i'm not headed to south africa... my ticket says Kenya!

over the past few years, well actually we have been with global mission for about 3 years and 3 months now, i have learned a lot. God has blessed us with many things. he has given us joy and grace beyond anything we could have asked for. my life as a missionary has been wonderfully challenging. is that possible? lol
God has delivered us through our ups and downs with His love. we have seen our children grow and become the most awesome and flexible kids. God has been so good.

yesterday luke told me that he wasn't ready to accept Jesus in his heart yet. at first i thought what?? so i asked him why he was waiting. he then responded with " i am not ready, i still do things i'm not suppose to do" wow! isn't it awesome to know that God doesn't want us to wait until we are perfect. he wants us to come to him now... just as we are. i explained that to him and he was listening. i pray that luke comes to know the lord in this way in his time. until then i will continue to do my part. i will love him and be the best role model i can be. we all need to disciple our children... no matter their age!

okay so we head home in just over a month. not really sure the dates yet. spencer has been so busy lately but this week we should nail down a date. please pray for us as well begin to prepare for home assignment.

love all ya'll and remember....... when you are about to board a plane... make sure you are headed to the right country (you might wanna ask spencer about this) : )

april

power of the tongue

Okay so for a while now in my devotions i have been reading quite a bit about the power of the tongue. Good and bad. I feel like i have been slapped in the face. I am trying to to think about times when i might have used my tongue in a way that was not pleasing to the Lord.
You know those times when you have convinced yourself that you have a right to say what you want. whether it is with your spouse, your kids. other family members or even co-workers.
God has given us a powerful tool and this week i am faced with the reality that i may have used that power in the wrong way. BUT i know i have also used it in a good way. with the grace and forgiveness from God i know that i can look ahead and not look back. Isn't that what He does with us? Praise God for that!

Proverbs 21:23 says Whosoever keepeth his mouth and his tongue keepeth his soul from troubles.

"Set a guard, O Lord, over my mouth; keep watch over the door of my lips!" - Psalm 141:3 (ESV)

i say this all to say... i know there are times in my life when i just want the truth to be clear. I want my perspective on life and situations to be known. sometimes i think the lord is saying...April what's the point. "If i want justice to be served or a situation to be known let me handle it" guard your mouth and your heart.

so today i will enpower my tongue with the word of my God.

i love all ya'll and remember...1 cup of white sugar plus 1 T of molasses = brown sugar

april

waiting... why?

some days i wonder why do i wait? what am i waiting for? God is there waiting for us to come to him with everything. good and bad. why do i consistently wait until i am completely at the end of the rope to call out to my God? I know he wants all of me not just the ashes from the fire i let burn. or from the victories i experience.
today i am gonna walk on water with Him, I am gonna watch him... heal the blind, cleanse a leper, cure a bleeding woman, turn water into wine, calm the storm, feed hundreds with just a little bread and fish and .. and... and...

living in the presence of God and answering the call to holiness isn't just for the saints or the "educated", it is for me too. for everyone! even my children. today i call out to God to help me be holy. holy in my thoughts and in my actions. i want to see all the miracles happen not just read about them.

today i want to change the course of someone else's life. change the course of my life. God has given us power to do so. even if it is just changing my tongue. to speak encouraging words. to experience holiness through the life He has given me not the life i create myself. anyways this may not make sense to you but hey... today i understand.

i love all ya'll and remember....... move your tea to a safe place when it is raining. you don't want the roof leak in it.

april

where do you belong?

christmas is almost here. okay i know for some of you your thinking christmas? but this year we get to see my parents and spencer's parents... yes of course all our other family members! i am so excited this year. it seems like forever since we have been able to spend the holidays with the people we love the most. i am also excited to see santa. i have a huge list... i mean my kids have a huge list : )

during our family prayer time last night abby said the 13th commandment was we believe in the triune God. lol i guess she is getting a little confused with the articles of faith and the commandments. it was pretty funny.

okay so i have a lot on my mind today. my thoughts keep moving me from one thing to another. thinking about life and what each day holds for us. to be quite honest i sometimes think about what life would be like if we were living in a more comfortable place. would any other place be more comfortable? i am sure if you are reading this and you are in the ministry you can relate. "what would another assignment be like" "if only we could lead that church"??? Today i am at peace that God has brought us here for today. that He will give us peace and the strength to live for him today and here where i am (right now it is in the washer/dryer/my office/tool area office).

i think about what my kids feel. actually they don't really know too much of a difference between living in africa or america. yes they know that target.com and walmart.com has cool toys but they are living where we are. they have no choice to but live in the place where their parents are. it makes me think... i need to always live where my father is (no not FL) my heavenly father. I need to live the same whether i am here or there. so today i will live in the presence of the Lord here in Rwanda. it's where i belong.

okay i love all ya'll and remember........ November 21st is the WEF PLUS offering! Or you can donate online at http://web.nazarene.org/site/PageNavigator/Challenge_2010_Home

Help keep our missionaries on the field!!!!!!

WEF PLUS!

Challenge 2010 – A World Evangelism Fund PLUS offering
In November, Nazarenes from all over the world are being challenged to give the single largest offering for World Evangelism in the history of our church, a WEF PLUS offering.


The goal of this Challenge 2010 – WEF PLUS offering is to raise an extra $6 million U.S. dollars for World Evangelism.

www.nazarene.org/challenge2010

Okay everyone do your part! We are!
I love all yall and remember..... okay i am too tired to remember... need sleep.
april