See You at the Pole at MCHS: A Beautiful Sight!

This morning was 'See You at the Pole', the day thousands of students across the country meet around their school's flagpole.  Students gathered together to pray, read Scripture and sing.

But let me back up for a moment.

In our county, we have a new consolidated high school--a coming together of three smaller high schools to form one large one.  This is its first year.  It has been in existence for approximately six weeks now.  At first, there was much controversial and resistance to the idea of these three schools coming together.  Let's face it, we people like our comfort and don't really like change.  We don't like it when someone comes along and wants to shake our world upside down.

And so before the first day of school, there was lots of talk.  Talk that there would probably be lots of fights.  Talk that the students wouldn't mesh well together.  Talk that the sports teams wouldn't get along.  Lots of naysaying, which is normal and expected when a huge change is about to take place. 

So the first day of school arrived.  A day including a pep assembly, a slide show and a principal pumping up his students by busting out some dance moves.  Mustang t-shirts were given to each and every student.  Students left on day one with a sense of belonging and ownership...a new community was being built.  


The first football game was so well attended that it was standing room only.  People had to park off campus and be bussed in from remote locations.  Students filled and overflowed the student section, painted up with crimson and black.  A new community was forming, meshing together and meshing together well.  

While I'm sure there were some issues and problems here and there, all in all things were running smoothly.  There was an overriding spirit of positivity and excitement.  

These were the things we saw from the outside.  

What we didn't see on the outside was a stirring and a gathering of students coming together in prayer on the inside of those walls.  From the beginning...from the first day that those double doors opened to a flood of students, a group of heads were bent, flooding the throne room with requests.  

This group didn't form to pray on that first day of school only or just once a week.  While that would have been a notable and worthy goal, this group aimed higher.

This student-formed, student-led group decided to meet daily, each morning before the start of school, to offer up petitions for their school and classmates.

And what began as a handful, grew and expanded until forty, then fifty, then sixty-plus people were in attendance.  Soon they will be designating one morning each week to have a student-ran Fellowship of Christian Athlete's meeting.  

I have stood back from afar and watched all of this unfold, my heart overflowing with Mustang pride, not so much for all that is happening on the outside (although that is all very good!), but for all I see occurring on the inside.  

For what transacts on the inside can't help to overflow and affect the outside.

So, this morning my heart swelled two sizes too big when Eric brought home the pictures from 'See You at the Pole':

And my mama heart filled with joy to see so many cross country runners in this crowd, including the one leading worship.

It excites me to see a group of committed prayer warriors rising up and leading their school.  It excites me that God's Spirit is moving in this place.  Praying he continues to multiply His workings on this campus, raising up strong, committed ones for His cause.

The LORD is near to all who call upon Him, To all who call upon Him in truth.   Psalm 145:18

And call upon Me in the day of trouble; I shall rescue you, and you will honor Me.  Psalm 50:15

Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, shall guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.  Psalm 4:6-7

Rejoice always; pray without ceasing. in everything give thanks; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.  1 Thess. 5:16-18

If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.  2 Chron. 7:14

We are going to Uganda!

A couple of months ago we talked at dinner one night about how 2014 was going to be the year that Eric, Joshua, Sophie and I went on a mission trip.  At the time, our thoughts were that we would try to pick one of the Starfish Orphan summer mission trips to El Salvador (Starfish Orphan Ministry is a ministry here in Paducah that does mission work both locally and overseas).  We knew it would be hard to swing all four of us going on the same trip (childcare for our other kiddos), so we thought about dividing up two and two.  

Not long after we had this discussion, our youth pastor announced he was putting together a mission trip to Uganda over 2014 Spring Break.  This mission trip will be going to do mission work with the organization SOS (Sufficiency of Scripture) Ministries (www.sosministries.com).

My heart soared when I heard Africa, specifically Uganda (or Ethiopia or Kenya, for that matter).  Having the opportunity to go and work in one of these three countries gets me stirred up.  When we homeschooled, we spent a large amount of time reading, learning and praying for these particular countries.  Our first child we sponsored through Worldvision lives in Uganda.  We have many friends who have adopted from Ethiopia.  Katie (of 'Kisses from Katie') is in Uganda.  We have watched and read much on 'The Lost Boys' who came from the UN camp in Kenya.  Bottomline:  this area of the world has captured our hearts over the years.

So we began praying about going to Uganda.

The biggest obstacle to hurdle was fear.  Not fear of going.  But the fear of the cost.  I was feeling a little guilty about not getting a small part-time job (like working 6-10 hours a week) to help pay for the constant expenses that pop up DAILY in regards to our children.  The cost of athletics they're involved with, the cost of shoes, the cost of outgrowing their clothes, the cost of when they ask if they can go get ice cream with their sport's teams, even.  Not to mention, braces???!!! (oh, that word just about sends me over the edge in panic, kind of like the word 'college' (ok, we're not even there yet, so breathe in, breathe out!)  Pondering over all of these things can make me sick to my stomach.

So, I felt guilty about getting a part-time job to save for a mission trip rather than helping with all of these other costs.  Yet, at the same time:

• There are ALWAYS going to be these kinds of expenses, ALWAYS.  Should they really keep us from going?
• If we were meant to go, God would provide a way to go.  Period.
• Sacrifice is part of the cost.  If we are about kingdom work, then we have to be willing to sacrifice in other areas.

In the three week period that we prayed about this trip, three very significant things happen.  First of all, Eric got a small raise...for about the amount of money that would subsidize our income if I got a part-time job.  It seemed as if God was saying 'I got you covered in this area.'  Second, Eric was approached about taking over a small ministry.  With it would come a small amount of compensation for doing so.  Third, a local artist (named Kijsa) who goes to our church and is in our Sunday school class had mentioned she was looking for help.  During these weeks of praying, Kijsa's name kept coming to my mind.  I couldn't shake the feeling that I needed to call her and see if she still needed help.

Finally, I called her.  Kijsa's immediate response was 'Yes, yes, yes!'  I went to meet with her in her studio.  Everything about our time together was incredible.  First of all, every bit of what she does is God honoring.  Many of the items she creates have Scripture painted on them or are Scripture ready (i.e. chalkboards with 'Verse of the Week' painted across the top).  Secondly, she told me that often when people call in to make an order, they tell her their story.  Sometimes it's a 'rejoicing' story; sometimes it's a heavy-hearted story.  Either way, much of her ministry is about praying for these people as she paints, custom-making the item to that particular person's situation.  She concluded our meeting by saying that God had taken her art and turned it into a ministry--that I could work for her ministry and then she could pay me so I could go and do ministry.  A win/win!  God's creative law of multiplication.  

A little fun side-note Kijsa is that she is one of my mother-in-law's favorite artists.  In fact, she told me all about Kijsa and drove me by her studio when we first moved to Paducah.  Little did I know that one day I would not only meet her, but go to her same church, be in her Sunday school class and then eventually work for her! 

Kijsa is incredibly talented and I encourage you to check out her website: http://kijsa.com .  Or just go directly to Etsy:  http://www.etsy.com/shop/kijsa  .

Our decision?  Sophie, Joshua and I are going to Uganda!  Since Eric has more of an inkling to go to South America, he hopes to  go on one of the Starfish mission trips this summer.  Maybe take one of our children with him?  We shall see...  No, we shall pray!

We had our first planning meeting on Wednesday night, discussing lots of ideas for fundraising--a 5K run, lunches after church on Sundays for our congregation, some parent's night outs, to name a few.  Our goal is that each person's cost after all of our fundraising will be $1,000.  This is the cost I will be working to offset through my job (times three).  

Please be praying that God will continue to show up and multiply our efforts over the next several months, providing in ways we could have never imagined!