Speechless

Happy Sunday Fabulous Ones!

We're having a super-slick-Sunday here in Minnesota with icy, rainy drizzly yuk, but I hope wherever you are you're warm and toasty :-)

Thanks again for all the support, encouragement, prayers and cash you've so richly contributed this week, it's just awesome to have such wonderful supporters :-)

This week has been an interesting one as I pondered my personal goals for going to Guatemala, I was a little surprised by what I learned and am intrigued to see what God does with it. Guatemala is a predominately indigenous language speaking county, with between 20-50 regional dialects spoken it's complex and thanks to Christopher Columbus the second language is Spanish. That's all good, but I don't speak Spanish (apart from being able to order a beer but that's not so useful on a mission trip - thanks John Malone!) thus I'm going to be reliant on communicating through others or in other ways. As you all know this is completely new territory for me, i'm usually the one that speaks up, reaches out and puts people at ease with words, but this trip those techniques won't be available to me. 

From my reading about missions work it's becoming increasingly obvious that to stop, look, listen and be open to learning from the people we are serving is about the best thing to do, so it looks like my 'temporary mute-button' and my work will go hand in hand - Yeah God!

My discoveries this week have caused me to think about a quote often attributed to Francis of Assisi "preach the Gospel at all times and when necessary use words" it looks like i'm going to get the chance to try this out without relying on my usual support of words and language because my words will be of limited size and quality, my challenge will be to rely on the God's support to show others the Good News of Jesus Christ by my actions instead.

Wow and Wooo hoooo!

As ever, I cherish all your thoughts, prayers, encouraging words and contributions, please keep them coming :-)

Best Blessings

Alison

x

Blessings of Bags, Bugs, Elephants & Mice

WOO HOOO! 

What a Crazy-Fantastic week and what a SUPER-AWESOME bunch you are! 

This week you chaps managed to fill my entire car to the brim  (only a small space for me to drive!) with bag upon bag of AMAZING blessings for the people of Guatemala, you gave shoes, backpacks, school, medical and dental supplies. It took three people and two trips to unload Betty-the bug and person commented on how fabulous my friends must be. I agree. YOU CHAPS ROCK!

You have also donated so very generously to the on-line giving site for our trip; I'm unable to see exactly who but we're told we will get a report soon - between now and then Thank You SO Much.

I know many of you are praying for us and I have to say that we covet every one of your prayers. They are making a HUGE difference already. Please don't stop!

At our team meeting today we were documenting, organizing, packing and weighing supplies into big 50lb cargo bags that we will take with us. The customs rules tightened two years ago and now everything has to be meticulously documented to ensure unobstructed passage into Guatemala. My job today was to work with a team of five children ages seven to ten to unpack toothpaste from the boxes and repack them in 50 count bags! We are proud to report that 750 boxes were opened and repacked without any tears but with much giggling and hilarity!

We also heard of a fairly major miracle that has occurred in one of the Churches we are going to serve. One of the very poorest Churches believed they had the resources to construct a small room to be used as a computer school, so we would bring old computers set them up in the room and start teaching people how to use them. Sadly this week they discovered they were about $1,500 short for building expenses and were about to contact us to tell us not to bother bringing the computers but another local Church (who themselves are in great need) stepped in and voluntarily donated a financial gift they had received to fund the computer room. It is stories like these that let us know that Good things are happening for God in Guatemala.

As part of my continued preparation this week I had to submit a book report. The book i chose to read was When Helping Hurts an amazing book written for folks from the west who are trying to help poor people near and far and explaining the inadvertent damage that can be done in the process.  Some of the book was sad, some was shocking but all the way through felt like it was really helping me step back from my unbridled enthusiasm and really think about what God wants from me during this trip. One of the most impactful parts for me was a story told by an African mission worker 

Elephant and Mouse were best friends. One day Elephant said, "Mouse, lets have a party!" Animals gathered from far and near . They ate. They drank. They sang. And they danced. And nobody celebrated more and danced harder than the Elephant. After the party was over, Elephant exclaimed, "Mouse, did you ever go to a better party? What a blast!" But Mouse did not answer. "Mouse, where are you?" Elephant called. He looked around for his friend and then shrank back in horror. There at Elephant's feet lay Mouse. His little body was ground into the dirt. He had been smashed by the big feet of his exuberant friend Elephant. "Sometimes that's what it is like to do a mission with Westerners" the African storyteller commented "It's like dancing with an Elephant"

My note to self for next week. Don't be an Elephant and watch out for Mouse wherever he may be.

Next week my homework is to do more reflection on my personal goals for the trip, why do I think God want's me to go? what does he want me to learn and what is he teaching me along the way? So if you see me staring into space more than usual this week don't be alarmed - i've got some serious thinking to do!

As ever, I want to thank you all for your fabulous support, encouragement and all-round awesomeness. If you have any spare thoughts, prayers (or cash!) we can still use all of it so please join me on my adventure.

Have a FABULOUS day and a Blessed week :-)

Alison

x

YOUR mission should you choose to accept it...

Happy Sunday Joy, Love and Work-ers!


Firstly THANKS SOOOOO MUCH for all your notes, prayers, contributions and words of encouragement over the past week since I posted about my upcoming mission trip to Guatemala - I can't explain how uplifted I feel, so please don't stop!!

Last week my preparation was to gather supplies, write a presentation for the group about language in Guatemala (did you know that over 50 languages are spoken of which 21 are officially recognized and they are all rooted in the original Proto-Mayan languages which are about 5000 years old? - no, i didn't either!!) and finding a book that will help me understand the Guatemalan people and culture (my book review is due next week and i'll be happy to forward it to you upon request!)

At our team meeting today I learned that during our trip I will be working with the Leadership Training Team, our job is to design and deliver a 'Retreat' for the Pastors, Deacons and Elders of the local churches. I'm VERY excited about this opportunity as I always feel called to support leaders, and so for me to be able support and help refresh and revitalize these folk who are work so hard for God will be a real treat. I cant wait :-) 

This week is our LAST WEEK TO COLLECT SUPPLIES! the reason we have to have them gathered so early is to get all the correct customs paperwork completed in which every single item has to be documented. It's a long and dull process but hopefully will be well worth the effort when we see the faces of the Guatemalan's who will benefit from them. 

AND HERE'S YOUR MISSION SHOULD YOU CHOOSE TO ACCEPT IT we need to gather AS MANY of the following items as we can by 12noon next Sunday 15th January. I'm happy to provide Caribou Coffee, Beer or Wine to folks who can get me these supplies just text, e-mail or call me and we can arrange a handover...so whadaya think?

• Shoes for Children - new & gently used, from babies to adult size 5, no boot please!
• Backpacks - new & gently used, non-branded if possible
• School supplies - 
• Notebooks without spiral binding
• ballpoint pens - all colors - no pencils please as they don't have sharpeners
• Medical supplies
• Large bottles of Ibruprofen
• Acetaminophen or Tylenol
• Children's Tylenol meltaways
• Children's vitamins (chewable not gummy)
• Cough drops
• Tums
• Eye drops or natural tears
• Neosporin
• Bacitracin
• Soap - regular sized bars
• Eucerin cream
• Shampoo - all sizes
• Dental supplies
• Toothbrushes
• Toothpaste
• Floss

Again, thanks for such wonderful support and encouragement. 

Have a Fabulous day and a Blessed week.

I'm on a mission...

...well, I will be on February 18th!

I'm SO excited to be beginning 2012 by participating in a mission trip to Guatemala and it's all Beth Moore's fault!

For those of you unfamiliar with the lovely Ms. Moore she is a wonderful Women's Bible Study teacher who came to the Twin Cities last spring for a fabulous weekend retreat. During the event she ranted (which she does fairly often!) about how single Christian women should get their butts in gear and take as many mission trips as they can manage. I agree! The last one I participated in was to Swaziland in Africa where we were working with AIDS orphans to plant sustainable vegetable gardens which would help them feed their families with nutritious food. It was an AWESOME experience and one from which I hope to never fully recover...

There's something distinctly different about "Going in the name of the LORD", whilst in theory I understand that as a Christian my whole life should be set apart, different and dedicated to God, in practice I struggle and find that often I put myself rather than God front and center. Thank God for grace.

Anyway, back to my upcoming trip...as 2011 progressed I was drawn to a missions trip to Guatemala organized by my church Wooddale. I prayed, met with the leaders, signed up and fifty of us are currently preparing for what looks to be a FABULOUS trip all about Making God Look Good in Guatemala - Woooo Hoooooo :-)

Wooddale has been partnering in the Lake Atitlan area of Guatemala since the early 1990's with the philosophy of working with and through the local churches around the lake. This year our ministry areas will include 1-1 home visits, medical clinics, water filtration, business training & mentoring, computer training, home construction and teaching English as a second language. I'm not sure what my ministry area will be yet, but i'm excited to find out and get to work for God.

The way I look at missions trips is that I'm the 'lucky one' who gets to go to somewhere new and exciting, meet fabulous people and do fun things for God; I'm blessed with so much freedom, health and flexibility to be able to do this and I am hugely grateful for these blessings. I know many of you would love the opportunity to do something similar but for various reasons are unable to participate right now, so I'm inviting you to join in and partner with me in one or more of the following ways:

1. PRAY - That our trip will EXPONENTIALLY BLESS the people of Guatemala and everyone involved, that we will Make God Look Good and do great work with eternal benefits. 

2. FOLLOW US ON FACEBOOK! Wooddale Bridge Builders

3. GIVE 'STUFF' BY JANUARY 15th - Guatemala is a poor country and many of the essential things we take for granted are luxuries for the Guatemalan's; so we will be taking items such as

• Kids shoes up to size 5 (no boots)
• School supplies - stitched notebooks (not wire bound), pens (not pencils) backpacks (neutral - non branded)
• Medical supplies - chewable vitamins, chewable tylenol, eyedrops
• Toothbrushes and toothpaste

4. DONATE - Our trip expenses are $2,300 per person so if you are willing and able to make a tax deductible donation here's how:

• Go on-line to
• www.wooddale.org/give/ministry-trips
• Select the "Give Now" button by the "Bridge Builders Guatemala" link
• Create an account (or use your Wooddale Weblink account login info)
• Choose participant "Alison Smith" and select your contribution amount    

As you may be able to tell, I'm SO excited to be Going With God to Guatemala and who knows, I may even get round to blogging about it too!

Have a Blessed and Awesome 2012.

x

Tempus Fugit

Unaccustomed as I am to speaking in Latin this is an unusual title for a post (but hey, these days every post is unusual so what the heck!!) anyway back to Tempus Fugit or when translated into English "Time Flies" - today was one of those days where it stopped for a moment just to let me notice its passage.

Today I celebrated two years working with The Best Coffee Company On The Planet, and what a fabulous two years it's been. Full of ups and downs, ins and outs, stops & goes but mostly some good solid progress getting from where we were to where we are going. It's all good.


My job (ODD) is one where progress is measured in months and years rather than hours and days; the changes are often marked by refusal, rebuttal, resistance, reticence and then perhaps some grudging acceptance leading to accommodation and then adoption. Man is it a test of character to see who wins!


Probably as a result of my infinitesimally small measurements of work progress I just LOVE pretty much all celebratory events that mark the passage of time or other significant outcomes. Birthdays, Anniversary's, New Years, New Babies, New Jobs, New Outfits - you name it and I could probably find a reason to celebrate it and why not?


This is what Wikipedia says about Tempus Fugit so clearly it must be right..."The expression was first recorded in the poem Georgics written by Roman poet Virgil: Sed fugit interea fugit irreparabile tempus, singula dum capti circumvectamur amore, which means, "But meanwhile it flees: time flees irretrievably, while we wander around, prisoners of our love of detail."


I really think Virgil was onto something when he wrote this poem, conscious that as we focus on the minute details of every day TIME IS FLYING, IRRETRIEVABLY!...it will never come back and as a result we must cherish each moment, each event, each breakthrough; if we don't do it now we'll never get the opportunity to do it again.


I'm so thrilled that I got to spend the last two years of my Fugit-ing Tempus where I was at with the folks I was with doing the things we did. We've toiled, learned, laughed, cried and my how we've grown. Thank you God.

Thank you for being a friend

Tonight I had the enormous privilege of getting together with fabulous folks I used to work with in what now seems like a previous life, but in fact was just another job.

Conversation flowed, our interest in each other was both real and palpable and time just flew past. Laughter, celebration, curiosity and just plain old listening were all there in spades; there just wasn't enough time to get all the catching up, brainstorming, plotting and scheming done. We all wanted more and were sad when the evening ended.

And why is that?

I know when I'm in the fray of a job, project or work challenge I rarely feel like stopping to make it a 'Kodak Moment'* in fact the very opposite is often true, often I just put my head down and power through whatever is the particular 'problem d'jour'.

But on the inside something very different is happening, the folks who are in the same boat with me are by some strange mystical force branded with the same iron; we may have different actual memories but our solidarity and commitment to each other remains the intact. We remember that at one (or more) times in the past is was 'Us Against' whatever foe might have been besetting us at the time - internal or external  - and the fact that we lived to tell the tales is what matters.

These shared experiences force us to learn about each other really fast, we see how each other handles stress, life, relationships, values and oh yes not forgetting...work.

I'm so thankful for my work-friends both present and past; we share a rich heritage of secrets, language, learning and achievement that is impossible to replicate and frankly why would you even try?

Friends at Work = Joy & Love

*If you don't understand what a Kodak Moment is your are either Julie Drogemueller or Mandi Torrenga; please access Personal Electronic Device for the answer :-)

...anybody there?

Sorry to have left you languishing for so long - I was stuck in a moment and I couldn't get out of it!

For those of you who are my Facebook Friends, you'll know that for the last three weeks I've been being stalked...not by a person but by a song!!

The song is 'Stuck in a Moment' by U2 and it goes like this...

"I'm not afraid of anything in this world, There's nothing you can throw at me that I haven't already heard, I'm just trying to find a decent melody, A song that I can sing in my own company.I never thought you were a fool, but darling, look at you; You gotta stand up straight, carry your own weight, These tears are going nowhere, baby.You've got to get yourself together, You've got stuck in a moment and now you can't get out of it, don't say that later will be better, now you're stuck in a moment and you can't get out of it.I will not forsake the colours that you bring, the nights you filled with fireworks, they left you with nothing. I am still enchanted by the light you brought to me, I listen through your ears, through your eyes I can see.And you are such a fool to worry like you do,  I know it's tough and you can never get enough of what you don't really need now, my, oh my.I was unconscious, half asleep, The water is warm till you discover how deep,  I wasn't jumping, for me it was a fall It's a long way down to nothing at all.And if the night runs over, and if the day won't last, and if our way should falter along the stony pass.It's just a moment, this time will pass."

I've never been stalked by a song before, and its been quite an experience! It's been playing on the radio many times just as I switched it on or walked back into a room. Bono and The Edge appeared on David Letterman's show and just burst into it, and it's constantly rumbling round in my head and so I'm getting more and more curious.

As a Christian I've become very aware of patterns that appear in my life, as I've discovered that If I pay attention they often lead me towards or away from things or people that are either helpful or harmful for me. Things happen that only me and God could know about or appreciate and I choose to look at them as messages from him to me. It's awesome and I'm humbled and amazed each time it happens.

I'm not sure what the full intent of my 'stalker song' is just yet although it has caused me to think...what am I stuck in, what can't I get out of and what am I putting off till later. They're great deep questions and I'm glad they are mine for the moment.

Because as the very talented Bono & The Edge know "It's just a moment, this time will pass"