Home Sweet Home

It's been a couple days now since the World Missions Department and the team we had in Guatemala have been back in L.A.
We got back to the Dream Center around 2 AM on Thanksgiving night.

No words can describe the intensity of the month we spent there.
It was heartbreaking, incredible, touching, hard, amazing....People were healed, lives were saved, individuals were changed.
There are so many stories and moments that it's hard to think about writing it all.

I don't think I will ever have the same view of things again. Its so different to spend time in a place that is so desperate for so many tangible things and spiritual as well. But they don't know how to get it. We go down and we help. We do what we can and we pray for God to move, and He does. But then we leave. I find it a very hard thing to deal with that we go for a small amount of time and then we just leave. Its a struggle to remember that God calls us places and He asks us to do as much as we can in the time we are there and then the rest is up to Him. He will bring more people to water the seed you plant, but it's a struggle, huh?

I am amazed at how God works. Had I not been at The Dream Center for the time I was and experienced the things I did before going to Guatemala, it would have been an extremely unsuccessful month for me. Would God have still succeeded? Of course. But would He have accomplished what he wanted out of my life? Doubtful. He had been preparing me for that long before I knew.

Be careful in tough situations. Every choice we make affects our next opportunity and whatever you are going through now, God is preparing you for something bigger. Buckle up. The ride is sometimes bumpy...but the people you meet, the chances you get, the blessings you get to give...make it so worth while. God is big. Don't forget He sees the whole picture when we see just a cropped version.

love,
Shan.

P.S. JOY OF CHRISTMAS Is right around the corner!! Order advanced seating so you get great seats, the show is going to be amazing and you wont want to miss it.

Turkey and Thanks

In a couple days it will be Thanksgiving. I cant believe that!!

I wish we could all take a moment every day to think about all the blessings we have been given, instead of just focusing on it once a year.
Have you thought about that lately?
Have you told your kids how much you love them today or your wife or husband?
Have you looked at the food on your table and thought, "wow I am blessed that I can have this"? Have you looked at the place where you live and thought about how blessed you are to have somewhere safe to go home to??

It's easy, as humans, to be unsatisfied with what we have or where we are in life.
It's easy to look at the things other people have and wish we had them.
I have only been out of highschool for a year and a half and in that time, and since coming to the Dream Center as a volunteer, God has shown me so much.
How can you see a child working in a dump, barefoot, sick and starving and still be selfish enough to wish you had more?? Personally, I am finding it hard to do.
Maybe this week and this holiday season, instead of focusing on the stress or the presents or the lights...we should focus on something a little more permanement.

Can we look past what we struggle with to see what we have been blessed with?
Can we see our families that love us, or our friends that challenge us? Can we see God's provision in our lives and trust that He has everything under control? Can we see the sky a little bluer and smile a little bigger?

YOU ARE ALIVE!!!
You have the opportunity to do ANYTHING with your life...Dont waste it.
Be Thankful that God has placed you where you are at for a reason and He knows better than us what is good for us.
Notice your blessings, because not everyone is fortunate enough to have those blessings.
Enjoy your Turkey and eat an extra scoop of stuffing for me!!

Shan