Prayer burst

All but two of team members arrived to our destination at 2:30 a.m. and 7:30 respectively this morning - the time here.

We are Praising God for the safe arrival of 8 of us. However, I am asking you to be in prayer for two of our team members still in Hong Kong due to a passport issue. Well, actually one with a passport issue, the other as her Barnabas. (Smile)

Asking God to extend Grace as they go to the embassy in Hong Kong Monday morning to work out issue. Please pray for God to make away! We are peaceable and know He has this!!!

Need all of you praying!

His,
Vickie

Greetings from Hong Kong,

We just touched down. We had a great trip and I don't think most of us had any trouble sleeping no matter what links we had to go to. (Smile)

 

We are here for around 3 hours and then back in the air for around 4 hours before reaching our final destination.  

 

The team is all well. No one is feeling ill. For a group of women I'd say we are doing great! We all digested about 5 movies on the plane. Ha ha ha

 

And slept though half of them! Ha ha

 

Keep praying!!

 

Love you all.

 

His,

Vickie

3:00 a.m. No problem......

Well, you are looking at 5 of 30 pieces of trunks and luggage that are packed and getting ready to be loaded on flights to Southeast Asia this Friday morning early. After months of your prayers, giving, gifting and going, we are ready to step foot on the other side of the globe. The team is excited and ready to go. Please pray for good flights, safe weather, all trunks and luggage to get to Southeast Asia with us. On the same plane. Ha,ha,ha,ha

Don’t forget that I will be posting a blog to you daily. Yes, I will add some pics too. We are 13 hours ahead of you so as I write this blog tonight it is 9:30 p.m. here which means it is 10:30 a.m. in the part of the world we will be ministering in the next week. So if you have family member on this team just remember our night is your day. Your day is our night.

Don’t forget about Mexico. We had 3 more M’s sign up today which brings us up to 34. We have 5 sponsored so far. Please be prayerful about God bringing in the resources for the trip. The women there are getting excited too. Just 8 weeks away. Wow! It will be an awesome thing to watch God bring in the resources for this trip on such a short turn around. Make sure you keep up with the blog concerning that because it is fun to watch His Hand at Work!!! Be obedient if He is asking you to be a part of that.

So, until Friday when I write again from across the ocean keep us on your minds and hearts.

Love you ..

 

His,

Vickie

You Wear Me Out ...

How many times growing up have you heard that spoken to you by your parents? Or heard another set of parents saying that to their children? And how many times have you said or thought that about your spouse, or friend, or peers at work and yes even your church family? If you haven’t ever said those words, there is still a good possibility someone has said them about you. ha,ha,ha, ha,ha I’m confident my mom has said that about me even as an adult. Even though she didn’t say it I think she may have thought it once or twice in this past week. Ha,ha,ha,ha,ha,   

But, here is where the rubber meets the road. It is when you say it to yourself! I had one of those conversations with myself just this morning. It went something like this... “Are you kidding me? Stop it! How hard is this? You know better! You wear me out.” The Apostle Paul actually struggled with the same things only he said it with a lot more style....

Romans 7:15 (NLT)
“I don’t really understand myself, for I want to do what is right, but I don’t do it. Instead, I do what I hate.”

You might ask, “Well, what did he hate?” The same things we do as followers of Christ! He hated sin! He hated those thoughts, feelings, emotions, and actions that did not line up with God’s Word and who he was as a child of God! He hated when he didn’t trust God, walk in faith, be obedient, put others first, die to self, and all the other things we struggle with daily. 

And he, like us, had to confess his ways that didn’t line up with God’s word, forgive himself, forgive others, and remember we are overcomers in Christ when we yield to Him daily and allow Him to live through us. Yes, my friend we are never going to be perfect this side of heaven but we are being perfected day by day!

Can I give you a bit of encouragement here...? Praise God for those struggles. They remind us that the Holy Spirit of God indwells us and that we are children of the Most High God. Children of the King. And when we don’t act like who we really are, our Heavenly Father graciously reminds us through the conviction of the Holy Spirit that indwells us. 

If you haven’t been convicted over sin in your life in a while, bow the knee and ask God to shine His light across your heart. Confess, repent, and grow forward!

Ok, so that is my confession for today, at least so far. Ha,ha,ha,ha On to ministry news... (smile)

We are so close into Asia we can almost touch it. I can’t believe we leave a week from Friday. It is all coming together. Thank you so much!! Thank you for the sponsorships, gifts, cards, etc. that you have invested. Hope you are continuing to pray over your M and their family and/or ministry while we are on the field.  

Also, the Mexico Team got their first team letter last night. So they are getting ready to step up to the process of getting ready for the conference in Mexico. I want to ask you to start praying like a mad dog that sponsorships will begin to come in for this conference. We have approximately 30 women signed up as of now. Will keep you, as always, in the loop if that changes. 

Saw a great movie this weekend called “Greater.” If you are looking for something to go see, check it out. Don’t know if it will make it to any places overseas but if it does those of you reading this across the oceans check it out.

Love you all...

His,

Vickie

Timeless.....

This past weekend I got a chance to get away to an encampment with several ladies from my home church. It was a place called, “Shepherd of the Ozarks” and it was an incredible location out in the middle of nowhere. The only thing there besides us were the rattlesnakes, beavers, trout, spiders, wasp, flies, and those were just the things that some of us saw. That doesn’t count everything around us that we didn’t see… and I’m glad about that part. Ha,ha,ha,ha

When I was packing to go I packed my laptop, books for study, and anything else to utilize for helping me to prepare for our trip heading to Asia in a few weeks. I thought, “I will work on Asia during our free time, in the early mornings after my quiet time, at night when everyone has settled in.” (What a stupid thought that was, ha,ha,ha). But something happened as I sat down on the front porch of our cabin after unloading the car. We had no real phone or wifi service to mention. So, I thought, “I’m not working on that other stuff while I’m here. I’m just actually going to enjoy being here.” I thought, “I teach on the importance of living in the present. I teach about how God has covered the past, holds the future but dwells in the present. I teach, if we are going to experience His Presence we must live in the present. So, how ‘bout I actually try it more often?” So I did. (Don’t you love it when you talk yourself through stuff! Ha, ha, ha)

 It is an awesome thing about the LORD’S presence, it is timeless. You are in it and you are doing the things required of you but it’s not moving, it just is. Ok, so now some of you are thinking, “the girl fell off a cliff at the camp!” Ha,ha,ha. Not so. And some of you out there know exactly what I am talking about.  

I share that with you because I wonder what we bring to the table at times like this. Are we experiencing God because we finally “stopped” and got still-- meaning not thinking ahead or not thinking behind. What I need to do or what I didn’t do? Actually, just enjoying the present and BOOM, He shows up! I know scripturally speaking He is with us all the time and never leaves us or forsakes us. So, I am not talking about His Omnipresence right now, which means with us all the time whether we know it or not. I’m talking about His Revealed Presence, when we experience Him.

Living in the present actually causes our brain to shut-up. Most of our thoughts are about the what if’s and when if’s, future or the mistakes, hurts, un-forgiveness, and even laurels of the past. If we didn’t think on the past or future, we would be in the present and His Presence. It is a sweet thing.

If you are like me, you visit there more than you actually live there. I pray for us as His children, that we can learn to live in the present more and more. That we might know His Revealed Presence.

Note: Just a little bit over two weeks from leaving for Southeast Asia. Can’t believe it is here after all this time. So excited to see what God has in store for the ladies and us there. Also, Mexico is on the horizon soon after our return. So, continue to pray, give, gifts and yeah we have our team and will be booking tickets this Friday. 

Love you guys bunches…

His,
Vickie

You guys are the Best and a word from A.W. Tozer

I am thankful to report to you that we already have 5 missionary women sponsored for our upcoming conference in Mexico following our return from Asia. We have 27 missionary women already registered for the Mexico Conference. Please continue to pray as to how God would have you be involved through prayer, going, gifting, and giving. 

We continue to count the days before we leave for Southeast Asia. Pray as we tie up all the loose ends before leaving the country.

This past week in one of my daily devotions with A.W. Tozer, he laid out a truth I believe we absolutely forget about as Christians, which can result in us walking in defeat in areas we should not be doing so. I am including the devotional here and then will comment at the end.

God’s Eternal Work

The creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption. Romans 8:2
Is it possible that some of our brothers and sisters in Christ have forgotten that even though we are Christians, we live day by day in unredeemed physical bodies?

Yes, brethren, this is orthodox Christian theology, given to us by the Apostle Paul in these words: “Even though we have the first fruits of the Spirit, we groan within ourselves, waiting for the redemption of the body” (see Romans 8:23). These bodies of ours will be redeemed, for that is the promise of God. But in this life they are not yet actually redeemed. That is why we cannot do God’s eternal work ourselves, for only the Holy Spirit of God can bring about His eternal purposes.
If we are to successfully engage in the Christian witness God expects of us while we are here on this earth, we must consciously know and experience the indwelling illumination of the Holy Spirit of God. We must depend upon His gifts and His inducement and His anointing if we hope to cope with the universal blight which is upon mankind.

Lord, Your Word says that “the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak” (Matthew 26:41). I know from personal experience that I need the power of Your Indwelling Spirit to overcome the influence of the flesh.  [Tozer, by A. W. Tozer]

For devotionals like this one for your iPhone, visit 43rdElement.com

Wow! Don’t forget that we live in an unredeemed body. God’s word is clear about that part. Our soul is redeemed but not this little birthday suit. So beware! The enemy knows that truth, too! And he will tempt you and attack you through sight, sound, smell, taste and touch. That is why God tells us guard our hearts. You do that by not being conformed to this world but being transformed by the renewing of your mind! Know His Word, Trust Him, and Obey Him.

His,
Vickie

News update......

First off, Southeast Asia here we come! We are just over 3 weeks out from leaving the country to minister to the missionaries in that part of the world. All the women have been sponsored thanks to your generous support. Also, lots of fun has been had by women in local churches that have come together to have Pure Joy International Work Days to make gifts for the women. Thank you all so very much. Pray for us now that everything will fit into those trunks! Ha,ha,ha,ha

As we put the final touches on Southeast Asia before leaving the country we are also gearing up for Mexico. We come back from Asia on the 25^th of September and leave with a different team to Mexico November 5^th. So, things are buzzing at Pure Joy International! We are so thankful that God allows us to continue to go!! Which means to all of you don’t let up on praying for this ministry and its purpose, don’t stop going, don’t stop giving, don’t stop gifting, and don’t stop standing beside us in the belief that no matter how crazy this world looks, God will provide and protect the ministry of Pure Joy International for His Glory!

If going as a team member to Mexico is on your heart...I need to hear from you ASAP. Contact me at vickie@purejoyinternational.org  leave a phone number in the email to contact you, thanks. At that time, I can give you details. So, if God is tugging at your heart about the trip don’t ignore it. There is a window of opportunity for anyone else wanting to go but the window won’t be open much longer. 

I apologize for being so long in getting a blog out and for not having more to share right now. I could make something up but I think God calls that lying. Ha,ha,ha,ha

Love you All....

Vickie