WAR!!!

"Nobody likes me"

"They always make fun of me"

"She did this to me"

"He did that to me"

"Why are you doing that?"

"Stop it!"

UGH! Sometimes I really don't like being the parent...especially those times when it seems you play more of a referee than you do anything else. This morning was one of those mornings! Negativity everywhere you turned...when does it stop? And poor Princess {S} is really struggling with self worth...the joy she has can be stripped away so easily...why do we do that to ourselves? I reminded them this morning {funny, because God had to remind me first!} that we are to compare what we are hearing from others to the truth...God's truth! If someone tells you that you are worthless...what do you know to be truth? That the Creator of the entire Universe has, not one, but many thoughts of you during the day Ps 139:17...that He loved you enough to send His only Son to pay the price of our sin so that He could have a relationship with you John 3:16...THAT is truth...hold tight to it!

In the midst of the frustration of trying to mend broken hearts and send contenders to their opposite corners, it occurred to me~~we are not simply dealing with attitudes gone wrong...we are smack dab in the middle of a war! Satan will use any means to destroy us from within...within our minds, within our hearts...at some point it's like we won a little battle and then just laid down our armor to rest a while in the shade and then, while we were resting, the enemy snuck in and caught us off guard. He would just love to come in and steal our joy, rob us of our confidence, and turn us against one another...and we have let him do it at times...Oh, Listen Mister...NOT today! I am just as guilty as the kids of letting Satan into my day...just laying down my contentment and my joy right at his feet...that's not a victory for him; that's a blatant surrender from me! {God, thank you for showing me that...I needed to hear that from You today}

This morning was unique...the realization hit me so hard that even though we had already started our journey to school; we stopped the car, met the Lord in prayer; took the time to strap back on our armor and fight this one today...Oh thank you God for giving us the chance to do this...with armor on and a good pep talk, they were off to school. I checked on each of the kids at break time and they each said they are doing great...for this moment they have their smiles back and they are getting along well, but this is only one battle won in this mighty war...may we be ready for the next one!

This is our charge:

"Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles {schemes} of the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God; **Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;"

**Please note here that we are to be praying for one another as we are all in this war together in the name of Christ!**

I was unsure about sharing this with you, but it's like God said, "Go ahead, someone out there is struggling with the same issues...they need encouragement just as I have given to you this morning." I am trusting that God will use the story of our morning to meet you where you are today. I know that I needed His today because I was fighting a loosing battle on my own! I was led to these verses in Joshua...it's God's encouragement to Joshua as he was entering into leadership after Moses' death...there would be many battles to fight, but God encouraged him with these words:

(Joshua 1:3-9) Every place that the sole of your foot shall tread upon, that have I given unto you, as I said unto Moses. From the wilderness and the Lebanon even unto the great river, the river Euphrates, all the land of the Hittites, and unto the great sea toward the going down of the sun, shall be your coast. There shall not any man be able to stand before thee all the days of thy life as I was with Moses, so I will be with thee: I will not fail thee, nor forsake thee. Be strong and of a good courage: for unto this people shalt thou divide for an inheritance the land, which I swore unto their fathers to give them. Only be thou strong and very courageous, that thou mayest observe to do according to all the law, which Moses my servant commanded thee: turn not from it to the right hand or to the left, that thou mayest prosper whithersoever, thou goest. This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth;, but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success. Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the LORD thy God is with thee whithersoever, thou goest.

My Bible also tells me that "Jesus Christ (is) the same yesterday, and today, and forever" and that means that the same God who was with Joshua, David, Gideon, etc is the same God that is with me today. That strong and mighty God is MY God and just as He said to Joshua, He also says to me; (vs 5) "There shall not any man be able to stand before thee all the days of thy life: as I was with Moses, so I will be with thee: I will not fail thee, nor forsake thee."

I ask you to join with me in taking back this day from the enemy...it was never intended for him...Stand firm, fight well, and be strengthened in the fact that you are not alone...I know I have been!

Fall

This weekend we are hosting our first annual Missionary Kid Retreat. I cannot fully explain how excited our children are. We are expecting to have 20 people here and hope for more in years to come...oh the joy that it brings when I think of how God has sent wonderful people into our lives...I am forever grateful!

While preparing the house for our guests, God brought to my memory, that I had packed a small box of fall "decor" when we moved. I knew that we would not experience fall here like we were used to, but thought it might be nice to go ahead and decorate accordingly just to warm my heart a little. I do not like cold weather and I am thrilled that God has called us to a warmer climate; however, I have found myself missing this change of the seasons...the beautiful colors in the trees, the fun of throwing up a giant hand full of fallen leaves into the air and running under them, the benefits of wearing my favorite blue jean jacket, the crispness in the air, apple cider, opening up the windows to let the refreshing breeze blow through, bonfires, hay rides, pumpkins, etc. This all comes as a surprise to me...On my list of things I expected to miss...fall was not there. So there I was, like a little girl in a doll store, yesterday placing my little pumpins, raffia, etc. I really did have a lot of fun...sad I know, but I have found that it's the little things that thrill me.

Far away from the place that embraces it's current season as the "season of thankfulness", God gave me something to be thankful for! My heart is thrilled...I think I could go for a good ride in a wagon filled with hay!

Isn't that just like God...

After posting this morning, I went about my day preparing our house for guests this weekend, then about mid-afternoon, Jonah asked if I would go outside and play with him. We proceeded to the swings for a little while and then started talking about the mountains. I thought maybe I could get him to talk about God today, but he was totally fixed on being "all-boy"! To my surprise and wonder, there it was...the most brilliant rainbow peeking through the clouds just over the mountains! I just had to laugh to myself for a minute because I couldn't believe it! I had just prayed this morning that I would see God in my day, and there He was...as bright and beautiful as you could imagine....isn't that just God to be true to His word: {If you seek me, you will find me} I just love Him...He is wonderful!

And did I happen to mention that my "all-boy" boy loves rocks?

Childlike Faith

I would have to say that about 3 out of the 5 days that Jonah gets driven to and from school, we end up in deep conversation about God. {I just love it!} Some of his typical statements and questions are:

"Where is God? He's in Heaven?"

"He lives in our hearts, we are saved"

"The fire is not good"

I think that my favorite part of him being this age is that he is becoming acutely aware of eternity and the fact that he needs a God to save him from the "fire". Of course, he still also thinks that sin is a good thing, so there is still a ways to go. Until there is full understanding, we continue in prayer, knowing that he will say that precious prayer when it is his time...God's time.

What this dear boy has also grasped lately is that God is all around us. He can be seen in the clouds, in the trees, in the rocks {oh how that boy loves rocks}...each time he has taken notice of the sunsets, sun rays peeking through the clouds, etc, he makes the statement to me:

"That's God mommy~that's God up there"!

It makes my heart melt first of all, but mostly it just brings my frail being into the realization that it IS God...I am humbled just as David was when he spoke the words in Psalms 8:

"O Lord our Lord! , how excellent is thy name in all the earth! Who hast set thy glory above the heavens....When I consider thy heavens, the work of the fingers, the moon and the stars which thou hast ordained: What is man, that thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, that thou visitest him?...O Lord our Lord, how excellent is thy name in all the earth!"

I want to commit my days to the Author of them, to notice His handy work all around me, I do not want to become complacent and lose the "vision"...Through the ministry of my youngest son, God is showing me that in order to complete the task set before me, I need to possess this greater faith, this "child-like faith"!

**Thank you Jesus for saving me, for giving your life for mine. Thank you Creator for giving us testimony of your Glorious existence in the world all around us. Oh, create in me a renewed faith, that of a child...that I would follow willingly, that I would believe you to do amazing things! Bless your name above all the earth~You are worthy!"**

6 months.3 days.16 hours

It was exactly that long ago today that we stepped down off the airplane and our feet touched foreign soil. The feeling beneath my husbands' feet was a familiar one and there is absolutely no way to describe what emotions he had that day; perhaps one day he will share that with us! God called us many years ago into His service, yet, we had not yet reached our designated place of service until that glorious day.

So many initial questions:

What would be in store for us? What friends would we make? Would we even make friends?Where would the kids go to school? What about church, was there already one there; would God call us to start our own? What would the kids think/feel? Would we miss our friends? Would Paul remember the language? Could I/the kids learn the language?

Over time the questions have changed a little more into praises and heart's desires:

What about those people Lord? How can I do more? Oh Lord, thank you for giving us friends, thank you for giving us a church! Praise you Lord for the ways you have given us to communicate with "home"! Thank you for bringing the language back to Paul and for giving the rest of us promise of learning it well. Oh, and praise to God that He has provided us with a home and a life with real grandparents!

I have spent a little time reflecting and talking with Paul over our stay so far and have come to know that there have been many lessons learned. Some of them I would like to share, others I will continue to hold dear to my heart, just where God put them!

I have learned that:

• Traffic laws [overall are] merely suggestions
• Texas heat ain't got nothin' on this one!
• It really is an art to live by the quote, "waste not, want not"
• One does not neccessarily need an actually room in order to go to the bathroom
• Tears are healthy
• Friends are brought closer through prayer no matter their distance
• The open-air market is quite charming
• The smiles of the Filipino people bring me comfort
• God is indeed faithful and true to His every word!
• My family means the world to me...I didn't think I could love them more
• God is still opening doors
• I really don't miss those things I thought I would
• Ok, maybe I do miss Walmart a little
• It is one thing to have a vision, but another to put it into action
• It really was important for me to memorize the metric system in school
• Sometimes, you really can live on grace alone
• Even in the tough, sad, heavy-hearted, disappointing days, I am right where God wants me to be, and that brings me peace
• I wouldn't trade my life here for any other place in the world! Honest!
• When people said they would pray for us, they were serious and I am grateful

Oh, the journey so far! I know there is much more to see, do, and experience. I know that what has already been only scratches the surface. If I could sum up my emotions on a daily basis with one phrase, it would have to be: "God is faithful"! He is faithful in the waiting, faithful in the tears, faithful in the laughter, faithful in the provisions, faithful...just so wonderfully faithful.

"My gracious Savior, Loving Lord, you have been so faithful to me-to our family. You have given my husband a passion and you have graced him with the leadership to guide us along beside. You alone God have brought us here and I thank you for seeing in me something that can be used for your mission...I ask Lord that you would continue to open doors, open hearts, open relationships that are neccessary in spreading Your name in this place. Thank you for providing for us each step of the way...you are incredible! I love you more today than I ever thought I could, all because You are teaching me to see more of You each day. Thank you Father!"

My Cup Runneth Over!

I had had the idea that I would take time today to reflect on our past 6 mths since we arrived in the Philippines; however, God totally filled my cup this weekend, so I find myself wanting to write about the results from this weekend instead.

It all starts with Paul driving into Cavite to preach a missions conference for one of the pastors there Thursday, Friday, and Sunday; we would have someone drive us into Manila to meet him on Friday night in order to take care of getting Rachel seen by a pediatrician. All went according to plan on Thursday and Friday but Paul came in late Friday so we did not share in his events until Saturday morning. At that time, he informed us that on both Thursday and Friday evenings, there were many visitors present...which in itself is amazing, because most of the time it's a struggle just to get your regular members to attend! Instead of this being a normal time of challenging the members about reaching the lost world through missions, God decided He would just send the lost world to them! He proceeded to tell us that there were 8 of those visitors saved on Thursday and a total of 21 saved on Friday night. AMAZING! Man, can I hear anyone else out there shouting with me...what a wonderful, mighty God we serve!

Saturday morning just after breakfast we took Rachel down to the clinic and had her seen by the pediatrician as planned. The second opinion is that Rachel has traces of evidence that she has been exposed to TB but not enough to treat her for the full blown infection. Out of the set of 3 "Anti-Tuberculosis" meds, she is going to be taking 1 (this is the one that will work to kill any TB bacteria in her system) and then we will have her checked again in 3 mths to see the progress, etc. Whew! They were {as most are} concerned about her weight {or lack of} so they gave us some liquid vitamins and made many suggestions on how to "beef" her up a little...poor thing, she just came from small & will always be small!

Come Saturday afternoon, we took the kids over to a new place called the "Big Red Barn". There is still much construction left before it's complete, but we had such a great time. From toy stores to carnival games, to bumper cars, and kid friendly restaurants, we had a blast! At dinner, there was a magician and let's just say that Jonah & Jared became part of the show! We cannot wait to go back when the building is completed to have more fun.

Sunday we finished up the missions conference in Cavite...such a sweet church. They had many of the visitors return and are speaking to them of baptism and membership...praise the Lord! Just after lunch we would have to drive back into Pasig in order to be part of the missions conference at Pastor Tabanda. Their choir offered an amazing cantata of music to focus our minds on missions. 5 pastors who have started missions out of their church were also present with some of their members...they honored Paul's mom & dad for coming to this place...each of these men are a direct result of the work they have been called to do here in Manila...wow! Paul ended the evening with preaching about having a God centered mission. I love to hear him preach, but let me tell you, he was filled with the power of God last night and made a real impact.

Whew...like I said in the beginning...my cup runneth over! Oh how the grace of God showered over us this weekend! I am revived, relieved, refocused, and ready to face what ever else God brings my way. Thank you for letting me share! Keep watching because I will also be posting pictures and video...you won't want to miss 'em!

"Oh God you are awesome, you have shown your grace and power in amazing ways these past few days and I want to praise you here and now. I thank you that you are still a God who saves and that you have given us the privalege to see your work first hand. As always you are worth following. Thank you for filling me to the brim!"