yes" to Jesus. They sure have helped shape mine.
And dear reader, this is my hope and prayer, that by sharing my stories is that it will allow someone to question their heart. It may inspire them to go on a mission trip, or maybe just to pick up their Bible. I am beginning to understand that I don't have to see someone literally get on their knees because of my experiences (and that would be strange, let's be honest). I'm just a conduit for the Holy Spirit. God doesn't need me to bring glory to him but it sure feels good to know that someone as insignificant as me can somehow have that type of affect on someone else. In my worse I am just me. He provides everything in me that is my best.
I terribly miss my college crew. I know there's a scene in Miss Lucille's life movie where she gets to move into her new home. Cue the inspirational music. I know there's a scene in the life movies of Brooke when she exits the plane on the tarmac of an airport in Port-a-Prince, leaving a life of comfort for one in Haiti. The look on her face is priceless. Cue the tears. And other milestones too. Maddie spending a Friday studying for a test that's coming up in two weeks, a Chipotle bag of chips by her side. Vic at Bowling Green doing Bowling Green things (being a sneaky little snake--shameless inside joke). Catie in Vietnam looking like a natural in some village. Rocky preaching on a Sunday, Lisa in the audience, proud and loving. "Blue Eyes" Miranda cutting someone's hair and making them fall in love with her with just a smile. Sarah
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