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Posted in General Articles
by Helen Chalmers
on 10/1/2008
Hey guys, so we are here in the Philippines and are fully in training. It has been tiring and I have gone to bed at 9 every night. We are being spoiled here with beds to sleep in and a cook to cook for all 50 of us. We are being taught daily by our coach Gary Black. I am learning so much from this man of God ...who really scares me...but in a good way.
THere is no middle class here. There is really poor people and really rich people...all living in the same area. The town we are in is called Quatro because it is located on the fourth hole of the golf course of which only the richest of the rich play on. There is only a fence that separates the 2 worlds.
We leave for Mindinao on Saturday and will be working with Kids International Ministry, a different location of which we are staying at right now. I will post pictures soon...possibly next week!
Much Love
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Posted in General Articles
by Helen Chalmers
on 9/27/2008
So I have begun one of the longest weekends ever! I am sitting in the LA Airport...with free wireless and soaking it in while I can! I am here for 12 hrs and then at 2 am we leave for Manila!!
I have never had a panic attack but I think I was close this morning. As my mom, Johnny, and I got to the airport, we pulled into the wrong parking deck. This was a classic mistake but because of my anxiety, that I had so easily covered up, I really felt like my heart was about to pound out of my chest. I decided that my stepdad could drop me and my mom off and us carry it all to the check in. This was a site in and of itself. Me, trying to lug around my 49 lb pack ...but in a plane carrier and my mom with my back pack...my anxiety went through the roof. I tried to pray as I was carrying my pack but I could not form words. Thank goodness God can hear me without words. We finally made it to the carts and was able to get everything situated. I realized that I had not dealt with my emotions over the past couple of weeks. I had covered them one way or another.
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Posted in General Articles
by Helen Chalmers
on 9/21/2008
I have begun to say my See Ya Laters this past week. I have been done with my job as a nanny for a week now and am living at my parent's place (Jasper and Canton,GA) before I leave. This is a couple of my friends from college that the Lord so graciously allowed me to live with and share amazing memories with. Nicole (middle one) is still in college, graduating in December and Danielle (my freshman roommate) is married and moving back to GA with her husband Joe aka Jo Jo Bear.
It is harder to leave than I thought it would and to be honest, had this desire to just stay at home (which is completely new to me). I am learning what it means to grieve this stage of life and leave the ones I love. Today, in church, it was reconfirmed that we must pick up our crosses daily and follow Christ. This means leaving our families behind, trusting Jesus to take care of them and love them better than we can.
Luke and Jack, my mom and Johnny's dogs...aren't they cute!
I have one more week to enjoy these 2 pups, my friends and family. It is time to say I'll See Ya Later!
I love you Mom, Dad, Johnny, Janet, Marc and Steph. Welcome to the family Steph! I will see ya later!
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Posted in General Articles
by Helen Chalmers
on 9/10/2008
A couple of night ago, I was sitting on the couch, watching Garfield (the cat of the family I nanny for) hunt for bugs. He would watch them fly and land on the wall. Then, he'd jump to try and catch it. Of course the bug was several feet above Garfield and there was no way that he could ever jump that high. Sometimes, he would lose the bug all together and see a shadow on the wall. He would chase after this shadow as if it was the real thing but came up empty every time. He spent most of his time either chasing something that was too high for him to reach or something that was not there at all. I found myself making fun of this cat chasing something that was not there. Then I had a little revelation that we as humans do this all the time. Cats are made to hunt, as it is in their instinct. In the same way, we are made for love and seek happiness in all kinds of places. I have found myself seeking after money, things, relationships and my looks for satisfaction. Every time I look to these places for satisfaction, I come up empty, even more thirsty for something. Every time I run to these things in my life...my craving gets a little bigger and it leads me down a path of destruction, getting tired and worn out. We were ultimately made to glorify God. This means to seek satisfaction in Him and Him alone. God is the only one that can fill this thirst and complete the hole in my heart. As Andrew Shearman says, "We were made to be Heaven on Earth and to be God with Skin on!"
I see this as a challenge to identify the shadows that are still in my life and to lay them down before the Lord. I need to humbly ask the Lord to remove them and allow His spirit to fill up my heart and ask Him to work through me! Praise God for using everything for His Glory!!
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Posted in General Articles
by Helen Chalmers
on 9/4/2008
Hey guys, sorry it has taken me so long to fill you in on what is going on in my life and preparations for the World Race. Since training camp, we were supposed to blog once a week and so far my record has not been very good. I will try to be better at this in the future. So I would love to introduce to you my new team/ family that I will be travelling the world with in 3 1/2 weeks!! I would like to introduce you...
Transformers
Jesus in disguise
Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is--his good pleasing and perfect will. Romans 12:2
We will be leaving Los Angeles for the Philippines on September 28th. We will be going through 5 days of training once there and then go to our ministry site. While in the Phillipines we will be working alongside team Quake at an Orphanage called Kids International Ministries (KIM).
We will be at the Mindinao location, which is still pretty new. You can click on the KIM to get to the page and read about our first ministry. I am really excited about it and have begun praying for our time there.
Thank you so much for your prayers and support!
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Posted in General Articles
by Helen Chalmers
on 8/15/2008
To be completely honest, I have written this blog probably 4 times and each time it has either gotten erased due to the fact that my computer freezes, or like this morning only the title got posted. Every time I post it, the truth is reinforced in my heart. You see, I have daily lived by fear and in bondage that the lies of Satan put me in. He steals my joy and peace. Too many times I have fallen into Satans traps of despair. Too many times have I lived by what others think of me and base my self worth on that. Too many times I have disregarded the Lord and listened to people. Too many times I have put myself down and cared too much what I look like. Too many times I have missed out on loving others the way Christ does because of fear or judgement. At training camp last week, the Lord called me to give up my Identity in the way I look, and all the silly little things I have based it on. He called me to know the Truth about my identity and to live by it! He called me to abandon everything and follow Him.
Today I believe the Truth:
I am
His beloved,
God's Coworker
God's child
United with the Lord
a Saint
FREE OF CONDEMNATION
secure in Christ
hidden in Christ with God
the salt and light of the earth
God's Temple
Gods Workmanship
a personal witness of Christ
His Princess and daughter
He chose me and lifted me out of death
(compiled by Neil Anderson)
Praise God for the Truth because the Truth sets us Free!
"Now it is God who makes us stand firm in Christ. He anointed us, set his seal of ownership on us, and put his Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come." 2 Corinthians 1:21-22
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Posted in General Articles
by Helen Chalmers
on 8/14/2008
Linzi Williams, one of my friends that I wrote about, whom is in Peru is stuck in the Jungle. She was supposed to return to civilization a week ago but she is still there and has no way out. I really dont know any details other than that . Just pray for her heart and that the Lord is glorified through this! thanks so much!
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Posted in General Articles
by Helen Chalmers
on 8/7/2008
I am currently in the sticks of Gainesville, not sure I could EVER find this place without a map and have found a family of love and grace. I am in training for The World Race and I really didnt know what to expect....and I am glad I didnt because it would have blown them out of the water. We have not been given a schedule all week, so we have no idea what is going on. On Monday, they told us we were going on a retreat, like we werent already on one. During those two days of camping, we were given a log and told to write what the Lord spoke to us we needed to give to Him. I felt a few things that were laid upon my heart immediately. We were then led in prayer and told to follow a path in the woods in complete silence. After about two hours of walking in complete silence and dripping of sweat with this log in my hand. Finally, we came to staff who asked if we were ready to lay it at the cross or not and if not, we had to keep walking. I said yes but as I sat praying, God laid it on my heart to keep walking, that there was something else that I needed to lay down. So, I did and began walking again....and God revealed that last thing, my identity. How powerful it was to finally to be able to lay that down and put it at the cross. After the log was laid down, walking was so much easier without the burden of carrying the log. The Lord wants to lift that weight from our shoulders. He is our Dad who wants us to open our hearts to Him! How exciting!
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Posted in General Articles
by Helen Chalmers
on 7/23/2008
This past weekend was a crazy one. It was one where all plans fell through, yet it was still such a blessing. Sunday evening, I had planned on going on an adventure with my close friend Katie aka Nomad. I had been so excited about this particular adventure for a few days but got this crazy feeling that it would fall through. It did not surprise me when Katie called me on Sunday afternoon to tell me that we were not going to be able to go.but that she was still going to come visit me as she was leaving for camp on Monday and we were not sure the next time we would be able to hang out.
When Nomad got to my house we decided to take a little trip to Dahlonega, with all these ideas in mind. We finally decided that we would have a night of bliss that consisted of a beer, a bible, a best friend and a sunset on our favorite rock...Preacher's Rock. We get to Dahlonega, and realize, its Sunday and beer is not sold on Sunday. We, then go to Walmart anyway and being as random as we are...we walk out with carrots...merely to use as microphones. As we arrive to Nomad's old house where a few friends live, we stop to visit and end up spending 3 hours lying on the floor with Dea, reminiscing and laughing about all the random times we have had over the past five years. Though everything we planned fell through, it was an amazing evening (though my car did not start when we went to go back home) it just added to the random night.
 Nomad and Dea on their Graduation Day
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Posted in General Articles
by Helen Chalmers
on 6/30/2008
 A couple of nights ago, I went running and the evening looked a lot like this. I decided to go earlier than usual. I began to jog and was jammin on my ipod, when I began to hear thunder rolling in the background. Now, where I run is a big circle, so even if I stop I still have to get where I am going, so I may as well run. I looked up and the sky was slowly but surely getting darker because of the clouds. I picked up my pace a bit and kept going. All of a sudden, I saw lightning in the sky, and began having visions of being struck. The whole time, praying that the Lord would get me back home safely before the rain and the storm hit. Then I remembered a random fact. I had recently heard that men are more likely to get struck than women and I was somewhat relieved. The storm was on its way. I could feel the wind brush against my face and the smell in the air changing. There were not many birds out, as they were seeking protection from the storm that was about to hit. I persevered as I was determined to finish the route I had planned to run. I ran under the tennis pavilion and nothing came, so I continued on my way praying the whole time that the Lord would hold it off before it let loose. I finally reached my destination before the storm hit.
The storms in life are so much like this. It begins peaceful and quiet. You hear some thunder in the background and then you realize that all of a sudden you are in the middle of a thunderstorm, with lightning all around you. You have no where to go but straight and pray that shelter will come soon. You have only one source to rely on and that source will give you the strength that you need so that you can perservere through this Thunderstorm. And maybe just maybe you will to get a glimpse of that beautiful rainbow that comes afterward.
"Consider it pure joy, my brothers, when you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything." James 1:2-4
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