Christmas Fun

Buying a Christmas turkey. Sounds easy enough, right?

If I were in the states, I would go to the grocery store of my choice, find the poultry section and pick out a nice turkey. The turkey is all wrapped in sturdy plastic, all sorts of warnings and labels and such. Handy little red thingy that pops out when the turkey is done.

But alas, I am not in the states, and therefore, buying a turkey is a whole different ballgame.

First of all, let me say that members of the poultry family are a “must” on the Malagasy Christmas dinner menu. In fact, they have a whole poultry hierarchy here in this country. Chickens are on the low end of the totem pole, next are ducks, then geese, then turkeys. Way up at the top of this poultry totem pole you can find “our” kind of turkey. There are very few places in this country where you can find good turkeys. Most of the turkeys you find in the stores or market could be cooked in a pressure cooker for a week and still not be tender. Okay, that is a slight exaggeration, but in all our years here, we’ve never successfully baked a Malagasy turkey. Anyway, so there is a “farm” here in the city, a business actually, that sells good fat, tender turkeys (as well as other members of the poultry family).

So I placed my order weeks ago…my turkey was to be picked up today.

I went to the place this morning and I tell you, I wish I had taken my camera. I found myself just standing there laughing. First of all, I go in the little “store” where I normally pick up my orders. This place was PACKED out – people buying “foie gras”, chickens, turkeys, eggs, you name it. Meanwhile, many people are opting to buy their poultry LIVE (insuring it’s freshness) so one guy is weighing these chickens. They are NOT happy about this and proceed to flap their wings and squawk or whatever chickens do. Feathers are flying. I am very happy that I ordered a dead turkey – plucked and ready for the oven. :)

After standing there for awhile, a lady comes and takes me around back. Meanwhile, trucks are being loaded with chickens and other squawking animals. She takes me into an office, sits me in the chair. There is a desk, laptop computer, various papers scattered around. Notebooks with “canard" (duck) written on them. Okay. I’m here to BUY a TURKEY, people!!! Why am I sitting in an office? But I sit and watch the show through the window.

The lady goes back out and gives orders to someone. The guy runs off and comes back with a turkey in a plastic bag. They weigh it. Discussion follows. I step outside and ask, is everything okay? Yes, madam, but this one only weighs 4 kilos so we’re going to get you a bigger one. No, that’s fine. I’ll take the 4 kilo one, thank you. (Hello? I’m only feeding four people here! That’s over 8 pounds of turkey.) So then the lady takes my paper over to another lady. This lady then proceeds to write out a detailed receipt for my turkey. Weighs so much. Costs so much per kilo. I’d paid a “deposit” so have to deduct that. Meanwhile, flies are flying ALL over the place. Chickens and other birds are still squawking. People are shouting orders and running around. I am quickly losing my appetite for anything with wings, feathers, and a beak. Maybe we should just have ham for Christmas? Hmm, no, then I’d have to go to a pig farm.

Finally I pay my remaining money and get my turkey. Wishing everyone a Merry Christmas, I walk out the door. Can’t help but chuckle as I walk to my car.

Kroger poultry section? How boring!

I Can...Because He Can

Do you ever just feel like you cannot go any further...or do any more...or deal with the things life is throwing at you? Here is a thought that has blessed me recently from II Timothy chapter 1.

God has not given me a spirit of fear...

But of power - I can do things that I couldn't.

Of love -- I can feel things I didn't.

And of a sound mind -- I can know things I wouldn't.

How can I experience this abundant life? Through His Spirit ~ living in me. Thank you, Jesus!

A Sightseeing Trip

The weekend after Thanksgiving, we took a trip to the west part of the island. We were able to do some sightseeing -- visited a gorgeous waterfall and also saw some geysers. This is such a beautiful country and we have not even come close to seeing it all.

Get Out Of The Puddle

I was inspired by something in my Bible study session today to create this little picture. Beth shared in our study how one day she was walking and saw some ducks in a little puddle of water. Just over the rise was a big beautiful pond...but they were splashing around in this little puddle. Settling for mediocrity. How many times do we do that? Settling for little when God has much. Living our lives in the puddle when God has a big pond just waiting for us?!?

So I challenge you today. Step out of the puddle. Waddle on over to the pond and take a swim in the abundant life God has for you!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Wishing you all a blessed Thanksgiving day!

May your heart be filled with thanksgiving.

May your home be filled with laughter and love.

May your tummy be filled with yummy food.

And may all the calories disappear!

Dirt Project

Our dirt removal project continues at the campgrounds. Thousands of truck loads have been hauled away, and there are still thousands more! The one picture is behind our tabernacle building -- looking towards the ball field (for those who are familiar with the setting). And the other picture shows the dorm buildings being torn down. It's a bittersweet thing -- these buildings were built 20+ years ago as somewhat temporary buildings. Never dreamed they would last this long! But the time has come. We have a project to build more dorms -- this time they will be built a little further from the main conference hall. This area will be flattened for parking. (When these buildings were built, the missionary SFC vehicle was the only one that needed a parking place. :) Thank the Lord for His blessings -- now we need hundreds of parking places!)

God's Instruction

My friend, Cylinda, blogged about gold nuggets that God gives us in life. Nuggets that we take for granted and do not recognize their value. Please, read her blog -- you can link to it from the link on my page.

Anyway, I was thinking about that, then did my Bible study for the day. The thought was that we sometimes miss the purpose of difficult circumstances if we do not accept them as invitations to get into God's Word. We miss the gold nugget that He is trying to give us!

Psalm 119:71 shares that "it is good for me to be afflicted so that I might learn your decrees."

How many times do we go through trials and face difficulty and the Lord is trying to teach us something...or draw us closer to Him...but we're too busy bailing water and crying out, "Why me, Lord?"

It is not always easy to face disappointment. It is not always easy to be hurt by relationships or to suffer the consequences of mistakes made. We hurt when loved ones are taken from us or loved ones suffer. But the cherished things God reveals to us through those hard times are yours forever! They are gold nuggets of great value. Let Him comfort you through His Word today. Truths revealed are yours forever!

Deuteronomy 29:29 ~ "...the things revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may follow all the words of this law."

Great Is Thy Faithfulness

I have blogged about this on EC before, but found this song on my heart today and wanted to share again. This is one of my favorite hymns! And given national events this week, it seemed to speak to me today. My hope is in Jesus! And He is faithful! May it bless you today as well.

Great is Thy faithfulness, O God my Father;
There is no shadow of turning with Thee;
Thou changest not, Thy compassions, they fail not;
As Thou hast been, Thou forever will be.

Great is Thy faithfulness!
Great is Thy faithfulness!
Morning by morning new mercies I see.
All I have needed Thy hand hath provided;
Great is Thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me!

Summer and winter and springtime and harvest,
Sun, moon and stars in their courses above
Join with all nature in manifold witness
To Thy great faithfulness, mercy and love.

Pardon for sin and a peace that endureth
Thine own dear presence to cheer and to guide;
Strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow,
Blessings all mine, with ten thousand beside!

God's "To Do" List

Did you know God has a "to do" list?? Yep, it is found in Ephesians 2:10.

"For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus TO DO good works, which God prepared in advance for us TO DO." (emphasis mine)

Yep, His "to do" list is OUR "to do" list. Or vice versa. :O)

Kids Day - November 1st

Kids Day is an annual event sponsored by the Sunday School Department here in Mad. This year it was held at our National Campgrounds and what a time we had! Over 2,000 children and teachers gathered for a fun day. A ferris wheel was rented...and each child was able to ride at least once. Candy was passed out. Picnic lunches were shared. A display of Bible Story pictures was enjoyed by the children. And the best part...we had an awesome service with 190 children being filled with the Holy Spirit.!! God is good!

Abba, Father! Daddy!

How cool is it that we can call Him "Daddy"?!? This is not a new concept to me. And since I'm a "Daddy's girl" and have had a wonderful example of daddy-ness in my life from my earthly father, it has never been hard for me to view God as my Heavenly Father. Still, in my Bible study today, this statement just LEAPED out at me:

"When God's Throne Becomes a Rocking Chair"

Wow!

See if this verse gives you an even better picture:

"The Lord your God is with you, he is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing." Zephaniah 3:17

Does that not sound like a loving parent cuddling with their child in a rocking chair? Taking delight in you. Quieting you with His love. Singing a lullaby.

Take time today to just allow Him to be Daddy. Let Him soothe your feelings, your fears, and your hurts.

Abba, Father!

Stuff

Well, it has been awhile since I posted -- sorry! Life just gets busy sometimes. We had a trip to the eastern coast of the island the weekend before last (Tamatave, for those who are familiar with the island). It was nice to "get away" and enjoy the ocean breeze for a few days. But car troubles made the trip a bit tiresome. We're still trying to get that all sorted out. We visited one of our churches while we were there -- pictured below (this is where Bro. Ernest is pastoring now...again, for those who know who I'm talking about):


This past weekend we visited the church where Bro. Lucien is now pastoring. Danan, we thought of you guys since this is the church where Mike preached the first time in Mad. :O) They even sang your favorite song: Faly aho, Rabiko o". Nearly brought tears to my eyes. :O) Bro. Lucien & Sis. Nety are doing great there - of course - and we had a great visit with them.
This week Chris is busy with board meetings. Richae and Jared are doing semester exams. And since I'm stranded with no vehicle, I'm getting some work done: book editing, PIM newsletter, website update, planning for a Kids Day this weekend, end-of-the-month paperwork...there is plenty to do!

While the weather back home is cooling off...we are warming up nicely here! Enjoying the balmy temperatures...and all the pretty blooms that come along with it. Soon the rains will start, so we enjoy these few weeks of warmth without rain.

Well, just wanted to catch you up on our life! May God bless you...wherever you are!

How Great Is His Love

Who can fathom the LOVE of God? Does it ever just grab you by the throat...to sit and think about just how awesome His love is? This morning I was reading in Psalms and my study directed me to Psalm 104. But my eyes were drawn to the previous psalm, where I had highlighted most of the verses. I began to read...and weep. Here are some portions (emphasis mine):

Praise the Lord, O my soul, and forget not ALL his benefits--who forgives all your sins and heals ALL your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion... (I love the words ALL!!!)

The Lord is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love. He will not always accuse, nor will he harbor his anger forever; he does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities. For as HIGH as the heavens are above the earth, so GREAT is his love for those who fear him; as far as the EAST is from the WEST, so far has he removed our transgressions from us.

Not sure if you're familiar with the song "East to West" by Casting Crowns, but it goes right along with these verses. Just how far is the east to the west? One scarred hand to another. That pretty much covers it all. Jesus paid the price for our sins on Calvary, so I don't have to carry that weight.
In Colossians 1 it talks about "peace through his blood shed on the cross. Once you were alienated from God and were enemies IN YOUR MINDS...but now he has reconciled you...to present you holy in his sight, without blemish, and FREE FROM ACCUSATION."

I've blogged before about how God is greater than our heart. Well, He's greater than our minds, too! :O) You know, those little "nit-picking" accusations that bombard our minds sometimes. We should have prayed more, we should have done this or done that...or should not have done this or that...but through His blood, we are free from accusation.

How great is His love? As high as the heavens above the earth...and that's pretty high!

Book Editing

One of my 'jobs' here is doing book editing for our printing department. I really enjoy this work...it's very fulfilling to see the finished product and know you are putting the Word into the hands of hungry people! But this one book has taken FOREVER! It's a new Bible School book...and I've been working on this book for months now! And it seems no matter how many times we go through it, I still find errors. Ha! However, the end is in sight...I'm on my LAST run-through. Any mistakes missed will just have to be there. We'll correct them on the next printing -- ha!

Joy Quenchers

If you haven't figured it out already, my study this week has been about joy. :O)

The psalmist tells us that it is in the presence of the Lord that we find FULLNESS of joy. This is not talking about fleeting moments of happiness because of a 50% sale at your favorite store, or the warm fuzzy feeling you get after eating your favorite chocolate dessert. This is talking about inner joy that comes only through Him.

But in life, there are plenty of joy quenchers. My study named a few...let us take a look. A good example of all of the following joy quenchers can be found in the life of Elijah (specifically in I Kings 17-19). We may lose our joy:

...when our outpour exceeds our intake.
...when our talk exceeds our walk.
...when we become "wonder junkies" - failing to hear the still, small voice.
...when we are exhausted.
...when we feel alone.

Maybe you find yourself in one of those places. If you've lost your joy, it is right where you left it...IN HIS PRESENCE.

The Best of God

In my Bible study today the scripture reading was in Acts 16. This is the passage about Paul and Silas in jail...singing at midnight. One of my favorites!

The study went on to surmise that the presence, purpose, and power of God are best discovered through difficulty. Wow!

Paul discovered something great ~ NOT the strength to leave his circumstance, but the strength to STAY.

The BEST of God's presence, purpose, and power is discovered in the WORST of circumstances.

So move over, Paul. Make room for another voice in your midnight concert.

Bible School

Bible School is in full swing with two classes studying full-time. Here are a couple of pics...one is year one and the other is Chris teaching in year two. (As always, you can click on the picture to view it in larger format.)

Mountain Update

Well, it has been awhile since my last mountain update. :O) Here are a few pictures of the progress being made. It is still exciting to see the changes as the work continues.

Life and Love

Well, I have not posted much lately ~ sorry! We are enjoying the spring weather here and the ability to get outside. Now that things have slowed down a bit, both Chris & I are focusing in losing some weight and firming up some of the flab. :O) Since we still have to do six months furlough next year, we want to get control of things before heading back to the states. Otherwise, life is busy with school, book editing, household stuff, and church activities. Bible school is in full swing and Chris has a pretty full schedule with that during the week.

So that is life. God is good! I am involved in a ladies Bible study about the fruit of the Spirit. Enjoying that very much. I know that so often we live beneath our potential in Christ. He desires so much more for us. This week we are studying about love. God is love. It is not an emotion that He feels or a passing thing. But He IS love. Wow! That is hard for us to comprehend. For us, love is an emotion, a feeling. But for Him, it is who He is. I am so thankful for His love!

I am also blessed with so many in my life who love me.

A husband who loves me in spite of, because of, crazy things I do.

Two children who love me even when I'm grumpy.

Parents who love me unconditionally.

A brother who loves me even when he teases mercilessly.

In-laws who love me unconditionally. (I think!) :O)

Friends & family who love me in spite of quirks and differences and distance.

You know who you are and I thank God for you!

And I love you, too!

Today's Musings

Isn't that cool?? The closest we get to snow in Madagascar. :O) On Monday, we had a huge thunderstorm come through. With it came a hailstorm. Our yard was covered in pea-sized hail. I enjoyed the storm -- there is just something so majestic about a thunderstorm. But I did NOT enjoy the three hours with no power. Heh

A Letter from Christ

Our life is a letter written for others to read.

Wow! That is quite a statement. In II Corinthians 3:3, 5-6, we find the following words, "You show that you are a letter from Christ..., written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts..."

What can I allow the Spirit to write in my life today? Is the letter of my life that the world can see full of love and grace? Or anger and bitterness?

Continuing on with our verses: "Not that we are competent in ourselves to claim anything for ourselves, but our competence comes from God. He has made us competent..."

He has made us competent. What a great promise! Reminds me of: "I can do all things - through Christ - who strengthens me." I am so glad it is not dependent on my competency or my ability. Only on my availability to Him.

Lord, I'm available to You!

Conference is over

Praise the Lord for a great week! Conference is over and what an awesome time we had! With around 18,000 people attending services throughout the week, we were blessed to see 1,435 people find their salvation experience during our conference. Although we're exhausted, our spirits are soaring as we saw the Lord pour out His blessings on our services.

Pictured above: half of the conference crowd on Sunday morning...minister's wives gathered for some teaching...our children with our General Director of Missions, Bruce Howell, and his wife, Diane Howell, as they enjoyed some time hanging out with the lemurs!...and finally, me and my dear husband with the Howell's.

Now life will hopefully return to some level of 'normalcy' after the month and a half of whirlwind craziness! Hey, a girl can hope, right??? :)

Have a blessed day in Jesus!

Note: as always, you can click on the pictures for a larger view!

Conference News

This week is our National Conference here in Madagascar. We are having a great week! Monday through Wednesday were focused on the minister's and wives. And now we are in the general sessions. We're blessed with the powerful ministry of Bro. Bruce Howell, Pastor Gary Keller, & Pastor Keith Sjostrand and Bro. Jerry Richardson. Our services have been blessed already with 474 saved. Praise the Lord! I will continue to bring reports...and pictures...to share.

Thanks for your prayers!

Butter Update

Well, I found some...

Paid $14 for this 500 gram packet of butter!!! All the way from France. :)

I told my husband...it is appropriately wrapped in a gold wrapper!!! LOL

Butter anyone?

Okay, just when you think you've seen it all, this country rises up and bites you again. :)

It seems that we have no butter in this whole city of 2+ million people. Grocery store shelves are bare of butter/margarine, or any such product. The little shops along the road are out of it. Wow!

I'm going to check at a few of the grocery stores that carry imported butter today...and hope they are not sold out! Who knows how much I'll have to pay for it, but what can you do? Gotta have my butter! :)

Dust

Living in Madagascar, one of the things you quickly have to adjust to is the amount of dust in the air. Known as the Red Island, the dust is very much a part of our lives here, particularly during the dry season. I am amazed at how often the furniture needs dusting! Even now, when our windows remain closed because of the cool temperatures, the dust still manages to find its way into our home.


This morning as I sat here looking at the dust on my desk, I begin to wonder if this has a spiritual application as well? If we are not careful, do we allow the dust of the world, the dust of LIFE, to clutter our lives? How often do we come in and dust off the furniture of our heart? How often do we allow the rain of the Spirit to refresh the dry, parched soil of our heart -- thus minimizing the dust?

I'm reminded of the words of the song:
We thirst for you,
We search for you,
In a dry and barren land,
We're longing for your hand
to guide us to a place where you
can cleanse us with your rain...
baptize us once again
We thirst for you!

Obstacles

In ancient times, a king had a boulder placed on a roadway. Then he hid himself and watched to see if anyone would remove the huge rock. Some of the king's wealthiest merchants and courtiers came by and simply walked around it. Many loudly blamed the king for not keeping the roads clear, but none did anything about getting the big stone out of the way. Then a peasant came along carrying a load of vegetables. On approaching the boulder, the peasant laid down his burden and tried to move the stone to the side of the road. After much pushing and straining, he finally succeeded. As the peasant picked up his load of vegetables, he noticed a purse lying in the road where the boulder had been. The purse contained many gold coins and a note from the king indicating that the gold was for the person who removed the boulder from the roadway. The peasant learned what many others never understand. Every obstacle presents an opportunity to improve one's condition.

Most of us have read this story before. I was reminded of it this week. Yes, in life we often find obstacles in our path. Many times it is tempting to turn back or find the easy way around this obstacle. But what reward when we work to make a difference, push that obstacle out of the way, and work to overcome this difficulty in our lives! Relationships, ministry, personal devotion -- they are all worth our time and effort to overcome any obstacles in our path!

May God bless you today as you overcome your path's obstacles!

Youth Conference

This year is our Youth Department's 20th anniversary. During our youth conference last week, former youth department leaders were honored for their years of faithful service. We had a great Youth Conference as over 4,000 young people gathered from all over the island.

Pictured above: my husband greeting the crowd of young people...and the group of youth department leaders through the years.

Exciting News!

I'm proud to announce that I'm an aunt again!!!! We are excited to welcome Zackary into our family. My brother and his family have adopted this little boy. He is four years old and a real sweetheart. We were able to meet him while we were on furlough. Here is a picture of my brother, Daryl, with Kaitlyn (my niece) and Zackary.

Thank the Lord for New Beginnings who made this adoption possible! This is an awesome ministry - check out their website at: http://www.newbeginningsadoptions.org

PKs

We had a great PK camp. So blessed with a great group of preacher's kids! It was awesome to watch them come together in prayer, worship and fun!

Timothy Fund

Here is a special request:
Our missionaries to Malawi, Tremayne and Vicki Simoneaux, had to medically evacuate their son, Timo, to Johannesburg, South Africa with Bacterial (Pneumococcal) Meningitis. We are extremely grateful that our health insurance with Aetna Global Benefits was able to arrange for the medical evacuation and treatments in South Africa. They have been extremely helpful to us and the family in this medical emergency.

Brother and Sister Simoneaux are very thankful for the prayer support of our churches in America and around the world. The latest reports received indicate that God has intervened with His miraculous touch and with the assistance of the medical personnel and facilities in South Africa, Timo is improving.

However, the doctor in South Africa has advised that he will need additional follow up treatment and therapy. He has advised that as soon as possible, when Timo is able to travel by commercial carrier, he be brought to the United States for additional treatment. Our missionary health insurance plan will assist to some degree with the cost of commercial airfare, but the family will be faced with several thousand dollars in additional airfare expenses. Brother and Sister Simoneaux have also had additional personal expenses while staying in South Africa with their son that are not covered by insurance.

We are making this appeal in behalf of Tremayne and Vicki Simoneaux for your financial assistance at this time.

Please follow the directions below in making your contributions to this very IMPORTANT project: Make your checks payable to: Foreign Missions Division, 8855 Dunn Road, Hazelwood, MO 63042. Be sure to state that your offering is for account # 103.FA.033260.11.1104._.23

Carl Varnell

Secretary of Foreign Missions

PK Camp

Well, things have NOT slowed down yet. PK Camp started tonight. We have a great group of PKs with us and such a beautiful move of the Spirit tonight. A great start of a great week, I'm sure!

I'll write more as I can. Meanwhile, here are a few pictures to share:

We're home!

Well, we are finally back home!!! After being out of internet contact for so long, it feels good to be 'connected' again! I will post about all our travels soon, but for now, I'm trying to catch my breath and unpack! Lots of news and pictures to share!

Mountain Moving

The mountain continues to be moved!!! Richae & Jared enjoy going out and watching the progress.

Friends

The Lord has blessed me with many friends in my life. My husband...my children...my parents...in-laws...family...

There are those in our Pentecostal missionary community - Vicki, Danan, Cylinda - who are life savers...always there to lend an ear or a shoulder when needed. Only an email away.

Friends back home who make furloughs so special. Too many to name...

But God has also blessed me with friends here in Madagascar...friends that I can hang out with over a cup of coffee and talk about raising children, living in this great (but often frustrating) country, the price of milk and eggs, which roads need widening and which potholes need to be filled. Today I was blessed to meet with two of these friends, Tammy & Rhonda, at our local coffee shop. We laughed and shared over coffee and bagel sandwiches.

Living on an island...the only UPC missionary within miles (literally)...I've learned to appreciate friends of all shapes and sizes. Hug a friend today!

...be still

Here is a scripture I thought I would share...someone shared it with me yesterday and I thought I would pass it on.

"The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still." (Exodus 14:14)

Sometimes "being still" is SO hard to do! We face situations in life that just need "fixin'" and it's hard to just sit back and let the Lord handle it.

I often remember something my Dad used to share. When he was a boy, he loved to fish (still does!). Occasionally, he would get his line tied up with something. Rather than ask his dad to help him get his line untangled, he would try and "fix it" himself. Of course, he would just end up getting it even more tangled. And when he finally confessed to his dad what had happened, he probably got in trouble - ha! - since his dad would just have to cut the line and start all over again.

How many times does this happen to us? We get a problem, we try to fix it, and end up getting it more messed up. Meanwhile, our Heavenly Father is waiting for us to just turn it over to Him...

and BE STILL.

Sinuses...who needs them??

As I lay in bed last night, struggling to breathe, that is the thought in my head (along with all the "gunk").

Why do we even need sinuses????

My next thought was...

I wonder if I get my husband's drill, and drill a hole into my sinuses, could I drain some of that stuff out so I can SLEEEEEEP??????

*sigh*

Mountain Update

The mountains are continuing to move! Hallelujah! Here are a few pictures from various perspectives. They still have a ways to go -- but working steadily. It's exciting to see!

*Just a note...they will still be bringing the level down considerably, but doing it in stages...