Live Worthy of the Gospel

Help My Unbelief

2009-09-28T10:40:00.000-07:00

I've been reading in Mark lately since that is what my husband is going through in his New Testament class. A couple of days ago I read chapter 9 and the story of the man who had a demon-possessed son has sort of stuck in my mind. I thought of what he said to Jesus when Jesus told him all things are possible for one who believes. The man said, "I believe; help my unbelief." So does he believe or does he not? It can't be both. But I've found that I completely identify with this man. I know that God is all powerful and is able to do anything. I believe. But when things look so bleak, like a demon-possessed boy being thrown in the fire and almost killed, or depression setting in with lies from the enemy weighing you down and sin on every side, its hard to see how things can get any better. Help my unbelief! I believe that God is more than able to keep me from stumbling and to sanctify me through and through and to aid me in walking by the Spirit so as NOT to gratify the desires of the flesh but at times I disbelieve that it is possible for me NOT to sin in this moment. Help my unbelief! I believe the man in this story knew that Jesus could heal his boy so he said "I believe" but just as soon as he said it reservation set in when he thought of all that he had seen the boy go through and so he immediately prayed "Help my unbelief!" The following song has also been on my mind lately. I was driving to work one evening, grumbling and complaining that God's will was that I work that night (I really do enjoy my job...most of the time), when this song came on. I actually had never listened to the words until that time even though I've heard the song tons of times. Here are the amazing words:

I know that God is nigh
and would but cannot pray
for Satan meets me when I try
and frights my soul away
and frights my soul away.

I would but can't repent
though I endeavor oft
this stony heart can ne'er relent
til Jesus makes it soft
til Jesus makes it soft.

Help my unbelief
Help my unbelief
Help my unbelief
My help must come from Thee

I would but cannot love
though wooed by love divine
no arguments have power to move
a soul as base as mine
a soul so base as mine.

I would but cannot rest
in God's most holy will
I know what He appoints is best
and murmur at it still.
I murmur at it still.

Help my unbelief
Help my unbelief
Help my unbelief
My help must come from Thee

So, I believe God is true to His word, but where my theology fails to produce itself in action I cry, "Help my unbelief!!

grace for all my sin

2009-04-27T05:38:00.000-07:00

I have backslidden greatly from an evangelistic, missional, and eternal mindset to satisfying my flesh momentarily with food that satisfies the taste buds and entertainment that satisfies the mind and laziness that satisfies the body. I have backslidden from a heart of worship towards the Lord to a heart of worship for self. Doing whatever I want when I want it with the idea that I am entitled to what I want whatever the cost. Putting myself first instead of killing my flesh and its desires and doing those things that please God. Leading a life of NO discipline but instead a life of 'enslaving' freedom to do what pleases me in the moment. The worthiness of Christ doesn't weigh heavy on my heart anymore. Doing all things for the glory of God is not the foremost desire of my heart. I don't fear God. I spend most Sundays crying through songs instead of singing them because of sorrow over my sinful state and not wanting to remain there but knowing that when I leave I will fall again to the same sins that brought me shame and sorrow. But there is grace for all my sin. I know the truth, the great and precious promises of God, but my heart is sluggish in really believing them and my mind is slow to remember them. I think more on how I'm doing than what God's word says about me that I am righteous in Christ. I continually adopt legalism thinking that my good works earn me God's grace and when I fall short of my own standards I live defeated. I forget God's grace. I forget that God has once for all made me righteous before Him when He clothed me with His Son. I forget that I can do nothing more to please God in regards to earning His favor. I forget that my service to Him should be a response to His love for me instead of ways to gain favor in God's eyes and in the eyes of those who are watching. Service to God shouldn't be about making me feel good about myself spiritually but should be about joy in the gospel. I'm given over to pride way more often than I would like. Pride permeates my flesh and thoughts and deeds. It makes me sick. If it weren't for Christ my sin would overwhelm me. I'm not thankful in my heart towards God like I ought to be for the great salvation and amazing grace He's given me. Honestly my heart spurns it as if I'm saying to God "Why did you give me something that I can't live worthy of?" My flesh wants no part in this and my Spirit right now is hardly more than a spark, maybe more like a coal with a little bit of glow left. But a good friend always told me, "Remember in the dark what God told you in the light." So, in the darkness, in the absence of zeal for the Lord and a lack of rising emotions to bless His name I will remember that there is grace for all my sin.

Some may say, Cara...you are being too hard on yourself. I would say no I'm not. I am simply pouring out what God has revealed to me. As painful as it is to see the depths of my sin (and I haven't shared it all) I'm thankful for this wilderness in my life because I know my God is good and He is sanctifying me right now so that in time there will be a beautiful display of fruit in my life for His glory and a faith that will result in praise and honor and glory when Christ returns. Because of that I will endure by God's grace the trials that come my way. And I can see God's faithfulness to me and evidences of His grace in that in the weakest time of my life I am a part of a local body that is full of strong, gifted, wise believers that faithfully preach God's word and spur me on to righteousness.

And I must say that God has blessed me with an amazing husband who has been an example of Christ to me in the patience he has with me in my sinfulness. And he prays for me...and makes me breakfast!!

Please pray that I would have discipline in every area of my life, that I would grow in Christ, and that joy would overflow in my life. And please pray for Jason and I as we spend the rest of our lives together, learning each other, and seeking how to make God known.

Thank you for reading.

Missions: Go, Send or Disobey

2009-01-27T22:36:00.000-08:00

It's 1:37 am and I can't sleep. Not an odd problem for a night nurse. Only downside is I'm working a day shift that starts in 5 hours and I am wide awake. Oh well. The Lord will sustain me which probably includes a cup of coffee around 2pm tomorrow. Anywho...I received an email today from Rod Connor who works with To Every Tribe Ministries. I can't remember his official title (VP maybe?) but his unofficial title is 'David's right hand man.' The email contained a picture of the 8 students/wives currently at the Center for Pioneer Church Planting (CPCP). I couldn't help but reflect on my time spent at the CPCP and in other countries and the time spent working as a nurse leading up to my time at the CPCP. I laugh at God's humor in my life. I went to nursing school primarily to use it in missions but often the thought would pop in my head (and NO I am NOT making this up) "I wouldn't mind using my nursing degree to support a husband through seminary." Well, God is good...I have gotten to do both in my lifetime! Also, during those five, long, hard months working as a nurse leading up to the CPCP I remembered receiving GREAT joy from being able to help people financially. Whether it was picking up all of rent so the roomies didn't have to pay or paying for a roomie to take nursing boards, I received great joy in aiding people. I often thought then "I wonder if God would ever have me be a sender in missions instead of a goer?" I assure you I am NOT making this blog up...well, I am the one writing it but I assure you I am not lying. I also remember asking David while we were in PNG (I even remember the exact location) "What if God has me send instead of go?" I wrote so many support letters asking for your prayers and financial means to get to the field myself. God was faithful to always provide my needs which meant I always had senders in my ministry. As of now, I don't have the option to 'Go' but I take joy in taking part of 'Sending' and 'Praying'. So now that I am on the flip side of things I wanted to say that the urgency to Go and to Send and to Pray is still very, very GREAT! Pray with me for the 'unreached peeps' of the world. Consider whom you can support in missions whether it be missionaries from your local church or missionaries sent out through TETM (and I guarantee they will be needing support). Don't just consider who and not follow through...see where you can make sacrifices in your budget and send that money so that others may go and tell the world that Jesus lives. And don't just send the money but ask for their updates, read them thoroughly, and pray faithfully for their needs and their ministry. Send short replies to them letting them know you are praying (Thanks JoAnn...you were always so faithful to do that for me and I appreciated it!). If your local church isn't involved in missions in any way be the one to step up and begin an awareness of missions. If you aren't sure where to start, begin praying about how your church can be involved. Talk to your pastor, invite David or Rod or another missionary to speak at your church to develop an awareness and knowledge of missions. Read "Let the Nations Be Glad" by John Piper to aid you in having a biblical understanding of missions and then spread that book around your local church. Read missionary biographies. Some great ones are "In the Shadow of the Almighty" by Elizabeth Elliot, "A Chance to Die" about Amy Carmichael written by Elizabeth Elliot, "Lords of the Earth" written by Don Richardson, "Bruchko", "End of the Spear", "Beyond the Gates of Splendor", any books on David Livingston, James Chalmers, George Mueller, Amy Carmichael, The Ecuador Five (Jim Elliot, Nate Saint, Peter Fleming, Ed McCully, and Roger Youderian), William Carey, Hudson Taylor, the Moravians, Fijian missionaries.....there are so many amazing missionaries who have gone before us! You can find missionary biography sermons online at www.desiringgod.org or there are three great sermons on missions at www.toeverytribe.com under the 'To Every Tribe Ministries' Videos' tab at the bottom of the home page.

Wherever God has us in life we can be involved in missions in one way or another and we are commanded to be involved. So, pray about how you can either 'GO' or 'SEND.' John commended his brother Gaius' efforts in 3 John for financially supporting those who 'go out for the sake of His name.'

Beloved, it is a faithful thing you do in all your efforts for these brothers, strangers as they are, who testified to your love before the church. You will do well to send them on their journey in a manner worthy of God. For they have gone out for the sake of the name, accepting nothing from the Gentiles. Therefore we ought to support people like these, that we may be fellow workers for the truth.
3 John 5-8

I always said that sending was partnering with me in taking the gospel to the unreached and that it was just as important and God-glorifying as going. "Therefore, we ought to support people like these, that we may be FELLOW WORKERS FOR THE TRUTH."

May we all be workers and fellow workers for the truth. As David Sitton would say, "Jesus is worth it."

For more information on how you can support TETM or the students currently there or who have gone before, you can go to www.toeverytribe.com and click on the 'Contacts' tab.

Just for the record it is now 2:46 am...and my sister-in-law is in labor. Random, I know...

HAPPY HOLIDAAAAAAYS

2009-01-01T13:51:00.000-08:00

THANKSGIVING AT K-BOOTH'S APARTMENT

NICK'S GRADUATION AND CHRISTMAS IN TEXAS
I'm not sure where our camera was when we actually opened presents with my parents and Shea and Sylas and the boys...but Mamaw made Jason a sweet stocking!

CHRISTMAS IN KENTUCKY
Our camera battery died while at the Diffey's apartment just before we went to Ryan and Sarah's to exchange gifts so sorry I don't have pics of Christmas with the family! But isn't Calvin so cute?

NEWS YEARS PARTY AT THE COLLIN'S HOUSE HOSTED BY LISA MOREL

A MIGHTY FORTRESS IS OUR GOD

2008-12-24T16:54:00.000-08:00

I don't know about you but Sunday mornings growing up seemed to be the morning our family fought the most. There was grumbling and complaining, and no doubt I did my share (especially if I had to wear a dress). Well, we are sinners and must be on our guard against sin in our lives but we also have an enemy that wants to steal, kill, and destroy. He certainly doesn't want us to go to church where we get fed and encouraged in our walks with the Lord and where we spend time praising and honoring the Father. This past Sunday was no different. With a closet full of clothes I 'couldn't find anything' to wear. As I spoke my thoughts out loud my loving husband said, "First of all, we're not gonna whine." He was more joking than he was serious but I was convicted. That still didn't change the fact that I didn't like what I had on and still couldn't put together an outfit. Finally I found something I was comfortable in and that was decently cute for church. Nonetheless, Satan and my sin nearly ruined the morning. On the way to church I wondered how much of that was my sin and how much of that was Satan using everything he can to take my focus off God and onto self. I think they go hand in hand and for some reason Satan has pummeled me more in the last few months than he has ever in my life. Needless to say I was encouraged by one of the songs we sang that morning in church. God is so good:

A mighty fortress is our God, a bulwark never failing;
our helper He, amid the flood of mortal ills prevailing.
For still our ancient foe, doth seek to work us woe; his craft and power are
great, and armed with cruel hate, on earth is not his equal.

Did we in our own strength confide, our striving would be losing,
were not the right man on our side, the man of God's own choosing.
Dost ask who that may be? Christ Jesus, it is he; Lord Sabaoth his name,
from age to age the same, and he must win the battle.

And though this world, with devils filled, should threaten to undo us,
we will not fear, for God hath willed his truth to triumph through us.
The Prince of Darkness grim, we tremble not for him; his rage we can endure,
for lo, his doom is sure; one little word shall fell him.

That word above all earthly powers, no thanks to them, abideth;
the Spirit and the gifts are ours thro' him who with us sideth.
Let goods and kindred go, this mortal life also; the body they may kill;
God's truth abideth still; his kingdom is forever.

If you think about it, please pray for me that I would not be unaware of Satan's schemes and that when he does attack that I would not believe his lies and succumb to depression and tears. Pray that I would put on the full armor of God and stand firm. And I will do this BY HIS GRACE. I pray you too will stand firm against Satan's attacks. Let us not forget we have an enemy that seeks to devour us and to call on our God, the Mighty Fortress that never fails.

By His Grace

2008-11-30T18:16:00.001-08:00

I believe a new chapter of my life is opening up. The title of my whole blog, "Live Worthy of the Gospel", comes from Philippians 1:27. Most of you who know me know that that has been my life verse since summer of 04. I sign every email with it. The truth of it is still amazing but I'm seeing it in a whole new light now. Before this summer I lived out that verse by doing missions. Now, I'm daily faced with the challenge of living worthy of the gospel in the ways I conduct myself such as in humility, patience, forgiveness, gentleness, love, etc. I would venture to say that I have realized that walking daily in those Christ-like qualities is harder for me than doing missions. So, now the phrase that seems to be coming to mind is, "By His Grace...". I will be honest...I have never been tempted more in my life to walk in anger and bitterness and pride and laziness and selfishness as I have in the last four months. I have given in many times to those sins and I have often given over my joy to Satan without much of a fight. I also have not been so pummeled by Satan's many lies before as I have in the past four months. He is the father of Lies and he is good at what he does. BUT...By HIS GRACE, we are more than conquerors! He has given me the ultimate victory over sin and death and Satan's lies. I spoke with a good friend of mine yesterday and realized we were both in the same boat spiritually. Married, single, it doesn't matter...when we don't choose the Lord we grow cold. Sin creeps in and brings death. But By HIS GRACE He never lets go of us. My friend said to me, "He chose me when I didn't want Him so I need to choose Him." That is so good to remember. Well, we sung a hymn this morning in church that I think applies perfectly to the situation. Here are the lyrics:

O great God of highest heaven, occupy my lowly heart;
Own it all and reign supreme, conquer every rebel power.
Let no vice or sin remain that resists Your holy war.
You have loved and purchased me-make me Yours forevermore.

I was blinded by my sin, had no ears to hear Your voice;
Did not know Your love within, had no taste for heaven's joy.
Then Your Spirit gave me life, opened up Your word to me;
Through the gospel of Your Son gave me ENDLESS HOPE AND PEACE.

HELP ME NOW TO LIVE A LIFE THAT'S DEPENDENT ON YOUR GRACE;
KEEP MY HEART AND GUARD MY SOUL FROM THE EVILS THAT I FACE.
YOU ARE WORTHY TO BE PRAISED WITH MY EVERY THOUGHT AND DEED;
O GREAT GOD OF HIGHEST HEAVEN, GLORIFY YOUR NAME THROUGH ME.

Great lyrics huh? All I know is that BY HIS GRACE, and dependent on His grace alone, I will live a life worthy of the gospel of Christ. Once again (and my heart has been cold) my heart only desires that He be known, worshiped, and glorified. Praise God that He is a gracious and loving Father that displays incredible patience with us as sinful, adopted children. I pray I will rightly reflect the image of my Father in the way I display patience and love and forgiveness towards others.

Humility Homework....100%!

2008-11-21T11:00:00.000-08:00

So, last week I decided that I would pick Jason up from school and surprise him by taking him to the driving range. He loves golf and recently bought some great clubs at Golf Galaxy for a great deal. I loaded those in the car and headed to Southern to pick him up. Instead of going home I took him to the driving range and bought the biggest bucket of golf balls available. We went out and found a spot and he started hitting. He said, "Do you want to try?" I said, "Absolutely not!" And then I remembered what C.J. said about playing lots of golf to cultivate humility and weaken pride and I kind of wanted to swing a club and whack a golf ball anyway. I took him up on 'trying' to hit a golf ball. First swing and a....MISS! Pride was shot out of the sky and humility was beginning to set in. Second swing and a...HIT! I couldn't believe it! Well, that was followed by about 20 consecutive swings and misses! I finally grabbed a couple of balls and another club and went to the spot next to Jason to go at my own pace while he steadily whacked the balls clear across the range. Needless to say, I killed two birds with one stone in cultivating humility and weakening pride (see post on humility): I played 'lots' of golf and I laughed, at myself, a whole lot!

FALL...it actually is a season!

2008-11-12T18:22:00.000-08:00

Just for the record...my friend Kristin Booth took these pictures...I had the privilege of driving around with her as she took these amazing photos! Isn't God a beautiful and creative God?

So...Humility...

2008-11-10T06:58:00.000-08:00

My heart is so full right now but I'm going to attempt a short blog...so, without further ado:

13 Ways to cultivate humility and weaken pride (Humility by C.J. Mahaney):

1. Begin your day by acknowledging your dependence upon God and your need for God.
2. Begin your day expressing gratefulness to God.
3. Practice the Spiritual Disciplines (He mentions: prayer, bible study, and worship)
4. Seize your commute time to memorize and meditate on scripture (God knows I have a pride issue which is why he gave me a job at a hospital 20 minutes from my apt.!!! He is so good!!!)
5. Cast your cares upon Him!
6. Reflect on the wonder of the cross of Christ.
7. End your day by reviewing your day and carefully assigning all glory to God for the grace you experienced that day.
8. Receive the gift of sleep from God and acknowledge His purpose for sleep (that we are finite creatures and will collapse if we attempt to stay awake too long!!! We are dependent on sleep...how much more on Him who sustains us while we sleep!!!)
9. Study the attributes of God
10. Study the doctrines of grace
11. Study the doctrine of sin
12. Play golf (seriously...his rationale is that he stinks at golf so it is humbling to play it!!! I hear ya C.J.!!)
13. Laugh often, and laugh often at yourself!

These are from chapters 5-7 in C.J. Mahaney's book on Humility. Here are a few other quotes from guys C.J. quotes in his book:

"Fill your affections with the cross of Christ that there may be no room for sin."
-John Owen-

"How can anyone be arrogant when he stands beside the cross?"
-Carl Henry-

"Have you realized that most of your unhappiness in life is due to the fact that you are listening to yourself instead of talking to yourself?"
-Martyn Lloyd Jones-
(Quote from his book "Spiritual Depression")

Last night Nick Bateman gave the devo at Sunday night church. He cried (I would say wept but I think he was holding back a little for the purpose of not having snot bubbles during the rest of his sermon!!) over what Christ has done for us. He quoted most of "Before the Throne of God Above" through tears. He went on to admonish us to consider, "Who or what steals your mind's attention and your heart's affections?" So, may we wake up and lie down with our mind's attention on the Savior and our heart's affections set on Christ and our perfect and sure hope that we have in Him!!!

How's that for a short blog? Fall pictures coming soon!!!

"Live Worthy of the Gospel" REDEFINED

2008-11-05T09:05:00.000-08:00

Identity Crisis:
–noun
1. a period or episode of psychological distress, often occurring in adolescence but sometimes in adulthood, when a person seeks a clearer sense of self and an acceptable role in society.
2. confusion as to goals and priorities: The company is undergoing an identity crisis.

This could be me the last couple of months. Lets have a rundown.
Jan 08-moving home to be with my parents
"Feb-March 08-teaching at CPCP and in Mexico on a short term mission trip
March-April 08-visiting friends and family
End of April/beginning of May 08-in Mexico on a short term trip
May 08-dated and got engaged
June 08- camp counselor in Ecuador
July 08- camp counselor in Canada
August 08- married and living in Louisville as a seminary wife on the hunt for a nursing job and a church
Sept. 08-joined 3rd Avenue Baptist Church (praise the Lord, Hallelujah and AMEN!!)

Needless to say I have asked myself in the last 3 months: "Who am I?"

I won't lie. I have struggled with significance and purpose. I went from single female missionary to jobless seminary wife. I had way too much time on my hands to dwell on sin and no church to serve in. I could clean the apartment so that Jason can have a calm, nonchaotic (I guess that would be the meaning of calm) refuge to come home to but that takes all of an hour or so. The apartment was clean, Jason's needs were met, and still I had so much time on my hands I didn't know what to do with myself. I was battling sin more than ever in my life it seemed like and I felt like I was losing most battles. What I was doing for the Lord felt insignificant. My definition of a life worthy of the gospel was missions. Going to the hard places and willing to be martyred for the sake of the gospel. That certainly is a life lived worthy of the gospel. No doubt about that. Paul was in prison for the gospel when he wrote Ephesians. But it's not limited to that. The second time we visited 3rd Ave God brought me a friend named Mary. God has used her big time every time we meet to help me along. I was telling her of my struggle and she said, "You know...there is a similar verse (similar to Phil 1:27) in Ephesians that stuck out to me the other day. Paul was saying that he was urging the Ephesians to walk in a manner worthy of their calling and it didn't go on to say what I thought it would say like 'lay down your lives for the gospel, etc'. It said to walk in humility and patience, etc." That hit me square between the eyes. Humility. Good grief. I need a loading dose of humility and then an IV of humility fluid hooked up to me on continuous flow. I have so much pride I can't stand it! So, missionaries are indeed people who live worthy of the gospel IF their lives are also characterized by what SCRIPTURE says is a life lived worthy of the gospel in Ephesians 4. So, my identity crisis I believe has come to an end. I am first and foremost a child of God set apart for His purposes and His purpose for me right now is to be a Godly wife and a witness to the gospel everywhere I go. THAT is significant. So, whether missionary or mom (no I'm not pregnant...yet!), a life worthy of the gospel is defined by humility, gentleness, or to put it plainly: Christlikeness. For me, that is harder than going to the ends of the earth and dying for the gospel. I would even venture to say that I need more grace to live here and walk in humility and go evangelize than I would to live on the mission field, although I need his grace anywhere I am. So, I mapped out Ephesians 4 in a list of do's and don'ts (what's worthy and what's not):

Do:
*humility
*gentleness
*patience
*tolerate eachother in love
*be diligent to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace
*speak the truth in love
*lay aside old self
*be renewed in the spirit of your mind
*put on the new self (which is created in the likeness of God: righteousness, holiness, and truth!!!)
*lay aside falsehood
*speak truth to your neighbor (because we are members of one another!!!)
*be angry and not sin
*do good labor that you may share with others in need
*speak words of edification
*put away BITTERNESS, WRATH, ANGER, CLAMOR, SLANDER, MALICE
*be KIND, TENDERHEARTED, FORGIVING (as Christ forgave you...ALL your sin)

Don't:
*walk as the Gentiles walked
-futility of mind
-darkened in understanding
-excluded from the life of God because of ignorance and hard hearts
-calloused
-given over to sensuality and every impure act
-greedy for impure deeds
*let the sun go down on your anger
*give satan a foothold
*steal
*let unwholesome talk come out of your mouth
*grieve the Holy Spirit.

Then, Ephesians chapter 5 starts with, "Therefore be IMITATORS of God, as beloved children; and walk in love, just as Christ also loved you and gave Himself up for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God as a fragrant aroma."

I wrote a blog earlier about how our church search came to an end at 3rd Avenue Baptist Church (3abc) and how we need the local church. It doesn't surprise me that after Ephesians four begins with an urge to live lives worthy of the gospel that the middle part of the chapter talks about how Christ appointed by his grace apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers FOR THE EQUIPPING OF THE SAINTS FOR THE WORK OF SERVICE, TO THE BUILDING UP OF THE BODY OF CHRIST. Verses 15-16 say:

"but speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects into Him who is the head, even Christ, from whom the whole body, being fitted and held together BY WHAT EVERY JOINT SUPPLIES, according to the proper working of each individual part, CAUSES THE GROWTH OF THE BODY FOR THE BUILDING UP OF ITSELF IN LOVE."

I have truly experienced this through the local church, the body of Christ. God used Mary to speak truth in love into my life. God used Dan Diffey to speak truth in love into my life as he called the church to be prepared for Christ's return by living a holy life, evangelizing, and bringing about the kingdom in our lives and others. God has used Kurt, our pastor, every Sunday as he preached through Genesis to show me the foolishness of walking in sin, God's judgment on sin, and God's mercy and blessing on His children. God has used the church, His body, to build me up in love. So, let us live worthy of the gospel and walk out this verse:

Therefore, laying aside all falsehood, speak truth each one of you with his neighbor, FOR WE ARE MEMBERS OF ONE ANOTHER!
Ephesians 4:25

Whoever you are and whatever you are doing, the calling on your life is to walk in humility, gentleness, patience...to be like Christ. In all simplicity, that is a life worthy of the gospel.

So...I'm off to read Mahaney's book titled, "Humility." Adios!!

The sinfulness of sin, the evil enemy, the 5 O'Clock news, and our gracious God through the cross of Christ

2008-10-17T07:59:00.000-07:00

Long title for what will probably be a long blog.

Derek Webb speaks on his CD "The House Show" about how we are great at hiding our sin. He says it would be best if our sin would be exposed on the 5 O'Clock news so that we would have nothing to hide anymore and we could finally be real with each other, cry with each other, encourage one another, pray specifically for each other, rejoice with one another in victory over sin, preach the gospel to one another, etc...this is my version of the 5 O'Clock news because I'm tired of trying to hide my sin (and by hide I mean continue on in it) and pretend like I'm some spiritual giant trying to prove to everyone that I am holy and righteous and have everything figured out. Pride would keep me from writing this blog just like pride wants me to hide my sin. Well, I'm through with my sin and ready to walk in righteousness. I'm through spurning the Lord's grace in my life. I'm through loving the momentary pleasures of sin more than Christ who died to take the punishment for that very sin.

Yesterday the Lord, our gracious God, opened my eyes to my sin. At dinner I confessed everything to Jason and we carried on with our night as usual. When we got home it was as if Satan, the evil enemy, was awaiting me. He attacked me with shame and humiliation and accused me of being a failure and a disgrace and a horrible wife and a lousy daughter of God. He wanted me to believe that God was angry with me. I battled these things and preached the gospel to myself, "I am righteous before God in Christ Jesus. There is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. He took the punishment. I should have no shame." I shared my struggles with Jason as much as I could through tears and I finally 'let him' go to sleep around 2 or 2:30 while I continued in the battle, still struggling to really believe the gospel. I finally got up at 3 to make the traditional chocolate muffins that my mom made for us on our birthdays growing up. While they were in the oven I sat in the hall and a song came to me. Keith Green put Psalm 51 to music so I just sang over and over and over again, "Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me. Cast me not from your presence O Lord. Take not your Holy Spirit from me. Restore unto me the joy of my salvation. And renew a right Spirit within me." (I think thats how the song goes). Well, I finally went to sleep around 4:30 this morning and woke up at 8 still feeling ashamed and humiliated. After a pep talk from Jason I do what I always do now when I need to think and process...I vacuumed the floor, unloaded the dishwasher, etc. When those duties were taken care of before our company arrived I opened up to the Psalms and started in chapter 17 since today is the 17th and my birthday...why not read the 17th chapter? I kept reading and read the familiar 19th chapter of Psalms but this time it really meant something to me instead of just being words on the page which the word can often be when I don't ask the Lord to reveal Himself to me by His Spirit through His word.

Psalm 19:7-14

The law of the Lord is perfect, restoring the soul;
The testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple.
The precepts of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart;
The commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes.
The fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever;
The judgments of the Lord are true; they are righteous altogether
They are more desirable than gold, yes, than much fine gold;
Sweeter also than honey and the drippings of the honeycomb.
Moreover, BY THEM YOUR SERVANT IS WARNED;
In keeping them there is great reward.
Who can discern his errors?
ACQUIT ME OF HIDDEN FAULTS!
ALSO, KEEP BACK YOUR SERVANT FROM PRESUMPTUOUS SINS;
LET THEM NOT RULE OVER ME;
THEN I will be blameless, and I SHALL BE ACQUITTED OF
GREAT TRANSGRESSION.
Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart
be acceptable in your sight, O Lord, my rock and my Redeemer.

I wrote this out in my journal and began to think about the sinfulness of sin. I remembered a preacher (maybe Jackson Boyette?)once saying that the bible describes sin using sin because you can't get any more wretched than the 'sinfulness of sin.' I somehow remembered it was from Romans 7 and I read it as well as a chunk of commentary on it...good stuff:

Romans 7:13-14 Therefore, did that which is good (the law that reveals sin) become a cause of death for me? May it never be! Rather it was SIN, in order that it might be shown to be sin by effecting my death through that which is good, so that through the commandment 'SIN WOULD BECOME UTTERLY SINFUL.'

Here's the commentary:

Thus sin by the commandment does appear sin (Rom_7:13); it appears in its own colours, appears to be what it is, and you cannot call it by a worse name than its own. Thus by the commandment it becomes exceedingly sinful; that is, it appears to be so. We never see the desperate venom or malignity there is in sin, till we come to compare it with the law, and the spiritual nature of the law, and then we see it to be an evil and a bitter thing. 2. It was humbling (Rom_7:9): I was alive. He (Paul) thought himself in a very good condition; he was alive in his own opinion and apprehension, very secure and confident of the goodness of his state. Thus he was once, pote - in times past, when he was a Pharisee; for it was the common temper of that generation of men that they had a very good conceit of themselves; and Paul was then like the rest of them, and the reason was he was then without the law. Though brought up at the feet of Gamaliel, a doctor of the law, though himself a great student in the law, a strict observer of it, and a zealous stickler for it, yet without the law. He had the letter of the law, but he had not the spiritual meaning of it - the shell, but not the kernel. He had the law in his hand and in his head, but he had it not in his heart; the notion of it, but not the power of it. There are a great many who are spiritually dead in sin, that yet are alive in their own opinion of themselves, and it is their strangeness to the law that is the cause of the mistake. But when the commandment came, came in the power of it (not to his eyes only, but to his heart), sin revived, as the dust in a room rises (that is, appears) when the sun-shine is let into it. Paul then saw that in sin which he had never seen before; he then saw sin in its causes, the bitter root, the corrupt bias, the bent to backslide, - sin in its colours, deforming, defiling, breaking a righteous law, affronting an awful Majesty, profaning a sovereign crown by casting it to the ground, - sin in its consequences, sin with death at the heels of it, sin and the curse entailed upon it. “Thus sin revived, and then I died; I lost that good opinion which I had had of myself, and came to be of another mind. Sin revived, and I died; that is, the Spirit, but the commandment, convinced me that I was in a state of sin, and in a state of death because of sin.” Of this excellent use is the law; it is a lamp and a light; it converts the soul, opens the eyes, prepares the way of the Lord in the desert, rends the rocks, levels the mountains, makes ready a people prepared for the Lord.

So the Law of God is indeed perfect, reviving the soul. The gospel is indeed needed for the unbeliever and believer alike, daily. The gospel shoots down condemnation and shame and humiliation and does away with sin and exalts Christ and decreases us.

Oh that I would hate sin, take up the shield of faith to exstinguish the flaming darts of the enemy, expose my sin on the '5 O'Clock News', and trust wholeheartedly our gracious God who has made a way for us through the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ. Praise the Lord.

Church Search comes to an end at 3rd Avenue Baptist Church!

2008-10-12T19:24:00.000-07:00

Praise Jesus! We have decided to join 3rd Avenue Baptist Church! Jason and I are very excited about this decision and this new community of believers to get to know. They already feel like our family! Here is a snippit from this morning's Sunday school and service:

The SS class was over Church History: the Early Church Fathers.

Gregory of Nazianzus (don't ask me who that guy is) said:

"For we ought to think of God even more often than we draw our breath; and if the expression is permissible, we ought to do nothing else."

Hymn from this morning: "O Great God"

O great God of highest heaven, occupy my lowly heart;
Own it all and reign supreme, conquer every rebel power.
Let no vice or sin remain that resists your holy war.
You have loved and purchased me-make me yours forevermore.

I was blinded by my sin, had no ears to hear your voice;
Did not know your love within, had not taste for heaven's joy.
Then your Spirit gave me life, opened up Your word to me;
Through the gospel of your Son gave me endless hope and peace.

Help me now to live a life that's dependent on your grace;
Keep my heart and guard my soul from the evils that I face.
YOU ARE WORTHY TO BE PRAISED WITH MY EVERY THOUGHT AND DEED;
O GREAT GOD OF HIGHEST HEAVEN, GLORIFY YOUR NAME THROUGH ME.

YOU ARE WORTHY TO BE PRAISED WITH MY EVERY THOUGHT AND DEED;
O GREAT GOD OF HIGHEST HEAVEN, GLORIFY YOUR NAME THROUGH ME.

That is such a great song. All the songs we sing up here are solid and filled with truth that causes you to reflect on who God is and worship Him.

It is so nice to know where we will fellowship every Sunday. There is so much joy found in the local church. We need the local church for so many reasons. It's our body. Of course we need our hands and our feet and our eyes and ears; not to mention our heart and lungs and other vital organs. It would be foolish to think we don't need them. Likewise, we NEED the local church that meets under the Headship of Christ. We need accountability. We need fellowship. We need encouragement. We need to encourage. We need to serve. We need to hear the word of God. We need to speak the word of God. We need to worship through song. We need discipleship. We need to disciple. We need the body. We need the gospel. We need Christ.

Thank you Lord Jesus for the church that meets at 3rd Avenue.

The Beauty of Simplicity

2008-09-24T13:21:00.000-07:00

Wow. I don't even know where to begin. I am sitting on my couch looking at our bookshelf that is slowly being filled with more books. Books about theology, books about the NT and the OT, books about counseling, the kingdom of Christ, discipleship, the puritans, and so on. All exist for the purpose of aiding us to know Christ better. We've been checking out churches so we get a sermon every Sunday and a sermon at Chapel on Tuesdays and Thursdays. And then I go to Panera Bread to use the internet while our power was out and next to me I hear a dad helping his 4 or 5 year old daughter memorize scripture. Behind me is a table full of guys memorizing greek or hebrew vocabulary. I go to Java Brewing Company, again because we had no power, and the first book I see sitting on the coffee bar is Kingdom of Christ, a book belonging to one of our seminary friends. I walk into the entrance to the weight room and I hear a dad say lovingly to his son, "Son, do you know why you received correction?" By the time we leave here I will probably have forgotten how to open doors for myself because the population of gentlemen, or nice people in general, is overflowing up here. We can't pick a church to go to because every one we've been to is proclaiming the truth of God's word and loving people (great problem to have by the way).

Let's just say, "I'm in a bubble." It is a great bubble. I'm thankful for such Godly examples all around me. I really am. And I am extremely grateful, once we decide on a church, for a Godly, bible-based church. But you know who I have come to respect more and more on a deeper level? My brother-in-law Sylas and his wife Shea. They labor faithfully where these things DON'T take place all around them. Sylas, week after week, Wednesday after Wednesday, walks right down into the basement of FBC Eldorado and faithfully proclaims God's word and exalts Christ among those students listening in. He doesn't stray from the text and he doesn't neglect the hard truths but proclaims them with love. Not only does he proclaim God's word there but he lives Christ among the people in Eldorado. It's not just his youth group that know him...the whole town knows Sylas because he's involved in their lives. Meanwhile, Shea is at home raising three of the most precious boys on the face of the planet (I'm a little bias), cooking meals, taking care of house and home and Sylas' needs so that together they can minister. I can't tell you how many girls have come in and out of that house receiving love and biblical counsel from Shea. They press on. They minister faithfully. They endure. We ate lunch with Brian Croft, pastor of Auburndale Baptist Church (where Ryan and Sarah attend) and when he began pastoring the church 5 years ago there were about 30 elderly people and dwindling. He said that on the first day he was going to preach he sat in the first pew before anybody arrived and he prayed. He knew that if this church was going to survive, it would only be by the grace of God and by the faithful preaching of God's word. So, Brian has faithfully preached and proclaimed God's word these last five years and by God's grace, 3 years ago, God kept the church that meets at Auburndale from dispersing. Now, Brian continues to preach God's word and strives to disciple and train up the men in his church to be pastors and teachers. Brian reminded me of Sylas as well. Two men, two very different locations, both standing on God's word and proclaiming the whole counsel of God. God blesses that.

I don't doubt that God has Jason and I in this 'bubble' for a time being for our good and our sanctification. I'm excited to see where God will take us after seminary and what God will lead us to do. But in the midst of this bubble, this ideal christian world, it would be easy to miss Christ. For the simplicity of the gospel to lose it's rightful place and be replaced with all kinds of spiritual disciplines and 'good things'. All these things I'm surrounded by are good things and they are because of Christ. I praise God that dads are helping their kids memorize scripture and that there are dads that are disciplining and correcting their children and that we do have books to read to help us learn. I am thankful for all these things. But it is Christ that meets my every need and sustains and satisfies me. Not what is going on around me. It is Christ and Christ alone. What a beautiful, simple truth.

To Live is Christ....To Die is GAIN!!!!!!

2008-09-17T18:02:00.000-07:00

So, the ministry I used to be with is putting on this conference that is going to be AMAZING!! You should check it out at:

www.toeverytribe.com

Piper is going to be there and David Sitton, founder of To Every Tribe Ministries, as well as Brett Harris. The title is "The Purpose Driven Death Mission Conference." Sounds risky but I know Jesus is worth the risk. Dr. Mohler has been teaching on a year of living dangerously...our lives should be lived worthy of the gospel no matter the risks, no matter the cost! Jesus is worth it! Well, check it out and go if you are able...I have no doubt that you will be blessed!!!

If anyone wants to buy my plane ticket to Austin I would be much obliged...I'm only half kidding...although I'm hoping I have a job by then...I've had one interview so far and am setting up another interview with another hospital...YAY!!! Love you guys!!!

Life in the Fast Lane

2008-08-30T19:25:00.000-07:00

So...we're pretty much settled into our new apartment in Louisville and I have got a hold of just a few pics of the wedding and Louisville. So, here you go...

The Wedding

Bride and Groom!

The Bridesmaids and the Bride!

Louisville

The road to our Apartment...beautiful, Eh?

Bar-B-Que at the Butt's house...all the girls...and all from Texas!!!
(L to R: Sarah Bebee, Kari Plevon, Alicia White, Jamie Butts, Me, Kristin Booth)
And wishing we could add to the couch Shea Politte and Ashley Minor and...

One morning before church...we're still looking for one to go to permanently

Jason after a week of Seminary...

Jason with his new Spurgeon Bobblehead that keeps him company at his desk as he reads...and reads, and reads, and reads....

and reads...

I think Spurgeon has something to say:

“Wisdom is the right use of knowledge. To know is not to be wise. Many men know a great deal, and are all the greater fools for it. There is no fool so great a fool as a knowing fool. But to know how to use knowledge is to have wisdom.”

and

“By perseverance the snail reached the ark.”

Thanks Spurgeon for the words of wisdom!!

Well, that's all the pics for now! Jason is enjoying his seminary classes and is now working at Chick-Fil-A in the mall with the other half of Southern Seminary. Really, Ryan helped several of our Texan friends new to Seminary get jobs there and now they all work at the same Chick-Fil-A with other non-Texan seminarians. They're everywhere! Good times!

I am still applying for nursing jobs and trying to keep myself busy...here is a quote from Spurgeon that PERFECTLY defines my life right now...

“There is no fatigue so wearisome as that which comes from lack of work” Spurgeon

I have slept probably 30 hours of the last 48 and I am still trying to figure out why! Maybe I'm finally catching up on sleep from this past summer!! Maybe its the allergies...after all, we are in the Allergy Capital of the world! When I am awake I am usually driving Jason to class or work and running errands or reading. Right now I am reading Matthew and studying the parables from a book called "The Parables of Jesus" by Terry Johnson. This summer we taught on various parables and my desire to know them better initiated this study. I have really enjoyed it! On top of that I am reading "Feminine Appeal" by Caroline Mahaney and daily realizing more and more how selfish and prideful I am. I tell you...it is one thing to know in your head that marriage is better when you are selfless and a whole other thing to actually live it out. The days I have been more selfless than selfish are the better days of my marriage. Praise God for His gracious grace and His loving kindness to show me my sin and then enable me to walk in truth and so make my marriage even happier! He is a good, good God!!!

Ecuador, Canada, Wedding, Louisville

2008-08-13T18:30:00.000-07:00

Not too many people travel out of the country for their engagement to two different countries and then come home and get married four days later. But...such is my life and I love it! Walking with Jesus is the greatest and most fun adventure anyone could ever go on!! So, now that I have time to breathe I thought I might give you the scoop on Ecuador and Canada and the wedding and Louisville all in one blog. Yikes you say? I will try and keep it short!! Here goes the picture story of Ecuador and Canada:

The staff at the equator in Ecuador

Camp Chacauco

Tungurahua...the volcano about 20 miles from Camp Chacauco usually covered by clouds

Syncretistic Catholocism dominates this region

The Kiddos

The Market

Team Building Time with Larrie and Angela on the lake in Ecuador

We stopped by to visit the house that Nate Saint and his family lived in while doing missions in Ecuador.

The basket they used to lower the gifts to the Waodani from Nate's Piper Plane

OH CANADA!!!!

Staff trip to Ottawa

Lake Ontario

Jumping into Lake Ontario with all our clothes on...see me in the back with my hands in the air?

On to more important things...like camp....here we are at the site luncheon where we met the people we would be working with throughout Kingston during our 3 weeks in Canada.

Painting the inside of a First Baptist Church Kingston

The week prior to this picture my group tore up the linoleum floor and Will's (the man on the right) group came the week after us and laid new tile for FBC Kingston.

All in all it was a great summer. I thoroughly enjoyed getting to know everyone on staff and made some lifelong friends. The best part of the summer I would have to say was the time of worship every night of camp. No matter what was going on in my day, when worship rolled around, it was a sweet, refreshing time with Jesus, just worshiping Him. It was a great summer!

I returned home July 29th and Jason as well as his parents and mine greeted me at the airport. It was a sweet reunion!!! Four days later I was married to Jason Arnold and 8 days later we moved to Louisville, Kentucky. I am sitting on my couch in the living room in my apartment as I type this. I regret to say that I have no pictures yet of the wedding or Louisville but I plan to get right on that!! So, stay tuned for the photo story of the last two weeks of my life!!!

Ecuador Here I Come!!

2008-06-05T23:30:00.001-07:00

Well, today was filled with many challenges...the first being the daily battle against sin. I seemed to be on the front lines today with the battle raging on but Christ being all sufficient and mighty to save!! I hate being a wretched sinner but I love being a child of the King!! Praise the Lord for imputed righteousness all because of Christ....I love it! Well, I leave in approximately 2 and a half hours to hop my first plane of several before making it to Ecuador tomorrow (or today) evening!

I am so excited!! Tomorrow I will get to meet the staff and then fly to Ecuador with them and there serve side by side for the faith of the gospel with them!! What a life we have in Christ!! Oh the richness of Him!!

We will spend one week training and preparing for the day when we get to say "CAMPERS ARE COMING!!!" (Reminds me of good ole Camp Buckner)! Well, I believe the following Friday is when they arrive. We will have two weeks of camp in Ecuador before flying to Canada to continue camp only in a different country. Fun times!

Camp consists of running, breakfast, bible-study with the students (this is where we the staff of M-fuge come in), ministry at different sites/locations, lunch, more ministry, free-time, dinner, camp-wide worship, youth group time, bedtime.

My job basically consists of joy after joy. I have the privilege of teaching through some of the parables in Matthew with the students and then leading them in ministry at different sites in Ecuador and Canada. What a life!

I would greatly appreciate your prayers for me this summer as I teach God's word. Pray I rightly divide it and speak only the truth. Pray that the truth would sink deep in the hearts and the minds of the students that will result in a life of praise to the Father and a desire to make Him known. Pray for the people we will be taking the gospel to in Ecuador and Canada, that God would be mighty to save. Pray for the unity among the staff at Mission Fuge as we labor side by side for the faith of the gospel. Pray for Barrett, the camp pastor, that God would speak through him as his vessel of truth. Pray for those who lead worship, that it wouldn't be about them but that our hearts would be directed to singing praises to our King and Him alone who is worthy of our praise. Pray for steadfastness in all of us, that we would run to win the race and that we would throw off the sin that so easily entangles us and that we would press on to Know Him. Thank you for your prayers!!!!

Mission Day with the Kids of Dayspring...

2008-05-31T20:12:00.000-07:00

This morning I had the joy of teaching about 20 kiddos from Dayspring about Missions. We sang a few songs, I shared about missions, and then we made tortillas...La Barra style! It was so much fun to see the little kids roll the dough between their hands and smash it in the tortilla press!! While we were making tortillas, the other kids were playing 'Tina' (pronounced teenya), the spanish version of 'Tag'. Good times...

Lead Me To The Cross

2008-05-30T19:31:00.000-07:00

Song Lyrics by Hillsong:

Savior I come
Quiet my soul remember
Redemptions hill
Where Your blood was spilled
For my ransom

Everything I once held dear
I count it all as loss

Lead me to the cross
Where Your love poured out
Bring me to my knees
Lord I lay me down
Rid me of myself
I belong to You
Lead me, lead me to the cross

You were as I
Tempted and trialed
You are
The word became flesh
Bore my sin and death
Now you're risen

To your heart
To your heart
Lead me to your heart
Lead me to your heart

This song is so simple. The simplicity of the gospel preached brings such joy and peace. Oh that God would lead us to the cross every waking moment of our lives. Oh that our hearts would be inclined to the heart of God every waking moment of every day. I join with Paul in struggling for all believers, including myself, at Colossae in chapter two: that we would reach all the riches of full assurance of understanding and the knowledge of God's mystery, which is CHRIST, in whom are hidden all the TREASURES of wisdom and knowledge (vs 2b-3). Oh that we would exhaust the treasure chest of Christ and that all the wisdom and knowledge we glean from Him would result in a life of praise to the King, the Savior, the Redeemer, the Father. The gospel is simple but filled with inexhaustible joy and treasure found in Christ alone. May our lives reflect the Treasure we contain in these feeble jars of clay.

OK...so I LOVE Cheeze!

2008-05-29T07:59:00.000-07:00

Well, this last Saturday I GOT ENGAGED! It is amazing what the Lord is doing. I am sitting back and just marveling at His awesome works!! I quote with the Psalmist:

"This is the Lord's doing; it is marvelous in our eyes." Psalm 118:23

I can't begin to explain the progression of our relationship and how fun it has been to wait on the Lord and follow His lead in our lives. I think even we are shocked and amazed at how the Lord has brought this about so quickly. His timing is perfect and so right and it is a blessing to walk according to what He has for us.

So, here is the story...the night began with dinner at Peasant Village in San Angelo. I had some incredible Chicken Parmesan. Afterwards, Jason took me to the Huckaby's house where we meet for small group on Sunday nights. They have a beautiful back deck that overlooks the state park. Not to mention we had already shared some incredible times of fellowship and worshiping the Lord together on that back deck with all our friends. We arrived and of course no one was home but the front door just happened to be unlocked...we went to the back deck and Jason asked if he could read me a letter he wrote me. He proceeded to read it to me and just before he finished he mentioned getting into the word a little bit. He had to go get bibles though. He came back with his bible and with a new brown bible for me...with Cara Arnold printed on the front. I opened the bible to where the bookmark was placed, in Proverbs 31, and the ring was tied to the ribbon. Jason then told me he loved me for the first time and asked if I would marry him...but I said no. Just kidding. I said yes! We then read Ephesians 5 together before he took me to the place where this blog began, Baker Street. We both love cheesecake and chocolate and Baker Street has Turtle cheesecake, which is the best of both worlds, so we took off! Little did I know that an engagement party was awaiting me! I walked in and saw two of my friends from college. Not a shocking thing because that is where we always hung out. But then my nephew Jacob came and hugged me. I thought, that is odd...and then I rounded the corner to a room full of people staring at me. Yeah...not so used to that! The sweetest moment of all was when I saw my mom walking towards me! And then my Dad!! Jason invited them to come all the way to San Angelo to share this incredible moment with me! It was the biggest blessing ever and I am still beaming with joy and thankfulness for that moment. For the actual facial reactions you can go to a blog my sister has already created at:

bebeearnoldwedding.blogspot.com

We enjoyed fellowship with our friends and family and some good turtle cheesecake. This past week my sister, who is multi-talented, took our engagement pics. Here are a few of my favorites!

I will keep you posted as the journey continues. I am still working with Mission Fuge this summer. I leave June 6th for Ecuador and arrive back in the states from Canada on July 29th. I will then get married four days later on August 2nd!! I mentioned that my sister was multi-talented...she and my mom will be planning my wedding. I am so excited that I get to leave and not worry about plans and then just come home and get married! Not much of a wedding planner. After the honeymoon, we will move up to Kentucky and Jason will start seminary at Southern on August 18th! So excited about being a seminary wife!!! I will find a job as a nurse and get the much needed medical experience I have been wanting. Well, pray for me this summer as I have the privilege and opportunity to invest in many students lives as well as the people we go to with the gospel in Ecuador and Canada. I'm excited to see what the Lord has planned for this summer. I love to watch Him work!! Love you all!!

I like Cheeze...

2008-05-22T14:52:00.000-07:00

So...life happens fast sometimes...really fast. Faster than I can keep up with. It amazes me to see how God is not bound by time or our circumstances. He is author of both time and our circumstances and He uses them in our lives for His glory. He is good.

So...here is life in the fast lane for me. God brings me to a place of sweet surrender before Him that He would use my life to exalt Christ the way HE has planned. A friend put it best in response to what the Lord taught me about Christ being first place and not missions, "Cara, it sounds like you want your life to exalt Christ and you just thought missions was the best way to do that." I could hardly believe how nicely she summed that up. So, I have been living life before the Lord and what He has for me. In the meantime, a young man I've known through college and served with in ministry in college and will be going to Southern Seminary in the fall, took notice of me. He asked permission from my father to pursue a relationship with me. And then he called my brother and talked with my brother-in-law as well. He passed the test and received permission and then pursued me. We are now enjoying getting to know each other and growing in Godliness together and being challenged by each other. I guess I should tell you his name. His name is Jason Arnold, or better known in San Angelo as 'Cheeze.' I would love to post a picture of him but I have yet to get a picture of him! So sorry!! You can take my word for it though that he is pretty good lookin!! Maybe next blog!!

Girl's Night!!

2008-05-18T10:24:00.000-07:00

GIRLS JUSTA WANNA HAVE FUN! OH, GIRLS JUSTA WANNA HAVE FU-UN!

Bethany, Me, Liz, Suzannah, Kristin, Micah, Casey, Cassidy
We ate dinner at Twin Mountain Steakhouse! I had tropical chicken with mango salsa. I felt like I was in Mexico again with the taste of spicy mango!!

Game night at Baker Street!!

K Booth, the lovely instigator of this night of fun, and me!!

My friend Bethany Russo! Daughter of Elaine Russo who has discipled me for the last 4 years of my life! Love that family!!

Just thought I would share with you some fun times being had in Angelo!! That's all!

Satisfied

2008-05-11T11:54:00.000-07:00

Song Lyrics: Karl Digerness

All my life long, I had panted
For a drink from some cool spring
that I hoped would quench the burning
of the thirst I felt within.

Chorus:
Hallelujah! He has found me,
the One my soul so long has craved!
Jesus satisfies all my longings
Through his blood I now am saved

Feeding on the filth around me
till my strength was almost gone
Longed my soul for something better
only still to hunger on.

Chorus

Poor I was and sought for riches
something that would satisfy.
But the dust I gathered 'round me
only mocked my soul's sad cry.

Chorus

Well of water ever springing
Bread of Life so rich and free.
Untold wealth that never faileth,
my Redeemer is to me.

Chorus

This morning I woke up to Kyle crying out relentlessly. As I laid in bed listening to him, waiting for Sylas to get him (I guess I could have done it!!), I thought, this is how we should cry out to God...relentlessly. If Kyle could think biblically I'm sure he would interpret his cries as "How long, O Daddy? Will you hide yourself forever?" The Psalmist says "How long, O Lord? Will you hide yourself forever?..." Psalm 89:46. Well, Sylas got Kyle and took him to the living room to give him some milk. He then placed Kyle back in his crib fast asleep. A little time spent with his Dad and some milk brought him back to a place of rest. That is so much like us with our heavenly Father. Times of refreshing come from the presence of the Lord and from drinking the pure milk of the word (Acts 3:20; 1 Peter 2:2-3). Well, since 30 minutes passed and I was unable to fall back asleep I went to spend some time with my Dad in the word. I opened to Jeremiah and began to read. We studied the first few chapters of this book while in La Barra in February and what I learned then began to flood back to my memory.

Jeremiah 2:13
"for my people have committed two evils:
1) they have forsaken ME, the fountain of living waters
2) and hewed out cisterns for themselves, broken cisterns that can hold no water."

How many times do we do this? Yes, we, me included? We turn to the things of this world that don't satisfy. It is like pouring water into a bucket that has a hole in it. It is USELESS! In this case the Israelites had forsaken God who brought them out of Egypt and made for themselves idols of wood and stone. They worshiped the gods of the nations around them. WHAT?

Jeremiah 10:15
"They (idols) are worthless, a work of delusion; at the time of their punishment they shall perish."

On the day of judgment before God, no stone or carved piece of wood is going to stand between you and the Judge and save you. Neither will wealth or riches in this world nor status or the material things of this world. Only the righteousness of Christ imputed to you will enable you to stand before the Father.

God says in Jeremiah 2:5 "What wrong did your fathers find in me that they went far from me, and went after worthlessness, and BECAME WORTHLESS?"

Another place in scripture (can't find it right now) says that those who make idols will become like them: deaf, mute, dead. Well, it is pretty clear from scripture that when we go after anything other than Christ we will become worthless. Our hearts are no different than the Israelites in the time of the Old Testament. We have the same tendencies to reject the fountain of living waters and turn to broken cisterns that hold no water. I was challenged this morning to once again find my satisfaction in Him alone. On the way to church this morning I listened to the song written in my blog several times and meditated on that.

Here is the fourth verse again:
Well of water ever springing
Bread of Life so rich and free
Untold wealth that never faileth
my Redeemer is to me

My prayer is that Christ, the Only Redeemer, is all these things to us, His children. May we always draw from Him, the fountain of living waters, and never thirst again but be completely satisfied in Him!

that in everything HE might be preeminent...

2008-05-06T21:28:00.000-07:00

For Christmas I got an IPOD so I could listen to sermons while on the mission field...but considering we keep getting kicked out of the village we go to, my IPOD has found more use while on the road driving from one place to the next in my crazy, busy life. On my 6 1/2 hour drive from Los Fresnos to my home in Liberty Hill I listened to a sermon by Dan Kirk called John Calvin: A Life Ablaze for Christ. It was incredible. I meditated on it all weekend long and it has really transformed my thinking and outlook on everything. I will give you some of the text that I heard preached and then I will attempt to explain my transformed outlook on life. Here's the good stuff:

Colossians 1:13-20 Please grab the nearest bible and read it!

The following are some excerpts from the sermon:

I want us to begin with this Scripture this morning because I think it says something
that the American church desperately needs to hear, something that John Calvin believed with every fiber of his being. Namely, that Jesus Christ is the Head of the church and that God intends for Him to have “first place in everything.”
The reason the reformation occurred was because those who were leading the church
had pushed Christ, as it were, from his position as head and had inserted other things in His place.
T.H.L. Parker said, “Rome had destroyed the glory of Christ in many ways.
1. By calling upon the saints to intercede when Jesus is the only Mediator between God and man.
2. By adoring the blessed virgin when Christ alone is to be adored.
3. By offering continual sacrifices in the Mass when the sacrifice of Christ is complete and sufficient.
4. By elevating tradition to the level of Scripture and even making the word of God
dependent for its authority on the word of man.

Here is a profound question for us to consider: What should be emphasized most in
the church? The love of God? The Grace of God? Our mission to the nations?
Fellowship? Family? Evangelism? Ministry to the poor? I contend, as Calvin inferred,
that whenever a church emphasizes anything (even a biblical mandate) more highly,
more passionately, more devoutly than the glory and excellency of Christ, that
church has taken its first step toward error.

In other words, it is possible that a church can make as its primary focus good things like evangelism, or missions, or ministry to the poor, or counseling, or Bible study and theology, and yet be unknowingly heading toward error. Why? Because none of these are the main thing! None of these should have “First place” in the church!
What is our purpose? Peter made this clear in 1 Pet. 2:9 “You are A CHOSEN RACE, A royal PRIESTHOOD, A HOLY NATION, A PEOPLE FOR God's OWN POSSESSION, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.”

Calvin understood that the church in his day had lost the centrality of the majesty and the glory of Christ. The question for the church in his day as in ours is never “How can we achieve the greatest good?” but rather, “How can we most effectively magnify the glory of Christ.” When the glory of Christ and the proclamation of His excellencies is the first priority, then the church is ready to worship, and study, and evangelize and serve the community and reach the nations without drifting into error.

If you would like to hear the rest of the sermon about the incredible, encouraging life of Calvin you can go to: http://www.sermonplayer.com/cbcfortworth/rss/
Scroll down and look for John Calvin: A Life Ablaze for Christ. I think you will be blessed by this man's life. I was. Now to what the Lord has been showing me and I have been meditating on for the last few days...

You all know I have a passion for missions. Where did that passion come from? A desire to let my life be worthy of the gospel of Christ as spoken of in my favorite verse, Philippians 1:27. But here is where my thinking is changing. Missions isn't the only way to let my life be worthy of the gospel of Christ. In essence, I was asking "How can I achieve the greatest good?"; in my own terms "What is the best way to live a life worthy of the gospel?" of which I would answer, 'missions.' I shouldn't be asking the question so that I give the answer. The question should be "How can I most effectively magnify the glory of Christ?" and God will answer as He daily leads me. I am not God. I don't know how He desires to use me for His glory but what I do know is that my aim should be to magnify Christ no matter what I do in my life.

You may wonder why I am thinking through all these things. As my supporters, I feel like you should know where I am spiritually. On the last trip to La Barra, we went to the beach and while the others played in the huge waves I climbed the familiar boulders at the end of the beach to spend some time with the Lord (not me in the picture).

I was distraught at this point and crying out for God to speak. It was as if he stripped me of everything, including all my desires, until all that was left was Cara Bebee. Not Cara and missions...just Cara. I wondered at God seemingly 'taking away' missions from my life. What did that mean? If His will for my life isn't missions then what is it?

It is for Christ to have first place in everything.

You know, I'm pretty good at saying "I will see you Sunday, Lord willing" and truly mean that. I truly understand that I will see you Sunday only if the Lord wills to give me life until then. However, when I say "I want to do missions the rest of my life" I never think twice to say "Lord willing." So now I am saying that Christ is to be first place in everything in my life. My desire for this life is that my life would be worthy of the gospel of Christ but instead of defining what that looks like for myself, I will daily ask the Lord to display His glory and greatness in and through my life however HE so desires. God has stripped me of every desire it seems so that Christ can be preeminent in my life. And He himself and the truths of His word have been SWEET. Sweeter than they have in quite awhile.

God may give my desire back for missions like he gave Isaac back to Abraham. But even if He doesn't it is not like I am void or lacking something because I still have Christ. My contentment and satisfaction is not found in finding the perfect team to do missions with or the perfect, most unreached tribe to reach but my contentment and satisfaction is found in Christ and Christ alone.

I can't deny what God is doing in my heart and I don't understand all it's implications. Part of me wants to muster up a desire for missions again and cling to it but then missions would be preeminent and not Christ which would be a first step toward error. Rather, I will emphasize the glory and excellency of Christ more highly, more passionately, and more devoutly than I will missions or any other biblical mandate we seek to obey and walk in. And I will trust Christ to use my life for His glory and for making Him known as He so chooses. Praise the Lord for His goodness to call such sinners out of darkness and into His marvelous light that we would proclaim His excellencies!

Leaving La Barra...but not for good!!

2008-04-29T18:09:00.000-07:00

Well, we arrived home today; 3 days earlier than planned. We learned a lot on this trip about so many things. La Barra is a little different than the other places we go to with the gospel with TETM. TETM has been sending teams to La Barra for 7-8 years using different strategies for relationship building such as medical and dental clinics or baseball. So far the strategies have worked and we have built many friendships with the people in La Barra. This last fall we met two believers and just this past February we met two more. However, this December a man by the name of Jose moved into office as Vice President for La Barra and he, along with a few other men, don't like our presence in La Barra, because they know exactly why we are there; to plant a church, a New Testament/La Barra church. When we went in February he told us the men in office met and decided it would be best right now for various reasons that we leave La Barra. We left only to find out from our believing friend Eva that he had lied to us. When we drove back into the village to check with Eva and the President to see if it were true, Jose was furious but we had permission to stay through the President, Arturo. This time, the men of our team met with Jose and Arturo and two other men on the council and Jose did all the talking, telling us we need to leave. He told us that the whole village voted and the majority said they didn't want us here. It ended up he gave us until Saturday (we rolled into La Barra on Wednesday morning). We met with the believers every morning and pray that our time with them strengthened them in the Lord like Jonathon was able to strengthen David in the Lord in 1 Samuel 23:16. When visiting with the people of the village we learned that they wanted us there. As far as we know Jose lied to us about the majority of the village voting for us to leave. We never used names or gave details when we explained to people why we were leaving earlier than planned. We simply said, "The authorities of the village don't want us here and we want to respect them." Everybody knew exactly who it was without us having to say a word. In this case we learned that parading a caravan of people with a big trailer and setting up camp is kind of a slap in the face to the authorities who don't want us there. We decided it would be best to leave in a peaceable fashion with the authorities in town (mainly just Jose). But of course we won't leave for good. The gospel still must go forth in that village and now we know four believers there who are our friends; Eva, Inocenta, Eugenia, and Briseda. However, next time we go it will be a much smaller group of spanish speakers with the intent of going around visiting families and opening the word of God with them as they have expressed a desire. There are many people, friends of ours, in that village that enjoy our company and want to know more about the word and one family in particular was disappointed this time as we pulled out because we weren't able to visit them with all that was going on. Elizabeth said, "Next time you come here you come to my house!" Her face was stern as she said it and I wasn't sure if she was hurt but then as we said goodbye she gave us a huge smile! We did attempt to visit her family this time but the one night we went nobody was home. So, we left La Barra a few days early but with more wisdom as to how to bring the gospel to this village. Lord willing, a small group will return in July consisting of Chris, George (pastor in California, fluent in spanish), Jim (big jolly fellow who plays the guitar and the kids love him), and maybe Jose (a translator that came on this last trip). Lord willing these men will accomplish much for the gospel as they visit with our friends in La Barra about the gospel!

As for the unbelieving husbands you have been praying for, it was a blessing to see evidence of God drawing their hearts to Himself. Rafael, Eva's husband, is very hospitable and kind to us. He was the one who spoke with Jose and got us a few more days in La Barra. OJ, a man from TETM who went on the last trip with us but was unable to go on this trip, sent a package to Rafael with a letter pleading with him to look to Christ. Chris and Jose both had separate conversations with Rafael about the Lord of which Rafael replied with honesty and a recognition of his need but stating he was just 'not ready.' Pray the Lord gets him 'ready.' Also, Pancho (or Endefonso; Inocenta's husband), came to our meeting the last day and opened the word of God with us and followed along. The fact that a working man would take time away from his work to come to a gathering of believers and open the word is evidence enough the Lord may be drawing Him in. We pray this is so! Eugenia's husband, Eduardo, is in the states right now working. Please be praying for his salvation as well. Briseda is the other believer and I just found out tonight from a member of our team that she is married but we don't know his name. Please also be praying for their walks with the Lord that they would grow up in salvation and that they would encourage one another DAILY! Also pray that the wives could live out 1 Peter 3:1-6.

Pray for Jose, that the Lord would soften his heart and open his eyes to his need of a Savior, who is Christ. Pray for Pablo as well. Pablo doesn't want us there just as much as Jose but Pablo isn't as outspoken on it possibly because he is not in office and he also still talks with us as if nothing is wrong. I will say hello to Jose when I see him and he will answer but that is about it. Please be praying the Lord brings salvation to these two men!!

Thank you for all your prayers. Apart from the grace of God and your prayers, there is no way I would want to be on the mission field. To have a network of prayer going on while I'm on the field is like having a safety net under me while walking a tightrope 100 feet above the ground. There is security in knowing so many of you are praying. Thank you and know that through your prayers and my going, God is establishing His people, His Church, His body, in La Barra. You and I have been blessed and privileged to be a small part of the work He is doing in La Barra. I don't know when I will return to La Barra or if I ever will. Only the Lord knows. But thank you for your prayers and know that you accomplished just as much through your prayers for the people of La Barra as we did in going and doing the work among them. I love you all and thank you all for everything!!

La Barra News

2008-04-25T17:51:00.000-07:00

Praise the Lord, oh my soul, and all that is within me, bless His holy name!!

The trip down to La Barra was uneventful until the last day. We left around 7 am only to sit on the highway for an hour and a half while the road was cleared of an accident. No one was hurt that we know of. We were able to give a man the booklet Ultimate Questions as we chatted with those on the road waiting. Later we saw his friend reading it in his truck. We were back on the road again until around 1:30 pm when we came to a dead stop again. Apparently a village several kilometers ahead was protesting by blocking the road until 7 pm because the government wasn´t supplying them medicine. Maybe we will stop by there on our way back and give out some of our medicines! Due to this stop we stayed another night in a hotel in Salina Cruz just several hours from La Barra.

Finally, Wednesday morning we arrived in La Barra. That night we were told to meet with Jose (VP), Arturo (Pres), and the secretary and treasurer. Jose did all the talking and basically told us to leave, because the majority of the people in La Barra voted for us not to come back (this was a lie). Rafael later that night did some negotiating with Jose and we were told we could stay until Saturday. Thursday, some of the men from the team went to talk to Jose but couldn´t find him but found out instead from the people they visited with that they never voted for us not to come back. As the story unfolds we are realizing more and more that the village people love us and want us here. Jose is the only one who is persistent in our not being here. Pablo, a good friend from times past and one who loves La Barra, feels the same way but has never been outright angry with us. He has always been kind and still calls us his friends. Tonight the men from our team played baseball at the field and Jose was there. The contact was friendly but please be praying that the Lord would remove his heart of stone and replace it with a heart of flesh; that God would save him and make him a new creation, for His glory. Pray also for Pablo that God would save him.

As we seek the Lord we see this trip as a time to really strengthen the four believers who are here: Eva, Inocenta, Eugenia, and Briseda. We met this morning, except Briseda, and sang praises and Paul Poppe exhorted them from Colossians 1:3-8.
Please join us in prayer that God would strengthen these believers to press on to know Him long after we are gone. For some westerners this may sound strange, but there has been some real outward spiritual warfare going on in Eva´s house (before our arrival), especially dealing with her 5 year old daughter Dayana. Please be praying for Eva and for the salvation of her husband Rafael and their children Israel, Jonathan, and Dayana. The hardest part about being here is that we don´t necessarily get the threats but Eva and her unbelieving husband do. They have a lot they could lose for standing firm in the faith, and Rafael is not even a believer (that we know of)! They could be reduced to nothing and forced to start over and if this happens then God is faithful and will provide but please pray for the gospel to go forth in La Barra, whatever the cost; that God would shine His glory in this dark place and that the gospel would penetrate the hearts of those in this little village. Pray that the witness of the four believers would be used by God to change hearts. I have so much more I wish to tell you but I think this will suffice.

If I told you my heart´s cry it would be from a begging position, pleading with you to pray for salvation for the people I have mentioned in this update as well as many more I haven´t mentioned: Eduardo (Eugenia´s husband) and Pancho (Inocenta´s husband) to name a few more. We don´t know if we will be here much past tomorrow and we know that God can move mountains. He can accomplish anything He desires in whatever time frame He chooses. Pray He uses us for His glory to plant seeds and Lord willing, reap a harvest. Thank you for joining me in prayer. You are a HUGE blessing to me!

Life Since La Barra

2008-04-19T17:36:00.000-07:00

I like to think I keep you all well informed of what is going on while I'm on a mission trip but then I go back to the states and the update emails slow to a screeching halt. I want to inform you all of what I have been up to the last month of my life. We will see if you can keep up with me...sometimes I can't keep up with myself!!

A few days after returning from La Barra I hopped back into a car with my parents and this time drove North East from Austin instead of South. We drove to visit my brother and his wife, Ryan and Sarah, who live in Kentucky. Ryan is attending Southern Seminary while Sarah works at a school. I of course loved being back in Kentucky where the fun and the fellowship is overflowing. Ryan and Dad built a new deck on the back of Aaron and Kari Plevon's house who live just above Ryan and Sarah. They did a fine job if you ask me! (L to R: Dad, Ryan, Mom)

Then I returned to Austin for a few days and fellowshipped with my family in Christ at Dayspring Fellowship where I attend church. I have really enjoyed getting to know those at Dayspring and sitting under solid and edifying and challenging teaching.

Then I hopped a plane to Kansas City to visit my friends Shane and Laurel and their baby girl Hallie who went with us to La Barra last fall. I hadn't seen them since Thanksgiving so it was a sweet reunion. Hallie Lou hadn't grown too much and was still her cute little self! We hiked a few trails and saw a really HUGE tree!!

What I enjoyed the most about my trip to Kansas City was getting to know some of the families at Faith Community Church, where Shane and Laurel attend. The fellowship was amazingly sweet and extremely encouraging. I also had the privilege and the joy of eating lunch Sunday afternoon with the whole Spencer family (not enough time to describe how amazing the Spencer family of 10 and one on the way is), Shane and Laurel, another couple in their church interested in missions, and Frank and Marie Drown. You may not know who Frank and Marie Drown are so let me explain. Do you remember when five men by the names of Nate Saint, Jim Elliot, Roger Yoderian, Ed McCully, and Pete Fleming were martyred in Ecuador 'at the end of spears' made by Auca (now called Waodani)? At this time Frank and Marie were missionaries in another area of Ecuador and had worked with Roger and Nate was their pilot. When Frank was told there were five men down in Auca territory he was asked to organize the search and rescue party. He went and helped pull the bodies of these men, his very own friends, out of the river and bury them on the beach. He performed their funeral service using scripture from memory because of the severe storm falling upon them. He and Marie continued as missionaries there in Ecuador, and my favorite part...had five babies in Ecuador. We had the joy and privilege of sitting around a dinner table with them and learn from seasoned missionaries who had seen some of the worst of times and best of times. It was a blessing to see their faces still beaming with joy at the age of 86, still going strong in serving the Lord. What a testimony of how full a life is in Christ ALL THE DAYS OF OUR LIVES!! Well, needless to say this whet our appetite to hop the next plane to South America and locate an unreached tribe and begin the great task of learning the language and the culture all for the purpose of one day communicating to them the glorious and beautiful gospel of Christ that brings hope to sinners because there is a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ! Then we snapped back to reality and realize we have some preparing to do...

I was back in Austin only two days. I was thinking of my good friend Julie Mustard who will be serving with a camp for a month this summer in Ecuador and a month in Canada with Mission Fuge. I thought...maybe I could go visit her while she is in Ecuador just so I can get a taste of South America. No sooner had I been thinking of calling her did she call me! I answered the phone with an exuberant pouring forth of speech telling her all that I told you in the previous paragraph. She then told me that a girl on her staff dropped out and she needed a replacement...long story short, I'm going to Ecuador and Canada this summer to work with Mission Fuge as a Bible Study leader. I'm so excited about this! Twice when I was in the youth group I went to Mission Fuge and was changed in many ways by my time spent at M-Fuge. In fact, the first time I heard the name Jim Elliot was at M-Fuge in Tennessee. That was the name of our small group! Things have come full circle! I will be in Ecuador for the month of June and Canada for the month of July. I will share more on that later...

I then spent some more time in Austin before setting out to Eldorado. My sister was in desperate need of my help with three boys and Chronic Lyme Disease and the Exodus of Mormon children from the compound just a few miles from their house.

Now, I want you to know that every day of my life isn't perfect and without it's struggles and problems as it may come across in my updates. I want to give you the high points but I want you to know also that the last week and a half of my life has got to be one of the hardest weeks I've had in a long time when it comes to Spiritual warfare and killing sin. But God is faithful and full of strength and grace and we cannot be failed when we draw our strength from the well of His power and grace. He will never run dry! He is a spring of eternally flowing strength and grace for whatever we face. This all may sound cheesy but seriously...when we are the weakest we have ever felt and at the point of throwing our hands up in surrender and just can't pull ourselves up to walk in what we know we need to walk in...He is there to call upon and His power is made perfect in weakness and His grace is sufficient for you in your weakness. I experienced this again this last week and a half more than I ever have before and I love Him that He is our Savior and our Strength. I love Him because without Him we would still be dead in our sins and without hope in the world. But He is rich in mercy and abounding in loving-kindness. The kind of loving-kindness that gives up your only Son for the redemption of sinful mankind, to bring them out of the kingdom of darkness into the very Kingdom of God as His children! I could go on...instead...read Ephesians 1 and 2 and just rejoice in the gospel and don't let Satan steal your joy....EVER!!

So, now I am back in Los Fresnos and we are planning on setting out at 5 in the morning for La Barra. Maybe you know the scoop by now with La Barra, maybe not...here are the prayer points:

*TEAM UNITY – caps lock doesn't stress how important it is for the team to be united...please pray fervently for this even though it is just a week long. Think John 17 when you pray this as well as John 13:35.
*The gospel to go forth and permeate the village!
*This trip we were told by the leaders of the village we were not allowed to do the dental clinics. Medicine isn't as much of a need anymore in the village because they have access to a medical clinic in town. So, this may open up more time to visit the families of La Barra that we know that want us to visit with them and share with them more of the word of God. Pray for conversations to be filled with the gospel and the word of God!!
*For the believers: Eva, Inocenta, Briseda, and Eugenia (and for their husband's salvation; Briseda is single)
*For my spiritual disciplines: prayer, reading the word, scripture memory, etc. I have felt your prayers so many times in this area of my life over the last few months and I thank you soooo much for your prayers for me on this!

Thank you so much for all your prayers and support thus far in my missionary journey that has taken me all over the place. I pray one day soon I will be with a team among an unreached tribe somewhere in South America or Papua New Guinea. Who knows where God will send me. I just pray, and ask you to join me in prayer, that God would raise up a team of close knit people with like minds in taking the gospel to an unreached people group, preferrably tribal (according to my desires), and that we would be launched to that nation with the name of Jesus! Please join with me in praying towards this end. After this summer I am going to continue my search of a way to gain more medical experience until the time comes to go to the field. Pray God directs my steps in that as well and that He provides the perfect scenario for me to gain medical experience that will be applicable in the area I will go to on the mission field. Thank you again, my extended team, for all your prayers and support. I love you so much and see you as a part of my team when I go to places like La Barra. Many of your faces come to mind as I thank the Lord for the opportunity to go to the nations because I couldn't go without your prayers and financial support. Thank you for being obedient to the Lord in supporting what He is doing all over the world by prayer and finances in drawing His people to Himself as he sends missionaries to carry His name to the lost and dying. Thank you.

A Month in Mexico

2008-03-13T14:07:00.001-07:00

As most probably know by now, we went back to La Barra and were able to stay on Eva's property. Jose had NOT met with Arturo, the President, and lied to us saying we couldn't be there for various reasons. When we left we gave Eva and Rafael our email addresses (she did not have one at the time and got one for the sake of emailing us...this alone is an act of God...Computer's are foreign objects to most adults in this village). Eva went around collecting signatures of those who wanted us in La Barra. When she came to the President he had no idea we had been there and were kicked out. Eva emailed us and told us to return and that all was well. We came back in to make sure things were OK and sure enough they were. Jose remained furious the rest of our time there and we loved on him despite his feelings toward us. We went on to have a very fruitful trip shown in the following pictures!

The group of broken vessels the Lord chose to use to display His love in La Barra this time (minus Jim Blomstrand). Me, O.J., Luke (Paul's son), Paul, Faith, Chris. Thank you immensely for your continued prayers!

The family who opened their home and land to us. Rafael, Jonathan, Me, Eva, Dayana. The men set up their tents on their property and Rafael and Eva offered their spare bedroom (their oldest son's bedroom who now lives in Huatulco) for Faith and I to sleep in. This was quite a change from the last trip for me and a huge blessing. This allowed me to wake up and exit the bedroom to Eva in her kitchen. There I could practice my spanish and build relationships with her and the rest of her family. This is one of the sweetest families you will ever meet! Please keep Rafael in your prayers. Pray for His salvation and the salvation of their kids: Israel (19), Jonathan (12), and Dayana (5).

Our first service hosted by Inocenta. This is quite a few more people than our first service last year at Inocenta's house which included just Inocenta and 3 of her children! Praise the Lord!

Three believing sisters in the Lord, two of which were new to us! Briceda, Inocenta (known from last time), and Eugenia. Praise the Lord for more believers!!

Pancho (or Endefonso as I previously called him), Inocenta's husband, taking a peak at the word of God. Last time we were in La Barra he was in Huatulco for the better part of our time there at a Alcoholics Rehab program. Just a year ago he was a wild drunk who even came at their 12 year old daughter with a knife! Praise the Lord he is reading the word of God!!

Second service held at Eva's. Jim led us in song and then preached a message to the crowd.

Our last service held at Eva's house. Eva is the lady in this picture. Paul, the man with the brace, preached the gospel from Ephesians 2:1-10 while O.J. translated. Eugenia, Inocenta, Briceda, and a lady named Sophie (not a believer that we know of) were present for this service. Praise the Lord! What a glorious thing the gospel is to hear whether you are saved or a lost sheep hearing it for the first time!

Helping them knead the dough. They do this for an hour and a half! What a workout! I was pouring sweat from every pore of my body. Not to mention there was no airflow in the room! So much fun! We all laughed histerically! What a great way to experience the culture and build relationships in the process and display the love of Christ!

So much bread to be baked! All this was rolled at 4 in the morning by Elizabeth and Celia! We didn't join them on that part of the process...maybe next time!!

All alone in the oven...but not for long!

It's ready!!

Pan dulce's (sweet bread) mode of transportation! Only the pros do it without hands!

The final product waiting to be sold and consumed!

Making tortillas by hand and with a tortilla press at Marina's house! So fun and a bit tricky! This is one thing you SHOULD try at home!!

My first tortilla ever to make with my own hands!! How cool! Chris was the blessed recipient of that tortilla!!

Making tostadas at Inocenta's mom's house using their machine. Quite fun...and tasty!

Tostadas on the 'stove-top' with the help of planchitas (little irons).

Dental work on my patient Chewy while NOT being a good example and eating a sucker!! Disclaimer: I didn't actually eat it while working on his teeth!

Our first day of our makeshift three day VBS for the kids. Jim sang songs with them and then told the story of creation the first day, the gospel the second day, and the third day none of our translators were present so with the help of Faith and Paul we lead the kids in a craft of decorating frames of pop-sickle sticks to frame cards with Malachi 1:11 on them in Spanish. God's name WILL BE GREAT in every nation!

All the kiddos working on the craft relating to the Creation Story.

Herman with His craft with Genesis 1:1 at the bottom in Spanish.

A Servant is Not Above His Master

2008-02-19T16:45:00.000-08:00

The unthinkable happened. I guess it isn´t so unthinkable but quite unexpected. Upon arriving to La Barra we visited all our friends and had sweet reunion with them all. Then we found out some heartbreaking news. Our dear friend Epi, although drunk quite a bit of the time we were there last, had died of a heart attack. I remember the urgency we felt while we were there last in the fall to share the gospel with this man. A few days before we left we were going to go and share the gospel with him but he was drunk and stayed drunk until we left. Despite his half-drunkeness we shared the gospel with him anyway using our spanish bibles and reading him verses and explaining them in our broken spanish. We were praying for some miracle. It broke our hearts to hear that he was no longer alive.

Our time with Eva and Inocenta was sweet. It was so good to see their smiling faces again and to see all the kiddos. There is work being done on Jose Luis´ property so we were unable to stay there. We found out from our english-speaking friend, Jose (who is Vice President this year; Arturo Muñoz is the President), that they would have a meeting the next day (Tuesday)to see if we could be there as is custom and that in the meantime we could stay on his property where he has ten palapas and a restaurant that his sister, Novi, is the cook. We set up camp and began visiting with our friends. This morning we found out the result of the meeting. We don´t know who all was present at this meeting but we know for sure Jose and Arturo were there. They decided that we couldn´t stay. We respected their authority and began packing up camp at once through tears. We said goodbye to Eva and Inocenta and then drove away. There was a strange sense of joy amidst sorrow as we left. Sorrow filled our hearts but truth triumphed as we thought of all of God´s promises. We aren´t above our master Christ (John 15:20-21) and they persecuted Him. They hated Him before they hated us (John 15:18). We rejoiced within that we were counted worthy to ´suffer´ for His namesake (Acts 5:41). I put suffer in quotes because none of us received a punch or a beating or an imprisonment of which we are thankful but nonetheless we were rejected not because of us but because of the One we represent, Christ. I praise God that He is worth living for and dying for. I praise God for so great a salvation and for so great a joy in sharing Him with others at the cost of being rejected.

But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. Indeed I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I main gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith-that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead.
Philippians 3:7-11

For it has been granted to you that for the sake of Christ you should not only believe in Him but also suffer for His sake.
Philippians 1:29

Thank you for your prayers! I will let you know of the outcome. As for now we are in a hotel in Huatulco and will spend the night in prayer asking for direction from the Lord. I appreciate your prayers.
Phil 1:27
Cara

On the Road Again

2008-02-13T13:06:00.000-08:00

Well everyone, come Friday we will be heading out to La Barra de la Cruz! This time we will only be there for one month and will return to the states on March 13th. It is such a short time but still God will accomplish all He desires and He is not bound by time. Please pray for the following:

- Unity of our team: O.J. DiIulio (fluent in spanish), Paul Mattfeld (40% fluent) and son Luke (9 years old), Jim Bloomstrand (fluent in spanish), Chris Johnson (20% fluent), Faith Hornbrook (no spanish), and ME (not so fluent but conversational!)!
- Open doors for the gospel through dental, medical, and teaching english to name a few.
- God would water and grow the seeds planted in years past, especially this last trip: Noel and Celia family, Vicente and Josefa family, Frederico and Elizabeth family, Yair's family, Pablo's family, Jose Luis' family, Antonio and Elena's family, and all the little kiddos!
- Discipleship of believers and the salvation of their families: Eva and Inocenta
- My spanish speaking skills...or lack thereof! Pray I would jump in with both feet and speak what I know and learn what I don't!!
- My spiritual disciplines: bible reading, prayer, scripture memory, journaling, etc.

I hope God will lay it on your heart's to pray for God's church to be planted in La Barra while we are ministering there. I pray He puts it on your mind constantly. I thank you in advance for the prayers that will reach the ears of our Father on behalf of La Barra and our team. I am so blessed to have you all as partners in this ministry of taking the gospel to those who have never heard. Your partnership with me is precious and I praise the Lord for you. Thank you for your faithfulness to the Lord in serving with me in this capacity. You truly are a blessing.

Only let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Christ so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit with one mind, striving SIDE BY SIDE for the faith of the gospel.
Philippians 1:27
Cara

Here's the conclusion to my arm for those of you who haven't seen it:

God is sooooooo good! Thank you for all your prayers!!

Great is Thy Faithfulness

2008-01-15T20:46:00.001-08:00

My Heart is so full of so many things the Lord has opened my eyes to and taught me in the last month and a half. But to your relief, and to prove to myself I can do it, this will be a short blog.

I just have to praise God for His faithfulness to me. I don't deserve God's grace. Never have and never will but He lavishes it on me everyday and for that I praise Him.

I will more than likely send out my newsletters tomorrow and it will reveal the truth of Proverbs 16:9. I planned language school and the Lord directed my steps home for now.

"The heart of man plans his way, but the LORD establishes his steps." Pro 16:9

And I praise God for Proverbs 19:21 "Many are the plans in the mind of a man, but it is the purpose of the LORD that will stand."

I may plan to go to language school, or help with short-term trips, or whatever...but no matter what I do, God's purpose will stand. The gospel will be proclaimed and His plan of redemption will still be carried out whether I am at home or at language school or at the CPCP or on the other side of the world.

To the King of ages, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen. 1 Timothy 1:17

So...here are my plans...HAHA!! We shall see what my steps actually look like!

February 1-3rd: Eldorado Disciple Now; teach session on the missionary call
February 4-8th: Teach Missionary First Aid and CPR at the CPCP
February 15th-March 15th: Preach the gospel in La Barra

That is all I know my friends! And I must add "Lord willing" to all of this because I am not guaranteed tomorrow! But it would be a sweet tomorrow to wake up in the presence of the Lord! If not...to live is Christ!

From Generation to Generation

2007-12-17T20:29:00.000-08:00

Just before leaving for La Barra I spent some time with my nephews: Jacob (4), Ty (3), and Kyle (9 months).

One day while Kyle was sleeping in his crib I just stared at his precious little face. My reaction was deep, heartfelt prayer for this little one that God would save him and mold him into a man of God who lives a life worthy of the gospel and proclaims the good news to the ends of the earth. I prayed that God would use those little hands and feet for His service and his little lips for His praise and all of Kyle's life for His glory. As I look at my nephews I think of things they may possibly walk through later in life and I just pray for God's grace to rule in their lives. In those moments a sense of urgency rises in me to tell these little ones about Christ and what He accomplished on the cross for sins and their need of Christ as their Savior. Then I went to La Barra and many times I would feel the same things and pray the same things for little Hallie Lou (hopefully Kyle's future wife if everything works out...Just Kidding Laurel!!).

Since I have been back from La Barra two of my cousins have had baby girls on the same day! I had the opportunity to see little Addison Joy's nursery before she arrived. That same wave of desire for her life to be pure and blameless before the Lord swept over me as I looked into her soon-to-be-filled crib and as my eyes passed over the white letters hung on her wall by her excited expecting parents spelling Addison! I just prayed for her salvation and Maggie's as well.

Maggie Blake

Addison Joy

I have a picture in my journal of my 1rst birthday where I am sitting in my PapaJim's lap and my dad is in the picture too. We are wearing those silly cone birthday hats. On my birthday in La Barra I looked at that picture taken 23 years ago and I wondered if in that moment my dad was looking at me and praying that one day God would use my life for something great! I know my parents have prayed for me and I see where God has me today as well as my brother and sister and their spouses and I praise God for His grace in our lives. I pray the same for my nephews and my cousin's children. Tonight Kyle fell asleep in my arms once more (probably my favorite thing ever!!). Again I think of those little hands and feet that, Lord willing, will one day be used to bring God glory and declare the gospel to the lost!

As much as I love missions and want to spend the rest of my life taking the gospel to the hardest and most unreached people groups in the world (by God's grace), I see the beauty of being a mother and taking the gospel daily to your own children. What a joy it is to be able to share Christ every day with precious little ones like my nephews! It is a hard road and wearisome at times as I have seen in my sister's life but the joy is immeasurable and as I pray our response is to all hardships in life: Jesus is worth it. So, moms out there...press on in raising Godly children. Press on and change diapers to the glory of God and take an extra five minutes to teach your kiddos something from God's word! Nothing warms my heart more than to hear my four year old nephew, Jacob, sing worship songs nearly incessantly throughout the day. God's praises are constantly flowing from his lips. The other day Jacob had to have some blood drawn and the nurse had to dig around to find his vein. Several minutes later the test was accomplished. Jacob didn't budge or cry a single tear. In the car afterwards, Shea asked him how he was able to do that. A little later Jacob's reply was, "Mom, you know how I did that so good? I know I am loved by my God." That is amazing! I used to think there was no greater joy than doing missions. I have been blessed to be proven wrong. There is no greater joy than to live our lives for the sake of the gospel, no matter where we are and to preach the gospel, no matter who the audience is...whether kiddos in La Barra or our own families. Praise the Lord for such a glorious gospel that permeates all that we do and brings joy to every nook and cranny of our lives!!

So even to old age and gray hairs, O God, do not forsake me, until I proclaim your might to another generation, your power to all those to come.
Psalm 71:18

I will open my mouth in a parable; I will utter dark sayings from of old, things that we have heard and known, that our fathers have told us. We will not hide them from their children, but tell to the coming generation the glorious deeds of the LORD, and his might, and the wonders that he has done. He established a testimony in Jacob and appointed a law in Israel, which he commanded our fathers to teach to their children, that the next generation might know them, the children yet unborn, and arise and tell them to their children, so that they should set their hope in God and not forget the works of God, but keep his commandments;
Psalm 78:2-7

One generation shall commend your works to another, and shall declare your mighty acts.
Psalm 145:4

You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise.
Deuteronomy 6:5-7

May our hearts be so saturated with God Himself and His word that it spills over and out of our speech and actions that the next generation may know Him and declare His praises!

My Sheep Hear My Voice!

2007-12-03T11:38:00.000-08:00

John chapter 10 brings me much joy when on the mission field! We must be faithful to preach the gospel and His sheep will hear His voice!

We had three services in La Barra before we had to leave. The first was held at Inocenta's house with her family. George was able to preach a message about the Thessalonians who 'received the word in much affliction (1 Thess. 1:6).'

The following Friday we met a lady named Eva who proved to be another one of God's sheep. Eva was already a believer when the Lord led us to her doorstep. We were in her living room with bibles open and she was telling us her testimony and reading Matthew 28:18 she said, "I need to be baptized and I want to be baptized." The following sunday we had the service at the beach where Steve preached on Christ being the way, the truth, and the life. Then we baptized Eva in the waves of the ocean in La Barra that God created for His glory and for the believers of La Barra to be baptized!

The following Sunday we had our last service at Eva's house. Jim did the preaching and Inocenta's husband, Endefonso, was there for the last half of the sermon. Afterwards, Eva and Inocenta made everybody lunch and Jim had an opportunity to share the gospel with Endefonso. He had recently returned to La Barra after spending several months in Huatulco at an Alcoholic Rehab program. Endefonso is still an unbeliever as well as Inocenta's children: Giovani (16 and very resistant to the gospel), Uriel (12), Jessica (11), and Eliezar (7). Please be praying for the salvation of her family as well as her spiritual growth.

Eva's husband, Rafael, is also an unbeliever as well as their children: Israel (19 and very resistant to the gospel), Jonathan (12), and Diana (6). Please be praying for the salvation of her family as well as her spiritual growth.

There were several other families we were able to share the gospel with, including Yair's family. Please be praying for these families that they would come to know Christ. We gave them all New Testaments in spanish. Pray that God would give them a desire to read the word and pray that the Spirit would open their eyes to see and minds to understand and ears to hear the word of God!

Please pray for these families:

Yair’s family: Ana (mom), Cecilia (grandma), Antolina (aunt), Aquilino (uncle), Rocendo (uncle), and Aldair (brother)

Noel and Celia with kids Jennifer and Leonel

Frederico and Elizabeth with kids Diana, Melissa, and Mercedes, and Grandmother Natividad

Felipa and her husband

Carlos-owner of El Dragon Pizza

Pablo-owner of El Chontal restaurant

Vicente and Josefa and their grown children: Iliana and husband, Lizet and husband and child Alex, Uriel, Victor, and Sheyla

Jose Luis and wife and child Luis Jose-owner of banana plantation we camped out on.

Evangelia and daughters (the Elorza family)

So, I've given up on trying to post pictures in this blog because the picture format is not right or something...so I made a slideshow. I have the La Barra album posted at http://picasaweb.google.com/Cara.Bebee/LaBarra02 if you want captions to explain the pics. Hope you enjoy the slideshow!!

By the way...the hole in my arm is no longer a hole but a scar! Praise the Lord!!. Thanks for all your prayers regarding my arm and my health!! God heard and answered!

As of now, my plan is to return to the Center for Pioneer Church Planting in January to help out with the school and get ready for teaching on missionary first aid February 4th-8th. I'm also working at Shea and Sylas' D-now in Eldorado the 1rst-3rd of February for my 6th year in a row. They are the best D-nows in the state of Texas!! This years theme is 'The Cross!' I'm so excited about that!! Then, sometime after I teach at the school, we (not sure who the 'we' is yet) will be returning to La Barra for another month and a half of 'missions'. Details haven't been figured out yet but I imagine we will return in late March or early April because the Griffin's (a couple and their baby that went to La Barra with me) and I are starting language school at Harvest Language Center in Guadalajara. The school will go from April 29th-December 5th. This way we can learn spanish fluently and be more useful tools in sharing the gospel with the people of La Barra. Of course, these are plans I have made in seeking and following Christ so we will see how the Lord directs my steps!!

Jesus es DIGNO!!

2007-10-24T18:16:00.000-07:00

Jesus is worth it!! I went back to Dr. Menendez today in Huatulco and he said my arm looks MUCHISISISISISISIMO MEJOR! That is 'much, much, much, much, much better' in espanol. So, praise the Lord!! I put the PG-13 pics of my arm at the bottom of the page for those who would rather not see them!! The first one was taken this past Saturday when I drained it. The second pic was taken this past Sunday after Lorena opened it up more. Now, the hole is significantly smaller...sorry I have no update pic for that...you will just have to trust me!

We were able to share the story of Lazarus with a lady named Felipa. We shared how like Lazarus we are spiritually dead in our sins and only faith in Christ by grace can we be saved and made alive. We shared John 10 with Yair's family: Rocendo, Aquilino, Cecilia, Antolina, and Ana. George shared with them how God's sheep hear His voice and obey and there are sheep from every people group in the world, including La Barra, the Chontal people. In both conversations George stressed the validity and truthfulness of God's word and that the scriptures are God's voice to us. He encouraged them to read the scriptures and gave both Aquilino and Rocendo new testaments in Spanish.

A woman named Inocenta brought her daughter Jessica to the dental clinic several weeks ago with a severe tooth infection causing her cheek to be swollen. We referred her to a doctor or dentist in town so she could get some antibiotics. Inocenta works at Pablo's restaurant so we followed up on her daughter's condition. In the process we found out that she was one of the 14 people or so that used to meet with Roberto and Maria. This past week George and Chris went to her house to take her some children's tylenol and talk about the Lord and Inocenta told us the full story. Some people in the town of La Barra developed an official document stating that they could not meet anymore in La Barra and they threatened the man that was coming from Huatulco to do the services that if he kept coming they would put him in jail. So those who were gathering with Roberto and Maria scattered and Inocenta is struggling in her faith. She told us of another woman named Eugenia who is in the same situation as Inocenta. They believe but have no way of being discipled or fed. We asked Inocenta if she would like to have a service at her house this Sunday and she said yes. So, in answer to much prayer we plan on having our first church gathering this Sunday morning in La Barra de la Cruz!! We shall see how things turn out!!

Thank you again to all of those who have been praying for me and for the people of La Barra. I can't tell you how much it is needed and how much it means to me. It is a comfort to look at our friends in this village knowing there are thousands in the states who are praying for their salvation. I pray we see the fruit of your labor and ours! Much love to everyone!!

Barradise...according to the locals

2007-10-17T10:34:00.001-07:00

La Barra Mission Theme Song:
Words by: Keith and Kristyn Getty

Oh, Church arise and put your armor on,
hear the call of Christ our Captain.
For now the weak can say that they are strong,
in the strength that God has given.
With shield of faith and belt of truth,
we'll stand against the devil's lies.
And army bold whose battle cry is love,
reaching out to those in darkness.
Our call to war to love the captive soul
to rage against the Captor.
And with the sword that makes the wounded whole
we will fight with faith and valor.
When faced with trials on every side,
we know the outcome is secure.
AND CHRIST WILL HAVE THE PRIZE FOR WHICH HE DIED,
THE INHERITANCE OF NATIONS.

Come see the cross where love and mercy meet
as the Son of God is stricken.
And see His foes lie crushed beneath His feet
for the Conqueror has risen.
And as the stone is rolled away
And Christ emerges from the grave,
His victory march continues to the day,
every eye and heart will see Him.
So Spirit come with strength in every stride.
Give grace for every hurdle.
That we may run with faith to win the prize
of the servant good and faithful.
As saints of old still light the way,
retelling triumphs of His grace.
WE HEAR THE CALL AND HUNGER FOR THE DAY
WHEN WITH CHRIST WE STAND IN GLORY!

It has been two and a half weeks of reaching out to those in darkness and it has been filled with adventures, trials, and joys. The first day in the village God provided an open door for the gospel through a little boy named Yair. His foot was infected and they needed someone to give him his antibiotic injections, clean his foot, and change his dressing every day. Every morning we would make our way to Yair's house and Jim switched out children's books about Christ or Old Testament characters. Almost every morning we would have conversations about Christ with Yair's family members: Ana (mother), Antolina (aunt), Aquilino (uncle), Cecilia (grandmother), Aldair (brother), and sometimes his cousins Juan and Karen. Yair's father died in a car wreck 7 years ago. I am still taking care of Yair's foot and the christian literature continues to permeate his family. Please pray for the salvation of Yair and his family!

BASEBALL: Club Barra

Many of the friendships we have built have been men from the baseball team in La Barra. Two of which speak english, Pablo and Jose. Jose Luis, whose land we are staying on is also on the team. Two years ago we did a baseball clinic to teach them skills for the field. They were champions last year and are working to be champions again this year. The first Sunday we were here they had two away games of which they won. We attended the games to cheer on our new friends. They played again this past weekend in La Barra and lost both games to the same team. It is a seven game series so we shall see who will stick it out and win it!

DENTAL

We have begun dental clinics every Tuesday and Thursday and have seen quite a few patients so far. All I can say now is BRUSH YOUR TEETH! I did have one fun patient named Miguel (11) who is also our loudest singer. While I was changing out tools he would begin “Alelu, alelu, alelu, aleluya...” and just before I was going to reenter his mouth he would sing in place of 'praise ye the Lord' “abra la boca!” (open the mouth), and then proceed to open his mouth wide. Not only that but he would try and sing while I was cleaning out one of his several cavities! I wish you could meet Miguel and see his huge, beautiful smile...he would definitely make you laugh!!

RANDOM MOMENTS OF JOY:

Pablo, one of the english speakers, owns a restaurant in town and we have enjoyed numerous conversations with him. One day he offered to give us a tour of the village and part of that tour took us to the river with a few young teenage boys. Upon arriving they took a dip in the river and afterwards, while sitting under a shade tree, Pablo said, “Tell us something.” Jim, our translator, took the open door to share the gospel to Pablo as well as the five or six teenage boys. Pablo has heard the gospel in years past yet remains in his sin. Please pray for his salvation. We ate at his restaurant the other night and he came and spoke with us for quite a while afterwards and invited us to stop by anytime during the day when he isn't working to chat. Pray God would provide opportunities to share the gospel during those times and grant us boldness.

Three days ago I woke up to Antonio's voice coming towards my tent and Jim meeting Antonio to translate. The next thing I hear is “Ricardo cut his leg with a machete. Can you look at it?” Antonio is a worker who works on Jose Luis' banana plantation where we have set up camp. Numerous mornings we have had interaction with Antonio. Not too long ago Antonio came asking for medicine for back pain and while I was getting that ready Jim shared some with Antonio from the gospel of John. We gave him a new testament that morning and he seemed eager to read it as well as his wife Elena. Well, I took a look at Ricardo's leg and new immediately that he would need stitches and I have yet to practice that skill. It was Sunday so we knew Lorena, a doctor who comes on weekends, might be in town at the clinic. She was there and was able to stitch it up. I was aiding her in cleaning the wound and cutting the stitches as she put them in when I myself got dizzy from the heat and passed out. That's right...I passed out. I was already on my knees and I sat back and said in my broken and inaccurate spanish, “Estoy mareos” followed by, “necesito agua.” And that is the last thing I remember. Later I learned the correct way to say 'I'm dizzy' is 'estoy mareada' or 'tengo mareas.' Coming back to the real world has got to be the strangest thing I have ever experienced. I assured everyone in the room after I woke up that it wasn't because of the blood that I passed out but because I was pouring sweat in a hot room with no circulating air. For those who know me you know it wasn't because of the blood. I went to nursing school for the sake of missions but also to see all the cool stuff they don't show you in the TV shows!! Anyways, while I was aiding Lorena in stitching and not becoming another patient, Jim was in the waiting room with Antonio sharing the gospel once more with Antonio. Praise the Lord!! Ricardo received 14 stitches, 7 inside and 7 outside, and is doing well. Please pray for Antonio's salvation and his family: Elena (wife), Ricardo (son) and daughters Isabel and Sarai. And I suppose I should add my health...I have drank plenty of water and gatorade and Emergen-C since then...not to mention I got bit by something on my left forearm which has caused swelling and redness and PAIN much like Ty's arm when he had MRSA. I had a doctor look at it today and he said it is a bug bite and will just run its course. I'm not too sure about that so please pray for the healing of my arm!!

Not so random but frequent moments of joy are singing songs with the kids under the big shade tree in front of the Agencia. Miguel, my favorite dental patient, sings so loud as well as his little brother Brian. Many times we sing several songs with Jim leading on guitar and then break for the reading of a story out of Jim's children's books. The kids love the story of Noah. Please pray for the salvation of these little ones!!

Just a few days ago, while Jim was singing scriptural songs with the kids, Shane met a German guy who owns a ranch down the road and is a German consul studying the ocean here. He told Shane after learning that we were evangelical christians that this community is largely catholic and doesn't need us coming in here and causing division. He also knows the president of this town, Antonio Martez (different Antonio from before) and asked if he knew we were here. We told him we went to him first and he gave us permission to be here. He proceeded to tell us that Antonio wasn't the one to make that final decision but that he has to take it before a counsel. We don't know what will come of this but if we get 'kicked out' of La Barra there is always Chacalapa up the road that we could go to. Please pray that this will turn out for the furtherance of the gospel.

One day while at Yair's house a drunk man approached me asking me for pills to take away drunkeness. With Jim translating I told him I didn't have such a thing. Cecilia, Yair's grandmother, told us he went to college years ago and when he was a year away from getting his bachelors degree he turned into a drunk, moved back to La Barra, and has been a drunk ever since. Two days later we saw him again in the streets still drunk. We said hello and walked on. A few days after that we were singing with the kids and he approached me again, completely drunk, and said he had pain in his heart in such a way that I knew he wasn't referring to chest pain and about to have a heart attack. I told him I don't have pills for heartache but I have Christ. I didn't know at the time how to say 'I will pray for you' but he shook my hand with a smile as if he understood the sincerity in my voice and walked off. Since then we have not seen him drunk. And this is big considering there have been baseball games and fiestas which would give him plenty of excuses to drink and get drunk. But he hasn't. His name is Epi and he is actually Maria's brother. We saw Roberto and Maria this week, the only christians from this village who have moved to Huatulco, as they were visiting Maria's parents, where Epi lives. Please pray for Epi's salvation. We also found out from Roberto and Maria that there used to be 14 people or so that met for bible study but they all quit meeting with Roberto and Maria because they were being made fun of. Please pray that God would save His people in La Barra and that they would see the worthiness of Christ to suffer all things for the sake of the gospel.

The most recent moment of joy was celebrating my birthday with chocolate, chocolate chip muffins from Otis Spunkmeyer (awesome but nothing beats yours, Mom) while reading a card signed by my whole family! Thanks Mom, Dad, Sylas, Shea, Jacob, Ty, Kyle, Ryan, and Sarah! I was given a birthday crown to wear from the Faulkners and a gift from my family of my favorite chocolate in the world: DOVE milk chocolate! The tradition in Mexico on birthdays is to pour water on the birthday girl or boy. Last night Antonio was saying he was going to blast me with the hose he uses to water the banana trees. He showed up this morning in pouring rain saying, "Agua!" I replied, "De Dios!" It was great celebrating my birthday in La Barra with my family in Christ. And like you said in my card Ryan, the best gift of all would be to see someone from La Barra saved from their sin!!

I think that about sums it up without giving you all the details, just most. If you have gotten this far in my blog you must really love me because this one is LONG! The website was unable to load pictures so I will try again later!! Here are a few prayer requests:

Open doors for the gospel: At the same time, pray also for us, that God may open to us a door for the word, to declare the mystery of Christ, on account of which I am in prison. Colossians 4:3
SALVATION, SALVATION, SALVATION, SALVATION, SALVATION!!!!
Team unity
Spiritual disciplines
Confidence and wisdom regarding medicine as it has proven I have had many opportunities to treat people which has created many open doors for the gospel....praise the Lord...nursing school was worth enduring!!
My health since apparently I am having health issues for the first time in my life! Praise the Lord for good health and sustaining my life day in and day out for His glory!
And all the other bolded items in this blog!

LA BARRA DE LA CRUZ

2007-09-20T20:18:00.000-07:00

I am about to set out on another great adventure with my God to La Barra de la Cruz. We leave Monday the 24th of September and return November 19th. We will be building relationships with the people through various avenues such as medical clinics, dental clinics, teaching english, and day to day spending time with them and doing VBS-like activities with the children. There is one believing family, Roberto and Maria and children, who have quieted down in their faith due to some mild persecution. We hope to meet with them on a weekly basis if not more often to study the word together, fellowship, and encourage one another. We plan on partnering with them in sharing the gospel with others in the village. I would greatly appreciate it if you would keep the following things in prayer:

Team Unity: John 13:35; John 17
Personal growth/spiritual disciplines (bible reading, prayer, scripture memory, journaling, etc.)
Opportunities to build relationships with the people of La Barra, display the love of Christ to them, and share the gospel with them.
Salvation of those in La Barra; that God would plant a local body of believers before we leave.
Learning the spanish language and the culture.

As I have come to know over and over again, nothing is too big for God to accomplish and He is faithful to fulfill His purposes in and through His people. So many times I have been encouraged by the prayers of His saints for God's will to be done, for His name to be known among the nations and exalted. Many times over I have been blessed by your prayers for me and the people I am ministering too. There is no doubt that countless numbers of your prayers have been answered in the last 9 months of my life with the salvation of those in Chambri, PNG and God's provision for a car and many others that we could spend all day recounting. I hope you are encouraged to press on in prayer for God's name to be exalted among the nations and REJOICED IN among the peoples (Psalm 67). Malachi 1:11 isn't mere suggestion. God's name WILL BE GREAT AMONG THE NATIONS. Take joy in this and let this end result stay fresh in your mind as you pray towards this end. May God be given glory in all we do and say.

Family, Friends, and FELLOWSHIP!!

2007-09-16T19:55:00.001-07:00

Well, the last month has been filled with family, friends, and FELLOWSHIP!! It started with a trip to Louisville, Kentucky to visit my brother Ryan and his wife Sarah. Ryan is attending Southern Seminary to train to be a pastor. He is going to be a great one, preaching the truth in love, and Sarah is going to be a wonderful pastor's wife!! I attended several classes while I was there including Systematic Theology (Dr. Moore), Hermeneutics (Dr. Wellum), Spiritual Disciplines (Dr. Whitney), and an Anthropology class with Dr. Sills. Needless to say I was challenged and encouraged. It was also a blessing to know that I had been taught at the CPCP much of the same things taught at Seminary. After much coffee and fellowship I headed back to Austin for a few days with my parents before making my way to San Angelo. There I stayed at the Russo household while spending much of my time drinking coffee at Baker Street and meeting up with friends. It was a blessing to fellowship with them again! Elaine, I will cherish the mornings (or late nights) we were able to spend fellowshiping over coffee or raspberry hot chocolate and the insight I gain every time I meet with you. K Booth, are you sure I can't take you to Mexico with me? I am really going to miss our talks as we walked the KOA. And Alison, stay away from IHOP...crazy boys lurk there. I enjoyed fellowship over pancakes that morning and our photo shoot in the parking lot!! And what a joy it was to see all my other brothers and sisters in Christ! I love this family!! Bob Beaver, thanks for the ice cream and the encouragement I receive from you. Thank you Jim Farmer for being a man of prayer and praying fervently for me. Thank you CCSA for being the body of Christ!! Thank you God for so great a salvation and for adopting us into your family that we can share such sweet fellowship on this earth. And thank you for nephews!! I spent a few days in Eldorado with my precious nephews! I got to be there for Jacob's first day of Pre-K! He was so cute in his new school clothes and big, heavy backpack! When he returned from school we asked him what he learned. He said he didn't learn anything about something. He's a funny one. And then he said, "And you know what? They didn't teach us anything about God." How cool is that? My four year old nephew was disappointed at Pre-K because they didn't teach him anything about God!! Later I got to celebrate Ty's third birthday with him and all his cute little buddies! He had a Buzz Lightyear birthday and a big blow up water slide which he went kamikaze on! And then there's Kyle, AKA Kygil (name created by Ty). I really enjoyed loving on my nephews and hearing them say their prayers at night was nothing short of precious and sweet!! Oh I pray God saves them and uses them mightily to further His Kingdom!!

Earlier this month I spent some time in Austin with my parents when God provided a car for me!! All through college I said I would love to have a yellow Aztek or Xterra and God gave me a yellow Xterra!! I named him Amarillo but will call him Rillo for short!! I have really enjoyed driving it and practically living out of it the past few days! I spoke at a Women on Mission luncheon at Hyde Park Baptist Church on my trip to Papua New Guinea and my upcoming trip to La Barra. It was a blessing to be speaking at the place I spent my first few years attending. It is always a good thing when the first person you meet says, "I remember when you were this big" and places her hand a couple feet above the floor indicating my height! It is also a good thing to get on these ladies' prayer list!! Praise the Lord for faithful prayer warriors! Thanks Mamaw for having me come and share and praise God for grandparents like you and parents like my mom and dad who support me in everything I do!! I also spoke again at FBC Eldorado, where my brother-in-law Sylas is the youth minister, which was a joy and privilege. Thank you Pastor Andy for letting me come and share all that God has done so far in my short missions career! And thank you FBC for all your prayers and support! They prayed so hard for me for a car and God provided! Right next to a car on their prayer list is a husband for me!! I'm waiting patiently for that answer...[picture to be inserted when he arrives :)]

GRADUATION!!

2007-08-27T21:36:00.000-07:00

Well, the end has come to my time at the Center for Pioneer Church Planting as a student. We had a wonderful time at graduation. David Depew came and spoke as our guest speaker. He spent quite a bit of time teaching us this year what God has taught him during his life as a missionary in Thailand. Belinda sang a song by Selah and I got moose kissed by the President himself, David, and his wife, Tommi Sitton. This is actually a greeting in some other part of the world!!! My parents were able to come and experience this time with me which was a blessing.

The next day my parents and I drove to Austin where I boarded a plane to Louisville to visit my brother Ryan and his wife Sarah. Ryan just began seminary there at Southern...I almost got sucked in to the beautiful city of Louisville and the amazing school of Southern Seminary when I attended some of his classes!! So great! I had a blast!

The rest of the month holds time with friends and family. I will be speaking in Austin at Hyde Park Baptist Church Sept. 4th at noon if anyone in the area wants to come. I will be sharing about PNG and the upcoming trip to La Barra. I will be speaking at FBC Eldorado on the evening of the 16th of September on the same topic. I will be heading south again to Los Fresnos September 19th to prepare for our trip to La Barra that we leave for on the 24th. Please keep them in your prayers as well. Only one believing family, Roberto and Maria, and many who live in darkness and sin everyday. Wow...when I think of it that way it makes me want to leave tomorrow!! Pray we are bold in sharing the gospel as we ought!!

As of the car situation, I was told today that I will receive all the insurance money, $4,500, in approximately 15 days. Praise the Lord!! My car was a total loss so I will be awarded all the insurance money. Please keep praying that God would provide a car for me!! Thank you so much for all your prayers thus far!!

Ninos Pequenos de Centenario!

2007-08-04T16:49:00.000-07:00

We have just completed our last trip into Mexico during my time at the Center for Pioneer Church Planting. I can hardly believe its almost over! Well, this trip was a blast. One reason it was a blast was because I had one of my good friends come from San Angelo as a translator. None other than the Fonze! He did a great job translating as well as being a servant and keeping the group in tears of laughter all week! Also, for the first time since PNG I was not working in a medical or dental clinic. This freed up my time to play with the kids, see the village, learn spanish songs and work with VBS, and my favorite...PLAY SOCCER! Many of the teens of the village would come around in the afternoons and we would play soccer from about 7 to 9 or 10 pm. During the day we had VBS around 10 am and another session around 3 pm. Ivan, a pastor and one of the men on my team, taught the lessons using Piper's children's curriculum. We sang songs with the kids and did crafts relating to the lessons. Ivan wrote a song by the title of this blog that we taught to the kids of Centenario. They didn't seem to know what to think of a song written for them, about them! I also spent part of my day in the kitchen with Carmen. For food on these trips we pack a tub of food specifically for a lady in the village whom we pay to cook a meal each day for us. It was a great way to practice my spanish and learn how to cook some tasty mexican food. It is also a great opportunity to build a solid relationship with someone in the village and share the love of Christ with in the process. They also are blessed by a little supplemental income. One day we were invited to a family's house for lunch. I love going to the homes of those living in the village to see where they live and to know more about their lives. The meal was excellent; they cooked a goat for us as well as chicken and an unlimited supply of tortillas it seemed like. Another thing I love about Mexico is the food!! However, there are things that break my heart when in Mexico. Recently we had an ex-Catholic priest, Richard Bennett (www.bereanbeacon.org), come speak at our school and teach us about Catholicism. With a broader understanding of this religion and Satan's vice grip he has on the majority of the hispanic population, it crushes me to see it's influence everywhere you look in Mexico. A lady named Juana invited us over for coffee on two occasions. While sitting in her kitchen drinking coffee, I noticed a framed picture of Mary hanging on the wall just above a shelf with a vase of old, dried out flowers and other little belongings as if they were offerings to Mary. Juana is a sweet (not to mention short...I'm 5'3"), elderly lady who will not go to heaven if she dies without Christ. "Sweet" is a great adjective for the majority of the people we meet in the places we go to in Mexico. But that is coupled with a veil blinding them from the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of CHRIST (2 Cor. 4:3-6). Another yard in town is home to an idol of Mary encased with glass and white christmas lights to light it up at night. This doesn't begin to describe the bondage of sin. My heart breaks for these people that someone would live there permanently to be a steady, consistent witness of Christ to them by their lives and by the preaching of the gospel. I pray God plants His church there, raising up spiritual worshipers to worship Him in Spirit and in truth.

The last night in Centenario, we had a fish fry that we invited the whole town to. The whole town didn't come but it was neat to see families gathering together at the school where we stayed, eating together. It was a blessing to us to be able to show the love of Christ in sharing a meal with them. The fish was quite tasty too. I have never once in all my life liked seafood in America but in Mexico I have never once NOT liked it. Mom and Dad...you would have been proud! These fish were scaled only before battered and thrown into the oil to be fried. Other than the bones and organs, I ate every bite! My fish was so cute with his little buck teeth that I thought I would give him a kiss! There are other tasty things to eat in Mexico that are much more appealing to the eye like chocolate covered bananas with sprinkles that I was forced to try by one of our other translators name Irian. I gave in with little complaining.

Like I said above, I have two more weeks of classes before our graduation. After that my plans are to spend some time with family and friends and speak at various places before leaving for La Barra. Here are my plans for the next year (Lord willing):

August 17th-Graduation

September 24th-November 20th- La Barra

January 08-August 08-Teach at the Center for Pioneer Church Planting (missionary first

aid) and work with Mark Faulkner and Chris Johnson as short term mission directors.

September of 08-PRAYERFULLY-planning with a team to go to some unreached people group

with the gospel long term!!

Fish Tailing in Fish Town

2007-07-05T19:40:00.000-07:00

We recently returned from a trip to Mexico where I served in Emiliano Zapata (EZ) and Chris Johnson served in Fish Town, AKA Las Higuerillas (LH) with a translator named Bianca. Tuesday night was a graduation ceremony for some kids in EZ that I wanted to go to, see the kids and follow up on some people we gave bibles to and shared Christ with. Chris and Bianca went with me so we could go to LH the next morning to see Pastor Hacinto and the kids they ministered to. Another girl went along with us named Christy. We spent Monday afternoon getting my vehicle registered so I could drive it past the checkpoint in Mexico and getting visas for Bianca and Christy. We left Tuesday afternoon and made two last minute stops: getting the satellite phone from the Sitton’s house and getting 24 hour Mexican auto-insurance. I will say right now Praise God for His sovereignty over those two actions!! We made it to EZ and waited with the people there for the activities to start but soon it began pouring rain. We stood inside the school building for some time before the event was cancelled. We decided, since everyone abandoned building and went home, that we would head out to LH that night instead of the next morning. We were driving along quite nicely in the dark around 9:30 pm with the drizzle falling on the windshield, enjoying each other’s fellowship when all too quickly some potholes appeared. I nonchalantly said “uh-oh”, like I do when we unexpectedly approach a tope (Mexican speedbumps, pronounced toe-pay). That uh-oh turned into some fish tailing and I hear from Chris who is in the passenger seat, “You got it!” Well, about the time my car was facing the opposite direction we were originally heading and we were in the grass on the opposite side of the road I knew I didn’t “got it.” All I saw were trees and grass and at that point I threw my hands in the air above my head and said “Lord?!” and we began to roll. At that point I just remember waiting for the glass to shatter and my body to be broken but all I heard was silence and all I felt was peace. The car came to a stop on all four wheels in the midst of trees. Immediately Chris and I began asking if everyone was okay and we all were. Not a drop of blood anywhere. Christy said, “Can we pray?” and realizing my car was still on I asked for some strange reason, “Should I turn my car off?” I turned it off and we held hands and prayed. My door was still in tact and able to open without any problems. We all piled out and Chris and Bianca went to the road to flag down a ride while Christy and I grabbed what we could. A man named Teo took us the rest of the way into LH and to Pastor Hacinto’s house. We sang along the way in english and spanish and when we arrived we gave him a spanish bible and some money for gas. Pastor Hacinto wasn’t home but his mother-in-law told us he was in Matamoros and that we could stay in the church building across the village. This little building was a refuge to us from the lightning that made the night turn into day and the storm raging on outside. It made me think of how God is our refuge, a shelter from the storm, a safe place. That night the four of us sang to God, praising Him for sparing our lives so that we could praise Him more on this earth and take the gospel to the unreached! We reflected on ‘to live is Christ, and to die is gain’ and how if our lives were taken in that crash it really would have been gain because we would have been in the presence of Jesus, face to face. But God let us live. Why? He still has good works planned for us to walk in. We still have glory to bring Him while on this earth. We still have people to reach with the gospel. We talked about how there is no one like our God. I couldn’t talk about it enough to explain it so I read Psalm 115 under the dim light of a small lantern light we brought. When I realized the first verse of Psalm 116 said "I love the Lord, for he heard my voice ("Lord?!"); he heard my cry for mercy", I went on to read the rest. All of us were greatly ministered to by that psalm. And of course I had to read Psalm 117 because that is the reason we exist! We exist to bring God glory and to tell others of Christ that they too would praise and extol Him and bring glory to His Name. We prayed for the people of LH that night and EZ and the other towns we have been to thus far. We prayed that God would establish His church among the people in the Mezquital region. We prayed that He would be honored and magnified in our lives and that He would use us to magnify Himself among the nations. It was a sweet time of fellowship in that little chapel. I believe the last song we sang together was It is Well With My Soul. And with my bible and a rolled up sheet for my pillow and wooden pew benches for my bed I went to sleep.

The following morning we returned to the vehicle to realize that what we had left in there had already been ransacked. My CD player was tactfully removed and stolen along with my CDs and other belongings we left behind because we couldn’t take them with us. But I will rejoice in the plundering of my property because it’s not mine in the first place and it’s not eternal! Besides, now somebody has a whole lot of Christian music and a CD player to listen to them with. They are missing out though because they left behind my Piper sermons!! After Chris used the satellite phone many times to work out all the details a tow truck came and pulled my car from the forest of mesquite trees (or whatever kind of tree that is) that surrounded my car like a taco! The trees were the taco shell and my car was the meat!! The adjustor said my car was probably totaled. We left my car in Mexico and headed back across the border in the Sitton suburban with Mark who came to get us.

I don’t know what will happen next so I would appreciate your prayers that God would provide and that everything would work out with the insurance company. Praise God with me that the four of us exited the vehicle without a scratch on us. We are a little sore but that is to be expected when you roll a car three or four times!! Praise God that we have another day to enjoy Him and His creation, to bring Him glory, and to tell others about the saving grace of Christ.

Porque para mi el vivir is Cristo y el morir es ganancia. Filipenses 1:21

Behold Him there the risen Lamb, My perfect, spotless, righteousness

The Great Unchangeable I AM, the King of Glory and of Grace

ONE WITH HIMSELF I CANNOT DIE, my sinful soul is counted free

For God the just is satisfied, to look on Him and pardon me...to look on Him and pardon me.

Plentiful Harvest, Few Laborers

2007-06-30T17:04:00.000-07:00

This trip into Mexico was quite different than the previous two trips. A team of 120 people or so came in last Thursday and Friday from all over the US. We broke up into 6 teams of various sizes and left on Saturday for 6 different locations. These locations are Emiliano Zapata (E.Z.), Centenario, Las Higuerillas, La Poza, Media Luna, and Ruby Island. My team consisted of about 30 people including the Davis Family (students at the CPCP), Chris Berger (last year student of CPCP), a group of people from Kerville Bible Church, and a nurse from Pennsylvania. We conducted two days of medical clinic in E.Z. and two days in Centenario. We dropped off the team at Centenario as we were leaving the village to head to E.Z. our van started making a very strange noise. We stopped the van and piled out while the men took a look. In the meantime, a local was standing nearby so I went over to talk to him with another guy on our team and a translator. He was half drunk and holding a half drunk bottle of beer in his hand. He began to rattle off in broken english..."I am not a bad person. I just like to drink beer. God is my God and I love Him...I just like to drink beer; it makes me happy." We began to show him verses in his own spanish bible like Psalm 16:11 that true joy comes from the presence of God and that this happiness he experiences from drinking beer is only temporary and not truly satisfying. He told us that it is impossible to obey the whole Bible. We showed him Philippians 4:13 and Psalm 119:9-11. He had so many questions. As we got back in the van to head to EZ the urgency of laborers for the harvest was like a blow to my chest. If only there was a consistent, evangelical witness in Centenario who could live and speak Jesus to these people on a daily basis, this man's questions could be answered and a church could be established there! In America, no matter how small a town may be that you drive through, you generally don't get through town without seeing several churches on several street corners. Not in Mexico. Centenario is home to roughly 300 people and EZ has around 260 people. These are people who go days on end without hearing any kind of truth from God's word and don't see it displayed in anybody's life.

WHO WILL GO?

We set up camp upon arriving in EZ and before long we had a soccer game going with the kids. I must say that is one of my favorite things about Mexico...EVERYBODY PLAYS SOCCER!! The next day we began working in the medical clinic. This time we had a doctor on our team so I was able to learn quite a bit by sitting in on the consultations and seeing what he diagnosed and prescribed. I also worked quite a bit in the pharmacy making labels in spanish for Cookie as she filled the little ziploc bags of meds that the doctor prescribed. The people of EZ and Centenario were very grateful for our free medical clinic. Robin, a nurse who lives in La Poza with her husband, was consulting with a lady named Maria Guadalupe. She was complaining of headaches and asked if headaches could be caused by stress. Robin answered yes and came to find out that the stress was due to giving birth to a still born child a few months prior. She didn't have anybody to talk to about this depressing event in her life. Robin explained to her she could talk to God and went on to share the gospel with this woman. While in the process of sharing Christ with her a member from the Baptist Church in San Juan, about thirty minutes away, whom Robin knows, walked in and was able to meet Maria and pray with her. Pray that the believers in San Juan would be burdened for the people of EZ and Centenario and evangelize these places! The rest of the team that wasn't in the medical clinic did a VBS for the kiddos in the afternoons. They went through the gospel throughout the week and did many crafts with the kids. At the end of the week we invited all the kids to return around 7:30 pm and to bring their parents and extended families and friends for the showing of a video. We set up a projector and a sheet and we showed a video called La Esperanza (The Hope). It is an hour long video telling the main stories of the Bible chronologically and ending with the gospel. We had many women and children show up. Rafaela, a woman who did some cooking for our team while we were there, has been resistant to the gospel the last two years teams have gone to EZ. This year she asked for a Bible halfway through the week, she came to the movie, and she came to one of our team devos we had every night. Please pray for Rafaela's salvation and spiritual growth and that God would bring fruit from our labor among the people in EZ.

VBS KIDDOS!! (left)

LA ESPERANZA VIDEO!!(right)

Stateside Once Again

2007-06-10T09:12:00.000-07:00

"Brakes give way...over a cliff they go...and they're dead...instantly...and I asked my people, "Is this a tragedy?" I found myself quoting this part of Piper's sermon "Boasting Only in the Cross" often as we traveled through the mountains in Oaxaca state to get to the Coicoyan people. He is referring to two elderly women missionaries, Ruby Aliason and Laura Edwards, who served God faithfully overseas as medical people. As they were driving through the mountains of Cameroon their brakes gave way and they died instantly. In the eyes of the world this would be a tragedy but not for the gospel's sake. They died serving the Lord and in an instant they were in the presence of the Lord! To die really is gain when all our joy and hope is found in the person of Christ because we will instantly be in his presence!! Anyways, these are the kinds of thoughts that pervaded my mind while traveling through mountains that were home to 13 villages or so of people who have never heard the name of Christ or a true presentation of the gospel. We did a medical and dental clinic in two villages, Jicaral and Trinidad, and another part of our group did a dental clinic in two other villages. The need for laborers hit me the most as we set out from Jicaral to travel further into the mountains to Trinidad. We literally drove right through one village. The road went through the middle of the village with houses just feet from our vehicles on either side. There was a huge catholic church on the edge of the village. As we drove on through the mountains beyond, the village would come in and out of sight, reminding me of how unreached they are! Who is going to live among them and tell them about Christ? Who will go? Well, that is David Sitton's aim in starting this missions training school, the Center for Pioneer Church Planting. He desires to train laborers and launch them to the nations. That has been the most sobering sight in every place we have been so far...the magnitude of unreached peoples and the thought of 'who will go?' I am only one person!! If you have the slightest desire to do missions then do as we say here at To Every Tribe Ministries..."Pull the trigger!" Just do it! We have a clear mandate in scripture to go to peoples who don't know Christ and tell them about Him. You have a desire to go...what else do you need? "Pull the trigger!" I just so happen to know of a great training school for missionaries and several places where unreached peoples dwell. Please pray about what the Lord would have you do next in your life. I make this call out of a constant need I have seen everywhere we have gone...a plentiful harvest and few laborers. So, will you join me? If not then consider how you can support those who are taking the gospel to the unreached. Every missionary needs a support system back home. That could be you. And that is no less of a noble task. It is equally part of taking the gospel to the nations. And there is so much joy in both the going and the sending aspect of mission! So, what will you do?

And he said to them, "The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest."
Luke 10:2

Our prayer here at TETM has continually been for laborers and we have seen the plentiful harvest which only fuels our prayers more for laborers. You can find out more about TETM at their website: www.toeverytribe.com. You can listen to Piper's sermon, "Boasting Only in the Cross" at http://www.desiringgod.org/Search/?search=boasting+only+in+the+cross. Click on the sermon and a box should come up and you can listen to the sermon.

I do thank you so much for all your prayers thus far and thank you to those who have sent money to TETM for my schooling here at the Center for Pioneer Church Planting. I can't express to you how grateful I am for this training and the opportunities I have had to take the gospel to people who have never heard. I can't imagine what kind of missionary I would have been now that I know what I have learned through this school. This experience has been priceless to me! Thank you. I love you all and pray for you often. May the Lord bless you and keep you and make His face shine upon you.
Side by side
Phil 1:27
Cara

Pray for Coicoyan!

2007-05-26T22:46:00.000-07:00

We head out tomorrow morning for Coicoyan in Oaxaca State. The Coicoyan people are among the most unreached people groups in Mexico. They are unreached because they are among the hardest to get to with the gospel. They are very hostile to the gospel and have run out some missionaries already. They are in desperate need of the gospel! We plan on running a medical clinic as well as a dental clinic. Hopefully this will open up doors for the sharing of the gospel. Their native language is Mixteco but some speak Spanish. However, they don't like to speak Spanish because they view it as an inferior language. They are also very superstitious about everything. They are very syncretistic in their beliefs as well. They live out Roman Catholicism to some degree but they also have their own "saints" that they pray to for rain.

PRAY:

opportunities for the gospel to be shared
salvation of the Coicoyan people/church established
wisdom/knowledge for medical and dental clinics and strength to endure
unity among team members
travel safety

Thank you so much for your prayers! I pray I will return with news of salvation or at least seeds planted! Thank you and I love you all!!

Phil 1:27

Cara

Home, Sweet Home

2007-05-09T15:55:00.000-07:00

Where do I begin? We headed out Sunday the 29th of April and arrived in La Barra Tuesday morning. In times past the leadership of the village would have a meeting on whether or not we could camp on the beach. This has always been an issue because they have a rule that nobody can camp on the beach, not even their own people. This has also been a source of conflict in times past because some of the leadership do not want us there and it would be at that time that they would give us permission to sleep on the beach and do our clinics but not bring our religion. This year, a man named Jose Luis, the shortstop for the baseball team, said we could camp around his house where there was a toilet and a shower. So, we set up camp. The leadership ended up not having to meet at all. They did inform us that they would be having a fiesta May 2nd and 3rd so we probably wouldn't want to do our dental clinic then because everybody would be at the fiesta. So, that Wednesday we drove an hour to another city set back in a mountain called Chacalapa. There we were warmly received. We set up clinic on the front porch of the Agencia and saw about 45 patients that day. The following day, back in La Barra, we got a great taste of culture at the fiesta. We also saw effects of their bondage to sin. People of all ages were drinking beer and getting drunk. The following two days were filled with drilling and filling teeth! We opened clinic around 9 am and went until 6 pm or so. Saturday, the last day for clinic, we stayed open until 9:30 pm because we just couldn't turn people away. One of the last patients we saw said she was so grateful because she saw how we were tired and stayed anyway to see everybody. I pray she recognizes that as the love of Christ! Throughout the time we were in the dental clinic, our translators spent some time with the people in the village, visiting homes, and whatnot. There were many conversations regarding Christ and the gospel but the people of La Barra are still resistant and hardhearted. They want to continue in their sinful way of life. There is a family of a believers though. Roberto and his wife are fairly new believers. They held bible studies in their home for awhile until one of the men that came was threatened with a machete not to come back or that would be the last time. Roberto and his wife have quieted down under the persecution. Please pray for their strength, boldness, and endurance in preaching the gospel and that God would open up the unbelieving eyes to see the futility of their ways and their need of the Savior, Jesus Christ. I hope that our team was of some encouragement to Roberto. It is strange writing these things about persecution in that place because these people are our friends. There is a feeling of spiritual darkness there that we didn't feel in Chacalapa but they are our friends. David Sitton explained this to me as the "Palm Branch" phase. One day the people are laying palm branches down before Jesus and the next they are crucifying Him. I don't know how long this "palm branch" phase will last but I am sure as soon as the gospel is boldly and lovingly preached in that place the persecution will come. Please pray that God would raise up a team to go to La Barra and to go to Chacalapa where the name of Christ is not known and is not exalted. Pray that the gospel is preached no matter what the cost! The following Sunday we hung around La Barra to watch the baseball team play a game against another city. La Barra won and soon after that we headed out for the trip back home.
I want to thank you for all your prayers for me on this trip. Many times during the clinic I could feel God giving me strength to see another patient. Two days in a row my first patient took me about 3 hours due to so many cavities. God sustained me through those three hours and the following patients who had difficult cavities to get to and fix. I know without a shadow of a doubt that that was an answer to so many people's prayers. It truly is amazing when you know your attitude isn't quite right and you think you just can't go on and then you pray, or you know someone else is praying (thank you Mark!!), and that attitude is gone and you suddenly have this source of strength and endurance that only comes by God's grace. He is so good and able to sustain his children through any situation in life! Praise Him!! So, thank you again for your prayers. You are greatly appreciated!
Philippians 1:27
Cara

Please Pray for La Barra!!!

2007-04-26T00:37:00.000-07:00

We head out for La Barra de la Cruz this Sunday morning early. If I am not mistaken TETM has been to La Barra the past five years and every time they have refused to let us share the gospel. However, we must obey God rather than men, so year after year we have been a little more vocal about the gospel. Two years ago we put tracts in their bags of medicine we sent home with them from the medical clinic. This past August they refused to let the team do a VBS so they handed out bibles and just conversed with the people. We plan to do a dental clinic this year. This tight-nit community is predominantly catholic and they have been as blunt to say we don't want the gospel because it will disturb our community. The men say, "It will keep us from being able to sleep around and it will mess up our whole routine here." These people are hostile to the gospel. I believe there may be two known believers among them, a husband and wife. Heres what to pray:

The gospel would be faithfully preached according to the Spirit's leading
God would open their hearts to believe the gospel and repent and obey God's commandments; God would establish His church among them
Dental clinic would run smoothly; good judgment calls (we will have two dentists with us)
the people would see compassion in everything we do, especially the dental clinic, and know it is because of Christ.
Safety on the road...25 hours both ways!! Fun times!!

Thank you for your prayers. I can never say it enough how much I love and appreciate you all for praying for me and for the gospel to reach the ends of the earth to every nation! God will be great among the nations!! And the whole earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of God!! Praise Him!!

Philippians 1:27...For the faith of the gospel

Cara

We DRILL and we FILL!!

2007-04-19T23:26:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone. I have to tell you of the latest thing God has blessed me with. The last two weeks Chris, Kirby, and I have done some intensive dental training. The first week we spent in the classroom with our great "dentist professor", Gerry, where we learned how to use all these fun tools with fun names like 'explorer' and 'hatchet' and 'spoon' and 'drill'. Great names for tools that go in the small cavity called the mouth!! Spoon isn't too intimidating! Anyways, we learned how to spot cavities and gain access to the tooth and dig out the decay. We then learned how to make a small mixture to fill the cavity with and then seal it off with varnish. We learned how to do flouride treatments and other various things. This past week we left every day after class and drove to a car factory just on the other side of the border in Mexico. In the second floor of this "christian" run car shop we held a dental clinic from about 4:30-10 pm every day. At first it was a challenge to practice what we had just learned on real teeth in real people's mouths but as the week progressed we gained more confidence by God's grace in answering all our prayers...and let me tell you...those prayers were many!! I say this is a blessing from God because it is yet another tool in my hand to display the love of Christ to the nations. We have this saying among To Every Tribe Ministries which goes like this, "You have to earn the right to be heard." When we go to a new unreached place, we don't just shove the gospel in their face and demand that they believe. Rather, we be Christ to them and demonstrate our love for them in ways like medical clinics, baseball clinics, dental clinics, etc. We do these things in the name of Jesus so as to build relationships with people and earn the right to be heard. When you gain their friendship they will listen. They may not believe the gospel and they may even become your enemy. How they respond to the verbal presentation of the gospel is not dependant upon us. However, how we represent Christ to the lost is dependant on us and we must live lives above reproach and display Christ in all that we do and say. What a great way to display the love of Christ by first meeting their physical needs. When asked why we would do such a thing, we say, "Because Christ first loved me..." and we go on to share the gospel. Anyways, I wanted to inform you all of this new skill God has given me. We will be having a dental clinic in La Barra and Coicoyan. Gerry is going with us to La Barra of which we are all grateful. The Davis' went through this training while we were in PNG. So, there will be five newly trained "dentists" and Gerry, "the real deal." Please pray that God would make His love known to the people as we do dentristy among them. The whole reason Gerry does this two week training course for people is so they can show the compassion of Christ to people by meeting their dental needs. Please pray that the people would receive this compassion and receive the gospel!! We will be in La Barra April 30th-May 8th and Coicoyan May 28th-June 5th. Thank you for your prayers!!

Salvation in Chambri Village!!!

2007-03-23T19:41:00.000-07:00

Well friends and family...God brought our team safely through PNG while preaching the gospel. I am thankful to be back in the states because there is nothing quite like sweet bar-b-que boneless wild wings and potato wedges with ranch dressing! But that is absolutely nothing compared to what we experienced in PNG. God was mighty to save in Chambri. Before I get into all the stories let me clarify a few things from my last blog. It is not a six hour hike to Chambri. In fact, we canoed right up to Karimbit village which is on the very edge of Chambri Island. So, maybe it was a six second walk across the airstrip to the first hut!! The hike would have happened had we gone to Yimbe but for some reason the Lord kept us from going there. One possible obvious reason is that Yimbe was having tribal wars with some other tribe. I guess it wasn't my time to be martyred...HAHA!! Anyways, we did meet Prisca and she is quite an amazing and beautiful woman. I also learned that there are a few other believers in her home village where she lives no more because of the persecution she faced. However, Prisca did come back to Chambri island because she heard word that we would be there...thus, we met Prisca. Prisca faithfully attended all the bible studies that we had. I would like to tell you the story of how the church was established in Chambri in case you didn't get around to listening to David's sermon on the website. I wanted to include it in the newsletter but as you will see my newsletter was long enough....I am sorry I am so longwinded. Well, here is the story:

On David’s short term trip in 1995 a native believer died on Chambri island. The Chambri people have a ritual they do when someone dies in order to find out who is responsible for the person’s death. David knew if they performed their ritual that it would not be good and that Satan would deceive once again and another innocent person would die. Especially since the one who died was a believer and there were Christians on the island, David knew who Satan’s prime target would be. So David and the team went to the area where this ritual was taking place and prayed. What they do is chant around a bamboo pole and it will levitate and point to whoever is responsible for the person’s death. As the people began to chant the bamboo didn’t levitate. David began to yell out verses of scripture that declare God as Creator and God above all gods. The people were angry at David and began to chase him and the team and throw coconuts at them. Eventually they stopped chasing him so David called the team back. Suddenly, out from the jungle stepped a woman named Rosa, a witchdoctor. She began to try harder with her chants to levitate the bamboo. David yelled out, “Rosa, if you can levitate this pole we will follow your gods but if you can’t levitate this pole then you must follow our God.” Again, the pole didn't move. This angered all the people because their ritual had been broken and destroyed so they began to chase the team and throw coconuts at them again. One man, Bob, began chasing after David with his machete. David had nowhere to run, they were on an island, so he just turned his back and waited for the machete to come down on his back. But it didn’t. A man jumped in between David and Bob and told Bob not to kill him because he feared what David’s God would do to them if they killed him. The next day Bob came up to David and said, “I almost killed you last night.” David said, “I know. But you saw what happened so you need to repent and believe in Jesus and follow Him.” Machete Bob didn’t believe that day but he became David’s right hand man and best friend. When David and another team returned the following year, there were approximately fifty new believers. Within the next few years Bob became a believer. Now instead of machete Bob he is brother Bob!!

So, thus God established a church on Chambri island. What I didn't include in my newsletter is that the man who saved David's life that night was Casper. Casper is one of the six who were saved and baptized in Chambri!! Isn't that amazing!! Praise the Lord! I would also like to tell you how David first heard of the Chambri people and came into contact with them:

When David and his wife Tommi were missionaries in Wewak back in 1989, Tommi took some guitar lessons from a man named Leo Wasi. Leo Wasi was from Chambri island. Sure enough, through the sharing of the gospel, Leo was saved!! Not only was he saved but he wanted to take the gospel back to his own people. So, David and Leo set out for Chambri island. A six hour truck ride and three hour canoe ride away was Leo's home and the place where God would use David and countless teams to establish His church. The first time Leo preached there a riot broke out and punches were thrown as well as insults and rocks. But they pressed on. What you will rejoice in learning, that I wasn't able to put in my newsletter, John Wasi, brother of Leo Wasi, was saved and baptized in Chambri this trip!! Nearly 18 years later!!

So, we were more than blessed on this trip! My newsletter tells the rest and I believe everyone who reads my blog will receive the newsletter. I hope it blesses you.

Some verses to chew on:

Sing to the Lord a new song; sing to the Lord, all the earth!! Sing to the Lord, BLESS his name; tell of his salvation from DAY to DAY. DECLARE HIS GLORY AMONG THE NATIONS, his marvelous works among all the peoples! For GREAT is the Lord, and greatly to be praised; he is to be feared above all gods. For all the gods of the peoples are worthless idols, but the Lord made the heavens! Splendor and majesty are before him; strength and beauty are in his sanctuary.
Psalm 96:1-6

Ask of me, and I will make the nations your heritage, and the ends of the earth your possession.
Psalm 2:8

For from the rising of the sun to its setting MY NAME WILL BE GREAT AMONG THE NATIONS, and in every place incense will be offered to my name, and a pure offering. FOR MY NAME WILL BE GREAT AMONG THE NATIONS, says the LORD OF HOSTS.
Malachi 1:11

PRAISE HIM!!
Philippians 1:27....Cara

Papua New Guinea!! Bring it on!!

2007-02-15T20:46:00.000-08:00

Well...the time has come! We are leaving for Papua New Guinea in 5 hours!! Crazy!! I wanted to inform you of what we will be doing in PNG so you can be praying!! First of all, our team consists of eight people: Kirby Myer, Chris Johnson, David Sitton (AKA "Chief"), Rod Connor, Mark Faulkner, Carly Barnes, Kate ???, and Me! Please be praying for our physical endurance as the trek to the unreached is long and strenuous. We will arrive in Wewak, PNG sometime on the 18th (I think...the time changes really throws me off!!). About a day or two later we will take a 6 hour truck ride to a huge lake and then hop in a dugout canoe. This canoe will take us 3 hours away from shore to the shore of Chambri Island. We will then proceed to hike 6 hours to the Chambri village. Chambri village will act as our home base but we will often set out on 2-3 hour hikes to surrounding villages. The names of these villages are: Womboom, Yimbe Yimbe, Changrimen, and other various villages. A church has been established among the Chambri and if you want to hear the story of how God accomplished that then you can go to toeverytribe.com and listen to David Sitton's sermon spoken at Piper's conference. It will bless your socks off. You will also hear the story of a woman named Prisca. Prisca is from the Womboom village. Her village is hostile to the gospel. She is unable to live in her village any more because of the persecution due to her faith in Jesus. She is the only believer from that tribe so they are still unreached. Pray that God would open up doors for His power to be shown as the all powerful God that He is. Pray that God opens their eyes to the lie they believe according to Romans 1 and that God would shine the light of the glorious gospel in their hearts!! Yimbe Yimbe has one believer that I know of named Lawrence. He reads his bible daily...like...all day long...and he never even learned how to read!! God taught him!! He has one amputated leg and he sits in his hut all day long reading his bible and singing the few songs he knows and praying that God would save his people. You can join Lawrence in his prayers for his people's salvation!! The Changrimen are a reached tribe as well, as far as I know. I am not sure how 'reached' though. Well, Lord willing we will return to the states March 10th and I hope to get a newsletter update out to you guys soon after my return. I am sure I will have many stories to tell!! Thank you again for all your prayers and support. Once again, the prayer requests are:

physical strength to make it to the people we desire to share the gospel with
unity among the church in Chambri
Prisca's strength and provision
Salvation for Womboom
Strength for Lawrence to press on in prayer for his people's salvation
The salvation of the Yimbe Yimbe tribe
Salvation for more people in the Changrimen tribe
Strengthening for the believers among all these tribes and for a desire to take the gospel to their own village neighbors!!

Keep in mind, as you pray, the beautiful promise of Revelation 7:9-12

"After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from EVERY NATION, FROM ALL TRIBES AND PEOPLES AND LANGUAGES, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands, and crying out with a loud voice, "Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!"

You are praying for your brothers and sisters who will one day stand with you before the throne of God and we will sing together to our great God and King who is the Lamb and our salvation! Praise the Father above who has given us His great mercy and grace and provided for us His very self as our reward...He could give us nothing better. Praise Him!!

Philippians 1:27...Cara

The Good Life

2007-01-27T11:24:00.000-08:00

So many great things have gone on lately that I want to tell you all about!! First of all (yes, first of all!!) we went to a bible study at Christie's Java Loft two Mondays ago. It was led by a senior in high school named Daniel Cepeda. His sister was there named Sara and a few other high schoolers. It was more an open discussion bible study so Chris, Kirby, and I threw in our two cents every once in awhile. It was such a blessing and a joy to me to see high schoolers breaking open the word together and meditating on it! Daniel's father is the preacher at FBC Los Fresnos so we attended the church the following Sunday. We met Daniel's parents, Robert and Diana, and talked with them a bit. We attended the bible study again this past Monday night and it ended up being just me and Chris, Daniel and Sara. We had such sweet fellowship! Later we received an email from Robert Cepeda saying how Daniel and Sara came home with huge smiles on their faces and said that they had fellowship like they have been craving for and hadn't had in a long time and that it was nice to be fed for once (all glory to God). Please pray for Daniel and Sara. There aren't many believers at Los Fresnos High School and they are pouring themselves out daily into the lives of the other students at school and the youth at the church and even the children and aren't being fed much. We are excited about this opportunity to be used by God in this community and in the lives of Daniel and Sara. Daniel wants to go to medical school in the long run and Sara, a sophomore in high school, wants to go to ANGELO STATE UNIVERSITY!! They actually know Kevin Kirkland with Katalyst ministries and Ornan's Floor!! I am trying to get Daniel to go to ASU as well. You can be praying for God to show him where he needs to go.

Another event I desire to tell you about is our recent day trip to Las Igarias (Not sure of the spelling on that one!!). There were two churches in this fish town in the Mezquital region and two pastors. One pastor recently passed away (September), brother Fausto, and we wanted to go and find the people of his congregation or his family members to strengthen and encourage them. We saw the building in which they meet and we found his house but were unable to talk to anyone who was a believer there. We did find out from a local that the deceased pastor's family had moved to another city. So we set out to find the pastor of the other church in town, brother Hacinto. Keep in mind this town is on the gulf coast with one paved road that runs from the main towns in Mexico all the way through and just stops at the water. It is destitute for about an hour until you reach this gulf town which is small and the houses are made of plywood and whatnot. Well, we came upon the other church building and there was a small playground out front. Quickly the kids gathered in the play yard. I practiced what spanish I know with the kids and got a soccer game of keep away going. Mexicans vs. Americans is how it played out! It was so much fun!! Meanwhile, David Sitton with our translator Irion talked with one of the members of the church. He told our team that the pastor was in Matamoros at this time. I am not completely sure as to how the conversation unfolded because I was too busy playing soccer with the kiddos!! So precious!! So, please pray for the believers in Las Igarias. Pray that they would be strengthened and that they would grow up in their salvation and take the gospel to the rest of the Laguna Madre, just south of Brownsville.

To my supporters: I want you to know that you are a precious partner with me in the gospel. I am so humbled to think that I could not be here without the support I have received from my family and friends and I realize how you all are my partners in getting the gospel to the nations. Thank you for honoring God with what He has blessed you with and sharing it with me that I can go and do these things of which I get great joy!! I hope to keep you informed of the things God does so that you too may have joy and give glory to God!! And most of all I desire that you partner with me in prayer. Oh that we would invade the throne room of God for the saving of the nations TOGETHER! SIDE BY SIDE let us strive in sharing the gospel!! I pray for you often and I pray that you too would live your life in a manner worthy of the gospel! I love you all and I thank you all for your prayers and support!!

Destination: CPCP!!

2007-01-14T14:17:00.000-08:00

Well friends and family...I made it to the CPCP and I can't tell you how amazing it is. I didn't know it was possible for every desire of your heart to be fulfilled in one place at one time. God never ceases to amaze me!! Well, the first week has been filled with learning systematic theology, english bible study methods, how to go about raising prayer and financial support in a God honoring and Christ centered way, and various other things such as filling out burial forms!! David Sitton has spoken various times this week on missions and prayer and fasting and we look forward to the lesson on spiritual warfare from one who has "been there and done that!"

Kirby and I set out to find a coffee shop/cafe in Los Fresnos and God led us to a place called Christie's Java Loft just several blocks away from the apartments. We went in to check it out and she said there was going to be a show that night starting at 8. Kirby and I decided we would come back then. We weren't sure what to expect but knew it would be GMT either way. GMT stands for "Good missionary training." To our great joy we found out that Christie is a believer. She just opened this shop two weeks ago and and has until the end of the month to make $4,000 to stay open. I plan on drinking a lot of coffee and eating a lot of sandwiches from her shop!! The bands that played that night were clearly not believers and I asked Christie if she knew anything more about them concerning being believers. She said No but that is why I opened this shop! Her vision for that shop is to reach out to the LOST!! How great!! That night there were so many lost people there and we were able to meet several of the band members and their friends. Kirby, Chris, and I found ourselves praying fervently that night for what God would do in that place. Also, Christie meets in a missionaries home for church on sunday and we plan on joining her next week in that. I am so excited about what God is doing here in Los Fresnos!

For all those who have supported me financially and in prayer I want to say THANK YOU! God is very much at work here and your gifts and prayers are so much a part of advancing God's kingdom of light into the dark world. I thank God for people like you who support me first of all in prayer because without it we have no power in advancing God's kingdom and secondly financially as well because plane tickets do cost money! Thank you so much! I look forward to informing you all on exciting stories of what God is doing!! I love you all!!

PS Mom you have to come back and visit because Christie makes MUDSLIDES!! Kirby and I had one and it was mm, mm, good!! Lick your LIPS good!! :)

Ode to Baker Street

2006-12-14T17:06:00.000-08:00

Hey everyone!! If you haven't heard I am moving to Brownsville in January for an eight month missions training school. As of this moment though I am sitting in the infamous Baker Street. I don't know if Baker Street holds as much significance for you as it does for me but I thought I would do my first post on the place I am currently sitting and will soon sit no more:(! I will move on though. So, here is my short ode to Baker Street...As I sat here I began to reflect on my time at Baker Street. Then I was reminded of my first adventures to this place. We moved here just before my senior year of high school started and immediately it seems like I began to meet with Kira Land and a few other girls here at BS. Those were good months of being discipled by her and being held accountable. Then, my freshman year of college I began to meet with Amanda Pfluger once a week here at the infamous BS. We had many times of accountability and growing and struggling. Shortly after we stopped meeting the summer before my junior year of college, I asked Elaine to disciple me. And so the saga continues of being discipled and trained in the Lord here at this place. What sweet moments I have had with her and so much learning and wisdom was and will continually be gleaned from that friendship. All the while, the following February, Alison asked if I would disciple her. And so I did....at Baker Street! We too had sweet moments. I was continually humbled by my inability in and of my own strength but God always proved faithful to meet with us here so that Alison received something....so I pray! I have been blessed by her maturity at such a young age. And now, this day was my last day to meet with Elaine (although we met at her house, which was much more personal!!...we cried over green teapots!! That is another story for another time) for some time. And I will meet with Alison on Saturday. Probably at Baker Street. So, needless to say, Kingdom work takes place at such a place as Baker Street. There have been countless unplanned times of fellowship with believers at this place...not to mention the amount of time studying in this place for crazy college. And for the summer of Pharmacology, Baker Street got rich off the Bebee family and their need for mudslides the day before every test!! Thanks mom! Well, I am sure this blog is long enough and really the ode goes to God because without Him everything good that took place at Baker Street would not have been possible!! That sounds like an Emmy award winner's speech! Anyways, praise Him for the sweet fellowship we can have with His Son and in turn our brothers and sisters in Christ!! He is so good!!