Loss and Grace

The month of September has been rather tough for our family.  My mother in law, Sharon, unexpectedly passed away.  Sharon had been diagnosed with cancer in July.  It was not the cancer that took her.  It was a lung infection and other complications that ended her life.  Even though it was one of the hardest things our family has faced, we were blessed by God's grace through it all.  A friend of mine told me the other day that worrying about what could be is far worse then when it actually happens.  It is in the time of need or during a crisis that God blesses us with his Grace.  God does not call us to worry and therefore worry cannot be surrounded with grace.  This is so true.  During our moment of crisis the grace that surpasses all understanding surrounded our family.  Sharon's life was full.  She was a teacher for many years, involved in her community, and wonderful Grandmother.  Even though we will miss her, to have the reasurrance that we will one day be joined in heaven is amazing.  I know this is a blog dedicated to the YFC mission in Liberia, I felt like I needed to share this.  When our friend Dan Zumi from Ghana said to me "we do not need to cry for the problems we see in our World, for if we did we never would stop crying.  Instead smile and thank God every day.  He is good."  Dan was talking to about worry.  I am a cryer and I always will be.  God made my heart very sensitive and my eyes very leaky.  It is not those tears that are the problem.  It is the worry and hopelessness that IS the problem.  Give it to God.  Do your part, pray, give thanks, and he will do what he does best.

Meet Cameron!

Cameron is a wonderful kid, who loves the Lord, and is also my oldest son.  Here is a bit about Cameron and his calling.

Hello, my name is Cameron Butler.  I’m 14 and have been following Jesus since I was in grade three. That's when some missionaries came to my school.  They talked about Jesus, and his love and forgiveness then asked if anyone wanted to give their life Jesus, I said I did.  They prayed with me and I accepted Christ as my savior.  My faith has been reinforced multiple times since then.  Largely due to the influence of Youth Unlimited speakers and staff.  

Since my parents first mission trip in 2009, God has been slowly and quietly prompting me to go out and spread my faith, and help others.  Missions work has been somewhat prominent in my life.  It wasn’t until this year that I realized God had been calling me.  After a time of prayer I felt that god wanted me to go and help the “least of these” in Africa.  I also knew that this was the mission trip God was calling me to. He wanted me to go help the war torn people of Liberia and show them His love.  I believe God wants to and will work through me and the other members of the team to help show the people of Liberia His love and mercy.

Meet Kat

I would like to introduce Kathrine Higgins, our newest team member!  Here is a bit about Kat and her reasons for joining our team.

Hi, I am Katherine Higgins. I am 18 and have never done anything like this before. I decided to follow Jesus Sept. 1st 2013. I have been following Him ever since. This past year God has really been pushing me out of my comfort zone and getting me to share my faith with others more often. It started with a mission trip to New York (NY). The NY trip showed me that I needed to work on listening when God is calling me. So I started practicing that more which led to me giving me testimony at school. Shortly after, the director of YFC asked me if I would start working with the YFC in Belleville. I had been a student leader in the Campus Life programs and so they thought I might be interested. This past year God has been opening door after door after door. I feel like Liberia is another door He wants to take me through. To give some history of the love I have for Liberia and what YFC is doing there we have to backtrack to eighth grade for a second. When I was in 8th grade, I had a teacher talk to our class about war torn children. I couldn’t believe what had been going on. I couldn’t believe how many people didn’t know about what was going on. There was this aching in my heart to do more about it, but I had no idea what that looked like. There weren’t any opportunities that I was aware of to help with this, so I let it go. Now fast forward to 2015. I started working as a summer student at YFC in Belleville only to realize that they are working alongside Liberia to rehabilitate war torn children! Not only that but there is a mission trip giving me the opportunity to personally go out and help build a school for children. I feel like this trip is something God is using to help me grow deeper with Him and help others.