Raging Emotions

To be honest, it has been a little hard to blog lately. Yes, life has been busy, more busy than normal.  However, that is not the real reason.

This year I have found that holidays have been more challenging and emotional than in the past.  I have always enjoyed reflecting on relationships I have during the holidays.  Family and friends are often what I think about when we think of relationships.

However, this year, I am consumed with thoughts of each holiday being a "last."  Last time we celebrate Christmas in this house.  Last time we celebrate Easter with our friends. Last time we do ___ tradition because we won't live in this state.  The list can go on and on.

One minute I find myself in pure joy and excitement for the future.  The next minute I am drowning in a pile of tears over the changes in relationships I will experience.  One minute I am overwhelmed with humility as I receive a gift of a family vacation with dear friends.  The next minute the wind is knocked out of me as I open an email with our final budget.

The emotions are "raging."

However, Jesus has reminded me that he allowed himself to feel emotions (possibly even "raging" emotions), as well. 

Think about:

• Jesus' reaction to Lazarus death.  He wept knowing he was going to raise Lazarus from the dead.  
• Jesus' reaction in the garden to his own future.  He sweat blood.
• Jesus' reaction in the temple when the Pharisees were caught selling things.  He became angry.

I find comfort knowing that my "raging" emotions are not out of line, rather, something that Jesus experience, as well.

Jesus, continue to guide and direction me on this "venture" to following you into Central America.  I trust you!

Humbled by the Polar Plunge

Last Friday one of my close friends was challenged to do the Polar Plunge for Global Missions’ Awareness.  In her effort to raise awareness she chose the V-Team as her mission to raise awareness and support for.  It was completely humbling to receive this kind of “gift” and “sacrifice” from a friend.

Check out Lorrie Viar’s Polar Plunge for Global Missions’ Awareness by clicking the link.

One of the unique parts of the Polar Plunge is that before a person plunges into the freezing water he/she “calls out” three more people to challenge to take the plunge.  As you saw (if you watched the clip), Lorrie called me, Christy out.  I was blessed to be able to have the opportunity to raise awareness for two awesome families, the Stephens Family (Global Partners Missionaries to Haiti) and the Matteson Family (Global Partners Missionaries to Australia).  Both of these families are in the same process we are in.  They were at Orientation this past October with us and they will be at the Missionary Training Institute July 2014.  We are blessed to call these two families, “Friends of the V-Team.”

Check out my, Christy’s, Polar Plunge for the Stephen’s Family and the Matteson’s Family by clicking the link.

Here are the other V-Team Members who are raising awareness for global missions:
(Impacto Ministries and Global Partners Scott and Rachel McNett

The true humbling part has been seeing so many people “shouting out” for V-Team and what God has called us to do in Central America.  Thanks for helping to raise awareness for our calling and thanks to all who have partnered with us financially through the Polar Plunge.  You each are a major blessing to the V-Team and a blessing beyond words to the people who’s lives will be impacted in Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador.

Check out the links below to see several of the Polar Plunges that have been raising awareness for the V-Team (there are so many more to check on on my facebook page @ https://www.facebook.com/christy.whitevansteenburg):

If you are interested in supporting our Venture to Central America go to:

http://www.wesleyan.org/gp/minfo/WM04-0393

He Meets Our "Real" Needs

There are so many times in my life where I have defined my "needs."  With all my wisdom, I come up with a list of "needs" and I believe that I know exactly what IS really "needed."  After all, I am a mom (don't moms know everything?).

The past several weeks have been a very dry, challenging and overwhelming couple of weeks.  During those weeks I found myself whining about the "needs" that I thought I had.  You know, the "needs" I did not think others were helping me meet.

Two weekends ago I had the opportunity to go away with the ladies of my church.  We spent time traveling, laughing, talking, crying, worshiping, growing, eating, and resting (well kind of...there was a fire alarm that went off in the middle of the night) together.  Although it was an extremely busy weekend, it was a peaceful and joy-filled weekend.  

This past weekend, we had the opportunity to host the McNett family, missionaries to Czech Republic.  We spent time talking and talking and talking and talking.  The boys played with their kids.  This time was so filled with words of wisdom and encouragement.

Yesterday, I was blessed to be at Brookhill Wesleyan sharing our V-Team story.  During the dinner (after the service) I had the opportunity to talk with several couples who have a huge passion to see the Central American Churches thriving and being all that God has called them to be.  It was fantastic to have conversation with people who are passionate and excited about Central America.

It is amazing how the Lord saw my real "needs" and met those needs in His timing.  My list of "needs" may still be present, however the peace and joy that the Lord has allowed me to feel the past two weekends has lessened the "needs" I on my "list".  God is so faithful to meet our "real" needs.  I will choose to trust Him with the "needs" on my list.

Got Any Mountains You Think Are Unmovable?

Last weekend we were blessed to return to Jackson, Mississippi.  We spent four amazing years, 1999-2003, at Wesley Biblical Seminary.  During that time the Lord allowed us to minister at Trinity Wesleyan.  We were thankful for the opportunity to rekindle several relationships and begin new relationships.

On the 12 hour drive home I began to reflect on many things, 12 hours in the car allows for plenty of "think-time."  

Dazing out the window checking out the scenery of Mississippi, I realized how much I miss seeing the mountains.  One of the reasons I thoroughly enjoy Virginia is for the beauty of the mountains.  We are nestled between the Blue Ridge Mountains and the Appalachian Mountains in the New River Valley.  Every direction you look there are mountains.  Beautiful!  Beautiful when the trees are in full bloom.  Beautiful when there is snow covering them.  Beautiful!

However, mountains are not always positive.  My mind began to race to all the mountains we are facing in this new chapter of our family's life.  

Financial Mountains 

(25% off funds needed by April 1st, 50% of funds needed when Barry is finished at the church, 100% funds needed by end of August so that we can be in Central America in September)

Spiritual Mountains

(Each member of the V-Team's personal relationship with Jesus, 
several spiritual battles we are facing)

Time Mountains
(Finding enough time to complete everything that needs to be done while continuing to work at two relational, time consuming, jobs while doing partnership development, raising a family, completing ministry commitments)

Details Mountains
(accomplishing all the "small" but important details, passports, immunizations, doctor check ups, eye exams, packing to move the beginning of June, housing after June, and the list could go on)

It appears that we have our own mountain range, The V-Team Mountains.  And at times these mountains seem so large, so challenging, so crazy that it makes me want to throw may hands up and say, "I am finished."  Yet, each time I get to that point Jesus shows a little more of Himself to me.  

"Savior, He can move the mountains.  My God is mighty to save, He is mighty to save.  Forever, author of salvation, He rose and conquered the grave, Jesus conquered the grave."

Jesus, has begun to move mountains for the V-Team.  Today we were excited and encouraged as we saw our first huge mountain moved.

  We are trusting for more mountains to be moved, soon.  We believe, with all our hearts, that Jesus is raising up a team of people to join us in prayer and through financial gifts to be Jesus' hands and feet helping to crumble those mountains.

Why Did I Pray That?!

About 4-5 years ago I heard a song that really challenged me.  It shook my heart up and gave me a desire to "be aware of my surroundings" and to "see people the way God sees people."  This song challenged me to pray "Lord, give me Your eyes for just one moment."  Which may not sound like a long hard prayer...well until the Lord allows you to begin seeing people the way He sees people.

Brandon Heath's "Give Me Your Eyes"

My life began to change.  I would be driving down the road and see a person with a bike, putting the bike on the rack to the Blacksburg Transit bus.  The Lord would begin to get my mind wandering, maybe that man just lost his job or his wife just left him for another man.  I would see a young girl jogging down the street and I would feel impressed that she had been sexually abused or was struggling with her weight to the point of wrestling with bulimia.  Or I would see an elderly couple in the grocery store hardly able to push the cart and I would see the hurt and pain from outliving their children.  The list could go on and on.  

This prayer, "to have the Lord's eyes," has broken my heart.  At times I am just overwhelmed beyond words...because I do not always know how to respond to "seeing things the way the Lord sees them."

Tonight was one of those nights.  A night I wished I never prayed that prayer.  A night I wished I didn't care about people and the hurt, injustice and prisons they live in.  I was out with my two younger boys.  We went to Caleb's basketball game, then we had a dinner date and we ended the night in Wal-mart (every boy's nightmare) doing errands.  We were just 3 isles away from being done and heading home, when I saw her.

She was a tall girl.  She was wearing a short gray wool winter coat and extremely high heels that may be considered ankle boot heels (I am not a fashion aware kind of a girl so that is probably not what they are really called).  Her lengthy boney legs were bare up to her coat.  There was no clothing evident except for her coat.  She was by herself and reading the labels, for an excessively long period of time, on every item she put into her cart.  

Right away my heart sunk.  I have been researching and trying to education my self on the injustice issue of Human Trafficking.  I have tried to help educate others as I have been educating myself.  With the International Labour Organization estimates there are 20.9 million victims of human trafficking worldwide, I have not felt able to just pretend like I never knew this was going.  In America in 2013, all 50 states reported multiple human trafficking cases.  And here I am in my own local Wal-mart, on the last official day of Human Trafficking Awareness Month, and my eyes have been opened to what would appear to be a trafficked girl.  

The sickening feeling in my stomach got worse as each isle I went down I would run into this girl again.  I prayed those "quick God, I need help" kind of prayers.  But the panic was sinking in, I don't know enough.  I don't know how to help.  I don't know how to engage.  I don't know where to go for help.  I just don't know...

Finally, I looked the girl in the face and greeted her.  She quickly looked away but I was able to see her sunken in face, "dolled-up face" with cakes of make-up.  It is a face I will not forget anytime soon.

To be honest, I do not "know" that she is a "trafficked" girl.  But I sensed that she may be.  To be honest, I don't know anything about her.  But my heart has been heavy since crossing her path tonight.  To be honest, she may be perfectly happy.  But when my eyes met hers for those few seconds, I saw a girl who needs a Savior.  A Savior who gave His life for her, and for me and for YOU.  To be honest, that is why I need to obey and go into the ends of the earth.  Because people NEED to hear and know there is a Savior who loves them and desires to be in relationship with them.  To be honest, that prayer, "Give me Your eyes," is a hard prayer that I hope I will pray for the rest of my life.

Human Trafficking Resources:

Polaris Project

International Justice Mission

The A21 Campaign

Love 146

Shared Hope

World Hope International