Sarah Joy's Corner

A Tribute to the Real Pastors

2011-11-20T15:07:00.000-08:00

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.

Why I love working in the nursery

2011-11-07T19:50:00.000-08:00

Ruth is looking forward to helping in the nursery

Many people think of the nursery in church as the least enjoyable ministry; a necessary evil to be endured. Some believe it's completely unnecessary, because people should make their kids behave and that's that. I disagree, respectfully, with both of these opinions. I thoroughly enjoy my time in the nursery every Sunday morning, and I think it's a very important supportive ministry.

I'm not under delusions either. I know it can be tough. My age group is birth to three. Yesterday, I had two screamers, a little boy who couldn't handle the noise of the service, and his brother, who wanted to run about and holler and play in the service. Both of these youngsters are individuals made by God, and He brought their family to church that morning. God wanted the parents of these boys to hear how they could be saved. While I know that very young children in Christian families can be taught to sit still and behave in a service, children like these two precious boys keep their parents from hearing anything at all, and their parents just don't know what to do about it. Without a nursery, frustrated parents of misbehaving children usually walk out the door after church for the first and last time, never to be seen again. Instead of judging them and shaking our head(you know the attitude, "What is this world coming to?"), why doesn't the church come along side them and try to help? Why don't we try to comfort the children, let them know that we care about them, give their parents confidence that we love them as a family and wish to be a blessing?

For the one who does nursery work out of duty, thinking that it's not that important, let me say this. Arron and Hur held up the arms of Moses over the battle. Remember the story? Joshua was fighting, and God wanted to bless. He commanded Moses to raise his arms with the rod of God over the battle and stay that way throughout the whole campaign. While Moses tried to do this, he got tired in the heat of the day. Instead of criticizing the weakness of their leader, Arron and Hur ran to him and gave him all the help they could, so God could give the victory, helping him sit and holding up his arms.

As a worker in the nursery, I believe I'm doing exactly the same as those men did for Moses. While our pastor holds forth the Word of God, I work in the sidelines, showing love and tenderness to the children of the families God brought to church that day. I know it's not easy to preach the Word of God, and crying infants and children make it much harder. It's also very hard for a parent, or anyone sitting around a parent, to listen while they try to keep their babies and toddlers quiet. To me, it's a holy thing to protect the atmosphere of the sanctuary while a man of God is preaching. He is fighting a spiritual battle, wrestling with the souls of men and women, pleading for God's people to give God their all, for the lost to find salvation. I am holding up his arms, providing a loving place for children to stay, while their parents and devote their attention to the message God has for them. As a mom myself, who has placed my babies in nurseries all over the Western United States, I know the difference a loving nursery environment makes on a baby and the baby's mom!

Now it's normal for a baby of around a year or more, who has never been separated from mother for a moment to experience uncertainty and fear the first time they are placed in a nursery. This doesn't mean they are being damaged, but a wise worker is understanding of their very real fear. Babies learn through experience, and they need to know several things; 1. Mom is coming back. I have not been sold to these strangers forever. This understanding is only gained by seeing it happen a few times, so patience is necessary. 2. The people here are happy, they love me, and it's fun to play here. 3. Finally, as they start enjoying every week, these little ones need to know that church is a fun place to learn about the Bible.

For a person serving in this ministry there are a few pitfalls to avoid, things that will increase frustration and hinder patience. We are here to show God's love, not judge a child's lack of discipline. Go in expecting children to misbehave at times. Even kids of parents who discipline them faithfully will try things in the nursery they can't get away with at home, just because mom and dad aren't there. Remember that we are each one born with that ol' sin nature. This nature actually delights in wickedness, which might help us to understand why a three year old dimple-cheeked angel snatches a toy he didn't want previously from someone, and when he doesn't get the reaction he's looking for, he smacks his victim with it for good measure. He isn't the devil incarnate, he's just a sinner like I was before I was saved.If this is your ministry, and you are struggling with having a loving and peaceful attitude, ask God to help you! Don't settle for doing any ministry with a bad attitude. You know, you will lose an eternal reward if you do that!

By the way, children of visitors, who often don't behave well, often are more frightened and destructive, often make the whole experience trying for the nursery worker, also often stay longer than anyone else's children because their parents might be receiving Christ as their Savior after the service. This is exactly what happened to my two little screamers yesterday morning. For the small part that I was able to play, I pray this whole family will come to know my Savior and walk in His ways. It's an honor to be in this ministry!

Who's afraid of the big, bad, doll?

2011-10-31T18:22:00.000-07:00

I asked some children in my class at the beginning of this month what kind of things they were afraid of. I got a varied assortment of things. Bad dogs, toilet flushing, high places, and insects all came before terrorists and burgles. One thing that was mentioned strongly by about three fourths of my class was, dolls. Yes, dolls. "Dolls freak me out! The ones that have eyes that open and close are the worst! I can't even have them in my room or I won't sleep!" On a hunch, I asked the class how many had seen a movie that featured dolls coming alive and murdering people. Without exception, the doll-fearing children raised their hands. The others, without exception, did not.

Now, each of these children are old enough to know that dolls do not come alive and murder people. But common sense means little when eyes and ears have manipulated the imagination to fear something. I asked them to think about their pre-doll-fearing days. They were innocent to evil. They were innocent to an evil lie, to be true, because their hearts came to believe something that was not true, even when they knew with their minds that this feeling was absurd. Then they watched a movie that changed their perception to this innocent thing.

Then I asked them this question, "Are you going to ruin your innocence to something else this month, by watching some other silly October movie?"

2Timothy 1:7 For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.

"Much more my gain"

2011-10-31T17:24:00.000-07:00

This beautiful poem is on an ancient tombstone near where we live, from the English settlers that worked on the mines many years ago. It shows a right attitude about death, something that will be good to remember during the next few days.

"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.

Facebook Funnies from 2011!

2011-10-21T21:33:00.000-07:00

My idiot dog has been getting better, and behaving herself for the most part, but yesterday she made up for all the good behavior by snarfing down the equivalent of two entire sticks of butter that happened to be on my kitchen table.

One of the things I say often to my poor kids: "You have to put up with my kisses. Mommy kisses never wash off, and when I'm gone, I want you to fairly covered with them for the rest of your life! So take that! And that! and that!"

Thidwick the Big-hearted Moose-if you have trouble understanding socialism, get it, you will understand. (It's a Dr. Suess book, for those who don't keep up on fine literature.)

So I started using our clothes hanger for it's original purpose. (Most exercise machines make excellent coat hangers.)

Big, fuzzy, blue bathrobe. Coffee. :)

Another first: Yesterday I saw a woman breastfeeding a newborn on a motorcycle. (She was sitting behind her small child, who was sitting behind her husband; and yes, they were going on the road!)

Tip of the day: If you have a seven year old, and she washes the dishes, you ought to check the drinking cups before you use them. Just sayin'. :P

"MOM! (hug attack) "OH! I LIKE YOU!!!"
David's emotional response to most meals served in this house.

Well, my son dressed himself for church this morning, and when I looked at him from a distance, I thought all was well. After we got to church I noticed he had no socks, and was wearing his Lightening Macqueen jammies under his slacks and button-down shirt.

The other day we spent a little time with another missionary family. When we were done, Elisabeth said, "That was WEIRD!" When I asked her why, she said, "It's weird to talk to people I don't know in English!"
Ha-ha!

David made an announcement at dinner tonight: "I can blow FIRE out of my LELLY BUTTON! And it kiws the bad guys!
It's so nice to finally know his super power.

After a couple heavy dust storms slammed into the house last week, I decided I have to get around to Spring cleaning. I've discovered something. Pet hair is baking powder for dust!

"Are mangoes good for something?" Asked Elisabeth while industriously scrubbing her arms with the gooey mango seed.
I know I have a future scientist in the works.

Elisabethism: I'm so excited I can feel my heart beeping!

Missionary Kid Moment: "Mom, does 'hit the road, Jacks' means 'go away?' "

Just experienced the exhilarating joy of chasing my wet, soapy dog covered in fluffy red hair all around my neighborhood, while I myself was also wet, soapy and covered in fluffy red hair. The people of Hacienda Ermita have now officially seen me at my best.

Cute little smiling stick figures drawn with small fingers on my jewelry box. A friendly reminder that I really need to dust my bedroom.

When teaching a class, we usually confiscate any number of contraband items that are distracting the class. Last night, it was a cucumber in the purse of one of my own daughters. What is this world coming to?

David has been followed today by full karate sound effects.

I was pushing something heavy today and Rebecca warned me to not "strangle my milk."

David: Mom, Buzz Lightyear is in my bed.
Me: You can keep him in there as long as you don't play with him...
David: But Buzz likes to play!

Our internet access is a lot better now than when we had the other provider, but still not enough for regular phone conversations that don't sound like, " Hello? Thi....aohthagyh......ME! I'M CALLIjahgauyhfrg......What?..........WHA...." Facebook is a blessing.

Today Ruth drew a picture of a sleepy fairy (she had butterfly wings) magically causing a cup of steaming coffee to float into her hands.

I just confiscated Max Steele's sword. I was wondering where my pencils went.

Rebecca, holding an ice cube tray in front of the open freezer; "Hurry up and help me with this, I'm turning into an ice pickle!"

Question of the day:
Ruth asked me, "What's a meteor? Is it like a spade-alite?"

Every now and then it is necessary for a mother to scare the ever-living daylights out of her child. It shows love. And it's fun.

Got sunburned in clown makeup. It's an unusual look!

Cleaning your house while your children are awake is like brushing your teeth in the middle of eating an Oreo.

Another first! I actually consider myself lucky that yesterday was the very first time I said, "name of child, untie your sister this instant!"

Heard in my house today: (We are memorizing from Ephesians 6 in school) "And ye fathers, provoke not your children to math..."

Here's a great game to play with four children. I call it, "Quietmouse", and it's simply a game to see who can be the quietest the longest. The first person who talks gets nothing, the second gets one marshmallow, the third, two marshmallows, and the winner gets three. Four solid hours of silence in my house! Ha!

I know all you mothers already know this; some of you have said it on facebook recently. BUT, if a young child comes running up and says, "Mom! smell this!"

Don't.

Missionary Kid moment: "Mom, where am I from? Someone asked me and I don't know!"

Mother's instinct serves me well:
"If you want to help me, go wash your hands."
"I did!"
(Something moves me to suspect.) "No, I mean REALLY good."
"I did!"
"You need to wash your hands again."
"OOOOH! You mean with SOAP!"
"YES!!!!"

I asked the kids if they wanted 7-up. David took offense at the exclusion of himself and Elisabeth. "Hey! It's six-up and four-up too!"

A Couple of Little Angels

2011-09-14T15:23:00.000-07:00

A couple weeks ago, one of our soulwinners was out knocking doors, and a young girl of about nine answered. She said her mom couldn't come to the door. He asked her if they went to church, and she said no. Then he asked her how she thought someone could go to Heaven. She said that she knew how. Jesus died for everyone's sins, and they could only go to Heaven if they asked Him to save them. He asked her who told her this. Turns out, one of our families has a little girl who attends her class at school, and she led her to Christ at school. This family, who now attends faithfully and is growing in Christ, only started coming last year after the little girl was befriended by yet another of the little girls in our church, and started coming.
Praise the Lord for these precious little angels. (Angel simply means "messenger of God".)

End of the summer beauty!

2011-09-12T22:10:00.000-07:00

Survival handbook: Yourself

2011-08-30T21:21:00.000-07:00

I saved this one for last, and I think it's the most important.You can get along with the authorities, love the classes, and have great friendships, but still fail completely at college. But I've seen people who fought the authorities and acted like a snot to their roommates and acquaintances, but then God got hold of their heart, and it changed them. Your heart, and how much of it God has, is the single most important factor to spiritual success.

Remember that the devil is actively trying to discourage you. That is, he's trying to remove your motivation, your courage.

1. Don't go thinking of plan B, if this doesn't work out. You should be determined to finish what you start. If God wants you there, and He's confirmed it in your heart, plan B is just rebellion. Go with that faith that God is leading you, and determine to let God show you that it's His job to get you through. My husband and I both had seemingly insurmountable financial challenges, and I got pretty sick two years in a row. The sickness caused me to fail some classes! I remember asking God what I was doing there, when I couldn't have success. That year is one of my most precious memories, and the things I learned about God's presence in my life are with me today. God can use anything that happens in our life, as long as our faith line remains connected to Him. Unplug it, let doubts come in, and they can ruin what God wants to do!

2. Read your Bible every day, and touch the throne of God every day, just to pass time with Him, and not to pass a class. Study for classes is good, but it does not ever, ever replace time set apart to be in God's presence. You need it. Make it a priority. Find your place to be alone and do it. (My place was in one of the upper classrooms of the North Auditorium, and this very annoying young male student liked the same room, so he beat me to it, and I had to go find another room. In auditorium part of the building, a student would worship God and pray while he played the piano, so my devotions were usually accompanied by this music. He is now serving God on a mission field on the other side of the world, and the guy who stole my prayer room is now my husband.*) You will hear a hundred times this year, "Bible college is the easiest place to get backslidden." ad nausium. Because it's true. Well, any place is easy to get backslidden if you are relying on yourself.

3. Activity does NOT equal God is pleased with you! Anywhere you think that God is pleased because "I'm doing _____" or "I'm getting this blessing_____" or "everyone thinks ________ about me." is a dangerous, dangerous place to be spiritually. You are right with God when you get on your face in His presence every day let Him change you. When you die to the flesh and carry your cross. Activity is good, but it's only a product of our walk with God, and sometimes when we get comfortable doing certain things for God, we think we can swing it without Him. Actually, my flesh is always confident in this manner. And it's the thing that makes me want to quit when I make a big mess of things doing them without God's Spirit. Hypocrite, isn't it?

This isn't as long as my other posts, but I hope you take it to heart. If you went to Bible college because you believe God wanted you to, then give Him liberty in your life to do what He wants with your life! The "big secret" to spiritual success (and you will hear tons of sermons on this) is very simple-being full of the Spirit, walking with God, and getting out of His way. It can't get old to you-it's your lifeline. It takes day-by-day checking, tending, and repair.

My love and prayers are with you!

Oh, one more thing. If, for some odd reason, you find yourself sitting in chapel, and exhausted. maybe your blood sugar levels are, hypothetically, weirded out by too many strange snacks and not enough sleep, and you might find yourself having a very hard time keeping both eyelids open. Let's say you might have a pack of Listerine Pocket Patches in your purse, and after fruitlessly pinching yourself, chewing on your tongue, squirming and trying everything else you know of to stay awake, it occurs to you that it might be a good idea to use one of those little strips to "wake yourself up". Refreshing and all that. If such a thing happens to you, and I'm not saying it will, or that it happened to me or anything like that, I'm just saying it might, you know. Don't put it under your tongue. Just don't.
*For the record, my husband wishes it to be known that his version of this story is that some cute girl periodically stole his prayer room. Whatever.

Survival mini-handbook: Other people

2011-08-11T17:40:00.000-07:00

My friend, I hope you aren't tired of my unasked for advice yet. It's not because I think I'm smarter or more spiritual than anyone else, just that I've done what you are going to do, and this is a collection of things wise people told me, and things I would want someone to tell me. Today I'm going to focus on other people. I didn't have any nightmare roomates, and I hope they can say the same of me. :) That is not to say there were no differences, because I know we are all sinners, so differences are inevitable, especially when you are sharing living space with someone. You can stuff your weaknesses down enough in front of most people, but someone who can't get away from you is going to know who you are at the end of the year.

1. ) Don't despise people who are different. If you are living in a dorm, you will be sharing space with people who are different then you. Here are some ways they might be different:
* Different style of education; public school, Christian school, homeschool
*Different ways of bill paying; you might have to go get a job, someone else might have their parents pay their bills.
*Family structure; some will be from Christian families with generations of faithful Christians-what a blessing! Some got saved out of the world, and no one in their families are saved, but they want to start serving the Lord, what a blessing! (My husband fell into the last catagory, and I'm a third generation Christian.) Some had a hard life before college, there will be young people there with scars most of us can't imagine, some with rough edges because they came from a rough home.
*Cleanies vs. Messies-you know that's gotta cause some conflicts!
In any case, let me tell you that you will not understand everyone, and a good many of them will not understand you. Don't start out with a chip on your shoulder, and don't be drawn into conflicts. You really can learn from every one! God just might want you to minister to and help someone who is different from you, and if you start out despising them, He can't! Don't whine about other students.
We also are humans here, and humans naturally despise others. You might say that you don't, but you have a tendancy inside, called pride, that wants to look down at others for any of the obove mentioned differences. If you get a roomate who snores loudly, is really overweight, has smelly feet, or never learned to clean the bathroom at home, is this going to be the topic when you are with your friends? Most people don't think twice about mocking others for their stupid problems, but we know right away that it's wrong if someone does it to us!
Please don't make big deals out of minor things, and don't get all sarcastic about people who are easy to despise. God loves them as much as He loves you.
2. ) That was a lot of "don't", so here is a "DO!" Look for David and Jonathan type friendships. Jonathan saw David serving before his father, and his heart was knit with David's. Why? Because Jonathan saw a love for God in this scruffy lad that mirrored his own. When you love God, you love others who love God. I thank God for my friendships from college, many of whom are just as strong today as then, even though we don't have a lot of contact with each other. All we have to do is get together and all of the same things we shared in before are still there to enjoy, even though we are all in different stages of life now. Ask God to lead you to people that you can be a blessing to, and who will be a blessing to you.
3.) Another "Don't". Avoid whiners. Ryan ~~cornered~~ got to interview missionary Rick Martins once at a mission's conference we were in together. One of his questions was, "As a young missionary, what kind of things should I try to avoid?" The imediate answer? "Negative missionaries!" Negative whiners are everywhere, even at Bible college, even in the ministry. Although it's easy to develop friendships with folks who share the same whine as me, it doesn't help me to grow spiritually. Jonathan's heart wasn't knit with a whiner. These people will happily share their rotton attitude with you and anyone else, and then walk away and gripe about you! Here's a clue, if you notice that most of your conversation with a particular friend is in discussing problems, try to change the subject and put an encouaraging spin on each thing, giving glory to God. A true whiner will get frustrated quick and have nothing left to talk about. Someone who is growing spiritually will feel covicted and want to be around you more because you encourage them to do right.
4.) Make godly friendships with people of the other gender. Freshman often enter their first year with romantic notions that they will make eye contact with some stranger and their future will be set. Newsflash! God doesn't use Diseny protocol! Just let God work in your heart and keep your friendships godly and honorable. The Bible tells young pastors to treat the younger woman as sisters, because they are. Our kinship, however, is a spiritual one, and not a physical one. In the physical world, we must protect the honor of our bretheren with modest dress, behaviour, and speech. I'm thankful for my friendships at school, that I've nothing to be ashamed of with the husbands of other women. They treated me with honor and respect and I did the same with them. So keep your relationships pure, including conversation.
5.) DO give other people the benefit of the doubt. I Cor.13:5 says that Charity, or God's love, does not think evil of others. In other words, it doesn't make negative assumptions of others. This is easier to do than you would think. As a rule, give the benefit of the doubt when someone says something, or does something you could be offended over. In matters of open sin, or abuse, the Bible tells you what to do in Matthew 18. But most of our problems with others (especially between ladies) involve hints and grouchy comments that can be taken in a number of different ways. Look, if someone has a problem with you, and they aren't willing to come out and tell you openly, give them the benefit of the doubt. Maybe they are struggling with something spiritually, or homesick, or just having a bad year. Compassion and love in such a situation will give God liberty to touch a heart like nothing else. Patience. You need it for others, and for yourself; not just to bear your burdens, but to do it joyfully.
6.) Finally, study Matthew 18 and commit to deal with all differences and offenses that require action in accorance with God's command. Also, watch out for others who want to dump their problems in your ear. If you aren't part of the solution or part of the problem, kindly but firmly ask why you are being involved. In my experience, this is a new concept for a lot of young people in college. Look out for whining (it will be called "burden sharing" or "getting it off my chest") Look out for slander. (It will be called a "prayer request") Look out for information swapping. (I tell you how so-and-so hurt me, you tell me something just as juicy-this information will usually be used against you at some point.)

Your friends in school can be a great blessing to you, and you can be used of God to help others who are hurting. In a dorm with all kinds of girls, I promise you that each year there will be someone in close vicinity that is hurting in ways you can't understand, and God can use you to encourage them! They can also draw you away from the Lord, as there are some people there for the wrong reason. Pitfalls come when we start to get sarcastic and look down on others. So let the Lord have His way! Remember I'm praying for you.
This is the second part in a three part series. The first part is here.

Survival mini-handbook: The Bible College

2011-07-29T08:38:00.000-07:00

Hey you! Getting ready to go to Bible College! I want to talk to you! Are you excited? I remember getting ready to go, and I was excited, a little nervous, a little fearful. Once I got into the swing of things, that first year, I had so much fun. I hope you do to! I talked to my husband (Who I met that year, by the way.) and asked him that if he could talk to himself from back then, what would he say to himself. I know I would like to have a couple words with myself from that year! Here are a few tips we came up with, and my post was getting long, so I organized them into separate posts with tips on the school, tips on myself, and tips on other people.

1. If you are going to the same school I went to, try to start out with a hair do that can get blown to smithereens and look decent with a finger-combing. I started out with a pom-pom shaped perm'! Big mistake. (No, I will not be posting pictures of it.) You may whine about the wind. Everyone is going to be doing it, just don't overdo it. And don't overdo the hairspray. You'll regret it every time. Also, memorize Proverbs 30:4, and every time you go out there into it you will get an object lesson on the power of God. And when you go into a building, hold your skirt. Just sayin'. (Wind going sideways hits the building, and then blows up right next to it.)

2. Get over the rule book. It's a Bible college. They have to have rules, and some of these rules make certain folks uncomfortable. If God wants you to go there, then it makes sense that He will want you to follow the authorities. Even if the rules don't make sense to you, you should just do it as long as they aren't asking you to do something wrong. Who knows, you might learn that some of them have actual reasons behind them. Don't whine about the rules.

3. The cooking will be different than your mom's. Your mom doesn't have to cook for hundreds of people. If you are going to the same college I went to, and I hear you whining about the food on facebook, watch your back, because I'm going to come through the internet and slap you! (Ok that's a bit strong, I won't do that, but I WILL frown at you very, very severely!) The food is healthy, filling, safe, and some of it's pretty good!

4. You will get preached at. A lot. Enjoy it! You'll never have a time like this again. Just don't forget to bring your heart to the altar before the service. If God impresses on your heart to make some changes, write the changes down in the journal you will get. If you are struggling in an area spiritually, write that down too, as a prayer, in the same journal. Later, you will be amazed at how faithful God is to answer and teach you just what you need.

5. If you never struggle spiritually, and never feel God pushing at you to make a change here and there, there are only two options. Either you are so very far away from God that you have no idea what the Holy Spirit is trying to tell you, or you are not saved. Get that matter fixed! This is a spiritual battle, and it is no place for half-hearted Christians, or lost people. I remember coming to that question during a lukewarm time at school, and God showed me that I wasn't anywhere near where I thought I was, spiritually. The decisions I made that day gave God the freedom in my life to lead me to the place I am today, and I believe firmly that if I had continued to resist Him, I would be out of His will today!

6. If there are conflicts between you and an authority, go read Hebrews 13:17 and think about how God wants you to deal with it. He does not want you to tell all your friends. He does not want you to quit. He does not want you to self destruct because you are fuming over it all the time. He wants you to A.) Pray for them, because their duty is to God, not you. B.) Obey them. If they aren't asking you to sin against God, why not? C.) If someone is abusing their authority, the school authorities ought to be notified. If you don't think it's that serious, then it's not serious enough to gossip or get bitter over. Ok, it's never serious enough to gossip or get bitter over. That will just make their problem ruin you, which is unprofitable for you, my friend.

7. You are there to study and learn. Have fun, but apply yourself to the subjects. Get everything you can from them. You will need it later. Prepare your projects ahead of time, and make time to study. You are learning to balance work, recreation, and ministry. If you are like me, you will probably fall out of balance in each of these areas from time to time. The important thing here is knowing when to correct the problem, not being perfect all the time.

8. Take a typing class the first year, if you don't know how to type, not the third year like a certain young lady I knew. Duh? (that was me.) It will make some things much, much easier. Also anything else that will help you prepare projects, like computer courses; first year!

9. Also take time to develop your soul winning skills. You need first to depend completely on the Holy Spirit. A formula, or list of verses is useful, but the Holy Spirit knows the need of the heart, so get connected with Him. Also you need to know your Bible. Prayerfully studying the Word, just so you can have an answer for anyone who asks is vital. Don't depend on classes to do this, or your church background. If you are from my church, I know you have a solid understanding of doctrine, but you still need to study for yourself.

10. Enjoy the school! Enjoy the ministry, the church services, the spirit, the work. No place is perfect, but soak up all the blessings God has for you there. I've known some young people who do nothing but whine when they go to school. Honestly, most of the whiners drop out, or stop whining. You need those blessings to make it through, and if you are complaining all the time, they will pass you right by. So have fun, and enjoy yourself!

I've got a couple more posts on this topic up my sleeve. I hope it's a blessing to someone! I sure did enjoy my time at Bible college. God used it in too many ways to count so He could put me where I am and shape who I am today.

May-June prayerletter!

2011-07-15T10:50:00.000-07:00

As you can see, the bottom floor is mostly finished, except for painting. On the other side of the building is a doorway that needs a door, but all is secure. You can see the top floor where the nursery and offices will be.

Two vehicles God provided to bring people to church. Most of our members don't have cars, so this ministry is needed.

Here is our beloved church family. Every family unit has a story, a burden, and a victory. Many of them have seen miracles as God changes people and provides for His people. It's truly a priviledge to serve here!

Thank you for your faithful prayer and support! God has blessed us during the last two months, and I’m excited to tell you all about it.

The theme for May was Missions. Two missionaries came to present their work during this month, and we took them on for support, representing Christ for us in Spain and Israel. Our church congregation also attended a three-day mission’s conference at a church in Pachuca, and their hearts were touched to serve God and commit to His will. Many also committed to faith promise missions giving in our Mission’s Sunday. Families from all over Mexico presented the need for missions in their home states, and we presented the need for missions and revival in the United States. It truly encourages my heart to have my brethren here join in my burden to pray for my homeland!

The fruit of this emphasis is readily seen in the faithful attendance to door-to-door soul winning on Saturday, with an increasing number of new believers getting out of their comfort zone and starting to testify. It is great to see new Christians going beyond the ‘silent partner’ stage, to begin giving the wonderful gospel of Christ, and see souls saved! Several men have also approached me asking for prayer about a calling to service. Pray for them as they seek God’s will for their lives.

We have seen much advancement on the building. As of last week, we now have a building that we can leave chairs and pulpit in, and we can lock it up when we leave! Doors, windows, and bars on the windows make a secure place to meet. A new need has come up however. The funds provided by several brethren here in Mexico have come to an end, having been used on the building, so now the church is working to raise money weekly to finish the project. While we don’t know how God is going to supply this need, we are confident that He will provide. He is the One who has done all of this work up to this point, and if He wants it finished, it will be done. Continue to pray for this need. The work to be finished is mainly on the second floor, finishing the walls and roof of the nursery, offices, and bathrooms. The nursery is currently being accommodated in an unfinished storage area, with a ceiling at 5’4”. My wife, who works in the nursery stands at 5’8”.

Please continue to pray for our discipleship programs with several individuals. I am working with three groups right now.

Brother Jesus is struggling to keep his discipleship times, because he is looking for work. He’s been faithful to Saturday soul-winning, and he has not had a relapse into alcohol or drugs since the incident I wrote about several months ago.
Juan and Paty have temporarily discontinued their discipleship because Juan’s mother is gravely ill. She was a follower of the Watchtower and Tract Society, and had a bleeding problem in her arm. She refused for weeks to receive a blood transfusion, and finally changed her mind after frustrated doctors sent her home, since there was nothing more they could do without a transfusion. Since then she has received the operation, and several transfusions. She has been cast out of the Kingdom Hall, and we are praying for her salvation. I beg you to intercede for her, that God will have mercy and continue to call her heart while there is still life in her. Pray for Juan and Paty, who are new to the faith, and faced with such a difficult trial.
David and Yolanda are also struggling to find enough work to put daily food on the table, but they are so hungry to learn and grow more that they are coming twice a week for discipleship sessions. They are actively involved in ministry as well. Pray for them as they learn this faith walk, and that their zeal remains steady.

Thank you again for your prayer and support! God bless you and your church family as we labor together with God to reach the world.
God bless you all!

Sincerely Yours,

Missionary Ryan Case

Facebook Funnies!

2011-07-09T15:47:00.000-07:00

I went through my facebook account from last year and copied all the funny stuff I want to remember. One of the things I love about facebook is how easy it is to pop on and type out something hilarious a kid just said or did. Maybe I do it too much, because yesterday I laughed at something Ruth said, and Elisabeth piped up, "Mom! You've got to 'face' that on facebook!"

Why does a child who does not hesitate to pick up gooey freshly squished spiders think a gooey glop of cheese that dropped off his plate is too gross to touch?
My daughter is loudly singing "Away With the Manger!" Gonna have to correct that one!
Quote for the day: "I like to wiggle my toes together when they are clean." (Ruth, 8 yrs old.) so many people are posting wonderful, life-changing quotes, I thought I'd include one that made me stop and think about the deep things of life.
A child in my house was heard belting out, "Who wants a friend like the lonely Jesus? No not I! No not I!" Oh, my word, we need to work on theological education!
Yesterday the toilet backed up, and I had to plunge the daylights out of it to get it back in "running" condition. Today, my son came to me in tears, asking me to get his favorite underpants back.

Yes. These two items are related.

My law of children: Children are not naturally makers of neat places, but they are drawn to neat place. They are drawn irresistably to neat places, with their minds filled with all kinds of plans about what to do with the neat places. None of these plans involve neatness.
Sticky mouse traps. I have not caught any mice, but I have caught my dog, three of my children, and my foot. The dog finds where I put them, and she drags them out and leaves them for us to step on. When she steps on them, she slaps around the house like she's got flippers on her feet.
I'm getting pigtails put (ouch) in my (ouch) hair by a five year old.
There is a stripey blue and yellow frog hopping around the house and saying, "Wibbit! Wibbitwibbitwibbt!

No mother enjoys hearing this from their three-year-old:
"Um, mom? I get the toe-lit, um, bigger. Yeah. It's bigger..."

Something I never expected to say as a mother: "R___, we do not suck oatmeal with a straw."
This morning David woke up and attempted to give me a kiss right away. "Oh, Mama! You lip smews YUCKY!"
Conversation from my house today
David: "Mommy, my thtummik thez 'gimme a thandwich!'"

Me: "Tell your thtummik it needs to learn to say pleath!"

Apparently he thinks bad manners are acceptible if they are vicariously acted out through a third party. (thtummik)
The little bench is a little heavy, I won't deny it. But it is not too heavy to pull out of the corner I put it in, turn upside down, and use as a motorcycle for a small body, and then leave at the bottom of the stairs for me to trip over. It is apparently way too heavy, however, for that same small body to drag back to the corner, turn right side up, and put away.
Heard in my house today: No David, do not chew on the table.
Heard in my house today, singing: "Superclalafradulisticexpialidotious! Even though the sound of it is something HALITOSIS!"

They make me laugh, thought I'd share.

Heard in my house today: (earnestly) "A infinito! Y máth allá!" Translation: To infinity! And Beyond! (with a lithp)
So I was knocking doors for the church today and a grasshopper jumped on my foot. My young soulwinning partner told me she likes them fried with lemon. That's a first for me!
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!"
I noticed part of my son's ninja outfit hanging out from under his cloths after we had arrived at Bible club this morning. Luckily, no-one was hurt by the undercover ninja attending class, and the his secret identity remained intact.
My kids are playing with a jalapeno. It is quite amusing.
So I just found the hairbrush and comb that was missing. Both were filled with plastic pony hair. Suspicious.
Well apparently the doctors have it all wrong, and all you have to do to make a sick, feverish child feel better is feed it marshmallows every now and then!
Note to self: scratching eyes, nose, or ears after cutting serrano peppers is a very, very bad idea.
Necessary qualifiers: "Elisabeth, go wash your face and hands."
"With my skirt?"
"NO!"
"With my tongue?"
"NO!"

A Mighty Fortress is Our House

2011-06-14T21:14:00.000-07:00

I love all the locks on the doors. I love the fact that every window has heavy iron bars. I love that our hacienda is closed with a giant iron gate and a heavy padlock. These are all things that help me sleep at night a little more peacefully.

These things are great, until you lose your keys and the doors are locked. This morning, I used the keys to unlock the back door so I could light the hot water heater. (There was wind in the night, so it was out.) I remember placing the keys on the table in the kitchen. Later, one of my children, who shall remain nameless, picked them up, and I told her to put them away. It was to be the last time I saw them.

They passed through her hands to the unpredictable hands of my son, who is not remaining nameless because I'm still holding it against the little twerp. Extensive questioning revealed that they went up and down the stairs in a pillowcase for a while, unlocked secret doors in the walls and the beds in the kids bedrooms, and then somehow evaporated.

I have an image in my mind of George Bailey shaking poor Uncle Billy by the collar and screaming at him, and for the first time, I relate to George. (Note, I did not do that to my son, I just related.) We were trapped in the house with no way out.

Hours later, with everything from the rooms having been gone through, every stone unturned, and church service coming up, we gave up and called a locksmith. He got them open after about 30 minutes of work, and had the locks replaced with new keys two hours after that.

Hey I've got an idea! Let's be real careful with these keys!

I had a Bible lesson to give tonight about being anxious for nothing...it's funny how the Lord gives me an object lesson on what I'm teaching. I'm pretty sure that lesson was more for me than for the kids.

You encouraged me!

2011-06-02T22:08:00.000-07:00

When I went to the Youth Conference at Lancaster Baptist Church, I had reached the point where I just wanted to do whatever God wanted me to do. He led me very directly, based on the doctrine, standards, and spirit of love for God; to go to West Coast Baptist College the next Autumn. It was a decision I have never doubted or regretted, even after things (bills, sickness, etc.) got tough.

I knew what God wanted me to do, and when I stepped forward to do it, He provided, and kept on leading me to the next step. Right now, I am still on that path, and He's just as faithful as ever. I've seen things and done things I could never have imagined. He's given me a life that is challenging at times, but so packed with amazing things, that the funny little ideas I had as a child of what my future would be look silly.

I get to see God do what He does! What does He do? He transforms lives. He takes impossible situations (a dozen are popping into my mind, just from this past year.) and turns them into glorious and unexpected blessings. He can crush hearts of stone, and save people everyone else has given up on. He humbles Himself to hear the voice of little children who are hurting, confused, or just want to learn how to know Him better. He humbles Himself to hear my cry!

And I wanted to be a veterinarian. I've got nothing against veterinarians, don't get me wrong. If that's what God made you for, go for it. I just can't now imagine myself doing anything other than what I'm doing now.

Which brings me to the title of my post. Some of my friends from my church made some decisions at the last Youth Conference. I remember, some years ago, sitting in the pew and listening to you sing, "But each one, can reach one, if we follow after Christ we all can lead one, we can lead one, to the Savior..." If you saw me you must have wondered what was wrong with me, because I was blubbering. I was thinking, "What if each one of these children did what God made them for?" And I was praying for you. If you start out on that path, you may or may not end up in Mexico like me, but I promise you, you will never ever regret it! Hearing that you made decisions for God is such an encouragement to me I can't find words to explain it. Stick with those decisions! Keep hold of the faith that God has given you now (we make those decisions by faith), and He will bless you for it. Do what He made you for!

You are taking a step away from your families to study, and to gain experience serving God. I know this can be nerve wracking, and sometimes you will feel homesick. If you start out with a bad attitude, it will be real tough. If you make some unwise decisions along the way, the devil will try to convince you that you are done for. He will also throw some roadblocks in front of you from time to time.

God knows all about each and every one of these things, and I've seen Him give victory to His own in each of these situations. So what I'm saying is, step in to finish! If you have a goal, finish it, and be open to God guiding your life from this point. Let the Lord have His way in your life, and don't let yourself get discouraged, as challenges come. Keep getting closer and closer to the Lord, letting Him use every thing you pass through to draw you more and more into His heart. If you are taking that step away from your family, and into the will of God, it's like stepping right into His arms. Don't worry about anything-He will take care of you!

I hope you don't think I'm nagging. This is just sisterly advice from someone whose gone that way before, and loves you, and can't keep her mouth shut. Know that I'm praying for you!

Celebrating with Menudo!

2011-05-26T15:32:00.000-07:00

It's menudo! The kids aren't being bratty-it really does smell that bad when it's cooking. It's my husband's favorite dish, because he grew up in a Mexican home where menudo was standard holiday fare. It makes him think of happy times. (It does taste a lot better than it smells.)

I love him.

Happy Birthday Sweetheart!

New Building!

2011-05-14T13:45:00.000-07:00

Bro. Pedro, Bro. Ryan, and Bro Ismael

You might notice that both Ryan and I are bright pink-we went doorknocking the day before and forgot sunblock.

People arriving in the church van

I'm so thankful for the opportunity we've had to be part of the planting of this church!

May the gospel continue to be preached from this spot for generations to come!

Happy Mother's Day (and I'm NOT late!)

2011-05-09T07:50:00.000-07:00

Here mother's day is tomorrow, which means for my multicultural children, they must honor their American heritage, and their Mexican heritage. Absolutely. Yesterday I got cards from my kids, and my sweet oldest daughter made coffee and brought me some. (I'm not ready to trust her cooking in the kitchen without help.)

My husband says I have to pick one day. I think he needs to open his mind! What about embracing the good in other cultures and all? Well, I'm going out with him today, so I better not complain!

For the record, I love being a mom. I had a sweet, humble, hardworking, dedicated mom that I try to be like as much as I can, and this journey has been one I would not trade for anything. It's a privilege indeed!

God's blessing poured out-and missed!

2011-04-17T20:28:00.000-07:00

The storms have begun! We have a nice warm day, then around 4 oclock, on the dot, thunder slams through, rain pours, hail hammers, and my dog freaks. These began this week, and as we experienced this every day during the spring and summer of last year, it does not bother us. (Humans)

Church time under a tarp, on the other hand, is an adventure. Chairs are moved to the middle. There are many more people now than there were last summer, so we are close together. Puddles form quickly in the overhead tarp, and when a gust of wind moves the tarp, they empty out over the sides. Tonight the seats had to be placed very close to the pulpit, and I was sitting on the front row, close to where Ryan was leading the singing. We were singing "Avivanos, Senor". I don't believe I've heard this song in English, but since it's a rousing revival song, I love it. The last line of the second verse begins with "La lluvia de tu bendicion..." or "The rain of your blessing..." I thought quickly, Yup, we are getting that tonight! The line ends with, "derrama ahora aqui!" Or "pour out here, now!"

Right when we began to sing the word for "pour out", a puddle began to pour out blessing from the Lord directly to Ryan's left! It started small, then dumped about a gallon of icy water into the platform, while he quickly sidestepped to the right, and continued singing, with difficulty, because the laughter problem. (There are times when we must not make eye contact in church if we wish to retain proper decorum.) Later, while Ryan was preaching, more "blessing" continued to pour out over the other side of the tarp, and we had to scramble to rescue the piano. I thoroughly enjoyed the service tonight! No one is going to be tempted to fall asleep if the visit here!

The good news is the construction of the building should be finished in a month or so!

Wolly Polly Love

2011-03-28T22:03:00.000-07:00

Chillin'!

2011-03-21T22:12:00.000-07:00

Mondays are off days for us. It's like Saturday for us, and we have school on Saturday. This morning we got up late. I dilly dallied around and got around to making breakfast late-very late. The kids cleaned up while I prepared a week's menu and shopping list; slowly. I also found the time to tickle attack at least three of my children. Elisabeth broke my pyrex baking pan, and I reassured her that I understood it was an accident. Pyrex explodes violently when broken, so she was traumitized. We went shopping, and on the way got stopped by the federal police to have our papers checked. He saw that we were Americans with California plates and thought it would be good to make sure we were here legally. (Honestly have no problem with that!) Then we ate at a restaurant-very late for lunch, and enjoyed some more family time, and some fruit before sending the kids to bed. David threw up all over his bed about five minutes after that. This is no surprise, because this ugly bug passed through each of the girls last week. David must have taken a little longer to incubate. So now I have an urgent interruption in my laundry routine in the morning, waiting for me. David is a brick, ready to do the deed and go right back to sleep.
All in all-a restful day, and and ordinary one. I'm so thankful for days like this! I love laughing and making my kids laugh. I love helping them with their trials that seem so great to them, helping them to be strong. We all need quiet days from time to time, don't we? It never goes right to plan, but it helps me connect with my husband and my children.

Hey it's Spring!

2011-03-01T12:44:00.000-08:00

There are some beautiful flowers growing in the fields, but not many near my house. If I get some good pictures of the Spring blossoms here, I'll be sure to post them! Here are some that I took of Springtime at my parent's place in Cloverdale last year.

Ryan was terribly allergic to this, I think.

Cherry plum blossoms just beginning to open

More cherry plum blossoms

Elisabeth was in this position much of the time.

Peach blossoms!

I forget what these are!

More from the peach tree. (The same one that my daughter watered with gasoline.)

Happy Birthday Becca!

2011-02-18T21:44:00.000-08:00

Funny

Roly poly

Cute

Stinker

Always excited!

Always ready to explore

She looked great last year with no front teeth

Always ready to be silly

Happy birthday, sweetheart!

Love and Kisses!

2011-02-12T20:22:00.000-08:00

These are pictures that mean "love" to me! Happy Valentine's Day!

Just might be my favorite picture.

Yes, this one means "love" to me. Don't you see the love??

The little baldie is Elisabeth

"If only I had showed up on the doorstep of non-huggers." (She's getting used to the affection, and I think she likes it now.)

Cynthia performed this service for all of my young crew. More than once. That's love.

She also felt the need to lie down on the grass for a while afterward for some reason. I can only spin two at the most.

Love yourself?

2011-02-09T20:07:00.000-08:00

I often hear people say, "You can't love others until you love yourself." Love of one's self is encouraged, and expected for a healthy mindset. The logic is, if you don't love yourself, you won't respect your own self worth, or take care of yourself, or be able to value anyone else. You won't think you deserve anything good, so you will let people abuse you, and take advantage of you.

Honestly, I don't disagree with the basic premise. When someone hates themselves, wants to hurt themselves, and goes about to destroy their own lives and bodies, it is evidence that something is wrong. It is not normal or natural to live in self-loathing, or for a human to have a wish to end or ruin their own life. Normal humans feed, adorn, bathe, and cherish their own bodies without even thinking they are doing something loving for themselves, but caring for the needs of someone is the surest way to love them. We entertain ourselves, and try to protect ourselves from harm, and hurt. These are all actions of self-love. Even people with no respect for themselves will snatch their hand away from an open flame. Why would someone do that if there was no love for themselves in their lives?

I do have a problem with the statement, "You can't love others until you learn to love yourself." What's my beef with that? It's the focus of that statement. It is completely absent of God and His love. Why is this important? It's important because God's love blasts any little love we might have for ourselves to smithereens.1 You can never take God's love for us out of an equation and have a complete picture of reality. And reality is this; our true value, as God values us, is beyond our own comprehesion.

A biblical point of view gives us a complete picture of ourselves. In the mirror of God's Word, we see that we are born in sin,2 something abominable to God, but that He took upon Himself our own nature so that He could bear the payment for our sins on His body.3 This shows us that God's value for us was His own blood. When we see that truth, a poor self-image is just a lie we believe, and so is self-importance and pride. Truth? I am precious to God. I can love myself with all my might and main, but I could never love myself like He does. And the focus of the Bible, the greatest commandment in the Bible, is not to love myself with all my might. It's to love Him with all my might.4 Why? Because His love is enough.

For many of us, the problem comes when we look at our faults and failures, we often read our own worth through them. God has given us something to do with our faults, and it is not ignore them, pretend they don't exist, or pretend they don't matter. (I believe that's called denial) God never valued me based on my goodness. If that were true, He would have tossed me out a long time ago. He values me because of Who He is, He saved me from my sin because of His love for me, and the more I know Him, the more peace and confidence I can have about my position before Him.

I am so thankful for the love of my God! His love is worthy of being talked about, lifted up, and researched. During this month, when we are seeing little lacy hearts everywhere, and eating cute, pastel, heart-shaped candy, remember God's love for you, and how precious you are to Him.

1.) 1Jn 4:9 In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him.
2.) Rom 3:23 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;
3.) 2Co 5:21 For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.
4.) Mark 12:30 And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment.

A little compassion...

2011-02-06T14:47:00.000-08:00

A new family came this morning, their second visit. They have a baby girl and a two year old boy, both of whom came to the nursery with me. Victor had been pretty good in Sunday School, which surprised me, because I had watched him last week, his first visit, and he had squalled 80% of the time. It's so hard for a small one to get used to the idea that these strangers won't keep you forever, they will be nice to you, give you crackers, and then give you back to mommy pretty quick.

I took the nursery for the church service, and he started to protest when he noticed the Changing of the Guard. The nice lady he was used to was leaving, without his permission, and I was taking her place. He was not amused. He started to shriek when she closed the door, he shrieked when I looked at him, he shrieked when I offered him a toy without making eye contact, and he really raised the roof when Moises, the other toddler, decided he wanted some of the toys Victor was hoarding. I put Moises in the middle of some other toys, and turn part of my back on Victor, where I could see him out of the corner of my eye. Sitting on the floor, we began making towers with blocks. This is usually irresistible for small boys, as they always want to help building, or see what happens when you knock it down. The shrieking subsided to a miserable whimper, as Victor began to be interested in the project.

Then I noticed something. As he mumbled complaints against me and Moises, Victor was pulling his ear and twisting his pinky inside constantly. Light bulb! I said, "Your ear hurts, doesn't it?" He looked at me and nodded seriously. I said, "I'm sorry, ears hurt a lot when they hurt." He nodded again, then offered some advice on the construction of my tower. I told him he'd better show me what he meant, and he reached over and began to build up my tower.

After that he was my buddy. Yes, his ear hurt, but what he really wanted was to know that someone understood, and was on his side.

Jude 1:22 And of some have compassion, making a difference:

Urgent prayer request!

2011-02-01T23:15:00.000-08:00

Dear friends, please pray for our fellow laborers here-the Jaimez family was in an accident tonight. Bro. Ismael was taken by ambulance to the a private hospital here. He has a shoulder injury, and they are keeping him in observation because of concerns about internal bleeding. There is concern in the lung area. His wife, Hrma. Paty has a bruised leg. The car was hit on the driver's side and spun, so they are both dealing with whiplash. Please pray for them! We love them like family; they are godly, servant-hearted, and faithful.

Out of the mouth of Elisabeth

2011-01-29T08:10:00.000-08:00

Today, while I was getting the two healthy, non-flu infected children ready to go to Bible Club, I noticed Elisabeth coughing. She hacked and hacked, and since she was up some in the night coughing, we decided to keep her in with the others who have fevers. When I told her she couldn't go to Bible Club, she looked downcast as only she can. (If you want a peek into her personality, mix up Eeyore with deep sincerity and emotion.) Then she picked up her head and said, "That's so sad, Mom, but it's OK, because Jesus is still with me!"

I said, "Never, never, never forget what you just said."

Rebecca

2011-01-16T20:48:00.000-08:00

Here she is trying to make a face. It doesn't quite work out.

Here she is trying to smile.

Still trying to smile, and getting a little silly. (The smile was so strenuous that it made her fall on the ground.)

Got one! I love it-she's so spunky and funny.

Ruth

2011-01-11T15:56:00.000-08:00

Here she's got a lace thingy and pretending to be a bride. She doesn't know about the ears.

My sweetie

Cute little twerp, huh?

This creature ate two sticks of butter off my kitchen table

2011-01-09T13:16:00.000-08:00

Please let me in.

Pictures of David's birthday, and some more 'cause he's a ham.

2011-01-08T06:28:00.000-08:00

We had some friends over to wish David "Feliz,

Feliz Cumpleaños"

I can't eat sugar, and it's maybe just as well. Adults who eat this cake are brave.

This is the first time we've done the birthday bite. He was not so sure about getting frosting on his face.

David needed an enemy for his Max to fight, so we got this guy, but apparently Cytro is Max's friend. Who knew?

Some extra pictures. Buzz is helping David with his game.

Hamming for the camera.

A ham with muscles.

He's a gamer already. (Note the 'game face'.)

Some pictures from Elsiabeth's birthday

2011-01-07T20:45:00.000-08:00

The birthday girl right before the proceedings

What happens when you let siblings, who also happen to be little girls, buy birthday presents for the birthday girl.

She's ready for her cake.

This took some doing.

There were many pictures with fewer and fewer lit candles, but I'll spare you.

I think she's trying to down the whole cake in one bite.

Whoah! It's next year already!

2011-01-07T20:13:00.000-08:00

How did that happen? We've been busy! I was going through my pictures on my camera, and realized that I haven't posted anything with recent pics since October. Well, I'll have to catch you up on the pictures, because I know certain relations really like them, and I've got some good ones! If I ever catch up to the pace my life is running at, I might get to post some of the other things I've started for my blog, and never finished. Oh, well, you know, my friends, real life must come first!

I keep strange things under the bed

2010-11-26T09:48:00.000-08:00

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:

2010-11-20T08:11:00.001-08:00

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

2010-11-19T05:34:00.000-08:00

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.

Veteran's Day

2010-11-11T07:49:00.000-08:00

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

2010-11-06T08:38:00.000-07:00

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

2010-10-30T15:54:00.000-07:00

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

2010-10-20T21:21:00.000-07:00

"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!

2010-10-19T20:20:00.000-07:00

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!

2010-10-18T17:13:00.000-07:00

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

2010-10-17T13:24:00.000-07:00

"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

2010-10-10T20:34:00.000-07:00

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!

2010-10-08T14:45:00.000-07:00

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?

2010-10-02T09:40:00.000-07:00

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

2010-09-23T14:53:00.000-07:00

They actually smell and taste even better than they look.

2010-09-22T15:04:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday Mexico!

2010-09-18T14:20:00.000-07:00

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!

2010-09-07T11:10:00.000-07:00

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!

2010-09-05T12:44:00.000-07:00

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?

2010-09-02T18:57:00.000-07:00

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

2010-09-02T11:16:00.000-07:00

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

2010-08-28T11:41:00.000-07:00

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?

2010-08-27T20:38:00.000-07:00

Love my little freckeled tiger lily!

2010-08-25T05:07:00.000-07:00

Joy in the presence of the angels!

2010-08-22T13:46:00.000-07:00

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!

2010-08-20T12:53:00.000-07:00

Two verses and a thought:

2010-08-18T10:19:00.000-07:00

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...

2010-08-16T09:12:00.000-07:00

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!

2010-08-14T12:29:00.000-07:00

The Property:

The church family!

A little unasked for advice

2010-08-11T18:27:00.000-07:00

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!

2010-08-07T11:27:00.000-07:00

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

"Inattention"

2010-08-06T20:15:00.000-07:00

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

Human Respect and Unconditional Love

2010-08-05T16:44:00.000-07:00

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

2010-07-20T21:10:00.000-07:00

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

2010-07-20T20:32:00.000-07:00

2010-07-20T20:10:00.000-07:00

2010-07-20T19:29:00.000-07:00

This might be my new favorite picture

2010-07-15T05:45:00.000-07:00

Our Growing Family!

2010-07-08T19:22:00.002-07:00

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!

2010-07-07T09:15:00.000-07:00

"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!

2010-07-04T20:37:00.000-07:00

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

2010-07-02T10:06:00.000-07:00

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

2010-07-01T08:56:00.000-07:00

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!

2010-06-21T21:44:00.000-07:00

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!

2010-06-12T08:29:00.000-07:00

Elisabeth could have told you this.

2010-06-02T10:01:00.000-07:00

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

Language Update

2010-05-30T14:55:00.001-07:00

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!

2010-05-26T18:39:00.000-07:00

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

Happy Anniversary!

2010-05-19T10:40:00.000-07:00

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!

2010-05-14T05:08:00.000-07:00

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

2010-05-04T12:43:00.001-07:00

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!

Very Long Drive, Part III

2010-04-28T17:59:00.000-07:00

The evening of the first day after we crossed the border-this is Tuesday night.

We arrived in Obragon, and took a day to rest with friends. This is Norberto. He taught us Spanish while we were in Tijuana. This is his father's house, and they were such a blessing to us!

I snapped some pics of the kids while we were there.

David REALLY likes what Cheetos taste like in Mexico-Yum! (It's different.)

Becca's having a great time.

Norberto teaching the kids how to make ceviche. ( I know I spelled that wrong; can someone set me straight?)

I thought this was cute, is it "super" or is it "mini"?

More homes we passed.

On the big freeway, every 50-100 miles of road has a toll station. These tolls went from $8 to $20, depending on the state we were going through. Also, each state takes care of its own roads. Some are very good roads, while others are not.

A peek at the ocean!

I am so glad we had none of this activity, beyond the first day on the road. Here, David is pretending to lose his lunch, because Ruth told him he could throw up in her new bucket if he wanted to. (Sweet of her.)

Pretty sunset in Guadalajara.

We did not stop! More pictures coming. This was the last one I took that night. We kept going all night long. My next picture will be a sunrise!

Very Long Drive, Part II

2010-04-27T06:09:00.000-07:00

Sunrise through my window-kids are waking up, and wondering where they are.
(This is the beautiful Central Coast)

Arizona was under-represtented on my camera. It did have some beautiful places that we drove through, but this is what I captured. Sorry Arizona. Also, it was hot.

The sunset was beautiful!

At this point, we stopped for the night at a hotel on the border, got up the next morning, packed everyone up and crossed the border. Then I suddenly realized I was not taking pictures-so here is our document processing station, the next morning.

Here is David keeping us safe from the dangerous bears while we were waiting. Elisabeth was not happy with this, as this is her bear. It was not the first, or the last, fight.

Just some of the scenery.

The Road!

Passing some homes.

To Ryan, chili suckers=home. He's a happy man.

More pictures of our trip coming soon!

Very Loooooong Drive; The Start!

2010-04-24T10:58:00.000-07:00

Packing the van

Saying "Goodbye" (We all agree that we hate this part!)

I can't believe we came all this way with all this STUFF!

Headed to Santa Maria, our home church, the Lighthouse Baptist Church, for a final Sunday service, and say goodbye to our precious friends there!

EARLY Monday morning!

Hello, LBC!

We're excited!

This one is very excited about getting up at night!

These ones-not so excited...

This picture is out of order, but I didn't get a good one of Bro. Sanchez before this, so I wanted to include him here. He came the whole way with us, helped with so many things, and we are thankful for the friendship of the Sanchez family!

More pictures as soon as I can get them up!

Cause you asked for pictures of Shasta!

2010-04-21T16:24:00.000-07:00

Profile shot

What she looks like with her ears up, sleeping in my lap

Action shot! She's grown a lot this week, and her tummy has deflated, but she still loves to play with the rope.

Happy Sunday!

2010-04-18T05:46:00.000-07:00

We are excited about going to church this morning! Ryan and Pastor Ismael went out and bought a small pool the other day to baptize two new converts in! What a blessing! (Sorry! about the! overuse of exclamation points! We're just too excited!)

Happy Birthday!

2010-04-10T10:27:00.001-07:00

Happy Birthday Dad!

I love you, and I'm so thankful for you and your testimony. Thank you for introducing me to Jesus, thank you for staying faithful, and for showing me at a tender age that He is faithful! Have fun today!

We Are Here!!!

2010-04-07T14:30:00.000-07:00

Please pardon my overuse of exclamation points, but I'M JUST A LITTLE BIT EXCITED about the fact that we are here, and making our home in Tizayuca, Hidalgo. Our colonia is a clean, friendly neighborhood, and the kids are enjoying making friends with our next door neighbors.

We spent most of our time getting furniture, unpacking, and getting to know Bro. Ismael and his wife, Paty. I'll put some pictures up later if I can!

Oh, and today we got internet, obviously, but I'm pretty excited about that little development as well!

Update on us!

2010-03-29T21:18:00.000-07:00

We made it to the hotel, right on the border of Mexico. Please be in prayer for us tonight and tomorrow as we are planning to cross the border and head down to Obragon in the morning. I'll give updates as often as I can!

News

2010-03-24T10:39:00.000-07:00

This is the day we pack everything into the van! (Hopefully it can get done today-it might take some of tomorrow as well.) I am praying hard that there will be no more delays. Lord willing, Friday we head down to Santa Maria, and Monday take off for Arizona, then cross the border and down to Hidalgo!

I'm so thankful for God's provision and guidance!

The girls are climbing the walls, and other fun activities

2010-03-23T11:36:00.000-07:00

These aren't my highest quality pictures, but they show what my kids do on rainy days...

Praying for revival!

2010-03-22T11:20:00.000-07:00

Today will go down in history as a day where we all have full heath care, Our country will be more efficient, and we will lead the world in our stead. -Adolf Hitler

I'm not making comparisons, I'm just posting a quote. You make the comparisons.

Whoops-it's next Friday!

2010-03-18T22:29:00.000-07:00

Something came up that will delay us another week. Then we are off!

Thank you for your prayers!

It's getting closer!

2010-03-15T23:33:00.000-07:00

The plan is to head out to Santa Maria on Friday, spend the weekend there and then go on to Arizona on Monday, take a day to prepare for the journey, and then head down to Hidalgo. Pray for us as we travel! We are in God's capable hands, and He's always cared for us like the loving and powerful Father He is.

Terri Hawki

2010-03-07T22:24:00.001-08:00

"Hey Hunny, come see this chicken picture!"
"Just put it on your blog and I'll see it on the website!"
So there you have it; the reason a chicken is on my blog.
This girl is a spoiled pet of my mom's.

Lasha wants to sleep

2010-03-07T22:10:00.001-08:00

Please make the lady with the flashy thing go away.

Coastal Live Oak

2010-03-06T13:30:00.001-08:00

News

2010-03-04T10:14:00.000-08:00

We are still in limbo about when we go to Mexico. God has directed our steps to work with someone starting a church in Hidalgo, Mexico, not far from Mexico City. Its a great place to get started there, as we will be involved in a brand new church plant, and we are beyond excited about this development! We can study Mexico City also, and find a good place to start in the City as well. Location will be very important when we do go into the City itself.

Without going into long detail, we are waiting on some things, and will head out as soon as we can. It won't be longer than the end of this month.

I'm in a state of great anticipation! Pleased at seeing the Lord's hand in our lives, and gearing up to do a lot of work also.

Please keep praying for us!

Sarah Joy's Corner

A Tribute to the Real Pastors

Why I love working in the nursery

Who's afraid of the big, bad, doll?

"Much more my gain"

Facebook Funnies from 2011!

My idiot dog has been getting better, and behaving herself for the most part, but yesterday she made up for all the good behavior by snarfing down the equivalent of two entire sticks of butter that happened to be on my kitchen table.

One of the things I say often to my poor kids: "You have to put up with my kisses. Mommy kisses never wash off, and when I'm gone, I want you to fairly covered with them for the rest of your life! So take that! And that! and that!"

Thidwick the Big-hearted Moose-if you have trouble understanding socialism, get it, you will understand. (It's a Dr. Suess book, for those who don't keep up on fine literature.)

So I started using our clothes hanger for it's original purpose. (Most exercise machines make excellent coat hangers.)

Big, fuzzy, blue bathrobe. Coffee. :)

Another first: Yesterday I saw a woman breastfeeding a newborn on a motorcycle. (She was sitting behind her small child, who was sitting behind her husband; and yes, they were going on the road!)

Tip of the day: If you have a seven year old, and she washes the dishes, you ought to check the drinking cups before you use them. Just sayin'. :P

"MOM! (hug attack) "OH! I LIKE YOU!!!"David's emotional response to most meals served in this house.

Well, my son dressed himself for church this morning, and when I looked at him from a distance, I thought all was well. After we got to church I noticed he had no socks, and was wearing his Lightening Macqueen jammies under his slacks and button-down shirt.

The other day we spent a little time with another missionary family. When we were done, Elisabeth said, "That was WEIRD!" When I asked her why, she said, "It's weird to talk to people I don't know in English!"Ha-ha!

David made an announcement at dinner tonight: "I can blow FIRE out of my LELLY BUTTON! And it kiws the bad guys!It's so nice to finally know his super power.

After a couple heavy dust storms slammed into the house last week, I decided I have to get around to Spring cleaning. I've discovered something. Pet hair is baking powder for dust!

"Are mangoes good for something?" Asked Elisabeth while industriously scrubbing her arms with the gooey mango seed.I know I have a future scientist in the works.

Elisabethism: I'm so excited I can feel my heart beeping!

Missionary Kid Moment: "Mom, does 'hit the road, Jacks' means 'go away?' "

Just experienced the exhilarating joy of chasing my wet, soapy dog covered in fluffy red hair all around my neighborhood, while I myself was also wet, soapy and covered in fluffy red hair. The people of Hacienda Ermita have now officially seen me at my best.

Cute little smiling stick figures drawn with small fingers on my jewelry box. A friendly reminder that I really need to dust my bedroom.

When teaching a class, we usually confiscate any number of contraband items that are distracting the class. Last night, it was a cucumber in the purse of one of my own daughters. What is this world coming to?

David has been followed today by full karate sound effects.

I was pushing something heavy today and Rebecca warned me to not "strangle my milk."

David: Mom, Buzz Lightyear is in my bed.Me: You can keep him in there as long as you don't play with him...David: But Buzz likes to play!

Our internet access is a lot better now than when we had the other provider, but still not enough for regular phone conversations that don't sound like, " Hello? Thi....aohthagyh......ME! I'M CALLIjahgauyhfrg......What?..........WHA...." Facebook is a blessing.

Today Ruth drew a picture of a sleepy fairy (she had butterfly wings) magically causing a cup of steaming coffee to float into her hands.

I just confiscated Max Steele's sword. I was wondering where my pencils went.

Rebecca, holding an ice cube tray in front of the open freezer; "Hurry up and help me with this, I'm turning into an ice pickle!"

Question of the day:Ruth asked me, "What's a meteor? Is it like a spade-alite?"

Every now and then it is necessary for a mother to scare the ever-living daylights out of her child. It shows love. And it's fun.

Got sunburned in clown makeup. It's an unusual look!

Cleaning your house while your children are awake is like brushing your teeth in the middle of eating an Oreo.

Another first! I actually consider myself lucky that yesterday was the very first time I said, "*name of child*, untie your sister this instant!"

Heard in my house today: (We are memorizing from Ephesians 6 in school) "And ye fathers, provoke not your children to math..."

I know all you mothers already know this; some of you have said it on facebook recently. BUT, if a young child comes running up and says, "Mom! smell this!"Don't.

Missionary Kid moment: "Mom, where am I from? Someone asked me and I don't know!"

Mother's instinct serves me well:"If you want to help me, go wash your hands.""I did!"(Something moves me to suspect.) "No, I mean REALLY good.""I did!" "You need to wash your hands again.""OOOOH! You mean with SOAP!""YES!!!!"

I asked the kids if they wanted 7-up. David took offense at the exclusion of himself and Elisabeth. "Hey! It's six-up and four-up too!"

A Couple of Little Angels

End of the summer beauty!

Survival handbook: Yourself

Survival mini-handbook: Other people

Survival mini-handbook: The Bible College

May-June prayerletter!

Facebook Funnies!

Why does a child who does not hesitate to pick up gooey freshly squished spiders think a gooey glop of cheese that dropped off his plate is too gross to touch?My daughter is loudly singing "Away With the Manger!" Gonna have to correct that one!

Why does a child who does not hesitate to pick up gooey freshly squished spiders think a gooey glop of cheese that dropped off his plate is too gross to touch?

Quote for the day: "I like to wiggle my toes together when they are clean." (Ruth, 8 yrs old.) so many people are posting wonderful, life-changing quotes, I thought I'd include one that made me stop and think about the deep things of life.

A child in my house was heard belting out, "Who wants a friend like the lonely Jesus? No not I! No not I!" Oh, my word, we need to work on theological education!

My law of children: Children are not naturally makers of neat places, but they are drawn to neat place. They are drawn irresistably to neat places, with their minds filled with all kinds of plans about what to do with the neat places. None of these plans involve neatness.

Sticky mouse traps. I have not caught any mice, but I have caught my dog, three of my children, and my foot. The dog finds where I put them, and she drags them out and leaves them for us to step on. When she steps on them, she slaps around the house like she's got flippers on her feet.

I'm getting pigtails put (ouch) in my (ouch) hair by a five year old.

There is a stripey blue and yellow frog hopping around the house and saying, "Wibbit! Wibbitwibbitwibbt!

No mother enjoys hearing this from their three-year-old: "Um, mom? I get the toe-lit, um, bigger. Yeah. It's bigger..."

No mother enjoys hearing this from their three-year-old: