The Heart of Missions

Good morning, everyone! I hope you're having a beautiful day. It's chilly and cloudy today, with wind, as usual. Surprisingly, I've actually gotten used to the wind by now. However, the High Plains natives have assured me that we haven't experienced "actual" wind yet. Oh, well.

 

I'm leaving tomorrow for my first "real" mission trip. Three years ago, my dad and I took a five-day trip to Ecuador (you can read about it HERE, HERE and HERE ). We (pastors and their children) went with Compassion International and Stadia (church planting) for what was essentially a demonstration to explain why our churches should support their organizations. They're wonderful companies, by the way, and I would encourage you to look them up. However, the experience was not exactly what I would define as an actual mission trip. We slept in 5-star hotels. I don't think that counts.

 

Now the organization I really want to highlight is S.O.S. Ministries. My dad took my sister Marley on one of their Latin America mission trips two years ago. I have never seen her so impacted by anything in my life. It took her a day or two to be ready to talk about it. God revealed His heart to her that week and every month, she commemorates the day they returned home by sleeping on the floor.

 

By the time we get to our second week in Honduras, there's going to be about 40 people on the trip! We get to bring Christmas to the families in El Salvador, Honduras and Guatemala. I can't wait to see the faces of the children receiving coloring books, candy, soccer balls and toothpaste! I feel overwhelmed that God has given me the opportunity to minister to His people. And the opportunity can be yours too. I encourage you to look around and see the ways God can use you to bless your community. I see Him working in countless ways. You can do something as simple as making your brother's bed, or as thought-out as organizing a food drive. Look at your gifts and talents; you've been given them for a reason (and if you don't believe me, watch Veggie Tales' "Lord of the Beans")

 

Sorry I don't really have any pictures for this post. But, I promise I will cover several posts with pictures and stories from our trip! See you in two weeks!

Using Your Gifts to Glorify the Lord and Bless Your Family

Oftentimes, when people find that I am a home-educated young lady living at home, they stiffen up a bit and remark, "If you're spending all your time at home, then aren't you wasting your talents?" If you're a young lady who has decided to live at home under the protection of your Father until the day he hands you in marriage to the love of your life, maybe you've had this reaction before as well. Sometimes, people on the "outside" have a hard time seeing things from your perspective. Firstly, let me note that I don't say "outsider" in a derogatory manner at all. What I mean by the phrase is someone with a different view point than yours. For example, if you live in the country and step out onto your back porch and see the mountains in all their glory, it would be difficult for someone, who has grown up in the city and never traveled, to imagine the view you get. Have I clarified myself? Good. 

"For What are the Voices of Birds" by Eleanor Fortescue Brickdale

If you have talents (e.g.; cooking, sewing, writing or playing music, singing, managing taxes, wrangling alligators, etc.) it's a common assumption that since you "spend all your time at home", you're locked in a dungeon of uselessness. This is the opposite of the truth! The years that you have at home can be some of the most talent-useful years of your life! The people that make these seemingly-ignorant comments are operating on the assumption that all you do is sit on the couch in your PJs, do schoolwork and change diapers. Coming from that angle, it would be easy to justify their questions. 

One of my goals in living at home is to be a blessing to my family. To come under the headship of my Father and further his vision as is Biblically accurate. It is my JoY (see my Mom's blog) to serve my family and that is actually where I have the most opportunity to use my gifts and talents! And I must stop to clarify again; often, the word serve is associated with bad or unpleasant things. I beg to differ! When I get the opportunity to do as Jesus did and spend my time and talents to bless those around me, I'm content and happy. 

Art by Jessie Wilcox Smith

Now, on to practicality beyond sentiment :) The point of this post is not to say "thou must not use thy talents outside thine dwelling place"! This is merely a suggestion that your talents, whatever they may be, were given to you by God to reflect Him and to bless those around you. If God has given you a talent for music, be it playing an instrument, singing or writing new music (or all of the above), I believe that your musical skills are far from being "wasted" on your family! Teaching your little sister how to play the piano or scoring your brother's short film is anything but wasting your talents. And I'm certainly not decreeing that you shouldn't play in the band at church or offer to teach the young children in your community how to sing or play.

 If you are a Christian, the ultimate goal of your life is to give glory to God and lead others to Him. When we, as gifted young ladies, use the talents that He has bestowed upon us to bless Him and others, that is fulfilling one aspect of the way He designed us! Jesus knew that He had a limited time on Earth, yet even with that in mind, He served others without self-focus. He could have been off preaching to the masses when he took the time to bless the little children (Matthew 19:13-15). And I think that following Jesus' example is an excellent idea!

Blessings,
McKenna

Italian Hillbilly Wedding Themed Post...Seriously...

I am sure you must be completely shocked about that unfortunate-looking title. However, it was intentional and does carry meaning :)

At our church, different communities of people (friends) come together for worship and spiritual encouragement at each other's houses. We call these gatherings "Life Groups". Each family takes a turn hosting at their house and this week, it was our turn. Our Life Group likes to get creative and make themes for food (and clothing; if you're brave and can withstand advanced sarcasm ;) This week, my parents were throwing around ideas for a theme, and my dad texts my mom, "Italian Hillbilly Wedding Theme"! It was instantly adopted and thus, the title of my post is explained in a lengthy and probably unnecessary paragraph :)

I spent all morning preparing our main dishes. They were a big hit, so I have decided to share with the world! They are Rosemary-Olive-Oil-Sprouted-Spelt-Bread, Italian Wedding Soup (with heavenly meatballs) and Hillbilly Wedding Soup (also known as Chili) The Rosemary Bread, I had made the night before to save on time. Here they are...please enjoy!

Okay...this is really only a third of a loaf, but let's pretend that it's a whole loaf!

Sprouted Spelt Bread

(with Variations on the theme)

Spelt is a gluten-free wheat berry. No one in our family is allergic to gluten, but Spelt provides a lighter bread than whole wheat. The sprouted part means that the grains were soaked in water to "sprout" (they get little tail-like sprouts), then dehydrated. This process breaks down the different parts of the grain and makes it more digestible for our systems. We buy our sprouted grains from an Amish farm. But sprouting your own grains is relatively easy. I will post on that in a few days. 

 Ingredients:

9 Tbsp. Honey

  4 1/2 Tbsp. Lecithin (you can substitute 2 eggs)  

 3 3/4 c. Warm Water (not hot from the tap)

2 Tbsp. Yeast

9-12 c. Freshly-Milled Sprouted Spelt Flour 

(you can use Whole Wheat or Kamut if you want)

2 1/2 tsp. Salt

4 1/2 Tbsp. Wheat Gluten

 Optional:

4 Tbsp. Dried Rosemary

4 Tbsp. Cold-Pressed EVOO

Instructions:

1.) Preheat Oven 200 degrees Farenheit

2.) In mixer (like Kitchen-Aid or Bosch) combine honey, lecithin (or eggs), water, yeast and HALF the flour. Cover with towel for 15 minutes.

3.) Add the rest of the flour, salt, wheat gluten and, if applicable, rosemary and olive oil. You may need to add extra flour so the dough isn't sticky.

4.) Knead in mixer 5-7 minutes.

5.) On clean, floured surface separate the dough evenly into three or four loaves. Roll out each section into a rectangle, then roll them up into a log and tuck the ends under, slicing across the top. Place into floured pans.

 6.) Place in the 200 degree oven, covered with floured tea towel for 30-60 minutes to rise. 

7.) Remove from oven. Preheat 350 degrees F.

 8.) Bake for 20 minutes until golden brown and delicious! Enjoy!

There isn't much left, but we're having it for dinner, so it shall be reimbursed with fresh meatballs and stock!

Apparently, the kids decided that the soup didn't need so may meatballs after all!

    Italian Wedding Soup

(my Variation of a FoodNetwork recipe) 

 My Mama found this recipe from Giada De Laurentiis on FoodNetwork for me to use. I altered it slightly (and doubled it) and it was one of the best soups I've ever had! Don't be alarmed by the fermented garlic. The stuff is so good, I eat it raw! It adds an extra punch of finger-licking flavor (not to mention how good it is for your body as a probiotic miracle). The Chicken Stock I used was also homemade. I suppose I shall also have to post on how to ferment your own garlic and make your own chicken stock, too :)

 Meatballs:

 1 small Onion, grated

1/3 c. Fresh Italian Parsley, chopped

  1 Large Egg

1 tsp. Fermented Garlic, minced 

1 tsp. Salt

1 slice of the AMAZING Rosemary Olive-Oil Bread you just made; crusts removed, crumbled into tiny pieces 

 1/2 c. Parmesan Cheese, freshly grated

8 oz. Ground Beef (we get ours grass-fed not grain-fed)

8 oz. Turkey Sausage, un-cased (or substitute pork)

Freshly Ground Black Pepper

Soup:

12 c. Chicken Broth/Stock (homemade, if you can)

1 Pound Fresh or Frozen Spinach, coarsely chopped

  2 Large Eggs

2 Tbsp. Freshly-Grated Parmesan or Romano Cheese (plus extra for garnish) 

 Instructions:

1.) Preheat oven to 350 degrees Farenheight.

2.) Mix up the first six ingredients with a fork in a metal or glass bowl (don't use plastic). 

3.)Add cheese, beef and sausage or pork. Form into 1-inch balls with 1/2 Tbsp. as scoop. Place on baking sheet covered with aluminum foil.  

4.)Bake for 30 minutes. Set aside.

 Soup:

1.) Bring the broth to a boil. Add the meatballs and spinach.  

2.) Whisk eggs and cheese together. While the broth is still boiling, start stirring the soup, then slowly drizzle the egg mixture in, stirring with a fork to create thin strands of egg, about 1 minute. Season with Salt and Pepper. Perfection!

What's left of the chili after last night plus lunch today!

 Hillbilly Wedding Soup

(also known as the Rosen's Famous Chili)

My parents came up with this recipe for one of my Dad's birthday parties about four years ago. It was an instant favorite! We make for a lot of people, so you might need to cut the recipe down a bit :) But remember! All spice amounts are approximate. You may adjust to your taste. This Chili is not spicy; it's sweet!

Ingredients:

1 Large Onion, chopped

2 or 3 Cloves of Garlic (regular garlic)   

4 lb. Ground Beef (grass-fed)

2 Large Cans of Tomato Juice

2 Large Cans Diced Tomatoes (not drained)

2 Cans Black Beans, drained (or Chili Hot Beans)

2 Cans Red Beans, drained (or Kidney Beans)

1-2 Tbsp. Chili Powder

1-2 tsp. Cumin

1/2 tsp. Cayenne Pepper

1 Tbsp. Cinnamon

1/3 c. Brown Sugar

Instructions:

1.) Start cooking the onions in a large skillet in a few Tablespoons of EVOO over medium heat. About halfway through, add minced or pressed garlic.

2.) When the onions are translucent, add the meat in, stirring and breaking it up continually.

3.) While the meat is browning, mix together in a large pot the remaining ingredients. Adjust amounts of spices until desirable.

4.) Once the meat is browned thoroughly, add it to the pot. Simmer until nice and hot!

 Please send me pictures of your own concoctions to missmckennaray@gmail.com . I would love to see what you come up with!