tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-87677085825170873242024-02-02T12:55:48.821-08:00The Merry Band of FifeMay these words of my mouth and this meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, LORD, my Rock and my Redeemer. Psalm 19:14The Merry Band of Fifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02215639186424889238noreply@blogger.comBlogger532125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8767708582517087324.post-52598668289272710902020-03-20T10:27:00.001-07:002020-03-20T10:27:13.795-07:00Are You an Even If or Only If Christian?The tale of Daniel's friends Shadrack, Meshach and Abednego in the fiery furnace is a favorite Christian story (Daniel 3), with all the elements that thrill our souls: an evil king, righteous men standing firm against the fiercest threats, and a certifiable miracle! But one detail in the tale is often lost in the excitement of God's spectacular intervention. In verses 16 through 18, the men speak to King Nebuchadnezzar.<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego replied to the king, "O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you in this matter. If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to save us from it, and he will rescue us from your hand, O king. But even if he does not, we want you to know, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up." (NIV)</blockquote>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhir1pgg0vnCvc3IIkCL0QNRX0nZhRI1NH4ZKaQ5Z2TewEBsTvmN4cdEzPktSfwFnmOhjO4ZLJyJAceKu1Jb9Sy-TSWa7F2LmnjZAA-bdkb8Pc34r5EHVjL1LBgn1NfPB7Jns6P6Ln_d8o/s1600/fieryfurnace.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="450" data-original-width="800" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhir1pgg0vnCvc3IIkCL0QNRX0nZhRI1NH4ZKaQ5Z2TewEBsTvmN4cdEzPktSfwFnmOhjO4ZLJyJAceKu1Jb9Sy-TSWa7F2LmnjZAA-bdkb8Pc34r5EHVjL1LBgn1NfPB7Jns6P6Ln_d8o/s320/fieryfurnace.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
The men recognized God's unsurpassed power. They knew that no mere man, no matter how vast his empire is or how powerfully he rules over his kingdom, can enact anything that he does not allow. This provides us great encouragement as we pray to God for deliverance in all manners great and small. But we must ask ourselves, does it comfort us when God chooses not to deliver us? Are we willing to sing praise to His holy name when his answer is no? Are we people of the Even If variety, or are we Only If people? The true question is whether we love God for who He is or whether we want Him merely for what we can do for us. My friends, I pray that you and I are the former, for the latter are no true children of God. Let us be people whose delight is in the Lord, who dwell in the peace and contentment of His shelter. Brothers and sisters, we must be like Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego; we echo the words of Paul to the Philippians from his Roman prison:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
I eagerly expect and hope that I will in no way be ashamed, but will have sufficient courage so that now as always Christ will be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death. For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. (1:20-21)</blockquote>
The Merry Band of Fifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02215639186424889238noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8767708582517087324.post-47857080213290703732019-05-09T03:23:00.001-07:002019-05-09T03:35:11.277-07:00Is Africa Old News?Is Africa's moment over? As missionaries raising support to return to the field full-time, we have the privilege of contacting American churches by the dozens every week. We've become accustomed to all sorts of pastoral Christian lingo about why they are not interested in hearing about the ministry in Togo (and, lest we sound cavalier, we empathize with how difficult and sometimes disheartening it must be to feel a constant tension between a mission-minded heart and a budget that just doesn't seem to want to stretch one penny further).<br />
<br />
Perhaps the most perplexing response we've received with some regularity, though, is that most African countries (Togo included) are fully evangelized and that their church only desires to hear from and partner with missions to new fields of unreached people groups. While it's easy to understand the honorable intentions behind such a statement, the mission-minded American Christian church is perhaps short-sighted in such thinking.<br />
<br />
In April, the Pew Research Center released a <a href="https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2019/04/01/the-countries-with-the-10-largest-christian-populations-and-the-10-largest-muslim-populations/ft_19-03-29_muslimchristianpopulations_christian/">report </a>showing that, by 2060, six of the top ten countries with the largest Christian populations will be on the African continent. This is probably not surprising news to most who are even marginally engaged with national and international trends. The rise of secularism in the historically Christian West seems to permeate the news daily. The increasing representation of African and even Asian Christianity likewise occasional makes news, including earlier this year, when their allegiance to historic Christian orthodoxy blunted the advance of theological liberalism in the mainline protestant United Methodist Church conference.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-pudNQwM3gioQt5TlIDNSCp9cxwdkZGEyl5JEprupTd0JiUS0V1MmhpL8AZiJ7Vn-oeb7MlTqjlKz6IPZ5KF8oRI9p6NMtiNgTfLebDJAMmqhWj_WHruWBMBaNGjW1v4d23G7WArSTZc/s1600/52391268_10219085145948007_4601854520459264000_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="960" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-pudNQwM3gioQt5TlIDNSCp9cxwdkZGEyl5JEprupTd0JiUS0V1MmhpL8AZiJ7Vn-oeb7MlTqjlKz6IPZ5KF8oRI9p6NMtiNgTfLebDJAMmqhWj_WHruWBMBaNGjW1v4d23G7WArSTZc/s320/52391268_10219085145948007_4601854520459264000_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
This news serves as both an encouragement and a warning. Our African brothers and sisters in Christ are poised to become, numerically speaking, a bulwark against insidious, creeping religious relativism. Now, more than perhaps ever, the work being done by national leaders in conjunction with international missionaries is of first importance, as African Christians ready to take on an increasingly influential seat at the global Christian table. Despite impressive numerical growth, though, African Christianity, including right here in Togo, is still spiritually immature and needs careful mentoring, discipleship, and theological training.<br />
<br />
Christianity on the African continent is easily tossed about by the winds of syncretism. Syncretism is especially a problem in a drop-and-dash model of missionary engagement, where the emphasis is on conversion numbers amongst unreached people groups, rather than the slower, more relational and less glamorous work of creating, maintaining, and replicating systems of discipleship and advanced pastoral training. The other major threat to African Christianity comes from false teachers, especially proponents of prosperity gospel, which unscrupulously rides in on the backs of the work of previous orthodox missionaries who laid the groundwork for belief in Jesus, only for those beliefs to be hijacked and heretically corrupted in the name of personal gain, prosperity, and happiness.<br />
<br />
Is Africa's moment over? No, far from it! In fact, it hasn't even arrived yet. What that moment will look like and whether or not it will be to the advancement or detriment of historical, biblical Christianity, remains to be seen. That, my friends, depends on the work being done, right this very moment, by nationals and foreign missionaries, throughout Africa, including Togo.The Merry Band of Fifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02215639186424889238noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8767708582517087324.post-60523040559946040262019-05-05T03:48:00.001-07:002019-05-09T03:24:52.454-07:00Living in the In-BetweenI love watching my oldest kids growing into adults. For too long, I was focused on what I was losing - my dependent child, gathered physically under my protective wings. And don't get me wrong, letting go of that is HARD stuff. I'm so grateful that I still have seven more kiddos to go, and I can't imagine what I'll feel when my last little ones approach that season. But as the sadness recedes, I'm left with a sense of wonder, and a need to communicate the beauty of this season to my children.<br />
<br />
Seasons of transition are hard. Sometimes we have hour-plus conversations on how hard it is be in the "waiting period" of life - working towards a future that seems distant and somewhat hazy, but beguiling and enchanting. In my new "advisory" role, as a parent of an adult child, I find myself dispensing sage truisms about keeping focused on the day-to-day and finding joy in the seemingly never-ending college days. Ah, but then I realize I must preach those same things to myself every day. How I need to be reminded most days!<br />
<br />
Modern life often seems like a hamster-wheel of racing from one checkpoint to another. Life will TRULY begin after high school, after college, after getting a job, after buying a house, after marriage, after starting a family, after completing a family, after your last child leaves the nest, after retirement, after you get to the mission field. And those are all potentially good and wonderful things. God made us, unique amongst his earthly creation, with the ability to dream and plan But how easily, in our corruptible earthly bodies, are our eyes and hearts turned away from The One Who Knows All Things as we ask him to proverbially hold our jackets while we get to work and that once we've just Arrived, we will be ready for him. Of course, that's a lie, and a most dangerous one indeed. We've arrived the moment we were given a regenerate heart! None of this human striving makes us one whit more precious in his sight. And too often, if you are anything like me, the striving serves as a mighty fine distraction at best and at worst, a source of a low, but steady grumbling spirit that destroys joy.<br />
<br />
Instead, sisters (and brothers too, although I do think this is often a weakness that women are uniquely drawn to) let us focus our hearts and minds on Jesus Christ and treasure his Gospel story above all other things. Determine to know Jesus Christ and Him crucified every single day. Let that be the water that slakes every thirst, the milk that nourishes your soul, and the wine that you delight in.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRRJvb6g5BYLsS0Um0hchfMTUiIaI3efzJ55_wMYioFnvlgiUf2Tm-BlW7XIydcBVxHZVLB54JIDcU_Qv2CZT6s-3YqOunONMcaKSD0Cwsb1J4D7UdnGJjl1eTzC9yE3YAEzrB97nwcpQ/s1600/quote-100bible-Isaiah-26-03-300x300.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="300" data-original-width="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRRJvb6g5BYLsS0Um0hchfMTUiIaI3efzJ55_wMYioFnvlgiUf2Tm-BlW7XIydcBVxHZVLB54JIDcU_Qv2CZT6s-3YqOunONMcaKSD0Cwsb1J4D7UdnGJjl1eTzC9yE3YAEzrB97nwcpQ/s1600/quote-100bible-Isaiah-26-03-300x300.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://insta.bible/isaiah-263-niv/">Photo Source</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />The Merry Band of Fifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02215639186424889238noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8767708582517087324.post-61054738579745579852018-12-04T09:53:00.000-08:002018-12-04T09:53:02.021-08:00The Highs and Lows<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyajxSibdDq0OtcUvyoEy7VwV9NQ1aqHTBNeWxr2Z70RXB5PUZsssIajQiVxHATgpBKwsA6wzIWQj_YosBlWezW2nU0mTqTFSp0PTXUbDEh2_IV8nOHM5VWwrZgrEZevijXj8BIpO_oRM/s1600/mt-kilimanjaro.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="289" data-original-width="695" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyajxSibdDq0OtcUvyoEy7VwV9NQ1aqHTBNeWxr2Z70RXB5PUZsssIajQiVxHATgpBKwsA6wzIWQj_YosBlWezW2nU0mTqTFSp0PTXUbDEh2_IV8nOHM5VWwrZgrEZevijXj8BIpO_oRM/s320/mt-kilimanjaro.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://answersafrica.com/highest-mountains-africa.html">Photo source</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br /><div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
Sometimes, when we are having one of those "good parenting" days, we ask the kids around the dinner table about their day's highs and lows. I think we first heard of that in some silly movie before we even had kids, but it must have stuck over all these <span style="text-align: center;">years. </span><div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div>
Missionary life for sure often seems like a life of mountain top highs and darkest ocean depth lows. The highs seem fairly obvious: cross-cultural experiences that broaden your perspective and your wisdom (hopefully!), witnessing the dramatic triumph of light over dark, reliving the childlike joy of a new believer, and so on. The lows, though, are perhaps less obvious, but they are real. They include having to live out in a very real way that family cannot come before ministry, that the saying that "home is where the heart is" is trite and untrue (my heart, I can see, over the years will be splintered apart into tens of pieces as my family grows and spreads), and sending out seventy-five emails a week to pastors and churches and being told over and over again that they are not interested in hearing about the Lord's work going on in Togo (an odd choice of phrase from a pastor, if ever I've heard one).</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
None of those lows are probably surprising to the person who's been on the field or who closely follows missionaries. But we seem to have a newer (or at least more widespread and popular) low: being a public enemy. In the wake of the death of John Allen Chau, the young American missionary who attempted to make contact with a remote and hostile people group, it has become clear that more Americans view missionaries as dangerous fools. My first reaction to the criticism (even coming from fellow Christians) was one of bewildered hurt. Gone are the relatively recent days when missionaries were recognized, even by ostensibly secular sources, as a force for good in the world. But I've found that once I moved beyond my feelings of personal ego, that this opposition reinvigorates me for the task at hand. If my work disturbs and bothers the world, it means that it matters! May the weak-willed, people-pleasing, half-hearted milquetoast Christian who seeks to live biblically without offending a modern secular culture be gone forever. Instead I pray to be a warrior fit for service to Christ.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i><b>Through You we will push back our adversaries; Through Your name will we</b></i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i><b> trample down those who rise up against us. Psalm 44:5</b></i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i><b><br /></b></i></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
So, paradoxically, that which, at first glance, seems a low, turns out to be a high - a renewal of spirit and courage and a recommittment of mission. Praise God for the work of His faithful, his human army, that through the ages, from the earliest martyrs down through the present age, encourages us by their righteous example to drop to our knees in prayer and then stand up again outfitted for battle.</div>
</div>
The Merry Band of Fifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02215639186424889238noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8767708582517087324.post-53395310999155397312018-11-13T08:23:00.000-08:002018-11-13T08:23:01.667-08:00What's True in the Light is Still True in the Dark<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="270" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/GAGqvq4N_zQ" width="480"></iframe><br />
<br />
The difference between darkness and light is hard to describe without alluding to, well, dark and light, day and night. Perhaps because God has never made a more viscerally relatable theological concept. Being in a town in a underdeveloped part of Africa has illuminated this to me in a way that I might have never understand in my American life. You see, the dark of my suburban America, well, it just wasn't that dark. There were street lights every couple of yards. Entertainment options abounded after the sun went down. This was not a natural light, but it was a light nonetheless. The implications of that artificial light and it's false sense of security is a whole other blog post to itself, and one that I won't explore here. Right now, I'm in a place where, when it's dark, it's DARK. A world which I'm coming to know and find unique beauty in during the day is a world that, quite honestly, scares me in the dark. In the dark, you see, the bugs come out. In the dark, you must carry a flashlight everywhere to watch for snakes. In the dark, even though I know there is a wall around my house and there are no lions anymore in Togo, there is still a fear of what lurks in the utter blackness that engulfs you no more than a few feet past your eyes. In the dark, we've had our home broken into, twice, including once while we were asleep, oblivious to the danger. This stark contrast between my perception of my existence in the light of day versus the dark of night (and some insomnia, thank you, aging mind and body) has driven me into the scripture. It's led me to be reminded that I was once a child of the darkness, trapped in the fear and uncertainty and danger. Mortal danger, nay, IMMORTAL danger. <br /><br /><i>For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. Ephesians 6:12</i><br />
<br />
And it's also shown me my greatest and only hope, that I have been saved out of the reach of that darkness. That I've been brought into the light, into the glorious brightness and transparency of never-ending day - through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, the only Son of God. <br />
<br />
<i>But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into into his marvelous light. 1 Peter 2:9</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
And, praise be to God, this is not just for me. It is for all who are called, for all who are chosen by the Father to be seekers of the Light. Because the Truth is the same, even in what appears to us to be blackest, deepest night. The War has been won. Darkness has been defeated; it is in its death throes. We must then labor faithfully at the task God has appointed us to, eagerly anticipating the glorious dawning of the perpetual Day that awaits us.<br />
<br />
<i>Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, bright as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb through the middle of the street of the city; also, on either side of the river, the tree of life with its twelve kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit each month. The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. No longer will there be anything accursed, but the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and his servants will worship him. They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads. And night will be no more. They will need no light of lamp or sun, for the Lord God will be their light, and they will reign forever and ever. Revelation 22:1-5</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i><br /></i>
<br />The Merry Band of Fifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02215639186424889238noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8767708582517087324.post-80754897523281872962018-11-08T07:49:00.003-08:002018-11-08T07:49:39.599-08:00Missing ChristmasI've been behaving like a spoiled brat lately. I've been pouting about being hot and sweaty but most of all, about not being able to observe all of my multitudinous holiday traditions. I've spent more than a little time poring over photos from Christmas's past on my phone and watching others holiday prep on social media. It's been making me cranky and irritable for the last few days. I prayed. I asked others to pray for me, to take away this unholy desire for security and comfort that gripped my heart. Thank the Lord I serve a God who answers prayer. And His answer came in the form of a prayer request for someone else, someone who doesn't even know me. A woman at the hospital just lost her seventh of eight children. After losing her husband earlier in the year. Her only surviving child is handicapped. Her grief is beyond measure. How can I dare to preach the goodness and grace of the God of the Bible to such as these? People who have experienced searing, brutal loss that puts missing Christmas trees and delayed moments with family (family that are still very much alive!) into its proper perspective. Missions work is HARD work. It will often leaved you drained and overwhelmed. But one of its blessings is the stories you hear and the way that God weaves those stories into my own life to change me just as much as the people we are evangelizing. <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCv8hTY0YI5naGG0hyphenhyphentrO18voyEbxsQ_9HMRtCLN2xzpdY69eB8zSe1WygoiZ8iJ8A5UuXxsZ55hyphenhyphen-obFuSa4ABAGapKh8e5Af1ys7v0YvOpY3HEUYi2ERzZ8EnhV5m98amRHyyjqV6qI/s1600/DecemberChristmasTree.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCv8hTY0YI5naGG0hyphenhyphentrO18voyEbxsQ_9HMRtCLN2xzpdY69eB8zSe1WygoiZ8iJ8A5UuXxsZ55hyphenhyphen-obFuSa4ABAGapKh8e5Af1ys7v0YvOpY3HEUYi2ERzZ8EnhV5m98amRHyyjqV6qI/s320/DecemberChristmasTree.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
The Merry Band of Fifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02215639186424889238noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8767708582517087324.post-77522423364607459642017-09-05T09:05:00.001-07:002017-09-05T09:05:46.950-07:00Something Was Missing...There's nothing quite like Sunday, is there? The day is glorious, as it should be. My heart is just so full as I leave corporate worship. Recently, as I considered that, I wondered how I might make my own personal worship, bible reading, and study capture some of that. I quickly realized that an element that was missing from my personal time with God was music. And not just background music as I go about a task (although that's wonderful, and a way I bring a soothing spirit of peace into my home when tensions tend to run high, like during the morning getting-to-school rush or the "witching hour" right before dinner), but thoughtful singing where I reflect on the words. Have you incorporated music into your personal worship time? How do you do it? I can do something as simple as pick up the hymnal and play and sing, or I can use my phone and find a song on YouTube and use that (I admit, that works nice when the babies are napping). Lately, I've just been finding that Speak O Lord by the Gettys just puts me in the right orientation to God. What are your favorite personal worship songs?<br /><br />
<br /> <iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="270" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/ubRlJj8xkds" width="480"></iframe>The Merry Band of Fifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02215639186424889238noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8767708582517087324.post-9255411274888990412017-05-17T09:44:00.000-07:002017-05-17T09:44:28.344-07:00Introducing Baby BoazOur precious eighth child and fourth son, Boaz Laurent, arrived on Friday, April 14th at 3:24 pm. He weighed in at 8lbs 3oz and was 20.5 inches long. His birth story began on Thursday evening. I finished up my last teaching appointment before starting my maternity leave at 7:30pm. At 8:30 I felt like I just needed to take a walk. It was getting dark and it was pretty cold, but I felt like it was a good idea. After a 30 minute walk, I felt restless but settled into bed and felt drowsy enough to put down my book and try to go to sleep. That wasn't happening though, and as 11:00 approached I felt increasingly restless and uncomfortable and decided to take a shower just in case. I felt like maybe this was going to be the night... And then I fell asleep. Well, that was disappointing. But around 4:00 I woke up again to some painful contractions. I woke James up at that point and the contractions persisted for a good hour, about 7-8 minutes apart. We called my doctor's answering service and they suggested going to Labor & Delivery, but shortly afterwards, the contractions fizzled back out. So, at 5:30 James and I headed out for another 30 minute walk in the neighborhood, this time in the light rain. That kept them going for a while, but again they faded out, so we got the kids ready for school and decided we could just head to my scheduled 9:20 appointment and speak to my OB. We packed up our hospital bags just in case and headed downtown. At our appointment, oh glorious news - I'd made progress from 2.5 centimeters dilated last week to 4 centimeters. That, combined with my sporadic contractions and bloody show, was enough for my OB to say the magic words "Why don't you head on over to Labor & Delivery and I'll meet you there during my lunch break?". We were SO excited - this was exactly how I hoped this baby's delivery would go, slow and controlled. So, we went across the street to the hospital, got checked in and the IV started (no 30 minute drama this time, she got it in right away, which was crucial if I was to get the epidural I so wanted this time) and moved from triage to our room. Contractions were sporadic and weak, so we walked the halls for an hour or so. After that, my OB popped in and asked if I was open to her breaking my water and I said absolutely. As soon as that happened (about 1:00), the contractions started almost immediately. I asked for and received a perfect epidural within 30 minutes of true labor starting (yay!). Unfortunately, at that point, my perfect labor took a bit of a detour. Baby wasn't responding favorably to my contractions. He showed serious decels through the duration of every contraction - his heart rate getting down into the 50s. His recovery after the contractions was good, but it was easy to see that, as shifting positions didn't help, the room was getting a bit tense. After about an hour and a half of this, I begin to feel real fear, something I've never experienced during a birth. I remember praying hard - promising God that I no longer cared if they had to do a c-section, even under general anesthesia, none of that mattered so long as my baby was fine. Fortunately, my doctor has a very calm personality, and prevented me from panicking too much. She did, however, want me to start pushing a bit prematurely (I was about 9 centimeters) and get the baby delivered. That's how I knew that, although the staff was all very reassuring, they were concerned. The pushing was intense, moreso than some other labors. I had to work really hard this time! After about 20 minutes, the OB called for the vacuum (baby was just super displeased about this whole process). But I was finally able to get him under the pelvic bone on my own, and pushed him out about 5 minutes later all on my own. The epidural did wear off during that phase, so I was so lucky (haha) to get to experience the whole ring of fire again. He came out much more purple than any of my other babies, and his apgar scores were the lowest too, a 7 and an 8. You could tell the whole process of labor and birth was difficult on him. He was born with a nuchal cord (cord wrapped around the neck), which is pretty common and usually not much of a problem, but in his case, it absolutely was a problem - it had been badly compressed during every contraction, especially as he moved down. I'm so grateful that this was not my first baby, because it would have ended in a true emergency c-section because I wouldn't have been able to have the fast labor that I had. I can see in all of this story so clearly the hand of the Lord. He ordained that I would have a weird labor pattern of fitful stops and starts that has never happened before. He knew that Boaz needed to be born now, and that he needed to be born in a controlled but fast manner. As I write this, I tear up a little still, one month later, out of gratitude for God's goodness that brought this much-loved baby into the world safe and sound. He is good, always. <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuKPSc6dS5bN4NJZI39Efn83icBqKebvGSCm7e38Q1A4x7G8L5gyHtelnjmn6W-Ja2tuMZYu5Hl_h36GxnPqBT50uRUo_YnJLfdAOXmz4nPW5YS1N4nWNKOJ_UFY5rj4j8m-S_osp_HfA/s1600/02-areu-SLD-0415-Fife-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuKPSc6dS5bN4NJZI39Efn83icBqKebvGSCm7e38Q1A4x7G8L5gyHtelnjmn6W-Ja2tuMZYu5Hl_h36GxnPqBT50uRUo_YnJLfdAOXmz4nPW5YS1N4nWNKOJ_UFY5rj4j8m-S_osp_HfA/s320/02-areu-SLD-0415-Fife-2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEit-QYSNDYmaxBZeTJJ_dqy_8w3oBAEZGwjdebkhsa6MB0NW3B5T0BxSpRzs81ey5DaUibvmqyR7FCqflhyqfQekxRhwiUEF_PXlwYYbdvNdmdLntI2Fdp6rclnV_WdFOHMTPxIZ6BTUis/s1600/10-areu-SLD-0415-Fife-10.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEit-QYSNDYmaxBZeTJJ_dqy_8w3oBAEZGwjdebkhsa6MB0NW3B5T0BxSpRzs81ey5DaUibvmqyR7FCqflhyqfQekxRhwiUEF_PXlwYYbdvNdmdLntI2Fdp6rclnV_WdFOHMTPxIZ6BTUis/s320/10-areu-SLD-0415-Fife-10.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigxeKChXuk8ikHbqATrSO8GS1SUDGPQIvL8bTGW0Gr7pgxH2ffw34n_mO_1nNNVebk8lvO1cHQfX04UDCMoT-kCiy42CiYYjmmiBoSTXmMp017K280z8s2Pb5_gi18GGkpp867Hef-29U/s1600/12-areu-SLD-0415-Fife-12.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="211" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigxeKChXuk8ikHbqATrSO8GS1SUDGPQIvL8bTGW0Gr7pgxH2ffw34n_mO_1nNNVebk8lvO1cHQfX04UDCMoT-kCiy42CiYYjmmiBoSTXmMp017K280z8s2Pb5_gi18GGkpp867Hef-29U/s320/12-areu-SLD-0415-Fife-12.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjV19YhPheq2xgVqI5wJVk0jJtXzUFnRG_N546nqXqsBPUyIkMc84JFcE536mVT001g7Gl2bZR-85MvaxDSySzrbnEyxpWalYBkQ1PKtaiqdzxOUHaFgMKhFS8vf2uaoGn6q56wui_PLw/s1600/bw-13-areu-SLD-0415-Fife-13.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjV19YhPheq2xgVqI5wJVk0jJtXzUFnRG_N546nqXqsBPUyIkMc84JFcE536mVT001g7Gl2bZR-85MvaxDSySzrbnEyxpWalYBkQ1PKtaiqdzxOUHaFgMKhFS8vf2uaoGn6q56wui_PLw/s320/bw-13-areu-SLD-0415-Fife-13.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
The Merry Band of Fifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02215639186424889238noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8767708582517087324.post-10402991765980842952017-03-07T08:51:00.000-08:002017-03-07T08:51:08.450-08:00The Criticism Trap<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
As someone with perfectionist tendencies and an innate desire to please people and be well-respected, learning to accept criticism gracefully has been one of my struggles in spiritual maturation. I don't know that there is anyone out there that really ENJOYS criticism, but for me, it went beyond that. In my younger days, criticism was a personal affront. I could spend hours and days stewing on a criticism, no matter how mildly-given, blowing it up in my mind to epic proportions. But the beauty of daily through-the-Bible-in-a-year reading that James and I have done annually for several years now, is that the more subtle scriptures that maybe you missed last time stand out to you in a fresh reading as you grow up in your salvation. Unbeknownst to me, this time around, the Lord has been plowing over my heart (and yes, that visual is not a comfortable, gentle thing - because it's not MEANT to be) to learn to be a wiser woman who can accept criticism and use it to grow in obedience and spiritual awareness. Of course, one doesn't become more skilled in anything without practice, which means, yes, I've been given charitable instruction on how I might do things better (because we are new missionaries on deputation, there's PLENTY of room for learning and mistakes, that's for sure). And the lusts of the flesh are still there. I still feel the sting of offense and rejection at first. But the Lord has been gracious to still my tongue and immediately remind me of the many places in Scripture where we are reminded that accepting rebuke with joy and humility is a requirement of the mature believer. I'm continually reminded of God's great grace in working through me -- a broken vessel who, on my own, can do nothing but continually disappoint the very people I love and am ministering to. Thank God we have a merciful Father, a loving Son who accepted the penalty due us for our grievous sins, and a Spirit who is given to us as a Comforter and Counselor. <br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKVHGLeKZT0C8bMlT7S99b2Ur6Zav9QLhOYmXVLZWHqOBHS7QYL2itlOPcGBUS8TfChios6dSmHKhBLXV0K4G3tiY-ECSonzl_38JWrFTObPG1j3XOmbqjQSVBS6NfL0toWRt7LBzmDNo/s1600/499c988c50a3480a504fdcfc8bff63e6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKVHGLeKZT0C8bMlT7S99b2Ur6Zav9QLhOYmXVLZWHqOBHS7QYL2itlOPcGBUS8TfChios6dSmHKhBLXV0K4G3tiY-ECSonzl_38JWrFTObPG1j3XOmbqjQSVBS6NfL0toWRt7LBzmDNo/s400/499c988c50a3480a504fdcfc8bff63e6.jpg" width="266" /></a></div>
<br /><br /> The Merry Band of Fifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02215639186424889238noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8767708582517087324.post-87836837443845687942017-03-03T09:17:00.000-08:002017-03-03T09:17:18.879-08:00How I Keep My House Tidy Without Going Crazy<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgu1EUhgSATDbl2vUlTUK_0y4yeDZPKmSvMP7Y0yWLF05GukMzxkISkaAH0UXyzt_GBY1l4B9IlO-AY3BN01BwC1sRoDBLyhutvAwXg_7xpUP6YM_M0chyphenhyphen6kNygtTySkrRT26X1z5nCaa0/s1600/The-Turquoise-Table-Romans-Print-.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="253" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgu1EUhgSATDbl2vUlTUK_0y4yeDZPKmSvMP7Y0yWLF05GukMzxkISkaAH0UXyzt_GBY1l4B9IlO-AY3BN01BwC1sRoDBLyhutvAwXg_7xpUP6YM_M0chyphenhyphen6kNygtTySkrRT26X1z5nCaa0/s320/The-Turquoise-Table-Romans-Print-.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is a paraphrase of Romans 12:13, but it's a good one, I think</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
I feel a bit strange to be writing this, because I'm far from a master housekeeper. In fact, I would say I'm just very average. I prefer an organized, tidy space, but I'm not super fussy about details. But I've had people ask me before how I keep my house mostly clean, most of the time, and I finally decided that maybe an average person can be a good resource for most of us. First of all, routine is super important to having a clean house more often than not. If I get thrown out of my routine, my house is NOT going to stay tidy, and will require a more time and energy intensive cleaning at some point. And those days are not my favorite. So, I mostly try to do the same things on a rotating basis, especially during the weekdays, when my schedule is quite predictable. For me, there's a magical time when I'm most motivated and most productive. I think most of us probably have that period. Mine falls between when I get home from dropping the older kids off at school until lunch time (8:30-11:30). So, that's the time I have to tackle the house, baking, and most of my other chores/responsibilities. Many days I can just dive right in, but on the days I'm lacking discipline, I resort to ye old Timer method. It works for kids, and I think it works for adults too. I force myself to stop the "fun" stuff (whether that's being online or reading) and set my kitchen timer for just 10 minutes, and turn on some music. I start in one corner of my kitchen and work my way around. I can usually finish up the kitchen in that first 10 minutes, but there's something strange about at least getting started to me - more often than not I regain my motivation and finish up a full tidy of my lower level. I might just go for it all at once, or I might do a 10 and 10 minute mashup of rotating cleaning interspersed with 10 minutes of leisure time. And let me tell you, it feels SO good to have that clean-enough house. It's not pristine. With 9 (soon to be 10) people living in this home, and a busy and full life, that's just not even something I particularly desire. But it's homey and inviting, and I'm never ashamed to open my door to an unexpected visitor (which is such a biblical but unWestern concept). I'll share a few photos, taken just today after my morning sweep that shows what I mean in terms of "livable, hospitable tidiness". If I can do it, you can do it too!<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjc7ymt5aWJ8bIrdwN893NIPiWUQyJvyqMmyYvJShjuypZBKSWQwF7sg0gL9N8NDzSZWRfIIji4JG_bU9N_lot33dZQjNn-Y8iJ6jLgtPVBnEFBQ0lcbl9SCrdWX9xElugRwC7txZe0dms/s1600/House1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjc7ymt5aWJ8bIrdwN893NIPiWUQyJvyqMmyYvJShjuypZBKSWQwF7sg0gL9N8NDzSZWRfIIji4JG_bU9N_lot33dZQjNn-Y8iJ6jLgtPVBnEFBQ0lcbl9SCrdWX9xElugRwC7txZe0dms/s320/House1.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Music Room - the room our front door opens into. As you can see, there's still work in progress - some ironed clothing on one chair that I'm in the process of taking pictures of in order to list in my eBay store (I do this twice a year, so it's not a normal thing, but you know what, right now it's what I'm working on, and that's nothing I need to be ashamed about)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8hzgVByJAGfn-r2V-wwoyWwzCVx8P_pnVUGcK7F-xq_lhQzA0s2iXuw2LgLK8GL-f2yAxd12tESjaSPWqKlPYpswBMrEw8xUJdUIZNUcdTgx8lgTttvCIUTAmUb6589ySZv6FKRnQuDw/s1600/House2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8hzgVByJAGfn-r2V-wwoyWwzCVx8P_pnVUGcK7F-xq_lhQzA0s2iXuw2LgLK8GL-f2yAxd12tESjaSPWqKlPYpswBMrEw8xUJdUIZNUcdTgx8lgTttvCIUTAmUb6589ySZv6FKRnQuDw/s320/House2.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kitchen - Again, it's lived in. Everything is put in its place, but there are some sticky notes on the counter that have the kids' chores written on them and a bowl of cornflakes that some unknown child poured but didn't eat that will stay on the counter for said culprit's afternoon snack</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWKBvLXBemr84fiqgHyVcRbOCTQ-hIX4Bd_I4XnpxrjKowGn_iIdVLQcsg8xOXfHmSJfUxeQazFpAjDKuErh78fnOpQXJUFTTOi0ccXmUCYLLuphIWa4IMeSVaGCuJ8olydm6OcS3Tbkg/s1600/House3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWKBvLXBemr84fiqgHyVcRbOCTQ-hIX4Bd_I4XnpxrjKowGn_iIdVLQcsg8xOXfHmSJfUxeQazFpAjDKuErh78fnOpQXJUFTTOi0ccXmUCYLLuphIWa4IMeSVaGCuJ8olydm6OcS3Tbkg/s320/House3.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is the dining room. It's not swept (sweeping is a never-ending chore because of our dark wood floors that is more difficult at 8 months pregnant, so it doesn't always happen and I can live with that) and there are boy shoes at the door into the backyard, but the table top is cleaned off, which is big to me - I don't like anything on the table if we aren't eating</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhY2XYZd-PmxNFlweDKi4O2k8ZBp0_26FXoFontgk2feF87KrgtUuDeTVMozcep0XCjh9L6u8OvvdnnUZ2wjY94guzEAClWWXbLpurgyPfhAb7kuwmJ_TrUUsmdbPPskHYZwlcjJb6v98E/s1600/House4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhY2XYZd-PmxNFlweDKi4O2k8ZBp0_26FXoFontgk2feF87KrgtUuDeTVMozcep0XCjh9L6u8OvvdnnUZ2wjY94guzEAClWWXbLpurgyPfhAb7kuwmJ_TrUUsmdbPPskHYZwlcjJb6v98E/s320/House4.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Living Room - This room right now looks the most "lived in". Today is boys' laundry day. So, one sofa is my laundry station. There's also some stacks of clothes that are outgrown but need to be put out in storage in the garage up by the tv and some clothes that need to be ironed. Again, this is a working house, so that's okay!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwLYXUwY87MN0w55EU-E6XPwszIjdf4GiD9OjeEYdRnnnvMM_6Ns7QG83OXykUgMEfGlxrPWwRDKNxHsK07KJR7vcGoz5QlE-ipMTpM2LE0FGb06fjro9HBqTBqlp04dkwt9WbI1OvJf4/s1600/House5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwLYXUwY87MN0w55EU-E6XPwszIjdf4GiD9OjeEYdRnnnvMM_6Ns7QG83OXykUgMEfGlxrPWwRDKNxHsK07KJR7vcGoz5QlE-ipMTpM2LE0FGb06fjro9HBqTBqlp04dkwt9WbI1OvJf4/s320/House5.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Office/Playroom - This room unabashedly is a home for the kids, with toys and books. They all have a storage place, and I try to keep them in there multiple times a day (the kids do too), but I wouldn't have been frantic if some were on the floor either. The table you can partially see has folded clothes on it that is waiting to be listed on eBay. Again, it's a workspace, and it's tidy, but there's stuff there waiting to be done. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
The Merry Band of Fifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02215639186424889238noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8767708582517087324.post-58692817329181455362017-01-30T08:17:00.001-08:002017-01-30T08:17:41.990-08:00Facing DiscouragementOver my 38 years, I've grown to "know myself" a lot better. I know, I know, that sounds mighty corny. But bear with me for a moment. I am an empathetic "feeler". Being an introvert, people might not know that immediately, as I also place a high value on emotional modesty. And that's not all bad. In fact, I think it's often a beautiful thing, and I wouldn't trade it in order to feel less. But the flip side of that is that I'm easily prone to discouragement. And, I'll admit, January's been a month of struggle for me. The weather, the homeboundedness, the political climate, my partner in life being gone for two weeks. Probably the biggest struggle I've met with is spiritual discouragement. Not with the Lord or the Word, mercy no! But the pre-field ministry has been hard this month. I've seen so many great successes by fellow pre-fielders. And that's a glorious thing, praise God! I wouldn't begrudge them that in a heartbeat. But sometimes, in private moments, the smile slips and discouragement seeps into my heart. What are WE doing wrong? What could I do better that would more readily communicate the need to those around me? But that's the trouble right there. I'm spending too much time thinking about me. I must keep my eye on the prize, which is to run the race that's been marked out for me, the course that God mapped out specially for ME before the foundations of the earth were even layed. Although all followers of Jesus Christ share the same end goal of growing in holiness and Christlikeness, my race is not the same as anyone else's race, so why compare? As Teddy Roosevelt (or maybe Dwight Edwards, but that's neither here nor there) famously said, "Comparison is the thief of joy". And it's so true. Here's the best news of all, the antidote to all the discouragement, comparison, and sadness - I don't have to deal with that all on my own and neither do you! Jesus promised us a Comforter. The only true and perfect Counselor - the Holy Spirit.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHm8N2Lp-ABYrcZAJDwTD1STv7JeJL4WD-FVd7Us7MJv0JDcvvJpJtrYdPB0dpa_dXI3oanpkXT-6Lr4PCNJoQHjd7qJpXYfraJMS3TSG53M2-1bjyamy3BVySy4pfRqEoaR-YNYIZel4/s1600/john_14_verses_26to27res.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHm8N2Lp-ABYrcZAJDwTD1STv7JeJL4WD-FVd7Us7MJv0JDcvvJpJtrYdPB0dpa_dXI3oanpkXT-6Lr4PCNJoQHjd7qJpXYfraJMS3TSG53M2-1bjyamy3BVySy4pfRqEoaR-YNYIZel4/s400/john_14_verses_26to27res.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
The Merry Band of Fifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02215639186424889238noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8767708582517087324.post-32199879500170605202016-12-12T08:43:00.000-08:002016-12-12T08:43:12.012-08:00Our Year-End GoalWith full confidence in the Lord's provision, we are hoping to reach our 2016 goal of being 25% funded. If you feel God calling for you to partner in this ministry to the people of Togo, please consider joining our partner team. December can be a tough time of year to find extra funds, of course - did you know that ABWE allows you to commit to monthly support (which counts towards our goal) now with an actual support start date begining in January of 2017, or February, or April, or whenever? God has a great work for his Church in West Africa - a place in desperate need of the gospel: the harvest is ripe! Some he calls to be goers, and some he calls to be senders, but one thing is certain. He calls ALL of his children to carry out the Great Commission, in one way or another, in one place or another. We are so grateful to all of you who remember us in your prayers regularly and lend your support and encouragement of any kind.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkxI1frzoY_aojc9vx-rgsKt-Op01AAy6H6Mm_LbRGvDMS1OhDdn2HQWSZIFVBaodQttD3hSL4Nj5VBAHdNuAkqI50o9cxR_P7v43eHckmeZgPS4ALKVSgjMUbfB5B3SB4q8OZmflPzVI/s1600/Section4-Infographics-25percentIncrease.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkxI1frzoY_aojc9vx-rgsKt-Op01AAy6H6Mm_LbRGvDMS1OhDdn2HQWSZIFVBaodQttD3hSL4Nj5VBAHdNuAkqI50o9cxR_P7v43eHckmeZgPS4ALKVSgjMUbfB5B3SB4q8OZmflPzVI/s320/Section4-Infographics-25percentIncrease.png" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />The Merry Band of Fifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02215639186424889238noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8767708582517087324.post-61724026843985998002016-11-30T08:13:00.002-08:002016-11-30T08:13:48.801-08:00Are you bold enough?I'm currently doing a 31 day Christmas Scripture writing challenge. Day 3 was too good not to share.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse; from his roots a Branch will bear fruit. The Spirit of the LORD will rest on him-- the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding, the Spirit of counsel and of power, the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD--and he will delight in the fear of the LORD. He will not judge by what he sees with his eyes, or decide by what he hears with his ears; but with righteousness he will judge the needy, with justice he will give decisions for the poor of the earth. He will strike the earth with the rod of his mouth; with the breath of his lips he will slay the wicked. Righteousness will be his belt and faithfulness the sash around his waist.</i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>Isaiah 11:1-5</i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i><br /></i></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPaJ4etlHU-bvrd9j0cJfan9FpUUuxeMZ3uEacg1-7SHCriVP7XgPslbHFDbI9c6MlHulgYTtc347ItTrU6ziZClmqwAJe7lH6imR0ONjHDWCojn4blndFTPe2C8IhP6eR2ds_RPBJXa0/s1600/250px-Isaiah_%2528Bible_Card%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPaJ4etlHU-bvrd9j0cJfan9FpUUuxeMZ3uEacg1-7SHCriVP7XgPslbHFDbI9c6MlHulgYTtc347ItTrU6ziZClmqwAJe7lH6imR0ONjHDWCojn4blndFTPe2C8IhP6eR2ds_RPBJXa0/s1600/250px-Isaiah_%2528Bible_Card%2529.jpg" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i><br /></i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i><br /></i></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Jesus promised us his Spirit, which means WE can pray for the very things Isaiah promises of the Messiah-- wisdom and understanding, counsel and power, knowledge and the fear of the Lord. Are you bold enough to ask this of God? Am I?</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
The Merry Band of Fifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02215639186424889238noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8767708582517087324.post-88957782398359797522016-10-28T09:54:00.002-07:002016-10-28T09:57:37.919-07:00How Does Missionary Support Work?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;">
<img height="256" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiualglfTKl9Sxa4IiKfz81s6-oYK2i8oLajWnFP5n03MFSFerQ0yhNcBVlrQxgiV9_T1UYfTflknRoUVtH_aAMdBDVP_EeM87Cc_LQMzjmuSXSnhORKCvP8Fp8sQAi9AvS3ILYfEMslcY/s320/dollarscentsandvalentines.jpg" width="320" /></div>
<div style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: justify;">
Let's be real. No one wants to talk about money. It's awkward and uncomfortable. But we know you have questions, and that's okay! We thought it might be helpful to explain things in a blog post in response to some queries about how monthly support works (and why our numbers are as high as they are), especially for those who are used to religious denominations sending out missionaries as employees of the denomination. First of all, monthly support includes our salary. All missionaries with ABWE, whether they are surgeons or mechanics, make the same salary. Our salary is $1560 per month. For our eight children, we receive $1625 per month plus a $400 monthly educational stipend (homeschooling and online school is pretty pricey!). Then we have a housing allowance of $650 a month. We pay a bit under $800 per month in self-employment Social Security. We pay $825 per month in health insurance, $25 in accident/life/vision insurance, $200 towards a medical expense account, and $243 monthly into a retirement account. The remainder of our monthly support in the order of $2050 goes directly towards ministry expenses, as missionaries, through their financial partners, contribute to things like the hospital, the radio ministry, and all of the other ministries in the area. So, as you can see, there's a lot going on, and truly our support partners are not just paying for the Fifes to be on the field, but also paying directly into the actual ministries in Togo, like the Hospital of Hope. Pretty neat, huh?</div>
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
The Merry Band of Fifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02215639186424889238noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8767708582517087324.post-71202363213335487722016-09-14T08:57:00.000-07:002016-09-14T08:57:17.831-07:00A(nother) Big Announcement!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgko2MNT709M1a6SuzMgWjw6bQfKzVP5sIx2OcaB98h0N36fiZJL_-xsDIsqPcSdWadYKRPVMZJu5LcMnvx0wM742d7k-qaoVwE-izZyOzFAJmdxbFoCcjMtGyJ68uEvS8ZVKA-b2iGRqw/s1600/432deeb52eba0976c6437f5a163e1331.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="256" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgko2MNT709M1a6SuzMgWjw6bQfKzVP5sIx2OcaB98h0N36fiZJL_-xsDIsqPcSdWadYKRPVMZJu5LcMnvx0wM742d7k-qaoVwE-izZyOzFAJmdxbFoCcjMtGyJ68uEvS8ZVKA-b2iGRqw/s320/432deeb52eba0976c6437f5a163e1331.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
It's the week of big announcements for The Merry Band of Fife! First we publicly announced that we are blessed to be expecting our eighth baby in April. As if that isn't big enough, we have another huge announcement - we are stepping out in faith and will become full-time missionaries as of October 1st, 2016! We noticed a trend as we returned from Candidate class in July. As much as we were on fire for the Lord in this new capacity of missions, it was just so hard to balance secular jobs, family, and ministry. We weren't getting as much accomplished as we wanted to - we had grand plans to have multiple face-to-face meetings scheduled beginning in August, but we hadn't had time to schedule a single one. And so, the Lord made it abundantly clear to James that he was calling us, not this summer, not in a few months, to full-time ministry NOW. It took me a little bit to process, but now I'm ready to step out with him, hand-in-hand, and we are SO excited to make this next step. If you would keep us in our prayers as we step into deep waters, relying on His providence and guidance, we would sure appreciate it. Our God is a great and mighty god!<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipXLLUjCZdGzZNsCNjvXKdKF1Nc589JRjkVjO0XveXRLR3-6RurzHBugz07mTgRDoLlELZ1K-bP6ois48ihg0bRovPFa2DXcbtCZH3kHytv4uGXOr2AQGhqwFivl7jQiK7beKGVLyt9aE/s1600/Fyfe+CMYK-01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="251" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipXLLUjCZdGzZNsCNjvXKdKF1Nc589JRjkVjO0XveXRLR3-6RurzHBugz07mTgRDoLlELZ1K-bP6ois48ihg0bRovPFa2DXcbtCZH3kHytv4uGXOr2AQGhqwFivl7jQiK7beKGVLyt9aE/s320/Fyfe+CMYK-01.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />The Merry Band of Fifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02215639186424889238noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8767708582517087324.post-14989508317009300052016-09-07T09:12:00.001-07:002016-09-07T09:12:16.749-07:00Tell Me This Person Doesn't Exist?!Is there such thing as a natural knack for waiting? I don't know. Maybe it's like the mythical unicorn. If there is that person, well, I have yet to meet him or her, that's for sure. Not only do I not have a natural talent for waiting, I would say that even my carefully cultivated patience skills are still mediocre at best. And I have an independence problem. Like that infamous toddler I too often have the mindset that says "I do it myself". And boy oh boy. This does NOT work when it comes to being a Pre-Field Missionary. There is no "doing it yourself". Raising your own salary and ministry funds for the duration of your missionary career? Yeah, that's not happening without some SERIOUS God movement. And I'm good at action (well, provided it doesn't involve phoning people. I hate actually calling people on the phone so much. If you are an introvert you understand this perfectly). But waiting, <i>pas tellement</i>. So, six weeks into this missionary journey, and yes, the waiting is the hardest test, thus far, that the Lord has put me through. I see the photos of the folks already there, and I hear the prayer requests detailing the desperate need. And I have to fight the voice bubbling below the surface that wants to say "Well, God, WE could be there helping. Don't you want us there? Didn't you call us there? Don't we desire a good thing?". And, on the lowest days, I simply can do little more than pray the prayer of desperation, "Lord, help my unbelief". And He does. I mean, of course He does. I know that, really I do. But sometimes that head knowledge fails to penetrate this fickle, deceitful heart. The following Scripture, shared yesterday in our Pre-Field group, is a new one for me, not one that I return to over and over again for strength and patience, but it must might have to become one as we continue on this journey. I share in hopes that it might speak to your own soul today or tomorrow, or whenever you are weary of this beautiful, vexatious human life.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcBvBVb-Ktjs58c7Vlt-UIBE24UemqEg9TDMG9CIQIWylW0kOrtnE38WyyeBpUTd9Jp14bfPyw-4A8AGF4rJ9JCLvf4nZfE4-SchJBW_ViaKW9ezVO3t2YwkbV_RKuLAl6de55laTpW5I/s1600/Is60%252C22.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="271" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcBvBVb-Ktjs58c7Vlt-UIBE24UemqEg9TDMG9CIQIWylW0kOrtnE38WyyeBpUTd9Jp14bfPyw-4A8AGF4rJ9JCLvf4nZfE4-SchJBW_ViaKW9ezVO3t2YwkbV_RKuLAl6de55laTpW5I/s320/Is60%252C22.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
The Merry Band of Fifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02215639186424889238noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8767708582517087324.post-19991061144392998672016-08-25T10:00:00.000-07:002016-08-25T10:00:03.976-07:00There IS an "I" in Missionary, But There Shouldn't BeWe've only been in this entire process, from application to Candidate Seminar to Pre-Field Ministry for six months, but one thing is crystal clear. There's no I in missionary work. Literally, none of this happens without a huge supporting and sending structure. From the big (financial supporters, ABWE infrastructure, prayer warriors, and so on) to the seemingly small (graphic design help, childcare assistance, an encouraging note here on our website or on Facebook), missions work is all about the body of Christ working together. This week is a special week - we will be placing our order for our very first set of Prayer Cards. And that couldn't have happened without the generous assistance of our church friend, who not only took beautiful photos, but presented us with a CD full of various photos AND a lovely portrait of us to hang on our wall. This journey to the field is not just about changing the lives of the people we meet and minister to along the way, but it's just as much about changing OUR hearts. Every new experience is a stretching and growing in the knowledge of the love of Jesus Christ and a hunger to serve him and the sheep for whom He died.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1B9n4jXgJ3L8YOfs_mzgv_S6zxeYMLpRTr7S9VSlQkwbZVlHNOarywDj7Ed_KSre286Fnlid0nLOcBWAm75Km6aH0Qj5OUUTfxmbRI2cGSXubMaIRsY3oKdVD6pWBekSVVoxws_mnwXY/s1600/IMG_2580.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="307" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1B9n4jXgJ3L8YOfs_mzgv_S6zxeYMLpRTr7S9VSlQkwbZVlHNOarywDj7Ed_KSre286Fnlid0nLOcBWAm75Km6aH0Qj5OUUTfxmbRI2cGSXubMaIRsY3oKdVD6pWBekSVVoxws_mnwXY/s320/IMG_2580.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />The Merry Band of Fifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02215639186424889238noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8767708582517087324.post-20585006185601894232016-08-21T16:24:00.001-07:002016-08-21T16:24:28.974-07:00The Most Important Quality in a WifeI said wife, simply because that's what I am, but I bet my husband would say that it applies to him too. I'm not a perfect wife, and I don't have a perfect marriage, but in our 18 years together, I think that I have had the privilege of learning a few things as we've weathered the normal ups and downs of "happily ever after". I don't know if it's just me, but washing dishes is my place of "aha" moments and I had one this week - I truly think that the character trait that the Lord has been gracious to grow and stretch me in that has benefited our marriage most is forgiveness. Through no merit of my own (I've got a pretty quick trigger temper, combined with an mulish tendency towards stubbornness), I always find my heart softened and open towards my spouse a few short hours after a conflict. And it's really not dependent upon his actions; it's a desire for inner peace with the Lord and a big dose of empathy - being able to see things through his perspective and understand why he does the things he does, for better or for worse. <br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5CajfFx7sx8v74Li2FJ7ZfGcqIXw6TNt5tszW12IkAY0UdHnAgv3wvHfPO_Al4Yv1vdcs4TZVrdXgkbguT3K4oV2vAymBVzW279097WhMBW8zkowzVTIMnbIIO7OpmvNXZFb-0ly0jgE/s1600/Favim.com-1539.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="193" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5CajfFx7sx8v74Li2FJ7ZfGcqIXw6TNt5tszW12IkAY0UdHnAgv3wvHfPO_Al4Yv1vdcs4TZVrdXgkbguT3K4oV2vAymBVzW279097WhMBW8zkowzVTIMnbIIO7OpmvNXZFb-0ly0jgE/s320/Favim.com-1539.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
One of my favorite parables about forgiveness: Matthew 18:21-35</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<u>The Parable of the Unmerciful Servant</u></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<u><br /></u></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, "Lord, how many times should I forgive my brother or sister who sins against me? Up to seven times?"</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Jesus answered, "I tell you, not seven times, but seventy seven times.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
"Therefore the kingdom of heaven is like a king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants. As he began the settlement, a man who owed him ten thousand bags of gold was brought to him. Since he was not able to pay, the master ordered that he and his wife and his children and all that he had be sold to repay the debt.<br />At this the servant fell on his knees before him. 'Be patient with me', he begged, 'and I will pay back everything.' The servant's master took pity on him, canceled the debt and let him go.<br />"But when the servant went out, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred silver coins. He grabbed him and began to choke him. 'Pay back what you owe me!' he demanded.<br />"His fellow servant fell to his knees and begged him, 'Be patient with me, and I will pay it back.'<br />"But he refused. Instead he went off and had the man thrown into prison until he could pay the debt. When the other servants saw what had happened, they were outraged and went and told their master everything that had happened.<br />"Then the master called the servant in, 'You wicked servant,' he said, 'I canceled all that debt of yours because you begged me to. Shouldn't you have had mercy on your fellow servant just as I had on you?' In anger his master handed him over to the jailers to be tortured, until he should pay back all he owed.<br />"This is how my heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother or sister from your heart."<br /></div>
The Merry Band of Fifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02215639186424889238noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8767708582517087324.post-85818573397056973382016-08-18T06:33:00.001-07:002016-08-18T06:33:30.384-07:00Houston, We Have RecoveredI have a love/hate relationship with camping. I think it's so, so good for the family and leaves your children with tons of memories to carry them through the years. I grew up camping A LOT, and while I certainly complained (at times quite vociferously) as a teen, now I look back at those family bonding moments with great fondness. But here's one secret that no one tells you as a kid: camping as a mom is a whole other ballgame. It's so much work, from the moment of planning, through preparation, through execution, and then, to add insult to injury, the clean up is epic. I also am a bit of an overachiever in terms of post-camping clean up, so that doesn't help. Everything has to be washed, scrubbed, and decontaminated after we arrive back home. I even wash camping toys, backpacks, and shoes. It's just a thing for me. So, the process of recuperating sometimes takes up to a week. But I think I made a personal best this camping trip - everything was washed and put neatly back away in their respective places by last night. That includes every pillow, every duvet, every sleeping bag (I've got a LOT of sleeping bags to wash), every towel, every utensil, every.thing. All loaded into bins and put away on the garage shelves so that my garage floor does not look like an American Ninja Warrior obstacle course. Life is good. Or I have a bit of a problem. Maybe both? I wouldn't argue with you there... :)<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXiD4EUtVWVfho_Vfugf4IMsOY7QVRGTRMaGfHYIR2rgCwTLaskZhEpke91BqmQzI1qwxCMhsrc-UTsKjvrd-DGsSO2pvDl3FO-C4Bzh5QOiY0jmRd5YXE8USR2oGbrv8THsPl6SpLAcg/s1600/IMG_2427.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXiD4EUtVWVfho_Vfugf4IMsOY7QVRGTRMaGfHYIR2rgCwTLaskZhEpke91BqmQzI1qwxCMhsrc-UTsKjvrd-DGsSO2pvDl3FO-C4Bzh5QOiY0jmRd5YXE8USR2oGbrv8THsPl6SpLAcg/s320/IMG_2427.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
The Merry Band of Fifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02215639186424889238noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8767708582517087324.post-9627341491501087412016-08-17T06:22:00.002-07:002016-08-17T06:22:55.750-07:00A Little Preview from our "Dreadful" Night ;POh my, look what a fantastic job our photographer did last night?! She was so excited to share with us that she messaged me one of the finished photos last night already. I can't wait to see the rest. We are so blessed to have brothers and sisters in Christ that invest with their time, TALENT, and treasure in our family and in God's work. <br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYcPIyDxsLMapZEzPYCrxqkL04Pje6AJbGTketmZJ039wqTt0uipguCz6vV0whlu_edqx_sp71DVC97nWzZliX55o-nMtikDTreDCzG35C4fTmxSasCLnY4yom7yyQLi1SfDfbu0OFxdg/s1600/14012337_1260301727333539_1563522601_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="256" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYcPIyDxsLMapZEzPYCrxqkL04Pje6AJbGTketmZJ039wqTt0uipguCz6vV0whlu_edqx_sp71DVC97nWzZliX55o-nMtikDTreDCzG35C4fTmxSasCLnY4yom7yyQLi1SfDfbu0OFxdg/s320/14012337_1260301727333539_1563522601_o.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo Courtesy of Mrs. A. Bourn</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
The Merry Band of Fifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02215639186424889238noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8767708582517087324.post-35271404286228398672016-08-16T06:53:00.000-07:002016-08-16T06:53:13.313-07:00Dreading TodayWell now, that sounds awfully dramatic. And I'm being a whiny baby, admittedly, but today is family photo day. Ugh. I loathe family photo day. It's so stressful. Don't get me wrong, I'm beyond appreciative that a lovely sister in Christ has graciously agreed to photograph our family so that we may have a current photo for our Prayer Cards. But I'm dreading the actual photo-taking process like no other. I'm not a big fan of photos of myself, period, but factor in trying to deal with having nine people needing to look somewhat presentable and looking in the same direction with some semblance of a smile is enough to make the bravest of parents tremble. Oh, and how tempted was I to put this off when I checked the weather forecast and saw that it's going to be a balmy 99 degrees at precisely the time we're going to be at our outdoor photo shoot? And we have to drive 20 minutes in our picture best in our non-air conditioned van for said photo? All I can wonder is - can you edit out sweat stains? Here's hoping. <br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHnMvyX6xm9VCLrkpZ3hZLR6pgsA67IckFG1oeuwviTmbysyy2AQCGX551GeokPyftgUms55-pQxOSniPuUEuJpdIimamdDccRUqIYzqMT5814S1fTtiafMf3P6guP2UG0aj8-s_xDORk/s1600/iPhone2014+371.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHnMvyX6xm9VCLrkpZ3hZLR6pgsA67IckFG1oeuwviTmbysyy2AQCGX551GeokPyftgUms55-pQxOSniPuUEuJpdIimamdDccRUqIYzqMT5814S1fTtiafMf3P6guP2UG0aj8-s_xDORk/s320/iPhone2014+371.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our last family photo - November 2014. Trust me, if this wasn't missing a child, it would SO be going on our prayer cards, no matter how long ago it was. :)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
The Merry Band of Fifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02215639186424889238noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8767708582517087324.post-26893125371808107002016-08-11T07:36:00.003-07:002016-08-11T07:36:38.427-07:00My Vow For the Next Three MonthsI'm not a uber-patriot, by any means, but I am proud of my country. I tear up during Fourth of July fireworks, Lee Greenwood's <i>Proud to Be an American</i>, and I'm on the edge of my seat cheering on the red, white, and blue's Olympic athletes. I will most certainly vote in the upcoming election and take my civic duty most seriously. But something is going to be different for me this year. I'm not going to talk about it. I'm really not. Our politics, which has always been ugly (this is not a new phenomenon at all, and anyone that thinks it is needs to take another look at US political history), is incredibly sordid and sleazy this year. At several points I've felt the strong urge to take a cleansing bath after reading about the goings-on on both sides of the aisle. So, right now I make the commitment that I will keep my political preferences private for the next three months. This is a pretty big departure from my former self - I LOVED politics and prided myself on having fiery opinions. But no more. My duty to my country as a voter is my private business, and it's certainly not worth getting in the way of my witness or muddying my ministry. And so, I will turn to the Lord every day and pray for wisdom and discernment. This isn't to hold myself up as some shining example. By no means! What I am called to by the Lord might not be what you are called to - I wrote this post to hold myself accountable to my promise. <br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIAbUnvTS2MG2mjDDD3Yc8ikYILOnZLN9XdTjO4RhOzrFC4IUjJyywS7Fl0WQ4UPCRpCgyFBVZXp67iNTp2tuB01lnGDQEMBWWwstsdRTG5vDH0P2g41bWS6jnQwtmWcwknscvgN3_7Kc/s1600/Pumpkins-Post-Psalm-39.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIAbUnvTS2MG2mjDDD3Yc8ikYILOnZLN9XdTjO4RhOzrFC4IUjJyywS7Fl0WQ4UPCRpCgyFBVZXp67iNTp2tuB01lnGDQEMBWWwstsdRTG5vDH0P2g41bWS6jnQwtmWcwknscvgN3_7Kc/s320/Pumpkins-Post-Psalm-39.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
The Merry Band of Fifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02215639186424889238noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8767708582517087324.post-58447952382102995782016-08-10T09:11:00.000-07:002016-08-10T09:11:13.198-07:00Graeme StatsMr. Graeme Paul turned 10 months old on Saturday! It's hard to believe that in two short months we will have a first birthday to celebrate. He had his doctor's appointment right before that, and he's following the normal track of our babies - he's doing great physical things, but he's on the small side. Small but mighty, I guess! He finally grew a tooth - it's slow in coming in, but it's there. He has very strong opinions about what he wants and when he wants it. He loves Daddy, baths, and pointing at stuff. <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRIJz5uE2qiZ_xftO3l0MT4WxJhVJbL0bKPPpdbVkbbTHyq03zhE-RYCZN9kr_OVwLKUovri0WiHnGjuqRBscVq4livDrPBdIASdaS2N6H2EZvEdXdk7JLHKfwUhgRshEkwSxWCkRjlkA/s1600/IMG_1832.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRIJz5uE2qiZ_xftO3l0MT4WxJhVJbL0bKPPpdbVkbbTHyq03zhE-RYCZN9kr_OVwLKUovri0WiHnGjuqRBscVq4livDrPBdIASdaS2N6H2EZvEdXdk7JLHKfwUhgRshEkwSxWCkRjlkA/s320/IMG_1832.JPG" width="213" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFFxwOvIy-pQwmC6Nf0Osg-gEpoLXcLNoWBUvXri7QXxrwfVcbH91774rJatzwBq6h-LTM69e-W-wAlBAmRHijt3Yg8MezYF_f8OtlqZ-B5_g8YG6gKudnpK-ckSfQUsgEEdSm1Zy_A8s/s1600/IMG_1834.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFFxwOvIy-pQwmC6Nf0Osg-gEpoLXcLNoWBUvXri7QXxrwfVcbH91774rJatzwBq6h-LTM69e-W-wAlBAmRHijt3Yg8MezYF_f8OtlqZ-B5_g8YG6gKudnpK-ckSfQUsgEEdSm1Zy_A8s/s320/IMG_1834.JPG" width="213" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8xoi_HRybgPgDb1191kAYIEdkaTCyfjjlNCNfOZnu08KfdeeIPxGwW7c8J-IzangN2P2iaBKUc3UTl_O6eql6LQdQ_kbEBQkgGI2W-tY-YZmAtBwCQyqCbqu1UNgrxe9mdd12icFF5LI/s1600/IMG_1842.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8xoi_HRybgPgDb1191kAYIEdkaTCyfjjlNCNfOZnu08KfdeeIPxGwW7c8J-IzangN2P2iaBKUc3UTl_O6eql6LQdQ_kbEBQkgGI2W-tY-YZmAtBwCQyqCbqu1UNgrxe9mdd12icFF5LI/s320/IMG_1842.JPG" width="213" /></a></div>
The Merry Band of Fifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02215639186424889238noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8767708582517087324.post-82994984078669889992016-08-08T08:07:00.000-07:002016-08-08T08:07:17.478-07:00Growing in ChristOne of the most beautiful things about this missionary journey, outside of the satisfaction of following God's calling, is the opportunity for incredible growth in the lives of both James and I. It's no coincidence that part of our pre-field training includes a local church internship, and to that end James has been working with one of our pastors and learning how to do hospital chaplain visits. I'm so proud of him as he's studied and prepared diligently for both of his appointments. I look forward to seeing the other ways in which he grows through this journey. I've been seeing a lot of growth in my prayer life. This has always been an area in which I've struggled. I've known that my prayer life discipline isn't what it should be for about the last year or two. And that head knowledge grieved my soul, but I still wasn't following through. While I'm far from where I know God wants me to be yet, I am improving in the discipline of prayer weekly and, most importantly, the joy of purposeful communication with my Lord. <br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcUNwkCQsjqKnbWsNJnTu-hDE8jUYlnO1MuZjbJLTNMD8kfGe6l5yXF0vZug6MH2HsHNXwdR-tB-DyXMcg8J3uO-UePvGv9Ks3FrRJjRHh0KCcrWjOwFsYPazmQhPU4QUcod_EuXeY5RA/s1600/IMG_2177.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcUNwkCQsjqKnbWsNJnTu-hDE8jUYlnO1MuZjbJLTNMD8kfGe6l5yXF0vZug6MH2HsHNXwdR-tB-DyXMcg8J3uO-UePvGv9Ks3FrRJjRHh0KCcrWjOwFsYPazmQhPU4QUcod_EuXeY5RA/s320/IMG_2177.JPG" width="213" /></a></div>
<br />The Merry Band of Fifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02215639186424889238noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8767708582517087324.post-60243404736050742562016-08-05T08:06:00.000-07:002016-08-05T08:06:00.078-07:00Back to School ShoppingI LOATHE back to school shopping, Which is funny in some ways, because I remember it being kind of the highlight of the summer for me when I was a kid. Mom and I would go to ShopKo, where I would get some super cool duds, like a shirt that said NOT! on it in neon colors. And then Walmart came into town and I scored a pair of black chunky heel loafers (hello, layaway!) in addition to the practical stuff. Well, that romanticism has not lingered past the first few years of back-to-school shopping. Now it's a necessary evil, something I tend to put off until the last few days before school starts, so that I can join the equally grumpy parents bemoaning the lack of colored pencils and glue sticks at Fred Meyer. The fact that I will have THREE kids in Junior High and High School does not help on the budget - those registration days are expensive! But school, blessed school, you are worth it. Routines, quiet days, a baby that can FINALLY nap without being woken up, no one to referee between except for the pets, quiet days, only one tiny human to clean up after, did I mention QUIET DAYS! <br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL6O61pX_0eyVFE8BmKEHBpfCzg1Po7TEzZ4eRy1PNvvBTWS-MokINwdq4Zdcw7jxf5GVgGLLwzGBRkdFYrSsa5BqdC7ciok5b0UTfL1wVQAHKFzxNWm4iT1B0Jr2M8a5Ce8dZ_EIjELM/s1600/school_supplies2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="110" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL6O61pX_0eyVFE8BmKEHBpfCzg1Po7TEzZ4eRy1PNvvBTWS-MokINwdq4Zdcw7jxf5GVgGLLwzGBRkdFYrSsa5BqdC7ciok5b0UTfL1wVQAHKFzxNWm4iT1B0Jr2M8a5Ce8dZ_EIjELM/s320/school_supplies2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />The Merry Band of Fifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02215639186424889238noreply@blogger.com1