April 30, 2012

::Outside Influences::


Dear Husband,
     
          Today, we have been married for 2 years and 363 days.  As I look back on these nearly 3 years of marriage and think about how the outside influences have shaped and molded us, I find that it's not so easy to see.  Maybe because it's us, and I see us every day. It's like when you don't see someone for a while and they say how different you look or how much you've grown, but you don't notice it yourself since you see it happening so slowly.  It's so slow and minute that it's nearly unrecognizable. Maybe there are others out there, more people from the outside, who can see the effects better than we.
         And although I can't always see them, I'm know they're there.  You see, yesterday, as I sat in church and watched over 30 people make a public declaration of their new lives in Christ with Baptism, I realized that we are all effected by outside influences.  Someone told them about Christ, which led to where they are today.  And much longer before that, someone gave their life for them, allowing them a chance at a relationship with God.  That someone was Jesus.
::Outside influences tend to change the inside, don't they?::
         What I'm realizing is that together, we are the outside influence to so many.  We are outside influences to each and every person we come into contact with. That's a huge responsibility.  And you... you have probably been one of the biggest outside influences in my life.  So much so, that I let you in.  You've changed my life.  You make me more like Jesus.  And I love you.
          Our three year anniversary is just two days away and it's kind of amazing how excited I am. Just the knowledge that I get a whole day of you to myself gives me butterflies and goosebumps and all of the other silly things that come with being in love. I'll save the "Happy Anniversary" for Wednesday, but you should know that I am so utterly thankful for you... every.single.day.

Love,
Your Girl
***         

In addition to linking up with The RunaMuck for Marriage Letters Monday, I'm also guest posting over at Covered By Grace for her Monday Meet Up linky party!  Be sure to go over there and check out what I shared with her readers and take the opportunity to meet some other amazing bloggers!
If you're visiting from Brooke's link-up, I'd love for you to let me know you came by so I can get to know you better! Please look around my blog -- a great place to start is right here

Covered in Grace

**also - don't forget about my Life. On a Mission. Link-up tomorrow! It's a great way for us to keep one another accountable and share what God is doing in our lives or what we are doing with our lives for Him! (feel free to grab the link up button on the lower left!)

April 28, 2012

::Musica::

Feeling down? In a funk? Just plain bored? This song is sure to give you the boost you need!

I usually see these boys when we visit the market in Mexico and man can they belt it out!  I love love love when they come by!  And aren't they the cutest things ever??  *sigh* I love this place.



Riiiight?

I've seriously watched his video about a million times. So much so that my husband gets the song stuck in his head all the time!  Isn't it amazing how quickly you can fall in love with someone?  And over the years these two have dug themselves deeper and deeper into my heart. 

April 27, 2012

::Featured Love::

photo from our first mission trip to India

 ***
Today I want to introduce you to my very first Featured Ad sponsor!
  Debbie @ Tales of the Benedicts is a very sweet gal who loves and supports Missions.  

[Debbie, describe your blog for my readers.]
I first created my blog as a place where I could share my thoughts and feelings.I love to write and sometimes it is much easier for me to express myself through writing. I also enjoy sharing some of the adventures that my husband and I take. I enjoy having a place where I can write down those memories with my husband that I do not want to forget.


[What is God currently doing in your life?]
The one big thing that God is doing in my life right now is teaching me about patience. It is always amusing to me how God puts people in our life to help us work on those areas where we are weak. The last couple of weeks have been a real test for me in learning how to be more patient. I guess sometimes God knows exactly what people to put in our life to help us grow and become more like Him.




Debbie I cannot thank you enough for sponsoring our mission trip to India in this way! It was a pleasure to have you and I am so glad to have you as a missionary alongside me in this venture!!
Make sure you go by Debbie's page and show her some love!


***
If you would like to support our mission trip to India with a Featured Ad spot for the month of May, please email me at 
thewilliamspost@gmail.com

India, 2009

April 26, 2012

::Pieces, Portraits, and Oh So Many Colors::


















*photos from our recent mission trip to Mexico!*
***
Want to sponsor The Williams' Post with a Featured Ad for the month of May? Your chosen donation will go toward our upcoming mission trip to India!

April 25, 2012

::The Black & White of It::


It's black and white, really.


This call to go.  This call to tell.


No shades of grey to be found.


The Word says:


To go into all the world, making disciples and baptizing them in the name of Jesus.

***
In just 9 months we will leave for India. Unlike Mexico, we don't get to travel to this beautiful country often.  The opportunity to share the love of Christ with His creation on the other side of the world is an honor and is something I am so unequipped to do.  I just hope I don't mess it up too much. Good thing for us, God has a habit of using the unlikeliest of people!

If you would like to support our mission trip to India in January 2013, I hope you will consider these options:

[Sponsor] For [your preferred donation] you can support our mission trip and be one of the few Featured Ads on my blog for the month of May!  (Swapping is always free!)  With this Ad, you will have optimum blog exposure with a 250x250 button ad as well as a guest post/interview option!  


If interested, email me at thewilliamspost@gmail.com

[Shop] Looking to make a purchase that has purpose?  Visit my store, Missionary Kerrie's, to check out my line of envelope clutches.  Every penny spent goes directly to our mission trip!  Thanks to so many of you, I'm running low on product and will be working on more this week!  (New Designs/Products coming soon!)

[SPray] Ok, just Pray. But I felt like it needed to start with an "S" to go along with the theme.

Muchas Gracias!

April 24, 2012

::Life On a Mission Linkup: Medical Edition::

It's so hard to know how to post when I get back from Mexico -- how to know what to share -- because there is just so much.  So much that cannot be put into words. So, for today, I'll share with you some pictures from the Medical clinic.


quite possibly my favorite photo of my life.  Two people I love SO SO much. This one is definitely getting framed in mi casa.

Wade working in the pharmacy



One couple donated a ton of reading glasses and I cannot tell you how amazing it was to see the look on people's faces when they were suddenly able to read the Bible.  Simply unforgettable.


Thank you Jesus for giving me good sight. I cannot pull off glasses! hah!


And I must warn you as we get to these next photos that they are pretty gross! Our doctors were so amazing.  There aren't many doctors who would work non-stop for 6 hours with no breaks, not even for lunch, in the hot Mexican sun for no pay.  The personal care these doctors gave is something that people on the Canal don't get often, if ever. 


I told you it was gross! But kinda cool, right?
Overall we saw about 175-200 patients over 3 1/2 days.  But more amazing than that were the relationships built, the love of Jesus shown, the tears shed, the hugs offered and received.  Those were the things that gave the most healing.  Thank you Jesus! You are so good to us.

***
It's your turn! I hope you will join me today in linking up a recent post on how you are living your life on a Mission for God, what God is doing in your life, or what He is teaching you!  Let's encourage one another!  

Life Linkup

April 23, 2012

::Enduring Loss Together::

Well hello there! I'm back from Mexico (again) and like always, it's a bit of a challenge getting back into my life here. All I want to do is be in Mexico.  But life goes on and God has a purpose for me here just as much as he does there. I want to say a huge thank you to those who followed along on my trip, even though I didn't post much, and who commented to let me know you were!  I'm sorry I didn't email back, but please know that I love y'all and cant even believe so many people care about the ministry I'm doing! It's so amazing. 

I promise I have some Mexico posts coming soon, but it always takes me a little time until I'm ready to share them.  I have to come back mentally first.  And besides, today is Marriage Letters Monday with The RunaMuck!  Today's topic is a tough one: Enduring Loss Together.


Hey Babe,
Before we got married, I don't think I ever expected us to endure loss together.  Maybe far in the future when we will one day have to deal with the loss of our parents, but never did I think we would experience loss so early on.  
I mean, we were just married over a year when we loss our first and only child after just 7 weeks of pregnancy.  That was hard.  And only 3 years into marriage when we discovered that, according to doctors, we have zero chance of having children in our future.  That loss was hard too.
But in all of these losses, we have gained so much more.  When we lost our baby, we gained a new level of closeness to each other and to God. And when we learned that we may never have children of our own, we gained the honor of being called to adopt or parent in a whole new way. 
In both losses, we gained prayer.  So many friends and family members praying for us.  In fact, I haven't told you this yet -- but this week while we were in Mexico, Erika laid her hand on my stomach and told me that they are always praying for us.  I believe her.  
After all is said and done, I don't feel lacking in anything.  My life is fulfilled because of Christ.  On top of that, He gave me you. I haven't deserved any of it and I feel so thankful for all He has given me.  I love you so much and can't even believe it most days that I get to have you.  A-maz-ing! I know I fail so much at tell you this stuff.  But I wanted you to know. 


Love,
You're Girl

***
Y'all pray for me.  I always struggle with feeling a little down when I get back from Mexico.  We are just so happy while we are there -- so focused on God and on living our lives for Him every second of the day, building relationships and not living with the distractions of this world -- that it is always a hard adjustment for me for a few days when we leave.  Going to Mexico is such a blessings as it provides so much clarity of God's direction.  Thank you Jesus for sending us there.  Love you guys :)
p.s. Elisha you are the Campus Book Rentals giveaway winner! Congrats!  Email me at thewilliamspost@gmail.com to claim your prize!

April 19, 2012

::Instagram Photodrop::

"The Canal" -- the village we visit in Mexico. Also where Wade and I met.

Daniella and Gabi

Mango ice cream from the bicycle vender!

Alan :)

New letters from mi amigas Paola and Dalia :)
I unfortunately dropped my phone in a big porcelain bowl of water last night (...) and am now phone/instagram/twitterless until Saturday.  But we have had an amazing clinic and treated around 175 people so far.  Today, we party!  We are celebrating by giving out icecream with tons of fun toppings and putting up the trampoline.  Last day.  It's always bittersweet! 

April 18, 2012

::give sight to the blind::


This week the Lord gave my brother-in-law, Quinton, a vision.  (No pun intended.)
Please read this post by him and prayerfully seek out your part in this amazing thing!


***

Luke 4:18-19 has many times been referred to as Jesus' manifesto.  In it he says that he has came to

Proclaim good news to the poor (check)

Proclaim liberty to the captives (people come to the 
Mission on parole...so...check)

Set at liberty those who are oppressed (recovery, check)

Recovering of sight to the blind (che...wait a minute, hmm, not so sure I can check that one)


Now by no means am I claiming to be doing these all like Jesus does everyday.  In fact, I struggle often to keep the main thing the main thing.  But the recovering the sight to the blind has always felt like that was one kept exclusively for Jesus.  Until today.  Enter my friend Richard.



Richard is someone I've grown really close to.  He is struggling with issues in life, but has tons of potential.  He has shown himself a natural leader here at the Eugene Mission and is spending time at recovery meetings and in Bible studies everyday.  He moved off the streets and into the Mission and has began to realize that God has an amazing plan for his life.  One of his big issues is this.  He is nearly blind.  Good news is that it is treatable with surgery.  Bad news, he doesn't have any insurance to cover it.

This brought me to today's idea of bringing sight to the blind.  The procedure will cost $1700 dollars to have his sight fixed.  What if 100 of us out there in the world decided together we would restore sight to the blind.  It would cost us $17 each.  

Here is the 17 challenge.  100 people.  17 dollars.  Sight restored in Jesus name.

I will keep the list and update on here and facebook where we stand.  Leave a comment or email me if your in. I will send you an address to mail the check. Let's do this.  If your blogging I would love to share in this experience together.  Feel free to reword this and see who is interested.  

Just from talking to people today as I write this the 17 list has began.

***
Q wrote this post just yesterday.  Today, that goal was met.  Upon learning this great news, they discovered that the medical persons had misquoted and it will actually cost $3,000.  This goal is still reachable! And we need you to do it! Can you give $17 to give a man sight? This is the same miraculous God we serve, who promises sight to the blind.  You can be a part of a miracle.  Email Q at qwilliams@discoverlifepoint.com to pledge your donation and be added to the list!

April 17, 2012

::Eli's Backpacks - Life. On a Mission::

via
That's Eli.  And to celebrate his 1st Birthday, he gave up his presents and instead asked party-goers to donate backpacks with school supplies for kids in Mexico.  

during my last trip, 3 weeks ago

yesterday
If a one year old like Eli can live life on a mission, so can we!

Here's this week's challenge: give something up for someone else.  Sacrifice to help others. 

I'm having a fabulous time in Mexico! I wish you could all be with me. I really do.  I may post a few photos here or there during the rest of the week on the blog, but am really looking forward to going into more detail with you all!  So far, we've had the clinic open for one day and are expecting a great turn out the next few days as well! Keep us in your prayers!

Now it's your turn.  Link up  below so we can encourage one another with what God is doing in our lives, how God is using you, or how you are living your life on a mission for Him!

Life Linkup



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