Wasilla Bible Church

I’m sure most of you have heard that Sarah Palin’s home church in Wasilla, AK was seriously damaged by arson recently and has suffered $1 million in damage. The event itself is very sad, but for me, what’s even worse is the fact that I’m not at all surprised by this cowardly act. In case anyone is interested in supporting this church during their time of need, you can make donations to:

1. Please make your check payable to: Wasilla Bible Church

2. Mail your check to:
Wasilla Bible Church1651 W. Nicola AvenueWasilla, Alaska 99654

Mexico Mission-Trip Memories

A wonderful writer, blogger and just plain ol’ good gal, is soon to be celebrating her 40th birthday. In honor of hitting that major milestone, Patty is doing a 40-day spotlight on Missions, called Missions Matter, on her Patterings blog. Throughout this 40-day journey, she is having guests write and share their own mission experiences or tell how a mission/missionary has impacted their life in some way. This is my contribution to Missions Matter. To read many more wonderful stories that relate to missions, and/or share your own story, please visit Missions Matter.

Many years ago, when I was first saved, the church I was attending had a mission trip to Mexico. In my own naïve way, I sort of understood there was a need, but to me it was, well, Mexico… I grew up in Arizona, I’d been to Mexico multiple times, and it just didn’t seem really exotic. But I was a new Christian and it was a mission trip, and I was excited! I just knew that I had something to offer. While that was true and in itself a good thing, I’ve since realized how prideful I was. It never occurred to me that I would bring back more than I could give.

Our church had a sister-church in Mexico that we were partnering with. We did a clothing drive before we left, with the intention of giving it all to our sister church to have on hand and distribute as they saw fit. I was a part of the team that went through the clothes, sorted into groups and sizes, etc. We had a ton of clothing dropped off, which should have been a good thing. Unfortunately, I was shocked and horrified at the amount of clothing that was given that was torn, completely stained, vulgar and offensive, or otherwise completely inappropriate! We salvaged what we could and though we threw away about half of it, we still managed to take down a decent sized load.

The specific plan for our mission trip was to help re-build a church that had burned down. Now, I’m not exactly a construction whiz, but even I understood how much more difficult it would be without basic construction equipment – like a bobcat for moving dirt, or an abundance of fantastic power tools to make it easier, faster or more fun! Everything was pretty much done by hand, including digging out, and moving, huge boulders. It was hot, and dirty, and very laborious. It was also fun, lively and extremely rewarding.

One day, we stopped construction early to go spend some time at “Cardboard City.” Of course, that term can sort of give you an idea of what is coming, but “sort of having an idea” and confronting the reality of the situation, are vastly different things. There was an area of land, outside of town and next to the local dump, which had become home to hundreds of the poorest of families. The dwellings were literally made from cardboard, which conveniently came from the dump next door. The sights and the smells were overwhelming.

To say that I never realized how rich I really was would be a GINORMOUS understatement! It was shocking and heartbreaking. But it was also enlightening. These families were just doing what they could to survive. They had next to nothing. The basic necessities were absent. But they made do. The families stuck together. Children were running around and playing, like American children would. But unlike American children, sticks and cans were their toys, and they were happy to have them.

One incident in particular is crystal clear in my mind. One of the gals on the trip was a truly delightful teenager. Kelly was passionate for God, and a very hard worker. She had also taken three years of Spanish, so she was a great translator too! When we were at “Cardboard City,” all the children were drawn to her – especially the girls. Kelly was young and very pretty, with blonde hair, blue eyes and braces. She hugged and loved on every child that approached her. They all wanted to touch her blonde hair and were totally fascinated by her “teeth jewelry.” In my own ignorance, it hadn’t even occurred to me that they wouldn’t know what braces where! Kelly was great about it all – she talked to them, explained what braces were and let them look closely at them, she let them play with her hair and just loved them! I realized even then that I was actually witnessing the love of God in action and what Jesus would do. That teenage girl taught me more about the heart and love of God than any preacher I’ve ever heard, to this day.

Before we left, we had church in a small metal building set on concrete. The service was in Spanish, there was no air conditioning or even seats, and worship was sung with an old tape player and tape – also in Spanish. But boy, did God meet us there in a huge way! I think most of us were completely broken at that moment. When it was time to leave we received hugs and smiles that would melt an iceberg. It was a far more somber group that went back that night. The experience was too great and precious for frivolity, and I think there was a lot of introspection being done, and I’m certain we all left a changed person.

When we left for home, I brought a souvenir. Of all the boulders that were found when we were doing construction, I personally found the three biggest, that had to be dug out and removed. I brought home the smallest of these three boulders. I cleaned it up and was delighted to see how pretty it really was. I then selected a Bible verse to paint on it, to remember this very special trip. Returning home, I knew I received far more than I had given. I had given my time, tons of sweat, and even some tears and blood. Among the many things I received was a compassionate heart, an awareness of just how blessed I really am, and memories that will last a lifetime!


Oh, and about the boulder. I still have it and it remains one of my most prized possessions. The Scripture that was painted on it is this:


“And on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it. I will give you the keys to the Kingdom of Heaven.” ~ Matt. 16:18-19

Fight Poverty ~ Word-Filled Wednesday

This is a dual-purpose post. This is my contribution to the meme Word-Filled Wednesday. For more beautiful pictures with inspiring Scripture, please visit The 160 Acre Woods, home of WFW.

Also, it is my contribution to Blog Action Day 2008 – Poverty. The website says this: On October 15th bloggers everywhere will publish posts that discuss poverty in some way. By all posting on the same day we aim to change the conversation that day, to raise awareness, start a global discussion and add momentum to an important cause. Every blogger has a unique voice, audience and perspective. By speaking to their readers on topic about an important issue we can discuss global issues like poverty in a new and hugely multi-faceted way. And from discussion springs action.

Poverty is a world-wide plague. It is sad, devastating, overwhelming and can seem pretty hopeless. In poverty stricken areas there is an abundance of lack – lack of food, lack of clean water, lack of medical supplies or treatment, lack of simple tools that could bring enormous benefit, lack of proper clothing or shoes, and a lack of hygiene that could truly create a better quality of life. But the good news is that it’s not hopeless! No one can do everything, but everyone can do something.

There are so many good and trustworthy organizations available which exist to help in these situations. All one has to do, is choose the organization they would like to be affiliated with and then do something. It doesn’t matter if it is personal donations, fund-raisers, or going on a mission trip, we all can do something. Here is a small and simple list of organizations that I’m aware of, just off the top of my head. I know there are more. My list:

~ Compassion International
~ Food for the Hungry
~ Habitat for Humanity
~ Samaritan’s Purse
~ World Vision
~ Dream Center (This link is for the original DC, located in Los Angeles, but there are locations throughout the US.)

We’ve given to World Vision for several years through the sponsorship of a child. I can’t even begin tell you how good it feels to know that we’ve made a real difference in the life of a child. I believe it’s God’s heart that we help those in need. And no matter how much we give, we can’t out-give God. He blesses and rewards us for our faithfulness. Won’t you prayerfully consider doing the something that you can do? Just imagine how much better the world would be, if we all would just find a need and fill it and find a hurt and heal it!


“Give freely and become more wealthy; be stingy and lose everything. The generous will prosper; those who refresh others will themselves be refreshed”. ~ Prov. 11:24-25

“Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you." ~ Luke 6:38

FaithWriters and Cell Phones

My plan for today’s post was to talk about a particular organization that I support. But then I was reminded of another organization that is near and dear to my heart. So, I’ve decided to talk about both of them. The two organizations that I would like to draw attention to are FaithWriters and Cell Phones for Soldiers.

FaithWriters is a fantastic website, created by Scott Lindsay, that is a place for Christian writers of all levels and genre’s to come together and share their writing. There is a wonderful community of like-minded people that mentor, encourage and share information, from all over the world. There is a Weekly Writing Challenge, which is a lot of fun, but it also helps a writer to grow via the comments that are given. The online forum is truly like a family to many of the members. Besides the Writing Challenge, there is an area for regular article submission, with topics ranging from Christian Living to Politics, from Poetry to Devotionals, from Marriage to Fiction and anything in between.

There really are too many features and benefits to try and list them all here, but if you enjoy writing, regardless of where you may be on your writing journey, I encourage you to check out FaithWriters. There are two types of membership – free and an upgraded FaithWriters 500 membership which is a mere $10 per month (and I assure you, what you get out of it is worth far more than what you pay). Either type of membership will bless you though, and you’ll be accepted and encouraged wherever you may be as a writer. You may even find, like I did, a safe place to grow and call home. To visit FaithWriters, go to www.faithwriters.com or simply click here.


Cell Phones for Soldiers is a wonderful, non-profit organization that provides pre-paid calling cards to our military men and women who are serving overseas, to be able to call home to the U.S. for free. So where do the cell phones come in? Most of us tend to change our cell phones somewhat often and we’re left wondering what to do with our previous, no longer any use to us, phone. In fact, it is estimated that Americans will replace roughly 130 million cell phones this year, with the majority of the phones that are being replaced either thrown away, or stuffed in a drawer. Cell Phones for Soldiers collect’s and recycles cell phones for cash to turn into pre-paid calling cards that are donated to our military personnel who are serving overseas. This allows them to be able to call home, without incurring the expense to do so. Each phone that is donated allows for about an hour of talk time. All six branches of the military are served (USAF, Army, National Guard, Navy, USMC, and Coast Guard).

This great charitable organization was created in 2004 by Brittney and Robbie Bergquist, a 13 year old girl and12 year old brother, who wanted to show their appreciation for the men and women who serve in the military overseas. They began with $21 of their own money and it has grown tremendously from there. To date, they have raised almost $1 million in donations and distributed over 400,000 pre-paid calling cards to troops overseas. If you would like to help out, but are not replacing your cell phone anytime soon, you may also make a cash donation. For more information, or to donate to Cell Phones for Soldiers, go to www.cellphonesforsoldiers.com or simply click here.



*** Authors Note: If you too would like to spread the word about either of these organizations, whether on a blog, in a church, or any other type of medium, feel free to use any of the content contained here.