Service

February 26, 2011 by Tricia Goyer 2 Comments

It still feels like a gift to me.

Growing up I never thought, “Someday I’d like to travel.” I loved reading. I loved visiting new places in books. But the idea of me traveling to another country was, well, foreign to me.

I grew up in Northern California, so going to Oregon was common. I stayed around the same 150 mile radius my whole life except for an occasional vacation to the Oregon coast or the San Francisco bay area. Once my family even went to Disneyland. That was a very big deal.

Now, traveling is one of my favorite things to do. I’ve been to Europe four times and I’ve visited six different European countries–for mission trips and to research my books. I’ve been to Canada often, but living near there in Montana that doesn’t really count. I’ve been to nearly 3/4 of the states–for research, conferences, or speaking events. I love the Mexican food in San Antonio, the museums of DC, the winter weather or Orlando, the fall colors of Maine–and so much more this country has to offer. I love visiting tourist spots but I also like finding the places only locals go to get a true taste of what life there is really like.

The best part of travel is that it still feels like a gift to me. Since it wasn’t something I strove to do or I expected, every trip feels like God saying to me, “I have someplace you’re gonna go … and you’re going to love this.” After I dedicated my life to him as a seventeen-year-old, He’s given me many amazing gifts, and travel is just one of those things. It makes me think of Jeremiah 29:11:

“For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.”

All through my teen years I fought God. Even though I grew up learning about Him, I preferred to do things my way. I hardly went to church, never read my Bible, and refused to listen to Christian music because it was lame. (Or so I thought.) Instead, I dated lots of boys, watched the worst movies possible, hung out with my friends, and indulged in the pleasures of the moment. I thought I’d find happiness there. I was wrong. Instead, true happiness was found when I offered my complete self to God. Not only did He give me peace, joy, and love. He gave me an amazing husband, great kids, an unbelievable career, and as an added bonus the ability to travel and experience the world.

Growing up, I expected to live in the same town my whole life and work as a school teacher because I love kids. Now that I’m an adult God gave me more than I could have imagined. His dreams for me were bigger than I ever dared imagine. He gave me a hope and a future … and I can’t wait to see what He continues to have in store.

I’m forever thankful for the day I decided to give my everything to Him, and I can’t wait to see where our “forever together” will continue to lead me! What about you? What are you ‘forever thankful” for?

February 21, 2011 by Tricia Goyer 2 Comments

MTV’s Teen Mom

The MTV show Teen Mom (spun off from 16 and Pregnant) is the hottest thing out there. You know it’s big when these teen parents grace the majority of the magazine covers at check out stands.

Recently, during a radio interview I was asked what I thought about the show. Of course I was happen to give my opinion. 🙂

I think it’s SAD! I think it’s wrong for a show to exploit teen parents like this. I’ve watched the majority of the shows and my heart goes out to the young people.

What I don’t like is the TV camera getting caught up in their drama and angst. There have been fist fights, shouting matches, tears. Lots of tears. Yes, it’s reality, but can’t we do better?

What I would LOVE to see is a show that would help these young parents. An Extreme Makeover of their life and circumstances. People could be brought in to give them guidance on their education and parenting classes and job training and relationship counseling and … a listening ear.

Why are we so fascinated with seeing these teens fumble? Should we make stars out of them because their problems make for good TV?

While I can’t be a personal mentor to all these young people (I wish I could), I’m going to do my part in reaching out to the young parents God put in my path.

Won’t you do the same? These young parents need you. Your loving care could be the first step in the makeover of their lives.

January 7, 2011 by Tricia Goyer Leave a Comment

Guest blog from the Ugandan Mission Field:

My friend Loring and her family are missionaries in the slums of Uganda. Her recent post on the things that make her happy was great and she said I could repost it here. Find out more about their ministry here. And be sure to check out her amazing post on Generosity.

Things that Make Me Happy by Loring Morris.

1. Obviously Jesus. Missionaries + Jesus = LOVE. It’s a fact.

2. Rope holders back home. You know who you are. You “hold the rope” financially, prayerfully, emotionally, and sacrificially for us. Our families especially. Mom and Dad on both sides: You didn’t ask for us to take the grandkids and leave during your golden years but we did and we have given you no choice but to accept it. Which you’ve done graciously. Friends…the same to you.

3. Facebook. Ridiculous to mention it but really, Facebook you have kept us connected to everyone we love. Thanks for social networking. I can’t imagine how Hudson Taylor managed without it.

4. Blogs that make me feel better about myself. Jamie the Very Worst Missionary…hats off to you. You blog about things that I think but never say out loud. Well, sometimes I do but usually not to the world. Thanks for putting a smile on my face and making me laugh when I realize that no one is a perfect missionary. Everyone who is a missionary on the foreign field should google this blog…hilarious, offensive and totally true. Thank you Jamie the Very Worst Missionary for inspiring me to be honest in my blogs and not sugar coat mission work.

5. Other missionary friends. I have awesome friends named Sam and Dawn Wills who have just had their third baby and are leaving next week to join up with Mission Aviation Fellowship and move to the Congo! Watching other people go through what we went though is cathartic and exciting! Then there is my friend “The Bunny Lady” here in Uganda. We can drink coffee together complain our hearts out about the crazy nuances of Ugandan culture and bond in the shared experience of living in Kampala. A true friend will castrate your bunnies for you and then go shopping with you. (She is a vet…) I find that some of my closest friends right now are ones who have walked the same road with me and understand how thrilling and difficult this journey is. Too many to mention but you know who you are. (Banjo Sally and Meridah…you top the list)

6. Seasons 1-3 of the Office, and other entertainment. Enough said. (Even UFC has become somewhat interesting to watch and I can draw a few parallels between mission work and UFC…)

7. Running and Taekwondo. I have already blogged about my new love/hate for running. I’m a total running junkie. But it has given me such a great way to shake off the many irritations I find here and to clear my head. And it has the added benefit of counteracting the hoards of chicken and chips, matooke, cinnamon rolls and coke I consume weekly. Taekwondo has done wonders for my kids and my husband. All four of them are kicking machines and even though there is a new level of violence in our home they are all healthier and happier.

8. Swimming pools and Dee Dee’s world. The fact that I can swim on almost any given day of the year in tropical weather definitely adds to the enjoyment of living in Uganda. So what if you see men swimming in their underwear most days and questionable cleanliness of the pools? I love swimming pools and will probably never be able to live anywhere where I can’t have access to one again. Dee Dee’s world is the sad pathetic equivalent to Disneyland for my kids. A mediocre amusement park where half the rides don’t work and the people who work there usually have to woken up to turn a ride on. The kids love it and it only costs $1.50. What could be better? (Ok…maybe Disneyland would be better but my kids don’t know what they are missing)

9. My husband. Maybe I should have put him higher up on the list but he knows I couldn’t be here without him. No body makes me laugh harder or makes me mad faster. Having him to vent to, to laugh with is priceless. Here’s to you Hubs!

10. Ukrainian co-workers. Who else would I make fun of if not for you guys? Thanks for being my punching bag more than once and for saying crazy things in broken English that will forever immortalize my time in Uganda. “In Face”. And the “bearded lady” jokes never get old.

11. Home churches and new churches. Easthaven Baptist is our home church in Montana. They are supportive and have showered us with love and prayers. We are amazed at your love for us! Vintage 21 in North Carolina…you have offered such wisdom and friendship that we can’t even begin to appreciate you enough. How God linked us all together is amazing and we are blessed…blessed I tell you!

12. Bunnies. Bunnies make me really really happy. Silly, irrational, little girl happy. My three bun buns begging for food every morning make me smile and talk in a stupid annoying high pitched voice when I talk to them. Everyone should have a bunny. Or eat them…they are tasty. (We don’t eat our pets…we eat Kostya’s bunnies. Don’t worry)

13. Food. I’m just sayin’. Matooke, you know I’m talking about you.

14. People who read my blog. You obviously don’t have anything better to do than to listen to my ramblings and I can respect that. Thanks for the emotional support!

So there you go…13 things that make me smile. Quit reading mine and write your own. What makes you smile? What are you thankful for?

June 27, 2009 by Tricia Goyer 1 Comment

My friend Pam Stenzel’s work in Africa!

A note from Pam: Let’s face it. Today’s teenagers are in a whole new arena when it comes to sexually transmitted diseases. They’re facing consequences that teens from previous generations couldn’t even imagine. That is why it is so important to make sure that today’s teens hear straight talk…about sex, about the consequences, about the life and death choices that they meet every single day.

And she takes her message to Africa – read of her latest trip.

“My first thoughts after spending 4 days training these students, was the overwhelming need here. There has been so much “misinformation” and lack of teaching, that these young people just “soaked in” all that we taught. Many wrote notes and texts to Father Chidi, “Why didn’t we hear this before? Why couldn’t Pam have come last March…I was still a virgin.” This is not unusual, I hear this in the states a lot from students, however, with the HIV rate in Subsaharan Africa, it is a travesty that its young people are still so ignorant about the dangers of sex outside of marriage. The first night we were able to teach on what REAL LOVE IS! We talked about F.A.M.I.L.Y. (Forget About Me – I Love You) and that authentic love is always SELFLESS! We talked about the amazing love of God that He would send His ONLY Son to DIE for us! We cannot possibly LOVE OTHERS authentically, if we have not received the LOVE OF GOD!

One young woman stands out. It was Friday afternoon and she came to me and said “Some of us were offended by what you said this morning.” I asked her what she meant by “offended.” She began to share her pain. She said that she had no family and no way to get an education. She wanted to go to school (most likely trade school of some type) and could not afford it. She finally told me that in order to pay for school and the things she needed, that she traded sex for money and gifts. She didn’t see any other way! I carefully asked her if all these things she paid for with that money (clothes, cell phone, tuition, books) was worth her LIFE? Are you willing to trade your LIFE for these earthly things? What does it profit a man (or woman) if she GAINS THE WORLD and LOSES HER SOUL? She quietly, and tearfully agreed that all this was not worth her risking her LIFE…I told her there MUST BE ANOTHER WAY, and that we should pray earnestly that God would show her another way.

The next morning I sat in the back row to one side for Mass, and this young woman came and sat right beside me. During the long homily, one of her girlfriends passed her a bible and we were reading from Matthew. I was praying in my heart for her, that she would hear the voice of the Lord and that the Holy Spirit would speak clearly to her hurting heart. I felt a prompting to find a verse for her. I asked her if I could see the Bible, I turned to Jeremiah 29:11 and pointed to the scripture and then quietly said, “This is the Word of the Lord for YOU!” She began reading, and tears streamed down her face. She asked for a pen, and took her notes from the conference and opened them and wrote JEREMIAH 29:11 on her notes. I gave her a hug and quietly prayed for her.

I shared this with Father Chidi and he was able to find her and let her know that Voices of Children would help train her in computers at their school for FREE. She did not need to SELL HER BODY for an education and a chance! We are praying that she will connect with Voice of Children and get the help she needs and start a new life in JESUS!

Please pray for the students who traveled from all over the country (many of them over 20 hours on a bus). Each of them with their own struggles, but leaving the conference with hope and truth. Pray that they will not only be able to go to their own communities and LIVE the TRUTH, but by their example and teaching, that they would be able to continue to spread this message of Chastity and Faith throughout the country! We are believing God for a great Harvest!!

Please pray for Father Chidi Osundu and all those who work with Voice of Children. We are hoping to see a Pregnancy Center ministry raised up in Enugu. Most of these young girls who find themselves pregnant are disowned by family and have nowhere to go! We are praying for this center and a place to house unwed mothers, to share the love of Jesus with them, and to help them learn a trade in order to survive and support their child!

Thank you all for your prayers for us! We have had many trials, but we know that our temporary difficulty is a very small sacrifice to bring Truth and Hope to a generation of young people here in this country! We still have need of your support. We have one more conference in Lagos, Nigeria, and then rallies and training in South Africa and Swaziland next week!

To find out more about Pam’s work and message and/or to get involved visit the Enlighten website here and be sure to sign up for her newsletter too!

October 23, 2008 by Tricia Goyer Leave a Comment

The winds swept in with some exciting experiences…

A debriefing of my fall so far and a call to enjoy your family!

As fall has brought gold and red to Montana, the winds swept in some exciting experiences. First, I hit the road for Indiana, speaking at a fundraising luncheon for Hope House … an amazing home for teen moms. That was followed by a quick trip to Chicago where I was interviewed by Today’s Christian Women for some upcoming articles (complete with photo shoot!). The day after I returned from Chicago, the wind blew in two of my dearest friends Robin Jones Gunn and Anne de Graaf.

We joined my other dear friend Joanna Weaver for some “working” girl time (i.e. we worked on our books!). What a joy to be together! The week ended with Robin, Anne, and I speaking at a women’s event at my church (www.easthaven.org). We had a blessed time! I love those women–both MY church women and MY friends!

I also can’t leave out the new experiences in my own family. Both Cory and Leslie are taking classes at Flathead Valley Community College and my youngest one, Nathan, is homeschooling high school. We’ve also enjoyed the new challenge of having our foreign exchange student, Andrea, attending Stillwater Christian School. It’s a busy house with busy kids for sure, but a house filled with love, joy, and FUN. And fun is something we should all make time for.

When the plane lands, and when my workday is done, then I get to spend time with the people that matter most in my life. In fact, I agree with Dorothy who said, “There is no place like home.” And I’ll add … and “nobody as special as my family.”

Enjoy your family today! Your friends! And all the new experiences God brings your way!

February 22, 2008 by Tricia Goyer 2 Comments

Ask and you may receive…

Lately in addition to balancing writing, homeschool, baby care, and life … I’ve also been planning a missions’ trip to the Czech Republic. Yesterday I heard amazing news. It’s so exciting, and well … I’m just going to have to fill you in.

Here’s the story:

I’ve visited the Czech Republic twice–once in 2000 and once in 2002. I can’t describe how I fell in love with the country and the people. John was with me the second time and I told him, “Honey, can’t we move here and be missionaries?” At the time it wasn’t feasible, but that little seed was planted in my heart.

Fast forward to 2007. I was in Sunday School when this sweet looking young woman sat next to me. I introduced myself and she did too. I noticed her accent right away. She said her name is Sona and she was from the Czech Republic. We talked a little, but because I serve in children’s church every week I wasn’t able to connect with Sona to tell her how much the Czech Republic meant to me.

Then … last fall I started teaching Experiencing God. Sona was in my class. (If you haven’t taken that Bible Study you MUST.) Anyway, through the class my love for the Czech Republic came up. Sona also shared how she’s prayed for three years to be able to return to her country to share her faith.

Well, one week the topic was about International missions. Henry Blackaby was talking about looking within your own church. He said that if you have Internationals within your congregation you should ask God why they are there and if you should reach out to their home countries.

That week I was sweeping the church after the Wed. night supper when the idea struck my heart that we should plan a short-term missions trip to the Czech Republic. I ran over to Sona, who was washing dishes and I said, “Sona, we need to go to the Czech Republic next year for a short term missions’ trip.” Her eyes widened. A smile filled her face. I’ve been praying about the VERY thing all week!

So, since November I’ve been checking out different opportunities … and I found MANY! There were things we liked about each, but yesterday I connected with a project that is a PERFECT fit for our group! I’m so excited. (More details to come!)

Of course, now I know of many, many opportunities–more than one team can do. So that is where YOU come in. If you are interested in a short-term missions trip in the Czech Republic or Slovakia, PLEASE let me know. I can pass on information. There are WONDERFUL opportunities and ministries that are in need of workers for teaching English (if you speak it, you can teach it!), children’s outreach, youth outreach, construction and MORE!

Email me! fromdustandashes@hotmail.com

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