Guatemala Day One

If you haven't given up on my little blog yet, and you still care about what I have to say, this post is long overdue and I'm sorry!  My Blogger has been messing up and I've been real busy.

Just two days after I got home from Guatemala, Mom, Dad, Parker, Meribeth, Sawyer, Emily, KJ, and I headed off to Nashville for the Summit 9 orphan conference!   I had an amazing time in Nashville!  It was such a time of encouragement and learning.  I especially enjoyed spending time with sweet Harper Salem (Adeye Salem's little girl)!  I have dreamed of meeting her since she came home from Ukraine three years ago.  I'm glad to be home now, though.

Back to business-- I'm going to write one post for each of my five days in Guatemala.  Day one:
I actually arrived the night before, but it was late, so I'm counting today as day one.

I got up at 5am because of the time difference and it was SO bright outside!  I just wasn't tired.  I lied in bed for a while and was the first one to breakfast:-).  Since this was a mother/daughter trip, Village of Hope set up devotionals every morning for the moms and daughters.  Since I didn't have my mom, Addisyn Block (Amy’s oldest daughter) stepped in as my mommy for the week!  So we did devos together every morning.  It was a really good time to get to talk to someone so similar to me.  Sure she lives in another country, but our hearts are cut from the same cloth.

After devos we all took a tour of Village of Hope (VOH).  There are two families that live at VOH, the Blocks and the Uchereks.  We got to hear both of their stories and I just got blown away by God's sovereignty.
Everyone on the mother/daughter team was asked to bring shoes, and shoes we did bring!!  Together we brought over 400 pairs of shoes!!  Thank you to everyone who donated those shoes!!  Day one we had to sort all of them into sizes and gender.  Then we had to tie the pairs together to keep them together.  We did that until lunch.  Meanwhile I was loving getting to know all of the lovely ladies that were on the trip.  I just love getting to meet new people, and there were not two families from the same state!  We had a pretty good sampling of the nation at that little village in Guatemala:-).

After lunch we started on some more projects.  Since it was a group of only girls, we got to do some really fun decorating stuff.  We painted all kinds of wall decor for the boys' and girls' rooms.  All the while we were all dreaming of the kids that will look over at their wall and see our handwriting, or our paint job.  It was truly a blessing.  Those projects carried on throughout the week.

A few hours later we packed up and went to the local market in San Lucas.  I got to try lots of traditional Guatemalan foods and see the Mayan women in their traditional clothing.  I loved every minute!  It was just so cool.  I love experiencing other cultures.  I am so blessed to be only 15 and have experienced many different cultures.

We returned from the market and went back to our decor projects.  I got to tell our family's story many times throughout the week.  We had a lot of good talks while making bracelets or tediously cutting out letters.  I got to talk to one mom on the trip who's sister went to Heaven when she was my age, also.  I always love it when I can meet someone who has gone through the same thing.  You just can't say you understand unless it's happened to you.  I don't wish losing your sister on anyone, but its just hard to truly relate if it’s never happened to you.  It's just nice to talk to someone who DOES get it.  She's been there.  I was grateful.

We had dinner and then some free time.  I hung out with some of the other girls and then went out to play soccer.  Some Guatemalan teenagers came over for dinner and then to play soccer. I am no good at soccer (or any sport, really:-)), but I wanted to hang out with everyone, so I played.  It was so funny to have us talk in English and they're asking Kallan and Addy (the Block’s older kids) what we're saying, and then they talk and we're asking the same questions!  Lots of laughs through the language barrier:-).

Every night the team gathered together to have a group devo.  Each night was a different leader.  It truly was a special time to share and learn from each other.  I was so tired, so after devo I went straight to bed.  Addy, Maya, and Aleigha Block were so sweet to share their room with me!  I said goodnight and was asleep before my head could hit the pillow!

To be continued......

Guatemala or Bust!

As I prepare to leave for Guatemala today, I thought I would post the video capturing the work that got me entered into the mission trip giveaway that I won.  Click HERE to watch it!
SO EXCITED!!!!!!!

A Day In The Life…..

Of Mattie Patterson.

People ask me all the time what its like to be a Patterson big kid.  What does my schedule look like?  How do I get school done?  Do I have chores?  Here is a general idea of what my weekdays look like:

Most weekdays, my alarm goes off at 8am.  Meribeth and Ella are just now getting to the schoolroom for their shift in school.  I turn it off and roll over for a few minutes, and then open my Bible for some time in the Word.

At 9am, four extra kids (we provide homeschooling respite for) get here and head to the schoolroom.  I get Selah up and eat breakfast with her until 9:30.  Then one of our helpers (and my good friend), Emily, comes to help us with Selah.  Then I usually take a shower and do my chores.  My chores are things like cleaning the toilets, sweeping the floors, and vacuuming.  I do chores 2-3 times a week, and when I’m not doing chores in the mornings, I spend  time hanging out, visiting, reading, etc.  Sometimes I hang out with Emily and Selah.  Sometimes I assist Mom at a doctor’s appointment for one of the littles. 

At 11:30AM I start making lunch.  I turn on some worship music and sing along as I cook.  At Noon everyone sits down at the table for some good food and lots of laughs:).  The four extra kids join us, and our table is full of conversation.  As soon as everyone finishes, we all clear the table. After the dishes are done, we all play a game of basketball before school starts back up at 1PM.  The girls stay in to do the dishes and then we join the boys outside. 

At 1PM, everyone goes their separate ways.  I take Moses (one of the extra kids) to tutor him until 1:30PM, Meribeth takes Selah for her nap, Remember (one of the extra kids) takes Kiefer and Ella to do a little school work with them, and the rest go to the school room.  After I tutor Moses, we walk back to the schoolroom together.  Then for the next three and a half hours I bury my face in my Physics book and work some Algebra 2 problems.

At 5:00PM, the extra kids leave, and I walk back to the house from school.  Every day, Selah spots me from the basketball court and screams, “Maaaatttttiiiiieeee!!!!!” all the way to me and gives me a big bear hug.  I go inside to help make dinner with the other girls and Mom, and the boys stay outside to watch the littles.  Usually Conner and Cooper are doing some kind of therapy (PT, OT, ST) when I get there, then after Conner’s bath at about 5:45PM the girls have, “Conner time”:).  We all pass him around and love on our squeaky clean little monkey:).  He cracks up as we all ooh and ahh over him. 

At 6PM, we call everyone in for dinner.  Our table is full.  Conversations swirl all around.  Selah, Conner, and Cooper keep everyone alert watching for flying spoons and food!  We do a devo and at about 6:30, we close with a final prayer and we are all dismissed.  We put our plates, napkins, and silverware in the corresponding bins, and Kiefer helps to clear the table  Ella unloads the dishwasher from the breakfast/lunch load.  Dad usually takes Selah, Conner goes up to bed (his school days exhaust him), and Cooper goes to the bath.  The boys go outside and the girls clean up.  At 7PM, Meribeth and I usually go running (:)).  When we get back, we help out wherever we’re needed, or if there’s a fun activity happening we join in.  We take turns putting Selah to sleep around 8PMish.

By 8:30PM, the house is quiet(er).  All of the littles are asleep, or at least in bed.  The big boys are usually team roping, and the big girls sit around and talk.  At about 9:30PM, all the big kids and Mom and Dad round up our popcorn and watch a show or something.  We’ve made it through The Walton's, Little House On The Prairie, Dr. Quinn.  We don’t have network TV or cable, so we watch movies most of the time, but we also have the ability to watch other things online if it’s appropriate.  We LOVE Duck Dynasty!!  Uncle Si is my favorite:).  It is our time as the big kids to relax and spend some time all together.  At about 10:30PM, I fall into bed, but I’m always reading some book that just can’t wait to be finished until another night, so around 11PM I look to my left to see Meribeth asleep, look to my right to see KJ winding down, and then take off my glasses and turn out my lamp.

 

This is just a rough draft of what my weekdays look like.  Ask anyone—everyday is an adventure at the Patterson home!  I love spending time with my family and am so thankful for the helpers that so lovingly serve our family.  I wouldn’t change a thing.  Thank You, Jesus!

Oh, Happy Day!

 

The greatest day in history, death is beaten
You have rescued me
Sing it out, Jesus is alive

The empty cross, the empty grave
Life eternal, You have won the day
Shout it all, Jesus is alive
He's alive

Oh happy day, happy day
You washed my sin away
Oh happy day, happy day
I'll never be the same
Forever I am changed

When I stand, in that place
Free at last, meeting face to face
I am Yours, Jesus You are mine

Endless joy and perfect peace
Earthly pain finally will cease
Celebrate Jesus is alive
He's alive

Oh what a glorious day
What a glorious way
That You have saved me
Oh what a glorious day
What a glorious name
Jesus!

 

On Friday my dad wanted all of the big kids to watch The Passion of the Christ movie.  Most of us had never seen it before, including myself.  I felt ready, but a little nervous (I don’t handle bloody stuff very well:)). 

I got through it and I was shaken.  I think I cried a steady stream of tears the entire movie.  There is just something about acually seeing an almost perfect reenactment (even down to the original language!) that makes it so much more real.  I know they are only actors, but they did a really good job!  What hit me really hard was Mary, Jesus’ mother.  While watching, I just couldn’t fathom how any mom could do that.  She followed Him all the way to Calvary and saw all of His suffering.  She is so strong.  Blows my mind.

I didn’t even know what to pray that night.  My words seemed so pointless and small.  So, I ended up just writing out the lyrics to Jesus Paid It All and thanking my Savior.  I let those lyrics seep into my soul. 

Then at church on Sunday our pastor preached on the blood covenant that God made with us through Jesus.  There is just so much significance to everything!  I learned that the meaning of ‘friend’ in the Bible is, “someone that will always do what’s best for the other, even to their harm”.  Whoa.  We have watered that word down a lot!  That definition makes God calling us His friend even more astounding.  He’s not just our buddy.  He’s our friend.

I am really thankful right now.  Please join me in praising the Alpha and Omega today!

Love and Life

“Where you invest your love, you invest your life.”

-Mumford and Sons (Awake My Soul)

I just love those lyrics.  Mumford and Sons is a secular band, but even they understand that deep truth.  I love the word ‘invest’.  That implies action, and love is a verb.  We have to choose to love, and who we choose to love determines our life. 

I choose to love God.  Because He first loved me.  The rest of my life, well, if my love is invested in Him, then it will be one perfectly wild adventure.

As we celebrate Easter and the most loving sacrifice ever to be displayed, let’s thank God for His abundant love.  Because without it, we would be left to die, with no hope.  But what a glorious Savior we serve! 

Thank You, Jesus, for Your blood that washes my crimson stains white as snow.  Thank You for the love You have so lavished on me.  Help me to love as You have.

My Bug Bug (Selah)

Ask anyone-- Selah and I are BFFs:).  Her first word was ‘Mattie’!  I’ve said before that I love her like my own daughter, which is kind of a weird statement to most people since she’s my sister.  Let me explain:

As I said in my testimony, when Mom and Dad went to Ukraine to adopt Conner and Cooper us kids were left to take care of each other.  Most people would look at that situation and blame my parents for being awful to us for placing such huge responsibility on our shoulders.  It wasn’t like that at all.  My Nana died unexpectedly just three weeks before my parents were leaving for Ukraine.  Since she wouldn’t be able to come stay with us, my parents asked us who we wanted to come help us.  We refused to let anyone come help.  We wanted to hold down the fort on our own, and because my parents’ awesome friend, Stephanie (our school teacher), lives here on our ranch, just a hop, skip, and a jump away, my parents agreed to allow us to stay home.  Stephanie would be here 24/7, but she would sleep in her home, unless we asked her to stay in our home overnight. 

During that time, all I could tell people when they asked how I was doing was, “I have never felt so completely in the center of God’s will.”  There was something so fulfilling about using my hands and feet to really make an impact.  Without us big kids staying home and taking care of all the littles, we wouldn’t have been able to adopt Conner and Cooper. 

I was reminiscing about that time in my life the other day, and I had a revelation.  I kept Selah alive and well for two months of her life!  I was her mommy for that time, and I enjoyed it!  Sure, I was really tired after being up all night, having to go to school, doctors appointments, and all that, but it was phenomenal.  I grew so much in responsibility and maturity. 

I want to thank my parents for being so in love with Jesus that they would have the faith that God would equip us big kids to get the job done, and to leave the country to rescue my sweet brothers!  My life would be so much more empty without the blessed extra chromosome my brothers have. 

Back to Selah, we grew very close in that time.  She is my Sweet Love, Bug Bug, Sugars, Selah Ka-wis, Turkey Monster, Mi Vida, and Miracle.  I adore every inch of her!  I get all emotional thinking about my life if she weren’t in it.  Sounds like a mom, huh?:)  That girl takes my breath away, and I will forever be grateful to God for her life. 

I’ll close with this story:

The other night we were driving in the car and I was sitting next to Selah.  It was all girls and we were listening to the song Call Me Maybe, one of Selah’s favorites:).  She loves to sing, “Call Me BB!”. Anyway, we were all dancing, swinging our arms up and down, and I look over and there Selah is, looking right at what I’m doing and giving it all her two year old self.  She was getting down!  She was trying to throw in her own moves, too, and it was all isolated and choppy, so adorable!!  I almost started crying I was so in love.  She is getting to be so much fun:). 

I pray God blesses you to love someone as I love Selah:).  Children with special needs are a blessing, no matter what anyone tries to tell you!

Words

Before you read this post, please click HERE and be praying for those precious boys!

Proverbs 18:21, “The power of life and death is in the tongue.”

Those are some heavy WORDS.  God has been reminding me so much lately about the power of words.

Most of the time, I don’t like to think about the consequence of my words.  “They’re just words…” I think to myself.  Every word has the power of life and death in it, says the Word of God.  We have the ability to bless or curse in our tongue.  Curses are real, not just hocus pocus.  Why do you think that in the story of Balaam and his donkey in the Bible that they tried so hard to get him to curse Israel?  Blessings are also real.  When we speak positively and encouragingly, we bring forth blessing through our words.  Words are serious.

There’s a new song out by Hawk Nelson with Bart Miller from MercyMe called “Words”.  I encourage you to listen to it if you haven’t already heard it.  What he’s saying is so true.

For a long time I have struggled with controlling my tongue.  I have a very strong willed rudder for my ship:).  I can’t even count how many times I have regretted what I spewed out in my anger or frustration.  In doing a study of James, I was very convicted.  I repented but still struggle.  I cannot control my tongue without Jesus!  I absolutely cannot be what my Father desires in my own strength.  I am forever grateful that Jesus does not leave me stranded!  When I mess up and send some hateful words into the atmosphere, and I humbly admit to my Papa that I have indeed sinned, again, He takes me right back!  It blows my mind.  What a gracious God I serve! 

I don’t ever want to pervert grace, don’t get me wrong.  I desire with everything in me to bring glory and honor to the One who deserves it everyday, and I know God looks at my heart.  When I ask for forgiveness and try (in His strength) to be conformed to His image, He looks past my failures into my heart.  Praise be to God Most High!! 

Will you join me in the fight against our depraved tongues?  Let’s be like Isaiah and admit that our tongues are sinful, but accept His cleansing.  Although the purification process through fire can be painful, we will be able to see our Creator’s reflection in us even more clearly than before.  Let’s take Jesus’ hand and show Satan Who’s boss!!!!