make room

Today was the second first day of school...after speaking to the school last night and all of their efforts...the teachers just could not get there.  The advantage for Kids' Alive is that most of the students live on campus, but gotta have those teachers.  The girls were up early and braided and fed and READY and went and soon came home again, Nora officially thinks we are kidding about school, and we are back to homeschool.

Which I am thankful for. And saddened by...because not a whole lot of people have that option.  

I know you're praying...thank you, please continue, and pray that He would continue to give us all that we need--wisdom, courage, great love, insight, peace.  

Speaking of which, this may sound like begging (cause it is) but we really need help.

Matt spent all day today when he wasn't teaching helping staff members with printers and network issues, helping the finance office with building and printing reports, and working on getting generator maintenance/fuel measuring/adjustment/management organized. By the time he got home from teaching Bible study down the road tonight, he was totally wiped...and still has his class to prepare for tomorrow, and his actual job duties to do.   

We need help.

Matt cannot physically DO what he needs to do, what he's gifted to do, what he's called to do, what needs done, when he's also the only person on campus who technically knows how to do the network stuff. With only three days notice our systems manager/IT director was leaving, we could not have planned better to have avoided this situation...we are simply in trouble.  

Do you have a tech-savvy college student who wants to take some time off and get some practical experience? Could you come help us with the network/maintenance/electrical stuff for a few weeks? Do you know someone who would be interested in doing an internship and who can help in any of those areas?  

As you pray with us for help, please pray with me for Matt. We're beyond what we can carry.  We're working hard to take one day at a time, to give it all to the Lord, to stand on His promises. We are clinging to His Word and are in It continually, just to hold onto His peace.  

Darkness is at work in many ways...holding Haiti stuck, holding people in fear, holding many lies. 

But He reminds me again and again and again that HE IS AT WORK TOO. 

He is and will be victorious. 

Two small stories, one message.

A student came to see me in my office on Friday, and with his head down, told me he frequently doesn't have food on the weekends (when the cafeteria is closed) and doesn't have the money to buy any. He said that not eating from lunch on Friday until breakfast on Monday has been 'upsetting his stomach'. 

I wish he'd told me sooner, I wish he hadn't had to, I wish lots of things. 

But as he spoke and I pictured another person at our table, the Lord spoke too, comforting me as we are being stretched right now.

On Sunday we drove two miles to a church the village over, and as the van picked through the huge mud ponds and remnants of blackened road blocks, a group of very rough-looking young men from the side rushed the van.

Lily grabbed my arm and I stiffened, and suddenly Matt grinned, stopped the van, rolled down the window and started calling them each by name...huge smiles, all talking a million miles a minute, and then we were off again.

"Who in the WORLD are those guys?" I asked him as I breathed a sigh of relief.

"Those are my Monday Bible study guys!" Matt said. "I seriously love those dudes...you wouldn't believe how much growth is happening in those guys hearts and lives!"

God is comforting me to GROW and make room.

When there is more need, we can grow tight-fisted, or we can ask Him to grow our generosity. When there is not enough help, we can be stingy with our time, or we can spend it on others freely. When money is tight, we can hoard it or share it willingly, with love. When resources are low, we can scrooge them or we can trust Him and pour on. When things are scary, we can melt away or we can make more places at our tables.

When we feel like there is just not enough, of ourselves, of our resources, of our courage...He is.  He is ENOUGH. He has enough. He GIVES enough. 

How I desire to walk so closely to Him that every single thing that is asked of me I am quick to open my hands and GIVE Him without a thought. How badly I want to be close enough that I will always resound Christ-enough to others!

When things are rough, we can withdraw and tighten and skimp.  

or we can make room.

There is such darkness all around us that it threatens to make us tired, to make us heavy, to make us tight.

Instead, we are just going to keep making room for LIGHT.