November visitors: mom & niece

Family…

That's the closest unit one could have.  

You share so many same beliefs and traditions, and make so many memories together. Through thick & thin, through bad times & good times, through sadness & joy, through trials & successes.  Your life could easily revolve on family. Your focus and loyalty can easily belong to family.  I had all that and much more with my family.  

And then God found me.

Everything changed when God found me. I started questioning all sorts of beliefs I was taught by my family.  Traditions and habits and core structures of being a family were shaken, tested, and compared if they aligned with what God has to say in the Bible. It was hard. It was like World War III, as I used to refer to those times of battling within myself and questioning my mom with all sorts of questions and doubts, wanting answers if all I did as a child and as a young adult for the sake of God were truly pleasing to God.  I found that so many were just based off of traditions of men, of the world - not of God.  I went through a year of asking who am I.  I felt very torn. I loved my family. I enjoyed doing the fun things we did together.  I tolerated certain things within our family unit for the sake of keeping everyone together and happy.  But in all honesty, we weren't truly happy, and we weren't really together.  So many fights, so many arguing, yelling, bitterness, hate, and guilt. Gossiping and quarrels even existed among the cousins and uncles and aunts over matters of no eternal value.  We all needed Jesus.

And then God found me! 
I praise God that He found me.  Now, I pray for the rest of our families to be found. First, they need to repent and agree with God's Living Word - sharper than any double-edged sword.

My mom and almost 7-year-old social butterfly chatterbox niece are coming to visit us here in Guadalajara, Mexico for the first time since we moved down here back in 2008.  I am excited to have them visit this place, and see what we do.  At the same time, I have this longing in me, wishing so badly that my mom were truly saved.  It's quite difficult having to explain what you do for the Lord and why you do such things to someone who has not had that amazing and gracious revelation of who the Lord is (even though they might think they do).  I love my mom so much.  But I know that God loves her even much more than I could ever imagine!  So I pray.  I stand in faith that Isaiah 59:1 will be true for my mom.   And my little precious funny niece, well…I am super excited to have her visit.  She grew up in my mom's house, where I used to live.  She holds a special dear place in my heart.  I pray for her too -- that the Lord God may have a way into her life.  Please join me in praying for their visit this week.  They will be spending Thanksgiving with us, and will get to join us as we feed many hungry and lonely and broken-hearted people in front of an old public hospital on Saturday afternoon after Thanksgiving.