VBS last week

Mija attended a VBS last week. We are very picky about letting her attend a VBS. We have to know the church, it's beliefs, and if it actually practices what it believes. 

This VBS was a new experience because it was at an inner-city church. Intrepid mija knew no difference. It was a church. It was VBS. That was all that mattered.

Her class sang the plagues of Egypt to the tune of
The Twelve Days of Christmas. 

Well, I'll take that back. She wanted to make sure the church "believed right" before we went. 

It is such a blessing to see her evaluate a group or church based on their doctrinal stance rather than location or skin color!

We had a great time. I said we because they actually offered an adult class during VBS. I've never seen that before but it was very well attended.

Oh, over a thousand dollars was raised for a missionary and about a dozen souls saved during the week!

Yee-haw!

Missionary Letter--Even Worms Play a Part

If you can read through this letter without shedding a tear, you're made of stronger mettle than I!
This is an actual, recent letter from one of the missionaries our church supports. You can feel the heart of a mother and the hand of the Lord in this. After reading it, it had definitely encouraged me to find the worth in willing walking through this challenging time God has for us if it means that "Fatima heard of her savior, was saved, and worshiped the one true God."

After days of clearly seeing our Father's leading in moving our family here, we all began to be struck with physical ailments.  We were all sharing symptoms of an odd blistering rash, fevers, headaches, vomiting and then an infestation of worms.  These worms had burrowed into the top layers of the skin, and as they moved around it caused severe itching.  In the evening, Lydia laid in our bed as I applied medication, and she was about in tears over it all.  We were praying for the medication to help, and she began questioning why we had moved.

As I held her, I asked her, "If Fatima heard of her savior, was saved, and worshipped the one true God, would you be willing to have worms?  Would it be worth it?"  She turned to me and questioned, "Who is Fatima?  We don't know a Fatima."  I replied a little exasperated, "I don't know.  It's just a name I came up with.  The point is that if a girl heard of her savior through you, would you be willing to suffer through these worms?"  She just soaked it in, and I could tell she was processing it.  And honestly, so was her very tired mama.

The following morning, a national friend stopped by to check in on our family.  She had visited us the day before where she had seen me fatigued, yet excited that God might have provided a solution through medication.  We chatted about how everyone had seen improvement.  Praise God!  She had brought her niece with her.  Her niece has worms, too, and had scratched the skin raw.  "Can you help her?"

"Let us prepare some medicine and try."  I asked Lydia to play outside with the niece while we prepared.  Those two girls enjoyed each other's company so much, even with a language barrier!  The niece had such a sweet demeanor.  We applied the medicine, and my friend and her niece began to leave.

I looked at the girl and said, "We would like for you to come back and play.  How old are you?"

"Eleven."

"That's great; Lydia will be eleven in a month!  What is your name?"

"My name is Fatima."

Lydia squeezed my hand, and I stood silent.  We wished our friends farewell. As I closed our gate, my daughter looked at me with wonder and asked, "Is that THE Fatima?"

Our family spontaneously worshipped our immense, real, and intimate Father.  What a gift of grace.  As we recounted the story to one another, Lydia suddenly realized that she would not have met Fatima if she hadn't had worms.  Now her desire to share His Name has increased tremendously.  This is a fight, and we all experienced that what was meant for evil, our Father meant it for good.

March Madness-Missions Style

I'm over at the Home Educating Family Blog today, so go check me out there!


 

The Education of Missions

A couple of weeks ago, our church had it's missions emphasis week.  It's always a blessing to not only remember and offer special prayers for our missionaries but also to have the opportunity to meet some of them.

What was really cool was how God worked our history into the last Sunday of missions emphasis week!

In history, we were studying the Islamic invasion of Spain.  Long

story short, the Berber muslims came from the Morocco area into Spain across what we now call Gilbraltar.  The became known as the Moors.

Well, our missionary on Sunday was a Berber from Morocco who had accepted Christ.  He ended up in Spain which had once been Islamic and now reaches the lost in Northern Africa!  (I can't tell you his name because it could put his life and ministry in danger.)

Now, not everybody can have missionaries whose appearance prohibit the church doing the usual live-feed during the service, but everyone can include missions as part of their education!

Here's just a few ideas that come to mind:

1. Geography (I know, duh.)  Flags, capitals, etc.
2. Culture--Oh, and don't assume the culture issue.  Sure Spain has a general culture, but I know another missionary that reaches out to the Gypsies.  That's a whole different culture!
3. Language--Learn some basic phrases your missionary would use everyday.
4. Literature--What are some of the fairy tales or classics from the country?

5. Letter writing--Practice letter writing and penmanship skills.
6. Stamp collecting--We once had a missionary to Japan that would always include used stamps in their letters for those who collected.
7. Money--What's the money like there? What's the current excange rate and how does that work?  Why would a family of four serving in Japan proabably need more support than serving in Mexico?
8. Art--Who are some of the famous artists from that country.
9. Music--What's the traditional music? 
10. Holidays--What are some special holidays they celebrate OR what special ways do they celebrate the same holidays you do?
11. Food--We used to arrange prayer dinners at a church we used to attend.  We had food that was from the country we were covering, decorated, and then prayed for our missionaries and the country.
12. Fellowship--Nothing makes praying and learning about missionaries easier than getting to know them.  Invite for dinner or dessert when they are in town.  Get on their regular prayer letter list.
13. Service--In what ways can you minister to them on the field?  Save all the money from not drinking soda pop for a month to donate to a well to be built.  Pass on your homeschool curriculum to a missionary homeschooling on the field.
14. History--It meant a lot more to hear from our missionary when we knew the history of the peoples and countries involved.

15. Mileage/Measurement--Distance they have to travel from one place to another.  Which missionary is the furthest and which the nearest?  Do they use the metric system?  Do some conversions?

16. Architecture--Why are those Roman Roads everywhere?  ;-)

17. Astronomy--This would be really cool if they lived in a different hemisphere.  My missionary friend and their church members in Australia didn't get much out of Comet Hale-Bopp in 1997 since it wasn't seen there.

18. Seasons--Again, totally different in northern to southern hemispheres.  Why?

Okay, so that's off the top of my head.  What are your ideas?

Elisabeth Elliot on children and more

Last week, Revive Our Hearts with Nance Leigh DeMoss started a three day series with Elisabeth Elliot.  That godly woman shared many insights, of course, including the topics of being a wife, godly parenting, and just walking by faith.  I will link to all the days for your convenience.  It's not going to be wasted time as you can tell by quotes I copied.

Day One:  Read or Listen HERE
For parents to allow their children to be in control and not to lovingly make the children understand that the parents are the ones who have been given by God this responsibility, it creates a view of God that means we can run God.

Day Two: Read or Listen HERE
You’ve got to remember, whomever you marry, he’s a sinner. There isn’t anything else to marry.
Day Three: Read or Listen HERE
 I think older women not only have a tremendous privilege, but a very great responsibility to talk to younger women, to try to help them realize what a blessing it is that they are that age, and then to testify to them what a blessing it is to be this age.

Easy Peasy Family EV

A really cool article from Raising Homemakers.  It's interesting reading how a missionary teaches their children about evangelism.  I don't know about you, but we usually have plenty of hard boiled eggs left after Easter.  How about some egg salad finger sandwiches to go with the tea?

Easy Peasy Family EV

by ArabahJoy on April 14, 2011

Ever since my oldest could talk, he was sharing the gospel.



It wasn’t something we taught him and I often wondered how it happened ~smiles~ but then I realized he was simply saying a handful of phrases that my husband and I constantly shared with others ourselves. Things like, “Have you ever heard of Jesus before?” “Do you believe in God?” and “God exists, He really does!”


As missionaries in a communist, atheist country, we always sought to open spiritual conversations with everyone we could. Sharing Jesus was a way of life.


Then God blessed us with 3 children in 23 months and things changed. Suddenly, I was at home…ALOT. And my girls weren’t getting the exposure to sharing Jesus that my son had. They weren’t seeing me be missional and I missed it!

What to do?


It’s a good question. For stay at home moms who may have limited contact with the lost, how can we purposefully teach our children to share Jesus?


As I asked God what I could do, He gave me the idea of “Tuesday Tea.” This is where my girls and I prepared a special tea with snacks and invited a guest of honor ~ a neighbor who did not know Jesus.


This idea was easy peasy because what neighbor wants to turn down a child’s invitation?! And they came to us! Now that we are in the states on furlough, I am finding this an excellent way to reach out to other SAHMs in our neighborhood.


Getting Started:


~ Start by making a list of names or addresses of people on your street, neighborhood, or in your community. Add names of unsaved friends and family members as well. It doesn’t have to be many to start with, just reach out.


~ Keep adding names to your “Blessing List” as you meet new people or see neighbors at the park, in the yard, etc.


~ Plan the “menu” for your first Tea Time and make invitations. We do our tea time from 10:00 – 10:30am. The short time is on purpose, so our guests know this won’t drag out.


Involving the Children:


~ Get your kids excited by telling them you want to bless others together. They can help by selecting the special guest, making invitations, helping deliver them, baking the goodies, selecting the menu, setting the table, serving the guests, dressing up, preparing a story or scripture, ect.


~ Make it regular. Pick a day of the week so your kids can look forward to this special day. You can have your tea parties weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly to work around family schedules. Build anticipation by talking about it in between parties.


~ Ask your kids for input. They will come up with some great ideas that will probably be the best of all


Making it Evangelistic:


~A super easy way to turn the tea party to Christ is to simply tell your guest upon arrival, “We would like to make you feel special and bless you today while you are here. Is there any specific way we can pray for you?”


~You can make scriptures that bless into placemats or simply write them on cards and leave them on top of the tea saucers.


~Have the children sing a song or an older child read a short Bible story.


~Be prepared to share your testimony. Some people don’t know how to “jump into” their testimony, so here are some openings you can use: “I wouldn’t be the person I am without Jesus. Here is how He has changed my life…”


Or, “Jesus is the best thing that has happened to me! Let me tell you what happened…”


Or, “I haven’t always been the person I am today. I used to …. until I met Jesus…”


Most importantly, have fun!


Sharing Jesus is one of the “funnest” things there is! Don’t be discouraged if things don’t go exactly as planned; instead, begin by praying before the guests arrive, committing the time and effort as a love offering to the Lord. Then enjoy the ride, however it turns out! He will accept your gift and direct your paths.


Doing a few simple things at each tea party, like praying for your guests and telling them Jesus loves them, will help your child learn the basics of sharing Jesus and starting spiritual dialogue.


Part of the legacy I want to leave my children is serving others and sharing Christ. The tea party does both. Who knew that something so simple could leave such a legacy?


Care to join in? If you have an “EV Tea,” let us know how it goes! For more ideas and inspiration, check out Tea Parties with a Purpose: 10 Simple and Fun Party Ideas for Kids of All Ages by Bobbie Wolgemuth.


I’m praying for lots of Tea Parties this month
By Arabah Joy, Arabah

Answering the Call to Missions

One of the things that my husband and I had in common when we met was a heart for missions.  Didn't know how but when we got married, we both felt that missions was somehow in our future.  After several years of marriage, we finally prepared "officially" go to the mission field.  We were on deputation for five years attempting to raise support.  After five years, we realized that God was closing this door. 

After God closed that door, He took us through a wonderful, faith-filled journey of adoption which is a story of it's own.  Little did I know that when I became a mother, I was truly entering the mission field. The mission field of parenting.

Think about it. 

1.  Unsaved Souls: Anyone who's dealt with a child knows they are not "tabula rasa" but a sinful sinner.  My husband used to ask where our daughter learned such things.  Sorry honey, she's just skilled at being unsaved. Just like any unsaved person here or abroad, my daughter needs to learn about salvation through Christ.  Thankfully, their eternal destiny is up to God, but He's put us in a place to be tool in helping to bring that about (and hopefully not hamper it!)

2.  Foreign Culture: Whether your three year old is talking about their imaginary friend or your 13 year old is talking about Hannah Montana (Blah!  I just gagged as I was typing it.), there are aspects about childhood and teenagers that are completely foreign to us.  Sure, we lived in this culture a long time ago (some of us longer ago than others), but we just don't get it anymore. 

3.  Foreign Language: If U no w's^ then XLNT but 2 me it's 511 so SYL8R @ *$.

4.  Hostile and/or Reluctant Natives: I'm sure it's only my child but sometimes trying to communicate anything including the Truth is like beating my head against the wall.  How many times have I told her the same thing?  Excuse me, but did I just see an eye roll?  Time to get out Proverbs 30:17.

5.  Testimony: Sure, a testimony can be something you share verbally, but even more so it's something you share by living.  As a missionary (or a Christian for that matter), I am called to walk the walk; to set an example of a life enjoying and glorify God forever.  Truth is there have been a few times when I respond to my husband in a disrespectful way.  Then I grieve because I know the way I submit to my husband is an example of how I also submit to God, and my daughter has just seen poor example of both.  Hopefully, I remember to set a good example of asking for forgiveness.

6.  Finances:  We struggled with getting support when we were on deputation, and sometimes we still struggle with finances on the mission field of parenting, as well.  Some sources say that it costs over $200,000 to raise one child.  Besides meeting basic necessities, it's our God-given responsibility as missionaries to determine the best way to spend that support. Don't get me wrong; my girl does gymnastics and ballet, so I'm not against outside activities, but we do need to evaluate things.  As a missionary, we are responsible to make the best use of the funds for the Kingdom of God.

7. Support System:  Any good missionary knows the importance of a helpful, supportive, and praying sending agency and supporters.  They stand with you in faith and truth.  They encourage your growth and hold you accountable.  They can identify with and pray about your everyday needs.  These can make or break a missionary on the field and also with the mission field of parenting.  A good church that supports, not replaces, our role as parents is mandatory. Knowing and reaching out to others who are either "in the trenches" with us or who have "been there, done that and got the t-shirt to prove it" can make a big difference.

I think sometimes in the midst of rearing (sometimes literary) my child, I forget that God has made me an overseer of an eternal soul. Isn't that what a missionary is after all? A person who wants souls to acknowledge Christ as their Savior.  For some reason, I was placed in her life "for such a time as this" as her own personal missionary.  I pray that I make the most of this opportunity and not forsake my first missionary field.

Nancy Leigh Demoss Devotional

September 30, 2009

Story of the Shoemaker

Nancy Leigh DeMoss: Do you remember the first book you ever read? I can remember one of the first books I ever read. It was called The Shoemaker Who Gave India the Bible. It was a children's version of the story of William Carey, an English cobbler who helped begin the modern missionary movement in the face of tremendous obstacles. He then became a missionary to India and oversaw the translation of the Bible into forty languages. Reading his story as a child gave me a sense of passion to love the Lord with all my heart. It was through stories like this that I was drawn to give my life to God’s service.

As you’re choosing books for your children, you have a chance to instill in them what it means to serve God wholeheartedly. Don’t forget to look for books about missionaries and other people who lived for God’s glory. It might change their lives forever.
With Seeking Him, I’m Nancy Leigh DeMoss