Packing List

I was thinking today about my return to Zambia and the things I want to bring with me this year.  Little things for Agness, our "old" sponsored child.  New clasps for the jewelry the women make.  Pencils and other fun products if I go see the orphan homes or go to a school.  Gifts for certain people and fiber bars...well, the fiber bars are for me:)  Though,  I was also thinking about what I don't want to bring with me...stress, hurry and worry.  I want to be a blessing in who I am, not in just what I bring to Zambia.

This will be a different trip for me as I am going it alone this year.  It will be a chance to reflect and be quiet in my traveling and arrive ready to minister to those people I come in contact with.  I heard a great quote the other day..."Speed and caring for people are incompatible".  In this society, we try and tell ourselves that being busy and rushing around is what we get medals for.  But those medals of hurry weigh us down so that we are not able to listen to God or act on the whispers we so often miss.  We are more worried about  "pushing on" with those things dangling around our necks and trying to get to the next event, or phone call, place or some sort of made up finish line in our heads. 

I cling to the many verses in the Bible that talk about being still.  Psalms 46:10-Be still and know that I am God.  Love that one.  Be still and then we know...As I desperately try to keep my schedule from hitting a level of lunacy, I try each day to spend time being quiet, hoping to take some deep breaths and claim the promises of God.  It is also so neat to notice that Jesus continually "went away" to be quiet and pray.  If He needed to, how much more do we?

That being said, we then ask,"How does it make a difference?".  It is in being before God that our priorities are always straightened out.  That we remember who He is and who we are and why we are here.  That the "interruptions" in our day, from our children, spouse, or neighbor are the chances to show we can slow down and be the blessing, the encourager, the shoulder to cry on to the people we come into contact with.  To listen to that still small voice that says maybe you can miss that meeting or class.  Or maybe on my trip I won't look at delays or missed flights or no shows for a ride or getting stuck in the bush as problems but a chance to be where I am supposed to be to minister to someone around me if I choose to be still and listen.

I can't wait to wake up in  the morning and be drawn outside to see the beginning of a day that though planned, is open for God's unexpected moments.  Pray I pack carefully....

Is It Summer Yet?

It is May 2011...from dark, dreary, and cold to warm, summer like weather over night. I didn't think I was going to make it to that special day when we say, "Yes! Open all the windows!". It is momentous that we, here in the Mid-West, have made it through another winter. Though, I was thinking today about who we are during our stormy winters that matters more. Are we just holding out for the sun and warmth or can we find true rest in the middle of the storms of life?


I am challenged to want to take that sigh of relief, not after, but during the crisis at hand. I want to live in the rest that God says He gives to us if we turn our eyes to Him. I love the story of Peter in prison in Acts 12. James, the brother of John, had just been put to death and Peter was arrested and put into prison and guarded by four squads of four soldiers each. The night before he was going to be brought to trial he was said to have been sleeping between two soldiers. SLEEPING, yes, sleeping. He was not awake worrying about what was going to happen to him the next day or wringing his hands in disbelief that he was in this position to begin with. He was so at rest with the circumstances at hand that he was peacefully asleep. More so, he was at rest with who was in control of his circumstances.

Then, I love how he is woken to the angel. When we are willing to accept our circumstances and rest in His presence, God shows up. He is never on the "other side of the fence", He is always right where we are. Sometimes we are so busy trying to get out of the pain or crisis we are in that we miss that God could have given us the refreshment we needed during the wars we fight on the frozen cold battlefields of life. He is there...Psalm 27. When David is speaking of evil men advancing against him and his enemies attacking him; his desire is still this-"that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life." His desire to be in God's presence was at the forefront of his mind in spite of the enemies that were pursuing him.

I hope and pray that I can live in the presence of God and truly rest in Him, like these men did thousands of years ago.  I want to have the peace of God exuding from my soul as the wars around me wage on.  I want to put myself out there as a lightning rod in a storm so God's power can be seen in the dark not just when my life is sunny.  This challenge has been set before me that I might be able to continue in the work that God has given me.  That through whatever happens, I will BE at rest in Him who has sent me to love the widows and vulnerable women of Zambia.  Come what may....

Soap and Seeds for Hope Campaign!

We, at Extending Hands, Inc. would like to announce our first project directed to the widows and women we are working with in Zambia. It is called the Soap and Seeds for Hope Campaign! It all started last May when I was there and had purposed to buy soap and seeds for the widows. I had not realized when I was purchasing the soap and seeds the impact it would have on these precious women. I had handed it all out the first day and when I came back the second day I was overwhelmed with their response. They were coming up to me telling me (some through the translator) that they had not had soap in a while and they had used it to “scrub up” so when I returned, they would smell nice! They were so excited about being able to be “womanly” and fresh! The seeds as well, were a huge hit and much appreciated. Boy, the things we take for granted! How many bars or bottles of shower gel do we have sitting in our showers? How many times do we buy seeds to plant or give away and never use them all or end up throwing them out? It is truly the little things that show we care from thousands of miles away….

Will you join us in this small gesture of love to the widows and women of George Compound in Lusaka, Zambia? You can supply a woman and her family with our package of hope which includes 2 bars of soap and 8 packets of seeds (bought in Zambia) for a donation of $15.00 which also includes packaging and distribution. I will then be purchasing and distributing these when I return next to Zambia which I hope will be soon! Our plan is to distribute quarterly and would love to have you sign on to give monthly to this project and will look forward to the pictures and stories of hope that will come out of your generosity to these women in need.

You can help by pledging to sponsor a woman monthly, or by offering a one-time gift. Get involved today!

May 2010 Soap & Seeds Distribution

Widows Reaction!

         

Jewelry!

We are excited to share that we have new jewelry from the widows in Zambia!  After a couple of attempts to have it hitch hike in someone's suitcase to save on shipping costs (which failed on both attempts despite those on the ground trying to make it happen!) we decided to have it shipped and recieved the jewelry quickly and without any problems!  At least we know now, that it is seamless to have it shipped (though expensive as all getout!).  I am posting some pictures of the jewelry and if you would like to purchase something that you see email me and I can have it shipped to you.  Keep in mind, I only have one, maybe two of the same thing so if you see something you like ask quickly to purchase it and I will put it aside.  You can mail me a check for the jewelry to P.O. Box 181, Woodstock, Il 60098 and we will figure out the total costs via email.  If you live in the area, some of the jewelry will be up at Diva's Attic on the Square by the end of the week or you can just give me a call and stop by my house :) 
email- kristin@extendinghands.org

Pieces

I was pondering last week the wonderful opportunities I had to share my heart for widows and vulnerable women in Zambia.  I realized that though it was a busy week for networking, I never tired of sharing my heart and my passion.  I also became very aware how my own personal story ties into the question so often asked, "How did you come to be involved in such a thing?".  Not that I wasn't aware of how the puzzle pieces of my life fit into this personally but how other people want to know your story as it cements for them the cause and the passion of which you speak.

Now, let me speak from my heart.  What is the puzzle piece ('s) in your life that seems to be a mistake; maybe a piece that doesn't fit or make sense?  The piece that you didn't even know was missing?  The piece you pretend not to need?  Or the one you destroyed?

Ask God to show you what that piece is, that part of your life you haven't handed over or the one you haven't really dealt with.  I had numerous pieces that I just kept shuffling around, not seeing or understanding how they fit...until I let God take over.  He placed those pieces where I didn't think they would work.  Where I had assumed they wouldn't fit.  As Extending Hands was forming, my life was falling a part.  I saw Extending Hands becoming clear as I walked through the fog of my past.  Slowly, I saw God intermixing the pieces of my life with Extending Hands.  I let go of how I thought the puzzle was going to look and let God create something much more beautiful.  Until we move out of the way and give God free reign in our lives we won't see or experience that finished work.

I am just beginning to see how He is putting the pieces of my life together to not only be a better wife, mother and friend but to understand my role in women's lives half way around the world.
For my heart breaks for what breaks His and that comes from a deep place in my soul.  I hope you all take the time to figure out that piece you don't know what to do with and hand it over to God.  It has led me to a place called Africa and to women and girls that I didn't know I had so much in common.



Sweet Agness



Two Nights Out

On this cold, rainy, dreary evening, I was out with a dear friend.  We were enjoying our annual January night out.  (Yes, we know it is February but we take what we can get!)  As we always do, we saw an inspiring movie and ended up sitting afterwards at a pub speaking of life, God, and well, more life.

Two nights before this I also enjoyed a time with good friends.  I have become increasingly aware that the blessings of life come in evenings like these.  And it is in these blessed evenings that God is exalted over all as we challenge and encourage each other to live out a life of worship. 

Worship has been a topic for me lately as we are doing a Bible Study at our church on intimacy and worship and also some other reading involving putting God above all.  That means, God above all.  All things, all thoughts, all ideas, all work, all relationships, all hardships, all schedules, all agendas, all goals and all "good works".  I am constantly  reminding myself that my goal in life is to exalt the Holy One.  "That I am not primarily a worker for God; I am first and foremost a lover of God." (Satisfy my Thirsty Soul, by Linda Dillow) 

It challenges me to double check my motives and my heart as to what I do and why I do it.  Is my goal to be invisible so that I might illuminate the power and majesty of God?  Are my words and my works singing out a song of adoration to our Lord?  Do we have a hidden or even maybe a subconscience agenda to lift ourselves up?  This quote hit me as I re-read it today-The true gospel is a call to self-denial. It is not a call to self-fulfillment.--John MacArthur.  Let us strive to have less of us and more of Him.

On this Sunday, this day of worship, I think of those worshiping in Zambia.  The widows in George compound, the fine people at Pastor Johnson's church, and those out in Chongwe village.  I think about how  they worship with such abandon to Him.  How those who have so little can be so filled with joy and so eager to raise their hands to adore the One who gives and takes away.  Oh, that in all circumstances I too may glorify the God of the Universe.




Women In Chongwe Village Worshiping Together







New Website!



We are excited to share that our website is up and running!  The Winn Group did a great job and we are so thankful for all the hard work they poured into this little project.  Please, go and visit our website and let us know what you think. 

We also have a contest on fb with The Winn Group.  It is the "show me some love" contest.  Join fb and go to The Winn Group's page and "like" The Winn Group then go to their albums and go to the "show me some love" album and "like" our logo.  The client with the most "likes" wins $1,000 worth of design work!

More jewelry is coming in a couple weeks as well!  We are thankful to Diva's Attic on the square for carrying it for us.  Look for it there or email me and I can do a home show and share about Extending Hands to your friends and family. 

We will continue to update our needs and prayer requests as they are met.  I am excited about what God is doing and what is to come.  Hope you all like our new look and new website!