update from Peru

Well Hola Canada:

Just wanted to bring everyone up to speed as to what is happening. We are now at the ½ way mark of my Mission trip. The Canadian team headed home on Friday. It is very quiet around here now. They are missed already by everyone here.

Well it sure was a very busy 2 weeks with lots of progress and many accomplishments by all. I have mostly been working with the children and of course not enjoying that at all. Just kidding all that know me know I am in my glory working and teaching the children.

They are so very friendly and happy most of the time. There are so many individual stories for each child and they just break my heart each time I hear another or see the child knowing their situation.

Many of us set some goals and I think we all achieved them and many others that God saw we needed to reach and achieve as well.

As many of you know I was able to go and help with Hurricane Katrina after hit in Biloxi Mississippi. Well my heart is for helping frontline after a disaster to help restore lives. Ever sine the Earthquake here in Peru I have wanted to go and help. With the help from our team Leader Dana Jones, teachers from the care centre and missionaries here with Kidsalive, and myself taking on the project as the person heading it up, this going to be possible next Saturday. Through Dana’s contribution on behalf of ICF, I will go and purchase $300 dollars of food and make up food bags to take with us. The teachers will gather what they can and come and help us distribute the food and clothing we have. Kidsalive and Darcy will arrange the transportation and clothing or other donations that we can take with us to distribute. We also will be taking tracks, bears, coloring books for the children caring the message God Loves you to the people. We plan on doing a lot of ministry work while we are there.

We will be working with a couple named Jeff and Carol Morgan next weekend who work along side of an organization called food for the hungry.

The next few weeks will be very busy for me, please pray for me that I will be able to hear Gods direction and to do his will. Please pray that our team will be safe going in and out of Pisco next weekend. Please pray that over the next few weeks I will be guided and directed as to Gods will for me to stay longer or to return to Canada on the 8th of September.

Thank you in advance for all your support and prayers.

God Bless

Love

Alexis

earthquake

everyone is safe on the peru team. Prayers for the families of the dead and the injured would be appreciated. We'll give you more updates tommorow.

Sunday we went to the Baptist church that kidsalive goes to. It was really coo to experience church in Spanish. They gave to us headsets and a translator spoke through the headset to us all so we could understand the service. A lot of the children we had already met the day before we saw here at church.

All the children that my friends and families including myself were there. A very peaceful and relaxing time. The pastor of this church is a great supporter of kidsalive.

kidsalive then drove us back to our apartment where we all got ready and were taken out for a very nice and enjoyable chicken lunch. This place sure put Swiss Chalet to shame. A very large piece of chicken. We also had cows heart, which I had already tried with my folks at Rocotos in London Ontario.

After lunch the children played and had their faces painted. Woops I should say Mike and Diane's children and Carol and Jari's girls. They were so pretty.

After we left there we head for the famous shopping market. well let me tell you I only got 1/2 way throu and we were heading out and that 1/2 took me 2 hours. Things were cheap and let me tell you bartering was no problem for me. I think I did very well at the markets.

Then home to bed for our first full day on the job. I can not wait to see what is there for me to be involved in.

Ok I am trying hard to get caught up but I think it is going to be a very slow process, please bear with me and I hope you enjoy the photos.

God Bless you all and thank you for your support and prayers to make all of this work.

How to see my photos in Peru

wow it has been so very busy here that I have not been update you all like I had promised. I would like to try now to bring you all up to date as to what has been happening.

Unfortunatly it has been take way to much time to upload my photos into blogger for you all to see but they are posted on my facebook. So here is what ya need to do in order to see my pictures on facebook.

1) go to http://www.facebook.com/home.php?

2) create an account

3) do a seach for Alexis Bennett

4) scroll down till you see my picture then add me as your friend

5) once you add me as your friend I will recieve an email to accept you as my friend.

6) once I accept you as a friend you will be able to see y pictures.

I hope this will help you all see my pictures.

God Bless you all

sorry folks picture will have to come tomorrow

Today was our first real full day here in Lima. Sarah who is in charge of teams when they come to Peru decided to let us have a little sleep in this morning, so on behalf of the team I thank you for this.

We were up, feed and ready for a meeting by 10 am. All the staff came to meet us and talk to us. Sarah, Connie & Dave, Shannon, Diane and Mike all shared with us what to expect over the next few weeks. We all shared a little about ourselves, made some lunches and then we headed out for a sight seeing, orientation to the area.

First stop today was at the Manchay Care Centre. Ok so many who know that by the time I left there the children I met would have broken my heart. Well we met the guard his wife and children. They had 4 children all very kind and sweet. The little girl was very helpful in giving us all a tour of the centre and her classroom.

Here are some of the photos taken at the centre

After the tour we ate in the dining room. As I ate I almost felt very guilty and ashamed to be eating as the children sat and watched us. I asked for permission to share some of the treats like cookies and chips with the children and they loved it. We took teddy bears today and handed several out. The girls and I gave out 4 or 5 at the care centre to the guard’s children. The most memorial part of this visit was that the little girl went running down to her home and came back and gave me an orange in gratitude for the candy, cookies and bears. This moved me and touched me in a very special way. A child who has very little, family barely has enough food for them all, live in two shakes, one for sleeping for the children and the other for cooking and where the parents sleep.

From the Care Centre we carried on through Manchay to see the property where the new site will be. It looks like it could have real potential. Like every place in the world paper work and following the right procedures is holding up the project. It is only about 2 yrs behind schedule.

There were some very special photos taken at this site.

Then from here we went to a place called Pachacamac which is an archeology find. You can check this out further by going to the website http://www.pachacamac.net/

Peru 2007 Team & Day 2

Here we are outside Cedar Creek Community Church waiting to say our good byes and head out to the airport.


Meet our Pilot and Stewardess on Flight 80 to Peru

Day 1

Hola!

Well we all got to Cedar Creek this morning; reweighed suitcases packed them all into the different vehicle and then a few moments of prayer and off to the airport. When we arrived we quickly unpacked and headed inside. We were then directed to group check in and then back up stairs to regular check in. The check in people was really nice to us. My suitcase was over weight and I was ready and willing to pay the overweight cost. Mona and June had kindly donated that money to me. I will spend that on the kids in Peru.
Both my hockey bags were over sided and again the man was kind to me and did not charge me for them.

Looks like the good Lord is already blessing this trip. Check in went smoothly and I was able to get two seats to myself to stretch out. I am so very lucky. I was also able to board first since I had my cane with me for days of hiking and lots of walking.

More after we arrive safely in Peru. We arrived after midnight in Lima. All went well and all are bags were there and in tack. Only one small problem that we did not find out till Saturday morning and that is Malcolm picked up a wrong suitcase which means he will be wearing womens clothes for the next two weeks. HAHAHA.

We are all in an apartment in the Miami area. It ended up being around 4:00 am by the time we all got settled in and in bed.

More later today.

A passion for kids, a passion for prayer

Cambridge Times July 26th, 2007, by Melissa Hancock Times Staff

A local woman's dream will come true next month as she heads to Peru for four weeks of missionary work.

"I'd probably give someone the shirt off my back ...my mother always told me I'm too generous," said Cambridge resident Alexis Bennett.

Bennett said while in Peru she will help with whatever she can. In Manchay, it small village just outside Lima the country's capital - she will help at the Manchay Care Centre construction site. The centre opened in 2003 as a safe place for mothers going to work to leave their children for the play.

"I just support it 100 per cent," she said.

The centre in Manchay is expanding to include a dining hall and additional washrooms.

Bennett will leave on Aug. 10 with a team from Cedar Creek Community Church, working through Kids Alive an international organization that focuses on helping street children, abandoned children and victims of abuse, war, disease and poverty. The
care centre can currently accommodate 20 to 25 children.

"People are living in cardboard boxes," said Margaret Christy, board
member and sponsorship coordinator with Kids Alive at the Cambridge office on Fleming Drive.

Peru's population is nearly 30 million. In - Lima where about a third of the population lives - more than 10,000 children die every year.

Christy described an experience she had at a local grocery store where she overheard a woman complaining because the brand of black forest ham she prefers was not in stock and she wanted to speak with the manager.

"That's how ridiculous we can get," said Christy, who has been on numerous trips to Third World countries. "I feel that every Canadian should have the opportunity to go to a Third World country."

Every day, families in areas of Peru have to purchase clean drinking water, Bennett said, and it can cost about $15 a day for one family's supply.

"If they've got any money at all,they buy whatever they can," said Christy.

After Bennett's first two weeks conclude with the local church team she will stay an additional two weeks, still working through Kids Alive.

"I have a passion for kids," she said.

One of the goal statements of Kids Alive is to provide "Christian care for children at risk".

Bennett said she recently went through a process and said, "I gave myself back to the Lord".

She said she aims to bring hope to Peruvians through prayer. About 90 per cent of Peru's population is Roman Catholic.

Through speaking with people who have been to other countries for missionary-type work, Bennett said, "They felt God working with them."

Bennett is currently raising funds for the trip which costs more than
$3,000 per person. She will also accept donations of items, such as craft-making materials, socks and underwear for children aged four to seven years, vitamin C pills and adult vitamins, peanut butter and cake mixes.

Bennett said another one of her main goals while in Peru is to make daily journal entries of experiences and sites she sees in order to compile information to present in Canada and promote Kids Alive projects and sponsorship opportunities in Peru.

To get in touch with Bennett, send an email to peru2007@sympatico.ca or call her 622-4176.
For more information about Kids Alive, visit www.kidsalive.ca.

20 Days and counting

Well folks there is only 20 days left till I am off to Peru and then I will be sharing with you live as often as I can. I will share photo's, stories and what God is doing, in Peru, with the children, with the staff, with the people in and around Kids Alive organization, and what God is doing for the team and myself.

Tody I would ask for prayer for two of my family members, my cousin Chris and his wife. Chris has cancer and he has just undergone a week of very heavy kemo and is not doing very well with the after effects. Secondly my father is going to see one of his cancer doctors today and also his myiagravis disease is really effecting his one side of his body right now. He is in a lot of pain.

My parents and I are going to go and tryout the Peruvian resturant in London for lunch today. We all are very excited to go and try it out.

More once I return tonight as to what we ate and how it was.

God Bless to you all

Count down---25 days to we leave

Well the count down is on for Peru 2007, 25 days until we leave. It has seemed like a life time from the time I decide to see if I could go on this trip till now. I think I started the whole process around October/November of this year and now.

It also seems like there will never be enough time in a day to get everything done and ready before I leave for Peru.

It is actually feeling like it is really going to happen. I have my extra suitcase all packed and ready with the items that are on a wish list from Peru. It is overwhelming in the generosity of family, friends, businesses all over Cambridge and the Gross family for the donation of all the clothes.

I would like to take this time to personally extend my heart felt appreciation to all those whom sponsored me, to the businesses that have donated products or gift certificates to me. Giant Tiger, Wal-Mart, McDonalds Hespeler Rd. for allowing us to run a toll booth at their location twice, Blessings Christian Book Store and all those whom gave generously at my garage sale so I could purchase things for the children. Without God and you none of this would be possible. Thank you so very much and God Bless you all.

Since there are 13 of us going on this venture I am sure that there are many others whom have been supporting this whole project all over the community and each member like me probably has had many generous donors and support as well.

So thank you to all of you as well.

Sonsorship continuation

Well I think most people can relate to how I feel every time I see a World Vision commercial on television. My heart breaks each time I see the commercials. The innocence of the children’s faces, their cute smiles is just plan gut retching. I would sponsor and bring every child to Canada if I could afford to. For many years I wanted to call and sponsor a child and never did, simply because I felt I could not afford to.

2 years ago I started adopting a World Vision Child from Africa. I have been finding it to expensive these days and felt that the admin. Fees were way too high for my liking.

After many weeks of prayer, and struggling whether to cancel with World Vision and go with Kidsalive the decision became clear to me. When I inquired how much it would be a month to sponsor, did they have children in Peru to sponsor, specifically a little girl. They had no girls the day I inquired and 2 days later a girl became available and therefore I felt the decision was to switch.

What is exciting about switching I will get the opportunity to hug, and love up my new sponsored child? I will be able to do something special with her and her sister.
This opportunity of sponsoring this child is more exciting than ever now because it is just not a picture and name it is a reality. I get meet the child and see for myself that she really does exist.

My child’s name is Mercedes and she is 3 yrs old. Mercedes also has a sister Esther in the same care centre who is 11 months old. Here is a picture of my little girl.

They tell me that Mercedes has asthma, but other that is in good health. When Mercedes came to the Kidsalive Centre she was reunited with her baby sister. She immediately recognized her sister and loves to give her kisses. They say Mercedes has adapted well and has won the hearts of all the staff and kids with her cute little curls and big smile.

I think we can all see what they mean by the picture they have sent me of her.
I look forward to meeting Mercedes and Esther when I get to Peru and to the years to come as her sponsor.

God Bless you Mercedes.

Sponsorship

Like any other humanitarian organization Kids Alive International has a child sponsorship programme. Kids Alive provides Christian care for children at risk.
Kids Alive vision is that they will reflect the love of Christ by rescuing children in crisis. There Mission is to reflect this love of Christ by nurturing their children with quality, holistic care, educating them to their full potential and introducing them to the transforming power of Jesus Christ so they will become followers of Christ and effective citizens in their national cultures.
Kids Alive International was founded in China in 1916 by evangelistic missionaries Reverend and Mrs. Leslie Anglin. They felt compelled by God to open the home for the homeless children they saw in various communities around their city. In 1949 they began relief work in Hong Kong and then later a school and home were started. Over the past 50 years they have expanded to include work in the Middle East, Eastern Europe, Asia, Africa and Pacific Rim.
Presently they care for over 3000 children in 12 developing countries throughout the world. their offices in USA., U.K., Canada, Taiwan and Hong Kong work to rescue and nurture as many children as possible.
Here are the places they serve:
Latin America: Peru, Dominican Republic, Haiti, Guatemala
Africa: Kenya, Zambia
Middle East: Lebanon
Eastern Europe: Romania
Pacific Rim: Papua New Guinea
Asia: Taiwan, Hong Kong, Myanmar

There Goals are as follows as well:
Children's Homes Millions of children throughout the world have lost parents as a result of poverty, war, and HIV/AIDS. In Response, Kids Alive establishes homes to care for the Children. The home is designed to be as much like a real family as possible. The staff and missionaries give love, spiritual care, and individual attention, just as parents would do.
Schools They have started several schools where both missionaries and nationals serve as teachers. When possible, computer education, English as a second language and technical skills are provided. The main objective is to prepare the children and youth to be productive citizens in their own country.
Care Centres In some circumstances, Homes and schools are not the most needed type of care for children. In these cases, Kids Alive determines the need of the children within the community and develops a ministry to meet the need, such as medical care centre or a day program.

So here is your opportunity to make a difference.
Give:
* Partner with Kids Alive by giving monthly
* Sponsor a child in one of their homes
* Sponsor a home with family/friends
* Provide a one-time financial "project" gift
* Donate items for their homes and schools
* Organize fund-raising events in your community
* Invite a Kids Alive representative to present the ministry to your church or group
* Tell your family/friends about Kids Alive and encourage them to get involved
Pray:
* For their leadership
* For their missionaries
* For the parents of each home
* For the children in their homes
* For their schools
GO:
They need workteams and individuals to help with building projects and short-term children's ministries
Share your building, caring, teaching or healthcare skills

You can do any of the above by contacting Kidsalive International at the following:

55 Fleming Drive, Unit 2
Cambridge, Ontario, Canada
N1T 2A9
Phone: 519-624-9406
Fax: 519-624-5253
Toll-free: 1-866-839-5437
www.kidsalive.ca

Sometimes Confession is good for the soul

Well folks I guess it is time to come clean. It has been a while since I have posted to this site. I was struggling and working through some issues and there fore felt I could not post here unless I could be 100% positive.

I was strugging with trust and having faith that the finantial part of this trip was going to pull its self together. Well with a lot of prayer and talking with good friends it has all come together and my finances have all come together the way they needed to. This sure has been a testing of my faith and satan really had fun with it and ran rampote in my head. Well he was winning for a while but, after fully turning back over to God it all took care of itself.

Patience is also not one of my strong points and I never pray for it because I have been warned that he might just test you and push you to the limit. This whole process has been testing my patience and once again satan took hold of this and had some fun with me. Once again when I let go and let God things came together in this area as well.

Thus far this adventure sure has been widening my territory and broadening my horizons and it sure has become a real learning process for me. God is good but I seem to forget sometimes to get out of his way. When I do this things all seem to come together. I need to have a hammer that hits me on the head when my thinking goes astray.

Any ways I am glad to say I am loads less stressed over this whole process and HGod has Blessed me through out the whole process.

I am so very grateful for that and look forward to what is about to come in the days ahead.

Please pray for me and everyone on the team.

PRAYER REQUEST

Please pray for my Cousin Christopher, he is 44 yrs old and has a very rare form of pancreas cancer. There are only 233 people in the world that have had his type of cancer. Please pray for the doctors to have more compassion and understanding to the patients feelings.

Please pray for the good Lods hand of healing over his body, please pray for a miracle. The doctors have basically told him if he does this he will die, if does not do this he will die. They told him they may be closong the cancer clinic in London due to lack of funding. They sure know how to give a guy hope.

Please pray for Chris's wife Julie for her to know how to console and comfort her husband at this time, pray for my aunt and uncle my other cousin and his wife as they all go through this very difficult time. Give them the courage and the strength to handle what ever is to come and for what ever is to be.

I do not know if my cousin is saved or not so pray for that as well

TRUE HAPPINESS

Well folks lots has been happening over the past little while. Before I start to share all that has been going on I want to share this little reading I found while clean out a junk draw. It was on a book mark the said on one side TRUE HAPPINESS and on the other side it read:

Jesus said: Mathew 5:3-10

3`Happy are those who know they are spiritually poor; the Kingdom of heaven belongs to them!

4`Happy are those who mourn; God will comfort them!

5`Happy are those who are humble; they will recieve what God has promised!

6`Happy are those whose greatest desire is to do what God requires; God will satisfy them fully!

7`Happy are those who are merciful to other; God will be merciful to them!

8`Happy are the pure in heart; they will see God!

9`Happy are those who work for peace;God will call them his children!

10`Happy are those who are persecuted because they do what God requires;
the kingdom of heaven belongs to them!

Kids Alive Peru

It has been a while since I have posted anything about Peru so I thought I should but some info in about Peru Kids Alive Projects so you can read what they are doing there.

I have posted this information way back when I first started this blog but I thought for those new you might want to read about Peru

Peru Boy's Home

Christian and Dalila Albujar are the houseparents for our older boys who are generally in high school or getting ready to go out on their own. Like any parents they give the boys love and discipline, teach them important skills like how to cook, clean and respect others. They seek to give the boys a spiritual base and an emotional support to confront the tough issues which any teen faces but which often are compounded in children at risk. Currently the Albujars and their own 2 biological sons live with our 8 oldest boys in a rented facility 10 minutes from our main site.

Manchay Care Centre

Manchay, Peru is a mountainous area in the coastal desert just outside the capital city of Lima. It is an area of extreme poverty with no running water, no sewage system, and little electricity.

The Manchay Care Centre opened in May 2003 in response to the needs of mothers requiring a safe place to leave their children while working, so as not to put them in a children's home.

Over 30,000 people live in the town of Manchay. Plywood and cardboard make up the materials used to construct these small (usually 12 feet square or less) houses. Most of the community literally exists hand to mouth.

The care centre is a work in progress. Presently there are two classrooms and a kitchen. These buildings have been funded through the generous donations of supporters. The construction has been carried out by several different work teams from both Canada and the United States. The care centre will continue to develop such buildings as a dining hall, as donor funding becomes availalbe.

Currently the care centre serves children from 7:00 am - 5:00 pm Monday through Saturday. Care for the children includes basic hygiene needs, clothing, nutritious meals, health care, educational preparation and spiritual development. Twice a month the mothers join their children for a family-style meal. After the meal they receive training and parenting skills.

The present facility can accommodate 20-25 children. Additional children will be taken into our care as the centre is developed.

Our goal is to add an after-school program for four-year-olds when they reach Kindergarten age. This program would include a safe place for tutoring, a nutritous meal and Bible study.

Lima Home

Lima, the capital city of Peru, is located on the Pacific Coast. Peru, nearly twice the size of Texas, and is a country of contrasts. The rich and the poor, the beautiful and the ugly, the historic and the modern, the mountains and jungle all add to the the mystique of this Latin nation.

Located in the coastal desert region, Lima receives less than one inch of rainfall per year. Moving 30 to 50 miles inland one encounters the majestic Andes Mountains and highlands, which separate the coast from the vast Amazon jungle. These three distinct geographical regions each have their own culture and people groups, making Peru a fascinating place to visit and live.

The Lima Home was founded by Larry and Betty Bartels in 1993 in a rented facility in the suburbs of Lima with 10 boys who were released from a government home that was closing. The number grew to 16 children in July of 1994 when the site of just over half an acre was purchased. In 1999 an additional parcel of land was purchased about a mile from the first parcel. Mike & Diane Fietje became the Directors of this home in the beginning of 2000 when the Bartels returned to the United States.

The Lima home has experienced God's blessing time and time again in its relatively short history. We are thankful to Him for each physical blessing as well as each of the children to whom we have been able to minister. The present facilities on the main property, besides the essentials (ie - bedrooms for kids, and staff), include a playroom an activity room containing a library, homework and craft area, and missionary apartments. Also on the property are a basketball/soccer court, a huge multi-level jungle gym, a sand box, and a swimming pool that can be used nearly year round. Extensive remodeling and construction, including the addition of a second floor on the main house, has improved the property. Much of the work has been done by service teams. There is one main building on the new property. The older boys live at this location along with their house parents. They enjoy the use of a weight room, trampoline and ping-pong table. There is also a halfway house for the older boys that have graduated from high school and are not yet ready to live on their own.

The home has approximately 40 children. They range in age from pre-school to 18. Dave and Connie Rhodes, as well as a number of talented short term missionaries, assist Mike and Diane Fietje. The Peruvian house parents are mature Christians, dedicated to attaining the goals of the home. These goals include not only providing for the physical, educational and emotional needs of the children, but also meeting their spiritual needs, preparing them for adulthood as Christians and as upstanding citizens in their community. As a result, a lot of emphasis is placed on devotions, discipleship, Bible memorization, and church attendance. The children attend 4 different schools in the area depending on their age and abilities. In the home there us also an emphasis on learning English, which will help them get better jobs in the future. In the summers the children attend camp, go on trips, learn different crafts and life skills. The older kids get jobs or work at Christian camps. Future plans include getting a new large piece of land in order to build apartments for each family group (house parents with their kids). This will enable us to house more children in a more family-type atmosphere while having space to make workshops so that the kids can leave with the knowledge of different trades, such as carpentry, welding and auto mechanics.

Our Peru Ministry

In Peru over 6 million children under the age of 18 live in poverty and 10,000 street and under-privileged kids die in the capital city every year. In addition, a 50% pverty rate coupled with widespread underemployment has prevented any social service infrastructure from being effective in dealing with the growing number of children-at-risk.

Kids Alive has been providing quality care to children in Peru for many years through the establishment of an orphanage for abandoned, neglected and orphaned kids in Lima, Peru. More recently, Kids Alive has opened a Care Centre for the children of destitute single mothers in Manchay, Peru.

We recognize that there are many children that need our help and we will continue to reach out a hand of love to them, one at a time.

Here is a verse to ponder

Daily Bible Verse
by MyChurch.orgShare

Now, O Israel, what does the LORD your God ask of you but to fear the LORD your God, to walk in all his ways, to love him, to serve the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul, and to observe the LORD's commands and decrees that I am giving you today for your own good?

Deuteronomy 10:12-13

Appologizes

I have been really sick all week so I am sorry again for not posting

I got my Thyphoid need 2 weeks ago and have been sick ever since. Thinking it would pass well I was wrong. I have Vertigo, and a throat infection caused by the shot. Just as ya think it is passing bang it hits ya like a ton of bricks.

Any ways I hope all is well and will be posting hopefully later this weekend or next week.

God Bless

God works in strange mysterious ways when we TRUST Him

On Sunday morning it was our self denial service at our church. Some would ask what is self denial. Well you are to take the money you would regularily allow your self for some thing and put it towards self denial. So for example a Tim Hortons coffee every week take that $2 an put it a side for self denial.

This money then goes towards the overseas missions work.

Well the morning service especially cause I am presently planning for a short term mission caught my attention. But even more after that service I went to my friends home for Sunday lunch and we had a really nice visit. We were chatting a lot about the way God is working in my life through this up coming mission trip. I feel he is already using me here in Cambridge before I have even left.

It has given me many opportunities to share with others, to expand my horizions to share about what the Lord has done for me and to share about where I was and where I am and where I am going in my journey with him. It truely has been awesome.

Then at our church we also have an evening service. I always find the night that I struggle in getting myself going and end up finally making it to church, I get blessed the most.

Sunday night the service was about Hope Maketh Not Ashamed. Mostly about trust and faith. Well every song I felt was direct right at me and I finally turned to my friend after the scripture reading and said testimony time, well then our minister finally said we would have some testimonies, well I jumped right out of my seat. God is really using me.

We sang a song about where ever I go you will Follow me. It reminded me about my friends grandson at lunch, he had a rope and I was trying to teach him to skip or jump over it and it was really cute. He finally grabbed hold of the rope and told mommy where to hold it, then gramma and then me, he finally took the lead and started to walk and said follow me, follow me, follow me, and we walked all around the main floor of the house. Well it is really that simple all we have to do is grab on and follow Him and He will lead us.

Then Sunday night I began reading my new book, it is called Situation Psalms, messages for where we live by Ray Harrison ISBN: 81-7475-039-8

I was reading page 16 and 17 and on page 17 1/2 way down the page it says:

5) I Trusted You- Vs 9
"They who seek my life will destroy...but the king will rejoice in God. All who swear by God's name will praise him"

Then it carries over to page 18 where it then refers to Romans 15 verse 13 where it says: "May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust him, so that you may overflow with hope, by the power of the Holy Spirit."

It also says "If we are praising when we can't see why something is happening to us, and sometimes can't even see God in our situation. THAT IS THE TIME TO TRUST."

"this whole sequence begins with 'I seek you' Are you seeking Him? The God who was with David in the desert, who is with the boy in the church on the borders of Bosnia and the evangelists in the mountains of Nepal, is our God, too. We seek him, we see Him, we praise Him, we shelter in Him and we TRUST Him."

Wow what a wonderful, awesome Lord I serve. He is always there ready for me to see Him and hear Him when I open my heart and soul to Him. He gives me Hope, strength more and more he day as I Trust Him more and more each day.

Ephesians 5

1 Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children
2 and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.
3 But among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity, or of greed, because these are improper for God's holy people.
4 Nor should there be obscenity, foolish talk or coarse joking, which are out of place, but rather thanksgiving.
5 For of this you can be sure: No immoral, impure or greedy person—such a man is an idolater—has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God.[a]
6 Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of such things God's wrath comes on those who are disobedient.
7 Therefore do not be partners with them.
8 For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light
9 (for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth)
10 and find out what pleases the Lord.
11 Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them. 12 For it is shameful even to mention what the disobedient do in secret.
13 But everything exposed by the light becomes visible,
14 for it is light that makes everything visible. This is why it is said:
"Wake up, O sleeper,
rise from the dead,
and Christ will shine on you."
15 Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise,
16 making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil.
17 Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord's will is.
18 Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit.
19 Speak to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord,
20 always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
21 Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.

Wives and Husbands

22Wives, submit to your husbands as to the Lord.
23 For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, his body, of which he is the Savior.
24 Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything.
25 Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her
26 to make her holy, cleansing[b] her by the washing with water through the word, 27 and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless.
28 In this same way, husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself.
29 After all, no one ever hated his own body, but he feeds and cares for it, just as Christ does the church—
30 for we are members of his body.
31 "For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh."[c]
32 This is a profound mystery—but I am talking about Christ and the church.
33 However, each one of you also must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband.

Footnotes:

Ephesians 5:5 Or kingdom of the Christ and God
Ephesians 5:26 Or having cleansed
Ephesians 5:31 Gen. 2:24

Thoughts to Ponder Upon Our Return Home

In continuation of the book I have been reading I think this is a very important to talk about and that is what to expect when we return home.

Well the trip is over. After months of preparation and prayer, the trip will now become a memory --- a brief flash before your eyes. The thing you really wanted to, that was always the thing that put that lump in your throat when you saw it on television or you heard about it from many others that had experienced it before you, you have finally had that experience for your self. And now that we are home we will experience the loss of reentering back to the life we are so very comfortable with.

The book suggest that we might experience what they call PHD (Post -Hiatus Depression). We have been away of our regular duties and responsibilities of real life. We placed our selves in unusual circumstances, unusual cultural experiences and life styles. Although we we of service to God and others it has changes our lives and views.

Most of us will start to build resents and weird emotionsfrom the guilt of all the things we have and take for granted in comparisom to the people we just spent time with in that strange country we just visited. We may feel guilty and ashamed because of the way we have just seen children living their lives. Then after the guilt we might start into fault finding. We do this by looking at the way we do thing compared to the country we just came from, and we start building resentments especially when people around us do not change the way we feel they should.

It then becomes very important that we remember that "We go to help others, but usually come away with greater understanding of ourselves"

I am going to quote this word for word cause I feel it is so very important for us all to remember and as we read this it is also very important I feel that debriefing is so very important upon return to Canada.

"STUFF TO CONSIDER BEFORE YOU RETURN"

1) Be aware that you may experience some depression, loneliness, fatigue, and illness as a reentry symptoms of stress. Remember, you can experience stress from both and sad events. You may go through a grieving process.

2) Be alert to your own expectations and the expectations of others. Sometimes conflicts in value will occur, but remember that values are the outcome of an individual's understanding of life. If you understand that, then you're headed down the right path.

3) Be reflective. Allow for rest, reflection, and rejoicing in what you saw God do. Reflect on your experiences and ask the Lord to show you the various aspects of your trip from which you can grow. Evaluate all that you have been through.

4) Be active. Talk about the differences in lifestyles that stood out to you (like seeing chickens in a tree), but try not to be judgmental or pass crticisms, even to fellow-short-termers.

5) Be patient. Take time to readjust. Be patient when others don't understand what you have experienced.

They suggest the following as well.

We will be experienceing these things right away so we should find a spot to put these reminders where we can see them daily and where we can review the list often and exercise patience--with ourselves. Talk to each other from the team often and talk often about your experiences and feelings you are haveing since you returned home.

Have others watching you and let ya know if they think you are having difficulties with reentry so you can get any help you may need to put everything into perspective so you can experience the changes in your life but can move forward to the next area God is leading you.

Well hope that this will prove to be helpful for you all.

Ephesians 4

Unity in the Body of Christ
1 As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received.
2 Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love.
3 Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.
4 There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to one hope when you were called—
5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism;
6 one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.
7 But to each one of us grace has been given as Christ apportioned it.
8 This is why it[a] says:
"When he ascended on high,
he led captives in his train
and gave gifts to men."[b]
9 (What does "he ascended" mean except that he also descended to the lower, earthly regions[c]?
10 He who descended is the very one who ascended higher than all the heavens, in order to fill the whole universe.)
11 It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers,
12 to prepare God's people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up
13 until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.
14 Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of men in their deceitful scheming.
15 Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is, Christ.
16 From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.

Living as Children of Light

17 So I tell you this, and insist on it in the Lord, that you must no longer live as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their thinking.
18 They are darkened in their understanding and separated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them due to the hardening of their hearts.
19 Having lost all sensitivity, they have given themselves over to sensuality so as to indulge in every kind of impurity, with a continual lust for more.
20 You, however, did not come to know Christ that way.
21 Surely you heard of him and were taught in him in accordance with the truth that is in Jesus.
22 You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires;
23 to be made new in the attitude of your minds;
24 and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.
25 Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to his neighbor, for we are all members of one body.
26 "In your anger do not sin"[d]: Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry,
27 and do not give the devil a foothold.
28 He who has been stealing must steal no longer, but must work, doing something useful with his own hands, that he may have something to share with those in need.
29 Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.
30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.
31 Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. 32Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.

Footnotes:

Ephesians 4:8 Or God
Ephesians 4:8 Psalm 68:18
Ephesians 4:9 Or the depths of the earth
Ephesians 4:26 Psalm 4:4

Peruvian Cuisine

Buenos Dias Amigos:

Peruvian cuisine is usually considered one of the most diverse in the world and only disputes world cuisine tournaments with French, Chinese and Italian cuisine (Hindu) as the leading masters of this art.

Thanks to its pre-Inca heritage and to Spanish, Basque, African, Sino-Cantonese, Japanese and finally Italian immigration (mainly throughout the 10th century), Peruvian cuisine combines the flavors of four continents. With the electric variety of traditional dishes, the Peruvian culinary arts are in constant evolution, and impossible to list in their entirety. Suffice is to mention that along the Peruvian coast alone there are more than two thousand different types of soups, and that there are more than 250 traditional desserts.

There are many restaurants specializing in Peruvian cuisine in many different cities throughout the world.

The great variety of Peruvian cuisine stems for threee major influences:

Peru's unique geography, 28 of the 32 possible world climates.
Peru's openness and blending of district races and cultures.
The incorporation of ancient cuisine into modern Peruvian cuisine.

Sorry Folks

My oh my it sure has been a while since I last posted. I do appologize to those who come to this sight daily for this.

Now not that there should be any excuses but since the long weekend at my cottage so much has happened.

First of all I came home to have to help with some major things around the house for my parents. Something that should have taken about oh 2 or 3 hrs of my time took up almost the whole week. Secondly I had my shots for our trip and for three days they really whacked me out. I was dizzy and really light headed. Felt really sick and just plan awful.

Then this weekend I just needed to take for myself. So here I am Sunday night trying to get all caught up and thought I should get a post or two up.

So I do appologize for my tardiness but I guess it is better late than never.

Buenos Dias

Unfortunately I will not be able to post to this site till Monday as I will be away for the long weekend.

I want to pray for travel mercies for all those travelling this weekend and wish every one a safe and wonderful weekend.

God Bless

MY PACKING LIST

Recently I have been reading a book in preperation for this Mission trip. Now those who know me know that I do not get excited over involved in any book, but this one has caught my attention and kept me reading on. Now mind you it is on a subject manner that I am very interested on.

The book is called HOW TO GET READY FOR SHORT-TERM MISSIONS, the ultimate guide for sponsors, parents and THOSE WHO GO!
by Anne-Geri' Fann & Greg Taylor
isbn #: 1-4185-0977-9

I recommend highly for anyone going on any type of mission trip to read this book. I have found it very insightful and helpful in my preperation for my mission trip to Peru that is coming up in August.

In this post I want to mostly reflect on one paticular section of the book which is pages 60 and 61. These two pages are entitled My Packing List.

It starts out here saying the following:

"It's easy to get excited about a trip you begin packing everything you think you might possibly need. Many things are necessary, but not all things are prudent-and I'm not just talking about underwear and batteries here. You also need to pack in a spiritual way."

So here is there list for you to ponder over and to pray about for todays devotions.

A towel (humility): For remembering to graciously accept hospitality

A broken watch(deliberateness): So I won't be in a hurry all the time, paticularly when I'm talking to people.

My Bible (transformation): To discipline myself to read daily from God's Word, memorize passages, and grow like Jesus-in wisdom, stature, favor with God, and favor with humans.

Crayons(creativity): So I won't sit around waiting to be entertained.

Gifts(generosity): To give the families I came to serve. (Note:First ask mission leader for appropiate gift suggestions)

Journal(dicernment): To keep a record of the incredible things I see and hear.

Magnifying Glass(healthy curiosity): For asking questions about things I'm uncomfortable with or don't fully understand, especially how or why a missionary is doing something. So I'll take an interest in my surroundings and enjoy the differences I observe.

A Mirror(respect): As a reminder to heed my appearance and conduct (e.g. what I wear, whom I talk to, and who I can touch or hug).

So this enough for today and I will continue with the second half of this list tomorrow.

So until then God Bless

Ephesians 4 (New International Version)

Unity in the Body of Christ

1 As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received.

2 Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love.

3 Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.

4 There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to one hope when you were called—

5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism;

6 one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.

7 But to each one of us grace has been given as Christ apportioned it.

8 This is why it[a] says:
"When he ascended on high,
he led captives in his train
and gave gifts to men."[b]

9 (What does "he ascended" mean except that he also descended to the lower, earthly regions[c]?

10 He who descended is the very one who ascended higher than all the heavens, in order to fill the whole universe.)

11 It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be
evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers,

12 to prepare God's people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up

13 until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.

14 Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of men in their deceitful scheming.

15 Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is, Christ.

16 From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.

Living as Children of Light

17 So I tell you this, and insist on it in the Lord, that you must no longer live as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their thinking.

18 They are darkened in their understanding and separated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them due to the hardening of their hearts.

19 Having lost all sensitivity, they have given themselves over to sensuality so as to indulge in every kind of impurity, with a continual lust for more.

20 You, however, did not come to know Christ that way.

21 Surely you heard of him and were taught in him in accordance with the truth that is in Jesus.

22 You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires;

23 to be made new in the attitude of your minds;

24 and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.

25 Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to his neighbor, for we are all members of one body.

26 "In your anger do not sin"[d]: Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry,

27 and do not give the devil a foothold.

28 He who has been stealing must steal no longer, but must work, doing something useful with his own hands, that he may have something to share with those in need.

29 Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.

30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.

31 Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice.

32 Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.

Footnotes:

Ephesians 4:8 Or God
Ephesians 4:8 Psalm 68:18
Ephesians 4:9 Or the depths of the earth
Ephesians 4:26 Psalm 4:4

Learning to Wait & Trust our Lord

Today instead of a devotional I would like to take this time to talk about what is happening on this journey thus far for me.

Well God told me that going for two weeks would not be enough time and therefore I asked about going for a month. I was told to do a couple of things and therefore I followed up on them. In doing so I received an email back telling me that yes I could stay an extra two weeks and the details would be worked out at a later date.

I think God has been testing me in this whole process. He has been trying to teach me to wait, to have patience and to have trust in him and in this whole process. Well any one that knows me knows I am an instant gratification person. So the above mention and I do not jive very well.

From the day I applied to go to Peru I have been told to wait. I had to wait for the decision if there would be room for me on the team. Then I had to wait for the monies from sending out my letters to come in. Then told to wait on the extra two weeks and finally told to wait on the changing of my return date and other information that I want to have.

So why can I not learn to wait, I have not prayed for that. I am afraid to pray for patience because everyone says that when they prayed for that, that God gave them more to test their patience. I guess instead of patience I need to pray for the skill of learning to wait for the answers.

If I believe in God and I trust him to show me the answers why do I lack the trust in him to provide for me? I need to just let go and let God do what he needs to do to make things happen. After all he has already provided me with the monies I needed to raise to go for the first two weeks. And I already have 1/5th of the additional monies I need for the second two weeks.

I already know that I have a commitment of another 1/5th of that money leaving 3/5th left which really is not very much money in the whole scheme of things. So why am I so worried. Because I set my goal to have all monies in by the end of May.

So I just need to let go and let God. I need to pray to learn to wait for the answers and to learn to trust him more. Pretty tall order but I will do my best. Please join me in praying for those things I have talked about.

God Bless

Ephesians 3 (New International Version)

Paul the Preacher to the Gentiles

1 For this reason I, Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus for the sake of you Gentiles—

2 Surely you have heard about the administration of God's grace that was given to me for you,

3 that is, the mystery made known to me by revelation, as I have already written briefly.

4 In reading this, then, you will be able to understand my insight into the mystery of Christ,

5 which was not made known to men in other generations as it has now been revealed by the Spirit to God's holy apostles and prophets.

6 This mystery is that through the gospel the Gentiles are heirs together with Israel, members together of one body, and sharers together in the promise in Christ Jesus.

7 I became a servant of this gospel by the gift of God's grace given me through the working of his power.

8 Although I am less than the least of all God's people, this grace was given me: to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ,

9 and to make plain to everyone the administration of this mystery, which for ages past was kept hidden in God, who created all things.

10 His intent was that now, through the church, the manifold wisdom of God should be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms,

11 according to his eternal purpose which he accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord.

12 In him and through faith in him we may approach God with freedom and confidence.

13 I ask you, therefore, not to be discouraged because of my sufferings for you, which are your glory.

A Prayer for the Ephesians

14 For this reason I kneel before the Father,

15 from whom his whole family[a] in heaven and on earth derives its name.

16 I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being,

17 so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love,

18 may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ,

19 and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.

20 Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us,

21 to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.

Footnotes:

Ephesians 3:15 Or whom all fatherhood

Ephesians 2 (New International Version)

Made Alive in Christ

1 As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins,

2 in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient.

3 All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our sinful nature[a] and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature objects of wrath.

4 But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy,

5 made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved.

6 And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus,

7 in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus.

8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—

9 not by works, so that no one can boast.

10 For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

One in Christ

11 Therefore, remember that formerly you who are Gentiles by birth and called "uncircumcised" by those who call themselves "the circumcision" (that done in the body by the hands of men)—

12 remember that at that time you were separate from Christ, excluded from citizenship in Israel and foreigners to the covenants of the promise, without hope and without God in the world.

13 But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near through the blood of Christ.

14 For he himself is our peace, who has made the two one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility,

15 by abolishing in his flesh the law with its commandments and regulations. His purpose was to create in himself one new man out of the two, thus making peace,

16 and in this one body to reconcile both of them to God through the cross, by which he put to death their hostility.

17 He came and preached peace to you who were far away and peace to those who were near.

18 For through him we both have access to the Father by one Spirit.

19Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and aliens, but fellow citizens with God's people and members of God's household,

20built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone.

21In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord.

22And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit.

Footnotes:

Ephesians 2:3 Or our flesh

Ephesians 1 (New International Version)

1 Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God,To the saints in Ephesus,[a] the faithful[b] in Christ Jesus:

2 Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Spiritual Blessings in Christ

3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ.

4 For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight.

5 In love he[c] predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will—

6 to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves.

7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God's grace

8 that he lavished on us with all wisdom and understanding.

9 And he[d] made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in Christ,

10 to be put into effect when the times will have reached their fulfillment—to bring all things in heaven and on earth together under one head, even Christ.

11 In him we were also chosen,[e] having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will,

12 in order that we, who were the first to hope in Christ, might be for the praise of his glory.

13 And you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit,

14 who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God's possession—to the praise of his glory.

Thanksgiving and Prayer

15 For this reason, ever since I heard about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints,

16 I have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers.

17 I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit[f] of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better.

18 I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints,

19 and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is like the working of his mighty strength,

20 which he exerted in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms,

21 far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every title that can be given, not only in the present age but also in the one to come.

22 And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church,

23 which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way.

Footnotes:

Ephesians 1:1 Some early manuscripts do not have in Ephesus.
Ephesians 1:1 Or believers who are
Ephesians 1:5 Or sight in love. 5 He
Ephesians 1:9 Or us. With all wisdom and understanding, 9 he
Ephesians 1:11 Or were made heirs
Ephesians 1:17 Or a spirit

"Arise; shine for thy light is come, and the glory of the Lord is risen upon thee". Isaiah 60:1

"Wake up, O sleeper,
Rise from the dead,
And Christ will Shine on you".
Ephesians 5:14





From the rising of the sun to the setting of the same, My glory will be seen over all the Earth! As darkness increases, so shall the light of My glory be released in greater measure.

Rise and shine, My people that My glory may be seen upon you. Awaken and prepare! Trim the wicks and make sure your lamps are filled with precious oil. In this time, some will be found foolish among the wise, but I will cause the wise to shine like the stars in heaven, and My glory will be revealed.

My people will rise and take the land as I cause their enemies to turn their backs to them. Everything within their boundaries will be called, "Holy to the Lord", and I will grant increase until the day when the whole earth is filled with My glory.

The trumpet of the Lord declares
It's time to rise and shine!
Now is the time to prepare,
And form the battle lines.

Fill your lamps with oil
So you can light the way,
As darkness falls upon those who toil
In the evil day.

It's a time of separation,
The wheat from the tare
This is My declaration--
The foolish from the wise.

For I will gather the fruit from the vine
A day of treading
Out the wine--
A new wine prepared for a new day.

Rise and Shine those who are Mine
For I will pour you out
The best of the vine
So My glory may be seen over all the earth.

Laughter

Tonight I went to my church to Ladies Night Out. We had a wonderful speaker as our guest this evening. The evening was about the power of humour. Well if I were to guess I think there was around 100 people there. I do not think that there was a person in the room who was not laughing to the point of tears rolling down their faces.

Most people today get going along very quickly in life anf they forget to stop and smell the roses. Humour used in a positive way is very healthy for the soul. They say that ten minutes of hardy laughing a day is the equivilent of 10 mins on a treadmill. They also say it is a great stress reliever.

Laughter is always the best medicine. We need to take time each and every day to relax, enjoy the moment, and have a good laugh. What does this have to do with anything well it is just a gentle reminder that life today is very busy, stressful, and we often forget to just relax and enjoy life. So take time for yourselves, smile and put on your favorite comedy so you can have a good laugh for the day.

WAIT

Desperately, helplessly, longingly, I cried.
Quietly, patiently, lovingly God replied.
I pled and I wept for a clue to my fate,
And the Master so gently said, "Child, you must wait!"

"'Wait?, You say, wait!" my indignant reply,
Lord, I need answers, I need to know why!
Is your hand shortened? Or have you not heard?
By faith I have asked, and am claiming your Word."

"My future and all to which I relate
Hangs in the balance, and you tell me to wait?
I'm needing a 'yes,' a go-ahead sign,
Or even a 'no' to which I can resign."

"And Lord, you promised that if we believe
We need but to ask, and we shall receive.
And Lord, I've been asking, and this is my cry
I'm weary of asking! I need a reply!"

Then quietly, softly, I learned of my fate
As my master replied once again, "You must wait."
So, I slumped in my chair, defeated and taut
and grumbled to God, "So, I'm waiting...for what?"

He seemed then to kneel and His eyes wept with mine,
And he tenderly said, "I could give you a sign.
I could shake the heavens, and darken the sun.
I could raise the dead, and cause mountains to run."

"All you seek, I could give, and pleased you would be.
You would have what you want--but, you wouldn't know me.
You'd not know the depth of my love for each saint,
You'd not know the power that I give to the faint."

"You'd not learn to see through the clouds of despair
You'd not learn to trust just by knowing I'm there;
You'd not know the joy of resting in me
when darkness and silence were all you could see."

"You'd never experience that fullness of love
As the peace of my Spirit descends like a dove;
You'd know that I give and I save... (for a start),
But you'd not know the depth of the beat of my heart."

"The glow of my comfort late into the night.
The faith that I give when you walk without sight,
The depth that's beyond getting just what you asked
Of an infinite God, who makes what you have last."

"You'd never know, should your pain quickly flee,
what it means that My grace is sufficient for thee..
Yes, your dreams for your loved ones overnight would come true,
But, oh, the loss! If I lost what I'm doing in you!"

"So, be silent, my child, and in time you will see
that the greatest of gifts is to get to know me.
And though oft may my answers seem terribly late,
My wisest of answers is still but to wait."

© 1980 Russell Kelfer.

Side note from todays devotional

With in seconds of clicking the publish button for todays Devotional I recieved this email.

Everything that is going wrong in your life today shall be well with you this year. No matter how much your enemies try this year, 'they will not' succeed. You have been destined to make it and you shall surely achieve all your goals this year. For the remaining months of this year (2007), all your agonies will be diverted and victory and prosperity will be incoming in abundance. Today God has confirmed the end of your sufferings, sorrows, an d pains because HE that sits on the throne has remembered you. He has taken away the hardships and given you JOY. He will never let you down.

I knocked at heaven's door this morning, God asked me... My child! What can I do for you? And I said, 'Father, please protect and bless the person reading this message'... God smiled and answered... Request granted.

Now I ask you how amazing is our God? Is he working in my life? Without a doubt he is! God thank you for everything.

SPEM PRAYER REQUEST

It is 8:00 am Monday morning and the phone rings so I answer to hear my mothers voice. She is tired and upset and worried. My father and her have been up most of the night. Dad has had a very high fever and sick all night. She has asked me to drive them to London for a scheduled doctors appointment.

I have to rearrange an appointment with my physio and they are upset, but in my life family always comes firt. I decided I had an 1/2 before I needed to leave so I would look for a quick devotion on healing, for stress relief, and I went to the site for Daily Bread and this is this mornings devotional. I felt it suited exactly what my mother needs and so does the rest of my family. So please pray this SPEM prayer for us all. Thank you in advance for these prayers. May God Bless you.

I bow my knees to the Father . . . that He would grant you . . . to be strengthened with might through His Spirit. —Ephesians 3:14,16

A friend sent me an e-mail that concluded with a list of prayer requests. She said, “Spiritually, I am confused, so pray for understanding. Physically, I am tired, so pray for rest. Emotionally, I am very weak, so pray for strength. Mentally, I am worried, so pray for peace.”

When I saw her later, I told her, “I’ve been SPEM praying for you.” She looked confused, so I told her I was praying for her spiritual, physical, emotional, and mental well-being.

Scripture illustrates God’s care in each of these areas.

Spiritual: Jesus prayed for His disciples: “Sanctify them by Your truth” (John 17:17). Truth leads to spiritual understanding, eliminating confusion.

Physical: Peter had a physical need—release from jail. His friends prayed—and he got out (Acts 12:1-11). In God’s care we find security and rest (Ps. 16:9).

Emotional: Often the psalmists asked God for relief from distress (4:1; 18:6; 107:6-7). He brings hope.

Mental: Insight and wisdom are promised for those who cry out to God (Prov. 2:3-6; James 1:5-7). Through prayer and reading His Word, the peace of God can be found.

Are you struggling? Ask God for spiritual, physical, emotional, and mental assistance. —Dave Branon

What a Friend we have in Jesus,
All our sins and griefs to bear!
What a privilege to carry
Everything to God in prayer! —Scriven

Turn your cares into prayers.

FACING THE GIANTS

Tonight I went to the Salvation Army church in Cambridge to watch this movie call Facing the Giants. It was a totally awesome movie. It was a Christian movie.

Here is what it says on its website.

From the award-winning producers of FLYWHEEL comes a new, action-packed, family-friendly drama about a high school football coach who draws up a new game plan for his team … and himself.

In his six years of coaching, Grant Taylor has never had a winning season. Even the hope of a new season is squelched when the best player on his Shiloh Eagles decides to transfer schools. After losing their first three games of the season, the coach discovers a group of fathers are plotting to have him fired. Combined with pressures at home, Coach Taylor has lost hope in his battle against fear and failure.

However, an unexpected challenge helps him find a purpose bigger than just victories. Daring to trust God to do the impossible, Coach Taylor and the Eagles discover how faith plays out on the field … and off.

With God, all things are possible …

Let this be our devotions for today lets pray to strengthen or widen our territoy by putting all our trust and faith in him. And like the football team from this movie we will see that With God, all things are are possible.

God Bless

It is my reccomendation that everyone see this movie it sure touches your hearts.

God’s grace sets you free

Todays Devotional is from the Purpose Driven Life

God’s grace sets you free
By Jon Walker

“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith – and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God ....” (Ephesians 2:8 NIV)

Grace. If you carry away only one thing from these devotionals, my prayer is that it will be a mind-transforming, behavior-altering understanding of God’s infinite, indestructible, and immovable grace.

Not just a quick, yet correct sound-bite explanation – like the “unmerited favor of God” – but the deep, ancient meaning of grace that stretches across the depth and breadth and width and height of God’s character.

This is on my mind because these devotionals present some high standards for Christian discipleship. My hope is to press us both – myself as well as you – toward an honest assessment of our faith, a deeper commitment to our beliefs, and most importantly a sacrificial, wholly-abandoned love for our Lord.

The standard is high; in fact, it’s impossibly high. That’s why we need God’s grace. I can’t, but God can. “Such confidence as this is ours through Christ before God. Not that we are competent in ourselves to claim anything for ourselves, but our competence comes from God.” (2 Corinthians 3:4-5 NIV)

Although I strive for these standards in my own life, I often fail, but that doesn’t mean I should lower the standard or hide behind denial of failure, or that I should settle for a mediocre, warmed-over faith walk. It means I look to the things above, striving to become the man God wants me to be, and getting out of the way so the Holy Spirit can do the work of transformation in my life. Whether I succeed or fail, I fall upon the grace of God. I remain immersed in his grace, knowing I cannot be holy, but the spirit of God within me and the blood of Jesus Christ allow me to connect with a holy God.

If we don’t understand God’s grace, we stand in danger of growing weary in our walk with God, descending into a quiet resignation that the abundant life is just a notion that describes our “Sweet By and By” future in heaven.

Or, when we fail to embrace God’s grace, we’re in danger of slipping into legalism, believing we can somehow reach God’s holy standard through our own efforts. In effect, we’re saying we can achieve godliness without God’s power! We behave as if we become one of God’s children by the things we do or the things we don’t do and not from the extraordinary Grace of God. (2 Corinthians 3:4-6 NIV)

As if.

We become like the foolish Galatians, who began their Christian walk with the Spirit, but then they began to behave as if godly goals could be reached by human effort. (Galatians 3:1-5 NIV)

The Apostle Paul, who struggled with legalism himself, taught the Galatians that the law was only put in charge to lead us to the grace of Christ. (Galatians 3:23-25) The Spirit of the living God transforms us by writing the law into our hearts rather than on simple stone tablets. (2 Corinthians 3:3) The godly standard is set within, where it cannot be lost, or diminished, or forgotten, instead of on tablets of stone that can be broken, or misplaced, or simply ignored.

So, you and I – my sister, my brother – we share in an inheritance from God, and that inheritance comes from grace. In fact, that inheritance is God’s grace. We are his workmanship, not creations of our own hand. (Ephesians 2:7-10)

So what?

· God’s grace sets you free to fail – When Martin Luther was fighting the false belief that we could work our way into God’s grace, he wrote, "Be a sinner, and let your sins be strong, but let your trust in Christ be stronger, and rejoice in Christ who is the victor over sin, death, and the world." He was not teaching that it’s okay to sin; rather that all sins are covered by the grace of God – so we can stop living timidly, afraid to make mistakes. We can live boldly.

· God forbid we abuse his grace – God doesn’t give us grace so we will continue to sin; rather, he gives us grace so we are free, here and now, to not sin. He gives us grace so we can live in relationship with him, no longer fearing separation because of our sin. “So what do we do? Keep on sinning so God can keep on forgiving? I should hope not! If we've left the country where sin is sovereign, how can we still live in our old house there?” (Romans 6:1-7 MSG)

· Grace makes way for good works – “And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith – and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God – not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” (Ephesians 2:6-10 NIV)

Prayer Request--for friends going to Haiti on a Mission Trip

Today May 4th/07 there is a team of 14 people leaving from Canada to go to Haiti on a Mission trip from the Salvation Army.

I personally have been talking via emails with one of the team leaders Nathanael Homewood in regards to mission work. I would like to ask for prayer for his team members and the other leaders going with them. I would also ask for prayers for the four leaders in Haiti as well. This team will be gone from May 4th till the 18th.

Here are two things that were mentioned in the email I recieved from him.

1) It is their hope that their brief visit will be life changing for their team members by learning to appreciate the culture, lifestyle, celebrations and even the pain and suffering of each other as human beings.

2) Their goal is to make their visit an "Integrated Mission" where they come first of all to build relationships with the Haitian people at their own comfort level. They do not wish to impose themselves on others, or to declare that they are coming to "fix" problems and download resources. It is their philosophy that every community has the ability and capacity to heal itself and that their role is to come along side, to learn and share their lives as fellow human beings.

Please pray that they all are able to maintain these goals and objectives while they are their.

GIVING GOD THE GLORY

Todays devotional comes from RBC Ministries---Daily Bread

“Whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.” 1 Corinthians 10:31

The news from our mechanic threatened to scuttle our plans. A suspicious rattling noise prompted me to take our clunker of a car to the shop a day before we were scheduled to drive through the night to Florida for our family vacation. The mechanic informed me that the rattling noise was our transmission’s farewell song, and that we were going to have to replace it—a time-consuming and expensive repair.
Seriously discouraged, I made my way back to the church office. I was considering how I would break the news to my family, when the phone rang. On the other end of the line, one of our church members said, “Hey, Pastor, I hear that you’re going to Florida on vacation. You know, my wife and I are worried about you taking your family to Florida in that little car. Our cars belong to God, and we would like you to take one of them on your vacation. Your choice!”

Wow! I knew that his cars were beauties—so either one would have been incredible.

With vacation plans intact and with a heart of gratitude for God’s provision, my family made our way to Florida in our friend’s beautiful car. I’ve got to be honest: I loved driving that car. I loved the stares we got at stoplights; and I felt pretty proud as I pulled up to a gas station. As I was pumping gas into the car (it had a huge appetite for fuel!), a guy walked out of the gas station and said, “Hey, that’s a beautiful car. How do you like your car?”

This was a big moment for me. Do you think I wanted to tell him it wasn’t my car? No way! A spiritual battle raged in my heart for what seemed like an hour (but was probably only 10 seconds). Truth finally won out, and I said, “Well, it’s not my car, but I like it a lot!”

Through the course of life, we all have opportunities to take the credit for ourselves when we shouldn’t. In the spotlight of some success, it’s tempting to keep the applause focused on “me.” But when you think about it, we would have no success in our lives at all if God did not see fit to give us the opportunities to succeed, the brainpower, the education, the temperament and gifts to accomplish praiseworthy things. Even so, when people notice that we have something good going, an internal spiritual battle occurs: Do we keep the glory for ourselves, or do we turn the spotlight back to God where it belongs?

Paul had it right in Philippians 3:1-11 when he encouraged us to stop bragging about ourselves and to start rejoicing in the Lord. He put together an impressive list of his own accomplishments and then said they were like “dung” compared to the glorious reality of Christ in His life. Jeremiah said, “Let not the wise man boast of his wisdom or the strong man boast of his strength or the rich man boast of his riches, but let him who boasts boast about this: that he understands and knows me, that I am the Lord, who exercises kindness, justice and righteousness on earth, for in these I delight” (9:23-24).

It’s not that we can’t enjoy our moment in the sun. Pleasure in good things is a gift that God has given us. It’s just that it’s important to give the credit for all we have and are to the appropriate person: God, the giver of all good things (1 Timothy 6:17).

YOUR JOURNEY…

Think back on some areas of accomplishment in your life. How were those moments (or how could they have been) used to bring God glory? What can you do in the future to tactfully give God the credit?

Think about some of the activities, hobbies, or pursuits that bring you genuine joy in life. Thank God for the opportunity to use the body and talents that He has given you to enjoy these things!

Read Acts 12:20-23, a sobering thought about stealing the glory from God.

The hard work of getting along

Today I decide to go to one of my Favorite Christian books other than the Bible I have read which is "The Purpose Driven Life" by Rick Warren. I know many have heard of this book or ev en read it but for those of you who have not read it or heard of it please take the time to go to your local libarary or Christian book store and take a look at it. I loved it cause in todays world I sure could relate and understand what they were talking about and apply it to my everyday life and living.

God makes clear what our Purpose is and Rick Warren has laid it out in a format we can all understand. I also reccommend you check out his website as most of his material is available online as well.

There is a daily devotional reading on his site and that is where I have gotten todays devotional from.

The hard work of getting along
By Jon Walker

“Let us agree to use all our energy in getting along with each other.” (Romans 14:19a Message)
If you have children, you’ll know exactly what I mean: Some days you look into their faces, and you see the attitudes of angels; on other days you want to scream, “Why can’t you just get along!” as they get into a ridiculous argument about who moved a toy 1/32nd of an inch.

Sometimes these opposite attitudes shift back and forth six times in five minutes!

But let me ask you this: Do you think God ever looks at us – we adults, believers in community together – and sighs, “Why can’t my children just get along?’”

There are dozens of reasons we don’t get along with each other – with the sin of pride right at the top of the list. But I think another huge reason we fail to live in authentic, consistent, committed Christian community is because it’s too hard.

It requires real effort to work through our differences, to remain transparent and honest, to confront and to pay close attention to each other. Frankly, it’s easier to keep relationships superficial, to “demonize” one another when we don’t agree, to cut and run at the first sign of trouble rather than commit to each other.

Yet God placed within us a need for “stick-with-it” commitments; his commitment to us is unbreakable, and he wants to see us extend the same commitment to each other (2 Corinthians 8:5). But this kind of commitment takes time – something that has become far too scarce in our lives today (and that, my friend, is a choice).

God knows we will live in a healthy, Christian community if we will commit to living our lives together beyond our weekly meetings, if we will make each other a priority - sharing our lives over coffee, after work, at the ballpark, in the hospital.

The only way for us to become a “friend who sticks closer than a brother” (Proverbs 18:24) is when we focus on the quality of our relationships, not mere quantity or mere acquaintances.

“You can develop a healthy, robust community that lives right with God and enjoy its results only if you do the hard work of getting along with each other, treating each other with dignity and honor.” (James 3:18 MSG, Emphasis mine)

So what?

· Love no matter what

How can you plan to help others at all times, not just when it’s convenient? (Proverbs 17:17)
How can you develop a strategy for loving others at their worst, not just when they seem lovable? (Romans 5:8)

· Show up – The most basic behavior of commitment is simply showing up. “If you care, you’ll be there.” You may be surprised that your mere presence is a source of encouragement. (Hebrews 10:25)

· Intentional commitments – Other than your spouse, have you ever told someone else, “I will always be there for you”? This week, establish an intentional commitment with another believer. Approach the Spirit’s choice and bless that person by saying, “I want to grow close to you as a friend.”

© 2007 Jon Walker. All rights reserved.

Faith --- Not Emotion

2 Corinthians 5:7 (New International Version)

7 We live by faith, not by sight.

I take this devotional today from Oswald Chambers book MY UTMOST FOR HIS HIGHEST

For a time we are conscious of God's attentions, then, when God begins to use us in His enterprises, we take on a pathetic look and talk of the trials and the difficulties, and all the time God is trying to make us do our duty as obscure people. None of us would be obscure spiritually if we could help it. Can we do our duty when God has shut up heaven? Some of us always want to be illuminated saints with golden babes and the flush of inspiration, and to have the saints of God dealing with us all the time. A gilt-edged saint is no good, he is abnormal, unfit for daily life, and altogether unlike God. We are here as men and women, not as half-fledged angels, to do the work of the world, and to do it with an infinitely greater power to stand the turmoil because we have been born from above.

If we try to re-introduce the rare moments of inspiration, it is a sign that it is not God we want. We are making a fetish of the moments when God did come and speak, and insisting that He must do it again; whereas what God wants us to do is to "walk by faith." How many of us have laid ourselves by, as it were, and said - "I cannot do any more until God appears to me." He never will, and without any inspiration, without any sudden touch of God, we will have to get up. Then comes the surprise - "Why, He was there all the time, and I never knew it!" Never live for the rare moments, they are surprises. God will give us touches of inspiration when He sees we are not in danger of being led away by them. We must never make our moments of inspiration our standard; our standard is our duty.


This is what it says on his website homepage

Oswald Chambers

Oswald Chambers (1874-1917) was a Scottish minister and teacher whose teachings on the life of faith and abandonment to God have endured to this day.

This daily devotional is a collection of his teachings compiled by his wife into a daily devotional format. It's presented here in the original English. His wife's comments may be found in the Foreword.

We publish this with the prayer that Oswald Chambers' teachings will help you grow in your walk with Christ.