Happy New Year!

 

God has been faithful.

God is faithful.

God will continue to be faithful.

Giving Thanks

Thanksgiving with my much loved brother and sister and their families 😊

WV

 

My mom was thankful to visit with one more of her cousins on the way out of PA into WV!

My final visit was with The Refuge church in West Virginia. 

They had the youth sit in for the service, and it was a blessing to share with them too!

After the service, they gathered into small groups to pray for people. This group prayed for my health and God's timing and purposes for my life. 

What a wonderful way to end this trip, and I praise God for His grace, protection, and strength during this time.

Thank you for praying with me and sharing in the blessings of all that God has done!

PA

It was wonderful to visit with this Mozambican family in Pennsylvania. The father, Americo, and the mother, Candida, have been studying and will be preparing to return to Mozambique, where they will serve the Lord.  

They would greatly appreciate your prayer as you think of them!

This last weekend sharing with the churches in Antioch and Milligan's Cove, PA. 

The pastor of these two churches asked my mom to share a few words about what it's like to be the parent of a missionary. One man told her his heart was changed because of what she shared. 

Praise the Lord!

A few days in DC!

The Capitol

The White House 

Lincoln Memorial

Washington Monument

Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial

Museum of the Bible

In PA

With the Mowrys, who pastor Lebanon Christian Church.

The word that comes to mind when I think of this church is JOY 😄

 

After the service, we all went to a local restaurant where I took a picture with a former local resident 😅

East Coast Cousins and NJ Brazilian Church

With my cousin, Ian, and his wife, Capucine.

With my cousin, Bill, and his family.

My mom meeting up with some of her cousins after almost 50 years!

And visiting her grandparents' grave for the first time. 

Crossing over the Tappan Zee Bridge into New Jersey. 

 

Sharing with the lovely Brazilian church in New Jersey 💚💛💙

Sharing with my Portuguese brothers and sisters

 

OH and CT

It was great to see Julie and everyone from Open Arms Christian Church in Ohio this last Sunday!

What a blessing to share with this faithful and loving church 💗

 From Ohio, we made our way to Connecticut for a special visit with my mom's oldest sister, Denice, whom I haven't seen in almost 20 years!

Visiting Churches in the Northeast

 

I was originally thinking that when my head pain is fully better and before returning to Mozambique, I would visit with several churches who have been so faithfully partnering with me in this time. 

There is some positive change regarding my head pain, and I will share about this as I see how it progresses. Although I am not yet fully well, I have been praying about visiting these churches.

I believe that it is a special opportunity to praise God and declare His goodness and faithfulness when I am still in the midst of this, not just when it is over.  Of course it is also a privilege to praise God at that time too! 

So, God willing, I'm planning to visit these churches and people in the Northeastern US from the end of August until the end of September, and hopefully later visit a wonderful church in New Mexico.

I would appreciate prayer that I would be encouraging and edifying as I share about God's wonderful goodness and faithfulness in this time! 

~ Thank you! ~

Summer visits with my sister and brother

A special time at the Calaveras County Fair & Jumping Frog Jubilee with my sister's family!

My niece and nephew each held their favorite frogs.

The frog jumping competition is based on the 1865 short story by Mark Twain.

Bucket hats with my brother's family!

Celebrating my nephew's 13th birthday at a Dodger game.

I thank God for these times with my sister and brother and their growing families. 

Why? And God's Breath

Whether people ask this question or not when they or their loved ones are going through any form of suffering, I believe that many people wonder about the "why" on some level at some time, and it is very hard.

If there is a time when we wonder about a "why" in our present, could we understand and be encouraged by things that God breathed for us from the past?

Here are just a few -

  

Can we understand something spiritual in the suffering of Job when God revealed a heavenly perspective during Job's earthly experience?

Could we see God's work amidst the long years of suffering in the life of Joseph and David as they were tested and prepared for future leadership?

Can we recognize God's grace and power in Paul, who suffered, persevered, and praised, accomplishing God's great purposes?

Could we meditate on Jesus, who learned obedience by the things that He suffered, and then the most glorious outcome of all because of His obedience - our salvation? 

Can we too trust and obey God, no matter what suffering we, or our loved ones, face?  

When a "why" may not be answered in the now,  can we allow God to breathe encouragement on us from the past?

Life from the dead and light in the darkness

Jesus!!!

and that life was the light of men.

John 1:4

(a block print my mom made for her Easter card in the 1970's)

Local wildflowers after the long drought and then the rain. 

Happy Easter!

Traveling Prayers

Wesley Duewel, former missionary and president of One Mission Society, wrote a wonderful book called, Touch the World through Prayer. 

One of the things Duewel reminds us of is that we don't have to be physically present to "touch" (or embrace) anybody, or anyplace, or anything in need of prayer. 

Our prayers travel to the One who is omnipresent, omniscient, omnipotent! 

My colleagues in Mozambique ask us to pray with them as (now 1.85 million people) have been affected by the rains (and subsequent flooding due to Cyclone Freddy). The local church and missionary group in that area are isolated right now.  

We don't have to be there physically to pray.

"We can reach our world, if we will." 

Wesley Duewel

Isaiah 12:2

Shortcuts

Have you ever taken a shortcut?

Early on in the midst of trying all kinds of medical treatments for my head pain, with no effect, I found out about a clinic in another country that did certain procedures which were very different from all the others. 

 

I prayed about it, and I researched the clinic. I spoke with the head doctor and a patient who is now pain free. 

I asked God for guidance, and was very excited at the possibility of an end to the chronic pain. 

But one night God reminded me of the promise He made to Abraham and Sarah that they would have a son. Sarah did not believe, and took a "shortcut" by offering her servant Hagar to Abraham to bear a son for them. 

Because of Sarah's "shortcut" to God's promise, so many challenges arose. God would still fulfill His promise; Sarah did have a son with Abraham, but her shortcut created many problems for her AND for others. 

  

In that moment, God put on my heart that the overseas clinic was not for me. He didn't show me why. But as I felt the sting of that, He reminded me of His promises to me for this situation and spoke to my heart, "don't take a shortcut."

Is there anything that God has promised you where you've been tempted to take a shortcut?

"Wait for the Lord;

be strong, and let you heart take courage;

wait for the Lord!"

Psalm 27:14