March 2008

Wow - what a month! I've been to Brazil, France and Canada and have had a blast. In the midst of that, two friends have had their second children (both boys)! Chris and Emily are continued to be amazed at the miracle God has given them in Cohen. Jill and Michael just welcomed their son, David, into the world this evening! I'm still in Canada so I don't have any pictures of him yet. But don't worry, they are coming!

So, since you've been waiting on the edge of your seat for pictures from my travels, here they are (in addition to a video from Brazil). Enjoy!

Outside Courtyard of the Louvre (more Paris pictures)

This is Chambord... one of my new favorite castles :)

Chenanceau - mom reminded me that we were here in 1996, so it was cool to go back!

This is Azay-le-Rideau and it's so beautiful!
(more pics here)

I was in France with mom and her students for a week and had a lot of fun! I've been lucky enough to travel to France quite a bit, but it's been a while since I was able to go outside of Paris. So, while I LOVE Paris, it was fun to see other parts of the country! I think my favorite was St Malo...

It's such a cute little town and it's GORGEOUS!! You can see more pictures here.

The last trip was to Canada for work. We came for our first Upward Leadership Training of the season, but also to help out with the first EVER Ball Hockey Coach Training and Ball Hockey Evaluations. I don't have pictures off the camera yet from those, but I've got some from playing in all of the SNOW when we went to Dave and Meredith's house. It was so much fun although we were all wiped out after sledding and playing for a bit.

Dave and Meredith's house. She is our first ever league director in Canada and this is their farm.

Myrna and me after we went for our run in the snow.

Sledding! Meredith was doing well!

This is me up to my knees in snow. There was SO MUCH of the stuff! And it was beautiful!

God's Power

Some friends of mine, Chris and Emily McGowan, are going through a lot right now with their new son, Cohen. Back in November they found out that their son was diagnosed with Thanatophoric Dysplasia (Emily gave a good definition in this post). Our first prayer was that God would perform a miracle and heal Cohen so that he could live a full and healthy life. The second prayer was that if that was NOT God's will, then Emily would be able to at least hold Cohen before he died.

A week and a day ago, I was about to get on the plane to head to Brazil when Kelly called. She had meant to call Jessica, but hit the wrong speed dial :) But I was glad she did! Emily was going in for her C-section a couple of weeks early and was calling to update Jessica. She told me what she knew at the time, but I got on the plane with a heavy heart and prayed for them all on the way to Brazil. When we landed and I turned on my phone, Kelly's text message had good news!

"Cohen is breathing on his own. Certainly has a form of dysplasia, looking at days, may be able to take him home."

WOW! Our God is a GOOD God! Later that day, we received an email from a guy at work who is also friends with the McGowans and gave more details, praising God for this miracle. As I read the words, tears streamed down my face with all God had done and was doing!

It's been a week and a day and Cohen is between breathing on his own and needing oxygen. He's been taking bottles and eating well too! But, there is still a long way to go. I have no idea what Chris and Emily are feeling or are going through right now, but I know that it isn't easy. It's incredible to watch them cling to our Lord through it all and remember that every minute they have with Cohen is precious. They also know that God is in control and whatever happens, He will be glorified.

My prayer right now is three-fold. One, I pray with all of my heart that God will heal Cohen. He has shown His power and might just by letting Cohen come into this world and be with us for this long. Two, I hope so badly that Chris and Em will see at least a glimpse (if not much more!) of how God is using this. I've already talked to and heard from people who have been touched by the situation and as a result... God's name is being praised! Three, I pray that Cohen will one day know how his life has been used by God :)

Please be in prayer for this precious family. Their older son, Cort, is at his grandparents this weekend. Pray for him too as things are not "normal" for him right now and his little heart may not understand at all what is going on.

They have been good about updating their blog, so keep checking so you can keep praying. Thanks!! http://cortmcgowan.blogspot.com/

from brazil...

My first time in South America has been nothing short of awesome. The land is beautiful, the weather is WARM, the people are friendly and the food is yummy! The only negative thing I've heard from people in Dourados is that I haven't really been to Brazil until I've been to Rio de Jeneiro :) Maybe I can make it there on my next trip down.

on a side note... I just had a conversation with one of the hotel employees and neither one of us understood the other. i KNOW we were having two completely different conversations! lol!

I'll add pictures when i get home...

THE Reason

Have you ever gotten into a rut... with your job, with church, with life? Please say yes so that I know I'm not the only one!!

Anyway, I was there last week. Well, I think I had been there for a while and was in desperate need of some rejuvination. The thing that made me upset though is that I had no reason to feel like I was in a rut! My church is amazing, my friends are wonderful and my family is the best ever. To top all of that off, I have an amazing job that not only allows me to travel the world, but as I do that, I'm able to impact the lives of people for the Kingdom! Hello!! But, even in ministry, it's easy to get into a rut. One thing I have done to try and stay out of that rut is to coach an Upward team every so often. This past fall I coached a 5yr old soccer team (oh la la!) and we just finished our basketball season where I coached a cheer squad (2nd to 5th grade). While the kids could be nuts and were often times hyped up on sugar (or so it seemed), they were adorable (as you can see below) and SO loving.

Well, even with coaching these incredible kids, I found myself in a rut. I was tired, I was anticipating all of the travel that I have during the month of March as well as moving at the beginning of April! But, God used a missionary to Bethlehem and a friend of mine to renew my soul :) Just hearing the missionary talk about how sports can bring the people in Palestine and Isreal togther and how Upward can play a part in that helped me to realize and remember that what I do at my desk each day has an eternal impact.

I've been working on some manuals that we will use in Brazil this week and much of it was mundane... but when I think about how each small task - getting those books translated, working with a graphic artist to lay them out into a printable format and then having them printed - will all fit together and allow a coach in Brazil to teach kids basketball and tell them about Christ, I realize that my life and my job have purpose.

I'm so thankful that these small things are behind the scenes because if I was able to see all that God sees in how my job affects each person who comes in contact with Upward... my head and ego would be too big to fit into a room. I'm not telling you this so that you can see how humble I'm trying to be... I'm telling you this to help you see how BIG our GOD is! I have NO CLUE how God uses each aspect of Upward. But, I'm so glad to hear the stories from coaches and kids and people who are involved in the ministry because that is what helps keep me motivated.

So, if you think about it, pray not just for me and my travels or for Upward and the ministry, but pray for all of those who are reaching the world for Christ. Regardless of your job title, if you are a believer who has a passion to live your life like Christ, then you are a missionary and the world is your mission field. It's a big challenge, but luckily we serve a BIG God.