Reminder to self: God knows what He's doing, God knows what He's doing...

There are those days when things seem to go awry...some days it feels like your life has ups and downs like a roller coaster. Then, there are those days when the roller coaster stops in the middle of a loop and you become stuck upside down...all the blood rushes to your head and there's nothing you can do but wait for someone to relieve you. That seems to have been our lives over the past several months.

It's been several months since I last blogged. Noah's Legacy Foundation completed a trip to Honduras last year. This year, we had so much going on personally that it made it hard for us to leave. So there were three previous Noah's Legacy mission team members from our church who went this summer back to Honduras to follow up on last year's trip and do additional village and street ministry.

2015 has seemed like a year of Victory and Defeat. Of course, I'm using the term "defeat" very lightly. In March, two strong, beautiful women (Shayla Taylor and Kellie Hargett) and I started a new chapter in our lives with a much needed, and greatly called, ministry, Three Strong. Three Strong recorded its very first CD during the Spring 2015 and was released in the Summer. God has opened so many doors for our music ministry. So, Trapp Ministry has now intertwined with Three Strong for an even greater testimony! I love these two women with all my heart. We have been through some of the most tragic events within the last several years and because of an Almighty, Powerful God, we have made it to the other side of such devastation. Every day is a challenge for each of us, but everyday is also a blessing from God that we can share with others when given the opportunity. God knows what He's doing...

In May, my sister-in-law, Susan Trapp Higginbotham, was diagnosed with stage IV ovarian cancer. We were so sure she would beat the odds, but unfortunately it had spread into her kidneys, which caused renal failure. On July 23, only a couple months after her initial diagnosis, Susan joined Noah and met her Savior face to face for the first time. What an amazing day for her. We miss her so much, but what a Hallelujah day it was for her to make it HOME! I had the opportunity just a few days prior to her promotion to talk about Home. She asked me if I was jealous...she would be getting to hold my sweet Noah in just a few days. Honestly, YES! At the time, I was jealous that she was going to get to be with my Savior and Noah sooner than I could, but I also know the devastation and anxiety there has to be knowing you are leaving behind those who want you to stay, and knowing that your children need you to be "here" with them. It's a bittersweet thought that I'm not sure I could even answer honestly. We continued with a conversation that no one, especially a mother, would ever want to have..."You take care of my boys" she said with a beautiful, peaceful smile that could only come from someone who "KNEW". I continued with "And when you get there, you hug my baby and tell him I love him, and I'm coming soon...me, daddy, and Daylee." She smiled and nodded. We both "KNEW". Two mothers, two different circumstances...but both knowing that God is good, and His plan is perfect! God knows what He's doing...

Today, we are battling another family situation...this week my father-in-law was diagnosed with Lymphoma. We're unsure where this will lead the Trapp family once again, but one thing is for sure...we still know that God is good, and His plan is perfect! Nothing changes who we are in Christ...no situation too bad, no circumstance too unbearable can take away who God is! He's perfect...and He knows what He's doing!! When everything else fails, we can rest assure that He never will! The Trapp family will continue to keep our eyes on the prize...HOME...and keep reminding ourselves...GOD KNOWS WHAT HE'S DOING!!!!

Combat boot or flip flop Christian??......

Been thinking, reading, studying, talking to God about the "shoes"...haven't gotten it all together, but I did come to the realization that we too often wear our flip flops to combat; when what we should have done was taken the time to strap our boots on so we would be ready for whatever comes at us. I love me some flip flops, but let's get real...flip flops are for the lazy! There's no prep...you just slip 'em on and go. Kind of like lazy Christians...no prep, no studying the Word, no prayer, no witnessing, no worship; just one quick "swoop" for an hour on Sunday morning and we're ready to face a week full of fiery darts and satan's minions. They're often the most "comfortable" and we are the most "content" with the flip flop, but does it serve it's purpose?  The shoe was made to protect the foot, so which protects it most: a flip flop that exposes everything or a combat boot that covers everything (kind of like the armor of God for the foot...lol). I feel more comfortable in my flip flops, but I sure wouldn't want to fight a battle in them! So is that the kind of Christian I want to be: a flip flop Christian- One who is lazy and flip flops back and forth on who I am as a child of God because I don't know enough about the Word, don't spend as much time talking to God, and telling others about Jesus, or a combat boot Christian- one who is laced up, strapped down, covered with the Word, and sitting on GO on the front lines of battle ready for whatever is waiting on my path to eternity. So, what shoe do you wear? Just a thought.....

Proclaiming "I know my Redeemer lives"...

Just as with Job, in the depths of my agony, I KNOW MY REDEEMER LIVES! We’ve spoken about the many similarities of our family and Job’s. People approach my husband and me quite often and ask, “Do you feel as though Satan has approached God and asked to sift you as wheat?” In no way to we feel that we are righteous enough to be compared to Job…that’s a long shot. But sometimes, Yes…I do feel that way. Even if he has…and we are…there’s still a huge difference in Job and my family. You see, Job didn’t know there was a conversation that was taking place between his Creator and the fallen one, yet after all he had faced he still proclaimed “I know my Redeemer lives!” And so, here I sit, hindsight 20:20…having read Job and knowing the story twofold…can I, will I, stand chest to chest with the world and declare “I know my Redeemer lives” even after my circumstances? Because no matter how difficult this life becomes for us…all the cuts, scrapes, snags, briars, and bruises…God is still God…in all His splendor, Almighty and Glorious! And if we hold on to the One who is PROVING to the antagonist once again that WE ARE WHO HE SAYS WE ARE, we will find ourselves not only singing “I know my Redeemer lives” to the world, but we will be able to stand face to face with the adversary and say with a confident smirk “watch this…when He has tested me, I shall come forth as gold!”

Waiting on God Until....

I've been studying on "waiting on God"...which is horribly hard for me! When we don't have immediate possession of something (or someone) that is of great importance to us, we have days where we almost feel a panic, a sense of urgency to possess or grab hold of it (or them) just so we know that it's (or they are) there. You know, that comfort in knowing the "ahhh, there it is" feeling. But, why are you making me wait God? Why is it so important for me to continue to wait for this job, assignment, task, person? Can't You see how hard this is for me? Of course He does! Just like Joseph...who waited in a prison...not for days, or weeks, but YEARS! Waiting on God to answer him! Waiting for a rescue! And me??? I'm not in a prison! You aren’t in prison, but we may be infertile or inactive or in between jobs or in search of health, looking for that "task" or ministry that you know God has called you to. Wondering how long must I suffer? At some point, we've all known what it's like to be so sick but dread going to the doctor because we know the waiting room and wait time will be excruciating!!!!!! But we drag ourselves there, sign in, and begin "THE LONG DREADED WAIT!" The aggravation of hearing other people's names called before our own! Don't these nurses and doctor know how bad I feel? Can they not see the bags under my eyes from the lack of sleepless nights I've toiled with this? Are you in God’s waiting room? If so, there’s something you need to know: While you wait, God works! Jesus said "My Father is still working..." In John 5:17. GOD NEVER STOPS! He takes no vacations. He rested on the seventh day of creation but got back to work on the eighth and hasn’t stopped since. Just because we're idle, don’t assume God is! So we wait....we pray....we fast...we wait...we worship...we praise...we pray...we wait...UNTIL it's our time...God calls and it's now our turn! Joseph wasn't left in prison to be punished. We aren't left without an answer for punishment...sometimes we are there to grow, to become more prepared for whatever we've waited on, or maybe to just simply STAND STILL AND KNOW THAT HE IS GOD!!!! I don't know what you may be waiting on or what you've entered the throne room and asked from God, but I do know that His answer will be worth the wait! So I continue to my wait....I pray....I fast...I wait...I worship...I praise...I sing...and I wait.........until. And I pray you will, too! ~Many blessings and Much Love ~

Noah's Legacy Guatemala Mission Team 2013

Village of Hope Orphage

Sacatepéquez, Guatemala

Noah's Legacy 2013 Mission Trip to the Village of Hope Sacatepéquez, Guatemala

A Giving Heart...

Christmas is one of the most wonderful times of the year….gift wrap and bows, shopping and Starbucks (Yeah, you know we all do it!), Christmas trees and wreaths, singing Christmas carols while visions of sugar plums dance in our heads…What could be grander than the Christmas traditions that we all find warming our hearts during the Holiday season? It almost makes me giddy inside like a child on Christmas morning just thinking of it…and its 360 more days until Christmas rolls around again.

So what is it about Christmas that makes us want to be in the “giving” spirit. Nothing feels better than watching the glow in someone’s eyes as they are getting ready to open the gift YOU fought the woman in the red Santa hat over on Black Friday (not to mention the young man you elbowed to get that gaming system that your child just had to have because their old one was a year out dated). There’s no feeling like it. Oh yeah, there are some of “those” people (smiles because she knows how narrow-minded that phrase can be) out there who prefer to buy for themselves, but they’re just odd to begin with…no offense to those relatives of ours who buy, wrap, and label gift cards to themselves. There’s just something about “giving” that makes people feel content, or warm like that $5 Starbucks White Chocolate Mocha makes you feel on the inside.

Why can’t we feel this way ALL YEAR LONG?…but then that would mean I would have to do this “giving” thing all year long…really? I don’t have enough time in the day to “give” my family a healthy, homemade dinner after work every day. How would I ever find the time, or for heaven’s sake---the money, to give myself ALL YEAR LONG? I have ESP because I knew that was what you were thinking. That’s the same thought I had when I passed a scrawny looking man standing on the side of the road today in the freezing rain, holding a sign, and carrying a dirty, ragged old bag with him. I was in a hurry to get back to my warm, cozy bed in my toasty home because I woke up sick this morning and the doctor that I just paid for gave me a shot and a prescription that I was able to pick up in my nice warm vehicle. After rereading the whole thing out loud, I’m hearing just how ridiculous it sounds, too!

I don’t even know why I am writing all this…I guess mainly because an older neighbor/friend/church member passed away three days before Christmas, one of my dearest friends is at the hospital with her daddy-in-law right now who is losing his battle to cancer as we speak, and now this man who I found out today has, despite what “we” all thought when we passed him on the street, been trying to find a job and to no avail. All these senses maximized by the fact that Noah’s flowers came in today and are ready to be placed “there” (and I can’t say where because I have yet to be able to connect those words with his name in a sentence yet without a tear-soaked, drudgery of a meeting with myself and the voices in my head that make me want to SCREAM! No I do not have multiple personalities and yes I do know Jesus is here with me whenever those moments arise…just hard to explain unless you’ve been there).

So, here’s where I am going with all this babble…As I was passing the man for the second time today, I was reminded of Matthew 25:35-45, and I am horrible with scripture quoting so let me paraphrase…when I was out on the street and you saw me standing there hungry, without clothes, or a place to stay, which choice did you make? Did you do something to help me, or shrug your shoulders and say “what can I do? I am one person? They need to work like I do and they may have something? He’s just lazy?” Even the smallest thing that you do, I see, and when you did these things to even those who don’t seem to deserve it, you are doing it to me. In so many words that’s what Jesus said to me today. So, my New Year’s resolution is to get healthy, (of course, isn’t everyone’s?), clean my house (hello!), AND DO WHATEVER IT TAKES TO SHOW OTHERS THAT I LOVE THEM, but mostly, THAT JESUS LOVES THEM! Even the smallest act is not going to be too small. Because in the end, the reason Christmas is so wonderful and it feels so great to give to others is because God gave the ultimate gift to us. Yeah, yeah, yeah….there’s the connection….Don’t roll your eyes at me! It is the reason that we love to watch other’s smile…the reason we love at all! HE really is!

So I am ending with this verse taken from Philippians that is used in Noah’s Legacy Mission Statement:

“Is there any encouragement from belonging to Christ? Any comfort from his love? Any fellowship together in the Spirit? Are your hearts tender and compassionate? Then make me truly happy by agreeing wholeheartedly with each other, loving one another, and working together with one mind and purpose. Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves.  Don’t look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too. You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had.” NLT