{"id":305652,"date":"2019-12-28T06:00:05","date_gmt":"2019-12-28T11:00:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/podcast\/%series%\/resolutions\/"},"modified":"2019-12-28T06:00:05","modified_gmt":"2019-12-28T11:00:05","slug":"resolutions","status":"publish","type":"podcast","link":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/podcast\/familylife-this-week\/resolutions\/","title":{"rendered":"Resolutions"},"content":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Vicki Courtney shares how one year, God dropped in her lap a challenging &#8220;resolve&#8221; to help refugees. She encourages listeners to consider what ways God might be leading them to be witnesses for the gospel.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":91,"featured_media":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"","_seopress_titles_title":"","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","inline_featured_image":false,"_uag_custom_page_level_css":"","episode_type":"","audio_file":"http:\/\/d2c17sq0nj1f7e.cloudfront.net\/flw2019-12-28.mp3","podmotor_file_id":"","podmotor_episode_id":"","cover_image":"","cover_image_id":"","duration":"00:28:00","filesize":"25.64M","filesize_raw":"26883135","date_recorded":"","explicit":"","block":""},"categories":[2821],"tags":[4210],"podcast_series":[],"cwp_profile":[8996],"series":[10388],"class_list":["post-305652","podcast","type-podcast","status-publish","hentry","category-reaching-out","tag-resolutions","cwp_profile-vicki-courtney","series-familylife-this-week"],"acf":[],"episode_featured_image":false,"episode_player_image":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1001\/2023\/10\/FLTW-Podcast-Cover-2-1400x1400-1-300x300-1.jpg","download_link":"https:\/\/dts.podtrac.com\/redirect.mp3\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/podcast-download\/305652\/resolutions","player_link":"https:\/\/dts.podtrac.com\/redirect.mp3\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/podcast-player\/305652\/resolutions","audio_player":null,"episode_data":{"playerMode":"light","subscribeUrls":{"apple_podcasts":{"key":"apple_podcasts","url":"","label":"Apple Podcasts","class":"apple_podcasts","icon":"apple-podcasts.png"},"google_podcasts":{"key":"google_podcasts","url":"","label":"Google Podcasts","class":"google_podcasts","icon":"google-podcasts.png"},"spotify":{"key":"spotify","url":"","label":"Spotify","class":"spotify","icon":"spotify.png"},"youtube":{"key":"youtube","url":"","label":"YouTube","class":"youtube","icon":"youtube.png"}},"rssFeedUrl":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/feed\/podcast\/familylife-this-week","embedCode":"<blockquote class=\"wp-embedded-content\" data-secret=\"A4Ijo8sxRs\"><a href=\"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/podcast\/familylife-this-week\/resolutions\/\">Resolutions<\/a><\/blockquote><iframe sandbox=\"allow-scripts\" security=\"restricted\" src=\"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/podcast\/familylife-this-week\/resolutions\/embed\/#?secret=A4Ijo8sxRs\" width=\"500\" height=\"350\" title=\"&#8220;Resolutions&#8221; &#8212; FamilyLife\u00ae - A Cru Ministry\" data-secret=\"A4Ijo8sxRs\" frameborder=\"0\" marginwidth=\"0\" marginheight=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\" class=\"wp-embedded-content\"><\/iframe><script>\n\/*! This file is auto-generated *\/\n!function(d,l){\"use strict\";l.querySelector&&d.addEventListener&&\"undefined\"!=typeof URL&&(d.wp=d.wp||{},d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage||(d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage=function(e){var t=e.data;if((t||t.secret||t.message||t.value)&&!\/[^a-zA-Z0-9]\/.test(t.secret)){for(var s,r,n,a=l.querySelectorAll('iframe[data-secret=\"'+t.secret+'\"]'),o=l.querySelectorAll('blockquote[data-secret=\"'+t.secret+'\"]'),c=new RegExp(\"^https?:$\",\"i\"),i=0;i<o.length;i++)o[i].style.display=\"none\";for(i=0;i<a.length;i++)s=a[i],e.source===s.contentWindow&&(s.removeAttribute(\"style\"),\"height\"===t.message?(1e3<(r=parseInt(t.value,10))?r=1e3:~~r<200&&(r=200),s.height=r):\"link\"===t.message&&(r=new URL(s.getAttribute(\"src\")),n=new URL(t.value),c.test(n.protocol))&&n.host===r.host&&l.activeElement===s&&(d.top.location.href=t.value))}},d.addEventListener(\"message\",d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage,!1),l.addEventListener(\"DOMContentLoaded\",function(){for(var e,t,s=l.querySelectorAll(\"iframe.wp-embedded-content\"),r=0;r<s.length;r++)(t=(e=s[r]).getAttribute(\"data-secret\"))||(t=Math.random().toString(36).substring(2,12),e.src+=\"#?secret=\"+t,e.setAttribute(\"data-secret\",t)),e.contentWindow.postMessage({message:\"ready\",secret:t},\"*\")},!1)))}(window,document);\n\/\/# sourceURL=https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-includes\/js\/wp-embed.min.js\n<\/script>\n"},"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":false},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"kfairris@familylife.com","author_link":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/author\/kfairrisfamilylife-com\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"Vicki Courtney shares how one year, God dropped in her lap a challenging \"resolve\" to help refugees. She encourages listeners to consider what ways God might be leading them to be witnesses for the gospel.","meta_box":{"show_notes":"","transcript_url":"https:\/\/transcript.familylifetoday.com\/flw\/flw2019-12-28.pdf","transcript_content":"<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Michelle:<\/strong> Vicki Courtney is an author and speaker; but in many ways, she\u2019s just like you and me, wanting to serve God\/wanting to be used of Him in other people\u2019s lives. She prayed that prayer\u2014you know, \u201cGod, just use me\u201d; God answered that prayer and shook Vicki Courtney\u2019s world in the form of an immigrant family. Here\u2019s Vicki.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Vicki:<\/strong> I think back to a time in my life\u2014it\u2019s not anything that I\u2019m proud of at all\u2014where I would see situations like that and be annoyed that: \u201cWhy do we have to have options of Spanish\/English?!\u201d I\u2019m ashamed to say that; but then, this is the new perspective it\u2019s given me\u2014is that: \u201cWait a minute! Who am I that I expect that everything is just the way that I want it to be that makes it comfortable for me?\u201d and \u201cWhat is it like to be in the shoes of someone who\u2019s having to start all over?\u201d \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Michelle:<\/strong> We\u2019re going to talk about the dangerous business of New Year\u2019s resolutions, comfort, and being used by God on this edition of <em>FamilyLife This Week. <\/em>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tWelcome to <em>FamilyLife This Week. <\/em>I\u2019m Michelle Hill. We\u2019ve hit that time of year in between Christmas and New Year\u2019s. You know, after the Christmas sales are done, so maybe there are the after-Christmas sales\u2014oh, yes, there is!\u2014the after-Christmas sales! Some of us are busy un-Christmas-ing our houses; some are sleeping in because we have this week off; and others are writing in their journal, closing the books on 2019, and looking forward to 2020.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tYou know, it\u2019s this time of year that we think about New Year\u2019s resolutions. Millions of people make New Year\u2019s resolutions, hoping to spark some positive change. It\u2019s almost clich\u00e9; right? I mean, we want to diet and eat healthier, exercise more, lose weight, save more\/spend less, read more books, quit smoking, learn a new skill or a new hobby; and we keep wanting to change for the better.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tWell, I sat down with Vicki Courtney and asked her about making resolutions and breaking resolutions. It led us down the path of what made a very interesting story. Here\u2019s Vicki Courtney.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t[Previous Interview]\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Vicki:<\/strong> First of all, I should tell you that I am the person you described, who makes them and then breaks them; [Laughter] so there\u2019s that! You know, I think, just like everybody else, you start the new year, like, \u201cHey! I\u2019m going to start that workout plan!\u201d And that lasts how long? \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Michelle:<\/strong> Yes.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Vicki:<\/strong> Two weeks, maybe.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Michelle:<\/strong> Nine days!\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Vicki:<\/strong> Yes, I\u2019ve been that person. But the other thing that I think the older I get, the more I realize how we set ourselves up to fail; right?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Michelle:<\/strong> Yes.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Vicki:<\/strong> We have these grandiose sort of\u2014this idea of what we can accomplish. We want to fix it all at the onset of the new year.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tI like how you talked about just most of it is geared toward, I think, self-improvement; and yet, how our culture views self-improvement as physical beauty or body image. You know, some people may say, \u201cOkay, my resolution is I\u2019m going to get out of debt.\u201d\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Michelle:<\/strong> Right.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Vicki:<\/strong> You know, there are things like that; and these are all worthwhile things\u2014\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Michelle:<\/strong> Yes.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Vicki:<\/strong> \u2014especially if you\u2019re going to eat better, and you\u2019re going to exercise. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tIf I could go back and have a chat with my younger self, I would tell that gal to keep it simple and maybe focus on something outside yourself. You know, it doesn\u2019t always have to be spiritual in nature\u2014 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Michelle:<\/strong> Right.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Vicki:<\/strong> \u2014but I think God gives us those opportunities to bring the gospel into everything we\u2019re doing. To find ways\u2014like, for me, last year, honestly, my resolution; I\u2019m not sure I really formally made one\u2014had been something that God had been nudging me, I felt like, for a couple\/two to three years, to get outside of my Christian comfort zone. I realized that I was in a bubble, if you will, of hanging around\u2014\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Michelle:<\/strong> Did you call it an \u201cecho chamber\u201d?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Vicki:<\/strong> Yes, I did.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Michelle:<\/strong> Is that what I read?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Vicki:<\/strong> I blogged about this. I called it, yes, an echo chamber: where your thoughts are echoed back to you; your values are echoed back to you; everyone looks like you; everybody thinks like you. Especially for someone who\u2019s in ministry, and came to Christ radically at the age of 21, I wanted that back! \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tI wanted that excitement that I used to feel when you would get outside your Christian comfort zone and trust God to work from that moment forward, and it wasn\u2019t predictable. That became my goal, and I didn\u2019t really act on it. It took me a month to act on it, but I signed up to volunteer with Refugee Services of Texas. They are an agency that, when asylum seekers and refugees apply to come to the US, which is usually a 5-7 year wait, even from the time they applied\u2014\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Michelle:<\/strong> That\u2019s a long time.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Vicki:<\/strong> Right, it really is! So then they\u2019re assigned where they go. And they don\u2019t always know that they\u2019re going to be able to go to the US. They can specify the US if they have family or connections here; but a lot of times, they\u2019re waiting just to hear: \u201cAre you going to Canada?\u201d \u201cAre you going\u2026?\u201d You know, \u201cWhere will you be assigned?\u201d \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tAnd so they\u2019re literally at the mercy of the system, deciding how many get to come in and where [they] go. There are so many uncertainties in their lives. I wanted to know more about what that looked like\u2014to help refugees\u2014just in the sense of God had really been nudging my heart that being pro-life should mean more than protecting the unborn. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tI\u2019ve heard the phrase used, \u201cFrom the womb to the tomb.\u201d That was one of the things that I really had not thought outside that box before\u2014that being pro-life is protecting all life as being valuable, and everyone as being made in God\u2019s image, and treating them with dignity and respect. I had grown more and more frustrated that I felt like we were only focusing on the unborn\u2014not that that\u2019s not worthy\u2014\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Michelle:<\/strong> Right.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Vicki:<\/strong> \u2014I whole-heartedly believe in that. But in seeing, you know, things in the news and just talking about the plight of refugees and immigrants and such, I just thought, \u201cOkay, I don\u2019t have any idea what that even looks like.\u201d So it truly was like taking a jump. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Michelle:<\/strong> So you walk into this organization and you say, \u201cI\u2019m here to volunteer to help out.\u201d\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Vicki:<\/strong> I signed up for a training.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Michelle:<\/strong> You sign up for training.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Vicki:<\/strong> You do a background\u2014they do a background check on you. And then every week, once you\u2019re approved, they send you opportunities. The first real volunteer job that I did after the training was an airport pickup. I just saw it was on the list of things to do. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tI prayed about it; there are many things to do\u2014you could take a family to a medical appointment\u2014a family that had already arrived. You know, they offer assistance for six months, generally; sometimes up to a year\u2014helping them get Social Security cards and enroll their children in school. I mean, yes, they all need English as a second language training, and all sorts of things. [You can] work job fairs and just about everything you can imagine. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tI was ignorant to all of that, because all of this has been done for me along the way. Yes, it\u2019s just part of the privilege that some of us have that we grow comfortable in, so it was good for me to see that it is really hard for people to survive out there. \u201cWhat does that feel like?\u201d\u2014the fear that they must have. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tMy first job was an airport pickup. It had, on the sign-up sheet, it was a family from Burma\u2014of four. Burma\u2014they call it Myanmar today.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Michelle:<\/strong> Yes.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Vicki:<\/strong> What\u2019s going on, really, over there is the equivalent, to some degree, of ethnic cleansing; so the Christians and the Muslims are persecuted against. And each of those groups makes up, I think,\u00a0 5-7 percent of the population; but they\u2019re being really chased out\u2014villages burned\u2014things like that\u2014just a horrible situation.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Michelle:<\/strong> That\u2019s tough.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Vicki:<\/strong> So a lot of them\u2014\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Michelle:<\/strong> It\u2019s traumatizing!\u2014\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Vicki:<\/strong> Yes, it\u2019s absolutely\u2014\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Michelle:<\/strong> \u2014to all of a sudden, be forced out and, then, to land in some place totally new\u2014\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Vicki:<\/strong> Right; right.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Michelle:<\/strong> \u2014not knowing the language; not knowing anyone around, except for the four people that you came with.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Vicki:<\/strong> Right; to start all over. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Michelle:<\/strong> Yes.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Vicki:<\/strong> To completely start over in a place that is not home.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Michelle:<\/strong> To have a friendly face\/somebody to meet you with a smile at the airport, is a lovely thing!\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Vicki:<\/strong> It is, I would hope. They look like\u2014it\u2019s interesting you used the word, \u201ctraumatized\u201d\u2014because they look like, when we saw them\u2014my husband and I went together\u2014and we brought food. They have you pick up food, because the flight was coming in at like 10:00 or 10:30; and they\u2019ve been traveling, probably, for 17 hours. I think they came out of Malaysia.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Michelle:<\/strong> Okay.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Vicki:<\/strong> So because they had not\u2014you know, they had left Burma years ago; I don\u2019t know how many years ago\u2014they had been living in a refugee tent camp. They land and, you know, we don\u2019t have the ability to really communicate; there was a translator there with us at the airport. They had one family connection that lived in Austin. They didn\u2019t even want to go to their new apartment; they wanted to go with their family.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Michelle:<\/strong> Yes.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Vicki:<\/strong> So our job was just welcome them at the airport; and then, the next week, I took them to, I believe it was, a medical appointment for the whole family and then another appointment to the Social Security office. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tLittle by little, you begin to kind of break the ice with them; but it put me in a situation, where I didn\u2019t know how to communicate with them. The dad knew <em>very <\/em>[<em>few<\/em>]English words; maybe, \u201cHello.\u201d You know, he had no ability to understand me. The mom speaks a rare dialect that only about 40,000-plus people in the world speak. It wasn\u2019t even the language of her husband, but she could understand that [his] in limited format.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tI found an app\u2014you get creative!\u2014I found an app. I could speak into this app in English, and it would speak back to the father in Burmese; so that was fascinating to me.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Michelle:<\/strong> Yes! And probably to him, too!\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Vicki:<\/strong> Yes, it was! It was; and then, he could speak back\u2014I would hold my phone.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Michelle:<\/strong> Yes.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Vicki:<\/strong> So yes, just so many neat moments, where you see\u2014at first, they\u2019re shell-shocked for a little while.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Michelle:<\/strong> Yes.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Vicki:<\/strong> But then, as I would bring things over that were being donated by my Sunday school class\u2014he was given a laptop; people would donate their used laptops; so I helped him get set up on the internet at the local library. We went by there\u2014and I thought it was interesting\u2014because the first thing he did was access Facebook<sup>\u00ae<\/sup>. [Laughter] I thought, \u201cWell, I guess some things are just universal!\u201d\u2014right?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Michelle:<\/strong> Yes, that\u2019s true.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Vicki:<\/strong> So that\u2019s been probably about eight months, and it\u2019s been just an incredible opportunity to get to know this sweet family. I started bringing my grandsons with me\u2014\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Michelle:<\/strong> Okay.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Vicki:<\/strong> \u2014especially the four-year-old. My oldest grandson, who\u2019s seven, was in school for some of that time. But this sweet family, whom I\u2019ve grown close to, has a daughter the same age, who\u2019s four, and then another daughter who\u2019s about 15 months old. Just watching the two of them play has been absolutely priceless! \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tShe [four-year-old] was painfully shy. The first few times, when I would pick them up without my grandson, she would just look down in her lap and wring her hands. I brought my grandson; and she still was very shy but, then, he handed her a tablet with some games on it. I was like, \u201cOkay, I don\u2019t always endorse tablets,\u201d but she hadn\u2019t seen anything like it.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Michelle:<\/strong> He knew it would break the ice with her!\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Vicki:<\/strong> Yes, and he\u2019s very outgoing. The cutest thing was that my grandson would talk to her in English, and then she would talk back to him in Burmese. Yet, they were just so cool with the whole thing, like: \u201cOh, yes, I know what you\u2019re saying! You know what I\u2019m saying.\u201d\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Michelle:<\/strong> Isn\u2019t it neat!\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Vicki:<\/strong> I really do believe that they knew what each other were saying. [Laughter]\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Michelle:<\/strong> Right!\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Vicki:<\/strong> I thought, \u201cSo many lessons we can learn, as grown-ups.\u201d\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t[Studio]\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Michelle:<\/strong> We\u2019re talking with Vicki Courtney today. Isn\u2019t it so neat how, once we open our lives to God, how He takes what we <em>thought <\/em>we were going to be doing and changes our whole path? That\u2019s what He did with Vicki Courtney. In fact, as she continued to minister and serve this Burmese family, her grandson would come along and play with the other child. It\u2019s just a beautiful picture of God\u2019s grace, and how he envelops all of us.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tWe need to take a break, but we\u2019ll come back in two minutes and share the rest of the story. Stay tuned! \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t[Radio Station Spot Break]\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Michelle: <\/strong>Welcome back to <em>FamilyLife This Week<\/em>. I'm Michelle Hill. Some of you know that I work with hospice, or you\u2019ve heard me mention that before. I enjoy my work with hospice, but sometimes communication can be difficult when you\u2019re working with somebody who has Alzheimer\u2019s or dementia, or they\u2019re at the end of life. But I have seen a little four-year-old walk into the room and be able to talk and get more than two words out of the same person that I only got a grunt out of. Kids have that magic; don\u2019t they?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tVicki Courtney had a similar story as she started to build that relationship with her Burmese friends.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t[Previous Interview]\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Vicki:<\/strong> I have so many favorite moments. Their daughter turned four shortly after they got here. She arrived\u2014she was, you know, on the cusp of four. I saw\u2014I filled out their paperwork for so many appointments\u2014I knew she had a birthday coming up. I had the translator call to see if they would mind if I came by with my grandson. She had met him, I think, one time before. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tWe showed up with helium balloons and some presents and a cake. The translator came, which I was relieved, because then we could have some level of a conversation. It was the first time we were able to talk, back and forth to each other, with the translator there. We sang \u201cHappy Birthday,\u201d and the translator prayed for this sweet little girl.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tThen the mom and dad wanted the translator to tell me: \u201cThank you. Why?\u2014we do not understand your kindness.\u201d I was able, then\u2014because you\u2019re really not supposed to proselytize\u2014this is not a Christian organization.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Michelle:<\/strong> Right.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Vicki:<\/strong> But I was able to. I think they asked, \u201cWhy?\u201d\u2014why I was doing this. I thought, \u201cWell, I need to be honest\u201d; and they did share with us that, \u201cIf they asked us about our faith\u2026\u201d\u2014I knew my faith was what was leading me to do this; so I was able to share, \u201cGod has greatly loved me, and I want to pass that on to you. I want you to know that He loves you as much as He loves me and anyone else in the world.\u201d \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tThe translator told me later that she prayed with them after I left.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Michelle:<\/strong> Oh, wow!\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Vicki:<\/strong> It was just so very rewarding to even hear that. I think they identify with being Christians, and so it was hard for me to even understand what the translator\u2014I don\u2019t know if they were already believers, but, you know, she shared that they want a relationship with Jesus.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Michelle:<\/strong> Yes.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Vicki:<\/strong> That was just, again, incredibly\u2014\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Michelle:<\/strong> That God is using you\u2014\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Vicki:<\/strong> Well, I can\u2019t\u2014\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Michelle:<\/strong> \u2014in their lives. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Vicki:<\/strong> \u2014but He\u2019s using them in mine, too!\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Michelle:<\/strong> That\u2019s incredible.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Vicki:<\/strong> It has just taught me so much about perspective\u2014 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Michelle:<\/strong> Yes.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Vicki:<\/strong> \u2014you know, things I used to grumble about. Then I think about my sweet friends, who are living in their small, 650-square foot apartment, and all sharing one bedroom. I\u2018m like, \u201cWhat do I have to grumble about, really?\u201d \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tIt has caused me not to be as wasteful as I felt like I was before\/to take things for granted when they work so hard. The father found a job within four months; works overtime. You know, they don\u2019t hand you\u2014they make you pay back the airfare, even to get here, which can be thousands of dollars. It can take them <em>years<\/em> to pay it back, especially for a family of four.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Michelle:<\/strong> Right.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Vicki:<\/strong> Well, three\u2014the baby was free\u2014but you know, there are things like that that they have responsibility to do. They take it very, very seriously. Yes, it\u2019s just been inspiring to me!\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Michelle:<\/strong> What I\u2019m hearing is the power of being. All you needed to do was show up.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Vicki:<\/strong> That\u2019s right.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Michelle:<\/strong> God was bridging that gap and saying, \u201cYou know, these are two people, who need to meet; and I\u2019m going to use this person in this person\u2019s life, and this person in this person\u2019s life.\u201d\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Vicki:<\/strong> And they don\u2019t even speak the same language.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Michelle:<\/strong> Right.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Vicki:<\/strong> I love how you worded that, though, because that really is, I think\u2014going back to resolutions\u2014if our resolution was just to show up\u2014just to show up.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Michelle:<\/strong> That\u2019s a good point!\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Vicki:<\/strong> \u2014any situation that God puts before you, be on the lookout for them. Maybe it\u2019s someone in your neighborhood; maybe He\u2019s calling someone, like what He did with you, to volunteer to help with hospice, or the elderly, or refugees. Whatever it is, there are so many needs out there. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tIt\u2019s not just that we\u2019re the ones coming in and helping. I feel like\u2014and I know I\u2019ve said this already\u2014but they helped me as well. They helped remind me that this is really what God has called us to do\u2014to go out and preach the gospel\u2014but also to go out and <em>be <\/em>the gospel. Because if you have a language barrier, you have no choice but, \u201cAll I can do is <em>show<\/em> you.\u201d\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Michelle:<\/strong> But they saw something in you, and that something <em>is<\/em> the gospel.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tI have a similar story, where I just was going to this hospital room every single day and spending 15-20 minutes, occasionally praying over this woman who could not speak. Then one day, she looks at me and she said, \u201cAre you a Christian?\u201d\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Vicki:<\/strong> Oh, wow!\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Michelle:<\/strong> It\u2019s stories like that that you\u2019re like, \u201cPeople do see that God is in us!\u201d\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Vicki:<\/strong> Yes.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Michelle:<\/strong> And God is pushing us to love others. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tNow, I\u2019m just curious\u2014you\u2019ve been taking your four-year-old grandson.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Vicki:<\/strong> Yes.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Michelle:<\/strong> If you were to go back to your younger self and have a four-year-old, or a ten-year-old, or a fifteen-year-old, how would you be having those conversations? \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Vicki:<\/strong> Ugh, this is where it\u2019s so hard; because I\u2019ve thought about this! I wished that I had involved my children more in service opportunities like that, where they could serve others and feel that joy that comes with focusing on something outside themselves, which I think is so important, you know, to teach our children that. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tYet, at the same time, you\u2019re so busy with your own children. I mean, this is time-consuming! There was one day when I was just taking them to a regular appointment, and the baby was running a fever. We ended up having to detour to the children\u2019s hospital, and I was there for seven hours. I thought: \u201cYou know, I couldn\u2019t have done this if my kids were still in the nest. I just couldn\u2019t have done this.\u201d \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tI\u2019m at a unique stage in life. And I didn\u2019t have to stay; they have a service, where they\u2019ll come\/Uber or Lyft pick them up. But I thought: \u201cMy word! They\u2019ve only been here a few weeks. \u201cLet me try to explain to you the whole process of Uber!\u201d\u201d\u2014[Laughter]\u2014you know?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Michelle:<\/strong> Yes.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Vicki:<\/strong> And the hospital staff wanted me there; because I was able to communicate, back and forth, through this app.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Michelle:<\/strong> And you were the trusted person.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Vicki:<\/strong> Right; right. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tI do think that, maybe, I would take a look at my priorities back then. Maybe instead of having my kids in so many different activities, you don\u2019t put them in as many; and you devote some of that time to being involved, as a family, where you\u2019re serving others and feeling the joy of that.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tI love that I\u2019m able to expose my grandkids to the beauty of what it looks like to be the hands and feet. Now, my oldest grandson comes. He\u2019s even teaching the four-year-old English words and helping with that. My two-and-a-half year-old granddaughter has come several times as well. I want them to interact over the years, as I do this, and just see that they\u2019re equals. Before the cross, we\u2019re all equal. This is not: \u201cOh, I\u2019m here to help you,\u201d but \u201cWe\u2019re friends!\u201d and \u201cWe\u2019re equals at the foot of the cross.\u201d\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tI do\u2014often, I think, \u201cI hope I\u2019m still in touch with this family to where I can watch their daughter walk across that stage at graduation someday and have my grandsons there, who have gotten to know her, and even my family. It has offered me the opportunity to get to know other people in that particular community. I may be going to their church in a few weeks, which is exciting to me! \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tThat\u2019s the other thing\u2014I\u2019m the one that doesn\u2019t know the language. When I\u2019m with them\u2014and they\u2019re speaking, back and forth, to each other\u2014it also allows me to put myself in the shoes of other people, who are coming here.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Michelle:<\/strong> Yes.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Vicki:<\/strong> They are the minority that doesn\u2019t know our language. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tI think back to a time in my life\u2014it\u2019s not anything that I\u2019m proud of at all\u2014where I would see situations like that and be annoyed that: \u201cWhy do we have to have options of Spanish\/English?!\u201d I\u2019m ashamed to say that; but then, this is the new perspective it\u2019s given me\u2014is that: \u201cWait a minute! Who am I that I expect that everything is just the way that I want it to be that makes it comfortable for me?\u201d and \u201cWhat is it like to be in the shoes of someone who\u2019s having to start all over?\u201d \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Michelle:<\/strong> Well, it goes all the way back to how our conversation started; and that is, looking outside yourself\u2014\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Vicki:<\/strong> Yes.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Michelle:<\/strong> \u2014thinking about resolutions that might challenge you and might better you because you\u2019re looking outside yourself and you\u2019re asking God, \u201cWhere would You rather have me on top of what I\u2019m already doing?\u201d\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Vicki:<\/strong> Right. The reward is the blessing\u2014it really is\u2014of just knowing that you played a very small, small part in being the hands and feet of Jesus.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t[Studio]\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Michelle:<\/strong> That\u2019s my conversation with Vicki Courtney and just the amazing journey that God had her on, starting with a simple resolution that she made. I know she wouldn\u2019t say that a resolution to diet, or watch TV less, or to journal more, or to be more content in life is a bad thing! What I\u2019m trying to say, and what I\u2019m trying to get you to think of\u2014maybe even challenge you with as we close out this year\u2014is to maybe look for ways to love others differently, see people through the eyes of Christ, act out in kindness, talk to the cashier at the grocery store\u2014and look for ways to boldly share the gospel of Christ.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tAs you do that, if you run into people who do not speak your language, the <em>Jesus <\/em>film has an app that shares short films in multiple languages. You could watch the entire film with this person, or you could have a conversation starter. It\u2019s a really neat evangelistic tool that the <em>Jesus<\/em> film has created. We have a link on our website: FamilyLifeThisWeek.com; that\u2019s FamilyLifeThisWeek.com.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tHey! Coming up this week, some of us are going to be staying up all night long to watch 2019 turn into 2020. We\u2019re going to be saying goodbye to the holidays. I don\u2019t know about you, but sometimes I have to deal with some after-Christmas baggage. We\u2019re going to talk about emotions next week, and how the Psalms can inform our emotions and actually help us work through that. Courtney Reissig\u2019s going to be here, and it will be a <em>great<\/em> show. I hope you can join us for that.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tThanks for listening! I want to thank the president of FamilyLife<sup>\u00ae<\/sup>, David Robbins, along with our station partners around the country. And a big \u201cThank you!\u201d today to our engineer, Keith Lynch. Thanks to our producers, Marques Holt and Bruce Goff. Justin Adams is our mastering engineer, and Megan Martin is our production coordinator. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tOur program is a production of <em>FamilyLife Today<\/em><sup>\u00ae<\/sup>, and our mission is to effectively develop godly families who change the world one home at a time.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tI'm Michelle Hill, inviting you to join us again next time for another edition of <em>FamilyLife This Week.<\/em>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tWe are so happy to provide these transcripts to you. However, there is a cost to produce them for our website. If you\u2019ve benefited from the broadcast transcripts, would you consider <a href=\"http:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/donate\">donating today<\/a> to help defray the costs?\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tCopyright <sup>\u00a9<\/sup> 2019 FamilyLife. 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