Faith in Blue

 When I was in Mozambique earlier this year, I saw a little brown and white bird take off from a tree. But when it flew in front of me, I saw a beautiful blue!

The bird landed on a branch up ahead of me, and when I came closer, I saw that it was just a brownish grey bird perched on the branch. It was so strange that I wondered if I had imagined that I had seen blue.

I wanted to see it fly again to understand what had happened, so I would need to disturb its rest to make it fly. 

I approached the bird, and its head cocked a little to the side, but it stayed put. I took a step closer. This time it's head turned to look at me, registering it's annoyance at my presence.  But it still stayed perched. I took one more step hoping to disturb it enough, and it finally took off. 

Then I saw the most shockingly beautiful blue bird in flight.

It's back and tail were turquoise aqua shining blue. But when it was resting, it's brownish grey feathers had covered it's back like a closed curtain. 

As I stood there thinking about the hidden beauty of the little bird, I thought about faith. 

I think that we are like that bird and our faith is like that blue. 

Our faith in God is only seen when it is tested or disturbed. Faith does not show unless it is being used, and it is only used when it is tested. 

Tested faith reveals such a BEAUTIFUL blue!

"In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, so that the tested genuineness of your faith - more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire- may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ." 

1 Peter 1:6-7

Give Hope 2020

https://onemissionsociety.org/Projects/detail/givehope

Message! Be Anxious for Nothing

You're welcome to watch the whole service; my message starts around 26 minutes -

https://www.facebook.com/TheLawndaleWesleyanChurch/posts/2872473402855103

Blessings!

Visiting, encouraging, and praying together

With my dear friend, Tina! 

My mom, who is an artist, sent little paint palettes for Joana and Josue.

So they asked me to paint something...a simple heart for Joana, and Josue asked me to paint "a car" which turned out looking like the Scooby Doo van.

Then they did some beautiful flowers and designs!

It was such a blessing to accompany Heather (on the right), who is here as an occupational therapist serving with the Maos Ajudando ministry to those with disabilities. We shared about God's love for this man who had a stroke, we prayed for him and his family, and Heather will try to find a wheelchair for him to use.

Spending a little time with growing Aimee, who showed me her school work from her first year at school!

I shared about how she is made in God's image and that He loves her very much, and I prayed for her.

Together with her grandma.

A special visit to Alda and her beautiful singing girls, Olga and Crisne. 

It was really good to share with some of the youth in Kongoloti about God's grace and miraculous faithfulness! 

Pastor Abel's motorcycle license plate:

-God is Father-

"See what kind of love the Father has given us, that we should be called God's children; and that is what we are." 

1 John 3:1 

Thank you for praying for my time here in Mozambique!

Praise!

 

Inhambane

Visiting the house in Quissico!

I traveled with one of my long time Mozambican partners in ministry, Pastor Abel, and my fellow Brazilian missionaries, Leandro and Lillian.

Pastor Abel and I doing the new greeting.

Everything has grown - bougainvillea, plumeria, hibiscus, moringa, amendoa, and papaya!

We visited and prayed over the land for the future church and ministry training center in Quissico. 

Pastor Abel, the evangelist, handed out the Gospel of John in Portuguese and his phone number wherever we went.

It was wonderful to see my dear neighbor, Cidalia, and her children.

When we visited my neighbor, Grandma Lila, she presented me with a special gift...

a new capulana!

What a blessing to visit and pray for her.

Every morning we each had a special time sharing from the Bible and praying together.

Prayer and a picture with Pastora Graca from the Nazarene church.

It was good to see the women in Cala and share an encouragement from the Bible with them!

🙏

Thank you for praying for my time here that God will continue to accomplish His purposes and be glorified. I am filled with His continued peace and I praise Him. 

Finishing Quarantine

Here I am in front of my mosquito net in the apartment where I am finishing my 14 day quarantine period here in Mozambique. 

I am doing well and I hope to start working on my visa application this coming week!  

Thank you for your prayer for God's will and my peace as I trust in Him for my time here.

Be Anxious For Nothing

 

My good friend, Candy, sent me this card that I have up on the wall in my room. 

 

It reminds me almost every day that God does not want me to be anxious about anything.  

 

But instead, that God wants me to tell Him about my needs and to thank Him for all that He has done. 

 

Then I experience God's peace, which guards my heart and my mind as I live in Christ Jesus. (Phil.4:6-7)

 

I have been praying about the possibility of taking a trip to Mozambique to visit and apply for a 5 year visa.

 

 And every time I begin to be anxious about this, I am reminded that my all-powerful and loving God does not want me to be anxious, and He tells me what I can do whenever I feel anxiety.

 

In the last 2 weeks, God has done a series of miracles to open the doors for me to travel to Mozambique.  

My current annual visa was sent to me from Brazil (where it has been with colleagues of mine), I got travel approval from OMS, I received a negative result for the PCR Covid-19 test, which had to be within the required 72 hours of departure from here, and I was able to purchase my plane ticket! 

God used many people to open these doors, and I am thankful.

 

Lord willing, I will travel tomorrow to spend about one month in Mozambique, and I will be in quarantine in an apartment, where my missionary team lives, for a 10-14 day period when I arrive. 

 

Along with many other countries, Mozambique has requirements for social distancing, mask wearing, and no large gatherings. 

 

God has done many great miracles around me, but I believe He has done a greater miracle in me; He has given me peace in my heart, no matter what. 

I praise God for His peace.

Since this verse, with the rest of it written on the back of the card, has been such a blessing to me, I asked my mom if she could make some cards for me to give to others.

It's good to be reminded that our all-powerful and loving God does not want for us to be anxious, but rather to be filled with His peace as we walk with Jesus.

We are blessed to be a blessing.

Thank you for praying for God's will and God's peace for me as I travel to Mozambique.

Praying for Mozambique during Covid-19

What a blessing it has been for our missionary team and many prayer supporters to pray together over zoom. 

Living Word Evangelical Church

 In line with other countries, the government is requiring that churches follow guidelines including social distancing, hand washing, mask wearing, and taking the temperature of attendees. This creates a challenge because many churches do not have access to running water or don't have the funds to purchase thermometers. Pray for the re-opening of churches and for guidance and wisdom for the pastors and for the missionaries who walk alongside them.

Praise God that Pastor Daniel and Pastor Abel have been able to take trips to Inhambane to encourage, give masks, food items and audio Bibles, and pray for the people there. 

Maputo Biblical and Theological Seminary and Christian Academy in Mozambique

 Pray for the government as they try to work out how to re-open schools, and for the proposed blended program of schooling and home-schooling. 

Pray for the Seminary and CAM for God's protection on teachers, staff, and students. Praise God for those who graduated this year. 

Helping Hands 

Praise God for the container of wheelchairs that arrived in Mozambique.

Pray for wisdom regarding visits and for God's love through His people to transform the lives of Mozambicans. 

Nkateko, Women with Purpose, and Xikanwe

Praise God for the women who have been making masks to bless their churches and communities. Pray for opportunities to show God's provision and compassion in this time. Praise God for the social distanced Bible studies that the Xikanwe boys soccer and discipleship ministry are able to have.

Please pray for the leaders of Mozambique in their decision making, and for God's children there to be encouraged in His love, power, and faithfulness in this time.

I love my Dad

The adventures of childhood last a lifetime!

Thank you, Dad.

I love my Mom

"...a woman who fears the Lord shall be praised...

her children rise up and call her blessed..." 
 - Proverbs 31:30,28

Mom, thank you for fearing the Lord.
I call you blessed!

Mountains and Valleys

In 2016, I was serving in Mozambique and looking forward to my 40th birthday at the end of the year. 

For a long time I had wanted to climb Africa’s highest point, Mt. Kilimanjaro in neighboring Tanzania, and I thought my 40th birthday would be the perfect time to do it!

After all the plans were made, I began to have non-stop pain in my head. The pain continued, my birthday came and went, and I cancelled the plans to climb Mt. Kilimanjaro. 


I returned to the US at the end of 2016, and it has been almost 4 years now in this painful valley. I have prayed and fasted and done countless medical tests and treatments.

Along with the physical pain, comes the frustration of not being able to “do” very much. Of course, I can still “be” for Christ, which is my true and unchanging identity, not what I do or where I go. I am loved by God, and I want to love God and people no matter where I am or what I am doing. This does not change.

But I cry out to God, “use me!” along with the important prayer connected to this request, “make me usable.” 

And God responds to me by saying...“I am.”

Whether I understand it or not, the great I AM has assured me that He is both making me usable and using me in the valley.

I thank God for this unique and precious time to love and be loved by my family, my friends, and my local church.


Walking side by side with Jesus in our valleys, we can grow in faith, grace, patience, obedience, perseverance, and our ability to be compassionate and to comfort others with the comfort we have received. 


As difficult as it is in our valleys, I believe we can be blessed in them, and we can be a blessing to others because of them. 

God said..."I AM" 

Exodus 3:14

Peace

In this time, may we accept this otherworldly peace that Jesus can give us. 

Bones, Sacrifices, and Gold

When the bones in the valley before Ezekiel get more dry, and the sacrifices on the mountain before Elijah get more wet, we can remember that God delights to bring glory to Himself through the impossible situations in our lives.

The dry bones can be brought back to life, and the wet sacrifices can be burned up. When we trust and obey God in the impossible situations of our lives, God is glorified. 

In these times, our faith is tested and refined like gold. Refining will come, whatever impossible form it takes. Gold is not beautiful without it.  And our faith is much more precious than gold.