Take up your Cross and Follow Me

When He had called the people to  Himself,  with His disciples also, He said to them, “Whoever desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.  For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake and the gospel’s will save it.  For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? -Mark 8:34-36, NKJV

It's 3:15am...it feels like tomorrow is the first day of school, or the first day of college, the night before Christmas, my birthday morning, the night before my wedding, maybe even the day before my first job...the feeling of anticipation. Something good is going to happen to me. The shifting of all that once was into what it is that will be. I see it as a stepping stone, a marker, a line in the sand, a time in my personal history that I can look back and say "This truly changed me." And it's a little scary, a little unexpected, a little terrifying, and a little exhilarating all at the same time. You see, I'm used to routine. I'm used to having all my necessities and my luxuries, eating when I want, sleeping when I feel tired, making my own schedule, and being prepared. I've looked at the pile of clothes to be packed, random toiletries and necessities, food and snacks...the contents of the things I absolutely cannot live without. What if my luggage gets lost? What if I get sick and can't eat? What if I'm asked to speak in front of a crowd and I don't know what to say? What if I get malaria, yellow fever, meningitis (insert name of other deadly sounding disease here)? What if I forgot something really important? What am I going to do on the plane for so long? These are the honest questionings and anxieties the night before I leave for Ghana, Africa. I wonder if these are some of the questions the disciples had when Jesus asked them to follow Him. I believe "taking up your cross" means letting go of your comfort, your routine, who it is that you have been and trading it in for who you will be. It's a stretching, a painful process at times. Unfamiliar, uncertain, unknown. Because...when you choose to follow God, it's a little scary, a little unexpected, a little terrifying...but mostly exhilarating. Because...you know He will go with you, you know He will guide you, you know that you have angels protecting you every step of the way, you know He will give you supernatural strength and rest, you know He will speak every needed word to the person who needs it, you know that miracles can manifest when you step out in faith, even when slightly terrified, and say "Yes" to the things of God. It's not easy, comfortable, foreseeable, planned, prepared, or expected...but I'm okay with that. It sounds riveting. Because something good is going to happen to me. And I can trust that God has me covered. Because even though carrying His cross isn't easy, the journey is way more exciting and liberating. For those of you that would like to pray, my goal is to post about the trip periodically while we are there. I leave today at 4:15pm, e-mail me at mary.clairemarshall@gmail.com if you would like a copy of the itinerary. Thank you for your support, encouragement, and blessing. I thank God for this opportunity and cannot wait to share the amazing things He does in the people of Ghana...and in me.

"I have nothing to wear."

"Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes?" Matthew 6:25

“I have nothing to wear.” Ok ladies, tell the truth, how many times a week do you say these words? Once, twice, maybe three times? I made an astonishing and appalling discovery yesterday. I had been reading a book a dear friend gave me in preparation for our upcoming trip to Ghana, West Africa entitled “Katie’s Kisses” by Katie Davis. It tells the story of an eighteen-year-old woman who leaves her familiar home in the United States to live among the poor, sick, and orphaned in Uganda, Africa. Not only does she abandon everything she knows as a “traditional” American girl, she decides to work as a Kindergarten teacher and also in an orphanage. Oh yeah, and there’s this little part about starting her own ministry which now helps educate over 400 children and adopting…13 children starting when she was only eighteen…as a single woman. I read the entire book in one day. I cannot remember the last time I did that. What amazed and humbled me about this book was not just its remarkable story, but the sincerity and passion within the author’s heart that permeates every single thing she does…even to this day.

My discovery was simple, yet life-changing yesterday. I have not written in this blog for quite sometime. I did not have much to say, much to share. All I knew is that I would be going to Africa. You see, even God has made some radical changes for me. Many of you that know me well have discovered that I did not go to Africa in May, but that I am preparing to go the end of September, September 24 to October 1. Because God always has a plan, a Divine purpose. We were asked to take a private, separate trip from Faith Academy. Because God always has a plan. We were invited to take a trip to focus on the blooming ministry that God is creating to change a nation. We are starting the journey of developing wells in Africa to those that are sick and thirsty. We will be satisfying physical desires yes, but God always has a plan. We will be learning and giving much, much more. I did not realize that until last night. I knew it in my spirit, but it had not quite connected in my mind yet. God is using me to change a nation because He always has a plan.

I said all of that to explain to you the discovery I made yesterday. Even though this was part of it, the last part was somewhat humiliating and humbling all at the same time. As I was reading that book yesterday, I was dreading the impending chores that I always post-pone until my Sunday afternoons. I knew I had mounds and mounds of laundry to wash, fold, and hang up. I knew I needed to clean my dirty house and prepare for the following work week. Unfortunately my day of rest never quite seems to be restful. But God always has a plan. I stopped in the middle of my reading, reluctantly, but knowing that I had more to do on a Sunday than read the day away. So I began folding, washing, hanging up all of the clothes I possess. And God gave me an interesting task, to count. Like I said, I was appalled at the discovery I made. 85 dresses. 71 shirts. 28 sweaters. 11 skirts. 26 pairs of pants. 34 jackets. And this didn’t include the clothes still left in the laundry, my undergarments, my sweatpants and t-shirts and pajamas. No, I counted a total of 255 articles of clothing. And I say I have nothing to wear. If I combined my clothing just so, mixing my pants and shirts and skirts and sweaters I could go more than an entire year WITHOUT EVER WEARING THE SAME THING.

Wow, you’re thinking, this girl has issues. Who really needs 255 articles of clothing. Bingo. You got it. That was the discovery. Here I was loathing the chores of my daily life, oblivious to the fact of how truly blessed I am. The author discussed purchasing clothes for the children in Uganda. For some of them, it would be the only clothes they would have. But God always has a plan. And today, he used something like a two-hundred-and-something page book to teach me about what it means to be humble, genuine, and selfless in the kingdom of God. I don’t know yet where that will take me, but man, I am certainly learning that I must be prepared for every challenge that is yet to come. I recognize that I’ve said too much about myself in this blog today. After all, I am a counselor/therapist by trade and am told to always give “appropriate self-disclosure.” Those are fancy words for “don’t give TMI.” But sometimes God allows us to see our weaknesses so that He can be made strong, that in realizing our own imperfections and flaws maybe He can change us for the better. Because He always has a plan. But do we accept it? Do we respond to the plan, that little voice inside that tells us “You can do it. I’ve got you covered.” My decision is “YES.”

He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation.” Mark 16:15

For those of you wanting to contribute to my upcoming trip, I am pleased to say that God has made a way and my trip costs have been taken care of. But there are ways that you can help.

1. Pray for our team. That God will continue to challenge us to go beyond ourselves in preparing for the good work that is coming.

2. Pray for our upcoming ministry. Our heart is to serve the people of Ghana and provide them with clean water. More information will be available as God’s perfect timing comes.

3. Allow God to convict your spirit to challenge your own American way of life. Is it clothing, dinners, or fancy cars that blind you to the suffering of others? I’m not saying that God does not want us to be blessed, but that there are many distractions in life that capture our thoughts, emotions, and desires. Jesus did not ignore the suffering--just pass by when they begged for healing or food. No. He fed the 5000, healed the sick, and blessed those who were poor. Because he knew they got it. They understood. They had nothing in this world that would distract them from the goodness of God and how much they needed Him. What’s your excuse?

Now when he saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to him, and he began to teach them, saying:

“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.

Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.

Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.

Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.

Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God.

Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Matthew 5:3-12

The Road Less Traveled By...

The Road Not Taken

"Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,

And sorry I could not travel both

And be one traveler, long I stood

And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;

Then took the other, as just as fair,

And having perhaps the better claim

Because it was grassy and wanted wear,

Though as for that the passing there

Had worn them really about the same,

And both that morning equally lay

In leaves no step had trodden black

Oh, I marked the first for another day!

Yet knowing how way leads on to way

I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh

Somewhere ages and ages hence:

Two roads diverged in a wood, and I,

I took the one less traveled by,

And that has made all the difference."

-Robert Frost

     This poem has always been one of my favorites. As I write this, I am preparing in two months time for a journey to Ghana, West Africa. I am embarking on an adventure that is both exciting and terrifying as I step out in faith and trust that God is in control. For certainly, a trip to Africa is "the road less traveled by" for many. As Americans, many of us become so enwrapped in our own lives--the hustle of everyday deadlines, finances, and obligations--that we don't usually consider the challenges of others. And even though I had been on mission trips before, "Africa," I thought, was for "more experienced missionaries." But God works in mysterious and amazing ways. In May 2011, Pastor Joshua Holder from Ghana came to my church and shared an account of the challenges of village life in Ghana, West Africa. He reported that many villages do not have access to clean water sources and must use local mud holes to find water necessary for survival.  Many are infected each year with life threatening parasites and other diseases. Upon hearing this I was immediately filled with compassion and recognized that there must be something even I could do. 

     Over the past ten months myself and others have been praying and set plans into motion to begin a non-profit ministry that will generate funds to provide clean water solutions for our brothers and sisters in Ghana. Our overall goal is to help fund the process that will build and restore water wells in these villages. It is certainly a leap of faith and a "road less traveled," but God is leading us. One of our steps in this process will be going to Ghana, May 30^th through June 9^th.  We will have the opportunity to see the villages, the mud holes they drink from, and the smiling faces of a truly incredible, resourceful, and courageous people. We will also have the honor of working on the first “Faith Academy International School.” This school will teach students who are unable to pass the 9^th grade Basic Education Certificate Exam a trade.  Students who don’t pass this National Exam are forced to the streets to find work at a young age.  This school will give students a hope and a future to learn the skills needed to become a carpenter, a mason, a seamstress, or even a hairdresser so that they can take care of themselves and their families.  The first class will open this fall, and we will be a part of history in Ghana! 

     The team will take part in construction/advancement of the school, visit villages, award scholarships to village students, repair an area village school, and hold open air services.  I feel blessed to be part of this incredible work, but this journey has just begun. I have chosen the path "less traveled," not only physically, but also spiritually. The unknown can be scary and as I stand today, I have $3000 to raise in less than 2 months. I have a passport to renew, medical expenses, and tickets to purchase. I praise God that I'm not doing this alone and I know that as I write to you, family members and friends, your hearts are being stirred as mine was. There are many things that you can do to help me in this exciting journey:
1. Please pray for the team and I as we prepare for this trip. Please also pray that the hearts of those in Ghana will be opened to God's work in their lives, that they will be expectant of the good things to come.
2. If you desire to financially support these efforts, your tax deductible donations can be written to “Hearts for Missions” and sent to:
Mary-Claire Marshall
15069 Tanner Williams Rd.
Wilmer, AL 36587
I am also working on creating a PayPal account to make it easier to donate.
3. Join us the the effort to generate funds for the trip. There are many upcoming fundraisers that I will be part of to help raise the money needed for this trip. I will continue to post information of ways that you can help.

     Thank you so much for your support and love! I will continue to post updates here on the status of my trip, along with additional details. Please leave a comment if you have any fundraiser suggestions or any additional information that may help me. I am excited about this journey and know that God has incredible and life-changing things in store!