Thursday, February 28, 2013

Words...


Last week we finished the Biblical portion of the Perspectives class that I have been sharing with you. This week we begin the Historical part of our studies. This course continues to absolutely move my heart for God, and it challenges me to see from His perspective so many things I had never thought about in such ways. However, I had to be amused during the last class as our instructor talked about how communication continues to be one of the biggest barriers of reaching the unreached people groups. He shared with us some amusing situations that he himself was involved in while living in Kenya and working with an unreached people group there. Just the finest little mispronunciation of a word or a word used in a wrong context can cause quite the problem. As I listened to him, I had flashes of the hundreds of couples and families I have seen over the years in my Biblical counseling ministry. I have now decided that I officially have been working with “unreached” people groups in my office weekly for years! Ha, ha, ha, ha!

Our Belize team continues to come together. We will have the team officially booked by March 15th. Please pray for the missionary women in the Central America area to get the word out about the retreat, and that they’d have the ability to get to and from the location. Continue to pray for sponsorship of the women, gifts, prayer warriors, messages, worship, etc. Again, our theme is "Let Your Light Shine” from Matthew 5:16.

I just found out this past week that our team member from Dominican Republic (DR) is praying weekly with other missionary women there in DR that attended our retreat in DR last year! Missionaries, above all of us, know how to pray for other missionary women! I am so thankful to God for their hearts to continue to pay it forward.

My great nephew is in the process of learning to crawl. Being the teacher that I am, I was on the floor this morning crawling on all fours trying to model for him what the process looks like. I feel confident that I can speak for him regarding this teaching moment as he looked at me with those big brown eyes, which communicated so clearly . . . "Really!" Even at this age, you just gotta love 'em!!

His,
Vickie

Tuesday, February 19, 2013

Hmmmmm...


This past week Jan, our editor, forwarded me some thought provoking information. At least I felt like it was thought provoking. The following scenario is just one of the humorous comments in the article. "The second mouse gets the cheese.” Now I don't have a clue who thought of that truth, but that is funny. I don't care who you are! (Unless you were the first mouse. Ha, ha!) Why? Because the first mouse is dead in the trap by his neck!!!!

Seriously, I have asked myself how many times in my life have I been the first mouse. Over the years I think I have probably developed a little bit more patience than I had in the past, and of course I want to believe I am not that first mouse so much of the time anymore. God's word has a lot to say about not being the first mouse, but He uses the term "wait" instead of being the first mouse.

Psalm 27:14 (ESV)
Wait for the LORD; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the LORD!

Psalm 31:24 (ESV)
Be strong, and let your heart take courage, all you who wait for the LORD!

Psalm 33:20 (ESV)
Our soul waits for the LORD; he is our help and our shield.

Psalm 37:7 (ESV)
Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him; fret not yourself over the one who prospers in his way, over the man who carries out evil devices!

Psalm 38:15 (ESV)
But for you, O LORD, do I wait; it is you, O Lord my God, who will answer.

Psalm 40:1 (ESV)
I waited patiently for the LORD; he inclined to me and heard my cry.

Psalm 62:1 (ESV)
For God alone my soul waits in silence; from him comes my salvation.

Psalm 62:5 (ESV)
For God alone, O my soul, wait in silence, for my hope is from him.

Proverbs 8:34 (ESV)
Blessed is the one who listens to me, watching daily at my gates, waiting beside my doors.

Isaiah 30:18 (ESV)
Therefore the LORD waits to be gracious to you, and therefore he exalts himself to show mercy to you. For the LORD is a God of justice; blessed are all those who wait for him.

Belize update: Missionary women are signing up and finances are coming in! Yeah, God. We have ten missionary women sponsored as of this writing so, there are only 40 more women to go! Keep that support coming! Also, continue to pray as the team works out all the details of what God has in store for the missionary women, the team, and the local churches that are journeying with us!

Love you all.

His,
Vickie

Thursday, February 14, 2013

Excitement in My Heart...


We opened up registration for our Belize trip Tuesday of this week. We already have four missionary women signed up as I write this blog. As my ministry staff would say, I am getting in retreat mode! I love watching the registrations come in for me to learn about the ladies and their ministries. Also, I love knowing that God is answering our prayers to bring each missionary woman, for He knows their needs, and the team members to minister to those needs.

The team is also coming together as well. Those of us on the team in the Conway, Arkansas area had a sweet prayer time this past Monday night as we prayed for the Belize retreat and all the different aspects of the trip. I want to encourage you to continue to pray for the trip and to continue to give towards the trip. Pray, as well, for how God would have you be involved in other ways that maybe we haven't even thought of.

Well, Patty and I continue our Perspectives Class, which is totally changing our perspective on how we read God's Word. So far, we have learned from the following topics: Our God is a Missionary God, the Story of His Glory, His Kingdom Come, and a Mandate for the Nations. I cannot emphasize enough what a great class this is. Find one near you and sign up!

My mom just got back from Houston where she spent a couple of weeks with my brother and sister-in-law. When she is there, she gets to see and catch up on all the grandchildren and great grandchildren. These two stories are worth sharing for a good laugh. My niece (her granddaughter Krystal) lives in Andrews, Texas and has five boys ages 8 months to 10 years old (pray for her . . . ha, ha!). She has home schooled the three oldest up until this year. Because they are going to a school now, some interesting entertainment has been provided with some of the things the boys bring home to share. Recently, Brice the oldest (10 years) came home telling his mom that a girl at school had asked him if they could be boyfriend and girlfriend. His mom explained to him that he was too young to have a girlfriend and that being girlfriend and boyfriend was a serious thing. She suggested he write the girl a note and tell her. He informed his mom that he would just talk to her. This was what he told the little girl. "We are too young to be boyfriend and girlfriend. Being girlfriend and boyfriend is serious and for people that are going to get married and I'm too young to get married.” The little girl asked, “Then can we just be friends?" You’ve got to love that story and know that made a momma proud. However, her delight was probably x'ed out when Sam (the middle child) accompanied his momma to lunch recently, and a pretty girl walked by the table. Sam looked at his mom and said, “She is sooooooooooooooo pretty.” “What did you say?” his mom asked? He said, “I said, ‘she is soooooooooooooo pretty.’” His mom asked him, “Where did you learn that?” “Tom and Jerry!” he said and went on to say, “It makes me feel so remantic.” “Do you mean, ‘romantic’?” his mom asked. “Yes, that's it!” he said. Yes, kids do say the darnedest things!

Love you all! Keep praying.

His,
Vickie

Monday, February 4, 2013

Belize here we come...


We have located our hotel and are now in the negotiating stages. Our dates for the retreat will be April 24 - 27, 2013. Our theme is from Matthew 5:16, “Let Your Light Shine Before Others."

We are only 2 1/2 months out, so there is a lot of prayer and preparation necessary to take place before we leave the states. Please pray for the following:
  • that the negotiations would go well with the hotel so we can provide the best place for the missionary women to come, rest, and be refreshed,
  • for the missionary women God would have come to this retreat. I am personally asking God to make a way for missionary women from Mexico and Central America to attend as well as those in Belize,
  • for the team that God would have to minister to this particular group of women specifically,
  • that financial support would start coming in to sponsor the missionary women. We already have 7 1/2 sponsored. The exciting part is that a couple of those missionary women have been sponsored by missionaries who attended our Prague Retreat in October  2012,
  • that women in local churches will begin to pray about the opportunity to make gifts for the missionary women,
  • that God will give me the opportunity to speak to several women's ministries about this opportunity, and
  • for our flights, luggage, messages, worship, hospitality, etc.

If you believe God is leading you to join us on this trip please contact me at vickie@purejoyinternational.com.

His,
Vickie