Only Jesus

I really enjoy listening to Christian radio…I understand that some don’t like it because they play the same songs over and over and over again.  Well…that’s generally what I do on my Amazon music anyway…just ask my family.  Hehe!  One of the things that I really missed while we were in India, was having access to Christian radio stations. 

I choose to listen to Christian music, not because I think all secular music is bad.  I actually prefer Christian music because it helps me worship Jesus and stay focused on Him throughout my day.  And, oftentimes, when I am driving and listening, God will speak to me through the lyrics of a song…even a song that I have listened to hundreds of times over again.  I love it when that happens!

I don’t know about you, but I am the kind of person who gets the lyrics of a song stuck in my head and then they rattle around in there all day long…I oftentimes will even wake up in the morning or even the middle of the night with a song playing in my head.  It’s usually one that I have heard recently.  Having said all that, I would much rather have the lyrics to a worship song continuously running through my head or waking me up in the morning.  Christian music is such a blessing to me and my relationship with God.

So right now, I am stuck on a few songs that I literally loop endlessly on my phone during my day.  The songs are "Only Jesus" by Casting Crowns and "Reckless Love" by Corey Asbury.  I really love the message in the song "Only Jesus"…here are some of the lyrics:

“Make it count, leave a mark, build a name for yourself;  Dream your dreams, chase your heart, above all else;  Make a name the world remembers;  But all an empty world can sell is empty dreams; I got lost in the lie that it was up to me; To make a name the world remembers; But Jesus is the only name to remember. And I, I don’t want to leave a legacy; I don’t care if they remember me, Only Jesus. And I, I’ve only got one life to live; I’ll let every second point to Him, Only Jesus. All the kingdoms built, all the trophies won, Will crumble into dust when it’s said and done, ‘Cause all that really matters: Did I live the truth to the ones I love, Was my life the proof that there is only One Whose name will last forever, Jesus is the only name.”

Here's a link to the song, so you can listen to it yourself: "Only Jesus," by Casting Crowns

I just love this reminder that Jesus is the only name people need to know and remember.  May this be the cry of our hearts: “I don’t want to leave a legacy; I don’t care of they remember me, Only Jesus!”

New Season...New Focus

As you may have noticed, I have not been doing my weekly blog posting since our return Stateside.  It's kind of hard to write about our daily life in India from Ohio...even though we still miss and long for that life in many ways.  But, please don't get me wrong...we love being back in the States to be with precious family and friends who we have missed for so long.  We know that God has brought us back to the States "for such a time as this" and we are excited for what the future holds because we know the One who holds the future!

So, since we are back in the States, for a new season of life and ministry, our blog will need to have a new focus.  Since our return from DAR (Debriefing and Renewal) in early August, we have been doing a lot of reading, praying, fasting, meeting and networking, as we seek God's vision for what's next.   

While my blog posts will probably have a different flavor from time to time, I think I would like to say that I am going to focus now on what God is teaching me and how that is shaping my life.  I might share about a book that I am reading, or a devotion that really moved me, or a reflection on how India changed me, or a story about a relationship that is blessing me, or even how God is molding me and pruning me during this new season of our lives.

All of us are loved by a great and mighty God, who is as mysterious as He is majestic.  I wish I could recount for you all the ways that God revealed Himself to us, shaped us, broke us, transformed us, challenged us and humbled us during our time in India.  We have returned from India very different but eternally grateful for every day we spent there, every person we loved there, and even every tear we shed there.  

Thank you for your faithfulness in sharing our journey to India and back over the last five years.  While the content on this blog will be different from here forward, I hope that you will still continue to follow us as we seek to follow Jesus.  We still have so much to learn and we are delighted to share it with you.  Thank you for loving and supporting us so well.  We love you and are eternally grateful for you!

First Day of School

The kids have each started the school year in their new schools.  Desirae began second grade at Navin Elementary in Marysville.  Dylan began tenth grade at Marysville High School.  Delaney started sixth grade at Marburn Academy in New Albany.  Each had a great first week and is excited about the school year ahead.  Thank you so much for the prayers you have lifted up to the throne of God on behalf of our kids.  Please continue to pray for them during this time of transition to establish God-honoring and meaningful friendships, to be leaders for Jesus, to find ways to serve, and to settle into their new normal. 

Hiking Pikes Peak

When we were in Colorado in February 2014, our family spontaneously climbed the Incline…2000 stairs of the old cog railroad in less than a mile.  (Click this link to read about that adventure.)  Ever since then, we have talked about hiking to the summit of Pikes Peak.  So, while we were in Colorado for DAR, we spent 7.5 hours hiking America’s Mountain. 

We got up at 5 am and drove to Crags trailhead.  It was 6:30 am and 38 degrees, when we set out for the summit.  We hiked for 3 hours and arrived at Devil’s Playground, so named because of the way lightning jumps from rock to rock during a thunderstorm.  Fortunately, we did not get to experience the reason for its namesake.  Since the summit house is being rebuilt and parking is limited on the top, there was a free shuttle from Devil’s Playground to the summit.  The trail from Devil’s Playground to the summit is a boulder field that the girls opted out of climbing.  So, Tony and the girls rode the free shuttle to the top.  Dylan, Oreo and I hiked the rest of the trail.

While Dylan and I were hiking the boulder field, one man was walking back down…from the wrong direction.  He stopped and said something like this…I don’t think you guys are going to make it; it’s like climbing straight up the side of the mountain.  He said he turned around because he started to think about his 4 year old daughter and never seeing her again.  That was not exactly what we wanted to hear…but nonetheless, we pressed on. 

I had done quite a bit of research on hiking Pikes Peak.  It seems this guy had gotten off the trail.  As long as we followed the little pyramids of rock (cairns), it was easy to find and stay on the trail.  I am so glad I had done my research, because while we were hiking, we met three other young men who were also lost on the trail.  They opted to follow us to the summit. 

Our small group arrived at the summit of Pikes Peak at about 11 am.  It was an amazing and exhausting hike!  Oreo was a riot on our hike.  He never drank water the entire time.  He never panted or showed any signs of being the least bit tired.  He constantly ran ahead to the end of his lease and the ran back to wait on us. He scaled the boulder field like it was nothing.  Clearly, he is in much better shape than all of us.

After taking pictures and eating the famous donuts at the summit, we opted to take the free shuttle back down to Devil’s Playground.  Oreo was not allowed to ride in the shuttle, so he and Tony hitched a ride with the driver of a pick-up truck.  Once we were all back together at Devil’s Playground, we hiked back down the mountain to our car.  In all, we hiked 12.6 miles in 7.5 hours.  It was a breathtaking…in more than one way…adventure.  We praise God for the beauty of His creation and the joy of making great memories together as a family.   

Oreo

Having a dog in India has been such a blessing.  Yet, keeping him healthy and alive, at times was very challenging.  We are so blessed to have a sister-in-law in Columbus who is a veterinarian.  We communicated with her through Facebook Messenger every time Oreo had an issue and she would give us advice and recommend proper medications and dosages.  She was a God-send!

Oreo had many minor issues in his three years of life in India.  But, over the last four months, he developed a more severe issue with his bladder.  It seems Dalmatians are prone to bladder stones.  Oreo developed several urinary obstructions over the last several months, and we were not even sure if he was going to be able to travel to the States.  His first obstruction involved taking him to the local vet for evaluation.  Tony then had to take Oreo to a roadside shop to get an x-ray.  The x-ray was clear because the kind of stones Dalmatians are prone to are only visible by ultrasound…which is not available for animals in Siliguri.  Fortunately, Oreo’s obstruction was cleared up with medications.

But, just about four weeks before their scheduled trip back to the States, Oreo developed another obstruction.  This time medication did not help, and Oreo was facing surgery.  Tony took Oreo back to the local vet, who ordered another roadside x-ray.  Again, the x-ray was clear, but the blockage was severe.  So, in order to relieve Oreo’s bladder, the vet opted to insert a catheter and leave it in for up to three days.  If there was no improvement after that time, Oreo would have to have surgery.

By the grace of God alone, on day two of wearing a catheter, Oreo passed two stones that got stuck in the catheter.  When the catheter was removed, Oreo was free from obstruction!  Praise God! Again by the grace of God, Oreo remained healthy enough to travel back to the States without any issues. 

But less than a week after being home, Oreo developed yet another obstruction.  This time we were able to take Oreo to our sister-in-law in person for a full analysis of his situation.  Oreo is now on prescription food.  He had an infection from the catheter he wore in India for several days.  So, he is currently on an antibiotic as well as a medication to help dissolve the stones in his bladder.  We are praying that this will clear up Oreo’s bladder issues for good.

We praise God for keeping our precious little guy safe, enabling him to travel without issue, and getting him to the States so that he could get the care that he needs.  He is doing great these days and loving life in America.  Thanks for all your love and prayers, specifically for Oreo.

New Bike

In November, we sent off one of the young people in our youth group to Delhi.  You may remember me writing about him.  Chingmi completed airline training school and went to Delhi in the hopes of finding a job as an airline flight attendant.  Although, he did not find a job in the airline industry, he did secure a job at a five star hotel in Delhi.  He is living with his biological sister in a small apartment and working hard to navigate life in Delhi and learn how to live on his own.  Although he works at a five star hotel, his salary is quite small for Delhi life.

As you know Delhi is one of the largest cities in the world and not the safest place in which to walk around alone.  Chingmi has at least a 45 minute commute each way to work, walking and using various modes of public transportation.  He was spending a large portion of his small monthly salary on public transportation each month.  Chingmi has also been robbed twice in his few months in Delhi, once loosing all his cash and another time loosing his cell phone.  Fortunately, he has never been physically harmed by his robbers.

This month, we were able to bless Chingmi with financial assistance so that he could purchase a motorcycle for himself.  This purchase was made possible by your generous support of our work.  Chingmi is so very grateful for your love and support of him through us.  Words cannot express how grateful we are for you and your partnership that enables us to be generous in the lives of so many precious people. 

Please continue to pray for Chingmi in Delhi.  Here is a picture of him on his new motorcycle...

Kosovo

We spent the last week in Kosovo with new friends that we met through our company.  While in Kosovo, we had the joy of sharing what we are doing in our context with them in their own context.  Our time with these precious people in this beautiful country was awesome!  We look forward to sharing more details with you in our next update.

Even though we did not have any time to explore the country and do site seeing, we fell in love with Kosovo and its people.  Kosovars are very hospitable and kind people.  And, they love Americans because the Clinton administration helped them in their fight for independence from Serbia.  They celebrated 10 years of independence on February 18, 2018!

While in Kosovo, we got to taste delicious traditional Kosovar food (goulash and homemade bread).  We also enjoyed an evening of worship using a traditional Kosovar instrument, called the cifteli.  Even though we only spent a short time in Kosovo, we now refer to our new friends as dear friends.