Tea Time in Kenya!

It's been 2 days since returning home from our Mission Trip to Kenya. As I look at the clock it is 12 noon here and it is now 7 p.m. Kenya Time. My sisters in Christ across the globe are getting ready for the evening while I'm now settling into the routines of the day at home. This morning during devotion time I wrestled with sadness missing the dear ladies from Kisumu, Kibera, Mathare 1 and 2 Thika 1 and 2, Makueni 1 and 2 and the LIA leaders that pour out themselves for the ministry. God sent us amazing women who face incredible struggles that are very similar to our own yet in their circumstances far more discouraging and oppressive then anything I have ever faced. Their faithfulness to praise God and lift Him up in spite of everything encouraged me and strengthened me. I will never be the same again. I loved serving breakfast each morning to God before the morning dawned in song and prayer with these ladies. Their joy for the Lord was contagious and their reliance on the Holy Spirit for guidance each day inspired me. God's mission to encourage and strengthen all of our daily journeys with Him was accomplished through His power and sovereignty.

This morning I wondered about our place in life. I prayed that God would protect my new friends and their families. I prayed that their daily bread would be sufficient. I went to God's Word for assurance and read Acts 17:26-28 after reading today's devotion in Jesus' Calling. God's word spoke to my sadness and settled my mind. Our position physically and spiritually in life enables us to seek Him and if we choose...reach out for Him. He is near. He is waiting.

Our team's focus throughout the week was mentorship, encouraging the ladies to be intentional about their own daily devotion time in the Word, believing God is who he says he is and will do what He says he will do using the book of Joshua for teaching. We received far more than we gave. God is just like that... when you say, "Yes Lord please send me" He blesses beyond measure!

I hope you enjoy some of the pictures I captured along the way in Kenya. I'll add more as I receive them from others that went with me on the trip. Thanks to all those who sacrificed your finances and time for prayer. I know it was your prayers and support that carried me along.

2011 Kenya Mission Trip">

How much longer?

Can you tell I'm going somewhere? Yeah...I'm heading south the only place to go in the summer to visit Lee and Erin. Mallory will be the designated driver as we leave tomorrow and travel towards Atlanta to embrace her oldest brother and sister in love. I love Atlanta! Today is packing and preparing for the trip. Should I bring my golf clubs?

We're pumped to cheer on our other sister and daughter in love, Ashley, who by the way is participating in a mini ironman tomorrow! It certainly doesn't sound mini to me! I wouldn't call it that. Torture is torture no matter how mini and anything as grueling as an ironman has to be torture, right? Not apparently to those who stay in shape and workout on a "regular" basis. That's my problem, working out on a "regular" basis, now that's a different story. Anyway, I'm so inspired again by the youth that surround me because they take to heart the heart of the matter and that is taking care of their physical bodies which I might add...adds to their mental and spiritual stability. It all goes together and that is why with the help of my accountability partner who says he is going to buy us some bikes one day soon, I'll be on the road to becoming more "fit" while having fun too. I just have flashbacks to the time when my dear sweet partner caused me to crash in the middle of Royal Palm Blvd. in Ft. Myers, Florida stopping traffic for what seemed to be eternity before helping me up laughing all the while and saying, "You didn't learn how to ride a bike very well!" No, I didn't learn how to protect myself from someone intentionally trying to wreck me! Needless to say, I've thought about the bike thing and think it would be fun! Maybe you'll see us someday riding along with those silly helmets on our heads and our glutes hanging off those teeny tiny seats...Oouch!

Back to traveling...I'm looking forward to getting away and lovin on T-bird and Erin. Tomorrow at this time we'll be on the road! Yippee!

End of the Summer Blues!

Well, I've been tied up setting up shop at Goshen Elementary and have neglected one of the loves of my life. Writing! To me, writing is therapy. It helps me organize my thoughts, feelings and circumstantial considerations! WOW...that's a fancy way of saying problem solving. At the beginning of the summer I attended an educational workshop that highlighted the most recent jargon being used to replace old jargon. What I now know is that, educationally speaking, we are helping our students to become "solution seekers" instead of problem solvers. It seems that using the word "problem" puts a negative spin on things and therefore being a public institution that strives for "political correctness," problem solving has become unacceptable. Honestly, I do like considering options when seeking solutions and don't we all want to find the best solutions that meet our needs and those of the community we're involved in whether it be in our family, classroom, neighborhood, etc. When I find better ways to communicate ideas, feelings, and desires my goals and core beliefs are more likely to be met and understood or at least heard. It's a process of recognizing that sometimes the same ole' is not always the best ole' solution to managing our physical, emotional, and mental well being.

Knowing my Creator as a Father who is crazy about me and all of His creation, I have again awakened even more to the understanding that I am his workmanship and it is a process that is never stagnate but perpetually in motion...Glory be to God for all his blessings. My daughter in love, Erin, shared with me this great song that sums it up and expresses the way I have felt this summer as many changes have taken place over the year. Hope you enjoy it and can relate too. As the end of our Summer is quickly approaching, I'm blue...but blessed because it has been filled with growth and what more could I ask for.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZZayut9i45M

Have a great day!

Friday Frenzy

There's no need to get yourself in a frenzy but when you end up learning of a deadline the day of a deadline...well it's hard not to. HA!

What a great week and it was highlighted with a terrific lunch and shopping excursion with my dear ole Aunty Glady. Her name embraces the way it feels to be in her presence while experiencing life through her lens. She is my mother's oldest sister who grew up in Erie, Pennsylvania and a wise one at that! We ate in my home and then launched her new Toyota down Hwy. 146 to LaGrange to shop and escape from reality together for a few hours. She wanted to head down Jericho Road and see the old farm where so many fond memories occurred. We had fun talking about "back in the day" times there. She was shocked to see how horrible it looked. Certainly no love of the place is there now and the ability to upkeep has diminished. Oh, well...I'm just glad mom and dad are so happy at the lake and not having the pressure of production farming requires.

I'm adding a link for school that tells about me and my educational pursuits. Hope this helps my Goshen Family get to know me better.

http://marthabhamilton.googlepages.com/aboutme

Before I leave...I leave you with this...

Psalms 37:8 Do not fret~it leads only to evil. AMEN! Friday frenzy no more!

Sunday Spaghetti

What a fabulous Sunday at Church this morning. Max Lacado spoke to us about fear in regard to the freedom we have in Christ from it. I especially loved his analogy of when he was a small boy holding on to his daddy's shirt while they walked across the living room floor past the "Wolfman" behind the T.V. to get a middle of the night drink. He said he would look up at his dad and say, "Wow, who is this man that isn't afraid of "Wolfman!" It reminded me of how much I looked up to my daddy to save me from the fears on the farm and how brave I was when I knew he was around.

Hope you enjoyed your Sunday morning and recovered from the 4th of July! Happy Birthday America...there is not other place I'd rather be for sure. Congrats to Lee and Erin for running the Peachtree and not collapsing before the finish line. I'm so proud of them.

Tuesday Trials

Well...I eagerly set out to meet my new Goshen Team mate and do some planning. When I arrived, buffing floors in the building was ahead of schedule therefore postponing our ability to work in our classroom. Trial number 1. Then we attempted to design a webpage and that couldn't be achieved without the Media Specialists and she was not in the building. Trial number 2. After that we decided that reviewing and updating the class supply list would be appropriate and beneficial only to find the lists were not attainable. Trial number 3. So with the many obstacles set before us, we decided to do the next best thing and that was going out to lunch and enjoying getting to know each other. I can tell I'm already going to love working with this special person!

Indeed, I'm excited to be working with such a young and energetic professional this year. She has completed her masters just a week ago and now has National Boards in her future site plans. We've many things in common like the love of family, children and making our husbands the happiest men on earth. She has planned a fabulous dream vacation in Hawaii for them. We did accomplish lots of preliminary planning like how we want to do Read Aloud in our classes and share kiddos in Math. With 11 transitional teachers on board at Goshen our work is cut out for us. We will have to be creative in how we plan and meet together to utilize all our expertise.

Trials only help me to keep things in the "right" perspective. I might get spoiled if I didn't have a hurdle to jump! Without a trial I wouldn't depend so on the LORD. Thanks be to God for all circumstances for it is in them that I know he is ever present.

With that in mind, I will leave with this...

1Chronicles 16:11
Look to the Lord and his strength; seek his face always ~

Thoughts for Monday

It's Monday... our works are in progress and I'm beginning it with prayer. Has anyone heard of Jennifer Rothschild? She is an author that specializes in helping others grow spiritually in Jesus Christ. She wrote Self Talk, Soul Talk; Walking By Faith and Lessons I learned in the Dark which was forwarded by Beth Moore. She realized at the young age of 15 that she was loosing her eyesight to a rare and degenerative eye disease. Her dreams of becoming a commercial artist and cartoonist were lost but God replaced them through the power of Christ with words and music. Her voice is tremendous both in her songs she sings and through her writing. I've gleaned so much from getting to know her as a person who loves Jesus and therefore loves people. Sometimes I have trouble keeping my thought closet clear of unvaluable thoughts so that's why I start the day with positive talk from God's word. It's great to hear from God and others how much he is in love with me. I praise him for friends and family who love Him and are willing to share.

Phil. 4:8 Whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable~think about such things.

Another reason why I'm starting my day in prayer is because I'm starting a webpage for students and parents who are going to be part of Mrs. Hamilton's class. I prayer that this webpage will serve the purpose of providing clear communication, abundant resources, and opportunities for cooperation, comraderie and inspiration. I hope this is ever present on our site and in my classroom. Yes! Did I say an inspirational learning environment? That's where I would want to learn and be. How about you? Any suggestions just add a comment and inspire me to inspire others.