Finks, Guppies, and Moonshining

I have been on the road for the past two weekends! Wahoo! The title of this blog post relates to a car ride conversation that involved DINKS, YUPys and Moonlighting - and my propensity to get the names wrong/mixed up! I hadn't heard of Double Income No Kids (DINKS) before Lori Long mentioned it in the car I asked if they were kinda like guppies? or are they called wuppies? puppies? I couldn't recall but texted Dad who asked if I was thinking of Young Urban Professionals? Yuppies! That was it! Way to save the conversation Dad ;) Of course then Lori wanted to make sure I didn't forget it was DINKS and not something like FINKS or SPHINX or anything else for that matter :D I told her that the first time I tried to use the term "moonlighting" I actually said "moonshining" - obviously not quite the same thing :D

 Well, so that's the title! Now about my trip!

While staying with the Atkins, Shirley invited me to a Titus Women's Discipleship Summit in Ohio the coming weekend - April 19-21. It sounded like fun and she offered to come and pick me up on their way over - she and Jen, and Melissa, and Holly were all going and I'd be more than welcome to join!

This was perfectly timed as I had a few days of R&R from the Olney trip and a bit of a break from speaking engagements that pick back up on Friday! I will be going to Washington state for a week and a half to fund out there :D So exciting!!!

The Titus Women's Discipleship Summit - "Living Holiness - your fulfilled calling" was a huge blessing! I am so glad that I was able to attend! We arrived at The Amish Village Inn with blue skies and a drop in temperature! It was gorgeous!

When we checked into our rooms we received a welcome packet with name tag and a small gift bag full of goodies!!!!

I really felt the impact of God's Living Water washing over me. At one point I was just sitting there listening and noticed a little fountain that they'd set up at one of the main tables. They'd used little kerosene lamps on all of ours but the main one had a big lamp with a Bible and this beautiful running fountain - I was touched not only with it's beauty but it's symbolism.

The whole weekend was not only a blessing but a filling up - just a reminder of God's love for me! I am His daughter - a daughter of the King, a princess, adopted into His family and delighted in! Hemwants to lavishly love me - to pour out His richest love and holiness on and into me. The question is: Am I willing? Am I ready? Am I expectant? do my eyes look to Him as the Psalmist describes in Ps 123:2? (Behold, as the eyes of servants look unto the hand of their masters, and as the eyes of a maiden unto the hand of her mistress; so our eyes wait upon the LORD our God, until that he have mercy upon us.)

One of the key chapters for the conference - at least the one that meant a lot to me was Isaiah 62 (I'll let you look this one up for yourselves ;D)

We put our own names in for Jerusalem and Zion - how precious this chapter became to me almost instantly. I especially appreciated the way that Stephanie Hogan described verse 3: "He won't rest until we lay down all to become a crown of beauty in the Hand of God to say to the world - 'Look. Look at Elida. Isn't she beautiful? Doesn't she just shine?'" Wow. This was such a special God-moment in my life - especially when I stop and remember that just days before in a phone conversation with a friend I had said that sometimes I just have to look in the mirror and say: "You are beautiful. So don't fall for the first or second or third guy that tells you this truth. Say it so you know it and realize it for yourself." Before getting off the phone she said to me, "Oh, Elida...you're beautiful." we both laughed - I think it may become a new sign off :D So how precious, how absolutely wonderful, that God gave me some of the most astounding verses from His Word telling me that I am beautiful! 

Olney - Home of the White Squirrels

I was in Olney, Illinois the weekend before last (April 13-15) - Home of the White Squirrels!

ROUSes? Rodents of Unusual Sizes? Looks like they are romantic too! who knew? ;)

This is what they really look like :)

Aren't they cute?

I met and stayed with a wonderful couple - the Atkins - they had a cookout at their place for me and I was able to share testimony and fellowship with some MFMers and people from the community - it really was fun! They had a welcome cake and everything!

Their oldest daughter, Jen, asked if I remembered her? We'd met sixteen years before in Haiti when she'd come down with her sister and Dad - I didn't - but we had a lot of teams come through when I was growing up!

Here we are sharing the last piece of the ice cream cake :D

We got to talking afterwards and found out we have a lot in common - so much fun to meet new people and make fast friends - I'm really nervous about meeting people for the first time but it was great the way we fell into easy conversation.

So thankful to Ken Milone, my funding coach for setting up this whole trip!!!

I spoke at the MFM Council meeting on Friday morning - as I don't like mornings and had been up late the past few nights I was very thankful to God that everything went so smoothly!!! Then it was down to Carmi for an informal visit with some of the Milone's friends and out to lunch at a Mexican restaurant! An intern from MFM from a few years back, Trevor Fornwalt, lives in the area and came to the breakfast and then we picked him up for lunch too!!! It was great to hang out with him a little bit - he's just graduated from HS and is looking forward to starting college but his heart is in the Ukraine - so the next week he visited OMS in Greenwood to work out some details as to when he can go back and took me to downtown Indy for some fun and pics! Friends make life so much less dull, don't you think?

Back to Olney, I got a short nap before the evening. Busy, busy, busy! - and I felt so tired - even after the nap. I called a prayer partner and after a short conversation and some prayer was able to face the next part of the trip - I just really needed His strength and endurance. And He gave it - I left the little office room I'd been on the phone in - going in completely drained and feeling like a wooden dummy and coming out feeling so refreshed and ready for my speaking engagement...still a little nervous - but ready to jump in! I shared at the First United Methodist Church (FUMC) where Emmaus Walk was having a sort of reunion/testimony/dinner time! They'd had the Walk the weekend before and from what I understand this was just a sort of get together of those who'd gone through it past and present. There was a beautiful time of worship after an amazing potluck meal and then different people shared testimony of what God had done in and through them both on the walk and since they had returned to 'normal' life. Then the Pastor of the church - Pastor Scott - introduced me and I was able to share for about 10 minutes. I really liked that I had been able to hear some of their testimonies first...kinda gave me a better idea of who my audience was and see how God's been working in and through them :D

Then back to the Atkins for some one-on-one fellowship/unwind time - before heading to bed before the start of another busy day!

Sunday I spoke at FUMC for 10 mins and then we headed across town to Grace Evangelical Church where I shared in the Women's Sunday School and then again in their main service. Pastor Scott at FUMC gave a wonderful introduction - wish I could take him with me everywhere!!! Wow - really understands faith promises, and the ministry I will be doing in Haiti :D

We had a few technical hiccups at Grace - but it worked out in the end :D

This trip was so much fun, got to meet new people and was overwhelmed by two things: 1) The fact that though I didn't know any of them they'd been praying for Nate and 2) Their generosity - I went from 56.2% funded to 58.4%!!!! Lots of special gifts, but at least one monthly supporter and I think that others will come on board too! Praise the Lord!