Pondering

So, with my family and I planning on working overseas in a few years, I have been pondering the idea of trying to go on our church's mission trip to Thailand this November. Yes, it's in the middle of our next semester, but I think that maybe school would give us a little grace, considering the purpose of our absence and the relation to our major. God has a huge task at hand if He wants us to go. I am afraid to get my hopes up, until He reveals to me that it is part of his plan. But if it is, first Jason and I need to figure out what to do with our kiddos for that 10 days. Then... fundraising! Then.... getting ahead in our school work so that we are not bombarded when we get home! Hmm. Lots to think about and lots to pray about. Sometimes I wonder, though, if one of the reasons that we haven't been told where we should go for our internship yet, (by God) is that we haven't been anywhere? We knew to move here from California because we came here and God said this is it! Not saying that I expect to try lots and lots of different places to see where we need to go, but I do wonder if maybe God will provide the perfect opportunities and speak to us through them. Compared to having it be revealed in a different way. God works in so many different ways in my life, I know that I will just have to wait and see how He decides to tell us.

Please pray that God will continue to reveal His plan to us. Please pray for our strength to keep up with full time work, school and ministry involvement, as well as an active home life.

Please also pray for my Sissy, Tesha, that she will continue to heal from her spinal infection. Pray also that it never has the chance to turn into M.S. I know she can handle what ever God makes of her life, but I do pray that she will never have to go through loosing faith in her health.

I also have a friend in need of prayer, as she and her husband have been *trying* for quite a while now and are discouraged and frustrated that they are unable to get pregnant. Her name is Jennifer, and I also need prayer that God will move in her life and reveal Himself to her, and that through this situation God will receive the Glory.

Christmas in California

Christmas with my family was great. It was good to be with my grandparents again, they really needed to see the kids again. It had been 2 ½ years since they had seen the kids. Sarah Rose was 3, and now she will be 6 in Feb.!

We have been here in the ranch for about 2 months now. It has been going fine. We got all the gas and water and stuff hooked up. We have had a deep freeze the past few days, however, and we ran out of propane in the big tank early one morning on Wednesday. (the gauge had shown 20%, but apparently it was “stuck” and not reading properly). Jason also couldn’t get out of our door because the lock had frozen shut. He did finally get out but then it froze open so our last resort to keep the door open was to use the dead bolt. That worked. But as a result of everyone’s inside temperature dropping during the freeze, the kids all lost their water, and I lost my hot water. And… now everyone’s tanks are full and the piping is frozen so Jason can’t dump them. It is supposed to begin warming up, and as much as I don’t want the snow to go away, we have to get our tanks dumped. All three toilets are full and I know the grey water’s must be about full as well.

I sent Kord a package, finally. I sent him some MSM cream, soaps and lip balms and a few snacks. I really appreciated all that he sent for the kids this Christmas, even though he couldn’t be there in person to give them to them. He has turned into an amazing young man. I hope that he continues to make good choices in his life, and finds a girl that deserves him. He is also buying some property about 3 hours south of here, so that when he gets out of the military, he can move here and be closer. He want’s to go to school in Seattle to be an ultra sound technician, and specifically a cardiovascular tech. I think that that is a great field for him. He has a compassionate heart and will do well working with people in sensitive situations.

The Church move will be completed on Sunday, that is our ribbon cutting ceremony. It has been a huge task getting the church moved, and I feel like I wasn’t able to help enough, but between our own move and school and our trip to CA, we were just not able to help that much. We did get Awana all moved and organized and I am working on some projects for that as well, and just that has kept me busy. I think that since our tanks are full, I will pack up the kids and spend the day at the church. I can do a little reading there, and hopefully help with bulletins and getting all my Awana printing done and organized.

Amazingly, even though we have gone through so much, I don’t feel like God was asking too much of us. I can’t say for certain how the kids all feel, but for me, I am at peace with where we are. Things are simpler, I am less distracted (now that we are moved) and I feel like we will all be able to focus on what is ahead of us now, more clearly. Jason and I played cards the weekend before school started, knowing that we probably wouldn’t be able to do that again for a while. But doing that, we were happy. It was simple. And it was warm, and happy. Ttfn…

The Lost

Through this journey, Christ has been laying a heavy burden on my heart for His lost peoples. He has plans for reaching their souls and healing their hearts and spirits. He wants us to be His vessel to carry His saving grace to them, and then we can look after their physical needs. As we act like Christ and reveal His character to them we can fill their bellies, give medical attention and fight against injustice. But first and most important is reaching their souls for Him. All the rest will happen automatically when we walk in Christ’s footsteps. After all, what good is a full belly, when it is still damned to Hell?

I see so much "want" all around me, America is full of wants that are disguised as needs…. and I include myself in this!! Our human nature is to provide better lives for ourselves: better food, better water, and better healthcare. But what about those who drink sewage-contaminated water, who don’t have the knowledge to try to boil it first because the world of germs and bacteria is completely unknown to them? Did you know that as little as $450.00 USD can build a well in a village that other wise has no access to clean water, supplying 200-500 people? How often do we step into the world of Costco, and spend half or even that full amount on convenience, fun, and bottled water? Every choice we make should be made in obedience to Christ, does what I am doing now Glorify Him, or make my life easier? Does it make we more valuable to the Kingdom of God or to the Kingdom of Man? Does it help me to make myself feel better at the expense of someone in need? I really am preaching to myself here, I need to hear this. As I walk through my day trying to walk following Christ, I find myself so often chasing rabbit trails of disobedience, looking after myself.

Walking out to milk my goats this past Friday, I was thanking God for blessing me with my goats, and telling Him how much I appreciated that He let me have this desire of my heart. And then He spoke to me, gently, saying…. I didn’t bless you with them. I have been searching, overwhelmed with the idea of how much I was going to be taking on going to school full time with Jason, while trying to homeschool our children, while trying to work Saturdays, while contemplating the possibility of having to find more part time work….. How many times have I blessed myself into more busy work for me or my family? God prompted me to place an add on Craig’s list advertising my goats. I asked Him to help me find a good family, and that whatever amount they were interested in from my dairy herd, I would sell. The fact that He was giving me the way out of my stored up treasures on earth has given me hope that even when we fail and act selfishly, He can redeem our actions when we confess our hearts to Him and ask for forgiveness. Monday morning I got a call from a family, and ended up parting with 2 of my does on Wednesday. I felt a surge of relief, even though we had a sad day, that I had followed God and said Yes when He showed me the way to peace. He has left me with one doe to milk, one that provides us with plenty of milk. For the time being I will hang on to her, but if God tells me to sell her, I will. He has also placed a bit of burden on my kids hearts, showing them that I can’t do it all on my own anymore. They have all stepped up and offered to help take over parts of our daily chores.  Their cheerful hearts are such a testimony of Christ in them.  

So, I am heading into all the storms ahead with Christ as my shield, my strength and my guide. I have to pray every day that Christ will accept my pitiful heart and help me to walk in obedience.

I do have a few prayers:

Dear Precious Father, please be with your children Barbara and Skeeter Wass. Barbara was admitted to the hospital two days ago and ended up having gall bladder surgery yesterday. I pray for her recovery, that her time in recovery will be spent clinging to you. Father, I pray for Your peace to wash over them, that all of this is in Your plan, and that somehow you will be Glorified through all of this.

Father I want to pray for my Sister, Tesha, you know her heart Father. Help her to hand over her pregnancy to You, Father, that her baby is on your sweet hands. Help her baby to turn, Father, so that she doesn’t have to have a C-Section. But Father, most of all, help her to also have your peace, that it’s all in your hands, and that no matter what happens You are in control. Help her to see you more clearly through all of this and use it to make Your Name Holy.

Father, please be with Jason. His unemployment is going to expire in the next few weeks and he will have to apply for an extension. Help the people in charge of making the decisions regarding his unemployment to have mercy on his case, and not see him returning to school as a reason to not grant his request for an extension. Help the heart of this wonderful man of You, to shine through to everyone he knows. And most of all, help us to have Your peace about the situation, that no matter what happens, You are holding all of it in your hands. And that You won’t give us more than we can handle. Help us to see the faint footsteps that we need to follow through this. Help us to make the hard decisions that need to me made. Help us to pass on Your peace to our children. Help us all to grow and learn as much from this as possible. Help us to walk in your grace and mercy, and lead us to your lost people.

You know my heart, Father. Help me to speak the words that need to be heard. Help me to take what you impress on me, and share it with Your grace. Help me to touch peoples hearts, and not their toes. Help me to keep searching for your heart in all things, and continue to break it so that it aches for nothing less than your will for my life.

-In Your Precious Name, Jesus, Amen.

Curried Lentils

I have some lentils here that I have been wanting to experiment with so I began with lentils and the required amount of water needed for cooking them.

Curried Lentils
1 Cup lentils, I used petit crimson lentils.
2 1/2 cups water
1/2 sea salt, add to taste

then I added about 1/8 cup  Nori seaweed, it's dried so I cut it with scissors into little pieces.
1/8 cup diced onion
1/2 tsp curry powder
1/8 tsp. ground pepper to taste

Cook all until lentils are done and make a consistency like split pea soup.

-You could experiment with various kinds of mushrooms, or other veggies too... maybe some spinach, or bokchoy...

Indian inspired Creamed Spinach

I was craving a little hint of Indian flavor in a dish today and happened to have some Spinach on hand that needed to be used so I came up with this inspired dish....

Indian Inspired Creamed Spinach

1/2 Cup onion, thinly sliced
3-5 cloves garlic, diced
6 Tbs. butter
4 Tbs. whole wheat flour
1 1/2 cups whole milk
1/2 tsp. turmeric
1/2 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. ground pepper

1. Saute onion and garlic in butter for a few minutes. I add the garlic slightly after the onion so it doesn't burn.
2. Add the flour, salt, pepper and turmeric. Combine well and bring to a nice creamy and bubbling consistency.
3. Add milk. Stir and heat until thickened.
4. Add spinach and stir into creamy sauce until limp. Serve hot.

-You may want to double the sauce ingredients, and serve it over brown rice or rice noodles :P

School!!

At first I was completely against sticking around long enough for Jason and I to get through 4 years of school. When God so clearly told me "Go!" I really didn't think He meant "Go! But wait a while first!" I have to admit, I fought with God on this one because I didn't understand. I didn't see the value of waiting..... so long.......... It seemed like an eternity!

Towards the end of March, God brought me to a place of understanding in my prayer time with Him. He showed me why He wanted us to go to school first, and that His "Go" was what we needed to begin getting prepared to Go. I began looking into different schools and routes of study, mostly with Jason in mind. But that night of prayer, God told me that I needed to go with Jason, that the two of us were going to enter a journey of uncountable value, incomprehensible bounty, and unfathomable growth. He needed my there to be strength for my husband, who would be going through what I cannot understand. This was going to be hard on us, on our family but the weakness that we share will be brought to Glory in Christ who is our strength.

Now we are enrolled in our first class and over half way through. It's a Perspectives course and has been fantastic!! We are also enrolled in our first semester at Columbia Bible College in Abbotsford, B.C. Canada to study for the four year degree in Intercultural Studies. We have paid our tuition, and have a pledge from a family at our church to pay for our books. Jason picked out a backpack and some cool school supplies, as did the rest of the family. It will be an interesting ride having 6 of us in school this year from Kindergarten through College levels!

I can't wait to share our journey on this blog, I know I have been absent for a while now, but I will try to keep this updated! I continue to connect my past with my future in regards to how God uses every part of our lives to build our path. It is so exciting to see it all unfolding.

God's New path for us

Looking back to our last 13 years together, I can see God moving in our lives so many times. I see Him gradually enabling us to handle more and more responsibility. Our first house and then deciding to move to Washington being major turning points in our paths. I see moving to Washington as a tool to become more independent. We have become much more self reliant as a family, relying less and less on family and friends and more reliant on God and ourselves as his servants. Without that move, I think it would have been a lot harder to think about moving to a different country. But now, knowing what it takes to be away from my family for years at a time, I can see that God knew we would be up to the task, if we were just prepared a little at a time. I think that we originally were hoping that our move up here would be a move to retirement. A place we would stay at and build over the many years to come. A place for our grandbabies to visit. But now, I feel myself being ejected slowly. Not from the relationships that we are developing here, but from the land itself, the place. The relationships I know we will continue to have for the coming years as a strength and binding cord through our adventures.

I see God placing us at Fourth Corner. We learned many things going there, and have made many friends that we still manage to keep in contact with. We went through painful decisions there, ones that had to be made. Then once that was done, He moved us to Faith for a time. There we were engaged in the Awana program, as well as meeting a few really good friends. There was when I really began to ponder and feel God’s call for us into the Missionary field.

Then he brought us to Birch Bay Bible Community Church. We have been privileged enough to help in the creation of an Awana program here. We see more and more new families attending Sunday services that began as Awana families. It is feeding the appetites of the kids who want to learn more about God and Christ and how to live their lives.  

Jason has grown so much through the past few years. By leaps and bounds, God has been enabling him for positions on the elder board, as Awana commander, and as a Sunday School leader. 

He has also stretched me beyond my comfort zone to show me that I have gifts and skills that He can use if I just pay attention. I have taken a few excellent bible studies over the past year that have really engaged me and made me understand things more clearly. I have grown so much through them that I am truly in awe of it all. 

He continues to place people into our lives that will be great resources as we begin this new journey. Beginning a new care group in September, it was not long before God brought Barbera and Skeeter Wass into our lives. He placed them very specifically in our care group, as well as the Awana ministry, Ladies Bible Study small groups, Orchestra and even knitting. They are an amazing couple, who I feel so blessed to know. I don’t see their placement into our circles as an accident. I have had a few people tell me that I very much remind them of Chris Davis. What a compliment that was!! I have admired Chris’s courage and strength from the moment I met her.

Lastly, I went to church this last Sunday with anticipation. I just KNEW that God was going to speak into our lives that day. I did not know that we were having a guest speaker. I don’t really pay much attention to those details. As long as someone is speaking, I am good! What he had to say was amazing. He spoke of being a “Mish” kid, growing up in Africa. He talked about mission work that is right here in our community. And then he talked more on mission work that is happening around the world. He told us at the very end, that some are responding by remaining in Jerusalem, many of you, and that is commendable. But some of you, some of you young people here, maybe just may be called to go to the ends of the earth. Some of you, not all, but there maybe one this morning that is listening to my voice, and just maybe God, the Holy Spirit is saying to that individual, I will serve the Lord, hopefully to the ends of the Earth. That was it. I came, expectantly, knowing that God would speak to me. And He did! I felt like the Holy Spirit was holding my heart, it was profound. I knew the message was for us and that God was asking us to Go, to get ready to serve him to the ends of the Earth. I still don’t know where that will be, or even when. But that will be revealed in God’s time. We must wait patiently for the pieces to fall into place. Patience is SO hard for me, but there is no rushing God.