The Wyoming Nomad

We Need to Learn to Embrace the Trials

2011-11-17T14:25:00.001-08:00

I was reading the account of God calling Abram to leave all that he had and all that he knew and go to a land unfamiliar to him. Abram, on the word of the Lord left family, friends, all that was familiar and comfortable and went to a foreign land that God promised to give him and his descendents forever. And when he got to this Promised Land he saw that there was a famine in the land (verse 10 of Genesis Chapter 12). Did you catch that? God called Abram into a famine! Wouldn’t most of be doubting we had really heard the word of the Lord about then. I mean when we step out in obedience don’t we expect to see positive fruit as a reward to our submission. How many of us when instead met with hardship or massive roadblocks, immediately begin to wonder if we really heard God? Otherwise we think the devil is attacking us, and would blame the struggles on him.

God gave Joseph a dream and the boy had to suffer the abuse of his family, being sold into slavery and 12 years in prison before that pledge became a reality. Moses knew he was destined to deliver the Israelites out of slavery, and yet he spent 40 years in the dessert after his first attempt, ended in murder. Recall the account of Isaac and Rebecca. God promised Abraham many descendents; God renews that promise to Abraham’s son Isaac. God even sends an angel to help Abraham’s servant find Isaac’s wife. The two are finally married and Isaac’s wife, Rebecca is barren. God gave Isaac a barren wife to bless him with children. Seriously?

We tend to think the hardships of life are proof that either we missed God and made a wrong turn, or that the enemy is out to hinder us. Perhaps it is merely the training ground that our Heavenly Dad is guiding us through, because He knows we will need the strength and endurance we learned on the journey to meet the mountains we will encounter just around the corner. Remember it was the Sprit of God that led Jesus into the dessert to be tempted.

I had a blonde moment!!!

2011-08-13T10:02:00.001-07:00

So I am getting ready to go on this month long outreach…(still praying and hoping for the remaining 340-540 to come in)…anyhow two nights ago I arranged for me to leave my truck with this mechanic who lives nearly 20 miles out of town. I plan to take my truck to him next week right before leaving. He told me to write down anything wrong with the vehicle…that is easy enough I have not had windshield wipers for months and every new fuse I put in gets blown with in mili-seconds.

Yesterday however I got in my truck to go get the mail, backed up turning tightly as I did and felt this dragging pulling feeling I had never felt before. Immediately I stopped the truck , walked around it expecting to see a flat. All my tires were round..so I get in and drive down the hill feeling the funny pulling feeling each time I had to make a 90* turn. Twice more I got out and looked at my tires trying to see if they were rubbing in anyway…or were leaning funny…they looked fine. I was worried what if the tires are falling off can they possibly make it up to the mechanic shop safely? I enlisted the help of a friend who happened to be passing buy. He watched the tires closely as I turned my truck in tight circles…”Do you see anything? I can feel it pulling funny!” I would exclaim as my truck seemed to slur its ability to drive. He saw nothing odd and told me it was probably safe to drive if I just took the corners slowly.

Getting in one last time I pulled it forward I had a quick run I needed to make to Safeway. I had just pulled out of the parking lot when I looked down and noticed I was in 4 wheel drive. I had used my four wheel drive function to get off the beach the night before. Surely this could not have caused it I said to myself reaching down to slip the 4 wheel drive off…and to my relief my truck did not once act funny. There is nothing at all wrong with my ability to turn corners tightly. How embarrassing!!!

So I am a lousy Blogger!!!

2011-08-11T14:05:00.001-07:00

I know this once a year updates will never do! I thought this would be so easy…but I was wrong! I will continue to try and do better!

so much is happening here in Homer!

For me personally I got to teach in our last Mini DTS setting. I was really nervous but also very thrilled about it!

Next week I am hoping to join the Circuit Riders ministry team from Kona Hawaii as they travel around the interior of Alaska ministering in churches, villages and what ever other doors God opens for them. I am a bit nervous joining a team where I wont really know anyone nor have been apart of the amazing things God has done in and through them in the past 6 weeks. However I have heard some incredible things about this team and I am so excited they are coming up here to share their passion and hunger for the things of God!!! I cant wait to see what my Heavenly Dad is going to do in my home up here and I want to be apart of the adventure!

I found out this morning that the cost to join the team is going to be minimal and I already have part of it! So all I need is 340 dollars more to cover the cost of the month long outreach as well as another 200 for personal expenses I may incur along the journey and 100 dollars to pay my Verizon and Allstate bills that will be due before my return. That is a total of 640 dollars 540 of it needs to arrive by Monday August 16th! As we (Aaron one of our staff members and I drive up to Fairbanks on the 17th to meet his teammates –he is one of the students from the circuit rider school.)

Sorry I had to throw this picture in!!!

“….How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news of good things.” Romans 10:15

St. Lawrence Island

2010-11-12T09:40:00.001-08:00

How do I sum up the trip for you in just a few words??

Little sleep

lots of kids!!!

Adults and Teens too

people hurting

a Refuge

Stand for life!

Jesus

here are some pics, sorry I failed to take any pics when adults or even teens were around.

I am not Insignificant!

2010-09-25T19:39:00.001-07:00

We leave for St.Lawrence Island in just 5 short days. A month ago I was excited and looking forward to the chance to minister in this native community in the middle of the Bearing Sea. Right now I am dreading it. Quite Simply I don’t want to go. Where did all this nervousness and unrest come from? I have been trying to place my finger on it for a few weeks now. Last night I was explaining to one of my team mates why I was dreading the trip. “I hate that sort of face to face evangelism, it is not my gift.” I am not good at talking to people I don't know.” Anybody who knows me, has probably noticed this to be true. Get a group of people around and you will find me sitting quietly in the back corner watching everybody else.

So this morning I took my bible and journal and hopped into my truck to drive to one of my new found quiet places. “I don't get it God” I uttered. “Why was I so eager to go a few months ago but now that the time is here I no longer want to go? Even though I know you said You would provided I am full of doubt that the needed finances will get here in time? What is wrong with me?”

Than it hit me, I feel very insignificant! I feel utterly useless as if I have nothing to add to this outreach or this community. I have forgotten who I was created to be.

I am the daughter of the King of all kings. I am His treasured Jewel, precious in His sight. I am a woman of influence and authority. I am loved by my Daddy God. I am not going into this village as a nobody. I am going with my Heavenly King into a land that belongs to Him to reconcile a people He loves dearly unto Himself. I go empowered, sealed and confirmed by His spirit. I am royalty, and I go as an ambassador an official of His Kingdom. I have authority, wisdom, power and love at my disposal. I am not insignificant!

“The Truth of God’s Grace humbles a man without degrading him & exalts a man with out inflating him.”

- The Supernatural Ways of Royalty

written by Bill Johnson and Kris Vallotton

God is so Good!!!!

2010-09-23T19:26:00.001-07:00

Man what an incredible view. God gets to see this all the time.

These are some photos of my first ever flight in a little plane with Jim and Ruth Lawler.

Talking to teens about not giving up on Life

2010-09-17T21:32:00.001-07:00

Well by far the most recent news is we just returned from an outreach week to Soldovia, AK. It is a short ferry ride across the bay. The village is relatively small, but beautiful...especially when the fog lifted a few hours each morning and we could get a glimpse of where we were at. Personally I think the morning fog lift was a bit significant and representative of the purpose of our visit.

We (the YWAM team) partnered with a ministry called Carry the Cure, (check out their website www.carythecure.org ) who was invited by the Tribe to come in and talk in the schools about the simple fact that life is worth living! (They have had problems with cutting and suicide) We were there three days with a band of very talented musicians!!!! The first day the musicians held musical workshops in the school….that night we played basketball in the open gym with a few of the kids and then set up the stage and equipment. The next day we held a school assembly, where we talked to the kids about suicide being a permanent solution to a temporary problem. They played some games, sang some rock tunes and encouraged the kids that they were all unique and had a rhythm of their own, (as illustrated with them beating on garbage cans, brooms, a regular stomp session!!) but they had to promise not to stop the rhythm of their lives.

That night we invited the kids to come back for more music, more games, and more stories. They brought their families, people from the community came…the music was loud and the message of hope expanded on from the afternoon session. For Jesus is the source of True HOPE.

(Thursday) Today was our last day in the village, it was harder in some ways, in the morning we went to the high-school English class and talked to the kids about what they can do to prevent suicide. How they can recognize when it is a risk, and strategies they can apply in talking to their friends when they see they are at risk. We also talked about cutting….in such a small class I was surprised to see the scars on so many of the teens arms and legs. In the

afternoon they held a workshop for the middle grades on bullying. Afterwards one of the moms/leaders in the community shared with us the story of what prompted the tribe to invite us in….I don’t want to bog you down with the story cause I am still a bit overwhelmed by the sorrow of it…but pray for the youth of Soldovia both the white and native kids. Pray they find love and acceptance and hope in Jesus. Pray for the adults of the community, the parents, teachers, elders of the tribe, that they will know how to encourage those kids to pursue their God given purpose and to LIVE Life.

I just got a call this afternoon (Friday0, telling me that one of my relatives had committed suicide this past week. I am a bit in shock……while I was working with Carry the Cure and sharing with kids that life is good, they are valuable and suicide is a permanent solution to a temporary problem, someone else I know gave up. Here is the thing I have been there, I have felt so overwhelmed by life that death seemed to be the only possible solution. Like those kids who cut themselves to deal with the pain in their lives, I too have inflicted bodily wounds to take pain from the inside and put it on the outside where it was easier to deal with (Punching walls) I found breaks, bruises and bloody knuckles easier to deal with then hurt, fear, betrayal….and often when I could feel the pain easing up so that it didn’t hurt to move my hand anymore I would go out and do it again. (much of two-three years of my life I walked around with sore hands)

I guess I share this so you know that I do understand, I have been to the bottom of the pit….if your there, don’t give up!!!! Find someone talk to them about what is weighing you down. You may feel like your drowning, grab hold of the life preserver, call for help, talk to people it helps!!! If you see someone struggling reach out, give them a hug, tell them you care. Suicide is 100% preventable.

Why I cried.

2010-08-16T20:46:00.001-07:00

Tears were streaming down my face…to be honest I was a bit perplexed. I didn’t know why I was crying. I closed my eyes and tried to gain control after all I was in class and they were telling funny stories about 4 wheelers and snowmobiles. Nothing to cry over. I did not want anyone to realize I was crying…but still the tears flowed. What set it off?

It was Scott (the base director) telling about how much he and his family enjoyed snowmobiling and 4 wheeling and how he longed to own one or the other. He was sharing how it would be a blessing to his family and the ministry here for both machines are a way of life. He then shared with the students and myself the things the ministry is praying for. Land and a building so they wont be renting and will be able to build and improve what they have. A boat since 95% of Alaska is assessable only by plane or boat. As it is they have to buy ferry tickets and plane tickets to their outreach locations here in the state, which is costly. They spoke of moose hunting and I thought of their freezer full of beef (they bought), moose, bear or fish they hunted or caught. Yet steak is not on the menu….

That is what started the tears…back home at CWAM steak was regularly on the menu, we had a 4 wheeler, horses. My friends back home have 4 wheelers, boats, all these things that would be such a blessing here. I never once thought of a 4 wheeler as a gift of God, I never thought of a boat as anything special, horses were a 4 legged mode of transportation, I never thought of a steak as a delicacy. Here I had been so richly blessed and I never even knew it. I never took the time to thank God for such gifts.

Pray for YWAM arctic Mercy that God would bless them with the boat and the property that would enable them to both establish themselves in this community and reach out to the native community on the islands.

Lord, Help me to be a Thermostat set after You.

2010-07-31T17:44:00.001-07:00

What do you do when you can see something needs done but it is not your turn, or not your responsibility? Do you do it, remind the party responsible or ignore it? If you do decide to pick up the slack, are you willing about it or thinking I should not have to be doing this. Do you point out to others “So and so said they would do this, but they must have forgot.”

How do you respond when everyone around you is whining or complaining about a circumstance or a persons actions. Do you agree, “Yes this sucks” Confront the negative attitude, try to change the subject or just listen and hold your tongue?

What is the right response? How do we serve as Thermostats in those sort of situations?

Take Moses as an example. There is no doubt He was a man of God, he was a friend of God. God’s favor and protection was in His life. He was loved by God. God did miracle for and through him. Moses did not start out wanting to lead. Recall the burning bush, he was afraid, he did not feel capable, he was not confident in his abilities to lead other or communicate God’s word to Pharaoh. But God saw Moses full potential and He promised to use Moses mightily and to back up Moses words with signs and wonders.

For 40 years, Moses led God’s people through the wilderness. He saw God deliver them from the hand of the Egyptians. He witness God provided them with manna and quail. He saw God Provided water in the dessert. He watched as the presence of God burned like a fire. Moses was responsible before God to lead and teach the Israelites'. To lead them in the ways of God, to bring them to the land God had promised them. For 40 years Moses walked with God as a friend. Yet in the end, Moses never got to step foot into the promised land. He got to see it, but he never had the chance to touch it. Why? How could this man of God miss out?

God had called Moses to be a Thermostat, to lead others. For the most part he did. However on one occasion, he reacted as a thermometer rather then a thermostat. Imagine this, He had led the people 40 years through the desert on a trip that should have only taken 2 weeks. It was not his fault, that God had kept them in the desert. Time and time again these people who had see the miracles and power of God would complain and murmur against God and Moses. They would not learn, they would not trust God they would not obey Him. And so in Anger Moses struck a rock and said that God would provide water to these undeserving Israelites'. However God had told Moses to speak to the rock. for that moment he let the complaints and disobedience of the people get to him and He responded in anger, and frustration. But he knew better.

God still loved Moses, God still favored Moses, God still considered Moses His friend. But Moses missed out on the reward God longed to give him. He missed out on touching the promised land. I will admit that scares me.

Papa, My King, help me to follow after you and challenge others to follow more passionately after you. help me not to blend into the crowd. To lower the standard for comforts sake.

Are you a Thermometer or are you a Thermostat?

2010-07-31T16:59:00.001-07:00

What’s the difference? Well a Thermometer is that little gauge that tells you the temperature. Weather it is hot or cold the thermometer will reflect it. It has no power to change things in anyway just show you the reality of what you can already see and feel.

Some people are like thermometers, they get into a crowd and adjust to what everyone else is doing. If they are with a bunch of Christians, these people can fit right in, but just as easily they can slip into the non Christian circles and fit right in. They dress, talk, act and think like the people they surround themselves with.

A Thermostat on the other hand, is that little gadget in most rooms, where you can press a button or turn a dial and set the temperature for the room. If you want the room to be 63 F you turn the dial set the temp and the heating or cooling system will kick in.

The people who are like Thermostats set the standard for those around them. They are the leaders among their peers. People follow them, doing, speaking, acting as they do. They can lead others in upright behavior or pave the way for sin.

God has called us to be thermostats not merely thermometers. He wants us to have a positive impact on the people we meet. It is up to us, we can let God set the standard and draw others towards it or we can allow the world, our friends or even ourselves to set the mark. Will we burn Hot, Luke-warm or Cold?

A Taste of What is to Come

2010-07-26T18:04:00.001-07:00

I had only been in Homer all of ten minutes when I was told that if I had 150 to pay for the Ferry ticket I could join the team on an outreach to a native village. I had the fare and was game for the adventure. So after a hectic three days of helping to cook for a team of 34 teens I and 3 of the YWAM staff and 5 kids boarded a 12 hour ferry to Kodiak. We arrived in Kodiak the next morning, went shopping for supplies and then hopped a much smaller boat/ship/water vessel which carried us to Spruce Island and a small village called Ouzinkie. It was a beautiful trip as you can see!!!!

The rest of the YWAM team were already there and had been repairing/remodeling this really old mission house that had served as a kindergarten and Medical clinic (I think) for the village for some 54 years. For the most part the labor they needed was reserved for the people who actually had skills, but I helped out as I could. It was fun getting to know the people who lived in this village. There was this teenage girl who hung out who was starved for affection. I and two other YWAMers had the opportunity to join three native guys on a fishing trip. That was a lot of fun!!!! I actually spent most of my time on the water hoping I did not catch anything, since legally I should not have been fishing. It was funny as I was the only person on the skiff who never had to re-bait my hook. But watching everyone catch was not real fun either so I was pretty happy when we floated over a school of Cod and everybody (including me) caught some fish. The native guy who had taken us said we should not worry about the white man’s fishing licenses since as far as he was concerned we were doing nothing wrong but catching food to eat. Though I hope to be legal next opportunity I have to fish.

I made some cool discoveries.

Salt water or the sea has a unique and cool smell, can’t describe it really.
Jigging is a term that has nothing to do with dancing…though technically I suppose it could be said you were making the bait dance in the water to attract a fish.
A Banya – is sort of like a sauna, only different as it involves no clothing and well that is a slightly awkward story J.
Well so far fish is not as bad tasting as I recall. I have tasted halibut, salmon, shrimp, crab, scallops and something else.
Whale’s are really big and wow, I want to see lots of them!!!!

North to Alaska

2010-07-13T16:36:00.001-07:00

Alaska is a beautiful state!!!!! I have never seen a land so rugged and yet so incredibly majestic. The drive was amazing, I was in no hurry as I ventured forth, in some ways I dreaded getting to the other side and having to meet people I don’t know, but also I wanted to see and appreciate all the beauty God had created. One sight I wish I had been able to take a photo of so you could see it was this long glacier that set like a belt in the middle of this mountain range. At first I thought it was a cloud, and then I supposed it might be a river at the foot of the mountain, but as I neared even closer I discover it was a vast band of snow, half way up the mountain. It was as I turned away from the peaks that in my rearview mirror I glimpsed the image I so wish to have captured. This glacier had what must have been enormous ice crevices carved into it where the sun had melted it. The snow was a blinding white those jagged fissures were a brilliant blue. I must admit thought the sight was beautiful beyond words It was also threatening. I don’t know how deep those cracks went but I think I would hesitate to walk across such a field.

I must share with you how God provided for this trip. It seems He likes to test my faith, my departure date (Tuesday)came and went and I only had a small portion of the travel money. I was grateful to God and those who had given, but in all honesty it felt like a drop in a need as vast as the sea. I did enjoy the extra days to say good bye, and I resolved that I would leave Thursday morning. It all came in Tuesday and Wednesday, some from a cousin in Texas, some from two teenage little brothers in the Lord and the rest as I stopped by people’s houses just to say good bye. So Thursday morning I set out a bit nervously on this great adventure. It is funny I bawled like a baby saying good bye to those I left on Wednesday but when I left the Nicholson’s Thursday morning it felt no more like goodbye had I been setting off to run errands in town for them. I gave them each a hug, and as I walked out the door I called back I have my phone on me and Sarah finished for me, we will call if we need anything. That was God’s grace I am sure for it did not really hit me that I had left until about half way to Canada. The trip was uneventful, that is a good thing!!!! I enjoyed the time just to talk with my heavenly Dad. I will confess one funny thought that occurred to me my second night of sleeping in the Canadian wilderness. I had not see another vehicle for hours and had not seen any wildlife for some miles, it was 10:30 at night and although it was broad daylight I was tired and ready to sleep. Wearily I pulled off the road in this turn out alongside the river. I stepped out to stretch my legs, take some pictures of the landscape. On one side a cliff seemed to loom over me, and the river roared past, but other than that not a human sound could be heard. Pestered by mosquito’s I quickly returned to my vehicle and prepared to stretch out on my front seat. I was nearly asleep when I recalled that I had not locked the doors. Muttering to myself I lazily stretched out both my hand and my foot to simultaneously push down both locks and fell fast asleep. The next morning after having driven a few hours I recalled my sleepy mutterings and had to laugh at myself. What had been that last semi-conscious thought you ask? “Better lock the door ‘case Big Foot comes down and wants a ride.” It sounds silly now, but on that night, in that remote wilderness it seemed perfectly logical.

Get out of Your Country to a Land that I will Show You!

2010-04-29T12:39:00.001-07:00

Sitting here in Meeteetse, Wyoming, I marvel at the goodness of God. I am at a loss for words to express my thoughts and my feelings at this very moment.

A year ago there was a barbed wire fence, stretched between me and Cowboys With a Mission. Getting to close to that fence caused all sort of tangles and pain. All I really wanted was to be here though. That longing owned me while the division grieved my heart.

I have spent the past week here, the faces are new, but still it was like being home. We worshiped, prayed, ate, learned and grew together. But I don’t want to stay, at least not at this time. Funny how much can change in a year. I got what I prayed for, to be welcome, and yet in all reality, I am glad it is just a visit.

In Genesis 12 God calls Abraham out of his country, his people and his father’s household. The Lord told this man to leave all that he knew and go to a place where God was leading him. Ole Abe did not know where he was going, but in obedience he said goodbye to all that he loved to follow and pursue the Father. Father God wanted Abraham all to Himself, He wanted to use this journey to mold and shape this man into the man that would become a father to many nations. He had a destiny, but he had to be willing to step out of the familiar, out of the boat.

As I look towards moving to Alaska in a couple of months, I think this next season is a time God will be redefining me. This is home, this is where my spiritual family dwells, this is where my people come from. This is Where I found Jesus and where I first found fulfillment in serving Him. This is all I have ever wanted to know…but Father is leading me away, to what or for how long I don’t rightly know, but there is a real excitement brewing in me.

Why I Disappeared for awhile

2010-04-29T11:07:00.001-07:00

Ok, So I forgot to blog!… Actually Forgot is not the right word, as I purposefully chose not to. You see one day while over there I was introduced to a sweet woman who was a believer. Anyhow we arranged to meet weekly so she could learn English….but I never saw her again. When I asked my friends what happened to her I was told that she was afraid to come. You see the police had pulled her in to question her about why she had been seen at the foreigner home.

Knowing we were being watched I was a bit gun shy. Although I had been careful not to share the names of my students, their parents or any of our local friends in any of my correspondences back home. Still this was a risk that was not mine to take. So I pretty much quit emailing, blogging and kept my face book comments pretty neutral.

That said I am home again!!!! It was an eventful season, but I am grateful to be back in the states. I am thankful to you for your prayers and support!!!!

A Scary Night.

2009-12-28T03:40:00.001-08:00

We had just gotten home from our Antallya trip. My health had been improving. In fact the bleeding had nearly stopped. I was drinking me teas, using the crème from the states and felt at peace that I would indeed see healing. I woke up that night in pool. I was mad, at the devil. Not sure if the neighbors heard me, but I stood up praying, furiously rebuking the enemy.

It was a hard day at school I was in pain (first time since all this started that I experienced intense pain. A few days later the pain and other symptoms were worse. I fell apart, started balling and told the family here, I wanted to go in. So we canceled school and went into the emergency room. Actually we went to three hospitals, at each one my friend would ask for a female gynecologist, to which they hospital would reply we not longer have one, try this other place.

We ended up finding a female doc at a hospital specifically for women and children….not sure why we didn't start our search there. I must have looked a sight cause being terrified that the diagnosis would be cancer or worse yet that my womb was disintegrating I was near tears. A kind word would have and did push me over the edge.

So they nurses kept assuring us all would be fine. We were told the wit maybe long we were like 30 on the list but as soon as we walked in the waiting room and say down a nurse walked up, and told us to please follow her. We were rushed to the front of the line. the doctor did an ultra sound but it was inconclusive so she sent me off to have my blood drawn and drink a ton of water. that being done we returned to the room and were rushed ahead of the long line of people. a second ultrasound the doctor looked at me and smiled, no cancer, no tumors and your womb is fine

She went on with a diagnosis. I have a severe hormone imbalance, that is causing the constant bleeding. I have probably had it since puberty, and it has worsened each year, the stress of this year is probably what put it over the edge. It seems my body dislikes insulin and so I gain weight and produces more testosterone than a woman should produce. This causes my body to grow those annoying hairs on my upper lip and to try to make more estrogen then normal….somewhere in hear it also causes my ovaries not to released their eggs, so My ovaries are full of cysts of old eggs that never got released (highest cause of infertility among women.) Disappointing yes, but this is a syndrome not a disease, which means it can be reversed. Their are several natural means that have proved to have great results. And I have always planned on adoption so that to is no big deal. So in the meantime I am taking some progesterone to balance out the extra estrogen and if I loose weight and watch my sugars and starches that should take care of the root of the issue. which would be the resistance to insulin and the excess Andro whatever it is called.

Traveling to a Greek Island!

2009-12-27T23:17:00.001-08:00

Well the family we were visiting also had a teacher who had to renew here visa around the same time as I did. So we went together. The Dad of the family drove us a couple of hours away to a place where you get on a ferry and travel to a Greek Island. You eat lunch or walk around hop back on the ferry and come home with a renewed Visa for another three months.

On Greece soil we decided to have a pork-chop, since you cant eat that over here, It was big and tasty…and we payed in Euro….thought afterwards when I figured out the price in US I decided that pork chop was not nearly as good as it claimed to be by its cost. That was a 20 dollar plate.

Exploring Greek Ruins

2009-12-27T23:00:00.001-08:00

Wow so much has happened and I left you all wondering whether I would get my visa renewed or not. So the girls and I flew to Antallya where I met a wonderful family! They had served in another nation for years till the doors of that country closed, and so they moved here cause the language is similar. I spent days picking their brains. They told me of some fruit they had had (doesn't sound right) in that other nation and how God prompted them to put responsibility in the hands of the locals ASAP. I really appreciated their philosophies and the things they had to share. I asked some questions about how they were finding things here in this nation. For so many people have said it is really hard, people that is. They are closed off. The mom of that family is very wise about natural healing and so I picked her brain to and she prayed for my health issues. I cried, I have felt so alone in this. Back home I could go see Sarah and she would pray with me, here, I haven't had that. If I talk to the family here to much all they do is worry and I’m worrying successfully well all by myself.

I also really enjoyed my stint in the big city, we went to the store like Costco, where you could find anything you could imagine in Bulk. I saw a bread maker and if I had the money and wasn't traveling by plane I would buy it for I long for the taste of good homemade wheat bread! The bread I can buy here is either soft and fresh white bread or dry and stale cardboard with a 6 month shelf life. We went to an international church, it was fun to worship in my own language to hear a message I actually understand to to meet a bunch of other forefingers here for various reasons. The guy MC the service (they had a guest speaker) was from Wales, so I also enjoyed his nearly Scottish sounding accent.

The family we stayed with didn't live in the city thought, they lived in this small village, with a large yard, lots of trees in their yard, room for a big dog and a garden spot. Their neighbors were hundreds of feet from them, with large yards, chickens, goats, sheep, cattle. I felt free, it was incredible to walk about hearing livestock, seeing space, not concrete buildings. I loved it. And to be honest I found a part of this country I could call home!!!! The family lived at the base of a hill, the kids and I hiked up the hill to see the sight. We spent a few hours exploring the ruins of an ancient Greek city. It was cool, I took a few pictures but my camera doesn't work very well these days so I didn't take many pics. I did pick up a piece of broken pottery. I was told that I probably wont be able to take it out of the country….but we will see. Here are some of the photos I took of the things we say.

this first one is the chimney hole of a cave people lived in. The girls walking alongside of a Greek building down what was a street I would assume.

Cool archway of the door of the building you see in the above picture. Don't know what it says, or even if you can see the script carved in the little pillar like thing. This is about where I found the pottery too.

A well, most were covered, which is scarier then uncovered cause I can see this hole and no to avoid falling in.

One of my students posing in a tomb! and the girls posing on top of another tomb….

Visa Run and Creative Concoctions

2009-11-13T00:08:00.001-08:00

Well tomorrow morning I hop on a plane and fly to a city along the southern seaboard of this nation. The purpose of this excursion is to allow me to leave the country and return with a renewed visa. It should be a nice adventure. The girls are flying with me as they have friends in the city I depart from who they can visit for a few days. Meanwhile I and another lady will take a ferry ride to some Greek island (On Monday). It sort of sounded like we stay on the ferry boat the whole time….I hope not cause I wouldn't feel right about claiming to have been to Greece unless my foot actually touched Greece soil!

May package from the states arrived so I have some good medicinal herbs and a cream that should alleviate those nasty symptoms. Speaking of which I best keep this short as I am brewing just such a herbal tea.

I have been trying to make a real point of eating lots of veggies most of them raw. I have made some great discoveries along the way….veggies aren't so bad, and I don't need ranch to get them down

First recipe I tried was a Green smoothie, a recipe I gleaned from Above Rubies. You take one banana, and as many green veggies as you want, a table spoon of honey and some filtered water and blend them. (I used lettuce and parsley the first time, added dandelion and spinach the second time) I don't like the texture but the taste is just fine

The second recipe I tried and I really like this one!!!! Also came from Above Rubies, it was called Grapple Sauce. Take apples, and as many greens as you like and blend together (I had to add some juice as my blender is not powerful enough to blend with out liquid) I even through in some of the apple seed.

I have made a splendid salad using all those veggies, mentioned above, plus tomatoes, a few almonds, some olive oil and a smidge of tahini (sesame seed paste) stir together and walah….however it taste best if you also add a hard boiled egg!

Steamed broccoli for dinner the other night tasted good, add a little chili pepper and it is even better. Cucumbers and yogurt mixed together made a decent breakfast…….I even made chicken noodle soup from scratch…. I had never don't it before but I started with a few pieces of chicken that were leftovers from a dinner I had been invited to. I took the meat off the bone and boiled the bones to make broth…..I was guessing that was how it should be done,later I added a little of the meat, some carrots potatoes, onions and more red pepper….I added a few noodles, but they were weird and could have been left out.

The only concoction that I have created that I could not stomach was the pumpkin soup. I have made butternut squash in the past and I love is, so I made this much the same way. Of course I could not read all the spices in the cabinet so I was guessing based on smell….I should have tasted cause I added something really salty and the soup was disgusting!!!! I mean really, really disgusting!!!!! I took one bite and offered it to Asia, who so far loves anything and everything I have offered her. I have never seen dogs eat veggies like she does. She even prefers them to the hotdog type things I regularly feed her (I refuse to spend money on dog food to feed some stray street dog, that will only be with me a few months! Besides dog food is ridiculously expensive here where I can buy eggs, noodles and those hotdogs which last her for days all for less than 3-4 USD

Learning to live with Unmet Expectations!

2009-11-12T04:27:00.001-08:00

In planning to come I envisioned myself, teaching the girls who would be enthusiastic about every new unfamiliar concept. I hoped my love for discovering something new would be contagious. Often it seems like I’m pulling teeth. I ask them “So what did we learn yesterday?” and they say half heartedly “Dunno.” One consistently walks in and scowls all morning long till she wakes up enough to be sociable. The other is almost always in a good mood, but a bit absentminded and oh so very messy!!!. I spend most of my time repeating myself, cleaning up after them or waiting on them….they are late to school slow to get stuff out for the next subject or always tuning me out so I can say, “Next I want you to get …..out” and not 5 seconds later they go “What do we need now?” I guess the good way to look at is I have the opportunity to grow in patience. Or to learn to correct with out being harsh and critical.

I felt my being here was a great opportunity to prepare the girls for the upcoming experience of attending school in states. I know I'm doing that, but it is frustrating when I continually here, “Why are we studying this, or I know this already or what does it matter?” They may not see the value now, but I have no doubt they will see it when they get stuck in a American public school and force fed the new truths that are commonly taught there. They will always have in the back of their mind, “Wait, that isn’t accurate. I learned this but…..” Additionally I have no doubt the girls will be well ahead of their peers in both world and American History. I hope I can also say that about their ability to write and express themselves…but so far we are still struggling in those areas.

I imagined myself spending my days discovering alongside of the girls, and my evenings working on my writing. I have a story I'm editing and one I'm hoping to finish while here. Not only would I have plenty of time to write my stories but I would have ample time to read, study and work on my teachings for speaking in DTS’. Instead I quickly learned that if there isn't going to be a test, they wont apply themselves, so now I spend my evenings writing out tests and exercises to help them think through the concepts we are studying, in hopes that it may sink in. So as soon as they leave each day I prepare for the next day or the next week… So far I have edited one of my stories a little bit, but I haven't written a single line. That and it seems I never get a day off! On the flipside I now know more about American and world history, geography, English grammar and vocabulary then I ever knew before. All this repetition and studying is good for me!

When I learned that we had to take two weeks off of school, during the end of January, I thought ‘Cool! maybe I can take that time and do some traveling either here in the country or in Europe. I wanted to ride a train! See the 7 churches or go to Ireland. Instead I'm to spend those two babysitting the kids while their parents travel to speak in a D school out of the country. It is a great opportunity for the parents!! I'm happy for them. I came wanting to be a blessing to them and their kids, so I will smile and nod and never let on that I had hoped to make other plans. Besides it is an opportunity to serve My Lord Je*us and say “Not my will but Thine be done.”

I assumed that after spending 10 months in this nation I would really learn the language. I would get plenty of chances to talk to my neighbors, get to use it….Instead I spend all my time alone. I read my language books, when I have time…..I set up a study program for myself but truth is I have been here 3 months and I've only done two weeks worth of my studies. In fact the only time I even hear Turkish is when I go to the grocery store or to the Sunday night meetings, I don't usually catch what is being said, but I try. I just learned this week I'm not going to be able to attend the fellowship meetings anymore cause their oldest daughter needs help babysitting the toddlers. I'm going to go home knowing little more Turkish then I came knowing. I know that needing help with the little kids is a good problem to have, it means they have new people coming who are seeking truth. That is important and a worthy cause. I will keep studying my books,and I have TV here, maybe I will start watching the Turkish channels and see how much I can understand. and I can always practice by speaking to Asia, my dog. If I spoke only Turkish with her I would at least learn to use it more naturally.

I envisioned myself using this time to get in shape, and to play guitar so that when I get home I look better and play better. Instead the guitar had to be left at home cause I could not afford to bring it and all the books I was brining to bless the kids with. Books they actually don't seems to care about. And as far as working out…My body started this health issue two weeks after being here, and I can keep the symptoms under control most days but I tell you a long walk or a good work out and it gets bad……I can always make a point of mastering the guitar some other time, in some other season! As far as the health issue this a season to learn to pray and stand. this is a season to seek Dad, and when it is all over it will be an awesome testimony! I will be stronger physically, spiritually and emotionally. I may not go home weight 120 lbs….but If I eat right and work out faithfully (symptoms or no symptoms) will go home closer to that ideal then I was before. I may not be there yet, but I am closer than I was yesterday!!!!

I sort of hoped this would be a blessed time of friendship with the family and team here. Truth is I spend most my time alone, preparing for the next day’s class, playing farm town, or being homesick for friends and the culture of Wyoming. I often wonder, why I’m here? My closest companion is that silly puppy that I’m going to have to leave behind when I go home. This seems to be another desert time. You know those dry seasons of life where things are hard and you have no one to turn to but God! Yet when you emerge form such a season your roots are more deeply embedded in the One who provides all truth and nourishment.

Sorry I just had to vent. I will got back to telling good news. In fact I'm going to start by going back through this post and find the good news in each obstacle.

Speaking of Students….

2009-11-10T05:34:00.001-08:00

YJ was just here for her English lesson, she does really well, although she does not like words with TH… Have you ever seen the clip about the sinking ship requesting help from a German sub station. the German soldier manning the radios confuses sinking with thinking. I always think of that clip as I’m trying to encourage her to pronounce words that start with “th”. (if you have never seen the clip go to YouTube, I know you can find it there)

I had one more great experience at YJ home last week that really thrilled me. She was telling us how one day she wanted to take me and the mother of the kids I'm teaching, out for a cultural experience of some sort. Something like the smoking gardens. –(They smoke apple leaves or other fruit type things mixed with or with out tobacco in those contraptions the caterpillar smoked in Alice in Wonderland).

My friend said “but I have only seen men there.” Yj agreed that here it is only men who go but she went to one in Saudi where her husband is from and loved it. She then went on to explain how in Saudi you can go to this cafe and smoke. There is a family section where women may go, or there is a men's section for single men only; as they would not allowed to mingle with women who are not their wives or other close relatives. At this point in the conversation my friend turned to me in order to translate Yj’s words. I listenedd to the English translation then proudly proclaimed “I got that! I understood the Turkish or most of it anyhow.”

You know that verse about pride coming before a fall or the superstition about knocking on wood….well that was the last phrase I actually grasped out of the whole conversation…but still it was a start!

Tea Time

2009-11-10T04:03:00.001-08:00

I was invited to have tea at my English Students home last week (We will call her YJ). It was nice to be invited into the culture. I am here in a foreign land but it seems I spend all my time in my house teaching or preparing to teach. the only language I hear or use is the once a week fellowship meetings or when I walk to the grocers.

Anyhow YJ asked me and the mother of the family whose kids I teach over for tea one afternoon. We went and were warmly welcomed into her home. Almost immediately we were served chai and a plate full of goodies. Since I was fasting I offered my cookies to Hannah the American families youngest (the baby whose birth I got to be a part of last time I was here – 3 years ago) With out intending to I hurt YJ feelings as I was refusing her hospitality. So through my friend translation I explained I was fasting.

The Muslim culture fasts for 40 days every year. During that holy month they abstain from food, water, sex, smoking etc during daylight hours but once it is dark they feast. In fact they consume more food during that month than any other time during the year. Special food are sold then too that aren't offered at another time. They fast out of duty, as it is a requirement of Allah.

So I started off by explaining that for Christians, if they fast they may abstain from food and still consume juice or tea, or some fast on only water or some fasts are abstaining from media or outside distractions. YJ was bewildered, she had never considered a fast could look different, she was also shocked that this was a fast I had chosen, not out of duty or obligation. This allowed me to share about hearing the voice of God and about not relation to Him as some distant cool deity but as a loving Dad.

At this point of the conversation a friend of mine (who had joined us) from Sweden jumped in. she speaks the language because as a child she and her family had fled Iraq as refuges, lived here for few years before seeking solace in Sweden. Any how she shared her story of growing up in a mus family, being a refugee in three nations, of her terrible home life, witnessing her father murder her mother, turning to alcohol for comfort. She was placed in the foster system, bounced from home to home for years, and eventually being rescued by an encounter with J-s-s.

I know YJ was hit with a lot of new ideas that are outside her box, but I hope it inspires in her a real hunger for TRUTH. I also hope that we who visited her home were salty enough to cause her to thirst after Living Water.

We have an enemy!

2009-11-08T01:38:00.001-08:00

As some of you many know I have been fasting for some time (for physical reasons) though I always enjoy the deeper spiritual connection that naturally comes. So I woke up one morning drank some water and had my quiet time. I then took out the email a friend had sent to me of verses and prayers to pray and speak over my body. I felt confident that this was a mere trial and would soon pass with no lasting harm to my body. It was a beautiful prayer time, where I really sensed the power and presence of my heavenly DAD.

In fact my prayer time didn't end until I was interrupted by the kids who had arrived for school. So we started school, however during their math time (I am not needed as they have videos to teach that subject) I decided to grab my iPod, tennis and go pay some bills, Knowing I had enough in the account to pay the two due that week. It was a cool morning so I put a light sweatshirt on and headed off to the place to pay bills. Along the way I listened to the Joyce Meyer message about not doubting or giving into fear.

As I walked I began to notice the strange symptoms I have been experiencing for the past few months were getting worse. Trust in God I reminded myself and continued on my way. I got to the place to pay bills, showed the lady the bills I needed to pay and she went into some detail why I could not pay them? She soon passed my understanding of the language and I left a bit confused….I could not pay my bills….. On the way home I ran into my friend, (the mother of the kids I teach). Before I could tell her about the unprofitable trip to the bill paying place she told me how they had been looking for me, it seems the water guy came to read my meter discovered that the water had no been paid in this house since 2007 and decided to shut the water off. My friend was in a panic over the matter so I became really calm. “Don't worry, we will work it out” I was thinking of my prayer time that morning, of the promise God had given before this trip about the flour and oil not running low, how I had already seen that to be true. and lastly reminded my friend that up until 4 months ago this house stood empty, so the water cant be that bad.

A few hours later the electric man came by with the same story, the electricity was to be shut off. My friends started calling the landlord for me, demanding he take care of this (We have been asking him for the water and electric bill all along but it was never a pressing need for him. I had a peace about the finances……

All the while the symptoms my body is going through was getting worse, embarrassingly so. I suppose I had better explain for those reading this whom I did not email some weeks ago to ask for prayer. I have been having my period for almost 3 months now. Some days are light, most are medium to heavy. This day was ridiculously heavy, in fact not just was I loosing blood but large fist size clots. When I had put the symptoms into Web MD I got terms like cancer, tumors, and cysts….thus I started a 21 day fast, knowing that fasting often allows our bodies to detox, cleanse and heal.

So the landlord found out the electric bill for us (the water will have to come next month as we needed to install a meter) I pulled nearly 400 US out of the account to pay the bills, leaving only a hundred in there….that bothered me…..my peace began to waiver. I began to worry, what will I do about the water bill next month, the diesel fuel I need to for my hot water heater and the firewood I have to buy?

Then out of curiosity I got online to find out about those large clumps I'm passing. The words I read threw me into a full born panic. they may not be blood but the actual wall of my uterus? I need that, I want to have kids one day!! Peace went out the window. I cried, pleaded with God, worried and emailed some friends back home….I was terrified.

One of the calls home I made was to Sarah. I told her in detail all that was happening. she prayed for me, and then asked me about words Dad has spoken to me about my future, about missions, teaching in D-schools, Alaska, CWAM, marriage, having children, homeschooling them. Have you fulfilled those purposes yet? So far all of them are somewhere in the future. So I cant loose my uterus to cancer and still have children. There is a lot God wants me to do with my life…that is no where near happening yet. She also told me her first impressions were to tell me to add calcium back into my diet. True I haven't had much, not just because of the fast but I dislike the taste of the milk and cheese here. So I bought some Ayran (drinkable yogurt)

And you know what a few ounces of Ayran a day keeps the bleeding down and the clots away! I pulled out a large some, but the electric bill turned out to be lower then we anticipated. We went to the bill paying place and got the bills paid….I still don't know why it didn't work when I went but it is done for now. I went to the pharmacy and bought some vitamins and minerals that promote healing and I still pray and speak truth over my symptoms, trusting God for healing.

Meet Asia

2009-10-27T13:29:00.001-07:00

A car raced over the bridge, and a little black fluff ball was seen flying through the air. The kids watched horrified, had the car just ran over the black yelping puppy or tossed it out the window. She lay helpless on the road, occasionally yelping painfully. Before the kids could get closer an old man walked by, yelled at the pitiful creature and then decided to toss it over the bridge to it’s death. Kids being a bit morbid as they were are , were drawn to stare at the dead dog, and could see her laying in a pool of water amidst the concrete and stones, totally lifeless. Or so they thought, until two days later they crossed the bridge again and looked to see the dead dog, only this time it was gone. Searching more earnestly they could see a black shadow with eyes, hiding amidst the garbage.

The little creature ended up in my care, to see if I could nurse her back to health. She was covered in fleas, and sewage, so my first thing was to wash her, then to get a little food in her, some milk and hotdogs mixed with pasta. she ate greedily and I took it away lest she cause herself to vomit. After that we ventured outside where I could observe and probe, she was swollen, her poop blood red, her torso bulged and twisted and she could hardly walk. She slept for two days, woke up, ate, pooped, peed and slept some more. Everyone kept asking for her name. I bounced around a few ideas, but truth is I wasn't naming this one till I knew she was going to live. Saturday morning I set her down on the ground so I could put my shoes on and while I slipped my foot into one shoe she viciously attacked the croc my foot had just left. She was going to live!

Took her to a vet, a new concept here in southern Turkey, her left front foot has chips in the bone but no breaks, and her hip has twisted muscles, hopefully they will come back into alignment. Some fleas spray, wormer pills and she is on her way to a better life.

I was torn, what should I call her, I was drawn to names popular amidst the Wyoming/cowboy culture, such as Shelby, Riata, Saige, Bailey, as was I drawn to some cool Irish names: Kierra, Rylie: Regan or Kenzie which sounds both scot-Irish and very western both……but nothing fit. Then one my students looking at the atlas says “How about Cairo or Africa or Asia?

Always enough Flour and Oil.

2009-10-17T10:00:00.001-07:00

Remember the story of Elijah and how God commanded him to go ask the widow for food. Her initial reply was “I only have this tiny bit of flour, which I'm going to use to make my son and I a meal and then we will die.” Elijah challenged this woman to trust God by first making him some bread, and then making some for herself and her son. She obeyed and sure enough there was enough to feed the prophet, the widow and her boy. In fact she lived like this for several days.

Those last few weeks or preparing to come here I did not want to come. I didn't have the committed support base. I have worked as an M for 10 years, back home I can always take a job for extra cash, here that is not an option. But I had committed and the plane ticket was bought so I came.

I needed money to buy boxes to store my belongings in back home, I need to replace my tennis shoes, and I needed to pay hefty overweight and extra baggage fees to get all these books here. It was there when I needed it! (you may recall the cool story of the overweight fees being waived in Billings and cut in half on this end.)

I had to attend a camp with these guys, on my first arrival. The money was there.

I came home with a severe ear infection none of my home remedies' worked. I had to see a doctor and get medication…the money was there.

Time and time I have needed groceries, or pay bills and always I have enough.

I needed to get a plane ticket for my first visa run, I had to pay some back bills that the lady who lives here for real didn't get the chance to pay before she left and cold weather came earlier then usual, my friends kept pressuring me that I needed to buy firewood, diesel and get my wood stove installed. I was looking at 800 dollars.

Well the day came I could no longer put off the plane ticket, but the money was there. The warm weather returned, buying me an extra month or more before needing to prepare for winter. I sent word to my land lord that I needed to know the amount owed for the water and electricity….he hasn't gotten back to me yet…but I am confident, that when he does, the money will be there!

Thank you to all who have been obedient to give! The oil has not ever run dry

Death Sentence

2009-10-11T03:53:00.001-07:00

Would want to make a proclamation of faith, being immersed in water; if in the explanation your friends told you was “It is the point in your walk where by law (in some neighboring nations) you can be put to death? “

Back home babies are sprinkled in some fellowships, others older children or adult step up wanting to be dunked, as a step of obedience to the L. Yet it has lost its meaning, it is common. In fact at Rodeo camp I have seen the same kids get up year after year asking to be re-baptized. But life for the newly washed follower does not drastically change. They go on much as they had before. sometime you cant tell them apart from the lost around them.

In most nations where believers are persecuted for their faith, they really have to count the cost before saying “I want to be baptized.” It is more like a conversion experience, a life changing moment. For at that point they are saying “Come hell or high water, this is the road I’m walking. There is no turning back.” In countries who put followers of J to death, it is the ones who have taken that step, that can be condemned. It is at that point when a young believer says I want Him above all else, that they are mostly likely to be disowned by families, friends, loose their jobs, be tormented by the law. I wonder sometimes if I would have the courage.

I have been privileged to witness 5 new friends take that stand, since coming here. Three of those were locals. One was a very dear woman, who had a lot of fear coming to that point. Yet she stepped forward knowing she wanted nothing else but Him. One of the things she was worried about was the possibility of rain, she did not want to get wet in the rain and potentially get sick. We hadn't seen any rain yet, so were not too worried, but that morning when I awoke the sky was heavy with clouds. “Please Abba, don’t let these clouds deter this lady.” I pleaded. We loaded up in the van, drove to the sea and rejoiced as our friends took a stand for what they believe. I took some pictures of the clouds that day….my camera (or the one behind the camera) did not know how to capture what I saw, but on one side of the sky it was brilliant, sunny and hopeful while the other dark, looming and threatening. Yet the Light prevailed.

Home Sweet Home

2009-10-04T05:50:00.001-07:00

As promised here are some pictures of my home for the next 10 months. As you can see Dad really has blessed me! The greatest blessing is I don’t have to pay the rent on this place :) and it is truly a lovely home!

This is the entry way, we are facing the bathroom and the front door. Notice my cowboy boots sitting by the door.

From the entry way you can enter into the bathroom or a closet type room that holds a water heater type thing used in winter months (right now my water is heated by solar power). Straight ahead from the outside door your looking into the kitchen and if you walk towards where I was standing to take this picture you will enter into the living room/dinning area.

My living Room, this and the dinning room table is where the majority of our school takes place. Doesn't the furniture make you think your in the past somehow?

This is the kitchen and the view outside my kitchen door.

Next we go upstairs to the second floor. Immediately on our right is the bedroom of the lady who normally lives here (she is in the states for the next 6 months). As she has a TV with a VCR, it is also the 6th grade math room (Both girls are using video/DVD teachers for Math, much to my relief!!!)

So what do you think of the shower? no curtains just tile walls and floor.

Also the washer and dryer.

The photos below are the guest bedroom (technically it is larger then the house I lived in back in Meeteetse.) For now it is where I am sleeping since it is too hot upstairs.

Now it is time to walk to the third floor. the shelf you saw in the kitchen hold the school books we are currently using, this one hold the stuff we will use. See the carpet, I commented that it looks like something from the Southwest US in design. It is a tribal design from here, Small world isn’t it?

This is my bedroom, and yes I brought all those books with me! The bottom two shelves are the novels I’m incorporating into this school year.

The hallway just outside my bedroom door….what is with the yellow line you ask?

It is a time line. The top half shows the development of mankind around the world while the bottom half reveals the history of the US.

At the end of the hallway is what they call the prayer room, it is set up with carpets on the floor and pillows as chairs along the walls, this is a little more what a typical living room may look like.

This last picture is of my view looking down the stairs, from the third floor I think it is kind of cool, if I could draw it I would! Later perhaps I will add a picture of my front deck (yard) and a view of the house from the outside…. but It is a weekend and well everyone is outside and they already think the “American is out of place” I don't want to prove them right by taking pictures of my house.

Hit the ground running

2009-09-28T12:07:00.001-07:00

Wow I’m lousy at keeping this updated!! There is so much to catch you all up on! In short I have been in the country for 5 weeks. I arrived, unpacked, repacked and went camping for a week along the Mediterranean sea. It was a local gathering of believers. Not 20 years ago there were no known B, 10 years ago a handful in this region and yet I stood next to probably 200 people singing Praises to our King. That was awesome.

We came home, I shook the sand out of clothes, did my laundry and repacked again so I could go live at the neighbors house……this time cause my house was the center for a conference and a bunch of men would be living here (What would the neighbors think) I cooked, cleaned and supervised the kids during the conference.

For some reason in the planning of this school schedule we decided to start the Monday after the conference…I came home, unpacked again, stripped the beds from all my guests and the next day started teaching. The first two weeks of school have been great, hectic, but fun. I didn't realize how fast things had gone till yesterday afternoon (Sunday) I realized I was just now putting away the sheets from two weeks before. (does not say a great deal about my housekeeping skills) For that matter I only recently had time to find the grocery store!

The Locals can’t grasp the concept of homeschooling, in fact they all seem to think the girls have dropped out of school all together. We have been contemplating naming our little school. That way when the neighbors and former classmates question the girls and parents about why they are not enrolled in the local school system, they can reply “Oh I am going to Hope Academy, the new American school in our neighborhood.”

My ideal day is to get up at 5 am and work out….I have successfully done that twice. A typical day for me is I get up about 6:30, shower, eat breakfast, have a quiet time and start teaching at 8 am. Our first class is American History, followed my math (the girls are using video teachers for that subject ) After Math we come back together for English, then Geography and world History (I had to explain the term Dictator 7 times last week, and the girls were shocked to discover Iraq and Iran both touch Turkey…..I probably should not of put the D word and the I word together in the same sentence….big brother may be watching :)) We break for Lunch, sometimes they go home because their teacher is craving peace and quiet, other times they stay here, and I have them watch an educational film -can you say Drive Thru History! Eventually we will add a cooking class to our day once a week or every other week which is my preference. After lunch, we have our Bible class, followed by Science. Which basically looks like me going from one room to another reviewing their reading assignments with them. Re-explaining it to them in words they are more familiar with (Remember their education thus far has been in another language)Telling them about cool experiments we could do to illustrate this point, if only we had the materials….and then saying don't you recall I explained this word yesterday…only to remember it was the other one I had explained it too. Wow that is a Run on sentence!!! I taught on that today…but obviously failed to apply it. Lastly we finish with computer class. Then they go home.

I sit down grade papers, read science textbooks and prepare for the next grammar lesson. Usually I also do whatever writing assignment I had given them so they have an example of good writing (wow that sounded arrogant!!!) then I cook dinner, eat it and ideally study Foreign language (it would be awful to spend a year here and not learn the language!) On Saturdays I read the history texts and write discussion questions in the margins, underline points I want them to get because I plan to include it on the test I will write. I get online and snag images to build PowerPoint's to use during teaching. While on Sundays I print everything I will need for the upcoming week (I don't have a printer here) We start allover again Monday. Oh yeah, on Mondays and Thursdays I teach English, right now I have one student, a Muslim lady whose name starts with Y….can’t pronounce it yet. It is good because it forces me to use the local language as well. I am supposed to be adding a second student, hoping she can come at the same time as the first lady…but more likely it will end up being another day and another time. Fun fun….In future episodes, I want to take pictures of my house and show it off. Tell you about the puppies I have adopted, the cute, little girl who comes and jabbers at me, despite the fact I don’t understand her. Lastly share some fun stories from school…Hopefully that will happen in the next few days.

good night all this is me signing off and going to wash the dishes….I'm sure the kitchen is a disaster the power had gone off while I was cooking so I went ahead and cooked my meal by my single candle light….learning to cut veggies and peel carrots much as a blind person may have to do….it was a scary sight when the lights came on, I had veggie tops all over the counter.

Goodbye Samson, Don't Forget me.

2009-09-02T11:57:00.001-07:00

The last few weeks flew by. So much to do, so many people to see, and so little time. Mom and John came to visit, that was fun, we took a scenic drive over the Beartooth mountains, went to billings so I could get shoes, got boxes in Cody and they helped me pack. Spent time with other relatives in the area. It was a lot of fun.

The last few days, I kept going to see friends and such and say goodbye, but it didn't feel real. When Mom and John left after church I waved goody, feeling guilty that I had no tears, it was as if I was saying seeing you in a few days. The same thing happened when Sarah and the kids drove me to the airport.

However saying goodbye to my German shepherd was another matter all together. I kept him till pretty late Monday night (I flew out early Tuesday morning.) I fought the urge to cry as I drove to Mike’s (the guy who found a home for my puppy while I'm gone) At Mikes I went through the motions of showing them his tricks, telling them about what I expect of him and the best way to walk him and such. Samson meanwhile is bounding around the yard, smelling and marking everything.

Mike commended me on how obedient and good natured he was, then he warned me that when I come home it may be very hard to get him back, cause the older gentleman who he will be living with will want to keep him. (this is a fact I have always known, and deep down I feel that if when I come home, if Samson is better off with this guy, then going with me to Alaska or wherever I may end up, then so be it) however at that moment in time it was the last thing I needed, my hard fought off tears began to flow. Samson is still oblivious to the fact and running joyfully from me to Mike, to Mike’s kid, to the many things in the yard that smell like deer.

I cried all the way home and for the next three hours afterward. I came to the conclusion that I did not want to leave the country, that it was not worth loosing my dog. I think I only got an hour and half asleep all night long.

God’s Faithfullness

2009-07-22T16:41:00.001-07:00

I was frustrated and feeling like a complete failure. For two weeks now I have planned to set aside the day to work on finish up support raising. In less than a month I will be overseas, and yet before I go I need to get $800 more committed monthly finances. Yet each day comes to a close and still I have not made the dreaded phone calls. I love the stories where God provides and nobody at all knows the missionaries needs. Yet every time I ask God to please just send all I need, to send me a miracle, He seems not to hear.

Often over the past 8 years God has challenged me that I need to be bold in this area, to trust Him to provided and yet not be fearful of asking people to partner with me. I chided myself, this is not that big of a deal, all you need is 30 people to give 30 dollars each month…..why are you making this into a mountain? For the past several days I pleaded asking God for a sign, for encouragement for something to give me the boldness to pick up that darn phone.

Last night full of feelings of overwhelming failure I sadly turned off my light and made my way to bed. I was startled by the phone ringing…who would be calling me now? I picked it up to see that Melody was calling. A bit confused I answered.

“Can you see the Northern Lights? she asked.”

“Northern Lights really? Where? Now? Gotta go!” Was my jumbled response as I threw on my shoes, sweater and tried to stumble out of the bus with out turning on the light again.

I ran outside. Since early childhood, I have loved the Northern Lights, they fascinate me. That is one of the things I most look forward to about moving to Alaska next summer. Running into the darkness I scanned the northern horizon, were those the lights? At first all I saw was a long thin whitish cloud. Disappointed I watched the grayish fog, then ever so faintly I saw the lights ripple first one way then a wave another. A light pink hue seemed to grow and glow.

They were not nearly as brilliant as the pictures I have seen nor even as bold as the ones I saw a few years ago. They didn’t dance really but seemed to ripple, yet sure enough these were the northern lights! They were real, They were there! I sat and watched them in wonder and they were promises of a future more brilliant Northern lights to come. They were also an encouragement of God’s good blessings to come! His provision, in the weeks to come! I felt confident that God had indeed sent me a sign. I felt bold, ready to climb this mountain!

So what causes those really cool lights? It is the flares from the sun trying to penetrate our atmosphere, and getting diverted by our ionosphere. Just as the lights to me were a reminder of God’s care and provision, in reality we are seeing the evidence of God’s protective hand diverting the flares from the earth’s surface.

no the pictures are not of last nights lights but of some of the more bright and brilliant lights I long to see one day

Good Morning Da

2009-07-03T10:48:00.001-07:00

“Good Morning Da.” were the first words that rolled through my mind when I awoke a few Sundays back. As I lie there in bed getting my bearings I had to laugh at myself. Often times over the years I have awoke with a song, a prayer or a simple greeting to the Lord upon my lips. And over the years I have known my God, as Lord, Savior Friend, Father, Brother, Protector, King, Provider. In prayer I often refer to him as Dad or Abba, but well Da was a new one. Obviously I have watched too many Irish films of late.

That morning was Fathers day, and I spent the day with my heavenly Dad. I had wanted to go to the river or the hills, the places I most enjoy being with God; but instead I spent the day sorting boxes. The day was not a waste for even in the midst of the tasks at hand He was there with me.

Then earlier this week I got a package in the mail. I had ordered it weeks ago but it had been backordered for so long I forgot it was coming. Curious I opened it to find a sweatshirt I had order from Irish gifts. (I need a sweatshirt to take overseas with me and figured my Marine Corp one was not a good option) So I had ordered a brown one that declares me to be Irish. Wrapped along side the sweater in layers of bubble wrap. Hidden so well I nearly tossed it out was a granite plaque, I had ordered as a gift to give away on Fathers day. Carefully I unwrapped it and gazed over the words engraved upon it. “Teacher, Protector, Wisdom, Coach, Father, Trust, Strength, Faithful, Inspiration, Leader, Hero, Mentor, Love, Provider, Friend, Counselor, Dignity, Integrity, Dad”

Originally when I ordered the plaque I considered ordering two. One for my step dad and another for Jim who has been like a Dad to me over the past ten years. I ended up ordering just the one, unsure of who I would give it to. Though with it resting in my hand, there was no longer any question who this belated Fathers day gift would go to. I gave it to my Da. My Abba, My Dad, My covering. It sits alongside of my bible, right next to my computer. I hope the sight of it every day will remind me just how wonderful He really is.

“So You Don’t Want to Go to Church Anymore”

2009-07-03T10:47:00.001-07:00

That is the title of a book I have been reading lately. I picked it up in Wal-Mart one weekend cause I was planning to spend the following Sunday with my bible by the lake. Plans didn't really go as I expected but the book is proving to be a good read anyhow. In fact I highly recommend it, that is if you want to read a book that may step on your toes a little.

It is all about a pastor (from nowadays) who met and had many encounters with John the disciple of Jesus. At first the book talked a lot about church as it is and as it could be. I read enjoying every page, thinking of all the other folks in my life who would also enjoy this book.

Yesterday I took the book with me to work so while waiting for the boss to arrive and show me what needs done on a new job, I was able to steal a few moments to read. It talked about how dead and religious most church goers are. I immediately thought of the church I grew up in and all the traditions of men that are based on Catholicism and the teachings of some dead reformer and not on scripture. No doubt It was their religion and lack of seeing a real living God that launched me into my search for faith many years ago. I felt sorry for those still stuck in bondage and not even realizing it. But as I read a little more I began to see dead religion in the lives of people I currently surround myself with. They dress this way, won’t drink, won’t listen to -or watch, can’t go…etc. Yet on the flip side, they reach out, pray, preach, go, live…. Although I share many of their convictions, and love much of what I see, there is much I have disagreed with over the years. I have spent years, watching, learning and dreaming. “One day I hope to be like so and so, except, I will do this and this differently, my motive in this will be better, and the fruit of my efforts in those areas will prove to be more lasting or more pure or just improved then the fruit I see in their lives right now.

I could hardly wait till lunch when I read a few more pages, but this time I found dead religion in my life. Ouch!!!!!

I love to get up early in the mornings and read my bible, talk with my Heavenly Dad. A few years ago I decided to commit scripture or other profound quotes to memory. I have been actively involved in ministry and missions for years. I may not tithe to a church every week, but I give my tithe and offerings to God, and his works. Years ago I made a commitment to remain not just physically but emotionally pure until marriage. I long for the day when I can one day be a wife and a mother, when I can home school my own children. These are my convictions, some of them God given, all of them God honoring I'm sure. Yet they have also become my religion just as binding and dead as the the things I disdain now or left behind years ago.

In the book John the disciple began to challenge the pastor about his motives behind his actions, his churches programs, and such. I realized how much of what I do for God is done out of guilt. For example I feel guilty when I skip church, I feel guilty when I go a few days with out a quiet time in the mornings. When things get hard for me, when I'm not seeing God’s miraculous provision, I immediately begin to examine my life for areas of sin, just sure that I have lost God’s favor.

I love what I do in missions and ministry, but often I forget to do things with God and in His Might, but seek to serve Him in my own strength and abilities, then I get tired and burnt out. I took a hard look at how I view people around me, I hold them to the same standards I hold myself too. Just like the Pharisees of old I try to heap my rules and standards on those around me. When people ask me is so and so a Christian I look at their prayer life their bible reading their heart for the lost, often times saying, their religious but don't really seem to have any relationship with the Lord. When leading a team overseas for a mission trip a few years back I was always frustrated with one of our team members for never once did I see her crack open her bible. As I sat on my bead reading my bible in the mornings I would look at my sleeping roommate and pray ‘God help her to be more diligent, to make time with You and priority.”

Yet where is that first love? Where is the joy simply in being a child of God? Where is that awareness of His presence in every area and moment of my day? When did I begin to earn God’s favor. why do I so fear loosing His love in moments of weakness in a moment of sin? when did I trade my relationship with Him for a list of expectations and convictions?

Home sweet Home

2009-06-28T17:13:00.001-07:00

Life has been a bit hectic lately, but once again I find myself settled into a new home. This time it is a large gray bus, that has been transformed into a camper of sorts. I don't have a way to cook, wash dishes, or keep food cool, but I have a bed, and a table and electricity, as well as a place to store my many books, though how I will read them all before leaving I don’t know.

A few afternoon's ago Melody and I were invited to hang out with David at the hanger where his plane is being rebuilt. It is fun seeing this young mans dreams coming to fulfillment. He has wanted to be a pilot since he was a little kid, and now he is taking lessons and helping to fix up his own plane. Melody took some pictures of me scrapping stuff off the windows. I think it is kind of cool how only the red appears.

“Leaving On a Jet Plane” (August 18th)

2009-06-20T12:27:00.001-07:00

Every few days I would turn on my computer and go to one of the many sites a plane ticket can be purchased at. I put in my destination and the dates I wanted to leave and waited while a price was figured out. Time and time again I was disappointed to see prices like 1600, or even 3,000 for this one way ticket. ( I cant buy round trip as my return date is too far into the future so I figured that need into my month to month budget)

So the other day I checked in for a second time that day (mornings price was 15,800 and guess what came up $787. Praise the Lord!!! I was so thrilled. It will get me to one of the main cities in the nation….I will still need to get a second ticket to get to my town but that should only be a 17 hour bus ride or an hour long flight for 60-150 bucks.

Just so you know I will be taking the plane for I don’t want to mess with juggling my luggage (two suitcases, packed full of books, a carry on with my laptop, and my guitar as I take two city buses and a ferry ride just to reach the right bus station. All in a language, I don’t speak.

Keep praying all the needs come in!

$60-150 dollars for second leg of journey

1170 committed monthly support. I have 355 committed by word!!!!! though so far I am only seeing 145 coming in each month. So pray that God blesses those who are remembering to give, reminds those who may have forgotten, and speaks to those He has chosen to be a part of this ministry.

Once committed support comes in all the rest of the needs will fall into place $430 worth of books, computer programs and games, a few movies I want to take and give to the girls (and their family) for a detailed list see my last newsletter or email me)

$410-549 for the Complete Rosetta Stone Language course. I did level one a few years back when I first visited the land. It was great, I learned an incredible amount of vocabulary. Which means I actually understood the subject of a lot of conversations happening around me, but I didn’t know enough to converse back. Levels 2 and 3 should really build on that.

One more need, I need to find a temporary home for the next 6 weeks. Ideally a camper, or motor home, parked right here at Nicholson’s until I leave (the camper I’m staying in needs to be used July 1-5 and again in late July and again in Early August. If necessary I can camp out in the back of my truck, but that is not the most ideal option.

Can we command God?

2009-06-15T19:15:00.001-07:00

My initial response is “of course not- No Way!!! He is God, we are not; end of story”.

I heard an interesting sermon yesterday, it was all about faith being like a hinge on a door in our lives. We can have Faith in God and see the blessings and favor of the Lord upon our lives and circumstances. The majority of the passages used were the ones usually used in messages on faith, we read the account of Jesus cursing the fig tree, of our faith needing to only be as big as a mustard seed, of saying to the mountain move to the sea, and of havening confidence that when we ask according to God’s will we can know that we will receive whatever we asked for, of faith being the evidence and substance of what we are hoping for. It was a good message but nothing I haven’t heard before. He then referred to a verse in in Isaiah 45 that absolutely shocked me.

Thus says the Lord, The Holy One of Israel, and his Maker: "Ask Me of things to come concerning My sons; And concerning the work of My hands, you command Me. - Isaiah 45:11

My mouth dropped open, it seems so arrogant for the creation to command the Creator. Yet at the same time we are instructed to Come Boldly before the Throne. I spent most of yesterday and some of this morning pondering those words. I dug out a lexicon just to see if Command might of meant ask….it doesn't, it literally means to command, to order, to commission, to charge. God is telling us that we can ask Him of things to come and we can command the works of His hands. Think about that, will you.

God responds to our prayers, our pleas and even our declarations. It is because we are His children that we can come to His throne with Awe and with Confidence that He will hear us and He will answer.

There are times in our lives when we don't really know the will of God and so we ask, Father should we?…..will you please….? Is it Your will….? . And there are other times where we know the will of God, we never need to ask God “is it His will to bring a lost person to Him. We know that is His desire. We don’t ask in those times we speak forth, we declare, we command. God open their eyes, touch their lives, set them free. Lord heal, Lord Save, Father provide.

Is it the Desire of your Heavenly Father, your heavenly King to care for and provide for you, to open doors of opportunity for you, to heal, to protect you and those He has made in His image?.

What circumstances, and mountains seem to be looming over you. Speak to the Mountains, boldly charge God to move mightily on your behalf. Walk in the authority He has bestowed upon you.

For me, it increases my faith, not just in trusting Him to provide for me as I serve overseas, but in trusting Him to bring restoration and reconciliation in the relationships of my life. In moving the mountains of impossibility that stand between me and some of the desires God has placed upon my heart.

Going Away for the the week

2009-06-09T08:57:00.001-07:00

It is rodeo camp week and it still hurts like he** not to be involved. So I decided to skip town for the week. It makes it easier and besides this way I don’t seem rude to the parents and instructors who know I’m near enough to swing by.

This next phase of my life will be wonderful, and really I don’t regret anything…it’s just I have invested 8 years of my life into this camp and the families who attend. I love those kids…and it hurts to be so near yet so far away……

So I’m off to spend a few days with my friend Anna who is a paramedic in Yellowstone. What more can a gal ask for then good friends, chocolate, flowers an inspiring movie, plenty of time to be with God and beautiful scenery!

Lessons from MacGyver

2009-06-08T09:24:00.001-07:00

“I think if you try hard enough and make the best of a situation, the situation won't get the best of you."

- MacGyver (Birth Day) Season 2

It was snowing yesterday, so I wrapped myself up in a warm blanket, fixed me some hot chocolate and turned to YouTube to watch MacGyver. It occurred to me that we all could a learn a lot from this man.

Like instead of getting overwhelmed by the obstacles he looks for the possibilities. He has a great can do attitude, and he will fight with everything he has,for those in need and for a cause he believes in. Last of all anyone who can seal leaks with chocolate bars or make explosives out of pine cones is pretty cool in my book.

here are some other MacGyver quotes I found on line

"Everybody makes mistakes once in a while. The trick is learning to live with it." - MacGyver (Ugly Duckling)

"Another day, a whole 'nother set of fresh possibilities . . . I'm a sucker for mornings." - MacGyver (Slow Death)

“A good relationship is alot like a car. If you want it to work smoothly, you gotta put alot of work into it, and have the right tools." - MacGyver (Three for the Road)

“A man once said, "When you make a friend, you take on a responsibility." - MacGyver (Fire and Ice)

“It's occurred to me that some friendships are like a good game of hockey. The right balance of teamwork and smooth skating generally adds up to a winning combination." MacGyver (Easy Target)

Pete: Are you okay?
MacGyver: No. But I'll live

MacGyver: Egg whites are good for a lot of things - lemon meringue pie, angel food cake, and clogging up radiators

Expect the Unexpected!

2009-06-07T10:58:00.001-07:00

Yesterday afternoon, I sat with the Nicholson kids playing some computer game. Melody the eldest girl came downstairs modeling two jackets, “Which should be my summer camping jacket? I don't want to be cold.” she added as explanation. She was wearing a lighter-weight, yet still warm Patagonia and in her hands held a bulky camouflage printed winter coat.

A few moments later she packed the heavier of the two jackets in a large tub with her other winter attire. She was ready for summer.

This morning I woke up and looked out the window only to see everything covered in a wintery white. It had snowed. I was surprised but really nothing should surprise me about Wyoming weather. I have seen it snow it June many times before. In fact I can recall snow on two separate 4th of July celebrations. And of course it can snow in August and September. The saying goes if you don't like the weather in Wyoming wait five minutes and it will change.

The weather patterns here remind me of life. One never knows what to expect. As a kid I wanted to go overseas and help people. I had seen some special on feeding hungry children and wanted to join the Peace Corp. As I grew older and read stories on teaching and teachers who really made a difference in children's lives I decided I wanted to be a teacher or a social worker. Of course there had always been the love for horses and animals in general. I longed to find a way to put it all together. So I enrolled in College taking classes in both equestrian studies and Early education.

Funny thing is I never finished school, I accepted the Lord and was so hungry for the Word that I had little interest in reading a textbook, besides I hated college. It was not my thing.

So I took a year off to do a DTS (Discipleship Training School) And felt God calling me into Missions. It was a big decision, for I was sure it would mean giving up all my dreams to pursue Gods. And as a full missionary is how I have spent the last 8 years of my life.

Most of time was spent running Rodeo Camps for kids (hmm horses and children) producing rodeos and reaching out to families across rural Wyoming. I have been overseas, working on ranches in Argentina, doing dramas in Brazil, playing with village children in Lesotho, helping expecting mothers in Turkey, volunteering in Kyrgyz orphanages, Homeschooling in Tajikistan, teaching English in Pakistan and in about 8 short weeks I will be moving back overseas to teach 6th and 8th grade for two American girls, daughters of missionaries who serve in a Muslim land that will remain unnamed since this blog is online :)

When I left my old life to pursue missions, I thought for sure I was giving up everything I had dreamed of to follow God. Yet He has enabled me to fulfill almost all my life goals. He took me in un-anticipated direction, yet surprised me with the adventurous and blessing placed long that path.

“God Always Gives His best to those who leave the choice with Him”

-Hudson Taylor Missionary to China

Isa 55:9 - Show Context

"For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways, And My thoughts than your thoughts.

Jeremiah 29:11

For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope

The New King James Version

Sight under construction

2009-06-06T22:19:00.001-07:00

Sorry folks, I still haven’t figured this thing out so I deleted everything and am starting over….any tips?