Stopping to see God's bigness

Stopping to see God's bigness

Posted by Ashley Hoover

At SPLICE part of what we talked about was the importance of having a day of rest and keeping a Sabbath day. Robin read is an excerpt from C.S. Lewis' Chronicles of Narnia, Prince Caspian that I really liked. I've never read the books but the point is made that as we take time to spend with God and grow in Him, we will see His bigness all around us and our awareness of His bigness will increase over time. I've been trying to be more aware of God in the everyday of life. He is just as big in the "little" things that I often overlook and forget to praise Him in. Just stopping to see God at work in my life makes me realize just how big He is. Where did you see God today?

In Prince Caspian, part of C.S. Lewis' Narnia Chronicles, the children Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy all find themselves in Narnia after a long absence. Aslan, the great king and lion, is nowhere to be seen. Lucy, the youngest of the children, particularly aches to see him. One night she wakes to a great stirring in the forest, and to a voice calling her. While the other children sleep, she ventures forth through the weeds and into a clearing. Here's what happens:

"A circle of grass, smooth as a lawn, met her eyes, with dark trees dancing all round it. And then-oh joy! For he was there: the huge Lion, shinning white in the moonlight, with his huge black shadow underneath him.
But for the movement of his tail he might have been a stone lion, but Lucy never thought of that. She never stopped to think whether he was a friendly lion or not. She rushed to him. She felt her heart would burst if she lost a moment. And the next thing she knew was that she was kissing him and putting her arms as far round his neck as she could and burying her face in the beautiful rich silkiness of his mane.
'Aslan, Aslan. Dear Aslan,' sobbed Lucy. 'At last.'
The great beast rolled over on his side so that Lucy fell, half sitting and half lying between his front paws. He bent forward and just touched her nose with his tongue. His warm breath came all round her. She gazed up into the large wise face.
'Welcome, child,' he said.
'Aslan,' said Lucy, 'you're bigger.'
'That is because you are older, little one,' answered he.
'Not because you are?'
'I am not. But every year you grow, you will find me bigger.'

Missions Monday

Missions Monday

Posted by Ashley Hoover

Hudson Taylor-Part 8

by Florence Huntington Jensen

(Part 7 here)

(This is the last post in this series. You can learn more about China Inland Mission [Now OMF International] on their website. I hope you enjoyed learning a little about the life and work of Hudson Taylor. Any of the books pictured in these posts are great resources if you want to learn more!)

  In the course of his work, Mr. Taylor became acquainted with Miss Maria Dyer, an English girl whose father had been a missionary in China. Her uncle in England, who acted as her guardian, gave his consent to her marriage, and in January, 1858, there was a wedding in one of the missions. In a humble little place in Ningpo they began their work together and were very happy as they told the beautiful old story of Jesus and His love.

  It was well for Hudson Taylor that he learned before leaving England, "to move man, through God, by prayer alone," for he had many and many an opportunity to put the lesson into practice. At one time he was in charge of a hospital, and the workers were trusting God to supply the needs. One day the cook told him that their rice was almost gone -- the last bag had been opened. And this was his answer -- "Then the Lord's time for helping us must be close at hand." And sure enough, before the rice was gone, $250 came from England. Great was the joy of the workers, and patients in the hospital, listening to the songs and shouts of praise, said, "Where is the idol that can do anything like that? Have they ever delivered us in our troubles, or answered prayer after this sort?"

  After six years in China the missionary was worn out, and a trip to England was planned, with Mrs. Taylor. It was a very profitable trip, for their health was built up, and the China Inland Mission was founded. Then back to China he went, for many more years of work for his Master. England was again visited, then America, and there was a period of rest in Switzerland. But his heart was in the land to which God called him in his young manhood, and there he laid his armor down. June 3, 1905 was the day of his death. Chinese Christians bought the most beautiful coffin they could find. However, his work did not die with him, and many souls in Heaven, won to God through the work of the China Inland Mission, will thank God because its founder, James Hudson Taylor, went to China.

Copied by Stephen Ross for WholesomeWords.org from Hearts Aflame by Florence Huntington Jensen. Waukesha, Wisc.: Metropolitan Church Assn., ©1932.

Transition

Transition

Posted by Ashley Hoover

One of the things we talked about at SPLICE was transition; it's different stages and how we go through it. Transition is:  

"The experience of the gradual, psychological reorientation process that happens inside us as we respond and adapt to the external change. Transition often results from a change, but it may also be triggered by the news that a change is imminent and, so, start before the change actually takes place. (William Bridges)

Our instructors used a bridge to help illustrate the different stages of transition all of the feelings, emotions and personal reactions we can experience as we go through each stage.

The words are emotions we might feel

The Settled Stage:
This is normal life as we've always known it. Here we are comfortable, we feel like we belong and fit in with our group of friends and are committed to those relationships. We feel very safe and secure in this stage.

The Unsettling Stage:
In this stage we are beginning to pull up roots. This includes many things, goodbye's, packing up, etc. Many emotions begin to surface such as sadness, even grief over what will be left behind, stress, some confusion, we can begin to pull away from relationships trying to protect ourselves from the hurt we know will come with saying goodbye, and many others.

The Chaos Stage:
Undoubtedly this is the one most people might think would be the hardest. You have no roots anywhere, might not know exactly what is happening around you, you might feel alone and like no one understands. I won't deny that this is not a hard stage but for me personally I think maybe the Unsettled Stage is even harder because I'm also dealing with the anticipation of what Chaos will be and everything that goes along with it. Probably right now in my life I'm somewhere between Unsettled and Chaos. I'm not really sure where the line is drawn between the two.


The Re-settling Stage:
Here we begin to put roots back down in the new location. (could be another State, country, culture, etc.) Some thing we might feel are insecurity, thinking of missions and me personally, insecurity in my own ability to function "normally" in a new place. We can still feel isolated and alone not having yet formed solid relationships with new people. Somewhat clueless about how things are done and just how to live in a foreign place.


The Newly Settled Stage:
Eventually we get to what I suppose is the new "normal" as we are newly settled in another place.We have real friendships, understand how life works, we feel secure in our ability to get around, communicate, etc.










In each of these stages also affects how we view God, His presence, help, comfort, guidance, love and probably countless other things. As we wrestle with different emotions that come with transition and cry out to God to help us through it we can learn to grow through the hard times and understand Him in a deeper way.

"The transitional experience begins with the encounter of another culture and evolves into the encounter with self." (Peter Adler)

Another way to illustrate transition.

SPLICE family

SPLICE family

Posted by Ashley Hoover

The SPLICE family. A few were sick so they're missing from the photo but most are here!

My SPLICE class had 43 adults and 23 kids (ages 2 months up to 12 years old) going to 22 different countries by 23 different mission agencies. I miss you all but can't wait to hear stories from your place of ministry!
I'm so blessed to have met each and every person at SPLICE. I was encouraged, challenged and refreshed by getting to know them, hearing their struggles, their successes, playing with their children, watching the married couples interact...everything we learned and went through together at SPLICE connected us in a way I didn't expect and saying goodbye was so hard. Here's just some photos of fun times outside of class.

Girl's Night Out. We went to a great Mexican restaurant. 

My growth group. Amazing ladies, love you all! (Hadassah is missing because she was sick)

Playing Monopoly Deal. Best game ever! :) (and highly addicting)

Watching Tangled at the same time. We watched it a few times actually. One of my favorite movies. :)

Walking around Manitou Springs. I thought there were some weird people in Washington D.C...for it's size, Manitou Springs sure gives D.C a run for it's money in that category! (No, it's not because we were there either ;))

Bet you didn't know I could ride grasshoppers. Yeah, it's a hidden talent of mine. :)

More Monopoly Deal! (notice the larger gathering we've collected)

Babysitting night. All of us singles watched the children so the married couples could have a couple hours to themselves. It was sooo much fun!

Really, no children were harmed in the process. :)

Some of the older children helped us out too. They were super!

Even big kids can't help but have some fun at Whit's End. We visited Focus on the Family's headquarters after Pike's Peak.

Babysitting of the 21st. Century. ;) (We were actually sharing all our photos and keeping an eye on the girls at the same time.)

The airplane in Whit's End was pretty cool.

This right here is "The Posse." We're missing Christina and Oriana but we all hit it off from the start and grew really close so we eventually became known as The Posse. We had a lot of fun together!

And even more Monopoly Deal! Maybe you noticed but we played this game a lot! It's popularity grew each day it seems and pretty much became the unofficial official game of SPLICE. :) This night we had three or four games going including almost everyone. Alyssa thinks she's going to win here but I don't think that's how it went down. ;)

Meal time! The food was pretty good!

Home for three weeks. I grew in so many ways and SPLICE changed my life not just by what was taught in class but also by the people I met.

"When you leave here I hope it hurts because then you know that you've loved and been loved."      -Robin Allen

Well Robin...that's what happened.

Missions Monday

Missions Monday

Posted by Ashley Hoover

Hudson Taylor-Part 7

by Florence Huntington Jensen

(Part 6 here)

  The next twelve days were stormy ones. The captain said, "Unless God helps us, there is no hope." And God did help them. The young missionary remembered the promise "Call upon me in the day of trouble: I will deliver thee, and thou shalt glorify me," and calmly looked to God.

At last the storm was over. Around the Cape of Good Hope, past Australia, and into the Pacific ocean, then through the China Sea they sailed, reaching their destination March 1, 1854. During that time Taylor had not been idle, but had held meetings for the ship's crew, assisted by another Christian young man who was on the ship.

  Can you imagine how a missionary feels as he nears the shores of the country where he has chosen to spend his life? Hudson Taylor felt when he had his first glimpse of China's shores, that the prayers of years were answered, and when he saw a group of natives, and heard them chatter in their strange tongue, he longed to be able to tell them the glad tidings of salvation. "My feelings on stepping ashore," he wrote, "I cannot describe. My heart felt as though it had not room and must burst its bonds, while tears of gratitude and thankfulness fell from my eyes."

  Mr. Taylor had been given three letters of introduction, and started out to look up the people to whom they were addressed. The first one, he found, had died a month before, and the second one had left for America. Then he found his way to the London Mission Compound, and the missionaries there, though strangers, made him welcome and gave him a place to stay. Eager to prepare for real work, he began studying the language the next morning.

  After much searching he found at last a house which he could rent. It was dilapidated and very dirty but he was glad to have a place for himself, as he disliked to be dependent upon others. People found out that he was a doctor, and many sick came to him. As he ministered to the needs of their bodies, he told them of the cure for sin-sick souls. A school for boys and girls was started and Mr. Taylor was happy. There were difficulties too, but Taylor had fitted himself for hard things by the rugged life he had lived before leaving England.

Busy months and years followed, filled with joys and disappointments. He took a number of journeys in a houseboat, preaching the Gospel in villages and cities where the name of Jesus had never been heard. Hardships were many and sometimes his life was in danger, but he did not turn back.

  For some time he considered the question of adopting Chinese dress, and finally decided to do so, believing he could accomplish more for the Lord in that way. He had his head shaved, leaving a little hair which would grow into a Chinese cue [hair tied at the back of the head in a braid], and with baggy trousers, white calico socks, satin shoes, and to complete the costume, a loose silk gown with wide sleeves, he attracted less attention, and won the hearts of the natives as he could not do when in English dress.

  It would take too long to tell of all Hudson Taylor's strange experiences in that strange land. Once he started to go from Shanghai to Ningpo. The first part of the trip was made by boat, then he proceeded on foot, with coolies to carry his luggage. Stopping at an inn, the only supper he could obtain was one of cold rice and snakes fried in lamp oil. It was not very appetizing, but he tried to eat, fearing he would be recognized as a foreigner if he refused. His room was shared with ten or eleven other men, and a board laid across two stools, with his umbrella and shoes for a pillow, formed his bed.

  In the morning he began looking for the bed and box which had been carried by coolies, and was greatly disappointed upon finding no trace of them. Search as he would, they were not to be found. The next night he tried in vain to find a place to lodge, and at last lay down on the steps of the temple, with his money under his head.

It was not long until he heard footsteps approaching, and soon stealthy hands were feeling about him. "What do you want?" he asked quietly, and the man disappeared, returning later with a companion.

"What do you want?" Taylor asked.

"We are passing the night outside the temple as you are," they answered.

He then suggested that as there was plenty of room on the other side, they'd better leave that side for him, but his advice didn't seem to be appreciated, so he decided he would sit up, to watch them more closely.

"You had better lie down and sleep, or you will not be able to work tomorrow," they said. "Don't be afraid, we shall not leave you, and shall see that no one does you harm."

Taylor knew better than to believe them and said, "Listen to me. I do not want your protection. I am not a Chinese and I do not worship your vain idols. I worship God. He is my Father and I trust in Him. I know well what you are, and what you wish to do, and shall keep my eye on you and shall not sleep." One of the men disappeared, only to return with another man. They watched for some time, hoping he would go to sleep, but he began to repeat verses of Scripture and sing hymns. They did not appreciate this, and finally went away.

  Since Taylor's luggage was not to be found, he was obliged to return to Shanghai instead of going on to Ningpo. Later on it fell to his lot to nurse a man who was sick with smallpox, and when it was all over, he was obliged to burn the clothing he had used in the sick room. He had given his money away freely and was unable to buy a new supply. Then, just at the right time, the box lost on the way to Ningpo, turned up unexpectedly, and his needs were supplied.

  This was only one of the almost numberless incidents which fulfilled the promise--"The LORD will provide" [Jehovah-jireh, Genesis 22:14]. This verse and "Hitherto hath the LORD helped us," were Taylor's favorite mottoes...

Copied by Stephen Ross for WholesomeWords.org from Hearts Aflame by Florence Huntington Jensen. Waukesha, Wisc.: Metropolitan Church Assn., ©1932.

Remembering the Sabbath

Remembering the Sabbath

Posted by Ashley Hoover

The trail behind MTI. I walked this many times.

One of my favorite days at SPLICE the second week. We talked about embracing rest and Sabbath keeping. As missionaries (and anyone really) we can tend to stay so busy doing good things, speaking, doing ministry, training, raising support, etc. that rest can become easily forgotten or pushed aside because these other things need to get done. I'll admit I was a little worn out from all the ministry preparation that I've had to do over the past couple years but didn't think rest was a big area that needed attention. I quickly learned how important it is and it's probably the most important aspect of my ministry. If I don't take time to focus on God and my own relationship with Him then everything else I do for Him is pretty futile. On Thursday of the second week our instructor Robin told us to leave our computers, phones, watches even and just go spend the entire afternoon alone with God somewhere around MTI. There were a some questions and verses to look up and write down our thoughts on Sabbath keeping. I walked a couple miles down the trail running behind MTI to Palmer Lake, found a nice comfortable tree and climbed up to overlook the lake. I started to read through the questions and answer them. After the second page though I quit and just spent time doing nothing. I didn't tell God much except to thank Him for various blessings in my life. I just listened and let Him talk to me. It was such a great time and I realized this needs to be a regular part of my life. There may be days when my Sabbath isn't on a Sunday like most people but I've decided that one day a week I will consciously take time to just "be still" before God. I didn't know three hours of "nothing" could change my life like it did. But I can honestly say I can't wait for my day of rest now. It is such a special time. I would encourage you to make it a priority in your life also!

Mt. Hermon. The view from MTI was amzing.

Palmer Lake. (I use "lake" loosely, it's really more a pond. :))

Another view from Palmer Lake

100th Post!

100th Post!

Posted by Ashley Hoover

So, I happened to notice this is my 100th post here on the blog. I thought it was worthy of celebrating and wanted to do something kind of fun. Below is an image of a 100 Lempira, the currency of Honduras. I will send one of you, my faithful blog readers, a 100 Lempira bill in celebration of this occasion. Here's what you have to do:

Leave a comment and tell me about the bill, who's on it, why that person is important, etc. And how much it's worth in U.S. currency.

Each person that answers correctly will be eligible to win. It's open through the end of this month and July 1st. I will draw from the correct answers and announce the winner! Have fun! :)

Front

Back

Different is...?

Different is...?

Posted by Ashley Hoover

  So I'm going to try to put into words some of what I learned at SPLICE. (For those who've asked, SPLICE is a ministry of Mission Training International and each letter stands for different areas of life we looked at. Spiritual, Personal, Lifestyles, Interpersonal, Cultural and Endurance/Enjoyment.)

  One thing every overseas missionary faces is the new culture and it's differences vs. how we've always understood our own culture to be right, normal, natural and good. Robin, one of our instructors talked to us during our first week (though we revisited it often) that we tend to make judgments on what is right and wrong based on our frame of reference without often stopping to consider the other culture/person's point of view. We think of our own culture as being normal, natural, right and good so anything that is different is therefore unnatural, not normal, wrong and bad. We were reminded several times that different is just different, it's not necessarily bad. Wrong is wrong. We talked about several different examples of things we could perceive as wrong according to our culture and if those things were really wrong or just different and did the Bible say anything on it? It was very eye opening and thought provoking to look at culture in a new way. "Suspend judgement" Robin told us until you know why other cultures do things the way they do. Part of understanding a new culture involves exiting our world where we are comfortable and entering their's. It's not as easy as it might sound, trying to see things from their frame of reference but to live in another culture it is necessary. Our personal beliefs and values will be challenged but I now feel better equipped to determine what is just different and what is actually wrong. To sum it up:

"Different is just different, wrong is wrong." 

God, please give us wisdom to discern between the two. 

  

Pike's Peak

Pike's Peak

Posted by Ashley Hoover

Thank you all for your prayers during SPLICE. I don't know if I can put into

 words just what a blessing it was in my life. I'll be posting some pictures 

and some things I learned while I was there in the coming days. For now 

I'll share a fun experience. I got to go up Pike's Peak one weekend with 

some great friends from SPLICE. Here's some snapshots of our fun day. :) 

Stephanie, Oriana, Me and Alyssa waiting for the cog to take us up. (Renee is taking the picture)

I guess the ticket is special enough to get in a photo too. :)

The view on the way up.

More scenery. I think this is just past the tree line.

The cute little train at the bottom where the cog piked us up.

Evidently some people used to really live here. 

This house we passed they couple that live here waved to us. They take care of the water reservoirs in the area. Their "driveway" goes all the way around the mountain. I think the tour lady said it was like 17mi long.

The cog that took us up the mountain.

Pike's Peak from a distance. Looking at it after we got down, it seemed sort of crazy we had actually been at the top.

Me at the top. 

Stephanie, Oriana, Renee, Me and Alyssa at the top.

Still at the top. We didn't even fall off the edge or anything. :)

It would have been a really long way down if we had...

I never knew "America the Beautiful" was inspired by a trip up Pike's Peak. You learn something new every day.

If you were looking at that photo and thought, "Do those guys have skis??" Yes, they have ski's...I realize I'm not from CO but it seemed crazy for a couple reasons, 1. It's a long way down if you take a spill and 2. There didn't seem like enough snow to me. But to each his own I guess. You can also bike down Pike's Peak which would have been a lot of fun I think. 

Some other crazy things people have done on Pike's Peak:

The man who holds the records for running Pike's is Matt Carpenter. 

His time up the mountain is 2:01:06. His time up and back down, 3:16:39.

The fastest person to drive up Pike's Peak was Nobuhiro Tajima in 2007. 

He reached speeds of 120mph and went 70mph around the turns. 

(the one I saw was incredibly tight. I have no idea how he did that at 70mph.) 

His record time is 10:01.408.