Portugal Retreat 2023

 

We are excited and sad at the same time to share with you that registration for Lisbon, Portugal is officially closed as of today.  Several of you made it on the waiting list and we will certainly let you know if anyone has to drop out between now and the last week of March.

All our missionary women have been sponsored for this conference and the Portugal Team is meeting weekly to pray for each one of you along with many others that are praying for you as we prepare to leave the country. If you are a missionary that is registered to attend the retreat and have more questions please contact me at vicke@purejoyinternationl.org .

We have had lots of sleet and ice around our part of the U.S. the last two days but thanks to zoom we have continued to keep our prayer times going for the retreat.  What a great use of technology to be used for His Glory.

For those of you that may not have made it into our Portugal Retreat we are currently making plans for a retreat in the Republic of Georgia (the country) in October of this year.  Keep an eye on www.purejoyinternational.org web site for more information in the months ahead.

If your church or you are interested in how you can be a part of the October retreat through prayer, going, giving and gifting please contact me at vickie@purejoyinternational.org .

Praying that you have a blessed week whatever part of the world you are in faithfully serving our LORD.

His,

Vickie

 

Let the place of secret prayer become to me the most beloved spot on earth.

                                                                                     - Andrew Murray

Sometimes you just have to laugh…

 

So, last night I was told by my 10-year-old great nephew you never listen to me. First, let’s discuss that word never which is considered an exaggerated word.  However, it does seem to make children and adults wear it like some form of empowerment badge to get a point across along with the words always and forever. Stop and think about how many times you use those words in a sentence with your spouse, kids and family and it will make you laugh.

Before I go any further let me clarify something very important that is difficult for all of us to sort out at times.  The difference between the word hears and listen. To hear is to physically experience the sense of sound.  As one’s ear and brain are capable of processing sound waves, one can hear.  To listen is to deliberately apply the ability to hear.  One who listens is thinking about what is heard, what it means, how to respond, and whether to continue to listen/pay attention.

Now, back to the scene from last night. (smile) My great nephew was trying to convince me to allow him to stay up later because he has been home sick with strep throat and can’t go to school.  I explained to him that because he has been sick he really needs the rest. I don’t need to tell you how he felt about that. Ha,ha,ha, I did allow for some extra time beyond his normal school bedtime, which of course was not enough.  Thus, the rant of you never listen to me. I thought, hey this is a good opportunity to plant a little seed of wisdom in his heart.  I said, May I share something with you? He conceded even though he didn’t want to listen. Ha,ha,ha   I said, I hear you and I’m listening to you. What I’m not doing is agreeing with you. So, just because I don’t agree with you doesn’t mean I’m not listening. Well, I left the room with him continuing to say you are not listening to me.  Knowing that seed probably isn’t going to take root. Ha, ha, ha

But this morning as I thought back over our interaction I almost had to laugh out loud.  Heck, we live in a society today that functions in that same mentality.  If I don’t agree with you or see it the same way you do, then supposedly I am not listening, narrow minded, judgmental, critical, mean and an awful person.  Be prepared to be told those things more and more in the days ahead as we await HIS coming. Because if you choose to stand for Truth that means you are out of the majority and in the boat of the minority. There are going to be many more things we don’t agree with in the future!

So, maybe the next time someone tells you “you’re not listening” consider if that is true or is it that you just don’t agree with them. 

His,

Vickie

 

P.S. We have seven spots still open for the Portugal 2023 Retreat.  Make sure to let your overseas missionary women know about it.  Go to www.purejoyinternational.org  click on Here on that page and get more information and the registration form. Dates are April 26-29, 2023

“He who keeps the treasure bears the care”

As I was spending time in prayer about the blog and several other things this week, God orchestrated me in the most interesting way through a back door of some old files to a blog I had written in 2014. Wow! Almost 9 years ago. I am sharing a portion of it with you again because I believe God shared it with me again. In this day and time where life is getting more difficult (God’s word makes it clear in 2 Timothy 3:1-5 it will) I sensed this blog was one of those things that was worth resharing. Enjoy but seriously ponder as well. The following is a paraphrased version of an article by John McKonkey.

There once was a man that inherited a diamond at the death of a relative. Turns out the diamond was absolutely priceless. The man carried it with him where-ever he went to protect it and keep it safe. After some time, the man begins to get paranoid about someone taking the diamond from him, mugging him on the street. So, he started to go out less and less and stayed home more and more.

Eventually, he begins to think about what if someone breaks into my house and steals the diamond. So, he put up the most expensive home protections system you could buy. By now the man had few friends, he never went out. One day his good friend came to his house and announced, We are going out, get your diamond. The man reluctantly followed the man to the vehicle. Once in the car the man's friend proceeded to drive him directly to a very nice bank. They walked into the bank with the man with the diamond following his friend through all the doors and rooms until they reached a nice size vault. The friend said, I purchased this for you. It is yours to keep your diamond in. Absolutely no-one can get in here once we close the door today except you. I want you to leave your diamond here. You can come see it anytime you choose. The man finally agreed after much fretting and the two of them left the bank. Every day for weeks the man would go check on the diamond and each time it was there. Slowly he began to go every other day, then only twice a week, then only once a week until finally he went weeks without checking on the diamond. He finally reached the place to check on it whenever he felt like it which was not much because he knew where it was and that it was safe. Thus, the quote.... "He who keeps the treasure bears the care.”  

When I finished that article, I realized that God was saying to me, Vickie I know that your family is your earthly treasure. And you stay concerned for them a lot. But you cannot bear the care anymore. It is too much. It keeps you from having the life I intended for you to have. It was like the LORD said, give me those treasures I can bear the care!

 So, I ask you today. Are you holding on to your treasures? Because if you are, you bear the care! Let go and let Him have the treasure and bear the care because He can! And yes, it is a process. A continual process I can promise you! And yes, you will want to go back and forth to the vault. But the most important question is, have you placed your treasures in the vault (GOD) to start with?

1 Peter 5:7

Cast all your anxiety on him because He cares for you.

 

His,

Vickie

 Blessings as you step into the New Year 2023

 

Lisbon, Portugal…

In April of 2020 we were schedule to do a Pure Joy International Retreat in Lisbon, Portugal.  The team was ready to go, the missionary women on the field were ready to attend.  Then Covid-19 hit, and we had to cancel the retreat. 

It is with great excitement that we the staff of Pure Joy International share with you, the retreat has been rescheduled for April 26-29, 2023. We have done our best to try and contact everyone that had been previously registered for the 2020 retreat to confirm their spot if they wished to reclaim it.  Those deadlines have now passed with 13 open spots opened-up.  If you are interested in attending the retreat, please click Here and fill out the registration form.  It will be first come first serve.  We will go to a waiting list if needed.  If you have questions, contact me at vickie@purejoyinternational.org

You may also sign up from our Website home page at www.purejoyinternational.org

Wishing each and everyone of you a VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS! 

His,

Vickie

Christmas 2022…

 

Greetings to all our Pure Joy international family and friends near and far.  It is with great joy that we join you in the celebration of our Lord and Savior this Christmas Season.

Many of you have asked about when we will be traveling again overseas.  Well, the answer is starting in April of 2023.   We will be traveling to Lisbon, Portugal to make good on our plans to go there in April of 2020.  Covid had a different plan at the time.  However, the retreat has been rescheduled for April 26-29, 2023.  We have done our best to contact each lady that registered for the original retreat in 2020.   If you were registered and didn’t receive an email from us, please contact me at vickie@purejoyinternational.org    We still have some open spots and they will open up next week to missionary women serving outside their country of origin with a sending church or mission organization.  You will just need to go to our web Home page next week and follow the instructions to register. 

There is lots going on at Pure Joy International and I will be sharing that with you in our next blog, it’s exciting you won’t want to miss it.

In the meantime,

                                                       Merry Christmas From:

     The Staff, Board, and Advisors of Pure Joy

International Retreat Ministry, Inc

He’s Coming…

For several weeks I have been asking the LORD, what would you have me share in the next blog? I know some of you ask about weekly blogs. Honestly, I just write one when I am impressed to by the Holy Spirit. There are lots of things out there for you to read and get your hands-on, so I never just write a blog to be able to say I did.

I do want to share with you something I read out of one of my daily devotional books following my prayer time this morning. The reason I am sharing the devotional with you is if you are like me and many others in the body of Christ you are watching the signs of the times. Biblical prophecies are being looked at more closely in this day and time than ever before.

Non-believers should be told the truth of the gospel and how Christ died on the cross for our sins and was buried and rose again defeating death and ascended to His Father in heaven and will come again. Believers should be encouraged to be ready for His Coming. BUT…. do not miss His surprise visits in the here and now?

                                                 

Our Lord’s Surprise Visits 

You also, be ready… - Luke 12:40 

A Christian worker’s greatest need is a readiness to face Jesus Christ at any and every turn. This is not easy, no matter what our experience has been. The battle is not against, sin, difficulties, or circumstances, but against being so absorbed in our service to Jesus Christ that we are not ready to face Jesus Himself at every turn. The greatest need is not facing our beliefs or doctrines, or even facing the question of whether or not we are of any use to Him, but the need is to face Him. 

Jesus rarely comes where we expect Him; He appears where we least expect him, and always in the most illogical situations. The only way a servant can remain true to God is to be ready for the Lord’s surprise visits. The readiness will not be brought about by service, but through intense spiritual reality, expecting Jesus Christ at every turn. This sense of expectation will give our life the attitude of childlike wonder He wants it to have. If we are going to be ready for Jesus Christ, we have to stop being religious. In other words, we must stop using religion as if it were some kind of a lofty lifestyle- we must be spiritually real.

If you are avoiding the call of the religious thinking of today’s world, and instead are “looking unto Jesus, setting your heart on what He wants, and thinking His thoughts, you will be considered impractical and a daydreamer. But when He suddenly appears in the work of the heat of the day, you will be the only one who is ready. You should trust no one, and even ignore the finest saint on earth if he blocks your sight of Jesus Christ.     ... Oswald Chambers

So, I ask us are we ready for the Lord’s surprise visits? Do we expect Jesus Christ at every turn throughout our day? Does our life have the attitude of childlike wonder? What is blocking our sight of Jesus Christ?

 

Love you all, have a wonderful week!

His,  

Vickie

Hearing His Voice Above the Noise…

 

War is defined as, “the state of armed conflict between different nations or states or different groups within a nation or state.”  War (battle, fighting, conflict, combat) has always existed going back to the beginning of time.

Today, in this present moment of time we are focused on Russia and its attack (war) on Ukraine. We see the consequences this war is having on not just Ukraine but Russia and surrounding countries as well as people all around the world.

Father in Heaven, God that sees all, God that knows all, God that is present and not far away. God that has His hand on the pulse of every child of God.

John 1:12 -13 But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.

The World looks at what is going on today from a horizontal perspective.

Seeing the world this way causes us to be stuck in a rut. Like a mouse running a maze with no outlets. Changing directions, taking a different path, speeding up, slowing down, stopping to ponder, still provides no way out in and of itself. There are still no outlets to that maze. The response can be frustration, anger, fear, anxiety, depression, withdrawal, hopelessness, and all these things can lead to self-destructive behaviors and or total destruction.  

LORD, help us as your children to see this world from a vertical perspective.

Psalm 123:1 

To you I lift-up my eyes, O you who are enthroned in the heavens!

Psalm 33:18-22

Behold, the eye of the Lord is on those who fear him, on those who hope in his steadfast love, that he may deliver their soul from death and keep them alive in famine.

Our soul waits for thee; he is our help and our shield. For our heart is glad in him because we trust in his holy name. Let your steadfast love, O LORD, be upon us, even as we hope in you.

Father God let us find you as our resting place in the middle of all this noise around us, that we your children may hear your voice, make decisions, and take steps accordingly.

My we all recognize that this world is a maze and until you lift us out of it and bring us home, we all will have battles to fight, whether in foreign countries, at home or within our very being. But may we remember we do not war against flesh and blood but against the………spiritual forces of evil. And may we also remember, The Battle Is Not Ours but The LORDS!

And finally, LORD, we at Pure Joy International lift-up the M’s and their families that are serving you in the countries touched by this war. Guide them through your Holy Spirit, shelter them from the enemies hand, get them to safety as they move about. Comfort their families that are living away from them and above all may they look to You for the peace that surpasses all understanding to rule in their hearts. And we pray all these things in the precious Name of Jesus.

 

His,

Vickie