Trust

The Lord has been doing some major changes in our lives, teaching us some deep lessons that I would like to share. Up until June the Lord had been teaching us to trust Him in a very simple way. The bills would come in, they would be paid. He always brought the work in time. Always. Sometimes the very day something was due we would have no way of knowing how to pay it but always before the day was over the money was there to cover it. I finally came to the place of just trusting Him, if an anxious thought arose it quickly was sent away by the realization that God always provided for us. Always. Then June rolled around. We sent out our monthly checks like before and one after the other they were returned because of “Insufficient funds”. No work, no reprieve, nothing. I was totally shocked. How could God allow us to arrive at that kind of trust and then BOOM, drop the bottom out from under us? Had we sinned? Was it a test (for what)? Why??? We waited and struggled to find enough work to put food on the table as well as pay some of the bills and the multiple fees associated with an overdrawn bank account. July, same story. It did not make sense to me, I know God does all things well, but this just did not add up.  The Lord revealed to me that I had become angry with God. That sobered me greatly and made me fall on my face before Him, begging for some sort of understanding, pleading for peace. I went to my husband for help, asking him “why?” his answer was so simple, yet so profound. “Even when we don’t understand, we need to trust the Lord. It is not always going to be easy to trust Him like it has been but we should trust Him even in the hard times. Whenever doubt comes in, take it to the Lord right away.” So I began to pray about that, especially “even in the hard times”. Then the Lord reminded me of Job. WOW! God allowed everything to be taken from Job, even his children, and it was still for God’s glory. Job basically answered the same way I did…paraphrasing... “Why, what have I done? I am innocent.” Yet Elihu rebuked him and his rebuke now stung me as well….

“Behold, in this thou art not just: I will answer thee, that God is greater than man. Why doest thou strive against him? For he giveth not account of any of his matters.” (Job 33:12) and in 34:5. “For Job hath said, I am righteous: and God hath taken away my judgment.” V. 10 “…far be it from God, that he should do wickedness; and from the Almighty, that he should commit iniquity.” V.23. “For he will not lay on man more than right; that he should enter into judgment with God.” V.29. “When he giveth quietness, who then can make trouble? And when he hideth his face, who then can behold him? Whether it be done against a nation, or against a man only:” vs. 31-32. “Surely it is meet to be said unto God, I have borne chastisement, I will not offend any more: That which I see not teach thou me: if I have done iniquity, I will do no more.”

The Lord is bringing us into a new level of trust. Up until now we trusted that He would provide. Now He wants us to trust Him even if He does not provide. Is our faith conditional? Will we only praise Him when things go our way? Or will we still trust and praise Him when it seems like everything is falling apart and we are faced with losing everything? Our dear Lord Jesus Christ has a plan and purpose in all things that He does and in what He allows to happen. Romans 8:28 says “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.” Does that mean that everything will go the way we want it to? No. All things work for our good, even what seems “bad” works for our good. God is bringing glory to His name and He has many ways of doing that. If teaching us to praise Him even in the hard times will bring Him more glory, than I rejoice and am very thankful for this deep lesson He is teaching us! Growth is painful, but oh how blessed we are that He is willing to allow us to go through painful times that we can grow through it. Praise Him! Praise our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ!!! He is worthy of all praise and honor! Sing to Him, offer a sacrifice of praise, He is worthy! (Hebrews 13:15)

Life!

So much for me posting more often :) Life gets busy and training even one little girl is a great task and responsibility from our Heavenly Father. So the blog can wait...even the dishes can wait if need be, except for the fact that they are part of the training. :) Grace now can stand on a chair beside me and "help" do the dishes, cook, bake, clean. Whatever I am doing I try to include her. It is not always easy and I am by no means doing so all the time or even as much as I would like to, but it really amazes me how much the Lord keeps reminding me..."why are you doing this by yourself?" It also is a great encouragement to see how happy she is when working along side me, she is just bubbling with excitement over being included in real life! Oh how we pray for her that she will come to love and serve our Lord Jesus Christ at an early age, that He would save her and bring much glory to His worthy name through her life! We also pray this for our dear little one who is now due in less than a week!

I have been "nesting" for several weeks now, changing things around in our home with my husbands help....I should rephrase that... Patrick changes things around while I point where I would like them to go. :) He is so wonderful and uncomplaining about my sudden ideas, and usually refines them to a better way of managing our space, or comes up with his own. I am truly blessed to be married to such a great man! We are so excited as we wait to meet our little boy or girl, though I am somewhat nervous about the labor since Grace's was so long. Yet I know the Lord will give me the strength for whatever He allows, I just cannot dwell on it too much, just trust in Him who does all things well.

Grace loves babies! Every morning she has to greet her three baby dolls with squeals of delight and exclamations of "baby! baby!" She cares for them so lovingly, rocking, singing and changing them. We really look forward to how she will be with her little brother or sister, it will be such fun to watch! I have to run, but here are a few random pictures.....

Flea Market Anyone?

My husband and I are homeless, well practically. BUT we do own a flea market. Is that news to you? It is to us too. We welcome you all to come on in and pick up as many fleas as you can attract before leaving. We would be happy to share the wealth of our abundance. 

To back up a little… we own a dog named Abby, she is a German Shepherd and a real sweet heart if you pass her inspection and criteria. She has one problem, she has fleas (or I should say, had). Now dogs often have fleas and we were not too worried about it. Get some flea stuff and get rid of them, right? At least that’s what I thought. So being a use-the-least-amount-of-chemicals-as-you-can type of person, I decided to use diatomaceous earth which is reported to be a very good flea killer and I have had good success with it in the past. That weekend Patrick and I gave Abby a good long bath, (she hates those) and when she had dried off, I rubbed the DE into her fur. She was completely white and looked quite ridiculous, but hey, at lease she would be rid of the fleas, ha. Since we were about to leave for Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania that evening  for a week of work, I sprinkled the DE all over our house just in case, of the probability, of fleas residing there. We took Abby with us since we had found a hotel that allowed pets. We left with the happy thought that any fleas in the house would certainly cut themselves on the microscopic razor blade sharpness of the diatomaceous earth and would be no more!

During the week Abby seemed to be quite relieved and feeling much better, so I was very pleased and looked forward to going home and cleaning up the DE all over the floor and being done with it.

……..(Long rabbit trail alert!)…… The Lord has led us to a new job that requires a whole lot of traveling for now. Patrick is building prefab sheds at customers homes, as a subcontractor. He now has a large truck and goose-neck trailer and two employees to work with him. He has to have a DOT (Department of Transportation) number on the truck and in order to drive that with the trailer, he has to have a health certificate. We spend the week in a hotel and come home on the weekends. Traveling is not something we really want to do, but for now this is where the Lord has us and we continue to work towards the goal and vision the Lord has given us of full time ministry.

Because of the way Patrick’s work week went, we ended up heading home on Saturday (9^th) morning around 2:00 am. Patrick was absolutely exhausted from an especially grueling week of work and since we were pulling the goose-neck trailer and I don’t have my health certificate yet, I could not drive for him. So every fifteen to twenty minutes he had to pull over and sleep for fifteen to twenty minutes. We would have slept longer but we had an appointment at 9:00 am that we had to make and which could not be moved. It normally takes about an hour and a half to get to our friends house where we were dropping off the trailer, but it took a whole lot longer than that. Finally we made it and I could take over the driving. By that time I had become very tired and made it only for an hour before having to pull over, but since Patrick had slept for that hour very soundly, he was able to get us to our appointment and we were only a few minutes late. Then we had to get to a Title office to get plates for the truck which were about to expire and come to find out the only one open until noon on Saturday was a good ways away and since we had to leave for Buffalo New York on Sunday there was no other time to get them. So we took off and got there in time to get the plates, praise the Lord! Then our helper, who was riding along with us, told us that the only way he could cash his pay check was at his bank and it was closing at noon…it was quite a long way away! Off we went again and somehow we made it at 12:01 and since they saw him running for the door they let him in. Praise the Lord! Then we still had to drop him off at his home, get our mail and make it to our bank before their 1:00 pm closing time. Whew! ...... (End rabbit trail)…..

We were very thankful to the Lord and relieved when we finally made it home and were ready to get some much needed rest, before getting ready to leave on Sunday for Buffalo NY. I took Grace out of her car seat and was talking to Patrick for a moment as he brought things in from the truck, when I felt something on my leg. Looking down, I saw fleas, what seemed like millions of them, crawling and jumping up my legs!!! I ran out of the house jumping all around brushing them off, it took a little while to get them all off. Patrick grabbed the few things from the house that he had taken in and closed it up. I climbed into the truck and began to cry. It felt like too much, more than I could bear. Yet the Lord was there and He so gently took the burden from us, letting us rest in the knowledge that He knows best and is allowing this for a purpose.

We went to Patrick’s parents who very graciously let us spend the night, feeding us and everything. They are such a blessing to us! Before leaving for Buffalo we bought some house foggers and bombed the house,

chemicals or not we have to get rid of the fleas! We took Abby to our land where she would be safe and cared for. So we went to Buffalo content that the fleas would certainly be dead now.

Home again on the 16^th we walked into the house to check around, I was probably in there for about one minute when I looked down at my feet and saw my white socks turning black with the tiny things, which for some reason now looked larger than they had before! Again I ran out doing the flea dance. Again we stayed at Patrick’s parents, this time until Tuesday night when we left for Buffalo.

Patrick’s Dad helped us get in contact with an exterminator who told Patrick that the reason the fleas look different this time, is because the fogger we used had birth control in it to supposedly kill the eggs and that sometimes causes the fleas to become twice their normal size! He said that he is unable to come do it himself but is sending all the sprays and things that we need to do it ourselves. So…. We will be home next week for a much anticipated break, but we don’t really have a home to go to.

I love being home, I love keeping my home and to have this happen is a great trial for me. Looking through the windows, I can see the rocker, couch, kitchen, etc. all the comforts of what we call home and it makes me cry because I cannot even walk in the door. For some reason the Lord is allowing this to happen, somehow He is using it to shape us more into the image of His Son and He will be glorified. Yet, I must say, it is not fun. Patrick’s family is so sweet and loving to us, I am so thankful to the Lord for them! So many emotions! Yet that must not be my focus, only Jesus. I pray we learn what He wants us to learn through this.

Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.

(Mat 6:19-21)

By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name.

(Heb 13:15)

Praise Him even when we don’t feel like it!!!

What our life has been like...Part 1

I must say that I was surprised to receive so many comments on my last post, thank you all so much!

The Lord has been so good to us, He is faithful in all things just as He promises in His word. Patrick lost his job about a month before our wedding and has not been able to find a good steady job since, yet the Lord is our provider and He has never failed us. Time and again we have wondered how He would provide for our next need only to see His hand move in a mighty way. Our dear Heavenly Father is taking us through a trial of faith that we might be more conformed to the image of His son, Jesus Christ. What a wonderful thing to know that whatever He takes us through it is that we might be more like Him for His glory, this is the joy of our journey.

 O to be like Thee! blessed Redeemer;
This is my constant longing and prayer;
Gladly I'll forfeit all of earth's treasures,
Jesus, Thy perfect likeness to wear.

O to be like Thee! O to be like Thee!
Blessed Redeemer, pure as Thou art;
Come in Thy sweetness, come in Thy fullness;
  Stamp Thine own image deep on my heart.

O to be like Thee! full of compassion,
Loving, forgiving, tender and kind,
Helping the helpless, cheering the fainting,
Seeking the wand'ring sinners to find.

O to be like Thee! lowly in spirit,
Holy and harmless, patient and brave;
Meekly enduring cruel reproaches,
Willing to suffer, others to save.

Our Lord has promised that He will never leave us or forsake us, we are His children and the sheep of His pasture, He cares, oh so tenderly He cares for His own. When I have times of doubt the Lord points me back to Matthew chapter six. What comfort is to be found in those precious words of our Lord Jesus!

“Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? Or, What shall we drink? Or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek;) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. (Matt. 6:31-33)

We took a trip up to Wisconsin in June to get my dog Abby and some of my things as well as visit with the family. 

 It was wonderful to see everyone again!

We brought back tomato and pepper plants that I had started back in April, which we were able to plant along with beans and a few other things. It was a smaller garden, but a great blessing. It is so much fun to work the soil and care for the plants, then later to harvest and can. This time was especially fun as I worked alongside my husband! 

 We had to harvest the tomatoes while they were yet green because of caterpillars attacking them.

There are no words to explain the blessing and joy of having a godly, loving husband! When I think back over all the years that I prayed for him, hoping that he existed, I can see so clearly now how the Lord was answering those prayers. I used to think that maybe I was asking too much when I told the Lord what kind of a man I wanted for my husband. I thought maybe I would have to settle for less than what I prayed for, then after more prayer I realized that I did not want to marry a man who was not what I was asking for. So I began to think that I would never get married, since it seemed impossible that such a wonderful, godly young man existed. Please allow me to tell you that the Lord answered far above what I could ask or think! Patrick is so much more than what I asked for, daily I am brought before the Lord with thanksgiving for creating me for such a wonderful man!

Thoughts on Exodus

Patrick and I have been reading through Exodus and as we read through the law (in the last part of Exodus) that God gave to Moses, there are some interesting things that stand out...

We noticed that God's laws are direct instructions of how to live, down to the minutest detail. He did not just tell Moses, "Make a tabernacle, make an alter, offer sacrifices", He gave specific directions. With what metals to make exact utensils, what wood to use and what size boards of a certain number for the ark of the covenant. What kind and color of cloth with an exact number of
gems for the priests garments. What type of animals and grain to offer, and how to cut, wash, separate, and what parts to burn, what parts to eat, and what parts to cast without the camp. At that time Moses and the children of Israel obeyed the Lord and did all according "as the Lord commanded Moses." They did not question God's wisdom in using a vast amount of gold and silver to build His tabernacle, instead they gave willingly of what they had until they had to be restrained from bringing any more gifts. They found joy in obeying the Lord.

This makes me think of my life. Do I find joy in obeying the Lord my God? Are His commands precious to me? God has given us very specific commands for this life... we are told: "Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him." (1 John 2:15) Have you thought about this? I mean Really thought about it. What does it mean to love the world? Some things come to mind immediately...immorality, profanity, idolatry, just godlessness in general. Of course these things are of the world and we should not love them, but does it stop there? How far does God take this? To the tiny details? I think so.

"I will set no wicked thing before my eyes: I hate the work of them that turn aside; it shall not cleave to me." (Psalms 101:3) Do you love to watch TV, movies, play video games? Are you aware of the filth that you are allowing to come into your eyes, mind and heart? OK lets just say that you are very careful and only watch good movies without offensive scenes and language, or violence. Why do you watch it? To glorify God? That is the reason He gave you breath today, that should be our reason for living. It should motivate everything that we do. "For my own sake, even for my own sake, will I do it: for how should my name be profaned? and I will not give my glory unto another." (Isaiah 48:11)

We should ask ourselves, "Where is my heart?" We can find that out by asking "where is my treasure?" "For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also." (Matthew 6:21) What do you think about all day long? Seriously consider that one. Because... "The wicked, through the pride of his countenance, will not seek after God: God is not in all his thoughts." (Psalms 10:4) Is God in all your thoughts? Do you find your thoughts soaring to Him throughout the day? Some would say, "you have to be able to think about other things, there is work to do." Yes, and no. Of course there are tasks that take concentration and there are things to think through, but in what context are those thoughts? Are you abiding in Christ? "Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me." (John 15:4) It is a moment by moment thing, abide in Christ. Rest in Him. "Pray without ceasing." (1Thessalonians 5:17)

What other worldly things can we think of that we may find ourselves loving and not realize the danger? The list can be pretty big. I pray that the Lord will reveal those things to me in my life, help me compare my life to His Word and make me sensitive to His voice. I want to follow Jesus...and he, "Though he were a Son, yet learned he obedience by the things which he suffered;" (Hebrews 5:8) Jesus obeyed to the tiniest detail, He offered Himself willingly until it was enough. He tells us..."If the world hates you, you know that it hated me before it hated you. (John 15:18)

Do you enjoy and are you entertained by the things that nailed Jesus to the tree?

Therefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ; As obedient children, not fashioning yourselves according to the former lusts in your ignorance: But as he who has called you is holy, so be holy in all manner of conduct; Because it is written, You will be holy; for I am holy. And if you call on the Father, who without respect of persons judges according to every man's work, pass the time of your exile here in fear: Since you know that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain manner of life received by tradition from your fathers; But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot: Who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you, Who by him do believe in God, that raised him up from the dead, and gave him glory; that your faith and hope might be in God. (1 Peter 1:13-21)

Announcing a Courtship!!!

On January 20th, 2010 my Dad gave Patrick permission to court me! What a day of rejoicing that was, and every day following continues to be!

L-R: Leah, Patrick, Michael

Leah, Michael, Patrick

Patrick

My brother Michael and I met Patrick on our mission trip to Las Vegas in July, but we barely got to know him. Later on, my Mom, Michael and I joined the social network called, Facebook, to keep in touch with friends and family. Soon we had friend requests from Patrick. It did not take long before we began to notice his love for the Lord Jesus in his posts and comments, it was refreshing to meet a believer who sought the Lord with all his heart. Over the chat we all became good friends and had wonderful times of fellowship encouraging each other in the Lord. From time to time Patrick would call to talk with Michael, and eventually the calls became more frequent. In time he made plans to visit us, and finally made his way up from Ohio to meet the family. And the rest, as they say...is history! Someday I am sure I will share more details....but now you all know why I have been quite absent from this blog. I had a good reason this time! :)

I am very blessed to be courted by such a godly young man! His fervent love for Jesus is very evident in his walk and talk. The Lord is so good, and His mercies are beyond comprehension!

For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, says the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts. (Isaiah 55:8-9) Praise the Lord for His wonderful works among the children of men!!!

No king but King Jesus!

In Duluth there is an on going event called "Bentleyville Tour of Lights" which is a large area decked out in lights. We saw an opportunity to proclaim the name of Jesus, but just as the event began my brother and I fell sick. We were sick for some time, ending up with sinus infections and such. Praise God that He has healed us and we are back on the streets singing the praise of our King! On Thursday we did a "Health Partners" witness and a "Planned Parenthood" witness, then headed down to Bentleyville. My Mom and I held signs that said: "Jesus Came to Give Life" and "The Lord our God, He is Mightily to Save!" We sung carols while Michael and our friend and brother Steve handed out gospel tracts. Before long Mr. Bentley showed up. He was furious with us for being there! "Why are you here?" he yelled. "This does not belong at this event!" He told Steve: "The police told me you would come, but it took you two weeks to get here!" This reminds us of a verse "These that have turned the world upside down are come hither also...!" (Acts 17:6) Mr. Bentley tried all he could to get us to leave, even bodily blocking my brother from handing out tracts! One of his volunteers said she is a Christian, but also said that when someone hands her a tract it "makes me sick"! Another volunteer began to tell those coming to the event who were about to take a tract: "We're sorry they are not part of Bentleyville, they're just soliciting." Over and over. My brother responded by saying "These are free, we are not soliciting." Thankfully a police officer arrived who knew the law and told Mr. Bentley that we have "a Constitutional right" to be there. Praise God!

We returned on Friday night, and hope to go again for many nights to come. What an opportunity to glorify the name of our Lord Jesus Christ! Obviously Mr. Bentley wants his event to be all about HIM and cannot tolerate competition. We are there to proclaim that there is no king but King Jesus! Please pray for us, and for the many people that accept tracts, hear the songs, etc. that they will be convicted by the Spirit of God and come to repentance and faith. One young man named Dan, was very open to hear the gospel, please pray for the salvation of his soul.

Also on Tuesday this week a baby's life was spared at the abortion mill in Duluth! We are praise God! To read that story go here: http://www.sarahsprolife.com/blog/

Praise God For His Wonderful Works!

I am amazed at the way God has used the incident that happened on Tuesday the 24, for His glory! The story has travelled across the nation and even over the world. Already I have done two radio interviews and a paper interview, as well as responding to multiple e-mails. This has really surprised me since the incident is not an isolated occurrence, other sidewalk councilors are attacked weekly and the news does not cover it. One man told me what had attracted him to the story, and I think this is probably the reason for all the attention. He said, "It is the fact that God gave you such peace in the moment of need, that is so amazing." Praise God! So it is God's working that causes people to cry when they read what happened, it is God's ability and power to give a weak girl peace in the face of death, and God's protection over His people. In this I rejoice, that the name of my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ is being glorified and lifted up through this whole thing! He is worthy of ALL praise! I have been greatly reminded of the fact that my life is NOT about me. It is about my God, I am His, and all I am, have and do are His. If He chooses to use me, I rejoice and glory in Christ my Savior.

I am not great at speaking so when it came time to do the radio interviews I prayed and prayed, and others (especially my dear Mother) prayed as well. Asking the Lord to speak through me, clearly and to His glory. He did it! He really did! My prayer is that people will see how beautiful my Lord Jesus is, and how worthy of praise. That they who heard/hear will tremble before God and give glory to Him. That many will be turned unto the Lord and be saved. As the second interview approached, I was sick with a bad cold and without a voice. But when it came time to talk, my voice was there! Praise be to God!

Recently we heard from relatives of Michelle's (the attacker), I will let this note speak for itself, it is addressed to my Mom:

Sarah,
Thank you so much for your blog. I am a relative of Mechelle and live in Minneapolis. I, too, am a pro-lifer. In response to my convictions I have in the past housed pregnant women who had no place to live. I have never been outside an abortion clinic as I had believed that it was pushing it too far in a negative manner. This incident has changed my mind. Although things did not go as smoothly as normal for you, you were at the place God wanted you to be. My brother visited her the other day and said “I believe the protester was an angel sent by God to save the life of the baby”. That is just what happened. Since the incident, she has decided against abortion. I wanted to thank you for the work you are doing. Keep praying for Mechelle that she would return to Jesus.

Lori

Did you read that? Michelle decided NOT to kill her baby! Praise God! And this relative of Michelle's now sees the value in pleading with women at the gates of hell as a last voice of reason that they will hear before going in. Praise God again and again! As she said, please keep praying for Michelle that she will be saved. For legal reasons we have not been able to visit with her, but pray that we may be able to do so some day.

But God forbid that I should glory, except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world. (Galatians 6:14)

If any man speaks, let him speak as the oracles of God; if any man ministers, let him do it as of the ability which God gives: that God in all things may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom be praise and dominion forever and ever. Amen. Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to test you, as though some strange thing happened unto you: But rejoice, since you are partakers of Christ's sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, you may be glad also with exceeding joy. If you be reproached for the name of Christ, happy are you; for the spirit of glory and of God rests upon you: on their part he is evil spoken of, but on your part he is glorified. (1 Peter 4:11-14)

To God only wise, be glory through Jesus Christ forever. Amen. (Romans 16:27)

A hairbreadth away from Glory?

Yesterday morning my Mom and I, were at the Building For Women in Duluth MN, to plead for the lives of unborn babies (sidewalk counsel) with Jim Tuttle of Pro-Life Ministries of Duluth. I saw a lady walking toward the building, who I figured must be a client. Before I could talk to her or approach her with literature, she snapped open a knife. She waved the point at me saying, "Don't come near me!" I stayed where I was and said, "Please don't kill your baby, fear God." She walked past into the courtyard, so I moved to the fence corner to continue counseling. She then turned around, came up to me and held the point of the knife at my throat! The thought flashed through my mind, "What if she stabs me?" and then, "That's ok." God gave me great peace as I looked into her angry eyes and said, "Fear God. You need to fear God Ma'am." She turned around, and began to walk through the court yard again. My Mom, Sarah, who was standing at the other end of the fence, called out to her, "We love you, and care about you, don't kill your baby." The women turned and waved the knife at her yelling, "I'm certified crazy, that's why I'm doing this!" She then went into the building.

Jim Tuttle called the police and they arrived very quickly, seven squad cars strong. Several went immediately into the building, and shortly came out with the women in handcuffs, she was crying. They interviewed us, had us write reports, and told us that this is a felony offence. My Mom told two of the officers that we feel very sad for the women who did this, and we will be praying for her. One of the officers looked shocked at that.

A local TV newsman showed up and interviewed us. We were able to give glory to God for His protection and testify that God says, "You shall not murder." I explained that we are living in a culture of death, and if they believe it is fine to kill babies in the womb, what would be the difference killing someone out of the womb? He wanted to know if this would change my mind about coming out to talk to the abortion clients. I said "No, not at all! I am excited that God protected me." My Mom told him that we care about the women who did this, forgive her, and want her to know that if she came to Jesus Christ and was saved, God would completely change her.

God allowed this all to happen for a reason, and I greatly desire that His name be glorified through this incident. Our God is worthy to be praised! Psalm 91 was going through my head... "He that dwells in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the LORD, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust." (Psalms 91:1-2) Praise God for His mercy, not only on me for protection, but also in the fact that this lady still has her baby!

As the police were leaving, a young women ran into the building very quickly. After a few minutes she came out onto the sidewalk, and seemed to be waiting for someone. My Mom talked to her, and she turned out to be the friend of the women who had just been arrested. Not knowing what had just happened, she had come to support her friend, but was told that her friend had left the building quickly. They didn't even tell her why or in what state she had left! So we were able to minister to this women, her name is, Melissa and her friend, who had been arrested is Michelle. My Mom shared the gospel with her, gave her a Bible, and asked if we could visit Michelle in jail. She agreed that it might be possible.

Please pray for these two women. I do forgive Michelle, and pray that she will be saved, she needs Jesus. Only God knows what He will do with this situation, we pray that He will be glorified!


EDITED to add:

Here are some news articles covering the incident:

LifeSiteNews: http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2009/nov/09112603.html

WorldNetDaily: http://www.wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=117119

LifeNews: http://www.lifenews.com/state4602.html

NorthlandNews: http://www.northlandsnewscenter.com/news/local/72989782.html

At The Abortion Clinic

We were at the abortion mill yesterday to plead for the lives of innocent baby girls and boys. 16 mothers, 1 turn-away (which means, one left before having an abortion without giving us the reason. She could have changed her mind...we hope so!...or she may have been too far along...or had taken RU486, a chemical abortion....or any other number of reasons). As I showed one mother a baby model and spoke to her about the gift God has given her, she took the model...thinking that I was offering to her. She then walked toward the building and threw the model in the trash before going in. I called out, "Don't throw away your baby! Fear God!"

That was not a cheap baby model, so I asked one of the "escorts" if he could retrieve it for us. Being the "kind" man that he is, (very intentional) he looked in the trash for it. When he failed to find it, the two women "escorts" with him, took the trash inside and looked through it with a ....coat hanger....we thought they were kidding when they said that, but they were serious. Here they were digging through the trash looking for a baby model, with a coat hanger, a symbol of death used often by the pro-death people. How ironic. They "did not" find it. Perhaps that mother had thrown something else away, and carried the model with her to the waiting room...we pray so.

One vehicle pulled in with a "Jesus fish" bumper sticker. As the young mother made her way to the building, my brother Michael said to her: "Jesus said, '"As much as you have done it to the least of these my brethren, you have done it unto me."' So if you abort your baby, it is like you are killing Jesus." She did not respond, and he continued. "Jesus also said, '"A thief comes to steal and destroy, but I come to give you life."' At this she made a bad hand gesture.

It is terribly sad that the modern church of America has made Jesus look like a "cool guy" who will be our best buddy to keep us out of the hell that the mean God wants to send us to. In America it's "cool" to be a Christian. What happened to the true gospel? Jesus said, "If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me." (Luke 9:23) and "All that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution." (2 Timothy 3:12) It sure wasn't "cool" to be a follower of Jesus when he was hanging on the cross, and it certainly has not been "cool" in the worlds eyes, to be his follower ever since. So why is it suddenly "cool" in America? Is our country more spiritual than all nations before us? OR are American churches preaching a false gospel, one that omits God's holiness, wrath, anger, judgment, and commandments, and is therefore expectable to the world? It's ok to be saved from a mean God way up there, if you don't have to give up your sin, your life and turn your back on the world. No longer do people seem to care that Jesus said, "If you love me, keep my commandments." (John 14:15).... (What I am NOT saying is that we are saved by keeping commandments i.e.. saved by works. I AM saying that someone who has truly been saved by God, will bear good fruit. "You shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles?" (Matthew 7:16) "Examine yourself to see if you are in the faith." (2 Corinthians 13:5) etc.) They do not understand that we are the ones with the problem, we are sinners, filthy, rotten, disgusting in God's eyes. Jesus is righteous (without sin), pure, and holy (set apart, different), He died for us bearing our sin as if He had done it, and God punished His own son for our sakes. People believe that "yes it is wrong to have an abortion, but God will forgive me." They don't get it!!! So we warn them of their error, and pray that God will open their eyes. God is the only one who can cause them to see and understand the truth, because they are blinded by the lies of satan.

I praise God that we were able to lift up the name of our Lord Jesus on the streets. We pray that He was mightily glorified, by our singing, praying, and proclaiming His Word to the lost. He is worthy to receive all praise!

Eyes Focused on Jesus

Oh, let us keep our eyes on Jesus dear sisters! There is no other help for us. If we focus on our ministry, on the things we do for God and not on Him, then are we sure to drift. To gaze at Him, to seek, and adore Him is our great privilege. Upon taking our eyes off of Jesus we are sure to falter, slip and fall. Remember Peter on the water. He took his eyes off of Jesus, and soon sunk in the waves. How easy it is for us to look at our circumstances instead of our great God. Again, how easy it is to look at our work, and ministry, instead of looking at He who equips us unto the ministry. For a time we can manage to go on "auto pilot", seeming to be in the same spiritual state as before, but time will show that growth has stopped. We will begin to notice a coldness in our hearts, a lack of deep fellowship with our God. Outwardly we say the same things, do the same things, but inwardly we are groping in the dark, dieing. Indeed, if this process continues, we will stop bearing fruit all together, and being no longer a glory to our King, we will in a sense die.

Thanks be to God who gives us the victory in Christ Jesus our Lord! Cry out to Him for mercy, repent of your sin. Seek fellowship with your Father in Heaven, and plead with Him to soften and change your heart. He is our dear Father, we can cry Abba (Daddy!) and oh how tenderly He cares for us.

These things I know because for a time I had forgotten. I looked around me instead of at Jesus, and I was miserable. But, Praise be to God who brought me out of the pit and brought me back to the the Light of His countenance! Our God is so good, faithful, and kind!

We do not have the answers, but He does. We cannot see the future, but He does. And He cares, He knows how to get a hold of our hearts. Give Him your heart, and He will glorify Himself through you. Oh what joy!

A trip, and Where are God's People?

It has been far too long since I have written on here! I have been very busy canning garden produce. We had a hard frost several weeks ago which sent us scrambling to bring in all the green tomatoes before it hit. With my Dad and brother's help, we managed to pull all the plants and box up the green fruit. Now they are ripening, so I have been canning almost every day. We are also making and canning applesauce, chutney, various jellies, and ketchup.

Two weeks ago my Grandma who lives with us, had a mini stroke. Thankfully it did not do too much damage, but she needs to have an operation on her carotid arteries soon. Wednesday last week, my brother and I took her down to IL. to visit family and attend a cousin's wedding. We were able to see our Uncle & Aunt from WA, who we have not seen in a long time. It was a great time.

The bride and groom! Josh & Cathy

My cousin Danielle and I

We also visited with our brother Dan, sister-in-love Basia, and their two boys, Kristofer and Noah.

Hanging out with Kristofer

Cutie!

We had a little extra bit of time on Friday, so we drove down to an abortion mill in Chicago, and did some sidewalk counciling. It was a late term killing center...we saw mothers great with child going in there to kill their little ones. . . . . Soon after we arrived, one young woman came out crying. My brother asked if she had changed her mind, and she affirmed that she had. Praise God! There were no other sidewalk councilors out there when we arrived, no one obeying Proverbs 24:11-12, just some catholics praying their repetitious prayers. Where are God's people? What are you doing?
This is a gospel outreach, not just a humanitarian effort. God commands, who will obey?

Pleading for souls, and lives.

Michael and I came back on Saturday, my Grandma stayed down there for a few more days. One of my Aunts is bringing her back up here today. The surgeon thinks that it will be safe to wait a few weeks to have the surgery...I hope he is right since there is danger of her having a major stroke that would leave her paralyzed. Please pray that that won't happen!

God really impressed upon me how much He protects us. Driving around the Chicago suburbs for four days, made me realize that ANYthing can happen, it is only God who keeps and protects us. We do the best we can, drive the best we can, but ultimately God keeps us safe. If anything does happen, it is because He has allowed it, and it is for our best.

Keep seeking God with all your heart, and praise our Lord Jesus Christ always!

God is Worthy to be Praised!

We were at the abortion mill today. The gospel was clearly given to the eleven mothers who went in to destroy the lives of their little ones. We read the Word of God out loud, and sang praise to our Lord Jesus Christ because He is worthy. What a joy to lift up His name!

I was able to preach for some time to a group of eight woman who gathered in the "gated" area. There were two mothers in the group who seemed to be sobered as I shared with them on sin, righteousness, and judgment. One loud woman came over to tell me that she had an abortion once because "the baby was not right", and when I expressed sympathy and regret that she had done that, she said that she was not sorry. She also said that she had "Jesus in her soul". At which I began to share that God does not forgive those who will not repent. She called me a "Bible preacher" and wished I would stop. Glory! What a name to be called!

As we prepared to leave, a couple came out. We asked them if they had changed their mind, The woman answered, "Yes". Praise God! We rejoice, and give glory to God! They would not stop to talk, but drove away, and she waved. Please pray for them, that God will convict them of sin and save their souls.

Our God is great, and worthy of all praise and glory!

You are worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honor and power: for you have created all things, and for your pleasure they are and were created.
(Revelation 4:11)

What has been going on over here?

My dear Mother has been sick for three weeks now...earlier this week her symptoms changed for the worse, so she wet to the doctor yesterday. They ran more tests, and finally decided that even though the result came back negative, she does have Lyme disease. This is transmitted by the bite of a deer tick, which we have up here. These ticks are the size of a pin head, very hard to spot, and are carriers of several diseases. Now my Mom is on antibiotics for three weeks, prayerfully this is "in time". If left untreated for long, this disease begins to effect the neurological system. As it is my Mom has been in a lot of pain, but she can tell a slight difference now after taking two doses of the meds. Please do pray for her recovery, and thank you so much to those who have been praying. Praise God that they were able to find out what was wrong!

I have been *very* busy taking care of things here. Harvesting and preserving, caring for (with my brother's help) almost 150 chickens, caring for the family, etc. My Grandma has been a huge blessing to me as she washes all of the dishes, not a small task, as I cook meals from scratch and use lots of pots and pans in the food preservation process.

So now you know where I have been and will be...

Keep close to Jesus!

I will be glad and rejoice in thee: I will sing praise to thy
name, O thou most High. (Psalm 9:2)

Praising in Sickness

Wow, what a time!

Michael and I came back from the Missionaries to the Preborn tour on Sunday, I will have to fill you in on the details for that later. My Mom has been very sick for a week, high fever, achenes, queasy, etc. On Monday we had to take her to the hospital because we were afraid that it was more than just a flu. They ran a bunch of tests, including a cat-scan, and everything was negative. Last night we received the results for the Lyme disease test and that was negative as well. Praise God! So it must just be a terrible case of the flu, and we are all hoping that we will not get it.

On Tuesday Michael and I had to butcher chickens, a couple of friends came to help (Thank you soooo much!!!) we did not get them all done, so we plan to do the rest tomorrow and there are some other friends who plan to help. Yesterday and today we packaged the chickens, and for the rest of the day today we snapped, blanched and froze, a whole bunch of beans which I had picked on Monday. And, I could go on with all the things which should have been done...yesterday. But our God is so wonderful! He gives a song in the night season, a joy when hard times come, a peace when we should be overwhelmed. Oh how sweet is His presence! If it were not for hard times, we would not know what it was like to be carried through them by the One who Knows.

Please pray for us, for healing for my Mother (she is slowly on the mend), for strength in this time of need, and also please pray for our dear friend's baby Jesaias who is very sick right now as well.

Missionaries to the Preborn Tour, 2009

On Monday the 10th, Michael and I are set to head off again on another mission trip! We had no reason to think that we would go on this one, but God made it very clear that it was His will for us to go. We are excited to see what He will do.

We are going with a group called Missionaries to the Preborn, and will be traveling through Southern Michigan stopping at various towns to hold signs about abortion, street preach, and share the gospel, from the 11th through the 15th. Saturday looks like the biggest day, as we plan to be in Detroit for the "Woodward Dream Cruise", which is a car show event that claims to attract 1.5 million people. That will be interesting!

We hope to meet up with several different people we know on the way, we are looking forward to that.

Please pray for us.

Pray for:
*Souls to be saved
*God to fulfill His will in sending us
*Safety
*Good weather
*Favor with the police
*Most of all, that God in all things will be glorified.

Here are some details:

Missionaries to the Preborn ITINERARY

YOUR HELP IS NEEDED FOR
WOODWARD DREAM CRUISE

Detroit, Michigan
August 11-15, 2009

For eight years now, we have been asked to come and speak up for the preborn at the WOODWARD DREAM CRUISE, an event held in Detroit, Michigan which draws a half-million people from around the country. If you can participate, please contact our office ASAP at 414-462-3399 or by emailing us at defendbabies@missionariestopreborn.com or, send a donation towards this effort!

August 11= Kalamazoo, MI 4:00 - 5:30 p.m.

August 12 = Battle Creek 7:30-9:00 a.m.
Lansing 11:30 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.
Jackson 4:00 - 5:30 p.m.

August 13 = Ann Arbor in the morning
Various stops in Detroit area the remainder of the day

August 14 = Various stops in Detroit area all day

August 15 = at the Dream Cruise

For times and locations to join us along the way,
or to participate in the whole Tour, contact our office at 414-462-3399.

http://www.missionariestopreborn.com/upcoming_events.html

A Heavenly Vision

I am excited. God has given me a vision for this life. Even as a child I had a vision of wanting to serve the Lord, but He keeps expanding it. It certainly cannot be communicated through words, He has to give it, but at least I may provoke some to ask for it.

This life on earth is but for a moment, it is passing away very quickly. In heaven we have an eternal home in the presence of God..... By the way, are you ready to be in the presence of God for eternity? If you are uncomfortable in His presence now, what about then? We had better learn to love His presence now, we will be with Him forever and ever!..... There is no sun in Heaven, because the Lamb is the light of that city. It is a glorious place, just read Revelation and see how wonderful it is. Then look back at this earth and all our material possessions which are all going to be burned up. Weigh these things in the balances. Can the earthly even come close to comparing with the value of the eternal? Do you even have to consider which is greater in value?

Jesus said; "...The kingdom of heaven is like unto treasure hid in a field; which when a man has found, he hides, and for joy thereof goes and sells all that he has, and buys that field." (Matthew 13:44)

He does not even have to stop and think, is it worth it? That would be a ridiculous question. Yet day after day we cling to this earth. Heaven is security for the future, but for now this life is what life is about. We cling to material possessions, to jobs, to earthly comfort, security and pleasure. We cling to our families, and our own bodies which are passing away.

Remember the "muck raker" in Pilgrims Progress? Though an angel held a crown of gold above his head for him to receive celestial glories, he would not look up from the muck of this life. Though a pool had been set where he could look in to see the glories above him, he avoided the pool because it also would show him what he was.

Are we also so caught up in the affairs of this life that we do not see beyond to the heavenly vision?

This life is NOT the end in it's self, it is the means to an end. Whatever I do only has lasting value and meaning if it enables me to further the Kingdom of God. This is a Kingdom vision. Jesus said, "Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature." He was not talking just to missionaries, to those who feel a "calling" to go, He was, He is, talking to all of us who are His people.

We are not called to work so that we can eat, so that we can live, to work, to eat, to live, to work...no, that is an endless loop with no eternal value. We have a higher calling, of lasting value.

Jesus said: "Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what you shall eat, or what you shall drink; nor yet for your body, what you shall put on. Is not life more than food, and the body than clothing?" (Matthew 6:25)

Yes, it is. This life is not about us, it is not about me, it is about God and His glory.

Jesus said: "Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, How shall we be clothed? (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knows that you have need of all these things. But seek you first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you." (Matthew 6:31-33)

The ungodly see only this world and live for it, but we are called to see the kingdom of God and live for Him. We need to catch hold of His vision, ask God for it. We need God's prospective on everything that we do. We must look at this life through the eyes of faith, seeing beyond the physical, confessing that we are strangers and pilgrims here on earth. We seek a better country.

We need to ask ourselves, By doing this, am I furthering the Kingdom of God, or is this thing an end in it's self? If it is not enabling us to further the Kingdom of God, it is not worth doing.

I hope to someday marry a man who has this kingdom vision. A man who's work is only a means to enable him and his family to preach the gospel of the kingdom (Matthew 4:23, 9:35, 24:14, Mark 1:14). A man who has a vision of his wife and children working hand in hand with him to further the kingdom of God. A man like this: "For I know him, that he will command his children and his household after him, and they shall keep the way of the LORD, to do justice and judgment; that the LORD may bring upon Abraham that which he hath spoken of him." (Genesis 18:19) A man who's children desire to follow in his footsteps because he is following Jesus. A man with a heavenly vision is the man I want to follow, a man who looks to Jesus.

If everything is about God and His glory, no wonder we are told, "Whatsoever your hand finds to do, do it with your might." (Ecclesiastes 9:10)

"And whatsoever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men." (Colossians 3:23)

Oh, I am so excited!

OSA 2009, July 21 and 22, Tuesday and Wednesday

If you have not already read the introduction to this mission trip report please read it, Here.
Read Day 1
Read Day 2
Read Day 3
Read Day 4
Read Day 5
Read Day 6

On Tuesday morning, my brother Michael went with a team to a hospital which claims to be pro-life, but has an abortionists on staff. I went with the Yoders', and a large team to an abortion clinic called "BCC". This murder mill is at the end of an alley, and to get there you have to drive past a church (which was very supportive of us) and a crisis pregnancy center. "Our people" had set up, in the parking lot of a business building, some of the signs which we had used on Fremont street, and a sound system from which to preach. The clinic was open and mothers were going in escorted from their cars by clinic workers. There were a several ladies sidewalk counseling, and I joined these to offer literature to the mothers as they drove down the ally. It was very saddening to see those mothers going into that place of death despite the cries for mercy that they heard. I am sure that there were many more mothers who decided not to go in because we were there, and when that happens they are more likely never to come back. We pray so.

As I waited for cars to come, an older man road up on his bike and stopped when I offered him literature. He kept glancing at the large signs of babies killed by abortion, so I asked if he had seen those pictures before. He said no, but he did know that abortion was very bad. I then asked him, "Do you know Jesus?" He said, "No, but I know I need to." So I began to reason with him about the Law, Righteousness and Judgment, explaining sin, and our need for a Savior. He agreed about his need and seemed truly broken and tender hearted. He said, "I wish you had talked to me two days ago. But, I guess it's not too late for God." I told him, no it was not too late, but he needed to repent and cry out for mercy now and not wait. I asked if I could pray for him, he agreed and told me his name is Dennis. When I prayed, God broke my heart and I began to cry out to God to for Dennis. He began to cry and say "thank you God, thank you God." He did not own a Bible, so I ran to get one from one of the ladies there who had several to give away. As I walked back to him, I saw that it was in Spanish, oops. But instead of going back to see if she had an English one, I handed it to Dennis and asked if he knew Spanish, he said "yes". Then I realized he was of Mexican decent, I had not even noticed! After thanking me, he turned back the way he had just come and began to ride away, he said "I will not forget you."

Please pray for Dennis. I pray that the seed fell on good ground that day and will bring forth much fruit.

After this we met back up with Michael and his group, then headed off to Planned Parenthood. Our leaders thought that we would not be able to stay very long, because this PP is in a mall complex and we set up with our signs on their property.


PP shared a balcony with a coffee shop called "reJAVAnate", and many of our people went in to buy lattés. (Michael and I had one of their slushies and it was really good :) The manager was very friendly, saying that he did not like having PP as a neighbor, and set up extra tables and chairs for us. One PP worker came out with a vest that said "Escort".
Soon the police arrived. We expected to be told we were trespassing and needed to leave, instead they just stood around and watched us.

We stayed for a whole hour! I remember looking at some friends as we exclaimed to each other, "Can you believe what we are doing?" It was absolutely incredible.

Some mimes who had been doing their acts at other place with us, began to do their skits right there. It was amazing. I still can not get over the fact that we were allowed to stay!

After lunch, and a cool down, the Yoder "kids", Zastrow "kids", Michael and I gathered in the park by our hotel for a good old fashioned game of "Prisoners base". We had a blast even though it was around 115 degrees!

The Zastrow family

The evening rally was a time of rejoicing, and sadness as we said goodbye.

As I looked around that night at all those people whom I had come to love, my eyes filled with tears. Yet we all rejoiced at the thought that there is coming a day in Heaven when we will not have to say goodbye any more!
Michael and I met a dear brother from Jamaica who encouraged us in the Lord and invited us to visit him in his country. Wouldn't that be neat? What a blessing to fellowship with the brethren, I do so love the family of God.

Michael, brother Levi, me

At 3:00 am, Michael and I both got up to say goodbye to the Yoders' as they left for Missouri, it is hard to say goodbye. We were taken to the airport around 9:00am with Mr. Tuttle and made an uneventful flight back to Minneapolis MN airport where our Mom picked us up.

Mr. Tuttle waiting at our gate; notice the slot machines behind him.

From the Las Vegas airport, I love those mountains.

Here are some pictures from the plane...

Las Vegas from the air.

Leaving Las Vegas.

A storm over Minneapolis, our flight was delayed for five minutes because of it.

It was good to come home, and we do not miss Las Vegas! :-)

We praise God for a wonderful trip, safety, and pray that He was glorified in it.

Check out Michael's blog for his take on the trip.
Check out our Picasa Web Album for many more pictures, too many to post.
Also check out Ken and Jo Scott's Web Album for more pictures.

And Jesus came and spoke unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go you therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen.
(Matthew 28:18-20)