Send Me Missions, Changing the World One Life at a Time

My son just returned from his second mission trip to Africa. He is living a life that is poured out to others and dedicated solely to Christ.

Isaiah 53:12
Therefore I will give him a portion among the great, and he will divide the spoils with the strong, because he poured out his life unto death, and was numbered with the transgressors. For he bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.

 Genesis 21:18
Lift the boy up and take him by the hand, for I will make him into a great nation.”

Matthew 9:37
Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few.

Genesis 27:28
May God give you heaven’s dew and earth’s richness— an abundance of grain and new wine.

Matthew 9:38
Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.”

John 4:36
Even now the one who reaps draws a wage and harvests a crop for eternal life, so that the sower and the reaper may be glad together.

Jeremiah 31:4
I will build you up again, and you, Virgin Israel, will be rebuilt. Again you will take up your timbrels and go out to dance with the joyful.

1 Chronicles 13:2

He then said to the whole assembly of Israel, “If it seems good to you and if it is the will of the LORD our God, let us send word far and wide to the rest of our people throughout the territories of Israel, and also to the priests and Levites who are with them in their towns and pasturelands, to come and join us

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Ray of Hope Send Me Missions... Changing the world, one life at a time.

The Children of Africa

There are no pictures of Africa that depict it's beauty more than the face of a child. I'd like to capture their cheeks in my hands as their faces have captured my heart.

Matthew 19:14
Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.”

Mark 9:37
“Whoever welcomes one of these little children in my name welcomes me; and whoever welcomes me does not welcome me but the one who sent me.”

Luke 10:21
At that time Jesus, full of joy through the Holy Spirit, said, “I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children. Yes, Father, for this is what you were pleased to do.

Nehemiah 9:23
You made their children as numerous as the stars in the sky, and you brought them into the land that you told their parents to enter and possess.

Psalm 90:16
May your deeds be shown to your servants, your splendor to their children.

Psalm 127:3
Children are a heritage from the LORD, offspring a reward from him.

Proverbs 22:6
Start children off on the way they should go, and even when they are old they will not turn from it.

Matthew 18:5
And whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me.

James 1:27
Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.

Luke 9:48
Then he said to them, “Whoever welcomes this little child in my name welcomes me; and whoever welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me. For it is the one who is least among you all who is the greatest.”

1 Thessalonians 5:5
You are all children of the light and children of the day. We do not belong to the night or to the darkness.

Revelation 21:7
Those who are victorious will inherit all this, and I will be their God and they will be my children.

Ray of Hope Send Me Missions, Changing the World One Life at a Time

Out of Africa

What is life like when you expand your borders, color outside the lines and live without fear? It's an amazing technicoloured world as the pictures my son took on his last mission trip to Africa show. It's hard to imagine walking among God's creatures with no boundaries in place..No fences, no wires.

Genesis 1:21
So God created the great creatures of the sea and every living thing with which the water teems and that moves about in it, according to their kinds, and every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that it was good.

Genesis 1:24
And God said, “Let the land produce living creatures according to their kinds: the livestock, the creatures that move along the ground, and the wild animals, each according to its kind.” And it was so.



Genesis 1:25
God made the wild animals according to their kinds, the livestock according to their kinds, and all the creatures that move along the ground according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good.

Daniel 4:22
Your Majesty, you are that tree! You have become great and strong; your greatness has grown until it reaches the sky, and your dominion extends to distant parts of the earth.

Daniel 4:3
How great are his signs, how mighty his wonders! His kingdom is an eternal kingdom; his dominion endures from generation to generation.

Psalm 23:2
He makes me lie down in green pastures

he leads me beside quiet waters,

Isaiah 43:20
The wild animals honor me, the jackals and the owls, because I provide water in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland, to give drink to my people, my chosen,

Deuteronomy 33:29
Blessed are you, Israel! Who is like you, a people saved by the LORD? He is your shield and helper and your glorious sword. Your enemies will cower before you, and you will tread on their heights.”

Deuteronomy 11:15
I will provide grass in the fields for your cattle, and you will eat and be
satisfied.

Psalm 36:6
Your righteousness is like the highest mountains, your justice like the great deep. You, LORD, preserve both people and animals.

 Psalm 65:13
The meadows are covered with flocks and the valleys are mantled with grain; they shout for joy and sing.

Proverbs 7:15
So I came out to meet you; I looked for you and have found you!

Back to School Memories...

After a long hot summer, today is the first day of school and as if on cue, the clouds rolled in and there is a cool breeze outside. There are plenty of long hot days left, but the beginning of school marks the downhill slide of summer. I asked my son as he was getting ready for school this morning,  if he wanted me to follow him to school and get a picture of him in the parking lot and he just mumbled no and walked out of the room (Juniors have no sense of humor), I can't imagine him not wanting me to capture this moment in time. The first day of school brings back so many memories, the smell of freshly waxed floors... New books, new shoes, fresh notebook paper

and sharp crayolas. Someone  posted the other day that you knew you were from Tulsa if your elementary school playground was concrete and you had to walk through an underground tunnel to cross 11th street (gosh, that scared the bejeezes out of me when I was late getting out of school). In Junior High, the fear of all things new which included riding the city bus to school instead of walking. High school was amazing! The freedom, the fun, it was great.

Will Rogers High School is on the National Registry of Historic Places as an extraordinary example of Art Deco architecture.Besides being an amazing building, it was a time when we were treated more as adults. The loosening of ridged restrictions like chewing gum or being able to bring a Coke to class, made us feel all grown up. Now I am all grown up.... No little hands to hold during that first day back. No lunches to pack or clothes to lay out. Just memories of back when....

Litter Box Cleaning - Eskimo Kisses = One Less Chore

The one thing I dreaded about getting a cat was the whole litter box thing. There just isn't anything pleasant about keeping up a litter box. I'll have to admit, it hasn't been as bad as I remember... Seems like I hardly ever have to scoop it out and there hasn't been a lot of nasty litter box odor. It's been so hot, we've been keeping the pets indoors. The other day my Mastiff appeared in the hallway foaming at the mouth... Or at least I thought she was foaming at the mouth. For just a second I thought I had a 175lb rabid Mastiff on my hands, but apparently she had just been helping me with housecleaning chores by keeping on top of the litter box maintenance. I'm not sure whether I should be totally grossed out (which I totally am) or thankful for the thoughtfulness and help. It's hard to complain when you have one less chore to do.  One thing I am sure of,  I'll not be accepting anymore Eskimo kisses from my Sailor Girl.... She can just blow me kisses from across the room.

Life Inside the Cones

It's so nice to be able to get my kids together now and have dinner or go see a movie together. I've missed having the whole family near. I'm especially glad my youngest is getting a chance to spend some time with his brother and sister. Now that he is driving, and they are living in the City, he will have all of the access he wants. He couldn't have better role models than his Bubba and Sissy. We were eating the other night and I had a wonderful idea. I suggested we plan a vacation to some island resort or something. Everyone agreed except my oldest son. He was all for planning a vacation, but not to a resort.His reasoning was... Resorts would be boring. My reasoning is resorts would be safe... "Mom! I want to take you someplace where you don't speak their language and they don't speak yours. I want to take you someplace where we have to fight off wild monkeys, and I don't want you to freak out about it." I just laugh as he says... "You can go ride these jet skis as much as you want. You just have to stay inside the cones, but you can ride all you want. What's fun about that?!" That's my life!!! I've always been a inside the cone kind of gal. There is a false sense of security inside the cones. I've always felt like bad things couldn't and wouldn't happen inside the cones, but then the sharks have a way of getting between the barriers and life happens. If life is going to happen one way or the other, maybe a venture outside the cones once in a while wouldn't hurt.

Partners in Crime

When my daughter left home, my world just seemed all out of balance. Suddenly the power shifted from all things female, to testosterone driven movies and television. This last week, the world righted itself with the homecoming of Momma's girl. Friday night we drove up after work to help her unpack her stuff and get her apartment at least a little bit organized. The boys worked in the living room with all the electronic gadgets, she worked in the kitchen and I took the bedroom. It was certainly easy to see that she had been living in shopping heaven for the past 6 years. She had a drawer full of designed sunglasses, numerous designer handbags and several designer sweaters. She caught me trying on her sunglasses (actually picking out a pair for myself would be more accurate). I heard her tell the boys.... "Mom's not helping, she's just trying to steal my stuff." LOL! When she lived at home and it was my stuff, I believe it was called borrowing. It sure is nice to have my partner in crime back in visiting distance.