Ministry Work Day…

Last week I shared with you that the Tanzania team was going to have a work day on Saturday and we did. It is always so much fun to watch the ladies as they get to know each other in person for the first time. Four of our team members were not able to join us so we will have that fun again when we all come together at the Atlanta airport before leaving the country together.

Lots of little details were talked about and worked out for the trip.  We are right on course of where we need to be as a team before leaving the country. I’m totally excited about that. Also, I loved getting to watch the ladies get to know each other. I am going to have my hands full as a team leader! However, as I told them, their sweet submissive attitudes make me look like I know what I’m doing. Ha,ha,ha,ha! I am including some pictures of our time together.   

Also, I am happy to share with you that we have had more missionary women sponsored since last week and we now only have 14 missionary women left to be sponsored. Thank you soooooo much for just listening to the LORD and for being a part of Pure Joy International. We really do believe God makes a difference in and through us and you for these ladies and their families overseas. Please remember to pray for me this week as I finish working on the messages I believe God would have me share in Dominican Republic next week. If He isn’t giving me the words to speak to them I have nothing of value to offer them. So pray hard!

There is a lot going on around us with the Ebola situation. Many people are asking us questions about leaving the country and heading to Africa even though it is in a different location than West Africa. We don’t take things lightly that are happening. But, that is also one reason we require our team members to know that they know as much as humanly possible that God has made it clear for them to be on the trip and that their husbands give full agreement to their going. We truly believe we are safer out of the country in God’s will than in the country out of Gods will. And we don’t pretend to understand all His ways and purpose. So, just continue to pray that we are sensitive to His leading all the time.

Hope everyone has a spirit-filled week. Next week I have asked one of our team members to share her experience with us about being a part of Pure Joy and the Tanzania trip. I’ll catch up with you when I get back from Dominican Republic.

Love you all.

His,

Vickie

Tanzania is only 5 weeks away….

This Saturday the Tanzania team will be meeting together for the first time before leaving the country. We have been meeting weekly for prayer time in our separate locations but this weekend we will all put the pedal to the metal and drive a distance to spend some time together before leaving the country. We have a couple of women on the team that will not be able to join us, of course, because they live in Chicago, Missouri, and Mississippi respectfully. Actually, one of those three is out of the country. But all of the others, minus 1 mom, will be able to join together. We will spend our day getting to know each other a little bit more in person. The team has had bio’s and pictures of each other up till now. The worship team will spend time together, the hospitality people will look at all the things that have been made and given by people such as yourself for the missionary women. Media team members will solidify their plan for pictures on the retreat for PR purposes on our return. The speakers and devotional leaders will visit with one another as the Pure Joy Ministry Staff will all be there to encourage and to oversee their area of ministry. As you can see a full day!!!! We are working hard to solidify details before I leave for Dominican Republic a week from Saturday. I have the privilege and honor to speak at the yearly Mission’s Conference for Women sponsored by SCORE International. You can check them out at www.scoreintl.org .

As of this week we have 32 missionary women sponsored for Tanzania. So, only 18 more ladies to be sponsored before we leave the country in November. I want to thank those that have responded on line by sponsoring a missionary woman and or just giving towards sponsorship of a woman. Please know that you are part of God’s plan for this trip. I always KNOW when it is God sending us that He will take care of the provision. Therefore, when you are led to give by the Holy Spirit of God you are a vital part of His plan for this trip. Don’t ever take that lightly! That goes for those of you that give to this ministry’s general funds and operational cost. It’s God’s ministry and we are all a part of it in the role He has called us to. So if anyone ever ask you if you are a part of a ministry the answer is, “Yes, Pure Joy International”.  (smile)

Pray for me as I continue to prepare for Dominican Republic and Tanzania. I’d be lying if I didn’t tell you I feel the crunch.

Love you all,

His,

Vickie

Just some more insight into why we go…. 

God is a Gentleman…..

I recently read the following story about being a gentleman….

Being a Gentleman In a Selfish World

More and more today we are faced with ever increasing selfishness and egotism. Everything from tee shirts to bumper stickers tout "it’s all about me, deal with it." Many have said chivalry is dead, but I disagree. So what does it mean to be a gentleman in spite of all this? Chivalry, or the act of being a gentleman, is a personal choice. It means consciously going out of your way to make others feel appreciated. Opening doors and occasionally buying flowers is but a small part of it. Being a gentleman means acting sacrificially. A gentleman gives up his seat on the bus or train for an elderly person. He knows when to simply walk away from an argument rather than having the last word. It means not having your way sometimes. Is it worth it? Consider the state of our world. If more men led by example, and practiced this behavior, where might we be? I am proud to call myself a gentleman.  (Author unknown)

Those that know me well have on many occasions heard me make the following statement, “God is a Gentleman”. He opens the door of life continually for those that will choose to walk through it. He is always working in the best interest of those that love Him and who have been called according to His purpose (meaning all born again believers). But here is the biggest reason I continually reference God as a Gentleman…… It has to do with sin. Today more and more people in the body of Christ are being exposed for their sinful behaviors. I want to use that word again, “exposed”. I believe God is a Gentleman and He gives us every opportunity as believers to confess our sins and repent before it has to be exposed to the world around us. He gave Adam and Eve the opportunity……

Genesis 3:8-10 (ESV) 

8 And they heard the sound of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God among the trees of the garden. 9 But the LORD God called to the man and said to him, “Where are you?” 10 And he said, “I heard the sound of you in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked, and I hid myself.”

He gave Cain the opportunity….

Genesis 4:8-9 (ESV) 

8 Cain spoke to Abel his brother. And when they were in the field, Cain rose up against his brother Abel and killed him. 9 Then the LORD said to Cain, “Where is Abel your brother?” He said, “I do not know; am I my brother’s keeper?”

The children of Israel were given opportunity after opportunity to confess their sin before they ended up in Babylon and the consequences of their sin exposed to the world. 

I am sharing this today because I see a pattern developing in the body of Christ over the years which is steadily on the increase. We are not acknowledging our sin when God gives us warning of it through conviction by His Holy Spirit. The reasons for this vary. For some, we are so broken in our intimacy with Him that we don’t hear that small still voice of conviction. For others, our love of self is greater than our love for God as a believer. Or it may be that we believe the lie from the enemy that God will not forgive us again for our sin. The list is endless. 

When God has to expose us the consequences are devastating not just to ourselves but to the many people in our lives. Please hear my heart in sharing this - it is not to be critical but to exhort you. I personally, as a believer, praise God that He gives me ears to hear when He has convicted and is convicting me of sin in my life. And I might add here that sometimes it isn’t about being convicted, it is about flat out knowing you are sinning but you do it anyway because you are choosing your flesh over Him. 

My point is simple, I believe our God is a ‘Gentleman’. He will open the door for you and me and is giving us every opportunity to confess our sins, to repent from things that are against His will and ways, and return to Him. But, if we won’t, He loves us so much that He will expose us! Can I share with you that the collateral damage done when we refuse to confess and repent of our sins before God brings us to the place of exposure, causing so much more damage than if we confess and return to Him of our own free will. So is God opening a door for you today as you read this blog? My dear friends, He is truly a ‘Gentleman’. Please take His hand and walk through the door.

2 Chronicles 30:8-9 (ESV) 

8 Do not now be stiff-necked as your fathers were, but yield yourselves to the LORD and come to his sanctuary, which he has consecrated forever, and serve the LORD your God, that his fierce anger may turn away from you. 9 For if you return to the LORD, your brothers and your children will find compassion with their captors and return to this land. For the LORD your God is gracious and merciful and will not turn away his face from you, if you return to him.”

Proverbs 28:13 (ESV) 

13 Whoever conceals his transgressions will not prosper, but he who confesses and forsakes 

them will obtain mercy. 

Galatians 6:1 (ESV) 

1 Brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in 

a spirit of gentleness. Keep watch on yourself, lest you too be tempted. 

Thankful to know God as a Gentleman,

His, 

Vickie

Note: Tanzania is closing in on us and it is really exciting! We have 30 missionary women 

sponsored to date with only 20 more to go. We are excited and praising God for His always 

faithfulness to Pure Joy International. We serve an AWESOME GOD!! Keep giving as God so leads you!

Mine

Sunday afternoons we all head to my Uncle Charles and Aunt Myrna's for lunch after church. And when I say we all, I mean kids, grandkids, cousins, their friends, church friends, etc. My Aunt Myrna has one rule, "it's there till it's gone" so if you cruise you lose. Even a stray cat has figured out it's the place to be on Sunday. (Smile). We adults love it because it is the one place we catch up on everyone's life from the previous week and/or weeks. The little kids love it because it has a fenced-in back yard and toys and water toys and cars and trucks and balls, etc. However, even with all those toys the boys have developed the art of catching grasshoppers this past month. This Sunday was perfect for their new hobby because the weather was in the low 80's.

Have you ever noticed how ‘perfect’ can change on a dime when our flesh gets involved? And what could be more fleshly than a 2 year old and a 4 year old (there is about 60-69 lbs of combined pure flesh between them) fighting over grasshoppers. They are both fleshing out with their mindset of ownership which translates to the word 'mine'. It started several weeks ago when they were asked to share the container that housed the grasshoppers. Riley (4) rightly established with Braxton (2) that the container belonged to him. "It's mine"! Braxton then proceeded to look around until he saw something that he proclaimed as 'mine'. What proceeded was a good 5 minutes of ‘name it and claim it' by the two. “Mine!” “No mine!” “No mine!” “Mine!” I finally had to laugh out loud when I had interjected to Riley that something he had claimed as 'mine' actually belonged to his granny. At which point, he looked at little Braxton with all the authority a 4 year old can muster and said, “My granny's!” 

It starts early, doesn't it, the belief system that we actually own things - that the things we have are 'mine'? In fact don't we, as adults, fight with God, our spouse, our children, bosses, employees, etc. because of the heart attitude that lies behind the word 'mine'?  

 Solomon, the wisest man ever, addressed the topic of 'mine' this way...... 

As he came from his mother’s womb he shall go again, naked as he came, and shall take nothing for his toil that he may carry away in his hand. Ecclesiastes 5:15

God is clear in His Word about ownership....

To the LORD your God belong the heavens, even the highest heavens, the earth and everything in it. (Deuteronomy 10:14)

For every animal of the forest is mine, and the cattle on a thousand hills. (Psalm 50:10)

The world is mine, and all that is in it. (Psalm 50:12)

"The silver is mine and the gold is mine," declares the LORD Almighty. (Haggai 2:8)

Simply put, how many times a day do you secretly and or verbally say 'mine'?  

Love You All and Learn to Share! (smile)

His,

Vickie

On the Road

This past weekend I had the privilege of addressing the Women's Ministry of First Baptist Church of Texarkana, Texas. In attendance were also several women that minister as leaders with their Celebrate Recovery ministry. Such a sweet group of leader ladies. (smile)

In preparation for the training I ran across the following quote by Winston Churchill that I absolutely loved and it spoke to my heart as such a deep truth: “Courage is what it takes to stand up and speak; it is also what it takes to sit down and listen.” Let that quote marinate in your heart for a while. 

The Tanzania Team continues in its preparations for our departure in about 11 weeks. Can't believe we are actually heading toward the home stretch of leaving the country. Money was raised last week by one of the team member’s churches which brings our total to 28 missionary women sponsored with 22 remaining to be sponsored. I love to watch God equip us for what He calls us to, yes even financially. But, before that happens I am headed to Dominican Republic (DR) in 4 weeks to minister with SCORE International (www.scoreinternational.org) during their Women's Missions Week. I am so excited about what God wants to accomplish there in them and me. The theme He has put on my heart is "Above All" Psalm 24:1-2. The opportunities I will have are to meet with and encourage leadership, provide biblical counseling for those that desire a place to talk, speak nightly into the lives of women that have come from the United States to experience SCORE International ministries.

Please pray for me as I prepare messages for SCORE and for all of us that will speak in Tanzania that God will have empty and willing vessels to pour through. 

Praise the LORD that my niece and her husband, Sassan, have returned from Niger after two weeks of ministry to the children in that region of Africa. I am so thankful for all of those that are obedient to His call…obedient whether it is on this side of the ocean or the other. Oh, that the body of Christ would live obedient lives to Him and draw more to the Gospel of Salvation.

Love you all...Have an incredible week and share the Good News with someone! It can change their life!

His,

Vickie   

I do this.....

My great nephew entered the world of the terrible two's this summer. I have to be honest and say I don't suspect we have experienced just how terrible it can be yet. ha,ha,ha,ha But, we are getting the aroma of it!

His big sentence in life right now consist of 3 words, "I do this". Translated let me do it myself or I am going to throw an ever loving fit that will cause others to think you are harming me! ha,ha,ha Harm is a word that comes to mind when he is acting this way but I know there are laws about that! ha,ha,ha,ha Previous to the "I do this" statements, when he couldn't verbalize yet, was the "wet noodle meltdown". Can we say dead weight! However, what is precious and brings a smile to my heart is when he is given room to "I do this" and he realizes he can't and he says, "help me" and/or "you help me".

 

I wonder how many time God looks at us as His children and observes as we do our two-year-old spiritual mentality version of "I do this" sentence. I am so thankful to know that our Abba is such a loving Father that He too will give us room to "I do this" but is there with His hand when we say, "help me". I suspect it brings a smile to His face as well.

Philippians 4:5b-6 (ESV)
The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.

Just want to keep you updated on Tanzania. We now have 26 missionary women sponsored. That leaves us with only 24 to go! Thank you for giving!

Love you all,

His,

Vickie

What's that Smell?

There is a stretch of Interstate-40 West just outside of a college town not far from where I live that my mom and I pass through headed to another small town. (We live in Arkansas therefore besides living from Glory to Glory we live from small town to small town. ha, ha, ha) Anyway, every time we get to that location on I-40 it isn't long before we both are saying, "What's that smell?" Seriously, it is a bad smell!

Smell is one of the five senses that God gave us to relate to the world around us through our physical bodies - the others being sight, sound, taste, and touch. If you ever take time to really think about the role of each it is very interesting. But, for now we are talking about smell. Smells can alert us to danger such as the smell of smoke in a house, a sewer leak, a burnt breakfast, gas leak, etc. Smells can also alert us to things like approaching rain, a pie coming out of the oven, etc. Smell also has the power to attract us to a person, foods, a flower garden, etc., etc.

In 2 Corinthians 2:15-17 the apostle Paul writes of 'smell' if you will, when he is talking to the believers from the church of Corinth regarding those responsible to God to share the gospel of Christ.  

2 Corinthians 2:15-17 (ESV)
¹⁵  For we are the aroma of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing, ¹⁶  to one a fragrance from death to death, to the other a fragrance from life to life. Who is sufficient for these things? ¹⁷  For we are not, like so many, peddlers of God’s word, but as men of sincerity, as commissioned by God, in the sight of God we speak in Christ.

I love this passage because Paul is basically saying, "Hey, we aren't giving you a cheap perfume!” It has cost a man his life. It is costing us our lives and it will cost you your life. But what a sweet aroma it is among those that are saved and being saved instead of a cheap substitute which leads to death, which is peddled by some.

You may wonder why in the world Vickie is writing on this topic today. Well, quite simply the verse caught my eye this morning on my coffee cup. And I started to think about the times I am not yielded to the LORD in how I handle a given situation and my flesh rises up instead. I'm sure anyone around at the time is saying, "What's that smell?" It smells so bad! And don't sit there reading this like you don't know what I'm talking about. We have a daily choice of how we handle life situations. We either surrender to the Holy Spirit of God in us and or we yield to our flesh. There are only two choices. Surrender to the Holy Spirit is to die to self which elicits a sweet aroma of Christ. Surrender to the flesh is selfish and elicits the smell of self.

  

I don't know about you but I desire to live a life of Christ at work in me and through me that others are drawn to that aroma of Christ in my life. That comes from being saved by His Grace alone and by reading and living out by His power the truths of His Word in our daily walks with our spouse, family, and friends and the Nations!

Love you all -  have a great week....

His,

Vickie