"Buttery Steps!"

"When my steps were bathed in butter, and the rock poured out for me streams of oil!"

[Job 29:6 NAS]

The night before I left for Nicaragua (see previous posting 2/12/12), members of my home church gathered around to send me off with prayers and spiritual encouragement.  After we were done, a prophetic leader got up to share on another topic and, before she began her own subject, she turned toward me and said something like, "Gina, I felt the Lord wanted me to say this to you, but I didn't say it earlier because I'd never heard Him say anything like this before.  But I keep hearing it, so I believe He wants me to tell you to 'Follow the yellow brick road.' "  :)

I smiled, because I understand that God speaks to us creatively, in ways that may seem unusual, amusing, or even confusing at first.  I think this aspect of Holy Spirit communication encourages us to be child-like, to remain open and expand our hearts & minds, to keep listening and seeking Him for all that He wants to say and do in our lives.  So I thanked her and tucked that funny little word away in my heart.  I'd been experiencing new freedom to follow Holy Spirit (more than just "rules" or what other people expect of me), so I figured this had something to do with following His grace and guidance - I knew He'd continue to speak and bring futher understanding and clarity, as I continue to listen and walk with Him.

The next day, as I was going through security at Dulles airport, I heard a TSA employee call out loudly, "Come on, people... Follow the yellow brick road!"  Now, I have been in dozens of airports in my lifetime, and although there are probably yellow lines on the floor in many of them, I had never heard those words spoken out loud in the security area before.  I chuckled, because it seemed obvious to me that God was reminding me of the previous night, and that those words really were from Him.  I continued to "put them on a shelf," so to speak, and to walk in His grace, looking forward to the mission work we were about to do in Nicaragua.

To be honest, I didn't fully connect the words "yellow brick road" with "walking in His grace" until the end of the week, but God continued to develop this theme by introducing a second - seemingly unrelated - thought:  "buttery steps."   As I walked through the airport that morning, I was keenly aware of God's presence, and a sense of peace & joy in the perfect ease with which He was providing all we needed for this trip - it reminded me of a sermon I'd heard the previous week about God's grace and favor, including a reference to a Bible verse about "steps drenched with cream," butter and oil... so I got out my cell phone and posted on Facebook (where lots of my 329 friends are Christians :)), "Who knows where the verse is about 'buttery steps'?"  Instantly, a friend replied, "Job 29:6."  When I got to my departure gate, I sat down and looked up the reference in various Bible versions on my Kindle.  The first two translations were very different from one another, but I was starting to get the picture:

"In those days my cows produced milk in abundance, and my olive groves poured out streams of olive oil."  [NLT]

"When everything was going my way, and nothing seemed too difficult."  [MSG]

Another version sounded more like the message I'd heard the week before:

"...when my path was drenched with cream and the rock poured out for me streams of olive oil." [NIV]

I believe this verse came to mind because I was experiencing how wonderfully things come together when we're walking in God's grace.  I had seen God's provision for every detail of this trip - from things I knew would be "easy" to others I'd been tempted to worry about ("how am I going to...?") but had seen Him provide effortlessly as I simply trusted His grace and "put one foot in front of the other," following Him step by step.  Of course I don't think that walking with God means we won't encounter obstacles or challenges along the way, but I've begun to realize that, as we yield everything to Him, we can have confidence that He - in all of His magnificent Goodness and unlimited ability - will give us all we need to do wherever He has called us to do.  Perhaps you've heard this, too:  "Where God guides, He provides."   It's true!

The steps of the godly are directed by the LORD. He delights in every detail of their lives.

[Psalm 37:23 NLT]

For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.

[Ephesians 2:10 NAS]

So maybe I was a little slow to make the connection, but I didn't fully realize that "buttery steps" were related to His

earlier instruction to "follow the yellow brick road" until my fifth day in Nicaragua:  on Friday morning, a Canadian visitor was teaching a baking class for some of the women at House of Hope and, as I walked toward the kitchen, I was vaguely aware that something was stuck to the bottom of my shoe...   a butter wrapper!  When I looked down and realized what it was,  I could hardly believe it  :)  it seemed so random, and yet perfectly in line with what God had been speaking to me that week.  As I reached down to peel the greasy paper from my foot, I laughed out loud and said to my friend Aeron (as the light bulb went on above my head), "Butter comes in yellow bricks!!"

When I got home from my trip, I ordered a 2-CD teaching set by Danny Silk of Bethel Church called "Follow Your Favor" (see http://store.ibethel.org//advanced_search_result.php?search_in_description=1&categories_id=0&keywords=Follow+Your+Favor&x=22&y=4), which I recommend for anyone who wants to learn more about this subject.  I also started re-reading The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum (the complete Oz series is available for about 94 cents on Kindle :)) - it's been fun and inspirational to rediscover this magical tale of a child who travels a golden path through all kinds of dangers, having been kissed by Goodness that overcomes evil in every situation.   Life is not always easy, but difficulties will melt before you, as you look for God's goodness and follow His way.

Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.

[Proverbs 3:5-6 NKJ]

But for those who are righteous, the path is not steep and rough. You are a God of justice, and you smooth out the road ahead of them.

[Isaiah 26:7 NLT]

Love from House of Hope - Nicaragua 2012 :)

Just returned from my 4th annual mission trip to House of Hope (Casa Esperanza) in Managua, Nicaragua, and wanted to summarize some of this wonderful experience! :)  A link to some of our photos (with captions) is included below.

I traveled with Aeron Moore, a friend from church with whom I've traveled twice before on mission teams to Guatemala (she's 24 and I'm 54, so people kept asking if she is my daughter :)) - this was Aeron's first trip to Nicaragua, but the 11th overseas mission trip for both of us. The purpose of our trip was to minister on "Joy" at House of Hope, a Christian vocational rehab center for women & children escaping prostitution in the Managua area. We left on Sunday 1/22, returning Monday 1/30.

House of Hope currently serves nearly 60 residents - primarily teenage girls, plus several adult women and their children - and over 400 women who attend the day program on Tuesdays, making greeting cards and jewelry as an alternative source of income (vs. prostitution).  Most of the women attending on Tuesdays have accepted Christ, and are able to plug in to multiple home fellowships led by Oscar & Vilma, Nicaraguan directors who live on the House of Hope campus.  For more information about House of Hope, to purchase products made by the women or contribute financially to this growing mission work, please check out their website: http://www.houseofhopenicaragua.com/

Aeron & I arrived close to 11pm on Sunday at Quinta Primavera, a beautiful Christian lodge which accomodates teams working in Nicaragua for just $10/night ($20 with meals) - the lush tropical vegetation and peaceful atmosphere on this well-tended property made us feel as if we were on vacation at a luxurious resort!  Since I'd previously visited House of Hope solo or with just one other person, I'd never experienced Quinta Primavera (or similar lodging at Quinta Shalom) - House of Hope is not equipped to host visiting teams overnight.  Because there were only two of us, we were allowed to stay at House of Hope during the latter part of the week - I even got up for devotions with Oscar & the residents at 4:30am this year!  :) - but Aeron's brave battles with unusually large spiders in her room there convinced me that the restful "Quinta" surroundings are best for overnight stays, with visits to HoH during the day.  Pastor Mike (HoH director April Havlin's husband) pointed out to us that, although conditions at HoH may seem primitive to North Americans, it is still a great improvement for the women and children who live there to have shelter, security, running water, electricity, and a Christian environment in which to grow & be established in a new life. Some have previously lived in cardboard boxes near the garbage dump, or on the street near the brothels. Children as young as 6 to 10 years old have been sold for sex, some by their own family members.  The desperate poor are most vulnerable - with over 60% unemployment, Managua has numerous child brothels, and Nicaragua is 2nd only to Haiti as the poorest country in our hemisphere. Thank God for practical help and vocational training offered by ministries like House of Hope, and for the unlimited power of Jesus Christ to save, heal and transform broken hearts & lives!

Our ministry on the theme of Joy ("God is Joyful, and He wants us to be joyful in Him") was warmly received with smiles and open hearts from Day One:  on Monday, we followed the Bible teaching with giving out small gifts we had brought for each resident (soft toys, hairbrushes, small journals & personal items);  on Tuesday, I spoke about God's Joy to over 400 women who came for the day program - we touched and prayed over each one of them by doing a "joy tunnel" as the women walked by our small (but powerful :)) ministry team; on Wednesday, Aeron shared an anointed testimony from Zechariah 3 about how God's judgment is not like ours (He calls us righteous and beautiful!), followed by my teaching on Laughter (see 9/2/11 http://holy1fire.blogspot.com/2011/09/spiritual-benefits-of-laughter.html ), and we distributed postcards of "Laughing Jesus," which I had made for House of Hope with the artist's permission (http://www.suemartist.com/ - this was also the cover for printed handouts, with Spanish scriptures, which we gave to HoH residents); on Thursday, we taught about Celebration from Luke 15 and followed up with a pizza party - many of the women came forward to testify of the good things God had been teaching them and doing in their lives during the week;  on Friday morning, a lovely Canadian visitor taught residents to bake bread & cookies, which went well with ice cream we enjoyed after our closing "Jericho march" at the end of our last class called "Sounds of Joy," with worship streamers and silly instruments we gave to each resident as reminders of the beauty, colors & diversity of things to enjoy in God's kingdom.  On Saturday, Aeron & I enjoyed a beautiful day at the beach with Laura (HoH staff member who coordinates visiting teams), and on Sunday we visited Pastor Mike's new church in a wealthier part of Managua, and had lunch at T.G.I.Friday's with the Havlin family - including son Jeremy & his wife Jessica, who lead a growing children's ministry called One by One  http://www.theinnocent.org/) - before getting up early Monday morning for our flight home...

Two thoughts stand out most vividly in my mind and heart as I reflect on this trip:  one is how wonderful it felt - and I believe it thrills the heart of God as well - to see families and young girls who have been rescued from severe poverty and sexual abuse - especially so many teenagers and children who are now safe, laughing and playing and attending school, with a whole new life ahead of them.  As I prepared for my last teaching on Friday morning, God spoke to me from the book of Joshua that these few adult women who are holding on to the Word of God, plus a whole new generation of teens and younger girls, have an opportunity for radical blessing and transformation of the same magnitude as that of the Israelites who went from slaves to landowners - not just wandering the wilderness of escape from sin, but truly coming in to their own "Promised Land."

The other thing that happened to me on this trip was more personal:  on previous trips, the physical challenges of living & working at House of Hope (tropical climate, dirt, bugs, etc.) seemed much more daunting - this year I began to feel more comfortable in Nicaragua, and could imagine visiting at other times of the year (although I enjoy the pleasant weather in January) or for longer periods of time.  I also hadn't expected to return next year (I'm still planning to go to Israel in February 2013), but after 3 or 4 girls shared testimonies & said, "Next year when sister Gina comes back..." I began to feel - well, how could I not?  :)   I don't know exactly how God's plans for my future will unfold, but sharing the Word of God and His Love for these girls year after year has become more than isolated short-term mission trips - I'm beginning to see the fruit of ongoing relationships and investment in what God is doing at House of Hope... Before I left this year, April & I checked the calendar and decided on next year's dates, and by the time I'd been home in the U.S. for just 3 days, I already had a full outline of teaching notes and ideas, ready to begin communicating with potential teammates for 2013...

Lots of Love from House of Hope, Nicaragua... Until next year!    :)

Link to more photos with captions:
http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.2531003357314.109872.1320390486&type=3&l=a29ef1ae36