Archive | May, 2010
Posted in Family on 16. May, 2010
The last few days have been a blur to say the least. We have been involved in an Antioch Network (Belgium) Pastors Conference and also a large worship event for young people. And we have four hundred ninety-two people staying in our house. Well, we don’t really have four hundred ninety-two people living in our house, but close to it. Josh and Marian Briscoe, Zach, Liz, and Titus Lowrie, Daniel Svoboda, Kacy Bruton, and the rest of our clan are all in the house. (I think that’s somewhere around twenty people.) Josh and Marian actually left this morning to go back to Texas, but we have two more young people coming in this week. We are loving every minute of it. Josh Briscoe spoke at a youth meeting in one of the local churches last Wednesday. Gary spoke at the Pastors Conference Thursday morning. Nathan (our son-in-love) spoke at the Explosion youth event Friday night. And we all were on the worship team Saturday morning for the conclusion of the conference. The pastors were definitely stirred and challenged as to their views and beliefs about Israel and the glory of God. So good!
Yesterday after the conference was over, we decided to drive about an hour outside of Brussels to a quaint little town called Brugge (broozsh). We were in 2 vans and a car. I have decided that Brugge is one of the more beautiful cities in Belgium.
This is where Gary, Arni Klein (our good friend from Israel), and I originally parked before we realized we were more than three kilometers from where the other two vans had parked. Isn’t this a beautiful scene? I took this with my ancient Kodak EasyShare camera. It’s old, but it still takes great pictures. The bridge is how you get to the center of the town.
Every town here has a large open square at the center. This is the life of the city.
Here is another view with Madysen posing in the center.
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Posted in Family on 08. May, 2010
“Making the decision to have a child is momentous. It is to decide forever to have your heart go walking around outside your body.”
Several years ago I read this quote inside a baby shower gift card. It has stuck with me ever since. I can’t think of anything that depicts motherhood any better than this. My heart is walking around in five different people right now. Actually my heart is walking around in nine different people right now. The spouses of my children are just as much my children as the ones I actually gave birth to. Words can’t explain how much I love them. When your heart is outside of your body, it is the ultimate in vulnerability and risk. The pain is greater when your heart is stepped on, but the indescribable joy of seeing your children grow up into adults who have a deep love for Jesus far outweigh any pain. I love love LOVE my children!
Today I want to honor some special moms in my life.
Mom at an outside cafe in Jerusalem (Sept. '09)
This is my mother, and she is so special to me. One important thing that Mom imparted to me while I was growing up was a love for community. We always had people living with us. Everyone felt welcomed in our home. It’s hard to remember a time when we DIDN’T have someone living with us! I appreciate her modeling that Godly character for me. It prepared me well for a life with extended family as a pastor’s wife and now as a missionary.
Mom is such a positive person. When I was a little girl, I remember many times that she would get us all through a difficult situation by choosing to laugh. Her laughter is so contagious! Also when my five kids were growing up, she was always a phone call away. She loved spending time with her grandchildren and always wanted to babysit. That was such a help! I love you, Mom, and pray you have a wonderful Mother’s Day, even though half of your family is now on the other side of the Atlantic. We love you!
The day Gary, Preston, and I moved to Israel. (April 2009)
I also want to tell my grandmother how very much I love her. Momo, there has never been or ever will be a better grandmother than you. (more…)
My grandchildren are used to me telling them that they are precious. I’ve said it regularly to them since they were born. They are precious to me but most of all to Jesus. Nothing can ever change that. It doesn’t matter what they do or don’t do. They are still precious and valuable. If they lie, if they disobey, if they throw a fit, or if they make the best grades possible and become president of the United States. It doesn’t matter. They are still just as precious.
I have found myself giving this message to the women in the windows. Almost every week I get a chance to tell at least one woman that she is precious and valuable to me and to God. One of the ladies on our team brought some special gifts yesterday to give to some of the women. She has a friend that’s a baker, and he made some beautiful chocolate candies. The chocolate looked like a cookie and on the top were two brightly-colored sugar flowers and a little white fondant sign that said, “Because you are precious…”. Well, when I saw them I almost lost it. I had to hold back the tears. To see in writing what I had been saying was just so touching. There were only about 20-25 pieces individually wrapped, so I prayed that God would show me who needed to hear those words. Quite a few of the women don’t speak English, so I wanted the recipients to be able to read and understand the words. I shouldn’t be amazed any more about how God answers prayer, but every single woman who I went up to yesterday could speak and read English. They knew what “precious” meant. I was able to tell them again how precious they are. Every one of them was so grateful and their faces lit up when they saw the candy message.
I was able to get my foot in the door (literally and figuratively!) with two women in particular yesterday. I got their names and now I can pray for them specifically. Because of security reasons for them, I don’t want to publish their names, but please pray for R from Romania and A from Albania. (That’s pretty funny that their initials are the same as their country. I just realized that!) Pray that they will still be there next week, and that I can get the door open a little wider.
Yesterday in the district was a breakthrough day in another way also.
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If I’m asleep and having a dream, don’t wake me up. This is truly a dream come true. We’ve been praying about this for so long, that I’m having a hard time realizing that it’s actually happening!
I love the ways of God. Sometimes you encounter road blocks and situations in life that are just too hard to comprehend, then a door opens and you feel the smile of God on a particular dream and desire you’ve had for years. His ways are so far above our ways. His leadership is perfect. God has made it abundantly clear that He wants a missions base/house of prayer established in Brussels, Belgium. When we first started praying about it, none of the team was here. We now have everyone here except for Zach & Liz Lowrie and Allyster Taubeneck. How awesome is that?!
The latest to arrive is my sweet daughter and son-in-love, Courtney and Nathan AND their four beautiful, adorable children!
Just getting off the plane!
Preston has another buddy, Judah.
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(from lower left) Kadyn, Ashlyn, Madysen, Courtney, Nathan, and Judah
Through many ups and downs and a roller coaster of emotions, I am overjoyed to say that my daughter and family, Courtney and Nathan Watkins, Ashlyn, Madysen, Kadyn, and Judah, will be arriving in Brussels in TWO days!!! Yes, Monday is the day! You can’t imagine how excited I am! They have been so obedient in following the word of the Lord in moving here. They will add to our team in an unbelievable way. I’m so excited to see what God is going to do here. And we are anxiously awaiting the arrival of our other team members also, Allyster Taubeneck and Zach & Liz Lowrie. This missions base has been interceded for and talked about for years. It’s so great to see it actually happening!
Tomorrow we have a big event here at the ministry base, so we are hard at work all day today getting everything in order for the Watkins’ arrival on Monday. Bunk beds moved. Sheets and towels washed. Presents for the kids wrapped. (Yes, I said PRESENTS!) Rooms and closets cleaned. Ahh. This is FUN work! (more…)
