I am in Awe!

Sometimes the Lord amazes me more than other times. I don't think that is because He changes but because my focus does. When I take time to focus on Him and Him alone...I stand in Awe! Today what amazed me was pretty simple, mundane some might say. : ) It was the smell of lilacs. It wasn't so much the smell...although I do love it...it was that when the smell wafted towards me, I was reminded that the Lord loves me! Lilacs were one of my mom's favorite flowers, and every time I smell them I am reminded of her and I smile on the inside and I hurt a little too. I am reminded of the kind of love that you don't want to take for granted. I am reminded to celebrate the little things and the big things. I am reminded that our time on earth is short...to make the most of our time and relationships. What made me stand in awe today...was that I had the sweet smell of lilacs and the sweeter reminder of my mom...right before Mother's Day! Thank you Jesus for putting those lilacs in my path today!

Thailand and Cambodia

I had the amazing privilege of witnessing a miracle. This little girl was transformed in less than 24 hours. Houng lives in Cambodia, in a cleared minefield...a literal minefield. This minefield is a hazardous remnant of the Khmer Rouge's brutal rule of Cambodia. When Houng was 6 she barely survived an explosion...she found a unexploded bomb that exploded in her hand. More recently she was burned on her legs...no medical treatment for 10 days...and the medical treatment that came pales in comparison to what she would have received in the states. I got to visit Houng in her little hut about 3 weeks after she was burned. The poor thing was in much pain and couldn't walk..her legs were healing but the scar tissue was not allowing her to fully extend her legs. We couldn't coax a smile out of her. So my friend prayed...we felt hopeless. The next day on our visit...her dad exclaimed..."After you prayed, she walked". The Lord healed this little girl...the end of the visit resulted in the beautiful smile you see above. As of last week...6 weeks after her burn...she was jumping and playing. We have an Amazing God.

Josh Groban...I'll be home for Christmas

Women in Uniform

Women in the Military (taken from DoD Women's Research and Education Institution.) More women are serving in the U.S. military than ever before...(as of 6/2008) They make up 14% of all U. S. military personnel= 400,000 troops They make up 34% of the U.S. Air Force 26,000 women are currently serving in Iraq or Afghanistan They fill 90% of all military roles...including gunners and MP patrols This is the first time in history that women are on the front lines. These women are married, divorced, single...mothers, daughters, wives, sisters and aunts... Please pray for our Women In Uniform!

PRAYER FOR FT. HOOD

It would be hard not to be aware of the shooting that happened a few days ago in Texas. Ft. Hood is a place that will forever be changed as one of their own opened fire and killed 12 people. Please join in me in prayer for the families of the fallen, the wounded and others who are suffering as a result of this tragedy.

Thailand here we come

February: A group of Cadence women will be traveling to Thailand, Cambodia and Burma. I am grateful to be a part of this group...

Please Pray...for our preperation, our hearts and our travels. My prayer is that the Lord will use us to be a blessing, and to be His Light to all those we come in contact with.

Thanks for praying : )

Welcome Home!

He seemed hesitant to accept the cheers of the crowd, he didn't know where to look so he focused his eyes straight ahead. I couldn't help but notice the emotion behind his eyes. I wanted to reach out and comfort him, or somehow communicate to him. I wished that I could know what he was thinking, and how to help him transition from one world to the next...from a war zone to home.

Another mans' shock registered immediately on his face and his lips formed the word "WOW".

His eyes scanned the crowd, broad smile in place as he accepted the applause and cheers from a sea of unknown faces. I wonder if he was thinking... ' I am home!'

These observations came from a recent opportunity I had to welcome home some troops from Iraq. A large group of people gathered in an airport staging area manned by the USO. The returning military personnel walked through a tunnel of people...most of them knowing none of us, but all received the same welcome. For those who had a relative on the plane, they got a place of honor at the front of the line. This ensured that loved ones got to greet each other first. The next in line to greet them were the veterans that had served in other wars...people who understood much of what the returning soldiers were going through.

I don't know what the soldiers expected as they stepped onto US soil, or what they had experienced in Iraq. I didn't even speak to anyone of them...but I did whoop and holler with the crowds as we fellow Americans welcomed home those who had so recently been in harms way.

Each soldier has a different story, one that I am not privileged to know. From what I could tell, they all were happy to be home or close to home. All seemed grateful for the welcome...but not all knew how to accept it. For some is was obvious that they were overwhelmed either with awe or a bit of fear.

I didn't know how I would respond. I was very glad to be a part of the moment, and to honor those who serve our country. The major feeling was celebration...these soldiers were safe. I was honored to be a part of celebrating their safety, service and sacrifice.

As I reflect on this experience I can't help but think that this was a taste of what happens every day as believers are welcomed into heaven. I don't know what really takes place when we pass from this life to our heavenly one, but I can imagine. I imagine that those who have gone before us are all gathered. I hope, as Randy Alcorn has suggested, that our loved ones are front and center of the welcoming committee. The relationships that the Lord placed us in on earth, fully realized in heaven. I imagine that those that were a part of the same mission in life, being second in line. The crowds gathered, many we have never known.

I wonder whose reaction I will replicate in heaven. Will I be so overcome with the transition and the stark contrast along with my own unworthiness that I don't know how to accept it all? Or will I stand in awe and say 'WOW!', taking it all in? I don't know. What I do know is that Jesus will be there. Regardless of my reaction He will reach out to me. He will help me make the transition from the war zone to home.