Cookies

                                   

01-24-12

What an amazing afternoon. It is so amazing what a cookie can do. The Joyful Noise Maker staff got together to serve. Our youth group has been struggling a little so we got the names of the ones that have gone missing and delivered freshly decorated cookies to them.

But....it wasn't really about the cookies

or.... the youth not attending youth group

nope

It was about the body of Christ, being, the body of Christ.

Finding out where people are at in there relationships with God. Encouraging them. Praying with them.

Out of all the houses, one stood out to me. One of our junior staff girls lost her mother this last year. As we talked with her and her grandmother I could see the grandmother was troubled. As I spoke with her, her breaking heart poured out. The pain of losing her daughter and her husband within one years time was like a fresh open wound. One thing she said, stood out to me.

"I just don't have anyone to talk to anymore."

She is so alone. Loss like this is huge. I know that I don't fully understand, but I can see her heartbreak, her pain. Only Christ can fill such a void and heal such a hurt. People need Him. People need us to be His body. And what a privilege it is to serve my Lord alongside his body.

They Are Only Kids

01-19-12

Drugs and sex. We all know they are a problem in the US and particularly with our young. Yet, sometimes for me they just seem like numbers. I grew up in a Christian home with a huge loving family. I never had the need for such things. It probably helped that my uncle frequented our front porch, sloshed out of his mind, angry and yelling at the world. As a young girl this was somewhat terrifying. Don't get me wrong, I love my uncle, he is a great guy, he is just different with too much alcohol.

Yet, it is one thing for a man to be doing these things, but a preteen. It just seemed so unreal to me. Until yesterday...........

Wednesday afternoon is Joyful Noise Makers. Joyful Noise Makers is a church children's group, K-6th grade. I was calling in the third group for the Bible story and as they walked in a sweet young girl had a cloud over her head. Normally, she is a bubbly, happy young girl that loves the Lord. I dismissed it, hey, maybe she is just having a hard day. It turns out, a hard life is more like it.

Later that day she shared with another staff member that other kids were pushing her to do drugs and "other things". She had put the cigarette in her mouth, so they wouldn't hate her but said no to the "other things" and walked away.

Wow, the desire to be wanted had pushed her to compromise a little and you could see it all over her face.

As I pray for this pre-teen, I have to realize that she is not alone. Who hasn't been tempted by sin? But, what will be her next choice? Will she continue to compromise and be pushed completely away from Christ. Right now she is already feeling the separation that comes with sin. Or, will she realize who she is in Christ and do what is right, even when it is hard.

Man, these kids are facing hard things at such an early age. Please pray with me for these precious kids. Because the reality is that we too are separated, by sin, from Christ. Young, old or in between, He is our only hope.

Pickles

01-22-12

Jake and Miranda, my brother in law and sister just stopped in for a fly by, less than twenty four hour visit. There little boy, Trayl is growing and developing quite the little attitude of his own. This morning as Miranda was feeding him carrots he did everything he could to get them out of his mouth. He even resorted to forcing himself to upchuck to get it out. Same thing with rice. Man, I thought this kid didn't like anything. Then, at lunch, she in desperation, gave him a pickle to suck on. I was expecting a face like this.....

But then be continued to suck on it. He loved them. All the good things that she had offered him and he wanted a pickle. (Not that pickles are bad, I like them :)

I think my walk with God is like that some times. God offers me the best thing for me. But just like learning to eat, it's hard, it's messy and sometimes I just flat out refuse to be troubled with it. I settle for sour, less than nutritious things, because it's easier. I choose to be cranky when I could be joyful in the Lord. I choose to rush around doing the things the world screams that I MUST do, instead of picking up only what God wants me too. I choose to be selfish in so many, many more ways when God has clearly called me to pick up my cross and follow him.

I know that if I obeyed Christ in all fullness, that I would not be disappointed. I know I would be overjoyed by Him. Just the same as I know that one day Trayl will figure out that there are so many wonderful foods out there. He will not stick to pickles and I pray that I won't either.

Privileged

                                           Abigail, Lydia, Azi holding Clayton, Gideon holding Silas, Kaiya and Benji

01/10/12

How do you put into words the feeling of privileged. This privilege is not deserved, and there is nothing I can do to gain it, but it always puts me in awe. Why has the Lord chosen me? Why did I get to marry into a family that loves the Lord? (Thank you Aberle's!) Why do we get to be a part of Northridge? The body of Christ never ceases to amaze me. How is it that a group of strangers who have little to nothing in common can meet and instantly feel at home?

                                           Kristi holding Abigail, Azi, Josh and Gideon (Josh, Kristi and Silas it was so very good to see you all!)

This past week our family got to visit Sabetha, KS. For some time now Northridge Sabetha has felt like our church home, but this week I had the privilege of attending a Northridge ladies brunch in Falls City. Thank you May, Jenny and all the other worker bee's who did such a fantastic job hosting! The overwhelming theme was a feeling of acceptance. Three different (but now the same) churches met and fellowshipped together, but it was as if we were already great friends.

                                                                                 Abigail and Sandy having fun at the park.

On Sunday we again had the privilege of attending all three of the Northridge services and all I have to say is wow! By the third one, Abigail was done, but I was amazed. Thank you all for including us in your family of God.

                                                                              Gus playing outside with the grand kids.

As we prepare to return to Haiti, this family has blessed us in more ways than any of you will ever know. It is a privilege to serve the Lord in Haiti and to serve the Lord along side you.

Thank you!

Prayer Requests

Now that our application to return to Haiti has been accepted I have lots of prayer requests. We still don't have any details yet, but we want to be ready to go when God is ready to send us.

We first felt called to return to Haiti in August 2010. We have been very busy here in Craig since that time, but our call is clear and we are thrilled to finally be working in that direction. Yet we want to finish well in Craig before heading on to Haiti.

Thank you for praying with us.

Praise: Our application has been accepted to return to Haiti

Request: That God would work out the logistics of returning to Haiti.

Praise: Monday morning women's Bible study has gone from around seven failed attempts (where literally NO ONE came) to a blossoming group. I simply love all of these ladies. We have grown in our relationships with God and challenged one another to carefully examine scripture and then to LIVE like Christ. I will truly miss all of these friends.

Request: When I look at these ladies I truly believe that any one of them has grown to a place where they could facilitate the group. They trust the Lord to teach them and listen to Him. However, at this point no one has stepped up into this position. Many times I have facilitated a Bible study and then when I left it died. My prayer is that the Lord will provide a leader, so that this group can continue to encourage each other as they have encouraged me.

Praise: Blair and Cresh have been Christians for a very long time, but they had fallen away from fellowship for so many reasons. For many months now, Sam and I have been meeting with Blair and Cresh to study the word and to be the body of Christ.

Request: As we, God willing, head to Haiti, I am praying that God would provide fellowship for Blair and Cresh. We all need the body of Christ. As only God can, I pray He will fill in any gaps that will be left here.

Praise: The kids and I have had the privilege of taking care of my Grandma Sampson in the mornings six days a week. This has been precious time with my God fearing Grandmother. I feel so blessed to have had this time with her. I feel extra blessed that my kids not only know about my Grandma, but they know and love her. I believe she is one of Abigail's favorite people.

Request: My Grandmother needs care because she has Alzheimer's disease. Please pray that the Lord will provide just the right care for her.

Praise: Grandma Sampson has had Alzheimer's disease for over ten years and is still able, with help, to live in her own home and function very well. She still knows ALL of, my huge families', names! She is also able to find joy in every moment. The Lord has really kept her.

Praise: Joyful Noise Makers, an after school children's program that I help with, has adapted a very heavily Bible based program this year. The kids will be told Bible stories using the Chronological Bible Storying method, from creation to Christ. I am so excited about the kids actually hearing an oral Bible and memorizing Bible verses. The word of God does not return back void.

Request: Currently I am the staff member that tells the story and prepares the questions for the kids to help them examine the story each week. Please pray for God to raise up someone that is passionate about sharing the word of God. The story question set for the following years will also need to be determined. 

Thank You for Praying With US!

We have had requests as to how people can support us financially. We do not yet have our OMS account information, so if you would like to get behind us in this way, please do so through Northridge Church. You can find their address on the left hand bar.

Azi

11-30-11

Today I was practicing telling the Bible story for Joyful Noise Makers and using Azi as an audience. We are studying the birth of Jesus this week. To keep Azi's attention I gave her some paper and crayons and instructed her to listen to the story and draw pictures of what she heard. She attentively leaned on the table toward me, not wanting to miss anything. The minute I said "Jesus" she squealed with delight.

"Jesus is my favorite! When I get to heaven I'm going to HUG him!" I had to chuckle a little as she emphatically talked about hugging Jesus. She must have seen my face, because she followed with. "Not right now, We can't go to heaven until it's time to go to heaven."

Man I love this girl!

Big News!

We are headed back to Haiti! Lord willing, we will be back in Saccanville, working with Emmaus Biblical Seminary, in early 2012. Sam will be operating and maintaining the seminary property, along with Maxi, the current director of operations and a dear Haitian friend. Cammie will be sharing the gospel with everybody she comes across and joining the seminary students as they reach their fellow countrymen. We are thrilled to have the privilege of serving God in Haiti, in whatever capacity He will use us!

Pumpkins

I just love this and had to share with everyone.

Yesterday, our family got away from the world and all things Halloween and went to my grandparents ranch. It was so refreshing just to enjoy God's creation and praise God all day. Below is part of an e-mail that my mother-in-law sent to me. Thanks Sandy!!

 

A woman was asked by a coworker, 'What is it like to be a Christian?'

The coworker replied, 'It is like being a pumpkin. God picks you from the patch, brings you in, and washes all the dirt off of you. Â Then He cuts off the top and scoops out all the yucky stuff.

He removes the seeds of doubt, hate, and greed. Then He carves you a new smiling face and puts His light inside of you to shine for all the world to see.'

So that is what we did. We carved pumpkins in the field at the ranch and talked about God and our sin. We discovered that sin is really icky. Gideon would not even touch it! We found that it was tough to get rid of, but worth it. 

 

Because if we don't remove the sin we rot and stink. We were so grateful that God went to all the work of cleaning us, because we simply could not do it without him. We were amazed at how much God loves us. With His beautiful smile on us and HIS light in us how could His light not shine for all the world to see.

Oil

10-21-2011

I don't think I have ever really understood the story of the ten virgins. I know it is probably very simple. I just could not put it into real life terms. Tonight, I think I may have caught a glimpse. I would love to hear your thoughts as well.

Who really are these virgins? Why were some ready and some not ready? What is this oil? Why did the bridegroom not recognize them when they returned?

I believe that the bridegroom is Christ. Many times Christ is called the bridegroom and in those examples the church is called the bride. Interesting. So we had ten virgins but some were wise and some were foolish. Some came with oil and some without, and they NEEDED oil to get in. They could not actually be accepted if they were not ready.

So the oil is critical.

For all the the ladies WANTED to be taken in. All of the ladies were there at one point in time. All of the ladies believed that the bridegroom was coming, they expected him.

But only some of them were prepared with this, oil.

Oil in the Bible is frequently a metaphor for the Holy Spirit. Could it be that despite our best attempts, despite walking the road, wanting to be accepted and believing in Christ..... that we will not enter eternal rest with our Lord if we do not already have him, if His Spirit is not already with us. We can't just pretend to have a relationship with God, we actually have to be known by Him.

I find it so interesting that the bridegroom did not say that they could not enter because they were LATE, but because he did not KNOW them.

In Matthew 24, just before this story it talks about the days of Noah. How people were eating and drinking and having weddings right up until the time Noah entered the ark. But in the story of Noah it says that Noah walked with God. Noah knew God and God saved him.

We talk about so many things in Christianity, but I think it is important that we not stand on anything, but our personal relationship with God.

Confession time:

Just last week I missed a number of days of good time with the Lord. I had a little each day, but not really. It was more like a token of "I know that I need this, I just can't make the time." By the end of those days, I was dying. Cranky...check....thinking like the world....check....feeling horrible inside and out...check, check. I hope my family doesn't elaborate on this.

I would have been nothing short of embarrassed and ashamed if Christ would have returned during those days. My oil was low, because I had lost my source, my living water.

And oh, he desperately wants to be my oil, He wants to make my light shine (Matt. 5:14-16). The moment I turn to Him He is there. Precious, sweet, personal, He is there.

Safety is not what our Lord has promised.

Tonight I found my prayers consumed with safety. That I would be safe, my kids would be safe, Sam would be safe, that people would not have hardship or troubles. I still have that overwhelming feeling that I just want everything to be safe, good, comfortable and easy. Yet, something in my soul cried out to me. I suddenly had a great distaste for my safety prayer, even though I would still like to have it.

As much as I don't like to admit, safety is not what I was called to. Safety is not what our Lord has promised us. Actually, he has promised quite the contrary.

Matthew 16:24 "Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me."

Romans 8:35-36 "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.”"


2 Corinthians 12:9-10 "But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong."

On and on scripture goes about believers being persecuted and genuinely having an unsafe time.

It is ridiculous of me to expect anything different. It's horrible of me to live as if this is not true. I have found Craig to be such a closed area. I am not getting beat on every corner, but rejected most everywhere. The longer I am here the more I can see myself getting lax. Accepting what it is and not living as if I have the fire of God burning in me. 

So, I have a few prayer requests.

Praise God that he opened my eyes and that he will not leave me unchanged.

Pray that I will obey God no matter the costs.

Pray that I will always be listening intently to the Lord.

Pray for Monday and Tuesday Bible study. Pray we will not just study the word of God, but live it.

Pray for Joyful Noise Makers on Wednesdays. Pray that I will not miss one opportunity to be a witness and to disciple.

Pray for Boldness. Oh, I am such a home body. It is so hard for me to talk to new people, visit people I don't know, bring up the Lord with people I know are not believers.........to live like Christ. I don't just want to keep myself busy, I want to do the things God has set up for me. 

Thank you for your prayers. Nothing can be accomplished, in my heart or otherwise, with out Him.