Neither Here Nor There, But Everywhere

Greetings!

My week is coming to an end tomorrow and it has been a very event full week for me and so I look forward to a restful time.

This week has been one filled with tons of fellowship with the people at the church of my grandparents. A blessed week indeed and one that has shown me that one is always on a mission trip. Sometimes mission trips can be looked at as something that only certain people get to do and not others. Missionaries can also be looked at as special people called to bring the Lord's word to other's lives out side of their familiar surroundings. So I look at myself now and ask where and when I have kept God to myself? I am aware that even when I am in the States that I am on mission.

Here I vacation at my grandparent's house amongst lush greenery and I come to find that even as I breath the fresh air I am on a mission. Just because I am granted the time off does not mean His ministry does not continue lest I become an ineffective Christian. My selfishness began to settle in when I first got to the Netherlands...I thought to myself that I learned all of what mission really meant because I had applied it at home. But later my grandpa said to me "You are on a mission!", I thought to myself "I'm not on a mission-I'm visiting you guys what are you thinking? ". You see, I discovered that even here at my grandparents there are so many people that I can be praying for, and those who need a listening ear, and others where I need to just sit there. Did you know that just "being" available God can use you? Sometimes we are just meant to sit-that is special!

I believe we can agree that the word of God is to be shared with everyone freely and should not be put in a box (i.e. limit the spreading of the word). God wants to be used in all areas of your life even during vacations. The opportunity/blessing is there if we would yeild our finite thinking to Him who can exceed all expectations.

"Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up."
Galations 6:9

May you persevere through this summer!

How Colored Eggs Effected My Life

In the Netherlands you can find every week colored hard boiled eggs being sold in the markets.

After sightseeing on Saturday & returning home late around 12:30pm I woke up around 6am to get ready to eat breakfast with my grandparents at 7am. As I sat on the table I saw six colored eggs in a clear container. It was a puzzled look that I gave for I was pretty sure of myself that it was not Easter. My grandpa said to me almost immediately with great enthusiasm "You know it's Easter! " he and I just began to laugh. Then in a more serious way he repeated it "You know it's Easter?"

After getting past the distraction of thinking of the eggs as only representing the traditions of Easter was it then that I saw the eggs as a reminder of the reason why I have hope in my salvation. These colored eggs represented something more than just a decoration piece for a holiday, but rather it stood for a God who is so great that He gave His life to bring me eternal life. It reminded me of how great and costly the debt of my sin was to a holy God. So, I sat eating my breakfast feeling so humbled knowing He paid all my debt. A question popped into my mind: Do I take my sin seriously as God sees it? He refines us where we need it and this is one of my many refining lessons.

Because He lives is the reason why I can rejoice. I know Jesus conquered death so that eternal life is possible through believing in Him. To me Easter is everyday. May this be the same for you because He lives!

"For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast."
Ephesians 2: 8-9

Polka Music

Here I am sitting writing on my blog and I hear Polka music from the neighbors next door.