Momma Glaze: February 2014

...no One like our God. There is none more able, Christ our Savior, great and glorious.
Those are the lyrics to a song that is constantly playing in my head these days. There is no One higher than God, and oh how I often stand amazed in His presence. The past month has been has been filled with so much planning in preparation for the big ESL celebration at our church (Humble Area First Baptist Church). We had such a great turn out last year and the Lord really went before us so we were excited to do it again this year. Alan Hernandez was returning from Monterrey, Mexico to do our event and preach the Word as well as share his music with us. We were very excited that he was on board to come back this year. Everyone loved him last year!
Because we saw the hand of God so clearly lay out all the details of this event last year we were confident that this year would be no different. Matt and I wanted to be extra prepared this year and it was easy to decide what to change to make the planning process run a little smoother. I felt calm and excited about everything and how it was all falling into place. Until...Monday. Our event was to take place Wednesday. That was the day the enemy was working to discourage me. It seemed as if all of my kids were ganging up on me all day! Having three kids under 4 isn't ever uneventful but for some reason Monday was even crazier than normal! I had a screaming baby that all of the sudden didn't want to be put down or take naps. Two boys who were fighting like crazy. Carson got his finger slammed in the door and cried for nearly an hour. I think that would've been a tough day anyway, but given the last minute preparations I had to do for the event my stress level & anxiety raised! Finally, at 5:30 I threw out an S.O.S to all of my prayer warriors on Facebook! I was feeling overwhelmed & like a horrible mother. When I went to bed that night I was thankful that God's mercies are new every morning and that Tuesday was a new day! God answered all those sweet prayers because I woke up feeling refreshed and free of the anxiety I was feeling the night before. God is good!
Tuesday and Wednesday were filled with last minute preparations. Come Wednesday night I was finally ready to see what the Lord had in store. The night went great! We had a catered dinner from Italianos and guests got to hear Alan's music and a message. We served about 120 people! Alan shared the gospel message and many people raised their hands to accept the gift of salvation. But can I say that even if only one person had raised their hand, the whole night is still worth it. It's not about numbers, it's about lives. We prayed specifically for the precious people who were going to fill those chairs. God was there!
Matt and I are truly humbled that the Lord has called us to work with these precious people. Humbled that we have the opportunity to work with the Hispanic community. Blessed that we are a part of a church that trusts and supports and encourages our vision for the ESL program and those who attend. The Lord has put a passion in both of our hearts for missions. No, we are not in the jungles of Peru or in a large city of Nicaragua. We are missionaries in Houston, Texas. This is where the Lord has placed us. I would love to do full-time missions abroad some day, but for right now I am thrilled with where we are. We are just two "gringos" with Spanish blood running through our veins, ready for whatever comes next!
Thank you so much to all of you who did so much to help us! All of our ESL teachers were awesome! Thank you also to a few of my sweet Bible study sisters who were quick to step up to help! Tammie, Miss Catherine and Miss Millie, thank you for your help decorating tables! Thank you Sheri for EVERYTHING!!! I have to write a separate blog post just to thank you for all you did for us! Thank you to Jo-Ann for watching my boys all day on Wednesday! I owe you! Thanks to Pastors Barry and Rick for your constant encouragement and support to the ESL ministry. It is so much appreciated! And thank you to everyone who prayed continuously for the event and for Matt and I.