Photos from Africa

I thought I would post a few photos as things have been very busy this side of the world between ministry, homeschooling, and writing. While much of the northern hemisphere seems to be struggling with cold weather and storms, we've been thankful for some rain and cooler weather that is a break from the heat. 

Enjoy!

One of our sweet Christian women in Magola gave birth to twins last week!

Scott and the disciples have recently started teaching at two new places north of where we live.
 

Our garden is full of butterflies and flowers right now. 

View from our land.

Work continues with the roof. They are laying out metal rods to support the cement slab.

This is the structure beneath the roof that will help support the slab until it dries.

Book Covers and Basketball

It's been a crazy week as I worked overtime to finish up the manuscript I've been working on the past few weeks.

While I've been working on book two in the series, I'm finally able to share with you the cover for book one, Dangerous Passage, that comes out in September. So what do you think about the cover? Personally, I love it!

Here's the back cover blurb. And, it's now available for pre-order on Amazon!

"When two Jane Does are killed on the outskirts of Atlanta, Georgia, detective and behavioral specialist Avery North discovers they share something in common--a tattoo of a magnolia on their shoulders. Suspecting a serial killer, Avery joins forces with medical examiner Jackson Bryant to solve the crimes and prevent another murder. But it doesn't take long for them to realize that there is much more to the case than meets the eye. As they venture deep into a sinister world of human trafficking, Avery and Jackson are taken to the very edge of their abilities--and their hearts.

Dangerous Passage exposes a fully-realized and frightening world where every layer peeled back reveals more challenges ahead. Romantic suspense fans will be hooked from the start by Lisa Harris's first installment of the new Southern Crimes series."
                                           
On another note, most of you know that I recently went to visit our eldest at school. Here are some highlight from the two games I was able to watch. Loved getting to watch him play his favorite sport!



Be blessed,

Lisa

Reaching for the impossible

There always seems to be a number of things in my life that seem impossible to accomplish. Like getting through my to-do list, having an empty inbox, and losing that last five pounds.

Other things, like fixing a relationship, following a life-long dream, getting out of a financial hole, often seem even more impossible.

What about your own life? Do you feel like you just don't have the energy anymore to even attempt reaching for the impossible? 

As I look at my own life, here are four simple ideas how to reach for the impossible.




1. Seek Him first. It seems easy, but this world tends to pull us in a thousand different directions. What are your priorities. Are you truly seeking him first? Are you just a fan of Jesus or are you truly striving to be a follower. I just finished reading Not a Fan (the teen version) and was deeply challenged by what it means to become a completely committed follower of Jesus Christ.

Jesus wants what is best for us. He wants us to dream big. Then we can rely on Him to do the impossible. Jesus said in Luke 18:27 that what might seem impossible to us is possible with God. Psalm 37:4 tells us to take delight in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart.
 
Take one day at a time. I can't help but think about my own writing journey when it comes to taking life one day at a time. I started my first novel sixteen years ago. I wanted to be published, but I didn't know anything about the business. I started learning about publishing, writing everyday, going to conferences, and educating myself. That first book will never be published, but that's okay. Just like relationships won't be fixed over night, financial issues won't be solved by morning, sometimes we have to take life in baby steps. Figure out what steps you need to take, then move forward.

Find an prayer partner. I've come to realize how important it is to find someone you trust that you can share with them your dreams, hurts, and victories. I have a couple very important people in my life who I pray for and I know they are praying for me daily. Living overseas makes it hard but these relationships are very important to me. Be intentional about your relationships.

Just do it! So what is your dream? To climb a mountain, run a marathon, write a book, mend a friendship, adopt a child. . .you fill in the blank. Seek Him first in all you do, take that first step, and reach for the impossible.

Be blessed today,

Lisa

Stolen Identity

Morning all!

It's been a while since I posted an update on my books, so here we go. I've been busy writing up a storm the past few months, and while the book I'm currently working on is definitely one of the most difficult books I've ever written, I'm loving the challenge.

My publisher recently sent me the cover of my June release. So if you love romantic suspense like I do, it's now available for pre-order on Amazon. 

WHO WOULD WANT HER LIFE?

Danielle Corbit doesn't understand why someone would want to steal her identity. A single mother running a small business--nothing special, right? But after discovering a dead body on the Oregon coastline, she's attacked by a dangerous hacker who will stop at nothing to frame her. Only her former fiance, Jason Ryan, is willing to help. Years ago she broke his heart, but he can't walk away from a woman in need. He'll do anything to protect her from their unseen adversary. But is there enough time to work together and untangle this twisted web of fraud and deception?




Next, it won't be too long until I can share the (gorgeous) cover for another romantic suspense series I'm writing for Revell. It's slated to debut in September.

Lastly, if you love cozy mysteries, my Pricilla Crumb Cozy Mystery Series, (three books) will finally be available as  ebooks in the next few weeks, so watch for more information here, AND a way to get your free copy of book one!

Happy reading!

Lisa

Never say never

I've said it more times than I can count.

I will never. . .

I will never move again. I will never learn another language. I will NEVER send my children to boarding school.

So as you might imagine, the decision to send my eldest off to boarding school didn't come easy for me. How could I let people I didn't even know help me to raise my teen? Wouldn't it ruin our relationship? I cried, fought God, but eventually have come to realize what a great opportunity this school is for my child.

I just returned from spending a little over a week with our eldest who is attending a missionary boarding school in Kenya. I got to hang out with him over meals, watch him play basket ball, attend some of his classes, and spoil him.

At one point he told me how a lot of his American friends can't understand why he is at boarding school. Isn't boarding school where you send your child you can't control, or when parents don't really love them? He's quick to tell them that isn't true. With options limited where we are, he wanted to go. He loves his school, and is blessed with opportunities I can't give him where we live that will equip him for the future.

One thing I did realize while I was there is how important it is for us to visit, meet his teacher, and just confirm to him how much we do love and miss him. He loved being spoiled with a plateful of somosas from the little cafe in town, and iced coffee from the city.

Below are a few shots I took of him playing basketball. This is only his second season to play, and while I might be his mom, he is really good.

I've learned through this that sometimes my plans are not God's plans, but He is able to bring good out of difficult situations, and provides for our needs.

"Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and he will establish your plans." Proverbs 16:3

Be blessed today,

Lisa

On being Intentional

For the past few New Years, instead of a long list of resolutions (that I might or might not meet) I've started picking one work as a sort of theme for my year. This year, though, has been harder for some reason to come up with that word, but thanks to a nudge from a friend's recent blog post I decided it was time to come up with my word.

After a lot of prayer and reflection my word for this year is Intentional. For me, it fits into every aspect of my life. I don't want to live this coming year in survival mode. I want to live intentionally.

Why? Because too often, I see myself (and those around me) living as if there were a drill sergent standing over us. We have dozens of tasks to do, and spend most of our time in survival mode. The clothes hamper is full, dinner is late, kids need to be driven to an activity, the dog needs a bath, the boss just called with more work. Maybe if I skip dinner, or the kids recital, or my dentist appointment I can somehow catch up. . .

Hmm. Been there?

Here are some of the things I came up with for living intentional this year in no particular order.

Be intentional with my family.

Time goes by too fast for me not to be intentional with my children and marriage. This past week, I took my now fourteen year old daughter to the beach for a few days for some mother/daughter time. We walked on the beach, ate pizza, and spent time listening to James Dobson's Preparing for Adolescence. It's a tough world out there and my kids are growing up far too fast. I know I have to be intentional about the time I spend with them.

Be intentional with my relationships.

I'm so blessed to have a several close friends that despite the miles, stay in touch with me, sometimes on a daily basis. One of these sweet friends wrote me recently, asking how we could better communicate and stay in touch. Her intentional friendship is a huge blessing to me and a reminder of how I want to be.

Be intentional as a follower of Jesus Christ.

I'm reading Not a Fan with my kids and while I'll be blogging a bit more about it soon, the book is about becoming totally committed to Christ. I might have left family to move to another country, but even I have so much to learn about being intentional as a follower of Christ.

Be intentional with taking care of myself.

I've noticed this in both myself and my friends, that turning forty seems to be a wake up call. You've spent the past decade or so changing diapers, wiping snotty noses, and going to ballet recitals. Now that the kids are a little more independent, you realize you can't remember the last time you worked out. Or ate a salad. A couple years ago, I got serious again about working out. Then last year, I started juicing and realize that it makes me feel great. But it's so easy to slip up. To find excuses of why I don't have time. Whatever your method, it's important to take the time to take care of yourself.

Be intentional with my time.

We all have twenty-four hours a day. And for most of us, it's never enough. With ministry and as an author, I find that neither job ever ends. I could work 24/7, fill up every minute and still not accomplish everything I could. Maybe that is the key word there. I want to be intentional with what I do, learn to leave the rest, and find time to "be still."

Be intentional with saying yes and no.

I can't do it all. I can't do everything that Joe Blow out there is doing, even if it's good. I want to be intentional in knowing when to say yes and when to say no.

Be intentional with my career.

If I look at everything other authors are doing, I always come up short. I'm not on social media enough. I'm not blogging enough. I'm not pounding the pavement enough trying to sell my books. . .The list could go on and on. I want to learn to be intentional with what I am doing, and be content with that.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

What about you? Do you have a word you want to live by this year? I'd love to hear it. 

Or maybe you feel like you're just getting by on survival mode. What are some ideas you have on living more intentionally?

Be blessed,

Lisa

A beautiful life

Scott received a phone call on Saturday afternoon from one of the Christians out in the village where we work. One of the sweet women there, who is a part of our church, was killed when a coconut tree fell on her.

As I sat on the ground at the funeral surrounded by at least two hundred friends and neighbors, I thought about her life. It couldn't have been an easy one. Village life means no electricity, walking to the pump every day for water, cooking over a fire for meals. Nothing is simple. Work is hard. She grew her own food, and washed her cloths by hand with water carried from the pump. There was no pain medicine for arthritis, or a pill to ease her comfort when she was sick.

And yet what I remember about her is her smile. She sat by me several times at church, and I was drawn to that smile. She would sit and talk to me, even though I had no idea what she was saying in the local language. She always made me smile. To me, she was a light in that village that I loved seeing every time I was there.

It also reminded of how much I have to be thankful. And that I don't have to have things to make a difference in someone else's life. I can smile at a stranger. Encourage a co-worker. Call a hurting friend. Pray with someone who needs God's healing hand.

Whatever our situation, may we all use this coming year--myself included--to be a light to those around us.

"I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do all things through him who gives me strength." Philippians 4:12-13

Be blessed,

Lisa

House update

I keep forgetting to post recent photos of our house building project as several of you have asked, so here you go. Progress is extremely slow, so I'm not counting on moving any time soon. :-) 

Living area

Living/dining room

Hallway

Kitchen

Merry Christmas & my giveaway winners

A big thank you to all of you who stopped by and commented here on my blog and on FB for my Heart of Africa Christmas giveaway. My two winners are. . .Deborah V. and Melanie! I'll be in contact with you soon.

And to all of my friends, readers, ministry partners, wishing you a very Merry Christmas and God's blessings on you in the new year.

Lisa

A house for Joachimn

Here are a couple photos of a new house built for a blind man, Joachimn in Sumbarane. Thank you so much to those who have joined with The ECHO Project to make a difference in people's lives. Joachimn now has a place to live! Thank you Bento, as well, for leading this building project. We are planning to build several more houses for homeless elderly.   

Heart of Africa Giveaway

It's hard to believe that 2012 is coming to an end. As I look back, it's definitely been a year of ups and downs, but I've seen God's hand over and over, and I am so grateful for His strength and peace.

Each year, I love giving away something from the Heart of Africa. This year, I have two, 2013 calenders from our ECHO Project fall fundraiser. All of these animal photos were taken by Scott and I, so they are extra special to me.

How to enter?

I'd love to hear what you are doing this holiday season. So please leave a comment (Facebook or blog) along with your email, and I will draw two winners from all the comments. Giveaway will close Sunday night, December 16th at midnight, PST.

I'm also doing a giveaway on the International Christian Fiction Writers blog today, so be sure and hop over there for a chance to win an ebook copy of Undercover Cowboy.

Thanks for the blessing and encouragement so many of you have been in my life!

Merry Christmas,

Lisa


PS Sorry, but the calendar giveaway is limited to US mailing addresses only.


Void where prohibited; the odds of winning depend on the number of entrants. Entering the giveaway is considered a confirmation of eligibility on behalf of the enterer in accord with these rules and any pertaining local/federal/international laws.

Lion family and safari favorites

It's hard to believe that this year is about to come to an end. We are busy, enjoying having our oldest home from boarding school, finishing up a couple more weeks of school, writing to meet my current deadlines, and ministry. Here are some photos from our recent family time away I'd like to share with you. I'm always so amazed by God's incredible beauty.

While driving to the border to take care of some legal paper work for the car, we decided to drive through Kruger. There we saw three female lion with five cubs literally lying in the road. Here are a few of the highlights from our sightings, also including a leopard cub.

I'll be posting a giveaway of two animal calenders later this week, so be sure and watch for my post and leave a comment!

Be blessed today!

Lisa

Lioness in the tree

Baboon eating??

Comb Duck

Leopard cub in a rock cleft

Malachite kingfisher

Amazing sighting!

We're spending some time together as a family. Very limited internet, but I wanted to share one of the highlights of our time. Will share more later, but what an amazing experience.

Happy Thanksgiving

We will be celebrating our Thanksgiving a few days late as our eldest returns home on Friday. I'm  so excited about some time together as a family over the next few weeks while he is home on break.

Praying that each of you have a very special Thanksgiving as well.

Be blessed,  Lisa

The least of these

We recently received a call from a friend of ours who needed help with a situation. A young boy had been stopping by the lodge where she works, asking for food and money every few days. He was always dirty, his stomach extended, and sores covered his body. She and the other workers would give him something to eat, or a few metical (our currency), but she wanted to know what to do to help him more.

Scott took some of the disciples to visit him this week to find out more about his situation, and see what we could do to help.



He's an orphan who used to live with his grandmother, but now lives with his elderly aunt and uncle.

He doesn't know how old he is.

He doesn't go to school.

His body is covered with sores, his clothes worn and tattered.

He's malnourished.

His hands and feet are infested with tiny worms that live in the sand until they find away to burrow their ways into your hands and feet.

The situation is serious. So serious, in fact, that he has to go to the hospital this week to be treated.

In dealing with this young boy, I was reminded of the passage in Matthew 25. "I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me. . .for whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me."

As we move into Thanksgiving week, we all have so much to be thankful for. But there are people like this young boy living around us. And it doesn't matter where we live. They are lonely from divorce or the lost of a spouse. They are discouraged--worn and tattered--after losing a job, They are scared because they don't know what the future holds.

The world around us might seem unstable, but "God is our refuge and strength, always ready to help in times of trouble. So we will not fear when the earthquakes come and the mountains crumble into the sea." Psalm 46:1-2 (NLT)

Be a blessing to someone today,

Lisa

Visit TheECHOProject.org to find out how you can make a difference here in Africa.

A huge thank you to The Fellowship at Cinco Ranch and Kosmos Coffee for choosing The ECHO Project as their 'Cause of the Month!' We really appreciate it!

To learn more about The ECHO Project and how you can get involved as a family, small group, or Sunday School Class, drop me an email or visit our website!

Lisa

Home again

Visiting a park in Lyon.

They say there is no place like home and that is true in so many ways. We arrived home almost a week ago, excited to be back with two of our kids (Gabe returns next week!), and immediately hit the ground running. So while it's great to be back, I'm still trying to catch my breath. :-) Our time in the States was a blessing. We were able to meet with some of the churches that help support us as well as individuals and friends. We were overwhelmed by the amount of love and support shown, especially to Jaco and Inge who decided to go ahead and make the planned trip with us to meet the African Outreach Ministries board, along with their two boys. 

Most of our time was spent running from one commitment to the next, but we still greatly enjoyed dinner with friends and supporters, meeting with our wonderful board members for a weekend retreat, and sharing with several groups of people interested in what is happening in Mozambique. 

I was able to see my mother and Scott his parents and one of his sisters, so that was an added blessing as well. I've posted a few photos from the trip I hope you enjoy. In the meantime, we're back to school, teaching, writing deadlines and house building! 

Be blessed!

Lisa

Hanging out with some of our college-aged friends from Sugar Land who've all been to Mozambique.
This group also put on a garage sale to raise money for Jaco and Inge. What a blessing they have been to us!

Ernan and Lander enjoying the aquarium restaurant in downtown Houston

My mother and I outside the same restaurant

Stunning Dalias in a Park in Lyon
(We stopped in Lyon for a couple of days on our way to the States to visit some missionary friends)

Scott sharing with our wonderful board members.

Visit with Scott's parents. We also were able to meet with a
supporting church while we were there and vote.

There are really no fall colors here in Mozambique, so I love seeing the lit up, fall colors.

Loved being able to see the Rocky Mountains as well (this is Mt. Garfield) as like with the fall colors, it's pretty flat here in Moz.

During a break at our board meeting, Scott took the time to try out the zip line. 

Traveling

Scott and I will be traveling the next couple of weeks in the States for some ministry related meetings. We were blessed for the opportunity to stop for a couple of days in France on our way. I've just posted a bunch of photos on my Facebook page if you'd like to take a peek.

Jaco and Inge and their boys are going with us to the US as well to meet with the AOM board, so we ask for your prayers as we all travel.

Be blessed,  Lisa