Author: csteim01

Home Sweet Home

I can’t even begin to wrap my words around the anticipation that welled up in my heart as 5:20 pm approached, Wednesday January 13th, 2010.

Exactly 31 hours ago, we got word that Sarah was leaving for the Niarobi Airport to make her long journey home. And now, we are just minutes away from seeing her for the first time in a month. Oh we saw her a few times on skype during her stay….but nothing lights up the room quite like Sarah’s real live, touchable enthusiasm and person-hood.
From Niarobi to London and finally on to Philly….the journey has been filled with stories to last a lifetime….almost, and even if the stories don’t last, the impact will.
We sent a young, spirited, independent girl off to see the world and make an impact, and she came back a little more grown up, but every bit as independent and spirited. There is no doubt she made impact, but what she received in return, regarding character and her relationship with Christ, vision for the poor and the lost, future goals, wants and desires, schedules and possessions, and overall attitude…………………………….. WAS TEN-FOLD. Walking through the international arrivals gate, as tired and travel weary as she was, she look radiant, and very happy to be home.
You know the saying goes, “it takes 21 days to make or break a habit”….we weren’t in the car long before Sarah asked Rick why he was driving on the wrong side of the road. And, she was serious (for a moment). She thought it was Thursday (when it was only Wednesday) and she left for school this morning without her phone and/or her ipod. Pretty Cool huh!? The one thing it didn’t take her long to appreciate and dive right back into was nice cold running water with some “uummpphh”. Brushing her teeth with running water is no longer something she takes for granted….it is a luxury and something she will give thanks to God for, everyday at least twice. 🙂
I had a nice spread of taco salad fixings ready and waiting, but it was the American cereal she craved. Two bowls of lucky charms later, and I think we’ll save the taco salad for supper tomorrow. (haha)
As I write this morning I am enjoying the most amazing cup of coffee—-freshly ground beans straight from Kenya, indulge me for a moment because it goes down like pure silk. Really! You don’t find a better cup of coffee. But, one thing you will find all over our living room coffee table is jewelry! From earrings, to bracelets and necklaces galore, there is a story behind each piece. Being tasteful in her selections, as she walked out the door for school this morning, no one could deny she just got off a plane from Africa. Truly, an opportunity of a lifetime for this 16 year old girl from eastern Pennsylvania. She’s got her first interview with the school newspaper sometime next week.
We give thanks that she is back home safe and sound.
We give thanks for so many of you who made this trip possible and memorable.
We give thanks for the seeds that have been sown into Sarah’s life, but even more, we give thanks for the fruit that is born out of one young girl’s desire and one mother’s (and father’s) obedience, in letting her go “into all the world” to be a part of sharing the “good news”.
So Long for now,
Crystal

EXPECTATIONS OF CHRISTMAS

EXPECTATIONS OF CHRISTMAS

Preparations are underway for another heart warming Christmas Eve Service as well as everything that goes along with our “usual” Christmas morning. The luminaries line the streets and as dusk draws nigh, I reflect on “expectations of Christmas”.

I make my way through the huge wooden doors to the church. Candlelight and carols fill the air, and…. so does the knot in my throat.
This is our first Christmas Eve without Sarah and the “normalcy” of expectations and traditions feel challenged, changed, and taken away. Although I may not always like it, after 40 years I have finally learned (and in some ways am still learning) to “stand still and see His Glory”.
As you read the remainder of this Christmas Day blog and “Expectant Christmas Reflections” I hope you will be inspired to do the same.

For a weary, stranded traveler who exchanges a warm and festive meal around the table with loved ones, for bad weather, cancelled flights and the uncertainty of what tomorrow will hold…….hope was still born and the glory of the Lord revealed.
For the young mother who struggles to comfort the fevered brow of her child, instead of decorating, caroling and baking…….hope was still born and the glory of the Lord revealed.
Unfortunate circumstances give way to broken homes and broken hearts. Any hopes of happy and joyful Christmas times will have to be put off until next year or the next….but even in that, hope is still born and the glory of the Lord revealed.
The missionary family who embraces the “unplanned”, because there is no other choice (or electricity), exchanges fresh made enchiladas and swimming, for a rainy day and dinner out…hope is still born and the glory of the Lord revealed.
Mary and Joseph resort to a Bethlehem stable because there is no room at the inn…. HOPE IS BORN AND THE GLORY OF THE LORD IS REVEALED!!

Between you and me, there are a thousand and one more “real life” scenarios we could add to this list. But let me ask you, what did Christmas look like this year compared to what you expected it to look like? Maybe everything went perfectly and as planned, but maybe, just maybe it didn’t.
We have 17 more days before we see Sarah face to face. And, although we wait with great expectation, our hearts are learning to take great comfort in the unexpected, in the different, and in the HAND-PICKED, HAND-DESIGNED expectations of the Father (Just like that very first Christmas Night)!
Then and only then, is hope born and HIS glory revealed.

Crystal

Book Review Blog

The Hole In Our Gospel, by Richard Stearns is a book unparalleled to any other in calling us to a deeper place of commitment & understanding of the Great Commission. One can talk about being fishers of men, one can get excited about making a difference and impacting the lives of fellow human beings, but until one TRULY understands the magnitude of need, and what making a difference REALLY looks like through the magnifying glass of the “whole gospel” we are hard pressed to get it right.
This book is a powerhouse of facts, real life examples lived out, and scripture, all woven together to create a masterpiece that brings the reader face to face with the Whole Gospel. Beware, it is radical and convicting! (In a great way).

If you are: compelled to greatness or desire accurate information, if you are moved with compassion and desire to be Christs hands extended, if you are affluent and self sufficient, if you are lukewarm and lack for not much of anything, if you sit in church week after week and don’t really know why, or even if you love the Lord with all your heart mind and soul, this book is for you and a must read!
Whatever our views are, wherever our priorities lie, reading this book is sure to bring us one step closer (if not a hundred steps closer) to lining up with the “whole gospel”.

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