#13: Life is like a potluck

I'm calling this post a Potluck because I'm having a really hard time trying to narrow down what to Blog about. I have so many different thoughts going on....so what you will get is a "potluck" if you will.

I'm just gonna tell you about the past few days and go from there.

Last Saturday I had an opportunity to go to my former pastors going away dinner at the church I previously served at in Vancouver. It was such an honor to be able to be there for that event. People that I had not seen in 8 years were there to celebrate the O'Brien family. Such an incredible mix of cultures. I had friends there from Nigeria, Taiwan, India, Guatemala....etc. You name the place and I'm sure there was at least one person there linked to it in some form or fashion. I love that environment. I guess the title of this blog is appropriate now that I think about it....isnt the family of God like a potluck?

Everyone from all different places geographically, emotionally, experience wise....we all bring different things to the table. I think that is the true beauty of God. It helps me understand God more when I sit at a table with people who are different from me. I see different facets of God in each of them. The creativity, the uniqueness, the beauty. It is like a tapesty. And the Lord is the Gold thread throughout the entire fabric.

And this actually carries over to my Monday night. Monday night was the first night of the Women's Bible Study I'm leading on Monday nights for the next month or so. Well....as luck would have it.....the coffee shop I had scheduled it at closes EARLY on monday nights. Early as in 7 pm, the same time I had advertised the Bible study to start. It's open late every other night......at any rate....it worked out. We went to one ladies house who didn't live far and was probably better suited for the study. We discussed Romans 12: 9-21. I highly suggest you reading this....especially in the Message version. It reads in an interesting way. We had a lot of good discussion, but once again...it was a reminder of how God brings different people together from different walks of life, different perspectives. It was a healthy thing I believe. I'm looking forward to seeing how the Lord develops this in the future.

I've reflected alot lately on the different opportunities I've had in my life and all of the different people I've met in my life. My life is the result of a potluck. So many different people have brought different things to the table of my life. For some it has been love. For some it has been pain. Some laughter.
Some truth. Some accountability. Some dishes were sweet. Some were bitter. But they all had a purpose. And I know that just as God's children are of a variety of different shapes, sizes, cultures, experiences, personalities, making up a whole....the body of Christ.....my life is what it is because of every single one of these people, places, and experiences.

And at the end of the day....who doesn't love a good potluck?

What are you bringing to the table?

#12: If grace is an ocean we're all sinking

Grace.....that's the word on my heart this afternoon.

I've grown up in the church and I can sing Amazing Grace backwards and forwards.... but I think I understand it better today.

As I sat at Open Table among a group of people that I consider to be a true picture of "All the children of the world".....I feel like my grace eyes were opened.

Before we started serving everyone lunch, the pastor shared a brief devotional with the group and he made this comment, which someone said he thinks is by a guy named Tim Keller:

"You're more sinful than you ever dared to be, but more loved the you dared to hope."

Can you even begin to really wrap your head around that?

I get the sin part....but "more loved than you dared to hope."

Shortly after this, communion was served......and I took the bread and the cup sitting right along side my brothers and sisters who have probably experienced more grace and yet sometimes have more hope than I ever had. These are people who are like me, yet have walked a much harder road. Most are not blessed with wealth, or even a comfortable life. Some are still battling their addictions. But at that moment.....we were all equal....at the foot of the cross. Each of us acknowledging that we are sinners...SAVED by GRACE.

I tell you. The people I meet at open table are some of the most beautiful people I've ever met. So honest...so sincere....so transparent.

One guy in particular today shared his testimony. In it he said...."I've experienced a lot of different highs in my my life...but knowing Christ...truly knowing and accepting Christ is the greatest high I've ever experienced." He went on and on with extreme passion about how even though he still may struggle.....and sometimes falls down...that is is not because of a lack of God caring for him but because of his own disobedience. He said..."God is always there, always waiting...it's my own disobedience that causes me to turn my back on him...but oh the GRACE of God....He's always there despite myself."

Despite myself. Hope.

Then some others spoke of how we have to really learn to love ourselves and forgive ourselves.
Having Grace on YOURSELF. Isn't that sometimes the hardest?

Every single time I'm with these people..my friends...I see the gospel through new eyes. A childlike, simple, "I'm broken, I'm screwed up...but what I have is yours...use me." Kind of faith.

Amazing Grace......how sweet the sound....that saved a WRETCH like ME.....
I ONCE was lost, BUT NOW I'm found.
Was blind, BUT NOW I see....

Grace. Forgiveness. The Cross. Redemption. Hope. Beauty.

#11 Wait

I feel like the word WAIT has been a theme in my life recently. There are situations I have prayed over for years that I still feel like I'm waiting on. There are unknown paths in my future that I'd love to know the answer to....but I have felt the word..Wait...in my spirit...but it's been more like..."JUST wait."...in the sense of...just wait and see what I'm gonna do.....I just opened up a book and turned straight to this. Thought it was appropriate.

Wait (Author Unknown)

Desperately, helplessly, longingly, I cried:
Quietly, patiently, lovingly God replied.
I pled and I wept for a clue to my fate,
And the Master so gently said, "Child, you must wait."

"Wait? You say, wait!" my indignant reply.
"Lord, I need answer, I need to know why!
Is your hand shortened? Or have You not heard?
By Faith, I have asked, and am claiming your Word.

My future and all to which I can relate
Hangs in the balance, and YOU tell me to WAIT?
I'm needing a 'yes,' a go-ahead sign,
Or even a 'no' to which I can resign.

And Lord, You promised that if we believe
We need but to ask, and we shall receive.
And Lord, I've been asking, and this is my cry;
I'm weary of asking! I need a reply!"

Then quietly, softly, I learned of my fate
As my Master replied once again, "You must wait."

So, I slumped in my chair, defeated and taut
And grumbled to God, "So, I'm waiting......for what?"

He seemed, then, to kneel, and His eyes wept with mine,
And He tenderly said, "I could give you a sign.
I could shake the heavens, and darken the sun.
I could raise the dead, and cause mountains to run.

All you seek, I could give, and pleased you would be.
You would have what you want - But, you wouldn't know Me.

You'd not know the depth of My love for each saint;
You'd not know the power that I give to the faint;
You'd not learn to see through the clouds of despair;
You'd not learn to trust just by knowing I'm there;

You'd not know the joy of resting in Me
When darkness and silence were all you could see.
You'd never experience that fullness of love
As the peace of My Spirit descends like a dove;
You'd know that I give and I save....(for a start),
But you'd not know the depth of the beat of My heart.

The glow of My comfort late into the night,
The faith that I give when you walk without sight,
The depth that's beyond getting just what you asked
Of an infinite God, who makes what you have LAST.

You'd never know, should your pain quickly flee,
What it means that 'My grace is sufficient for Thee.'
Yes, your dreams for your loved one overnight would come true,
But, Oh, the Loss! If I lost what I'm doing IN you!

So, be silent, My child, and in time you will see
That the greatest of gifts is to get to know Me.
And though oft' may My answers seem terribly late,
My most precious answer of all is still, 'WAIT."


*Note: the people tagged in this are not tagged for particular reasons, you've just been on my heart and I felt like you would be encouraged :)

#10: False Burden Bearing and Blessings

I have mentioned it before, but one of the things I'm so blessed with this summer is to live with my dear friends. Haupi and his family have known me since my first trip to Vancouver about 8 or 9 years ago. They are the type of people that invest for the long haul. Haupi has a way of asking questions that just kind of linger and make me think. This is great...this is what I need. I also receive well from him because his actions and words match up. He and his wife can ask hard questions, because they have earned that right in my life and have always demonstrated love towards me. I know it is in the vein of spurring me own.

He and I were talking one night about how I tend to be a Rescuer in relationships, even friendships. And just as I was starting to kind of come down on myself for this he said.."No, Mo.....if it was a bad thing, God would have never designed you that way. It is a good quality, you just have to learn how to use it in the right way." And it really got me to thinking...sometimes we start to have a self loathing for things that are designed by God, we just use them in the wrong way. Mercy...Compassion....not bad. In fact....they are great...but the things that goes wrong is boundaries.

Ironically.....Haupi's sermon on Sunday was about bearing one another's burdens.....but a major part of his sermon was on "False Burden Bearing".........Now...I have been in church a long time. And I've heard alot of sermon's on bearing one another's burdens, but I don't remember ever hearing one on this topic. And let me tell you....I related to some of it, if I'm honest. (Haupi, are you using me as a subject? lol j/k)

Here are a few thoughts about people who false burden bear:

- need others and their problems to feel good about themselves (I think of this as the need to be needed)
- do what others NEED to be doing (Rescue)
- try to be someone else's Holy Spirit
- Covers up for other people
- no boundaries
- Messiah Complex (almost tries to play God)

And the thing I walked away with is Christ is calling us to be interdependent. On HIM.....which will allow us to bear other's burdens in a HEALTHY way.

I'm getting all of this from my scribbled down notes so maybe it only makes sense to me, but the challenging thought for me was..."How can I bear another's burden being used by God, not getting in the way of God.?"

THEN....I went to Ethos, the college and career group that meets at the coffee house on Sunday nights, and they were talking about living "Counter-culturally".

He used the scripture of the Beatitudes in Matthew. I've read this a hundred times, but I read it from my Message version and I REALLY liked how it was worded. So I'll share that with you.

"³"You're blessed when you're at the end of your rope. With less of you there is more of God and his rule.

⁴"You're blessed when you feel you've lost what is most dear to you. Only then can you be embraced by the One most dear to you.

⁵"You're blessed when you're content with just who you are—no more, no less. That's the moment you find yourselves proud owners of everything that can't be bought.

⁶"You're blessed when you've worked up a good appetite for God. He's food and drink in the best meal you'll ever eat.

⁷"You're blessed when you care. At the moment of being 'care-full,' you find yourselves cared for.

⁸"You're blessed when you get your inside world—your mind and heart—put right. Then you can see God in the outside world.

⁹"You're blessed when you can show people how to cooperate instead of compete or fight. That's when you discover who you really are, and your place in God's family.

¹⁰"You're blessed when your commitment to God provokes persecution. The persecution drives you even deeper into God's kingdom.

^11-12"Not only that—count yourselves blessed every time people put you down or throw you out or speak lies about you to discredit me. What it means is that the truth is too close for comfort and they are uncomfortable. You can be glad when that happens—give a cheer, even!—for though they don't like it, I do! And all heaven applauds. And know that you are in good company. My prophets and witnesses have always gotten into this kind of trouble.

I've been through some of this recently, and it brought be great comfort.

I am so thankful for the people in my life who spur me on towards Christ in a spirit of Love. The way in which things are said makes all the difference.

I know this was random, but I hope there was some sort of small gem in it for you today.

Same Kind of Different As Me

Have you ever gotten an email, package, or phone call at the exact perfect time??? Well that happened to me yesterday. My dear friend Caleb had told me he had sent me a book that he thought I would enjoy. Caleb knows me well, so I was excited to get it! Well he mailed it the day I flew out to Vancouver and after checking the mail daily in anticipation, it finally arrived yesterday.

Ironically, yesterday, although it was a beautiful day, we had high winds. About 9ish yesterday morning a couple of trees fell at the foot of the hill and snapped the power lines. We were without power for 11 hours. After the token board game, I checked the mail and wouldn't you know the book was there. So...I laid down on the couch and started what would end of being the best book I've ever read. The only book that has ever made me cry. One of the only books I've read cover to cover in one sitting, And a book that put to words the cry and passion of my heart.

This book is the story of a woman Deborah Hall (Debbie) , whose calling in life was to serve the poor and homeless. She felt so passionate about them and had such vision and belief that God was really going to use her and her family to bring love and change. The Lord gave her vision, boldness, and an incredible ability to connect and be persistent. She is the backbone of the story, but the main characters are Denver, an African American man from the south who was a slave on a Louisiana Plantation for half of his life and Debbie's husband Ron, a prominent art dealer/seller...caught up in the finer things of life.

Debbie convinced her husband to start serving with her at the local mission downtown. He went to make her happy, but it ended up changing his life. They were known as Mr. and Mrs. Tuesday because that is the day that would consistently go to serve. As they went, Ron was able to build a life-changing relationship with Denver. Two men from polar opposite lifestyles who the Lord brought together.

This sums up the plot:

"Here's a question. What do:
– a dangerous, homeless drifter who grew up picking cotton in virtual slavery in Louisiana;
– an upscale art dealer and self-made millionaire accustomed to the world of Armani and Chanel;
– and a gutsy woman with a stubborn dream all have in common? "

I want to tell you all of the story but I really really really ................really.............want to encourage you to read this book. It has given me an even greater passion than I already have. It has challenged me to be faithful and persistent. To be bold and loving. To seek the Lord and trust and believe that what He speaks to me heart WILL come into fruition at His time and in His way.

If the Lord ever blesses me with another husband, I want the marriage to look like that of Ron and Debbie. What a blessing to serve together. This story teaches you how to live, how to die, and everything in between.

Trust me on this one.

Thanks Caleb for knowing my heart, and sharing this book with me. It really impacted me more than you know.

Blessings my friends.....

“Whether we is rich or poor or something in between this earth ain’t no final restin place. So in a way, we is all homeless-just workin our way toward home.”
– Denver Moore

#8 What you see is Not what you Discover

That phrase seems to be coming up a lot this summer. Not everything should be taken or seen at face value. There is often a lot going on under the surface. I come face to face with that a lot when working with the poor or homeless.

It's taken me the better part of a night and day to really process my day yesterday. It was the most heartbreaking, yet most awesome day I've had in years honestly. I felt more true to who I am yesterday than I have in a really long time.

I started off by going to my old church, Cityview Baptist, and helping them with their weekly free meal to the lower income or homeless. It is called Open Table. Everyone comes in, is seated, and is SERVED. We, as volunteers, sit among everyone, build relationships, encourage, and laugh over a meal. I feel like my personality truly functions at full potential in this environment. My gifts of mercy and exhortation are both used to the max, and I feel like I'm doing what I was created for. I had the opportunity to meet lots of new people and even had a hint of an offer at a Canadian husband if I want to move here. lol (I was eating with one of the younger guys and mentioned how much I loved their country and would love to live here and he kinda popped his shirt at his shoulders, cleared his throat, and said..."Well...uh..." ) It was really funny.

I had an opportunity to get to know Marcy. She's a huge Elvis fan. She made sure I got her address before I left so I could send her a postcard from Graceland....that is her dream. She was so incredibly honest about her struggles, what she has been through and how faithful the Lord has been. After the meal is over several people stay for a small group bible study based on sunday's sermon. I just kinda sat back and was very moved to listen as scriptures were read and stories were shared. How God's faithfulness was being proclaimed by people who were poor in wealth, but so rich in spirit. It is so humbling and made me so aware....

On the way home, I had a bus transfer at the corner of Main and Hastings St. When I first lived here 9 years ago....the blocks surrounding this intersection changed my life. I had come to Vancouver back then under the impression that I would be part of a team that gave outdoor concerts to tourists, but that changed when the full band could not be formed. Instead, one of the things I did was spend time weekly in this area walking the streets and passing out snacks and drinks to anyone I came into contact with. I was told most of them would be homeless, drug addicts, or prostitutes, maybe all three. That experience changed my life, and here I was standing in the same place 9 years later.....and it was as if things went in slow motion for a few minutes. This area has the highest drug use in North America. There is a high population of those with AIDS and Hepatitis. They have a free needle exchange in the area for drug users. And the Hub of the Vancouver Police Department is right in the middle of it all. It is too overwhelming so they just try to keep it contained.

So many of us live in suburban areas and we are not faced with the issue of poverty. Or at least its not in our face, but all you have to do is step off a bus here in this area, and its everywhere. You can smell the drugs in the air. I probably saw about 100 people in the 8-10 minutes I was standing there, most of whom were either homeless or using drugs. The man sitting against the wall behind me was holding some drug paraphernalia in his hands. Across the street, there was a man passed out sprawled out on his back in front of a convenience store and a girl was fixing up a needle to inject him with another hit...., prostitutes were walking the street. It literally was a moment of extreme clarity of the reality of our world. I got on the bus with tear filled eyes....it was sobering.

When I got home, after dinner, I went downstairs and just kinda felt frozen. I talked to a few people on skype and every time I started talking about my day....my eyes filled with tears. As heartbreaking as it was....it is undeniable that is stirs something deep within my spirit. Am I called to this sort of ministry? It's what I keep coming back to. It provokes such emotion from me. And makes me feel like I need to put action behind it. But that is where I feel like I lack direction....what does that mean for me? What does that look like? Do I just go back home and try to "fit" in with some already established organization? Do I look state side? Do I go back home, work for a year, and look into support raising to be a "missionary" to this area? I don't know....and that is something I covet your prayers on.

The Word is filled with verses about the poor and serving the poor. A few resonate with me:

"Jesus answered him, If you would be perfect [that is, [a]have that spiritual maturity which accompanies self-sacrificing character], go and sell what you have and give to the poor, and you will have riches in heaven; and come, [b]be My disciple [side with My party and follow Me]." Matthew 19:21

"If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him? Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth." 1 John 3:17-18

"She opens her arms to the poor and extends her hands to the needy." Proverbs 31:20

"Feed the hungry, and help those in trouble.
Then your light will shine out from the darkness, and the darkness around you will be as bright as noon" Isaiah 58:10

So.....that's where I am with it today. We are exploring the idea of planning a trip to this area with the church I'm currently serving with, and also looking at starting a sandwich ministry to a homeless population in a small town in this area.

I just want to be used.....however that turns out. More than ever I want to be the hands and feet of Christ....and wash the feet of his children...ALL of his children....even those with dusty dirty wounded feet.

Please check out this video if you'd like to have a first hand look of Hastings st.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=poIr2PeLHk4

#7 Eager Expectation

My soul, wait only upon God and silently submit to Him; for my hope and expectation are from Him.
He only is my Rock and my Salvation; He is my Defense and my Fortress, I shall not be moved.
With God rests my salvation and my glory; He is my Rock of unyielding strength and impenetrable hardness, and my refuge is in God! Trust in, lean on, rely on, and have confidence in Him at all times, you people; pour out your hearts before Him. God is a refuge for us (a fortress and a high tower). Selah [pause, and calmly think of that]!" Psalm 62:5-8

Expectations....Hope and disappointment.

We all have them. The question is..who are what are we asking to live up to them?

At a bible study the other night we were talking about expectations and this comment was made...

"We are expecting far too much from things that don't deserve expectation, while expecting far too little from the ONE that can exceed expectations."

I know in my life that I have put a lot of expectation into things or people that could NEVER live up to them. In fact, I probably ruined alot of relationships or friendships in time because my expectation was too great. Now...should you have standards....yes. But at the end of the day are you living with unrealistic expectations?

I had a friend in college who got frustrated with me one day and said..."If I give you 5 minutes, you want an hour. If I give you an hour...you want 2." I wonder if this person will remember saying this when he reads it. HA. It is something that has always remained in the back of my mind and I try to keep myself in check with that. Thanks.

The problem with placing our expectations in people in unrealistic ways means we set not only ourselves but others up to fail. No person on this earth will meet them all. We live in a fallen world. Disappointment comes. But recognizing that we are all broken individuals from the get go helps filter through and make sense of the disappointment. It leaves us more open to extend grace and forgiveness. It hopefully causes us to guard our hearts more carefully.

It is absolutely amazing how much we expect of others yet how little we expect of God.

There is a verse that I think on quite often these days:
"In the morning, O LORD, you hear my voice; in the morning I lay my requests before you and wait in expectation." Psalm 5:3

It is so freeing and brings great peace to know that I can lay my requests before God and EXPECT Him to do something .

I encourage you to pray this in the morning because it puts everything into perspective throughout your day. Your God eyes are opened in eager expectation to wait and watch. What He will do with your desires and day will exceed what you could do on your own.

Let the adventure begin.

#6. I like me. I love me. I'm worth it.

I've had ALOT of time to think over the past week. To reflect. To mull over...

Today was probably the most beautiful day I've ever experienced. The weather was in the 70's. Every one here was saying it was hot, but for those in the south...think of the absolute most gorgeous spring day. That's what it was like with a nice breeze coming off the water. This afternoon I went to the park with my summer family. They had these nice comfortable chairs and I sat and journaled for awhile and people watched. Hundreds of parents and children. It was perfect.

One of the things I'm most blessed with this summer is to live with an incredible family. They have supported, encouraged, and challenged me for the past 8 years. Today at one point Haupi was sitting in the chair next to me and he asked me to catch him up to speed on everything, so I did....and he asked me a few simple questions:

1. What have you learned about God?
2. What have you learned about yourself?
3. What have you learned about the church?

I think these are good questions to visit from time to time.

I want to focus on the second one. What have I learned about myself. Well...that was the question that choked me up. And it choked me up because it saddened me that I have lived 29 years not accepting or believing my answer. Because what I learned is that...I like me. I love me. And I'm worth it.

So often we settle in life because we don't value OURSELVES. Sometimes there are those of us that think...Well..there are prettier, more talented, creative, capable people out there so I better just go for status quo. We do this in relationships, jobs, friendships, you name it.

But over the past few months, the Lord has really been speaking to my heart. I am so thankful now to FEEL that I am beautiful, creative, talented, and capable. There is always going to be someone out there that is better in some or all areas, but I am ME. There is no other Morgan like me. I am a catch. I am a great worker. I am a good friend. It doesn't mean that I don't have faults or I don't mess up. It doesn't make me conceited. Because what I've learned is that if I don't know who I am.....I'll let other people define it for me. And that's where the trouble comes in.

I see so many women AND men do this on a daily basis. It breaks my heart. Circumstances change. Bad things do happen to good people. And often we get knocked off our rocker because the security of WHO we are in Christ and who we believe HIM to be gets skewed.

I'm sure there are going to be days when this new understanding is challenged. I'm sure there are going to be days when I'm tempted to believe lies about myself, but I'm experiencing joy instead of happiness. And honestly...I'd love to reside in the midst of joy.

Recently a lady shared a verse with me that has come to mean alot to me:

"ARISE [from the depression and prostration in which circumstances have kept you--rise to a new life]! Shine (be radiant with the glory of the Lord), for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you!" Isaiah 60:1 (Amplified Version)

It is my prayer that I will be the kind of woman that people look at and say.."Wow...she is radiant with the glory of the Lord"....

I hope you like you. Love you. and know that you're worth it.

Morgan

I feel alive.

Ever have those moments where you just feel more alive than ever? Like you're right in your element doing what you were created for? That's how I feel when I'm in Canada.

I'm daily surrounded by the beauty of God's creation in magnificent ways. Majestic Mountains. Beautiful calm waters. Gorgeous flowers. Not to mention the incredible diversity of God's children represented by nationalities from around the world.

Yesterday, Sunday, I was so excited to go to church. To meet my new church family for the summer and find ways to plug in. I sat in on their worship practice and they have a great group of talented worship leaders. The music style was contemporary, they did some great harmonies. And within the hour I was asked to help play and sing next Sunday.

I have come to realize recently just how much I have missed leading worship. I think music is in my DNA. I Love to sing and really feel most connected with the Lord in those moments. One of the first people I met was a girl who is from the USA, but recently married a guy from Canada. She was so excited to have another American around for the summer. We really hit it off and ended up making plans for last night.

Last night we went to a little worship service for Young Adults at a local coffee shop called Gallagher's. We were running a little behind and when we parked you could hear the praise and worship music throughout the whole shopping area. What a testimony? It was so nice to be sitting amongst a group of young adults relatively close to my age lol, and worshiping. I knew some of the songs, but some were new...and fantastic. I had the opportunity to meet a few people, and afterwards my new friend took me back to the area where she lives in Port Coquitlam known as (Poco) around here. We went for a good walk around the downtown area.

While walking I saw an older homeless man sitting on a bench across from a Dairy Queen. And I stopped my friend and said.."hold on...going to get dinner for that man." I think she was a little taken back that one minute we're just walking and talking and the next minute we're feeding the homeless...but if you know me, you're not surprised by that. That is truly my heart. And serving the homeless changed my life about 8 years ago.

So...I grabbed some dinner and walked over and introduced myself. The man's name is Dick. Dick was a VERY nice older man. He seemed very intelligent. He had a paper that he had been doing crossword and word puzzles on. It was completely filled up. He was very gracious for the meal and I asked him if he was a Christian. He said that he was and I asked him if there was anything I could be praying about for him. He asked me to pray that his disability paperwork would be straightened out quickly so that he could get off the streets. I asked him if I could pray for him right then and he excitedly said, "oh yes..please." So I did and asked the Lord to protect him and keep him safe and warm and grant favor over getting his paperwork finished. And I'll ask that you say a quick prayer for Dick as well. So often we look at homeless people with judgment and think..."Oh they must be a druggie or an alcoholic. They got themselves into that situation, why should I help them? If I give them money it may just go to their addiction." I want to challenge your thinking. While there are some people on the streets as a result of an addiction, there are also some people on the streets as a result of circumstances that are beyond their control. And injury, a loss of job. Have you ever tried to find a job with no address or contact information? Have you ever been in a position where the only food you got for the day was a result of begging, digging through a garbage can, or praying for the kindness of a stranger? If you have rolled down a window and given some money to the guy under the bridge, did you ask them their name?

It is a huge burden of mine that the homeless people are faceless. Their identity becomes lost in their circumstances. They are no longer seen as Dick, Sue, John, or Carrie. I have learned so much over the years about the people on the streets. Who they are. Where they have come from. And honestly...there are so many of us who could be one paycheck or injury away from that situation.

My new friend and I were talking about helping out a homeless person who was homeless due to circumstance versus a homeless person due to an addiction and my response was..."That's not for me to judge." I have had many a conversation with people who were shooting up heroin as they talked to me in my previous years in Vancouver. I am called to be Christ to others. To serve the "least of these". You never know when the love you show could be a point of hope or change for someone. We are not called to perform the miracle, or choose who is worthy, we are called to be the hands and feet, and a vessell through which HE can work.

I hope to go back and visit Dick and learn his story. Until then.....walk with eyes and a heart wide open.

Love, morgan

I can breathe

Well....I've made it to Canada.

The past month has been filled with lots of travel, not much rest, but lots of really cool things have happened. I will be blogging about some of them through out my time here.

Everything kind of hit me on the plane. As we were sitting there waiting to take off, I found myself a little teary eyed. I was so thankful that the moment had finally arrived. I felt very appreciative and blessed. I was relieved and hopeful. To be quite honest with you I felt like I could breathe again. That no matter what has happened in the past few months, I was stepping into a new day.

There have been so many moments even in the past week that God has revealed Himself to me in a new, powerful, and fresh way that I have never experienced before. He has literally invaded my life on every level, broken some of my thought processes, and made me hunger for the power of God in my life. A God of miracles, a God of action. I wait eagerly and with expectation of what HE is going to do.

A little about where I am.

I am living with the Tombing Family. Haupi is the pastor of a local church. I am looking forward to being involved there during my time here.
They are graciously hosting me. I have a wonderful living arrangement.

I have been COLD. Can you believe it southern friends. I am proudly sporting the Crenshaw Cougar hooded sweatshirt on a daily basis. I don't even know why I stressed about what clothes to pack. The low last night was 51 degrees with highs in the low to mid 60's. I am surrounded by majestic mountains!! a beautiful inlet at the foot of the hill. I honestly have never been in a more beautiful place. I'm definitely learning that nature soothes me. There are lots of walking trails and I'm excited about checking those out next week.

I have discovered I am a good trek from where I previously served in Canada. It looks like it will take an hour by public transportation to get there. So some of my favorite places will be held for occasions, but I think I am going to try to plan one day a week to go and help out with the Open Table Meal at my old church. It was one of my favorite things and a great passion of my heart and I think it would be good if I could still participate. I can get a day pass on the Bus for $10 so I will just plan to pack that one day with Vancouver. The rest of my time I will be finding things to do in the Port Moody Area. I think this is good though. It is a new season, a new time in my life, and a new area to love. There is no shortage of people to serve.

I am being told my numerous different people in my life that although I come with a servants heart to serve, I am also here to be served, poured into, and loved on as well. I am great at doing, but horrible at Being....and it is being confirmed in my spirit that I am to Be. I have to learn this. I will be a better servant if I can learn to first, be.

For the first few days, I trying to do just that...be. I'm spending time with Zomi and Zolian. The last time I saw them......they were about 3 or 4. And now they are full of personality and 9 and 10. We have played monopoly, listened to music, eaten a few meals together, told riddles, watched americas got talent. I'm tasted new foods....curry, shanghai bok choy (my new favorite), lasagna with polenta. I'm feeling really healthy here. I like it.

I'm attached a few pics that i just snapped at the house. It's just the scenery around the town home, I'll get more pics in the coming day. Thanks for the love and support.