Another Karren!

We had a lot of firsts with the Celebration Team! It was the first time I have ever taken a group on a home visit where the family gave the sponsor a chicken as a thank you gift! It was the first time I have been a part of a baptism at Rio de Vida church, and our daughter, Arryn, was one of the baptism candidates. To hear her declare her love for the Lord and her desire to leave the world and all it offers behind and live totally for Him was an incredible honour to witness! We participated in a parade through Tactic. All 1100 of our students and 100 staff marched through the streets of Tactic to celebrate the 10th anniversary. I have never been a part of something like that!

I think, although, the most shocking first was when we took the group to the hospital to visit the children and new moms. I brought a small gift to one mom and chatted with her a bit - I am so thankful I am learning more Spanish! - prayed with her, her husband, and her parents and then moved on to the next bed. A couple of minutes later, the grandpa asks me my name. I was thinking he wanted to know which ministry we work with so I gave him my name and Impact Ministries' name. He asked me to say my name a couple of times, so I did, and then he said his daughter was naming his granddaughter after me! Can you believe it! What a surprise. That is for sure a first! I went back to the bed and sure enough, the mom wanted to name her daughter after me. The group all pulled out their cameras and I became "Grandma Karren."

For me, at first it seemed silly and a bit over the top, but as I thought about it, the Lord really spoke to me about gratitude. This new mother was so grateful for the small gift and the few minutes I spent talking and praying with her, she wanted to show me by naming her precious baby girl, Karren. I have a lot to learn about gratitude. How thankful and grateful am I for the blessings of the Lord in my life. Sure, I face challenges and trials, but when I look at the big picture, I am so outrageously blessed. I want to show the Lord my gratitude more. I want to love others with no alterior motive, simply because the Lord loves me.

Blessings,

Karren