The Bucket List

Learn to play an instrument... Check.

Go whitewater rafting... hmmm... need to work on that one.

Tour the Biltmore Estate... Check.

Go to Disney World... Check.

Go skydiving?

No way. That's not going on my list.

Bucket List: (n)
A list of accomplishments or achievements a person hopes to complete during their lifetime.

Tasty Tuesday -Traditonal Easter Foods from Around the World

With Easter celebrated from last week until May first in some countries, the BMW ladies thought it would be interesting to share with our readers a few traditional dishes enjoyed in our countries during Easter. We posted the links to recipes for a few of them in case you would like to try them out for yourselves.

Nicaragua

Almibar is a popular dessert during Holy Week, made with jacote, mangoes, sometimes papaya, and lots of sugar!

Paraguay

At Easter they bake and eat alligator shaped bread called chipa, or Easter Breakfast Bread. Here is a little bit of an Americanized version of the recipe so you can try making this bread. I just love the alligator shape! I have read that different areas of Paraguay have their own shape of chipa bread. As I did research I found that often people make it round similar to a doughnut.

Dominican Republic

Semana Santa (Holy Week) is the biggest holiday of the year. Good Friday is the big celebration. They eat Habichuelas con Dulce (sweet Beans). This recipe is definitely an interesting combination of ingredients. Take a look at the process involved in making it and find the recipe here.

Mexico

A traditional Easter dish in Mexico is Capirotada, a Mexican bread pudding made with cinnamon, piloncillo, cloves, raisins, bread, and cheese. Many Mexican and Mexican-American families view this dish as a reminder of the suffering of Christ on the cross. The ingredients in this recipe carry a rich and symbolic representation. The bread is for the Body of Christ, the syrup is his blood, the cloves are the nails on the cross, the cinnamon sticks symbolize the wooden cross, and the melted cheese stands for the Holy Shroud.

Jamaica

It was a tradition to exclude meat from the diet for the Lenten period (forty days after Ash Wednesday) and many still keep the tradition of not cooking on Good Friday. Fish is the main staple of almost every household. Cheese and fish are eaten at the Good Friday church service.

Canada 

Hot Cross Buns are a tradition in Canada, as well as, other countries across the globe.

Russia

Paska Easter Cakes or "Kulich"  are baked at home and sold in stores during the Easter holiday. They are "blessed" by the Orthodox priests before they leave the bakery and sold in stores.

We hope you enjoyed our trip around the globe taking a look at different traditional foods of Easter celebrations! Be looking for another Easter post where we will share other Easter traditions of different countries, coming soon!

Sunday Scriptures

Give Thanks

 

Throughout the last highly chaotic, and shall we call it adventurous year, the verse "in everything give thanks", has taken on a drastically different light in my life. We all know that giving thanks is commanded, it's good, but this year I have learned its VITAL to surviving trials. "Giving thanks" is worship, but as all good and true worship it not only glorifies the Father, but it forever changes who you are. And it's the life raft that pulls you from the rapids of despair and frustration, when the waves of life become more than you can bare.

Have you been there?

When every day becomes a time where you question everything in life. When everyday you wake to more developing problems. When everyday you struggle with Gods plan and wonder if you are still in his plan at all. When your grace and patience is tested everyday like an elephant sitting on a mouse. When you've become overwhelmed by the negatives and the broken dreams at your feet. When you realize Satan has convinced you that nothing in your life is good at all.

In the last 12 months, we have experienced a 7.8 earthquake, lost our house, lived through hundreds of aftershocks, went through a 6 month blockade of goods from our countries vital resource of gasoline, cooking gas and food, and I've had an appendectomy and pneumonia. Sounds pretty....bleak, yeah? That is the line the devil feeds us too.

I'll not lie, when this story started to unfold and we were shaken to our core literally and figuratively, I did feel very much that way. But after about the first month, when the unanswered questions and stress became something that really left me feeling overwhelmed and discouraged, I knew something had to change. I went to the Lord for help. He showed me the story of Noah during a bed time story one night with my daughter. Just as Noah and his family, floated for 40 days awaiting Gods new plan, I was awaiting Gods new direction. They were not forgotten but were sitting in a safe, however quiet place, awaiting Gods next step. Maybe a little stir crazy at times but provision was always plentiful. He assured me, I had also not been forgotten. My life was confusing and I was in a sense floating through unchartered waters but NOT forgotten and NOT un-blessed. This is when I realized I had forgotten my obligation to give thanks. I had allowed the struggles to crowd out any sight of the blessings God was daily flooding in my life. I felt the challenge, to every time I wanted to whine, complain or question Gods plan, to make myself give thanks for one thing.

This was a turning point for me. This took a confused young momma from daily limping through the day, to living with grace. It's so simple. It's not life-shattering. Even now, writing it down it sounds so small and insignificant. But it's affect on me was far from insignificant. Before, all I saw were the events that had happened, and how confused and scared we were by the future. Then I started to see this.

1. Me and my husband and my children lived through an earthquake that took over 10,000 lives. I was alive to see the blessings and trials that would come my way that coming year. I was afforded the opportunity to spend another year holding my husbands hand, to talk with him for hours, to jump on his bike with him as we headed on some mission together, to love him. I was blessed with another year to rock my babies, to hold their tiny hands, to read to them and laugh and giggle, to just be their momma. By Gods grace, I lived.

 

2. We were housed during the entire time, while millions slept in tents. While so many homeless or terrified people huddled in tents, God provided a way that everyday we had a roof over our heads.

3. We never one time needed for money or food. Our supporting churches love and support for us during this time was so intensely felt. They were so generous and loving. While there were so many other stresses, money was never one of them.

4. Our opportunities to witness to our friends and neighbors were prevalent. In a place where 1% of the population claims some form of Christianity, we rejoice in every chance to share the gospel. During this time, many who would never darken the church door were witnessed to, due to open air meetings that were held during the churches displacement.

 

5. Soon after, a man my husband witnessed to for years came to know Christ. For 3 years, this man sat in church and was witnessed to. His salvation and subsequent growth and relationship that blossomed with my husband was one of the biggest blessings and encouragements of the year.

6. We received a lovely new home to rent. God met our needs and opened doors for us to find a new home when the supply and demand scale for housing was extremely uneven. A place that has been a wonderful place of joy and refreshment.

7. Our Church blossomed in the trial; members weekly praising God for his provisions and my husband began preaching in the language 3x a week, and members after 5 years began taking over ministries in the church. The country where we serve, people worship gods who they have no expectation of hearing their prayer or answering it. So to see believers grow to where they see the need, pray, see the answer and praise God for it, is wonderful growth. In a country where the language is far from easy, to see God enable my husband to do what he felt was unable to do in his own strength is miraculous. And to see our young people, step up and be faithful and desire to serve in the church as a dependable leader is monumentous.

8. My wealth in friends was made evident. When your life is turned topsy turvy, and ladies that love and serve with you come to help and lend a hand, you realize how blessed and rich you are to call them friends. When your sick and your mission church rallies around you in prayer and support and rejoices when your well, your heart floods with joy for the true church family he has given you despite the differences in your skin color or culture. This is our home and we are blessed beyond measure with the spiritual family and friends God has given us.

9. Gods grace and peace was miraculous. When people throughout the city turned to alcohol and desperation Gods people walked with a sense of peace they didn't understand. They spoke with boldness about his provision and were a light to the community in a way they had never seen. The only reason we could live with a smile and serve with joy was the never ending supply of grace that God shoveled down in heaps everyday. When I was faced with having an emergency surgery in a 3rd world country where medical can be frightening, Gods provision and grace so enveloped me I can't explain it. Unexplainable peace is the only explanation.

10. I learned the importance of giving thanks.

There were hundreds more blessings through the past year, but I hope you can see even in this small list how the blessings far outweighed the trials. I pray as you read this, you don't see the trials but the blessings and the power of GIVING THANKS as God commands. As this began to help me, I realized how I wanted this to remain a part of my life. When serving in a spiritually dark land, where the devil fights on a daily basis I realized the importance of fighting back with "thanks". So many times thousands of blessings come and go through our lives and we never even glimpse at them as they pass. When if we would just take the time to stop and rejoice in them, not only would we see Gods love for us, but we would be so overwhelmed by it that we have a fighting chance at having victory over defeat and discouragement.

So....for me a chalkboard was the answer. It's been in the planning stage for months and now I have it!! Mounted in my kitchen where my family spends so much time is my "give thanks" board. And around breakfast time we as a family choose a blessing to be thankful for on our board. I love it!!! I love seeing the good. I love teaching my daughter that God loves her so immensely that he blesses her everyday. I love to see the reminder of those blessings every time I walk past. I love giving thanks!

I encourage you in whatever way works for you to daily take the time to see the blessings God sends your way. A day will come when seeing those blessings will be the thing that gets you through.

 

Posted with Blogsy

Sacrifice (Guest Post}

I’ve realized something as of late. I really haven’t sacrificed anything for God. Yes, I am a missionary, and yes, I have left family and familiar culture behind to tell others about Christ, but have I truly sacrificed for God? Lately I have been reading some missionary biographies and autobiographies and am so convicted that my version of sacrifice comes nowhere near their sacrifices for God. I understand that the time and setting is different in most cases, but not the full service to the Savior. In an age of social media, abundant grocery stores, and coffee shops on every corner I have become accustomed to living quite comfortably because I can. Living comfortably is not wrong but it can produce some laziness and lack of zeal in me. 

Hudson Taylor's Spiritual Secret was recommended and lent to me by a friend, and I am so thankful she wanted me to read it. One of the things I learned, that I never knew, was that George Mueller helped financially support most, if not all, of the missionaries there in China under the China Inland Mission. I have always had such great respect and admiration for George Mueller, for his reliance on God, and his care for the children in his orphanage. The lessons learned from his faith when he literally had nothing inspired me. Then to add to that the knowledge that the money he could have rightfully used in his own “mission field” he send to others who were just as needy as he was. What a conviction! Of course, the life of Hudson Taylor and his wife are just as convicting. What I have gone through since arriving on the field in Scotland pales in comparison to what they dealt with while serving God. Mrs. Taylor died at 33, which is the age I am right now. Before her death she buried three children in China and sent the others to England for their education. I cannot imagine the grief and heartache to see her children die and her others leave her side never to see her again. And here I get worried when my finances are low enough to be unsure of whether I can pay my electric bill. 
We cannot compare ourselves to others, but at the same time I believe it’s wise to take from what we learn of other missionaries who have gone on before us and apply their experiences to our lives.

What of modern missionaries who have suffered?  I think of Martin and Gracia Burnham. Just ten or so years ago, they were captured by Islamic extremists and marched through a jungle for over a year at gun point, with death threatened on all sides. Martin didn’t make it out alive, but Gracia did.  Just this past year, a missionary husband tried to save some kids from drowning and in doing so, lost his life. His wife and family are still carrying on the work God has called them to. There was a missionary family here in Scotland who served faithfully for many years until the husband ended up with a brain tumor and ultimately went home to be with the Lord. Their children were all grown, but the wife is still faithfully serving where God has put her. There are many stories like these that have happened even in the last 10 years. So I have to ask myself, am I willing to truly sacrifice for God? My heart’s desire and longing is to say, "yes." I have so much to learn about trusting God and following him, and I am very thankful that other missionaries have such an amazing testimony that we can learn from and follow.  

My prayer and longing is that no matter what happens and no matter what God has asked of me that I will do it. Not in my strength, for I have none of myself. It scares me to even put this on paper, but I know that what I am doing now is my ‘reasonable service’ (Romans 12:1). With certainty we all deal with the knowledge that we lack any strength in and of ourselves. Ladies, especially those of us who are single, don’t let satan convince you that you are not worth it. Don’t let satan deceive you into thinking God has not called you! I pray that we all can say at the end of our lives, we followed God and served Him to the best of our ability even when it meant loss and sacrifice. In the end it’s worth it when souls are saved and we reach heaven to live with Him!

Guest post by Deana Hewston, missionary to Scotland

Her Story Silhouettes by Shari {#7 Betty Greene / Navigating a Storm}

Hey there, I'm Shari. One of my favorite things to do is read about or study the lives of those who have gone before us or who are walking beside us in this endeavor of being a missionary lady.* 

Their stories challenge me, encourage me, and teach me. My hope is that these "silhouettes" or glimpses of their lives will do the same for you.  

Each silhouette contains a small synopsis of a lady’s missionary service, a particular story from her everyday life that resonated with my own, and a short Bible study about a truth that I learned from it.  I hope that as you read these posts you might be challenged to find out more about these great ladies, that you might find something that speaks to your heart or helps you in your own ministry, and that ultimately you will be encouraged to remain faithful to your calling.

So grab a cup of tea, sit back and enjoy, and let me tell you about her story.

Silhouette:   

Betty Greene was born in Seattle, Washington on June 24, 1920. She had one great love during her childhood and teen years – airplanes. Not so typical for a young girl, but at the age of 8 after seeing Charles Lindbergh in his famous airplane, The Spirit of St. Louis, she knew someday she’d fly a plane. Betty was intrigued by all aviators, but she especially enjoyed following the accomplishments of Amelia Earhart, the first woman to fly over the Atlantic Ocean. At the age of 16, her parents surprised her with her first airplane ride for a birthday gift. Her experience in the air further settled her love for flying deep within her heart, and by the time they touched the ground, she knew she would use her uncle’s birthday gift of money to take flying lessons. Shortly after this she signed up for a class and within two weeks she was flying solo.

At her parents' encouragement she began studying for a nursing degree. This was considered a suitable career for a young lady at that time, but after two years she realized she was dissatisfied and discouraged with the direction her life was heading. On one hand all she really wanted to do was fly, but then she also felt like maybe the Lord was calling her into His service. She decided to get some advice from a godly older lady in her church. The lady’s sound advice to consider combining her two loves, flying planes and service to the Lord, caused Betty’s heart to thrill for the first time in a long time. Combining flying and missionary work somehow together would be a dream come true for her, and she prayed, “God, I have never heard of anyone who used flying to help spread the Gospel message, but if You want me to fly for You, show me how to make it happen.”

Knowing Betty’s heart was not in her nursing studies, her parents gave their blessing and support for her to pursue her pilot’s license. She attended a civilian pilot training course and graduated with honors. She also finished a degree in sociology with special studies in world cultures. Upon her graduation in 1942 she joined the Women’s Flying Training Detachment which became known as the Women’s Air-Force Service Pilots or WASP. She had to study advanced mathematics, physics, and engineering, as well as spend many hours every week in physical fitness training. She gave herself wholeheartedly to it, and after her training was finished, she was assigned to Camp Davis where her position had a three-fold purpose: flying planes along specially coded routes so radar operators on the ground could practice their tracking skills, flying night missions over the base so the men could practice their searchlight techniques, and flying a plane with a large fabric target attached to the tail so the men on the ground could practice shooting at it with live ammunition!

In 1944 she was assigned to Wright Field in Dayton, Ohio. Although she had only ever flown to an altitude of 19,000 feet, she would be participating in testing equipment which would require her to fly to altitudes of 40,000 feet. This took true courage as flying anything above 25,000 feet was considered extremely dangerous. Her bravery, determination, and steadfastness in her military service proved to carry over into her desire to serve the Lord, as well. That same year, Betty submitted an article to a missionary publication called HIS magazine. She spoke of her desire to combine aviation with missions work. She was surprised to receive a letter from a gentleman who said that he and two other friends had been praying about this very same thing. As God so often does, He orchestrated Betty’s steps and her next assignment was a post in Washington, D.C., where it “just so happened” these men were also posted. There was much talk and planning that followed.

Betty was the first of them to be released from service and started putting their plan into action by setting up offices in Los Angeles. On May 20, 1945, The Christian Airmen’s Missionary Fellowship (now known as Missionary Aviation Fellowship or MAF) was born. At the age of 25 she flew MAF’s inaugural flight on February 23, 1946, to a missionary jungle camp in southern Mexico, forever changing missions work in isolated areas. What once would have required the missionaries to make a 10-14 day hike to reach their camp, Betty was able to do in only 1 hour and 45 minutes!

For the next 30 years she flew more than 4,800 hours bringing ministry, medical, and food supplies to missionaries; taking sick and injured people to distant hospitals; and carrying missionary children to and from visits with their parents. She flew missions in Mexico, Peru, Indonesia, Nigeria, Sudan, Ethiopia, Uganda, Kenya, the Congo, Dutch New Guinea (Papua) and more. 

What started out as a dream of hers turned into a most amazing ministry that continues on today. MAF currently has hundreds of staff that live around the world, over 130 aircraft, and 4,000 airstrips or grass strips in over 30 different countries. Daily they carry an average of 517 passengers across rivers, jungles, and mountains; and yearly they transport 14 million pounds of cargo including water, food, animals, fuel, generators, Bibles, tools, mail, medical and school supplies, and so much more. Each year they make around 70,000 flights totaling over 6 million miles. It is said that every 6 minutes, somewhere, in the world, a MAF pilot and plane take off on a mission of service covering more distance in 6 hours than David Livingston did in his entire 28 years of service in Africa.

In 1962 at the age of 42, Betty retired from active fieldwork but continued working at MAF's headquarters. She flew off and on ferrying planes until the age of 55, when she eventually retired to her home in Seattle, Washington. On March 11, 2010, she, along with many other former WASP, were awarded the Congressional Gold Medal at a ceremony in Washington, D.C. for her heroism and dedication to her country during WWII, but I have a feeling that on April 10, 1997, on the day she passed into Glory, she was given a much higher award for her dedication and service to God. He gave her the desire of her heart, and she let Him use her life for His purpose. She is a true example of a lady of whom it can be said, “She hath done what she could”! 

Her Story/My Story: 

One time Betty was called upon to fly a plane for missionaries in need who were stationed in San Ramon, Peru. The problem was the plane was stuck in the city of Lima on the west coast which was on the opposite side of the Andes Mountains from where the missionaries lived. The plane was a Grumman Duck like the one pictured, and it could land on water or land making it ideal for the many rivers in the Amazon Basin. When the military man turned the plane over to Betty, he looked her up and down and gruffly said, “No woman can fly this brute, much less take it over the mountains.” Betty smiled because she knew two things he did not. God would be with her on the flight, and He had prepared her years before during her training as a WASP to handle many different types of aircraft and maneuver high altitudes. Although inclement weather grounded the plane on her first attempt, three days later there was a break in the weather, and she and Cameron Townsend, founder of Wycliffe Bible Translators, set off to reach the missionaries on an early morning flight. Once they reached 12,000 feet they had to put on oxygen masks. She continued to climb looking for a gap in the clouds that would let them fly through the canyon. At 16,000 feet they were able to follow a mountain river up its gorge until they just skimmed over a pass, but up ahead, all she could see was a blanket of clouds. On she flew, praying that if she wasn’t able to find a way down through the clouds that were in front of her, the clouds behind her would not close in preventing her from returning back through the pass. At last, a hole appeared and she threaded the plane down through it allowing them to fly along for 60 or 70 miles under the clouds but above a plateau. Flying past the end of the plateau she saw that yet another layer of clouds lay on the basin floor, and she hesitated to go lower. Finally, Betty sighted the city of San Ramon through a break in the clouds and made her move. She spiraled the Duck through the opening and made a perfect landing.  And with that she became the first woman pilot to fly across the Andes Mountains.

During the past twenty-one years as a missionary, I’ve had opportunity to be in a plane on more than one occasion. I never used to mind flying. In fact, when I first started out it was absolutely thrilling to be travelling in a plane up in the sky to far and distant lands. Over the years it has become less of an adventure and more of a necessary evil. I have only truly feared for my life a couple times, although I’m afraid I’m guilty of quite liberally using the phrase, “I thought I was going to die!” One of these times took place while I was on a long international flight. Everything was going smoothly and, although I like to try to make the entire 14-hour trip without using the tiny little “box” they consider a restroom, I found myself in that location when we hit some turbulence. A little turbulence on a flight is to be expected and usually doesn’t bother me, but this escalated and soon the “fasten your seatbelt” lights were on. I thought, “Oh dear!” Although I wanted nothing more than to leave the “little box” and put my seatbelt on, the turbulence wouldn’t allow it and kept throwing me against the door and then the toilet and then the sink like a pinball. Of course, this is all in the matter of a 2 ft. square, so I’m sure you get the picture. When I thought it was finally over I opened the door and stepped into the food galley area where a flight attendant was grasping a strap on the wall and looking at me in astonishment. She said in quite a frightening manner, “You have to go to your seat!” Uh, duh! That was my desire, too. I couldn’t wait to get that seatbelt strapped around me. Just then the turbulence started again and people were screaming, things were rattling, and I was looking for anything to grab a hold of and wishing desperately I was back in the “box.” Next thing I knew the plane dropped a considerable distance and both the stewardess and I found ourselves in midair at least two feet off the ground. We both came crashing to the floor. Absolutely freaked out and really truly believing that this was the day I was going to die, I looked at her and she said to me, “You have to get back to your seat!!” So there I was crawling on my hands and knees trying to find my seat praying all the way that Jesus would just make it stop. I finally made it back to my seat and somehow got my seatbelt fastened when almost immediately the turbulence stopped just as quickly as it had started. I’m afraid it took my heart a little more time to stop racing. 

Study:  Navigating a Storm

My “I thought I was going to die” plane story reminds me of another particular occasion when I was weathering a different type of storm in my life. I remember I was reading the book of John. John is the book I always run to when things seem out of kilter and I’ve lost my way. When I got to chapter six I read the familiar story where the disciples were in a boat in the midst of the sea and a storm was raging around them. The words in verse 21, “and immediately the ship was at the land,” intrigued me especially since I was looking for a way to get back to my own steady ground. I thought, “Hmm, I wonder whether Jesus made their boat arrive at the shore miraculously like He had calmed the sea or if they were just thrashing around not realizing they were actually at the shore already?” I went back and read all three accounts of this story given in the Gospels to see what I could glean from them. Verse by verse God seemed to be showing me how their physical state mirrored my spiritual state at the moment. I felt like the Lord was asking me these three questions, and after pondering them, I came to a few conclusions.

 1.  Why is your “boat” rocking?  

      Determining why your “boat” is rocking can help you know how to stop it if you are the

      cause or know how to deal with it if you are not.

·   Did YOU put yourself in this storm?

    We live in an imperfect world, and as humans, we often fail. Our own actions can 

    cause a storm that rocks our “boat.” As I so often teach my teenagers, you choose 

    your choices, but your choices choose your consequences.

 Romans 7:19 says, “For the good that I would I do not:  but the evil which I would not,

 that I do.”

 If you did - confess it, forsake it, and ask God for grace to endure the storm of the

 consequences until it is over.

·   Did LIFE put you in this storm?

    Life is always changing and financial trials, loved ones passing away, children leaving

    home, switching ministries, family drama, school issues, changes in leadership, etc. 

    can make you feel like you are living in the middle of a hurricane.

  If life did - accept it, realize the Lord allowed it, and seek to bring Him honor and 

  glory through your response to the storm.

·   Did GOD put you in this storm?  

    Do you not think Jesus knew that a storm was coming when He “constrained” His 

    disciples to get into the ship that night? (Matt.14:22)

 I Peter 1:7 says, “That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold 

 that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and 

 glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ:”

 If God did - seek what He is trying to teach you and search your heart for areas He is 

 wanting to change or grow.

2.  Why don’t you realize Christ is standing in the midst of the storm with you? 

     The disciples not only feared the “spirit” they thought they saw, but they didn’t recognize 

     their Master.

·   You may not be a Christian yet and don’t recognize who Jesus is.

·   You may be a backslidden Christian who is so far away from Jesus you have forgotten 

     what His presence feels like.

·   You may be a Christian that has simply forgotten to seek your Master’s face that is   

     always present.

3.  Why have you not asked Jesus to get into your rocking “boat” yet? 

     As with all life, the Christian life can be broken down into different stages of growth. You 

    may have simply fallen into one of the pitfalls that is associated with your stage of 

    Christian growth.

·   The “child” stage – You haven’t learned enough Scripture yet or you haven’t had

    enough experience yet to know that you have a right as God’s child to ask for His help.

·   The “teenage” stage – You know God is there, but refuse His help because you want 

     to prove yourself and try to manage the storm on your own.

    ·   The “adult” stage - You think since you’ve won the victory with this type of storm

        before it should be easy to conquer again on your own and you don’t want to bother 

        God with it.

     No matter what the stage, Jesus doesn’t force Himself on us.  

     Mark 6:48b says, “…he (Jesus) cometh unto them, waking upon the sea, and would 

     have passed by them….”

     Jesus waits for us to invite Him in – into our life, into our plans, and into our storms.

     James 4:8a  - “Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you…”

     Jeremiah 33:3a – “Call unto me and I will answer thee…”

The conclusion to this story is that Jesus brought not only a calm immediately to their hearts with His “be of good cheer” but also a calm to the storm around them with His “peace be still.” I have been the recipient at times of God’s grace in turning a storm in my life instantly to peace and calm, but that is rare. More often than not the storm rages on while He brings a calm to my heart.

If today this “boat” of yours we call life seems to be rocking and you can’t seem to find the calm, ask yourself these same three questions, answer them honestly, and know that Jesus is waiting in the water to help you navigate the storm. 

Shari House

If you'd like to find out more about my story, you can click on this site's "Contributors" tab or visit my website. http://sharihousethailand.wix.com/servingjoyfully

I'd love to hear about your story, too. Feel free to leave a comment, or friend me on Facebook, or visit me in Thailand.  I have a great guest room.  :)

______________________________________________

*Disclaimer:

I have chosen to highlight the life of these ladies because of what they have accomplished for the Lord not because I agree with their doctrinal beliefs.  As with all study of man, our focus should be on the character traits they bestowed in their lives that allowed the Lord to use them, how the Lord used them, the methods of ministry they incorporated that allowed them to be effective, etc.  We do not study man to get our doctrine.  Our doctrinal beliefs should only come from the Bible.  To that end you may find you don’t agree with the doctrine of a particular person that I write about, but I believe there is still much wisdom we can gain from studying their lives. 

____________________________________

Resources & Book List:

Betty Greene:  Wings to Serve (Christian Heroes:  Then & Now), Geoff Benge and Janet Benge, June 1, 1999

Flying High:  The Amazing Story of Betty Greene, Betty Greene and Dietrich Buss, March 2002

Betty Greene:  Flying High (Heroes for Young Readers) Renee Meloche and Bryan Pollard, January 1, 2004
MAF Video which contains footage from Betty's inaugural flight 
- flighthttps://www.facebook.com/maf.org/videos/vb.116534094711/10153309323604712/?type=2&theater

Betty Greene's official Facebook account - https://www.facebook.com/Betty-Greene-172099348336/

MAF website - www.maf.org

Awarded Congressional Gold Medal - http://www.bellevuereporter.com/community/88970707.html

Yesterday's Lunch

Last week was MK Spirit Week. For me, it was BUSY BUSY BUSY! So I asked a friend, and fellow BMW, if she would help out with the blog post for this week. I had no idea what she would turn in to me. After reading what she submitted, I am sure glad I asked! I am sure there are many who struggle with the same thing, and could use the wisdom.

I hope you enjoy!

(Thanks, Jamie, for being REAL!)

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Yesterday's Lunch

I have a confession that I am not so proud of. Of course, which “confessions” are you ever proud of, truthfully? Well this one goes against the “perfect missionary” persona that is out there. I sometimes have a hard time being consistent in my devotion or quiet time with the Lord. There I said it. No, I’m not proud of it, nor condone it—but I am working at it.

There are days when it is easy. I wake up refreshed, the kids sleep in, I leave my phone in the other room, and I get a lot of study time in. I am able to study, pray and have a nice time, and leave with something I want to share with others.

Then there are days where I wake up late, tired, or kids wake up early and whiney, or I grab my phone and get distracted with social media or email or chatting with my mom halfway across the world. I run out of time and the day, children, my husband, life calls me to my duty.

I have found that if I leave my room before I sit with the Lord I will not make time to do it later. I have tried, “Oh, I’ll do it at school time, or nap time, or before bed, but once I leave my bedroom in the morning there is a good chance it won’t happen at all. Please tell me I’m not the only one like this. I know others struggle with a daily consistent quiet time.

I do think back on it during the day. It’s like the Lord is calling me to spend time with him. Then I start thinking of the nice time, the nice “lunch” I had with him the day before. I think, “I don’t have time now, but at least I can think about what I learned yesterday.”

This isn’t bad. God wants us to remember what He taught us and not to forget. He even wants us to share it with others, but he also wants us to get it fresh from him. This lesson is for me—I can’t live on yesterday’s lunch. I need a fresh serving every day.

Lamentations 3:23-23

“It is of the LORD'S mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not.

They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.”

So we have all been there. You missed your first three alarms for the morning, the kids are screaming, you didn’t spend time with the Lord in the morning, you ran all day and are about to drop at night….Now what?

I have found a new way of study that I love. It causes me to dwell on God’s Word more, to be still and listen more, but it also takes more time and “equipment”—Bible, notebook, colored pencils, dictionary, drawing pad…etc. And there are days, I just don’t have that time—whether it’s an excuse or legitimate. For a while, I would just do nothing when I didn’t have my “equipment” at hand or the time to delve in. I didn’t want to just read ahead, because I didn’t want my journal to be missing info, and God forbid I actually read it twice. Those days I would skip a “meal” altogether.

But I’ve come up with a remedy. It’s like on days you have time you make a good meal. On other days you grab fast food! Well I’ve decided to have a separate spot in my Bible designated for Fast Food—the book of Joshua, and one place for a home-cooked meal—Ephesians.

Last night was a “no time” day. But before bed, I stood at the light switch with my Bible in hand--too tired to  sit down and then get up again afterwards to turn the light off--and read a chapter and prayed. It wasn’t grand. It wasn’t glorious. But it was something.

No one is ever proud of a fast food meal. There is tons of research on why it is unhealthy, but it will keep you from starving! My encouragement to you today is to get IN God’s Word, whether it is a long, beautiful, peaceful, kid-free hour, or 5 minutes before you drop in bed dead tired. God doesn’t want us to live on yesterday’s lunch, he wants us to get a fresh meal each day—even if it is just fast food. The point is to get in God’s Word and make it a daily habit—just like eating lunch every day.

Jamie Knickerbocker

Southern Asia

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