This is a guest blog post by Karlie Schmid, one of my beautiful nieces (sister cousin aunt).
It is more than a soccer ball.
It’s fresh morning air and seeing smoke puffs coming off Pacaya in the morning.
It’s the never-ending supply of coffee.
It’s the fresh tortillas with every meal.
It’s the glass bottle cokes and laughs at the tienda.
It’s hiking up a mountain with your food pack following your community guide.
It’s sitting on a rickety stool talking to a new friend in their kitchen and praying for their family.
It’s long walks to the lava fields.
It’s sharing a queso pie from McDonalds with your best friend.
It’s the giggles when everyone else is sleeping.
It’s teaching 40 kids to do the cotton eye Joe.
It’s getting beat up playing “football” with them while they stomp us.
It’s the hunger for the Father that can’t be quenched with worldly desires.
It’s swapping phrases in Spanish and English while playing cards until lights out.
It’s walking through Antigua and seeing Carlos and getting a free bracelet “for a pretty lady”.
It’s the feeling of home in a place where your biological family doesn’t reside.
It’s seeing the way Christ shines through their eyes when they encounter us.
It’s being the hands and feet of Christ.
It’s time spent actually slowing down long enough to experience God.
It’s realizing that this is a glimpse of Heaven.
I don’t see people that need “saving” from material things. It’s more than that. It’s more than the materials we “gringos” bring down on the container. It’s more than a soccer ball. Or bounce houses. Or birthday candles. Or CPR mannequins. Or a deck of uno. It’s not about “saving” them from the situation, it’s about opening a conversation about the One who can give them eternal life.
For example, in 2022, a mother came to the camp one evening in distress about her daughter. The caretaker of the camp came and got the nurses on our team. Me and two other nurses went to her house to check on her daughter. We found out once we arrived that her daughter had an ectopic pregnancy and just got home from a 6 hour round trip bus ride from the hospital. She was in significant pain and was very worried. The nurses with me checked her out and we gave her supplies to help the pain; then we prayed over her family. Once we arrived back at the camp, we prayed again. Since she was so far from a hospital, we were worried about her stitches and possible infection, but with the little resources we had we did what we could. In 2023, when I arrived at Pacaya and was settling in, I saw her. Or rather she sees me and one of the nurses that was with her that night a year prior. She walks up to us beaming and holding a beautiful baby. She remembered us as the women who prayed over her health and safety; she remembered the love of God in that moment.
Why do I go?
I go because I’m called.
In Matthew 28, Jesus gives the instruction of “go therefore and make disciples of all the nations”. I knew from the first time I stepped off a plane in Guatemala City, in 2012, that these people and place would mean more than my 14-year-old heart could understand. And I was right. I didn’t get the opportunity to come back to Guatemala until 2021, following the most difficult time of my life. I stepped off the plane, yet again, and met the same smiling faces I left in 2013. I was met with surprise, elation, and lots of questions. “Is that Karlie?” “Where are your braces?” “You graduated high school and college? “How is your family?” to “I’m sorry about your mom” “we never forgot you or your family”.
Now at age 23, I felt my heart start that steady rhythm that I was finally back home – but it wasn’t the place. It was God speaking to my broken heart. Speaking to me that He never forgot me. Reminding me that the girl that stepped off the plane eight years prior, with stars in her eyes about being on first mission trip, was still in there.
That is what “go and make disciples” is about. It’s about the love of Christ that breaks every barrier. Spanning across continents, across time zones, across years. You may not want to cross the ocean or even the street, but sometimes the simplest things can open a conversation about Christ.
To support Karlie and the Guatemala mission, please send via Venmo to @Karlie-Schmid.
All day every day we run the race of life. We push for more. We fight for more. We fill the schedules with every school event, work event, sports event, church event, you name it there is an event screaming for your attention. As women, we do our best to make sure all the details are covered – food, clothes, extras - presents, parties, special moments and don’t forget every small detail needed for school so the kids aren’t left out or made to feel silly. We are like little mice running a wheel all day long. Then when there isn’t any running, the necessity of making sure all the clothes are washed, dishes are clean, sheets are laundered, floors are swept and of course those pesty bathrooms. And I haven’t even begun to mention all the additional demands if you also work outside of the home. Oh, and let’s not forget exercise and diet control. That is a HUGE FACTOR as well. AND kids needing dental work, doctors’ appointments and the never-ending calls for more. More of everything. Constantly pulling at the mind of a mother. And then the kids get sick, work becomes more stressful than normal, family members suffer from major life altering moments, and your home becomes under siege. And never forget the strong desire of your heart to teach your children the intimacy of a living and breathing walk with God, as well as, protecting your own intimacy with the Father.
The demands on a woman are great. The demands on a man are great – while I watch and see those pressures from afar, I will never do justice in speaking to them with clarity and entirety. For that reason, do not hear me dismiss the demands on a man. They are strong and they are great. Men of today are dismissed and made to look inferior, weak and unintelligent. That is the furthest from the truth. Our men should be respected, honored and revered. Even at times when we feel they do not deserve it.
Women today add too many extra pressures to their hearts, minds and souls. I am the chief among them. We are constantly taking care of so many and still trying to take care of ourselves with a good amount of zeal and purpose. Sometimes all of it is just too much. Have you ever wished you could just stop the madness and the chaos? Have you ever considered stopping it all? Have you considered redefining your days, weeks and missions with a different viewpoint or foundation?
This summer, our family did just that. Not perfectly, but at least began to put one foot in front of the other to make our world look different again. This summer, we felt led to return to a place that shook our American Christian foundation as young adults. We knew the Lord desired us to visit with Cheryl Spence at Jesus Centered Ministries in Leon, Nicaragua, and lend her a helping hand with the orphans and the cleft babies she is helping with. We started our preparations. One week later, the Lord provided all of the money we needed to for our family of four to go. We casually mentioned this to our “best couple friends” and they shared their church was planning a trip to the same place at the same time. We knew the Lord had orchestrated this time for such a time as this. And if anyone has read any of my other blogs, you understand that the number 26 holds significant meaning in my spiritual walk. The departure date was December 26. The story about the 26 (https://wordpress.com/post/heather-haley.com/516). And here we were, going to Leon after fifteen years to love on a people we hadn’t seen and honestly allowed ourselves to forget about.
As I have been in Leon this week, I have been driven to the book of Joshua for my daily study. During Joshua’s farewell address he speaks so passionately from his heart on so many points -
After a long time had passed, the Lord gave rest to Israel from the enemies around them.
He reminds them that even though they fought, it was always the Lord who had fought for them.
He speaks truth to them that the Lord will keep His promises and drive the enemy out before them so that they will take possession of their promised land.
He encourages them to “be VERY strong; be careful to obey all that is written without turning aside to the right or to the left.”
He cautions the people not to associate with the nations that will lead them astray and guide them away from their purpose and mission.
He speaks to them about how they have been stronger and mightier warriors solely because the Lord gave them the win. He is the One fighting for them and He promised that He would.
BE CAREFUL TO LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD.
If you choose not to love the Lord, then understand fully that the punishment that comes with that – He will stop fighting for you. The nations around them will become “snares and traps” for them.
YOU KNOW WITH ALL YOUR HEART AND SOUL THAT NOT ONE OF ALL THE GOOD PROMISES THE LORD YOUR GOD GAVE YOU HAS FAILED. EVERY PROMISE HAS BEEN FULFILLED; NOT ONE HAS FAILED.
He speaks of serving the Lord – with all faithfulness. All faithfulness does not mean you sign up for every job needed at the church office. All faithfulness means you sit and be still and hear Him guide you and your home into all fullness and mission. You hear Him speak your mission and your calling to you.
And now to the most powerful point, in my opinion, in this text and farewell message from Joshua –
“But if serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.” Joshua 24:15.
BUT IF SERVING THE LORD SEEMS UNDESIRABLE TO YOU.
In my entire Christian life, I don’t believe I have every paid much attention to the first nine words of this verse. We quote and embroider the rest of this verse, but how often do we incorporate that first section.
BUT IF SERVING THE LORD SEEMS UNDESIRABLE TO YOU.
Does serving the Lord seem undesirable to you? This is a true, genuine heart question. Is this something you have honestly no desire for? As a Christian, I feel there are many reasons that you can lose your desire for the things of God. Also, if you are not a Christian then you cannot desire the things of God – it is not possible. I know in my own journey, the last three years have challenged me in what I believe about my God. I was always a person who fulfilled her days with the busyness of church and ministry. I won’t say my heart wasn’t in the right place and that I was being intentionally disobedient. I know in my own convictions that I was following as I was being led in my service to Jesus. And I walked intimately with Him. And then the loss of my sister in 2020, struck a new chord in my journey with my Saviour. In that moment, my service to the Lord stopped and my service to my family began. In my opinion, I wasn’t serving the Lord anymore, which couldn’t be further from the truth. Maybe, I have never served the Lord more fully. Or more intimately. But in these reconstruction years, my desires have been challenged. There have been days that my relationship with God has been distant – through my own making and lack of focus and attention. And through that foundational fracture, my service was not desirable. When we are not in the Word of God, the Truth struggles to take root and our service is stagnant. And then we look at all of the areas of our lives that might not be the focus area He wants us to see.
When Joshua speaks this to the Israelites, they are being bombarded with the gods of their past and the new gods in their present setting as they both compete with the One True God. This statement and challenge is not different today. We still face the demons and desires of the gods we served in our past and present day. Did we deal with addiction before Christ? Did we suffer from depression or bitterness before Christ? Or what about the constant need to be busy? And in our present settings, what are the gods pulling for our attention? Is it the push to always go above and beyond at the workplace? Or the desire to constant be on your cell phone when your kids are sitting beside you longing for your eyes? The idea that the gods we face are different is a false idea. Anything that takes your focus and attention away from the One True God is a false god. It is a competing god. What is grabbing for your attention that takes you away from walking in the fullness of God.
And let’s not forget the final point I found in Joshua 24 – “Israel served the LORD throughout the lifetime of Joshua and of the elders who outlived him and who had experienced everything the Lord had done for Israel.” But what happened after that? Once the people who had experienced the Joshua era of the goodness of God had died, did they continue to serve? When Joshua challenges them to choose this day who we serve, he is asking that because he is wanting them to make their worship and relationship their own and not just following the faith of the leaders above us and around us. Is your faith and your worship true and real to you? Or are you just mimicking the worship of those around you and those who lead you?
This trip for our home was to reset and recalibrate our focus and our purpose. This trip was to redefine the mission of our home as our own, not as one defined by the leaders around us. This mission was to follow the fullness that God has for us, the Haley family. Our purpose is already spoken in the Heavens by our Creator, we just have to listen.
If you are looking for a place to reset and serve – Cheryl Spence in Leon, Nicaragua, with Jesus Centered Ministries is a great place to start. Reach out and I will be glad to introduce you.
Today, determine if you desire to serve. Choose Who you are serving. And learn as a lady to relax and walk in the fullness of His plan and not your schedule.
says my little boy, Joel. On October 10, 2023, just after hiking to Blood Lake near Park City, Utah, my son chose to join his family in giving his life to Jesus Christ. If you know Joel, you know he is as genuine and literal as they come. And incredibly vocal. About everything. He has wanted to become a Christian for a few years now – always asking questions and wanting to do what we all had done. But these last few months, he has really been intent on making his desires known, but when we would get to the point for him to pray, he would ask to wait. Not this time.
We have been blessed since the moment we met Joel Nathaniel on July 26, 2016, at St. Mary’s Hospital NICU. Since that sweet day when we unexpectedly brought home a one-week-old baby with 26 hours’ notice from the Lord. That first day when you needed us for love beyond compare and to hold you tight as you faced your unknown challenges. To check out the full story of Mr. Joel, see this link: https://wordpress.com/post/heather-haley.com/726.
This story of salvation is one that has been a short while coming. Joel has always asked the deep and thought-provoking questions of life and faith. He always wants to understand every angle of a situation. He is incredibly passionate about everything he does, but very sensitive and gentle about all things related to the Lord. Our family has experienced many losses of loved ones in his short little life and I think that also has given him a deeper understanding and desire to marvel at the things about Heaven and God. His journey and short little life seems so unfair at times as he has experienced so many things taken from him – in a very short time period.
His drive, passion and purpose are magnified in many ways. His intelligence is unique (at least to me 🙂 ). He has a big mission on his life to accomplish anything the Lord directs him towards. My prayer is that we can direct his passion towards his God-given path so that he can run full speed with the mission the Lord has for him. On December 17th, 2023, at Fairview Baptist Church he followed in believer’s baptism. Much like what you saw in the New Testament after believer’s gave their lives to following Christ.
Both of my children have accepted Jesus as their Saviour on hikes in the mountains. Georgia in the Smoky Mountains and Joel in the Rocky Mountains. I know the Lord has a story in that for me – I just don’t know it yet! Soon, I am sure.
In the sweet words of Joel’s salvation prayer, I leave you with this – “If I see You, I will be happy. Jesus, You are the Saviour of everyone. No one can go to Heaven except through You. So many people have gone there, and I would like to go there too. I lay down my life as your servant in Christ. Amen.”
