Happy New Year?

The last week in December always seems to FLY by so quickly. Before I can come to terms with the old year, the new year is upon us. I always have big plans for resolutions, new year themes, plans for change...

You get the idea.

Then before I can really flesh out those plans, the year rolls over and BANG--it's January 1st.

One would think that, coming off of three months of maternity leave (And yes, for the record, Little Darth is THREE MONTHS OLD today! Sigh.), I would've had a better grasp on my plans for 2011.

I refer you to my previous missive about good intentions. We all know how THAT turns out!

I do have plans and prayers for this new year. It may take me a while to put them into words and action, but it WILL happen.

Just not before January 1st.

Happy New Year, Interwebz!

photo credit: anita pottinger

Six Word Saturday

My return to Six Word Saturday comes on a day where few words are needed.

We remember the innocent souls and heroes .

Go to Show My Face for more SWS entries.

Pray and Act and Pray Again

"What?! Giving again?!" I asked in dismay.
"And must I keep giving, and giving away?"

"Oh no," said the angel, looking me through.
"Just keep giving until our Lord stops giving to you."

(Anonymous)

It is impossible to look at the photos of Haiti and her people and NOT be touched. For those of us with connections, with friends, looking at the photos is heart-wrenching. We want to be there to help, to hold, to build, to hug, to talk, to cry.

Some have heard from loved ones.

Others call and call, send text messages, scan e-mail and Facebook in the ever-present hope of SOMETHING. A word, a clue, something to indicate that their friends and family are alive.

And those of us who can go home to our spouses, hug our children, call our parents, e-mail our siblings feel blessed beyond measure.

Please pray. Pray for my friends S & B. B has family in Port Au Prince. Family with whom they have not yet made contact.

Pray for my friend A. who also has family and friends in Port whom he cannot reach. He is overwhelmed that his homeland, already the poorest nation in the Western Hemisphere, possibly the world, has been devastated in this way.

And act. Do something.

There are a number of reputable organizations that are acting NOW. Choose one and help. The amount is not important. $1, $5, $10, $100 or more will go much further in Haiti than in the USA.


New Life for Haiti is collecting money to purchase concrete to rebuild homes demolished in the earthquake. This is a concrete (pardon the pun), tangible way to know that your money will help in an immediate capacity. You can click on the link to NLH and go directly to the donation page, where you can donate using PayPal.

Please pray. And act. And pray again.

"When the earth and all its people quake, it is I who hold its pillars firm." (Psalm 75:3)

If I Had a Million Dollars...

I never really wanted to be rich. Oh, sure, I've dreamed about what it would be like to have serious money, but when I think about it. I mean REALLY think about it, I'd be happy with a modest home, my family's needs met, and have the opportunity to bless others with some serious cash.

I'd love to endow scholarships at my high school alma mater, the high school where I taught for five years, and my undergraduate alma mater, all in the name of my maternal grandfather. He never went beyond eighth grade, but he so valued education, and encouraged me until he passed away nearly 20 years ago.

I'd give lots of money to my church. We're looking forward to building our own church and being able to minister and bless others.

Most of all, I'd go to Haiti. Our church is part of a mission organization that is working hard to bless some very poor villages. I'd love to be a part of a mission team working for a few weeks down there.

But since my chances for winning the Mega Millions aren't looking so good, I'll do some smaller-scale giving. Most of my friends are in similar situations and probably do the same. Of course even though big money gifts are always appreciated, Margaret Mead said it best.

"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it's the only thing that ever has."

With that in mind, I'd like to share a letter with you. A dear friend of mine has been called to do a 10-day mission to Perm, Russia. She needs assistance in raising the funds necessary for the trip. Even the smallest gifts will help.

Most of all, she needs prayer. Prayer for the trip, prayer for the team, prayer for the people who will be blessed. Please read her words, and if you feel called to bless her with funds, leave a comment with your email address and I'll pass along her mailing address.

Dear Friends,

Imagine a place where atheism was the formal statement of faith of the government for most of the 20th century, where the population is dying faster than they're giving birth. Imagine a country where life expectancy for men has decreased by six years, and where alcohol is said to play a role in the deaths of nearly a third of the population. Imagine living in a place where your faith is determined largely by your ethnicity instead of the state of your heart, and where less than 1% of the population is comprised of evangelical Christians. Imagine going to a city that was right in the heart of the Russian Gulag and trying to bring light into darkness.

I've only once missed Thanksgiving with my family, and this year I will forgo my single annual pilgrimage home to go where I believe the Lord is sending me. To Russia. In the middle of winter. November 20-December 1, I will be traveling to Perm with a team from the Atlanta Vineyard Church. The purposes of the trip are:
1. To encourage the believers in a dark, lost part of the world and pour out spiritual refreshment from the Lord.
2. To allow God to work in our own lives as we watch Him transform hearts and lives through testimony and rhema word.
3. To pray "on sight with insight", setting foot on Russian soil and letting the Holy Spirit inform us of how to pray for this nation.
4. To develop and foster relationships with local believers, to make the world smaller geographically but explode it relationally.

I am excited about going on this my first mission trip. I consider it no coincidence that I started learning Russian in April and decided to apply for a passport in June, and then was asked to pray about this trip later that same month. I am writing to ask for both prayer and financial partnership.

While I'm comfortable asking for prayer support, asking for financial support is a bit more difficult. As you can imagine, a trip like this requires support from a number of people. I need to raise $2,000 by November 15, with $1200 due by October 1. If you'd like to be a part of this mission financially, checks may be made payable to the Atlanta Vineyard Church and mailed or given to me. A receipt for tax purposes will follow. I covet your prayers as well, knowing that this trip will not accomplish its God-intended end without covering. If you'd like to commit to praying for me as I prepare for the trip, please let me know. I so value your friendship and support.

Passionately Pursuing the Kingdom,

Heather