Friday, October 11, 2013

Reviving a dead blog.spot / Lunch is on!

Hi Everyone,
It has been so long since I've written that it feels as though I have to actually resuscitate this blog.
Bringing the dead back to life is not very easy. 

Anyway, I am not promising continual breathing.  Only a gasp of air now and then.  lol

I was just feeling blessed enough to sit down to actually write something down this morning.
Life here in the Northern Zone can be rather hum-drum, daily grind kind of stuff.
My life right now consists of homeschooling, fighting along side other homeschooling parents with the government, who are not cooperating and are controlling, and continuing our missionary work here.

I have always loved to be a missionary.  It has always been important to me.  Slowly, I'm finding out the fruits of living a Godly life, by itself is being a missionary.

In the last while, God has taken one of my least favorite things to do, cooking, and changed my heart and made it into a ministry of love.  For example.  There is a lady in our community who loves the Lord and is a SDA but has lived all her life in the shadow of her controlling husband.  She only went to church when she could sneak away.  She would only show up to Bible studies when she could convince him that she was going to visit a friend.  Now, he is dying of cancer, and having lived under such tight circumstances for years on end, she is beside herself with having to face life alone and making decisions for herself.  She is so overwhelmed by it and the fact that she doesn't know how to live without him, that she spends a lot of time in tears.  Of course there is a lot of grief involved in this whole situation as well and she can't think beyond it.
I have been blessed lately with the opportunity to cook healthy food for her and her husband at least once a week and he has been overwhelmed with the kindness being shown.  We have also been praying earnestly for him to find Jesus before he dies. 

Along with that,  Every Thursday night we have Bible studies in our living room.  All are welcome and our little group is growing.  We started studying the Sanctuary and people are enjoying it.  But the thing that happens before every Bible study is we all sit down for supper together.  I always make a special meal and people contribute a little here and there.  We sit down and hold hands and pray together and then enjoy.  The people love the fellowship. 

Last night some of the folks came an hour early just so they could visit more.  It always amazes me that people love to come to our house.  My house is never quite in order, sometimes down right messy.  It is a humble, unattractive little house that is not well decorated or arranged, and we live far from town.  Still people love to come!  It makes me happy!

However, yesterday Art and I were talking.  How can we continue feeding all these people week after week, making big meals.  Our own pocket books have been very meager as of late.  We discussed that maybe, we need to talk to everyone and just tell them we can't keep doing supper together. 

Well, I think the Lord had other plans because last night, I made a nice supper while the guys chatted in the living room and the ladies took seats in the kitchen where I worked and chatted with me there about anything and everything.  Then we all gathered round the table and the compliments and the "Mmmm's" and the "How did you make this?" began.  I just had to smile.  I was still convinced that we just couldn't afford to keep doing this.  Then we had the Bible study and before people left, one friend called me aside and pulled out $100 dollar bill.  He said,  "We enjoy coming here for meals so much!  I am sure it must cost you quite a bit.  I want to contribute!"  Wow,  we had not said a word to anyone yet.  Then as people left I discovered more money on the table. 

I took this as a sign of God's providence in providing our needs to carry on the friendship evangelism.  I think Art realized the same thing because, he immediately had a purpose for the money.  It would go toward buying hymnals for our Sabbath home church.  What a blessing!  God says, never be weary in well doing. 

Now, I must stop writing because tomorrow is Sabbath and that means another meal with our friends.  It means for fellowship, praying together, eating together, studying the Bible together and pretty much loving every minute of Sabbath. 

People crave friendship and friendliness!  Our mission is to provide it!  As a result our Bible study group is growing and the time together is very bonding. 

That's the happenings as of Late!  ---  Come on over for Lunch!  :)

Every opportunity is a seed sewn.  God makes those seeds grow when he sees the conditions are just right!  Praise the Lord!  Can't wait to visit my friends in Calgary for some serious Bible study!!!