Good evening,

As I write this blog we are at dinner waiting for our order to be taken.

We have had a great day!! Sylvia did our team devotional for us this morning. We then had a sweet time of sharing about what God has been doing in our lives the past 6 months as we have been preparing for this conference. There were some awesome stories shared about His work in our lives during the process.

We then had lunch and decided to do our final preparations for the missionaries coming in on Wednesday. The team building that goes on during this time is amazing. God has truly put together the right team for such a time as this! After we finished preparations we spent time in prayer... praying for our missionaries, but also really praying specially for all of you that give to sponsor these ladies, give gifts, pray, etc., etc.

The staff at this hotel is incredible. So friendly, so kind. They are so mindful of any needs we might have.

I suppose today I could sum up by saying we have all felt very blessed to be a part of God’s plan for this conference!

Love you all,

His,
Vickie

Greetings All,

The Costa Rica Team is sitting in the airport waiting for our flight out of the country. Everyone is so excited and having fun getting to know each other. Well, fill you in when we finish up the evening.
Blessings to all!

His,
Vickie

2 Days and Team Departs for Costa Rica

Saturday morning the team will leave their respective states and we will all come together at Atlanta International to fly out of the country. Once we arrive in San Jose we will have a one hour and forty-five-minute bus ride to our hotel. I will be blogging daily. If you follow Facebook, you should be able to stay in real time with us as we journey. The blog to email will be a day behind. There will be pictures and anything interesting to share along the way.

The most important thing we need is your prayers for us and the missionaries as they prepare. The conference starts Wednesday. We will get in a couple of days of free time before finishing the final preparations for the conference. I will write again on Saturday evening.

Can’t leave you without something to ponder, so see below. It answers every question you need to know about the importance of family. At least it does for me. I came up with that illustration because I think the visual is a powerful reflection of Abe’s words.

His,
Vickie

A child is a person who is going to carry on what you have started. He/She will assume control of your cities, states, and nations. He/She is going to move in and take over your churches, schools, universities, and corporations. The fate of humanity is in his/her hands.
                                                                                               Abraham Lincoln              

He Loves Me…..

For many of us middle aged (or slightly older, ha, ha) we remember the days of our youth picking Black-eyed Susan’s (daisy) and playing He (or She) loves me or loves me not. Usually, the flower looked like the one in the picture having only 13 petals. There are daisies that have more or less petals and come in all kinds of colors, but this is the one we usually found growing in the fields around us. I may have been a slow learner at this, but eventually, I figured out that whichever statement I started with, he loves me or he loves me not is also what I ended with as I plucked the petals away. So naturally I started with he loves me. (smile) You know, even as youth, we knew that was just a silly game.

But today I see people all around me doing that with real life and it’s not a game. He bought me something… he loves me. He didn’t get me something… he doesn’t love me. He called me 3 times throughout the day even though he is working… he loves me. He didn’t call me 3 times today while working… he doesn’t love me. She washed the dishes… she loves me. She didn’t wash the dishes…
she doesn’t love me. She cleaned the house and did laundry… she loves me. She didn’t clean the house and do the laundry… she doesn’t love me. She cooked, she didn’t cook, he put gas in the car, he didn’t put gas in the car, etc., etc., etc.

 “Spurgeon Daily Quotes” 
Christ Jesus has no quarrel with his spouse. She often wanders from him, and grieves his Holy Spirit, but he does not allow her faults to affect his love. He sometimes chides, but it is always in the tenderest manner, with the kindest intentions: it is ‘my love’ even then.

Have you allowed your spouse, children, family-member, friend and or co-worker’s faults to affect your love for them? Go back to the start, remember the Black-eyed Susan. Forgive them and start with ‘love’ (His Love) which ends with ‘love’ (His Love).

Costa Rica last lap before departure…
Ok, I am confident we are in the last lap before leaving the country a week from this Saturday. How do I know this? Because my brain is on overload of thoughts. The other morning, I put my mom’s oatmeal in the cabinet to heat it up, instead of the microwave, and I plugged the hairdryer in instead of the iron for my shirt. Yep, I’d say I have a few distractions in my brain. Ha,ha,ha.

All that to say…this is the very last week of preparation. Trunks are and have been packed. So it is now to the finite details for each team member to address to be ready to step on that plane. So, Pray for us!!! And my brain! Ha,ha,ha

He Loves Me…

His,
Vickie

Restoration...

Recently my brother and his wife moved from Houston, Texas back home to Arkansas.  Well, I should say they are mostly moved, he still has another month or more at his job before official retirement.  Therefore, my sister-in-law is here while he goes back and forth.

Last week my mom went to spend the week with my sister-in-law to help her unpack and help where needed.   Now let me just stop a minute and say we are unpacking things and organizing.  Why would this require any type of trip to flea markets?  Why? Ha,ha,ha,ha!  However, it did I suppose.  Because, when I checked in on them one day they were restoring a dresser they picked up at one of the flea markets.  Well… the very same day my mom was telling me about them restoring that dresser, I read something very interesting in one of my daily devotionals.  It was encouraging to my soul and a good reminder of a truth.  The quote was from A.W. Tozer, and reads, “The supreme work of Christ in redemption is not just to save us from hell, but to restore us to Godliness again.” 

Romans 8:29 (ESV)

 For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers.

So, I got to thinking about how God has redeemed those of us that have placed our faith in Jesus Christ (literally, paid the price for us). Just like my sister-in-law bought that dresser.  It now belongs to her and my brother (just like we belong to God).  She bought that dresser with a picture in mind of what it could be. (He redeemed us knowing the plans He had for us.)  They went to work on the restoration process.  (Just like He began a good work in us.)  They didn’t finish the restoration process in one day.  (Just like we are not restored to godliness in one day.)  I’m sure she has had to do some cleaning, stripping, sanding/buffing, filling, etc., etc. (Just like God has to utilize different circumstances and situations in our lives to restore us to godliness.)  All this to say to you dear ones, be patient with yourself and others.  It is a process. (smile)

1 Timothy 4:8 (ESV)

....for while bodily training is of some value, godliness is of value in every way, as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come.

Prayer for Costa Rica (Hit by tropical storm)

Costa Rica is Red Alert today (Thursday) meaning the potential for mudslides, flooding, electrical outages, etc., is high.  There have already been some deaths related to mudslides and flooding.  Please pray for our missionaries that might be in some of those areas, as well as the locals.

Restoration in process,

His,

Vickie

“Take God Off The Stopwatch”

Yesterday, as a friend was praying over me,  she made a statement during her prayer that went something like this, “Lord, help Vickie to take you off the stopwatch.” It was one of those things you have heard me call a “heart hanger”. You know what I’m talking about. When God through His word, others, the Holy Spirit, and/or circumstances won’t let you get away from something until He has revealed Himself to us in it. Well, that idea of “take God off the stop watch” was a heart hanger. I’m still allowing God to work it out in me.
 
But, can’t you just see this picture, us standing with a stopwatch in our hands saying, “God, You gave me this promise, this word, this assignment, this calling, this ministry, this husband, these kids, and this job. You say You equip the called, will finish the good work in us that You began, will never leave us nor forsake us, work all things for good, etc., etc., Ok, Go!” Then we click the stopwatch and expect Him to complete those things according to our time frame and we don’t even realize we are doing it. We measure Him according to our stopwatch and when He doesn’t show up in our set time we question Him, His word, our ability to hear His word, His voice and slowly lose footing regarding His truths and promises. All because we have tried to bring an infinite God into our finite system. “Click”

Costa Rica is only 3 weeks out! Please pray for us as we begin to look at distribution of weight regarding our trunks. The team is spread out between 4 different states so it makes it kind of crazy getting the right weight distribution to get everything we need in trunks without going over our weight limit. Yesterday I mailed 11 lbs. to South Carolina. That doesn’t seem like much until you add more to it. But a few lbs. here and a few there add up. Yeah, like we don’t know that as women! Ha,ha,ha,ha,ha,ha

Have a great week!  Love you all!

His,
Vickie

Costa Rica

First, I want to start out by giving a big Praise to the LORD for each of you that has contributed to the sponsorship of the 50 missionary women that will be attending this conference. We don’t take lightly any donations made to this trip and the ministry of Pure Joy International.

As we continue to prepare for our departure in less than 5 weeks I am reminded of the verse God gave me for the ministry of Pure Joy International.  

Hebrews 3:13 (ESV)
But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called “today,” that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin.

The whole purpose of this ministry is to bring encouragement to our missionary women/families on their field of service… that they may continue to serve the LORD in the areas He has called them to serve. Our time spent with them there is precious. The one prayer I consistently have prayed over the years is that we would show up as encouragers and leave the fragrance of His knowledge (the Word) and the aroma of Christ when we depart.

Nothing gives me more joy than to hear from a missionary that has attended one of the Pure Joy Conferences over the years who says, “The things shared during that conference have continued to help me in my journey with Christ and on the field.” That tells me that we left the fragrance of His knowledge (the Word) and the aroma of Christ with them when we departed.

So, I would be remiss if I didn’t leave you with something to ponder this week. What kind of fragrance/aroma are you leaving behind when you leave your family in the mornings, leave a ministry situation, or job situation, etc.? I am ashamed to say as I have been writing this blog that I suspect the fragrance/aroma I have been leaving behind this past month is more of a fleshly smell than the fragrance/aroma of Christ. I have not been a good patient on these crutches. So, at the conviction of my own blog writing (ha,ha,ha) I am seeking His forgiveness and choosing the fragrance of Christ, not my flesh! I know my mom will be happy about this! ha,ha,ha,ha 

Keep praying for all the details for Costa Rica. Lots still to be done in preparation in the weeks ahead. Lots of churches still working on things that will be going with us when we leave the country. (smile)

Choosing the Fragrance/Aroma of Christ,

His,
Vickie