My Forgo

Every day I am exposed to the heart-wrenching stories and captivating images of children in need around the world—I work for Children’s Hunger Fund (CHF). When we began the Fast2Feed project, I realized what an innovative and potentially revolutionary concept FORGO is, but I didn’t realize how this project would grip my own heart.

Midway through the project I was directed to the blog of an amazing woman named Kirsten. She beautifully explained her heart for hurting children and her plan to engage her family. Instead of serving dinner, Kirsten set the table with empty plates and glasses of water and used dinnertime to explain to her family about the suffering children in Zimbabwe (where all of the Forgo donations will go). They watched some CHF videos and prayed for the country. Then they donated the money they would have spent on dinner through forgo.it. The idea was brilliant! I was inspired to steal Kirsten’s idea and do the same thing.

So last night, my husband and I sat down for dinner. We Forgo’d our planned meal and instead, I set our table with cold, clean water, empty dishes, and photos of children in Zimbabwe. And we prayed. We prayed for the country. We prayed for the children. We prayed for CHF and for Forgo. We prayed for CHF’s Mercy Network partners in Zimbabwe and for the container of food that is being prepared for shipping as I write this.

My mind began to drift…to the large glass of chilled water in front of me. Ironically Zimbabwe is now experiencing a drought. Typical droughts in Zimbabwe last for 2 years. That means these people will have no crops for 2 years, which also means nutritious food will be even more difficult to come by.

And my eyes welled up with tears…as I prayed for the country of Zimbabwe, it really hit home. My husband’s parents are missionaries in South Africa and they have “adopted” a boy who came to them from Zimbabwe after leaving the country because food was so scarce. And there are so many kids who don’t find the solace of a loving home like my “brother” did.

I praised God for the abundance of resources we have here. And I thanked the Lord with a full heart for my job at CHF and for my involvement in this Fast2Feed project. Then we visited forgo.it and made our donation. My hope now is that many others will be moved to do the same.

A New Life

No excuse is a good excuse. It has simply been inexcusably too long since I have written. But I will attempt to change that.

The most typical question I've been getting is, how is married life? And I don't mean to sound cliche or cheesy, but it's better than I ever imagined. When you marry the person God has intended for you, and seek to walk in obedience together--there is nothing better.

Sure it's not all flowers and smelly-good-stuff. Fighting sin is hard and put two sinner together, it's double hard. But there is also double blessing and I can't even express how great it is. Life is different than it was. So many changes, but that's the way it should be. I miss my time being my own to give to friends and family, but even more than I miss it, I love having a new family to give to and to serve.

 Josh has been nothing but kind, loving, forgiving, patient, and genuine in the way he treats me and I respect him more than anyone in the world. So when I say I love married life, it's true. I can't imagine a better man to come home to every day. And that's life right now.

Thankful and blessed,
Mrs. Beakley

Another Post About Change

I looked at the date of my last post. It was Jan. 27th. Well, never when I wrote that post would I have thought that the very next day my life would change forever!

When I woke up, it was a normal day, too normal in fact. I was running errands and had taken my car in for an oil change. Then Josh called me and told me he got out of work early and said we should go for a hike. So I drove down to meet him. We got to the hiking trail. Josh took my hand and suddenly led me off the path into some grass, where he pointed to a little picnic set up. He suggested we check it out.

Then he told me he wanted to give me something. It was a frame, and inside of it was the piece of paper I had first written my email on for Josh before we even started dating. But he had added his own writing to it that said, I LOVE YOU! Josh had never said those words to me before, so it took me by surprise. I asked him if he was telling me he loved me. He said, "Yes, Nea, I love you so much!" And then he told me that he had something else to give me. That is when he got down on his knee and asked me to be his wife. He gave me the most beautiful ring I've ever seen. But I was in such shock, I didn't even look at the ring until later. I told Josh it would make me the happiest girl in the world to marry him.

After taking a few pictures, we munched on the Portos desserts that were there for us. But neither of us could eat very much. We went on a little walk, called and texted friends and family, and made a quick visit to Josh's sister.

Now, it's been over a month. It's been a whirlwind. Wedding planning is insane. :) And Josh's work and school schedule is wild. But the important thing is, we are getting married! On May 19th. All I know is that I am immensely blessed. Josh is the best gift I could ever ask for. I am more like Christ because of him and I love him more than I thought it was possible to love someone. I can't wait to be his wife!

--The Future Mrs. Beakley

Who Let the Dogs Out?

On Sunday morning I decided to go for a jog before church. It was a typical Sunday morning, and a typical run. I rounded the corner on a particular street less than half-way through my 3-mile jog, like usual. And I saw the run-down pink house, with the unkempt yard.

And then out of nowhere, a friend came to greet me—their big, brown, muscular dog. It didn’t bark. It didn’t growl. It simply chased me about two steps, jumped at my leg, and bit me. It sunk its sharp teeth into the soft meaty flesh, which is the back of my thigh. And I stopped in shock and genuine surprise at the audacity of this mutt.

The bite was worse than I initially thought. Two circular puncture wounds mark the dog’s bicuspid fangs, and a semi-circle of black, blue, and purple is the perfect replica of Bruiser’s mouth. I don’t know the dog’s given name, but I choose to call him Bruiser, because that is what he is.

Now don’t worry. I told the owner what happened. I went to the doctor who informed me that it is a very “clean” bite. But I don’t think there’s anything clean about it! Apparently that means it’s not infected, I don’t need antibiotics, and I’m not going to die of rabies. Yay.

So, what is the lesson? I know there must be one. Is it to carry pepper spray when I jog? Bring a stick? Run down a different street? No. Well, those are all ideas…but that’s not the lesson I learned. From this experience I took away two things. First, don’t wait until your neighbor’s dog bites you before you knock on the door and introduce yourself. And second, don’t run on Sunday…it’s the day of rest! ☺

Change

I’ve never been good with change. In fact, if my memory serves me correctly, I’ve written a blog entry about change in the past. I don’t know what it is, but to me, there is something soothing about schedule, disciple, order, rules, regularity, predictability. It’s comforting, satisfying even. I thrive when I can anticipate things.

But unfortunately that is not real life. Most of the time, we can’t predict the future. And we especially can’t control the future. That’s a problem for someone like me. And I use the word “problem” loosely. It is actually a good thing because it forces me to trust the Lord.

So as much as change scares me, it’s good for me. It stretches me, and it makes me more like my Savior. So I won’t fight it—I’ll embrace it. Change? Bring it on!

White Christmas

I am going to listen to my Michael Buble Christmas CD one last time on the way home from work today before I put it away for an entire year! It's inconceivable how quickly the holidays flew by. It seems unreal. It's almost impossible to believe how drastically things change from when you're a kid. But if any time at all, Christmas is the best time to search for that spark, that simple joy you had as a child.

I spent a week with my sister, my B.I.L., my two nephews, and 3 of their cousins...in all there were 5 boys ages 1,2,3,4, and 5! Yes, it's true. It was crazy and insane. But such a blast! Being around kids like that on Christmas really changed everything for me, and it was such a special time. Enjoying their new toys, going on bear hunts, making Christmas cookies and happy birthday Jesus cakes, playing in the snow...it was so much fun.

My sister, B.I.L., and the boys leave tomorrow to go back to Uganda, so sadly that week at Christmas was the last time I will see them for a couple of years, unless God allows me to take a trip to Africa. The cost is great, but the mission is worth it. I will gladly sacrifice having my sister around if it is for the sake of the kingdom.

Goodbyes are bitter cold, like the snow we used to build our snowman. I am trusting that the warmth of these amazing memories will melt the frosty parting and burn brightly until the next time I get to be with my family again.