The dirty little details are always my favorite part of a story. They seem little, but they always show the bigger picture. This particular snapshot has taken 13 years to develop, and I’m hoping to wrap it up in 1.3 minutes or less, nice and tidy, just like the soap project that is underway. Wrap it up and share it with others.
Mamas Know Their Way Around A Bar – Of Soap
Mamas are the ones who mostly contacted me, and wanted to take part in the laundry. Women have done laundry together and bonded over it since the beginning of time. I have a lot of laundry memories with my mom and mom friends. I bonded with my mom in a dirty laundry mat in my Junior year of high school. It was one of the hardest years of my growing up, and some of my favorite memories of that year were spent in the laundry mat, with my mom. My mom has a way of making messes look pretty and she always looks pretty doing it. I didn’t get that from her, but I sure admire it in her.
My cousin, who has never been to Uganda, but has sent us multiple times with love and solid support. She knows our Ugandan friends, like she has sat across the table from them; from across the world. She responded quickly and generously, just like she has done over thirteen years, and throughout my whole life. Family, old friends from Oregon, newer friends in Montana all came together, to love and support us and get the job cleaned up.
God Meets Us, Where He Finds Us
God met with Moses in the wilderness while he was hiding and herding sheep. He found several of his disciples in their fishing boats. Jonah found himself in the belly of a fish, and God met him right there. Jesus met the woman at the well. He meets us where we are and where we can hear Him and see Him. For me, it’s often been the laundry room, that we have holy moments. He just shows up there, right in the mess.
In 2010 Lashae had it on her heart to go on a mission trip and I had it on my heart to stop her until the whole world was saved and safe and financially stable. Then she could go with my blessing. She had her whole life ahead of her and the last thing she needed was to mess it up with a plan I didn’t make. God found me in the laundry room one day, during this season, as I was trying to sort this all out into nice little piles that I could make sense of. As clearly as anything I have ever felt, I felt God ask me a question. Was I going to stand before Him one day and tell him how successful I was at making plans, for His children He had entrusted to us to raise? Make no mistake about it, Lashae was all His.
I was humbled and a fear of God like I hadn’t felt before gave me a new understanding of Him and everything He had ever given me. It was all His. We were all His, and the best we can do, is follow Him. Our greatest call is to love God and love people. Raising kids to know the love of God and love them enough to let them love however and whoever He leads them to.
Change of Heart
God changed my heart that day, just like a change of clothes. Things looked differently and fit different in my piles of thoughts. I still have to go back and have to resort through it , but I remember Him and I remember how. He brings me back and we do it all over again and again. Trusting Him with what He has entrusted to us.
Lashae went on her fist mission trip to Uganda in 2010, Charlie went too. I don’t know if it was God or me, but between the two of us, we agreed that if He was sending Lashae, I was sending Charlie. Our lives were changed in every single way you can change your life after that trip and I’m glad Charlie was the first to go.
Lashae’s mentor at this time, in her senior year of hight school gave her money for her mission trip. We didn’t know people did that. She asked what it was for. Kim was her name, and she said God would show her. This concept was a foreign as the land and people she was going to.
Once Lashae, Charlie and the team led by my brother in law, Justin, got their feet on the ground walking into the unknown, the God they all knew showed up, just like He promises. He was with them.
Soap and Salt Speak Love
God showed Lashae what the money her mentor gave her was for. She bought a load of salt and soap to bless a village of dirt poor people they were visiting to share the Good News of love bringing along gifts they could taste and feel.
It is just like Jesus to bring things full circle; the details in the world wide picture, and in our lives. They keep circling back around and turn out good, just like Him. Here we are, 13 years down the road and seeing God work out details bringing His people together from all over the world to love and share with one another.
Thank You God, and Others
Thank God for trusting us to do anything at all, He knows how messy we are and still He gives. I also want to thank our friends and family for trusting us, to share the love and support you send.
