A penny for your thoughts

Pennies have had an interesting role in the history of the United States. It was first minted in 1793 and was designed by Benjamin Franklin in 1787. In 1909, Lincoln's face was first put on the penny under the direction of Teddy Roosevelt on the 100th anniversary of his birth.

Phrases like "a penny saved is a penny earned" and "find a penny, pick it up, and all the day you'll have good luck" used to be pervasive in society. You used to be able to purchase things with just a penny,"penny candy" and a child's face would light up if they happened to find one. People would throw pennies into a fountain to make a wish and for good luck, and others would transform pennies using melting machines to make flat pennies to take home as souvenirs (we totally do this in my family!).

Recently there has been a debate about getting rid of the penny because as of 2006 it costs more to make a penny than a penny is worth. Surprisingly, 67% of Americans want to keep the penny and according to the Time for Kids poll, 77% of kids do also.

While the purchasing power of the penny is still the classic 1/100, the intrinsic value of the penny is that it is small but mighty. The penny is talked about, no one talks about nickels and dimes with the frequency and reverence as they do about the penny. But what is more valuable about the penny is that it is a call to hit the pause button on our busy lives.

When I was a kid and I first heard about finding pennies and getting good luck, I was on a mission every time that we went somewhere where I 'might' find one. There was genuine joy when I would find one having this feeling that I would have good luck, and that hope, that belief in someone out there leaving that penny to bless me with good luck was the most important thing. I used to carry pennies in my pocket when we would go to the playground or the mall and strategically drop them to spread the luck that I had found with strangers.

As a teenager, I stopped hunting for pennies and hoping for dollars (really dreaming big with inflation) as my value turned away from the simple enjoyment of just finding one, to wondering what purchasing power it lent me. I was so focused on keeping up with my peers and experiencing the next event, the next movie, the next concert that little things like looking for pennies were wiped clear from my radar.

Today as I walked out of the crowded Aldi (its supposed to snow today in St Louis so everyone needed to get out ASAP this morning to get their grocery shopping in), arms full of my groceries for the next few weeks, I tried to return my cart and got swept into a moment that has put me here in the middle of the afternoon thinking about pennies. Just seconds before I had exited the store, a woman had dumped a significant portion of her change purse looking for a quarter to check out her cart to get her groceries, she was in such a hurry to get into the store that she chose not to pick up the change, even after prompted by  a sweet older lady who was returning her cart at the same time. Enter me, arms full of bags, hurrying to get my groceries before my group meeting and get home to my laundry, studying, packing, and papers, just trying to return my cart and get on my way home in time to run all afternoon, when she started to bend down and pick up the pennies. Something about it made me pause, I started to help her pick up the pennies splayed out on the pavement, coin by coin as she exclaimed incredulously that the woman wasn't going to pick them up, and no one ever picks up pennies anymore except her. Which got me thinking how true that is, how most of the time we are too busy moving to the next thing on the list that we don't ever stop to pick up a penny.

Our culture has lost the art of slowing down and enjoying the moment. We get locked into fast paced schedules where we must get to the next event and we get into the habit of squeezing in time for friends, family, work whatever it is. We pencil people in for quick meetings, schedule phone conversations and try not to interrupt people's lives. The art of long siestas, enjoying each other's company and being disconnected from technology has been lost in American society. People don't take the same joy that they used to in building relationships and getting lost in conversation, in a museum, in a new place, really in life.


What will it take to get us to stop and find the joy in something that we literally pass by nearly every day? What does it take to motivate people, to motivate communities to notice and really engage in the world around them outside of their laptops and smartphones?

Food for thought, and I am finding it a challenge to myself to stop, slow down and look for pennies.



If you are curious to know more penny facts check out:

The History Channel's Ten Things You Didn't Know about the Penny

http://www.history.com/news/10-things-you-didnt-know-about-the-penny

Or about the Penny Debate check out:

http://www.timeforkids.com/news/penny-debate/76591

" One, two, fwee, go!"

Coming off of the hardest week I have had to date in graduate school (with a major assignment or exam every day of the week!), my plan for the weekend was to relax and enjoy my amazing friends visiting, but little did I know God had other plans. God had plans to change me, to mold me, to make me better and challenge me.

We played at one of the coolest places in St Louis , the City Museum, for 6+ hours and it was amazing! The kids loved it, the grown-ups were right in the thick of things. Before I knew it I was climbing through mesh tubes a number of stories up (major fear of heights and falling) following one of my favorite three year old's in the world, reassuring her that she could do it and coaxing her on. My stomach was in knots as I followed her keeping her safe and swaying in the breeze, but we made it and her smile and pride in her accomplishment was so worth it. Her faith and trust in me was what I needed to be brave, to face my fear and keep going, but not only just keep going, but look around in awe and wonder and enjoy the view.

Not only is there this multistory outdoor jungle gym, but there is a rooftop play area as well, complete with a Ferris wheel. I am going to be completely honest, I can't remember the last time I was on a Ferris wheel on the ground, let alone on the top of an 11 story building. But I was working on being open, and since I had already willingly climbed higher than I normally would and through tighter spaces than I already would, nothing was standing in my way. The kids all wanted to ride the Ferris wheel, so 4 kids and 3 adults lined up to wait our turn. This time, my partner was one of my favorite 5 year old's (can't believe she is 5 already!). She is one of the bravest kids I know, going from serial casting to daytime/night time leg braces to fix a walking issue and persevering through the miserable PT and life changes associated with them. This sweet kiddo picked me from the moment we lined up to wait our turn. When we got on she looked at me and said, "this is a little scary" and I admitted to her that I was a little scared too, but we could do this together. And not only did we, but we enjoyed it, the view was incredible from up there and I even got used to all the motion (and got over my ganas de vomitar. haha).

There is something about a child holding your hand and saying "Manda will you slide with me?" that you can't say no too. So my little sweetie and I rode slides all afternoon hand-in-hand, when we could. The important thing is its "one, two, fwee, go!" and on go, you have to let go. Let go of all your anxiety, fear and apprehension and have the perspective to embrace it all. I am not going to say I didn't scream whilst sliding down a few slides, but I didn't just do it and go through the motions, I experienced it. This weekend was a good reminder that there comes a time where you have to let go, and more importantly to embrace life uninhibited by fear that tries to hold you back. I was fearful, I was challenged, and I was reminded of how much I am loved and supported. That was an amazing gift.

My girls and I mid-climb

So while I may be covered with bumps and bruises, and all of my muscles may ache for the next week, I had the most rejuvenating weekend I could have never asked for. I feel loved, inspired and ready to tackle the last few weeks of my first semester of graduate school, what a blessing.

--> For those who have never been, words can't describe the environment that is the City museum, you have to see it and experience it to believe it. I highly recommend going, and challenging yourself not to think too much, not to plan ahead and calculate every move, but experience it like a child.

You are here for such a time as this.

I have started down the next journey in my life. These next two years will be full of challenges, new paths and a whole lot of learning as I navigate this amazing plan that has been laid out in front of me.

I am so grateful to be here at Washington University in St. Louis and beginning my graduate studies tomorrow morning (at 9am) towards getting my Master's in Public Health. It has been an incredible journey that has brought me to where I am today and my enthusiasm knows no bounds.

I have been down here in St. Louis for about a week and half now and have been getting settled into my new home, but still waiting to find my community here which will take some time. Yesterday I was feeling especially unsure as the reality of what I was starting on tomorrow hit me, and I felt a pang of panic wash over me as it really hit me. I am here. I left behind my family and my friends again. I am here about to start my graduate career at one of the most prestigious universities in the country and the stakes are high, the pressure is on, to perform, to excel in my studies and in my field.

I try not to go into anything in a whirlwind of panic, and luckily had today to reason through things and get myself set up and ready to start things off tomorrow, and God gave me the morning I needed to get back on track.

I had plans to meet a dear old friend for church this morning, I've known her for a number of years and this is only the second time we have seen each other stateside (We have spent a lot of time together in Nicaragua though!). She is such a beautiful, compassionate and amazing person and I was excited to see her and reconnect (being as she is a native and I am brand new to this city which is in a time of serious trouble), and especially so when I saw that she had a Safe Families placement with her. So this morning as I got ready for church I was missing my dear friends who have afforded me some amazing exposure to the Safe Families program and what it is like to have normal functional relationships and families. Well long story short, the church was off of Hanley Road (get it?) and I got to connect with a sweet friend and snuggle a Safe Families baby and just love on him this morning and praise God all in one amazing place.

The story that was talked about today was Esther, and I will admit through most of the reading and retelling of the story I had images of the VeggieTales version going through my head, but the pastor said something very poignant which stood out to me. He was talking about Mordecai and how he essentially told Esther, "you are here for such a time as this". He said that who are we to say that God doesn't say the same about us. We are here for such a time as this, everything that has happened to bring us here, together in this place, is because we are here for this time. This was the message I needed to hear as I prepare myself to start this amazing journey God has laid out for me at this time in my life...

You are here for such a time as this. This is my time, and I am here, I can't wait to make the most of it!

Katie and I this morning

Spreading Joy and Feeding Kids

I have been blessed to have been volunteering as a youth group leader at my church at home for the last two years, and we have an absolutely amazing group of high school students who love nothing more than to serve! As a youth group, we have had a chance to pack Manna Packs with Kids Against Hunger and Feed My Starving Children (FMSC) over weekend retreats and for service events. Manna is referred to throughout the bible as an unexpected spiritual nourishment and it was also a source of physical nourishment for the Israelites in the old testament.

Psalm 78:24 "he rained down on them manna to eat, and gave them the grain of heaven."

PLC Youth Group in April 2014 after packing FMSC boxes!

PLC MS/HS youth after packing for Kids Against Hunger March 2014

Last year when I was here in Nicaragua we got to unload a semi-truck full of boxes from Feed My Starving Children and I was so excited to have the opportunity to be on the receiving end of these boxes here at Amigos for Christ in Chinandega. It was very cool to be a part of.

Walter and the boxes we unloaded in 2013

This year we packed meals in April and received a shipment of meals from FMSC last week. This was cool again having packed them so recently stateside and today, I got to experience the last link in the chain. I went out with our education team to Escuela San Martin here in Chinandega to give out boxes of meals to feed the children in that community at that school. We work with the schools here in Chinandega to feed the children when they come to school as an incentive to attend school especially for the older children after second grade.

I feel so blessed to get to not only pack meals, but unload and then distribute them into the hands of the people who will consume them and whose lives will be directly influenced and improved by the food that my youth group kids and others like ours have donated their time to do.

We unloaded a semi-full in about an hour with two assembly lines

The boxes are taller than I am!

The road to get out to the school

Such a beautiful view

La Escuela San Martin

Waiting to unload the goodies!

Some of the sweet students who will get to eat the food helping us to unload it!

All of the kids in school today (the rest were out for a field trip)

 

 

 

 

 

So blessed to see how wide her little eyes got when she realized what we were unloading was food (and school supplies

 

     

I came to Nicaragua on this trip to celebrate the wedding of my sweet friend Annie and primarily to visit with my friends and family here beforehand, I couldn't have imagined getting to see all sides to a project that I was a part of on a whim in the States. The Global Impact of the things we do in our spare time, are real and tangible. I can't wait to share this with the kids when I get back!

Matthew 25: 35-36,40

 "For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me.’  

And the king will answer them, ‘Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me.’"

I got to not only distribute food that will help breathe life into the kids at Escuela San Martin that hundreds of amazing volunteers packed with love, but I got to love them today and this was my own form of spiritual nourishment or manna.

to love like the children do.

It is so humbling to be loved by a child, they do so freely and without inhibition or judgement; I wonder what the world would be like if we all felt free to love one another with that same childlike innocence? My heart is happy tonight.

For those that don't know, my day job is working as a nanny and a babysitter, but for me it is so much more than just a day job. My kids have my heart. I am invested in them so fully that their challenging days become my challenging days and their good days become my good days. They love me so freely and openly and I try to love them the same way. To pour love and affection and words of wisdom and gentle guidance into them as I travel their paths with them.

Jesus talks a lot about children. He tells his disciples not to prevent them but rather to let the children come to him, to let them love him. My favorite images of Jesus are those where he has a child on his lap and children around his feet as he tells stories and shares his good news with them. Children know what it means to radically love like Jesus did and wants us to do. Before they are hardened by their worlds, by their cultures, by their experiences, they learn to radically love everyone and everything around them. This way of life is what adults spend the rest of their lives trying to return to, trying to unlearn the thingsthat have hardened them towards feeling more, loving more, giving more.

These past few years serving as a nanny have challenged me to radically love my kids the way they love me, but also to radically love all of the other people in my life. This is a lesson I am so grateful for and when it's hard to remember, I try to look back on evenings like tonight. Evenings where my feet were washed humbly by my children amidst giggles and wiping noses, evenings where I could laugh to the point of tears with all the love I have been so graciously showered with that I don't deserve. This is radical love. Amd it has the power to change lives.

Love radically.

Live fully.

Embrace the moment.

You are.

You are Beautiful.

You are Good Enough.

You are Deserving Enough.

You are Enough.

You are a Beloved Child.

You are Cherished.

You are Loved.

I Love You.

Who do you know who may need to hear any of these things today?

Live out Loud.

Be Love.
Share Love.
Spread Love.

Service and the nature of Service

Service is often something you hear discussed in an academic or home setting; how can I best serve _____________ (fill in the blank). This blank can be a specific person or group of people, a specific animal, pet or organization or something more general like the environment, my community, my country. 

What I have learned with regards to service, especially concerning service to other people, is that it is all about relationships. Service is the most effective when a person can evaluate and recognize where someone else is and meet them there on the same level. It takes keen social skills and experience to effectively assess and recognize clues that people will give about where they are, what may be troubling them or what is going on in their lives. The way that people look and act, the things that they say directly or their tone and word choice, all give an observer clues to where their minds are focused. When a person can pick up on these clues and rapidly interpret that raw data in such a way that they can use it to determine how to best approach them and meet them, I believe that they have mastered the art of perceptive learning. Observation, quick assessment, calculated and sincere responses allow for the formation of personal connections and help to build valuable mutual learning relationships. 

This acute awareness, the observation and assessment, are things that my brief time spent studying Anthropology as a minor in college, has taught me are essential parts of the discipline. Participant observation is the most effective means of methodology for so many of the different disciplines within Anthropology, and its success depends on building a strong foundation and rapport relationships with people from different cultural backgrounds. Building relationships is dependent on being able to meet people where they are on their level, and is positively impacted by our ability to bring ourselves there and relate to them sincerely. Meeting them where they are, not trying to bring them to where you are, communicates respect and lays the foundation for strong sharing relationships. These mutual learning relationships are essential to the effectiveness of nearly any project, especially those that cross cultural boundaries by nature. To improve anyone’s standard of living, environmental or health issues, the ability to share in learning and teaching with people from different backgrounds is vital for the acceptance and sharing of ideas. These relationships allow for service to take place, for you to serve someone else and for them to serve you.

The world would be such a nicer place to live in if we all approached life from a position of empathy, love and acceptance. I hope that you will commit yourself to learning how to serve the people in your life better, how to love them and how to accept someone who wants to serve you.  Be kind to one another, and it will come back to you tenfold. 

Good Luck! I know I am no expert, but I am trying and that is the most important thing. Love!

Expect the Unexpected.

So for those of you who don't know, this is not my first time to Nicaragua. It is my fifth. So I know what to pack, what I should bring for snacks (generally, you never quite remember all the good stuff), and I thought what to expect. But life is a journey that is all about preparing for the unexpected. I was not expecting to learn so much, to build such lasting relationships or to love as much as I have down here.

My team and I (minus Conchita, see below!) at one of the vistas near San Pedro del Norte which is quite literally one of the most beautiful places I have ever seen in Nicaragua way up North near the border of Honduras. We were up there distributing vitamins and medical supplies to their health center which was isolated and in need of supplies.

What you can't see on the left of where we were standing, was a large Cerro that was a straight incline upwards. The road was literally alongside the edge of a mountain (but all things considered was one of the more accessible and beautiful roads in Nicaragua).

I am an avid reader. I preface with this because to date I have finished four books since I have been down here and am halfway through the fifth. One of these books was called "Crosscultural Servanthood: Serving with Christ-like humility". To be honest it was a book with an interesting title that was on sale on the kindle store one day (I have a problem when I see interesting books that are only a few dollars!). In short though, it was a great resource for me and really a book I would suggest anyone who is planning to go on a mission trip internationally and serve people, read.


The author Duane Elmer does a great job of really presenting what it is like to serve in another culture and how to approach that service with a sense of Christ-like love and humility. He focuses especially on the fact that "We serve people by entering into a relationship of love and mutual commitment" and on building that relationship with people. He notes that a servant can look differently in different cultural contexts, and how important it is to understand what a servant looks like in your new culture. One of my favorite things that he said in this book was that there are three types of learning and all are absolutely incomparably essential to developing relationships; learning about others, from others and with others.


This has really changed how I view my time here in Nicaragua. I came here on this trip under a different pretense. I came to study and learn from the people here to be a better servant to them, to love them well like Christ first loved me. I came with all sorts of intentions for my project, with goals and plans, and as I reflect on my trip with only two short weeks left, I realize how much of that was not a part of what I really did here. What I did here, am doing here, was so much more than that. I am coming alongside people, I am learning from them and learning about them. Asking questions and really getting to know how the people in this culture think. In the process I have learned so much about myself, this feels natural to me, it feels right. I am more confident now than I was eight weeks ago that this is the direction that God is sending me in my life right now. I have changed how I think, I am expecting and embracing the unexpected. I know there will continue to be bumps in the road on my path and I look forward to the challenge.

My friend Abraham and I at a Dia de Los Ninos celebration!

My darling friends at Chonco on my birthday. Alessandro, Maicy and Alan.

We love to make faces!

Community work day in La Chuscada, Sarah and I were determined diggers.

My friend Robert and I at the top of Volcan Cosiguina

It was a beautiful view, well worth the 4+ hour hike to get up there!

"Serving people is not just doing what seems good in our own culture but seeking out the knowledge of the people, learning from them, knowing their cultural values and then acting in ways that support the fabric of the culture to the degree possible."

Make your move.

I was looking for answers the other night, and started going through my bible. I have been thinking a lot lately about why I am here in Nicaragua this time, about how it happened, how I heard the call and followed it. I am wondering what it is that has me back here this time, what I am meant to learn and experience while I am here. I found some notes I had made at a bible study nearly two years ago, which I remember applied so much to my life back then, and still does now. I thought I would share some of my thoughts from that! 

We all want our lives to matter, we want for God to use us to our full potential. But we don’t always get a clear message from God, and if we sit around waiting for a clear message, we can miss out on opportunities and adventures that may come up in the meantime.

 God doesn’t always talk to us like he did with Moses very clearly and blatantly obvious with a burning bush. We are always facing decisions in our lives and what we need to do is make our move.

 The steps to making our move are as follows : Step 1- Identify a need (don’t over think it or over complicate it, the move is clear), Step 2 – Listen to what God has already said (he has been talking to us for thousands of years in the scripture, especially Exodus 20:3 You must have no other God before me, John 13:34-35 Love each other, Romans 8:31 If God is for us, who can ever be against us?, 2 Timothy 1:7 God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love and self-discipline), Step 3: Embrace the risk and move into what God is doing.

The short of the answer is, I don’t know and may never be told clearly why I was called here (That is for Him to know and me to find out on that whole need-to-know basis sort of thing). But during this experience, God will be talking to me, He will be guiding me on my path. This is part of my story, part of my future and my journey.

Hillsong United's Like an Avalanche

Verse 1
Beautiful God
Laying Your majesty aside
You reached out in love to show me life
Lifted from darkness into light
Oh
Verse 2
King for a slave
Trading Your righteousness for shame
Despite all my pride and foolish ways
Caught in Your infinite embrace
Oh
Chorus 1
And I find myself here on my knees again
Caught up in grace like an avalanche
Nothing compares to this love love love
Burning in my heart
[Verse 3:]
Saviour and Friend
Breathing Your life into my heart
Your word is the lamp unto my path
Forever I'm humbled by Your love
Oh
Bridge
Take my life
Take all that I am
With all that I am I will love You
Take my heart
Take all that I have
Jesus how I adore You
Chorus 2
And I find myself here on my knees again
Caught up in grace like an avalanche
Nothing compare to this love love love