I keep strange things under the bed

So not too long ago I was at one of our ladies meetings, playing a game where we write down things in our house alphabetically.  When we got to my bedroom I thought for a minute on the letter "S", then wrote down the Spanish word for "sandals".  While it was being read out loud, that word caused a reaction!  "What???" they all said.  I said, "Yeah, I keep them under my bed!"  Then everyone started rolling in laughter.  Then I remembered that "sandal" is "sandalia", but "watermelon" is "sandia".

Heard in my house today:

Me, sending Elisabeth on a mission-"Quick! Like a bunny!"
Elisabeth, hopping away-"Ribbit! Ribbit! Ribbit!"
Me-"That's a frog, not a bunny!"
Elisabeth-"Rabbit, Rabbit, Rabbit!"

A Trubute to the Real Pastors

I've been privileged to grow up and serve under some wonderful pastors.  Today I was praying for these men, and thanking God for them, and I began to think about how each one of them influenced me.

My first pastor, that I can remember, was Pastor Bob Benefield, at Sequoia Baptist Church.  I remember him being a giant.  (Of course I was five and under during those years!)  He preached long services, and I remember waking up in my dad's arms on the way out of the building many times.  I liked it.  I loved the singing at church.  To this day, when I hear the song, "There's a New Name Written Down in Glory", I think of Bro. Benefield. I used to belt that song out.  I wasn't saved, but I was learning to enjoy church.  I wanted to please God.  Missions Conferences and Revival services were something very very special.  Bro. Benefield loved the Bible, and it's a big emphasis at Sequoia Baptist.  I was small, but I remember that very well.  I also knew that if my mom put my hair in a side ponytail, Bro. Benefield would squat down to my level, look me in the eye, and inform me seriously that my mother had put my head on sideways.  I knew he cared about me, as a pastor should care about the little ones in his church.  Every time I see him and his sweet wife I still get that impression.

My next pastor was my father, Pastor Roger Margerison at Oat Valley Baptist Church.  He pointed me to Christ every chance he got.  He led me to a knowledge of my sin, and the saving grace of God.  He baptized me.  When I needed a pastor's counsel he would always drop what he was doing to put on his pastor's hat and give me his best.  I knew I could count on him.  He gave me a love of the study of Creation.  He infected me with his curiosity in  the personalities that populate the Bible, and showed me how to ask questions while I'm reading God's Word.  Most importantly, I saw that he lived his faith, and God rewarded it in real, miraculous working right in front of my eyes.  I wanted that same kind of relationship with God.  It was under my father's pastorage that I learned to walk with God independently from my parents.  That's the job of a pastor!  He's to challenge every member to be right with God, and to seek out His heart on their own.

The next man who pastored me was at college.  Pastor Paul Chappell is the pastor of Lancaster Baptist Church, a church that seemed dauntingly enormous to me, when I first started out my freshman year.  The theme that year was "Serving God From the Heart".  It's something that sank down into my heart and stayed there, and I'm still learning new truths about what it means to serve our Lord from a heart of love.  One of the first things I noticed when I arrived was a joy and excitement about the service of the Lord.  I enjoyed all my ministries there, and learned so much by just observing the spirit.  Love for God really does make a difference!  This ministry  stands for God without compromising, and is full of grace, love, and joy.  I made so many great decisions under Bro. Chappell's preaching.  I learned to bring my heart to the altar before the preaching started, to be ready to make changes in my life, and hold nothing back from God.

After college I got married and we went to serve in the church that reached my husband for Christ.  Pastor Jerry Schiedbach became my pastor.  He was also my employer at first, as I taught in the school while my husband worked in the offices.  He's one of those fellows who just believes every single word in the Bible, and acts on his beliefs. He emphasizes God's Word, knowing it, studying it, and applying it consistently.  He has a gift for study, and for teaching, and he teaches the church to study the Bible for themselves.  Because of this understanding of the Bible, and the heart of God revealed in the Bible, Bro. Scheidbach has a passion for revival, walking under the control of the Holy Spirit, and having a relationship with God that is clear of offense.  He and his wife are also two of the most "real" people you will ever meet, and he is a fearless preacher, pastor, and friend to my husband and I.  The kind of friend who will give you what he believes you need, even if it sometimes hurts!   If you sit under his preaching you will be convicted of the seriousness of a lack of revival, of any sin you might be cherishing in your life.  You will be challenged to get right with God, to start spending time building a relationship with God, and to begin going to battle in prayer and in service, as a Christian ought to.  I made some things right with God as a result of Bro. Schiedbach's preaching, some things I'd been ignoring for a long time, and it still influences me to today to keep my conscience clear before God and man.

I know there are charlatans and wolves out there, fleecing the flock.  God will judge them, but I've been privileged to be pastored by four of God's shepherds, and here is some things I've learned about pastors, from my own experiences.

• God's shepherds don't do it for the people, or the money, or the fame, they do it for Christ.

• They are willing to help you if you are hurt, abused, in sin, in jail, or just need a shoulder to cry on, no matter what time of day or night it is.

• Sometimes when they help you, it smarts.  "Faithful are the wounds of a friend..."*  A man called "pastor" who won't confront your sin doesn't love you with Christ's love, and is not one of God's men.
• They are courageous.  They are on the front line of attack, and they know they will be hurt by people they love and pray for, but they keep right on keeping on, eyes on Christ, Who did the same thing for us.**
• They are human, and they make mistakes.  Not one of the men who have pastored me were sinless, neither were their families!  The outrage!  That's it.  The church is full of hypocrites, so I quit.  (Tongue in cheek there.)  Pastors have to deal with the burden of people who expect them and their families to be paragons of righteousness.  It takes guts, and grace to deal with that!
• They are accountable to God personally for what they teach out of the Bible, and how they comport themselves in God's church.  If I have a bad attitude about my pastor, because of a fault I see in him, or because I'm feeling convicted for a sin in my life. Hebrews 13:7*** says he will give account to God with grief, and if he does, it will be unprofitable for me!  That sounds like I have an account to make too, doesn't it?  I want those men to have joy when they give account, seeing that God used them in my life, and that God did great things.

If you have a real pastor, one of God's men, thank the Lord for him today, and let your pastor and his wife know that you appreciate them!
*Pro 27:6  Faithful are the wounds of a friend; but the kisses of an enemy are deceitful. 
**Heb 12:1-2  Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us,  (2)  Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.***Heb 13:17  Obey them that have the rule over you, and submit yourselves: for they watch for your souls, as they that must give account, that they may do it with joy, and not with grief: for that is unprofitable for you.

Veteran's Day

My Dad tells everyone that when he was drafted, he didn't like people telling him what to do, so he joined the Marine Corps.  We all think this is very funny, and we know it's not true.  Like other veterans, He volunteered when his country had a need, to go out there and defend liberty.  The warrior spirit is joined with the virtue of love for right and liberty in the American veteran.  Today, I'm going to sit with my kids and tell them to thank God for this spirit and for this love, and pray for our soldiers today, that God will encourage them, protect them, show them His power, and give them victory in the good work that they have in their hands.  It's a good work, and we love them for it!

The Week on Facebook

I decided to post something I'm thankful for every day this month, way before everyone else started to do it.  But then I hadn't started when they did, so I can't claim to be a trendsetter.  But I totally came up with the idea on my own!  Thanksgiving is an important holiday for me.  So much of our Christian life goes down the tubes if we forget to live in Thanksgiving. Plus, it's the perfect introduction to the Christmas Season, where we remember the Gift of Jesus, the Lord of glory, who wrapped Himself in human flesh so He could pay for my redemption.  Thank you Lord!

My Thanksgiving posts are italicized.

Sunday:

Most of the Christians in the church are keeping their kids out of school this week. It will hurt their grades, but they are forcing all the children to bring offerings for the dead. They have services the children must participate in. If they don't participate, the teacher can discipline them. One of the more lenient teachers said the student would be excused if he stood up in front of the class and told them all the biblical reason why he was not honoring his dead like every one else. He just turned five.

My littles are still coughing, although it gets a little better every day. I'm thankful for that, and the fact that we have seen no asthma at all. Thank you, because I know a lot of you are praying for them to heal!

Monday:

Heard in my house today, singing: "Superclalafradulisticexpialidotious! Even though the sound of it is something HALITOSIS!"

They make me laugh, thought I'd share.

We had family day today. I'm so thankful for a family that I enjoy and love to laugh and keep company with each other.

Tuesday:

I'm thankful God made a place for me to serve and lead me to it.

Wednesday:

Today I'm rejoicing for the strength that God provides each day, right when I need it. His mercies are new every morning, and He's teaching me to take each day with the strength he provides as I need it.

Thursday:

My dear husband took the night shift with the kids, who needed help with their coughing. I'm so thankful for him! Now hush so he can sleep!

Heard in my house today: (earnestly) "A infinito! Y máth allá!"

Translation: To infinity! And Beyond! (with a lithp)

 

Friday:

Please
put this on your status if you know someone or are related to someone
who has been eaten by dragons. Dragons are nearly unstoppable and can
breathe fire. 93% of people won't copy and paste this, because they have
already been eaten by dragons. 6% of people are sitting in the shower
.........armed with fire extinguishers,... while the remaining 1% are awesome
and will repost this.

(I'm not a reposter, but this one was too important to let pass.)

When He saw the need I was in, my Creator did not hesitate the pay the price to rescue me. This is what Thanksgiving means to me. He gives so much because He is good, but He doesn't have to do anything else for me to prove His love. He's already given His all.

 

A Little Newsey

We've been so busy I've not had a chance to update my blog, or decorate for Fall!  The kids are working hard on their school, beginning on Tuesday each week and ending on Saturday.  Our week is a little unusual, but that is the beauty of homeschool.  In our schedule, we have two days out of the week in which we do school in the afternoon, because the kids or their mother have ministry related items scheduled in the morning.

That is, all except the days when they are sick, which has been the case for the past two weeks.  A harsh nagging cough gradually made its entrance into the household a few weeks ago, and now it's just as slowly making its exit.  I'd like to evict it sooner, but all my powers of cough elimination are fruitless against this bugger.  I love how the Mexican ladies are all giving me advice.  In the US I'm usually the odd ball for my home remedies.  Twice, families have dropped by with their favorite herbs to make tea with for the kids, and I've also been scolded for not making them wear socks in the house.  "That's why they're sick!  Get socks on those feet!!!!"  (I would have to use a stapler, I think.)

I'm missing church, and missing the missing of church!  I'm so thankful for a church that I can serve in, and receive blessing from, for people to minister to, and who often minister to me.  Our pastor is a man of God who preaches God's Word without compromise or fear, and who, with his wife, genuinely love God and people.  These things are all priceless to me!

The property is ready to build on, we are just getting plans and people ready for the project!

This has been my news.  Thank you for taking the time to read it!

Fear of Death

"In perfect health I went from home,

Not knowing that my race was run,

As flowers grow and then decay,

A sudden death snatched me away.

Little thought my time so short,

In this world to remain,

When from my home I went away,

And hoped to return again.

The stroke of death did end my time,

And cut me off just in my prime,

Short was my life, sharp was my pain,

Great was your loss, much more my gain."

Farewell my wife and brother so dear,

I am not dead, but sleeping here.

My debt is paid, my grave you see,

Therefore prepare to follow me.

"Jesus lover of my soul, let me to thy bosom fly."

 "One by one life's chain on earth is broken.  One by one it's linged again in heaven."

We see a lot of gravestones this time of year.  Mexico celebrates the Day of the Dead this time of year also.  There are "death" things everywhere.  Here, Halloween is for Children, and the Day of the Dead is for adults.  They believe that the spirits return to the earth on this night, and they need to leave an offering for them so they won't take vengence.  While it is treated like a game, under the surface there is real fear among so many; fear of the dead, fear of devils, fear of the unseen spiritual world all around us.

I took the above pictures of an old cemetery not far from here.  There were some of the early English settlers who came here to work on the mines.  As you can see, death was something that brought sorrow, but it was accompanied by faith and hope.  Nearly all of the very old graves had words of hope and joy.  These people lived an incredibly hard life.  We toured the mines they worked in.  Their testimony of hope is written in stone here and in other places as well.  Remember that, while so many others play with death and fear this month, Death holds no sting for those in Christ;  He took that on Himself.  If we belong to Christ, His Spirit dwells in us-there is no greater spirit than His, and we need not fear other spirits.  This is a good time of year to rejoice in our freedom from fear!

1Co 15:55-58  O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?  (56)  The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law.  (57)  But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.  (58)  Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.

Found this in my Fort Bragg pictures-now it's my desktop!

I love it, since you can "see" the wind, which is part of your visit to the beach at Fort Bragg.  This day was bright and beautiful, but the wind was gusty and playful and cold.  And it smelled wonderful.  I miss the family we played with while on the beach!  My brother and his wife and kids made the day extra special.

October 19, Happy Birthday Elisabeth!

My little snugglebug.

She loves to dress up!

She is not afraid of dirt, and it likes her too!

Last year when we visited Fort Bragg, CA.  (I can't believe it's been so long!)

Her second celebration of September 15.

This was right after she was baptized last month.

I love you so much little one!  Elisabeth is a precious little soul.  She feels everything she feels intensely. She is compassionate and exeptionally loving.  She thinks hard about everything, and when she's been sitting very quietly thinking, you know something unusual is going to come of it!

Peek into the mind of Ruth

"So fruits are girls and vegetables are boys!"
"Really?  Why do you say that?"
"Girls are sweet!  And I really like brocoli, but it's not sweet, so it's a boy.  The vegetables are the good guys, and they are good for you to eat, so that's why they are boys."
"Oh, so if the vegetables are the good guys, who are the bad guys?"
"Bread!"
"You don't like eating bread?"
"Nope, unless it has peanut butter on it."
"So bread is a bad guy unless it has peanut butter on it?  The peanut butter changes it to a good guy?"
"Yup!"
"So what is peanut butter?"
"Peanut butter is the magic fairy!"

For my parents

A little apology. You sent us Ruth's Bible a while ago, and while I acknoledged that it had been recieved, I forgot to post this picture Ruth made for you when she got it.  I thought it was so adorible, I took a picture of it,  but then I forgot got distracted and only just found it. I though you would need to see it!

Newsflash!

 It's done!  Praise the Lord!  God put on the heart of a Christian here in Mexico to help this ministry with a building.  While he already invested in a small plot of land for us, he believed that the church needed more land, so he asked us to keep looking for the owners of the property on either side of us, or find two plots together somewhere.  We did find a plot that the owner was willing to trade with us, and allow us to purchase the neighboring plot from him as well.  Then his parents, who owned the plot on the other side, found out that we were looking for more land, and offered to sell us their plot too.  When Bro. Jaimez called his friend who was helping us, and asked him if he wanted to go ahead with this opportunity, he said, "That's so exciting!  This morning I was praying about your land, and God gave me this verse. Isa 54:2-3(2)  'Enlarge the place of thy tent, and let them stretch forth the curtains of thine habitations: spare not, lengthen thy cords, and strengthen thy stakes;(3)  For thou shalt break forth on the right hand and on the left; and thy seed shall inherit the Gentiles, and make the desolate cities to be inhabited.'  Do it!"  So the church owns three plots together, and is ready to plan a building that will be big enough for our growing church.   This is wonderful to watch, and I feel privileged just to be a part. God is faithful!

So, do you like Mexico?

People are starting to ask me if I really do like it here. We've been here a good six months now, and my Spanish is hobbling along a little faster, so they are curious.

What can I say about Mexico?

I love first and foremost that I was made specifically for what we are doing here and now. God is so good to me to give this privilege, and every day I wake up to work that I don't deserve to do.

If you aren't doing what God made you to do, I pity you.

I love the patient, gracious people, who have been so good to me, helping me learn this language, laughing abundantly at my mistakes with me, but no one has shown me scorn. I know this is not always the case with missionaries learning new languages, but it has been the case with me, and It is something I love about these people.

I love that I can get fresh, warm tortillas at my door every day! This may be selfish to post in a "spiritual" piece, but hey, if you haven't tried them, you have no idea! When I bring them in, I have four little birds chirping around me wanting to eat one right off the stack. Yes, they are that good.

I love watching my kids learning to make friends and speak Spanish. They are coming along great!

I'm glad that God doesn't think I'm Superchristian, and leave me to my own devices. I used to think missionaries were some kind of super mutant minister or some such nonsense-it's kinda hard to surrender to God's will for your life when you think like that.  (If you know what you are.) I had to take another turn through I Corinthians 1, where it says the foolish, weak, and base things are His fist choice.  He's still a workin' on me!

I love being in the ministry.  We get to watch God work. Is there anything more amazing and wonderful?

I love seeing the lights come on in a person's eyes as they see that Jesus paid the price for their sin, and if they repent and believe on Him to save them, He will. I love being a small part in God ransoming a soul.

I really like the pozole. And the huaraches. And the sopes. And the chile rellenos. And the pastes, and the carne asada.

I could go on, but I don't have time. I'm busier than I've ever been in my life, having more to do than I can quite get done in a week, and I'm overwhelmed. but not by the work. It will always be there. I'm overwhelmed by God's goodness, His faithfulness, His power.

It's such a blessing to be in God's will for my life, knowing we are in His hands and He is doing with us what He made us for.

Trying out the new editor updates with a picture

They actually smell and taste even better than they look.

Happy Birthday Mexico!

Ryan and Bro. Ismael

David loves dressing up!

The stripes appeared shortly after we arrived. One of the little girls was sharing.

The girls had fun too!

We celebrated Mexico's independence and freedom, and two people accepted Christ as their Savior. Can you think of a better way to celebrate freedom that receiving liberty from sin?

Bro. Jaimez baptizing Elisabeth!

These aren't the greatest pics, but there wasn't a lot of water in the pool, and since we couldn't wait for another two hours, we just dunked them the best we could. Elisabeth is so light, her feet popped right out of the water!

Mind the mud puddles!

What church looked like before the wind and rain came. We've also put up tarps in the back and behind the pulpit to block the wind.

It's a cold, wet, muddy Sunday.The water makes puddles in the tarp over us that empty themselves periodically on unsuspecting churchgoers who are brave enough to sit near the edge. They smother their shrieks for the most part. We believe everyone is dressed in their Sunday best, but you would never know it for all the scarves, gloves, overcoats and boots.

It's good to gather around the fire of God's Word and receive a red-hot message that convicts our hearts and warms the Spirit in us!

By the way, pray for us to be able to build soon!

Did you hear me scream?

I love hanging laundry. Now if someone were to leave a clothes dryer on my doorstep, of course I would not hand it over to the trash man, but there is something about the getting out of my (rather noisy) house for some peace while hanging up items in the sunshine that I enjoy more and more. Today was no exeption. I was out there taking some things down that I had left up last night. It was under the tarp where rain wouldn't get to it, and I reached up for a skirt of the girls'. With a whoosh and a flutter, something that looked a little like a large black butterfly a little larger than my hand (I have large hands, by the way) flew out of the folds of the skirt, and up in between my arms. It flitted back and forth between the skirt and my face for a couple seconds, while I remained frozen, trying to figure out why a black butterfly was hanging inside this skirt in the middle of the day like it was sleeping there, and why it looked so mamillion, and not like an insect. It had found it's way out of my arms and was dancing dizzily around the yard by the time I figured out what had taken place, and gave my lungs a good exercise.

My little mothers

I love my kids. Elisabeth is lying on the couch, moaning. (That is, when someone passes by. She knows how to put on an image of suffering.) It might have something to do with the half bag of habenero potato chips she ate last night. Ruth and Rebecca are making her tea with honey, covering her with all their blankies, and bringing her little animals, reading her stories, and basically spoiling her to death. I would take care of her too, but I'd have to shoo them away. They are having such a good time, and Elisabeth is enjoying it so much, that I think I'll just let them do it.

What I saw today

Today I went door-knocking, and I saw:
1. One fighting cock
2. A hamster
3. A baby chicken grazing in someone's front yard
4. Evidence that an equine animal had passed by
5. A large mean dog who chased us
6. Three different kinds of puppies
7. Someone's laundry hung in their front yard. (The line was tied to the street lamp.)
Another normal day-nothing unusual!

Bouquet?

Love my little freckeled tiger lily!

Joy in the presence of the angels!

This morning I dragged myself out of bed and plunked down on the couch, opened my Bible, and started rubbing the sleepyheads out of my eyes so I could read. I do not like mornings. As far as I'm concerned the only thing good about them is the fact that no one else is up, so I can have some solitude with the Lord before the rush of the day begins. As I peered at the first chapter of Colossians I realized that I was not alone. I heard a pair of little feet slapping down the stairs. My youngest daughter appeared, looking just as sleepy as I was.

Great. There went my devoes. I thought. I said, "Hi, sweetie, come sit with me." Maybe I can get some reading in this way. She snuggled up, and I commenced reading out loud, so she wouldn't feel the need to squirm or talk to me. I got to this part:

Colossians 1:12-13 Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light: (13) Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son:

And I began to think, she has no idea what this means. I read the next verse;

Colossians 1:14 In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins:

Then the Holy Spirit prompted me to ask, "Do you know what redemption means?"

"Uuuuuh, no."

Again, the Lord pushed me to explain this word to her. There is a wonderful story about a little boy who made himself a sail boat, that he loved, and when he went to the river to play with it, the wind blew it away. He saw it go in to the rapids, where there was a big fall, and he thought it was lost to him forever. Then one day he saw his sail boat in a store window. Not only had it survived the falls, someone had found it! When he asked the store owner for it, he found out that it was still lost to him, because in order to get it, he would have to pay the full price for it. He loved his boat so much that he brought money to pay for it, and redeem it.

I told her this story, and explained, that was what Jesus did for us. He made us, and He loves us. But our sin will take us to Hell, and we will be lost to Him, so He paid for us to be redeemed back to Himself, to take away our sin, and the price he paid wasn't money, it was His own blood. That's why it says, "In whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins." All we have to do is repent of our sins and receive His gift of eternal life!

"I want to do that! Right now!"

Thank God for this! Isn't it wonderful to see His Spirit working in the lives of our children? Elisabeth had made a profession of faith, but I sensed she didn't understand everything she had done, and last week, the Lord put a burden on my heart to pray for her, that God would make clear to her if she was saved. My prayer was answered a couple days ago when she told me frankly that she was not saved and going to hell, because she was a sinner and couldn't stop sinning. At that time, she didn't accept Christ. Sometimes it takes time for the Holy Spirit to work each part of the gospel through our hearts. I didn't push it. This time, I could see the lights come on. No, she didn't want to wait another minute, Jesus had paid for her sin, and she wanted to receive eternal life right now! I told her to tell Jesus! She did, very simply and frankly, ask Jesus to forgive her, and take away her sin so she could live in Heaven with Him. Then she jumped up, eager to tell everyone, "How do you say 'I got saved' in Spanish?"

I don't think I'll ever complain about having my personal devotions interrupted!

Zoom in and check out the flying drool!

Two verses and a thought:

Psalms 27:4 One thing have I desired of the LORD, that will I seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the LORD, and to enquire in his temple.

1 Corinthians 6:19 What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?

Can I possibly understand the blessing it is to dwell in the presence of the Almighty God? David longed to live in the house of God! What would he say if knew God’s people carried around His Temple on their feet, and then did not bother to seek out God’s face at least once every day?

Just in case you were wondering if I have it all together...

We were late to church yesterday. After we had all gotten ready, I reached for the keys to unlock the front door, and they were not there on their little hook! Bad keys! We began to look, since we could not get out without them. We searched the upstairs, the downstairs the kitchen and even outside where I sometimes leave them when I go out back to feed the dog. As I stood in the kitchen, praying and frustrated, a thought came to me. I saw outside some of the items that were on my washing machine on the ground. Hmmm. How did they get there? Would my idiot dog possibly thing jingling keys were fun to play with? Sure enough, twenty minutes after church had started, I found the keys near the back of the yard by the wall. Along with several of my washcloths. Bad Dog!

I like the dog, I really do. If she survives to adulthood, when she will theoretically be less trouble, it will be a miracle, because I really want to strangle her about three or four times a week.

Here is the future site of the First Baptist Church of Tizayuca!

The Property:

The church family!

A little unasked for advice

A young girl asked me for advice the other day. Advice about BOYS. She met a nice young fellow at camp, and he wanted to communicate with her as a boyfriend. Now, I understand the young man’s perspective more than one might think. I know him, and he’s been saved for three months of his fourteen years. He’s excited about everything that has to do with church, and he’s lost all his previous ambitions; he only wants to preach. A young lady who wants God’s will for her life is something new to him, and it is attractive. (Nothing wrong with that) He doesn’t yet understand about how to have a Christ-honoring relationship with such a person, so he is relating to her according to the rules of his old life. At this point, I assume he doesn’t know any better, especially since I sent a similar young fellow packing in my first year of college right when he wanted to “go steady” with me. It wasn’t the time for me to be thinking about marriage, and I didn’t need any distractions with my first year of college. When God put me back together with that guy after we had both matured a bit, we knew it was His work! For more on this story, go here, here, here, and here!
I told the young lady these things, and also this: You are in a very important time of your life, and it is a time to guard your heart! These years, if you are submitted to God’s Holy Spirit, He is preparing you for His will. He’s building something precious in your life, making something beautiful. Your relationship with Him is being established, and you don’t need distractions. These years don’t come back when they are gone; don’t lose what God is doing in your life!
This is for the young ladies that read my blog. Those of you that I know personally, I want you to know I pray for you by name often! I know that God has a plan for you, that it is the best plan for you, and there is something in your life right now that can destroy you. I don’t know what it is, but our enemy always puts up something that we have to make a choice about. Am I going to trust God, or worry about my family? Am I going to make room for Him in my life, or am I going to seek my own interests, and let Him have my leftovers? Am I going to pour out my hurts to Him and leave them there, or am I going to get bitter and angry? One of these things that can turn us off the path God has laid for our feet is wrong thinking about romance, boys, marriage, and the future.
You see we ladies are full of dreams! Exciting dreams, dreams that make our heart go pitter-patter-pumpernickle! There is a powerful ton of emotion built up behind those dreams, and the hope that those dreams might be realized in this amazing person is enough to sometimes shut down our ability to reason. If you have seen the movie Bambie, think “twitterpated”. And I know whereof I speak. I have talked to a lot of twitterpated young ladies. You are a smart person, but emotion can turn the heads of the brainiest among us. For this reason I offer you my advice. (Yes, unasked for by you, but I love you all to bits, so you have to put up with it!)
• Keep your relationships Christ honoring.
• Make good friends, and keep your closest friendships at a spiritual level. (I'm talking about all your friends, not just guys, but especially guys!) Be aware that extra time with someone builds intimacy. If you run out of things to talk about, you will be tempted to start bringing up more personal things. Not a good idea! Certainly not a good reason to speak of personal things with someone.
• Always keep Christ first, and if any friendship is pushing away your thoughts of Him, step away from that friendship! Believe me, I speak from experience, Mr. Right, at Time Right will not push away Christ! I am so glad I told my “Mr. Right” to “just be friends” when I did! God's time was perfect. If he’s got a spiritual bone in his body, he will understand and appreciate what you are saying; if he doesn’t understand, you really don’t want to tie your heart up with him!
• Also, if God has placed authority in your life, honor it! Honor your parents, and don’t hide anything from them. Respect your pastor and consider his advice carefully.
• Find spiritual older woman who can hold you accountable, and pick their minds! Don’t worry about bugging them, they will love it. Just don’t say you are following my advice to find someone “older”, or you will get me into trouble!
Most importantly, keep your dreams and desires subjected to God’s will. Seek His face, and determine in your heart to never deny the Holy Spirit. You can’t afford at this point in your life to let something come in and mess up the amazing things He’s preparing you for!

I don't have much time, but I wanted to say we were able to buy land today for the church building!

"Inattention"

What happens when Mom leaves a three year old alone with a ketchup bottle for too long.

Human Respect and Unconditional Love

I've read a lot about "unconditional love" and "basic human respect" the past two days since a California judge negated the clearly expressed will of the people of California.

Lets reason together. Christians believe that dying in one's sins is an eternal death sentence. (By "Christians" I mean Bible-believing followers of Christ; not people who take His name without believing His words.) Bible believers also believe that homosexuality is a sin that will put a person in the same Hell that was created for lies, and every other sin. God did not make Hell for people, but for sin. Anyone who dies in their sin ends up there.

Basic human respect says that we view other people with the same value as we view ourselves. This is logical and correct. Unconditional love means that no matter the consequence to ourselves, we will favor the other person, value them, and put their needs before our own. Unconditional love will come with action, and with respect for the value of the other person, as God created them just as He created us, and we are no more important than they are.

If these are true, how can a Bible believing Christian who follows Christ and His example keep silence when they see their neighbor fall into a sin that they believe will take them to Hell, and say nothing? If that neighbor is a homosexual, they might be uncomfortable about such a conversation, especially in California where you are esteemed as a subject of special hatred if you express condemnation to this lifestyle. Nobody wants to be rejected by others, and a Christian will have to face rejection if he or she takes a stand against this sin. They will try to hurt you if they can, no matter how your heart loves them and breaks over the prospect of an eternity lost to God in Hell fire.

Please, Christian, love your neighbor! To say nothing because of fear of attack is an act of true hatred, for it will send many into Hell, never knowing the truth. If we believe this, to not speak against sin is to be selfish in the extreme, saying our own comfort and the affection of others is more important to us than their life, which was created to be with God forever.

If a Christian does not speak the truth in love, as is commanded in the Bible, and as Jesus Himself did, then he is either a true selfish coward, or he does not really believe the Bible.

I've read a lot of griping by a lot of Bible-believing Christians about the law, the judge, and the liberals. And I don't disagree, but I chose to write today about the root of the problem. If God's people won't shine His light, why do we complain when sinners fall over in the dark?

Pictures

I'm posting some of my favorite pictures I've taken since we got here.

This might be my new favorite picture

Our Growing Family!

This is Rayo. (I mean the blue one in back.) It means "Lightning", for those who don't speak Spanish. The name was a concession to David who wanted to name it "Linin!" for his favorite car in the movies. Rayo was not in the best health when we got him, but he's coming along, after spending nearly a month at the mechanic's getting his guts replaced. These cars are everywhere around here. Ryan loves buzzing around in his bug. It makes me wonder why we have to go around every traffic circle we come to...so many times...But happy little grin on his face makes it all worthwhile.

Let's be clear!

"David, get a quiet toy, sit on the couch and play quietly by yourself." "Elisabeth, get a quiet toy, sit on the other couch and play quietly by yourself."

A short time later: "No, boxing gloves are not toys to play with quietly by yourself on the couch..."

The Bible Makes the Difference!

I love watching people come to church for the first time-some of them are not saved, some just newly born again, and others have been searching for a home church for years, and have yet to find one that just preaches the Bible. What can we say about our church that is different? We can't boast of some reforming founder, because Baptists don't have one. We just believe the Bible. I know we aren't perfect, because we are made up of sinners, but we are following the Bible. I'm always hearing, "Wow, I've never been to a church that teaches me so much about the Bible. You aren't giving me your opinion; just the Bible, and no one can argue with it. You just believe it or not!"

Yes, I'm rambling. It's late, and I'm tired. I just wanted to share my blessing of the day. Another sheep looking for a shepherd who will feed her family on God's Word found us this morning, and I heard it again.

On a side note, we are praying for land to build a building. We've been meeting outside, in someone's yard, under a circus-style tarp. Also, afternoons bring thunderstorms about half the time. Tonight, my husband was preaching for Bro. Ismael, and he wore out his voice trying to drown out the pouring rain and thunder while we shivered in our seats, trying to hear. God is blessing abundantly, but please pray for this need. We would be able to have classrooms and nurseries, and an office for the church business.

Thank you all for taking the time to plow through my rambling!

Shasta's finding her nitch

Wise beyond her days (five months)

Weary from her labor

She's got so much to do, so little time.

Work first, then rest...

It's a hard job, but somebody's got to do it...

Some Camping Pictures

This was the most serious picture I could coax out of them

Ruth

Daddy gets a kiss

Rebecca

Elisabeth is happy about something!

We had lots of fun! More pictures later; my internet connection is misbehaving.

Happy Father's Day!

Well it didn't seem right to kick the father of my children out of his seat at the computer so I could post a note on Father's Day honoring the fathers in my life, so here we are, a day late. I must say something though, because fathers are so important. They challenge us, teach us, show us how important we are, and give us our vision of the future.

I'm thankful first of all for my Heavenly Father. His love for me, so much more than I could even begin to understand, His care of me so perfect. He has never failed me. I don't always understand what He does, but He never changes, so as long as I trust and obey, His faithfulness and goodness will sustain me. Thank you for Who You are, Father!

I'm thankful for the man who introduced me to my Heavenly Father. My dad made certain decisions in his life that left our family completely in God's hands. Because of this, and because of his faith, we kids were in a position to see, no just instruction on the subject of God, but a real Person Who was active in our lives, providing for us daily. Dad, you gave the best gift a father can give a child-a vision of God's real life work! Thank you!

I'm thankful for the aforementioned computer hogging father of my children. (Well, it is his computer.) Besides being cute, strong, and incredibly handsome, he is a wonderful father. This year I interviewed my kids, each separately, on the subject of their dad, and here are their answers.

"I know Daddy loves me because..."

• Ruth: He takes care of me
• Becca: He reads me the Bible, he makes me clean my room, and he tells me stories.
• Elisabeth: He gives me hugs and kisses

"Daddy makes me smile when he..."

• Ruth: tells me funny stories!
• Becca: wrestles with me, and he tickles me, and he pinches me!
• Elisabeth: plays with me!

What I like to do with Daddy:

• Ruth: "Going to eat Japanese food one-on-one."
• Becca: "takes me to Walmart to pick out a toy." (I have a feeling this one is a hint.)
• Elisabeth: "I like to play with Daddy!"

The most important thing Daddy taught me:

• Ruth: The Bible! (Here she quotes John 3:16 as the most important thing.)
• Becca: "about Jesus, and how He died on the cross for me to save me, and I got saved, and there is a hell and a heaven!"
• Elisabeth: Bible verses!

I want to say, "Thank you, Daddy for..."

• Ruth: For giving me a Bible. And candy!
• Becca: So much! I love you! (Here I encouraged her to give me more info.) For every thing you do! (I told her to be more specific.) For letting me watch you play Monopoly!
• Elisabeth: For teaching me verses!

Some of this is silly, but do you notice that they all know what the most important thing Daddy teaches is? None of those answers were coerced, and they had no idea of each others' responses. I'm so thankful for a husband who understands this, and also seeks to introduce his children to a living Father who can love them and care for them all their lives!

News from Tizayuca!

Elisabeth could have told you this.

Go read this. It will make you laugh, and pray for missionaries!

Language Update

This morning Elisabeth sat at the table watching me iron, a deeply thoughtful expression on her face. If you know Elisabeth, you know that girl is a deep thinker. I knew she was cooking up something profound. Presently, she jumped up, with wide, excited eyes, and informed me in a high pitched voice that she had figured out how to say something in Spanish! (So that was what she was doing! I was pleased.) "What can you say?" She stood tall, and said clearly, "Hay muchos moscos en mi casa!"

I was a little let down at this. I mean, if you are going to spend all morning in thought, you should come up with, "There is much love in my house." Or "There is much joy in my house.", but NO-There are many flies in my house!

Well, it's true, I guess...

Happy Birthday, Sweetie Pie!

It's my Hero's birthday today! I love you, Sweetheart!

Happy Anniversary!

Nine years. Love. Prayer. Joy. Four Critters. Lots of laughter. A few tears. Patience. Peace. DON'T TICKLE ME! Kindness. Sweetness. Life.

I'm so thankful God gave you to me to take this journey together. Walking through this life with you, watching God work His wonders, trusting His hand to guide us, what a life!

Thank you for your love for me, Ryan. I treasure your heart.

I'm going to gobble them up!

My girls are so sweet! They took the cloths off the clothesline for me, while I was busy with a project, because they saw a storm coming in.

Too sweet!

Very Long Drive, Part IV; The Last Leg

Good morning!

Now we are starting to get excited!

Getting closer! (It's pretty here, isn't it?)

(Scream of delight here) This is our house!

Bro. Sanchez manages to be delighted with us, even though he drove most of the night.

The kitchen

The kid's room

The back yard (the sink has a washboard for washing clothes.)

Backing up the van

Bringing in the boxes!

Ryan went straight out to get some luxury items:
the stove and fridge. I'm very very thankful for these!

And we hooked my old friend, the washing machine up. I'm praying she stays healthy!

Thank you for coming with me! I'm so thankful for all God has done in bringing us to this wonderful place to serve Him, and I can't wait to see what He wants to do here!