Well the time has come to start loading up those doggone suitcases again...

Am headed back to Hondo early tomorrow morning. The feeling remains the same. I miss that place like crazy when I'm here, but when it's time to go my heart divides itself into two pieces once again.

I have ABSOLUTELY loved getting to be here to be an aunt and snuggle that little sweet thing about to death. I have gotten to watch my nephew play basketball now (and as a sidebar may I just say he is stinking good and I am proud as punch). Carley has once again melted my heart in her sweet little voice saying, "I wuv you Jennay." It's one of those things you want to store in some really sweet place in your heart forever. I've hung out with my grannie's and just sat at my house a lot this trip so I could spend time with my family. I have LOVED that!!

I really felt like I was supposed to come home this time to be an aunt and a daughter and a friend and that has been good for my heart. I don't do well guarding my time while I'm here because I feel an urgency to fundraise and speak up for the folks I love over there and to be "productive" with the little time that I have to be in the States. Really felt God telling me this time though to work while everyone was at school and work during the day and to try to guard my other moments. I spoke at one church while I was home and did a few other little things, but mostly my evenings and my weekends have been spent with people I love just doing life together for a bit.

So please pray as I head back tomorrow. I can't wait to see my kiddo's there either and go back to doing life with my Hondo "family." I know that I am so blessed to get to love people soooooo much in both places. I'm grateful for that.

We have two teams coming in the next few weeks, so your prayers for that would be appreciated. As a matter of fact from the 10th - 19th of April this blog will be updated regularly throughout the week with posts about what's happening during the Belpre Teams mission week. Momma Grose will be writing those and you won't want to miss them.

We also are going to stream our devo's this year so that you can be a part of those if you would like to. We will have more details about that coming VERY soon!!

Thanks for hanging in there with us through the various seasons of this ministry, this life, this blog, etc. I am committed to doing better sharing all of that with you through this blog again. Pray that I will be more disciplined in finding time to do some of the necessary things that get pushed away by the urgent.

My new goal is to order my life better...we'll see how that goes! :)

Just spent an hour with one of my favorite people on the face of the planet having a warm beverage and great fellowship...we sat in this cozy new place in town called The Awakening Cafe. Started by a Christian couple in the middle of downtown Parkersburg - am sitting here just imagining how it will become a hub of activity that will reflect Jesus. I'm excited to hear about their journey.

I have watched several of my homeless friends walk by the window and somehow it has been a welcome reminder that this life that we live doesn't always fit in a box that surrounds our put together life. We exist in the same space on this planet, all of us given our lives by God, and all of us with an invite to join His perfection again someday when our time here is over. Equal ground and yet such vastly different experiences...

It's raining, pretty heavily, and I'm watching out my window as an entire street has been blocked off for the funeral of an elected official for the state and many people are headed down the street with their umbrellas and spiffy clothes to pay their respects and I can't help but feel the sense of tension that planet earth experiences by it's inhabitants...

God meet us here in this ever present dichotomy that will always be present on the planet and show us how to usher in Your kingdom and it's principles...help us to elevate the right things...help us to stand up and be counted as we accept your invitation to bear witness to a God who redeems...all of it...any of it...

and Lord will you please be with my friends in the rain today...oh Lord forgive me for assuming that because they're out there that evidently You need me to ask You to be with them as though you're absent, forgive the times that we buy into this thinking that you are with those of us who "have" - as we measure the "have's" and "have not's" by all the wrong stuff sometimes I'm sure - so Lord let me rephrase my sentiments...God thank You for being with my friends in the rain today...

teach me Lord, please continue to keep teaching me - teach us - and would you pleas help us to be what you paid for - the remnant of your body living and breathing in a world that needs You.

Ran across a quote the other day that has stuck with me for days...it's not that it's that deep necessarily, it's just that it's that true, and perhaps convicting...

It said, "authenticity always has an audience." Thought about how true that has been in my own life. I watched long and hard for lives that I knew somewhere within me were real and when I found them, I intently studied what made their faith look that way.

People are watching and way more than they want to know our doctrinal statements, our theology, our rhetoric, our ___________ (fill in the blank about what it becomes so much of the time)...way more than that they want to see that we mean what we say when we talk about Jesus.

If we ever want them to fall in love with this Jesus we proclaim, then it will have to be doused in an authentic pursuit of Him. They don't so much care if we're messy, they just want to know that we're real.

I'm challenged by that today...

She is sooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo TINY!!!

The Nursery

Auntie Part 2

Being an Auntie...

Miss Adisyn...

Is she beautiful or what???!!

My sisters tribe now includes some pink :) She had two adorable little guys until now but they ushered a beautiful little gal into the world last week.

She scared us all to death and there were moments when I was on my knees in Honduras begging God to let her be ok when they thought the baby was bleeding internally. God worked it all out and she is healthy and growing and wonderful.

I am home now to spend some time with them but haven't been able to see her yet because I caught the virus the little guys had at our house just before I left and so have not felt well and have kept my distance because I did not want to get her sick.

Looks like I'll be able to see her little face tomorrow. I can't wait. Being an aunt is one of my favorite titles on earth!!

Honduras HELP...

Good morning all...

I sent out an email a month or two ago about needing your help with Carlos' surgery when he had an appendix attack and you showed up with giving hearts and blew us away by your kindness. He is doing so well and is in school learning computers and LOVES it. I tell you the truth that people were shocked and amazed that God came up with the money in such a short time and it was a beautiful testimony around this house and to people we know of God's faithfulness and provision. The truth is we're learning soooooo much about that right now. We never know from one month to the next how much might show up in our account and always by the end of the month the money is gone and God continually reminds us to trust Him for our provision.

When I transitioned out of the children's home, I very much felt like God was impressing upon my spirit not to ask for new support that He would take care of me and that this was going to be a time of dependence unlike any other. It has been. There have been days when I stressed over how we would pay the light bill here and money would come out of nowhere and I would have enough to cover that, or when we didn't have money to buy more food for these little guys (who eat like horses) and God would send someone out of the blue who said, I just wanted to help with what you're doing. I have no doubt that God will show up...I can't doubt that now, He has outdone Himself.

It's time now though to ask again...I have tried not to do this very often, so that when I do, you know that it's because we really need it. That it is a sincere cry for help. I have to remind you, for my own peace of mind, that I am not asking for myself, I'm asking for these little brown people that I love and adore who need a voice. Please hear their voices in the heart of this letter.

We have SEVERAL things right now that are really important within our ministry and so let me explain a couple at the top of the list...

1) Today the boys father is finished with his 60 days in an alcohol rehab center. For those of you who don't know, we have been housing the 6 boys and their mother here at the house for the past 2 months while the father completed his rehab. We have prayed with sincere hearts that God would work a miracle in his life and that he would be the father and the husband he needs to be. Today marks the beginning of his "last chance" to keep his boys and do this right and so they are moving into a small house to try and make it as a family. It is God's ideal and we have worked hard to try and help this family become what God intends and give their life to Him. Progress is being made. His willingness to stay in a program for 60 days was a good thing. I found a house near us and near the school where the boys are receiving a bilingual education. (That is their ticket out of poverty, if we can convince their parents of the importance of this.) It will allow us to be more involved in their lives and show up to help with homework and such but also gives them an opportunity to make it as a family. In order to rent the house though for the next 2 months I need to have $700 in my account by early next week. Then helping them to have some food in the house and something to start with will cost another couple hundred bucks...so altogether for this project right now we really need to come up with about $1000 in a hurry.

2) We desperately need a ministry vehicle. For the past few months we have been using a vehicle that another ministry graciously let us use, but it was having serious problems with the transmission and we spent several thousand dollars on repairs and rental car fees while it was in the shop and honestly we need a vehicle for our house and the ministry here. We cannot expect to use and abuse someone else's vehicle forever. It was a HUGE blessing and we appreciated it so much, but we are at a place where we need to have our own. We sold the Suburban that we were using and we're going to use that money to pay towards something new and dependable later, but for now we need a used car that can be used when we need to go to the mountains and rescue starving babies (like one we found on Thursday who is now in the hospital with Sam getting rehydrated and medicated) or doing the other things God has us doing. As of right now we are renting a vehicle, while we raise money for another one and it's getting very costly. We found a truck in great condition and have put a deposit down to hold it, but we need to come up with $7500 within a week to pay it off.

We are believing God for BIG things in regard to these two things. For those of you who know me well, you know that few things are closer to my heart than these boys and so this may be one of the requests closest to my heart. The request for help with a truck is only so we can continue to do what God has asked us to do.

We are only a small piece of this puzzle here on the ground. You all enable us to be here by your support from where you are. I know times are tough, we are all feeling the pressure, but God will honor your every sacrifice. I've watched it a million times. Please don't think that someone else will play your part. God wants you to be involved, not for our benefit...mostly for your own, because playing a part in something bigger than all of us brings blessings we never could have imagined. Sometimes I think a huge part of my responsibility here is to invite you into it and watch God wow you with His faithfulness to you. I hate the asking but I love hearing the stories of how He touched you.

This is hard, and it's humbling and I thank you for allowing me the privilege of asking and making me feel like we are a team and that you're blessed to be on it. You touch me deeply and I'm grateful for the people in my corner.

Blessings and love to you all. JEN

*** Any donations can be made on my blog through Paypal (www.calledandcompelled.blogspot.com) - you have the option of paying with a checking account or credit card...this is a secure way to make an online transaction quickly. If you are near Belpre they may be given to MaryAnn Laughery. Checks should be made out to Belpre Church of Christ and my name should be included in the memo line. If you're sending them through the mail, the address is for Mary Ann is 685 Timberline Dr. Vincent, OH 45784.