Missionary Monday

I want to thank all of you who have been participating in our Missionary Monday.  If you have a blog and have not joined us for Missionary Monday, would you please consider joining up this week?  It's a great way to meet other missionaries and learn more about them and their field.  And don't forget to leave comments as you go blog hopping.  We all love comments, don't we?

Every first Monday of the month we are sharing missionary interviews.  I'm excited about next Monday!  If you are a missionary women on the field, would you consider letting us interview you?  Just send me an email - baptistmissionarywomen@hotmail.com  The more interviews I have the more often I can share them!

Without further ado...

The Attitude of Gratitude

by Nancy Leigh DeMoss

October 12, 2009

After more than two decades of ministry to hurting people, I have come to believe that a failure to give thanks is at the heart of much, if not most, of the sense of gloom, despair, and despondency that is so pervasive even among believers today. Furthermore, many of the sins that are plaguing and devastating our society can be traced back to the oft-undetected root of unthankfulness.

The “attitude of gratitude” is something that desperately needs to be cultivated in our hearts, our homes, and our society. Its presence brings a host of other blessings, while its absence has profound, lethal repercussions. Consider with me some of the contrasts between a grateful and an ungrateful heart:

A grateful person is humble, while ingratitude reveals pride.

The grateful person feels a great sense of unworthiness: “I have so much more than I deserve.” But an ungrateful person says, “I deserve so much more than I have.”

I have always been impressed by the grateful spirit of Ruth the Moabitess. Widowed after less than a decade of marriage, an impoverished stranger in a foreign land, and “condemned” to live with her embittered mother-in-law, Ruth sought a way to support herself and Naomi. When she was discovered by Boaz, who extended to her the right to glean in his fields, she fell all over herself trying to express gratitude for his gracious gesture: “Then she fell on her face, and bowed herself to the ground, and said unto him, Why have I found grace in thine eyes, that thou shouldest take knowledge of me, seeing I am a stranger?” (Ruth 2:10, kjv).

Under similar circumstances, I might have been more likely to think, or even say to others, “It’s the least he could do!” But the humility of this young widow is seen in her response of gratitude to the least little kindness shown her by another.

A grateful person is a loving person who seeks to gratify and bless others, while an ungrateful person is bent on gratifying himself.

One of the most common end results of ingratitude is the sin of moral impurity. The man or woman who is not thankful for the way God has met his or her needs easily begins to falsely accuse and find fault with our good God. In rejecting the provision God has already made, the ungrateful person is only one small step away from seeking to get his needs met in illegitimate ways.

A grateful heart is a full heart, while an unthankful heart is an empty one.

No matter how little he may actually have compared with others, a grateful person enjoys a sense of fullness. But no matter how much a person may in fact have, if he is not a thankful person, he will live with a gnawing sense of emptiness. I picture an unthankful heart as being something like a container with a hole in it that causes all its blessings to leak out. The grateful person has unlimited capacity to truly enjoy God’s blessings, while the ungrateful person can’t enjoy the blessings he does have.

The apostle Paul provides us with a powerful illustration of this principle. The Book of Philippians is a thank-you note, written to express gratitude for what the believers in Philippi had done to minister to Paul’s material needs while he was traveling and planting churches.

Having expressed his heartfelt appreciation for their most recent gift, Paul, writing from a Roman prison and deprived of all but the barest of necessities, made a remarkable statement: “I have all, and abound: I am full” (Phil. 4:18)! Who but a grateful person could have assessed his incarcerated condition with those words?

A grateful person is easily contented, while an ungrateful person is subject to bitterness and discontent.

Years of counseling with people who are chronically unhappy, depressed, frustrated, and emotionally unstable have convinced me that these “disorders” often stem from an unthankful heart, regardless of any external circumstances that may appear to provide an explanation.

An ungrateful person holds tightly to his “rights” and sets himself up for hurt and disappointment when God or others fail to perform according to his expectations. But the individual who has yielded all his rights to God sees all of life through thankful eyes and has no room in his heart for selfish, destructive emotions.

A grateful heart will be revealed and expressed by thankful words, while an ungrateful heart will manifest itself in murmuring and complaining.

A grateful spirit is what enables people to view and respond to the most painful circumstances in life with thanksgiving. As one person observed, “Some people complain because God put thorns on roses, while others praise Him for putting roses among thorns.”

Thankful believers from the past have much to teach us in this matter. Matthew Henry, the well-known commentator of the 19th century, was once accosted by robbers. Reflecting on the experience, he wrote in his diary, “Let me be thankful, first, because I was never robbed before; second, because although they took my purse, they did not take my life; third, because, although they took my all, it was not much; and fourth, because it was I who was robbed, not I who robbed!”

We are called to be thankful people, to recognize and express appreciation for the benefits that we have received from God and others. We are all debtors, and we repay those debts with grateful hearts and words of thanksgiving. It is not enough to feel gratitude in our hearts. That gratitude must be communicated to those to whom we are indebted.

You and I cannot be truly free, though we have been released from bondage, if our hearts and tongues have ceased to give thanks. Perhaps right now would be a good time to take a trip to Calvary, to kneel before our incredible Savior, to look into His loving face, and to say, “Oh, Lord Jesus, thank You! Thank You! Thank You!”

© Revive Our Hearts. Used with permission. Adapted from The Attitude to Gratitude by Nancy Leigh DeMoss. Available for purchase at our store.
 www.ReviveOurHearts.com 

Copycat Coffe Creamers

Good morning, and welcome to Tasty Tuesday!
Have you ever seen a great recipe in a magazine or on a blog, gotten really excited about it, tried it out and been disappointed? I have. Ughhh. Sometimes I've even wondered, who in the world wrote this down? Did they actually eat this before sharing it with the world? Yikes!
For this very reason, I try not to post recipes here that are not tried and true. I only share recipes either I've tried out myself or those that come highly recommended.
But.......after saying all that, I'm giving you all some recipes I've never tried out today!
I think most of us missionary gals are the same, there are just some days when you want a taste of "home". Something that looks like, smells like, and tastes like something you remember. (Although, funny thing is, many times a homemade version tastes LOTS better! Trust me, I'm on furlough right now!) That's where lovely copycat recipes come in - a beloved memory made from real ingredients!
I noticed that one thing quite a few missionary ladies mentioned missing at Christmas time was flavored coffee creamers. Thus, our post today.
The reason I haven't tried these out is because I hate coffee. Simply put.
So....would you ladies be willing to give these a try? Maybe, just maybe they'll be yummy!
Just follow THIS LINK to Deliciously Organic and try out her recipes for Cinnamon Strudel Creamer, Chocolate Almond Creamer, Pumpkin Spice Creamer, French Vanilla Creamer, or Peppermint Mocha Creamer. After you've tried these out, maybe you could let us know in the comments which one is your favorite!

Missionary Monday

Did you know we have a private group on facebook for Missionary Women?  A place for you to come share your prayer requests, ask questions, get encouragement and be encouraged!  Look us up Baptist Missionary Women (BMW) and ask to join...only requirements - you must be a women and you must be a missionary!

Now come link up your Missionary Monday!

Devotional Friday - ...If You Faint Not

...If You Faint Not

submitted by Tori (missionary wife in Croatia) over at A Home Away from Home

I was always a kid who made due with whatever life threw my way. Growing up in poverty in a drug-dealer's home made circumstances sometimes unpredictable. While my Daddy made many mistakes he loved me and did his best to protect me. There were many days without electricity or water and getting ready for school was impossible a real feat. I learned to do much with very little. I learned to endure. To take whatever the day brought and deal with it, struggle through, and move on. While many people would pity my childhood, I don't.

I'm the sorta gal that realizes what has to be done and if I don't like it I make myself like it, if that makes any sense at all. Growing up I always wanted to have one child and I was going to spoil that child. When I married Johnny he informed me that he wanted 7 children, WHAT?. I was in shock but I soon decided that if this was what had to happen I was going to make it my desire also. Before long I dreamed of having a home full of little children calling me Mama Mother Dearest.

Not in my wildest dreams did I ever think I would one day be a preacher's wife much less a missionary to a foreign land. When I stop and think about where He brought me from and where He took me to I stand amazed. Here I am, a little dirty girl from the wrong side of the tracks, literally and my life amazes me.

I have no complaints about life at all. I don't feel as if I have missed out on something or that there is something I deserve which I don't have. I have no complaints! God has been so good, giving me more than I deserve while giving me less than I deserve. He amazes me.

In 2000 when we arrived in Croatia with our 3 little children in tow we had no idea what to expect. There were no American friends waiting on us, no one to explain life to us, it was just us and the dear Croatian people God sent us to. That first year was an experience of grace. I felt loneliness like I had never felt before. I watched the children cry for their grandparents and just as I had been trained so many years before I sucked it up, dealt with it and moved on. This was God's will for our life, and I knew that so I was going to make the best of it. I decided to make myself love this place.

Here I sit in my living room thinking to myself, I love this place. I love the house God has given us, I love the church I go to, I love the people I work with, I love the Croatian people as if they were my people, I love the little Gypsy children who run to me at the children's meetings and give me hugs, I love the weather here, I love the food and especially the deserts, I love being needed and loved, I love the joy I get living for someone else, I love my dog, I love having coffee with friends in the square, I love the will of God for me.

Hey it's a long road. I know if I had given up, I would have never reached this place in my life. If I hadn't purposed in my heart to love the will of God I would be unsatisfied, unfulfilled and who knows where we would be now. I had to consciously decided to love the will of God for my life. I remember fighting negative feelings and having to tell myself that I wouldn't allow it. I didn't allow my self to ask, "what if?" I refused to even entertain the idea that there was something else. I knew His will for me and I decided to accept it and make the best of it. Now...after all all these years His will is truly my delight. I wouldn't want to live anywhere else. I wouldn't want to leave these people or this place. I wouldn't want to be anyone else, my life is a picture of God's foreknowledge and a little stick-to-it-tive-ness, as my Preacher would say. If we had decided it was too hard, or entertained ideas about what it would be like somewhere else we would have never made it to this place. This place of contentment.

God is so good to have a will for each of us, the problem is that we faint long before we arrive at that perfect will. It's not too difficult to be in the geographic will of God but it takes time to love being there. I see so many missionaries and young people these days who make decisions for God and never carry through. Or they arrive at His will and don't have the endurance or character to stick it out. Anything worth having takes work and sacrifice. If you will ever make it to that place of rest within His will you have to struggle through the tough times and there will be many. Life is hard, it throws stuff at us that we could never prepare for. It is hard, it will be hard. STICK IT OUT!! We will reap if we faint not but we have to endure. I makes me sad and ashamed that so many missionaries and pastors fall by the wayside daily. It's an epidemic. We have become soft and we faint too easily. The statistics for IFB missionaries as as follows:

1,000 American Missionaries return home each year

75% of missionaries return home within the first three years and never go back to a foreign field

43% of missionaries never complete deputation

These statistics are staggering! Are you kidding? Missionaries start deputation, travel and accept money for years sometimes and then just decide it's too difficult. Are you kidding me? That's dishonest! Some go to the field stay 2 years come home knowing they will never return and then travel for a year accepting money from churches knowing they'll never return. It's a shame and it's dishonest!

What ever the missionaries and workers of the past had, we need it! We need to figure out how to find the strength to stay, to endure if we will ever make it to His perfect will for our lives. How many thousands have gone unsaved because a Christian quit and didn't endure?

Over the last twelve 11years and 9 months we have seen more missionaries go then we have seen come. We are a shrinking population and as Christians we need must wake up, buck up, stand up or grow up, which ever is needed.

This has been on my heart for so long. I don't like heavy blog posts but maybe just maybe someone is struggling to hang on. Contemplating quitting. Imagining brighter pastures. DON'T!

Decide that His will is going to become your delight and put the time in to it that it'll take and one day...you'll find that perfect will and delight in it.

And let us not be weary in well doing: for in

due season we shall reap, if we faint not. Gal 6:9

Delight thyself also in the LORD; and he shall

give thee the desires of thine heart. Psalm 37:4


Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee. Heb 13:5

Perspective

"I cannot believe there is only a trickle of water coming out of the facet again. I NEED to do laundry!"

"Bill, power is out! I'm going to have to take a cold shower AGAIN."

"It takes so much time to cook here."

Have you ever caught yourself saying something similar to the above statements? I did the other day. The power had been out more than usual. When the power goes out a lot, our water from the city comes to a trickle, or sometimes stops altogether. I was frustrated that we were again without water. Then came my worker, Pendo. I asked her about their water situation, and she begins to tell me that they haven't had a drop of water in two weeks. She has to arise early in the morning, before coming in for a full day of work, in order to walk a distance to carry water back to her house. After this conversation I took a walk and saw a bunch of women down at the lake gathering water for their families. It was then that it hit me...

PERSPECTIVE

You see, I tend to compare my life with those who live in the Western world. (First mistake. 2 Corinthians 10:12c says - "and comparing themselves among themselves, are not wise.") So I was getting frustrated about the lack of water, knowing that my friends in America have water aplenty. I mean really, how many times in my life, when living in America, did I go to turn on the facet and wonder if water was going to come out?

PERSPECTIVE

God used the situation with my worker and my neighbor ladies gathering water at the lake to get my attention. I realized that morning that rather than grumbling about what I thought was my "right" to have water each and every time I went to my facet, that I should be thankful for how God has blessed me with water at all. (Second mistake. Philippians 2:14 says - "Do all things without murmurings and disputings:") To top it off, even if water doesn't come out of my facet, God has blessed us to have an underground water tank and even a small above ground tank. If I come to the place of no water in the house I can still haul in buckets of water from those tanks. So in reality, I'm not out of water. I'm just used to the ease of turning on my facet and watching it pour out.

PERSPECTIVE

What about you? What is your PERSPECTIVE today?

The Perfect Meal for Valentines' Day

Good morning, and welcome to Tasty Tuesday...on Monday! I really wanted to share these recipes today, just in case you hadn't made plans for Valentine's Day and were still looking for the perfect meal.
Now I'm not the one who says this is a perfect meal. My hubby does. And that, my friends, means a lot. My dear husband knows what he likes and doesn't like. He is a foodie. And he heartily approves of this meal.
Not convinced? It originated with dear Pioneer Woman. And if that's not enough to convince you, I don't know what is!
First up.....

Comfort Meatballs

FOR MEATBALLS
1-1/2 pound Ground Beef
3/4 cups Oats
1 cup Milk
3 Tablespoons Very Finely Minced Onion
1-1/2 teaspoon Salt
Plenty Of Ground Black Pepper, to taste
_____
FOR COOKING MEATBALLS
1 cup All-Purpose Flour
Canola/Vegetable Oil
_____
FOR SAUCE
1 cup Ketchup
2 Tablespoons Sugar
3 Tablespoons Vinegar
2 Tablespoons Worcestershire
4 Tablespoons (to 6 Tablespoons) Onion
1 dash Tabasco

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine all meatball ingredients. Roll into medium-small balls and place on a cookie sheet. Place sheet in freezer for five minutes. After 5 minutes, remove meatballs from freezer and immediately dredge in unseasoned flour. Brown meatballs in oil until just brown. Place into a baking dish. Combine all sauce ingredients. Pour over meatballs and bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes.

Since these are more like meatloaf meatballs than Italian meatballs, I serve them with mashed potatoes {boil your potatoes, then use a potato masher (not a mixer!) to mash them with salt, pepper, WHOLE milk and plenty of butter}, and his favorite vegetable of the moment. Just happens to be these.



With Valentine's Dinner, you must have a dessert. If you've got the time and the ingredients, this one is incredible. Don't be put off by the strange ingredient....it makes the most incredible, moist cake you've ever had. Plus, no artificial food coloring necessary. I like that! With much thanks to Joy.

Chocolate Beet Cake with Beet Cream Cheese Frosting

For the Cake:
2 medium beets, unpeeled but trimmed of their greens
1 teaspoon vegetable oil
6 ounces (3/4 cup) unsalted butter, softened, plus more for greasing the pans
1 cup packed brown sugar
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting the pans
2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 cups buttermilk

For the Frosting:
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
8 ounces (1 brick) cream cheese, softened
4 to 5 cups powdered sugar, sifted
2 tablespoons finely grated beets, mashed with a fork
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract or scrapings of one vanilla bean pod
1-2 teaspoons milk, depending on desired consistency
1/2 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
pinch of salt

Place a rack in the center and upper third of the oven. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
Thoroughly wash beets under running water, and trim their leaves, leaving about 1/2 inch of stem. Place clean beets in a piece of foil. Drizzle with just a bit of vegetable oil. Seal up foil. Place on a baking sheet in the oven. Roast until beets are tender when pierced with a knife, about 1 hour.
Remove the beets from the oven. Open the foil and allow beets to cool completely. Beets will be easy to peel (just using a paring knife) once completely cooled.
Using a box grater, grate the peeled beets on the finest grating plane. Measure 3/4 cup of grated beets for the cake and 2 tablespoons for the frosting. Set aside.

Reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees F. Use butter to grease two 8 or 9-inch round baking pans. Trace a piece of parchment paper so it is the same size as the bottom of the cake pan. Cut it out and place inside the cake pan. Butter the parchment paper. Add a dusting of flour to coat the pan. Set pans aside while you prepare the cake.

Cream together butter and sugars. Beat on medium speed until pale and fluffy, about 3 to 5 minutes. Beat in eggs, one at a time, for one minute after each addition. Stop the mixer and scrape down the sides of the bowl as necessary. Once eggs are incorporated, beat in beets and vanilla extract until thoroughly combined.

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.

Add half of the dry ingredients to the butter and egg mixture. Beating on low speed , slowly add the buttermilk. Once just incorporated, add the other half of the dry ingredients. Beat on medium speed until milk and dry ingredients are just incorporated. Try not to overmix the batter. Mixture can be folded with a spatula to finish incorporating ingredients. Cake batter will be on the thick side… not pourable.

Divide the batter between the two prepared cake pans. Bake for 23 to 25 minutes (for a 9-inch pan) or 30-32 minutes (for an 8-inch pan). Cake is done when a skewer inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove cakes from the oven and allow to rest for 10 minutes. Invert cakes onto a cooling rack to cool completely before frosting and assembling the cake.

To make the Frosting:
Beat cream cheese for 30 seconds, until pliable and smooth. Add the butter and beat for another 30 seconds, until well combined. Stop the mixer and scrape down the bowl as necessary. Beat in the beets. Add the powdered sugar, vanilla extract, milk, lemon juice, and salt. Beat on medium speed until smooth and silky. Refrigerate the frosting for 30 minutes before frosting the cooled cakes.

To assemble the cake, place one layer of cake on a cake stand or cake plate. Top with a generous amount of pink frosting. Spread evenly. Place the other cake on top of the frosting. Top with frosting. Work frosting onto the sides of the cake. You will have extra frosting left over. Refrigerate for an hour before serving (it will make the cake easier to slice). Cake will last, well wrapped in the refrigerator, for up to 4 days
You can, of course, make this into cupcakes or mini-cupcakes if you so wish. Just make sure to reduce your baking time!


They say that the way to a man's heart is through his stomach. So cook well, my friends! Make your hubby happy this Valentine's Day!

Missionary Monday

Lord, I give up
All my own plans and purposes,
All my own desires and hopes
And accept Thy will for my life.
I give myself, my life, my all,
Utterly to Thee
To be Thine forever.
Fill me and seal me with Thy Holy Spirit.
Use me as Thou wilt,
Send me where Thou wilt,
Work out Thy whole will in my life
At any cost,
Now and forever.
- Betty Scott Stam (Martyred in China, in the 1930s)

Please link up your Missionary Monday.

Devotional Friday - Are You a Help Meet?

Genesis 2:18 "And the LORD God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a help meet for him"

As missionaries in an isolated Arctic town we are always on display. Even though we may not know everyone in town, every one in town knows the Baptist Preacher and his family! I'm sure many missionary wives can relate to "living in a gold-fish bowl." When the people in our village see us, what testimony are we for our husbands... for our Lord?

A national sales executive came to New York City and put an ad in the paper with an offer to twenty men who would meet his qualifications. He opened shop in a motel room for three weeks, interviewing men for eighteen hours a day. At the end of three weeks he had his twenty men.

He then did a very unusual thing. He asked to interview the wives of the twenty men. One by one the women came and after talking to all twenty women, he had only nine men left. He said he did not interview the women to determine their intelligence, their beauty, or their poise. He interviewed each woman to see if she was on her husband's team and would stand behind him. He said he was offering the men a great opportunity, but one which would require hard work and dedication. He knew that without the encouragement and praise of their wives the men would not succeed.

If being an encouraging wife is important to a businessman, how much more so is it important for us whose husbands are in the Lord's Business? When our husbands are busy in the work of the Lord are we the right help meet to them? Let's make sure we encourage and support our husband so he can be a profitable servant in the work of the Lord.

Ideas for Valentine's Day

Looking for ideas for your Sunday School class to do for Valentine's Day?  Here are some that I found on Pinterest!

This is also a great website with bulletin board ideas.

I printed the verse out in KJV and plan to do a craft with it!

A fun tic tac toe game! 

Fun craft for the kids to make for their parents. 

 Just add John 3:16 or another Bible verse.

Leftover candy canes?  No worries!

This site has other Valentine's Day craft ideas.

Need a snack idea?

Even if you can't get these ingredients you can get creative.

I hope this gives you some ideas to do with your Sunday School class or even your own children.  I got all these ideas from Pinterest.  In fact, I'm starting to keep different boards for different ministries! 

Do you have an idea to share?  Leave a comment or send us an email.

Missionary Monday - Meet Kristine

This is Kristine and her family.  They are currently on deputation, preparing to leave for Indonesia in May.  Here is her interview...

1. Please share your missionary call.

My name is Kristine Lien. My husband, Phil, was pastoring in Central Florida just a year and a half ago, when God called us to the mission field during our church's Missions Conference. We were not surprised that God called us to the mission field. I surrendered to missions as a young girl and even spent a year in the country of Ukraine on a short term mission trip after high school. My husband surrendered to the mission field in Bible College and graduated with a missions major. What we were surprised at was the field to which God called us. My husband is Chinese by descent and speaks Cantonese. We always thought that we would go to a Chinese speaking country and minister using my husband's first language. Instead, God called us to the country of Indonesia, which has the largest Muslim population in the world and where the Chinese language was outlawed for many years. God has worked in our hearts and we are now excited about ministering in this beautiful, but spiritually needy country.

 

2. What do you think you will miss most about the States?

There are a few things that I think I will miss about the States. I will certainly miss my parents. My mom developed brain cancer last summer, and every minute spent with her is precious. I am very thankful for Skype that will allow us to see each other. Something silly that I will miss is shopping in Target and Publix. I may even get desperate enough to miss WalMart, but I'm not sure yet. Two other luxuries that will be missed are central air conditioning and clean tap water.

 

3. What do you love most about your field?

I have not been to Indonesia yet, but I already know that I love the people. I had a couple of friends in college who were from Indonesia, and I'm still in touch with both of them. I am also excited about the food. My family loves Southeast Asian food, so we will be very happy there!

 

4. What is a typical meal in your culture?

Chicken satay with peanut dipping sauce, fried rice or noodles, and dishes prepared with sweet soy sauce are some of the meals that they eat in Indonesia. (I get hungry just writing this!)

 

5. Say something in your language, then translate.

Selamat Pagi = Good Morning

 

6. What are some fun things that your family does while traveling?

Our family has an excellent leader (Daddy!) who makes it a priority to stop and see fun and educational things along our journey. My kids have seen in one year what it takes most families a lifetime of vacations to see, if they are the adventurous type. Some examples are Yellowstone, NYC, Niagara Falls, Sequoia National Forest, Chicago, Victoria, B.C., and many other places. A fun thing that my husband does is make announcements over the van radio using an app on his phone. It sounds like we are in an airplane, and the kids love it! We also like to stay in hotels with swimming pools to reward our kids for being so good on a long day's drive.

 

7. Please share your favorite Bible verse, or one that has been an encouragement to you.

Our ministry verse is 2 Cor. 5:18 "And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation;"

 

8. What have you found to be the biggest challenge of deputation?

I like deputation. I am extremely grateful for the experiences that I've had as a result of pre-field ministry. Probably the most difficult thing I've experienced is having sick children during conferences. My kids have had the flu on a couple of occasions, and it's no fun to be sick in someone else's home.

 

9. Name one thing that God has taught you on deputation.

I am learning to be disciplined in all things. I've always struggled with discipline in certain areas in my life, and I feel that God is giving me a chance to develop in this area. I have more freedom to focus on Bible Study and home schooling than I ever had before. God is so good!

 

10. How are you preparing your children now for the mission field?

We have always had a missions emphasis in our family. My kids have been excited since the day we told them we were called to be missionaries. I even chose their homeschool curriculum years ago to train them in case God called them into ministry. As often as we can find an Indonesian restaurant, we take the kids to eat the food. We talk about our new house and I am allowing the kids to choose how they will decorate their rooms in Indonesia. We practice brushing our teeth out of cups because we can't use the tap water over there. My husband always talks about what their roles will be in our new ministry (teaching Sunday School, nursery worker, usher). We are excited to have our children ministering alongside of us and they, in turn, feel like an important part of our ministry.

 

Our website is www.lienmissions.com. My husband keeps a blog, and I plan to blog once we get to the field. We hope to be in Indonesia by the summer of 2012. 



If you would like to be interviewed,

please email us at baptistmissionarywomen@hotmail.com

and we will email the questionnaire to you.

Now, please link up your Missionary Monday!

Don't forget to use our button!

Devotional Friday - Who Are You Holding On To?

Submitted by Rachel Winkler (Missionary wife in Estonia)

Written by Rachel's brother Stephen Benefield (Missionary in Cambodia)

 

 

 

I took two of my daughters, Deborah and Emma, with me on the moto the other day to make a visit. All of the kids love riding the moto with me, and since they have all been riding since they were toddlers, they are pretty comfortable with it. While we were riding, one of them made a statement which really got me thinking.

But first, a word about the different ways that passengers ride motos here in Cambodia. I have noticed that while virtually everyone here is comfortable on the back of a moto, there are different ways that people ride.

First, there are the clingy riders. Oftentimes the really young kids are the clingers. I have seen motos go zipping by with a little girl behind her mom or dad just hanging on for dear life. Sometimes their eyes are wide open and slightly terrified, and sometimes their eyes are squeezed tightly shut as if they are concentrating intently on not falling off.

Second, there are the calm riders. Usually the older folks are the real calm ones. After all, they've been riding motos for decades, so it's pretty much like breathing to them. They hang on, but do not seem overly concerned about anything. Cool, calm, collected.

Third, there are the crazy riders. I have seen every age group and both genders in this category. Basically they ride in such a flippant and crazy way it is almost as if they don't realize there is a clear and present danger. Kids standing up on the seat behind their dad, parents driving their moto and holding their sleeping infant at the same time, I even saw a boy once sitting on the front fender of his dad's moto facing backwards with his arms wrapped around the handlebars...crazy!

Finally, there are the cocky riders. This is a step beyond crazy. Crazy is often unintentional, while cocky riders know exactly what they are doing. This is mostly young men doing wheelies, hanging off the back of their friend's moto until their head is inches from the street, standing up on the seat, and other similarly dangerous stunts all designed to show off for girls and demonstrate their invincibility.

The thought occurred to me the other day that the way different people ride on the back of a moto can be compared to the way people "ride" through life. Suppose for a moment that the moto represents life and the driver represents Christ. Some cling to Him, frantically at first, because their faith is still young and vulnerable. Others go through life calmly hanging on to Him, their age and past experiences with Him giving them a quiet confidence that everything is fine. Many go through life without any thought that hanging on to Him is even important. They don't see the need. They are unaware of the danger of not hanging on. And then there are many who are cocky and flaunt their rebellious spirit openly.

So with these thoughts in mind, I now return to the conversation with my daughters. While driving down the road, I asked Emma if she was hanging on to me. She answered in the affirmative. Then I raised my voice and called over my shoulder, "Deborah...are you hanging on to Emma?" I was surprised for a second when she said no, but then she finished her thought. "I'm not hanging on to Emma. I'm hanging on to you!" Deborah had decided that for her own safety and well-being she should reach past her sister and hang on to her dad instead. You know...that's a pretty good idea spiritually too. Oftentimes people get off track spiritually because instead of holding onto Jesus, they are holding on to a brother or sister in Christ. When that brother or sister "falls off", so do they! It would behoove us as Christians to make sure that our eyes are more on Jesus than another Christian. It would be to our great benefit if our confidence was in Him, and not a friend. It would make us all the more safe if we were clinging to Him for our security instead of someone else. So...who are you hanging on to?

One final thought. When riding a moto, hanging on to someone else is not necessarily a bad thing, but only under one condition - the person to whom you are clinging needs to be hanging on to the driver. So it is in the Christian life. While Jesus is all we truly need, He does bless us with the opportunity to interact with other brothers and sisters in Christ for our mutual edification and benefit. The key is: don't get too attached to someone who is not attached to Christ. If we would hold on to Christ and only hold on to others who are holding on to Christ, life really can be a safe journey!

Thankfulness - a way of life

Below is a devotional from Nancy Leigh DeMoss on being thankful. It is a simple way to focus on being thankful in the coming week. I hope it is a blessing to you!

A Week of Thanksgiving

By Nancy Leigh DeMoss

God’s Word teaches that thankfulness ought to be a way of life. But in the reality of our daily lives, it is so easy for discontentment, murmuring, complaining, criticizing, or even bitterness to displace the “attitude of gratitude.” Cultivating a thankful heart will result in speaking thankful words. But we all need periodic reminders to be thankful, and, for most of us, developing the habit of thankfulness may require some practice! Here are some practical suggestions for devoting one week to practicing thankfulness. You may even want to include the whole family in this project.

Day 1 Every chapter in the book of Colossians has at least one reference to thankfulness. Read the following verses and jot down a thought that stands out to you (Colossians 1:3, 12; 2:7; 3:15, 17; 4:2):

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Someone has defined gratitude as “learning to recognize and express appreciation for the benefits which I have received from God and others.” Try to memorize this definition today, and review it at least once each day this week.

Day 2 Before we can express our gratitude, we must take time to recognize and identify the specific blessings that we have received from God and others.
Make a list of all the material and spiritual blessings you can think of that you have received from the Lord. Then stop and thank God for each item on your list.
Spiritual Blessings (If you need help getting started, try reading the first chapter of Ephesians!)
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Material Blessings
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Day 3
Today, focus on expressing gratitude to and for your family members. Make a list of each member of your family (mate, parents, children, brothers, sisters, etc.). Then next to each name, write one quality about their life for which you are particularly grateful.

Family Members; Qualities I Appreciate

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Take time to thank God for each member of the family He has given you. Then pick three individuals from your list to whom you can express gratitude today, either in person, by phone, or by means of a note. You might want to begin by saying something like this:

“I thanked God for you today, and I want you to know how grateful I am that you are part of my family, and especially for this particular quality that I see in you . . .” (You may want to express gratitude to someone on your list who has been especially difficult to love!)

Day 4
Make a list of other individuals who have blessed or touched your life in some way. You may want to include pastors, teachers, friends, business associates, neighbors, authors, leaders of Christian ministries, etc. As you write each name, ask yourself, “Have I ever thanked that person for the way God has used him/her in my life?” Put a check mark next to each individual to whom you have expressed gratitude.

Day 5 Call or write three people on the list you made yesterday, to express your gratitude for their influence and ministry in your life.

Day 6 Paul instructed the Ephesian believers to “give thanks always for all things . . .” (Eph. 5:20).

One man of God told of meditating on this verse while he was brushing his teeth one morning. He was challenged by the thought of thanking God for everything! He said, “I began by thanking God for my toothbrush. Then I thanked Him for the toothpaste. Then I realized that I had never thanked God for my teeth!” He went on to ask this probing question: “If tomorrow’s supply depended on today’s thanksgiving, how much would I have tomorrow?”
As you go through this day, try to consciously thank God for all things . . . small things and big things!

Day 7
As you have been focusing on thankfulness, have you found some people, items, or circumstances for which it is not easy to be thankful?

Dr. Helen Roseveare, long-time missionary doctor in the Congo, told of a point in her life when she was shamefully mistreated at the hands of rebel soldiers. She described the painful struggle that took place in her heart, as she sought to make some sense out of the humiliation and physical suffering she had undergone. Then she told of the release and peace that came when she sensed God asking her,
“Helen, are you willing to give me thanks for that which I may never give you the privilege of understanding?”
Make a list of past or present circumstances, events, trials, or relationships for which you may never have given thanks. Then, as an expression of faith and an exercise of obedience, say, “Lord, I choose to give You thanks for ________ and ________, which You may never give me the privilege of understanding.”
In so doing, you will be acknowledging that God is the “Blessed Controller” of everything that touches your life, and that you trust Him and His sovereign choices for your life.
Difficult things for which God wants me to give thanks:
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Now that you’ve spent a week focusing on gratitude, we’d like to challenge you to make a lifetime habit of giving thanks. In fact, you’ll discover that the whole world looks different, when you learn to see it through eyes of thankfulness!

© Revive Our Hearts. Taken from The Attitude of Gratitude by Nancy Leigh DeMoss. Used with permission. www.ReviveOurHearts.com. Info@ReviveOurHearts.com

A Wednesday Quote

"If a commission by an earthly king is considered an honor,

how can a commission by a Heavenly King be considered a sacrifice?"

~David Livingstone