Christmas time is here again! What an exciting time. Every other year I have been overwhelmed with the gift giving and going from here to there, but this year, I am taking it as slow as I can. I want to remember what this season is all about. It is about our hope. The birth of our Savior. Oh, how much He loved us to come to earth to live a humble life and then die a horrible death in our place so that we would no longer be found guilty. Then, gloriously, He rose bodily from the grave, defeating death forever! Hallelujah! Everything else falls short in comparison to that!
I am so thankful that we are allowed to spend this Christmas with family. I can't wait for the Smith Christmas this Saturday, to hear the stories, laughter and singing. Oh, and don't forget the eating. My Granny passed down a love for cooking to all of her children, which has been passed down to their children. It is a feast like no other. We are also blessed to spend Sunday with my Daddy, Mama, sisters, brothers in law, and nephews. It has always been a time of anticipation. It becomes a glorious mess in about 30 seconds. It's all the children can talk about. We have to wait until after Christmas to spend time with Rick's family, but there will be sweet fellowship and the sound of children playing and laughing until they are told to lay down and go to sleep.
I say all of this to say how blessed I am. God has given me an awesome husband, six beautiful children, (plus one that I am sure will beautiful), parents and siblings who love us on both sides, and for that I am so thankful. This year, I'm taking it all in, a whole lot slower, so that I can remember. I can know that I am loved and cared for. We may not always be close together, but our hearts will always have the memories that God has allowed us to make today.
Next Christmas it will probably be just us in 90 degree weather, listening to Winter Wonderland in Spanish, showing the love of Jesus to the people of Nicaragua so that they may know about His birth, His death and His resurrection. It is what we have been called to do. Share His love! Whether He called you to go around the world for His sake or to go to your next door neighbor, remember to share His love this Christmas season.
So, when you are tempted to get angry with the crowds of people in stores, busy streets with bumper to bumper traffic, all the parties you "have" to go to, or just the busyness of the season, just take the time to stop. Stop and be thankful that you have people to buy presents for, people who love you enough to invite you to the get togethers and that you have a Savior who loved you enough to come to earth to give us a reason to celebrate. Remember, you are blessed! And remember to pray for a missionary family who is spending time away from their families this Christmas.
Monday, December 16, 2013
Friday, December 13, 2013
Serving Nicaragua
Well, we just finished a week-long trip to Masatepe, Nicaragua. This is the area The Lord has laid on our hearts to serve as full-time missionaries. It was my first time to the country, although Rick has been several times. We will be partnering with S.H.E.O. Ministries and are being sent out as career missionaries from Reaching & Teaching. We are very excited to see what lies ahead for our growing family. The Lord has been so good and so faithful to us through this process. His hand has led us step by step as we seek His face. It is such a blessing to know He desires to use us for His work.
During this recent trip, we were able to accomplish much, although our team was small. Our two oldest boys were with us and jumped right in and worked hard. The men poured three cement slabs so people no longer had to sleep on the dirt. We delivered beds to people, handed out food bags of rice, beans and corn, handed out toys to the children for Christmas, and fed hundreds of people. It was a big undertaking, but was awesome to see the look on the faces of the children when they received the gifts and food.
The greatest problem in Central America is not poverty, it is sin. They need to know Jesus and how much He loves them. They need to be educated on how the Bible says Christians are to live. We believe God is calling us to this task. He has on our hearts to build a Seminary to train pastors and teach women. We believe with education, a lot of the problems that are occurring will be solved. It is sad to see such poverty, but if that is our only concern, we have missed the mark. We are thankful God has teamed us up with S.H.E.O., who shares our belief that we have to teach them if we truly want to be a blessing and help them. Thank you so much for praying for us.
We are praying for 100 people to committ to $20 month to reach our budget.
Would you pray and see if God wants you to be one of the 100.
Thanks and may God bless you as you pray and team up with us.
THINGS NEEDED NOW:
- Passports for four children
A few things that are always need:
Shoes
Clothes
Hygiene products
What really is needed is battery tools. In some areas where we would like to work, they don't have electricity, so battery tools would be SO helpful. If you feel The Lord leading you to donate, here are some things needed:
- Skill saw
- Reciprocating saw
- Drills
- Grinders
ALL DONATIONS AND CONTRIBUTIONS ARE TAX DEDUCTIBLE
During this recent trip, we were able to accomplish much, although our team was small. Our two oldest boys were with us and jumped right in and worked hard. The men poured three cement slabs so people no longer had to sleep on the dirt. We delivered beds to people, handed out food bags of rice, beans and corn, handed out toys to the children for Christmas, and fed hundreds of people. It was a big undertaking, but was awesome to see the look on the faces of the children when they received the gifts and food.
The greatest problem in Central America is not poverty, it is sin. They need to know Jesus and how much He loves them. They need to be educated on how the Bible says Christians are to live. We believe God is calling us to this task. He has on our hearts to build a Seminary to train pastors and teach women. We believe with education, a lot of the problems that are occurring will be solved. It is sad to see such poverty, but if that is our only concern, we have missed the mark. We are thankful God has teamed us up with S.H.E.O., who shares our belief that we have to teach them if we truly want to be a blessing and help them. Thank you so much for praying for us.
We are praying for 100 people to committ to $20 month to reach our budget.
Would you pray and see if God wants you to be one of the 100.
Thanks and may God bless you as you pray and team up with us.
THINGS NEEDED NOW:
- Passports for four children
A few things that are always need:
Shoes
Clothes
Hygiene products
What really is needed is battery tools. In some areas where we would like to work, they don't have electricity, so battery tools would be SO helpful. If you feel The Lord leading you to donate, here are some things needed:
- Skill saw
- Reciprocating saw
- Drills
- Grinders
ALL DONATIONS AND CONTRIBUTIONS ARE TAX DEDUCTIBLE
Wednesday, October 2, 2013
We have heard the call...
It is amazing how God speaks to unworthy people. He says that if we seek Him with our whole heart He will be found. We have been praying for God's direction for our lives after surrendering to missions last November at the Global Impact Conference at Kirby Woods Baptist Church. He has broken our hearts for the nations of the world who need to hear the Good News of Jesus.
Rick has been burdened for Central America since he first went back in 2005. I haven't always shared his view, and, quite frankly, did not want anything to do with leaving my home. That is, until God started breaking my heart. Rick surrendered to God's will a long time ago. Me, well, I surrender and then fear starts to creep in and I want to retreat. He always takes me back to the call and gently reminds me that He knows what is best and that this is what I was created for. I am to bring Him glory with my life every single day and do His will. Wow! That is so exciting that God will even allow me to be used by Him. To be a servant of the King is the greatest honor I could ever dream of.
This brings me to today. We have prayed about lots of things, and begged God to use us in one area or another, but God has made His plan evident and His confirmations even stronger. We have heard the Macedonian call to go to Nicaragua and serve the people there. We are in the application process with a new missions organization and once we get the green light, we will begin preparations to make Nicaragua home. Thank you to everyone who has prayed for us, that God's will would be evident. We are so grateful for people who lift our family up to The Lord. Please keep praying for us in this process that we would walk only where God shows the way, and in His timing.
Rick has been burdened for Central America since he first went back in 2005. I haven't always shared his view, and, quite frankly, did not want anything to do with leaving my home. That is, until God started breaking my heart. Rick surrendered to God's will a long time ago. Me, well, I surrender and then fear starts to creep in and I want to retreat. He always takes me back to the call and gently reminds me that He knows what is best and that this is what I was created for. I am to bring Him glory with my life every single day and do His will. Wow! That is so exciting that God will even allow me to be used by Him. To be a servant of the King is the greatest honor I could ever dream of.
This brings me to today. We have prayed about lots of things, and begged God to use us in one area or another, but God has made His plan evident and His confirmations even stronger. We have heard the Macedonian call to go to Nicaragua and serve the people there. We are in the application process with a new missions organization and once we get the green light, we will begin preparations to make Nicaragua home. Thank you to everyone who has prayed for us, that God's will would be evident. We are so grateful for people who lift our family up to The Lord. Please keep praying for us in this process that we would walk only where God shows the way, and in His timing.
Saturday, July 20, 2013
The next step.
Well, this has been a long time coming. These past few months have been so busy. Rick went to Honduras with Pioneer Evangelism and would have stayed there if he could have just sent for us! He came home and graduated from Mid-America Baptist Theological Seminary with his Associates of Divinity. We decided that since God was calling us to the mission field that it would be best to move back to south Mississippi where we could be by our family for the time remaining and so we could prepare to go where God would lead us. It was a hard decision to leave our church family and our close friends we made during this awesome time at seminary. God showed us Himself during this time and we grew these last three years. I would not trade these years for anything in the world. We had two children and grew closer as a family there.
After getting semi-settled in, it was time to drop the kiddos off at my Mama's house and head to Ecuador. This is where my life changed forever. I had been anxiously waiting for this trip because of leaving the kids behind while both of us went to another country, but also not knowing what it would be like outside of the United States. When we got off the plane in Quito, Ecuador, we got on a bus in the middle of the night and rode through the mountains. About daylight, I awoke and looked out the window. I was completely overwhelmed with what I saw. The mountains were unlike anything I had ever seen. The beauty of God's creation was almost more than I could take in. It was not just the altitude that took my breath away! We arrived in El Tambo very early in the morning. I cannot compare it to anything in the U.S. The people are different and the sights, sounds and smells are different. Even though it was July, it was very cold. Rick and I quickly found a market where we could buy scarves and gloves. The need is urgent to take the gospel to South America. People are dying every day having never heard the name of Jesus. We may have been cold physically, but this place was cold spiritually. I pray that we would never forget what we saw there and how God broke our hearts for His sake.
I will write more later about what happened during that week, but I know that God confirmed time and again His calling on our lives that to missions that week. There is no other way we can imagine spending our lives except doing that which He has called us to do.
After getting semi-settled in, it was time to drop the kiddos off at my Mama's house and head to Ecuador. This is where my life changed forever. I had been anxiously waiting for this trip because of leaving the kids behind while both of us went to another country, but also not knowing what it would be like outside of the United States. When we got off the plane in Quito, Ecuador, we got on a bus in the middle of the night and rode through the mountains. About daylight, I awoke and looked out the window. I was completely overwhelmed with what I saw. The mountains were unlike anything I had ever seen. The beauty of God's creation was almost more than I could take in. It was not just the altitude that took my breath away! We arrived in El Tambo very early in the morning. I cannot compare it to anything in the U.S. The people are different and the sights, sounds and smells are different. Even though it was July, it was very cold. Rick and I quickly found a market where we could buy scarves and gloves. The need is urgent to take the gospel to South America. People are dying every day having never heard the name of Jesus. We may have been cold physically, but this place was cold spiritually. I pray that we would never forget what we saw there and how God broke our hearts for His sake.
I will write more later about what happened during that week, but I know that God confirmed time and again His calling on our lives that to missions that week. There is no other way we can imagine spending our lives except doing that which He has called us to do.
Sunday, March 17, 2013
We are Rick and Melanie Dardar and we have 6 children: Gabe 11, Austin 9, Juliana 7, Addey 5, Eamon 2, and our newest daughter, Mary Klaire 5 months. We have truly been blessed by God with six amazing blessings who have changed our lives in so many ways. Some days I could just melt because they bring my heart so much joy, and other days I feel like they are my "heavenly sandpaper" smoothing out all of my rough edges by rubbing their own rough edges against me. I wouldn't trade them for anything and know that I am blessed to have six healthy, loving children.
Our journey began together in 1998 in the unlikeliest of places...Sonic Drive-In. I, Melanie, a carhop, and Rick, a customer, met when God allowed our paths to cross on a Wednesday night in April. I was 16 years old at the time, living life in any way that brought me pleasure. Rick had just moved to Mississippi from Louisiana trying to figure out what life had in store for him. After church, he came by Sonic to eat. He ordered a #2 with no onions and a Dr. Pepper. I was working behind the counter that night, but my boss noticed it was getting busy so he asked for me to take the order out. I hurriedly took the order out, and to my surprise, the guy in the car wanted to take me out sometime. He asked for my number and, well, here we are today! We knew within a week we wanted to be married, but since I was only 16 and still had a year of high school to go, my parents said no. We married on June 5th 1999, on my 18th birthday, the day after Rick's 20th.
Fast forward almost 14 years to 2013 and you find us happily married, with our bustling household. Rick is graduating from Mid-America Baptist Theological Seminary this May. We feel God calling us to the mission field, probably far away from the familiar, but with God's hand leading, we are excited about what the future holds for our family. This week, though, we are focusing on getting ourselves and our children mission minded where we are. The kids and we brainstormed ideas on how to serve our community to show the love of Christ in practical ways. We'll keep you up to date on how this goes as the week progresses.
We have found that if you look for opportunities to serve God and serve people, He will show you great things that can be done for His glory. I want to encourage you to seek out something to do for God, showing His love to those around you. Jesus said when you do it to them, you are really serving Him! What an honor to serve and to know that He will use even me!
"Love is the root of missions; sacrifice is the fruit of missions." Roderick Davis
Until the whole world hears,
Rick and Melanie Dardar
Our journey began together in 1998 in the unlikeliest of places...Sonic Drive-In. I, Melanie, a carhop, and Rick, a customer, met when God allowed our paths to cross on a Wednesday night in April. I was 16 years old at the time, living life in any way that brought me pleasure. Rick had just moved to Mississippi from Louisiana trying to figure out what life had in store for him. After church, he came by Sonic to eat. He ordered a #2 with no onions and a Dr. Pepper. I was working behind the counter that night, but my boss noticed it was getting busy so he asked for me to take the order out. I hurriedly took the order out, and to my surprise, the guy in the car wanted to take me out sometime. He asked for my number and, well, here we are today! We knew within a week we wanted to be married, but since I was only 16 and still had a year of high school to go, my parents said no. We married on June 5th 1999, on my 18th birthday, the day after Rick's 20th.
Fast forward almost 14 years to 2013 and you find us happily married, with our bustling household. Rick is graduating from Mid-America Baptist Theological Seminary this May. We feel God calling us to the mission field, probably far away from the familiar, but with God's hand leading, we are excited about what the future holds for our family. This week, though, we are focusing on getting ourselves and our children mission minded where we are. The kids and we brainstormed ideas on how to serve our community to show the love of Christ in practical ways. We'll keep you up to date on how this goes as the week progresses.
We have found that if you look for opportunities to serve God and serve people, He will show you great things that can be done for His glory. I want to encourage you to seek out something to do for God, showing His love to those around you. Jesus said when you do it to them, you are really serving Him! What an honor to serve and to know that He will use even me!
"Love is the root of missions; sacrifice is the fruit of missions." Roderick Davis
Until the whole world hears,
Rick and Melanie Dardar
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