it's a Person.

So grateful for our whirlwind weekend at Cornerstone Church in Bear, DE this weekend!  It gave us such a beautiful time of catching up with friends old and new, of praying for others, of sharing the Gospel as Jesus, stories from Haiti, stories from America...it was great.

The girls wish church in Haiti came with cookies and toys to play with :)

My biggest take-away:

1) The more we speak in Haiti and in America, and the more we spend time in both places, the more obvious it is how very DIFFERENT these two cultures are, AND the more obvious how very SIMILAR a mission field they are.

The first night at Cornerstone, I was sitting at a table talking to an older man I had never met.  Following several major back surgeries, he continues to live in a considerable amount of pain.  "I'm in so much pain," he struggled to share with me, "and I just don't know WHAT to do."

As soon as he said it, the images of SO MANY people came to mind.  I have heard SO MANY people say that, in mud huts and in beautiful churches: There is so much pain in my life, and I don't know WHAT to do about it.

What a mission-field.

Then Sunday morning during the service, we broke into small groups for a few minutes to pray together.

I noticed a woman sitting alone that no one seemed to know, so I moved over to her table and asked a very simple question:

Hello, I'm Stacey!  How can I pray for you?

She started to share some very significant health issues of her own, and then of her husbands.  They are almost always homebound.  There are a lot of reasons for anxiety to creep in.  Sadness.  Loneliness.  Then, she shares that her only child recently told them that they are a homosexual, and is now living with their partner.  

By the time she finished sharing, I couldn't imagine how she brought herself to church this morning.  Couldn't imagine how she got out of bed.  Couldn't comprehend how brave her smile now seemed.  Couldn't comprehend the overwhelming love of Jesus I felt for His daughter.

We prayed, for strength, for courage, for her to throw it all on Him and lean heavily.

When we finished and headed back to our seats, she grabbed my hand:  Are you new here?  Could we pray together each week?

Even as she was asking, my desire was overwhelming to become a part of this woman's life...to bring them supper once a week, to share our happy girls with them.

The point.

There is such a powerful mission field RIGHT WHERE YOU ARE.

For the Gospel, which is a PERSON.  For Jesus, who lives in you.

And in ANY country, I'm starting to wonder if lives would be changed and transformed simply by walking with Jesus in YOU for a while.  

Takes time.  Not convenient.  Costs some money.  Costs some sacrifice.  

But writing that man or that woman or a lot of men and women we know in Haiti a check is NOT gonna cut it.  Praying for them once or twice, NOT gonna cut it.  We need to BE IN THEIR HOMES AND HAVE THEM IN OURS.  Meet their spouses and children and parents and go again, next week.  

Praise God He didn't send a check, didn't send a prayer, didn't send a good wish, didn't send a care package.  

He sent a PERSON.  JESUS.

And now He's sending a PERSON.  YOU.

It doesn't have to be Haiti.  I met so many people just this weekend who need a missionary so badly.  

Baby, it's you.

oh man. 

This was just supposed to be a quick update and now I'm crying and carrying on.  

Go start a relationship with somebody today...let God bring the mailman, the homeless person, the loner in your church, your kid's friend's mom...to mind.  Just ask them, "How can I pray for you?"

As you listen to what they need, you will hear that it is more JESUS.

Let God answer that prayer through YOU.  

DO IT.

I bet it will be frustrating at times.  Most definitely inconvenient. Maybe costly.  Probably awkward at times.  Most surely a long-term commitment.  Lots of grace required.

PRAISE THE LORD HE HAS PERSEVERED through that kind of a relationship with ME.

Because of who He is, I can be, too.

OK, OK.  I'm done.  Matt and Lily went on a special long-awaited first Daddy-Daughter date on Friday, and she insisted on dressing up like a princess.   They had such a great time. 

We also got to see baby Evelyn Friday and Sunday, and this is her, "What, Aunt Stacey isn't going to see me on Saturday?" face.  :)

This was baby's first outing, and she just looks so darn cute.  Being a mom with my sister is SO special.  Having them in Philly and getting to see them almost every day is such a rare gift.

After church Sunday we went to a street fair in Philly with Barb and Keith (Matt's parents) and Lisa and Adam and Adam's family.  The girls and I are still quite sick (though the worship leader at Cornerstone was Jesus to us and ran out and got us cold med's between services!) but it was so good to do something "normal" with family!

This also entirely tuckered out dear Evie.

Lily and Sofie were overjoyed to find a free balloon artist, and were butterflies for the rest of the day!

Barb and Keith move to Florida in less than a week, so we're spending this week homeschooling, helping them get ready (and trying to stay out of the way :), seeing a few friends, getting BETTER (hopefully), preparing for next weekend at Seeds of Greatness Bible Church, and moving again, this time to Uncle Don and Aunt Brenda's!