The Lord blessed me with 1 daughter. She came into this world when I was only 19 years old, so in just a few short years, she'll have been around for more than half of my life. I gotta tell you, I can't imagine life without her. I am so grateful for who she is and how The Lord uses her. Of course we have our tough moments, but usually it's because she chose to read a book instead of doing whatever it is that I wanted her to do. :) A parent really can't complain to much if excessive reading is the worst offense from their teenager.
We had a stage in her life that she did the sports thing and was quite successful. Here's a flashback to those days. We made this for the end of year program for her 2nd year (she was in 1st grade).
Yes, Raegan did the competitive cheer thing. She was actually quite good at it. In first grade, we flew to Baltimore, Maryland for her team to compete in the World's competition. By third grade, she was competing at the highest level allowed for her age. She went through a few broken limbs,mental blocks, and hours of challenging practice every week. It was actually an unexplained hand pain that countless doctors could not diagnose that caused her to give up tumbling. I'll never forget the last competition. She came off the floor at NCA nationals and immediately broke into tears from the pain. We'd already been seeking medical help for months to no avail. That year's last competition was cancelled for unrelated reasons and she didn't want to continue with the pain, so she never competed again. (just FYI, it was never diagnosed but through therapy and immobilization, the pain finally went away) Those were fun years, but none of those accomplishments are even close to what brings me the most pride as her mom.
She went on her first mission trip at 10 years old, and she was the only child on that trip. We served in South Dakota at the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation with Wings as Eagle's Ministries. She helped with the kid's club activities, helped with the construction project, and whatever else was asked of her.
When she entered middle school, she started singing as part of the worship team in the youth group, Merge. She has continued to do that over the years, being on the rotation schedule as one of the worship leaders.
Just this month she finished a class called Perspectives on the World Christian Movement. It is actually a seminary level course that college and lay people can take all over the world. As an alumni, I can visit the class anytime, so last year I took Raegan with me to hear a guest teacher who's story I wanted to learn more about. She left that night saying that she wanted to take the class. We looked into it, and, all though it hadn't been done at her age before, there was no rule against it. She couldn't get college credit, but she could attempt it at the certificate level (pretty much the same thing but no midterm or final exam and half the cost). So, we enrolled her and in January, she began the course. Last week she submitted her final assignment, an integrative project. She chose to do her project on an unreached people group in Uganda. She hasn't gotten her grade back yet, but she was doing well in the course, so I'm sure she'll get her certificate.
Of course, if you know anything about the StanClan, you know she's been to Uganda a few times. From the very first trip to the very last day, she never ceased to amaze us. Her care for the people, dedication to the work, and communication of the Gospel was well beyond her years. So many times she was able to communicate with individuals that the rest of us could not reach. She has her own logic and a sensitive nature that allow her to reach further. Like when one man said he had a bad experience with a Christian, so he couldn't become one, and she said, "well if you have a bad banana, do you throw out the whole bunch?" That made sense to him and put it in a simple term that pointed out the silliness of his argument. Or another guy that said he needed to talk to his friends first to see what they thought. She said, "do you ask your friends before you eat? Do you ask your friends before you go to sleep?"
This very weekend, she is bringing to fruition a dream that she's had since 1st grade (back when those first pictures were taken). She went to Camp His Way her first time that year, and came home saying someday she'd be a Levite. Camp His Way is run by the owners and a team full of volunteers. They don't pay any staff and this keeps the costs down for families to be able to send their kid to camp. Raegan turned in her application back in March and this weekend she's at CHW training to be a Levite for the summer.
I know this year will be exciting for her, as she's serving at CHW as many weeks as they'll let her AND she's taking her very first youth mission trip. She's never been on a trip that wasn't planned for adults and done with me there. She's going to New Orleans with other youth to serve in a homeless shelter, do some home reconstruction, and share the Gospel with anyone they get the chance to love on. She put in her own money from savings and babysitting and helping at a garage sale, so she only has $250 left to be fully funded on that trip. We're deep in preparations to move to Uganda later this year, so her experience in life tells her that God will provide. (on a side note, if you want to make a little donation to help her finish off that $250, you can go here: http://bit.ly/RaeganNewOrleans I'd love for her to come home from CHW and find out she's fully funded!).
So, what makes me the most proud of her? My goodness, it's so simple, yet so amazing! Her love for the Lord is inspiring. Her willingness to follow him is even more inspirational. Thinking about her brings a lot of things to mind, and one of them is 3 John 1:4 - I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth. As my daughter, she is well aware that my only desire for her is to know the Lord and do His will. In that, she makes me the proudest mom I could ever be. My cup overflows!
Here are a few pictures of our time in Uganda for your enjoyment.
We had a stage in her life that she did the sports thing and was quite successful. Here's a flashback to those days. We made this for the end of year program for her 2nd year (she was in 1st grade).
 |
| Here she is helping with mud and tape. |
When she entered middle school, she started singing as part of the worship team in the youth group, Merge. She has continued to do that over the years, being on the rotation schedule as one of the worship leaders.
 |
| She's the one in the middle of the stage. |
Just this month she finished a class called Perspectives on the World Christian Movement. It is actually a seminary level course that college and lay people can take all over the world. As an alumni, I can visit the class anytime, so last year I took Raegan with me to hear a guest teacher who's story I wanted to learn more about. She left that night saying that she wanted to take the class. We looked into it, and, all though it hadn't been done at her age before, there was no rule against it. She couldn't get college credit, but she could attempt it at the certificate level (pretty much the same thing but no midterm or final exam and half the cost). So, we enrolled her and in January, she began the course. Last week she submitted her final assignment, an integrative project. She chose to do her project on an unreached people group in Uganda. She hasn't gotten her grade back yet, but she was doing well in the course, so I'm sure she'll get her certificate.
 |
| Experiencing the life of a woman in a Muslim culture during class. |
Of course, if you know anything about the StanClan, you know she's been to Uganda a few times. From the very first trip to the very last day, she never ceased to amaze us. Her care for the people, dedication to the work, and communication of the Gospel was well beyond her years. So many times she was able to communicate with individuals that the rest of us could not reach. She has her own logic and a sensitive nature that allow her to reach further. Like when one man said he had a bad experience with a Christian, so he couldn't become one, and she said, "well if you have a bad banana, do you throw out the whole bunch?" That made sense to him and put it in a simple term that pointed out the silliness of his argument. Or another guy that said he needed to talk to his friends first to see what they thought. She said, "do you ask your friends before you eat? Do you ask your friends before you go to sleep?"
This very weekend, she is bringing to fruition a dream that she's had since 1st grade (back when those first pictures were taken). She went to Camp His Way her first time that year, and came home saying someday she'd be a Levite. Camp His Way is run by the owners and a team full of volunteers. They don't pay any staff and this keeps the costs down for families to be able to send their kid to camp. Raegan turned in her application back in March and this weekend she's at CHW training to be a Levite for the summer.
I know this year will be exciting for her, as she's serving at CHW as many weeks as they'll let her AND she's taking her very first youth mission trip. She's never been on a trip that wasn't planned for adults and done with me there. She's going to New Orleans with other youth to serve in a homeless shelter, do some home reconstruction, and share the Gospel with anyone they get the chance to love on. She put in her own money from savings and babysitting and helping at a garage sale, so she only has $250 left to be fully funded on that trip. We're deep in preparations to move to Uganda later this year, so her experience in life tells her that God will provide. (on a side note, if you want to make a little donation to help her finish off that $250, you can go here: http://bit.ly/RaeganNewOrleans I'd love for her to come home from CHW and find out she's fully funded!).
So, what makes me the most proud of her? My goodness, it's so simple, yet so amazing! Her love for the Lord is inspiring. Her willingness to follow him is even more inspirational. Thinking about her brings a lot of things to mind, and one of them is 3 John 1:4 - I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth. As my daughter, she is well aware that my only desire for her is to know the Lord and do His will. In that, she makes me the proudest mom I could ever be. My cup overflows!
Here are a few pictures of our time in Uganda for your enjoyment.
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| No greater joy!!! |
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