What do I know of Holy?

As a family we have been reading through the Old Testament's account of the Israelite's journey from Egypt to the Promise Land. In this amazing story, the word "holy" is mentioned many times. Of course Lily and Aidan have tons of questions, most for which I could easily explain, but no question compared to the one concerning this mysterious word "holy". For a word that is so common in the christian vocabulary, a word I have said and heard said thousands of times, I found myself stumbling and searching for words to explain and describe what it really meant. From the time when Moses encountered God through the burning bush to the amazing account of God ascending on Mt. Sinai found in Exodus 19.

This was one of the kids favorite parts of this story. The set up lends itself to the vast imaginations children possess: A massive gathering of people, kids and adults alike all camped at the foot of a sky reaching mountain. God has told Moses that He, God Himself, was going to come down from heaven and rest on the top of the mountain. In verse 12 God tells Moses to "Put limits for the people around the mountain and tell them, 'Be careful that you do not go up the mountain or touch the foot of it. Whoever touches the mountain shall surely be put to death'." Whoa, that sure caught Lily and Aidan's attention! Why would they die if they touched the mountain they asked? Why? Because God is Holy I quickly replied... they were not satisfied... There I was again straining to explain what this "Holy" thing is... I was at a loss for words and I found myself brushing the questions off and moving on.

But the truth of the matter remained, and as a powerful song by the band Addison Road penned it, I found this question lingering in my mind: "What do I know of Holy?" The kids asked why Moses could go up to the top of the mountain to see God and the other people couldn't? What does God see as Holy?... well as a part of our bible time 2 nights ago we read in Psalms 24:3-4 this answer: "Who may ascend the hill of the LORD ? Who may stand in his holy place? He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who does not lift up his soul to an idol or swear by what is false."

Well there it is. Plain and simple, or is it? More to come...

Where I've been

Wow, it has been a while. After taking a long break form blogging, I am back and ready to go. One of the more exciting things have just occurred... yes you guessed it! The SAINTS are going to the super bowl and I am pumped! I might actually be the only saints fan on this side of the country but my cheering (and yelling at the TV) has made up for it for sure!

We are finishing up our time here in NW New Mexico this week. Saturday we will be "moving" down to SW New Mexico for 2-3 months. Hopefully we'll get some warmer weather. Lily and Aidan are not used to staying inside all the time and they need to get out and run off some of their endless supply of energy!!! We are so very grateful for the opportunity to live and work here in Farmington. We have met some great people and attended an awesome church (http://www.pinonhillschurch.com/)!!! I also know God has used my hands to show his heart to the sick and hurting.

We are still praying for God's guidance on what we will do when this next position is completed. We are feeling led to "come back home" for a period of time to "prepare" for what God has for us next. The pastor at the church we attended here in Farmington has started a GREAT series on preparing for the next decade of life that I hope to share some of it with you all in the coming blogs.
later

Why we don't eat buggers

Not sure just how buggers came up in a recent car ride conversation, but it did. We were discussing picking your nose, etc and Hannah asked the kids why we don't eat buggers. There was a brief pause, Lily said something like she was not sure, so Hannah began to tell them that they were dirty and yucky etc, when Aidan piped up with confidence and said, "I know why we don't eat buggers, because they get stuck in your teeth!" Oh yes he did! Ahh! Hannah and I cracked up! He definitely had a past experience with a chewy nose nugget...

Thankful, but not worthy

When I think about all I have been given and blessed with, my heart burst with thanksgiving! Gratitude first and foremost to Jesus for saving me from death. Where would my life be without His grace. To my family, including but not limited to Hannah, the love of my life, Lily and Aidan, you have changed my life forever and I love you both for it. My parents, for leading me by example, not only in my childhood, but even today. The training and education you offered me provides for my family daily. My sisters (and their families), I am so excited that we all are better friends now than when we all lived together as kids! To my Yates family: I could never imagine having better in-laws or bro-sister in-laws than you guys! And of course to all my friends both here and abroad. You all have influenced my life, making me to the person I am today.

WOW, how blessed I am! But I am not worthy. I do not deserve my family or friends. I do not deserve God's grace... But I suppose if I did deserve them, all of the above would not be gifts, but rather things I worked for and earned. You see, that is the wonder of God. Unmatched gifts to unworthy people. So as I enjoy this thanksgiving and as we enter this Christmas season, let us not forget why we are thankful, why we love, why we give... Happy Thanksgiving all!

I don't know why. I do know God.

As most of you know, we came home from Belize with a new tiny life inside Hannah. Friday we discovered that this blessing was no longer alive. In my life I have experienced pain and sorrow, but none quite like this. This pain has brought up many questions, the one topping the list being WHY? I just don't understand. Why would this happen? Why be given life, just to have it disappear? Then my mind wanders to all of the other terrible things that have happened to friends and family I know and love.... Why pain? Why death? Why abuse? Why war? Why cancer? Why illness?

The plain fact is, I don't know why and I never will. As all this flowed through my head and heart, I heard God say very quietly: "you don't know why, but you do know me". I don't know why our sweet baby died, but I do know the overwhelming love of my Father God for me. I don't know why we are experiencing this pain, but I do know how much my Jesus cares for me, and how he hurts with me for the life lost. Although I still hurt, what comfort these words provide. There are so many things in life I don't know the "why's" for, but I do know God. So for those of you who have experienced pain and loss with many unanswered why's, my encouragement to you is get to know God and His promises, for it is those things your heart needs most.

Seasons of change

Change has been on my mind a lot lately. Probably due to the fact that so much has changed for us in the past month. Just 40 days ago we were in Central America sweating our hearts out, and now just 4 days ago we experienced 8 inches of snow (the most we have ever seen)!
Some people avoid change like the plague. Others can't get enough of it. I find myself somewhere in the middle. Regardless, one thing is true: change is inevitable. Like the seasons, our lives will change.

Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 says:

¹ There is a time for everything,
and a season for every activity under heaven:

² a time to be born and a time to die,
a time to plant and a time to uproot,

³ a time to kill and a time to heal,
a time to tear down and a time to build,

⁴ a time to weep and a time to laugh,
a time to mourn and a time to dance,

⁵ a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,
a time to embrace and a time to refrain,

⁶ a time to search and a time to give up,
a time to keep and a time to throw away,

⁷ a time to tear and a time to mend,
a time to be silent and a time to speak,

⁸ a time to love and a time to hate,
a time for war and a time for peace.

As you see in these verses, God says there is a time for EVERYTHING. So the question in my mind is this: what is the purpose of this season in my life? Is this a time to plant or uproot? To be silent, or to speak?... I'll be honest, I am not sure. In part, this uncertainly is worrisome, but God reminds me of His unchanging nature: I Samuel 15: 29 says: "He who is the Glory of Israel does not lie or change his mind; for he is not a man, that he should change his mind." So regardless of the season, or the change I am experiencing, God still has a transcending (way beyond surviving) purpose for me (and you).

New Mexicans, at least for a while.. .

As many of you know, we are now in Farmington, NM. God worked it out for us to be able to work here for the next few months. Today I went in for orientation and God sure does know what he is doing. I did not know a whole lot about this clinic but come to find out the people I will be taking care of are all underserved (non/under-insured, indigent, etc), which is exactly where my heart is. So not only are we able to earn a living and save up some money, but I am also able to show the love of Jesus to the "least of these" of northwest New Mexico.

This part of the country is absolutely beautiful! We are very near the "four corners" (New Mexico, Arizona, Utah, and Colorado) and we are looking forward to seeing more of the area and maybe seeing a bit of the white stuff before our time here is complete. We are staying in a very nice fully furnished apartment that is close to most everything, and we are getting to know the town. As of now, we will be here through mid January, and then we'll see...

Goodbye Belize

What an experience Belize was for us. So many people have asked us what single thing was most memorable about this experience. After some thought no doubt the answer is the people we met. One of my favorite sayings that is quoted often by Dave Ramsey is that "the only difference between you and you in 10 years is made by the people you meet and the books you read". People make all the difference in this word, and we met so many great folks while in Belize. Saying goodbye to them was not easy and came with tears of sadness and joy. Here are some pics of some of the many goodbyes we made in our last week in Belize:

Mrs. Rose was one of our very favorite patients. Lily and Aidan loved her! Sweet rose died less than 2 weeks after this picture was taken shortly after we returned home. We will see this beautiful lady once again...

This little girl was just born when we arrived in Belize, and look at how big she has gotten! They went to church with us.

Mrs. Coleman will turn 94 this December. The kids loved visiting her every month.

Mr. and Mrs. Villafranco have been married for 50+ years and have 12 children!

Tears of sadness and joy...

This dear 97 year old lady loved Hannah and oranges (which we brought her often)!

Hard to let go....

Pastor Gideon and family...

All smiles...

Hillside staff and volunteers

Texas

Quick update: We're in Texas visiting my family for the week. I intend on blogging more later on this week. I have a lot to catch up on. I am writing this on my new iTouch (which is so cool) so I am keeping this short. More to come...

Home... and good report

Well, we are back home, and how sweet it is! We have spent the past 2 days relaxing with family. We will spend this week taking care of business and doing some more relaxing. Hopefully we will know something about a job early this week so we can make some plans for the next few months. We will visit the rest of my family in Texas pretty soon... can't wait so hug our new nephew Carter! (We got to love on our new niece Ruth today)!

1 hour after we got off the plane Friday we met with Aidan's eye specialist. He examined his eyes once again and gave us some very good news! About 8 months ago we were told by him that Aidan would need laser surgery to correct a muscle problem in his right eye. The plan was to schedule the operation and get it done soon once we got home... Well every night we prayed over his eyes and asked God "to heal his eyes and help Aidan not to have to wear a patch, his glasses or to have surgery." We believe he did just that! Although his vision worsened a bit and that he has to still wear glasses and a patch (6 hrs/day), his specialist told us that his muscle problem was now so small that he would not recommend surgery at this time!!! YAY! Praise and thank you God!

I'll let you know asap when we know where we will be next!

Saying goodbye and Heading home

This week has been exhausting to put it mildly. We have said goodbye to so many wonderful people, and we are just drained. As Shakespeare put it, "parting is such sweet sorrow", and it truly is. We are looking forward to seeing some familiar faces and hugging many necks very soon.

Tomorrow we start our journey home. We are going to spend a few days in central-western Belize where we will travel into Guatemala to visit the great Mayan ruins of Tikal. On Wednesday we will travel to the Belize Zoo and then onto Belize City on Thursday where we will fly to Houston, TX. We get the privilege of spending the night in my state of birth, magnificent Texas, and then fly into Jackson, MS early the next morning (Friday). Pray that all of this journey is safe and uneventful. USA, here we come!

The heat is on...

Man is it HOT! It has rained very little in the past 5 days which is the only thing that knocks down the heat to a survivable level... Of course the outside temperature is not the only "heat" we are experiencing. We will return to the states in less than 2 weeks and we still do not have any concrete job or plans as of today... I sure like it when God leads by opening lots of doors and let's me choose which one best suits us, but God does not quite work that way. Lately he has been shutting doors, which I do not like. BUT, regardless of what I like or dislike, we are determined to let God lead and not become desperate. A new buddy of mine just tonight said that "people in a famine grasp at anything to eat, even if it is bad for them". This is totally true and while we are far from being in a physical famine, we are experiencing some serious hunger pangs for God's voice, and I don't want to grasp and do something or go somewhere just because I am hungry to do something without knowing it is from God. So while we wait (which is easier said than done), please continue to pray for God's direction because I know what God will provide is just what we need!

One year in Belize

Today marks exactly one year since we came here to Belize... hard to believe, but as they say here, "you better Belize it". It has been an incredible journey, affecting every aspect of who we are. We have changed, and we have found areas that need change. We feel very confident that God wanted us here and also that He wants us to return to the states for a season. As I've said before, we have not and will not comprehend all what we have gleaned from this experience until some later time.

Regardless, we are a stronger family, we trust in our provider God more than ever before, we have seen awesome wonders and sights, met so many awesome people from all over the world, most importantly helped meet the physical and spiritual needs of many in the name of Jesus, and last but not least, sweated more than we have in the past 10 years combined!

Ham and cheese sandwiches

Things have been absolutely crazy busy! Dan and Maria are catching on to the job here, which is a good thing since next week is our last on the job! We have been doing all of the clinic work and home visits to get them familiar with their duties which has made for a very busy last 2 weeks! Hard to believe we are almost done! We definitely have some mixed up feelings about leaving. We are so very excited about seeing family and friends, all the while feeling a bit anxious about all the "unknowns" we are facing.

But despite the "unknowns" life is looking good. Lily helped me to re-realize this along with appreciating the small things in life the other day. She did this by eating lunch... Lily LOVES ham and cheese sandwiches, I mean LOVES them. We have not been able to find ham around here so needless to say she has not had a "ham-N-cheese" in quite a while. Well I found a pack of ham the other day and I surprised her with her favorite lunch. You would have thought I gave her a diamond ring! She was SO excited and thanked me several times and was very happy.

There are so many things in our lives that are much better than "ham-N-cheese" that if we slow down, we will realize that life is good, really good. We'll let you know what our plans are when we know them! Thanks for the prayers... keep them up!

Blades in the Hospital

Please remember Blades in your prayers! We hospitalized him yesterday for an infection from a wound on his left hip. Today he is doing a bit better. Pray for his quick recovery and protection from complications.

Maya Beach

I posted a bunch of pics in the above slide show of our trip to Placencia (Maya Beach) that we took a few weeks ago. God blessed us with one of the best and most relaxing times we have ever had as a family!

Changing of the gaurd

The family who will be taking our place arrived this past Thursday. They are Dan, Maria, and Niki Thibault (pronounced Tee-Bow). (They are the folks on the couch minus the baby). Dan and Maria are nurse practitioners like myself, and Niki is in high school. We are very excited about them being here. Not just for the fact that they are taking our place, but for the love, compassion and expertise care they are going to provide these wonderful people. Please pray for them as they adjust to this culture and for us that we can relay and impart to them all that this position entails.

How to change a tire

As some of you know my grandfather or as we called him Papa (pronounced paw-paw) Keefer, died this past Friday. Papa had a tough past 5 years or so, but I choose to remember him as I did as a child growing up. We would spend summers with him and Nanny at their house in Texas. He was always tinkering with something, whether it be a car, or motor of some kind. He had a "farm" which was not really a farm but just a piece of land that had a big tin garage that had old cars he was working on and of course his tractor. Papa taught me many things, like how to drive a riding lawn mower and his tractor. He also tried to teach me how to work on machines. But the most memorable lesson was how to change a tire. I can remember it like it was yesterday. It was me and my cousin Jamon, under the hot Texas sun with the smell of pine trees in the air, changing a tire on Papa's trailer.

Well, I can still change a tire, and drive a tractor, but his mechanic lessons did not stick. However, the gifts he gave me go far beyond how to change a tire, and they will live on through my life. So when the day comes when it is Aidan's time to learn how to loosen lug nuts, I'll remember you Papa. I'll remember your love for God, wife, children, and grandchildren. I look forward to being united with you and Nanny again on the streets of gold you use to sing about.

Technical issues

I have not been able to log into this blog for the past 2 weeks, and I just got it fixed today! More blogs to come...

Nearing an end and a beginning

I cannot believe that yesterday marked 8 weeks until we will be back in the U.S. from our year here in Belize! Unbelievable! I am sure we will not truly understand all that God has and is teaching us through this experience until a later time. Humility, faith and patience are a few life lessons we have learned, but I know we will glean much more from our time here. God has and continues to be so good to us. Just allowing us this opportunity, and even more the honor of showing Him to these precious people.

But just as we are nearing an end here, we are also nearing the beginning of something new and fresh in our life. (Now if God would only show us what exactly this "new thing" is, we would be set)! We honestly do not have any set plans for when we return at the end of September. We have some ideas, but nothing concrete. So please pray with us that God would make our path known to us.

You will make known to me the path of life; In Your presence is fullness of joy; In Your right hand there are pleasures forever." Psalm 16:11 (NASB)