Here I go!

This past week was Missions Conference 

at my sending church (Mt.Zion Baptist).

What a great week of preaching, testimonies from

 the missionaries, & stirring slide presentations.

Today, I head back to Africa.

It has been a blessing to be home, get recharged, 

& to report to my supporters.

My church had a special service on Sunday night to send me off.

The Smiles & Sunshine Ministry gave me a fuzzy blanket 

to remind me of the blessed time we had together serving the Lord.

Pastor preached from the following passage:

Romans 16:1&2 ¶  I commend unto you Phebe our sister, which is a servant of the church which is at Cenchrea: That ye receive her in the Lord, as becometh saints, 

and that ye assist her in whatsoever business she hath need of you: 

for she hath been a succourer of many, and of myself also."

After the message, the ladies of the church gathered around me 

to pray for the Lord to protect, guide, & strengthen me.

I am blessed to have a wonderful group of believers here 

holding me up in prayer!

Life Lessons from Farm Living: Introduction

The other week, some of my friends asked me to watch over their farm

 while they got away for a few days.

I counted it a privledge to be asked. 

Also, I was needing a little retreat from home life & traveling life.

As they say in Green Acres, "Farm Livin is the Life for ME!"

I do enjoy the life on a farm.

Yes, it is very hard & tiresome work, but it also has its rewards.

In Zambia I will be living on a farm, so this was the perfect chance

 to get back in the swing of things in preparation to go.

Click here to see the farm I will be living on in Zambia.

During those few short days of watching over the farm,

some of the animals made me love them more while others tried my patience.

As I sat on the porch just to take a breath in the quietness, 

I thought of all of the "life lessons" I had learned while having this experience.

In the next few posts, I will share with you some 

"Life Lessons from Farm Living".

"Ouch! That's gonna leave a mark! "

Lately, I have been pondering on how God allows us

 to go through and grow through the trials in our lives.

In my church (and probably in yours), there are all kinds of people. 

 The ones who are my heroes & encouragers are those who have grown through their trials.  

How easily we can sit in a pew thinking -

 "That person is a super christian. It must be because their life is easy". 

 The opposite is usually true.  

Those "great" Christians are usually the ones who have the biggest scars and deepest hurt, but by God's grace and power they have not allowed Satan to have victory over their lives.

What got me thinking on all of this? 

Well, I'll tell you.

I was looking over my pictures from before I left South Africa in February.

As I was getting my house in order and ready to pack everything up, 

I decided to do a big "spring cleaning" to make the house look great

 for the next people who would move in.

One of those cleaning chores involved taking down this huge "curtain box" 

(you know, the wooden frame that your curtains or drapes are hung in).

That thing was huge and heavy!

After almost killing myself, I got it loose and lifted it up.

The weight was too much for me, so the beam of wood slipped out of my hand 

and hit me right on the face.

But, I didn't give up, I wanted to get everything clean, 

so I gathered what was left of my strength and got ahold of it.

Finally, I was able to set it on the floor.

I was reveling in my victory over the "curtain box"

(ha ha ha, you thought you won, but I tackled you down!),

 when I realized that when it hit me in the face it almost knocked me out.

My head hurt and my face was numb.

I put my hand up to see why it was so numb.

When I looked at my hand, there was blood.

Yep, that "curtain box" got me right in the face.

Not only did it hit me hard, but it hit me so hard 

that 2 of my teeth went right through my upper lip.

"Ouch! That's gonna leave a mark!", I said.

Well, don't they say that 'a scratch adds character?'

Actually, it healed rather quickly and the scar on my face is unnoticeable.

Sometimes, things do happen in our lives that hurt us badly and may even leave a scar.

What do you do about those things?

Do you use that experience the rest of your life as an excuse for not obeying and serving God or do you allow that "scar" to be healed by the Balm of Gilead?

It may leave a mark, so ask yourself,

"if I am going to go through it, will I grow through it?

Ps 6:2 Have mercy upon me, O LORD; 

for I am weak: 

O LORD, heal me; 

for my bones are vexed.

Ac 28:27 For the heart of this people is waxed gross, 

and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes have they closed;

 lest they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, 

and understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them.

MOVING: Here & There

For the last few weeks I have been packing for Zambia.

I can't believe that very soon I will have possessions in 3 countries 

(stuff to store & ship> here in the USA, 

suitcases that I will be taking to Zambia,

and household & ministry items in storage in South Africa).

It seems like just yesterday that I packed up those belongings 

in South Africa. 

In all of the busyness of packing, planning to leave the country & the sale 

of possessions, I don't think I have ever posted pictures from that move in February of this year.

Here is a glimpse of what it is like to move from one country to another.

Everything was boxed.

Everything was labeled.

Even the chairs were wrapped.

Horray!  I was thinking that I sold all of my chairs 

and now that I see these pictures

 I realize that I WILL have a chair to sit on 

(that is, when the stuff finally arrives).

After labeling everything, the movers bring it outside.

Then I sign a paper and they loaded it into a moving truck.

The next time I will see my household & ministry 

possessions is still UNKNOWN.

As a woman, that worries me.  

My possessions include teaching materials, ministry supplies, 

crafting supplies, clothing, pots&pans, other kitchen stuff, furniture,... 

All things that are useful for life in general.  

I would love to have "my things" around me. 

 It is funny how having the familiar around you helps you to feel 

more at home 

when you are alone on the mission field.  

As a christian, though, I know that God is always with me. 

 I know that I don't really NEED stuff (stuff makes life a little easier, 

but I can always trust in God to be my source of all of my needs).

In less than a week, my possessions will be whatever fits inside my suitcases. 

 Ministry can be done with nothing, that is true, 

but I ask that you pray for a few things:

1- God's provision of supplies 

(He has already used the church ladies in Zambia to provide 

for some of my household needs.

2- safe travel to Zambia (Tues & Wed Oct 28 &29)

3- everything to arrive safely & accounted for

4- school & ministry supplies in barrels to arrive around Christmas 

(or before :)  )

5- MOST IMPORTANTLY: for the Zambian government to quickly approve 

my Visa & residency paperwork 

(these will take 3-? months to get passed through the system).  

My things in storage in South Africa cannot come into Zambia 

until these things are approved 

(once approved it could take months till they arrive).

 Realisticly it may be any time between March-June 2015.

Here are a few verses that God has given us to reassure us that 

He will take care of all of our needs:

Mt 6:8 Be not ye therefore like unto them: for your Father knoweth 

what things ye have need of, before ye ask him.

Ac 2:45 And sold their possessions and goods, and parted them to all men, 

as every man had need.

Php 4:12  I know both how to be abased, and I know how to abound: 

every where and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need.

 Php 4:19 But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in 

glory by Christ Jesus.

Mt 6:25-33 "Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment? Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they?Which of you by   taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature? And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin: And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.  Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith?  Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed?  (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you."