Lisa Harris's Blog, page 19

Never say never

I've said it more times than I can count.

I will never. . .

I will never move again. I will never learn another language. I will NEVER send my children to boarding school.

So as you might imagine, the decision to send my eldest off to boarding school didn't come easy for me. How could I let people I didn't even know help me to raise my teen? Wouldn't it ruin our relationship? I cried, fought God, but eventually have come to realize what a great opportunity this school is for my child.

I just returned from spending a little over a week with our eldest who is attending a missionary boarding school in Kenya. I got to hang out with him over meals, watch him play basket ball, attend some of his classes, and spoil him.

At one point he told me how a lot of his American friends can't understand why he is at boarding school. Isn't boarding school where you send your child you can't control, or when parents don't really love them? He's quick to tell them that isn't true. With options limited where we are, he wanted to go. He loves his school, and is blessed with opportunities I can't give him where we live that will equip him for the future.

One thing I did realize while I was there is how important it is for us to visit, meet his teacher, and just confirm to him how much we do love and miss him. He loved being spoiled with a plateful of somosas from the little cafe in town, and iced coffee from the city.

Below are a few shots I took of him playing basketball. This is only his second season to play, and while I might be his mom, he is really good.

I've learned through this that sometimes my plans are not God's plans, but He is able to bring good out of difficult situations, and provides for our needs.

"Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and he will establish your plans." Proverbs 16:3

Be blessed today,

Lisa

On being Intentional

For the past few New Years, instead of a long list of resolutions (that I might or might not meet) I've started picking one work as a sort of theme for my year. This year, though, has been harder for some reason to come up with that word, but thanks to a nudge from a friend's recent blog post I decided it was time to come up with my word.

After a lot of prayer and reflection my word for this year is Intentional. For me, it fits into every aspect of my life. I don't want to live this coming year in survival mode. I want to live intentionally.

Why? Because too often, I see myself (and those around me) living as if there were a drill sergent standing over us. We have dozens of tasks to do, and spend most of our time in survival mode. The clothes hamper is full, dinner is late, kids need to be driven to an activity, the dog needs a bath, the boss just called with more work. Maybe if I skip dinner, or the kids recital, or my dentist appointment I can somehow catch up. . .

Hmm. Been there?

Here are some of the things I came up with for living intentional this year in no particular order.

Be intentional with my family.

Time goes by too fast for me not to be intentional with my children and marriage. This past week, I took my now fourteen year old daughter to the beach for a few days for some mother/daughter time. We walked on the beach, ate pizza, and spent time listening to James Dobson's Preparing for Adolescence. It's a tough world out there and my kids are growing up far too fast. I know I have to be intentional about the time I spend with them.

Be intentional with my relationships.

I'm so blessed to have a several close friends that despite the miles, stay in touch with me, sometimes on a daily basis. One of these sweet friends wrote me recently, asking how we could better communicate and stay in touch. Her intentional friendship is a huge blessing to me and a reminder of how I want to be.

Be intentional as a follower of Jesus Christ.

I'm reading Not a Fan with my kids and while I'll be blogging a bit more about it soon, the book is about becoming totally committed to Christ. I might have left family to move to another country, but even I have so much to learn about being intentional as a follower of Christ.

Be intentional with taking care of myself.

I've noticed this in both myself and my friends, that turning forty seems to be a wake up call. You've spent the past decade or so changing diapers, wiping snotty noses, and going to ballet recitals. Now that the kids are a little more independent, you realize you can't remember the last time you worked out. Or ate a salad. A couple years ago, I got serious again about working out. Then last year, I started juicing and realize that it makes me feel great. But it's so easy to slip up. To find excuses of why I don't have time. Whatever your method, it's important to take the time to take care of yourself.

Be intentional with my time.

We all have twenty-four hours a day. And for most of us, it's never enough. With ministry and as an author, I find that neither job ever ends. I could work 24/7, fill up every minute and still not accomplish everything I could. Maybe that is the key word there. I want to be intentional with what I do, learn to leave the rest, and find time to "be still."
Be intentional with saying yes and no.

I can't do it all. I can't do everything that Joe Blow out there is doing, even if it's good. I want to be intentional in knowing when to say yes and when to say no.
Be intentional with my career.
If I look at everything other authors are doing, I always come up short. I'm not on social media enough. I'm not blogging enough. I'm not pounding the pavement enough trying to sell my books. . .The list could go on and on. I want to learn to be intentional with what I am doing, and be content with that.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~What about you? Do you have a word you want to live by this year? I'd love to hear it. 
Or maybe you feel like you're just getting by on survival mode. What are some ideas you have on living more intentionally?
Be blessed,
Lisa

A beautiful life

Scott received a phone call on Saturday afternoon from one of the Christians out in the village where we work. One of the sweet women there, who is a part of our church, was killed when a coconut tree fell on her.

As I sat on the ground at the funeral surrounded by at least two hundred friends and neighbors, I thought about her life. It couldn't have been an easy one. Village life means no electricity, walking to the pump every day for water, cooking over a fire for meals. Nothing is simple. Work is hard. She grew her own food, and washed her cloths by hand with water carried from the pump. There was no pain medicine for arthritis, or a pill to ease her comfort when she was sick.

And yet what I remember about her is her smile. She sat by me several times at church, and I was drawn to that smile. She would sit and talk to me, even though I had no idea what she was saying in the local language. She always made me smile. To me, she was a light in that village that I loved seeing every time I was there.

It also reminded of how much I have to be thankful. And that I don't have to have things to make a difference in someone else's life. I can smile at a stranger. Encourage a co-worker. Call a hurting friend. Pray with someone who needs God's healing hand.

Whatever our situation, may we all use this coming year--myself included--to be a light to those around us.

"I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do all things through him who gives me strength." Philippians 4:12-13

Be blessed,

Lisa

House update

I keep forgetting to post recent photos of our house building project as several of you have asked, so here you go. Progress is extremely slow, so I'm not counting on moving any time soon. :-) 


Living area

Living/dining room
Hallway
Kitchen

Merry Christmas & my giveaway winners

A big thank you to all of you who stopped by and commented here on my blog and on FB for my Heart of Africa Christmas giveaway. My two winners are. . .Deborah V. and Melanie! I'll be in contact with you soon.

And to all of my friends, readers, ministry partners, wishing you a very Merry Christmas and God's blessings on you in the new year.

Lisa

A house for Joachimn

Here are a couple photos of a new house built for a blind man, Joachimn in Sumbarane. Thank you so much to those who have joined with The ECHO Project to make a difference in people's lives. Joachimn now has a place to live! Thank you Bento, as well, for leading this building project. We are planning to build several more houses for homeless elderly.   

Is doing the impossible, possible?

I wanted to weep this morning when I finally met him for the first time, we will call him Mike. He smiled up at me with those big brown eyes, a little shy and timid. His parents have died. He doesn’t know how old he is, we guess about 8. His stomach is still swollen from being sick.
The sores he had on his body a few weeks ago are healing from gifts of soap and food, but as I looked at him, I wondered about his heart. Does he feel loved? Does he feel scared at night? Does he feel alone?
Yesterday, the hospital diagnosed him HIV+. I’m not sure he understands what that means, but for one so young, who has been through so much, the road ahead is going to be hard.
And he isn’t the only one. The hospital asked us to help them follow up on those they are trying to work with in the villages, actually pages worth of names. There are many more who are dying. So many who feel lost and alone. They need to know that they are loved. That they aren’t alone. That there is One who created them and loves them.
But it still seems completely overwhelming to me. My mind spins as I try to figure out where to start? Can I really do anything to help?
My youngest and I are reading J. Hudson Taylor’s autobiography. Taylor was one of the first missionaries in to China many, many years ago. As we read together, I find that his story is convicting me over and over. His faith. His prayer life. His passion. His love and faith amazes and humbles me.
“All God's giants have been weak men who did great things for God because they reckoned on God being with them.” J. Hudson Taylor
It’s not a new idea, but for me it is still profound. I’ve thought about it many times when what I see around me seems impossible. It makes me encouraged to realize that I don’t always have to be strong. I don’t have to have all the answers. All I have to do is listen and follow His call.
Even when it seems impossible.
“There are three stages to every great work of God; first it is impossible, then it is difficult, then it is done.” J. Hudson Taylor
What I see here might seem challenging, but isn’t unique to this part of the world. You don’t have to look far to see people who are hurting. It’s come to the point to where I don’t want to check out the news anymore. There is so much hate, anger, hopelessness, and evil in our world.   
Maybe you are the one who is hurting. Maybe you feel unloved, scared at night, and alone with no answers. We might live in a fallen world, but there is hope.
Which means we as a church must move out of our comfort zone and make a difference. Give even when it hurts. Love the unloveable. Give hope to the hopeless. Share Christ’s message of life.
“I am no longer anxious about anything, as I realize that He is able to carry out His will for me. It does not matter where He places me, or how. That is for Him to consider, not me, for in the easiest positions He will give me grace, and in the most difficult ones His grace is sufficient.” J. Hudson Taylor
Paul said it this way in II Corinthians 4:17. “For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.”
Be a blessing today,
Lisa Harris

Heart of Africa Giveaway

It's hard to believe that 2012 is coming to an end. As I look back, it's definitely been a year of ups and downs, but I've seen God's hand over and over, and I am so grateful for His strength and peace.

Each year, I love giving away something from the Heart of Africa. This year, I have two, 2013 calenders from our ECHO Project fall fundraiser. All of these animal photos were taken by Scott and I, so they are extra special to me.

How to enter?

I'd love to hear what you are doing this holiday season. So please leave a comment (Facebook or blog) along with your email, and I will draw two winners from all the comments. Giveaway will close Sunday night, December 16th at midnight, PST.

I'm also doing a giveaway on the International Christian Fiction Writers blog today, so be sure and hop over there for a chance to win an ebook copy of Undercover Cowboy.

Thanks for the blessing and encouragement so many of you have been in my life!

Merry Christmas,

Lisa


PS Sorry, but the calendar giveaway is limited to US mailing addresses only.


Void where prohibited; the odds of winning depend on the number of entrants. Entering the giveaway is considered a confirmation of eligibility on behalf of the enterer in accord with these rules and any pertaining local/federal/international laws.

Lion family and safari favorites

It's hard to believe that this year is about to come to an end. We are busy, enjoying having our oldest home from boarding school, finishing up a couple more weeks of school, writing to meet my current deadlines, and ministry. Here are some photos from our recent family time away I'd like to share with you. I'm always so amazed by God's incredible beauty.

While driving to the border to take care of some legal paper work for the car, we decided to drive through Kruger. There we saw three female lion with five cubs literally lying in the road. Here are a few of the highlights from our sightings, also including a leopard cub.

I'll be posting a giveaway of two animal calenders later this week, so be sure and watch for my post and leave a comment!

Be blessed today!

Lisa





Lioness in the tree
Baboon eating??

Comb Duck
Leopard cub in a rock cleft
Malachite kingfisher

Amazing sighting!

We're spending some time together as a family. Very limited internet, but I wanted to share one of the highlights of our time. Will share more later, but what an amazing experience.