Sandra's Mite

What is Charity?

2011-11-08T18:50:00.000-08:00

It's silence when your words would hurt.
It's patience when our neighbor is curt.
It's deafness when the scandal flows.
It's thoughtfulness for another's woes.
It's promptness when stern duty calls.
It's duty when misfortune falls.

--author unknown

Think Twice

2011-11-08T18:48:00.000-08:00

Before you push a brother down, THINK TWICE.
Before at another's sin you frown, THINK TWICE.
For who are you in judgment hall
Your brother to the bar to call
Tomorrow you may slip and fall--THINK TWICE.

Before the stinging gibe and quip--THINK TWICE.
Lest you yourself should feel the ship--THINK TWICE.
Withhold the gossip's idle sneer,
The thrust that draws the bitter tear,
For Fortune's favoring gale and veer; THINK TWICE.

Is charity a quickened art? THINK TWICE
And does it thrill both hand and heart? THINK TWICE
The mercy you to others show,
That mercy you should some day know;
With other's faults be kind, be slow--THINK TWICE.

--author unknown

The Difference

2011-11-08T18:44:00.000-08:00

I got up early one morning
And rushed right into the day;
I had so much to accomplish
That I didn't have time to pray.

Problems just tumbled about me,
And heavier came each task;
"Why doesn't God help me?"
I wondered.
He answered, "You didn't ask."

I wanted to see joy and beauty,
But the day toiled on gay and bleak;
I wondered why God didn't show me.
He said, "But you didn't seek."

I tried to come into God's presence;
I used all my keys in the lock.
God gently and lovingly chided,
"My child, you didn't knock."

I woke up early this morning,
And paused before entering the day;
I had so much to accomplish
That I had to take time to pray.

Author Unknown

Why God Made Hugs

2011-11-08T18:41:00.000-08:00

Everyone was meant to share
God's all-abiding love and care;
He saw that we would need to know
A way to let these feelings show.

So God made hugs a special sign,
A symbol of his love divine,
A circle of our open arms
To hold in love and keep out harm.

One simple hug can do its part
To warm and cheer another's heart.
A hug's a bit of heaven above
That signifies His perfect love.

by Jill Wolf

He Answers Prayer

2011-11-08T18:37:00.000-08:00

I believe God answers prayer,
Answers always, everywhere;
I may cast my anxious care,
Burdens I could never bear,
On the God who heareth prayer.
Never need my soul despair
Since He bids me boldly dare
To the secret place repair,
There to prove He answers prayer.

Open My Eyes

2011-11-08T18:34:00.000-08:00

Open my eyes, that I may see
This one and that one needing thee:
Hearts that are dumb, unsatisfied;
Lives that are dark, for whom Christ died.

Open my eyes in sympathy
Clear into man's deep soul to see;
Wise with Thy wisdom to discern,
And with Thy heart of love to yearn.

Open my eyes in power, I pray
Give me the strength to speak today,
Some one to bring, dear Lord, to Thee;
Use me, O Lord, use even me.

--Betty Scott Stam

Who Prayed?

2011-11-08T18:32:00.001-08:00

Did you think of us this morning
As you breathed a word of prayer?
Did you ask for strength to help us
All our heavy burdens bear?

Someone prayed, and strength was given
For the long and weary road,
Someone prayed and faith grew stronger
As we bent beneath our load.

Someone prayed--the way grew brighter,
And we walked all unafraid.
In our heart a song of gladness--
Tell me, was it you who prayed?

Author unknown

Influence

2011-11-08T18:30:00.000-08:00

There are little eyes upon you,
And they're watching night and day;
There are little ears that quickly
Take in every word you say;
There are little hands all eager
To do everything you do,
And a little boy who's dreaming
Of the day he'll be like you.

You're the little fellow's idol;
You're the wisest of the wise;
In his little mind about you
No suspicions ever rise;
He believes in you devoutly,
Holds that all you say and do,
He will say and do in your way
When he's grown up just like you.

There's a wide eyed little fellow
Who believes you're always right,
And his ears are always open,
And he watches day and night.
You are setting an example
Every day in all you do,
For the little boy who's waiting
To grow up to be like you.

Author unknown

We Are His Channels Now

2011-11-08T18:26:00.000-08:00

On far and lonely shores
Where cruel sin and hate
Obscure all peace and joy,
Vast multitudes await.
Some in deep lethargy
Plod in the old, old way;
Hopeless, they face the night,
Helpless, they wait the day.

Drums throb and terror grips
The hearts of man and child,
Whether in village hut
Or in the jungle wild,
Drums throb, as wicked cults
Relay the secret word;
Screams pierce the fetid air
And then no more are heard.

Can we, who dwell in peace
In God's own joyous hope,
Ignore the plight of these
His creatures too, who grope
Vainly for one bright star
To light their deepening night?
Can we avert our eyes
From such a piteous sight?

God loves these burdened ones.
He yearns their wounds to heal.
Then we, His hands, His feet,
Must to the lost reveal
The riches of his grace
And mighty saving power;
We are His channels now--
This year, this day, this hour.

by Dorothy Conant Stroud

His Joy in the Midst of Sorrows

2011-11-04T18:58:00.000-07:00

As I logged onto my blog today I saw that the last post was of an article a friend of mine gave to me called, "The Pain of Motherhood". My first thought was, "Wow, how fitting, I have just experienced the pain of motherhood, quite literally!" Just as soon as that thought passed through my mind, I realised, it is not the pain of motherhood I have faced, but the joy of motherhood and even more, the joy of facing hard times with God as my Heavenly Father. Today as I shared with my family doctor who is a Christian, what happened to me last Sunday, she said, "You should share that with others so it can be a blessing to them." I share this, yes, to be a blessing, but also to remind myself how good God has been to me in these past several days. One day I will need to be reminded of what God has done for me--It may be tomorrow!

This past Sunday my husband took me to the emergency room because I had experienced a sudden burst of intense pain in my lower abdomen. After fainting in the waiting room 3 times (and yes it took 3 times because after the first time a nurse said, "Ok, we'll get you onto a stretcher, but this won't get you ahead of the line! I guess she's seen people try anything so they don't have to wait!) the head nurse and a paramedic lifted me onto a stretcher and took me to be assessed. My blood pressure was extremely low so an IV was immediately started in order to start putting back into my body what it had lost. As I lay there on the stretcher I was in pain all the way up to my right shoulder and was having difficulty breathing. The head nurse assessed my situation and within 20 to 30 minutes (which seemed like forever) the doctor on duty for the emergency department came to assess me. She had a wonderful bedside manner in which was combined a sense of humor but also a great sense of compassion. She took an ultra-sound of my abdominal area and confirmed that my internal organs were surrounded by free-standing blood. Based on the facts of what had happened that day and the month or so previously she could safely assume that I had an ectopic pregnancy and the tube had ruptured. This was pouring blood into the area around my major organs. She explained that they would have to do immediate emergency surgery in order to save my life. As I lay there on the stretcher with my husband holding my hand, I began to cry a little. The kind doctor took my hand and said, "You'll be okay. The doctor who happens to be on tonight to do your surgery is one of the best in her field. We'll take care of you. It's what we've trained for almost our whole lives." I thanked her and while it was nice to know that the doctor was one of the best, I was more thankful to know the ONE who placed her on that particular shift that afternoon. After thanking her I said, "My God is in control." I've often wondered, in times of great fear and pain, if I would continue to trust my Loving Heavenly Father. It was a great comfort to me to know He had me in His hands. As I was being prepped for surgery I had to have a blood transfusion because I had lost so much blood. This made me nervous for a minute as I thought about all of the diseases that are spread through the blood. I just prayed that the Lord would protect me from receiving any bad blood. The Lord helped me to be calm and surprisingly light hearted during the whole prep time immediately prior to surgery. My husband was allowed to go with me to the last stop before the O.R. There we met the anesthesiologist and the nurse that would be helping the doctor perform the surgery. Just before I was wheeled away, my husband prayed with me one last time. As I rode on my stretcher, watching the ceiling go by I could feel fear whelming up inside of me. We have been memorizing the Psalm 23 with our children and had just a few hours before been reciting verses 1-5 on the way to church. As I came to verse 4 I was comforted momentarily for I was passing through the valley of death. Psalm 56:3 was the next scripture that God brought to me, "What time I am afraid, I will trust in thee." The last verse God placed into my mind brought the greatest comfort to me. The Bible says in Psalm 46:1, "God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble." The word "present" in particular was the greatest comfort to me. As I lay there, the Lord had helped me to truly see that He was there with me and he would orchestrate everything. Whatever was to happen would be His will. I had no more anxiety. I was ready for the "sleepy medicine".

Upon waking I was freezing cold. It felt like nobody was helping me. I know that my mind was probably effected by drugs, but there is one thing I know. I WAS COLD! They finally put a blanket on me that was supposed to fill up with hot air, but it filled up with cold air. I remember laying there thinking, be patient, things like this probably need time to heat up. I don't know how long I was "patient" but I finally said, "It feels like you filled it with air conditioning." The nurse did something and it was instantly hot. I was getting too hot, but I wasn't going to complain, because I had tried too hard to get them to understand how very, extremely, overwhelmingly cold I was. After a few minutes I realised I couldn't see. It was like my head was bandaged. I think I was bugging the nurse who was trying to manage my pain medications. She was giving me morphine through an IV and asking me to scale my pain from 1 to 10. I always hate doing that. Relativity is not my forte. While she was doing this, I kept saying, "Am I allowed to see?" "May I please see?" "Why are my eyes covered?" I was starting to feel claustrophobic because I had an oxygen mask over my nose and mouth and the rest of my head was wrapped up. She finally took off the wrapping and explained that it was a heated blanket they had wrapped around my head when I was calling out through the oxygen mask how cold I was.

As I lay in the recovery room I realised I had a captive audience to the gospel. I don't remember exactly how the conversation went, things are still a little foggy from that moment, but I do remember asking the nurse if she was religious at all. She said she was and suddenly became very cold towards me. I tried to tell her a few things after that, but suddenly she didn't sit next to my bed anymore. She went and sat at a desk and watched a hockey game or something. I couldn't quite make out what it was. Though I tried to make opportunities to witness to the other nurses, I guess I wasn't sick enough to have them hang around long enough! The last nurse I had was the friendliest--and she was already a Christian.

From the recovery room I was taken to a private room for the remainder of my hospital stay. As I was pushed down the corridor the nurse said, "Is that your husband? Oh that's not your husband." Since I cannot see very well at all without my glasses, I took her word for it. As we nearly passed the man I realised it was my brother. How thankful I was to see him as I knew my husband would have left as soon as the doctor said the surgery was complete and I was in recovery. My husband has had to do many things out of his normal realm during this whole thing. He has been amazing! Love is truly revealed in times of hardship. As I was being wheeled out of the recovery room, I knew he was home packing clothes for the kids to stay overnight with our friends. My brother stayed with me until my husband came. After being told he wasn't allowed to stay with me all night, my husband left me with his Bible and a book I've been wanting to read for a long time.

Sleep was difficult that night as I was experiencing a great deal of pain. I did sleep some after being given some more pain medication, and when I awoke in the morning I felt as if I couldn't move. God had a captive audience. For the next several hours amongst nurses checking me and other such things, I had sweet communion with my Lord. I thanked Him for saving my life. I cannot begin to explain all of the things God was teaching me throughout that day. I sensed though that this was only the beginning--that He was using this to prepare me. He was setting me aside to gird up my loins in preparation for the difficult times ahead. It was like the Lord had taken my face in his hands and said, "Look at me. Don't stop looking at me. No matter what I allow to come into your life, remember that I love you." I didn't want that day to end. I knew I would most likely be going home the next day and I didn't want the sweet, mostly undistracted time I was having with my Loving Heavenly Father to be over. I had some visitors that evening and to be honest while I was thankful they came and they made me feel very loved, I couldn't wait to get alone with God again.

That night, it was God who helped me bare my sorrows--for I had lost my child. Amidst the physical pain I had experienced, I realized this in my head, but it had not yet hit my heart. I tried reading my Bible and praying and just going to sleep but the darkness and quietness made it more difficult. As I lay there weeping for the loss of my child, I thanked God for answering our prayer and giving us a child. I told Him that I didn't understand why He had seen fit to take our baby away, but I wanted to learn what He has to teach me. Though there are many things I know the Lord wants to teach me through this, for there are many things I have learned, one was, I believe, in answer to a prayer I have been so earnestly praying in recent weeks. This prayer was one I am ashamed to say I have not prayed as earnestly as I should have been the last 8 years. I have been praying of late that the Lord would make me a godly mother, one who has spiritual discernment how to train her children, not just command them to jump like a bunch of little soldiers. I realised that losing our baby had done this. This had allowed the Lord to have uninterrupted fellowship with me to show me where I needed to repent and how I needed to change. I am thankful that He has answered my prayer. This event has changed the way my husband and I both interact with and train our children.

Since being released from the hospital 3 days ago, I have faced two more trials that look enormous. We are still facing them. One in particular, we cannot see where it will lead. I am so grateful that we "have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities." I thank God that He delights to show us His love and guidance. We read in family devotions on Wednesday night that God wants to give us wisdom if we will but seek it.

Today I went to see my family doctor because I have had a low-grade fever for 3 days. I was put on an antibiotic and told to stay in bed until Monday when I should call the OB/GYN who performed the surgery. At that point I may have to have tests for internal infection. My family doctor told me today that if I don't stay in bed, I could cause myself to have another surgery. So, here I lie, watching my wonderful husband be mother and father to our four children. Waiting, listening for whatever else the Lord would have me to learn.

To those of you who know me and have prayed for me since Sunday, I would like to say, "Thank you!" I know it is your prayers that are helping our family to face the several difficulties we are facing right now. To those of you who do not know me. I would like to ask you a question. Do you know the Loving Heavenly Father I talk of? The God Who loves me so much that He is longsuffering to teach me the things He wants me to learn, so I may bring glory to Him? He loves you to. If you are not already His child, He wants you to be.

You may ask, "How do I have this relationship with the loving God?" It is very simple. You must first admit honestly to God that you have sinned and disobeyed Him. The Bible says in Romans 3:23, "For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God." In Romans 6:23 it says, "For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord."

You must believe that Jesus died on the cross and rose again. His blood was shed to pay for your sins. The Bible tells us in I Corinthians 15:3-4, ". . .Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures, And the he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures." In Romans 5:8 we are told, "But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." John 3:16 tells us, "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten son, that whosoever believeth in him, should not perish but have everlasting life." Because Jesus loves you so much he took the punishment you and I deserved for our sins so we can be forgiven.

Lastly, you mush choose to trust Jesus alone for the forgiveness of your sins. God promises in Romans 10:13, "For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved." He also tells us in John 3:18, "He that believeth on him is not condemned. . . ." When you trust in Jesus Christ alone to save you, God forgives you! You become His child, and He promises you a home in Heaven forever! Put your trust in Jesus as your Saviour from sin. Do it today, and begin to follow Him by obeying His Word the Bible.

I pray that if you are not a child of God and you have any questions that you would contact me. If you decide today that you will accept Him as the sacrifice for your sins, I would love to know and to help you get started in the right direction building your relationship with Him! With Him, even in the times of suffering and pain, we can have joy for we are, "Strengthened with all might, according to his glorious power, unto all patience and longsuffering with joyfulness." (Colossians 1:11)

"The Pain of Motherhood"

2011-07-28T12:31:00.000-07:00

written by Courtney Girdwood taken from Above Rubies October 2010, No. 80

I love my children so much that at times it hurts. Mothering brings me so much joy, yet it is the most frightening and overwhelming task imaginable.

One day you are handed the most beautiful, marvelous gift. You stare in awe-struck wonder and breathe in the sweet fragrance of new life. You cannot fathom how this tiny little human will forever change the world as you know it. Or, how your own life as you know it, will forever change.

Once you are a Mother, things you never worried about suddenly become foremost in your mind. You find yourself double-checking if the doors are locked before you go to bed. You always make sure you buckle up. You apply two layers of sunscreen just in case. You baby proof e-v-e-r-y-thing.

Mothering is so very scare. Life isn't about you anymore. Not only do you worry about your child's well-being, you worry about your own well-being. After I became a mom, I found myself constantly praying for God to protect me, because, second to the thought of losing one of my children is the thought of them losing me.

I pray more than I have ever prayed in my life. Life is so unpredictable and our children are at the mercy of this dangerous world and have an enemy who wants nothing more than to devour them. This reality drives me to my knees, daily. Each day I have to give my fears over to God and ask Him to help me love my little ones while entrusting Him totally with their care.

The hardest part of being a mother is knowing that at some point in time my children will have to suffer. Suffering is an inevitable part of life. Some of my children have already experienced it and I can't express how much it pains me to know there was nothing I could have done to save them from it.

Many times I have seen one of my children in pain and wished I could take their place. I would take any amount of suffering if it meant my child didn't have to suffer. Tears form in my eyes at the every thought of one of them becoming ill, facing despair, having their hearts broken or making mistakes that will forever alter their future. I often think of Mary. What must it have been like to be Jesus' mother and to witness His torture and death?

Sometimes I wonder why God called me to be a mother. At times, the task seems too great to bear and my heart feels like it could crack into millions of pieces. I love my children so deeply, so profoundly that I wonder sometimes if I can handle it. And yet, my God loves them even more. He loves me even more. He loves you even more.

Mothering is the perfect picture of Christ's love for us. He saw us suffering in a dark and sinful world. He came to us to save us from and eternity of suffering. He took our place and paid the ultimate price. He loved us that much. My love for my children is just a speck in comparison to His love for us.

Each day, I lay my precious treasures at His feet. I lay my fears, my heartache, and my ever-present desire to protect them, at the foot of the cross. I pray that God will give me all that I need to mother them well. I ask that He will provide me the strength to endure whatever comes our way.

I thank Him for the incredible privilege of being called Mommy. I thank Him for each day that I get to experience a glimpse of His vast love for me through the love He has given me for my treasures.

The Best Day of My Life

2011-07-27T12:13:00.000-07:00

As I continue to go through my files in preparation to go on the road for deputation I have found more jewels! Here is one I found today:

The Best Day of My Life

Today, when I awoke, I suddenly realized that this is the best day of my life, ever! There were times when I wondered if I would make it today; but I did! And because I did I'm going to celebrate! Today I'm going to celebrate what an unbelievable life I have had so far; the accomplishments, the many blessings, and, yes, even the hardships because they have served to make me stronger. I will go through this day with my head held hight, and a happy heart. I will marvel at God's seemingly simple gifts: the morning dew, the sun, the clouds, the trees the flowers, and the birds. Today, none of these miraculous creations will escape my notice. Today, I will share my excitement for life with other people. I'll make someone smile. I'll go out of my way to perform an unexpected act of kindness for someone I don't even know. Today I'll give a sincere compliment to someone who seems down. I'll tell a child how special he is, and I'll tell someone I love just how deeply I care for them and how much they mean to me. Today is the day I quit worrying about what I don't have and start being grateful for all the wonderful things God has already given me. I'l remember that to worry is just a waste of time because my faith in God and His Divine Plan ensures everything will be just fine. Tonight, before I go to bed, I'll go outside the raise my eyes to the heavens. I will stand in awe at the beauty of the stars and the moon, and I will praise God for these magnificent treasures. As the day ends and I lay my head down on my pillow, I will thank my Almighty God for the best day of my life. And I will sleep the sleep of a contented child, excited with expectation because I know tomorrow is going to be. . .The best day of my life.

author unknown

Thank God for You

2011-07-18T17:25:00.000-07:00

Author Unknown

This poem was given to me by a friend.

Thank God for you, good friend of mine,
Seldom is friendship such as thine;
How very much I wish to be
As helpful as you've been to me--
Thank God for you.

When I recall from time to time
How you inspired this heart of mine,
I find myself inclined to pray,
"God bless my friend this very day:--
Thank God for you.

Of many prayer quests, one thou art
On whom I ask God to impart
Rich blessings from His store house rare,
and grant to you His gracious care--
Thank God for you.

So often at the throne of grace
There comas a picture of your face,
And then instinctively I pray
That God may guide you all the way--
Thank God for you.

Some day I hope with you to stand
Before the throne at God's right hand,
And say to you at journey's end,
Praise God, you've been to me a friend--
Thank God for you.

As I typed this I thought of my dear friend, Susan Baduria. . .thank God for you!!

God Knows the Answer

2011-07-18T17:17:00.000-07:00

God Knows the Answer

I question not God's means or ways,
Or how He uses tie or days,
To answer every call or prayer,
I know He will, somehow, somewhere

I question not the time or place
When I shall feel His love and grace;
I only know that I believe,
And richest blessing shall receive.

I cannot doubt that He'll attend
My every cal, and that He'll send
A ministering angel fair,
In answer to my faithful prayer.

by F. B. Whitney
(also cut out of a church bulletin from my childhood days)

Also from the same bulletin:
"Bowing the head for a few minutes at the beginning of the day will help one to walk more erect during the hours that follow."

The State of Souls

2011-07-18T17:13:00.001-07:00

The State of Souls
(my own title to an anonymous article from a church bulletin from when I was a girl)

"They're passing, passing fast away,
A hundred thousand souls a day,
In Christless guilt and gloom.
O Christians, what wilt thou say
When in the awful judgment day,
They charge thee with their doom?"

Memories. . .

2011-07-18T17:11:00.000-07:00

Well, it's official. We are going to the Philippines. Lord willing we will start deputation in January. How long this has been in the coming. . .but how wonderful God is that He knows the perfect timing!!

As I have been getting rid of bags and bags of things the local charities have benefited greatly. Particularly the ones who will come and collect me earthly belongings. All of it is going. Kitchen, bedrooms, living room, bathroom. . .slowly being completely emptied. So far I have tackled the kids' room, our room and the kitchen. Today's project was to go through papers in the filing cabinet. Memories have been flooding me all day as I have read cards, seen handprints, and seen evidences of how God has lead us through very difficult times. Some things are very difficult to get rid of. Others I found my self wondering why I have been letting them have space in my house!

I have loved poetry since I was a little girl. . .reading and writing. As I have gone through the files I have found things for which I cannot afford room, so I've decided to put them on my blog where I can go back later and find them again if I want. My hope is that while I save these passages for myself, you will receive a blessing from them too. Thus my next several posts will be gleanings from my files. I hope you enjoy!

Waiting On the Lord

2011-06-04T21:48:00.001-07:00

A little girl peeked up over the edge of the missionary’s display table waiting patiently for her turn to ask the missionary to sign her Bible. She loved having the missionaries sign her Bible and would often open her Bible just to look at the page where their names had been written. This little girl had accepted Christ as her Saviour when she was 5 years old. She knew that she was a sinner and that she could not pay the price for her sins. She understood that the only one who cold pay for her sins was Jesus. Sitting in her Mommy’s lap she prayed and asked Jesus to take her sins away so she could live in Heaven with Him one day. As she grew she was in awe of missionaries who were going to take this same message to people all over the world. She loved to hear them tell about the people and see the pictures they would show. When she attended Vacation Bible School each summer her pastor’s wife would stand up front showing pictures of missionary stories always leaving off at a part that would make the children want to come back the next day to hear the story. One year the Pastor’s wife told the story of Tifam a little girl who lived in Haiti and whose witch-doctor father got saved at the end of the story after trying to kill the missionary. When her Pastor’s wife said that she had been a missionary kid in Haiti, this little girl was in awe. God was nurturing in hear heart a love for missionaries. At the age of 13 this young lady heard a college group give a readers-theater presentation about the life of Jim Elliot. Intermingled with the script were songs about missions and yielding one’s life entirely to God to do whatever he would ask. That evening, she surrendered her life to be a missionary wherever God would desire. Over the next year God used two specific things to further reveal His will. After reading more extensively about Jim Elliot who was slaughtered by the people he had been trying so hard to reach, this young lady began to have the interest in the people groups of the world that had never heard the gospel. At a youth conference, a veteran missionary spoke of the number of people groups in the world that had never once heard the gospel. She knew that God wanted her to give the gospel to those who had never heard.

Ten years later, that little girl who had been peeking over the edge of the missionary’s display table was now waving good-bye to her family for what would be the first of many good-byes. Little did she know how the next four years would change her life. With missions in mind she learned all she could about becoming a missionary, at least from the text-book point of view. During those years, she met the man who would become her husband and whom she would serve the Lord with the rest of her life. Upon graduation from college, she and her new husband took a missions trip to the country in which they believed God would have them reach the people with the gospel. During her time in this country God confirmed in the hearts of her husband and herself that this was where God would have them to live one day. Little did she know that that “one day” would be further off than she realised. All of her hopes and plans to be off to the mission field immediately following college were dashed when God led them to work with a new church plant in Canada. This was her second good-bye. Since the commitment was only for 5 years, it was only a small disappointment. At the end of those 5 years, it still was not time to go as the young couple now with 3 children moved on to another church where God lead them to continue serving Him. After 2 more years, it still was not time to go and off her family went to serve in yet another church. The young couple was starting to wonder if they would ever have the privilege of going to live in the country among the people they loved so much.

Almost exactly 10 years after seeing her new country for the first time, that young lady now stands before you. Finally beginning the journey to reach our new “home”. Please turn in your Bibles to Proverbs 13:12. “Hope deferred maketh the heart sick: but when the desire cometh, it is a tree of life.” The word “defer” means “to put off to a later time or postpone”. Though I had been given the text-book learning about being a missionary. God had many things He needed to teach me which I could not learn from any book except His Word as I read it and walked through life with Him. Many times over the last 10 years my heart was sick as we waited for God. Being in God’s waiting room is not easy. Waiting has been hard, but I can see God’s hand in my life over these past years and I’m so thankful now that God did put me in His waiting room until I was prepared. Today I would like to share some of the things God has taught me.

My life’s verse is Philippians 3:10 “That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death;”

“That I may know him. . .” Knowing God has many dimensions. The lesson that I most recently learned in knowing God, is the one lesson I should have learned first. To truly know Him I must worship and adore Him. We must know God’s person to be able to adore Him. This has set me out exploring the Bible about Who exactly this wonderful God is who has given us the privilege of serving Him. There many passages about Who God is, but a good one to consider is I Chronicles 16:23-36. As I continue to study about Who God is, I stand in awe that He would even allow me to be part of the plan He has for bringing mankind into a relationship with Him. Yet this knowing Him is the most important aspect of serving Him; for if I worship and adore the Heavenly Father and truly know Him no thing He asks of me can be too great in comparison to Who He is.

The verse continues, “. . .and the power of his resurrection.” His resurrection was victory--a victory over death and hell. I thank God that through the last 10 years I have been allowed to know him in victories that He has given me in my life. He has allowed me to snatch souls from the clutches of hell. He has allowed me to help young Christians grow. He has allowed me to be a blessing to other servants of Him. All this only because of Him. During these times of victory being in God’s waiting room was not so hard.

As we read on we see that the verse says, “. . .and the fellowship of his sufferings. . .” Shortly after I graduated from Bible college I faced a particularly difficult trial. A godly lady showed me this verse and directed me to this phrase and the little word at the beginning of it, it is the word “and”. She taught me that so often we are glad to know God in the power of his resurrection but do not want to know Him in the times of suffering. Jesus suffered many more things than I ever will, but there are certain things that He wanted me to suffer to that I could truly know Him and learn to be like Him. During the times of difficulty, the times of suffering, are when being in God’s waiting room is difficult. This was when my heart has felt sick. I longed for my hope not to be deferred any longer, but God was still working. How could I truly claim to love and serve Him if I was not conformed to His death as the verse states in its final phrase?

As you go through these pivotal years in your life you may have dreams of doing great things for God. Dreams are good. Having a vision is biblical. But if God decides to allow you to sit in his waiting room for a while, don’t be discouraged. Remember you are getting to know Him in preparation for the task He has ahead. Also remember to continue to be faithful to what He has you to do in the present during your time of waiting.

Remember Proverbs 13:12? “Hope deferred maketh the heart sick: but when the desire cometh, it is a tree of life.” Have you ever had to wait for something you really wanted? Maybe it was a toy you wanted when you were a child, maybe it was saving to buy your first car, maybe it was waiting to see someone you hadn’t seen in a long time. Do you remember how good it felt when what you were looking forward to finally happened? It was much more exciting then it would it have been if you had not been required to wait for it. This verse shows us that it is the same with the desires God places in our hearts. If we trust Him while he prepares us through learning to know Him in His person, through victories, and through difficulties, “. . .when the desire cometh, it is a tree of life.”

Rambling

2011-05-17T00:00:00.000-07:00

This weekend God taught me many things. As we face leaving our children for a week to go to orientation, I find myself struggling with the fact that we will have to be so far from them for a whole week. While I completely trust the care of our children to my brother and his wife, I still won't be there! It's funny, as I have gone through life looking forward to different stages, believing I will reach them with sheer delight, I find each step is bitter-sweet. I should be thrilled (and I am, really) that we are finally heading for consideration by a mission agency. We have dreamed of this day for more years than I like to think about. While we are excited though, I find it difficult to leave our children. God is so wonderful though. The song I posted for a friend last week, "I'll Go Where You Want Me To Go", ended up being a blessing and a challenge to me this weekend. I was scheduled to sing for the Sunday evening service. As usual I prayed and sought for a song. Also as usual I asked for my husband's input. The thing that was not usual was that he had no opinion about what song I would sing this time. As I sang through countless songs, I could not find peace about any of them. Then the Lord led me to this song. God used a line from the third verse to help me to stay focused on Him and what He has planned for me and for my family: "So, trusting my all unto Your care, I know You always love me! I’ll do Your will with a heart sincere. . ." Usually when I sing a special for church, I try my best to build a climax in the song with dynamics and such, but for this song I could not. Last night it came out as a prayer and at some points barely came out. How amazing God is to use the common (I've known this song for decades!) to reach us at different points in our lives! He is teaching me to trust Him. Sometimes I'm a slow learner!

I have always been a dreamer with big plans. Big plans and dreams are not the same as accomplishments. Though these can lead to great accomplishments, I tend to get distracted along the way. Sometimes I spend too much time dreaming, planning, making lists, creating ideas, and not enough time on the "petty" details that are required to accomplish such things. As the Lord has brought me along, particularly since having children, I have learned much in this area of disciplining myself to finish the mundane tasks of life before I allow myself the privilege of planning my great dreams. Facing a summer which is the beginning of a new stage in our lives, I once again have struggled with the menial tasks of life. I desire to burst ahead to the thing I have been looking forward to for so long! How thankful I am that the Lord is patient with me and helps me to refocus with His Word. Today in my devotions God again showed me a verse He used once before to order my thoughts and help me to keep my eyes fixed on what I need to accomplish now. Sometimes my thoughts are a my worst enemy simply because they are running in all directions in my head, plowing one another over vying for preeminence. I need God's help to order them! The verse God gave me today was, Proverb 16:3, "Commit thy works unto the LORD, and thy thoughts shall be established." Now, as I have asked the Lord to help me to commit my works to Him, I know that he will establish my thoughts. He's the only one who can really order all of these things in the first place! I told you I'm a slow learner. Thankfully He is a loving and patient God!

AKO'Y SUSUNOD KAHIT SAAN (I'll Go Where You Want Me to Go)

2011-05-02T17:04:00.000-07:00

This post is for my very dear friend Maricon. I love you! (For other readers, scroll down for English)

AKO'Y SUSUNOD KAHIT SAAN

by Mary Brown and Charles Prior

Kahit saan pagutusan Niya, Kusa akong susunod;

Sa patag o kabundukan man, Lagi nang maglilingkod.

Pagtawag Niya kung aking marinig, Puso'y agad tutugon;

Ako'y susunod--kahit na saan man--Sa iyo, aking Panginoon!

Koro:

Kahit na san, O Panginoon, Ikaw ay aking susundin--

Sa dagat, bundok o kapatgan man; Ikaw ay laging susundin.

Pagibig Niya'y ipahahayag Sa kapwang nalulumbay;

Ang aral Niya ay ihahatid Sa taong naliligaw.

O Dios, ang patnubay Mong kay inam Sa t'wina'y kailangan ko;

Ang nais Mo ang lagi kong gaga win, Laging susunod sa Iyo.

Koro

Kahit hamak man ang gawain Sa malawak na mundo,

Buong sikap na maglilingkod Ako sa iyo, O Cristo.

Dahil sa ako ay Iyong tunay, Puso'y magtitiwala;

At ang nais ko'y ang kagandahan Mo Sa buhay ko ay mabadha.

Koro

I'll Go Where You Want Me to Go

by Mary Brown and Charles Prior

It may not be on the mountain’s height, or over the stormy sea;

It may not be at the battle’s front my Lord will have need of me;
But if by a still, small voice He calls to paths I do not know,
I’ll answer, dear Lord, with my hand in Yours,
I’ll go where You want me to go.

Refrain

I’ll go where You want me to go, dear Lord,
O’er mountain, or plain, or sea;
I’ll say what You want me to say, dear Lord,
I’ll be what You want me to be.

Perhaps today there are loving words which Jesus would have me speak;
There may be now, in the paths of sin, some wand’rer whom I should seek.
O Savior, if You will be my Guide, though dark and rugged the way,
My voice shall echo the message sweet,
I’ll say what You want me to say.

Refrain

There’s surely somewhere a lowly place in earth’s harvest fields so wide,
Where I may labor through life’s short day for Jesus, the Crucified.
So, trusting my all unto Your care, I know You always love me!
I’ll do Your will with a heart sincere,
I’ll be what You want me to be.

Refrain

Joy in My Heart

2011-04-27T11:58:00.000-07:00

Our second son will be completing kindergarten this year. I love kindergarten because it's when they learn to read! It is always a joy when my children first start reading their Bible! I vividly remember the day my eldest read his first Bible verse. Our second son has an avid interest in God's Word, especially in trying to read and memorize it on his own. My father is part of an active scripture memory program and gave my son one of his cards to keep track of memorizing a particular verse I have been working on with him. He still has the card from Christmas time and uses it to review the verse each day. What joy in my heart when I see my boys sitting with their Bibles learning what God has for them each day even though they are young. I pray they will continue this habit the rest of their lives.

Read the Bible Through in 90 Days

2011-04-26T18:26:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow I will take on the challenge of reading the Bible through in 90 days. Have you ever done this before? I am expecting adversity, but am praying that God will help me to complete the goal. Another young lady and I will be keeping tabs on each other. Let me know if you'd like to join us on our journey of spending more time in God's Word.

"Exceeding the Requirements"

2011-04-21T09:18:00.001-07:00

This past Sunday I listened to this sermon by Dr. John Geotsch. How convicting!

http://vimeo.com/20858869

"I Was Lost, But You Were in a Hurry"

2011-04-20T08:18:00.000-07:00

While cleaning out a box of odds and ends to prepare a place to start my new venture in "couponing", I ran across a devotional booklet I was given at a ladies' retreat many years ago. It is called Tea with Grandma, Time with God by Mrs. Carol J. Phillips (Mrs. Carol J. Ackerle). As I flipped through the booklet this entry caught my eye and smote my heart. How often have I been too busy?

I attended your church this morning. You wouldn't remember me--I may be eleven or eighty--but I was there--and I was hunting for something--I think I almost found it--I think I would have if you hadn't been in such a hurry.

The choir--even you in the congregation--sang hymns about a loving Lord that made my heart beat faster. I felt a tight, choking sensation in my throat as your pastor described the condition of a lost person.

"I am lost. He is talking about me," I said to myself. "From the way he speaks, being saved must be very important." I looked about at you in the pews near me--you were listening-you seemed to think the pastor's words were important. "All these people are so concerned," I thought. "They want me to be saved, too."

At last the minister finished his appeal and asked you to stand and sing another of the beautiful songs you know so well. I swallowed a lump in my throat and wished I knew the joy with which you sang. Then your pastor looked at me and repeated again how I could have this joy--but his words were drowned in a buzzing beside me.

When I glanced around, you were putting on your little girl's coat and telling her to get her things. I looked on my other side and saw you touching up your lipstick. Looking in front of me, I saw you frown at your watch as if time were running out.

Suddenly I didn't want to look at any more of you--my eyes burned and my throat hurt--my feet were so tired I couldn't have walked toward the pleading minister. . .You really didn't care. This salvation the pastor had been telling me about was not important. You didn't care that I was lost--you only wanted to get away. I wanted to get away, too--I wanted to run--but I was afraid if I did you would wonder what I was hunting for.

I waited until the service was over and walked out among you--alone--lost.

--Maranatha

I Saw Jesus in You

2011-04-13T14:32:00.000-07:00

by Ron Hamilton

When I enter Heaven's glory
And I see my Savior's face,
I will offer Him ten thousand years of praise.
Then I'll find that special one
In whose life I saw God's Son,
And thru tears of joy with trembling lips these words I'll say:

"I saw Jesus in you,
I saw Jesus in you,
I could hear His voice in the words you said--
I saw Jesus in you.
In your eyes I saw His care,
I could see His love was there.
You were faithful,
And I saw Jesus in you."

When I stand before my Father
To receive my life's reward,
And my soul is bathed in God's eternal day,
When this race on earth is run,
And God sees the works I've done,
More than anything I long to hear my Father say:

"I saw Jesus in you,

I saw Jesus in you,

I could hear His voice in the words you said--

I saw Jesus in you.

In your eyes I saw His care,

I could see His love was there.

You were faithful,

And I saw Jesus in you."

-------------

As I was preparing dinner to go into the crockpot this afternoon and my children sat at the table playing with play dough, we listened to Patch the Pirate's "Evolution Revolution". A song that I've known for years began to play near the end of the CD, "I Saw Jesus in You". As I listened, I was struck with the thought, "Do people see Jesus in me?" There are a few people in my life that I can truly say that I see Jesus in them. They are people that constantly challenge me through the way they live their lives. I come face to face with the grim reality that far too often people do not see Jesus in me. I was saddened and ashamed as I realized how little of Jesus shines through me. One specific line in this song struck me as it never has before. "In your eyes I saw His care." Eyes have been called "the window to the soul". So many times when "serving" and living the Christian life I have hoped that people will see Jesus through my actions which will definitely be one way that people will see Jesus in me, but do people see Jesus in my eyes? Do I allow Jesus to live through me so much that whatever I say, think, or do comes from a soul completely saturated with Him? Sadly, this is not so. Today I prayed and asked God to help me to become such a faithful disciple of Him that people, yes, but more importantly God will "see Jesus in me." How I long more than ever before to hear my Heavenly Father say, "Well done, thou good and faithful servant."

The "P" in "Peace"

2011-04-11T10:56:00.000-07:00

What do you think of when you hear the word "peace"? You many think of sitting all alone on the beach at evening watching the sunset with the beautiful hues of God's magnificent masterpiece washing over you. The only sound you hear is the calming slap of the gentle waves on the soft sand and maybe a mornful boat whistle off in the distance. As the cool wind blows your cheeks and your hair you are free to just be alone with your thoughts. The word "peace" may bring you to ponder the turmoil in our world today with war and fighting, causing you to wonder if there will ever be peace on earth. Maybe when you think of peace you envision yourself in yor favourite reading spot reading God's Word and drawing upon the peace only He can give you from the turmoil you feel inside. Whatever this word "peace" may lead you to think of, God has something to tell us about peace, each and every aspect of it. In His Word, He tells us how we can have peace with Him, peace with others, and peace within ourselves.

Here is an acrostic that will help us to remember how to have true peace in our lives:

Personal relationship with God
Every day walk with God
Always depending upon God
Character determined by God
Earth reigned by God

We cannot have any form of peace in our lives until we first have a
Personal relationship with God

Our personal relationship with God begins at salvation. The Bible tells us that when Jesus comes into our life, then, and only then, are we able to have peace. This peace is the most important kind, peace with God. This peace must have been important to God because He was willing to send His only begotten Son, Jesus, to die to give us this peace. This peace must also have been important to Jesus for He willingly suffered and ultimately gave His life so we could have this peace. The Bible says in Isaiah 53:5, "But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him, and with his stripes we are healed." The meaning of the word chastise is "to discipline especially by corporal punishment." Jesus Christ was punished for our sins, yours and mine, so that we could have peace with God. You may wonder, do we not automatically have peace with God? After all He created us. No. Sadly, sin has entered the picture and taken away the peace that mankind once had with God. The Bible says in Romans 3:23, "For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God." God is a holy God, and we cannot be at peace with Him because we are sinners. Because all mankind has sinned, there is a gap between us and God. Sin has a penalty, a penalty that could be paid only by death. For us, that death would mean eternal separation from God. The Bible says in Romans 6:23, "For the wages of sin is death; but he gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord." Praise God, through His Son Jesus Christ, He has given us the gift of eternal life. As we read in Isaiah 53:5, Jesus paid the price for us. He was the only perfect man to ever walk the face of this earth. To God He was the only acceptable sacrifice. All that yo and I must do is accept this gift God is giving to us. Many people think that they must work to have this peace with God, but we cannot work our way to Heaven or to this peace with God. The Bible says in Titus 3:5a, "Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us. . . ." God waits to give us this peace with Him, the gift of salvation, absolutely free. Once you have accepted this free gift, you are at peace with God.

April Fools?

2011-04-01T14:53:00.000-07:00

"The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. They are corrupt, they have done abominable works, there is none that doeth good." Psalm 14:1

"The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. Corrupt are they, and have done abominable iniquity: there is none that doeth good." Psalm 53:1

"Understand, ye brutish among the people: and ye fools, when will ye be wise?" Psalm 94:8

"The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction." Proverbs 1:7

"How long, ye simple ones, will ye love simplicity? and the scorners delight in their scorning, and fools hate knowledge?" Proverbs 1:22

"It is as sport to a fool to do mischief: but a man of understanding hath wisdom." Proverbs 10:23

The Bible is plain. I leave you with one question. "April Fools" or no?

Eve--Final Update

2011-04-01T13:35:00.000-07:00

Eve has been released from the hospital and is on her way home! Thank you to all who prayed!

An Urgent Questioning

2011-03-30T15:39:00.000-07:00

An Urgent Questioning
by Sandra Malazo
written 2/4/1998
revised 3/30/2011

Why didn't you tell me?
Why didn't you share?
Why didn't you show me
God's love and His care?

Couldn't you sound a warning
That I would go to Hell?
You had the chance for sharing,
the message you knew so well!

I'm burning now because of you
I'm in Hell for eternity.
Will you now let others slip too?
"Tell them now" is my urgent plea!

Tell others of their coming fate;
Of their imminent death.
Tell them before it is too late.
Before they take their last breath.

Eve's News

2011-03-30T13:31:00.001-07:00

Eve has finally rounded the bend in regards to her life being in danger. She still has a long recovery process though. As the situation is not as urgent as it was last week, updates are becoming less frequent. The best way for any reader to find out information at this point (if you are not a friend of the Rubys or Smiths on Facebook) is to go to the Ruby's website. It is www.outreachelsalvador.com. From the home page click on the link to take you to the "journal". Be sure to go and read it. The last bits of news have been very encouraging.

Eve-Update from Facebook last evening

2011-03-29T11:25:00.001-07:00

I HAVE BEEN BLESSED

When He moves among us all that He does

all of His mercy and all of His love

and the pen of the writer could write everyday

even this world could never contain

how I've been blessed

The warmth in winter the flowers in spring

the laughter in summer and the changing of leaves

the food on my table a good place to sleep

clothes on my back and shoes on my feet

I have been blessed

I have been blessed God's so good to me

precious are His thoughts of you and me

no way I could count them there's not enough time

so I'll just thank Him for being so kind

God has been good so good

I have been blessed

Arms that will raise a voice that can talk

hands that can touch and legs that can walk

ears that can listen eyes that can see

oh I've got to praise Him as long as I breathe

I have been blessed

A father and mother who nurtured and raised

a brother and sister memories made

our pastor to lead us the altar to pray

stripes that can heal the blood that can save

I have been blessed

I have been blessed God's so good to me

precious are His thoughts of you and me

no way I could count them there's not enough time

so I'll just thank Him for being so kind

God has been good so good

I have been blessed

He's my shoulder to lean on when I am down

the rock where He leads me when I'm overwhelmed

the place where He hides me under His wings

He's not just a song He's the reason I sing

I have been blessed

I have been blessed God's so good to me

precious are His thoughts of you and me

no way I could count them there's not enough time

so I'll just thank Him for being so kind

God has been good so good

I have been blessed

Where do we start? How do you put into words the miracles we have seen take place? It brings tears to our eyes just beginning to think of the many MANY people that have come before the LORD for us - the notes, the tears, the thoughts, the gifts, the visits - ALL OF IT! I have tears in my eyes as I'm writing this, so please excuse any typos:) We can't say it enough......thank you. Eve is an incredibly special little girl to have so much love in her life!!!

Eve still has several days of slow recovery - but she has come so far and is doing so much better in this extremely LONG and extremely SHORT week:)

Eve has "been blessed":

Extubated (breathing tube removed)

Healthy heart

Almost healthy lungs:)

Healthy kidneys/organs

Feeding tube removed

All sedatives/paralytics removed

All blood cultures have come back negative (which is a good thing) :)

NO CT SCAN! :)

Moved from Peds ICU to Intermediate Care across the hall!

Has spoken/whispered a few words

Balanced on her feet (with much assistance) for the first time in a week - today:):):)

Smiled for the first time in a week - today:):):)

So for now, we just start walking down the road of not only physical therapy (muscles, coordination, etc), but also complete love. She has endured a lot in this last week...has not slept for the last 60 hrs for more than a few minutes, and when she finally has for those few minutes - she will wake up suddenly with extreme terror in her eyes. So, I think she is almost afraid of what will happen if she falls asleep again. Nic is cuddled up in her bed with her right now...trying to provide whatever comfort we can. The doctors say she will have a lot of psychological issues to work through for the next bit...so we can only love on her every moment and pray for her even more.

We love you all and are incredibly HUMBLED. Who are we? We do not deserve what has happened this week...however...

He's my shoulder to lean on when I am down

the rock where He leads me when I'm overwhelmed

the place where He hides me under His wings

He's not just a song He's the reason I sing

I have been blessed.

thank you.

Yesterday's Update on Eve

2011-03-29T11:23:00.000-07:00

Again, this is the update from Facebook from earlier yesterday.

Here is Eve standing up for the first time with lots of support from Suz. They are going to be moving her out of ICU soon across the hall. She is still out of it and not talking at all. We are very encouraged by all the progress. Thanks for the prayers! 1 hour ago

A Little Bit of Good News

2011-03-28T06:53:00.000-07:00

Here are the two updates we were given yesterday evening:

This from Pastor Jessup:

We went to the hospital following the services today and Eve is much improved. She is sitting up and talking a very little bit. Her stats are improving and it looks like she has turned the corner.

I again share with you the Ruby's gratitude for praying for them and especially for Eve.

Thank you for praying and please continue to do so at the Lord brings her to your mind.

Co-Laborers Together in the Great Commission,

Dr. Earl D. Jessup

This from Pastor and Mrs. Smith:

Holding off on cat scan and watching her instead. Progress is slow, but we
will take whatever we can get. Ultra sound tomorrow to check kidneys. Blood
pressure too high. Got to hold her today:) When we left tonight, Suz was in
the hospital bed with her. Wish I had a picture of that! Eve has only slept
one hour and forty minutes since they took her off the drugs and took the
vent out. It's like she's afraid to go to sleep. Our request for tonight is
for a peaceful night's rest for her with beautiful dreams! Truth be told -
we just want to see her smile again. Thank you.

Eight Gifts That Don't Cost a Cent

2011-03-27T15:48:00.000-07:00

This post was prepared several days ago, but then I decided to give the information about Eve quite a lot of attention to raise awareness for those who would pray for her. Thank you for those who have prayed; don't stop.

In the busyness or hum-drums of life, whatever you face today. It is so, very easy to forget to look around at those who need these simple gifts. Those of us who stay at home each day with our little children, how easy it is to forget to give some of these gifts to them. Those of you who have an "empty nest"--it's hard to reach out to others because you feel the need of someone reaching out to you. Whatever stage of life you are in, we can all give these gifts to someone each day. My challenge? I will give each of these to someone each day for one week, starting today. Will you join me? Be creative. Each day I will tell you how God has allowed me to give these gifts.

Eight Gifts That Don't Cost a Cent
--author unknown

The Gift of Listening--But you must REALLY listen. No interruption, no day-dreaming, no planning your response. Just listening

The Gift of Affection--Be generous with appropriate hugs, kisses, pats on the back and handholds. Let these small actions demonstrate the love you have for family and friends.

The Gift of Laughter--Clip cartoons. Share articles and funny stories. Your gift will say, "I love to laugh to you."

The Gift of a Written Note--It can be simple "Thanks for the help" note for a full sonnet. A brief, handwritten note may be remembered for a lifetime, and may even change a life.

The Gift of a Compliment--A simple and sincere, "You look great in red!", "You did a super job!", or "That was a wonderful meal!" can make someone's day.

The Gift of a Favor--Every day, go out of your way to do something kind.

The Gift of Solitude--There are times when we want nothing better than to be left alone. Be sensitive to those times and give the gift of solitude to others.

The Gift of a Cheerful Disposition--The easiest way to feel good is to extend a kind word to someone, really, it's not that hard to say "Hello" or "Thank you".

Update--details regarding "grave complications"

2011-03-27T15:42:00.000-07:00

These details were given to me from my sister-in-law who has Facebook. Unfortunately it's not a direct quote this time so I'm a bit hesitant about posting it for fear of distorting the facts. Pastor Wall at FaithWay in Ontario announced in their evening service that there had been no improvement since his update in their morning service.

1. After taking Eve off many of the medications and tubes she was not responding well last night. The doctors planned to do a CT scan today to see if there is any brain damage.
2. Eve was responding slightly better this morning so they decided to wait on the CT scan to observe further.
3. Need to do an ultrasound on her kidneys because her blood pressure is extremely high for her age.
4. Not sure if this was going to happen for sure or if they were just considering it--blood pressure medication to reduce hyper-tension.
5. Needed to collect a urine sample because there is blood in her stool and also because of the high blood pressure. (Susan said pray that they can collect it the normal way so they will not have to give her a catheter.)
6. Doctors are hoping the unresponsiveness is because of exhaustion and trauma.

These things were posted at 11:20 am our time.

Eve Has Developed "Grave Complications"

2011-03-27T07:09:00.000-07:00

This email was sent out this morning from a preacher who is with Eve and her family. Please pray!

I just received word a few minutes ago that Eve has taken a serious turn for the worse in her condition. There could be some grave complications. Please pray for this little girl and her family today in your services and have your people pray. I will update with more information as soon as I know more.

Co-Laborers Together in the Great Commission,

Dr. Earl D. Jessup

Good News!

2011-03-26T21:44:00.000-07:00

This update was sent to me from Pastor and Mrs. Smith, Eve's grandparents.

Praise the Lord, Hallelujah, Glory to God and raise your hankies -- Eve has been extubated!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! You should have seen the smiles on Nic and Suz's face when they took it out and she was such a little champion through it all! We all feel one hundred pounds lighter and like we can actually breathe ourselves! Thank you, Lord, for hearing the cries of your people! Thank you, friends for crying out on our behalf!

--
Reaching the World with our Tools,

Philip and Susan Smith
I Peter 4:11

Eve's Condition Slightly Better

2011-03-25T18:20:00.000-07:00

This was an email sent to me by the Smiths, Eve's grandparents:

Eve has had lots of visitors this morning. They only allow two at a time. We have not been in yet but the doctor checked her about half an hour ago and we are hearing they changed her ventilator settings so that they are more self-regulated. In other words, she is doing some of the work breathing on her own and the machine will only do what she can't instead of doing it all. This is wonderful news because it means progress and it is the first time we have seen progress since Wednesday!

Last night when we left her blood pressure was out of control and her heart rate was dropping. They did not know why. It was so hard to leave not knowing what was going on. We went back to our room and fell on our knees by our bed and cried out to God. He gave us peace to go to bed. Her blood pressure stabilized on its own in the night and this morning they made the changes to her ventilator. We are praising our amazing, merciful, good God for the changes. We read this morning-"Fear not; I am the first and the last: I am he that liveth and was dead; and, behold, I am alive forevermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and death.". Once again, a reminder to not fear because He is in control!

Hang on... Going in...

Exciting news- they have taken her off the paralytic. She is still sedated but coughing some and moving. It is hard to see her little face screw up like she wants to cry but it is sp good just to see some life! She still has a long way to go but we are thrilled beyond words to see progress! I wish I could respond to every one of you personally to thank you for your love, concern, verses shared and prayers! It has been so comforting to know so many have been holding little Eve and all of us up before the throne of God! THANK YOU! We are taking Joc to get her toenails painted while the guys have some time with Eve.

Phil and Susan Smith

CLAIM missionaries

www.ClaimforGod.com

619.403.6739

Update on Eve from Facebook

2011-03-25T00:17:00.000-07:00

"Eve has the feeding tube in, got the transfusion, got the arterial line, but is now struggling with high blood pressure and low heart rate...doctors are discussing... mostly though...she is stable and THANK YOU for your prayers! " 3 hours ago

Prayer for Eve Ruby

2011-03-24T23:32:00.000-07:00

After my children went to sleep tonight, I prayed once again for little Eve Ruby and for her family. God has put something on my heart this evening after a day of praying every hour with my children along with countless other times on my own for this dear little one. Would you be part of an effort to pray around the clock for little Eve? Maybe someone has already started something like this, and if you have please let me know. I would be glad to take part. After much thought and prayer I believe this is how we can at least get started:

1. The turns will be in 15 minute increments.
2. They will be from the hour to the quarter after the hour, from the quarter after the hour to the half past the hour, etc. (examples: 3:00-3:15, 3:15-3:30, 3:30-3:45, 3:45-4:00)
3. Decide on what time you would like to pray for Eve.
3. Please let me know by leaving a comment or sending me an email with what time you would like to pray for Eve in Pacific Daylight Time. If you would prefer your name not be added along with the time you are praying, just let me know.
4. As time slots are taken I will keep a running list on this blog.

"Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened." Matthew 7:7,8

Eve Ruby

2011-03-24T17:24:00.000-07:00

This picture was copied from the website of the Ruby family:www.outreachelsalvador.com

Eve Ruby--Update March 24

2011-03-24T10:06:00.000-07:00

This is the update that Susan Ruby posted on face book a couple of hours ago. Thanks for praying!

Unfortunately, i have no good news. Still the same condition...

-they switched up some ventilation settings

-put her on the paralyzing medicine again

HOW TO PRAY THROUGHOUT THE DAY:

-are going to remove/re-insert her feeding tube

-after inserting feeding tube, start feeding her through it (but also need to watch, as she is paralyzed)

-insert an arterial line [a deep IV inserted into her wrist artery]

-change up some more vent. settings

-give her fluid to make her urinate (as she is too swollen from fluid retention)

-give her a blood transfusion (pray that the blood takes/no allergic reactions)

AGAIN - Thank you for all that you have done!!!!! We're just sticking it out for now:)

"Be still, and know that I am God"

Eve Ruby

2011-03-23T12:43:00.001-07:00

I just received this from FaithWay Baptist Church's assistant pastor, Eric Leveille. Please pray!!

Please pray for the Ruby family, missionaries on deputation, going to
El Salvador. Their daughter, Evangeline (2.5 years old), is in the
hospital in serious condition. She had a case of bacterial pneumonia
in the lungs, which could spread. She has too much carbon dioxide in
her blood, so she was hooked up to a machine to remedy this. However,
they had to induce paralysis to stop her from moving in order for the
treatment to be possible.

Please pray for Evangeline and for her family at this time. She was
transported by airvac to a children's hospital in Peoria, Illinois.
Pastor and Mrs. Phil Smith (the grandparents) are on their way to
Peoria to be with them.

Thank you for praying

Update from Pastor Homan:

Gentlemen,

I am in the hospital room with Susan Ruby and Evangeline. Evangeline seems to be responding well to treatment. Her oxygen levels are up and she is improving. Thank you for praying. Please continue.

Lynn Homan

"A Women's Question"

2011-03-23T09:20:00.000-07:00

When I was in my first year of college a young couple who loved me very much gave me this poem. I kept it in my Bible until I was married. Young ladies, this poem speaks for itself.

A Women's Question
by Lena Lathrop

Do you know you have asked for the costliest thing ever made by the Hand above?
A woman's heart, and a woman's life--and a woman's wonderful love.

Do you know you have asked for this priceless thing, as a child might ask for a toy?
Demanding what others have died to win, with the reckless dash of a boy?

You have written your lesson of duty out, manlike, you have questioned me.
Now stand at the bars of my woman's soul, until I shall have questioned thee.

You require your mutton shall always be hot, your socks and your shirt be whole.
I require your heart be as true as God's stars, and pure as his heaven your soul.

You require a cook for your mutton and beef, I require a far greater thing;
A seamstress you're wanting for socks and shirts, I require a man and a king.

A king for that beautiful realm called home, and a man that his Maker, God,
Shall look upon as He did on the first, and day, it is very good.

I am fair and young, but the rose may fade, from this soft young cheek one day;
Will you love me then 'mid the falling leaves, as you did 'mid the blossoms of May?

Is your heart an ocean so strong and true, I may launch my all on its tide?
A loving woman finds heaven or hell on the day she is made a bride.

I require all things that are grand and true, all things that a man should be;
If you give this all, I would stake my life to be all you demand of me.

If you cannot be this, a laundress and cook you can hire and little to pay
But a woman's heart and a woman's life are not to be won that way.

My Dreams?

2011-03-22T18:29:00.000-07:00

When I graduated from college I was excited to fulfill our 5 year commitment to help start a new church and then go on to realize the fulfillment of our dream since starting our life together. . .to go to the Philippines as missionaries. As the years have rolled past, God has not seen fit to allow us to go, whether yet or ever, I cannot know. In the past week's time I have faced a time of great disappointment and wondering in my life. Will we ever get to the people and country we love so much? At our Victory Ladies Bible Study this weekend the Lord gave me a quote that has helped me if the Lord does not allow us to go to the Philippines. "If we cannot be great, by God's grace we may be the means of making others great."--Herbert Lockyear

If I accomplish nothing else in my life, I will be great if my children are great for the Lord. I don't mean rich in material possessions, but I pray that with the Lord's help I can teach them to become great soul-winners so they may rescue people from the flames of hell and the misery of a sin-ridden life, great givers so they may in turn know the provision of their loving Heavenly Father, and great servants so they may be like their Saviour.

Will I be great? No. Will my children be great? A huge part of that answer is up to me.

James 3:17,18

2011-02-06T06:48:00.000-08:00

"But the wisdom that is from above above is
first pure,
then peaceable,
gentle,
easy to be intreated,
full of mercy and good fruits,
without partiality,
and without hypocrisy.

And the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace of them that make peace."

Mortifying the Flesh

2011-02-01T16:58:00.000-08:00

When someone else hurts my feelings, that's my fault. To our carnal human mind this makes no sense. The other person did the wrong thing. They sinned. They are not behaving in a biblical manner. God showed me that I am the one who is wrong when my feelings are hurt. The Bible says that we are to mortify the flesh. Can something that is mortified (dead) have feelings? Simple answer--no! So, if I mortify my flesh my feelings cannot be hurt. This is plain and simple. . .and very difficult. How carnal I am to allow someone's actions hurt me and begin to defeat me. This is something the Lord has been working in my heart in the last few days. I realised today that this even applies to the area of our lives that many people like to do too much of--eating!! I have struggled my entire life with being over-weight. The last few pounds I have put on were because of emotional eating due to the struggles I faced because someone hurt and frustrated me. Last week I started Weight Watchers and lost 5 pounds. Talk about a battle with the flesh! I was hungry! I wanted food! I needed God's help. We seem to think the only time we need to pray is when we are making big decisions, but God cares about the little choices we make in life because they are the result of a spirit-controlled or flesh-controlled life. Sometimes I literally prayed, "Lord, I need your help not to eat that!" I'm ashamed of the truth, but I think that if I can allow the Lord to help me to have the victory over my flesh, I will not struggle with a "weight problem". I know that if I let the spirit control me no one can hurt my feelings. I need God's help, the Holy Spirit's filling, so I can live a more fruitful life for my Saviour.

A Face Lift

2011-02-01T16:35:00.000-08:00

I'm far from being a design saavy person when it comes to the computer, but it was not hard to see that this blog needed a face lift. When my husband commented that our family blog needs a facelift I told him he can do it since he is so much better at those kinds of things than I am. (This means that our family blog will not get a facelift since he is in the process of designing our prayer card!) So, here it is! One of the pre-made templates with a few of my own "personal" changes and "viola"! It's not very original, but I don't have time for originality. I am a creative person trapped in a world where time matters. . .and I don't have very much of it for extras! Hope it's more pleasant to your eyes!

The Book of James

2011-01-31T16:01:00.000-08:00

As I sat in church holding my sleeping six month old I was able to hear a sermon for the first time in quite a long time. . .probably about six months! I found it truly refreshing to be able to sit and listen to a sermon (well most of it). We have a good preacher. He studies God's Word and is honest when God speaks to him through what he is delivering to us. Last night there was one thing he said that didn't necessarily have a huge part to do with the main context of the sermon, but it was something I needed. Basically he said that if you have your (spiritual) nose out of joint the book of James will put it back in to place by showing you the places in your life where you need to confess sin. Shortly after he said this the baby woke up, and I had to leave the service--but I got what God intended for me to have from last night's sermon, and I'm thankful I was able to be in the service. Today I took up the challenge. For my devotional time I will now begin to read a chapter of James each day along with reading through the Bible. I know how easily I forget and become carnal. It's a daily battle. Today when I started in chapter 1 I had an immediate challenge. Lately I've been particularly overwhelmed by certain trials in my life and have been looking for a way out. God used James 1:2-4 to help me to refocus on the fact that He is working in my life to teach me patience. "My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience. But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing." The Lord has helped me to see that I need to allow him to do a "perfect" or "complete" work of patience in my life. Instead of looking for a way out I need to be asking the Lord to help me trust Him and learn what He has me to learn from this particular situation. When I think of trials, a vivid example comes to my mind. When we were in the Philippines last May, the country was having the hottest weather they have had in 70 years. We were blessed to have air-conditioning most every night we were there. When we were in the mountain province the weather was bearable and we did not need air-conditioning, but when we were in San Manuel the heat was simply unbearable. Without air-con, as the Filipinos call it, sleeping was an impossibility. One night I woke up to what felt like a wall sitting on me. The heat was so intense I felt like I couldn't breathe. In a few seconds I gained my senses and realised that we were experiencing a "brown out" which meant there was no power. My husband's uncle was sleeping by the front door of the house so that only the screen door had to be closed. All the windows were open in the house, but there really was no difference; there was no breeze. Two of our children woke up and were crying because they were so hot. (I felt like crying! I was due with a baby in less than 2 months!) As my husband and I sat there, each fanning one of the crying children I kept praying in my head, "Please Lord, help the A/C to come back on! Please, help the A/C to come back on." After a while of fanning and trying to console the children, I realised I was praying the wrong way. My new prayer was, "Lord, please help us to endure this heat. Please help the children to be able to fall asleep in spite of this heat." Soon the children were able to fall asleep. We all fell asleep again and in a while we were awakened by the pleasant noise of the A/C coming back on. The next day my husband told me that the same thing had happened in his mind that night. This reminded us both of when we face trials in our lives. So often we beg God to take the trials away. Today, I needed to give the trial to God and ask Him to help me through, to learn patience. . .and whatever else He has for me to learn! Thank you God for your patience with me!

A New Start

2011-01-31T15:47:00.001-08:00

Since we have a new computer I will be able to update this blog much more easily. I will be making a new start to this blog, and, Lord willing, share the things God has showed to me. I have a dear friend, Susan Baduria, who has challenged me, simply through her life, to take a step forward in godliness. This blog will, again Lord willing, simply be an outpouring of what God is doing in my life through His Word.

We're Home. . .but. . .

2010-06-15T10:29:00.000-07:00

I just wanted to let everyone know that I haven't forgotten about updating our blog with the details of our trip to the Philippines. Since we returned, our heads have been swimming with jet lag, finishing school, and home renovations! I can't wait until Friday. "The boys" are putting our new (free!)floor in on Wednesday (Ugh! I cannot believe how disgusting it was under our living room carpet!). Our homeschool assessment is on Thursday and on Friday, I'm going to put my house in some sort of order! Baby coming in less than 5 weeks! I think I must be insane! Lord willing on Friday I will start telling you all about our trip. So until then. . .pray for me!!

"I did it, Mom!"

2009-12-01T11:16:00.000-08:00

This is what Micah said when he called me from the hospital last Thursday. When he went for his MRI, the technician was concerned whether he would be able to be still enough to get good images. As I waited at home I just kept praying. If he couldn't be still, the test would have to be rescheduled; and he would have to be put under anesthetics. About 50 minutes after the test was scheduled to start the phone rang, and it was Micah. He said, "I did it, Mom!" He was so excited that he had done such a good job. Jun said the technician was very impressed with how well he did. Thank you to those of you who prayed for him. This Friday is his EEG. Pray that he will do just as well, and please pray that I will not feel sick on that day. It's already been a long week and it's only Tuesday. Thank you again for all of your prayers!

Micah's MRI

2009-11-25T12:44:00.000-08:00

I just received a call from the MRI office. Micah's MRI is scheduled for 3:40 pm tomorrow, Thursday. Micah's head will be put into a brace to make sure that he will not move his head. The concern is that he will be claustrophobic. Also, his asthma is acting up right now. When he is having trouble with his asthma he has a hard time laying on his back because it makes breathing difficult and causes him to cough. Please pray that he will be able to do exactly what he needs to for the tests to be successful. Thank you!

My Micah

2009-11-24T13:05:00.000-08:00

I would like to ask friends and family to pray for Micah. On Friday night around 10:00, he had a seizure. Since this was the first time we've ever seen this, it was very scary. He was unconscious for a short time during the convulsing and then he still very disoriented until the first responders hooked him up to oxygen. It was amazing how quickly the oxygen cleared his brain. Micah was taken by ambulance and then assessed by doctors at the hospital. The possibility of Benign Rolandic Epilepsy is being investigated. Micah will be having an MRI and an EEG. His EEG will be on December 4th at 10 am. His MRI is yet to be scheduled. Please pray that Micah will be able to be still. Being very still is very important for both tests, but it is paramount for the MRI. If he cannot be still for the MRI, the test will have to be rescheduled at the children's hospital and he will have to be put under anesthetics. We would much prefer that the procedure be done without him being medicated. If Micah's asthma is acting up he will not be able to lay still on his back because this makes him cough. Please pray that he will not get another cold before these tests. Thank you to those who will pray. Thanks be to God who loves us and has everything in control.

A Call to Action

2009-05-02T15:15:00.001-07:00

With missions ever present in my mind and heavy in my heart, I see the dire need of Christ for our world. I wish I could say I've always done everything I could to see folks find our Saviour--but I have not. We Christians of North America need to realise that we are not far from losing our freedoms to openly worship and tell others about the One True God. You Tube is not something I whole-heartedly endorse. Much filth is posted on this site. I am still compelled to pass you this link. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6-3X5hIFXYU We cannot argue with facts, but we can pray and work. Also, we young parents must ask God to give us wisdom to prepare our children for the world they will live in. (Just click on the link and it will take you right to the documentary.)

A Daughter of the King

2009-03-27T10:02:00.000-07:00

"My father is rich in houses and lands,

He holdeth the wealth of the world in His hands!

Of rubies and diamonds, of silver and gold,

His coffers are full, He has riches untold.

I'm a child of the King, A child of the King:

With Jesus my Saviour, I'm a child of the King."

--Harriett E. Buell

When I was a little girl my dad used to work in the special education Sunday school class in our church. Whenever it was his turn to preach, he would take me out of my Sunday school class to sing the special music for their service. He always wanted me to sing the same thing--"A Child of the King".

I became a child of the King of Kings when I was five years old and I vividly remember the day. My mom was sitting in the old, gold velour armchair in the corner of the living room. While I was playing with something by her feet, the Lord helped me to realise that I needed to accept Him as my Saviour. I remember sitting in my mother's lap and praying first that I loved everybody and I wanted to be saved. My mother then explained to me that it's nothing that we do to be saved, it's only by Jesus' sacrifice for us. I then prayed again with full understanding and accepted Christ as my Saviour.

Through the years I have grown as a child of God, but I don't think I've quite aspired to "princess" level. Today I begin a quest to become a true princess. I am a daughter of the King because I am saved, but I am a far cry from being a princess.

At our new church I was offered the opportunity to teach the young ladies' Sunday school class. My pastor's wife has named the class "Jewels for Jesus". I know that I need some shining and some dross removed if I will be a "Jewel for Jesus." Last night the Lord impressed upon me that if He is going to use me to train "princesses" I must become one myself. Where will my quest take me? I have no idea. Many times when God has a journey for us to embark upon, we do not even know the immediate future let alone the end of the line. I'm am excited to see how God will turn me from a chamber-maid into a princess. Praise God for His grace in accepting each and every person alive to be His children if we will but ask in humble faith.

"For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast." --Ephesians 2:8,9

A Day With Mama

2009-01-30T16:31:00.000-08:00

Grocery shopping. . .again?! This time I had the privilege of having my Mama (mother-in-law) with me. We don't usually get to spend much time together because of our busy schedules, but Mama had a day off today. We had tea together this morning and some heart to heart talks that we haven't been able to have in way too long. Our local "Tim's" served a great lunch, and the kids provided many laughs. Shirley now dislikes apple juice because she was drenched by it! After going BACK home to get dry clothes for Shirley we headed to the grocery store. Wow! It's amazing what an extra pair of willing hands can do! I was so thankful to have her with me today. In the busyness of life we tend to take the ones closest to us for granted. I for one do not say enough how thankful I am for Mama and Papa. Crossing cultures when getting married brings a set of unique challenges. The challenges aren't necessarily reserved for the bride and groom. Even parents have things to learn and understand. We've learned together for over 7 years. Though we have not always completely understood each other, we've always loved each other (in our own unique ways!). "The Five Love Languages" is a book I have been reading recently. The book is about learning your spouse's love language, but "love languages" apply to all types of personal relationships. Learning "love languages" has been an ongoing project for all of us. As with crossing actual language barriers, there have been misunderstandings and blunders. This daughter -in-law is thankful that as we've crossed these TWO language barriers we've built a love that will last a lifetime. I've never thought of all of this before today--and all because I had a day with Mama.

God's Great Servants

2009-01-24T16:01:00.000-08:00

Today our family had the privilege of having lunch with two of God's great servants, Pastor James Turpin and his wife Ruth. The Turpins are veteran missionaries to Norway for over 30 years. Norway is not an easy field and life has more often than not been difficult for them, but they have been faithful through the many things they have faced. Having been friends with their daughter, Sonya, since college, I have learned many things about them. Never did I imagine that I would have the privilege of personally meeting them and learning from them. Jun and I will be ever grateful to the Lord for giving us a small window of time to spend with two of his great servants. They will be returning to Norway near the beginning of March. Please pray for them as they are here trying to increase their support levels.

The Bridge Builder

2009-01-15T13:45:00.000-08:00

Each day at naptime I read to my kids. We recently started reading "The Book of Virtues" by William J. Bennett. Today as I was reading, I ran across this poem and at the end immediately thought of my pastor, Pastor Gordon Conner. I am so thankful to him for building bridges for the younger generation. We love you, Pastor.

The Bridge Builder
by Will Allen Dromgoole

An old man, going a lone highway,
Came, at the evening, cold and gray,
To a chasm, vast, and deep, and wide,
Through which was flowing a sullen tide.
The old man crossed in the twilight dim;
The sullen stream had no fears for him;
But he turned, when safe on the other side,
And built a bridge to span the tide.
"Old man," said a fellow pilgrim, near,
"You are wasting strength with building here;
Your journey will end with the ending day;
You never again must pass this way;
You have crossed the chasm, deep and wide--
Why build you the bridge at the eventide?"

The builder lifted his old gray head:
"Good friend, in the path I have come," he said,
"There followeth after me today
A youth, whose feet must pass this way.
This chasm, that has been naught to me,
To that fair-haired youth may a pitfall be.
He, too, must cross in the twilight dim;
Good friend, I am building the bridge for him."

The Crazy Lady

2009-01-14T16:07:00.000-08:00

Today, as I have done many times in the past, I went grocery shopping. To be honest, this has become a chore I dread. It seems every can, box, and bag is calling, "Micah touch me!" "Matthias, knock me on the floor!" "Shirley, tell Mama you want to take me home!" Being somewhat of a drill sergeant mom I always expect that my kids should be perfectly quiet and walk next to the cart without ever letting go. God often reminds me that He didn't make me a robot and neither are my kids! Today, I had a daunting task ahead of me. . .a new budget. Now combine this with the noticeable rise in grocery prices, and I felt I was on an impossible mission. In the van on the way to the store I prayed for good deals and good kids. Now the good deals I knew God could do. The kids on the other hand I wasn't so sure ;-) since we had already been to an eye doctor appointment at the mall. Before we went into the store I had a talk with the kids, and again I prayed that this time that I would be patient with them. Often in Superstore I have received comments from people about how brave I am to go grocery shopping with three little kids. I have also received knowing looks from moms who are in the same boat. More often I have received stares of disgust from the many people in our society who think children are just supposed to go to school and stay home and never emerge into the adult world. My kids are kids. Today I discovered something though. A little patience, planning, and prayer goes a long way with little kids, little money and lots of groceries . In between those "That lady is crazy" looks I enlisted the kids in helping me get the groceries, which more or less got rid of their "grabbiness". They stepped out in front of a cart or two (always in front of the ones with that "crazy lady" look on there face!), but they did well. The shopping took a little longer as I would compare prices and enter things into the calculator on my phone. Micah was getting into the spirit of it and would call out the prices to me from the shelf. After they put in the last cans of fruit ("In juice, Mom", Micah said, as I checked the labels to make sure they weren't canned in syrup. He's always so proud when his reading skills are helpful to me.), we had another talk. The kids love to help bag, but it usually ends up being a fight over who's going to put what into the bags. This time I decided I needed a strategy for the whole bagging thing. I told Micah and Matthias exactly where to stand and to stop pushing the advance button when I say stop. Then, we headed for the checkout. The lady in front of me gave me that "crazy lady" look as she put the divider down between our groceries. The boys dutifully stood at the end of the belt, with bags in hand, ready for those groceries. Micah will put anything together in any bag, which was driving Matthias crazy because he is all about things being categorised. But the groceries were getting into bags and into the cart without much fuss from the boys, so I was thankful. The cashier, who was at the end of her shift, was not at all amused by my most helpful sons (who I happened to be very proud of at the moment!). When she told me the total, I was happily surprised (I had a relative idea--just wasn't sure how much the taxes would be and I was afraid it would put me over.). When I said, "Oh, that's great! I was trying to hit (X amount)." She didn't share in my glee. One more crazy lady look for the day. On the way home, we had a granola bar and Shirley had a nap. I'm so thankful that God helped this "crazy lady" while I was shopping today. He helped my kids to do an awesome job, and He helped me stay $0.81 under my budget! You may think I'm a "crazy lady" for posting this, but oh well!

How Much Longer?

2009-01-12T13:39:00.001-08:00

In the past few days I have been in touch with new missionaries and some old friends trying to get to the mission field. God has once again reinforced in my mind the urgency of foreign missions. Countries that used to be "wide open" are closing. A friend who is trying to get to Ireland told me that the government is now only allowing missionaries to come to the country for three years, period. Russia is making their missionaries go and come for three months at a time. Belarus is closing it's doors. These are just a few of the countless countries that are closing their doors to the gospel. What are we doing? Where and when are we going? Yes, Canada needs God (while the doors are still open here!), but many of us are way too comfortable here in our nice homes, with our nice cars and our comfortable life styles. Years ago I heard a preacher say, "Are you willing to go and wanting to stay or are you wanting to go and willing to stay?" How about you?

A Goodly Heritage

2009-01-06T10:11:00.000-08:00

We have all heard it said that we appreciate our parents more as we get older. This is so very true! Simply growing up makes us more thankful because we start to understand the sacrifices they made for us. With my parents, I have far more than provision to thank them for. I thank my parents for letting go. In my adult years I have encountered many parents who selfishly manipulate their children's lives, never heeding that God is in charge. Every step of the way that God has led me in my life, my parents have prayerfully let me go and follow the Lord. As a mom of very young children, I know I still do not comprehend how very difficult this has been for them. I do realise though that it doesn't get any easier with age. Now, my parents have grandkids that they have entrusted to the Lord. Mom and Dad, thank you for trusting God in the lives of Christopher, Nathan, Adam, and me--and now in the lives of Melissa, Rachel, Micah, Matthias, Shirley, Isaac, Caleb, and Anna. God is blessing you and will continue to bless you for your great faith. I love you!

"Jesus Loves Me the Most"

2009-01-03T21:47:00.001-08:00

Yesterday Shirley said this to me while I was cleaning her up after lunch. After washing her face I said, "You're so beautiful. I love you so much Shirley." She responded with her normal "I love you!" But after that she said, "Jesus loves me the most!" This is something we've taught all of our children, but I haven't said it to Shirley in a while. She doesn't know it, but I need to be reminded of this more than she does. He loves my kids "the most" and He's using them to help me remember.

The New Year

2009-01-01T11:47:00.000-08:00

January 1, 2009. Many analogies have been made of the passing of an old year and the coming of a new. For me 2009 holds a year of promise that I can be closer to God than I have ever been if I will but do my part. I began reading "To Cross the Widest Ocean" by Mrs. Rick Martin (Becky Martin). In this amazing book, Mrs. Martin shares what she has learned as the wife of a missionary in the Philippines. I highly recommend that any woman read this book.

In this book Mrs. Martin printed Jack Chick's Bible reading plan which I have decided to use for the year 2009. Here is the plan:
Read one chapter from each of the following ten sections and start over as each is finished.
1. Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, Acts
2. Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy
3.Romans, I&II Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, Hebrews
4. I&II Thessalonians; I&II Timothy, Titus, Philemon, James, I&II Peter; I,II&III John; Jude; Revelation
5. Job, Ecclesiastes, Song of Solomon
6. Psalms
7. Proverbs
8. Joshua, Judges, Ruth, I&II Samuel, I&II Kings, I&II Chronicles, Ezra, Nehemiah, Ester
9. Isaiah, Jeremiah, Lamentations, Ezekiel, Daniel, Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah
10. Hebrews chapter 11, I Corinthians 13, alterntely every day.

While I was reading Matthew 1, I realised something for the first time. Verse 13 says, "And Jesse begat David the king; and David the king begat Solomon of her that had been the wife of Urias." Even though Bathsheba experienced being the object of David's lust for her and murder of her husband; through this, she was in the line of the Messiah. Once again, God has reminded me that even in the face of human wickedness He can produce wonderful things that I may never even comprehend in my lifetime. To Him be all honour and praise!

Little Grace--Finally Home

2008-12-31T15:03:00.000-08:00

This story is from a prayer letter of missionaries Steve and Sandy Deal to the Philippines. The letter is from January 2001. I read the letter when I was there in June 2001. This story has had a lasting impact on my life. Here is the story: (All of the text in black is quoted text.)

"Many have asked me about the little girl who lived in the cemetery that God used to burden my heart to build a home for street children. I named that home after Grace. This is her story. On a sunny December day in 1998, I was eating breakfast at a local restaurant in Lipa City while reading the Manila Bulletin newspaper. An article on the front page with a picture of three children caught my eye. In short, the article described how children were living in a cemetery in Metro Manila. Over 50 orphaned or abandoned children, from 5 to 18 years of age lived in this one cemetery among the tombs. They were literally starving to death. In the photo three children were pictured each sniffing glue from a plastic bag.

The article told of the visit made by a social worker, some medical personnel and the journalist who wrote the story. It was learned that most if not all of the children were very sick with TB or STD (Sexually Transmitted Disease). The following is a quote from that article. Keep in mind that graveyards here are much like those in south Louisiana. The dead are buried above ground in concrete houses, which in some cases resemble a tiny city.

"They chase each other down narrow passage ways and jump from gave to grave like alley cats. They wriggle up to the roofs of mausoleums to fly makeshift kites, then take shelter inside from the tropical downpours. They sleep sprawled out on tombstones and deficate in quiet corners, giggling at unexpected passers-by.
They beg in a nearby market for food and wander the streets looking for sex. They let adults have sex with them for as little as P30 (pesos, about 75 US cents) to support their glue habit.
Sitting on a tombstone a few steps away, nine-year-old Grace tells an aid worker why she keeps on squatting and grabbing her stomach: she is being raped regularly by one of the 18-year olds.
Grace, wearing a grubby green and white striped T-shirt and a glazed grin, cheered up after social worker Francia Cabrea promised her shoes for Christmas, then took her to a shelter.
When these children get their 30 pesos they have a choice, Cabrea said. They can either buy rice, which will feed them for one day. Or they can get a bottle of glue, which will stave off the pain of hunger and abandonment every day for one month."

My heart was aching and deeply touched. I began to pray that God would send someone to help these children, especially little Grace.
For the next few months I continued noticing articles in the newspaper about abandoned street children. One article I read said there were more than 1.5 million street children in the Philippines. I began to pray more for these children, then God began to speak directly to my heart. At first I reminded Him (I'm aware that you don't have to remind God of anything, but hey, I thought I'd give it a try) of how busy I already was. I had no time to stop and build a children's home, then run it after it was built. So I asked God if He really had the right person, and He assured me He had. Finally, I submitted to follow His leadership in this endeavor. Sandy and I immediately began to pray about what we should do. The rest is history.
In the next few months, GOD not only miraculously provided for us to build The Home of Grace that can house up to 30 children, but also provided the funds for us to purchase four acres for future home of The Redemption Ranch. Hopefully, when completed the ranch will house up to 200 abandoned and orphaned street children. Through our mission church here we were able to establish Calvary Christian School. A few months ago we finished our educational building which houses our Children's Sunday School classes and our school during the week. Most if not all of our children have never had the opportunity to attend school and are very excited about their future. Praise God, you have helped us give them hope.
The funds for the home were raised during a brief two-month trip to the States-September to October 1999. Upon returning to the field we immediately began building. The Home of Grace opened on April 1, 2000.
As for the little girl, Grace, I began searching for her immediately. Of course, with nearly 19 million in Metro Manila it was like looking for a needle in a haystack. The only clues I had was her first name and the name of the social worker who took her to a shelter. I offered a reward of $100 to anyone who could lead me to her location. Another missionary here matched my offer and we had hoped to locate her quickly. Only until recently have we really found out what happened to her. This is the rest of her heart-wrenching story. . .
In October 1999 little Grace was taken to a government shelter by a social worker. At the shelter she began to run a high fever. She was diagnosed as having STD. I personally have been in many of the hospitals here and have seen many patients suffer due to lack of medicine or the funds to buy the medicine they need. Grace had no one to pay her bill and there was no extra medicine to give a little suffering girl. Grace suffered as much at the end of her little life as she did during her few short years. Finally, her suffering was over. The hospital had her tiny body cremated to avoid extra expenses of a burial plot. Her leaving this world was as unnoticeable as her arrival, much like incinerating unwanted trash. But this little girl wasn't trash, she was precious in the eyes of a loving God.
In her brief little life only a few people ever knew her. She was abandoned by her prostitute mother and left on the streets of Metro Manila as a mere babe. Taking refuge in a cemetery she was raped every day and never once ate what you and I would call a decent meal. She learned from older children in this situation that cheap shoe glue would take away the pains and loneliness and put her in a dream world. Quickly she learned this was only temporal and she was once again back in the horrific life in the cemetery.
Although I never had the privilege of meeting her I have been touched by her life, and I will never be the same again. I cry to GOD, "It isn't fair that such a sweet innocent child should suffer so much." But then I realize this isn't a fair world we live in. It is such because of our sin. Not just yours and mine but he original sin of the first man and woman God created. Since then this world has been in a downward spiral and will continue unto our Lord God returns. He will take us, who have put our trust and faith in Him, to a perfect world in heaven where no sin could ever be and little boys and girls will never have to worry about being raped, sodomized or tortured as innocent babes.
Although her horrific story had an even more terrifying ending, I believe that little Grace has now found refuge int he arms of a loving caring God at her eternal Home of Grace. You can rest assured, no one will ever harm this child again. Because of her story many children like her will be protected, well fed and educated in the comfort of a Christian home. Never having to sell their little bodies for food or sniff glue to stave off hunger. By the grace of God they will hear of Jesus' love everyday. Please pray for us to help more children so they won't have to live and suffer like little Grace."

I realise this is a lengthy post and not pleasant, but it is true; and I hope it will impact your life as it has mine. Here is a link to an orphanage in the Philippines called Bayanihan Children’s Home started by Pastor Jing Batac in Laguna (not The Home of Grace spoken about in the article). http://harvestersbaptistchurch.com/him/video.htm