2 and Counting

I’m exciting that we are expecting another child. Each child is a blessing from the Lord!

 

Psalm 127:3-5

Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord, the fruit of the womb a reward. Like arrows in the hand of a warrior are the children of one’s youth. Blessed is the man who fills his quiver with them! He shall not be put to shame when he speaks with his enemies in the gate.

Psalm 139:13-16

For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well. My frame was not hidden from you, when I was being made in secret, intricately woven in the depths of the earth. Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them.

Romans 8:35-39 The inseparable ever fullfilling love in Christ Jesus. :-) Forever Joy!

“Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? As it is written:

‘For your sake we face death all day long;

we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.’

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.”

Sometimes we as people and we as Christians lose the focus of our True Love which is in Christ Jesus. We try to fill the emptiness inside up with being a good person, our successes, or finding a person to love in life to the point we get anxious and worry. This often leads to filling our depression and sadness with sin because being a good person or successful isn’t full-filling so we try to fill it with something else like lying, lust, drugs, alcohol when our true eternal everlasting joy is found in Christ Jesus Our Lord.

“You make known to me the path of life;

in your presence there is fullness of joy;

at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.” Psalm 16:11

“Your words were found, and I ate them,

and your words became to me a joy

and the delight of my heart,

for I am called by your name,

O Lord, God of hosts.” Jeremiah 15:16

Jesus himself said, “These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full.” John 15:11

“So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy, complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind.” Philippians 2:1-2

“Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice.” Philippians 4:4

“Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory,” 1 Peter 1:8

Used Stamps for Retired Missionaries


Yesterday I was reading through the Grace Village Voice and I noticed a notice for used stamps. They were asking for used stamps to be donated to help fund care for retired Sudan Interior Mission Missionaries. Some people may think oh that’s silly what use would used stamps be to missionaries. It’s like giving them used tea bags. But several used stamps are collectors items and can be sold for a great value so I’m getting excited and motivated to collect stamps that different pictures on them besides the flag and Liberty bell stamps. I’ve been cutting out the stamps from my letters this Christmas and keeping the perforated edges intact to bring to work to donate to be used for retired missionaries. At Grace Village they have a collections box for used stamps in the Fellowship Center and at the nurses’ station in Health Care (Elder Lane Entrance). The notice states that the deadline is January 15, 2011 for stamp collection though I have seen the box there about all year. Used Stamps for Retired Missionaries. Also don’t forget the Caring Friends Endowment to help Grace Village Residents facing financial challenges this could be a good save your pocket change idea.

Grace Village Retirement Community
337 Grace Village Dr.
Winona Lake, IN 46590
Giving Opportunities – http://www.gracevillage.org/giving-opportunities.php

Pocket Change for Orphans


This new year I desire to find more ways I could help missionaries and orphans. And one of those ways is Pocket Change. I want to challenge myself instead of using change to buy that Pepsi or coffee that my caffeine headache so desires to put it in a jar to be used for orphans or children with single parents here and overseas. All those pennies, dimes, and nickels add up to be quite a bit overtime. If people collected all the coins that are just lying around the house or in pockets when doing laundry and gave them to agencies helping orphans what a difference we could make in the lives of those children just from pocket change. Grace Brethren International Missions had a WeShare challenge. They encouraged people to find ways to save, sacrifice our materialism and reduce spending to give extra money to missions in the month of May last year but I want to challenge you to do WeShare everyday for orphans. This site can give you some ideas on how to give and save pocket change http://www.gbim.org/give2/weshare.
Websites about giving to orphans, single parents, and their children:
Orphans in the CAR- http://www.ph-c.com/
Orphans in India- http://amandalehman.blogspot.com/p/support.html
Orphans in the CAR- http://icdinternational.org/orphan-care/
Orphans in Zambia- http://www.everyorphan.org/
Orphans in Guatemala- http://www.servantministries.net/
Orphans in South Africa- http://www.bethesdaoutreach.org/
Heartline Pregnancy Center- http://www.heartlinepregnancycenter.org/

Providing Water to Present the Living Water

icdi.pngI have a friend who sells pottery in Winona Lake, IN. For every $5 spent at his pottery shop it gives someone clean water for a year. Money is donated to an organization called Integrated Community Development International to build wells in the Central African Republic so Africans can have clean water. What an idea using mud (clay) to make something to give clean un-muddy water to Africans and Orphans in the Central African Republic. Contact Mudlovepottery@gmail.com if you want pottery or give direct donations to www.icdinternational.org

Ezequiel

im000712.JPGWhen I was in Argentina I had the opportunity to go see a friend of mine named Ezequiel. In December he was in a accident. He walking in the street and a car hit him and it dragged him a long ways. I was praying for my friend Ezequiel at this time but I didn’t know he was in an accident until sometime in March. He almost died from the accident but the Lord protected him. So when I was down in Argentina I got to go see him and he was getting better. Attached is a photo of Him and me. Pray for Ezequiel that he would be strong spiritually and pray for the salvation of his family.

The Mice

im000734.JPGThis May I had the opportunity to go to Argentina to live in a church. I lived in a town called la Union. I stay in a small room in the back of the church by the kitchen. This room had mice and we could hear them every once it the while because sometimes they would eat the bread we left out. So we hung up the food from the ceiling to keep the mice from eating the bread. But one night while I was sleeping a mouse fell on top of me from trying to climb up to get the food. I yelled a little bit and my room mates laughed. The photo is my bed I slept in.