Only 16 Spots Remain…

We have only 13 spots still open for the conference in Alicante, Spain, before going to our waiting list. If you are interested, please sign up soon.
 
These past couple of blogs, I have been sharing with you some things that I have observed that are difficult for our missionaries who serve overseas that we sometimes may forget about or not even know. Two weeks ago, I talked about not putting them on a pedestal. Last week I talked about some of the struggles of change they go through making the transition to the field. This week I want to talk about the household.

It did not take long for me, in my career of working with those in ministry (whether stateside or overseas), to figure out that people seem to think that those in ministry have it figured out. To think that they have the best relationship with God, the best marriage, the best children. NOT!!!

Again, they are human beings, like you and me, who have been called to ‘serve’ in another part of this world. They have been equipped for their calling the same as God equips each of us for that which He has called us to. So, to be frankly honest, they struggle in keeping their daily quiet times, staying in the Word, and spending time in prayer. They also struggle in their marriages… maybe more than most because of the other stressors surrounding their move to a foreign land. Many times wives are frustrated at his being gone from home a lot, while she is home with all the children AND still trying to minister to the local women. Each spouse can feel misunderstood by the other. Communication breaks down and then more stressors take place. This, in return, affects the children, if there are any. Sound familiar?

Might I add this, too, on behalf of those ministering here and overseas? Parenting is hard no matter where you are this day and time. Our kids are up against a darkness in this world that most of us have never had to battle. It is flat scary. I don’t care where you live in this world. Please teach your kids to pray for other kids. Teach your kids to pray for missionary kids around the world. And missionary moms and dads, teach your kids to pray for other kids around the world.   

We need each other no matter where we live in the crazy ol’ world. And remember, things aren’t always what they seem. That couple sitting next to you in church, that missionary family sharing before your church, that pastor preaching on Sunday morning, that person sitting at the desk next to you at work… could all be on the edge of giving up. Speak kindness to others. You may never know the difference it makes.

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.

His,
Vickie

Online Registration Is Open….

Registration for our conference in Alicante, Spain is open. It opened yesterday morning, 7-16-18. We already have 27 women who have registered. Remember first come, first served. We go to a waiting list once we hit 50. Dates for the conference are October 10-13, 2018.

Our team is locked-in as of this morning, and tickets are being purchased today. Weekly prayer times begin this week in Illinois, Mississippi, Arkansas, Nevada, Oklahoma, North Carolina, and Springfield, Missouri and/or whatever country that team member is in at the time. (Smile)

It is time to sincerely pray about missionary support for this trip. Please seek God and find out if you are supposed to be helping support a missionary. They come to the conference free of charge except for paying for their travel to and from. Cost per missionary is $700. This takes care of them for 4 days, 3 nights, and all conference materials. If you want to pay by check, send to the address below and put ‘missionary’ in the bottom left corner.

Pure Joy International, Inc.
P.O. Box 36
Plumerville, Arkansas 72127

If you want to pay by credit card, debit card, and/or PayPal please click button on the right of this page that says donate and follow the instructions.

Pure Joy International is a 501(c)3 and all your donations are tax deductible. Thank you in advance for your ministry to these women/families that are serving overseas to make a difference for the kingdom’s sake.
 
Last week I talked some about not putting people (especially missionaries) on a pedestal because of how that affects their lives. This week I want to talk about change... something most of us don’t really do well with, if we are honest. Imagine this, you move to a foreign country that God has led you to. You do not know the language and you do not know anyone at all that lives in that country. Your purpose initially is to learn that language. So, while you are learning it through tutoring by a local, the web, or just by being there and engaging with locals, etc., you and your family still must eat and get around. Along with this you are dealing with having left parents, siblings, extended family, and friends behind. Some have even left children and grandchildren. You also are living in a culture that is unfamiliar to you as well as trying to understand their ways. If you have children they now have no friends, initially to speak of, and you don’t just want to let your children be around people you don’t know yet. So, you and your family are ‘it’ for the first months in this new place. To top it off, you are learning to live together as family, probably for the first time ever, because no one is working yet or running off to school. If you are single, there are no words for the adjustment. That is a lot of stress, and certainly can make a person wonder if they really heard from God. Yet, knowing that they really heard from God is also what can keep them there as they walk it out.

This week would you join me in praying for missionaries around the world who are new to the field. Also, those who are returning from being in the states, raising money to live on for the next several years before they come home again. Pray for those who have never adjusted but have continued to try and ride it out. Pray for them to get direction from the LORD and peace with that direction. Pray for those who are experiencing change within their sending organizations and are trying to understand if God wants them to adjust to the change or go a different route. 

Sometimes when our folks who go overseas leave our sight we forget the big changes they are up against. Let’s tighten up our prayer time on their behalf.

Love you all,

His,
Vickie

Alicante, Spain October 10-13, 2018

Registration for Pure Joy International’s fall conference in Alicante, Spain, will open this coming Monday, July 16, 2018. We had to change our location from Valencia to Alicante because we could not find the accommodations we needed in Valencia. Too many columns in the conference rooms. (smile) If you or someone you know is a missionary woman serving cross-culturally in this part of the world, please get this information out.

As always, we will honor the principle of first come, first serve. We will begin a waiting list at number 51. This conference is provided at no cost to the missionary women that attend except for cost to get to and from the conference location. Once you register more information will be provided. Our theme for this conference is “Set your mind on things above.” Colossians 3:2

Our team will be booking flights next week. And many are already praying for God’s movement on the hearts of those that will attend. Our Web site, that has been under construction, will boot back up Monday for Registration. To register go to purejoyinternational.org

This week I want to give us all a little encouragement about not putting others on a pedestal. As we travel around the world to minister to our missionary women and their families it doesn’t take long to see this is a difficult thing for them. Let me show you just some of the things this does to a person:

• It positions them to feel as though they cannot be honest about their struggles.
• It positions them to feel trapped with expectations of how they should or shouldn’t behave.
• It positions them for a false sense of worth and value.
• It positions them for failure because they are not God.
• It positions them for exhaustion because they can never relax. They always feel the need to be performing, to be on.  
• It positions them for what is called the “missionary smile”. The meaning behind that smile many times is we are really struggling and may be close to falling apart but you will never know it until it has already happened.

This summer and fall some of your missionaries/families will be coming home for stateside time. (Some are already here.) They’ll visit with family and speak at our churches, missions conferences, raise money to go back on the field, etc. During that time remember to watch for the missionary smile. Decide before you see them to let them down from the pedestal. Listen to their stories, hear their hearts and enjoy all that God is doing through their locations overseas but remember, like you and I, they need OXYGEN, too! Encourage them that it is ok to be real.

Love you all so much! Please start praying for the Spain trip. We have 47 missionary women that still need to be sponsored by October. So, please give as He leads.

His,
Vickie

Spain….

Our next Pure Joy International trip is in preparation for a conference in Valencia, Spain in October of 2018. Registration will be opening in early July for missionary women serving cross-culturally. Please begin to let your friends know. Our web site has been under construction for the past couple of months. By the end of next week, it will be back up and running. So, thank you for your patience with us. The team is close to being full, and I will let you know if there are any more openings for the team by the end of next week.

Our theme is “Set Your Mind on the Things Above” from Colossians 3:2 (ESV). We are excited to understand why God has given us this particular theme for this season of time, this location, and the group of women that will be attending the conference. One thing we know… He is faithful and He knows.

So, here are some ways you can begin to pray for this conference:

• That we will have exactly the team God intends to be on this trip, at this time, and this season.
• That God will make a way for the women that are supposed to be at this conference at this time and season with the intended theme.
• Pray for sponsorship of the missionary women. As of today, we have 3 women sponsored with 47 to go. Thank you in advance for seeking God on whether you are to give towards this trip.
• Also, please begin to pray for those churches that come alongside us to make and donate gifts to the missionary women. If you or someone you know is creative and crafty (crafty in the good sense, ha,ha,ha) and would like to make a gift  to donate please contact me so I can give you some instruction/boundaries about gifts. vickie@purejoyinternational.org
• Pray for the messages, testimonies, and devotionals that will be shared.
• Pray for the hotel. We are in the process of solidifying our hotel location.

If you will pray for those things going forward I will keep you updated about the trip.

Thank all of you that support this ministry and trust God’s hand is on it. May we that serve Him be humble servants as unto the LORD in all things.

Love you all and am thankful,

His,
Vickie

The Monkeys Are Home (5 little monkeys jumping on the bed)…..

It is summer time and many moms and dads are aware of it! Ha,ha,ha

When we are overseas ministering to our missionary women, one of the things they share with us is the difficulty of being in a foreign land where you don’t know the language yet, you have no grandparents, aunts/uncles, cousins, etc., to help. Translated… you have your children 24/7 with no relief! And no matter how much you love your little darlings, all parents need relief! For yourself, your marriage, and your peace of mind! Ha,ha,ha And to be frankly honest, the kids need a break from the parents as well. Ha,ha,ha Especially if you are a home-schooling parent, everyone needs the break from each other.

Studies show that child abuse increases during the summer months due to added stressors in the family system, especially financial. Stress can lead to frustration, anger, and explosive behavior, which results in verbal abuse and physical abuse towards those we love. Let’s all pull together this summer by being aware of those families around us that need a break. It might be your own family. If you need a break, don’t be so proud as not to ask for help. Be aware of other families that need help by folding their children into a trip with your family to the park, a play morning or afternoon, a movie, etc.
  
We usually pick up my great nephew for taekwondo during the week on two afternoons. This past week, as I picked him up, it dawned on me to ask my niece if she would like us to take his baby sister, too. She is 18 months old. I told her I knew it was only for an hour and a half, but it would give her some time to herself to be still, get something done she wanted to get done, etc.
 
I share that to say you may not have time to help for an afternoon, but even an hour can make a difference. Also, remember to invite other kids to Vacation Bible School with your children and/or ask someone about Vacation Bible School at their church. And for all of you that are thinking people use Vacation Bible School, and summer camps as short-term baby sitters, you are right! Many do! Praise God! Many a child and young person have come to know Jesus as their personal Lord and Savior through Vacation Bible School and camps. It literally has saved their life eternally. And honestly, that break for them and their parents may have saved some of their lives physically and emotionally.

So, keep on the watch these next 60 days and make a difference in a child’s and/or family’s life!

Have a great week!  Love you all!

His,
Vickie

P.S. Valencia, Spain is on the horizon! We begin this week looking seriously into hotel/resort locations. Online registration will open hopefully within the next 3-4 weeks if not sooner. I will alert you when you may register. Remember this conference is for missionary women serving cross-culturally.

They Have Finished The Race……

Two men, who have made a difference in my life, finished their race this past week. Neither of them ran flawlessly because they were human… but both ran. Both were surrounded by their respective families as they crossed the finish line into eternity.
 
“When before the throne we stand in Him complete, all the riddles that puzzle us here will fall into place and we shall know in fulfillment what we now believe in faith—that all things work together for good in His eternal purpose. No longer will we cry “My God, why?” Instead, “Alas” will become “Alleluia,” all question marks will be straightened into exclamation points, sorrow will change to singing, and pain will be lost in praise.” Vance Hayner

To My Uncle Charles and Bro. Bill Brown, you did it, you finished the race!!!! Praise and Glory to Him that brought you on through to the other side!

His,
Vickie

Do You Even Know …….?

Sunday afternoons at our Aunt Myrna and Uncle Charles’s house are always entertaining when the kids are all around. At present my great nephew and his cousin are the youngest of the boys, respectively 5 and 7. I get tickled listening to them as they are applying words to their vocabulary that they have obviously grabbed out of a conversation they have overheard the adults having with each other. These words are usually applied during a disagreement over a toy, color of water balloons, trucks/cars, balls, and whatever they can find to compete over. Boys will be boys. (smile)

Recently, they were in a little bit of an argument over something and one of them told the other one, “You are ridiculous.” “No, I’m not!” was the response. And here they came with, “He called me ridiculous. No, I didn’t! Yes, you did!” It was so entertaining you almost had to laugh but knew better! Ha,ha,ha

I asked, as I looked at the two of them, “Do you even know what that word means?” To which they both in dumbfounded stillness looked at me and said, “No.” I responded, “Ok then, go play and don’t call each other words that you don’t know what they mean.” This time neither asked what the word meant. But there are times that together (or individually) they will ask what the meaning is of a word that I have called them out on.

It got me thinking about things we as Christians repeat because we heard someone else say it. We repeat it as if it is in scripture somewhere, but we don’t really understand what we are saying. Let me give you an example of a few...

*  “We’re all God’s Children”

     That sounds so great and loving and spiritual and feel good. But, the truth is… scripturally we are all God’s creation. But, we don’t become His Children until we confess our sins, repent, and accept the gift of Christ’s finished work on the cross, Grace.

John 1:12 (ESV)

But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God.

*  “God wants you to be Happy.”
     How great is it that the Sovereign God wants us to be happy? NOT! We are living in a world now that lives with the attitude of, “My happiness is the most important thing in the world.” And look at the moral decay and corruption because of this attitude. 
1 Peter 1:14-16 (ESV)
 As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance,
but as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, since it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am holy.”

*  “Money is the root of all evil.”
     The truth is that money is neither good nor bad.  It is what we do with it that produces the outcome.
1 Timothy 6:10-11 (ESV)
For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs. But as for you, O man of God, flee these things. Pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, steadfastness, gentleness.

*  “The Lion and the Lamb shall lay down together.”
     We see pictures /paintings of the Lion and the Lamb laying down together. We actually quote that as a verse…  “the lion and lamb shall lay down together.” But the truth is there is no scripture that states that. The scripture states:
Isaiah 11:6-7 (ESV)
The wolf shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the young goat, and the calf and the lion and the fattened calf together; and a little child shall lead them. The cow and the bear shall graze; their young shall lie down together; and the lion shall eat straw like the ox.

So, in conclusion, do we even know what we are saying sometimes? Maybe we could take a lesson from the boys. Don’t say things to be true if we don’t really understand them ourselves. (smile) May the thought of this increase our desire to be in His Word daily!

Pure Joy International is headed to Spain in October of this year. Conference dates will be Oct. 10-13, 2018. If you are a missionary serving cross-culturally or know someone serving in that part of the world as a cross-cultural missionary, please get those dates out to them. Registration will be opening soon for participants. Remember, first come, first served!
 
His,
Vickie