OE Fever

Hi readers! So this is not what I intended for my next blog to be about but I know several people that have been on mission trips this past week, and needless to say I’m suffering from what I like to call “OE Fever.” So this is what has been on my heart and I figured I would share!

For those of you that know me well, you know that I’m basically obsessed with a little town in Honduras called Guaimaca, and more specifically with a place within that town called Orphanage Emmanuel. I’ve gotten the chance to share this story with a few people over the past couple of years, but I would like all of you to hear it. So here it is.

I can recall very few times in my life that I plainly, I mean PLAINLY, STRAIGHT UP, heard the Lord telling me what to do. I don’t see this as a bad thing. The Lord speaks to everybody in different ways. Most of the time His voice is more of a feeling inside of me that I just have to go along with and trust that it is really Him. But one of the few times that I have been so absolutely sure about what He was saying to me was around July of 2012. The Honduras mission team at my church was preparing to leave for their trip and for some odd reason it just hit me that day. I was supposed to go to Honduras. Whattttt? So any of you that know me well know I have had a “bubble” for most of my life. I like to stay in my bubble and any move outside of the bubble makes me super anxious. Well, this was the day that the Lord began to poke holes in my bubble (FYI, he’s still poking holes today). I remember telling my dad that day that I thought that God was calling me to go to Honduras. He asked me the question that I still get asked when I tell this story today, “Well, how do you know He’s calling you?” My answer was the same that day as it is today, I wouldn’t make that choice on my own. Going to Honduras called for me to step out of my bubble, something that I don’t just willingly do. If you had asked me a year or even a couple of months prior to that day, I would’ve told you that God’s not going to call me to missions. I was convinced missions were not for me. But that day, sitting in my car after church, I knew I was going to go to Honduras. I didn’t know how. I didn’t know how I was going to find the money, or how on Earth I was going to do this without just completely falling apart (P.S. Don’t let me fool you, I did have several meltdowns). But the Lord was faithful, and I can now look back and say that making the choice to go to Honduras was by far one of the best decisions I have ever made. In August, I will make my third trip to Orphanage Emmanuel, and I am BEYOND excited! I just wanted to share this for anybody that feels like they’re stuck in their bubble. I know how you feel. I still currently know how you feel. I have been slowly letting the Lord poke holes in my bubble, but I am nowhere near as adventurous as I desire to be. My advice is take it one “hole” at a time. And trust that if you’re doing something to glorify the Lord, He will not let you face it alone. Be willing to just answer the Lord’s call and be a little adventurous for Him. It’ll probably end up being one of the best decisions you’ve ever made, I promise!

 

Now I just want to share a little about OE and some pictures from my previous trips. Orphanage Emmanuel (OE) is a Christian based orphanage in Guaimaca, Honduras. It was founded in 1989 by David and Lydia Martinez after David received a vision from the Lord. They sold everything they had and moved to Honduras, not knowing what the Lord had in store for them. You can read David and Lydia’s full testimony and find out more about OE on http://orphanageemmanuelhn.weebly.com/. I highly suggest you take some time to check it out!

As for my personal experiences at OE, they have been indescribable. Like literally. There are no words, or pictures that I can use to describe how amazing and life changing my visits to OE have been. But since I know that not everyone will be called to serve at OE, I will try my best to describe it.

As soon as you arrive at Emmanuel, you can tell that there is something different about it.

There is just a happiness that radiates around the whole place.

 

 

 

 

 

The kids just love to be loved, (and play with your phone/camera, if you’ll let them)

 
Selfie!

 

 

They’re also not shy about asking for/taking any water bottles, food, or candy that you may have in your possession.

 

This is an action shot of a knock-down, drag-out over a water bottle.

 

 

 

 

My sweet Maria. I met Maria during my trip last August. We bonded over the week and shared some great broken Spanish/English conversations over cheddar Pringles and Frescas at “la tienda” (the store).

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sweet Banessa

 

 

 

So in case you haven’t figured it out yet, this blog has basically just been a

 

way for me to cope with my “OE Fever.”

 

 

I don’t have any profound end points that I want you to take away from this blog like I normally do. I just wanted to share a little about OE for those of you who have heard me talking about it, but you weren’t really sure what it’s all about.

However, I will give you some things to ponder and pray about:

1. Pray about God poking holes in your own “bubble”

2. Pray for me and my fellow team members as we prepare for our upcoming trip in August.

3. Read Matthew 28:19-20 and pray about what part God has for you to play in missions

 

Not all Christians are called to travel overseas, or even out of their own

home town to spread the Gospel. But EVERY Christian is called to serve

and to play a part in making disciples. Whether your part is moving to a

third world country, or simply praying for missions and helping financially,

we all have a part to play. Discover your part.

 

 

If the opportunity to go on a foreign mission trip ever arises for you, I highly encourage you to take the opportunity. I promise you won’t regret it!

 

Thank you to everyone who took the time to read this blog. I feel like it was kind of random and a little unorganized, but it was on my heart and I felt like I needed to share. Don't forget to check out Orphanage Emmanuel's official website: http://orphanageemmanuelhn.weebly.com/

 

I have a few ideas for my next blog, but I haven't made a decision yet.

Keep an eye out for it!

 

Thanks again!

 

Remember, Jesus loves YOU!

 

Hannah ♥



 

 

 

 


 



Fix Your Eyes

Hello readers! I’m back! So I came up with the idea of this blog a little over a month ago, but I’m just now finding the time to write it. It’s actually a funny coincidence that the passage of scripture I’m going to talk about is the same passage that was preached a couple of weeks ago at Engage JSU (a college ministry I’m involved in.)

Also, DISCLAIMER: I got to thinking about this the other day and I feel like I need to address it. I don’t want anybody to be under the impression that I’m perfect and that I don’t have struggles. Chances are, if I write a blog post about it, I have or am currently struggling with the subject that I blog about. Not always, but a lot of times that will be the case. So please do not read my posts and be under the impression that I don’t have trouble “choosing joy” every day, or that I don’t struggle with making excuses before God. Because I do, EVERYDAY! But I’ve been told that I give decent advice, and I happen to be an okay writer. So I’m just here to blog about what I struggle with, what I have watched others struggle with, and what I’ve learned from these struggles.

So now that I’ve written a mini novel as a disclaimer, let’s move on!

Like always, I’m just going to jump right in with scripture.

 

²² Immediately Jesus made the disciples get into the boat and go on ahead of him to the other side, while he dismissed the crowd. ²³ After he had dismissed them, he went up on a mountainside by himself to pray. Later that night, he was there alone, ²⁴ and the boat was already a considerable distance from land, buffeted by the waves because the wind was against it.²⁵ Shortly before dawn Jesus went out to them, walking on the lake. ²⁶ When the disciples saw him walking on the lake, they were terrified. “It’s a ghost,” they said, and cried out in fear.²⁷ But Jesus immediately said to them: “Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.” ²⁸ “Lord, if it’s you,” Peter replied, “tell me to come to you on the water.”²⁹ “Come,” he said. Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus. ³⁰ But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, “Lord, save me!”³¹ Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. “You of little faith,” he said, “why did you doubt?”³² And when they climbed into the boat, the wind died down. ³³ Then those who were in the boat worshiped him, saying, “Truly you are the Son of God.”

-Matthew 14:22-33

 

Okay, so that’s pretty straight forward, right? I mean if you’ve been in church for any given amount of time, you’ve probably heard this story.

Basically, Jesus walks on the water, Peter asks Jesus to confirm that it’s him by letting him walk on the water. Jesus is like “Well come on Peter, what are you waiting for?” So then Peter steps out on the water and begins to walk. But something interesting happens. And that’s what I want to focus on.

³⁰ But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, “Lord, save me!”

 

So in December, I went skiing for the first time. Long story short, the Lord did not intend for me to become a professional skier. It was an adventure to say the least. I have never been extremely athletic, but I’ve always wanted to be. So I was determined to at least make it down the biggest bunny slope. And I did. But that’s not the point of this story.

We were fortunate enough to be able to have a lesson with a ski instructor, so I at least knew how to stand up in my skis. The most important thing that the instructor told us to do is to keep our eyes forward, to keep our eyes on her. Because, the moment you look down at your feet, you’re going to fall.

Peter took his eyes off of Jesus, and he began to sink. He got so caught up on the wind and the waves, that he took his eyes off Jesus. So he began to sink.

This happens to us, too. None of us have probably ever walked on water, but when the “storms” of life hit us, we tend to take our eyes off of Christ. Why do we do that? Like, we take our eyes off the only one who can truly help us. It’s kind of ridiculous if you think about it. But see what Peter does next? As soon as he begins to sink, he cries out to the Lord to save him. We can learn something from Peter, here. When the storm comes and we begin to sink, we should immediately cry out for help from the Lord. The cool thing about it is, the Lord is GUARENTEED to reach out and take you by the hand.

³¹ Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. “You of little faith,” he said, “why did you doubt?”

So here are 4 things I want you to get out of this post:

1.     Fix your eyes on Jesus. It will make things much easier.

2.     There are going to be times when you “look down at your feet.”

3.     When those times come, quickly call out to Jesus for help.

4.     Jesus WILL reach out and take you by the hand, you just have to take the first step by calling out to him.

 

This has been a shorter post, but I hope it speaks to you the way it spoke to me. Remember to ALWAYS fix your eyes on Jesus. He will never fail you. And when the time comes when you DO take your eyes off of Him (because that time WILL come), remember to quickly call out to Him. He’ll reach out and grab your hand to keep you from drowning.

THANK YOU to all of my faithful readers! I have no clue when my next post will be, or what it will be about. You’ll just have to wait and see! Thanks again for reading!

 

Remember, Jesus loves YOU!

 

Hannah ♥