Christmas 2008

Christmas 2008... what an interesting year it has been.  From being snowed in at home to having the amazing privilege of serving the homeless on Christmas Day, it has been a year filled with change.  

It has been a good year.  Josh and Kassi got snowed in with us for almost a week.  It was awesome to have our family together for awhile.  We finally were able to get their car dug out and they got to spend their first Christmas at home with just them.  

Daryn and Kaytea went to UGM with Mark and I.  Several volunteers were unable to make it due to the weather.  They all stepped up and were amazing!  Mark had the rough job of security at the gift give-away.  While it is so awesome to have the opportunity to give to those in need, sadly, there are those who are just 'takers' and push their limits.  Others were truly in need and it was a blessing to at least offer a warm meal and some new clothes (thanks to Adidas!).  I spent most of my time to running around touching base with people and getting to know our volunteers.  They are all amazing!  We even had a couple flight attendants who were stuck in Portland on a layover spend their afternoon with us!

In the end, God was honored and we were blessed.  We decided to go to a movie on the way home with Daryn and Kaytea.  We saw Seven Pounds... I HIGHLY recommend it!  

So, while we don't know what our future holidays will look like, I imagine we'll be spending more of them at UGM, and finding creative ways of spending time together as a family.  Transitions are not always easy... but are sometimes needed, and in the end, very good (especially when God is at work changing our hearts to remind us of what is truly important in life -- not the 'stuff' we get at Christmas, but instead, having the opportunity to give back to those in need).  Through this holiday season, I have been reminded again and again of James 1:27 -- "Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world."

Christmas is about the amazing gift of God's Son, and salvation for each of us.  My life is beyond blessed in so many ways.  My deepest desire is to bring glory to God our Father in every moment of every day.  

Now it's time to get ready to celebrate Christmas with Mark's family tomorrow.  We get to host at our house!  :)  I just hope I can remember it's not about hosting the 'perfect' Christmas, but about getting to spend time with family.  

So... I'm off to clean and get ready.  

My prayer for each of you, for our family, and for myself is that the power of God's Holy Spirit would strengthen us; that He would continually remind us that our lives are to be lived out for His glory; and that while it is exhausting to give and not receive, HE is our strength and HE will provide, whatever our NEEDS may be!

Merry (although belated) Christmas!

Family, the holidays, and cancer

It's been one week since my dad was diagnosed with lung cancer.  Initially the news was optimistic, and in a lot of ways it still is, we are hanging in the waiting period of the unknown.  His PET scan revealed two things the doctor doesn't like, one is a hot lymph node, and the other is calcifications on his heart, which could cause a heart attack during surgery.  He goes in for a stress test on Thursday, and if that goes well, he will have surgery on November 25th to remove the lower lobe of his left lung.  His recovery will be long and slow.  If the stress test does not go well, we wait to see what the doctor will do.

I had lunch yesterday with two of my brothers and Mark to decide what to do next.  We decided to all go to Arizona to have Thanksgiving dinner with them on the 23rd.  Which I am looking forward to... but then, there are so many mixed emotions.  This year will be Josh and Kassi's first holidays as a married couple and I wanted to do all I could to make it special for them... instead we are all just trying to see how we can get to Arizona for Christmas to spend it with mom and dad.  With so much unknown, none of us want to live in the regret of not spending all the time we can with them, should something happen between now and next year.

I love the holidays.  I love time with family... the music, the lights.  Pausing to be thankful for all God's amazing blessings; celebrating the birth of our Savior.  God has done so much in my heart this past year working at UGM and becoming more involved in the homeless and poor communities of Portland.  My eyes and heart have been opened to see what so many go through just to survive; God has convicted me deeply of my selfishness in celebrating His gift.  I have become a huge advocate for Advent Conspiracy, and the unselfish nature of giving relational gifts, not just more stuff.  Last year, instead of gifts, we promised our family a trip to the coast, which we weren't able to do until September.  We had an amazing few days away.  Walking on the beach, going to dinner, seeing the sights.  I am reminded so often how incredibly blessed I am to have Mark, Daryn, Kassi, and now Josh (and his family).  That Mark and Cecil are best friends is an amazing gift.  That we can have such fun with our kids now that they are grown... a blessing too incredible for words.

I have also been incredibly blessed with amazing parents.  We were able to spend a week with them at the coast after Josh and Kassi's wedding last summer.  It was a great time of rest and just being together.  While I don't talk with them as often as I should, I think of them every day and my heart is moved deeply as I remember that they chose me to be their's when they adopted me.  I am humbled that God has chosen me for this family; I am humbled that He blessed me with Mark, and has done so much in Daryn and Kassi, and in Josh... I am humbled to have the opportunity to be a part of the LifeChange family at UGM.

This year the holiday's may not be picture perfect for our family... but they will be good.  We have each other... we have this year to make time to be together.  We have an abundance that we are able to give to others from... yeah... God is good... all the time... and all the time... God is good, even in the trials of life.

God at work in downtown P-town...

I just came home from my first 'Operation Overcoat' at UGM in downtown Portland.  What an absolutely amazing day... 

Operation Overcoat is a street fair outreach event put on by Union Gospel Mission the last Saturday of every September.  Our desire is to provide needed items for those in need by giving away clothing, boots, blankets, hygiene items, and many other needed things.  We feed them an awesome bbq lunch (and they are allowed to eat as much as they want!)  We provide an awesome 'program' of music, dance, and sharing the love of Christ.

Okay, so now you know a little bit of what it is... but really, that doesn't even begin to explain it.  There's no way to describe in words what the experience is like... but I will try, a little.

Daryn and I arrived early to work with the set up team on the stage and sound system.  When we arrived at 7 AM, the place was already crazy with volunteers setting up the various areas that we would use, (we shut down most of 3rd in front of the mission, and half of Couch.)

By 9 AM the Medical Teams International Dental Van is seeing patients, and we are waiting for our first band, One Way Street, to arrive.  We had a few glitches in set up and started the program a little late, but hey... things happen!  SPO got the party started with a great dance to 123 Praise, follow by One Way Street who were great!  Our audience loved them!  

Laura McGreevey, along with her husband Kris and bass player, Dan, shared amazing songs of hope and love.  I was overwhelmed as I watched both Kris and Laura sharing and praying with people when they finished playing.

SPO jumped back on stage next with a 'dance' to 'Losin My Way' by Justin Timberlake.  I watched as so many in our audience were moved by this awesome song and the story that was being told through dance...

Justin Klump and his band were up next and wow... what a great band!  Their album releases November 11... WATCH FOR IT!

Two of our LifeChange graduates, Doug Quinney and Lori Nelson, shared an awesome time of worship... and then, just to close the day... SPO gave us one more chance to praise God with 123 Praise.

Throughout the day, somewhere around 1800 to 2,000 needy people were able to have at least some of their needs met.  We were saddened to run out of diapers and men's clothes.  Socks are always a huge need; and we discovered that offering things like baby wipes to help with hygiene would be awesome!

For me... it was just an incredible blessing to be a part of such an amazing day.  Led by our LifeChange team, run by awesome volunteers, and received by those who's needs are greatest in our own city.