Praising God

“Sing forth the honour of his name, make his praise glorious.”

- Psa_66:2

"It is not left to our own option whether we shall praise God or not. Praise is God’s most righteous due, and every Christian, as the recipient of his grace, is bound to praise God from day to day."

Spurgeon

Elaina's Birthday

Last week Elaina turned 9!!

To look at Elaina now it is so hard to beleive that when she was born she weighed only 1lb 6oz and had an apgar score of 1. The Lord healed her and she has developed into a beautiful, strong and very smart girl.

We have a rule in our home that when it is someone's birthday we all have the day off from school and do something fun together. So we took a picnic lunch and went to Queeny Park in St Louis. We spent the afternoon climbing trees, playing at the playground and getting a little lost on a walking trail.

Michelle

Passport Photos

We knew we still needed to get passport photos taken but were in no hurry as we can't apply for their passports until their registrations come back, but last week we found a deal we couldn't turn down.

Normally passport photos at Walgreens cost $7.99 which multiplied by 6, plus tax would come to just over $50. Last week Walgreens had a sale for buy one get one free. That was a good deal, but what made it a great deal was on Friday and Saturday they had a coupon for $5 off $20.

So what normally would have cost us over $50 ended up (after sale and coupon) being only $20.17.

I thank the Lord for allowing me to find that great deal.

Michelle

Awesome!!!

Listen to this! We have been checking into a trip to Branson MO to see the Christmas lights at Silver Dollar City theme park. We have wanted to go for many years now. With us headed to the mission field, we figured this would probably be our last chance to go. So, we have been looking at hotels and such to see what kind of a deal that we could get; we even have a package saved online, while we check other things out before making a decision.

This morning at Church a friend climbed all the way up the hill to tell Michelle that they wanted to offer us their time share in Branson to use in Nov/Dec and then risked life and limb to go back down the hill to their car (this is not an easy hill to navigate). When Michelle told me, I was speechless. This is so awesome! (I reserve the word "awesome" for God and this deserves that treatment) For no one knew we were thinking about this except our Father. God does stir the hearts of people.

Every generous act of giving and every perfect gift is from above and comes down from the Father who made the heavenly lights, in whom there is no inconsistency or shifting shadow.

James 1:17

Our Father is sooooo GOOD to us!

Gary

Fighter Verses

Recently the Lord has laid it on our hearts to get serious about scripture memorization.

I have really enjoyed memorizing scripture - it has not been easy, but the truths that I have discovered are incredible. It is wonderful to be able to meditate on these during the day and learn more and more about the nature of God and what it means to live a Christian life.

We have found the Fighter Verses from Desiring God a helpful tool in this endeavor.

While it is good for me to memorize scripture, I have to admit there is something very sweet about hearing your children recite scripture - especially when it comes from the mouth of a 2 year old!


Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. Put on the whole armor of God that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil...and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God. Ephesians 6:10, 17

Michelle

Bike Riding

Last week we enjoyed a wonderful afternoon together riding bikes in a local park.

The park wasn't close enough to ride to and our van isn't big enough to transport 7 bikes (Deanna rides on the back of Gary's). Thankfully our neighbor lent us his truck so we could transport the bikes to the park.

We had a great time in the near perfect temperatures, enjoying each others company and marvelling at God's beautiful creation, except the swarm of crickets that jumped all over us as we rode past a field. Thankfully Elaina wasn't hurt when one cricket jumped on her arm and scared her so much that she fell off her bike!

Michelle

God's Provision for Jeremiah

On Saturday we were at Walmart buying shoes for Elaina and Naomi. While we were there Jeremiah saw a pair of cowboy boots and asked if he could get them. Cowboy boots weren't in my budget so I suggested that he asked God if He would allow him to have a pair. Little did we know the Lord would answer so quickly.

The following evening at church a friend approached me with this question "What is Jeremiah's shoe size?" I told her I thought he was about a size 12. Her reply was "Someone has just given my son a pair of cowboy boots that their son has grown out of - so would Jeremiah like my son's boots?" They were a size 12 - perfect! Jeremiah was so excited that he had to take his shoes off during church so he could wear his new cowboy boots.

What a loving Father we have that he is concerned about and provides for His children.

James 1:17 Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights

Michelle

Still Waiting ...

We have had several people ask recently if there is any news regarding the children's registration applications. The answer is still 'no'.

The paperwork has now been in England for almost 2 months. The process could take up to 7 months so we are still waiting .... as patiently as we can ;-) and still praying for the Lord to bring it to us sooner.

We looked on their website today to see if they had posted anything and the following is what we have found:

Since the announcement of the proposed changes to the route to British citizenship (earned citizenship) we have been receiving significantly more applications than usual.
All applications for citizenship are subject to enquiries to ensure that the statutory requirements have been satisfied. These enquires can take some time to complete. The additional applications will result in slightly longer waiting times and we anticipate that applications made since January will take up to seven months to complete. Someone who applied in June 2008 should not expect to hear from us before the end of December 2008. However this is only an average waiting time and some applications may be dealt with more quickly and some may take longer, depending on the nature of the enquiries to be carried out.

We sent our applications in the middle of July.

We want to thank those of you who have been praying with us.

Michelle

God's Providence

He says to the snow, "Fall on the earth,"
and to the rain shower, "Be a mighty downpour."
So that all men he has made may know his work,
he stops every man from his labour.
The animals take cover;
they remain in their dens.
The tempest comes out from its chamber,
the cold from the driving winds.
The breath of God produces ice,
and the broad waters become frozen.
He loads the clouds with moisture;
he scatters his lightning through them.
At his direction they swirl around
over the face of the whole earth
to do whatever he commands them.
He brings the clouds to punish men,
or to water his earth and show his love

Job 37:6-13


In this very active hurricane season it is good to remember that God is in control of ALL things.

Michelle

This isn't right!

You know you live in a hi-tech world when your 2 year old is using the laptop!

Michelle

Oppressing the Orphan

This post was written by Summer who is serving the Lord in Uganda with her husband and six children (ages 6 and under!). She shares my heart for the orphans and eloquently shows what most of us in the West don't normally see or hear about.

I am going to be very upfront in this post. I live in a country which is a lot like the "degenerate city" spoken of in the book of Isaiah.

"It was full of injustice, righteousness lodged in it, but now murderers. Your princes are rebellious and companions of thieves; everyone loves bribes and follows after rewards.
They do not defend the fatherless (orphan)..."

We have been called to defend the orphan. It is a command, not an option with a clause.

I have been meeting quite regularly with the local chief of police pleading the cause of the orphan. As far as we knew, there were no Christian orphanages in the area. However, the police mentioned there was word of "something" in a near by district. So, setting out by foot yesterday, I found what words can not describe.

As I entered the gate of this place, I was aghast by what I saw. Initially I thought that maybe they were fixing up the place--kids could not be living in such conditions. But I was wrong. It looked like a garbage dump/jungle. A dead stork has been nailed to the front of the house?? Your guess is as good as mine as why this was so.

I was first led upstairs where a teenage girl showed me her wild monkey sleeping in her bed. Do they not know that wild monkeys carry all kinds of diseases? Trying not to look too obvious, I began to take in all that I saw. One bedroom had over 10 beds in it--some being occupied by big, dirty dogs. Next, I was led outback where 12 children (all under the age of 3) ran about. Some were dressed but most were naked. It was nearing lunch time and 10 of the children sat down on the ground where a platter of food was set before them. 20 grubby hands began stuffing food into their mouths. All the while, cats were helping themselves to the platter, too. No one paid attention. No one is pleading their cause. More than likely, the little girls in this home will begin "selling" themselves as young as the age of six in order to pay for school fees...and this is just one home. There are 100's just like it.

When I told this story to a local friend, her response was, "this is how it is, and this is how it will always be." Everyone turns a blind eye.

Who is going to plead the cause of the orphan??

Please pray with us.

If you are interested in reading more of what Summer has to say, you can find her blog HERE.

Michelle