Tag Archives: parenting

Family Christmas Photos!!

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Hey Everyone!

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Merry Christmas!

Welcome to our home!!

We’ll be in Longboat Key at the beach for Christmas to relax…

It’s been a busy “work/school/drama team, etc.” year so far!!

Here are some photos of Casey as Santa in our Christmas drama on Sunday at our church!!

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He’s not in the “Ho!  Ho! Ho!  Jolly Santa” character, yet!
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Oh, that’s better!!  Ha!

 

He had to learn the real meaning of Christmas…

 

Through the song…

“This Is Christmas”

By Kutless

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What is Christmas?!?”

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It’s all about a Savior wrapped in a manger!!

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What is Christmas??? 

Without Christ??

Also, some photos of our Pre-Christmas Italian Dinner…

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Hubby stirring the huge pot of sauce, meatballs, and boiled eggs I made!!

Yes, boiled eggs!

My Mom put everything in our sauce!!

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Yum!!!

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Dig in!!!

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And…add lots of Parmesan/Romano Cheese!!!

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Come on in and join us!!

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Don’t forget the Crazy Siberian!!!!

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Since we’ll be away on Christmas Day…

We opened presents early!!

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When did sneakers become toys?!?!

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Let’s read the Christmas story!!!

Luke 2

“…For unto you is born this day in the city of David

a Saviour,

which is Christ the Lord.

 And this shall be a sign unto you;

Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.

And suddenly there was with the angel

a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying,

Glory to God in the highest,

and on earth Peace, Good Will toward men…

 And all they that heard it wondered at those things which were told them by the shepherds…

 And the shepherds returned, glorifying

and praising God

for all the things that they had heard and seen,

as it was told unto them….”

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The doggie wants to hear, too!!!

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Praying you and your family have a…

 

 

Very Blessed and Merry Christmas

 

 

And a…

 

 

Healthy and Happy New Year!!

 

 

Love!  Love!  Love!!

 

 

God Bless!!

 

 

From All Of Us!!

 

 

From Our House to Yours!

 

 

Love, Mom, Dad, Son, Dog, and Snake!!!

 

Amen!

Here’s Looking At You, “Kidd!” – In Memory Of Justin Kidd…

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I sat outside on my lanai…

With my cup of coffee on a bright sunny day last week…

Reading through some old Pentecostal Evangel magazines…

I have ready outside for just such an opportunity to sit and relax!

I came across an article about “Dave and Robin Kidd, who pastor True North Church (Assemblies of God) in Minerva, Ohio, and offer marriage seminars through their Binding Hearts Marriage and Family Ministries.  The Kidd family suffered the destruction of their home to a fire on the night of April 27, 2013.   Their son, Justin, 20, was unable to get out of his basement bedroom, and perished in the fire. The Kidds have continued in ministry during the months following Justin’s death, and reflect this Thanksgiving on the blessing of his life.”

To read the entire interview with

Scott Harrup, Pentecostal Evangel managing editor…

Go to:

http://www.pe.ag.org/archives/connections.cfm

Oh, my heart broke for them…

I have a 23 year-old son…

  I can’t even begin to imagine such a thing…

I prayed, Lord, please comfort them…

Then, I noticed that his parents mentioned…

 He had a blog on WordPress…

And that it was very popular with his youth group…

As I read his posts…

I, first of all, felt the love he had as a youth pastor…

And I was so amazed at the spiritual maturity of this 20 year-old!

(Please check out his entire blog and pray for his family)

http://justinkidder.wordpress.com/

For instance…

I reblogged an awesome post by Reality of Christ last June…

Debunking the lie that God won’t give us more than we can handle!

https://godssceneryandpromises.wordpress.com/2013/06/26/debunked-god-wont-give-us-more-than-we-can-handle/?preview=true&preview_id=7942&preview_nonce=2bf23c0624&post_format=standard

And Justin had posted the same topic to his youth group!

It caught my attention, because…

I had just counseled one of our young adults on the same subject!

God gives us more than we can handle…

God asks us to do difficult things…

But, we aren’t expected to do them alone…

We’re expected to depend on Him and not on our own understanding!!

Here’s

Justin’s Post of Apr. 18, 2013

Can You Handle?

One of the most common things you will hear people say is simply this: “God Will Not Give You More Than You Can Handle.” Seriously…I have lost count of how many times I have heard this said. Not only have I heard it numerous times, I am also guilty of saying this myself over the years…But here is the thing..It actually is another one of the lies that we buy..Before I started studying the word of god, and actually getting to know him better over the last year I have learned that this is actually in fact false.

This Statement, is actually misquoted scripture coming from 1 Corinthians 10:13 which says simply this:

No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be TEMPTED beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.”

Saying that God will not give you more than you can handle, and saying he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear, IS NOT THE SAME! Temptation is not circumstances..they are separate. You will be tempted and Tested in life, but as it says with the temptation will come a way out so you can endure the temptation, but he didn’t say he wouldn’t give us problems we couldn’t handle. This is why so many people misquote this scripture.

I in fact now believe the opposite. God does in fact give us more than we can handle. This is for the sole purpose of our need for his divine intervention. We alone can not handle..but with his help we can. That is why he allows test/trials.

Yes the saying God won’t give you more than you can handle sounds good..but here is the catch…just because something sounds good…doesn’t mean its true or biblical. There are plenty of things out there in the world that people will tell you that sounds great, but as I said, that doesn’t mean it is true.

I in fact now believe the opposite. God does in fact give us more than we can handle. This is for the sole purpose of our need for his divine intervention. We alone can not handle..but with his help we can. That is why he allows test/trials.

So what is my challenge to my readers this week?

Before believing anything you hear, go to gods word first. As I already said, just because it sounds good, that doesn’t mean it is true. CHECK IT!

This is a new thing that is new to my youth, since this is what I preached last night, but I have been doubting myself and this message since last night, and just now my Aunt turned on a movie, and it just had a scene that I caught and in the scene this message was just taught by the pastor in the movie, so to me this was a confirmation that this is what was to be shared. And for that I thank god for. I needed that myself.

I just loved his passion for God…

 For God’s Word…

And for the youth he worked with!

Here’s another one of his posts…

Perfectly Broken

An excerpt from Justin’s post on March 28th, 2013:

1.) If we think we are perfect, we simply are not real and we are empty.

2.) We are perfect at one thing…..being broken!

3.) We are imperfect and broken people being brought back together by the Perfect God!

4.) The sooner we stop trying to achieve the perfect life, the sooner we can start focusing on things that matter more, and do greater and better things!

Rest in God’s Peace, Justin…

You truly left a legacy of trust in God’s Word!

Amen!

Happy Birthday…Ya Little Rascal!

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“Happy Birthday, Mr. Hood!

Happy Birthday to you!

To make your Birthday turn out good!

I give this present to you!!

-Little Rascals-

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Hon,

I appreciate you because…

You pray to God for us!

You’re true-blue!

You gave me a beautiful son!

You love us!

You do all the yard work!

You take care of all the cars!

You call to complain to everyone who tries to rip us off!

You do all the grocery shopping!

You do all the cooking!

You take care of all the garbage/recycling!

You play golf with our son!

You take him to the shooting range!

You care about our safety!

You handle our cash outflow!

You lost weight for your health!

You love Siberian Huskies, even crazy ones like ours!

You’re independent enough to pack your own luggage!

You take charge in a crisis!

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Hey, Yo!

What more can we ask for???

We’re blessed!!

 We couldn’t live without you!!

All God’s Blessings for a Happy Birthday!!

And many, many more!!

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Love, your Gang!!

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Lets’ Eat!!!

Thank God, we finally found a good pizza place in Florida!!

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And mussels with good sauce!!

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Our prayer for you…

Numbers 6:24-26

“The Lord bless you    

and keep you;

the Lord make His Face shine on you    

and be gracious to you; 

the Lord turn His Face toward you    

and give you peace.”

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3 John 1:2

“…I pray that you may enjoy good health

and that all may go well with you,

even as your soul is getting along well.”

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Psalm 21:3

“You came to greet him with rich blessings   

and placed a crown of pure gold on his head.”

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                         (Hand to Hand training-US Army-Ft Dix, NJ!  Ha!)

Psalm 21:6

“Surely You have granted him unending blessings   

and made him glad with the joy of Your Presence.”

Amen!

When God Ran

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Luke 15:20

“So he got up and went to his father.

“But while he was still a long way off,

his father saw him

and was filled with compassion for him;

he ran to his son,

threw his arms around him

and kissed him.”

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Almighty God…

The Great I Am…

Immoveable Rock…

Omnipotent…

Powerful!!

Awesome Lord…

Victorious Warrior

Mighty Conqueror…

Commanding King of Kings!!

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Yes, He’s Our Almighty God!

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And the only time…

The only time…

I ever saw Him run…

Was when…

He ran to me…

Took me in His arms, held my head to His chest

And said, “My son’s come home again.”

Looked in my face, wiped the tears from my eyes

With forgiveness in His voice

He said “Son, do you know I still love you?”

It caught me by surprise when God ran!

The day I left home…

I knew I’d broken His heart

I wondered if

Things would ever be the same…

Then one night…

I remembered His love for me

And down that dusty road, ahead I could see…

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I saw Him running to me!

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It dropped me to my knees…

When God ran…

Holy God…

Righteous One

Who turned my way

Now I know…

You’ve been waiting

For this day!

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When I would run back to You!!

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Luke 15:24

“For this son of mine

was dead

and is alive again;

he was lost and is found.’

So they began to celebrate.”

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If you find yourself in a “pig pen”

Eating what the pigs eat…

Remember the House of your Father…

Come to yourself…

Your Father’s servants have plenty to eat…

Humble yourself…

Get up and go back home!

Your Merciful Father will see you…

And run to you!!

Your Heavenly Father will take you back!

The door is always open to a repentant heart!

The banquet table is ready!

The royal robes are ready!

You will be received by the King!

Rejoice!!

With those who have never left the Father’s House…

Who know that everything He owns is theirs…

Who have known His Abundant Grace…

All along…

It’s time to celebrate!

The lost has been found!!

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Amen!

There’s A 23 Year-Old Man Living In Our House!!

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Jeremiah 29:11

“For I know the plans I have for you,”

declares the Lord,

“plans to prosper you and not to harm you,

plans to give you hope and a future.”

1 Timothy 4:12

“Don’t let anyone look down on you

because you are young,

but set an example for the believers in speech,

in conduct, in love, in faith and in purity.”

My son will be 23 years-old on Labor Day!

We celebrated his Birthday today…

Because he’ll be away for his Birthday weekend…

That’s what happens when they grow up…

They do things independently of their parents!!

Happy Birthday, Casey!

We love you!

All God’s Blessings!

How did those years go by soooo fast?!?!

You’re an amazing gift from God to us!!

Here’s my prayer for you!!

That you will build your life…

And future home of your own…

On the strong foundation of Jesus Christ!

So you can lead!

Isaiah 54:13

“All your children will be taught by the Lord,   

and great will be their peace.” 

2 Timothy 3:14-15

“But as for you,

continue in what you have learned

and have become convinced of,

because you know those from whom you learned it, 

and how from infancy

you have known the Holy Scriptures,

which are able to make you wise for salvation

through faith in Christ Jesus.”

Here’s a link to Holley Gerth’s blog post today:

http://holleygerth.com/when-god-changes-your-plans-an-infertility-update/

Please read it…

Be prepared to cry and rejoice!!

Here’s my comment to her:

Holley, I read this post this morning…

As we were getting ready to celebrate my son’s 23rd Birthday…

We did the 10-year “infertility roller-coaster” years ago to have him…

I had him when I was 41…

He’s the light of our lives…

And our gift from God!

There was a point where we came to the same moment you and your husband came to…

We were only going to be able to afford one more round of in-vitro…

and my very blunt Mom said to me,

“Maybe it’s not God’s will for you to have a child!”

That shocked me…

I stopped in my tracks thinking about it!!

Then, I knew I believed that it WAS God’s will for me to have a child!

We had a miscarriage before my son,

Lost the other two embryos that were transferred with him,

And had a miscarriage after him!!

Though I wanted all those babies we lost,

I know I’ll see them in Heaven!

Now I direct a Drama Team at church,

And I’m “Drama Mama” to so many kids, teens, and young adults!!

God is so good!!

We each need to ask God the hard questions as you did…

And His answers are the BEST for our lives!

May God richly bless you always!!”

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The Birthday Boy  Man!!!

That face always makes me smile!!!!

Proverbs 1:8

“Listen, my son,

to your father’s instruction   

and do not forsake your mother’s teaching.

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Father and Son!

Proverbs 29:17

“Correct thy son,

and he shall give thee rest;

yea,

he shall give delight unto thy soul.”

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My son makes “Mothering” so easy and lots of fun!!

Psalm 127:3

“Children are a heritage from the Lord,   

offspring a reward from Him.

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Yeah!!

Birthday money to buy stuff!!!

John 16:21

“A woman giving birth to a child

has pain because her time has come;

but when her baby is born

she forgets the anguish

because of her joy

that a child is born into the world.”

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We brought our Precious Little Girl…

  A chewy treat from Petco on our way home from Outback…

Obviously, she cares more about that treat…

Than taking a Birthday photo with Casey!!

Proverbs 3:1-6

“My son, do not forget My teaching,
    but keep My commands in your heart,
for they will prolong your life many years
    and bring you peace and prosperity.

Let love and faithfulness never leave you;
    bind them around your neck,
    write them on the tablet of your heart.
Then you will win favor and a good name
    in the sight of God and man.

Trust in the Lord with all your heart
    and lean not on your own understanding;
in all your ways submit to Him,
    and He will make your paths straight.”

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It’s so hard to get a good photo of our Crazy Siberian…

‘Cause she’s constantly moving…

That’s why I love landscape photography…

Most things stand still!!

Romans 12:2

“Do not conform to the pattern of this world,

but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.

Then you will be able to test

and approve what God’s will is—

His good, pleasing and perfect will.”

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My two “Babies!”

He always smiles…

She’s smiling…

But she still has the chewy  treat in her mouth!

She always thinks we’re going to take it from her!!

What would we want with that yucky chewy???

James 1:17

“Every good and perfect gift

is from above,

coming down from the Father of the Heavenly Lights,

who does not change like shifting shadows.”

Psalm 115:14

“May the Lord cause you to flourish,   

both you and your children.”

Deuteronomy 4:9

“Only be careful,

and watch yourselves closely

so that you do not forget

the things your eyes have seen

or let them fade from your heart

as long as you live.

Teach them to your children

and to their children after them.”

Jesus I pray…

-Your Word will prevail over our children…

-Your Peace will embrace them… 

-They seek Your Wisdom and Understanding …

-They’re quick to obey You…

-They’re Holy in all conduct…

-They hunger and thirst for more of You each day…

-They’re content with what they have… 

-They grow in the grace and knowledge of You, Lord…

-They’re clothed with humility…

-They cast their cares upon You, Father, for You care for them…

-They’re doers of the Word, and not hearers only…

-They learn to effectively share their faith…   

-They don’t have a spirit of fear…

-But of power, love, and a sound mind…

-You save them…

-You call them with a Holy Calling…

-You provide safety for them, day and night…

  -They walk in the Light as You are in the Light…

-You purify their hearts…

-They follow after righteousness, faith, love, and peace.

-They have favor and high esteem with God and man.

Amen!

2 Timothy 2:22-25

“Run from temptations that capture young people.

Always do the right thing.

Be faithful, loving, and easy to get along with.

Worship with people whose hearts are pure. 

Stay away from stupid and senseless arguments.

These only lead to trouble, 

and God’s servants must not be troublemakers.

They must be kind to everyone,

and they must be good teachers and very patient.

Be humble when you correct people who oppose you.

Maybe God will lead them to turn to Him and learn the truth.”

Casey, you are all these things…

Praise the Lord!

God did a great job raising you!!

Thank you everyone who prayed with us…

All those long years of waiting…

For God to give us the desire of our hearts!

Happy Birthday, You are Loved!

Teachers…Parents Are Sending You The Best That They Have!!!

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Give Them The Best You Have!!

A Back-To-School Lesson!

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Romans 12:7

“If your gift is serving others,

serve them well.

If you are a teacher,

teach well.”

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Titus 2:7-8

“In everything

set them an example by doing what is good.

In your teaching show integrity, seriousness

and soundness of speech that cannot be condemned,

so that those who oppose you

may be ashamed

because they have nothing bad to say about us.”

For additional verses about teachers, go to:

http://www.prayers-for-special-help.com/bible-verses-about-teachers.html

Where according to:

Prayers for Special Help,

“These Bible verses about teachers enlighten us

first on the exceptional responsibility that one has while teaching.

Due to the impact a teacher has on a student,

one quote warns us that teachers will be judged

with a greater strictness than others.

Jesus is often called a teacher

and he himself confirmed that he was one;

the apostles were also teachers.

The teaching passages above

also insist that the ability to teach is a gift

in which the teacher serves others

and leads by example

with the objective to make the students

as wise as the teacher.

It is the teacher’s task to study,

handle the truth correctly,

and teach accurate information

while treating the pupil with respect.

These quotes identify integrity,

dignity,

faithfulness,

and lack of hypocrisy

as traits that the teacher should possess.

Overall, the teacher is warned about too much study

that does not focus on the fear of God

and living a godly life.”

Humbling stuff, huh???

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James 1:5

“If any of you lacks wisdom,

you should ask God,

who gives generously to all without finding fault,

and it will be given to you.”

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Proverbs 22:6

“Train up a child in the way he should go:

and when he is old, he will not depart from it.”

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Luke 12:12

“…for the Holy Spirit will teach you at that time

what you should say.”

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2 Timothy 3:14-17

“But as for you,

continue in what you have learned

and have become convinced of,

because you know those from whom you learned it,

and how from infancy you have known the Holy Scriptures,

which are able to make you wise for salvation

through faith in Christ Jesus.

All Scripture is God-breathed

and is useful for

teaching,

rebuking,

correcting

and training in righteousness,

so that the servant of God

may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.”

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Deuteronomy 11:18-21

“Fix these words of mine in your hearts and minds;

tie them as symbols on your hands

and bind them on your foreheads.

Teach them to your children,

talking about them when you sit at home

and when you walk along the road,

when you lie down

and when you get up.

Write them on the door frames of your houses

and on your gates,

so that your days

and the days of your children

may be many in the land the Lord

swore to give your ancestors,

as many as the days

that the heavens are above the earth.”

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Lord,

Teachers are going Back-To-School now!

We need Your help!!

Please help us to show Your love!

Even when our days are chaotic!

Especially, when our days are chaotic!!!

Amen!!

Nicaragua

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Our friends from church,

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Mike and Janene Harper and their family (Brittany, Bethany, and Nataley)

are in Nicaragua working with

YWAM (Youth With A Mission)

http://www.ywam.org/

for about 10 days.

Many in our church family have helped sponsor and support them

on their last couple of trips.

Our Pastor shared last Sunday

about being the “Salt & Light” of the World…

Now they’re sharing the Light of Christ in Nicaragua.

He asked for prayer for them and the team that is there,

along with the country they’re serving…

Prayer for their safety,

for the people there who do not know Jesus,

and that lives will be forever changed!

Here’s the latest update from the Harper’s

and it’s truly amazing to read.

“Boy, are we beat!

 

We spent yesterday in the town of Masatepe learning the town.

 

We began prayer-walks all over the city that we’ll distribute Bibles in.

 

They’re hard covered whole Bibles,

 

and the people are so excited we’re coming.

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The churches were asked to respond, if they wanted to help.

 

Over 35 churches and 180 people responded! 

 

Amazing!

 

Today our 4 teams of 12 will start distribution.

 

My team will be at the construction site

 

and at the YWAM base, building a home,

 

 and working on updating the base.

 

This town is Dirambe. 

 

It’s a very poor area,

 

where the base started its vision in 1996

 

of getting a Bible into the hands of every Nicaraguan family by 2020.

 

This first city reached, has seen dramatic changes in crime and violence.

 

They have become a city with Hope!

 

 They love Jesus!

 

And now reach other cities!

 

I can’t wait to visit this city again.

 

Kelly, the director, should be there today.

 

 He has been a missionary in Nicaragua

 

through YWAM for a long time.

 

We’ve worked with him before,

 

so it’s nice to know a face there.

 

The YWAM school we are considering is his school.

 

It’s a bilingual school.

 

 My husband, Mike, preached last night

 

for about half an hour

 

on the importance of relationship with Christ,

 

and allowing that overflow to pour out to others.

 

The Nicas “Amend-ed” and agreed! 

 

He had a translator, who is our team leader.

 

She’s from Spain.

 

Her name is Gail.

 

They worked great together.

 

The church was an Assembly of God.

 

It was a whopping 1 1/2 hour worship time.

 

Wow! 

 

We sang,

 

‘Open The Eyes Of My Heart, Lord’

 

in English and Spanish

 

Wow! 

 

How it pleases God’s heart to hear our worship!!

 We’re all still well, so far.

We’ve eaten many foods and styles of foods.

It was hard on the tummy at first,

but it’s getting better.

We’ve had an amazing several days.

God’s given the girls great boldness in witnessing.

We’ve been distributing Bibles with churches.

My team has 2 precious Nica ladies.

They helped me lead a family

to Jesus, who

they had never even heard of.

I got to tell them the whole story.

They cried,

and were excited to give their lives to Christ.

When we left,

we saw them reading the Bible already.

Amazing!

Their names were taken down by the local church,

who saw many families already added to their numbers.

The church had new people show up for the Wednesday service to hear more.

The Pastor could not stop thanking us,

and the people in America who sent us.

It put feet to the ministry God started for him.

Some locals and our team ministered at the dump with about 100 children.

I met Eduardo (an 8-year-old boy) there,

and again God allowed my heart to break.

Oh, my heart!

We fed them and played with them.

It was such a day!

I so could have packed him up and kept him.

I could have kept all of them!

Today was distribution and school ministry.

The Principal allowed us to minister to 250-300 kids.

This was a public school!

It was unheard of before.

We went from class to class with the Gospel.

Only God allowed such favor!

We talked to the children about how the world labels us,

and how Jesus cuts those labels off,

and calls us His children!

Each of us spoke.

Brittany gave the Gospel to high schoolers.

What boldness!

Please keep praying.

When I felt very low and overtired,

I prayed,

and God revealed to me

that there are so many lifting us to the Father

right at that moment!

I so needed that.

Thank you for agreeing to do that for us.

We love you

and thank you all for believing in this mission.

Live from Nicaragua (Tuesday PM)

“Today was a very long day for us,

but we saw God do great things.

We had the privilege of teaming up with several local churches

to hand out Bibles door to door.

We told many people the Gospel,

encouraged them to read their shiny, new Bibles,

and laid hands on the sick.

Many gave their lives to God!

In spite of our poor attempts at the Spanish language,

God still used us to do great things!

Later in the day, 

we went to one of the city dumps,

where many families live by digging through the garbage for their food and belongings.

One person said it well, 

‘It was hard for us to take, but it was well received by them.’ 

We fed them,

demonstrated God’s love for them,

and made them feel important.

Here, many consider them ‘garbage.’ 

Yesterday, we helped build a house for a needy family,

did some much needed painting at the YWAM base here in Nicaragua,

and did street ministry.

We are definitely not sitting around wasting time

and, as you can see, neither is God!! 

He is answering your prayers,

working in our hearts

and moving in Nicaragua! 

He is a great God to say the least!!

Love, Janene and familia”

 

Please pray for our friends…

For the children and people of Nicaragua…

That Jesus would become real to them!!

Isaiah 52:7

“How beautiful on the mountains  

are the feet of those who bring good news,

who proclaim peace,   

who bring good tidings,   

who proclaim salvation,

who say to Zion,   

‘Your God reigns!'”

Amen!

 

The LOVE Letter!

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(I received this e-mail today…author and photographer unknown)

There’s a beautiful soul…

Working in the dead letter department of the Post Office…

who understands…

LOVE…. 
 

Our 14-year-old dog, Abbey…

Died last month…

The day after she passed away…

My 4-year-old daughter Meredith…

 Was crying and talking about how much she missed Abbey…

She asked if we could write a letter to God…

So that when Abbey got to Heaven…

God would recognize her…

I told her that I thought that we could…

So she dictated these words:

Dear God…

 Will you please take care of my dog?

Abbey died yesterday…

And is with You in Heaven…

I miss her very much…

I’m happy that you let me have her as my dog…

Even though she got sick…

I hope you will play with her…

She likes to swim and play with balls…

I’m sending a picture of her…

 So when You see her…

 You will know that she’s my dog…

I really miss her…

Love, Meredith

We put the letter in an envelope…

With a picture of Abbey and Meredith…

 Addressed it to God/Heaven…

We put our return address on it…

Meredith pasted several stamps on the front of the envelope…

 Because she said it would take lots of stamps to get the letter…

 All the way to Heaven…

That afternoon, she dropped it into the letter box at the post office…

A few days later, she asked if God had gotten the letter yet…

I told her that I thought He had…

Yesterday, there was a package wrapped in gold paper on our front porch…

 Addressed, “To Meredith” in an unfamiliar hand…

Meredith opened it…

Inside was a book by Mr. Rogers called, When a Pet Dies

Taped to the inside front cover was the letter we had written to God…

In its opened envelope…

On the opposite page was the picture of Abbey and Meredith…

 And this note:

Dear Meredith…

Abbey arrived safely in Heaven…

Having the picture was a big help…

 And I recognized her right away…

Abbey isn’t sick anymore…

Her spirit is here with me…

 Just like it stays in your heart…

Abbey loved being your dog…

Since we don’t need our bodies in Heaven…

 I don’t have any pockets to keep your picture in…

 So I’m sending it back to you…

 In this little book for you to keep…

 And have something to remember Abbey by…

Thank you for the beautiful letter…

 And thank your mother for helping you write it…

 And sending it to me…

What a wonderful mother you have…

 I picked her especially for you…

I send My blessings every day…

 And remember that I love you very much…

By the way, I’m easy to find…

I am wherever there is LOVE!!

Love,

God

I’d love to write a letter myself to God about the loved ones I’m missing!!

Romans 8:37-39

No,

in all these things

we are more than conquerors

through Him who loved us.

For I am convinced that neither death nor life,

neither angels nor demons,

neither the present nor the future,

nor any powers,

neither height nor depth,

nor anything else in all creation,

will be able to separate us

from the love of God

that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

1 John 3:1

See what great love the Father has lavished on us,

that we should be called children of God!

And that is what we are!

The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know Him.”

Jesus, You’re My Superhero!! I’ll Tell The World!

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Hey, Kids!!

Any other superhero is made up…

Jesus is real!

Jesus, You’re my superhero…

You’re my star, my best friend…

You’re better than anyone!!

Job 9:4

“He is wise in heart and mighty in strength…”

Matthew 19:26

“But Jesus looked at them and said, 

‘With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.’”

Jeremiah 10:12

“It is He who made the earth by His power,

who established the world by His wisdom,

and by His understanding stretched out the heavens.”

So…Tell the World!!

Shout His praise!

No one compares to Him!

Jesus, all I want in this whole world is You, You, You!

So, tell the world that Jesus lives…

Tell the world that He died for them…

Tell the world that He lives again

No longer I, but Christ in me …

Cause it’s the truth that set me free…

How could this world be a better place?

But by His mercy, and by His grace!

C’mon, c’mon go tell the world about Him!

Romans 10:14-15

“But how can they call on him to save them

unless they believe in him?

And how can they believe in him

if they have never heard about him?

And how can they hear about him

unless someone tells them?

And how will anyone go tell them

without being sent?

That is what the Scriptures mean

when they say,

‘How beautiful are the feet of those who

bring good news!’”

Go! 

Tell the Good News!!

Love With No Regrets!

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Life Lessons Learned:

Life Is Short!

It‘s okay to make mistakes…

Don‘t get stuck in yesterday…

Forgive, forget, and move ahead…

Because life is what you make of it…

Live with no excuses…

Love with no regrets…

Laugh a lot and leave this life…

With nothing left unsaid…

Make this world a better place…

Don‘t be afraid to cry…

And when it‘s finally time to say goodbye…

Nothing to prove, nothing to lose…

Nothing to hide…

You see, life can not be measured by…

The place you live, the car you drive…

The thing that counts the day you die…

Is who you are, and what‘s inside…

So tell the truth, don‘t ever lie…

Integrity at any price…

Your words, your bond, your highest price…

So guard it close, and live your life…

So many things, I learned from you…

‘Bout  life and love and play…

But I learned more by how you lived…

Then what I heard you say!!

Thank you for life’s lessons, Lord!

Through those I love…

Who love You deeply!

“Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses,

let us throw off everything that hinders

and the sin that so easily entangles.

And let us run with perseverance

the race marked out for us,

fixing our eyes on Jesus,

the pioneer and perfecter of faith.

For the joy set before him He endured the cross,

scorning its shame,

and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”

Hebrews 12:1-2  NIV

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