A smile

The spanish translation of the word 'smile' is sonrisa.
Sonrisa is my favourite word in the spoken Spanish language. To me, the word conjures an image of the sun rising. And the dark before the dawn disappears as the sun shines it's light and warmth on the cold world.

One simple smile, one sonrisa should shed light on all that surrounds you.

Like smiles, Christians should light a room when you step inside.
To shine the light of Jesus is what He called us to do.

"You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put in under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in Heaven." - Matthew 5:14-16

Smiles are contagious.
We should be contagious.
As Christians light should shine through us.
We cannot merely thank God for saving us, we need to continue to do His work, we need to show all that He is and can do in how we live.

I want to radiate the love of God so much that people are drawn to the shine, to the warmth.
And others will want a share in that light.

You cannot live your life under the bowl, under the radar.
If you hide, the the light cannot be seen.
Do not be afraid you will scare people with the light.
Your light, your shining will allow others to shine too. And to share in the love and light.

If you feel you have no idea how to shine this light, or that you just don't have the strength, then ask God to shine His light through you.
Because ultimately, that is what the light is - He is shining through you.

Smiles can communicate so much. Without any words.
Happiness.
Love.
Understanding.
But most of all, smiles are a beacon of hope.
And that hope is the light of the world: Jesus.

And that hope is what we live for.

But a breath

At home in New Zealand, I have an amazing circle of love and support that surrounds me and is there every way I look.
I have Reece, my amazing boyfriend who supports me, challenges me and causes growth in my faith.
My parents, who have done a downright awesome job in raising me, teaching me good values and bringing me to faith in the first place.
My brother and sister who have made me the person I am today and I would be so lonely without them in my life.
And my group of friends, old and new, apart of Clevedon or not, who have always been there for me in one way or another.

Truely, God has blessed me with the amazing people in my life, and I am ever thankful for every one of you.

When I came to Peru, no one came with me.
I came alone.

Alone physically.

But God has never left my side the entire time.

When I was crying on the plane 1024 metres in the air - He was there.
When it was near impossible to fathom the beauty of Machu Picchu - He was there.
When I have felt alone
When I have felt in danger
When I just want to give in
He was, and is, always there.

The danger in putting so much trust and leaning so heavily on people is just that, they are people.

Isaiah 2:22 says 'stop trusting in man, who has but a breath in his nostrils.'

Humans are human and will eventually let me down in some way, not be there for me, or leave to go and live in some obscure country. Humans have 'but a breath', it could take one moment for someone to cease living.

Being in Peru, I cannot expect Reece to be there to tell me I'm beautiful if I'm feeling insecure, I cannot run to mum when everything is falling apart and I can't hang out with Ryan and Leah when I'm lonely.

But wherever I am in the world, surrounded by my community of love or not - God will never, never fail me in being there.
God doesn't need a passport to go somewhere, He can fit into car if that is where you need Him and He is in the wilderness in the middle of nowhere, and He's also at the supermarket.

Trust in God.
To be there wherever you go.
To be there when you need Him.
In the hard times and in the good times.
He is not human, and therefore will not fail you.

It is so good to surround yourself with amazing people, who love you.
But ultimately God is the only one who will never let you down.
For He will always be with you.

Remember that.

Communication

Seeing the children here and knowing the lives that they were born into were lives that no child deserves causes me to pray that they will find a home, feel loved and that God will be present in their lives. Being here I pray for strength when I need it, I pray for safety when I feel in danger and for health when I am sick.

What is prayer?

I believe that prayer is direct communication with God.
Prayer is being open, raw and vulnerable.
It is not limited to keeling with hands clasped.

Often, I find myself praying only when it is needed. Only when something is on my mind, only at certain times of the day.

One should pray not because of want, need, or the feeling of obligation. Prayer is as essential to life as breathing is, as water.
To be in a relationship with God, prayer is central. No relationship or friendship can ever survive without communication.
The lack of communication due to language barriers have hindered me in friendships with those who only speak Spanish.

But prayer does not have any boundaries. God speaks the same language of you, the language of the heart and soul. There is no language barrier.

In my life, I desire for prayer is be an open and constant connection to God. Ever present and never ceasing. I strive for that.
But sometimes, I don't even know what to pray for, I have no idea how to pray constantly.

Romans 8:26 says "We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express."

Prayers aren't just words. They are thoughts, meditations. But if one does not know what to pray for or how to pray, prayer can just be the willingness to open yourself to God, and allowing for the Holy Spirit to pray for you, and through you.
For no one knows your deepest desires, fears, longings or needs better than God.
To expose yourself to God like this changes you.


Yes you should pray when you have an exam, when you need strength, when a loved one is sick and when you need protection. But, don't limit your prayers!! The only thing stopping you is yourself.
If a prayer is powerful in itself, then how powerful will prayer be if it is constant and never paused? If a relationship has neverending communication, then it will be so much closer, tightly knit and strong.

Don't pray because you need to.
Pray because it is a part of who you are.

With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation.

- Isaiah 12:3

Children have so much JOY.
And it is joy of the simple. Jhon as I fly him as an aeroplane instead of regular carrying. Jose-Luis as he chases after bubbles. Or Pedro and Jorge as Kelly and I balance dominoes on their faces (of all things!).

Once we grow out of childhood, it begins to get harder and harder to have constant joy that comes naturally.
Because joy is a choice.
Either one can chose to look upon life (the good, the bad and everything else in the spectrum) with the lens of gloom, or one can look upon life with the lens of joy.
And joy is lasting.

C.S Lewis said "No soul that seriously and constantly desires joy will ever miss it."
So, if you choose joy and seek joy, you will surely find it.
You will find it in the places you expect, and the places that are utterly unexpected. For joy is a gift from God.

This is not to say that having joy is easy. Being joyful in situations that don't seem to have any glimmer of joy in them at all is really, really hard.
But it is these times that joy is needed. Truely needed. Joy brings hope and light and joy is contagious.
Whenever I feel really down, homesick or weary, the pure and raw joy of the kids here instantly infect me. And this joy comes from kids who have no parents, are abandoned, have come from the street, were abused and these kids have gone through things no child should ever even have knowledge of. Logically, these kids should have no joy, but God has given them such great joy!

Joy liberates.
Joy brings one closer to God.
We should have joy for the simple fact that we are alive!!

So step forth in joy. Joy for life and joy for God.


"You will go out in joy and be led forth in peace; The mountains and hills will burst into song before you, and all the trees of the field will clap their hands." - Isaiah 55:12