A Child is Born…

 

(note please click on web site version at bottom of this page.)

Luke 2:11-14  

Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord.

This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”

Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God, and saying, “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”

As we prepare to celebrate the birth of our Savior let us take boundless joy in knowing God’s Word told us of the coming birth of Jesus in advance through scripture.

Regarding Jesus’ birth—Isaiah 7:14: “Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel.” 

 Isaiah 9:6: “For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”

Micah 5:2: “But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times.”

Please know that God throughout scripture always tells us in advance what He is going to do. The birth of Christ is just one of the many promises God fulfills throughout His Word. Because He is faithful to tell us in advance and then we see it fulfilled in scripture you can take Great Hope in knowing He has overcome this crazy world. The victory is ours in and through Christ!

If you really want to see this truth over and over firsthand purchase a Chronological Bible to read throughout the year in 2024. It is one of the greatest gifts to give others and yourself. The One Year (NLT) Chronological Study Bible by Tyndale publishers September 6, 2022, is a good one.

From Pure Joy International Board, Staff and Advisors

Giving Thanks…

 As so many of us gather with family and friends in our homes and around tables to give "Thanks to God"  and His many blessings, we at Pure Joy International count all of you that support our ministry through prayer, gifting, going, and giving as true blessings from God in the life of this ministry. Thank you for your faithfulness and blessings over you and your families today and always.

From our family here at Pure Joy International to yours...

We’re Back…

 

Thank you each and everyone for your prayers while we were gone and for our trip back across the waters.  We all made it home safely Sunday evening.   What a wonderful time we had in the country of Tbilisi, Georgia.  The country is beautiful and the ladies that attended the Retreat were absolutely a “Joy” to the team and the other women attending.  Many new friendships were established, connections made for future time together, the word of God was shared, worship was marvelous, and fellowship so sweet. 

I am attaching pictures to this post as many as possible.   They are random but will give you some idea of some of the things we as a team had an opportunity to see.  One thing I would point out to you that was so much fun to see for me personally was what I thought were candles hanging in store fronts along the way was actually a candy called “Churchkhela” and is a candy treat. You will catch that in the pictures somewhere.  So, enjoy and if you have questions about any of the pictures are comments let us know. 

His,

Vickie

 

Note: Pictures are of sights and team members only.  Because of the sensitivity of where some of our ladies serve, we did not take any pictures of the ladies attending.  We had some ladies that did not make it to the conference because they could not get visas to get in and or were concerned about not getting one to get one back into their country.   But you can know as we do here at Pure Joy International, God had exactly the ladies that were supposed to be there for this conference at this time and season. Again, thank you all for your gifting, going, giving and continual prayer support.  

And thank you to all that serve cross-culturally to make a difference for His Name Sake.

Update…

We landed around 3 a.m. in Tbilisi Sunday morning. Everyone is just a little bit tired, ha, ha, ha.  By the time most of you are reading this it will be Sunday afternoon your direction in the States.  Most of the team is still asleep and I just woke up it is 2:00 a.m. here on Monday the 23, 2023.  I’m still trying to adjust to the switch over on days and night.  I’m not there yet. Truth be known, I suspect some of the team is wide awake in their rooms too. 

 Yesterday, the team grabbed some breakfast after arriving to the hotel and getting rooms, and settled in.  Then it was straight to bed for everyone until 1:00 p.m. the time here.  We had lunch, went to the mall, and had our first team meeting followed by an afternoon of putting the final touches on all the awesome things you sent for with us to love on the ladies attending the retreat.

We have our first day of sightseeing today following breakfast.  We will be doing a 4-hour walking tour of the city of Tbilisi to gain some understanding of the culture of this country.  Well, post those pic this evening.

Please continue to pray the team will get rest and have prepared hearts for the ladies coming on Wednesday.  So, appreciate the hundreds of team members (that would be you) back home that are praying for us all and following our journey here.

 His,

Vickie

 

 

 

Almost there….

 

Left Chicago last night at 9:10 p.m. and arrived in Munich Airport today at 1:30 p.m.   We leave out of Munich at 10:30 p.m. tonight to head on to Republic of Georgia. 

The team is awesome.  They are having fun together and many laughs.  Probably from sleep deprivation. Ha, Ha,   It is so fun to be back with those that have traveled with us before and the new team members traveling with us for the first time. 

Please continue to pray for us as we navigate the remainder of the trip to Republic of Georgia.  So far, our flights have been good and on time.  Several of us had extra seats by us on the plane here so we could stretch out some.  

Will post more tomorrow and hopefully have a few pics to throw into the mix.

Keep Praying...

His,

Vickie

Team Leaving Friday Morning….

 

Well, it is finally here.  We leave the country in the morning headed to the Republic of Georgia.  I cannot tell you how thankful we are for all the prayers and support we have received in the months of preparation leading up to our departure. 

I know I share this with you each trip but only because it is true.  All of you that have made gifts, prayed over a woman, and have gotten them a card, supported a lady to attend the conference, supported the ministries general fund, prayed with us daily and weekly, thank you so much for being a part of this team.  We all have a part and you have done your part well!!!  Now may we as a team carry those gifts, giving and prayers to our sisters across the waters!  

I will try to blog or get some information that our PR person Kim Roberson can post to our Facebook page.  So, keep an eye out. (Smile)

Please pray for safe travel. For Him to be our front and rear guard, to hem us in before and behind.  And for the ladies attending to be Blessed Beyond Measure!

His,

Vickie

Republic of Georgia Registration Closes…

Registration for the Republic of Georgia Retreat closes this Saturday September 30, 2023.  Please make sure if you have any friends that are considering signing up to let them know.

We have 8 slots left open. However, if they are not filled by the deadline the registration will still be closed on the aforementioned date. 

We are so excited and cannot believe we are just under 3 weeks away from our time in the Republic of Georgia.  Please continue to pray for the ladies that will be attending and the team that will be leaving.  All the details are coming together well.  Of course, there are several things that cannot get done until registration closes but we are used to a little bit of stress. (ha,ha,ha)   Keep the prayers lifted up!

As you finish your week consider this reminder which you have probably processed before but need a review;  Am I so busy working for Christ that I am neglecting Him.

His,

Vickie