More Than a Plane Ride

After hiking up a hill and a few small paths we finally arrived at her home. She invited us in with a smile on her face excited to finally have visitors. I couldn’t stop wondering how a woman so lonely and suffering so much could be so joyful.

We walked into what we would consider in America as a broken down shack, consisting of a room and a bathroom the size of a small pantry. The smell in the room was awful, potent and hard to ignore. There was nothing but a hardwood floor that looked like it was installed by children. There were no cleaning products, no vacuum, no couch, and no television. Only a small bed, a wood stove for warmth, and a table that you might find at a dump.

Her hands were worn and beat up, resembling old farmer’s hands and it was obvious that she was suffering from the constant pain of arthritis. I asked the translator to ask the widow how she kept warm during the winter. The widow looked at her and replied, “It’s simple; I hike up the mountain and cut the wood down.” I was amazed by how lightly she took this extremely hard task that occurs every other day. She went on to show us the handmade basket that she had made for carrying her cut firewood. I was completely blown away!

To give you an idea of what I saw let me put this all in perspective for you. This woman was around 80 pounds, fragile from head to toe. The hike up the mountain from where she lived was about 2-3 miles. Baskets full of cut wood can weigh up to 50 pounds. That is more than half of her body weight. On top of that, the winters in Cavnic last around six months. You can only imagine what that does to your back, legs, and feet. After she was done showing us her basket that she was clearly proud of, she asked us to sit down and enjoy something to eat.

In their culture it is extremely rude to refuse a gift or gesture so we smiled and waited. I was so captivated as I watched her prepare this small meal for us that I took a picture of her. As I watched her prepare the food for us I was humbled and my heart started to break. A woman, who truly had nothing, was preparing a meal for me! In that moment I realized that God was trying to tell me something. “How could I not help those in need?” Right then it was clear that this was not just my calling, but that it was my duty as a human being to take care of those who are in need.

That moment changed my life and I will remember it as long as I live.
Jared Teska

New Blog by Delana! Go to Delana's Notes

COMING SOON...Jared Teska's journey to Cavnic.

I Had To Stop

The other day, as I was driving home from work, I saw this lady walking and pushing one of those tall carts on wheels.  It looked like she had groceries in the cart.  It was a really cold and very blustery day.  The wind was just brutal.   Where my office is, it is commonplace to see people walking.  Some are homeless, pushing carts with their possession in them.  Others are on their way somewhere.  But never, have I ever had the urge to pull over and give someone a ride.

This time, something was different about this lady. Or more than likely something had shifted in my heart.  I had this strong urge to turn the car around and offer to give her a ride.  I wrestled with my thoughts.  Thinking:  "Really?  What's up with that"  "I've never had this kind of thought before"  "What if ... ?"

But I did.  I  turned my car around and pulled over near her.  I pulled up slowly, smiled really big and asked "Would you like a ride?  It's so cold and windy.  Can I give you a lift home?"  It was her eyes that I remember the most.  She was elderly and had a beautiful smile.  She graciously declined the offer to squeeze into a little VW bug with her groceries, saying that her home was just a 1/2 a block away.  But those eyes!  They were bright and blue.  There had to be stories galore behind those eyes.  I found myself just wanting to talk with her.  To ask her about her life, her stories.  But, I pulled away and really was near tears because I felt that I had just missed out on someone wonderful.

So, I prayed as I drove on.  Asking the Father to bless her as He saw fit.  It also made me think of others that the Father sees and I don't.  It was a moment of grace and awareness all rolled into one.


From Delana's Notes...

Who's Gonna Play Scrooge?

As I suggested in my last blog, I'm not tired anymore. That's a good thing as we head into the holidays --- Christmas and New Years. We are spending time with family and friends here in NorCal.

Christmas was pretty much a blessing for me growing up. I had everything I needed and pretty much wanted. Not everything of course, my folks weren't indulgent but we didn't lack.

Byron's Scrooge moment

Since that time Crystal, Kate and I have had Christmas' that were not abundant and the table was trim. It has never been empty nor lacked a present or two under the tree.

There was one year I tried to play scrooge. That was wrong in lot's of ways and it ended poorly, with me scrambling to the tree lot hoping and praying for a decent tree to bring home. Glad that went away quickly, as are Crystal and Kate.

Today, I am thinking about how many people won't experience a Christmas with family and friends. That's a sad thing. It's unfortunate and something that we can help with...we can be looking for opportunities. Not all widows and fatherless are in other countries. Some are right here in our midst and we can help. Maybe there is a single mom needing an extra gift for their child. Maybe a widow on your street, at church or work who might need that little extra help this month. It's not a lot, even $10 or $20 can be a huge blessing to someone without. Consider doubling your tip to the local waitress at your favorite restaurant (I've had some amazing God encounters giving this way).

I think if we ask the Father for some way to give he will show us. It's like we get to be a part of someones story. It's a win-win situation. They win and we get blessed just for giving. That's really quite amazing. Of course for me it's like going to the gym. I rarely enjoy the experience until I'm walking out of the gym, but we will have some amazing stories to tell come the new year.

Vicki, Gary, Delana, David, Crystal, Kate and I are very blessed by you. What a joy to know you and all that God is doing through you.

From all of us here at Build His House

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Today I'm Tired

Today I'm a bit tired having just returned from a trip to the Dallas/Fort Worth area. I have to use both names because I have friends in both places. Some call it the Metroplex, which sounds to much like a Batman movie to me so I just say DFW. It's easy to remember, and it's the airport code I use a lot for travels, as I'm a life time Priority member with American Airlines having flown close to two million miles with them.


I stopped using AA for a while because I felt tired of their attitude. But now, having flown this weekend with AA  it feels more like home. Well, not home as in where I live but home as in comfortable or a known place. It was nice I guess, if you have to fly and you have to board a commercial airline (anyone wishing to loan me their corporate jet for the next few years...). But I was tired. 


Sitting next to me was a young lad coming home from University for Christmas. Nice guy, but immediately got lost in his iPad and a movie and never realized the irritation he was producing.  Ya, irritation...even Christians get irritated we're just suppose to know how to deal with it better. I figured it must have been one of several things promoting his NLS (nervous leg syndrome) that was shaking the entire row of seats. It could be he's afraid of flying or he's going home and telling his parents he dropped out of school or maybe he really does have NLS.  I kept thinking of a Steve Martin song from his SNL days and wishing I had a way to gently tell this agitating young man to stop the washing machine cycle.  But I decided the best was to pray. Why not, see what would happen, give it a chance. I was tired and didn't really want to confront "Legs." 


It worked, he feel asleep. It took me a minute to realize 'it' had stopped. It's amazing how quickly our minds will adjust to things, pleasant or other. But now, I'm home for Christmas. I'm tired today but fortunately that's not a permanent situation. It'll pass and I'll be boarding another plane (hopefully one of your private jets) and enjoying the life of flying and traveling again. It's a glorious life...ask any person that flies for business on a weekly basis how much fun it is for them. I wonder how many regular fliers pray similar prayers and see the answers? I bet it's a bunch. I guess it just goes to prove that God is both kind and nice. 
Byron

Disclaimer: NLS is a made up term. This is not the other shaky leg disease that is for real.

Lately I've Been Singing

Sometimes I just wake up with a song in my head. You know, it's that song I remember only a few of the words but the melody stays with you all day, even sometimes for days. I have no idea where the song came from, I wasn't thinking about it the night before nor was it in a dream. I simply woke to this melody running through my life.


There is an old song from the musical, The Sound of Music, I didn't especially like this as a child and I didn't dislike it. It was alright. I enjoyed the story behind it, but in one song there is a single line that says, "Somewhere in your childhood you must have done something good." 


More than any song that I've woken to, this is the most popular that has played on the Jukebox of my mind. It speaks in to my spirit, my heart and my soul. It's like the Father saying, Byron, just because you are you and I am, good things are coming your way. It's a very encouraging moment when the Lord plays this song on my spiritual XM Radio.


He loves to sing over us. I  know he is singing to you. It might be a very unusual song or one you would never listen to on your own...but then his frequency is far deeper than ours with greater broadband. He can choose any song on Itunes he wishes to download into your spirit.


Enjoy the free download today!
Byron