Dream... or dust?

This morning my mind started to dream.  I was thinking of something and I began to envision "what could be".  This dream began to get bigger and bigger as I imagined where it could go.  Then suddenly I stopped.  I paused the whole scene in my mind.  I said, "Wait a minute.  Am I dreaming too big?"

I've been down a road like this before.  I've had dreams.  I've imagined big things.  Ministries and projects and things that would have impact and be life changing.  I had plans.  I saw it all in my mind.  There is a whole group of those dreams all corralled in my mind and they have one thing in common: they never happened.  It was my own fault I'm sure.  I never had the follow through or the commitment to actually do the hard work of making my dream come true.  Maybe it was my own deep seated doubts in myself that made me admit defeat when I had barely even set foot on the battlefield.  Whatever it was, as I sat there and dreamed this morning, it was this reality and proof from the past that came calling.

"Is it possible to dream too big?"  I asked myself.  "Won't this dream just be like all the others?"  The others, which when exposed to the scorching sun of reality, turned to dust and were easily blown away?  "What will be different this time?  Why should I think this will be any different than all the rest?"  The real question is, am I any different this time?  Will I make this happen?  (Assuming this is something God wants me to do.)

Psalm 37:23-24 says:
The Lord makes firm the steps
    of the one who delights in him;
24 though he may stumble, he will not fall,    for the Lord upholds him with his hand.
I think that sometimes we miss a path of greater blessing simply because we are unwilling to venture outside of the well worn ruts of our daily lives.  Can we be something greater?  Can we do greater things?  Can we dream bigger...  and then can we make those dreams happen?

I am not discounting the grace and hand of God.  It is not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit says the Lord.  We are his instruments.  He breathes into us, he supplies the power and makes the music.  However, we are instruments with a will.  We can refuse to turn on, or to open ourselves to new music.  We can choose not to believe that THAT kind of music could ever come out of us.  We can assume that all we were ever made to be was something simple and plain, while God is waiting to breathe a symphony through us.

Change is scary.  What if I fail?  Change requires us to put our will & our strength into each step that it takes.  We must choose to allow ourselves to become the instrument of God's choosing.  We surrender and we say, "Here I am.  God use me."  Then we take the next step.  God comes and supplies the strength we are lacking.  He provides outcomes beyond our expectations.  He provides lessons in the journey that we never knew we could learn.  And all along the way he is right beside us.  Holding our hand.  Saying, "It's OK child.  I'm here and I will never leave you."

Will my dream happen?  Am I dreaming too big?  I don't know.  But I'm not letting go of this dream yet.  It could happen.  I am making the decision to open myself up to something new.  I am going to try, and not be afraid of failing.  I will leave the outcome to God.

Have you tried dreaming lately?

Happy New Year!
Lisa

Here We Are

On Monday Kelly left for Rwanda.  Right after Christmas a team from All God's Children International will be arriving in Rwanda.  Kelly will be working with them and all the Christmas parties they will be throwing for our ministry and other local ministries.  She made her plans to go to Rwanda early because she had the time off school and she wanted to be able to make the most of her trip by spending time with her family and friends before the team activities start.  It was a long journey, including an overnight in Washington DC, but she made it (and all her luggage too)!  Next, this coming Monday Mike will be leaving to join her in Rwanda and prepare for the team's arrival (the team heads to Rwanda on December 26th).

It is going to be strange to have the two of them missing on Christmas Day.  We prepared for this by having our own "Mini Christmas" with them on December 16th.  But I have still resolved in my mind that next year we will ALL be together on December 25th!

Last month we had the wonderful blessing of being able to take a family vacation to Orlando, Florida.  (Thanks to frequent flier miles and my mom's timeshare.)  It was cold and busy (only 4 days to spend in 4 parks of Walt Disney World) but we had a lot of good times!  Nice that my mom could join us too!

All this talk about traveling, but there is one thing that has been on my mind for a long time now.  I want to be able to go back and be in Rwanda again.  Not to move there, but to have a long visit.  Like a month or two.  The kids do too.  Mike and Kelly have both been back for the annual Christmas parties, but the rest of us have not. The problem: finances are an obstacle.  $2000 plane tickets x 6 people = a lot of money.

A few weeks ago Nate was telling us that he had been talking to his teacher about when they come back from Christmas break.  He told her he would not be there because he was going to be in Rwanda.  Nate is just sure that if he wants to go he should be able to go!  He got teary eyed when we told him that he just couldn't go right now.

I wish that I could figure out a way to raise enough money for all of us to go to Rwanda next summer.  I'm just not good at that kind of thing, neither is Mike, and I'm not sure what to do.  Please be praying for us.  In addition to the strong desire we have to be back in Rwanda, there is also the possibility that a US family will be moving to Rwanda this May specifically to work with Ten Talents International.  It would be great if we could be there to help this family get their new life and work in Rwanda established.  Again, please pray!

As an aside, all the kids are doing well in school and working hard.  Mike's (project manager) job is busy and sometimes stressful but we thank God for it.  My job (part time office manager) is going well and sometimes I pick up some full time work on the side (which makes life extra busy but always help with the expenses of a large family).  We have all been pretty healthy and we have so much to be thankful for.

I hope your Christmas is full of the peace and wonder of Emmanuel, God with us.

May God Bless You,

Lisa

I will not be satisfied.

Right now, in this season of my life, I find myself focused almost exclusively on my family and my home.  I work part time (usually, sometimes full time) and most of the rest of my time is spent taking care of my family.  So, it's easy to understand what occupies my thoughts.  I think about my family.  My mind is active and I think about what they're going through, what I want for them, what I can do to help them, how I fail them.  All of these things go through my mind.  There is one overpowering thought that keeps pounding in my heart and it is what my heart longs for.

I will not be satisfied.  I cannot be.

I will not be satisfied with my children living a "normal" life.  We are not a "normal" family.  God has called us out and shown us amazing things.  He has used us and we have seen the great things that he can do.  My heart cries out, "Status quo just won't do!  My children were put into this family because you have something more for them!  Bring them into the fullness of your will for them.  Help them to walk in the light and full revelation of your plan and purposes for them.  I know you want to use them.  They will touch many lives.  They will be world changers."

I will not be satisfied unless my children have an amazing walk with God.  Going to church on Sundays and knowing the truth is not enough.  Being a "good" person is not acceptable.  Making choices that line up with the Word of God is only the beginning.  I expect and I declare that my children will have an amazing faith filled life.  I want them to have an amazing faith that sees the things that are not, and calls them as though they were.  I want them to have an amazing anointing on their life, that all across the pages of their life you see the echoes of Isaiah 61:

The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is upon me,
    for the Lord has anointed me
    to bring good news to the poor.
He has sent me to comfort the brokenhearted
    and to proclaim that captives will be released
    and prisoners will be freed.
 He has sent me to tell those who mourn
    that the time of the Lord’s favor has come,
    and with it, the day of God’s anger against their enemies.
To all who mourn in Israel,
    he will give a crown of beauty for ashes,
a joyous blessing instead of mourning,
    festive praise instead of despair.
In their righteousness, they will be like great oaks
    that the Lord has planted for his own glory.

You will be called priests of the Lord,
    ministers of our God.
You will feed on the treasures of the nations
    and boast in their riches.
 Instead of shame and dishonor,
    you will enjoy a double share of honor.
You will possess a double portion of prosperity in your land,
    and everlasting joy will be yours.

Whatever power I may have in my life, whatever love and passion for God, whatever unwavering faith, whatever boldness, whatever wisdom... my prayer for my children is a double portion of whatever I have!  I want them to taste and see that the Lord is good.  And then once they've tasted to come back for more, and more, until they become so thirsty and desperate for him that they jump in all the way!  Holding nothing back, no reservations, all their hearts, soul, mind, and strength.  I will not be satisfied unless they have a passionate love affair with the greatest lover of all time.  I want their passion for God to be consuming.  More powerful than any pull of this world, more powerful than any fear or shame that may try to cling to them.  I pray that NOTHING will be able to cling to them because of the power of the cross so greatly at work in their lives.

I will not be satisfied unless they receive and drink deeply from the lover of their souls.  I want them to receive the love that heals every wound, silences every fear, crushes every lie, and fills every cell of their being with power and joy.  I want them to be baptized in the Daddy love of God.  I want them to know they have his full approval in every moment of every day.  I will not be satisfied unless they know this in their core.

And if I see my children falling prey to the lies and chains of this world, I will not be satisfied until they are walking in the freedom that God intended for them.  Sin will not be their master!  Money will not compete for the love of their God!  Time will not be wasted on gainless pursuits!

My prayer for them is that they would forsake everything else and leave behind everything that entangles and run with abandon the race which God has set out for them.  That they would have the faith to believe what I believe about them, that they ARE world changers.  Not that they are going to be world changers, but right now, right where they are, they ARE world changers!  I know God has placed within them everything that they need to see more than they could ever imagine.  No eye has seen, no ear has heard, what God has prepared for them.  Exceedingly, abundantly more than they could ever ask or think!

I will not be satisfied unless my children experience the real and powerful touch of God in their deepest, innermost being.  That they would know that walking with Christ is real.  That the Holy Spirit is real.  That they will experience his presence in a tangible way that would ruin them for anything "ordinary"!  That they would experience the reality of God's power.  That the hand of God would touch their innermost parts, and that like Jacob, they would never, ever be the same again because of the touch of God.

I cannot, I will not, be satisfied with anything less than this for my children.  This is the inheritance that I ask of God for my children.  How can I give them this inheritance?  Is it present in my own life?  I ask God to give me more of what I am asking for my children, so they will see it in me and hunger for more in their own lives.  But even where I fail and I fall short, I pray God makes up for what I lack.  I pray that we would be a family set apart.  In this world but not of it.  That we would stand out as "strangers" here.

This is my heart's cry for my children everyday.  Do I see it happening yet?  Like Elijah I think I see a cloud the size of a man's hand, but I believe that an outpouring of rain is coming!  I do not see the answers to my prayers yet, but I believe in the power of prayer and like the widow who would not let the judge rest until she had justice against her adversary, I will not rest this prayer.  Ever.  It is my heart's cry and it always will be.

I will not be satisfied.

In Him,
Lisa

P.S. to my children:  do you believe that God listens to your mom's prayers?  Then you better get ready because God is gonna pour out all over you!

We walk by faith, and not by sight...

Right now Mike (Sr.) & Kelly are wrapping up their last few days of a 2 1/2 week trip to Rwanda.  They left on December 27th and met up with a team from All God's Children International.  The first week was spent putting on several Christmas parties.  Now that the team has left Mike & Kelly are taking care of other things.  Mike has several things to accomplish for Ten Talents Rwanda, please be praying for God to help him, give him wisdom and grace, and to guide everything.

There have been a lot of changes for Mike in the last 2 months.  In November he wrote this letter to our supporters:

Dear Friends,

As I prepared for another trip to Rwanda, I said good bye to my ill father and reassured him that it was ok to stop fighting death for his family’s sake.  We knew he was in extreme pain because his heart and lungs were failing, and it just felt selfish to ask him to hold on any longer.  So after saying good bye for what I knew was the last time, I boarded a plane and headed to Rwanda to visit someone else whose heart was failing. Only, unlike my father who had lived a long full life, this was just a child.  As I stood before him in the hospital room, his mom next to him with tears in her eyes, I couldn’t help feeling like I was ready for a fight of my own.  Not a fight with flesh and blood but with the kingdom of darkness that was trying to take this child’s life.  So, while it was painful to hear that my father had passed away the day I arrived in Kigali, it made me all the more determined to see this boy, Benjamin, healthy again.   Through a series of miracles, Benjamin received a heart valve transplant in the Sudan and made full recovery.  He is able to celebrate in vigorous dance and play soccer with others his age. Now a little over two years after surgery, you would never believe he was the same person I saw in the hospital room.

I am so grateful to God and to our supporters for the opportunity todevote all of my time over the last four years to the ministry of Ten Talents International.  So much was accomplished: new programs were started, new staff were hired and trained, children were rescued, the lives of families were changed, the hungry fed, and supporters added to the team.  All the while, God provided in miraculous ways. 

There is no doubt in my mind that He is not done yet.  He has more great things planned for TTI and Rwanda.  So, while I am not ready to say, “It is finished” - I do believe “Mission accomplished” is in order.  Nearly five years ago, I heard God say to me, “Now is the time.”  I knew he meant, “Now is the time for Rwanda, and now is the time for me to devote myself full time to the work he had called us to.”  With my wife’s full support, I stepped away from a great career as a union carpenter working for a reputable company, to take a leap of faith.  I was believing that God would provide, and as I have said, he did provide in miraculous ways. 

Because of the things that God helped us accomplish, the staff we were able to put in place, and the training we were able to provide to that staff in Rwanda: I believe it would be in the best interest of the ministry if I now step back from a full time position and find employment elsewhere.  This will free up resources that could be put to use in other areas that need them. 

The last few weeks I have been working as a union carpenter, and I am not sure how long the work will continue, but I am confident that God, who has always been our provider, will open the right doors.  I am still very involved with the continuing ministry of Ten Talents in Rwanda, and I will still lead short term mission teams to Rwanda at least twice a year, but I will be asking Lisa to take on more of the day to day responsibilities around the TTI office.  This ministry is not slowing down, in fact we believe that God is going to enable it to expand and deepen, as it is His desire that more hearts and lives be changed for His kingdom.  The nation of Rwanda is still a ready and ripe harvest field.  As we show them the compassion of Christ we believe their hearts will be opened to the truth of his salvation.

If you have any questions about this transition, please feel free to send me an email or give me a call.  Of course we would greatly appreciate your prayers for our family and for the ministry.

God Bless You,

Michael McColm

We praise God because Mike was able to work all the way until just the week before Christmas, which gave him some needed time to get ready for the trip to Rwanda.  Now we are praying that God will provide work for him to step back into when he returns, and that it will continue.  We thank God for his favor & provision.  

We appreciate your continued prayers for our whole family as we walk by faith, and not by sight, pressing onward towards the goal that God has set before us!

God Bless You,

Lisa

Where am I?

I mean, really, what has been going on, right?  Well, I am still here.  I survived (and my family survived) me working full time (sometimes more) for half of August & all of September.  I spent a week or so after that just catching up & now I am trying to get some things done in my house.  I have asked God to help me create more of a "home" here.  You see, although we have been in the house we share with my dad for the last several years, most of the time we were here for a few months (a year was the longest) and then in Rwanda for some time, back and forth.  I have not felt like I was "home" for a long time.  Bit by bit I am trying to make this place feel more comfortable & welcoming.  It is not my natural talent, but by God's grace I believe it will get better.

The kids have been busy with school and activities.  Kelly is in the busy-ness of college.  Michael Jr. is enjoying football & has a few more weeks left.  KaLia is in school band and drama club.  Nate gets to just enjoy being Nate!  We just celebrated his 9th birthday- amazing!  We celebrated KaLia's 14th birthday is September.  They are all getting used to their schools and starting to make friends there (keep them in your prayers for all of that).

On our way back from camping this summer.

We have all gotten to the point where we miss Rwanda now.  Even Nate asks when we can go back so he can visit his friends.  I miss the people there & just being there.  I am not ready to live there again, but I would really like to be back there for a visit.  Kelly has been hoping that she would be able to go with her dad and the team when they go in December of this year.  She has been trying to raise funds & hopes to find a way to get there.  I would love it if all of us could go visit sometime soon, but the money to do that is a pretty big mountain...  although I know that's what our God does is move mountains!

I am planning to start another part time job (if all works out) November 1st.  We would appreciate your prayers for our family finances as well.  We are praying and asking for God's direction as well as his provision in the area.

God has been so good to us & we are thankful for all he has blessed us with.  We have a great family (extended included), fantastic church, good schools, amazing friends, meaningful ministry and more.  It is not easy to manage the ministry in Rwanda while being half way around the world, but we trust & know that God knows what He is doing.  It's all His work anyways, we are just the caretakers.  Thank you for traveling with us in this amazing journey of life here on Earth (with our hearts fixed on heaven).

God Bless You,
Lisa

P.S.  I finally updated the page that used to "Family Wish List" and now it is "Family Prayer Requests".  I mentioned most of them here in this post, but if you want to visit the page you will find the link on the upper left hand side of the blog.  Thank you!


P.P.S. for those of you who receive these blog posts via email I just realized that the blog title on those emails had my old (like 2+ years old) title- back when it said Mike, Lisa, KaLia & Nate... and our family has changed since then!  I have corrected that error so now the email title matches the blog title- we are the McColm family- all 6 of us!

You Must Be Busy...

Yes, I am!  We have been back in the USA since June 2nd, and although I have been very glad to be back home and with our friends, family, and chuch; life has been very busy!  Managing a household of 7, catching up on medical/dental appointments, getting school details taken care of (including college), and just the busy-ness of life have really kept me going non-stop!

It's amazing that we are already part way into August.  Mike has been in Africa for the last 3 weeks & thank God he comes back home on Monday (finally)!  In a few weeks our daughter Kelly will start her new college life- lots of excitement and nerves for her!  The rest of the kids start school a few weeks after that.  Congratulations to Kelly on passing her driving test & getting her driver's license today!  Big step!

Our son Michael has finished his 6 week summer school course at Portland Christian High School.  Lucky for him his class included lots of field trips to places like the Portland waterfront, Multnomah Falls, and downtown.  He will start school at King's Way Christian High School on September 5th.

KaLia and Kelly had a lot of fun visiting their Grandma Julia in California.  They wanted to go on their own & have some "girl time", which they did!  Now I need to schedule some "boy time" with grandma too!

Nate has been SOOO happy to be back in "America".  He has been eating all his favorite foods (non-stop it seems) and watching lots of movies!

I have been looking for a job for a few weeks to help supplement our family income.  Just yesterday I started a temporary job working for a company that translates documents for elections.  We proof read the formatting and make sure it matches the original.  Thank God for the job & I hope we are able to balance this new commitment with all of our other family needs as well.

God has been good to us & although life is busy He is leading us to good places!
Thank you for your prayers for our family's adjustments to school and new surroundings.

God Bless You,
Lisa

Our family arrived safely in the USA late at night on June 1^st.  It has been an amazing journey to bring us to this point in time, and we are thankful to God for bringing us every step of the way.  Shortly after arriving here we took a tour of what will be Michael Jr’s high school, and the school graciously allowed Michael to join in their summer basketball league.  It has been fun for him to get involved in the basketball team, meet some of his classmates, and become more familiar with his new school.  He also started his summer school today.  He will be attending summer school over at a Christian school in Portland, working on English and social studies.  We still have some home school classes for him to finish up before he starts 10^th grade in the fall, so please be praying for us to get that all done. 

Our daughter Kelly got some exciting news recently as well.  Concordia University in Portland accepted her application.  This is a private Christian university in North Portland.  We still have to figure out the logistics and finances for it all, but we feel like this is something great that God is doing in Kelly’s life and we trust that He has a plan for all of it.

We have enrolled KaLia and Nate in the public schools near our house.  I know there is still a part of KaLia that wants to be at school with her best friend, but it is comforting to hear her talk about *her* new school (calling it hers) and I trust that God has good things ahead for her there, as well as for Nate at his new school.

Please continue to pray for our transition.  We are all adjusting to a new culture, new surroundings, new way of living.  Pray for us to be comfortable in our new roles, and for our kids especially to make connections and good friends here.  We are also dealing with the limitations and constraints of 7 people (we live with my dad) sharing a 3 bedroom, 2 bath house.  It’s a bit tight!  I (Lisa) have been feeling a bit overwhelmed with trying to get everybody & everything situated in our new place, and all the details of life for 6 different people.  Please pray for me to feel like I’ve got my feet under me & my head on straight!  J

I am so grateful for all the God has done in our lives.  Amazing to think that just two years ago we were a family of 4 wondering how we would get ourselves to Rwanda, and look now where God has brought us!  What he has done is amazing & we trust him to take care of all of our needs for the future.  For his glory!

Blessings,

Lisa

P.S.  I wrote this on Monday, then on Tuesday we got a letter in the mail letting us know that 75% of Kelly's college tuition is eligible to be covered by grants- praise God!!!  Earlier that day God had told me that he wanted me to just accept his love, and this is just another blessing from God showing us how he loves us & wants to give us good things!