What an AMAZING trip!!

We had an incredible time in Iraq!  I know that many of you were scared for us and also believed I was insane to take my son with me to such a "dangerous" place, but I assure you that we were completely safe and the trip was life-changing for both of us!

This is a picture of Whit with Ali, a boy who had recently had heart surgery.  They are showing off their scars.  Whit was also able to meet Mohammed (another recent heart surgery patient).  He took soccer balls to them (the "real" soccer balls are not available in Iraq and very much a hot commodity), and they were thrilled to meet each other.  Amazing that soccer and scars can overcome any language barrier!

We also visited many IDP families (internally displaced persons) in Kirkuk and Kanakawa.  It is hard to put into words the situation:  people who have been driven from their homes by the threat of ISIS, families who are existing on next to nothing because they do not have the means to work.  One of the things that we in the US don't fully realize is that it isn't just Christians who are being persecuted by ISIS.  Muslims are by far the biggest victims.  Just because they are Muslim doesn't mean that they agree with the teachings of ISIS.  It would be like extremists coming into your city in the name of Jesus and demanding that women not work, not wear jewelry, that everyone attend one particular church and follow their strict teachings about marriage and children.  This is what is happening in Iraq to Christians, Yezidis and to Muslims.

Noor and her market

This picture is a young mother who is trying to keep her children in school.  Displaced by ISIS, she had no work and no source of income.  The Preemptive Love Coalition has helped her start a local market so that she can make ends meet.  We also spoke with a woman whom PLC has helped start a salon.  These are just two of the many, many families who are in need.  They aren't asking for a handout - just a start... just a small amount of help so they can begin a new life and support themselves.

One of the most memorable places we visited was Kanakawa, where PLC is helping 5 families who are living in an abandoned storage facility.  These are families who you read about and saw on the news... who were driven up into the mountains by ISIS.  At least one of the families' husband and father was killed by ISIS while fleeing.  They spent days on the mountain with no food and no water. These are young families with nursing babies!  I sat with a woman in the blazing hot storage room while she nursed her baby, who was sweating and restless.  He was irritable and hot, but Jessica and I were unable to determine whether or not his heat was due to fever.  But what difference would it make?  They do not have transportation to a hospital. (The day after I left, Jess texted me to let me know that she took a doctor to see this baby and he determined that he was OK - just teething).

Selfie - Iraqi style!

Enjoying toys we brought

I must admit that it is difficult for me to come home to my air conditioning, pantry full of food, my security and freedom.  As a follower of Christ, as one who has been ordained to care for the needy and stand up for the rights of the afflicted, how can I just ignore what is taking place?  Maybe because it's happening so far away to people I don't know.  And yet, I know this is just an excuse.  Where is Christ in all of this?  He is in US... in his people whom he created to be his hands and feet.  Shame on us if we turn a blind eye to what is happening in our world.

I have only increased my respect for the Preemptive Love Coalition, and their commitment to be peacemakers in Iraq... to LOVE as Christ calls us to love... to sacrifice as Christ sacrificed... to GO when and where they are called.  It's not easy, and it isn't glamorous, but it IS Christ-honoring.  Check out the amazing work they do at The Preemptive Love Coalition

Whit and I will leave tomorrow (Sunday) for Sulaymaniyah, Iraq!  We are going to work with the Preemptive Love Coalition.  They are a wonderful organization that we've been involved with for years.  Please check them out on-line.

Sulaymaniyah is in the northern part of Iraq, known as Kurdistan.  Because this area is relatively safe, many refugees have fled into Sulaymaniyah due to the threats of ISIS.  PLC has been working to educate and empower the refugees in their city.  Whit and I are excited about helping out!

I'm not exactly sure how easy it will be to update (electricity is very unreliable), but I will try to post to this blog.  I might also be doing an occasional Instagram post, so feel free to check us out there as well (Leigh_Saxon).

Our trip will be from June 28 until July 9.  We would be grateful for your prayers. My hope is that we will be able to serve and bless others, and that in the process, Whit will understand more about God's passion for the people of Iraq.

Peace!....

Like many of our patients, she had recently come upon hard times. Middle-aged, divorced, and jobless for many months, she had the unglamorous privilege of sleeping on a friend's couch every night. New to this thing called social services, she didn't know much about navigating the system. "Deborah" was out of her blood pressure medicine. She was thrilled to have finally gotten a job interview, but she didn't pass the physical because of her high blood pressure. Without insurance or means to pay, she had no way of getting a prescription for the tiny pills that would lower her blood pressure and open the door for her to get a job, regain her dignity, and maybe even get a place of her own. 

Can you imagine her frustration? Without a job, she couldn't get health insurance to get her medication, but without her medication, she couldn't get a job. That's where we came in. Thanks to our caring volunteers, Deborah soon had a prescription: her ticket to new possibilities. As I escorted her to the exit, she suddenly stopped and started searching inside her purse. "Oh, I want to give you guys a donation, but I don't think I have any money." I put my hand on her arm to stop her, "Why don't you donate next time?" I asked. She looked up at me and burst into grateful tears.

Little Boy Blue...

He was so young that I suspected he might have Medicaid.  In fact, I checked his date of birth to see if he was over 18.  Turns out, he was 22.  After his paperwork was completed, one of our student volunteers called him back to be triaged.  When I wandered down the hall to check on things, I found him hunched over in his chair crying, with our volunteer on her knees beside him.

While he was in a room waiting on the doctor, I went in to meet "Matt."  I asked a few questions, and soon he was weeping - hard... like shoulders-shaking-and-fat-tears-running-off-his-nose hard.  I listened as he poured out his heart about a lost childhood and a strained relationship with his now-divorced parents.  I couldn't help but think this was an 8-year-old boy in a 22-year-old man's body. When I asked about his faith, he told me that he no longer had any.

These are the situations that antibiotics and a Good Health Card can't fix. These are the places where we dare not tread without the power of the Holy Spirit. This young man was reaching out to strangers because his community had failed him.  I spoke with him about Hope and God's pursuing love, but mostly, I just listened.  It was hard stuff to hear.  Our doctor spent a lot of time with Matt as well, and she took the time to treat him with dignity.  As we both stood next to him, I couldn't help but think that we really weren't being doctor and director, we were both just being who we were: moms.  We were mothering this young man who desperately needed parental love.

After we both prayed with Matt, the most amazing thing happened: he smiled.  Because that's what God's love does: it breaks through all the crap of this world and brings us hope in spite of our circumstances. Our situation doesn't change, but we move through it, maybe past it, and realize that although we are changed and shaped by our circumstances, we are not held captive by them.

And sometimes, you need a mom to remind you....

So Much to Learn...

As I pulled into the clinic parking lot, I passed a group of folks standing outside the Meyer Center waiting for the social services ministry to open up for the afternoon.  I noticed a woman, “Barbara,” whom I recognized from the clinic.  After parking my car, I walked around the building to speak to her and see how she was doing.

She told me that she was excited because she had spent some time with her teenage daughter (This is something we had prayed for together after she shared with me that her daughter had admitted to her that she was doing drugs.  When Barbara tried to talk her daughter into getting help, it strained their relationship and they had not been speaking).  She said that her daughter didn’t have money for food, and so Barbara had spent what little money she had to buy her a meal.  She explained to me that she had to leave her “baby” with no way of knowing if she’d have food to eat the following day, but she was trusting God to provide.

At about this point in her story, another woman approached us… another homeless woman who was also waiting for the Meyer Center to open and who had overheard our conversation.  She reached into her bag, pulled out a sub sandwich and said to Barbara, “Here, take this sandwich to your daughter.  I know it’s not much, but you are welcome to have it.”

And I was dumbfounded.  And ashamed.  This woman, who had nothing by our world’s standards, gave generously out of her nothingness.  She gave away probably the only thing of value that she had.  She didn’t pay all her bills first, place the appropriate amount in her retirement account, treat herself to Starbucks, and then donate the leftovers.  She saw an immediate need, and she immediately responded.

I have much to learn from those I serve…

DIY Wannabe

OK, first let me say that I am NOT a DIYer (although I certainly wish I were). Almost everything I've ever tried to do myself ended up in shambles. But every once in a while - after I've forgotten the last failure - I get the itch to try again. And every once in a blue moon, I achieve DIY success!!

I got this idea off of Emily C's pinterest page, and couldn't wait to give it a try. It had all the makings of success for me: it could be accomplished in one afternoon, it was cheap, and it didn't involve a sewing machine.

Here is what my kitchen "catch-all" drawer looked like on Friday:

After a quick trip to Lowes, $6 worth of Poplar board and $6 worth of Gorilla Glue, here's what it looks like now:

I think I am most proud of the fact that this little project was one that Jack and I did together (he's great at measuring and sawing);

If you're wanting to give this a try, the super-easy directions are here.

Now, it's off to tackle my bathroom drawers!....

Mission Waco Health Clinic

I liked her purse. She was articulate and attractive. I must admit, I was a little intrigued as to why she had come to the clinic. So, I went into the patient room to talk with her. Turns out, she used to be a substance abuse counselor at the Freeman Center until she lost her job in February. Now, she is technically homeless, and she and her two kids are living with her sister. She almost cried when she told me: “I knew about this place because I’ve referred people here. I never dreamed I’d come here myself.” One unfortunate event that snowballed into homelessness…

He was a young 46. He was polite, and seemed well-educated. He told me that because of a bad decision to drink and drive, he ended up in jail. And because he didn’t have the money or means to bond out, he spent almost 4 months there. He lost his motorcycle and his job. Now, for the first time in his life, he’s homeless (staying at the Salvation Army), jobless, and with no means of transportation. One very bad decision that ended up with a man on the streets…

And there you have it: two very tangible reminders that “There but for the grace of God go I.” How fragile our situation is. How very easily our safety nets can be torn to shreds. One small snag can begin an unraveling beyond our control.

But we serve a God who has Good News… not just about our life after death, but about our situation TODAY. We serve a savior who has the power to pull us from the miry clay and deliver us to abundant life NOW. The gospel of Jesus Christ isn’t just about where we go when we die, but where we’ll sleep tonight.

Thank you, Lord, for the compassion you have to see our need, the power you have to meet our need, and your faithful promise to always be with us. Let me be part of your good news that brings healing and restoration in this life as well as the one to come.