Feed His Sheep

When they had finished eating, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?”

“Yes, Lord,” he said, “you know that I love you.”

Jesus said, “Feed my lambs.”

Again Jesus said, “Simon son of John, do you love me?”

He answered, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.”

Jesus said, “Take care of my sheep.”

The third time he said to him, “Simon son of John, do you love me?”

Peter was hurt because Jesus asked him the third time, “Do you love me?” He said, “Lord, you know all things; you know that I love you.”

Jesus said, “Feed my sheep.”

These verses are from John 21:15-17. These are some of my favorite verses because what Jesus means when he says, “Feed my lambs, take care of my sheep, and feed my sheep” is that we should feed and care for his people. He is the shepherd, and we are his sheep. He loves us and cares for us.

Recently, I bought 3 sheep for a 4-H project of mine. I named them Renae, Kayla, and Webert. (Guess where I got the names? From Haiti, of course!) We keep them in the red barn with the peeling paint and the barn swallow nests.

(Walking down to the barn)

(Renae is the mama sheep, Kayla has a green eartag, and Webert is on the far left.)

Every morning, I pull on my black slicker boots and head out the door with an apple-juice bottle full of water for them to drink. I have to put new hay in their pen when it gets wet. I have to feed them corn and hay and pour water in their bucket. I have to check on them to see if they are doing well.

As I walk towards the barn every morning, the sheep hear the gravel crunching underneath my boots and run to the edge of their pen to meet me, excited to be fed. When I walk into the pen, though, the sheep run away in fear. (I wonder why? Am I really that scary?!) Every day, though, it seems they become a little more tame. Today, actually, both Kayla and Webert ate hay out of my hand!!

God takes care of our needs, too, just like I take care of the sheep’s needs. We love him and are excited about him. We should fear and respect God, but we also should love him and no matter what, he loves us SO much more.

Anybody can go and feed His sheep, whether it’s on the other side of the planet, or in their backyard.

So go and feed his sheep. I promise you, you won’t regret it.

(Kayla)

Passion

You know how in some books or movies or even real life, people have their heart set on something, such as running or surfing or acting? You know how they just LIVE to do it? My favorite stories like that are those when they   do it for God. It’s their passion. They want to do it and simply LOVE doing it. It feels great to have a passion, something to look forward to, to know what you want to do with your life.

I have a passion. It is something I can do anywhere and anytime. It isn’t surfing. Or running. Or acting. It is mission work. It is loving others and showing them God.

Yesterday, my family went to our neighbors’ house to see each other and visit with our friends who recently returned from their trip to Haiti. As I walked inside the house and kicked off my beaten-up tennis-shoes, I heard a voice inside the kitchen, calling, “Lydia, Anna, come here. We have something to show you!” The voice belonged to Kayla Grooters, who lives in Haiti. She is staying in the U.S. for a week. My sister and I raced into the kitchen, where everyone was crowded around a laptop. They were Skype-ing someone. And then I saw just who they were Skype-ing. On the laptop, were Webert, Loveson and Jeffte, our Haitian friends!! I was so excited to see them because I miss them so much.

They reminded me how much I miss those 5 days in Haiti.  

How much I miss serving lunch to the kids at the school on the hillside.

How much I miss Loveson and Jeffte’s baseball games and late-night dance parties.

How much I miss seeing God everywhere.

How much I miss the beautiful mountains and the sparkling ocean.

How much I miss being surrounded by dozens of Haitians feeling my hair and holding my hands.

How much I miss Haiti in general.

I’ve lost count of the times I have asked my parents if we can return to Haiti.  I am constantly replaying and replaying my favorite moments during the trip.  I feel as if there’s a hole in my heart only the Haitians can fill. I feel as if a part of myself broke off and will always be in Haiti.

I have to keep following my passion wherever it may take me. Whether it’s in Haiti, the U.S., or wherever I go.

And you can, too. Follow your passion. And do it for God.

So what’s your passion? Tell me. I’d LOVE to know.

To the Seven Sisters and Back

“Hey Mom. I love you so much! Happy Mother’s day!! I appreciate how you love me, care for me, and always let me do BIG things. You have done so many awesome things, you are truly an Out of the Ordinary mom!! “

“Oh wow! This is the best kind of Mother’s Day present. Love you too, to Haiti and back times infinity!”

“I love you to the Seven Sisters and back, times infinity!!”

These are the texts my awesome mom and I exchanged this morning of Mother’s Day (with, of course, some commas omitted and spelling corrected).

“Mom, I love that you always are open to my never-ending list of ideas. You help me accomplish my dreams, not just turn them down. Like during the Vi Bella Jewelry party (to raise money for the playground in Haiti). You took it seriously, and look at what God has used me to do! I love you so much for all you do!!” I said this to my mom that same morning, on our way to my cousin’s graduation. And it’s true… it’s really, truly, TRUE!!

So I just want to say thank you, to my mom, to ALL those moms out there.

Thank you, mom, for helping me up when I fell off my bike, for taking the time to make me waffles and peanut-butter toast every single day, for dressing me when I was too little to, for giving me that little push outside my comfort zone during my trip to Haiti, for staying calm even when I’m upset, for sleeping with me when I had nightmares, for helping me start this blog, for cheering me on at those soccer games even when I missed the goal, for helping me with my extra-hard Science assignments.

For coaching me through life, one step at a time.

Moms make a difference. They cater to their children’s every need. They impact their child and the world by living a not-so-average-life.

 

My Heart is Still in Haiti

The time was 7:15 AM, and I was terrified. The Atlantic Ocean glittered beneath the plane that held my family, our friend Tirzah Poppinga, our neighbors, the Hages, and about 40 Haitians. We were flying to the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere, also known as Haiti.

The country came into view, and then, I saw it.

The shining roof of a tin hut.
Rolling hills and tent cities.
A barefoot child walking to somewhere. Or nowhere at all.
I saw Haiti.

THUD! We had landed in Haiti. I, having no idea of what to expect in this foreign, third-world country, asked my dad what it would be like. “You will see sad things and happy things and lots of poverty, but Lydia, I know you will love it.” Our group shuffled out of the plane, where we found our bags and an open truck with no seat-belts ready to drive us to the Grooters’ home, where we were staying.

As we drove along at 15 miles per hour, I caught a glimpse of Haitian beauty. I saw a lady carrying her 2-year-old child on one hip, while balancing a full basket on her head. I saw a boy just my age running alongside the road, and when he saw me, he yelled out “Blanch, blanch!” (white, white!) Soon enough, we arrived at the home of the Grooters in Simonette. I had already fallen in love with the country, and I felt so blessed already, after what I had seen in just a 45-minute car-ride.

“What will we do next?” I asked Renae Grooters after I had unpacked my bags and explored the house.

She responded, “We’ll go to the school to see the kids and the playground!” (I had raised $6,000 in October to build a playground at this particular school in Haiti.) We drove up the hill to the nearby Simonette school. When we all arrived at the school, I leaped out of the car and ran full speed towards the playground. Seeing it, I was so amazed I could cry knowing God had used me to build this.

Next, my sister, Anna, and I followed Kayla Grooters to the kitchen, where the cooks were preparing the daily lunch of rice and beans for the kids. We  tried some rice and beans and also delivered plates to the preschoolers. The rest of the afternoon was spent playing with the kids and helping the cooks serve lunch.

That night, I fell asleep feeling like I was really making a difference in Haiti.

On Saturday, while my dad and the other men were out sharing God’s word in a voodoo village, we, the ladies, went to deliver gifts. Our first stop was in the village of Saint Gerard. To get there, we had to ride motorcycles through the bumpy, dusty roads of Haiti. Once at the village, we unstrapped the suitcase from the four-wheeler that Anna and Renae were riding. We opened the suitcase, and were surrounded by people in need of what we had. I handed out the gifts to our new friends.

My mom called out to me from across the crowd, “Lydia, look who we found!” And there I saw her, just the girl I was looking for! Vedline, the girl I sponsor, stood right in front of me! I gave her a bear hug, hoping she was as excited as I was to see her. We spent the rest of the day giving out more gifts to our sponsored children. Each smile from each child warmed my heart.

The rest of the week was spent doing mission work and hanging out at the Grooters’ house. Almost every day, I went up to the school and helped serve lunch with the lunch ladies. My mom, Anna, Kayla, and I went to the ViBella Jewelry building often, too.

“Bonjou! Komon ou ye?” (Good morning! How are you?) I would greet the ViBella workers as I strolled into the building.

One night, everyone went down to the side of the ViBella building. All the kids in town gathered around as Kayla put the move, “Flushed Away,” in the projector. We watched the move in French — it is similar to Creole — with English subtitles.

Another day, some boys wandered over to the house, and I taught them how to fingerweave. It was very frustrating for me, especially since I could hardly speak their language.

Loveson, who is Kayla and Webert’s adopted boy, would put on a dance party for us every night.

“Bon Shivi, Loveson!” (Good job, Loveson!) I would call out as he danced around the room. As you could imagine, I feel asleep replaying Loveson’s dance moves and simply LOVING everything about Haiti.

“Mom, can’t we just stay?” I begged as the week came to a close.

“No, we need to get you back to the United States and in school,” she replied, “but I promise we will return to Haiti.”

My family drove back to Port-au-Prince. We hustled onto the plane, and soon, we were in the air. I took my last look at the shack-covered mountains and Haitian life, before the sights were lost in the clouds. I understood I couldn’t always be in Haiti, but I knew my heart would forever be in Haiti.

The Power of Prayer

I really just want to thank you all so much for the prayers. The day of my speech, I was thinking of all of you who prayed for me and the amazing comments I got here. And I have great news about the speech… (pause for dramatic effect)… I won first place! I am so glad I get to share Webert’s story yet again on May 3. (I’ll definitely be needing lots of prayers then, as well.)

I have some other things I would like to share as well. Saturday, my mom, Anna and I went to the nearby Lake Pahoja to throw rocks into the lake. But these weren’t just any rocks. This month, my mom, Jennifer Lee, gave two talks in Minnesota and Nebraska. She spoke at a “Beautiful Life” conference and a “Jumping Tandem” conference. During her talks, she had all of the women (and some men) write down some things they need let go and give to God. This included things like: fear, inability, not enough, other’s approval and unworthiness.

So, for about two hours at the lake, we took each individual rock, looked at what they had written on it, and we prayed for the person who wrote on the rock. Then, we tossed each rock in.

Each of us had a different way of praying for the person. I, for example, paced around and talked aloud, sometimes quoting my favorite Bible verses, while Anna prayed just as hard, just doing it silently in one place. But it didn’t matter our differences in prayer, because God heard Anna just as much as he heard me.

And here is what I say to those who fear: Do not be afraid!! 2 Timothy 1:7 says: “For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power, and of love, and of self-control.” God, help this person to overcome this fear, to not let them hold back. God, keep this fear ON THE BOTTOM OF THE LAKE!!!

And here is what I say to those who feel unable to do things: Help this person, God, to let this person know they can do BIG things for you. You will use them if they are open to do so. Because: “God does not call the equipped; He equips the called.” -Anonymous (I saw this quote in the Grooters’ home in Haiti.) Matthew 19:26 says: “Jesus looked at them and said, ‘With man, this is impossible, but with God, all things are possible.’ “

And here is what I say to those who feel as if they are not enough or want others’ approval: God, let this person know that they are most definitely enough. They make mistakes, they sin, they mess up. They are HUMAN!! You, God, forgive them when they make mistakes. You sent your son to die for them, to forgive them. They do not need to be perfectly enough because Jesus was. So keep those ON THE BOTTOM OF THE LAKE!!!

And here is what I say to those who feel unworthy: They are more valuable than gold and diamonds. God put this person on the earth for a reason. A VERY SPECIAL REASON, in fact. Jeremiah 29:11, one of my favorite verses: “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

And one rock, one of the last ones I did, said: “Living Ordinarily.” God, use this person to live an Out of the Ordinary life. Help this person to let you use them in amazing life. We were not meant to live life ordinarily. Because God WILL use us!

And if God can use me, a child, He can use anybody.

(I’m linking to my mom’s blog today. She wrote about this experience as well. You can find her story and a video here.)

A Prayer Request

I have some great news! My oration (see Webert Raymond: Living Out of the Ordinary) has passed 3 rounds in my school so far! The first round was said by every kid to their class. The teachers picked about 5 kids from there. I passed this, so then, I went to a fourth-grade classroom, where the teacher of that class chose two kids– including me!! The most recent round was an official one. Judges came into the school, where 12 kids, two from every fifth- and sixth-grade classroom, gave their speech. And guess what? I got first place!!

My next round is tomorrow. I will be competing with two other kids from my school and some older kids– some even 8th graders– from around the county. It doesn’t matter to me whether I win or lose, and I know I am doing this to share Webert’s amazing story, and how God has used him to do some awesome things. So I am just asking for your prayers tomorrow, at 4:00. I would really appreciate them. Thank you and God bless you!!

My sister and I at Webert’s awesome school in Haiti.

Wonder-Working Power!!!

I woke up to the sound of thunder and lightning flashing outside my bedroom window. Groggily stepping out of bed, I made my way upstairs to check out what was going on. The rain poured down in a sticky, sleety mess. By the looks of it, the rain had been coming down since daybreak, and it showed no sign of stopping soon.

Since it was a Tuesday, I had to get to school, though I was very surprised school had not been called off due to the rain. (It would freeze in this temperature and make the roads icy and unsafe.) At 10:00, our class was in art. A teacher came to the room and told us that we would be getting out early. All of the boys in the room completely freaked out, dancing around and hollering. (But I guess that is what you have to expect having 5 girls and 15 boys in your class…[Can you sense my eye-roll through the screen?])

Later that day, at home,-it was still pouring out- I was standing in the living room. And the lights- they just flickered and went out.

“Great. No power,” I muttered as I tested to see if the lights really were out- they were. My family gathered some flashlights for that night. Since we had a generator, we could turn the lights on in my parent’s room and work the fireplace. As for the rest of the house, we had to get around with candles or flashlights. We emptied out the fridge because the food would rot otherwise.

It was tough without the electricity, but we had lots of laughs playing board games. (You should see my dad imitate a horse jockey while playing Guesstures! )

That night, we fell asleep in my parents’ room, hoping the power would come on by the morning.

It did not. The rain was still coming strong, with everything outside completely covered in ice. (Like, seriously, even the grass was frozen over.) Even the strongest trees wilted down, overcome by the frozen precipitation.

I had no idea how much I took electricity for granted until then. But at least I have a generator… What about the Haitians? They never have electricity, on stormy nights, they don’t have a large house to protect them from the winds. At least I still had running water, but the Haitians? Never.

The power came back on yesterday, and I am SOO thankful for it. But also, I ask that you please continue to pray for others who the storm might have hit.

I love these verses my mom, Jennifer Lee, put on her blog:

You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. -Romans 5:6