Posted in Romania by Melissa Diehl on 5/19/2012
In thirty-eight days, I will step foot on American soil for the first time in 11-months.
I’m not sure where time has gone, but here I sit, in the end of month 10, under the sun on a hill in Romania, reminiscing on all that has happened the past 9 months.
Thinking about the people I’ve come in contact with, the ministries I’ve served alongside, and my brothers and sisters whom I have shared constant life with over this past season of life. Looking back on all the things I’ve seen, and all that has been seen in me. The love that has developed, the freedom that has been brought, the new identities that have been created, and all the lives that have been changed because of the love of our one and only Abba.
While in Romania, we have been serving at Seventh Springs Camp. Our ministry has consisted of work around the camp to prepare it for its busy summer season, kind of like last month. I’ve spent my days alongside my squadmates cleaning at least 1,000 carpet tiles (by hand, not with a carpet cleaner, which would make the most sense..), putting the carpet tiles back in the rooms (just insane.. I never really was a good puzzle person), cutting acres of grass (thanks daddy for teaching me how to hang with the boys), and pulling so many weeds out of flower beds that my hands got blistered.
Our ministry has been great, hard work, but great. Our accommodations have been amazing (beds and showers!) and we have been surrounded by the most amazing sunrises, sunsets, and rolling green hills anyone you could ask for (seriously.) But despite all the greatness that has composed this month, to be honest, it’s been a tough one.
God’s seriously just been rocking my world this month in all sorts of different ways and being towards the last string of the race, I find myself in just this awkward place. I am ready to be home, but then when I think about home, I can’t imagine my life outside of the world race. As I sit here in this moment, I find myself frustrated. Like seriously frustrated, and have been for the past week or so. I’m frustrated with community, being here, having no idea what life will look like back home, and just everything. Right now, I call myself the “Debbie downer”.. you know, the one in the group who can turn anything and everything into something negative.
So how did I get here? How did things go from the typical “mountain high spiritual deal”, to the “deep valley” of where I’m at? To be honest, I have no idea.. but if there is anything that I have learned on the race thus far, is that it is okay to not be okay. So for right now, in month 10 of the race, I am learning what it truly means to be okay with not having everything in my life be okay. I’m learning and seeing first hand how easy it truly is to miss out on all the good things around you, by finding all the negative in everything. Learning that its always easier to find the negative in situations, instead of being thankful and grateful for what God provides for us and blesses us with day to day.
So where to we go from here?
Well, for me it always goes back to choice. Something that I’ve realized is a day-to-day concept, no matter how long I’ve been dealing with the concept of it. So with this day, I choose joy, life, and growth in these moments over frustration.
With one month on the field left, there is so much more joy, life, and growth. My prayer is that He continues to make me, and shape me into everything He wants me to be. I am so thankful and grateful that I serve a God who doesn’t give up on me in my moments of frustration, even though I’ve given up on all that surrounds me.
So we’re back to the roots, back to the one concept that changes everything in life: Choice. The daily choices that will make or break you, so in this moment, this day, I choose Him over the frustration that has taken over me the past week.
| |
|
Posted in Ukraine by Melissa Diehl on 4/8/2012
Well we’ve made it the Ukraine.. And have been working with a camp called Jeremiahs Hope.
This month, ministry is a lot of behind the scenes stuff, things such as cooking, cleaning, laundry, painting and serving alongside the missionary family that is here permanently.
The best way to describe ministry so far would be Young Life Work Crew. For those of you who don’t know, back home I worked with a high school ministry called Young Life. Each year Young Life Macon takes a group of 35+ high school students to Sharptop Cove (a Young Life Camp in Georgia) to do work crew. During work crew weekend, the high school students are put to work, where they cook meals for camps, clean up the camp, some do construction projects, do a ton of dishes, and serve the other young life groups while they are at camp. So here in Ukraine, that’s exactly what we’re doing.
We’re painting a rescue house that launches in July, which will open its doors to people who are stuck home situations such as domestic abuse, alcoholism, neglect, etc., that need immediate care and attention for a way out of their environment.
Outside of painting, we are responsible for cooking meals, cleaning dishes, washing sheets and towels, and doing everyday housework while groups come in and use the facilities for camps.
This past Saturday we helped with a dental clinic in the village, where we assisted the dentists, as well as prayed for each patient as they left.
Ministry this month is behind the scenes. It’s simple. We’re not doing this big grand project, or putting on huge programs, we’re serving other missionaries who are here long term and will make the long lasting impression on the village and community.
Ministry here is good. It reminds me a lot of ministry back home and reminds me of the simplicity that ministry truly is.
| |
|
Posted in China by Melissa Diehl on 3/22/2012
I come from a family of love.
I was always taken care of growing up. My wants and needs were always provided for and no matter what, every night as I lay my head to go to sleep, I would always hear, good night Melissa; I love you from each of my parents.
I am a daddy’s girl, always will be, and was privileged to have a relationship with my dad that a lot people dream of having. And still, to this day, my mom and I are best friends.
But not everyone gets to experience that. Not everyone is born into a family, who no matter what will love you. And will fight for you and take care of you regardless of any circumstance.
While in China, we worked with the organization International China Concern (ICC). ICC was created to take in and provide for special needs children who have been abandoned by their parents. Some were abandoned as babies, others as they got older. Some were born with severe disabilities, while others were born with just a simple thyroid problem. All of which are children who, most likely have never been told, Good Night, I love you by the two people who brought them into this world.
I’m not sure how different my life would have been if it lacked the love and affection that my parents provided. The simple hugs after a long day at school or the “I’m proud of you Missy Jo,” moments when it seemed like nothing was ever right. It’s the simple love and affection that came from my parents that gave me life and made me into the person I am today.
Throughout this month I have tried to think about how my life could have easily been different. I Tried to place myself in the children’s shoes of being abandoned, and not having parents to pour love into me and simply allow me to be their little girl, but I couldn’t. I didn’t know how too. I didn’t know how to relate. I didn’t know how to love them. I didn’t know how to be on their level and it was hard, really hard. I spent the first week of ministry mentally trying to figure out what to do. How to be the love and affection they have missed out on since the day they came into this world. But I couldn’t and it truly defeated me.. All I could focus on were the things I didn’t know and couldn’t do, instead of focusing on and sharing the one true thing that matters: Their Abba, who every night, smiles down upon them and says “Good night child of mine, I love you.”
I’m grateful for the life God has given me and grateful for the parents He chose to raise me. This month has reminded me of that. Reminded me of how blessed I am to still have a mom who loves me an insane amount and a dad who looks down from heaven every day and says, “I’m proud of you Missy Jo.”
But even above all of that, regardless of any earthly circumstance, whether we have physical parents or not, we have a heavenly father, who looks down on each of us every night and simply says, “Good night child of mine, I love you.”
| |
|
Posted in Off the Grid! by Melissa Diehl on 2/25/2012
Today is officially my last day in Malaysia..
Tonight we head to the airport and fly out to China tomorrow morning!
With that being said....
For the month of March, I will be falling off the grid...
What does that mean exactly......
Well tomorrow I will arrive in China.. and the black out month (from internet) begins.....
I will not be able to be on the internet for the month of March..
No internet means no blogs, no skype, no facebook.. nothing...
But no worries, when I get back in April I will have a whole book of blogs for you all to read!
We will be working with an organization that helps special needs orphans.
Please please please keep my team, as well as squad, in your prayer for the month...
Much love!
We'll catch up once I hit Ukraine!
Bring it on Month 8!
| |
|
Posted in Malaysia by Melissa Diehl on 2/9/2012
Month 7 has officially begun. I’m not sure where time has gone, but it seems like yesterday I was in my room re-packing my back pack in a hurry because it weighed to much and I had to leave the house in 5 minutes to make it to the airport.
I am currently in Malaysia.
We arrived here this past Monday and as soon as we stepped foot in the door, ministry started and we hit the ground running. This month we are doing a lot of youth work.
We are actually putting on a youth retreat this weekend.. Kind of like a DNOW program back home.. so all week we have been planning that while doing the other ministry stuff.
Working with youth has brought me back to home.. back to my roots and passion in a sense. It’s also made my mind wonder to the future and what things might look like when I get home, concerning what I will be doing. God has some things in the works… but who knows…. It’s still a little early for that, a lot of things can change within the remaining months.
This month and ministry so far has been really good.
The people and culture have been so welcoming.
I get to sleep on a mattress, instead of the hard ground while in my tent.
We get air conditioning at night, and hot showers in the morning.
Life is good.
I miss home often, but God sends little simple reminders as to why I am here.
7 months down, 5 to go.
Much love from Malaysia!
| |
|
Posted in Cambodia by Melissa Diehl on 1/25/2012
Thank you
Thank you
THANK YOU.
I am officially fully funded!
Thank you all so much for you prayers and financial support..
because of you.. I am Fully Funded!
What does that mean exactly? Well, God has used YOU to bring in the $14,800 for this trip. Because I am fully funded, I will be able to finish the race and bring more of Gods love to Malaysia, China, Romania, Moldova and Ukraine!
Thanks for allowing God to use you.. For stepping out in faith with your finances and donating.
Words can’t even begin to express how thankful and grateful I am for your support.
So Thank You.
Six countries down, Five more to go!
Much love.
| |
|
Posted in Cambodia by Melissa Diehl on 1/21/2012
Well we have arrived at our ministry location in Chom Kar Chan, Kom Pom Speu, Cambodia… Basically we are in a village in the middle of who knows where.
For the past two months we have been living a life of luxury. A lot of things the past two months have reminded me of home. We had beds, running water, electricity whenever we needed it, washing machines, and pretty much all the “necessities” of life. This month, we’re sleeping on the floor, with two people under one mosquito net. The only water is the water you find in a large basin, which gets filled when it rains. Electricity comes on when the generator decides it wants to work, which usually lasts for about five minutes twice a day and internet is really non existent.
In this village, eleven year olds hop on their scooters to go get drinking water when it runs out. Seven year olds take their two-year-old sisters to the pond to clean their poopy butts. Kids don’t have toys; they use sticks and leaves to make up games to entertain them. Dinner is cooked over a fire and kids of all ages are eager to come to classes outside of regular school hours to learn English, some of which take place at night with no light, or power at all.
Living conditions this month are nowhere near what they have been the past two months. Basically we are back in Africa, the Asian version of Africa. We shower with buckets. We use squatty potties. We wash our clothes out of buckets, with the same water we use to shower. We go to sleep under mosquito nets, and can look out the “window” and see the most amazing night skies ever.
Life here is simple. Simplicity at its finest.
You see the true image of joy through the children.
You see true happiness through families who have barely anything, but really everything.
It’s the simple things in life you see here, that you miss in back home in America.
This month is not the life of “luxury” back home that I am used to.
But its simple.
It’s beginning to refocus my mindset to the simple things in life.
What’s your life like?
How simple of overcomplicated it is?
I challenge you to take a look at it… and see if you can find the simple things that we’ve overlooked for so long. The simple things that we’ve taken for granted for so long. The simple thing’s that make life truly joyful.
| |
|
Posted in Thailand by Melissa Diehl on 1/20/2012
So there I was..
Sitting. Watching. Blown away by what I was actually seeing.
Her name is Patig. She is 19 years old and has a 9-month-old son.
She traveled 13 hours to work at the Stone Age Bar. She traveled to Patong so that she could earn money to be able to provide for her little boy.
So there we sat.. Across the bar from each other, sharing glances, and smiles here and there. I could see the hurt in her eyes when we made eye contact.. I could feel her pain, and the emptiness, which was looking to be filled.
What was I supposed to do? Here I am, a 24 year old American who is still searching for herself.. I know nothing about her life, or the struggles that come with it… I grew up in a family, where my mom and dad provided for me. I never had to go to work until I choose to. My life and all I knew was of no comparison to hers.
How could I help her? How could I ease her pain? How could I give her just a glimpse of hope, and let her know that there is more to life than what she is going through?
“Tell her I love her.”
That’s all I kept hearing.
“She needs to know I love her.”
“She needs to know that she is worthy of the love I have for her. Regardless of her situation, she is still worthy to be loved.”
She began to walk towards me… she sat down beside me and asked me my name.. Asked me what I wanted to drink.. and then we started to play connect four. We shared life stories. We talked about good things that have happened and hard things that we’ve conquered. And then I left.
On a napkin beside my soda I wrote her a note that said, “You are beautiful. You are loved. You are worthy to be loved. No matter what, you are worthy to be loved.”
When I went back to the bar later that week, Patig was gone. I found out that she was in a motorcycle accident on New Years Eve, and got pretty beat up. The bar mom wasn’t sure when she was going to be able to return to work, if she ever would. The driver was a client of hers who was taking her to a hotel for the night.
I wasn’t really sure how to feel when I found that out. I wondered and questioned why God started a relationship only to end it, in a sense. Again, like every night, I asked Him where He was in all of this, and why He placed Patig and I together, only for one night…
“I was there in the 30 minutes that you talked with her. I am still with her and still there. That 30 minutes that she talked with you, was 30 minutes that she didn’t have to worry about dancing in front of a guy, or having a guy try to buy her drinks so that she is forced to sit in his lap and entertain him. That 30 minutes, I was able to tell her I loved her through you. She heard that she was beautiful and worthy.”
This past month in Thailand has been a tough one.
I’ve never looked into ones eyes and shared the hurt and pain as I have this month.
It opened my eyes to everyone around me, both inside and outside of the bar, and helped me to realize how often the pain and hurt of those around us is overlooked.
It also opened my eyes to the truth, that no matter who is it, or who you are looking at, they are worthy to be loved. The homeless man on the corner who no one wants to talk to and we avoid, he is worthy to be loved. The outcast at school, who no one wants to sit by at lunch, they are worthy to be loved.
God loves us all. Point blank. End of story.
Our job, as His followers, is to make that known and spread His love.
My 30 minute conversation with Patig was to let her know of her worth, and to remind her that no matter what, she is and always will be worthy of the love of our Father.
What conversation will you have next to tell someone of their worth?
Because no matter the circumstance, or the person, we are all worthy to be loved.
| |
|
Posted in Thailand by Melissa Diehl on 1/7/2012
[below is journal entry from January 3, 2012]
Are you done yet?
Are you done being mad and frustrated, Melissa?
Are you ready to listen?
Alright God, I’m listening.
They Are Worthy.
They are my sons and daughters.
I am there on Bangela Road through you, Melissa.
I am there through the hug you give Patig, when she sees you walking down the road and leaves the bar running to hug you.
I am there through the smile you share with that one girl across the bar.
I am there through the conversation you have to tell the girl that she is beautiful and loved.
I am there through the hurt. The hurt you share when you look each other in the eye.. That’s where I am.
You, Melissa, bring my presence.
You bring my love and my life.
You’re the source of love and life they need right now, only because you’ve received it from me.
Share their hurt.
Share their pain.
Love them deeply.
Love them insanely.
They are my daughters.
They are my sons.
They hold so much worth and value.
Open their eyes.
Show them I love them.
| |
|
Posted in Thailand by Melissa Diehl on 1/2/2012
i just wanted to be real and raw.. so below is a journal entry that I wrote tonight about what's going on in my heart..
"Abba,
My thoughts are just everywhere... Some things I just don't understand. Is it okay for me to question the things of this world and where you're at in it all? Because tonight I'm not sure where you were.... Because all I saw was the darkness... All I saw was the pain and the emptiness... The broken hearts and fake smiles.
You're such a BIG God and can do anything with the snap of a finger... So why won't you shut down all the bars on Bangela Road... where women are place in glass cages and forced to dance for all to see? Where men are so trapped in their own pleasures that they lose sight of their own worth, as well as the women dancing nearly naked right in front of them? And where 18 year old women sell their body just to be able to provide support for their 8 month old baby? Blah.... Some things I just don't get... I don't get the darkness... I don't get why this road even exists..
Abba, I don't get what you're trying to do here... It frustrates me and makes me so mad.
Is it okay to not "get" the things you're doing? Is it okay for me to be mad and frustrated?
Abba, show me your heart tonight... Give me your eyes so I can see this road and the things of this road the way you do.. Have grace for me in my frustration.
I ask for your peace and understanding.
You're a big God, I know you're hand is over it all.. Help me see that tonight."
| |
|
Next 10 Articles >>
|
|
|
