Prayer for 12.23.08

Dear Friends,
Will you pray this prayer with me today? ~ Mel

Gracious and Loving God, Thank you for granting us a new day; A day to enjoy the beauty of your creation through the changing seasons, a day to render our lives unto you. Show us how you might want to use us as vessels for your Great and Mighty Works today. Make us sensitive to your leading and give us courage to face the challenges of our day with grace, love and peace. Help us to find rest and comfort in you and to turn our backs to the fleeting comforts of this world. Forgive us of our selfish ways, forgive us for our futile attempts at gaining control of our lives, when you are Sovereign and ultimately in control. May we be a people who desire to follow after your heart. May the words of our mouth, the deeds of our hands reflect the love of Christ now and forever.

AMEN

Sante's Hermit Cookie Recipe

Hey Hey! I know I am long overdue for a post...life is very busy with Grad School Aps. at the moment so show some love and thanks ahead of time for any slack you can throw my way! :) In the meantime...here's a cookie recipe for anyone who loves Morning Glory Muffins. A lot of the same flavor profiles. Make em for your family this Christmas. They'll go over famously! ENJOY!

MEL
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Sante's Hermit Cookie Recipe

I use whole wheat pastry flour here, but you can substitute unbleached all-purpose flour if that's what you have on hand.

1 1/2 cups whole wheat pastry flour (or unbleached all-purpose)
2 teaspoons aluminum-free baking powder
1/2 teaspoon fine grain salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground allspice
1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup natural cane sugar, sift out any chunks
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup currants
1 cup walnuts, chopped
1/4 cup milk
1 cup organic powdered sugar, sifted
4 - 5 tablespoons heavy cream
1 teaspoon (good quality) vanilla extract
Preheat the oven to 350F degrees. Racks in the top and bottom third.
Sift the flour, baking powder, salt, cloves cinnamon, and allspice into a medium bowl - set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer (or by hand), cream together the butter and sugar. Add the egg and vanilla. Blend well, scraping down the side of the bowl a few times along the way. Add the currants and walnuts. Add the dry ingredients in three batches, alternating with the milk. Chill (covered) for one hour.
Drop the cookie dough (one level tablespoon at a time) onto un-greased cookie sheets, leaving an inch or so between cookies. Dampen your fingers with a bit of water and gently flatten the dough. Bake for 12 -15 minutes or until the bottoms of the cookies are deeply golden. Cool on a wire rack.
While the cookies are cooling, make the icing. Whisk the powdered sugar, heavy cream, and vanilla together in a small bowl - use immediately. Frost each cookie with an off-set spatula (or pastry bag) - but not until they are completely cool.
Makes about three dozen hermits.

Better Hands Now

"Better Hands Now" - Natalie Grant

It's hard to stand on shifting sand
It's hard to shine in the shadows of the night
You can't be free if you don't reach for help
You cant love if you dont love yourself

There is hope when my faith runs out
Cause I'm in better hands now

It's like the sun is shining when the rain is pouring down
It's like my soul is flying though my feet are on the ground
So take this heart of mine there's no doubt
I'm in better hands now

I am strong all because of you
I stand in awe of every mountain that you move
Oh I am changed, yesterday is gone
I am safe from this moment on

There's no fear when the night comes 'round
I'm in better hands now

It's like the sun is shining when the rain is pouring down
It's like my soul is flying though my feet are on the ground
So take this heart of mine there's no doubt
I'm in better hands now

It's like the sun is shining when the rain is pouring down
It's like my soul is flying though my feet are on the ground
Its like the world is silent though I know it isnt true
Its like the breath of jesus is right here in this room

So take this heart of mine there's no doubt
I'm in better hands now
I'm in better hands now

Post D.R. Thank you Letter

Time has gone by much too quickly...but even that does not excuse me not getting this up sooner. A thousand pardons I beg. For everyone who supported our team in prayer or without making their support known publicly...this is for you. I hope you will be encouraged by my attempt to capture our experience in the Dominican Republic. It leaves much to be desired I realize...so if you have specific questions or want elaboration...just contact me!

All My Love,

MEL
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October 20, 2008



Dear Friends and Supporters,

Thank you from the bottom of my heart for your love, prayers and financial support for the FUSION Dominican Republic Mission Team. The trip was immensely fruitful. Praise God!! Our team arrived very late on Sunday the 12th and most of us have already returned to our daily routine. As I have been processing what I experienced personally and what we as a team were able to share through this experience, I am completely blown away by God’s love and his never ceasing provision to his beloved children. Although we did back breaking work, I am more refreshed than I have been in a long time. We serve a God who would see fit to refresh our weary spirits. Amen? As supporters and active participants in God’s ministry, I am excited to give account of what God did in the D.R.

We were privileged to work with the Rowley Family. Craig and Libby are the couple who head up the Kids Alive Program in Constanza. Craig runs the construction projects and Libby heads up the Care Center and Sponsorship Program. She also coordinates the Arc House, which is a live in facility for some of the at risk children in Constanza. The Care Center provides a before and after school program for the Kids that are sponsored through Kids Alive. The program includes a time for a bible lesson and a craft or activity connected to the scriptural lesson for that day. The Care Center also provides a meal to the kids that in some cases, constitutes the only nourishment they may have all day! Along with a formalized bible lesson, they also get help with their homework. On Wednesday, we spent an entire day helping the morning and afternoon kids make Christmas Cards for their sponsors. One of our team members is a worship pastor and he led the kids in a time of music which went over very well! We did have other pockets of time on Thursday and Friday to play with the kids at the Arc and that was some of the richest time for me personally.

Our team spent the majority of our time working on the property. We dug out dirt and gravel which we piled in order to mix concrete and then we laid a concrete driveway for their donation center. Our team building exercises in preparation for this trip, allowed for us to get a great system down in order to keep up with the demands of digging and shoveling rock as well as sand all day! We also hauled concrete debris, pulled nails from faulty foundation posts and moved them out of the worksite. We moved an entire shed of equipment and tools across the property and organized it into their new space. We were able to do multiple sweeps across the property picking up trash and glass. If this is any indication of God’s awesome work through us, our team was able to accomplish in two days, what Craig had planned for us the entire week. Needless to say, this allowed us to do above and beyond what Craig dreamed we would accomplish! I say this not to boast of our team, but to say that God used us to bless them with getting extra work done for them. In addition, the funds we raised were in excess of $7,000 which we donated to the Rowley’s to open up two school rooms by spring! What a blessing! God is so good!

Lastly, I want to share that most of all, I was struck by God’s AGAPE (Unconditional) Love. When he says that he will never forsake his people…I see it lived out at Kids Alive in Constanza. When I ponder on the forgotten children and the defiled children that are brought through the gates of the Arc Home, it is so amazing to see God’s healing hand and his love changing the very composition of these children completely! When the children should have no reason to trust anyone or open up, because of Christ’s Love demonstrated to them, they are freed up to demonstrate such joy and affection to the teams that come through! I was so blown away by the hearts of the children for one another. They were always willing to look out for one another and give up what little they had for one another! That’s the Gospel right there!

Thank you again for the privilege of representing the Body of Christ by the simple and small acts done with great love! It is an experience that has challenged me, changed me, grown me, encouraged me and ultimately it has reminded me of God’s Love for his people from one corner of the Earth to the other. Even in the direst of circumstances and the darkness that exists in this world...He is our Light and His people are not forgotten!

With Warm Regards,


Melanie

D.R. Trip Prep #3 - HOPE

"There are no great things, only small things with great love. Happy are those."
~Mother Teresa~

Dear Family and Friends,

The Dominican Republic Mission Team will be departing tomorrow (Oct. 4th). We will be returning on the 12th very late. Please pray for our team diligently. One of our team mates will not be able to go with us due to a family tragedy. Please pray in a general way for her and her family during this time of profound grief.
Along with a heart of anticipation for what we will be accomplishing in the D.R....I am feeling a little overwhelmed because I haven't had a chance to run my errands and pack! I am looking forward to getting home and decompressing from the past 2 months. It will be great to switch gears as I'm looking forward to being able to focus on JUST what is at hand in the D.R. No swiveling...just focused, intentional service. I expect Christ's Love to be extended and his work to be accomplished...not because of any great acts but rather as Mother Teresa put it, small acts done with GREAT love.

With LOVE,
MEL

Black Hole Times

Dear Friends...Something to cling to amidst adversity. I find immeasurable comfort and peace in the reminder that ultimately we are not our own. As a result of this truth, we are called to an understanding that everything the Lord allows us to undergo has implications much more vast than our own vision for what we are entitled to or believe our lives to entail. This concept then nullifies any notion of what we think is best for us when it's motivated out of our own selfish proclivities. This means that Despite the fact that I've experienced some of the most challenging, lonely, grief inducing longings and loss during the past two years...I am HIS and I will cling desperately to him even when admittedly I don't find that it comes even close to easy. BECAUSE...Long suffering produces the opportunity to honestly and truthfully put our faith to the test. God is looking for us to endure and thrive through him and because of him, trusting in HIS ways and HIS plans for our lives. This is a difficult process, a painful gut wrenching process at times. When Jesus talks about taking up our cross to follow him, it is the experience of dying to ourselves. Recently I've felt like my heart has been ripped open and out of it has gushed all sorts of emotions and feelings that have left me feeling like I'm dying inside. I suspect that this is exactly what I'm supposed to be feeling, yet I plead for him to take it away. God is merciful and kind, but will not spare us from his refining fire. I keep telling myself that this is good for me and good for others...even when I don't buy it because I can't always trust my feelings. So trust in the Alpha and Omega because he is infallible in all his ways.

MEL
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Deliverance from the Black Hole
TGIF Today God Is First Volume 2, by Os Hillman
09-30-2008

"As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you" (Joshua 1:5b).
A black hole is a place of total nothingness. It's a time in our life when God removes the resources and supports that we normally rely on to feel secure - our careers, finances, friends, family, health and so forth. It is a preparation time.
When you find yourself in a black hole experience, don't just sit and brood. Take stock of your life. Take a look at your relationship with God.
First, ask God if there are any sins, habits, or attitudes that He might be judging in your life. It's important to discern whether the trial we face is the result of God's discipline for our sin?or if it is preparing us for a future leadership role.
Second, when you enter a black hole, don't trust your feelings. Trust God. Your feelings will tell you, "God has rejected you. Abandon hope. He has left you utterly alone." Feelings change; God never changes. Feelings come and go; God is always with us.
Third, remember that your black hole experience is not only intended to refine and define you; it's also intended to influence and change the lives of hundreds or even thousands of other people. Our adversity is not just for us, but others in our sphere of influence.
Fourth, don't try to hurry the black hole process along. Remember, when Joseph was in the depths of the pit, there was nothing he could do about it. He couldn't climb out, jump out, levitate out, or talk his way out. All he could do was pray and wait upon the Lord.
Fifth, lean on God. Even when you don't feel like praying, pray. Even when you don't feel like reading His Word, read. Even when you don't feel like singing songs of faith, sing. When you pray, don't just talk; listen. Be silent before Him and listen for His still, quiet voice.
Sixth, be alert to new truths and new perspectives. During a black hole experience, God often leads us to amazing new discoveries. A black hole can be a storehouse of unexpected riches for the soul.

Prayer for Grace

Today's Prayer

Whew! Sometimes, Lord, it seems I'm "in the fire." Things are hectic, I'm bombarded with trials and temptations, and it is not easy. Please help me through the fiery times. I pray that I will emerge a better person, a more faithful Christian, and a living testimony to Your grace. I need Your strength, because I cannot do it alone. Thank you, Lord. In Jesus' name I come to You, Amen.

D.R. Prep Entry 2

Dear Friends and Supporters,

Saturday, the Dominican Republic Mission's Team met for a time of fellowship and activities to build Team Unity. It had been some time since we connected as a team and it felt good to share a meal and see the faces of everyone on the team. God has been so good to our Team and his provisions are evident! We have had amazing financial support come in on our team's behalf. Thank you again to those who gave out of obedience and for the willingness to give to the Kingdom's Cause. Your gifts make it possible to go and exhibit the love of Christ in Constanza.

Our team was exhorted by our Pastor to be mindful of finding a heart of contentedness at all times in all that we do there. He instituted a NO COMPLAINING policy!!! We don't know the exact project assigned to our team yet, so in anticipation and preparation...Andrea led us in a team unity exercise to get us thinking about how we might respond to different situations when we are working in Constanza. It was good to gleam some insight into where our hearts might be in response to the different challenges that will inevitably arise. All that from a game involving tenis balls...Don't ask. I've been searching my heart as of late and I've come to realize that I have the propensity to complain when I'm stressed, overwhelmed with all the responsibility and lack of sleep. Knowing that this is in me...I'm submitting it to the Lord! I want to get real with any area where I could even possibly come across in any other than helpful. I don't see myself complaining about any of the work that is asked of us because afterall, my work background doesn't leave room for that particular disposition. However, I think it could surface by way of expecting too much of everyone around me and perhaps complaining when maybe someone isn't working as hard or behaving in such a way that I would want. So basically not having enough Grace or Mercy toward someone who may need exactly that as God works on each of us at different speeds, in dynamically different ways. I am praying for as much patience, joy, love and mercy in my heart towards EVERYONE I encounter period. It's not easy to confront the areas where we are shortsighted yet God examines our hearts and he deals with us and fixes his love on us.

Lastly, Andrea was kind enough to create an ongoing prayer chain which will cycle through to our return home! How powerful is it to know that there are people around the Twin Cities, the country and the world praying for us???? I think the most impactful thing we can do for oneanother on this team, is to pray continuously for one another! It's clear that the enemy of our souls is trying desperately to deter us whether by discouragement, busyness to the point of selfishness, distractions, fear, insecurity...Inevitably as we do the work of the Lord, we present ourselves as a threat to the enemy and he will do what he can to sully the good things that God's people are instructed to carry out. PRAISE GOD that he is faithful and that we are not only rescued from the domains of darkness, but that we are victors in Christ. I was terribly burdened for the needs of our team and through praying, it is clear that God wants us weaved into him through being weaved into one another through prayer and love. Romans 8:31-39 was particularly impactful to my soul today...especially vs. 37-39 "No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us, For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord." To even try and conceive of being MORE than Conquerors in Christ is beyond anything I can wrap my mind around, yet that is what we are! The Love of Christ runs deeper and wider than any depths imagineable. We are MORE than conquerors! So, I proceed in faith, trusting that the bounty of the Lord will manifest itself through this mission trip, through our team...evidencing MORE than a conquering victory!!! I look forward to that!

Please pray for us, please pray for those we will encounter in Constanza and pray for spiritual protection for us, all the while trusting that God is gloried through our utter dependence on him to see us through!

Thanks will all my heart,
MEL

Light in Darkness...

Brothers and Sisters...if you find yourself in a dark place...be encouraged that God would see fit to refine your heart, your mind and your spirit in him. May you embrace this part of your walk with him with a rendered heart, assured that you are being prepared for mighty things! Trust that the light is never far, always near. May he always be your portion...

With all my Heart,
MEL


High Positions
TGIF Today God Is First Volume 2, by Os Hillman
09-09-2008

"The brother in humble circumstances ought to take pride in his high position" (James 1:9).

Whenever God takes a saint to a very lowly state it is designed to accomplish something only that process can do. Job learned that "He reveals the deep things of darkness and brings deep shadows into the light" (Job 12:22). Job's trials allowed him to learn things about God, himself and his friends that we all needed to know as well. He assumed things about God that he had to recant: "Surely I spoke of things I did not understand, things too wonderful for me to know" (Job 42:3).
God reveals things in the dark places of circumstances that will be used to reveal something He wants you and others to know. He has sent you ahead to learn these things so that you and others will benefit from your unique experience. God views this place where you receive these truths as a high position. The world views it as a place to be despised.
"He called down a famine on the land and destroyed all their supplies of food; and he sent a man before them - Joseph, sold as a slave. They bruised his feet with shackles, his neck was put in irons, till what he foretold came to pass, till the word of the Lord proved him true" (Psalms 105:16-19). Joseph was also led to this high position. It was here he was prepared to be the most powerful man in the world as a thirty-year old. He learned many things about God during his captivity that was used later as a ruler over a nation.
So, if you find yourself in a lowly state, realize your lowly state is considered a high position by God that is preparation soil for revealing deep things from the dark places that God desires you to learn.

Dominican Republic Mission Trip

As some of you know, I have been actively involved in FUSION,a Young Adults Community and Alternative Worship Service at New Hope Church (www.newhopechurchmn.org/youngadults). On October 4th of 2008, a team of 14 of us from FUSION will be embarking on a Mission Trip to Constanza in the Dominican Republic, to serve through the KIDS ALIVE organization.

“Each of the children rescued by KIDS ALIVE have come from desperate situations. Our children were once street children, abused, neglected, HIV positive and living with AIDS, and still others were orphans or abandoned children. There are still so many children that are victims of war, disease or poverty.” (for more info visit www.kidsalive.org)

We will be working with KIDS ALIVE ministry to primarily accomplish a specific construction project. In addition to the Team's construction project, times of interaction with the Kids Alive children will be included as part of the Service Team schedule.

September is a CRAZY, Head spinning kind of busy month for me. I think I have 4 days where there isn't something scheduled. I find myself trying to distinguish between the many hats I find myself wearing as of late. With the "BUSY"ness of life and the task oriented events and meetings that have come up requiring planning and coordinating, I confess that I haven't had a lot of intentional pause and prayer time to be preparing for this mission trip let alone anything else! There's something profoundly wrong with that picture! I'm so remiss that only now just 1 short month away, I am setting out to be more overt about preparing myself physically, spiritually, mentally! I have committed myself to cleaning up my diet, building up strength and endurance by working out and setting aside separate times during the week to pray for my team members, myself and the kids we will encounter. I want to be sharpened in every sense so as to fully experience and accomplish ALL that God has for us. I don't do this of my own accord of course, I'll get nowhere without the guidance of the Holy Spirit and the compassion of our savior to meet me every step of the way. I find immense comfort in knowing that ultimately God is at the helms of this ship and we can rest assured that his sovereignty will sail us into the harbor of his choosing while anchoring us to all that is good in him.

If you could be praying for me and the other team members, I would be most grateful! This is what I asked of my friends and family in my letter of support:

1. Concerning PRAYER SUPPORT: “The Prayer of a Righteous Man is powerful and effective” James 5:16. “The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus” Philippians 4:5-7. So, please commit to diligently petitioning for our team’s protection, our health and that we would be obedient to all that God would ask of us.
Also if you could continue to lift us up in prayer regarding team unity, submission to the leadership of our Pastor Bryan McWhite as well as the leadership of KIDS ALIVE, we would be most grateful. Lastly I’d ask that you would consider asking for God’s miracles to be prevalent and that above all…in all we do, we would honor and glorify God through the labor and the relationships we will be building with the children and staff!