Valentine's Weekend in Tucson

Over the three day weekend we had for President's Day, we decided to drive down to Tucson to visit James' Uncle Tom and Aunt Cindy, as well as our friends the Chapmans. Since Sunday of that weekend happened to be Valentine's Day, we rented a room at a fun southwest-inspired hotel and celebrated the holiday in style. =^)

The first thing we did when we arrived in Tucson was to meet Tom and Cindy for lunch at one of their favorite restaurants. The food and atmosphere were great, as was the conversation! It's crazy to think that the last time we saw them was the summer of James' USAFA graduation three and a half years ago! They enjoyed hearing all about what we've been up to since then, and had some fun stories of their own to share. Apparently the theater company that they work with a lot were finally able to open their own venue instead of always switching venues. It's called the Rogue Theater - and just happens to be in the building where they first met! After lunch they took us on a tour of the theater and told us about some of the shows they've done recently. Sadly, that was about all of the time they had since they were busy preparing for the opening of their next play. That's ok though, we really enjoyed the time we had!

After that, we went and met up with the Chapmans for some Valentine's themed fun. Patrick had bought a stunning Valentines Day cake for Ashley which we got to partake of. Mmm! The rest of the afternoon was spent in leisurely fashion - taking a stroll around their neighborhood with their dog Remy and watching the Olympics on TV. When we got hungry, we all went out for a Valentine's double date at a Mongolian BBQ restaurant. James and I had never had Mongolian BBQ before, but it was really tasty! After that, we went to a near-by dessert bar and talked for a long time over coffee. In honor of the occasion, the staff were handing out complimentary strawberries dipped in chocolate that looked like little tuxedos - very cute and festive!

Since we didn't have anything to be back for on Monday, we decided to spend the afternoon at the Reid Park Zoo in Tucson with the Chapmans. I always enjoy zoos - all of the fresh air and funny looking animals never get old for me. This particular zoo trip was a lot of fun because the Chapmans are silly and love taking pictures just like we do so we had fun posing with all of the animal sculptures in the park. We definitely got some priceless shots for our scrapbook! B^)

Oh - and the animals were cute too. I took this picture of a river otter for my mom because they're her favorite!

All in all it was a great trip. It was good to soak up as much of the warm Arizona sunshine before heading out East two days later to visit more family in DC and Louisville. More on that in another post to come...

Medical Clearance

Well, it has been a long and stressful month, and I am so thankful that I can finally relax and be at peace. This year has been really rough for James and myself because I have had near-constant, mysterious health problems that have caused me more than my fair share of anxiety. Luckily, all of the tests the doctors have run came back saying that I am perfectly healthy and normal, so I can finally relax and try my best to heal (physically as well as emotionally.)

The most recent bout of problems relates to the back surgery I had four and a half years ago to correct a bad case of scoliosis. It was a pretty serous operation. As you can see from the image at the side there, they had to straighten out two large curves in my spine and secure two titanium rods to my vertebrae to hold the correction in place. Up until a few months ago, my back and muscles have been feeling ok - a twinge here and there, but nothing to be really alarmed about.

However, a couple of months ago, I started having bad headaches and disturbing bouts of numbness and tingling in my limbs - particularly on my left side. Understandably, I was concerned since many of my symptoms are reminiscent of a stroke. However, all of the blood work and tests from neurologists, cardiologists, etc. said that I should be normal and healthy. After a while the symptoms went away so I relaxed and tried my best not to think about what could be wrong with me.

Of course, that only lasted so long. The numbness and tingling came back at the beginning of January after I started trying to ramp up my exercise routine to help build up some much-needed muscle. I figured maybe my symptoms had something to do with straining myself while working out, so I went to see the doctor again and ask if he thought seeing a physical therapist might help. He said he was willing to send me to see a therapist who is trained to handle my kind of problem. However, he also wanted to have me do a full MRI - just to make sure I don't have some sort of big auto-immune problem like Multiple Sclerosis.

... =^O

Yeah... SO I had to live with that idea floating around in the back of my mind for over three weeks until they could get me in to do the MRI and scan my brain for any lesions or signs of a deep, underlying problem. To make matters worse, all of this was coming at the time that I needed to start processing my medical clearance to move to Misawa. I was very stressed and worried that something was going to show up that would force the medical staff to reject my application and force us to be reassigned. I know it doesn't sound like a huge deal to have to go somewhere else, but after finally working up the nerve to leave the country, I want to do it now rather than waiting until later in life when it would be more difficult.

Thankfully, all of the tests came back negative so I can sleep easier knowing that I am, in fact, healthy. I may not always feel like it, but there is nothing internally wrong with me. Also, the physical therapist I've been going to is wonderful and has been really helping me get back into better shape. He says that he thinks the problem is mainly stemming from the fact that my core muscles are so weak that I am not getting the support I need. As a result, my lower spinal column and shoulder/neck muscles are having to work harder to compensate for that lack of support and it's putting a lot of strain on those tendons that go down to my hands and feet. Also, the muscles around my shoulder blades where the surgeons did a lot of cutting during the surgery are so weak that my shoulder blades are not sitting where they should. So we've been working on correcting that problem.

I still have a week or two left of therapy, but with everything that they have taught me, I should be able to continue to care for myself and get stronger at home. This is the first time I've done any kind of serious physical therapy since the surgery so I'm hoping it will be another several years until I'll need to go back again.

The final bit of good news came yesterday (Wednesday, Feb. 24th) when I had my final meeting with the heads of the Medical Group here a the base to discuss my medical clearance. They went through all of my paper work and my whole medical file, and after asking me a ream of questions, they said that they didn't see any reason why I shouldn't be able to go to Misawa. Apparently the final decision rests with the receiving base...so it's still not 100% official yet. However, they gave us the paper work we need to submit to get our official orders processed... so it sounds like I'm good unless I hear from them. No news is good news - so I am now officially planning on being in Japan in 2 months!!

Haiti Follow-Up

I mentioned that as soon as they put up the video recording of our pastor's sermon the week we talked about the earthquake down in Haiti, I'd post it here. So here is the link:

http://www.palmvalley.org/Growth/WatchMessagesOnline/tabid/98/Default.aspx

That will take you the the page on which all of our recent messages are posted. The two most recent ones may also be worth a viewing if you have time. We've been doing a series called "It's the End of the World as We Know It" about what the Bible has to say about the end times. That's a subject we're usually very skeptical about, but it's been great. We're looking forward to the series conclusion this weekend.

F-16 Graduation Weekend

Well - James has officially graduated from his F-16 training here at Luke AFB! I can't believe how fast time has flown. It feels like we were just getting settled, and now he's finished! We've arrived at the beginning of the end. All of the fun activities we packed into graduation weekend were a fitting conclusion to the program, though. We were glad that James' parents, Bob and Nancy, could be here to help us celebrate!

On the morning of the graduation ceremony and banquet, all of the wives of the instructor pilots put together a big breakfast buffet for all of the student pilots and their families at the squadron. After we ate and mingled, our squadron commander got up and said a word of welcome and allowed each of the guys to introduce their guests. Then he gave a brief history of our squadron beginning back in WWII. It's incredible to think that we have been a part of a squadron that has such a long and illustrious history! At the end of the briefing, a few awards were given out to the guys who were the best in their Air-to-Air and Air-to-Ground phases of training. James did not receive any awards that weekend, but we are proud of him regardless!

After the breakfast and briefing, we all broke up and went off to various activities that were going on around the base. Some people took their families to see the flight simulators, while others took tours of the tower and saw how they handle air traffic control for the base. I, however, had the privilege of taking part in one of the most fun AF traditions for wives - the spouse taxi.

Every once in a while, they organize a day where spouses get to dress up in a flight suit and get into one of the planes and taxi at a high rate of speed down the runway. There have been one or two other opportunities for me to do something like this since we've been married. However, we always passed because it probably would not be good for my back. This time I really didn't want to be left out, so we worked it out so that I could still get all dressed up and take pictures by the plane without having to actually ride in the plane. So, I was issued my own tiny flight suit and got to borrow James' patches, helmet and harness, and had fun posing by a stationary plane while the other ladies took their rides.

That afternoon was pretty stressful because James and I ended up needing to stay on base and help set up all of the audio/video equipment in the hangar where they were holding the banquet that night. Since I took the pictures and put together the slideshow, I guess the people organizing it expected that we had all of the technological aspects of the night figured out - which, of course, we didn't. SO we had to spend several hours making phone calls, as well as several trips back and forth from the house, squadron, and hangar just to get everything working the way we needed it to. Really, everything for this graduation was thoroughly disorganized, so it's a wonder that the night went as well as it did. Thankfully, through some solid team work, we got everything set and ready to go about an hour and a half before people were going to start arriving. I very much appreciated the fact that the MC made a point of thanking James and myself for our hard work during his acknowledgements at the banquet.

The hangar was a very cool venue for the dinner. When we arrived, they had the back doors open to the flight line, which was lit up with one of our spectacular Arizona sunsets. They had some displays by the base security and firefighters set up that people could check out during the happy hour before dinner. We mainly enjoyed meeting up with friends and getting to know some of their parents better while we waited.

We were seated at a table with one of James' favorite IP's and his wife, as well as one of the cooler academic instructors. We very much enjoyed talking to them about moving over-seas over dinner. It was great to hear everyone be so encouraging and excited about what James has accomplished here, and all of the great things we will get to do at our first assignment.

One of my favorite parts of the ceremony was watching the video slideshow I put together for the class. I incorporated pictures and video that the guys had taken during their training, as well as pictures of our families and all of the fun and exciting things we have gotten to do while here in Arizona. There were many pictures in front of the Grand Canyon and other AZ landmarks, as well as some lifetime landmarks like weddings and a new baby. Everyone was very impressed with the way I cut it all together, so that was a nice little ego boost for me while we were all so focused on the guys. O=^)

After dinner, there was a brief speech by our guest of honor - Major General Lawrence D. Johnston. He is a highly decorated retired General with some crazy stories to tell about his time in combat. His speech was short and entertaining, which many of us enjoyed, but I don't really feel that what he said had much substance to it. It was clear he wasn't very prepared, and just wanted to get up there and say something memorable to the pilots and their families. What he said to the guys was actually pretty cool. He pointed out that, in the grand scope of human history, we have only been flying for a very short period of time, and the way things are headed, there may not be manned fighter planes for very much longer. So, they should be thankful and very proud that they are able to be a part of the peak of air combat. However, all he really said to the families is that we should be comforted because there is some kind of "magic" out there that will keep our guys safe. That would have been a great point if he had left it at a "higher power" - but he repeatedly attributed it to magic, which I found disappointing. Oh well. Cest la vie.

After the speech was over, the awards were presented, then all of the guys received their diplomas and took pictures with the Generals and muckety-mucks who were present. In the picture below, the man on the far right is James' squadron commander, Lt. Col. Pete "Cujo" Bilodeau. He was a great commander, and a total riot in social situations, and we will definitely remember him well after we've left Luke.

After the ceremony was over, we were able to go around and take pictures with friends and family before heading out. By that time it was fairly late, so James parents headed back to their room, and we followed the rest of the people from our class to the after party at a local sports bar. We were pretty worn out, so we just ordered some food and hung out with our closer friends until we went home and crashed around midnight. Over all, it was a good day, and all of the hassle of the afternoon was worth it to make the evening go well for everyone.

The next day, we decided to take a long drive up north through Prescott and Sedona with Bob and Nancy. The area up there is beautiful - with all kinds of stunning rock formations. The scenery up there is what you normally associate with Arizona. Unfortunately, it started raining when we finally got to Sedona where the scenery is the most breathtaking, so I don't have any great pictures from up there. But below are a couple from a scenic-over look where we stopped on our way through the Verde Valley. I think Bob very much enjoyed getting to drive around and explore while still visiting with us. =^)

When we arrived in Sedona, we found a fun restaurant where we ate a late lunch/early dinner. Then we wandered around in a local art gallery and drove around to see some of the near-by parks and attractions before heading home. James and I are glad that we were able to finally get up there to see Sedona, and are thankful that Bob and Nancy provided the motivation necessary to get us up there! Now we've seen almost everything that we wanted to see here in Arizona and are one step closer to being ready to move on.

New Friends Arrive in Arizona!

The end of January brought with it the highly-anticipated arrival of two of our closest friends from Del Rio. Patrick and Ashley Chapman are another young married couple that went to the couples' Bible Study we attended. We have definitely missed hanging out with them since we moved to Phoenix in April and left them behind. Patrick is going to be an A-10 pilot, and has been waiting ages to begin his training at Davis Monthan AFB in Tucson. Their time has finally come, though, and so we had a very fun reunion a few weeks ago!

Ashley arrived a week before Patrick so that they could move into their new house as soon as possible, and get everything organized before he arrived. Since she was all alone down there, my friends Jordan, Ashley and I all decided to take a road trip down there on Friday, Jan 22nd to keep her company for a while. Because of the terrible weather, it turned into a sleep-over, which was really fun. We threw a little birthday party for her beloved dauchshund Remy, and stayed up late talking about life. I still think it's incredible how easy it is to pick up a close friendship like that after months apart. =^)

The following weekend, Patrick and Ashley both drove up to Phoenix for the weekend so that all of the guys could hang out again. That Friday night, we all decided to meet up at a local restaurant/coffee house/bar called "Ground Control". I guess the word got out that AF people would be hanging out there that night, because a bunch of people from James' pilot training class turned up, as well as one guy - Nic Koval - who had also gone through pilot training with the guys in Del Rio and was out here doing his SEAD training. He brought his awesome fiancee Eileen with him. By the end of the night, James and I found ourselves surrounded by 20 of our friends. It was an incredible night.

Then onn Sunday, we couples all went to church together at Palm Valley, and then went over to the Cienski's house for a fabulous afternoon brunch. It's times like this that really show why it's awesome to be a part of the Air Force community. I doubt that there are many other people who have so many strong, fulfilling friendships with people they work with.

Of course, it was great having the Chapmans around again to laugh and talk with. They were one of the first married couples that we really enjoyed spending time with and felt we could be completely open and honest with after getting married, so I am glad we've been able to keep up our friendship in spite of the distance.

But it was also really fun to get to know Nic and Eileen better. They are both very sweet and very smart people who we connect well with. (She apparently used to do something with Middle Eastern Intelligence at the CIA before switching to AF intelligence so she could be closer to home in Ohio. She and Nic met while he was going through F-16 training with a guard unit up there in Dayton. Crazy, huh?) We were all devastated to hear that they were all set to go out to Misawa around the same time we are, but her medical clearance was rejected for a very stupid reason so they are going to Shaw AFB in South Carolina instead. After fretting about not having any of our close Christian couple friends going with us to Japan, that was a strong blow indeed. It also made me very nervous about whether or not my own medical clearance was going to go through. They have come to terms with the change, though, and are just excited to get married next weekend and start their life together in a new place. Since the wedding is going to be in Dayton, OH and we are going to be in Louisville visiting my grandparents that weekend, we're hoping to be able to drive up there for the ceremony. Of course, the weather might not permit the two hour drive, but it would be great to be there to celebrate with our new friends on their special day.

High School Purity Retreats

On January 17th and 18th, James and I had the honor of attending and helping out at the church's annual high school winter retreats. This year they decided to do them separately and focus on the topic of purity. I was specifically asked to attend the girl's retreat so I could take pictures of everything that went on. How could I refuse?? =^D (There are many more pictures on my photography blog if you'd like to see more.)

Sunday afternoon, we all met up at a local hotel where the girl's retreat was going to be held. After the girls checked in and we sorted out who would be rooming with whom, we sent them out on a big relay race based on the reality show called "The Amazing Race". Basically they teamed up and had to complete a series of challenges. The faster they completed the challenge, the faster they could move on to the next station, and the team that won would get a prize. I was asked to video tape them, so I got to laugh as they tried to do all of these crazy challenges. Some highlights include plunging their hands into a pool of blue goop looking for a certain amount of loose change, eating a bunch of gross food, walking across a soccer field with a dictionary balanced on their head, and giving friends a make-over while blind-folded.

After that we all ate dinner and had fun getting to know some new people. I was excited that the three girls I've really been pouring into in the last few weeks attended. I made sure to get a good picture of the three of them. Below, from left to right, it's Carly, Sarah and Paige. (The glasses, hat and beads were silly accessories they picked out just for the weekend.)

I also got to know a couple of other girls fairly well, which was fun. Below are Lena and Sarah Yohe. Sarah says she's planning on joining our small group this semester which is exciting.

I had her and the two girls below in my hotel room for the weekend. Needless to say, we didn't sleep much that night, but that's ok. No one ever really expects to sleep when they go to these things anyway... Angie and Macayla (the two girls in the picture below) were thoroughly amused by the way I laugh and would giggle every time I laughed, which would me laugh harder, which made them laugh harder, etc. I'm sure all of the sugar they brought with them to snack on didn't help the situation. But we ended up getting into a really deep discussion about different religions and denominations and how people represent Christ to the world. I was impressed by Sarah Yohe's maturity and look forward to having her in small group this semester.

Another highlight of the weekend was having the incredible female vocalist from the main service worship team lead us in worship and share her testimony with us. I always thought she had to be 25 or so, but it turns out she's only 19! So she related to us well, and I was excited to talk to her and get to know her a bit. It really is too bad that we're moving so soon. There are so many incredible people here that I would love to form stronger relationships with...

The speaker for our retreat was named Nancy, and she and her husband are both full-time missionaries who are here in the U.S. on furlough. Her husband spoke at the guy's retreat. She chose to focus much more on spiritual purity than physical purity because our physical actions all stem from what's going on in our hearts. It was a good message, but I think she was a bit long-winded and talked a lot more about her own life experience than about general principals that the girls could easily apply to their lives. They got the gist of what we wanted them to walk away with...but I wish the speaker could have used her time to really challenge the girls where they are at right now instead of giving them example upon example of her own personal struggles.

After our sessions, we had a lot of fun exercises which included splitting off into teams and putting together a skit based on random items they found in a paper bag, and a fashion show. They were all really funny and we as leaders enjoyed seeing the girls kind of come out of their shells and perform for us. Even a couple of the youth mentors got up and had fun pretending to be models! I hope my constant flashing added to the feel of a real runway show. B^)

The most meaningful part of the weekend was right at the end when we asked the girls to get up and share some of the things they learned or were really convicted of. All of the stories were very moving and I know that the girls were all very moved by what they heard. Then we played some quiet music and had them go up to the front of the room and tie a while ribbon onto a wreath as a symbol of their commitment to remain pure. Hopefully that act will stick with them for a while and help them as they seek to grow in their intimacy with Christ.

While the girls were hanging out at the hotel and having fashion shows and late-night slumber parties, the boys were out at a fitness center in Verrado tying sports in with a discussion of purity and spiritual fitness. Most of their time was spent playing various sports and games, but they also had more serious sessions with worship and testimonies and discussions based on what the speaker had to say. I'm really glad that James went and got to have that experience of being a leader and watching young people learn and grow in their faith. We both grew a lot over the course of the weekend, and pray that the seeds that were planted in the minds and hearts of these students will continue to grow and flourish - even though we won't be there to see it.

Prayers, Tears, and Shoes for Haiti

Like everyone else, James and I have been horrified by the stories and pictures coming out of Haiti in the wake of the earthquake this week. It's just hard to imagine the amount of suffering and destruction that this tiny nation is trying to cope with right now. However, this disaster has hit a bit closer to home for us and the people at our church because we have been building close ties with the people of Haiti for the last few years, and even focused on that specific ministry a lot during the months of November and December.

It's a pretty amazing story of providence, actually. Three and a half years ago, our church felt called to go to Haiti and partner with the people there to build churches, dig wells, and generally serve and love on the Haitians. You see, Haiti is the poorest third-world country in the western hemisphere, and it's also a very spiritually dark place. Our pastor said on Sunday that the media has been reporting that 85% of the population is Roman Catholic... but that's not entirely true. The most widely practiced religion in Haiti is Voodoo, and a lot of people who claim to be Catholics actually practice some sort of hybrid between the two. So we've been partnering with the other missions organizations down there to help win the nation of Haiti back for God.

In November, our ministers traveled to Haiti to look for a specific need that we could help address. One of the things they witnessed was the terrible state of the hospitals down there. Unlike the hospitals here in the US - when someone goes to the hospital in Haiti, it is up to their family to provide bed linens, food and water, and they have to go purchase all of the necessary medicine and equipment to treat the patient. In many cases, all that they need would cost only a few dollars, but most of the people can't even afford that. So, a lot of the times, parents will drop an ill or injured child off at the hospital and essentially leave them there to die because they can't afford a simple prescription.

After visiting one of these children's hospitals, our ministry team felt clearly led to start raising money for medical supplies to send over to Haiti. (Amazing timing, eh? ;^) We spent a lot of time in November and December talking to the Jr. and Sr. High students about what it means to give sacrificially, and how the $5 bill in their pocket that they were planning on spending on themselves could be used to save a child's life. The students in the small group Bible study that James and I help lead had a garage sale in December where they sold their possessions and placed 100% of their earnings in the offering basket at church. Over all, the youth at Palm Valley were able to raise over $2,400 for medical help for Haiti - all before the earthquake even hit! It was really cool seeing their facebook status updates right after the quake hit and they realized what God's purpose behind this exercise in giving truly was. Not only did we already have a significant amount of money set aside for medical relief and aid, but we already had people on the ground in Haiti, ready to respond immediately. What a miracle!

On Sunday, instead of continuing with our regular series, our minister focused his sermon on what is going on down there, and how to respond to the crises in life that make us ask that unanswerable question of "Why?" The main points of his sermon were that we live in a fallen world so we will inevitably have pain and hardship, but we have a mission so we must respond, and that we have a loving Father that we can trust no matter what.

I'm not exaggerating when I say that this was one of the most moving sermons I have ever heard. I'm hoping they will post it online soon so I can send the link to friends and family. One of the great things about our head pastor Greg is that he is not afraid to be completely honest and transparent before the congregation. His anguish and horror were very clear as he talked about the people they met who have died or are suffering in the aftermath of the earthquake. We attended the fifth service of the weekend, but he still broke down 6 or 7 times during his 35 minute sermon. I can only imagine how emotionally drained he was by that point. I don't think there was a dry eye in the house as he shared all he knew about what is really happening down there, and I don't blame him for crying because the stories are absolutely atrocious.

The villages where our church has been working are only a few miles from the epicenter, so a lot of the children and families that our ministers met while they were down there were directly affected. Greg told us what he's heard from other missionaries and ministry partners that they've gotten a hold of in the last couple days. The church building that our church constructed in Value, Haiti was destroyed, but thankfully the pastor was ok. 70 pastors in the Haitian Baptist Association died in the quake, which means there are now at least 70 churches there without leadership to help them through this tough time. One of the biggest churches in the capital city of Port-au-Prince were in the middle of a prayer meeting when the quake hit and at least 400 people were killed when the building collapsed on them. Also, the technical buildings at the Haiti Arise ministry training center in Petit Goave were damaged, which will make it difficult to continue training locals as pastors. Over all, the people - Christians and non alike - are very discouraged and disheartened and desperately need our prayers and encouragement to keep going.

Worst of all is the situation with the orphans down there. Before the earthquake there were 200,000 orphans in Haiti - and I'm sure that number has at least doubled in the last week. An orphanage that our ministers know of called "Maison De Anges" was damaged and so their 80 preschool aged children have been displaced and are running out of food and water. The church staff managed to get a hold of them and asked if they would be able to get the food and supplies they need if we found a way to get some money to them, but they said that honestly they weren't sure because there's just not enough food and water to go around even if you have money. We sent some anyway - how could we not? But it is clear that without immediate help, many children will be lost.

This was the issue that was clearly the most heart-breaking for Pastor Greg. On Sunday, he said that the process required to adopt a child from Haiti before the quake took about a year and a half. But now all of the records of those needy children were lost when their government buildings were destroyed in Port-au-Prince, which normally would have made the adoption process impossible. It's SO stupid how difficult and expensive it is to adopt a child in need in normal circumstances - but now there are so many who need help now. So Greg asked us to be specifically praying that something drastic would be done to make it possible for Christian families to take these children in and help raise them. He also seriously encouraged everyone to start considering adopting or sponsoring a Haitian child so that we can help save the Haitian children in more ways than one. That may seem crazy to think about at first, but we know a lot of people who have answered that call and are seriously praying about it. We would too if we weren't leaving the country in a couple months...which is scary to think about because I really don't think we're ready to be parents yet, but answering God's call to help the widows and orphans is way more important than our own personal plans.

The most interesting thing I heard on Sunday is the fact that, while we are all appalled by the terrible conditions down in Haiti, all we're really seeing is a slightly more elevated version of problems they have dealt with for years. Their government is beyond inadequate, and they have absolutely no infrastructure or resources to deal with a catastrophe like this. In fact, Pastor Greg said that as they were leaving Haiti in November, he looked out his airplane window at the city of Port-au-Prince and prayed that somehow God would draw the eyes of the world to the nation of Haiti so that they could get the help they need. As creepy as the "coincidence" is - he doesn't blame himself. Instead, he sees this as a turning point in their nation's history. Where once they were struggling alone, in poverty and spiritual darkness, they are now being flooded with the selfless love and service of people from all over the world who follow Christ. As it says in Isaiah - God can and will bring beauty out of the ashes.

So, regardless of whether you are able to give financially to help the relief efforts, please pray for what's going on down there right now. It's an unfortunate truth that the news media has a very short attention span. So we need to make sure we don't just give them some supplies and help construct some buildings, but we need to help them in the rebuilding phase and make sure that they can be taken care-of in the long-run.

Toward the end of the sermon, Pastor Greg listed a couple of ways we could help right now. One of them was a ministry called "Souls for Soles" that is collecting shoes for the people in Haiti because they don't have any. After making this announcement, they had a time of prayer and worship where we sang my favorite hymn ever (It is Well) while looking at a slideshow of pictures they took during their November mission trip.

Pastor Greg said that during the first service on Saturday night, people came forward of their own accord and took off their shoes and started laying them on the stage as a selfless offering to God, and walked back to their cars in bare feet. In the following services, the pile of shoes at the front of the auditorium continued to grow as we all cried and made our little (but difficult) offerings. Many people I know were conflicted at first because they found themselves wearing their favorite pair of shoes and didn't want to give them up. But by the end of the service, all of us were crying and praying and worshiping God together - and there was no question or hesitation. We have been blessed with so much, and if we can help by giving up one pair of shoes, how can we say no?

James and I both gave up our shoes - which was a major step for him because he had to give away his beloved Vans and wear his running shoes all week. The pavement was cold and hurt my feet as we walked in tearful silence back to the car that afternoon - but I'm glad. Somehow it made our commitment to pray for and help the people in Haiti rise from the ashes a new and God-infused nation all the more potent.

I'll end with a couple of lines from my new favorite praise song - "Hosanna" by Hillsong United that have become something of a personal challenge/motto for me.

Break my heart for what breaks yours

Everything I am for your kindgom's cause.