Stay Connected .....

This morning as I was getting my little great nephew ready for daycare I got tickled at his frustration over a nightlight in my mom's bedroom. He wanted to hold it but he also wanted it to light up. At 22 months he gets light and dark but he doesn't get the energy source that provides the light -  electricity.   I can also say with confidence that I don't get electricity either! ha,ha,ha  But I do know I need it to get the light to work. As he held it in his little hand saying, light, light, I tried to explain to him that we had to plug it back in to the wall socket (source) if he wanted it to light up. However, he couldn't hold it if it was plugged in to the wall so it was all very frustrating to him. 

As I think about him standing there this morning in his dilemma, I realize that we get that way in our relationship with God sometimes. We want His presence in our life, His blessing, His provision, His strength, His wisdom, His guidance, etc., etc. But we have a tendency to want to hold on to the things that keep us in the darkness. Next time you are feeling really frustrated and can't seem to walk away from it, be sure to check and see if you are plugged in to the source of power that will give you light in the situation.

John 8:12 (ESV)
Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”

Please continue to pray and lift up the Burkina Faso Retreat in September and the Tanzania Retreat in November. The team members for the Burkina Faso Retreat are starting to come forward. It is always exciting to me to see how God works in putting a team together for a particular group of missionary women. He is Amazing!

Please remember all the individuals and families in prayer this week and the weeks to come that have lost loved ones, their homes and everything else to the tornados that have made a wicked path through the southern part of the U.S.   

Stay Connected….

His,

Vickie

Austinites....

I'm sitting at the airport as I write this blog.  I have spent the last two days in Austin, Texas.  My proof is the back porch of the Hilderbrand family where I stayed one of my nights.

 If this isn't a Texas back porch I don't know what is!  I had some sweet time with the LORD there. I also had a sweet time with the ladies I met last night to share about PureJoy. They represented 5 different churches here in the Austin area. Please pray for God to speak to their hearts regarding their involvement in Pure Joy.















I smile as I recall some of our discussion last night.  It seems that each of us in our personal lives had the theme of 'wait'.   As frustrated as we get waiting in lines at the bank, school pick up, restaurants, on the phone, on someone else, etc., etc., there is something exciting about 'waiting' on God when you put it in perspective!  He always has our best interest at heart, the timing is always going to be perfect, it is always going to be more than we would have ever thought up or imagined and it is always accomplishing His perfect plan for His Glory even when we don't understand the waiting.  But what is most awesome is when the waiting ends and we 'see'!  It is like waiting on a good July 4th fireworks show.  When it finally happens we look up and state...ewww, ahhhh, wow, cool, awesome, beautiful, etc., etc. I love it when God does that to us in our hearts!!  So if you are 'waiting' on God be encouraged!!! It will be quite the show!

I began talking with a contact person from Burkina Faso this past week.  Pray as we look for the location God wants us to provide for the missionary women.  Also pray for the missionary women that will attend and for the team God wants to put together.  If you are interested in the Burkina trip as a team member, contact me at vickie@purejoyinternational.org

Have a great week and weekend!

Love u

His,
Vickie

On the Road again....

Just got back from Brunswick, GA. Spoke at Blythe Island Church there on the island. Sweet group of ladies. Each group of ladies decorated a table according to their choice. One of the groups even made decorative hats to go along with their table. Pretty fun! I've included a picture or two. It was fun to get to share with the ladies the word God placed on my heart and to share with them Pure Joy International in relationship to the Word. Thank you, Blythe Island Church, for a sweet time! Next week I head to Austin to visit with some ladies from that area. Can't wait to see what God is up to there.

This past week as I flew to Jacksonville, FL to be picked up by Julie, the pastor’s wife and my friend, I could not help but think of the individuals and families of the people on the Malaysian plane that has been missing for so many weeks now. I thought of the passengers on that plane as I looked at all the individuals on my flight. I wondered about their thoughts and fears and suffering. I thought about all the family members that need and want closure even though they know the inevitable - kids that lost parents, parents that lost kids, etc. Then my mind shifted to the youth that were stabbed by the young male student that went on a rage with a knife in the hallways of the Pennsylvania high school just the day before I flew out. This is not to mention the many other senseless crimes that continue to grip our nation and world. I want to call it what it is..."evil". God's Word is clear to us that we do not war against flesh and blood! Paul says it the very best…

Ephesians 6:10-20 (ESV)
Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil.  For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.  Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace.  In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints, and also for me, that words may be given to me in opening my mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains, that I may declare it boldly, as I ought to speak.

You can truly become overwhelmed by all that we 'see and hear' that goes on around us. It can seem too difficult for you to make a difference.  The evil one wants you to think that in your marriages, families, churches, ministries, jobs and community. DON'T LOOK OUT across the horizon! LOOK UP to the ONE AND ONLY Who makes the difference! Many years ago a song came out by Chris Rice titled "Go Light Your World". The key word here is "Your". No one person is going to "Light" the whole world!! Even Jesus, while He is the Light of the World, didn't do it alone. He had 12 disciples and now every believer since then. He is using us to 'light' the world around us that we influence. Have you considered your realm of influence for the things of God? How would those closest to you say the lighting is?

I'm suspecting that some of us in the body of Christ could use a bulb check! Some of us are shorting out between the bulb and the source (Jesus)! Just saying. Also, if you haven't really taken to heart the words of Paul from Ephesians 6:10-20 lately, please do. Meditate on it!

Love you all ...

His,

Vickie

Life is just crazy sometimes...

To prove my point let's begin with the fact I feel the need to explain what a 'Walkman' is before I share the following story.  Walkman: a small portable cassette player used with headphones.   What?   Oh, yes of course.  Cassette: a sealed plastic unit containing a length of audiotape wound on a pair of spools, for insertion into 'walkman player'.　Hopefully, those definitions have built a road backwards for those of you that are iPod, iPad, iPhone, and Droid persons.  Ha,ha,ha,ha,ha,ha,ha

A blonde goes into the beauty and hair parlor with her Walkman on her head.  "I need to take that Walkman off your head," says the beauty specialist as she notices the blonde.  "You can't! I'll die!" retorts the blonde.  "I can't cut your hair with the Walkman on your ears!"  says the beauty specialist getting annoyed.  "I said you can't take it off, or I'll die!"  The beauty specialist, outraged and flustered, grabs the Walkman and throws it off the head of the blonde.  Within seconds, the blonde dies.  When the specialist picks up the Walkman to listen, she hears it repeating "breath in, breath out, breath in".

We laugh over that story but for sure I believe that some of us need to be told to "breath in, breath out"!　I'm confident I have had to tell myself that a few times this past couple of weeks! 

As I listen to many of our missionary families share their hearts I am amazed at how I see God working.  And sometimes what we see as 'crazy' is simply our Father positioning us for His Glory and our refinement.    I encourage you if you are going through some life changes in your marriage, family, ministry, job, etc., remember His promise from .....

Romans 8:28 (ESV)
And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.

If you love God, His promise is that all things work together for your good!!!  Believe it!  Don't rely on your emotions, they will lie to you!  Keep walking until the emotions catch up with the truth!

I just got back from making a trip to Nashua Baptist Church in Kansas City, Missouri.  Seriously, it was such a wonderful group of ladies.  Several of them are already on board for helping us with some things for our Tanzania trip!  God is sooooo Good!    The precious woman I stayed with is the mom of one of our missionary women from China who attended our North East Asia conference last fall.  It was wonderful to see how this missionary woman paid it forward by helping a church to get involved in helping other missionary women in the future.  Kathy, the mom I stayed with, had already made preparations for 3 special treats for the women in Tanzania.

I leave this Thursday for Brunswick, GA to share with the women from Blythe Island Church.  Please pray for safe travel and God’s Best for Pure Joy International as I go to share about how the women there on the east coast can get involved.   Love you all, have a good week, and BREATHE!

His,

Vickie

Tanzania Is Full ....

The Tanzania retreat is full  - we have 50 women missionaries registered and we have gone to our waiting list.  Now the process of solidifying the team takes place.  Please pray as these women diligently seek God’s heart to know that He has called them to Tanzania for such a time as this,  this group of missionary women, and this team.  We want God's BEST for the missionary women in Tanzania.
 
As we prepare to leave the country again I begin to think about the things God wants to accomplish while we are gone.  Remember, while life is difficult for our missionaries at times and for some more than others, their problems are similar to the things we ourselves may have to deal with as well.  They don't always have the resources for help that we do.  Not that I think we in the church are very good about utilizing our resources before we slide completely off the plate  --  but then, what do I know..ha,ha,ha.

One day, two monks were walking through the countryside. They were on their way to another village to help bring in the crops. As they walked, they spied an old woman sitting at the edge of a river. She was upset because there was no bridge, and she could not get across on her own. The first monk kindly offered, "We will carry you across if you would like."  "Thank you," she said gratefully, accepting their help.  So the two men joined hands, lifted her between them and carried her across the river. When they got to the other side, they set her down, and she went on her way.  
After they had walked another mile or so, the second monk began to complain. "Look at my clothes," he said. "They are filthy from carrying that woman across the river. And my back still hurts from lifting her. I can feel it getting stiff." The first monk just smiled and nodded his head.
A few more miles up the road, the second monk griped again, "My back is hurting me so badly, and it is all because we had to carry that silly woman across the river! I cannot go any farther because of the pain." The first monk looked down at his partner, now lying on the ground, moaning. "Have you wondered why I am not complaining?" he asked." Your back hurts because you are still carrying the woman. But I set her down five miles ago."  

That is what many of us are like in dealing with our families. We are that second monk who cannot let go. We hold the pain of the past over our loved ones' heads like a club, or we remind them every once in a while, when we want to get the upper hand, of the burden we still carry because of something they did years ago.  - Dr. Anthony T. Evans shared this story in his book Guiding Your Family in a Misguided World.

Such a simple but powerful principle is revealed in the story above.  We are all susceptible to the sin of bitterness.  In fact, the enemy loves it when he can take us to this point regarding another person whether it be a spouse, child, family, friend, co-worker, church member, etc.  Bitterness destroys you and has the potential to harm others around you.  I've personally seen the depths bitterness can take people to in my counseling ministry over the years.  I have also been on the cusp of it one time so deeply that I literally lay flat out on the floor asking God to please not allow my heart to become bitter to the point of destroying others and myself with the venom of it.  I asked God to take the hurt that was put there by someone else and replace it with grace towards the offender.  I also asked for forgiveness and grace for the times I have been the offender. He answered that prayer. Why? Because it lined up with His Word.  He tells us to forgive and we will be forgiven.  I really believe since that day over 14 years ago that God has continually graced me with a heart attitude of forgiveness towards others.  It may take me a while to get there sometimes but He does get me there and I'm so thankful.

Are you still carrying somebody and/or bodies like the second monk?  Set them down before it kills you! Ask God to soften your heart!  Never forget.....the enemy wants to destroy your heart for God.  Bitterness will accomplish this above everything else.

Love you all,

His,
Vickie

Tanzania almost full....

As I shared with you last week our registration for Tanzania opened last Monday.  As of today we have 47 missionaries signed up with 3 slots open before we go to the waiting list.   What a great "joy'' it is to know we will be ministering to the ladies of that area.   We are also working out details for Burkina Faso in September so please continue to pray with us as God leads.

I also encourage you to begin to pray about how God would have you invest in the ladies that will be attending the two retreats.  As you know it takes $500 to sponsor a missionary woman to attend a retreat.  Team members are responsible for raising their own support.  It has been and is incredible to watch God bring in the resources for the retreats.  We stand on the truth that God provides for that which He directs us to when we stay under His counsel and direction and do our honest best to walk in obedience to Him.

That is shown so real in the story of Joshua after entering the Promised Land.  I have always loved the principles that story provides for us.   My favorite scene is in Joshua 7:6-15.  Remember what went on before this; they had just had this great victory at the wall of Jericho following God’s instructions.  Then without seeking God's counsel they had gone into battle with Ai with a prideful attitude evidenced by the men saying to Joshua, ‘we only need 2 or 3 thousand men to take these guys.’ And, as we know, that didn't go so well for them.  Let's pick up in Joshua 7:6-9 as the Israelites return defeated with 36 men killed.

• Verses 6-9:  Joshua has an adult spiritual temper tantrum.
  
  
  Joshua 7:6-9 (ESV) Then Joshua tore his clothes and fell to the earth on his face before the ark of the LORD until the evening, he and the elders of Israel. And they put dust on their heads.   And Joshua said, “Alas, O Lord GOD, why have you brought this people over the Jordan at all, to give us into the hands of the Amorites, to destroy us? Would that we had been content to dwell beyond the Jordan!   O Lord, what can I say, when Israel has turned their backs before their enemies!    For the Canaanites and all the inhabitants of the land will hear of it and will surround us and cut off our name from the earth. And what will you do for your great name?
  
  

•  Verse 10-15: God responds, "Really"  (my paraphrase, of course) and I am not the problem, there is sin in the camp.
  
  Joshua 7:10-15 (ESV) The LORD said to Joshua, “Get up! Why have you fallen on your face?   Israel has sinned; they have transgressed my covenant that I commanded them; they have taken some of the devoted things; they have stolen and lied and put them among their own belongings. Therefore the people of Israel cannot stand before their enemies. They turn their backs before their enemies, because they have become devoted for destruction. I will be with you no more, unless you destroy the devoted things from among you.  Get up! Consecrate the people and say, ‘Consecrate yourselves for tomorrow; for thus says the LORD, God of Israel, “There are devoted things in your midst, O Israel. You cannot stand before your enemies until you take away the devoted things from among you.”  In the morning therefore you shall be brought near by your tribes. And the tribe that the LORD takes by lot shall come near by clans. And the clan that the LORD takes shall come near by households. And the household that the LORD takes shall come near man by man.   And he who is taken with the devoted things shall be burned with fire, he and all that he has, because he has transgressed the covenant of the LORD, and because he has done an outrageous thing in Israel.’”

Needless to say, Joshua followed God's instruction on how to deal with the sin in the camp and sought God's counsel and obeyed it going forward.  This, too, is evidenced by the many victories in the taking of the land.

I share all this with you to say, God is always faithful to provide for that which He directs us to.  However, we cannot live outside the umbrella of obedience to Him and believe we will be provided for.  Make sure before you have your adult temper tantrum that there isn't sin in your camp.  And if there is or has been, confess it and listen to His counsel and direction and do not be afraid or dismayed at what He does going forward!  He is God, after all.

Have a great week...

Love you guys,

His,

Vickie

REGISTRATION FOR TANZANIA RETREAT OPENS .....

We have opened registration for our Tanzania retreat.  Last week I was already receiving
emails from missionary women that were interested in signing up.  So pray that the
word continues to spread among the women there regarding the retreat!
For those of you who know a missionary woman that is serving in Tanzania or
surrounding areas and countries, please pass the following information on to them.

Dates:  November 12-15, 2014
Location of Retreat:  Kunduchi Beach Hotel & Resort
                                  Dar es Salaam, Tanzania

Theme: "I Shall Not Be Moved"
 Verse:   Psalm 62:6

The retreat is for missionary women serving outside their country of origin (must be
English speaking).  You may register at www.purejoyinternational.org   Click on
Retreats and follow the instructions.

Hope everyone had a great weekend!  It’s been forever since I’ve been able to make it
to my home church two weekends in a row!  I'm so thankful for that and shooting for a
third weekend.  Pastor is doing a study on the book of Jonah this month.  I am always
interested to watch how someone 'mines' the gold of different books and passages.

Please pray for me as I will be on the road more and more as I meet with church
Pastors, Missions Directors, and Women's Ministry leaders to encourage them to come
alongside us in prayer, gifting, giving and going.  

Food for thought this week.....When is the last time you actually bowed the knee before
the LORD?  The LORD isn't going to come at you like a football coach who, in a firm
tone says, " drop and give me 20".   But He does love us enough to allow us to reach
the point to fall on our knees before Him in humbleness of heart.  However, I suspect it
gives Him Great Joy when we come just because He is so incredible and awesome that
we can't not fall to our knees in thanksgiving and praise.

For one week try this little exercise:  Bow the knee before going to bed and first thing
when you get up in the morning.  I'm not suggesting a prayer dissertation.  I'm
suggesting something as simple as saying, “Good morning, LORD” or “Goodnight,
LORD.”   Maybe just bowing for a second with no words.  Sometimes the act of bowing
the knee reflects to us the state of our heart better than anything else..

Love you All,

His,
Vickie