Emily is in Africa. She was in Kenya last month and Uganda this month...her internet is very limited and unreliable...when she does get through, the connection cuts out a lot..
I finally heard from her today...what a relief! Last word we got was about the team arriving in Uganda and moving into a vacant house with no power that's infested with thousands of roaches, and how they have to stay under their mosquito nets from sundown on due to the area being a high malaria risk...sure sounds dismal to a parent reading this on the other side of the world, worrying about their health and safety! But today I hear that they are working with a church and school, teaching, preaching, playing with the kids, and doing some construction. They still live in the infested house, but instead of being in shock and bummed, they are making a funny video about the roaches! I call that making the best of a negative situation and optimizing an opportunity. Afterall, they are on the WORLD RACE in Third World countries, not the Amazing Race in First World countries...they're in it for the long-haul making a difference for God's Kingdom, not competing for a short term to win a prize for themselves. I'm so proud of them, and I feel like if they can make it another four months, so can I!
Sunday, July 31, 2011
Sunday, July 17, 2011
Disappointment or His Appointment
Oh my goodness....I'm exhausted watching the Women's World Cup Final: USA vs. Japan! USA was expected to win after coming back twice earlier in the tournament against Brazil and France. So, I was stunned as I watched our team miss opportunity after opportunity to score and put us in the lead...and eventually lose the fight. I had played the whole game from my recliner...and in my mind's game, we scored those goals in the first half and USA won without resorting to PKS! That was how it was supposed to be! In a perfect world, it happens....(unless you're Japanese in which case you want what really happened to happen!!) Congratulations Japan...you came back twice and did what it took to have victory in the end....and you've given your demoralized and devastated country the hope and resilience it needs to stand up again and rebuild. You earned it...you deserve it...and you needed it more.
Watching that game made me think about how often our expectations are unmet and how we adapt them to match our reality. I thought about what Emily recently said about the World Race, ...."you never know what to expect", how seemingly unplanned each day is....and then watch what unfolds as God reveals His goals for that day...His plans to use them to build His kingdom through trust, availability, sacrifice, servant-heartedness, compassion, love, submission, selflessness, and dependence...and at the end of the day, He is glorified! This is one of the World Race trademarks..."they check with God first for the plan"....they pray, wait on the Lord, "expect" Him to lead, then plan accordingly or follow accordingly, being (reasonably) patient during delays when the truck breaks down or gets stuck in the mud...and flexible when schedules change (which they inevitably do)... and then marvel at how God somehow salvages the day and accomplishes His will through those "interruptions and problems". Wow, what great lessons in life the World Race is teaching the team....and me.
I'm learning a lot by watching them, reading their blogs, and processing what it all means to me. I'm learning (or relearning) that the best days are the ones where I don't have it all planned out, because on those days, there is usually a divine appointment waiting for me that I would have missed out on had I planned each moment for me. In earlier days, I used to think those appointments were interruptions and I often missed their significance. I'm reminded that all time belongs to God, and so it's best to check in with Him each morning first before I waste too much of the day pursuing my own goals....just to see if He has other ideas of what is more important to spend my time doing. I don't like to waste time. I'm not a patient person. I tend to plan in order to prevent wasting time or opportunity. So, on the days when I check in with God (because there are too many when I don't bother)....these are the surprise days, the blessing days, the Aha! days. And I realize that God wants me to have many many more of these days. He wants me to be like a child who starts each day with eager anticipation of what's to come...letting the day unravel naturally and trusting Him to plan it for me...like I used to plan out my kids' days, full of fun and learning. Culturally, I've been conditioned to plan each day so that I accomplish or achieve or acquire, because either my job required it or my family needed it...but somehow in the process, I often missed seeing the faces, hearing the voices, smelling the flowers, touching the softness, tasting the flavors. At the end of the day, I'm exhausted but not fulfilled. I had put off the experience that God wanted me to have to get my list checked off.
I've thought about what it would be like to redo some days by undoing my own plans and replacing them with what God would have done with that day just to see what I missed. But I don't think God wants me to be burdened with guilt and regret. He wants me to take what I've learned from yesterday and focus on today and tomorrow, so instead of regretting the redo days, I've chosen to revisit the days that I wouldn't change even if I could, the ones that I got right! Now that I've learned the secret, there's a promise in my future and the blessings far outnumber the regrets!
Watching that game made me think about how often our expectations are unmet and how we adapt them to match our reality. I thought about what Emily recently said about the World Race, ...."you never know what to expect", how seemingly unplanned each day is....and then watch what unfolds as God reveals His goals for that day...His plans to use them to build His kingdom through trust, availability, sacrifice, servant-heartedness, compassion, love, submission, selflessness, and dependence...and at the end of the day, He is glorified! This is one of the World Race trademarks..."they check with God first for the plan"....they pray, wait on the Lord, "expect" Him to lead, then plan accordingly or follow accordingly, being (reasonably) patient during delays when the truck breaks down or gets stuck in the mud...and flexible when schedules change (which they inevitably do)... and then marvel at how God somehow salvages the day and accomplishes His will through those "interruptions and problems". Wow, what great lessons in life the World Race is teaching the team....and me.
I'm learning a lot by watching them, reading their blogs, and processing what it all means to me. I'm learning (or relearning) that the best days are the ones where I don't have it all planned out, because on those days, there is usually a divine appointment waiting for me that I would have missed out on had I planned each moment for me. In earlier days, I used to think those appointments were interruptions and I often missed their significance. I'm reminded that all time belongs to God, and so it's best to check in with Him each morning first before I waste too much of the day pursuing my own goals....just to see if He has other ideas of what is more important to spend my time doing. I don't like to waste time. I'm not a patient person. I tend to plan in order to prevent wasting time or opportunity. So, on the days when I check in with God (because there are too many when I don't bother)....these are the surprise days, the blessing days, the Aha! days. And I realize that God wants me to have many many more of these days. He wants me to be like a child who starts each day with eager anticipation of what's to come...letting the day unravel naturally and trusting Him to plan it for me...like I used to plan out my kids' days, full of fun and learning. Culturally, I've been conditioned to plan each day so that I accomplish or achieve or acquire, because either my job required it or my family needed it...but somehow in the process, I often missed seeing the faces, hearing the voices, smelling the flowers, touching the softness, tasting the flavors. At the end of the day, I'm exhausted but not fulfilled. I had put off the experience that God wanted me to have to get my list checked off.
I've thought about what it would be like to redo some days by undoing my own plans and replacing them with what God would have done with that day just to see what I missed. But I don't think God wants me to be burdened with guilt and regret. He wants me to take what I've learned from yesterday and focus on today and tomorrow, so instead of regretting the redo days, I've chosen to revisit the days that I wouldn't change even if I could, the ones that I got right! Now that I've learned the secret, there's a promise in my future and the blessings far outnumber the regrets!
Friday, July 15, 2011
Hitting the Wall Happens to Parents, Too!
It's so hard to believe that Emily is in month seven of the World Race!! How is that possible? When she left in January, it felt like she was leaving for life, and I braced myself for the long days of waiting and wondering. Sounds dismal, eh? Well it has been dismal some days....like when I haven't heard from her in two or three weeks (sometimes longer) because the internet is either unavailable in her "rain forest" or too weak in her town to receive a skype call. It can feel dismal when she's sick and hurting, and there's nothing I can do to comfort her or fix it...but pray...a lot...(the World Race is great for your prayer life!). It can feel dismal when she's worn down and discouraged, and I can't cook her favorite meal or a batch of chocolate chips cookies or rub her back, like I did when she was home or send her a care package like I did when she was in college!
Emily is enthusiastic and optimistic during our skype talks, because she's happy to see us, and she chooses to focus on the good and positive instead of the negative to keep her perspective. But once in a while, I ask her the hard questions to help her "feel". And it's weird how I've felt some of the same feelings as she has...sometimes simultaneously. I'm not saying that I've felt "all" the same feelings such as homesickness or craving for a certain food or the chronic aching in my feet (Em has foot problems) from hiking 5 miles to preach to a village or sticky and filthy from no shower for several days...those I can't say I've experienced, and even if I do, I can stay home, get off my feet or go take a shower! So, if I even hint about comparing my circumstances to her and her team, I will receive a verbal lashing and be labeled delusional and disconnected with reality! What I mean is that while she is feeling homesick, I'm feeling the same longing to see her...to hug her and talk face-to-face. So, it seems that as the Racers experience cycles of emotions throughout their year, so do their parents...at least I have.
For our kids, they started out with feelings of high hopes, exhilaration, enthusiasm and anticipation, then moved on to continued enthusiasm with a dose of reality but still energized...then on to "Okay, I'm doing some amazing, out-of-the-box stuff for God, and He and I are getting tighter", then to "Hey, I'm learning some new words in Spanish and I think God is calling me to work with at-risk-children..what's next?!", to "If I have to eat another plate of beans and tortillas and hear cats fighting outside my window for hours, I will go crazy" ...oh, and "I'm SO sick of these same clothes!" to "Why do my teammates annoy me so much?" Then there are days of sickness and nights of very little sleep, and more frustration with teammates (after all, when you spend that much time with the same people for that long, there is bound to be conflict). Eventually, they say, "Now what was the reason I came on this journey????" Feelings of homesickness return and then the realization hits that they have five more months to go! Then month six surprises them..."Wow, that was the best month of ministry ever!" and while their energy is renewed, it's short-lived because 'letdown' follows from the 'high' of month six as they adjust to a new culture, feeling like the next four months may never end. But hope surges again from the exhilaration of a breakthrough with a teammate or a great ministry moment.... and on and on. I'm sure I can't speak for everyone, because though situations may be similar to all racers, life issues out of their control prior to the race affect their responses to the conditions they find themselves in. But, generally speaking, the racers' moods and emotions go through this pattern, and though I can't say I've experienced the same conditions, I can say that I've had similar cycles of highs and lows and steady days...partly because I tend to feel the feelings of my child and bear her burdens, and partly because I'm going through my own life struggles at the same time which include those moments I wouldn't change if I could and those moments I would love to change but can't.
So, by month seven, I'm wearing down and I'm ready to see my kid! I'm sick of being separated. I feel like I hit a wall when she did. They say the racers hit one about month five. Well, check....I've hit one too, because I'm tired of missing her, and I'm feeling like I can't wait another six months. It's no longer okay that the internet doesn't function well or that she may not be able to blog or email next month! At first, I told myself that it was okay, that it hasn't been that long...just relax. Now, I don't know what to say to her when she needs encouragement, because I NEED ENCOURAGEMENT!
Anyway, enough venting! Even though we parents can't totally relate to our kid's feelings and struggles, we have our own which seem to track with theirs and somehow, it all keeps us connected and embraced for the time being until we will all be reunited again....oh how sweet it will be!
Emily is enthusiastic and optimistic during our skype talks, because she's happy to see us, and she chooses to focus on the good and positive instead of the negative to keep her perspective. But once in a while, I ask her the hard questions to help her "feel". And it's weird how I've felt some of the same feelings as she has...sometimes simultaneously. I'm not saying that I've felt "all" the same feelings such as homesickness or craving for a certain food or the chronic aching in my feet (Em has foot problems) from hiking 5 miles to preach to a village or sticky and filthy from no shower for several days...those I can't say I've experienced, and even if I do, I can stay home, get off my feet or go take a shower! So, if I even hint about comparing my circumstances to her and her team, I will receive a verbal lashing and be labeled delusional and disconnected with reality! What I mean is that while she is feeling homesick, I'm feeling the same longing to see her...to hug her and talk face-to-face. So, it seems that as the Racers experience cycles of emotions throughout their year, so do their parents...at least I have.
For our kids, they started out with feelings of high hopes, exhilaration, enthusiasm and anticipation, then moved on to continued enthusiasm with a dose of reality but still energized...then on to "Okay, I'm doing some amazing, out-of-the-box stuff for God, and He and I are getting tighter", then to "Hey, I'm learning some new words in Spanish and I think God is calling me to work with at-risk-children..what's next?!", to "If I have to eat another plate of beans and tortillas and hear cats fighting outside my window for hours, I will go crazy" ...oh, and "I'm SO sick of these same clothes!" to "Why do my teammates annoy me so much?" Then there are days of sickness and nights of very little sleep, and more frustration with teammates (after all, when you spend that much time with the same people for that long, there is bound to be conflict). Eventually, they say, "Now what was the reason I came on this journey????" Feelings of homesickness return and then the realization hits that they have five more months to go! Then month six surprises them..."Wow, that was the best month of ministry ever!" and while their energy is renewed, it's short-lived because 'letdown' follows from the 'high' of month six as they adjust to a new culture, feeling like the next four months may never end. But hope surges again from the exhilaration of a breakthrough with a teammate or a great ministry moment.... and on and on. I'm sure I can't speak for everyone, because though situations may be similar to all racers, life issues out of their control prior to the race affect their responses to the conditions they find themselves in. But, generally speaking, the racers' moods and emotions go through this pattern, and though I can't say I've experienced the same conditions, I can say that I've had similar cycles of highs and lows and steady days...partly because I tend to feel the feelings of my child and bear her burdens, and partly because I'm going through my own life struggles at the same time which include those moments I wouldn't change if I could and those moments I would love to change but can't.
So, by month seven, I'm wearing down and I'm ready to see my kid! I'm sick of being separated. I feel like I hit a wall when she did. They say the racers hit one about month five. Well, check....I've hit one too, because I'm tired of missing her, and I'm feeling like I can't wait another six months. It's no longer okay that the internet doesn't function well or that she may not be able to blog or email next month! At first, I told myself that it was okay, that it hasn't been that long...just relax. Now, I don't know what to say to her when she needs encouragement, because I NEED ENCOURAGEMENT!
Anyway, enough venting! Even though we parents can't totally relate to our kid's feelings and struggles, we have our own which seem to track with theirs and somehow, it all keeps us connected and embraced for the time being until we will all be reunited again....oh how sweet it will be!
Sunday, July 3, 2011
Global Family
It’s so fun to see how God leads his children to become involved in the Kingdom work. We’re excited for our friend, Steven Reed, as he leaves in nine days to begin the World Race! He is like a son to us. He and Emily have been good friends since the second grade. They have grown up together and have always been close, working together on school projects, student government, and now share a passion for missions and international work. Steven went with Emily and me to Guatemala last year to help in the orphanage where Emily had spent the previous summer. He fell in love with the people in Central America, and the next thing we knew, he took an internship in Panama. Now he is going on the World Race and was chosen as his team leader! He is compassionate and hard-working. We’re happy to support his ministry this next year and follow his journey. Follow along with us at www.stevenreed.theworldrace.org.
We are big believers in going to see what God is doing in the world and becoming a part of it if possible. It has been so great meeting online and following so many committed young adults on the World Race. We feel like we know Emily’s teammates even though we have never met them face-to-face. We read their blogs and pray for them daily. They have become family to us this year. Their joys are ours, and their heartaches and burdens are ours, too!
The biggest blessing for the World Racers seems to be their global family…the brothers and sisters they meet and serve around the world. Language barriers disappear, differences become invisible and are replaced by common dreams for a better world……a preview of heaven. I’ve learned a lot about myself through watching and hearing their messages through their videos and blogs, and feeling honored to be a member of their audience, but wishing I was along on the race.
And then I realize that I am a member of the global family, too. I’m just an older member who has run my own race and though a little further along in the journey, I’ve not yet arrived at the destination…there’s still so much work to be done, so little time left, and all of us are needed to accomplish the task. The Racers have paved a way….and in the process of praying for them and financially supporting them, they opened my heart to passions I had forgotten about, that I really care about…. but life got busy and I put things on hold…hey just because I am 53 doesn’t mean I want to make any less of an impact than the 22 year old on the race or that God is finished with me yet…so thanks for inspiring and reminding me to get back on track and in the action! For so many people, you have jolted our memories and renewed our confidence in what God will do with an individual’s availability and trust in Him….and you’ve given us fresh faith in the Lord’s goodness.
Fellow racers, I know you’re getting tired, and worn down, and homesick, and ready to take a break….but hold on and finish strong the race that is set before you…..then we’ll join you for the rest!
We are big believers in going to see what God is doing in the world and becoming a part of it if possible. It has been so great meeting online and following so many committed young adults on the World Race. We feel like we know Emily’s teammates even though we have never met them face-to-face. We read their blogs and pray for them daily. They have become family to us this year. Their joys are ours, and their heartaches and burdens are ours, too!
The biggest blessing for the World Racers seems to be their global family…the brothers and sisters they meet and serve around the world. Language barriers disappear, differences become invisible and are replaced by common dreams for a better world……a preview of heaven. I’ve learned a lot about myself through watching and hearing their messages through their videos and blogs, and feeling honored to be a member of their audience, but wishing I was along on the race.
And then I realize that I am a member of the global family, too. I’m just an older member who has run my own race and though a little further along in the journey, I’ve not yet arrived at the destination…there’s still so much work to be done, so little time left, and all of us are needed to accomplish the task. The Racers have paved a way….and in the process of praying for them and financially supporting them, they opened my heart to passions I had forgotten about, that I really care about…. but life got busy and I put things on hold…hey just because I am 53 doesn’t mean I want to make any less of an impact than the 22 year old on the race or that God is finished with me yet…so thanks for inspiring and reminding me to get back on track and in the action! For so many people, you have jolted our memories and renewed our confidence in what God will do with an individual’s availability and trust in Him….and you’ve given us fresh faith in the Lord’s goodness.
Fellow racers, I know you’re getting tired, and worn down, and homesick, and ready to take a break….but hold on and finish strong the race that is set before you…..then we’ll join you for the rest!
Friday, July 1, 2011
When Heaven Meets Earth
I’ve been amazed at Mae’s story! Emily has loved her ministry opportunity in Thailand. She loves to make a plan, set goals, and set it in action. It’s an unexpected joy to see the plan come together before your very eyes especially in a timely manner. She is used to the Latin American culture where things take a long time to happen. So, it has been so exciting to follow Mae and another woman named Ning on their journey to freedom from the sex trade industry in Chiang Mai, Thailand. God’s fingerprints (or as Emily calls them, “God winks”) are all over this story. It’s so compelling…I can’t begin to tell it like Emily….so read it and be touched. She wrote it in real time…we were all hanging on… waiting each day for the next portion…read them all beginning with Part 1 from the following: She Has A Dream: Mae’s Story (Part 1) at http://emilytuttle.theworldrace.org/?filename=she-has-a-dream. And her teammates, Tiffany’s blog : Life for Sale: Only $100 at www.tiffanyprater.theworldrace.org and Joy’s blog: Love at the Kitty Cats Bar: Part 1 at www.joyrobertson.theworldrace.org are also very telling about this drama.
It’s exhilarating to be involved in such life-changing events…..to be partnered with God in what He is doing in His kingdom here on Earth, as it is in Heaven. Any given day, as we pray for God to work and intervene in lives and governments, we are part of the grand scheme…..but sometimes, God allows us to play more of a key role in a miracle He is performing….and that’s as good as it gets! Emily and her team felt this way about their time in Thailand….with Emmi at Lighthouse in Action, and the friends they made at the Kitty Cats Bar.
I know they have been changed forever……and so have I…
It’s exhilarating to be involved in such life-changing events…..to be partnered with God in what He is doing in His kingdom here on Earth, as it is in Heaven. Any given day, as we pray for God to work and intervene in lives and governments, we are part of the grand scheme…..but sometimes, God allows us to play more of a key role in a miracle He is performing….and that’s as good as it gets! Emily and her team felt this way about their time in Thailand….with Emmi at Lighthouse in Action, and the friends they made at the Kitty Cats Bar.
I know they have been changed forever……and so have I…
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