What does it look like...

So I found out a couple of weeks ago that I will be returning to Kenya with Compassion International in February!!! Words cannot express how excited I am to go back to the place that forever changed my life. I do not know details of the trip, yet, but I absolutely cannot wait. I don't think that the sights that I saw while in Kenya this past year will ever leave my mind. The faces of the children, the sights of the slums, and the smells of the shanties I visited, haunt me to this day. They are ingrained in my senses...in every way possible. I cannot escape the overwhelming feeling inside of me to reach out to these people...

...But what does that look like? We are talking in church right now about James and have focused, in particular, on James 1:27. What does it look like to reach out to orphans and widows? What does it look like to change the life of a person living in poverty. I know that lives can only be changed through Christ Jesus - but what can I do to bring them to Christ as I live on the other side of the globe? The same goes with my other love...Los Mochis, MX. Again, what does it look like to reach out to these people living in poverty when I am so far away from them? Is it short term missions? Long term missions? Prayer? Financial support? A combination of those?

This is the reason that I love Compassion International. They are providing answers to the questions mentioned above. They are providing a way for people, just like you and me, to reach out to those living in poverty and bring them the one thing that they so desperately need: hope in our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. They are providing them with their basic needs and then raising them to find their hope not in their current circumstance, but in the fact that they are a child of God. Praise God for the work that he is doing in 26 countries around the world through Compassion. I cannot wait to return to Kenya with Compassion and see the impact they have made in even the year it will have been since my last trip there.

I recognize that there are so many ways to help those in poverty. I continue to search out what that looks like for me. But for now...I am confident that the work that God is doing through Compassion is a reflection of James 1:27.

This has always been something that I have firmly believed, but it was confirmed that much more when my church (The Church at Brook Hills) decided to focus much of their resources on funding Compassion International's Child Survival Programs in India. And by programS...I mean the ENTIRE COUNTRY of INDIA! Seriously?! When David shared this last Sunday my immediate reaction was to of course tear up...ha...but then just sit in awe of God's glory. What an amazing opportunity for Brook Hills! To read more about Child Survival Programs through Compassion International, visit this website: http://www.compassion.com/contribution/csp/faq/default.htm.

Natural Overflow of Faith...

Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.
-James 1:27


www.compassion.com

Let the planning begin...

This was a huge week for the Events team here at Student Life...we found out what teams we will be on for the Summer of 2010! This may not seem like a big deal to others, but it is incredibly important to us as it tells us which events each team will be hosting next Summer so that we can begin to plan. Graham and I have an incredible schedule that includes...Lee University in Cleveland, TN, Windermere Conference Center in Roach, MO, Gatlinburg, TN, Daytona Beach, FL, Oklahoma Baptist University in Shawnee, OK, Branson, MO, and Tuscarora Conference Center in Mt. Bethel, PA. We could not be more excited! If you live near any of these locations, please come this summer!

For more information about these events, as well as any other Student Life 2010 events, visit:
https://www.studentlife.com/events/home-camp.php

http://www.studentlife.com/events/theme-video.php

Back to The Real World...

After several weeks of vacation/recuperation we have finally re-entered the real world. We started back to work on Tuesday of this week and things are back in full swing as we prepare for the year to come! It feels good to be back - the people that Graham and I work with are truly like family to us. We are blessed.

To catch you up on what we have been doing...

We started with a 4 day get away to the lake. We strongly considered going on a cruise during this time, but with the ones that worked with our time schedule we decided it probably wasn't the best of ideas considering the only boat that was going during that time and had space available was super cheap...scary cheap...since this was their farewell cruise. That ship is being retired this month... Enough said. We also decided it would be more fun to go on a cruise with another couple and experience it with them! Anyone interested?! So, that being said...the lake it was! You can't beat a free vacation! Melanie and Reynolds joined us for the first two days, then we stayed down for two more - it rained most of the time, but considering we slept most of the time anyways it didn't really matter to us what the weather was! It was so nice to have some days away...free of responsibilities...decisions...work...ahhhhh...so nice :) We returned to celebrate the birthday of my beautiful mother and had a wonderful birthday dinner at Melanie's house. Reynolds is a grill-master, so we always love going to eat at their house. We left a few days after that to spend a week in Oklahoma visiting Graham's family. As always, it was so great to be with them! We got to see most of his friends too which was lots of fun - they are all so sweet and so much fun to be with. Good times :)

Now we are getting back in the swing of things...and I'm loving it. I started in a new Bible study last night with some ladies of all ages from Brook Hills. We are doing a precept Bible study on the book of James, and I cannot wait. I have never done a precept study before, but I have heard that they are absolutely amazing. I will also start teaching Sunday School next Sunday which I could not be more excited about! I guess 'teaching' is a relative term when the kids were born between May-July 2008 :) Precious. It is good practice for my litttle niece who will be here SO SOON!!!!! The nursery is finished and ready to go...I will put some pictures up just as soon as I have them. It is beautiful!

I got to talk with one of my very best friends, Briana, last night for almost 2 hours. It had been a while since we had been able to actually catch each other...so we had lots to catch up on :) It was wonderful hearing her voice...and since she recently moved to California we of course had to plan a trip for me to come visit her...right Rae?! :)


One other exciting thing... Fall is well on it's way which not only means incredible weather...but it also means college football is about to kick off! I just know that Auburn is going to take it away this year :) .....

That's about all that is going on here with the Hills. Life is good and we are blessed!