Faith Chest

Bryce accepted Jesus Christ as his Savior at church camp this summer on July 23, 2012.  I have this date marked in my calendar and plan to celebrate this date each year with him.  This is so exciting!!!

Bryce then watched a baptism in August and in doing so, asked many questions.  I had told him that our next baptism at Emmanuel would be in November and he immediately said that he wanted to be apart of that.  A baptism was indeed planned for November and it was the first one designed specifically for elementary aged children.  It was truly a day of celebration!!!  His testimony was beautiful... he talked about his conversion at camp and that he believed Jesus died on the cross to wash away his sin.  He then stated that he wanted to be baptized to share with everyone that he is a disciple.

We gave Bryce his gift after the baptism.  He unwrapped his "Faith Chest" with a new youth Bible inside.

The Faith Chest will provide a place to keep mementos, photos, and symbols of Bryce's faith journey.   
Items that we have already added to the chest are...

*Baby Dedication Certificate and pictures
*Baby Dedication blanket
*His First Bible
*Letter from his Church Camp Counselor, letters that Bryce received from family members in the mail while at camp, and camp photos
*Devotion Booklet that was created specifically for Bryce for our mission trip to Nicaragua... thank you Becky Cates!!!!

Bryce's devotion booklet is the red one in the center.

*Baptism Certificate

*Baptism Blessing Cards - I created Baptism Bags for each child that was baptized.  They were on the stage and Blessing Cards were passed out to all the guests.  They were encouraged to write a prayer, scripture, or special blessing to each child that he/she knew being baptized that day.  Bryce received several Blessing Cards from family, friends, and Sunday School teachers.  These cards are so meaningful!

I know that there will be days that Bryce's faith will be tested.  There will be storms in his life... it is inevitable.  I pray that during difficult seasons, Bryce will pull out his chest that documents his faith, and be comforted with the evidence of God's unfailing love.

Rylan is going Wireless!

Tomorrow is a big day for my little guy...

It all started when Rylan was an infant with projectile vomit.  After some testing, he was put on acid reflux medication.  It made a world of difference.  We were told that by age two, most kiddos grow out of the reflux.  We weaned him off of his medications at that time.  No projectile vomit so we thought all was well and that he had outgrown the reflux.  Rylan has been very congested and has had dark circles around his eyes for two years.  I was convinced that he had allergies like his brother, Bryce.  A year ago we did the allergy testing and not one allergy!  I was shocked!!!  So, the investigation began... the result... extreme acid reflux!  We began connecting other dots... Rylan had not been able to sleep through the night without waking up for several years.  It was determined that his reflux was causing all the congestion.  He was so congested that he had 2 CT scans and an abundant amount of medications to try and fix the chronic rhinosinusitis that he had without surgery.  We were successful but it took a full year.  Rylan has remained on three reflux preventatives a day but continues to get congested.  So, off to the pediatric gastroenterologist we went.  

Last week Rylan had an extensive blood work panel drawn which came back normal :)  He also had a stomach ultrasound that also came back normal... yahoo!  Tomorrow, however, is the big day!  Rylan goes in to Lutheran at 8:45am to be prepped for an upper endoscopy and a Bravo pH Probe procedure.  The Bravo system involves a pH capsule, about the size of a gel cap, that is temporarily attached to the wall of the esophagus.  The Bravo pH Capsule measures pH levels in the esophagus and transmits reading wirelessly to a box that Rylan will wear on his waistband.  

Wireless box and pH capsule

Rylan will need to record symptoms that he he experiences in a diary by pressing buttons on the receiver.  The capsule collects pH measurements for up to 48 hours.  After the study, data from the receiver is uploaded to a computer and diary information is entered for analysis to aid in the diagnosis and plan treatment.  I have been told that activities such as swallowing, eating, and drinking should cause the disposable pH capsule to detach and pass through the digestive tract in 5-7 days. 

The GI doctor will insert the pH capsule through the mouth and position it above the lower esophageal sphincter.  Of course he will be put to sleep for this procedure.  Once the pH capsule is in place, suction is applied, drawing a small amount of esophageal tissue into the capsule and locking it in place.  The delivery system is then withdrawn and the pH capsule can begin measuring pH levels.  

esophageal tissue with capsule

Although I'm not looking forward to these two procedures tomorrow, I am looking forward to the results.  A mystery since infancy that can be solved.  If it is truly acid reflux, like they believe, then a surgical procedure will need to be done to correct the esophagus at a later date.  If this shows no reflux, then, we will be back to the drawing board.  

Rylan is very nervous about "having a camera in his tummy for the endoscopy and a capsule stuck inside of him."  His biggest concern is that he won't wake up after the doctor's put him to sleep.  Bless his sweet heart!  Prayers appreciated for Rylan's peace and comfort tomorrow morning.  

On a side note... I was on Facebook tonight and saw a posting from a family at church that their little first grader, that is in Rylan's Sunday School Class, was having surgery tomorrow at 8:30am.  I called the family a little bit ago to see where their procedure was being done, thinking I would go a little earlier than Rylan's to pray with them if it was at Lutheran.  God had this all under control!  They will be in the same surgery center and at the same time that we will be there....  So my sweet Reece, we will be praying for your comfort and peace tonight and I'm grateful that I can be there with you in the morning to pray over you before your surgery... Hugs to you from Pastor Shandra!!! 

Socks, Socks, Socks!

The night before we left Nicaragua during our devotions, our Missions Director told each of us that we were on this trip for a reason.  God orchestrated this group and for a purpose.  "Why were you called to be here?" she asked.  As I reflected on this, two reasons were laid on my heart.  One, was to be able to raise awareness to our ECC children and begin to impact our Children's Ministry in a more intentional focus on missions.  My thoughts today continue to be aflutter with many ideas and a new vision for promoting missions in my ministry!  I plan to kick off our focus in October... I can't wait!  Secondly, I believe that I was on this trip to begin teaching my family about the mission field.  I pray that I can instill in my boys to be obedient by loving the needy.  It is not an option, the Lord demands us to!
When you obey me you should say, 'We are not worthy of praise. We are servants who have simply done our duty.'"
Luke 17:10

That night, I prayed that the Lord would walk alongside of me and provide me with opportunities to continue on the mission field locally and in a way that I could do this with my young boys.

Well, it just so happens that once again, the Lord had all these details figured out for me :)  The day after we returned from Central America, we spent the day in our jammies just to relax, regroup and watch some TV :)  A commercial came on TV about a Disney movie that I really wanted to see.... The Odd Life of Timothy Green.  I decided to look it up on the computer to see when the release date was.  Not sure how I came across it but an opportunity fell in my lap.  I came across a website where A Gospel Rescue Mission was partnering with Disney and Hanes to collect socks for local Rescue Missions.  I began to do more research and there were NO collection boxes in Fort Wayne!!  Seriously, a city our size and this wasn't being promoted?!?!?!  The sock drive had started in June and was to run through September 3rd.  I didn't come across this until August 13th... not leaving me much time.  I wanted to try and coordinate with the ECC Children's Ministry and our Missions Team and go BIG with this but we simply couldn't pull it off that quickly!  I couldn't do nothing though... I felt that the Lord put this in front of me as an answer to my prayer to provide opportunities for my family.  So, I called and asked if I could do this project with my family instead of with an organization.  I knew that we wouldn't produce a ton of socks but I felt it would certainly still make a difference for our local homeless AND my family!  They happily agreed to help us get started quickly!  After talking to two local stores, Espresso Gallery and Webb's Hallmark, I was able to put boxes in their stores.

The collection started!  I put some posts about it on Facebook.  Bryce had to write a speech on why he should be voted for student council at his school.  So, I asked him, why should people vote for you?  Having Nicaragua still on his heart, he said "because I like to help people!"  So, his speech began to take root.  He listed all the ways that he has helped people in the past year.  Bryce put a plug about the sock drive in his speech, too!  He concluded his speech with, "As you can see, I like to help people.  If you vote for me, I will be able to help our school, too!"

Okay, I just love this boy!!!  Can I be proud here for a moment... he was voted in for Student Council!!!  So proud of him...  AND his teacher wrote me an email asking about the sock drive.  I sent her the details and she passed the info on to the Haverhill staff.  For two days, Bryce came home with his backpack stuffed with socks!!!  He was SO proud... those donations helped him have ownership of this project!  He really felt like he contributed because of his teachers... so ever grateful for the hearts of his teachers!

So, here we are tonight, counting up all the socks.  Rylan's role is to do all the counting :)  We are using M&M's to help him make the counting easier.  He's counting out one M&M for every pair of socks.  Once he had all the M&M's, he put them in groups of ten to help count them up easier!  So, how many did we collect?

Drum roll.....  The Hathaway's collected 202 PAIRS OF SOCKS!!! Bryce's role was to fill out the form that had to be emailed to Hanes.

Hanes is matching every pair of socks that was donated!!!  They will be sending their socks to the Fort Wayne Rescue Mission in the upcoming weeks!  That means that our local rescue mission will receive 404 PAIRS OF SOCKS for the homeless in our area.  This warms my heart so much!  We have been told by several people that socks and underwear are the number one items that are handed out to the homeless.  For those of you that donated socks, THANK YOU!!!

We have scheduled to drop off the socks on Saturday, September 22nd, and we will be given a tour of the Rescue Mission facilities.  I'm looking forward to Braydon, Bryce, and Rylan, learning yet again, about the less fortunate.  I pray that every time they are immersed in missions that their hearts become more compassionate and feel the need to be obedient to the Lord's call on us to provide for the needy.  Serving is our duty, I want my children to think of serving as a privilege :)

For you have been called to live in freedom, freedom to serve one another in love.  For the whole law can be summed up in this one command: "Love your neighbor as yourself."
Galations 5: 13-14

Nicaragua Journal Entry Day #6... El Porvenir

Encouragement note for today...

Allow God to use you today to be a reflection of His love.          
(a pocket mirror was enclosed!)

May the Lord bless you and keep you.  May the Lord make his face shine on you and be gracious to you.  May the Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace.   Numbers 6:24-26

Yes, dear Lord, protect, shine, and provide peace upon me as we head out to delouse(delice) the community today. I'm feeling a bit uneasy but have trust in you.  Anna has told us to think of this service like the story of Jesus washing the disciples feet.  
When he had finished washing their feet, he put on his clothes and returned to his place. “Do you understand what I have done for you?” he asked them. “You call me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord,’ and rightly so, for that is what I am. Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet. I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you. Very truly I tell you, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them.  
John 13: 12-17

Yet again, God had all the details figured out... Amazed? No!  In Awe? Yes!!!  As we arrived with our hats on our heads for this community project, Anna assigned three people to start the delousing.  My first thought was... oh goodness... grateful that it wasn't me to be the one starting this!  Did I just admit that?!?!?! Then, in walks the beautiful Aurora, the lady that blessed my day yesterday.  I immediately jumped up and kicked Uncle Chris out of his spot.  I wanted nothing more than to love on this woman!  She sees me and beams with a smile and says my name.  I began lathering her long hair with the help of Bryce.  Aurora told us how good it felt :)  We smiled and laughed together again.  Once we were done, I knelt to her side and thanked her for allowing me to bless her in this way.  I was truly moved to tears... my heart was completely transformed.  I was reminded of Jesus' words to the disciples, "you know these things - now do them!  That is the path of blessing."  After this blessing, we washed the hair of Aurora's sister and a few others.  I can honestly say it was hard to let others jump in.  I could have deloused all day long!!!

Our time came to an end and we headed once again to the feeding station for our last lunch in El Porvenir.  We ate lunch and played with the kids one final time.  We then gathered the teachers and children to gift them with all the balls, jump ropes, frisbees, etc.  Excitement was certainly evident on the faces of all.

We are ONE!!!

It was now time to tell Wilberth good-bye.  Greta came with me to translate.  I told him that he was special to God, he should stay in school and keep learning, he should obey his father, we will write often, we will pray for him often, and we love him!  He has a special place in my heart!  I snuggled him up with hugs, gave him tickles to lighten the moment, and gave him kisses to remember always!  

I saw his father watching us from the dirt path.  I took Greta's hand and we ran to him.  I told him many of the things that I told Wilberth, particularly that he is a good dad.  

As I walked away the tears were like a waterfall.  I pray that I will be on this soil again someday.  My heart will be leaving El Porvenir with a lot more love tucked inside!

Lord, I pray that I "reflected" your light today.  Please show your favor on this community and give them peace.  

Nicaragua Journal Entry Day #5... El Porvenir

Encouragement note for today...
Give it all you've got!  
Keep Calm and Pray On!  1 Thessalonians 5:17

We worked on the opposite side of the dump today.  As we arrived, the 15 yr. old mother and her husband from yesterday, were digging in the dump for things to be used in their home. They had a plastic bag full of things.  My heart ached watching these "kids" trying to survive.  I started the morning with a heavy heart but with the intent to give it all that I had and for His glory.  

We parked the bus and I stepped out, onto the dump.  The smell was atrocious!!!  The smell of burnt rubber was so heavy in the air. We quickly filled our water bottles and began our walk into the community with a saddened spirit...

We each took a fruit tree and broke up into teams again. Today it was us, the Robrock clan, our translator, Guadalupe, and a lady leader from the community joined us.  Our team walked all the way down the dirt path to the last house, starting backwards with the intent to work forward.  My first reactions were that this side of the dump was more well kept than the other side.  I was told that Food for Hungry has partnered longer on this side, evidence that FH is making a difference!

Going to each home was so very special, yet certain homes stuck out to me today.  We went to a home that a young man was working in his "yard."  He had plants and flowers... Bonito!!  He took pride in his home.  He seemed like a gentle man.  As we spoke with him, he thanked us for the tree.  We asked him if we could pray for over him and he excused himself.  He came back with a shirt on... he couldn't pray without showing respect to Him.  Wow... this needy man taught my boys to humble themselves before the Lord, to prepare themselves when they are going to spend time with Him!  My boys shared this story tonight during our devotions... A beautiful and powerful moment.

Our last visit touched my heart deep down!  The lady that had walked with us all morning, was finally able to get her tree planted.  I wish I would have communicated with her more during our morning because at the end of our time, I couldn't get enough of her!!!  She thanked us over and over for coming into her community with love and friendship.  She said my name several times, kissed my cheeks, and with my face in her hands, she said she would never forget my beautiful face.  She wanted prayer for her tree and for herself to bear fruit...
"Remain in me, and I will remain in you.  For a branch cannot produce fruit if it is severed from the vine, and you can not be fruitful apart from me."  John 15:4
I asked this special lady what her name was, Aurora, because she blessed my day so very much!  She had a smile and an obvious love for the Lord and a true gift of leadership.  She is being trained by FH to become a community leader and it was certainly evident.  Jesus was shining His light through her!  I asked if I could take her picture to remember her face for always.  She then asked if I could send her one.  I hope it will get to her, I plan to mail it to Guadalupe.  Thank you dear Jesus for putting this beautiful woman in my path today.

All morning I saw several butterflies flitting around.  As I left Aurora's home, the colorful butterflies comforted my heart with the feeling of God's presence.  I felt Him whisper Hope on my heart for this community.  I was able to leave with a comfort of His power and love which was such a difference from when I arrived this morning.  The butterfly has new meaning to me and my life...

We left that side of the community to head to the feeding station for lunch and VBS.  I got to see and embrace my boy, Wilberth! He was so eagerly awaiting our arrival!  There were many hugs, high-fives, and giggles... a common language for us!  During craft time the kids made prayer bears with cotton stuffing.  They were each given a Bible verse for the day, written in Spanish, to put into the tummy pocket of the bears!

It was the hottest day yet... WOWSERS!!!  A special treat awaited us.  So, it was time to leave. We gathered in our van and Wilberth ran to the other side to continue waving and high-fiving Bryce.  He didn't want us to leave today.  How, oh how, do we say good-bye to this sweet boy tomorrow?!?!

We pulled away and took a small drive. To the surprise of our kids, we arrived at the Pacific Ocean for an afternoon swim!!! Children filled with joy, took off for the BIG waves!!! We had the beach to ourselves. I took some time to take in the moment.  Being in Nicaragua... making a difference in a community... being filled with a FULL heart... looking at the enormous volcano in front of me... and waves behind me with giggles in the air... I am grateful to be here!  Blessed beyond measure...

At devotions tonight, Jairo spoke about the attitude of the Nicaraguan people.  He stated that the people have a "why bother?" attitude.  They're not happy, not even content, but this is how it is, so why bother.  My heart has been on such a rollercoaster today.  Started off very heavy and worked up to joy and hope but now brought back down.  I'm resting on the encouraging words that I started my day with yesterday...

May the God of Hope fill you with all Joy and Peace as you trust in Him.  Romans 15:13

Nicaragua Journal Entry Day #4... El Porvenir

Encouragement for today...
May the God of Hope fill you with all Joy and Peace as you trust in Him.  Romans 15:13

This morning as we drove into the community, we saw Wilberth at school.  He saw our bus and van pass the school and within a few minutes, he was running down the path to find us.  Our translator was trying to tell him that he needed to be in school but he stood there with a quivering lip and said he wanted to stay with us.  Now, the teacher in me knew he should be in school but the love in my heart wanted him to be with us today.  We allowed him to hang with us, knowing that we have such little time with this precious child.  

It was yet again, another day filled with great joy, love, and friendship!  Our morning was a continuation of yesterday’s.  We walked through the community of El Porvenir to plant lemon and orange trees for more families.  Each family was asked to think about where they would like their tree to be planted and needed to have a hole prepared in advance for us.  It was wonderful to see our children planting these trees, talking to the families, and praying for the them!  After watching the adults yesterday, it was wonderful to see the kids take ownership of this mission. 

Wilberth hit it off so well with my boys.  They were being silly together all day.  Wilberth was wearing his best clothes today, knowing that we were coming to visit.  Yes, it was 100* and he was wearing long sleeves but it was his finest.  Although they were his best, his britches were huge!!!  We kept telling him to pull his pants up and he would just giggle :)

Wilberth walked with us to each house planting the trees.  We held hands, hugged, and laughed often... it was happiness to my heart!  He was truly like my own son.

Once we completed our tree planting, we ventured to the feeding center for our lunch.  Our team has bonded so well.  The kids have all become united and the adults are building great relationships also.  There has been no complaining, not even from our children!  This has been an exhausting few days yet everyone continues to be filled with such happiness!  The Holy Spirit has certainly been present and at work in the hearts of many. 

After lunch we were able to have our “official” visit with our sponsor family.  As we arrived at the home, the father, Paster, was borrowing chairs from his sister’s home to bring over to his home so that we would all have a seat.  He welcomed us to what he said "his little yet humble home."  The interpretor asked him to share with us about his family.  Wilberth had a sister... she was 7 years old and died two years ago from heart difficulties.  That caused great sadness in their home during that time and his wife left with another man.  Paster has stepped up to be the best dad that he can be and works very hard to provide for Wilberth.  He showed us a picture of Wilberth and his sister.  My heart aches for this man.  You could see the sadness in his face.  Once we were done chatting for a bit, he spoke with the translator and left for a moment.  She was obviously touched by his words and she told us that he had a gift for us.  She said that he knew we couldn’t drink their water so he went and bought water bottles for my family and the translators.  Now, you might think, well that was nice.  But my heart was feeling transformed by the sacrificial love of this man.  He came back with 6 cold water bottles.  He had rode his bike to the local store to get us water bottles AND he spent approximately three days earnings on this water.  I’m certain that he sacrificed a few meals to provide for us.  I can’t imagine taking that much of my weekly earnings and handing it over so graciously and selflessly as he did.  It brought tears to my eyes.  What a gift.

We were able to give Wilberth a Spanish Bible,
Ritz crackers, and toothbrush/paste set.

I am trying to prepare myself for our final goodbye.  It will most certainly be a difficult moment.  I pray that you will be touched by this story.  I challenge you to think about child sponsorship.  What could you sacrifice to provide hope for a family?  It will be one of the best decisions you ever make...  If you are interested, go the Food For the Hungry website and seek a child today!  A small influence can make a BIG impact!

My Sweet Boy!

“If you spend yourselves on behalf of the hungry, and satisfy the needs of the oppressed, then your light will rise in darkness and your night will become like noonday.  The Lord will guide you always... You will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail.”                Isaiah 58:10-11

Nicaragua Journal Entry Day #3... El Porvenir

Encouragement for today...

"And whatever things you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive."  Matthew 21:21-22

Lord, I ask today that we might impact some lives today, including our own!  I pray for safety, and for our ability to love the needy unconditionally!!  I hope our day can go smoothly.  I can't wait to shine your light :)

Wow!!!  The most beautiful and amazing day :)  We drove to the community of El Porvenir, about 15 minutes from our hotel in Chinandega.  We drove down a dirt path to get there.  My heart was full of sadness upon arriving and seeing the poverty.  The animals are all bony and skinny.  The houses are made of trash, long plastic sheets, and aluminum roofing.  However, when we got out of our van, the community people gathered all around to watch us while we were introduced to the FH staff.  Then, we broke into groups to begin our mission of planting lemon and orange trees for the families.  Our group (Pete & Anna with us) went to our first house.  Braydon and Bryce planted our first tree for a dad and his son.  The families had to decide ahead of time where they wanted their tree and had to have a hole dug and ready for us.  

While the boys were planting the tree, we were talking to the dad.  He told us his son's name was Wilberth, sounds like Wilber.  Im thinking... "What are the chances that this is OUR Wilberth?!?!?!"  We began asking questions about his sponsor.  The dad walked away and went into his home and came out with some tattered and dirty letters... they were OUR letters!!!!!  I was SO excited!!!  The Lord had this all planned... our first stop!!!  I realized at that very moment just how important our letters are.  They have very little but it was obvious that our letters meant something special to this family.  I prayed with Wilberth and his dad.  

We presented the tree to them as a reminder of our friendship and God's greatness of life.  Praying the tree brings much fruit to them physically and spiritually!  Wilberth and his friends followed us the rest of the morning... SO special!!!

We continued to plant trees for other families.  I was so proud of Braydon.  He did all the planting and pushed the wheelbarrow through the community.  Both boys were so loving to the people, it made my heart happy :)

At noon we went to the FH feeding station, which our last ECC team helped build. 

There is a team of moms that come to the station to cook food on two stoves for the kids.  FH has done an amazing job of beginning to equip this community to work hard for each other.  

The kids started showing up, each with a bowl and spoon.  Most of the bowls were dirty.  Jairo asked the ECC kids to serve the community kids.  It was beautiful to see our children serving in this way with such joy!

Once the kids were done eating, we started our VBS programming.  I hung out with the craft team to work on learning the names of the kids from the name tags that they were creating.

Helping Wilberth cut his puppet :)

We left the community to head back to the hotel for the kids to swim for a few hours before dinner :)

We gathered at 7pm for devotions.  We talked about what poverty means...

...God's concern for the poor is a central theme in the Bible.  Over 400 verses, sprinkled throughout every genre of scripture, speak about God's passion for the needy and His desire that His followers share that passion.  Whenever we are passionate about something, we talk about it often.  God, through His word, speaks frequently about the poor and needy.  Poor = Those whom lack both the material necessities of life and suffer from low social status and vulnerability to oppression.  He displays "tender mercies" to the poor and needy, desiring that they find refuge, protection, and provision.

"Blessed is he who has regard for the poor."  Psalm 41:1