tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-40885764744586643562024-03-14T20:51:35.600+03:00Missionary Mom's CompanionEncouraging moms living cross-culturally Phyllishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09529794989164847124noreply@blogger.comBlogger466125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4088576474458664356.post-35937134583147922802016-06-11T00:53:00.004+03:002016-06-11T00:53:51.084+03:00"When out on those highways and byways..." (1) <div style="background-color: white; color: #111111; line-height: 21.994px; margin-bottom: 1.571em; padding: 0px; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Dear faithful missionary mom readers,</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Are you all celebrating that it is June and that June means summer is here, or just around the corner... if you live in the northern hemisphere, of course? We are. It has been a long and intense year and God is opening up some amazing opportunities for our family and me personally. As a result, this is my last post in this lovely space, a place that has become an online home. I will miss being here. I'd hoped to really take time to pray... to write... to maybe summarize a bit some of the things I've learned during the time I've been writing for Missionary Moms - but earlier this week we learned that my husband's dad is on the threshold of eternity. So we are leaving tonight... and in all of the busyness of arrangements, I've not had the time I would have wished to devote to this post. Instead, I've edited an older post that I wrote for a different site a few years back... all about traveling mercies and time on the road, a common summer/holiday occurrence!</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Thankful for you ~ may God continue to bless you and your ministries richly!</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Richelle</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">I used to find it some combination of mildly amusing and slightly annoying when I’d hear people pray for “<a href="http://www.alifeoverseas.com/epic-travel-fails-and-other-misadventures-of-expatriate-living/" style="color: #2361a1; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" title="Epic travel fails and other misadventures of expatriate living">traveling mercies</a>,”</strong> even though at the time we were crisscrossing the state of Michigan (as well as a few adjacent states) almost every weekend seeking the financial support to head to West Africa as missionaries.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms", sans-serif; line-height: 21.994px;">Then one wintry Sunday, we literally crept on four wheels, all night through a genuine winter blizzard only to arrive home, in the wee hours of the morning, and find a man we’d never met before sleeping in our bed (</span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms", sans-serif; line-height: 21.994px;">a story for another time and definitely over tea and coffee</span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms", sans-serif; line-height: 21.994px;">). We ended up on the rickety pull-out sofa in the basement, struggling to drag ourselves out of bed and get up and around in time for the beginning of our home church’s missions conference just a few hours later. After that fiasco,</span><strong style="font-family: "trebuchet ms", sans-serif; line-height: 21.994px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> I’d occasionally catch myself silently asking God for “traveling mercies,” particularly during those unexpectedly long trips.</strong></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">There was also that time late one August. We drove nonstop from Lansing, Michigan to Miami, Florida. Well… nonstop except for a few hours in a Georgia Walmart escaping massive summer heat. Our car at that time was minus air conditioning and plus three little ones in car seats! Several hours later,<strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> I actually prayed spontaneously, aloud, thanking the Lord for “traveling mercies…”</strong> and then woke my husband up. He’d fallen asleep at the final stoplight, just prior to reaching our destination.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">We still hadn’t even begun the adventure of international travel. Once that started, we experienced</span></div>
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<li style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">long airplane rides,</span></li>
<li style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">sandstorms while boarding which then delayed our flight,</span></li>
<li style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">close connections,</span></li>
<li style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">stacks of luggage that had to be lugged through developing world airports,</span></li>
<li style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">reroutings,</span></li>
<li style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.alifeoverseas.com/airports-weve-known/" style="color: #2361a1; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" title="Airlines We’ve Known">long layovers with children crashed and sleeping sprawled anywhere</a>,</span></li>
<li style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">difficult fellow passengers, difficult airline personnel,</span></li>
<li style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">discovering that even though we’d reserved seats together , our reality was far different – my family scattered all over the plane, the two year old sitting by herself, and no one willing to switch seats,</span></li>
<li style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">hopeless searches for something both edible and affordable to eat.</span></li>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">One other key detail? I’m terrified of flying – like panic attack terrified! It usually lasts from the moment I climb on the plane and fasten my seat belt until we reach cruising altitude. At that point I can almost distract myself from that feeling of imminent doom. It isn’t one of those fears that has gotten better with time or experience. <strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">I pray, quite literally starting <del style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">day</del>s <del style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">weeks</del> months before, that God will grant me His “mercies as I travel” and enough relief from my terror that I can at least function.</strong></span></div>
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<strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">I stopped laughing or considering those prayers for “traveling mercies” to be trivial. </span></strong></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Then we began traveling in Africa</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms", sans-serif; line-height: 21.994px;">It took me two years to get brave enough to consider driving in town, on my own. The problem wasn’t the standard transmission – that was pretty much all I’d ever driven. Rather it was driving in a place where traffic laws were merely suggestions, stop lights and stop signs were optional, and four lanes of traffic regularly squeezed onto a two lane bridge. Drivers were often inexperienced, erratic, unpredictable and impulsive. Roads were shared with pedestrians, bicyclists, motorcyclists, goats, sheep, dogs, donkeys and carts, camels piled high and wide with straw, herds of cattle, food vendors, newspaper sellers, beggars and unsupervised toddlers. That axiom, “the shortest distance between two points is a straight line,” was the rule of the road, regardless of pre-existing traffic patterns. We discovered that walking around your car wasn’t sufficient – you had to be sure to look under it too before beginning to drive – after my husband ran over the leg of a toddler sleeping unsupervised under our car one afternoon. I found out first hand that signaling a right hand turn and then proceeding to make that right turn from the right hand lane where’d I’d been all along wouldn’t inhibit motorists from trying to pass at that moment… on the right. I’ll never forget the day another vehicle nudged a bicyclist, knocking him over right in front of the tire of my Land Cruiser, and I felt that tire slowly roll up and over something. Fortunately, it was the bike wheel and not the bicyclist.</span></div>
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<strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Every. Single. Time. we left our house in a car and nothing bad happened, it became an opportunity to <a href="http://www.alifeoverseas.com/generating-grumpiness-or-gratitude/" style="color: #2361a1; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" title="Generating Gratitude?">thank God for His “traveling mercies.”</a></span></strong></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">According to the World Health Organization (WHO), vehicular accidents result in more deaths worldwide than malaria. They are the primary cause of death for those falling in the five to 29 years old age bracket. This is particularly true in the developing world. (1)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Now, less I give a wrong impression, not all of our road experiences were bad.</strong> I’ve had more flat tires than I’d care to count – I’ve never actually changed one myself. Someone would always volunteer to do it for me… and sometimes even refused a gift of money.</span></div>
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<strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">We’ve also seen Africans accomplish both amazing and hilarious things while operating motor vehicles:</span></strong></div>
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<li style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">A mouthy Tabaski sheep wrestled into submission between motorcycle operator and passenger, all during rush hour traffic.</span></li>
<li style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Several large cattle sleeping peacefully on the roof of a minibus. The bus was cruising at 80km/hr…</span></li>
<li style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">A motorcyclist transporting a full-sized mattress balanced on his head… while driving through sand deep enough to stall other vehicles.</span></li>
<li style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Young camels loaded inside Peugeot taxis.</span></li>
<li style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Guys riding on top of huge trucks packed with fire wood. Their purpose was to lift power, phone and other lines as the trucks traveled through town.</span></li>
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<strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Praying for traveling mercies, pleading with God for His protection as we were out and about, became a preoccupation. But it also served to continually remind me that<a href="http://www.alifeoverseas.com/when-my-child-is-sick-missing-the-promise-and-illusion-of-safety/" style="color: #2361a1; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" title="When my child is sick: Missing the promise and illusion of safety"> safety was an illusion</a>, often out of my control… Our <a href="http://www.alifeoverseas.com/brave-or-dependent/" style="color: #2361a1; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" title="Brave or Dependent?">complete and absolute dependence was on God and God alone</a>. Driving in the developing world also actively cultivated a spirit of thankfulness. After all, every non-eventful vehicular outing was cause to thank God for His “traveling mercies.”</span></strong><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms", sans-serif; line-height: 21.994px;">I thought things might get better after returning to the States. Except now I expect drivers to behave as was typical overseas. My younger son was riding with me on one trip when he asked, “Mama, why do you get ready to honk every time we pass by a big truck?” I hadn’t even realized I’d maintained that West African habit of driving with my hand on the horn – just in case! Additionally, it probably hasn’t helped that we’ve now reached that stage of life which includes young adult and student drivers… Yikes!</span></div>
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<strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">What strange, incredible or amusing things have you seen as you have traveled the roads where you live?</span></strong></div>
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<strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Share about an everyday thing you used to take for granted, but which God <span style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: underline;">now</span> uses to make you more thankful and continually aware of your dependence on Him.</span></strong></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">(1) First line from the hymn<i> Make Me a Blessing</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Words: Ira B Wilson, Tune: Schuler</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">(2) SO</span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms", sans-serif; line-height: 21.994px;">URCE: </span><a href="http://www.who.int/violence_injury_prevention/road_safety_status/2009/en/" style="color: #2361a1; font-family: "trebuchet ms", sans-serif; line-height: 21.994px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">WHO</a><br />
<a href="http://www.alifeoverseas.com/when-on-those-highways-and-byways/" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; line-height: 21.994px;">Original post</a></div>
Richelle Wrighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04083189929795613771noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4088576474458664356.post-21126513772975889072016-05-31T21:14:00.000+03:002016-05-31T21:26:33.712+03:00Sabbath Rest with Small Children<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="color: #999999;"><i>(Reposted from our previous blog, ForMissionaryMoms.com) </i></span><br />
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Ever since my first child was born, I have
struggled with what it means to have true Sabbath rest. Before kids, my
husband and I would reserve one day a week for extra time in the word
and prayer, extra time with each other, extra sleep, and rest from our
work.<br />
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Then along came our first child and suddenly I had a new job that came
with 7 twenty-four hour shifts each week. It has been and continues to
be a learning process to figure out how to find time to truly rest, as
well as to fulfill all my responsibilities as a mother that don’t have
the option of being put on hold. Here are a few ideas that we’ve come up
with in our family for keeping a Sabbath day restful and truly
refreshing. It would be great to hear your ideas too! In our schedule,
Saturday is generally our Sabbath day, so I’ll refer to that.<br />
<br />
<b>-“My soul finds rest in God alone…” Ps. 62:1 </b>Whether
or not our days are physically restful, our souls are always able to
find rest. Try to find special ways to focus on God on your own and with
your family. Perhaps have a special time reading and talking about a
Bible story, take time to pray for each other, take some time to enjoy
the beauty of God’s creation in nature or in art, or do something that
your family loves doing and thank God for the blessing of one another
and for giving you things that you love doing together…<br />
<br />
<b>-Prepare beforehand.</b> In biblical times, there
was much preparation prior to the Sabbath in order that the Sabbath day
itself was protected and free from work. I know that meal prep and
clean-up takes a large amount of time each day, so here are some ideas
to reduce that time on your day of rest: prepare food the day before,
plan to eat left overs, have easy meals reserved that don’t take much
time to prepare or clean up, freeze a meal earlier in the week to have
on your day of rest, have necessary groceries on hand, etc. Another
thing that I like to do is have my major house cleaning day the day
before so I can enjoy a clean home and not be tempted to spend my extra
rest time doing house work.<br />
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<b>-Don’t get sucked into unnecessary tasks.</b> Often
times I do various tasks just because they come to mind and I am afraid
that I will forget about them if I don’t just get them done right then.
A way to avoid your rest time being slowly etched away is to keep a
small piece of paper where you can write down these tasks as they come
to mind. Then you won’t forget them and won’t have to spend your
precious moments of rest on things that you can easily do later.<br />
<br />
<b>-Think about Sunday on Friday</b> (or whatever days this
works out to be for you). Since I usually prepare for the next day the
night before, it makes sense for me to take a couple of minutes
preparing for Sunday on Friday night. Make sure clothes are clean for
church, set aside stuff for the diaper bag, etc.<br />
<br />
<b>-Use paper plates/cups.</b> I don’t do this much since
we don’t have recycling here, but on occasion it is nice to have a meal
with easy clean up. As all moms know, even an extra 10-15 minutes of
rest is a huge blessing!<br />
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<b>-Don't feel guilty about saying no to invitations.</b> Sometimes I actually pencil "rest" into various slots on my calendar when I know I will need protected time of rest. Then, if someone asks me if I am available to do something, I can honestly say that I have plans for that time. I've planned to rest, but the details of my plans don't necessarily need to be elaborated on. We don't need to feel guilty about declining invitations, even good ones, for the sake of needed rest. <br />
<br />
<b>-Have different standards for the Sabbath.</b> For
example, I like to make my bed each morning and clean up the house some
before nap time each day. On Saturdays I just close the door to our room
and don’t worry about making the bed or straightening up. I also
generally don’t take much time to clean up the house when the kids are
napping since this is the longest stretch of physical rest that I can
get during the day.<br />
<br />
<b>-Take turns getting some time away.</b> My husband and I
usually take turns getting a little bit of alone time out of the house
on our day of rest. I usually just go to a nearby cafe to read for a
little bit, but it feels so refreshing! With little kids who are always
needing me, getting a little time out does wonders for helping me rest. I
am sure the day will come when our kids are older that we can all just
have a restful day at home, but with little kids, “rest” has a different
meaning. <br />
<br />
<b>-Spend time with people, or spend time alone.</b> I am
sure we are all familiar with whether or not we are introverts or
extroverts. I am an extrovert and am very refreshed by spending time
with people. I love good, deep conversations and talking about what God
is doing in my life and hearing what He is doing in the lives of others
on my day of rest. My husband on the other hand is an introvert, and in
order for him to rest well, he prefers to spend time alone or just with
our family. I think it is helpful to know yourself
and your family with regards to this and make sure that everyone has a
chance to feel rested.<br />
<br />
<i>In all of the extra opportunities for rest that we can create
with a little bit of planning, the important part of course is keeping
our focus on God and finding our rest in Him, through the word, prayer,
praise, and having our hearts focused on Him. I know that no matter how
physically restful a day turns out to be, my soul will not be rested
apart from Him. It encourages me to know that the flip side of this is
also true. Even though there are many days , even Sabbath days, that
are physically and emotionally exhausting, God does provide rest for us
in supernatural ways apart from our circumstance</i>s.<br />
<br />
<b>How do you approach the Sabbath with the non-stop demands of motherhood? Please share what is most helpful for you in preserving rest on the Sabbath day!</b><i> </i></div>
Ashley L.http://www.blogger.com/profile/13672126596754224593noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4088576474458664356.post-79884810602341879852016-05-22T03:45:00.001+03:002016-05-22T03:45:24.954+03:00Birth StoriesSo have you noticed that most women, in almost all cultures love a good birth store? We gravite to them over the course of getting to know each other. I can remember one time I had a conversation with a Costa Rica lady and a South Korean lady about our labor expereinces. It's just universal.<br />
<br />
We just had our 4th baby, and this time around we opted to stay here in Costa Rica for the birth. Lucía Joy was born April 6th here in San José. And she has quite the birth story!<br />
<br />
Because of past c sections we had scheduled the c
section for 39 1/2 weeks, and for a while it looked like we might not
make it to that date. Starting about around 34 weeks, I began to have a
lot of contractions. Since I've never gone into labor on my own, this
was a bit of a surprise. My doctor had me come in for monitoring and
told me stay off my feet. And just to make sure I knew he was serious,
he added "or you can rest in the hospital for the next couple of
weeks." Yeah, no.<br />
<br />
Two days before the scheduled c section I had my last pre natal
appointment. There was a quick ultrasound to make sure baby was doing
well and fluid levels were good. We were given a "Everything looks
great! See you Wednesday!" and we were off to pick up my mom from the
airport (insert a huge sigh of relief that we made it to then without
having to use plan B or C or D!)<br />
<br />
<br />
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<br />
<br />
Wednesday morning we headed to the hospital before dawn. I had joked with my OB that all of my Spanish went to the baby,
and he was great about it! He told the surgical team that while my
Spanish is perfect (bwhahah, he was being far to kind and lying!) to use
English with me. Our family doctor was there as well, which was a huge
help as he is bilingual and works with missionary families all the
time.<br />
<br />
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<br />
<br />
In the operating room, it took a while for my husband to be brought in, but he
was in time for Lucía's birth. Except her birth wasn't quite right.
Remember, I couldn't see anything and had a spinal so things were a bit
fuzzy, but I remember her not crying. And not crying and not crying. I
asked again and again if she was ok, and the doctors and my husband did a
good job at downplaying what was really going on. When Lucía was born
she wasn't breathing and had no tone or movement. Her heart was
beating, but that was about it.<br />
<br />
Our OB told us afterwards that it was a miracle she was alive. He
thinks that early that morning the placenta had started to detach,
something they call placenta abruption. This caused bleeding into the
uterus, which meant Lucía was not getting the life support she needed
from the placenta anymore. It also meant that as she swallowed amniotic
fluid (something babies do) she was swallowing blood as well. Most of
the time, if a woman has a placenta abruption, she has a lot of
abdominal pain and she starts to bleed. I had none of that. It wasn't
until the doctors started the procedure that they knew anything was
wrong.<br />
<br />
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<br />
<br />
As soon as Lucía was born, the pediatrician used a CPR mask and bag to
breath for her. She didn't breath on her own for around 7 minutes.
Once she started to breath, the pediatrician brought her to my face so I
could touch her and then it was off to the NICU. She was given oxygen,
they put a glucose IV into her belly button, and began to monitor her.
I went to the recovery room and my husband went with Lucía. He spent a lot
of time in the NICU with her, singing and praying.<br />
<br />
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<br />
<br />
Because they had her under a plexiglass tent for the oxygen, we weren't
able to hold her until the next day at around 1pm. I think that was one
of the longest 30 hours of my life. And because I was recovering from a
c section it was around 5pm the night she was born before I really got
to see her when the nurses took me in a wheel chair to the NICU.<br />
<br />
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<br />
<br />
The doctors and nurses were amazed at how well Lucía did. When the OB
came to check on me the next day he said "It was only God! Everything
was fine on Monday and had the c section been scheduled for the next day
or even a few hours later, she probably would have been a stillborn."
He also told me that he was able to hold it together while he saw
patients that day, but when he got home that night he just started
crying and praying for us. He said "sometimes this job is really hard."
There is something very nice about having doctors that acknowledge that
it was God. <br />
<br />
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<br />
It was interesting, in all of the time of bed rest, a friend of mine
said she was praying for God's timing for Lucía's birth, not the
doctors. We started to pray that way too, which is sort of a strange
prayer for a planned c section, but my goodness, did God answer!! That
morning when I was getting ready to head to the hospital I asked the
Lord for something to get me through the day. He started to talk to me
from Isaiah 43<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span class="text Isa-43-2" id="en-NIV-18508">When you pass through the waters,</span><br />
<span class="indent-1"><span class="indent-1-breaks"> </span><span class="text Isa-43-2">I will be with you;</span></span><br />
<span class="text Isa-43-2">and when you pass through the rivers,</span><br />
<span class="indent-1"><span class="indent-1-breaks"> </span><span class="text Isa-43-2">they will not sweep over you.</span></span><br />
<span class="text Isa-43-2">When you walk through the fire,</span><br />
<span class="indent-1"><span class="indent-1-breaks"> </span><span class="text Isa-43-2">you will not be burned;</span></span><br />
<span class="indent-1"><span class="indent-1-breaks"> </span><span class="text Isa-43-2">the flames will not set you ablaze.</span></span></blockquote>
<br />
Except I stopped listening as soon as He said "when you pass through the
waters, I will be with you." It scared me. I was afraid of what might
be coming. But He did exactly what He said! He was right there in the
midst of something that could have been so very, very bad. He kept the
waters from overcoming us and Lucía. He had us surrounded by doctors
and nurses who kept Lucía breathing and did what it took to get her
stable.<br />
<br />
<br />
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<br />
All of Lucía's test have come back saying she is just fine. She is
acting just like any other new born, eating and sleeping like a it's no
big deal. Her name means Light and her little life is already a
testament to how great our God is! We're thankful, very, very thankful!<br />
<br />
<i><b>What about you? Did you have any of your babies in your host country? How about in a second language? Come on, share! We all love a great birth story!</b></i> Liz Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09698702321324459456noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4088576474458664356.post-75556572719872326152016-05-14T02:57:00.001+03:002016-05-14T14:08:08.711+03:00Worth Fighting For<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">I've recently started something new... and NOW... I'm wondering why in the world I fought it so long.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">It literally seems crazy that it has taken me so long to even give it a try, but then again, I've got eight kids and the past 20+ years have been mind-foggingly busy. I didn't think I had time to try and figure out how to fit one more thing in my schedule, especially something that required time and resulted in very little that could be considered "productive."</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">I've begun taking a "mini-sabbatical" day - aiming for one such day once every two weeks. During that day, <b>I mostly don't do any of the normal</b> daily work/chores/etc. Instead I read, sleep, try a new recipe, work on the kids' scrapbooks, watch TV or movies, write letters just for the fun of it, just write without the purpose of publishing on a blog or in a partnership building letter, read some more, participate in ministries/volunteer/community stuff that I've never tried before, etc... I'm sure you get the idea.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">I say "mostly" because I still have to help pack lunches and get the kids off to school. I still have to help with homework. Dinner still needs to be prepared. Sometimes bills need to be paid on that day, or a kid needs to see the dentist. But for the most part, my husband takes the kids to school and I have an entire day to do what I want instead of trying to get done all that needs to be done, all that I think others expect of me.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><b>I'm discovering that while it's not necessarily been a good practice for crossing things off of that ever-growing to do list, it has been good for my health - particularly emotionally and spiritually.</b> And as I'm not getting any younger, I'm finding that the stress of not ever having any (enough remains on the bucket list) down time has a definite physical impact on my body.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">On one of my recent "mini-sabbaticals," I was watching an episode from a favorite television show we'd downloaded, and there was an interesting bit of conversation-leading-to-reconciliation between a young adult daughter and her mom. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Essentially? </span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Daughter confesses that <b>she needs to stop defining Mom based on her mother's very worst moments.</b> Instead, Daughter recognizes that life is complicated, that they can disagree and that <b>even in the midst of those disagreements, she can respect Mom for the pretty incredible things her mother has accomplished</b>, as well as the values she has consistently modeled for Daughter.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Yeah...</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Stop and think about that.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><b>What if I fought defining the people in my life by their worst moments?</b> That doesn't mean I forget those bad moments or that I continue to allow someone who's hurt me to continue to hurt me and/or others. But it does mean <b>I choose a conscious recognition that people are far more than a two-dimensional caricature</b>. It means acknowledging that every single person is multifaceted, a sinner in complex and broken world, and that probably most of them do not have a personal relationship with Jesus. Thus, I am judging without real knowledge if I try and use a single act or a particular exposure to define him or her. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">In John 7, <b>Jesus gives the instruction to ""Stop judging by mere appearances, but instead judge correctly."</b> In other words, judgments - as in pronouncing judgment and passing sentence - shouldn't be made prior to a complete - or at the very least, more complete - picture.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">I can't help but wonder.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><b>How much better might my relationships (casual or intimate, business or pleasure, lifelong or "seasonal") be if simply refused to give those those momentary glimpses of someone at their worst more weight than any or all others,</b> if I focused more on seeing God's image in that person, and the potential of what h/she could be?</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Sadly, it doesn't appear to be a mindset that comes easily or naturally. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Unlike my new "mini-sabbatical" habit - something that I fought against for a really long time but that is quickly becoming a habit almost as necessary and welcome as breathing, <b>learning to not define people by those vivid and worst moments will be something I'll have to fight for, every day, for the rest of my life</b> as it does not appear to be a governing tendency, desire or instinct that just characteristically flows out of my being.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Besides all that, there's another reality.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">As Wayne Dyer so aptly said, <b>"When you judge another, you do not define them, you define yourself."</b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><b>************************************************</b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><b>Any strategies, teachings, practices you use... or that you'd recommend... to help those of us who struggle with this sort of judgmentalism fight for something different? Something better?</b></span></div>
Richelle Wrighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04083189929795613771noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4088576474458664356.post-18335140850058174782016-04-25T02:00:00.000+03:002016-04-25T02:00:13.989+03:00Giving What I Hope to Receive<div class="MsoNormal">
As a child, I thought that <i>grace</i> was a sacred word that only belonged in conversations about
God reaching down and saving a wretch like me. Like only my Heavenly Father
could extend grace, and it applied solely to that moment when He welcomed me
into His family.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I still think it's a sacred word, but I've come to
understand the fullness of its application. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Since <a href="http://hagermans.blogspot.com/2015/11/moving-back-to-us.html" target="_blank">moving back from South America to South Carolina</a> this
past year, I have repeatedly asked for and been given grace during our immediate
adjustment period. Sometimes I didn't quite know how to ask for it and just
hoped people would understand and extend me grace without having to actually be told
how badly I needed it. Most days, I
wished I could wear a t-shirt that said, "WARNING: Missionary in re-entry.
Stand back."</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSU16r7VLqfSxx-shyMW_6V4JAc-0_jIaojkOeur8RffP9Tp04FqD45EGyDV7pvPywgWhhtIx6AguO7Dw5UfFyYHwTdBqE5uTzrVew0TbyEVHr33n2haw9FAMwoWhKXLlFRdEGD_P2D8E/s1600/7041402-girl-hands-flowers-photo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="by KoKoNut at 7-themes.com" border="0" height="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSU16r7VLqfSxx-shyMW_6V4JAc-0_jIaojkOeur8RffP9Tp04FqD45EGyDV7pvPywgWhhtIx6AguO7Dw5UfFyYHwTdBqE5uTzrVew0TbyEVHr33n2haw9FAMwoWhKXLlFRdEGD_P2D8E/s400/7041402-girl-hands-flowers-photo.jpg" title="" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The Wal-Mart checkout gal and all those people behind me in
line who wonder why I can't operate the debit card reader or figure out where
to put my buggy.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The church people who reach out to shake my hand about the
time I'm going in for cheek kisses, so we end in some awkward hug that sometimes
results in accidentally kissing on the mouth.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Family members who want us all to pile in on Sunday dinners
and holidays that last way past the tolerance level of my daughters, who now prefer
large groups in small windows of time only.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Friends who hold their breath while I am trying to complete
a sentence in English, even though the words won't come. Even better, friends
who try to interpret my hand signals and grunts.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I silently or loudly plead for grace in these and so many
more daily moments of chaos.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
But it took me a bit to realize that as much as I need grace
during this time, so do the folks who were here going through normal American
life while I was off globetrotting. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
They need me to understand that they don't understand.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I'm quick to notice my shortcomings and those of my
immediate family, that are a result of culture shock, but I forget that these
people around us don't know where we are coming from. They don't know what
we've lived through beyond what they've read on our blog or gleaned from the
newsletter or maybe, a few of them, seen in person for a few days at a time. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
They don't know how different my gut reactions are from theirs
now, how many of my thoughts come to me in another language, and what I am very
used to doing as everyday activities. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
They don't know that I'm a totally different person than
when I left in 2008. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
When they have expectations of me that I can't meet, when
they just don't get it, when they assume things that are way off base, I have
to be able to recognize how little they actually know of what I've lived, and
then extend them the same grace I expect to receive. </div>
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<b><i>Give, and you will receive. Your gift will
return to you in full--pressed down, shaken together to make room for more,
running over, and poured into your lap. The amount you give will determine the
amount you get back.</i></b> <i>Luke 6:38 NLT</i></blockquote>
Christiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16007668779683965884noreply@blogger.com1Easley, SC, USA34.829838 -82.60152060000001534.7255545 -82.762882100000013 34.9341215 -82.440159100000017tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4088576474458664356.post-27473863813216554392016-03-21T20:03:00.000+03:002016-03-21T22:12:10.059+03:00Words, Words... and more W.O.R.D.S!<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><b>MEDIUM</b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><b>an agency by which something is accomplished, conveyed, or transferred</b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Communication can happen in many, many different ways.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">That statement is absolutely true.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">However, probably the most common "medium" by which information, feelings and ideas are communicated is, whether written or spoken, the medium of words.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdFk5Qy_j-SaE_-h2ZRsIaa3PP5c-keq4VIXbTrKxMsV2oY4U8r8CaevXRUThjanIsMMizufYdLV5LFToV7IzLUgtdv83uGNjk_PKbTWRcD8lZyqg3O52-rqYKvDs1EVnctD-8iA7TRvd1/s1600/hawknellyrics1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="358" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdFk5Qy_j-SaE_-h2ZRsIaa3PP5c-keq4VIXbTrKxMsV2oY4U8r8CaevXRUThjanIsMMizufYdLV5LFToV7IzLUgtdv83uGNjk_PKbTWRcD8lZyqg3O52-rqYKvDs1EVnctD-8iA7TRvd1/s640/hawknellyrics1.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">A followers of the God of the Bible,<b> we know words are significant to God</b>, because while He often chooses to reveal His glory, power and majesty through His creation, He also has also placed an inestimable significance on the revelation of His love, grace, mercy, justice and salvation through this medium of words:</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><b>His Word as in the written Word, the Bible</b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><b>The Word, as in the living Word, His Son, Jesus Christ</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><b>Praying, usually using words, we communicate our hearts to God; words allow us to commune with Him</b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">I don't, therefore, believe it to be a stretch to say that <b>God cares about the words we use and how we use them</b> as we communicate with anyone and everyone around us, be it via the written, spoken or broadcast word.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxWDj88mEQ0o669kfWgExOfsJ_ugex0fLO4jWXNCCL_TaZ3agY3AmjTY7RYqpXjWEhPZ2AkKkMLAhfNdxnQu3zgoqP-3Yx2_ybvcXD0PEWC6kZRqotPZfBhpW6oMxqDnNhZgDp8CCw5a17/s1600/hawknellyrics2+copy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="359" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxWDj88mEQ0o669kfWgExOfsJ_ugex0fLO4jWXNCCL_TaZ3agY3AmjTY7RYqpXjWEhPZ2AkKkMLAhfNdxnQu3zgoqP-3Yx2_ybvcXD0PEWC6kZRqotPZfBhpW6oMxqDnNhZgDp8CCw5a17/s640/hawknellyrics2+copy.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">And I can back that statement up with God's very own words. Consider verses like these:</span><br />
<ul>
<li><i style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Let no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth, but only such a word as is good for edification according to the need of the moment, so that it will give grace to those who hear. </i><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">(Ephesians 4.29 NASB)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><i>Words from the mouth of the wise are gracious, but fools are consumed by their own lips. </i><span style="font-size: x-small;">(Ecclesiastes 10.12 NIV) </span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><i>Let your speech always be with grace, as though seasoned with salt, so that you will know how you should respond to each person. </i><span style="font-size: x-small;">(Colossians 4.6 NASB)</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><i>A gentle tongue is a tree of life, but perverseness in it breaks the spirit. </i><span style="font-size: x-small;">(Proverbs 15.4 ESV)</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><i>Like apples of gold in settings of silver Is a word spoken in right circumstances. </i><span style="font-size: x-small;">(Proverbs 15.11 NASB)</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-style: italic;">For we all stumble in many ways. If anyone does not stumble in what he says, he is a perfect man, able to bridle the whole body as well. Now if we put the bits into the horses’ mouths so that they will obey us, we direct their entire body as well. Look at the ships also, though they are so great and are driven by strong winds, are still directed by a very small rudder wherever the inclination of the pilot desires. So also the tongue is a small part of the body, and yet it boasts of great things. </span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><i>See how great a forest is set aflame by such a small fire! And the tongue is a fire, the very world of iniquity; the tongue is set among our members as that which defiles the entire body, and sets on fire the course of our life, and is set on fire by hell. For every species of beasts and birds, of reptiles and creatures of the sea, is tamed and has been tamed by the human race. But no one can tame the tongue; it is a restless evil and full of deadly poison. With it we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in the likeness of God; from the same mouth come both blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not to be this way. </i><span style="font-size: x-small;">(James 3.2-10 NASB)</span></span></li>
</ul>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiV0pF3MWuJA-b3TsbIzhuQhM_u3n92hQofoXhL7FLgcBPabfi3fK0RaytGy6IKcb5z6QH2AjRDHBWq_kb-sSwp6yppCleWTeMRUhyuK9HJJpcXB1FOK6IDxz_GnWqGw1OYBEu4Nb-puVV9/s1600/hawknellyrics3+copy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="358" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiV0pF3MWuJA-b3TsbIzhuQhM_u3n92hQofoXhL7FLgcBPabfi3fK0RaytGy6IKcb5z6QH2AjRDHBWq_kb-sSwp6yppCleWTeMRUhyuK9HJJpcXB1FOK6IDxz_GnWqGw1OYBEu4Nb-puVV9/s640/hawknellyrics3+copy.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Communicating wholesome, edifying and gracious truth is no easy feat, even if we just look at the actual words that we use. Yet it isn't just the words: <b>in many biblical contexts, the word conversation refers not just to the actual words used, but behavior, manner and the intent with which they are communicated.</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">I know I mess up myriads of times each and every day - in my home with my family, at work where I minister, on line as I respond to people and share things that I deem important.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">A few years back, a song hit the Christian radio airwaves and it has become a daily... or more accurately, a several times a day... prayer. These words are on the images in this post, and <b>I usually, intentionally, think through them and pray them before I leave the house, while driving in my car to an English lesson or riding to church when teaching Sunday School, before I sit to write...</b> I should probably pray them before I get out of bed each morning, as well as make a greater effort to do so before I catch up on (and am tempted to react to what I see) on social media. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtHazYv9gFVhLIv79r9Fh72_O40V_SWS4zwJ-zD2sIfbnlAAjnwP9B4noGHJN2yK4olo3nQ-47XdttRXMmkREBI0hQvf3cOdxqnfPRsVPBmhYU1EO0mmacvxsnoWLhPgGFl2xw7MHwzLCw/s1600/hawknellyrics4+copy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="359" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtHazYv9gFVhLIv79r9Fh72_O40V_SWS4zwJ-zD2sIfbnlAAjnwP9B4noGHJN2yK4olo3nQ-47XdttRXMmkREBI0hQvf3cOdxqnfPRsVPBmhYU1EO0mmacvxsnoWLhPgGFl2xw7MHwzLCw/s640/hawknellyrics4+copy.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><b>Prayer is powerful and I know it changes me...</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><b>...however there are also a few additional strategies</b> that I find beneficial, ones I try to remember to use when it comes to communicating through this medium of words:</span><br />
<ol>
<li><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><b>Respond, don't react</b>. In other words, take my time. Give prayer an opportunity to change my reaction to a response that reflects God's voice.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><b>Remember.</b> Most are familiar with this saying (usually attributed to Epictetus), but it bears repeating - "We have two ears and one mouth so that we can listen twice as much as we speak."</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><b>Research my reasons.</b> Am I using words for me? Or because I have another's best at heart?</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><b>Respect. </b>Will these words communicate gently, with integrity and be honoring to others, even if they are confrontational in nature?</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><b>Reverence</b>. Will these words reflect rightly my holy, gracious God? Are they words I would want to say with Him standing right beside me?</span></li>
</ol>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxE-nXq1CKvPPheLrTjyXM6yWWln7v-tg19Ghc_NfcK7LD3UxssM5ebL3g1maqm0XUzXadngrCbBnuYl1a32-4KGbuG0t-UyHpQoufglt8z2NOQfUNPXsFaqmZb0H619QXQ0uQ40kKFWVG/s1600/hawknellyrics5+copy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="358" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxE-nXq1CKvPPheLrTjyXM6yWWln7v-tg19Ghc_NfcK7LD3UxssM5ebL3g1maqm0XUzXadngrCbBnuYl1a32-4KGbuG0t-UyHpQoufglt8z2NOQfUNPXsFaqmZb0H619QXQ0uQ40kKFWVG/s640/hawknellyrics5+copy.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><b><i>How about you? What strategies do you use to police your own speech as you seek to communicate God's Gospel message at home and in your worlds?</i></b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><b><i><br /></i></b></span></div>
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">******************************************************</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">If you aren't familiar with the song and want to watch the video... or if you are and just love it like we do at my house... here you go!</span></span></div>
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/Bf_H7Lwl0FI" width="560"></iframe></div>
Richelle Wrighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04083189929795613771noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4088576474458664356.post-87842734915828859842016-03-17T21:53:00.001+03:002016-03-17T22:29:27.028+03:00Communication and Loneliness<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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</xml><![endif]-->With this month’s topic of communication, I’ve
been thinking about why it is so important to us to be able to communicate, and to
do it as well as possible. Like <a href="http://moreformissionarymoms.blogspot.ru/2016/03/its-fine-art.html">Richelle posted</a> in the opening post on this
topic, communication is the sharing of information from one person to another
or others. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Perhaps a stereotype,
but one that I think is generally true, is that women are wired to value and
desire communication. However, we don’t simply value the mere ability to
transfer information to another person, but we value the result of that
transfer of information; we desire relationships where we are known and understood and where we know and understand others.<br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgK8Rw_hY9Y3M2xmyPDWAX8p21WeYKCRQKy6QKyKy4oP4eFr3Pv2raUpKfClVaCROzRGEq7Y4aKlfOiak5eoUWkGHbpwstdnPaT6nNHOSbQaWEDctJaOmbdRDVhWXIjtE_Rl6941R6S5H0/s1600/12823472_10153427547676623_2272623227249076871_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgK8Rw_hY9Y3M2xmyPDWAX8p21WeYKCRQKy6QKyKy4oP4eFr3Pv2raUpKfClVaCROzRGEq7Y4aKlfOiak5eoUWkGHbpwstdnPaT6nNHOSbQaWEDctJaOmbdRDVhWXIjtE_Rl6941R6S5H0/s320/12823472_10153427547676623_2272623227249076871_o.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Coffee with dear teammates</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Women in general value being known, pursued, and understood.
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When we have ample opportunities to know
and be known, a vital part of our self thrives and this overflows to many other
aspects of our life. When we don’t have opportunities to share of ourselves or
to have others share of themselves with us, we suffer. This can happen for many
reasons, whether it is struggling to relate on a heart level in a foreign
language like <a href="http://moreformissionarymoms.blogspot.ru/2016/03/his-words-not-mine.html">Liz </a>discussed, or because there simply aren’t many people around
with whom we can truly relate, or because of conflict in relationships with
people that we otherwise would connect with most deeply.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One of the topics
that we have talked about here often and that is always discussed in missionary
trainings and with regards to missionary care is the issue of loneliness, which
is the result of not having enough communication and true connection, resulting in our feeling unknown. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
As you all know, completely avoiding loneliness on the
foreign mission field is nearly impossible. We will all have seasons, whether
short of long, where we feel quite alone apart from our family and the Lord, or
perhaps times when we even feel separated from those constants as well. I think
it is through this struggle that many of us learn to depend on the Lord more
deeply than ever before. And though I would never for a second diminish the
value of what we experience with the Lord during these times, I also know that
He has created us as relational beings with true and legitimate needs for deep
and life giving relationships. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>To deny
these needs is denying how God has made us. Sometimes I think it is okay and
actually very necessary to acknowledge our relational needs as significant and deserving of focused attention and even sacrifice.<br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7UcPN5DIKsDUzQb3VYHC1kWtWcpZhslzXXc8caazeejsssRMSCUmG8V5AVXv0kUmF0ZFy6BRSLz7b0UqVyDdB_LlI4u4X4dUR_bAaVoi1hEpSfm8LC3-9FhuTvyxPCSiKl-dPqII0w2g/s1600/1743714_10151939076224013_276652074_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7UcPN5DIKsDUzQb3VYHC1kWtWcpZhslzXXc8caazeejsssRMSCUmG8V5AVXv0kUmF0ZFy6BRSLz7b0UqVyDdB_LlI4u4X4dUR_bAaVoi1hEpSfm8LC3-9FhuTvyxPCSiKl-dPqII0w2g/s320/1743714_10151939076224013_276652074_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A weekend trip to Helsinki with a close friend; an oasis during a season of much loneliness</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />
I can think times when I ignored my relational needs for too long, to the detriment of myself and others, and also of other situations where my loneliness caused
our family to make some significant sacrifices that made big differences. One sacrifice was my husband taking 3 days off of work to watch the kids so I could attend a gathering of missionary women in another country, specifically for
the purpose of fellowship and connection. Another was a Christmas gift from my husband of a weekend away with a good friend to spend time resting, having fun, and staying up late talking. Another was even larger when we
decide to switch our children’s schooling option from Russian to international
school, and even decided that we'd be willing to move to a less convenient part of the city largely so that
I could have a community of women to connect with. All of these were sacrifices in different ways, but
they were also very life-giving not only for me, but also for the rest of my family.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>If you are feeling lonely, here are a few ways<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>out of countless options of how you might be
able to pursue more life-giving connection despite an isolating situation:</b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<i>
</i><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i>-Set aside time one day a week/every other week/once a month
or as often as you feel that you need, for the sake of connecting with a friend
in a life giving way. This could even involve traveling to another city if that
is an option. </i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<i>
</i><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i>-Consider those friends that you miss most and <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>with most deeply who are not close to where
you live. Consider setting up a regular time have coffee with them over Skype. </i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<i>
</i><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i>-Invest in a retreat with friends or attend an organized
retreat for missionary women through an organization like <a href="http://thriveconnection.com/category/retreats/retreat-blog/">Thrive</a>.</i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<i>
</i><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i>- Perhaps consider whether moving to a different location in
your town would provide greater fellowship opportunities and if this might be
possible for your family. </i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<i>
</i><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i>- Write emails and letters to friends that you wish you were
in better touch with to see if you can re-establish connections.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<i>
</i><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i>-Join a club or group where there are women that you feel
you might connect with. </i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<i>
</i><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i>-Adjust your budget to include babysitting money so you
might be able to do something relational that you are currently hindered from
due to having children in tow.</i><br />
<br />
<i>-Take risks by being open with women in your daily life that you don't yet have a deep friendship with but might like to. Sometimes all that stands between an acquaintance and a deep friendship is a willingness to be the first one to open up. Sometimes good friends end up being people that you would never have expected. </i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
One of the keys to addressing loneliness is to recognize our
need for relationship as a truly significant and legitimate need. It may take some
real sacrifice and courage to find ways to meet these needs in seasons and situations of loneliness, but
it is worth it!</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>How are you feeling with regards to loneliness? Do you have opportunities
to communicate deeply with others in your near vicinity? If not, are there any
ways that you have found to meet your needs for connection where there are few
options? Could any of you friends use prayer for right now for the struggle of
loneliness?</b></div>
</div>
Ashley L.http://www.blogger.com/profile/13672126596754224593noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4088576474458664356.post-8526814265005744562016-03-14T07:30:00.000+03:002016-03-14T23:34:27.912+03:00His Words, Not MineWe are quickly coming up on our 5th anniversary of living in Costa Rica. I am not really sure how that happened. I am pretty sure that it was just last year we were in Language School, stumbling through learning how to live in a new place. But apparently it really was 5 years ago we packed everything into duffel bags in the belly of a plane and moved here.<br />
<br />
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I think 5 years ago, I had some pretty naive ideas about language learning. I know I thought that 5 years in I would be more proficient than I am. I still struggle to communicate at a heart level with nationals. Ok, let's be honest, sometimes I struggle to communicate on an informational level. I am pretty sure that this baby I am carrying right now is sucking all the Spanish out of me through the placenta. That's a thing, right?<br />
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In all seriousness, I am still a foreigner, still trying to pick up the broad strokes of the language at times. Anybody else there with me? I can get really discouraged by that fact. I am not where I want to be language wise. It's not for trying. We've done a year of language school, a couple of years of private tutoring and living away from other expats. It's just hard and probably will always be a challenge for me for a lot of reasons. I joke with my tutor that my problem is my mom never spoke to me in Spanish. Seriously though, I don't have the gift like my husband does. I also don't have as much interaction in Spanish like he does since I'm home with kids. I have some learning struggles that make language learning that much harder. I most likely will always speak with an accent.<br />
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God reminded me the other day though that it isn't about me. It's about Him. Huh. You would think I might have gotten that lesson by now, but apparently not quite yet.<br />
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No, this is about Him. Like Paul said to the Corinthians <br />
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<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>When I came to you, I did
not come with eloquence or human wisdom as I proclaimed to you the
testimony about God.<sup> </sup>For I resolved to know nothing while I
was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. I came to you in
weakness with great fear and trembling. My message and my preaching
were<b> not with wise and persuasive words</b> </i>(yeah, maybe more like the vocab of a 4 year old!)<i>,
but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power, so that your faith
might not rest on human wisdom, but on God’s power. 1 Corinthians 2:1-5
</i></blockquote>
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God chose, in His infinite wisdom to have me born to North American, English speaking parents. That was His plan. If He had wanted my primary language to be Spanish, He would have done it. He wants to work through me in my weakness to demonstrate the Spirit's power.<br />
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So for as frustrating as that is, it's comforting. It means that any good that comes of a conversation with someone, it's because of God, which actually is a pretty great place to be!<br />
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<i><b>How about you? Do you feel discouraged by your language proficiency? How do you keep sharp in your second or third language? </b></i> Liz Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09698702321324459456noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4088576474458664356.post-6898909587810230672016-03-09T07:27:00.002+03:002016-03-09T21:18:31.692+03:00The more things change, the more they stay the same<div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Ray Tomlinson died on Saturday morning.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">You may have heard of him, but I'm guessing most of you probably haven't.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Yet he is credited with an invention that has greatly impacted most, if not all, of us...</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><b>Email. </b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">He is credited with inventing email, back in 1971-1972. I checked several sources and they couldn't seem to agree on an "exact" date. Technically, email evolved from a very common idea, no more complicated than leaving a stick-it note on a colleague's desk. A file was sent (or placed) in a specific folder on a computer so that the user's attention would be drawn to that file the next time s/he logged in.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Much has changed about email in the intervening 45ish years... except for one particularity: Tomlinson chose the @ symbol to address emails: name-of-user@name-of-the-computer. Today, it is name-of-user@name-of-ESP. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><b>Cliché but true: "the more things change, the more they stay the same."</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><b>When I went away to college, personal desktop computers were the new thing.</b> In the early 1990s, I spent a year in SE Asia on a missions trip. Mail came via the post and was hardly guaranteed or private. One birthday card had the picture neatly sliced off the front so that I could still read the message on the inside of the cover. If you really wanted to splurge, you booked an international phone call through the operator and waited...</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Just a few short years later, 1995, my husband went to visit our future home in Africa. We emailed exclusively to communicate - using the address of the middle school library of the school where I was then teaching with my name in the subject line. I still have those emails somewhere in a box, printed out. One specific thing I remember about that particular season? It wasn't at all unusual to hear people refer to the Internet as a tool of the devil.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><b>As we began raising our support to head overseas, all official correspondence was still done via the post</b>, but that was rapidly changing, too. <b>Within a few years and by the time we'd moved out of the States, Yahoo Messenger chatting was our informal mode of communication; emails, with the exception of our regular paper prayer letters, had become our most frequent mode of contact with anyone at the official or business level.</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Our communication styles have continued to evolve. Sometimes, it is age/generation dependent: I tend to rely on blogging, Facebook and texting; our kids like Tumblr, SnapChat, Pinterest, Instagram and, of course, texting. I'm still trying to figure out Twitter - sort of. I guess I haven't bothered to spend too much time on it because to date, it hasn't been necessary. Hubby, on the other hand and even though he's tons more techie than myself, still prefers to pick up a phone. <b>Very occasionally, I'll choose pen and paper and write an actual letter. Seems even rarer to receive one, but it is always a treat.</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><b>What I've described is probably pretty comparable to what anyone my age has lived - missionary/expat or not.</b> Of course, living on the back side of the desert sometimes meant that electricity and internet service couldn't coordinate well enough to both be working at the same time... but those were, generally, short seasons. <b>Our prayer letters are sent via MailChimp - although we do still send a hard copy quarterly for the 200ish folks that still remain on that list. That number is down from 600ish when we first started this journey.</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">I can honestly say that most of these new technologies, I've embraced - moving right along with the crowd... except for the one that has now become, probably, my primary mode of communication: Facebook. I finally "caved" when my son was rapidly approaching the magical age of 13 and would be able to set up his own account. I wanted to know what he was getting in to...</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><b>I wonder how we'll be passing information back and forth just a few years down the road. </b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Don't you?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><b>*******************************************</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><b><i>How have your communication styles evolved?</i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><b><i>Do you look forward to these changes, whatever the next one will be... or do you dread them?</i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><b><i>How do you typically communicate with family? Friends? Local colleagues? Ministry partners back in your home country or otherwise physically far away?</i></b></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0HraM1sShk_DY3whmPVMJu-HRll-ld7hyphenhyphenTCYqiAHcvcVKoeT-ASLn7SuyVkEODOyu9HHNS-ZL9RvV-llLUbs8Jt52yTAytKhscpHwbQffci9DNer4HbpvURn8A8peWrqWtD4Lgc85HZ_E/s1600/20160220_123255.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0HraM1sShk_DY3whmPVMJu-HRll-ld7hyphenhyphenTCYqiAHcvcVKoeT-ASLn7SuyVkEODOyu9HHNS-ZL9RvV-llLUbs8Jt52yTAytKhscpHwbQffci9DNer4HbpvURn8A8peWrqWtD4Lgc85HZ_E/s640/20160220_123255.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">You can't really see it, but just before I snapped this picture, she was doing something on her smart phone... in a just shy of blizzardish snow storm... while walking her dog and taking the baby for a stroll.</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">first photo credit: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/57763385@N03/20670825496">Moving!</a> via <a href="http://photopin.com/">photopin</a> <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/2.0/">(license)</a></span>
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Richelle Wrighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04083189929795613771noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4088576474458664356.post-2930454112034022482016-03-02T01:38:00.001+03:002016-03-02T01:40:30.311+03:00It's a Fine Art...<h3 style="text-align: center;">
<i><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Concentrate all your thoughts upon the work at hand. </span></i></h3>
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<i><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">The sun's rays do not burn until brought to a focus.</span></i></h3>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Alexander Graham Bell is credited with having said those words. Born on March 3, 1847, in Edinburgh, Scotland, both his mother and eventually his wife, were deaf. As a result, much of his life was spent researching hearing and speech.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">This research then progressed into experimentation with hearing devices and sound transmission. One culmination </span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">of these efforts</span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">, the one for which Mr. Bell is well-known, is the telephone. </span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLmdNrsTffp84pZcqevrTOHJEGLznrRBeabr55h0Z-tyrT8JL6_DEI0A4ksYx789zcMuS10jrQh0ZTxehFuB_EElrRtyfHHmbaN_LFm2UINCOLFeEMhBewm3yk65HXPn24M9QTdgalh1u5/s1600/telephone.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLmdNrsTffp84pZcqevrTOHJEGLznrRBeabr55h0Z-tyrT8JL6_DEI0A4ksYx789zcMuS10jrQh0ZTxehFuB_EElrRtyfHHmbaN_LFm2UINCOLFeEMhBewm3yk65HXPn24M9QTdgalh1u5/s640/telephone.jpg" width="460" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">from Wikipedia public domain images</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">His initial efforts focused on work to ameliorate the telegraph. A thorough understanding of the nature of sound (from his work with the deaf) plus an aptitude for music gave him the idea that perhaps multiple messages could be sent simultaneously over the same telegraph line, and then, he began to wonder how sound could be converted to electrical impulses. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">On March 10, 1876, the first successful telephone transmission occurred. Using a liquid transmitter, Bell spoke into a mouthpiece, "Mr. Watson, come here, I want to see you." In another room, Watson heard each word distinctly through a receiver. The impracticality of a liquid transmitter eventually led to the development of one constructed using electromagnets.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Some consider Bell to have been a brilliant communicator.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><b>His invention certainly changed the world as it was then known,</b> connecting people, enabling real time communication even when long distances separated, encouraged growth of businesses and, in general facilitated communication.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><b>Communication...</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><b>It is, in some ways, a loaded word. Very broadly and simply, communication is nothing more than the transfer of information from one place to another.</b> Where it gets tricky is the when, the why, the where, the who and the how it gets done. And while the possibilities probably aren't infinite, they are numerous with lots of "connections" where information can disappear, be deformed or destroyed, delayed, devalued or, thankfully, properly distributed. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">As missionaries, we are concerned about communication: </span></div>
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<li><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">with family near and far, </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">with our local partners as well as those supporting us back in our sending organizations, </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">with friends, </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">with colleagues, </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">with neighbors, </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">with government officials, </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">with businesses...</span></li>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><b>We communicate verbally and non-verbally, orally and in writing... even our sometimes lack of communication communicates.</b> There are times when the intent of the message we wish to share is not perceived or received and people end up hurt, or angry, or worse.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Our communication needs to be genuine and authentic, kind, truthful and intentional... not just the words that come out of our mouths and the words that we write, but the expressions on our face, our body language and the choices we make. <b>Our communication, in every way and in every aspect, needs to reflect the One we say we strive to reflect.</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms', sans-serif; text-align: left;">Consider these words:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><i>"Night after night [the heavens] <u>communicate</u> knowledge..."</i> <span style="font-size: x-small;">(Ps 19.2, HCSB)</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><i>"'Because I am the LORD, I'll speak and the message that I <u>communicate</u> will be accomplished without delay. While you continue to be a rebellious house, I'll speak the message and then fulfill it,' declares the Lord GOD." </i><span style="font-size: x-small;">(Ez 12.25, ISV)</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><i>"But let him that is taught in the word <u>communicate</u> unto him that teacheth in all good things." </i><span style="font-size: x-small;">(Gal 6.6, ASV)</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><i>Charge those that are rich in this world, that they not be high minded, not placing their hope in uncertain riches, but in the living God, who gives us richly all things to enjoy; but charge them to do good, that they be rich in good works, liberal to distribute, willing to <u>communicate</u>, laying up in store for themselves a good foundation against the future, that they may lay hold on eternal life. </i><span style="font-size: x-small;">(1 Tim 6.17-19, JB2000)</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><i><b>But to do good and to <u>communicate</u> forget not: for with such sacrifices God is well pleased.</b> </i><span style="font-size: x-small;">(Heb 13.16, ASV)</span></span></div>
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<b style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">I've always happily considered "doing good" a sacrifice that God finds pleasing. I've never, ever considered communicating to be one as well.</b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">In honor of the anniversary Alexander Graham Bell's birthday as well as the anniversary of the first successful phone transmission - both of which occurred in March - <b>this month's focus here at Missionary Mom's Companion will be communication!</b> I, for one, am looking forward to hear what others have to say!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><b><i>As we share our thoughts on this topic, we'd love if you'd communicate back with us!</i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><b><i> Comment and let us know what you are thinking or your response to what has been shared! </i></b></span></div>
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Richelle Wrighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04083189929795613771noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4088576474458664356.post-65816663318140945312016-02-29T05:58:00.000+03:002016-02-29T05:59:57.278+03:00Date Night? Date Night!<div class="MsoNormal">
We have recently made the move back to South Carolina after
serving for seven years down in the middle of South America. We didn't expect
it, we weren't prepared for it, and we are still reeling from how quickly it
happened. Extended family situations made it very clear that we needed to be
back in the US about the same time I felt God shifting things inside my heart,
and it was undeniable that He was going ahead of us to lead the way for our big
move. </div>
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We left the US for Paraguay back in 2008 with 9- and
11-year-old girls, smack in the middle of homeschooling and community
basketball league and children's church. My husband had a secular job in addition
to being the youth pastor at our local church, and I was the at-home mom taking
side jobs and short-term mission trips. We had no idea what the words <i>free time</i> meant. Our best attempts at date
nights often looked like a bad sit-com episode where the sitter calls about the
kid running a fever about the time we place an order at the local fast-food
joint on our way to a youth rally.</div>
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Fast forward a bit to our years in Paraguay, when our girls
were going through adolescence and we were learning two languages, adjusting to
all the cultural changes, building a ministry, going through major health
challenges and a serious accident, and continuing to homeschool. <i>Free time</i> was still this elusive concept,
and date nights were a movie and popcorn after sending the girls to their room
early for the night. </div>
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And now here we are back in the states. One daughter has
graduated high school and is in a gap year, and the younger one is a junior in
high school. They are old enough and in a safe enough area that we don't have
to be near them at all hours here. We have a car that cranks when we turn the
key and can drive around without the feeling that we may, at any moment, die.
My husband is still looking for a job, so we are seeing a lot of each other
every day. The modern appliances and giant, all-inclusive stores have
simplified daily activities to the point that I feel like I suddenly have that
thing I'd only heard whispered about in certain circles and seen played out in
movies and books--<i>free time</i>. </div>
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And it hit me that we are now in prime position to have what
I've always dreamed <i>date nights</i>
should be. We can go out, just the two of us. We can wear decent clothes that
won't be ruined on public transportation. We can choose from a crazy-huge
selection of restaurants or activities. We can stay out late. We can find time
on the calendar that isn't covered in commitments. I struggle with feeling
guilty over such indulgences, or enjoying the convenience and pure joy of these
sorts of things because, well, it's just strange and rare and odd and weird and
different and…</div>
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<i>…really exciting.<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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So as we adjust to all the negative aspects of re-entry, I
have this little thought in the back of my mind that makes me giggle and feel a
bit like a movie star--<i>I get to date my
husband again!</i></div>
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<b>Have you found ways to date your spouse on the field? How has your typical date night evolved through the different stages of your marriage?</b></div>
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Christiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16007668779683965884noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4088576474458664356.post-41866872115664242812016-02-27T20:45:00.000+03:002016-02-27T20:59:13.193+03:00Our StoryYears ago, a dark-haired freshman girl walked slowly out of her Spanish class and towards the street running through campus, her thoughts filled with dreaming (and doubting) about the future. Should she keep studying Spanish when her heart was for another part of the world? What should she major in? Where would she serve in ministry when she graduated from college? Would she get married? Her mind full of thoughts and details (and not so much on what was going on around her), she made her way towards the curb...<br />
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Meanwhile, a tall blond sophomore guy was whizzing down the main street of campus, really thinking about nothing else but how fast he could ride his bike, and if he could make a new record time getting across campus to his dorm where he served as a resident assistant. He was focused on the goal, when suddenly...<br />
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...BAM...<br />
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Dark Haired Freshman Girl and Tall Blond Bike Riding Guy collided... literally. He hit her as she walked (without looking both ways!) into the street. She fell down. He stopped to make sure she was ok. They were both embarrassed.<br />
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That is the beginning of Our Story.<br />
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That is my husband's and my first memory of each other! It wasn't really the beginning of a love story at that time (in fact, I stayed clear of blond guys riding bikes on campus for a long time after that!). He went off to Scotland for study abroad, and I dropped Spanish and started focusing on Slavic linguistics. When he came back from Scotland a year later, I went off to teach English in Russia. Eventually, we were both back on campus, living in the dorms, in the same group of friends, serving together on our campus ministry's leadership team. A year after that, he was the resident assistant on my dorm's floor. A year after that, we started dating, after being friends for four years. Two years later, after a break up, getting back together, him going to Guatemala, and me going to Ukraine, we got married.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJCh_-dIeM3dRHSpFJ9KOVVTtZZdThqLPViA37EcNdxNbAma47Qm_45dbR28D1FFUgcsZJCqUTvig53ZZev0BJarldzIji_Do6dix-ZblXcEpNpSkbeAswzmRbudLF316UGm1YUFefBKc/s1600/011_11_edited.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJCh_-dIeM3dRHSpFJ9KOVVTtZZdThqLPViA37EcNdxNbAma47Qm_45dbR28D1FFUgcsZJCqUTvig53ZZev0BJarldzIji_Do6dix-ZblXcEpNpSkbeAswzmRbudLF316UGm1YUFefBKc/s640/011_11_edited.jpg" width="403" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">2004 - our wedding</td></tr>
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While our story may have started like a good romantic comedy, it definitely hasn't been all perfect movie material. Of course, there were special, romantic moments -- like the first picnic he took me on under a weeping willow by a lake on campus, or the breezy evening he first talked to me about marriage while we sat on the rooftop terrace of his apartment building in Guatamala City, listening to mariachi music wafting up from the street. There were the many times I noticed character attributes I admired in him...<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaoaImUZfV99hvvlF1guur_Bg9Diuf84gp7k2aX9nGP-tD0Z_glNB5q8JKHAV5MvZjVMO9RLu4ZKs_w4-Q2EC19C14rg8lN58Nn-QJlwmIQ7qOv_dN7OEdr_4gM5cwYJEBz06QZ_W2aEI/s1600/EMI+trip+148.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="425" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaoaImUZfV99hvvlF1guur_Bg9Diuf84gp7k2aX9nGP-tD0Z_glNB5q8JKHAV5MvZjVMO9RLu4ZKs_w4-Q2EC19C14rg8lN58Nn-QJlwmIQ7qOv_dN7OEdr_4gM5cwYJEBz06QZ_W2aEI/s640/EMI+trip+148.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">2005 - back in Guatemala</td></tr>
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But, it took years of us getting to know each other and realizing our personality differences (the over-thinker vs. the driven goal-oriented, as seen in our first memory) could be strengthening rather than hindering to our relationship. We see now that we can balance each other out. Together, we can carry out a plan (he is the one with a plan; I'm the one that questions and second guesses all the details). We both had dreams of how we'd serve in ministry overseas, and now we're doing something different than either of us had expected... but, we know it's right where God wants us to be, together, even though I <em>do</em> still find it ironic that the day he hit me on his bike was the day I decided to stop studying Spanish... only to follow him to Latin America years later. I'm so thankful to be married to this man who loves adventure, when I err to the side of caution; who is out-going and extroverted, when I'm more introverted; and who loves the Lord and his family with all his heart (ah - we strive to be the same on <em>that</em>!). <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh43BgpDjq9qfI_DPwaq6xvQ5ZSK1urbTdrcDXLwqgIfN8aKvYWONajDUQ3AzzMkleXNHXwrwq3cguE9VnY-fnsBnY0DIV1cn98Yg5fsAFPfkkARaFg5H_PBSPf_Kd1Ubd-tg5rs_n3qOY/s1600/20140715_Puttcamp_Bell_Beach_0923_edited.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="411" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh43BgpDjq9qfI_DPwaq6xvQ5ZSK1urbTdrcDXLwqgIfN8aKvYWONajDUQ3AzzMkleXNHXwrwq3cguE9VnY-fnsBnY0DIV1cn98Yg5fsAFPfkkARaFg5H_PBSPf_Kd1Ubd-tg5rs_n3qOY/s640/20140715_Puttcamp_Bell_Beach_0923_edited.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">celebrating 11 years of marriage and almost 8 years serving in Costa Rica</td></tr>
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We, as missionary moms, are blessed to be married to men who have a heart for ministry. I'm sure I'm not the only one who has a very different personality than her husband. <em><strong>Are you able to focus on how this can be a strength and blessing as you work together? </strong></em><br />
<em><strong></strong></em><br />
<em><strong>How did you meet your husband? What's your first memory of each other? We'd love to hear your stories!!!</strong></em>Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06426301677434550357noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4088576474458664356.post-70034939077726018342016-02-23T03:08:00.001+03:002016-02-23T03:10:30.046+03:00 Is Heaven our Only Beloved Home?<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">One of my heroes, Billy Graham, is known for saying "My home is in heaven. I'm just traveling through this world." True, when we only consider the overwhelming enormity of eternity. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">However, missionaries - or any expat worker - should understand the fact that sometimes it is hard to choose to love... learn to love... or persevere in loving... that place and those people to which God has called us. In fact, just a few days ago, Ashley posted about <a href="http://moreformissionarymoms.blogspot.ca/2016/02/loving-where-god-has-called-us.html?">this</a>. This is especially true if we only consider the place a transient place, a place we can leave if it gets too hard or too uncomfortable or, in our opinion, too purposeless.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Easy to do, when our lives are full of transition... after transition... after transition... </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">It would be nice if our ministries were always filled with warm fuzzies, deepening love, a good dose of nostalgia and always forward looking and measurable forward progress. If there was never any nastiness, violent and angry words, depressing divisions and certainly never any of the infamous instances of taking two steps forward only to slide back three. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">But they aren't.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Never say never... always avoid always... </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">At least that's my strategy. It helps keep me a little more honest.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Focusing so much on heaven can distract from the here and now... resulting in aimlessness and to becoming of "no earthly good." Riveting eyes and efforts on the here and now only can overwhelm any hope of heaven to come and floundering and purposeless.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Reading through John 1 today, in the New Living Translation - not my normal version of the Bible, I stopped to meditate on verse 14: <i>"</i></span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><i>So the Word became human and made his home among us. He was full of unfailing love and faithfulness. And we have seen his glory, the glory of the Father’s one and only Son."</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Normally, I've heard that verse rendered: "And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us..." But today reading "made His home" started me thinking.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">We define a home as the physical residence or shelter of a person or household... But more profoundly, home is</span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">(according to dictionary.com) </span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">also the place where affections are centered, a place of retreat or refuge. Frankly, a home must be made - whether by the person him/herself... or for him/her by others. It requires effort. Once you move in to the actual physical residence, more work is necessary. Stuff has to be put into its place, pictures on the wall, curtains in the windows, bedrooms assigned, towels folded, pantry filled. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Then comes the work of figuring out routines and quirks to fit the new home. Where's actually the best place to put that kitchen table so that everyone can fit and move around the table? You try something and it doesn't work so you tweek it... or try something totally different. What's the best schedule to fit everyone through the shower when there are several of you sharing limited space. Sometimes there are arguments and disagreements about how something should work out. Living with other people calls for both dependence and independence, and keeping on at keeping on to find the balance.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">A home doesn't just happen. It takes effort.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">What kind of effort did Jesus put into making His home among us? What effort does He continue to make as He makes His home in the hearts of those who've invited Him in? He was full of unfailing love and faithfulness. He stayed near to the heart </span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">of his Father</span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">, always keeping heaven in view. In so doing, He revealed/reveals His Father to us.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">The only way to make a home on this earth, in whatever place God has us for however long He chooses to keep us there, is to follow this example of the Son. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">That means lots of hard work and hope, patience and persistence - for me; it also necessitates dependence on the One Who's unfailing love and faithfulness is available for me whenever I ask... and sometimes even when I forget to or choose not to.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">This makes me think of the words of a song that my girls all really like right now, <i>Home</i>, by Philip Phillips:</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"></span><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Hold on to me as we go</span></div>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">
<div style="text-align: center;">
As we roll down this unfamiliar road</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
And although this wave is stringing us along</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Just know you're not alone</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
'Cause I'm gonna make this place your home</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Settle down, it'll all be clear</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Don't pay no mind to the demons</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
They fill you with fear</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
The trouble—it might drag you down</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
If you get lost, you can always be found</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Just know you're not alone</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
'Cause I'm gonna make this place your home</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
I don't know about you, but I find it encouraging to know that the same Jesus who made a home among us is not bound by space or time. In that sense, He is still making His home among us.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSj4k62oADWjNq6G4Xi427EmzxfYCogGGHTmI43U5GWU4c4yjG7hxE-bOH1QMf19y8iS1STVZAvl97L-QdetNhP3moVxtvJjVkwJF3L_iI92ZWqEfCLDJ45OB1GhKtA4LD3zmGQHX9O3-P/s1600/coffee+mug.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSj4k62oADWjNq6G4Xi427EmzxfYCogGGHTmI43U5GWU4c4yjG7hxE-bOH1QMf19y8iS1STVZAvl97L-QdetNhP3moVxtvJjVkwJF3L_iI92ZWqEfCLDJ45OB1GhKtA4LD3zmGQHX9O3-P/s640/coffee+mug.jpg" width="380" /></a></div>
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It is one of the many ways He demonstrates His love for us...</div>
</span>Richelle Wrighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04083189929795613771noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4088576474458664356.post-821348443023435022016-02-16T21:41:00.001+03:002016-02-16T21:46:14.134+03:00Loving Where God has Called Us<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj75c7Ph5A6pqLMJsFVFmcDRb8zp9lNU0E3QlTiZvyRc0d0M0ig6ZmJKzdb-LK_IMC2UWFNSIOoE-BQkNXrQWqBgNscutfXCt68LBrGpO3b575n9mNEX2kk2jAuoQOBoc16XBLwFPzUcwY/s1600/love+locks.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj75c7Ph5A6pqLMJsFVFmcDRb8zp9lNU0E3QlTiZvyRc0d0M0ig6ZmJKzdb-LK_IMC2UWFNSIOoE-BQkNXrQWqBgNscutfXCt68LBrGpO3b575n9mNEX2kk2jAuoQOBoc16XBLwFPzUcwY/s400/love+locks.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Love Locks" on a bridge in the city of our first overseas assignment</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />
This month as we talk about the theme of love, I’ve been
thinking a lot about what it looks like to love the places that we are called
as missionaries. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Just as with individuals,
there are so many circumstances under which we are called to love the places
where we are sent, and there are seasons and phases of love too. Sometimes our first
interaction is that head-over-heels sort of "just-can’t-help-falling-in-love"
sort of love. I felt that on my first mission trip to East Asia. I LOVED it
right away and would have been thrilled to have lived there forever, though God
had other plans. Sometimes we experience the type of love that grows from an
indifferent or even negative first acquaintance into a deep appreciation and true and passionate
enjoyment. Sometimes it is pure sacrifice where we simply love because we know
that God has called us to love the unlovable just as He does.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
My love for my host country has been all over the
map these past nearly 10 years. Our “relationship” was definitely not love
at first sight, but my love soon grew deep and true for this place that God has
me. It grew into true appreciation and enjoyment. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>While loving was a difficult and reluctant
choice during my rocky first year here, it soon grew seemingly effortless. Even
the imperfections of this place often seemed to me to be endearing.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
But as of late, we’ve hit a rocky spot in our relationship.
Things are strained. I don’t feel a whole lot of love from my host country and
honestly sometimes I desire to withhold my own affection and would like to snap
back every once in awhile. We have a lot of political strain between my home and host countries, and
despite the fact that I am not one to be much into politics, the growing coldness
can be felt even by me. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As a result of
the negativity all around, my natural affections are waning. It is hard to feel
warm and fuzzy when you know what is being said about you; or maybe not said
about me personally, but about Americans in general. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Where I used to feel free to openly love and
share my affections for the people and culture here, it almost feels foolish to
show this sort of love as openly as I used to. People who know where I am from
and hear me express such affections think I am strange and assume that I must either
have no idea what is going on between our countries or have left my home country
because I too believe that it to be horrifically wrong in its views and actions. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
It has been a weird season. Though I still deeply love my
host country, I feel a bit estranged from it, like it is pushing me away. I
have realized again in this season what we know to be true about love: It is not a
feeling, but a choice. I want to succeed at loving well in spite of not being
loved in return. God has called me here to love. He has called me to love by
sharing His truth, and to love in my actions and attitudes and conduct. Though
in our ministry we have talked often about how the current troubles are a hindrance to ministry
because of all of the mistrust that has arisen, I wonder what new doors are
opened when we succeed at loving even in spite of the fact that it is plain as
day that we are not loved in return. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
This is the circumstances under which Jesus did His
ministry. He was not loved or welcomed by thw majority of the world or the people that He came
to save. We often pray that we will be able to love like Jesus, and though my
fleshly self would prefer to go back to the time when love was flowery and
free, perhaps this is my best opportunity yet to love like He did and does. Lord, please help me to love as you do!</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i>And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.- Ephesians 5:2 (ESV)</i> </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>How about you? What sort of love are you currently
experiencing between yourself and your host country? Have you experienced times
of strained relationship? What helped you to keep loving during those times?</b></div>
</div>
Ashley L.http://www.blogger.com/profile/13672126596754224593noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4088576474458664356.post-15532916517349816922016-02-09T02:18:00.005+03:002016-02-09T02:24:53.417+03:00When You're Marked by Love<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Today is my husband's birthday - the twenty-second one we've celebrated as a couple... and he's out of the country - a missionary on a missions trip to yet a different distant place with one of our girlies. He's far from perfect, but he's committed to his God, to me, our children, our family, friends literally scattered across the globe and to our community - and I'm so glad he's mine. But... if I wrote a sappy piece about love... it might embarrass him... </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
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<span style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms', sans-serif;">So, in keeping with this theme of love for the month of February, I'd like to consider a slightly different perspective as it has been pinging and ponging around in my soul of recent.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">While their daddy's been gone, I've been trying to do some special things with our other children, including listening to books on CD (<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Anne-Green-Gables-Radio-Theatre/dp/1589975022"><i>Anne of Green Gables</i></a>) and revisiting a favorite television series (<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Dr-Quinn-Medicine-Woman-Complete/dp/B002C6A6N6/ref=pd_bxgy_74_img_2?ie=UTF8&refRID=13F676ZX2QYVDA3WE5S9"><i>Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman</i></a>). We've all been loving it - I mean, who doesn't find "Anne with an e," at the very least, amusing and at least a little endearing. And, as far as family TV that provokes great discussion from curious little and not so little minds, Dr. Quinn is, perhaps, my favorite. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><i><br /></i></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><i>“There's such a lot of different Annes in me. </i></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">I sometimes think that is why I'm such a troublesome person. </i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">If I was just the one Anne </i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">it would be ever so much more comfortable,</i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">but then it wouldn't be half so interesting.” </i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">~Anne in LM Montgomery's <i>Anne of Green Gables</i></span></div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">I love this Anne quote because of its deeply profound veracity. Anne acknowledges the beauty that is her: </span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">she is not just intelligent... but insidiously impetuous</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">she is not only imaginative... but also quixotic and impractical</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">despite the fact that she could be incredibly irritating... the next moment, she'd be fabulously entertaining</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">stubborn yet teachable and once "taught," she forgives wholeheartedly</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">unpredictably predictable</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">romantic yet extremely practical</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">vainly egocentric while still open to perceive the beauty, not just in the natural world but in others all around her</span></li>
</ul>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Anne couldn't be summed up by a single word.</span></div>
<div>
</div>
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">In fact, people defined by a single aspect become nothing more than caricatures. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Often comic, sometimes repulsive, usually stereotypical - a caricaturized version of someone is never flattering, even if the highlighted aspect is typically one we'd consider positive, simply because it leaves the person looking one dimensional.</span></div>
</div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">As we discuss the different episodes in the Dr.Quinn series, my children are noticing this truth. A character that is heroic and awesome in one episode is surprisingly unlikable in the next - even the title character. It is pretty funny (unexpected, ironic and SO. VERY, REAL) when Hank, the owner of the saloon, suddenly demonstrates a generous spirit in contrast to </span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Dr. Mike's </span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">pettiness and unforgiving spirit. But that's because every single being on thus earth is created in the image of God - and will sometimes reflect that breathtaking image. At the same time, every single person is also born with a sinful nature - and will, sadly more often than not, demonstrate that nature.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Just as Anne recognizes this multiplicity within herself... we must do the same, if we want to genuinely love people. Not only that, we must also recognize... and appreciate... its presence in those all around us. People are intricately complex, so loving them is messy. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Consider the following statement, offered not as a justification, but merely an observation: Some awful, atrocious sins are rooted in good impulses and beautiful ideas, but unrestrained (i.e. racism often grows out of a good desire to protect and care for "my own").</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">My challenge, and the one I've offered to my children, is to seek things to love in every person you meet. Don't allow yourself to caricaturize the souls God has placed in your community by only seeing those first few characteristics or dimensions that rise to the surface. Because love - the kind of love Jesus offers - looks deep and is willing to take a risk on what could be. I want Jesus to offer that same love to others through me.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Living within the confines of an expat (or smaller for whatever reason) community, this kind of love binds and strengthens members while attracting and welcoming newcomers. After all, it is a key <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Mark-Jesus-Loving-Way-World-ebook/dp/B0037714I0/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1454972843&sr=8-1" target="_blank">mark of Jesus</a>: </span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">"<i>By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another</i>." <span style="font-size: x-small;">(John 13:35)</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">As I've gotten older and braver, especially when it comes to loving those I don't find myself drawn to on first... second... or even forty-third impressions... I find myself agreeing more and more with that "Anne-girl" when she wonderingly remarks:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><i>“Kindred spirits are not so scarce as I used to think. </i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><i>It's splendid to find out there are so many of them in the world.”</i> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">~Anne in LM Montgomery's </span><i style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: small;">Anne of Green Gables</i></div>
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Richelle Wrighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04083189929795613771noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4088576474458664356.post-73206611423963904522016-02-01T15:24:00.000+03:002016-02-01T15:27:03.574+03:00Welcome to February!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
In January we had a theme--at least behind the scenes--of Beginnings. Was January a month of good beginnings for you? <a href="http://moreformissionarymoms.blogspot.com/2016/01/making-self-care-priority.html">Beginning a healthy routine of self-care</a>? <a href="http://moreformissionarymoms.blogspot.com/2016/01/reimagined.html">Being reimagined</a>? Or was it one of those struggle months, maybe one where you worked with <a href="http://moreformissionarymoms.blogspot.com/2016/01/have-you-come-to-take-away-our-souls.html">faith and doubt</a>? I know that with our different schedule of winter holidays in Slavic countries, plus sickness, plus a flu quarantine, plus a week away from home, I myself am just now starting to feel like sticking my head out of my shell and looking for a beginning. Oh, well. Like <a href="http://moreformissionarymoms.blogspot.com/2016/01/new-beginnings-for-when-you-feel-like.html">Liz reminded us</a>, God's mercy is new every morning.<br />
<br />
For the month ahead, many of our posts will focus on LOVE. Maybe it's a bit cliche: February, love, Valentine's Day, and such. But it's real, and love should be a foundation for all of us. Some may write about how they met their husbands, or what marriage looks like on the mission field, or any other aspect of love. I'm excited to see what comes up.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>*</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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I have a few links to share, before I leave you today:<br />
<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li><a href="http://velvetashes.com/jesus-loves-me-this-i-sometimes-know/">This older post is something</a> I've been dwelling on lately: how does God really love me?</li>
<li>And I saw that <a href="http://tckmom.com/raising-tcks/homeschooling/98-teaching-character-traits-love">someone else had the same idea as we did</a>; her collection of ideas is wonderful.</li>
<li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qFByVMXxWMg">This video series</a> is speaking to my heart, as I slowly listen to it. (I had never heard of the author/speaker before just recently, and I really don't know anything about him, so my recommendation here is limited.)</li>
</ul>
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<b>So, how was your January? What are you looking forward to in February? What is God teaching you about His love these days?</b></div>
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*Drawing of our family, by our four-year-old son. The creature in the foreground is <a href="http://fylliska.blogspot.com/2014/02/thank-god-for-duck.html">my pet duck</a>.</div>
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Phyllishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09529794989164847124noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4088576474458664356.post-15065777305833536082016-01-29T19:51:00.002+03:002016-01-30T00:19:00.352+03:00Reimagined <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<b>Good Morning </b><i>sweet </i>sisters. </div>
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How does this fine Friday morning find you? I am excited.</div>
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I feel like letting out a war cry. </div>
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A open mouthed hallelujah! <i>God be praised.</i></div>
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That could be awkward though for my daughter, as I am sitting at her basketball practice. </div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-weight: normal;">I have not written in a while. <i> </i></span></div>
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</span><i></i>
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<i><i>A long while</i><span style="font-size: 11px; line-height: normal;"><i>. </i></span></i></div>
<i>
</i>
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<i>A really long</i> while if I am going to be totally honest.<span style="font-size: 10px; line-height: normal;"> </span></div>
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I have been longing to get back into writing. Today is the day that I emerge from my rest.</div>
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( Deep breathe in…and out )</div>
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<i>Let me explain a bit….</i></div>
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</div>
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When you LE<span style="font-size: 10px; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">A</span>st expect it…<span style="line-height: normal;">Whack<span style="font-size: x-small;">! </span></span>Sent into a total tail spin. Totally blasted with an attack that <i style="font-weight: normal;">seems</i> incredibly Unwarranted. From the least likely of sources. </div>
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<br /></div>
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<i><i><b>Have you ever felt this kind of disoriented?</b></i></i></div>
<i>
</i><i></i>
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<i><i>You know</i>, like if you were twirling your hair, blowing a <i>big</i> pink bubble, </i></div>
<i>
</i><span style="font-weight: normal;"></span>
<br />
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<span style="font-weight: normal;">enjoying the cool breeze of the Mediterranean Sea </span></div>
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</span>
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and a relief plane drops 200lbs. of blankets</div>
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<span style="font-weight: normal;">square on your iPhone!</span></div>
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</span><i></i>
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<i><i> For a week </i>you have no Google translate. </i></div>
<i>
</i><span style="font-weight: normal;"></span>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-weight: normal;">or </span></div>
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</span><span style="line-height: normal;"></span>
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<span style="line-height: normal;"><span style="line-height: normal;"><b>You</b></span>Version<span style="font-family: "helvetica"; line-height: normal;">.</span></span></div>
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</span><span style="font-weight: normal;"></span>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-weight: normal;">Your world stands still.</span></div>
<span style="font-weight: normal;">
</span><i style="font-weight: normal;"></i>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i style="font-weight: normal;"><i>(Go here with me, close your eyes and picture it…)</i></i></div>
<i style="font-weight: normal;">
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i><br /></i></div>
</i><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: center;">
How do we recover from a wound inflicted from one of our own.</div>
</span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: center;">
One of the trusted?</div>
</span><i style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: center;">
<i>A beautiful child of the most High King. </i></div>
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<i><br /></i></div>
</i><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: center;">
I just walked this out.</div>
</span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: center;">
(I am so grateful that I just chuckled <i>OUT loud after typing that</i>)</div>
</span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: center;">
Whew, I survived. </div>
</span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: center;">
I am thriving once again. </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
</span><i><div style="text-align: center;">
<i><b>Actually I was thriving the whole time. </b></i></div>
</i><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
I struggled desperately to maintain courage in the smoke and mirrors.<i style="font-style: italic;"> </i></div>
<i></i><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i><i>Holy Spirit delivered wisdom was my bread. His Word was water to my weary frame. </i></i></div>
<i>
</i>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
Continuing in loving kindness was my weapon of warfare. </div>
<div style="font-style: italic; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
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<span style="font-weight: normal;">My families growth in the past 2 years has been astounding. </span></div>
<span style="font-weight: normal;">
</span><span style="font-weight: normal;"></span>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-weight: normal;">I remember telling people after we returned home after 5 years in the field that either we were going to perish ‘over there’ or come out closer than ever to each other and to God. </span></div>
<span style="font-weight: normal;">
</span><span style="font-weight: normal;"></span>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-weight: normal;">Having walked through an attempted assassination from the accuser of the brethren was </span></div>
<span style="font-weight: normal;">
</span><span style="font-weight: normal;"></span>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-weight: normal;">no walk on the beach. </span></div>
<span style="font-weight: normal;">
</span><i></i>
<br />
<div style="font-weight: normal; text-align: center;">
<i><i>Let me tell ya. </i></i></div>
<i>
</i>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i><i>But, Father is all about relationships, and so I am learning to be.</i></i></div>
<i>
<div style="font-weight: normal; text-align: center;">
<i><br /></i></div>
</i><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: center;">
The enemies strategy only made me stronger, more steadfast and capable of deeply loving people. </div>
</span><i style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: center;">
<i> Deep, passionate love that i was not capable of or new existed prior to the all out attack launched on my family...</i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i><br /></i></div>
</i><i style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: center;">
<i>I think the betrayal made me need God on a different level. </i></div>
</i><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: center;">
Like, really really need him. </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
'For reals' as my daughters say.</div>
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My heart is reaching out to y<span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: normal;">oU </span>RIGHT NOW.</div>
</span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: center;">
I can see your tears falling when I close my eyes. </div>
</span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: center;">
I can feel your brokenness taking shape. </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
How can this happen to us, you might say. </div>
</span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: center;">
You will never be the same after this. </div>
</span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: center;">
I remember thinking….</div>
</span><i><div style="text-align: center;">
<i>How will I add THIS to my testimony. </i></div>
</i><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>But, I did.</i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
One beautiful opportunity at a time. </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
I remember feeling so out of my element. </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Convicted to not talk publicly, as not to undo the work of the Gospel in our city. Bound by the goodness of a God that reminded us daily he had our back and not to run away. </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>Our marching orders were written in red. </b></div>
<div style="font-style: italic; text-align: center;">
<i>Bless, abide and keep the bridge open to reconciliation no matter the cost. </i></div>
<div style="font-style: italic; text-align: center;">
<i>He has unique marching orders for all of us. </i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>They revolve around His loving kindness.</i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>My experience has shown me that this fruit is the sweetest.</i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>Bless, come in the opposite spirit and take it one day at a time. </i><br />
<i>Believe that it is better to have been </i><b>Reimagined</b><i>, than stay the same he told me. </i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>Have an incredible Friday, I will see you here next week and I just might get my personal blog up and running again! </i></div>
<div style="font-style: italic; text-align: center;">
<i><br /></i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>Father, I ask today that you would comfort the afflicted. That wounds would continue heal today. Restoration of hearts would be seen. Testified to, and Glory would be given you your name.</i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>Healing I ask for in the name of Jesus. </i></div>
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<i>I love you sisters, it's a love I am honored to have stumbled into.</i></div>
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<i><br /></i></div>
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Heatherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03040029268756411809noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4088576474458664356.post-92154093847775395882016-01-24T20:46:00.000+03:002016-01-29T20:48:11.255+03:00Making Self-Care a Priority<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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</xml><![endif]-->Last January was one of the greatest new beginnings that I
have experienced, and I didn’t even plan it. I hadn’t made any sort of
resolution that led to this new start, but the Lord had worked things in my
life that forced me to resolve to begin anew in some ways.<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I had been very sick for 3 months without a known cause until
discovering in January that my wide range of frightening symptoms all stemmed
from problems with my spine and the nerves running out of my upper back and
neck.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
When finally settling on the diagnosis, my doctor said that
I absolutely must start exercising regularly or just accept that I would likely
never feel better. My back was weak and discs and vertebrae were suffering, and
exercise was required to build muscle to support my spine. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">I literally hadn't exercised in years. </span>I had neglected to take care of myself
physically to the point that I was greatly incapacitated by lack of
stewardship of my body.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
So, given the ultimatum to exercise or suffer, I started
back to ballet, which I had studied until I was a young adult. I knew it would be good exercise and good for my posture, and hoped it would be enjoyable
too. You see, when I had quit, I had completely burnt out and never thought I’d
desire to dance again. At this moment though, dancing seemed more interesting to me than other options, so I decided to give it a try.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I showed up to the first class, and to my surprise, I experienced one of the biggest surges of joy that I had experienced in years. I
was reminded of a long faded passion for music, movement, and beauty. I immediately felt the benefit to not only my body, but to my emotions and soul that come about
through physical exercise and doing something I had once loved. My physical symptoms resolved over a period of weeks, and my emotional and
spiritual health also greatly improved.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7XHcwETi4YKqvh7W8DG94M6nRqIdmt4WLGkBREY1EJXyp14bdVJL1icHXaMNfm01vr6c28NQOqg3vrjf-Yl34b61GbIa8LzmmUqg-NIqIkxY70kghWmxlx5lFkgCgcD4-no3z6dIo-Xk/s1600/after+class.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7XHcwETi4YKqvh7W8DG94M6nRqIdmt4WLGkBREY1EJXyp14bdVJL1icHXaMNfm01vr6c28NQOqg3vrjf-Yl34b61GbIa8LzmmUqg-NIqIkxY70kghWmxlx5lFkgCgcD4-no3z6dIo-Xk/s400/after+class.jpg" width="262" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A picture from after class in November.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
As a mother of 4 young kids serving overseas, life always feels intense.
There doesn’t feel like there is space for anything superfluous, and in reality
there rarely is. But what I have been learning is that caring for myself is not
superfluous. It is necessary. It is necessary for my ability to be a good mom and
wife, it is necessary for longevity on the mission field, it is necessary to
keep me from imploding under the weight of all that urgently needs to be done
in this life, and it is necessary to remind me that I am loved by the Lord and
that He desires to care for me as His daughter. I am not His slave, but His
beloved daughter whose mind, body, and soul matter greatly to Him. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Last year was the beginning of a journey in learning how to make sure that I
am a good steward of my physical, emotional, and spiritual health. I was forced
to fit a hobby/exercise back into my life, and realized that though it does
take time, my capacity has actually increased. I am
better able to love and serve others and to accomplish my daily tasks because I
am so much more refreshed than I have been in years past. I also have had so
much more authentic joy in the Lord.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I write this to you as encouragement to those of you who,
like me until God forced a change, feel like there just isn’t any space for you
to care for yourself. To me it literally felt impossible to add anything to my life at the moment that I was forced to do so. It does
take creativity, and at first it will look like sacrifice and perhaps even an impossibility like it did to me until receiving the doctor’s ultimatum, but often there really is a way if you we are willing to work to find it. As mothers and missionaries, we are very used to
and skilled at putting our needs aside for long seasons, but sometimes we need
also to remember how to be good stewards of the mind, body, and soul given to
us by the Lord. He loves you and cares about all aspects of who you are!</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Here are a few questions I’ve come up with to perhaps help
in brainstorming ways to move towards greater health in this New Year if you are feeling stuck:</div>
<br />
<i><br /><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">1.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span>In what area am I feeling most depleted? (Physically? Emotionally?
Spiritually? Relationally?...)</i>
<i><br /><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">2.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span>What are some things that bring me joy, fulfillment,
and health in this area? What are some things that I have benefited from in the
past in this regard, or what is something that I’ve always wanted to try?</i>
<i><br /><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">3.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span>If I were commanded by an authority that I
absolutely must make space in my life for one of these things, how would I do
it? What would I cut out to make room? How practically could I make it
happen? Whose help would I need to make this a reality?</i>
<i><br /><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">4.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span>Without being literally commanded to do so, could
I try stepping out in faith to care for myself in this area of need? </i><br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Have you had similar new beginnings with regards to your own self-care? Are you willing to share an area where you are
feeling depleted and perhaps need to begin caring more for your own well-being? </b></div>
</div>
Ashley L.http://www.blogger.com/profile/13672126596754224593noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4088576474458664356.post-37377501679782120432016-01-21T18:23:00.002+03:002016-01-21T18:27:23.420+03:00New Beginnings for When You Feel Like You've Blown ItNew Beginnings...<br />
<br />
Seems like we tend to talk about that a lot in January, huh? Anyone else feel like they already have screwed up 2016?<br />
<br />
I know I do. I am entering the third trimester with baby #4, and I feel every week of it. I can't seem keep track of everything any more. I am tired all the time, and well, if we're honest, I am a bit low. I keep washing the same dishes, why aren't they clean yet?<br />
<br />
I feel like I've already blown the new beginning of 2016. You know, those good intentions and all. We're going to be on top of packing nutritious, yummy lunches.<br />
We're going to have a great after school routine.<br />
We're going to do better at keeping up with the laundry.<br />
<br />
Except we haven't. There have been some days when I've come close, but most days, not so much. And the really sad part is it's only 21 days into the New Year.<br />
<br />
And then the Lord reminded me, "Every morning is a new start. Remember?"<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZ88eYW8GBQ-hgDCwV4idrWokn5q19vzJHnp2efPMQnQgJ8IEbsfKFmlDIMbCt3rp3UiwzYXF4qIFNKeXg0PhXB0-LlPUdDbMCNL4TpHt9lhEPh5Xze27wklEBiobEPFqPj_A8q_XJASA/s1600/tumblr_mhfllxEe5Y1qhmhdfo1_500.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZ88eYW8GBQ-hgDCwV4idrWokn5q19vzJHnp2efPMQnQgJ8IEbsfKFmlDIMbCt3rp3UiwzYXF4qIFNKeXg0PhXB0-LlPUdDbMCNL4TpHt9lhEPh5Xze27wklEBiobEPFqPj_A8q_XJASA/s400/tumblr_mhfllxEe5Y1qhmhdfo1_500.jpg" width="323" /></a></div>
<br />
So that's where I'm living. Trying to remember that each morning when I wake up, that yesterday's list should just be thrown away and we start fresh. To take each day as it comes. To remember that my worth isn't in the check list, but in that I am a daughter of the King.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i><span class="text Lam-3-22" id="en-NIV-20377">"Because of the <span class="small-caps" style="font-variant: small-caps;">Lord</span>’s great love we are not consumed,</span><br /><span class="indent-1"><span class="indent-1-breaks"> </span><span class="text Lam-3-22">for his compassions never fail.</span></span><span class="text Lam-3-23" id="en-NIV-20378"><sup class="versenum"> </sup></span></i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i><span class="text Lam-3-23" id="en-NIV-20378"><sup class="versenum"> </sup>They are new every morning;</span><br /><span class="indent-1"><span class="indent-1-breaks"> </span><span class="text Lam-3-23">great is your faithfulness."</span></span></i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i><span class="indent-1"><span class="text Lam-3-23">-Lamenatons 3:22-23 </span></span></i></div>
<br />
<b><i>How about you? Where are you living right now?</i></b>Liz Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09698702321324459456noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4088576474458664356.post-29864668059839720552016-01-16T04:17:00.000+03:002016-01-16T04:20:09.075+03:00Have you come to take away our souls?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJFFHBfs6s2MZMrWHrg9-15vy7-9qA3CUc5bOz4aSMP-ZgNyc0qcjZjP06i4gRJIgTLnjSnhwGJ18rKAuKZ0oK1iXidsebFkaXEgScTX1Upjh2uL86DRidbhQoyoy1hEtHd9NUIBkRb2gk/s1600/mary%2540window.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJFFHBfs6s2MZMrWHrg9-15vy7-9qA3CUc5bOz4aSMP-ZgNyc0qcjZjP06i4gRJIgTLnjSnhwGJ18rKAuKZ0oK1iXidsebFkaXEgScTX1Upjh2uL86DRidbhQoyoy1hEtHd9NUIBkRb2gk/s640/mary%2540window.jpg" width="608" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Have you ever prayed to the Lord and asked Him to show you
something… anything… beyond any shadow of any doubt... just so you can be sure?</span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">I have... I still do... some times, some days...</span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Crafty Girls","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">My husband and I have often discussed this. He rarely doubts
God, rarely questions if He is true, if He is good, if Jesus is Who He says He
is and really did come and do what the Scriptures say He did. I, on the other
hand, struggle with doubt more often than I care to admit. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">In John 10.24, Jesus spoke to a group gathered around Him, Jews who had come to the temple for the Festival of Dedication.
Today more commonly called Hanukkah, or the Festival of
Lights, was not one of the original commemoration ceremonies instituted by
God. Rather, it was/is a remembrance – according to rabbinic tradition – of a very
specific provision by God. At the same time, it recalls what could seem to some
an “inconsequential in the grand scheme of things” miracle. Historically this miracle took
place in the time between the Old and New Testaments: Seleucid king Antiochus
Ephiphanes desecrated the Jewish temple, forcing the Jews to abandon God’s
prescribed system of worship and sacrifices. God's chosen people were obliged to adopt pagan
rituals until the Maccabees (a group of Jewish freedom fighters) refused, rose up and
overthrew the Seleucids. Once the Jews had regained access to the temple, they
found a single, small, sealed jug of olive oil that had not been profaned and was, thus, acceptable for use in worship. They used this oil to light the temple menorah, expecting the oil to suffice for only a single day; miraculously, it
endured for eight - the amount of time needed for more oil to be
made ready. <b>Thus, the Jews gathered around Jesus were in Jerusalem celebrating and remembering miraculous provision</b>.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><b>Not only that, but they had gathered in a location where God had traditionally accomplished great
things </b>(Matthew Henry)<b>, Solomon's Colonnade. </b></span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Crafty Girls","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">At such a place, for such a purpose, at such a time, the Jews
listened… and then confronted... Jesus. Standing in the presence of the most
miraculous of all provisions, the Messiah of the World, in a place where the
evidence of God’s hand had been so clearly present, the Jews asked Jesus a rather
blunt question.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Most commentators suppose that the primary goal of this question
was to waylay Him.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Look at some of the different renditions/translations of their
question:</span></div>
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<ul>
<li><span style="color: #333333; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; text-indent: -0.25in;">“…and said unto him, how long dost thou make us doubt?” (</span><a href="http://biblehub.com/john/10-24.htm" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="color: #6699cc; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">Gill</span></a><span style="color: #333333; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; text-indent: -0.25in;">)</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #333333; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; text-indent: -0.25in;">“how long dost thou take away our soul?” as per the Vulgate
Latin, Syriac, Persic, and Ethiopic versions</span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Symbol; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal;"> </span></span></li>
<li><span style="color: #333333; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; text-indent: -0.25in;">“wherefore dost thou steal away our minds with words?” (Nonnus)</span></li>
</ul>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The Jews charge Christ with taking away their souls, or stealing
away their hearts by hiding Himself from them. Strong words.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">I find I can often easily identify with the Jews in this passage. Some days, I
start with worship - thinking about God. But then my thoughts migrate. I start trying to figure Him out, trying to make Him make
sense-according-to-me. Overwhelmed by the enormity and awesomeness and power of
the God I want to believe in, I look for answers that make sense… and then I
start coming up with reasonings to try and make all of the puzzle pieces fit
together. Eventually, I start doubting and asking questions like:</span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Crafty Girls","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<ul>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; text-indent: 0in;">What if man really has made all of this up out of desperation
for something beyond this life?</span></li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; text-indent: 0in;">What if there really isn't a God? I think I've seen evidence of
Him, but what if I'm only seeing what I want to see?</span></li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Symbol; font-size: 10pt; text-indent: 0in;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal;"> </span></span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; text-indent: 0in;">What if Jesus wasn't anything more than a good man but deluded
teacher?</span></li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Symbol; font-size: 10pt; text-indent: 0in;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal;"> </span></span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; text-indent: 0in;">What if the Bible isn't inspired and is nothing more than a
creative, enticing fabrication created by those who wanted for themselves and
others a real purpose in life?</span></li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; text-indent: 0in;">What if this life is all there is and then there is nothing?</span></li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; text-indent: 0in;">What if I'm hoping for heaven and eternity... and there isn't?</span></li>
</ul>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><b>The problem with asking these questions is: How do I EVER really
answer them.</b></span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">And even if I did have clear, unquestionable answers, wouldn’t that negate the idea that humankind is made up of moral agents with
free will to choose what we believe? <b>Wouldn’t that call into question the
very premise that we are, in any way, different from the rest of creation? </b></span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Crafty Girls","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><b>There really aren't any answers other than to confess, once
again, my sin of unbelief - to cry out in desperation, "Lord, I believe!
Help Thou my unbelief!"</b></span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Crafty Girls","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">All of the Sunday School analogies I've learned through nearly 50 years of life all fall short. How can a finite mind comprehend an infinite God? The obvious answer is that man can't. I can't.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">And that's what faith is all about. <b>Faith is believing that a
miraculous synergism between God's empowering grace to believe and man's choice
to trust in that belief occurs, regardless of how things look or how well it all makes
sense...</b> </span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Crafty Girls","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Repeatedly, I must choose to leap and trust that God will be there
to catch me - even on the doubting days when I can't see or feel Him. I must live every day as though He were walking next to me, even when I don't really feel like He is there. I must choose be
okay with knowing that the moment I'll know for sure will be that moment when I
take my final breath on this earth.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="color: #333333; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">"Tell us, tell me, plainly... Have you come to take away our souls?"</span></b><span style="color: #333333; font-family: 'Crafty Girls', serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="color: #333333; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">The answer to that question is that Jesus came to deliver life back to my soul, your soul, every single one's soul...</span></b><span style="color: #333333; font-family: 'Crafty Girls', serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiK19chAjvyCcEBDm7I0uRJx44Q2XIZxWickWR52u0JH5lADbO6H_s0ylk2UW1Bqe73rXytcyezvBdIrr-m2ET_X5gFhjgBOCESC_mNdI9S3HlMqeTfcCOwzQXQO_kGqSNRi2KFI-0jcvdB/s1600/Jesusstatue.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiK19chAjvyCcEBDm7I0uRJx44Q2XIZxWickWR52u0JH5lADbO6H_s0ylk2UW1Bqe73rXytcyezvBdIrr-m2ET_X5gFhjgBOCESC_mNdI9S3HlMqeTfcCOwzQXQO_kGqSNRi2KFI-0jcvdB/s640/Jesusstatue.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: 'Crafty Girls', serif;"> </span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Just as those today who fear making that leap of faith and trusting Jesus... just as those who fear that a life spent following Jesus is only a life wasted because this life is all they have... these Jews accused Jesus of stealing from them the very gift He offered and longed for them to take.</span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: 'Crafty Girls', serif;"> </span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Jesus' response to this question was that He'd already plainly told them. He was <b>not</b> the thief, coming to seek and destroy - go back and read the first part of John 10, in case you've forgotten what He'd just taught.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">As I begin yet another new year, I am, once again, also trusting that God will use this continual tension in my life…
in my faith walk… to encourage and minister to a few others somewhere along the way. Who knows? Maybe that will be the very answer to my </span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">"Lord, I believe! Help Thou my unbelief!" prayer.</span></div>
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<b><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Were there some in that
crowd of Jews that day who then believed?</span></b><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Crafty Girls","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">How about you, today?
What do you believe about Jesus?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">How can you encourage
someone around you keep on making that leap of faith toward the Christ,
regardless…?</span></b><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Crafty Girls","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
Richelle Wrighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04083189929795613771noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4088576474458664356.post-47361139454188300542015-12-14T02:12:00.003+03:002015-12-14T02:12:38.010+03:00Tempted to Tell All<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">“Mama, when we were at the library the other day, I was tempted to tell someone about Jesus and how He was born to save us. Is that wrong?”</b></div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><div style="text-align: justify;">
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I couldn’t help but smile.</div>
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<b><div style="text-align: justify;">
<b>Funny question for a <a href="http://www.alifeoverseas.com/creating-traditions-abroad/">missionary kid</a> to be asking…</b></div>
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<b>After all, isn’t that what missionaries do? Isn’t that what we teach kids that missionaries do?</b></div>
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<b>Missionaries go, into ALL the world for this reason: telling ALL who have never heard or who have never believed or who just need to be reminded – ALL about Jesus.</b></div>
</b><div style="text-align: justify;">
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The message is first one of confrontation – the horribly bad news that ALL, are sinners and that as sinners, we are unable – in and of ourselves – to DO ANYTHING to remedy our sin problem. Which brings us to the second part of the bad news: the required punishment for any and every sin is death.</div>
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Grasping that part of the message is necessary; thankfully it doesn’t stop there or we would ALL be without hope.</div>
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The second half of the missionary message tells of reconciliation and restoration. It’s the hopeful part… the better part.</div>
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ALL men need someone to save them. So God sent ONE, His Son.</div>
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</span><div style="text-align: center;">
<img src="http://www.alifeoverseas.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/maryjosephedit-450x300.jpg" /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><div style="text-align: justify;">
It is what we celebrate during this holy season.</div>
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<b><a href="http://www.alifeoverseas.com/rethinking-the-christmas-story/">Jesus came</a> – born as a baby, but also born to die… for ALL men.</b></div>
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<b>He willingly and sacrificially took the punishment for ALL sin so that ALL men could be reconciled to God. The Good News gets even better. Jesus didn’t stay dead. God brought Him out of the tomb, alive and conquering death.<a href="http://www.alifeoverseas.com/a-christmas-prayer/"> </a>Because He lives, ALL men who believe this merciful message of grace and then trust Him have the hope of ALL eternity together with Him.</b></div>
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So I smiled when my little one asked her question. And I told her, “Of course it’s not wrong!”</div>
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She grinned and said that next time, she’d be kind by listening to God when He was tempting her to tell…and we went on with our day… and week…</div>
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God, however, wasn’t finished with me yet. He had an additional thought with which I need to wrestle so He kept bringing my mind back around to her question.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Particularly the phrase tempted to tell.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
The word tempted usually has a negative connotation. The dictionary definition, “to lure; to entice; to attempt to persuade (someone) to do or acquire something that they find attractive but know to be wrong or not beneficial,” clearly puts a negative spin on the word.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Why would anyone feeling that push or pull to share this message of hope describe it as temptation? In the case of my little one, I’m guessing it was the misapplication of a new word recently added to her vocabulary.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
</span><div style="text-align: center;">
<img src="http://www.alifeoverseas.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/shepherd2edit-449x300.jpg" /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 1.571em; padding: 0px;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><b>I don’t have that same excuse, and I’ve been convicted.</b></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Far too often those words “tempted to tell” accurately describe my approach to sharing the Gospel message. Telling is so “in your face.” Telling implies that somehow I know best and that the way I’m describing is right. Telling doesn't skip the first part, the confrontational part, of the message. I'm naturally more comfortable with that subtle, less confrontational approach. Oft’quoted words usually attributed to Francis d’Assisi: “Preach the Gospel at all times. If necessary, use words,” hold great appeal. “Your talk talks and your walk talks but your walk talks louder than your talk talks” is another catchy phrase I’ve commonly heard.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b><br /></b></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b>I’m tempted to tell – but can I be telling ALL if I won’t use words?</b></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b>No! The idea that we can communicate why Christ came without ever speaking a word is a forcefully magnetic ILLUSION.</b></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Its attractiveness compels in a world that often assumes words are, at best, cheap… At worst, words are perceived as worthless and devoid of meaning. But without words, any actions and ALL good deeds I do… they point at me. And the reality is that my righteous life by itself is woefully insufficient. </div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b>No matter how good, no matter how tempting the illusion might be, <a href="http://www.alifeoverseas.com/the-idolatry-of-missions/">my life alone cannot ever adequately tell of the baby born to die for ALL</a>.</b></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<a href="http://www.alifeoverseas.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/nativitycollage.jpg"></a></span><img alt="nativitycollage" class="aligncenter wp-image-4765" height="500" src="http://www.alifeoverseas.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/nativitycollage-700x700.jpg" style="border: none; clear: both; display: block; float: none; margin: 0px auto 1.571em; padding: 0px; text-align: justify;" width="500" /><b style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; text-align: justify;">A godly life cannot be the good news.</b><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
A godly life, when combined with words, can herald and proclaim the good news, just as angels did in a night sky more than 2000 years ago, just as shepherds and wise men did after worshiping Emmanuel.</div>
</span><div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /><div style="text-align: center;">
<i>In the beginning was the Word,and the Word was with God,</i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>and the Word was God.</i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>The same was in the beginning with God.</i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>All things were made by him;</i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>and without him was not any thing made that was made.</i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>In him was life;</i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>and the life was the light of men.</i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>And the light shineth in darkness;</i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>and the darkness comprehended it not.</i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>…And the Word was made flesh,</i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>and dwelt among us,</i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,</i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>full of grace and truth.</i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
(from John 1) </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b><i>************************************************** </i></b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b><i>How are you (in your place of ministry or country of residence)</i></b></span></div>
<div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><b><i>“tempted to tell all,” particularly at this time of the year?</i></b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><b><i><br /></i></b></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><div style="text-align: center;">
<b><i>**************************************************</i></b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">The mothers who write for Missionary Mom's Companion will be taking a break for the next few weeks. We are busy telling the Good News and celebrating the birth of the Savior, our Savior, with friends and family all around the world.</span></div>
<div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><div style="text-align: center;">
We look forward to returning sometime in mid-January.</div>
</span></div>
<div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><div style="text-align: center;">
<b>Wishing our readers and members of this blog community a</b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><br /></b></div>
</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>Merry Christmas</b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>and a</b></span></div>
<div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">Blessed New Year! </span></b></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /><div style="text-align: right;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Living Nativity Photos: <a href="http://www.capturedmemorieslansing.com/">Dick Stewart</a></span></div>
<div style="text-align: right;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: right;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">(This post has been slightly adapted from its original posting <a href="http://www.alifeoverseas.com/tempted-to-tell-all/">here</a>.)</span></div>
</span></div>
Richelle Wrighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04083189929795613771noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4088576474458664356.post-2028926964182704592015-11-28T08:00:00.000+03:002015-11-28T08:00:02.561+03:00Peace Offering<div class="post-body entry-content">
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxk6-KmLNVFM0islAEoQhwI3BsuNEG2lt6GaSyvkg2tFpzEnxnJztIEmXoZRCZDGD_KPp4SoPt1TfE6ZkGeFCLU7WduTpW3ftZIe_fyU5lNQOnUkqiZRReCggh_8rf_NDKwVYghbX4ZtM/s1600/IMG_3936.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxk6-KmLNVFM0islAEoQhwI3BsuNEG2lt6GaSyvkg2tFpzEnxnJztIEmXoZRCZDGD_KPp4SoPt1TfE6ZkGeFCLU7WduTpW3ftZIe_fyU5lNQOnUkqiZRReCggh_8rf_NDKwVYghbX4ZtM/s400/IMG_3936.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
You may be done with Thanksgiving and moved on to Christmas already, but we're just sitting down to our big meal today. Each year we invite our friends over to a very traditional Thanksgiving meal on the Saturday after Thanksgiving. We eat turkey and stuffing and even have The Parade on mute for everyone to watch. That's always fun to explain to everyone. <br />
<br />
It's been fun to see how our Tico friends have embraced this meal and look forward to it now as much we do. Last year they even started to make traditional dishes to bring, like pumpkin pie!<br />
<br />
Over the last couple of years, I've done some studying on peace. One of the things that
caught attention was a sacrifice in the Old Testament called the Peace
Offering. Unlike what you might be thinking, it wasn't to pacify God or
to buy Him off. <br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaJBeigwE9FeeTATaVY06tLhc7HFR-vTNx5GKAipouAwHLAoP1z8_y1IfH_suk6-iHKleHnhJhgwU2EUkGWXkdiYGKhEfwBwmb4LC2eCz4LscR6tX1vD4EXfeI4T34FwL0QxV-vlx4G8k/s1600/IMG_3944.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaJBeigwE9FeeTATaVY06tLhc7HFR-vTNx5GKAipouAwHLAoP1z8_y1IfH_suk6-iHKleHnhJhgwU2EUkGWXkdiYGKhEfwBwmb4LC2eCz4LscR6tX1vD4EXfeI4T34FwL0QxV-vlx4G8k/s400/IMG_3944.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
Nope, in fact it was an offering of thanksgiving. It
was one of the only offerings that was allowed to be sacrificed any time
someone felt like it. One might offer the sacrifice for the completion
of a vow, or out of thankfulness for some gift the Lord gave them. One
might also offer it as a thank offering for the Peace that they had
with God. After the animal was sacrificed, the one offering it ate the
meat in community with their friends and family.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsx_Nbmd25kI6ljeBxI7qTzfh1_QV4l-hZAGzlR07N2Ndk0kj97v6KewrjPLE-JxoWZF98I_6EhhX2bq3BCITbC5rKDWs7nQC_qfQAn1HmT1TGcZ3oEIt_6GV7m6ITS0z3YRbRJGsLDC8/s1600/IMG_3969.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsx_Nbmd25kI6ljeBxI7qTzfh1_QV4l-hZAGzlR07N2Ndk0kj97v6KewrjPLE-JxoWZF98I_6EhhX2bq3BCITbC5rKDWs7nQC_qfQAn1HmT1TGcZ3oEIt_6GV7m6ITS0z3YRbRJGsLDC8/s400/IMG_3969.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
This Peace Offering is how I've come to view our Thanksgiving meal. We very consciously offered
all the preparing, planing, time and money as a sacrifice of
thanksgiving to God. Let's be honest, that turkey isn't cheap here in the tropics! <br />
<br />
It's a peace offering for the community He has give us. This community wasn't something that came quickly or easily. Every year as I look around at the friends who come to eat our weird gringo food and watch this weird parade thing with us, I am so thankful! <br />
<br />
It's also a Peace Offering for the Peace that we have with God. "For He Himself is our Peace." <br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2uW6HIF2q66CFM-TEw4SRmWwfl8Yd3W7krqM2SaNOgzyuHiL-wMGfPgbmK4JNy5pDbYgQlgU8Xhyzl6oO7u5-z6DYsk7hZvWTW4qdk23C0imCrdWM6wOdbyDFYfYhRNogaEXOi-NOhtM/s1600/IMG_3921.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2uW6HIF2q66CFM-TEw4SRmWwfl8Yd3W7krqM2SaNOgzyuHiL-wMGfPgbmK4JNy5pDbYgQlgU8Xhyzl6oO7u5-z6DYsk7hZvWTW4qdk23C0imCrdWM6wOdbyDFYfYhRNogaEXOi-NOhtM/s400/IMG_3921.jpg" width="266" /></a></div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><i><span style="font-family: inherit;">"<span class="text Eph-2-19" id="en-NASB-29249">So
then you are no longer strangers and aliens, </span></span></i></b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><i><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="text Eph-2-19" id="en-NASB-29249">but you are fellow
citizens with the saints, </span></span></i></b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><i><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="text Eph-2-19" id="en-NASB-29249">and are of God’s household" -Ephesians 2:19</span></span></i></b></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
Thankful. Very, very thankful.<br />
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<b><i><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></i></b>
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Liz Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09698702321324459456noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4088576474458664356.post-37718911551284074852015-11-25T21:27:00.002+03:002015-11-25T21:27:53.560+03:00Zhatva<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
With a loose theme of Thanksgiving here on the blog this month, some have written about what the Thanksgiving holiday is like in their family or country of residence. I'll continue that theme, especially since I missed it this year, and I usually love it so much.<br />
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As a regular holiday, Ukraine and Russia don't really celebrate Thanksgiving. However, the churches have a special harvest Sunday called Zhatva. The sermons and special music and all focus on God's gifts to us and thanking Him for them. There's not a set date for Zhatva. In fact, often regional pastors work together to stagger the dates in the different churches, so that we can visit each other and celebrate together. Usually, Zhatva Sundays are in September, although sometimes they flow over into late August and October.<br />
<br />
Some years our family has gone to three or maybe even more Zhatva celebrations, when we've been very involved in church ministry. I especially love when we get to go out to a village to thank God for the harvest He has given there. Those village services are usually followed by a real feast, often outdoors in the lovely fall weather.<br />
<br />
This year, I was travelling for other reasons, so I missed Zhatva at the church that we attend, and we didn't visit any others. But, my husband made sure to take photos for me, and I'll share some of those with you. There are always lovely displays of the fruits and vegetables that God has given:<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhP7wV4q8BcVX_yxrenEuiYozbU74FKBfoedWFnIkkB4IS80hmHcZ1kPOUxBZ4odxBtoDRjdW4SxUJ7fSqYVFg-0mFhbfQIIFGjPCxJfAkN_rYLqXBQL-mkR3ER9s0GVNPr1fnZPn9V/s1600/PicMonkey+Collage.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhP7wV4q8BcVX_yxrenEuiYozbU74FKBfoedWFnIkkB4IS80hmHcZ1kPOUxBZ4odxBtoDRjdW4SxUJ7fSqYVFg-0mFhbfQIIFGjPCxJfAkN_rYLqXBQL-mkR3ER9s0GVNPr1fnZPn9V/s320/PicMonkey+Collage.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<br />
Oh, and here's just one old post (one of many) about <a href="http://fylliska.blogspot.com/2008/09/already.html">a village Zhatva</a> on our family blog. (Can you see how our family has grown since then?!) This really is one of my favorite parts of church life here.<br />
<br />
<b>Who else out there has been to a Slavic church's Zhatva celebration? Or do churches in your part of the world do something similar?</b></div>
Phyllishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09529794989164847124noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4088576474458664356.post-87139277109028723122015-11-14T00:30:00.000+03:002015-11-20T07:21:17.580+03:00Thanksgiving Trees as a Simple Outreach<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I am sure that nearly all of you have heard of the "Thanksgiving Tree" tradition. For those who might not know of it, it's where you make a tree out of paper to hang on your wall, or out of bare branches in a vase or jar, and adorn it over time with paper leaves with hand-written blessings on them. Some people like to do this for the entire month of November, others just for Thanksgiving week or day as a way to focus our hearts on thankfulness to the Lord. You can invite those who enter your home to participate with you and to count their own blessings by hanging a leaf or two on your tree. The end result is a beautiful display of the Lord's goodness.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-2mt5Q8v9NT_wvW4fkmc1R8V0JUL-2jNJHMOHgIdpv_7j0v_c1qMbFv1apfox8gxsw-oKsjICDjwV96Tll-nGQq5ll1WBl5uMnzFCZj2dqAZK0IazuVe1SikyfYbpa03-jkjyNG_FGZo/s1600/Thanksgiving+tree+2014.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="419" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-2mt5Q8v9NT_wvW4fkmc1R8V0JUL-2jNJHMOHgIdpv_7j0v_c1qMbFv1apfox8gxsw-oKsjICDjwV96Tll-nGQq5ll1WBl5uMnzFCZj2dqAZK0IazuVe1SikyfYbpa03-jkjyNG_FGZo/s640/Thanksgiving+tree+2014.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our Thanksgiving Tree last year, not long after we started</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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We have done this tradition in our home for a number of years, and last year got to thinking about how this is such a great way to engage non-believers in spiritual conversation. When we think of the things that we are thankful for, a natural second question is to whom we are grateful for these gifts.<br />
<br />
Our daughter goes to Russian pre-school, so we decided to see if we might be able to share this tradition with her class. I explained about the tree and how the teacher could gather the kids around each day for a week or so to ask them two question; first being what they are thankful for, and second being to whom they are thankful. Our beloved teacher surprised us with her great enthusiasm and explained how she loved this idea after noticing how kids these days are growing to feel more and more entitled to things and less and less grateful. Our teacher is not a believer but has a huge heart for developing the character of her kids.<br />
<br />
We brought in the tree and a bunch of cut out leaves with string loops attached, and the teacher and class fell in love with this tradition. They did it not only for a week, but an entire month! One day not long after they started, our daughter's teacher, who knows that we are Christians, said, "Guess what? Today a little boy said that he was thankful for the sun. And guess who he was thankful to? God!"<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5s2Ry6WL4VwZqtj7Bv16iUHDjGEOpXyjcmcn0QxlzbhR7x3IcoNCUlcHxeTSGhPiYW_hyS3uDlviXaIbQL1QcCpZAFF69jZ4icmQ70BYOxeq9afqiQ4fVu3UGa1VZN8TV92RtA0R5oVM/s1600/Thanksgiving+tree+detski+sahd.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5s2Ry6WL4VwZqtj7Bv16iUHDjGEOpXyjcmcn0QxlzbhR7x3IcoNCUlcHxeTSGhPiYW_hyS3uDlviXaIbQL1QcCpZAFF69jZ4icmQ70BYOxeq9afqiQ4fVu3UGa1VZN8TV92RtA0R5oVM/s640/Thanksgiving+tree+detski+sahd.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The preschool Thanksgiving tree, also not long after they started</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
The teacher felt that this practice of giving thanks was so valuable that she went around to all of the other classes in our preschool and even to a gathering of preschool teachers in the city and shared the idea, encouraging them to adopt it for their own classes.<br />
<br />
I wanted to share this with you as a very simple and non-confrontational way to spur hearts towards spiritual things and to begin conversations with groups, perhaps at schools or other places, where you might not be welcomed to share as openly about the gospel as you would like. God has greatly used this tradition to open doors for us and I pray that it might do the same for some of you!<br />
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<b>Is the Thanksgiving Tree a part of your family tradition? What are some ways that you've been able to reach out to people in your community through the Thanksgiving holiday?</b></div>
Ashley L.http://www.blogger.com/profile/13672126596754224593noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4088576474458664356.post-70763869521965689802015-11-07T05:00:00.000+03:002015-11-07T21:18:36.031+03:00A Story of Three Very Different Thanksgivings<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; text-align: justify;">Thoughts of Thanksgivings way past... </span><br />
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<li><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; text-align: justify;">traveling to grandparents' house</span></li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">aunts and uncles and cousins and family friends </span></li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">tearing around a small, rural southern Illinois town on bikes in jeans and sweatshirts, fingers and noses freezing, but a last hurrah before it became too wintery</span></li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">the smell of cigars</span></li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Thanksgiving Day parades on TV - with all of those amazing floats </span></li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">American football in the heyday of the Pittsburgh Steelers</span></li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">cousin slumber parties in the refinished basement</span></li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">tables and tables and tables full of food including Stove Top Stuffing spiked with chunks of cheese</span></li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">unlimited orange and grape pop in the basement fridge...</span></li>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Magical memories...</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">They easily assume an almost mystical, mythological place in our minds, which then makes it all the more difficult to appreciate a present moment. As an adult, I've discovered that those delightful recollections of childhood Thanksgivings had unexpected repercussions. I'd try to recreate aspects of those bygone days, only to fail miserably because it never felt the same, at least not to me.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">I was on an express path to lose my love for what had always been my most treasured holiday.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Don't get me wrong. There's nothing wrong with remembering. But there's so much wrong with trying to recreate what has passed... Instead, we have to draw from the past to build something new.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Our first "traditional" Thanksgiving in W. Africa was a memorable one. My father-in-law had flown out to visit and to see our new home. He brought a frozen turkey in his carry-on! I learned to make mock pumpkin pie from squash, mock pecan pie using oatmeal and mock apple pie from zucchini. I made giblet gravy for the first time and stuffing from scratch - we splurged on cheese to stuff down into the chunks of bread. We borrowed VHS tapes with old football games on them, pulled out our piddly artificial Christmas tree to decorate and began playing Christmas music. We worked on puzzles and played board games and watched Swiss Family Robinson. We'd invited a few single friends to spend the day with us. We discovered that some of the best watermelon EVER came into season during November in Niger and started a new Thanksgiving tradition that involved watermelon instead of cranberries. We prayed and thanked the Lord for our new home. It was a beautiful, wonderful Saturday (since the actual US Thanksgiving day was work as usual for the rest of the world) that set the scene for many more W. African Thanksgivings to come...</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">After we'd been living in Niger for a few years, we realized that our brothers and sisters in the church also celebrated a time of thanksgiving. Sometime in October, after the beginning of the school year (October 1), many churches observed a "Fête de Moisson," or Harvest Celebration. Invitations were sent to sister churches. Neighborhood children were invited. The church was meticulously cleaned, sometimes even repainted and decorations were strung from the metal trusses supporting the roof. A goat or sheep was slaughtered and slow cooked in a sauce we'd smell throughout the entire service. Everyone brought some food - or at the very least, a bag of hard candies or several bagged yogurts to share. Sometimes, there was even a case of cold, glass bottled Coke - for the men. A basket was placed in the front of the church and after the time of singing and a short sermon, everyone had several opportunities to sing and dance their way down the aisle, to the front and place gifts in that basket - first the elders, then all the men, then all the women, then the choir, then the children, then families - one by one... and on and on. Often, the women would buy yards of the same material from the market several weeks ahead of time and would show up to church in mostly matching outfits. There were games during the children's Sunday School time - sometimes prizes were handed out to children who recited their verses. At the conclusion of the service, we'd eat a meal together - men served first, often in groups of 5 or 6 sitting around a large plate piled high with the rice and sauce that had been awfully distracting during the sermon. Then children would be served... and finally the women would eat together. Usually everyone ate with their hands. Sometimes - trying to be nice, they gave us - the missionary family - spoons to use. We always smiled and said thank you - and never said that it was actually more fun to eat with our hands. I can't say that I loved it... this Thanksgiving celebration... NOT the first time. But it grew on me. The past few years, I've missed watching my children dance and laugh and clap their way to the front of the church - and the offering basket - while our African family danced and laughed and clapped with them.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">This year, we celebrated Thanksgiving in Canada. Canadian Thanksgiving's beginnings are more closely identified to European traditions than to New World unity. Many decades before Europeans settled in North America, festivals of thanks and celebrations of harvest took place throughout Europe during the month of October. It is generally agreed that the first Thanksgiving celebration in North America actually took place in Canada, when English explorer Martin Frobisher landed in Newfoundland. He was thankful for safety as he traveled across the Atlantic. He arrived 43 years before the Pilgrims landed in Massachusetts... 1572. I've only ever celebrated Canadian Thanksgiving in Quebec; according to what most have told me - it isn't nearly as big of a deal in Quebec as it is in Ontario and western Canada (nobody really said anything about further east). At most, it is a three day weekend to spend time with family. More typically, it is a bit of a party weekend, with Monday as the official holiday. After our traditional Thanksgiving meal (with from-scratch cranberry sauce, for the first time ever), our daughter and her friend went out door to door in our neighborhood. They were collecting pop and other cans for recycling (it's a common way students here raise funds for school activities). Her friend said it would be a great weekend - lots of beer bottles to collect - and she was right. We filled our SUV with garbage bags full of bottles and cans. Even the passenger side front seat was packed, and the girls had to walk to the return center while I drove to meet them. Our church did have a meal after the service on Sunday, which was a fun time to fellowship, eat delicious food and visit. But we couldn't hang out all day as we rent a room and had a deadline by which we needed to be cleaned up and cleared out. The Christian school our children attend gifted families with a four-day weekend - and the last Thursday afternoon was spent watching students (dressed in "Fall" themed/colored costumes) participate in an annual competition: the Autumn Leaves Race. Many parents were at the school to cheer their kids on, and it seemed like fun was had by all - even the highschoolers who had to reluctantly run 2+ kilometers. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">We're still figuring out Thanksgiving here. We live near a First Nations/Native American reservation. I'd love to find out if they have any type of harvest celebration! Next year, maybe!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Were those Thanksgivings past better than more recent ones? No. And even though not EVERY year makes memories with the same sort of reminiscing power, Thanksgiving remains my favorite time of year...</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Maybe because it isn't all about me. It is all about remembering why I'm thankful... and to quote some lyrics of a well-known song: </span></div>
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The sun comes up</div>
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It's a new day dawning</div>
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It's time to sing Your song again</div>
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Whatever may pass</div>
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And whatever lies before me</div>
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Let me be singing</div>
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When the evening comes</div>
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You're rich in love</div>
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And You're slow to anger</div>
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Your name is great</div>
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And Your heart is kind</div>
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For all Your goodness</div>
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I will keep on singing</div>
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Ten thousand reasons</div>
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For my heart to find</div>
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And on that day</div>
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When my strength is failing</div>
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The end draws near</div>
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And my time has come</div>
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Still my soul will</div>
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Sing Your praise unending</div>
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Ten thousand years</div>
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And then forevermore</div>
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Forevermore</div>
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Bless the Lord oh my soul</div>
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Oh my soul</div>
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Worship His Holy name</div>
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Sing like never before</div>
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Oh my soul</div>
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I'll worship Your Holy name"</div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">(Matt Redman - <i>10,000 Reasons</i>)</span></div>
</span>Richelle Wrighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04083189929795613771noreply@blogger.com3