Ice Skating

Monday, was ice skating day!

A family from my home church invited me to go 

ice skating with some of the teens.

I picked up one of the families (like sisters and a little brother to me) 

and we headed over to the York City Ice Arena.

With every lap we made around the rink,

we did our best to become better skaters.

Most of all I enjoyed the fellowship.

I will miss these girls and ladies when I get to South Africa,

but I also look forward to a new ministry with

other ladies and girls.

It almost felt like time stood still for those few hours and I could forget about everything that needs to be done and just skate around, 

laughing and playing with the teens.

We need days like that now and then.

 Of course, the day was not without a few blisters, falls,

slidding on the ice, near accidents, and the whip (led by Kyle :)

I am so glad to have such good fellowship.

As I looked around at each of these girls three thoughts came to mind:

1) they all have great and godly mothers who spend time with them, pray diligently for them, and have taught them to honor God.

2) hopefully, one day each of them will raise daughters to love, obey, and honor God.

3) they are my hope for the future of our church in South Africa.  Wouldn't it be great to have a group of young ladies who love the Lord and desire to serve Him!  Wouldn't it be great to have Zulu girls who have godly mothers!

Keep Praying!  He IS Faithful!!!

Paper, Ribbon, Fabric, and Buttons

 Last week, my friend Libby came over to teach me 

how to make some new craft projects.

We enjoy spending time together because we both have 

a burden for missions.

She is the "flower lady".

We made flower pins and she made a box and card with flowers.

Each of these projects are not just crafts, but gifts for people, 

as well as, things that we can hopefully do with some of the 

children and ladies on the mission fields that God has directed us to.

My mom also came over and did her favorite thing - sew!

I have a "Big Shot" die cutting machine that will

cut through 8 layers of cotton fabric.

 Mom came over to try out the new die that came in the mail.

It is a Dresden Plate quilt design (see the picture below).

It was so easy to have two different size Dresden Quilt blocks 

in just a matter of minutes.

I think all the excitement wore my mom out :)

We accomplished alot and laughed alot.

It was so much fun to be creative and to have a wonderful time of fellowship.

I am so thankful for the family and friends that God has placed in my life.

 Proverbs 27:9 "Ointment and perfume rejoice the heart: 

so doth the sweetness of a man's friend by hearty counsel." 

Some Devotional Thoughts from Mark 15

My morning necessities- my Bible & my coffee!
Notice the snow scene reflected in my coffee.

This morning, while reading my devotions a few thoughts came to mind that I thought you may like.  I have been reading through the book of Mark and today have arrived at the best part – Christ’s crucifiction.  Leading up to this I have been reading about Christ’s earthly ministry as He clearly shows He is the Son of God.  Now He is taken by the Roman soldiers and brought before Pilate.  Pilate is appalled, by His reply of nothing (15:2).  Finally Christ says, “why should I reply, you are already saying who I am”.  Isn’t it funny that the heathen know who God is.  Some people look to themselves as gods to make their own life choices, yet, they accuse His people of being God’s people (“Oh, you are one of ‘them”!”).

Next, I saw how God even used the sinfulness of a man named Barabas to bring glory to Himself.  God sometimes uses our sin to point others to the Savior.  Christ dying on the cross spoke heavily to His people when one of the worst sinners was set free.  Christ died in this awful man’s place and He has died for me!  I wonder what Barabas thought of all of this.  

How beautiful! The snow on Saturday & Sunday.

What led the people to let this man go?  The awful sin of envy (15:10) by the high priests.  Even what I consider little sins can culminate in something as big.  Wow, be careful Christians when we give one thing over to satan!

As I read further, I saw how the soldiers mocked Christ, dressed Him up as King, and then they cast lots for his garments (15:24).  The unsaved mock Christ and laugh at His name, but they still want a part of Him, only when it is of some profit to them.  If it was modern times, they probably would have gambled for His clothes and then sold them on EBay to the highest bidder.  Sadly, the world we live in and the world Christ lived in has not changed.

The Cottage- where I used to live.

The best part of my reading today was in verse 34.  Christ’s words – “My God, My God, why hast Thou forsaken me?”  This last week, I have been reading about Christ’s time in the garden praying and His teaching to the disciples about His coming death, but now here He is.  The moment He has prepared His disciples for and He asks His Father why He is forsaken.  He knew what would happen because He has told it so many times.  He told the people that God cannot look on sin and yet He wonders why God has forsaken Him.  

This is the most triumphant moment of all – He is humanity!  This is so sweet and precious to me.  The God-Man has truly shown His love and the affect it has on Him to be separated by sin from His beloved Father.  This is what made the centurion standing by finally believe (15:39).  The Bible says that when He cried out, “My God, My God, why hast Thou forsaken me”, that is when the centurion believed.  

How powerful this message is to us!

View across the field to my neighbor's farm.

The last thing that I gathered today, in this chapter, was God’s perfect timing.  Joseph of Aramathea came to claim Christ’s body on the day of preparation for the Sabbath (15:42).  The Lamb of God had been slain and now it was time to take His body to prepare for burial.  Pilate was astonished that Christ was actually dead.  He was also amazed that Joseph came so quickly for the body of our Lord.  God’s people were used to show Pilate their faith and dedication to our God.  The saints reacted to the death, burial, and resurrection in a faithful manner.  They trusted Christ in life and in death.  Oh, to be seen as one of those saints. 

I am sure there is much more to glean, 

but these are just some of what specifically stuck out to me today.

My house in the ice & snow on Sunday.

A Lesson in Obedience

Last week as I prepared to leave the house for the weekend, I did my normal routine.

Put the laundry away, did the dishes, and tried to tidy up a bit.

In my hurry to leave by a certain time, I opened a cupboard 

and one of my favorite glass bowls fell out and broke. 

 I probably paid a dollar for the bowl at a yard sale, 

but it was the perfect size for my mixing needs.

Mom & I on Christmas day

Of course, I was on the phone with my mom while I was scurrying to leave and she told me, "Gina, you had better clean that up before you step in it and get glass in your foot".  My reply was, "Sure mom, I need to go now".  

So I picked up the big stuff and swept the tiny pieces along the edge of the cupboard to be cleaned up when I returned on Monday

(don't you just love procrastination?).

Mom was right!
On Monday, I was making my coffee and stepped right in the glass.
Nothing got in my foot (my feet have very tough skin on the bottom
 because I am always barefoot).
Oh, that reminded me to clean it up.

Do you think I cleaned it up?
NO!
I got sidetracked by another project and walked away.


Later that day, I was walking down the hall and something very sharp hit my foot.
It was a piece of glass.
I lifted my foot and examined the calloused bottom.
I pulled the fragment out.
Only a scratch, but it still hurt.
Oh, well.  Momma always says, "You'll live till you get married!"
Not married yet so I have a few more years to live :)


I sat down after walking back down the hall and later glanced down at my foot.
Blood was trickling down the side and dripping on the other foot.

I knew I should have listened to my mother!


Col 3:20 "Children, obey your parents in all things: 

for this is well pleasing unto the Lord."

Isn't that how we are with God sometimes?

"Yes, God, I hear you", we say.  

Only then, we walk away and forget what we should have obeyed Him in.

Sometimes, I know I am so preoccupied with what needs to be done, 

that I fail to obey Him in the simplest things.

Then I step where I shouldn't and pay the concequences for that disobedience.

There is still a small piece of glass in my foot that I can't see and can't get out.

Every time I step, it reminds me of my disobedience.

I know eventually it will work its way out.

Just think, I could have avoided the misery if I had only obeyed.

(But then, I would not have learned such a valuable lesson.)

God knows my sinful nature and He even uses it for His glory.

What a God we serve!

Bible Lessons on Obedience~

•  For those under authority:  Col 3:22 "Servants, obey in all things your masters according to the flesh; not with eyeservice, as menpleasers; but in singleness of heart, fearing God:    Heb 13:17 "Obey them that have the rule over you, and submit yourselves: for they watch for your souls, as they that must give account, that they may do it with joy, and not with grief: for that is unprofitable for you."                                                                             
• For everyone: Acts 5:29 "Then Peter and the other apostles answered and said, We ought to obey God rather than men."  Deut 13:4 "Ye shall walk after the LORD your God, and fear him, and keep his commandments, and obey his voice, and ye shall serve him, and cleave unto him."  1Sam 15:22 "And Samuel said, Hath the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the LORD? 
  Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams."
• For wives: 1Peter 3:1 "Likewise, ye wives, be in subjection to your own husbands; that, if any obey not the word, they also may without the word be won by the conversation of the wives;"
• If the wind & sea can obey Him, why can't I?  He sent His Son to die for me! Luke 8:25 "And He said unto them, Where is your faith? And they being afraid wondered, saying one to another, What manner of man is this! for He commandeth even the winds and water, and they obey him."

Friend, Farm, Fun

Winter time for me, means that I can go out and visit 

some new churches that I have not been to.

It is a delight of mine to meet other believers 

and to have wonderful fellowship with them.

When I don't have a meeting, I look for a like-minded church to visit 

in hopes of getting invited to come back later 

to share my ministry with the church.

My friend Ann

Last weekend I visited two churches in Lebanon, PA.

I had the added blessing of being able 

to spend some time with my dear friend Ann.

Ann was a missionary to the inner city kids in the Philadelphia area.

               She lived in the city and has served the Lord faithfully 
                                    since she was a teenager.

Now she is blessed to live on this beautiful farm in the country.

Her days are still filled with the sound of children 

chattering and playing outside.

There are also peaceful quiet moments where she can spend more time studying His Word 

and encouraging other believers.

When you live on a farm, there is alot of work to be done, 

so she helps the farmer and his wife by watching the kids.

She is like a mother, grandmother, sister, part time homeschool teacher, 

arts and craft teacher, hard worker, missionary,....

Anns crafts

Ann is truly a modern day portrayal of the Proverbs 31 Woman.

 Proverbs 31:13 

"She seeketh wool, and flax, and worketh willingly with her hands."

Ann loves to make beautiful things.

God has truly given her the gift of making something beautiful out of nothing.

During my visit, she taught me to knit this pretty scarf.

Since the weekend I have made more scarves and have also taught my mom.

More than making the scarves, I enjoy the times we spent together learning, talking, and making something beautiful.

The scarf I made during this visit will always be precious to me, 

representing the special memories I have with her.

During my visit, we also talked of God's faithfulness to us as we serve Him.

He always provides for our needs and lovingly leads us in His will.

I am so thankful that God has placed His faithful servants in my life.

They have already gone before me and have valuable life lessons to share with others, like me.

The Bible says we should be learning from the older folks.

 1Pe 5:1 ¶ The elders which are among you I exhort, 

who am also an elder, and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, 

and also a partaker of the glory that shall be revealed:

 1Pe 5:5 ¶ Likewise, ye younger, submit yourselves unto the elder. 

Yea, all of you be subject one to another, and be clothed with humility: 

for God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble.

Who are you learning from and 

what spiritual life lessons have you passed on to the younger generation?