Do not wish me "Happy Holidays"

OK, brace yourself .... 

Please do not wish me "Happy Holidays".  I will have to restrain myself from hurting you. Although the word "Holiday" does comes from "Holy Day" and that is what these days are.  These are the days that we celebrate that lead up to one of the most important days in the history of the world.  The day Jesus, the Christ, the Messiah or Chosen One, was born.  And yes I know that December 25th is not really his birthday but some pagan day from the Celtics or something. 

To me "Happy Holidays" is like a slap in the face of Jesus.  They have taken Christ out of Christmas. It is no longer Christmas Vacation, like when I was a kid, it is Winter Break. Some groups fight to keep manger displays out of parks and other public places. Large retail stores tell their employees not to say "Merry Christmas" so that they won't "offend" people.  

OK .. let me say this ... if you don't believe in Jesus, then you have no business celebrating Christmas!

How many people will feed the system and go into gross amounts of credit card debt, only to have those things be in the next garage sale or trash can?

 "Do not lay up for yourself treasures on earth where dust and moth destroy ... " 

The phrase has become so cliche' but is still true, that Jesus is the reason for the season. The world wants to distract us from that truth.  America has literally bought into the lie that the day we celebrate Jesus' birth, is nothing more than another generic holiday to spend a crazy amount of money on STUFF.    

At our house, we don't do Santa ... I gave up the whole commercialized Christmas thing in my late teens/early twenties and decided that Christmas is Jesus' birthday and not mine. So I began giving presents to people about Jesus. This carried over into my marriage and now our family. For Christmas we give presents about Jesus ... like a Bible, a worship CD, a Jesus Tshirt, A Jesus video, or Veggie Tales, etc. and keep all the toys, electronics, gifts and STUFF for a birthday present. It has worked out so far for the first 13 years with our kids and I hope that they carry it into their own families some day. ♥

I have this idea ... lets turn it back around!  Why not send a message to America loud and clear, that Christmas is about JESUS.  Not Santa Claus, and toys and electronic gadgets, and STUFF and going into debt.  

Could I make a suggestion?  Keep it simple. 

Put Christ back into Christmas.  Celebrate it for what it is.  And everytime someone says "Happy Holidays" smile and say,

"Merry Christmas ... it's all about Jesus."

Here we are Lord, Send us . . .

Once our eyes are opened,

we can't pretend we don't know what to do. 

God who keeps our hearts and weighs our souls, 

knows that we know and holds us responsible to act."

Proverbs 24:12

The Schilling Family

     

In 2010, along with thousands of other families, we adopted 3 children from Ethiopia. 
                                                

Little did we know where this journey would lead us to.  We now find ourselves being drawn back to Ethiopia but not only to adopt kids ... but to serve.

Our heart's desire has become to help orphans and widows in need, wherever the Lord leads us.  Right now, the Lord is leading us back to Ethiopia, Africa.  We began seeing  little notes He was leaving everywhere.  Until finally, it became so obvious we finally got it.  The Lord has invited us to come to Ethiopia and join Him in His work there.  
                              

My husband and I both knew we were called to missions years before we were ever married, so this has come as no real surprise except for the timing.  We are older, we now have 6 children, 3 adopted from Ethiopia and we are in the process of adopting 2 brothers.  
                                           

But our hearts are bent on following the Lord wherever He leads.  This is not an idea we made up inside our heads, it is the God of the universe speaking to His children like the Father that He is.  
                                       

"For I know the plans I have for you." says the Lord.

"Plans to prosper and not harm you.

Plans to give you a hope and a future." 

~ Jeremiah 29:11

                                         

So now, here we are.  In order to go, we have some major decisions to make ... do we sell our house, do we rent it out.  What about finances, my husband's job, insurance, what about our animals.  But in all of this, we are laying our lives down into the hands of a loving Father and trusting Him to take care of all the details.

If you feel lead to help us, we would greatly appreciate it.  We will need start up money in order to go.  Airfare for 8 people, initial living expenses, possibly a vehicle, as we will be living 3 hours from the city.  After setting up camp, then we will need monthly support.  We know and have faith that God is able to provide all of our needs, but we make them known because we also know that he sometimes uses people.  But most of all, really, we need your prayers. 
                                               

This will be a huge transition for all of us, especially our kids.  We homeschool, so we can go anywhere, but it's so much more than that.  We are a Christian family going to a place where Jesus loving Christians are not always welcome.   There are opposing beliefs, practices and religions.  We need your prayers for protection, for us and for our children.
                                             

We have a good idea of what we will be doing there although all the details will not be worked out until we arrive, I am sure.  We feel called to go to the village of Gojjo.  Our friends have an organization there called Living Water Orphan Ministry.  There are over 1000 orphans in the village.  A Child Sponsorship program has been started there.  We feel called to go to Gojjo to help with the administration and hands on work of the organization.  

It is also our desire to help the widows in the village by starting up small entrepreneurial businesses, such as jewelry and basket making, making soap and skin care products.  Some of this is what I already do here in the states.  See my website www.wildprairiefarms.net.   
                                         

Our hope is also to organize short term mission trips to Addis & Gojjo.  We will be there to meet our guests and to invite them to catch the vision for orphan and widow ministry.
                                              

It is also our desire to acquire land and raise up a flock of sheep and cows as an ongoing feeding program to help feed the orphan kids of  Gojjo. 
                                

We are visionaries and have many ideas on how we hope to serve the people of Gojjo, but most of all we want to be the hands and feet of Jesus and show them the love of God. 
                                         

How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? 
And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard?
And how can they hear without someone preaching to them?

And how can anyone preach unless they are sent? 

As it is written:

“How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!”
~ Romans 10:14-15

Will you help Send us?

You can donate here towards

The Schilling Family's

Missionary Support Fund

 

 

This will enable our family to

accept the invitation to go to Ethiopia

to serve the Lord there.

Thank you.

                                              

Gallon Gifts

Dear Rivers of Living Water Supporters and Sponsors ...

On Monday, a dear Christian sister came to our house and delivered a gift from the Lord to us. It was a check paying our way to go on a mission trip to Ethiopia for Ethiopian Christmas, which is January 7th. We will be going to the village of Gojjo, where not only your sponsored kids are, but a total of 1000 orphans! We will have the great honor of serving them Christmas Dinner, with the money that you helped us raise for FEED 1000.

If you would like to participate ...

We will be bringing over as many donations and gifts as we can possibly fit into our 200 pounds of allotted luggage. All child specific donations need to go into a Gallon Ziploc bag, meaning If you want to send your sponsored child a gift, please put it into a Gallon Ziploc bag with their name and ID number on it or in it, so that we know it goes to a specific child. It would be great to also put a photo of yourself or your family in there so they can see their sponsor. It would be great to be able to bring each sponsored child a gift!

Introducing “Gallon Gifts”...

When we were adopting, the director would allow us to send gifts in gallon Ziploc bags. We got this great idea from Ordinary Hero who is doing something similar with their “Blessing Bags”. Each bag has a specific size and gender on it for example, “boy size 3”, or “girl size 6”. Included in the bag is a complete outfit to fit a child of that size. So for example, for a boy, you would put in a new shirt, pants, underwear, socks, perhaps a toothbrush and a small tube of toothpaste, a bar of soap, maybe crayons, coloring book, or a pencil with a sharpener and a small toy or gift ..... Anything that can fit into a Gallon Ziploc. (But nothing that needs batteries since they wear out.) For a girl, you could put in the same items, or perhaps a dress with leggings.

If you'd like to participate, please send your Gallon Gifts to:

Rivers of Living Water

PO Box 802

Whitehall, MT 59759

We will need them to arrive no later than Monday, December 26th. Thanks so much!!!

Bonnie Schilling
Rivers of Living Water ~ Helping Orphans and Widows in Need
www.rivers-of-living-water.org

Amazing Grace . . .

We serve an AMAZING God. 

How do I write this ... for once in my life I am speechless.  It has taken me a few days just to be able to write this out.  I have been walking around like I am stunned.

OK ... let me give you some background information. A few weeks ago, by God's grace, we were able to raise the $2000 to feed all 1000 orphan kids in the village of Gojjo, Ethiopia a special Christmas Dinner.  As I talked about the dream of doing this, our partner said, if you are able to raise $2000 for this ... I will be there in the village that day with my family serving dinner.

And I thought "I want to be there in the village that day!!"  So I began organizing "Make a Difference for Christmas Mission Trip."  About 15 people said they were either going or interested in going.  But as the time grew closer, little by little people, were unable to go, for one reason or another.

This last week, we still had 2 ladies who REALLY wanted to go ... and me.  I was discouraged to say the least, plus we did not have enough money in our organization's account that I could even go, so I was about to call off the mission trip until next year.  After all it was kind of a spur of the moment trip.  Not a lot of time to plan and fund raise.  I needed about $3000.

Saturday, I found out one of the gals was in my good friend's home fellowship group.  She was saying how excited she was.  I felt bad, cause it did not look like we could go after all. 

Monday this same friend called me and said how the Lord had woken her up at 3:00 AM.  So she prayed about me and our trip.  Then in the morning, she called and said, is the money the only thing that is stopping you from going?  I said yes, and to be honest, some fear of going without my husband!  She said that the Lord has woken her up and that she felt lead to make some phone calls to see if she could raise some funds for us to be able to go.  I was in awe of how God would speak to her about that.

My husband and I sat and prayed about the whole thing.  I told him that this felt like another time, when God made plans for me to go on a mission trip and that I really did not have a choice ... that I was just going.  The Lord had put me on the hearts of some missionaries to Czech Republic and they invited me and before I could say no, or actually as I was saying no, $1000 showed up in an account at church for me from 2 anonymous donors.  This was starting to feel this same way.

So we left our prayer time and I went out to make food for the family.  While we were just about to eat, the kids said a car was driving up our driveway.  We live out in the country so not many people ever drive up our road, except for UPS and the occasional person who was lost and asking for directions. I said, joking, if someone drives up here and hands me a check for $3000 I just might faint.

I went out to see who was there, and it was a lady from our own home fellowship group.  As soon as I saw, her I knew.  She had a troubled look on her face.  I said hello and she apologized for not calling first.  This lady lives in Butte about 30 minutes from our house.  I said .... what are you doing here?   She said, the Lord told her to come over to our house and write us a check for $5000.

I just lost it.  I started bawling .. loud.  I ran and got my husband and told him what was happening.  Just so you know ... these ladies do NOT know each other.  But they do both know the Lord.  And why after all this time and all the ways I have seen the Lord move, why does it surprise me so that he hears our cries and tells other people what ours needs are?  She said, I don't know what this is for, but I know I am supposed to give this to your family. 

And as we knelt down together and prayed, she said the Lord told her to write us a second check for $500 dollars to buy clothes and shoes for our kids, and maybe a little toy.  Wow.  I am a very frugal mom.  I know how much I have to spend, and many times with 6 kids, there just is not enough to buy new shoes this week or ... I know you need some jeans but lets look at Goodwill first.  So we really wear out our stuff and wait until we really NEED something.  And here was a check for $500 that we were supposed to go use for clothes and shoes.  It was like early Christmas!

He knows our needs.  He not only gave us the $3000 but $5000, so now it looks like my husband can go with me!  And guess what ... both those other ladies now have decided not to go.  So this trip has completely changed.  If all goes well we will still go to help feed 1000 orphan kids for Christmas.  But we now see this as a vision trip.  We get to go and check out Ethiopia and the village without court dates or embassy dates, and pray and ask God if this is indeed Him calling our family to GO. 

He is an AMAZING God. 

The Invitation . . .

A lot of time has gone by since last I posted ... a lot has happened.  And I can't go back and try to capture it all.  So I guess I'll have to just start where we are.  We have been watching the Lord opening doors before us.  Seems as tho just because we are willing, He is giving us more opportunities to be part of what He is doing.  We have become aware that there is a standing invitation. 

A few months ago we started up our organization, Rivers of Living Water ~ Helping Orphans and Widows in Need.  We thought we'd only be raising funds for water wells, but the Lord had other plans.  We partnered with an organization in Ethiopia that plants churches.  We then partnered with Living Way Orphan Ministry.  Within the first week, sponsors were found for the first 51 orphan kids in the village of Gojjo, Ethiopia by a church in Colorado.  So I asked them to get me the names and photos of the next 51 kids.  We began a campaign to find sponsors for the next 51 kids.

Through Facebook and church the Lord found all 51 orphan kids sponsors.  When that was finished, I thought ... OK what's next?  I was thinking about the fact that there are 1000+ orphans in the village of Gojjo.  What could we do for them?  Then I thought, Christmas is coming, why not raise funds to feed all 1000 kids a Christmas Dinner.

Then I thought .. I want to be in the village to serve the kids.  So we also posted and began to plan a mission trip for the end of December so that we could be in the village that week and serve the kids dinner for Ethiopian Christmas, which is January 7th.  We've had a few people sign up and we are still working on the details. Praying it can actually happen.

FEED 1000 was a great success and within a short time we were able to raise a little over $2000 so that we can feed all 1000+ kids that day.  Now we're working on raising funds to purchase 102 lambs to raise for an ongoing food source for the kids. But somewhere along the line, we realized something else was going on ... there was a deeper call.  An invitation ... to go deeper.  We felt Him taking us to a different level ... And then we knew .. God's asking us if we would be willing to go to Ethiopia .. as a family. Whoa.

My husband went off on a hunting trip and prayed and God spoke to him and confirmed what I was hearing.  Suddenly I was afraid. The very thing my heart longed for was actually happening and I was scared!  I found myself bargaining with God telling Him I wasn't ready to sell my house but I'd be willing to go for a year.  What about our kids?  WE HAVE 6 KIDS and we are in the process of adopting 2 more!   I felt scared of what we would encounter there.  Then I got this revelation .. He was not asking us to GO ... He was inviting us to COME ... come to where He already was ... to join Him there.  Then the peace came ... 

So now what?  We are waiting.  We will need funds to go.  He knows that.  We have nothing.  Our first adoption of 3 kids He paid for completely.  I have total faith that He will fund the current adoption, and when He's ready we will get fully funded to be able to leave and live in Ethiopia for our year.  My gut feeling is though .. it may not just be for one year. 

Here I am Lord ... Send Me!

Ruined for Africa . . .

I love my country with a patriot love, but I love Africa with a love from God.

You shot an arrow into my heart.   It burns deep and it can't be quenched. A groan rises up from deep in my soul.   I'm crying out Lord ... Don't put this in me just to make me burn. Set me on fire ... let me DO something. 

In my town, my voice falls on deaf ears, blank faces. They think I'm obsessed, and wonder when I'll talk about something different. You've ruined me for Africa.