Wordless Wednesday

Come Be a Nobody for Christ

This is an awesome blog post that my friend Carrie sent me. Just couldn't go without sharing with others. Click the link below, then I'd love to hear what you think....

Come Be a Nobody for Christ

Happy Birthday Gregory!

I'm so grateful this man was born 29 years ago today. I wanted to say HAPPY BIRTHDAY to him on the blog in a special way. So...in no particular order - here are the top 10 things grateful to my husband and best friend:

1. I'm grateful that he lets the Lord lead him
2. I'm grateful for the way he leads our family
3. I'm grateful that he loves me for truly who I am
4. I'm grateful that he helps me with the household duties
5. I'm grateful that he loves to listen but also gives really good advice
6. I'm grateful that in him I have a very best friend and soul mate
7. I'm grateful for the awesome daddy that he is
8. I'm grateful that he's an incredible teacher
9. I'm grateful that God made him just for me
10. And last but not least, I'm grateful that he picked me to spend the rest of life with!

Happy birthday to the best husband and friend ever! I love you, Gregory!

A friend loves at all times

The picture above is of my new friend, Jill and I in Cambodia. Jill and I have a lot of mutual friends but for some reason we just hadn't been connected. Until Cambodia. Since this trip - God bonded us as spiritual sisters. And how amazing is that! We bonded on a higher level because we served on the mission field together. Now that's a friend for life!

Since we've been home we have hung out every week and talked pretty much every day. She is such a blessing to me.And I'm so grateful that God can bring new friends into our life. I know that we will continue to do life together and I'm excited about our future. Last week she gave me a very special gift.

It's a Pandora charm for my bracelet. The heart has a lot of meanings. It symbolizes how our heart was changed in Cambodia. It also symbolizes how part of our heart was left in Cambodia. And last but not least, it symbolizes the kids in Cambodia. They were always making heart symbols with their hands. Isn't that such a sweet gift. Now when I look at my bracelet I will always remember Cambodia and my special friend.

The Bible says : "As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another." Proverbs 27:17. It also says "A friend loves at all times" Proverbs 17:7. So today, I'm just grateful for a new friendship. And one that truly pours into me.

What about you? Has God brought anyone new into your life lately? 

Thank you Father for new and old friends. I'm so grateful that you reveal Yourself to us through others. You use providential relationships to grow us. You use these relationships to sharpen us and make us better. Thank you for that. Thank you for all of my friends. You have really blessed me with some amazing woman. And for that I am truly grateful! AMEN!

Lessons Learned

Many people have asked me how Finn and Gregory did while I was in Cambodia. 12 days was a long time to be away. And I have to report that things were great. They had an awesome time together. I know they made lots of special memories together.

My lesson learned this week came from processing through being gone. As Gregory and I were talking he mentioned that Finn started acting out around day 10. He stopped eating with a fork. He got whiny. He wouldn't play by himself in the playroom. It was as if he lost his confidence. But just a few days after me being home and he was back to himself.

While I was watching Finn play last week, it hit me. I bring something completely different to Finn than his daddy does. Neither one is better than the other. We are just different. And it's the combo of Gregory and myself that makes Finn who he is. Today I thank God for the situation I'm in. I'm grateful that God put Gregory and I together and blessed us with Finn. I chose to make every day count.

What lesson did you learn this week?

Wordless Wednesday

Rules, regulations, and practices

I took on the Radical challenge almost 2 months ago. And one of the challenges is to read the Bible everyday. I'm doing a chronological plan through the You Version Bible iPhone app. It's been pretty good so far. I really enjoy reading all about God.

Right now, I'm in Leviticus. You know, the most interesting book of the Bible. HA! It's all about rules, regulations, practices, processes, etc. It's amazing to me how detailed God is in His instructions. Look at this (it's basically how to be forgiven for your sins)

The LORD said to Moses, “Say to the Israelites: ‘When anyone sins unintentionally and does what is forbidden in any of the LORD’s commands—“‘If the anointed priest sins, bringing guilt on the people, he must bring to the LORD a young bull without defect as a sin offering for the sin he has committed.  He is to present the bull at the entrance to the tent of meeting before the LORD. He is to lay his hand on its head and slaughter it there before the LORD.  Then the anointed priest shall take some of the bull’s blood and carry it into the tent of meeting. He is to dip his finger into the blood and sprinkle some of it seven times before the LORD, in front of the curtain of the sanctuary. The priest shall then put some of the blood on the horns of the altar of fragrant incense that is before the LORD in the tent of meeting. The rest of the bull’s blood he shall pour out at the base of the altar of burnt offering at the entrance to the tent of meeting. He shall remove all the fat from the bull of the sin offering—all the fat that is connected to the internal organs, both kidneys with the fat on them near the loins, and the long lobe of the liver, which he will remove with the kidneys— just as the fat is removed from the ox sacrificed as a fellowship offering. Then the priest shall burn them on the altar of burnt offering. But the hide of the bull and all its flesh, as well as the head and legs, the internal organs and the intestines— that is, all the rest of the bull—he must take outside the camp to a place ceremonially clean, where the ashes are thrown, and burn it there in a wood fire on the ash heap. 

Leviticus 5:1-12

All I have to say is that I'm so grateful for Jesus. I don't think I could kill an animal as a sacrifice. 

What are your thoughts when you read this? I am thinking about taking some seminary classes just to have more of a theological background.

Kyrios

I'm sure you looked at the title of this post and thought Kyrios, what the heck is that? Well, Kyrios is actually a Greek word. It means Master, Lord, or to the One whom I belong. And I did some research. That single word is mentioned 740 times in the New Testament. And actually a lot of scholars have debated on the use of this beautiful word. The reason I'm mentioning the word is because it's a short word that packs a big meaning.

At the Women of Faith conference, Angie Smith talked about calling out to our Lord and Savior when we need help. I don't know about you but being able to say "my Lord, my Master, and the One to whom I belong" in one word - Kyrios, is incredible.

So where are you in this life? Are you calling out to Him as your Kyrios? In times of trouble and in times of praise, call out to Him. I am already loving it.

My Kyrios, thank you for loving me. Thank you for directing my life. Thank you for wanting me as your daughter. I love you and pray that I continue to live out my life for you. I pray for every person reading this blog. I pray you will show them that you love them so very much. Amen!

Wordless Wednesday

Women of Faith

The picture above is our group of women that went to the Women of Faith conference this past weekend. If you don't know what this is - check out the website - http://www.womenoffaith.com/. This year it was at Phillips Arena in Atlanta. And there was around 8,000 women there. Can you imagine worshiping the same Lord with that many people? Incredible is all I can say.

I have a lot to process through and will be blogging through it over the next few posts. So I hope you enjoy. For now, I will leave you with this awesome quote. More to come...

"Peace is not the absence of trouble.  It's the presence of Christ." -Sheila Walsh

Wordless Wednesday

thank you to my supporters

**Beware this is a long post. It's the email I sent to my supporters. I wanted to put it on here as well, because I know a lot of people read from the blog and also supported me.**

Friends & Family,
    Sues'day ("Hello" in Khmer)! I've been home 5 days now and I'm just starting to come out of the fog. I'm still not sleeping great and definitely not adjusted to being here yet. I've been real sick. But I wanted to go ahead and write to my supporters to say thank you. As soon as I walked out of the airport in Phnom Penh, I felt as if I was finally home. Part of my heart was left in Cambodia last time.

    This trip was just incredible. It's hard to put into words exactly how incredible. And I know you cannot fully understand because you weren't there. You didn't smell the trash in the air. You didn't see babies without diapers. You didn't hear a language you don't understand. You didn't feel what it feels like to see kids holding babies or adults without shoes. You didn't taste the Khmer food. You didn't have a 9 year old boy calling you "mommy" for 8 days. You may have not experienced what I expereinced. But you supported me. You prayed for me. You gave money for me to be able to go. You encouraged me. You cared for my family while I was away. And for that I am forever grateful.

    Now, let me tell you a little about the trip. It was so refreshing to be with the kids. The worshipped God non-stop. They never complained even on a 10 1/2 hour bus ride. They are shining the light of Jesus and it's just inspiring. We also were able to do some outreach in the community. We had a big carnival at the orphanage and over 116 kids came. We put on a businessman's dinner, 85 people came and 22 accepted Jesus. Still another 14 people had more questions about God/Jesus. The next morning Jon and I had breakfast with some of the new believers. They asked questions about faith. And we encouraged them to go to church to experience life change. We also prayed individually over each child and staff person at the orphanage. We provided pillows for the kids (they didn't have any). But the best part was having Vanna never leave my side. He would squeeze my hand and when I looked down he's say "mommy." And I would say "you - my son!" And he would just light up with happiness. Such an amazing angel!

    Overall, I learned a lot this trip. I learned that I am not near bold enough in my faith here. I learned that I am incredibly rich. And I learned that I need to trust God even in the hard times because He has placed me there. It was very hard leaving Cambodia especially not knowing if I will be called to go again next year. But again, part of my heart was left in Battambang. And the part that came home is different. Better. I look forward to how God will use me in the days, months, and years to come.
  
     Thank you again for supporting me. I couldn't have done anything without your love and support. If you are interested in seeing pictures, go here: https://picasaweb.google.com/rwalkup520/CambodiaMissionTrip2011?authuser=0&feat=directlink

    Last but not least, please be patient with me over the next few months. The culture shock has been rough on my heart this time. I am glad to be home. I missed my husband and son. But I also miss Cambodia. Praying...for now-let the life change begin!

Kyom srolang ("love you" in Khmer),
Rachael

Post Cambodia - Days 6-11

Here's all the kids from the community ready for the carnival!

All the rice packed and ready to give out with an invitation to church inside written in Khmer

The Battambang kids serving the community by handing out rice and their toys

Our sweet kiddos having so much fun at the carnival!

Battambang team 2011! What an awesome team God put together!

Day 6: CARNIVAL DAY! This day was unbelievable. We had over 116 kids from the community at the orphanage for the event. Jill and Glenn did an aweosme job of making a carnival that these kids will never forget. Face painting, tattoos, potato sack racing, slip and slide, a balloon room, hair color, candy, and much more! We had also planned to give out rice and an invitation to church to the community kids. But our sweet kids took over and served the community (without being asked). It was incredible to see!

We are circled up telling the person on the left what we love about them

Praying over each child individually - incredible. A memory etched in my heart.

We gave the kids pillows because they didn't have any

All the kids were lined up outside so we could tell them each individually a special "see you soon"

Day 7: Today was our last day at the orphanage. It was sand day. We still had an awesome morning doing of course another dance party. Ashley did a great job of teaching the kids that they are uniquely made. We all say in a circle and told the person next to us what we loved about them. It was so sweet to see what the kids said about each other. After lunch, we came back to the orphanage and took lots of pictures and did some more dancing. Around 4:00, it was time for us to head out. We prayed individually over each child and said "see you soon" - hugging the kids one by one as they were standing in line. Such a precious memory.

Me and my awesome roomie!

The floating village

The kids floated around in these basins trying to sell stuff

Yes - scary, right?

Day 8: We headed to Siem Reap. On the way we picked up one of the other teams in Banteay Meanchey. It was great to see some old friends - like Mike and Candace. We got checked in to our hotel and walked around the city. My whole team experienced Dr. Fish. You literally out your feet into a big tub of fish that eat the dead skin off your feet. It was quite the experience. After that we headed to the floating village. That was the saddest place I have ever seen. People living in what seemed to me as terrible conditions. I actually saw a little boy pooping in the water then a few houses down, I saw a little girl drinking the water. That just broke my heart.

Jill and I at Angkor Wat

 Day 9: Our last day in Siem Reap. We went to church in the morning and that was very cool to see. Jon almost passed out at church while praying. And Ashley and I couldn't even stay in the church service because we were feeling nauseous and light headed. I think we were dehydrated. As the day progressed, I got worse. I only ended up staying at Angkor Wat for an hour before having to be taken back to the hotel. For me, I think the spiritual warfare was hitting all of us. Satan didn't want us to end the trip on a happy note. But I proclaim the name of Jesus and praised him while I was at the hotel sick. I would not let Satan destroy my amazing time in Cambodia!

Day 10, 11, and 12: Today we travel home. It was a rough ride for many of us. Ready to get home and not feeling so good. For me, I just kept picturing Greg and Finn's face in my head. I could hardly wait to melt in my husband's arms and love on my sweet son. Please continue to pray for us with the jet lag, sickness, and life change with being home. We basically lose a day coming home because of the time difference. We left Korea on Monday at 10:30am and arrived in Atlanta on Monday at 11:30 am.

Thank you to all that prayed for us. Thank you for asking about the trip and actually wanting to hear about it. I'm so grateful for the friends and family that supported me while I was gone. I love the letters of encouragement and knowing my family was taken care of while I was gone.

Now that I'm home - let the life change begin. Praise God!