“For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery”. Gal atians 5:1
“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light”. Matthew 11
In the past whenever I thought about the yoke of the Lord I considered it to be a burden. I always thought a yoke was a burden. However, on Sunday, visiting Calvary Chapel Alamos, Pastor Javier shed new light on the subject. He said that the yoke the Lord has put upon is not to weigh us down, but to unite us to Himself. The yoke is a union not a burden. Think about that…. The weight, the burden is purposed not to tire us but to unite us to Him. It is through the yoke that we become one with him. This revelation simply overwhelmed me…. The consequences of this revelation are mindblowing…. What a relief I felt. What a sense of rest. The gratitude that I felt toward the Lord made me want to cry. Through our trial, in our time of need, we are one with Him. United, doing the job together! This is the purpose of trial and tribulation to push us into that yoke with Him so that we will not be alone.
God is good my friends….. God is good.
Last time I wrote I believe the group from Minnesota was here. They left shortly after. We are so thankful for their help and willingness to serve. I’m thankful because my vocabulary was stretched and grown while on the job site with them. I will probably never be a master builder or a contractor but I did learn quite a lot. The bathroom that the group started is not finished yet but is well on it’s way. We need another group to come and finish it!!!!
Soon after the group left I relocated to Alamos for a short time. A dear friend had surgery so I have been playing nurse and helper for the past week and a half. It has been a blessing and honor to serve her. I am still here in Alamos staying with her. Tomorrow or Friday I look forward to returning to the Ranch. I have missed my daily activities and obviously all of the congregation. It will be great to be back to my Sunday school classes as well after missing two Sundays with them.
I ask ya’ll to continue to pray as the meeting with DIF(social services) about opening the children’s home again draws near. April 4th is when they will be coming to speak with Dan and Ana. Please pray that the Lord would give all wisdom and understand to Dan and Ana regarding this situation. We are all very excited to see what comes of it.
I am also very excited to announce that one week from today my mother, yes MY MOTHER, my younger brother, my little sister, and dear friend, Cher, will be arriving!!!!!!!!! I am so blessed and excited!!! Please pray that the Lord would be with them as they travel.
My love to all. And a special shout out to my dear, dear, friend, Cati Grape who turns 21 today!!!!! Happy Birthday Cate J
God Bless!
Wednesday, March 23, 2011
Sunday, March 6, 2011
pics
HI Everyone :)
After the Minnesota group leaves on Thursday I will send out a more in depth blog. But for now I wanted to share some pics with ya'll :)
1. Rogelio, Carla, and Noemi!!
After the Minnesota group leaves on Thursday I will send out a more in depth blog. But for now I wanted to share some pics with ya'll :)
1. Rogelio, Carla, and Noemi!!
2. work, work, work.... We've been busy building a bathroom in Navojoa.
3. Three little girls that have my heart; Lupita, Dislania, and Maria Elena.
3. Three little girls that have my heart; Lupita, Dislania, and Maria Elena.
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
Dwelling
"How lovely is your dwelling place, O Lord of hosts! My soul longs, yes, faints for the courts of the Lord; my heart and flesh sing for joy to the living God. Even the sparrow finds a home, and the swallow a nest for herself, where she may lay her young, at your altars, O Lord of hosts, my King and my God. Bessed are those who dwell in your house, ever singing your praise!. Blessed are those whose strength is in you, in whose heart are the highways to Zion............For a day in your courts is better than a thousand elsewhere. I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of wickedness. For the Lord God is a sun and shield; the Lord bestows favor and honor. No good thing does he withhold from those who walk uprightly. O Lord of hosts, blessed is the one who trusts in you!" Psalm 84
To dwell- To live or stay as a permanent resident.
To live or to stay.... To stay. Stay is an action verb. It requires effort to stay. In this case staying requires not only physical action but mental as well. Being a Christian is not about the decision we make one day to follow Christ. It's about the decisions you make daily to walk with Him. Dwelling in His courts is part of walking with Him. We can decide one day that we want to dwell with and in Christ, but it doesn't end there. Dwelling with Him, in Him, is a choice that we must make each and every day. Are we willing to sacrifice what must be sacrificed to dwell in Him? We know that He is light and in Him there is no darkness. So, we must shed our darkness to dwell in Him. We must deny our flesh and take on His desires and His heart. To dwell in Christ is to have constant peace and joy. Peace and joy that are not affected by our circumstances or surroundings. On the contrary if we are dwelling in Christ we should have an effect, we should an impression, on the world around us. To have His peace and joy we must decide daily to dwell in Him. We must wake up every morning and put ourselves mentally, spiritually, and physically in His courts. Then throughout the day we must continue resolutely, we must stick to His side. We must not abandon that peace and joy for our own 'strength'. We have to give way to His desire, His ideas, His plans for us in that day. Dwelling in His courts not only makes perfect peace and joy available to us but it also gives us a clarity that we will find nowhere else. When dwelling in His courts becomes our focus and purpose everything else pales in comparison. His joy and His peace bring us spiritual clarity and a heavenly mindset. When our hearts and minds are set on heaven worldly problems become almost insignificent. Why? Because we know and understand that these do not affect eternity.
So make the choice with me today. Choose to dwell, choose to stay, in the courts of your King. Do not allow the world, it's people, it's problems to steal the joy and peace found in His courts. Be heavenly minded. Let your little light shine :)
To dwell- To live or stay as a permanent resident.
To live or to stay.... To stay. Stay is an action verb. It requires effort to stay. In this case staying requires not only physical action but mental as well. Being a Christian is not about the decision we make one day to follow Christ. It's about the decisions you make daily to walk with Him. Dwelling in His courts is part of walking with Him. We can decide one day that we want to dwell with and in Christ, but it doesn't end there. Dwelling with Him, in Him, is a choice that we must make each and every day. Are we willing to sacrifice what must be sacrificed to dwell in Him? We know that He is light and in Him there is no darkness. So, we must shed our darkness to dwell in Him. We must deny our flesh and take on His desires and His heart. To dwell in Christ is to have constant peace and joy. Peace and joy that are not affected by our circumstances or surroundings. On the contrary if we are dwelling in Christ we should have an effect, we should an impression, on the world around us. To have His peace and joy we must decide daily to dwell in Him. We must wake up every morning and put ourselves mentally, spiritually, and physically in His courts. Then throughout the day we must continue resolutely, we must stick to His side. We must not abandon that peace and joy for our own 'strength'. We have to give way to His desire, His ideas, His plans for us in that day. Dwelling in His courts not only makes perfect peace and joy available to us but it also gives us a clarity that we will find nowhere else. When dwelling in His courts becomes our focus and purpose everything else pales in comparison. His joy and His peace bring us spiritual clarity and a heavenly mindset. When our hearts and minds are set on heaven worldly problems become almost insignificent. Why? Because we know and understand that these do not affect eternity.
So make the choice with me today. Choose to dwell, choose to stay, in the courts of your King. Do not allow the world, it's people, it's problems to steal the joy and peace found in His courts. Be heavenly minded. Let your little light shine :)
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
something smells fishy
“He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also, he has put eternity into man’s heart, yet so that he cannot find out what God has done from the beginning to the end”. Eccl 3:11
The depth of this verse is just now hitting me for the first time. Let’s break it down.
1. He has made everything beautiful. Everything means everything right ?!?!?! That means no exceptions, no circumstances or conditions change that fact. I am included in ‘everything’, so are YOU. I am beautiful, you are beautiful. But, in HIS time. In other words no matter our rebellion, our pig-headedness, our stupidity, or our pride, He will make us beautiful. This beauty has nothing, I repeat, NOTHING to do with either you or me. Beauty, from God, is perfect. I am not capable of perfection. My heart holds no beauty……..”For out of the heart comes evil thoughts, murder, adultery………..”. So how are we going to be made beautiful if our heart is inherently wicked? “Humble yourselves, therefore under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you”. I have this verse written on my wall, and for a very good reason. Most people know the next part, “casting all your anxieties on him, because He cares for you”. But the beginning of the verse is key, “humble yourself”. Humble yourself and then “at the proper time” (sound familiar?) He will exalt you. If we humble ourselves, in His time, at His proper time, He will make us beautiful. In our humility He will exalt us.
2. “Also, he has put eternity into man’s heart, yet so that he cannot find out what God has done from the beginning to the end”. In other words God instilled a desire in us for ‘more’. He created us to always be looking beyond the horizon. Always searching for something better. He’s put a taste of eternity in our spirits. A desire to be sanctified, holy, and perfect. But we cannot do anything about it. Makes you want to say, “ Nice guy, huh?” But there’s a reason. You see, “Faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen”. If we understood eternity, if we knew the beginning from the end, why would need Him? If we knew our ‘ending’ why would we ask Him for strength in the things to come? But thanks to our Father we have the hope of eternity. The hope of freedom from this wicked world. And He has given us love and peace while we remain on this earth!
His offer is to make us beautiful, for eternity. Our obstacles are the world, and all the cares and worries that come along with it. We don’t need magic words or a new doctrine to obtain the prize. Just a willing and humble heart.
So, what’s going on down here at Rancho Maranatha?!?! Lots, as always.
Dan and Ana left yesterday for Quintana Roo, a state in southern Mexico. A dear Christian couple took them to have a little vacation. I’m so glad that there are getting a chance to relax. Pastor Dan will be sharing in a church in Merida, Yucatan while they are there. Roshon will be leaving next week as well. She has to go to CA to meet with the leaders of Aaliyah’s school. So it’s up to Jerry, Jo, and I to keep things up and running!!!! Pray for us!
Dan left me fish sitting. I pray that both the fish and the plants will flourish under my care. I’ve considering taking my guitar down and serenading them.
This morning we had biblestudy in Osobampo. The ladies there continue to bless me so much. They all sacrifice so much to be able to make it to the study. Carla has been teaching on biblical childrearing. I’m trying to store as much info as possible for later use!
Below is something that I wrote about my beloved fish the other day. I hope you all enjoy it.
Right now I am sitting down in the greenhouse. I'm fish sitting, yep fish sitting. You would think it would be a piece of cake right? Give them their pinch of flakes every day. Make sure to keep their bowl clean. IF you want to get really eccentric you could always play them some music right?!?!?!
NOT SO. I would rather babysit anyday! Without a doubt I confess that it is easier to keep kids alive than it is to keep fish! Kids are simply so much less complex. Identifying signs of stress or disease in children is much easier. If your home remedy book doesn't have the answer you can always resort to google. If your self diagnosis through google seems a bit sketchy you can always open the phone book. There are lists and lists of family doctors and pediatricians. Kids are simple. If they are hurt, the cry. If something is bothering them they whine. If you're 7 yr. old charge is hungry you will know! You don't even have to listen for the rumbling of his tummy or wait for signs of lack of nutrition.
Why?!?! One word: COMMUNICATION. Kids can talk! They can tell you what they need. Plus since we were once children we can many times foresee their needs and desires. We know that they'll want pizza for dinner, not brussell sprouts. We know how much sleep they need. We know how much exposure to extreme heat or cold they can take. We know how to properly prepare them from these perils. They're human, we're human, it works.
I have discovered something. FISH ARE NOT HUMAN. Time and time again I take my human knowledge and try to apply it to this wet and slimy species. It simply doesn't work. You don't know when a fish is hungry? You can't ask him if there's enough oxygen in his water. Neither can you tell whether the nitrate, nitrate, ammonia, or ph levels are too his liking. Usually you don't find out he was a bit uncomfortable until he's floating, belly up, in the pond. Once he is in this position there really isn't much you can do. Mouth to mouth isn't an option. Zapping won't work on him either, lol....... Putting those paddles in the water can be tricky business.
When you meet a fish the first question you ask isn't, "What's your name?", but, "Are you male or female?".
You see with fish the answer isn't quite so simple. The males don't tend to wear their hair shorter. The females do not have longer eyelashes. Then again, in our world today sometimes you have to stop and ask people as well.
If I ever go to school I've decided to study Marine Biology, there just aren't enough of them in the world.
Even though fish are undoubtedly high maintenance I can't say that they're guilty of any wrong. I have most pleasently spend many of my saturdays in their company. They really are quite agreeable, not very argumentatitve. They also enjoy the same climate that I do. 80-85 degrees F is their heaven :)
As far as their taste in music, they seem to be quite openminded. They like christian contemporary, worship, a bit of rap, some heavy metal occasionally. They've also grown to love Antoine Dufour, relaxes them I believe.
As far as their preference to either English or Spanish, I am not sure... Still working on that. I think they might enjoy a facebook profile... What do you think? Perhaps a fan page.
So yes, I've grown quite fond of these quaint creatures of habit. However I must admit that I enjoy them most when you throw tortillas, salsa, and guacamole into the mix. It's like having a fiesta :) :):)
By now you're probably thinking that I've completely lost my marbles huh?!?!?!?!
I'm actually quite sane, though perhaps a bit fishy......
I hope you found that amusing.
Well as my dear friend, Cher, would say, "See ya,here, there, or in the air!" :)
The depth of this verse is just now hitting me for the first time. Let’s break it down.
1. He has made everything beautiful. Everything means everything right ?!?!?! That means no exceptions, no circumstances or conditions change that fact. I am included in ‘everything’, so are YOU. I am beautiful, you are beautiful. But, in HIS time. In other words no matter our rebellion, our pig-headedness, our stupidity, or our pride, He will make us beautiful. This beauty has nothing, I repeat, NOTHING to do with either you or me. Beauty, from God, is perfect. I am not capable of perfection. My heart holds no beauty……..”For out of the heart comes evil thoughts, murder, adultery………..”. So how are we going to be made beautiful if our heart is inherently wicked? “Humble yourselves, therefore under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you”. I have this verse written on my wall, and for a very good reason. Most people know the next part, “casting all your anxieties on him, because He cares for you”. But the beginning of the verse is key, “humble yourself”. Humble yourself and then “at the proper time” (sound familiar?) He will exalt you. If we humble ourselves, in His time, at His proper time, He will make us beautiful. In our humility He will exalt us.
2. “Also, he has put eternity into man’s heart, yet so that he cannot find out what God has done from the beginning to the end”. In other words God instilled a desire in us for ‘more’. He created us to always be looking beyond the horizon. Always searching for something better. He’s put a taste of eternity in our spirits. A desire to be sanctified, holy, and perfect. But we cannot do anything about it. Makes you want to say, “ Nice guy, huh?” But there’s a reason. You see, “Faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen”. If we understood eternity, if we knew the beginning from the end, why would need Him? If we knew our ‘ending’ why would we ask Him for strength in the things to come? But thanks to our Father we have the hope of eternity. The hope of freedom from this wicked world. And He has given us love and peace while we remain on this earth!
His offer is to make us beautiful, for eternity. Our obstacles are the world, and all the cares and worries that come along with it. We don’t need magic words or a new doctrine to obtain the prize. Just a willing and humble heart.
So, what’s going on down here at Rancho Maranatha?!?! Lots, as always.
Dan and Ana left yesterday for Quintana Roo, a state in southern Mexico. A dear Christian couple took them to have a little vacation. I’m so glad that there are getting a chance to relax. Pastor Dan will be sharing in a church in Merida, Yucatan while they are there. Roshon will be leaving next week as well. She has to go to CA to meet with the leaders of Aaliyah’s school. So it’s up to Jerry, Jo, and I to keep things up and running!!!! Pray for us!
Dan left me fish sitting. I pray that both the fish and the plants will flourish under my care. I’ve considering taking my guitar down and serenading them.
This morning we had biblestudy in Osobampo. The ladies there continue to bless me so much. They all sacrifice so much to be able to make it to the study. Carla has been teaching on biblical childrearing. I’m trying to store as much info as possible for later use!
Below is something that I wrote about my beloved fish the other day. I hope you all enjoy it.
Right now I am sitting down in the greenhouse. I'm fish sitting, yep fish sitting. You would think it would be a piece of cake right? Give them their pinch of flakes every day. Make sure to keep their bowl clean. IF you want to get really eccentric you could always play them some music right?!?!?!
NOT SO. I would rather babysit anyday! Without a doubt I confess that it is easier to keep kids alive than it is to keep fish! Kids are simply so much less complex. Identifying signs of stress or disease in children is much easier. If your home remedy book doesn't have the answer you can always resort to google. If your self diagnosis through google seems a bit sketchy you can always open the phone book. There are lists and lists of family doctors and pediatricians. Kids are simple. If they are hurt, the cry. If something is bothering them they whine. If you're 7 yr. old charge is hungry you will know! You don't even have to listen for the rumbling of his tummy or wait for signs of lack of nutrition.
Why?!?! One word: COMMUNICATION. Kids can talk! They can tell you what they need. Plus since we were once children we can many times foresee their needs and desires. We know that they'll want pizza for dinner, not brussell sprouts. We know how much sleep they need. We know how much exposure to extreme heat or cold they can take. We know how to properly prepare them from these perils. They're human, we're human, it works.
I have discovered something. FISH ARE NOT HUMAN. Time and time again I take my human knowledge and try to apply it to this wet and slimy species. It simply doesn't work. You don't know when a fish is hungry? You can't ask him if there's enough oxygen in his water. Neither can you tell whether the nitrate, nitrate, ammonia, or ph levels are too his liking. Usually you don't find out he was a bit uncomfortable until he's floating, belly up, in the pond. Once he is in this position there really isn't much you can do. Mouth to mouth isn't an option. Zapping won't work on him either, lol....... Putting those paddles in the water can be tricky business.
When you meet a fish the first question you ask isn't, "What's your name?", but, "Are you male or female?".
You see with fish the answer isn't quite so simple. The males don't tend to wear their hair shorter. The females do not have longer eyelashes. Then again, in our world today sometimes you have to stop and ask people as well.
If I ever go to school I've decided to study Marine Biology, there just aren't enough of them in the world.
Even though fish are undoubtedly high maintenance I can't say that they're guilty of any wrong. I have most pleasently spend many of my saturdays in their company. They really are quite agreeable, not very argumentatitve. They also enjoy the same climate that I do. 80-85 degrees F is their heaven :)
As far as their taste in music, they seem to be quite openminded. They like christian contemporary, worship, a bit of rap, some heavy metal occasionally. They've also grown to love Antoine Dufour, relaxes them I believe.
As far as their preference to either English or Spanish, I am not sure... Still working on that. I think they might enjoy a facebook profile... What do you think? Perhaps a fan page.
So yes, I've grown quite fond of these quaint creatures of habit. However I must admit that I enjoy them most when you throw tortillas, salsa, and guacamole into the mix. It's like having a fiesta :) :):)
By now you're probably thinking that I've completely lost my marbles huh?!?!?!?!
I'm actually quite sane, though perhaps a bit fishy......
I hope you found that amusing.
Well as my dear friend, Cher, would say, "See ya,here, there, or in the air!" :)
Monday, January 31, 2011
January 31st!!!!!!!
Hi :)
"I will rejoice and be glad in your steadfast love, because you have seen my affliction; you have known the distress of my soul, and you have not delievered me ito the hand of the enemy; you have set my feet in a broad place".
That is a promise. WE know that our Lord will always, always keep His word.
"I believe that I shall look upon the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living! Wait for the Lord; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the Lord!"I know that times are hard. I know that everyone is struggling. There is so much wickedness and evil in this world. However if we look we will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Looking at the faces of the children in my Sunday School classes on Sunday was more than enough to convince me. Our Lord is good. His love towards us is good, His mercy upon us is GOOD.
"Blessed be the Lord, for he has wondorously shown his steadfast love to me, when I was in a beseiged city". When I read this the other day I think I laughed out loud. We arethe beseiged city. We are all holed up, trying to stay alive. The world, or our flesh, is trying to break down the doors, or put holes in our walls. They have flaming darts, ladders , even dinamite. But our Lord has joined us inside the city, through the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit bars our gates, fixes our broken down walls, and feeds us ammunition. For those of you who have seen Lord of the Rings, the Last battle came to mind. Our Lord is with us, fighting by our side. Helping us fight our very own flesh that is attacking our spirit. But you know what the diference is??? We already know the end of the story. Our God is victorious. He has already won the war. He has conquered the grave. He has shut sin up forever. So rest assured.
The topic with my students the last several weeks has been this, "If we trust in God, He will take care of us". We've discoverd the struggle of Shadrac, Meshac, and Obed-nego. We've tried to imagine the walls of water that the Israelites saw while passing through the Red Sea. And yesterday we accompanied Daniel into the Lions' Den.After learning about Daniel we made lions. On one side they had happy faces and on the other side angry faces. Lots of fun.
Next Sunday is communion Sunday so everyone will be gathering at the Rancho! Hopefully we won't have anymore car trouble. 
The topic with my students the last several weeks has been this, "If we trust in God, He will take care of us". We've discoverd the struggle of Shadrac, Meshac, and Obed-nego. We've tried to imagine the walls of water that the Israelites saw while passing through the Red Sea. And yesterday we accompanied Daniel into the Lions' Den.After learning about Daniel we made lions. On one side they had happy faces and on the other side angry faces. Lots of fun.
The last several sundays we have had several new children coming in the Mornings. One of the them in hiding behind this lion! It is such a blessing to have them. They live across the street from where we hold the Sunday morning service. For years their parents and grandparents have been very hateful towards us and their cristian neighbors. We are praying that the Lord is softening their hearts. I know that the children are really enjoying their time with us on Sundays.
This last Sunday we got stuck after the morning service. The bus wouldn't start! So after about 3 horus of trying to figure it out Jerry came to our rescue. He towed the bus to the mechanics then took us home. We were home in time to eat, change, and get ready for the evening study! Hopefully the bus will be fixed by tomorrow!
Next Sunday is communion Sunday so everyone will be gathering at the Rancho! Hopefully we won't have anymore car trouble.
Carla will be taking over her Tuesday ladies study again starting this week. She's been on maternity leave. I'll go back to being chauffeur.
The fish have been doing well. We've been harvesting bunches of lettuce and bellpeppers. The rest of the plants seem to be doing well. However we have been battling with aphids quite a bit.
Dan has decided to sell our Suburban. He says it's about to head downhill real fast. So pray that the Lord will provide another 7 or 9 seater that we can take through the riverbed roads and won't guzzle as much gas as the big 15 passenger vans.
Please continue to pray for the congregation. The church here is struggling with discouragement just as much as everywhere else. More than ever we need the fellowship of our brothers and sisters in Christ.
I love you all. Please know that the prayer warriors of Rancho Maranatha keep all of you in our daily prayers. Stay strong in our Lord!
Chelsea Rae
Monday, January 24, 2011
Stand Firm
"And Moses said to the people, 'Fear not, stand firm, and see the salvation of the Lord, which He will work for you today. For all the Egyptians whom you see today, you shall never see again. The Lord will fight for you, and you have only to be silent". Ex 14
Exodus chapter 14 is about the Israelites crossing the Red Sea on dry land. This past Sunday I taught this lesson to both my Sunday morning class and my Sunday evening class. We were continuing the theme of God's protection and care. I wanted the kids to understand that if they follow Jesus there is nothing to fear. So as I'm reading the chapter to them this verse just hits me.
1. Fear not- That's pretty hard. My first reaction is generally to fear.
2. Stand firm- What's our first reacion when we're scared? To run from whatever we're afraid of right?!?! So then if we're afraid we cannot stand firm. We have to be fearless to stand.
3. See the salvation. If w are not stand firm, or in one place, we will not be able to see the rescue. If we are running with our backs turned we will miss out on the miracles.
And then to top it all off the Lord is going to fight for us! We dont have to do it! We don't have to fret, perspire, moan and groan, or freak out over it! The Lord is willing and waiting to fight our battles for us.
So that lead to a pretty obvious question for myself. "What the heck am I worried about?!?!"
What are we worried about? If the creator of the universe has counted the hairs of our heads do you not think He's got everything under control?!?!?!
So yes the deepest and yet simplest revelations come to us at times when we're simplying things for a 7 year old.
Everything here is good. Life is busy. The studies are all doing well. Rochelle and her twins left us on Thursday. Dan and Ana drove them to Tucson. Then they drove back on Saturday. They were both exhausted.
The aquaponics project is doing very well :) :) We've been getting all of our lettuce and soem of our bell peppers from down there. Within the next week we will begin enlarging the green house. It's going out another 2 meters or so on each side.
Hopefully I will have pics to put up next time. God bless everyone! Thankyou for all of your prayers and your support :)
Exodus chapter 14 is about the Israelites crossing the Red Sea on dry land. This past Sunday I taught this lesson to both my Sunday morning class and my Sunday evening class. We were continuing the theme of God's protection and care. I wanted the kids to understand that if they follow Jesus there is nothing to fear. So as I'm reading the chapter to them this verse just hits me.
1. Fear not- That's pretty hard. My first reaction is generally to fear.
2. Stand firm- What's our first reacion when we're scared? To run from whatever we're afraid of right?!?! So then if we're afraid we cannot stand firm. We have to be fearless to stand.
3. See the salvation. If w are not stand firm, or in one place, we will not be able to see the rescue. If we are running with our backs turned we will miss out on the miracles.
And then to top it all off the Lord is going to fight for us! We dont have to do it! We don't have to fret, perspire, moan and groan, or freak out over it! The Lord is willing and waiting to fight our battles for us.
So that lead to a pretty obvious question for myself. "What the heck am I worried about?!?!"
What are we worried about? If the creator of the universe has counted the hairs of our heads do you not think He's got everything under control?!?!?!
So yes the deepest and yet simplest revelations come to us at times when we're simplying things for a 7 year old.
Everything here is good. Life is busy. The studies are all doing well. Rochelle and her twins left us on Thursday. Dan and Ana drove them to Tucson. Then they drove back on Saturday. They were both exhausted.
The aquaponics project is doing very well :) :) We've been getting all of our lettuce and soem of our bell peppers from down there. Within the next week we will begin enlarging the green house. It's going out another 2 meters or so on each side.
Hopefully I will have pics to put up next time. God bless everyone! Thankyou for all of your prayers and your support :)
Sunday, January 16, 2011
Sunday
Hello Everyone! It's Sunday again. Pastor Dan commented the other day that a week here consists of about 3 days. I would have to agree with him. Time is just flying by. I can hardly believe that I've been back a month already. I feel like everytime I turn around it's Sunday morning again. How exciting because that means that Jesus is coming back soon! And really soon if a week now consists of 3 days!So let's see, what did I do this last week??? I can hardly remember..... Well the group from Nebraska was here until Thursday. They were such a huge blessing. They waterproofed all of our roofs!!!!!!
All of the ladies biblestudies this week were a blessing :)
Wednesday we went to San Antonio and Huazahuari. I'm happy to say that Dona Antonia came again this week. She's the lady who always spoke badly of christians and then got saved several weeks ago while hitching a ride with Dan and Rogelio. The Lord definately has a sense of humor. There are actually several more people who have showed an interest in coming to the biblestudy in San Antonio. It would be a miracle if they started coming. Dan has been going there weekly for around 8 years without seeing hardly any fruit.
Thursday we went to the lake to get more tilapia. We brought back around 260 and have only lost 5 at this point. That is a serious success. We are planning on enlarging the green house and adding another pond over the next several weeks.
Friday we laid a patio in front of Roshon's house. All I can say is that mixing cement is alot of work. As soon as we were done there we hopped in the car to go to Las Minitas. Dan brought a speaker so the whole entire village heard the worship and message :)
Yesterday I spent the day with two young ladies that came to spend the weekend with us. Maria, 13, and Ignes, 13, from Navojoa. They are very sweet girls, both that come from dysfunctional families. My desire is to reach out to them and encourage them in the Lord. They helped me make some chocolate chip cookies, we cleaned, went for a long walk, and played lots of cards. The Lord totally ordained the devotional for Saturday morning. Josie chose to share about our self-image. How we need to not compare ourselves to others but place our value in Jesus. I was so happy that these young ladies got to hear it.
Below is Jesse and I. Then nextdoor my sunday morning sunday school room. The airflow and lighting is great ;)
Here's a verse for ya'll. The Lord brought it to me yesterday. I really need to hear it!
"For this very purpose I have raised you up, that I might show my power in you, and that My name mighty be proclaimed in all the earth". Romans 9:17
That is our purpose and our mission. To glorify God. He wants to show His power and love through our lives. SO DON'T WORRY. God's purpose is for Him to be glorified. If that's your purpose as well then everything is taken care of :)
Ok, God bless ya'll! You're in my thoughts and prayers always!
Chelsea Rae
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