3... 2... 1... Furlough!

Let it be known that I... Charity... have given in to the pressure.

Several of you have wanted to follow our adventures on our first furlough. I think it has to do with your insatiable appetite for reality TV shows. At first I thought... wow, that would be totally boring. But then I thought... you know, there are reality TV shows about everything from people losing weight to big families to people who have messy homes.

So, I guess following a missionary family around while they are on furlough would fit right in. Our house isn't overrun with clutter, but while traveling sometimes our van looks like a science experiment. We don't have a huge family, but when you try putting a family of five in a small hotel room our family certainly feels large. And losing weight? Let's just say furlough is a beast that few missionaries tackle successfully on the scale. But we are sure going to give it a try!

It won't exactly be a TV show, but you asked for it...

You got it!

Welcome to our crazy adventures!

3 kids...

2 parents...

1 minivan...

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3... 2... 1... Furlough!

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Tuesday evening we said our tear-filled goodbyes on the other side of the world in Asia. It is tradition there for everybody to visit you the day that you leave. We had everything packed early that morning and ready to go so that visitors would not disrupt our packing. We had food and snacks ready to go for everyone that walked through the doors.

And so many people came! One after another, they filed in to spend time with us and say their goodbyes.

That evening, Levi, our national assistant, told me, "Auntie, you have had many people come to say goodbye. That shows that you have made a difference in their lives. If you had not been a good missionary, they would not come." Yes, his words made me want to cry.

Another tradition... they all want to go with you to the airport. So as we headed out to the airport, we had a huge entourage leading the way. It made us feel special... but also made the tears flow even more. When we arrived at the airport, many more friends met us there. They helped us unload our luggage onto carts. Then came the final goodbyes.

I hugged all the girls and we wept. Then something happened I will never forget. In this culture, men and women have no physical contact in public. Even husbands and wives avoid touching each other. There are no handshakes between men and women. But for the first time since we arrived on the field, Levi said, "Auntie, I will hug you." There was no greater gift that young man could have given me. He truly has become like a son to us. After he hugged me, another dear friend and pastor reached out to shake my hand. Then another Bible college boy followed and reached out his hand to shake mine.

Even now, the tears swell within my eyes as I think about the love they were conveying by neglecting their culture to embrace showing affection as they do in my culture.

After we completed the long line of goodbyes and wiped away the tears one more time, we turned away and walked into the airport.

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You always wonder when reverse culture shock will begin.

Let me tell ya... It starts in the airports.

We landed in Doha for our first layover, but it was a short layover. We rushed quickly to our next gate. When we got there, we had just a few minutes to sit down and rest before the next flight. The problem was that there weren't five seats available together. We spotted an American sitting in the center of a long row of seats. He noticed our dilemma, and kindly moved over to give us five seats. I smiled and said thank you.

Then he asked, "Is that enough?"

I bobbled my head "yes."

He gave a puzzled look and then asked, "Um, so is that enough?"

Slightly confused by his repeated question, I repeated my head bobble "yes" and then said "yes" just to be sure he understood.

He looked at me funny, paused briefly, and then hesitatingly asked, "Are you sure?"

I assured him it was plenty and then we all sat down. I could tell he thought I was strange, but I assumed he was the one with the problem.

My husband handed me a bottle of water for me to chug down quickly before boarding the plane. As I took a huge gulp, the light came on in my already jet-lagged brain. It was only then that I realized the source of the miscommunication.

I had done the head bobble "yes" instead of the American head shake "yes." Americans shake their head up and down to say yes. I, however, had been bobbling my head side to side for the past three and a half years to say yes. The poor man had no idea if I was saying yes or no or maybe or "whatever, you mean old seat hog."

Somehow over the last few years, I have lost the ability to shake my head yes.

This is going to be tough...

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The Plane Landed...

A huge "thank you" to those who prayed for my sweet Granny. I have no doubt that your prayers are why my Granny is still here and why I was able to get the hug I so desperately wanted. We visited with her and sang and prayed for her. What a treasure! 

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Welcome back to America!

Trying on clothes at the store...
Me: The shirt is a little big.
Gabe, my 9 yo son: (Disappointed) Aww... Well... We can have it sewn down.
Me: Gabe, we are in America. I can walk over there and grab the right size.
Gabe: Really? Great!

Gabe: Do they really do free refills here?
Me: Yes, and you can even walk right over there and fill up your cup as many times as you want.
Gabe: (shocked) As much as I want?!!

Let the humbling begin...
Cashier: Do you have a rewards account with us?
Me: Um... I don't know.
Cashier: Would you like to sign up for an account?
Me: I don't think so, but I don't know. (All these decisions were stressing me out... I just want to pay for my stuff! By now, I am dripping with reverse culture shock sweat.)
Cashier: Well then your total is $....
Me: If I had an account already, what would it be listed under?
Cashier: Your phone number.
Me: I think my number was .....
Cashier: (Types in number) is your name Charity?
Me: (huge sigh of relief) That's me!
Cashier: (obviously suspicious of me and how weird I am acting) You have reward points and saved $5.
Me: Well, that's great!
Cashier: Your new total is $....
Me: (staring blankly at the card reader) Um... I have no idea how to use this.
Cashier: (slight pause... now convinced I am a nut job) Well, you stick your card in there and it tells you everything you need to do.
Me: That sounds easy enough. I hope I remember what my PIN number was!

I don't even want to know what was going through that cashier's mind...

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Just for laughs! I thought I left squatty potties in Asia! This is too bizarre!

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So I guess furlough isn't boring after all! Adventure seems to chase us around.

VBS Program (Science Theme) "Laboratory of Fun" - Daily Themes and Lessons

Now that we have discussed the planning stages of a Vacation Bible School program, I wanted to share what I believe was one of our favorite (if the kids could vote) VBS themes from 2013. I had been looking over different ways to incorporate science experiments into our VBS program as a way to really get the kids' attention and help them "see" the Bible lessons we are trying to teach them. Using these Bible stories along with the experiments from Mad About Jesus, was a great success! These experiments are a lot of work to gather and prepare for each day but they add so much to your program and the looks on the kids' faces definitely are only one reason they are more than worth it!

Theme for the Week: Laboratory of Fun

Goal: To use science experiments as visual reinforcement to the daily Bible lessons.

First you will need a Professor to do the daily experiments.

We asked a lady who attended our services if she would be our Professor and perform the science experiments each day. Please meet "Mrs.'Pipetkina' - (taken from the word 'pipette') 

It was a great experience for her to help out and gain this experience. She and I spent much time together praying for each lesson as we gathered together daily over several days to translate the experiments into Russian. Each day I stood by her to help in case she needed something and to hold up verses which we had printed out that went along with the experiment.

Day 1: Theme: Sin separates us from God but by accepting Him as our personal Savior we can receive forgiveness of our sins. 

Story: Samaritan woman at the well

Verses: John 4:1-30, 39-42

Science Experiment:  - Object Lesson 1: "One Sin"

Day 2: Theme: We are saved by faith, not our good works.

Story: Pharisee and the Publican 

Verses: Luke 18:9-14

Science Experiment: Object Lesson 8: "Only the Penitent Man Shall Pass"

Day 3: Theme: Through Christ we can do all things.

Story: Peter walks on the water

Verses: Matthew 14:22-33

Science Experiment: Object Lesson 12: "Leap of Faith"

 THIS was a lot of work but a HUGE hit with the kids!

Even some of the adults wanted to "walk on the water".

Day 4: Theme:He will strengthen us if we ask Him in prayer.

Story: David and Goliath

Verses: I Kings 17

Science Experiment: Object Lesson 2: "Even Little People Can Do Big Things"

NO PHOTOGRAPHER MEANS NO PICTURES FROM DAY FOUR. (Insert sad face)

But, I will take this time to show you an amazing photo booth another missionary painted for our special VBS week. Isn't it awesome!?

Day 5: Theme: Christ died for us because He loves us.

Story: Philip and the Ethiopian Eunuch - 

Verses: Acts 8:26-40

Science Experiment: Object Lesson 11a: "Nothing Gold Can Stay"

 This was the greatest object lesson of the week which made it perfect for the final day's experiment. A great illustration that had passersby stopping to watch to see what happened.

We pray this post is a help and encouragement to you as you prepare for upcomingVBS programs in your area of the world. We would love to hear from you if you use any of these ideas.

Please feel free to leave any questions in the comments!

Russian pancakes (blinchiky)

I had tried and tried to make "blinchiky" the way friends give me the recipe (just throwing the ingredients into a bowl and not really measuring any of them) but I could not get them to turn out. I ended up spending way too much time making a mess of batter in a skillet. Frustrating! I just knew it didn't take that long to make these thin little 'pancakes' and set out to find a recipe. I ended up trying this crepe recipe which turned out wonderfully! They were thin, easy to cook and flip in the skillet and tasted great. So, I use this recipe below to make 'blinchiky'. This recipe is way more fool-proof than guessing at the ingredients each time. 

1 1/2 cups milk

 2 tsp. vanilla extract

3 large egg yolks 

2 tsp. sugar 

1 TBSP salt 

5 TBSP butter, melted plus more for pan

1 1/2 cups sifted all-purpose flour 

1. Whisk together milk, vanilla, yolks, sugar, salt, and butter until well combined. Slowly whisk mixture into flour until smooth. Transfer to an airtight container; refrigerate at least two hours or overnight. 

2. Once the batter has set and you are ready to fry them, lightly coat a 6 -1/2 to 7-inch crepe pan or non-stick skillet with butter. Place over medium heat until just starting to smoke. Remove from heat; pour 2 to 3 tbsps of batter quickly into center of pan. quickly tilt pan and swirl in all directions so batter covers bottom in a thin layer. Return pan to heat; cook until center is dry, about 1 minute. Jerk pan sharply back and forth to loosen blinchik. 

3. Lift edge of blinchik; when underside is golden brown, flip with your fingers or two spatulas. Cook until top is brown in spots, about 30 seconds more. Slide onto plate. 

4. Coat pan with butter again and repeat with remaining batter. layering blinchiky on a plate. To keep warm, cover with an inverted oven-proof dish and place in a 200 degree C oven.

Russian people love to eat blinhiky with different fillings, including everything from 'varenya' (fruit jams) to chicken and mushrooms. So, choose your filling or just scarf them down by the handfuls like my teenage boys do! :) However you like to eat them, enjoy! I would love to hear what are some of your favorite filings!

Sunday Scriptures - Isaiah 26:3

I Don't Quite Fit

We all realize that missionaries go abroad and stand out from the crowd. Many times they have different eye color, hair color, accents, mannerisms than those around them. But for those of us, who serve in Asia or any country where the individuals are much more petite than westerners, many times we literally "Don't Quite Fit In". It can be quite humorous at times to see us try fit into average spaces:) Here are a few humorous pictures of these moments.

Trying to use a mirror for an average person.

Trying to walk in a restaurant.

Trying to fit on a scooter. Which BTW, in many countries you can see up to 5 or more people sitting on these.

 

Squeezing into tiny bathrooms.

 

Squeezing packages on to tiny vehicles.

 

Trying to carry all your shopping goodies on a bike like the locals.

 

Trying to get out of the bathroom without scalping yourself.

This is a sign we see on a regular basis.

In many countries men struggle to find shoes that are bigger than size 8 or pants that are longer than 30".

Many ladies live in countries where a size 0 is an average size and although you maybe a small in the states, you find yourself wearing an XXL.

Men and women alike find themselves running head long into doorways that are smaller than 5ft and sent reeling and holding their head for quite a while:)

 

Many ladies find themselves trying to lean over kitchen counters meant for women who are 4" tall. Similar to the lovely lady Julia Child.

It is very common to see husbands doing a half squat to shave in the mirror or tie their tie.

So as you can see we make quite the funny scene at times:) You can't help but see the humor in the Jolly Green Giant Missionary.

 

Posted with Blogsy

Vacation Bible School - Using a Point System (re-post)

Hello again! If you are dropping in this week we are talking about a great way to use a point system and keep track of it throughout the week of your Vacation Bible School program. 

I can tell you that every day of every VBS program we have held, the day's activities begin with a registration time. We set up two tables labeled for each age group - one for the younger children (ages up to 8) and one for the older children (ages 9 and up). This 30-45 minutes is the time when as the children arrive they can report to the registration tables, giving us their name, worksheet from the previous day, quote their Bible verse, and report/register any visitors they invited and brought with them for that day. 

One of the first things to consider is how YOU will keep track of attendance and  of how many points each child earns throughout the week. 

Here is a basic chart that I designed to fit our VBS point system. It is basic but it works for me! One added advantage that I had was obtaining a list of students from the local school so that I could enter in the children's names even before we held our first VBS. This saved us time by not having to write all of their names in each year. 

As you can see there are the point categories for Attendance, Bible Verse, Activity Sheet, Visitor, and Participation. I also added a "Note" section to the far right for any additional information including the name of their visitor so we can be sure everyone is counted for and points are awarded to those who invited them.

We print up two copies of these sheets - one for the younger age group and one for the older age group. I take these sheets home at the end of each day and use them in tallying the daily points to be punched onto the children's point cards.

As you can see in this photo below, each child is wearing a card that corresponds to his team color (we usually divide the children up into two teams.) At the top of the card is a place for the child's name. Then below the name are "point stars" of (in this case) 10 points value each. Each day the child attends VBS, he is  given this card to wear for the day until game time so that he too can see his progress and be excited about how many points he earns throughout the week. Let me add that the children only receive these cards beginning on the second day. Everyone who comes for the first time (no matter what day) receives points for attendance, Bible verse, and the activity sheets. We do this to give those who can only attend one day a few points to be able to purchase something from the "store" at the end of the week.

Each day during snack time, we gather these point cards, and I take them home to use a hole puncher and punch the points on each card once I have tallied the child's points for each day. It is a bit time consuming, but I think it is important to do things orderly, and it is also so exciting for the kids each day to see more holes punched in their point cards!

The last day is quite busy as you must take time during the day's activities to add up the rest of the points earned from that last morning's registration and add it into the totals. That way the children have all of their points tabulated and you can reward those who invited the most guests, memorized the most verses, and then give them ALL of their points to spend in the "store"!

VBS 2010 - Some of the children with prizes they bought with their points

Please let me know if you have any questions or would like me to better explain some aspect of these posts so far about planning a VBS program. I look forward to hearing from you!

Challah Braid

Challah braid is a special Jewish braided bread eaten on Sabbath and Jewish holidays. You can read more about it here. I am sharing it today because it makes for a great companion to soups, especially pea soup, and homemade meals.  My family loves this bread! It is light, almost like a popover texture inside, and irresistible with softened butter! This recipe takes a while so start it ahead of time. It is definitely worth the effort!

INGREDIENTS

2 1⁄2-2 3⁄4 cups all-purpose flour or 2 1⁄2-23⁄4 cups bread flour
2 1⁄2 teaspoons dry yeast or 2 1⁄2 teaspoons quick active dry yeast
2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon salt
3⁄4 cup water
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 large egg
vegetable oil
1egg yolk
2 tablespoons cold water
poppy seed (optional)


DIRECTIONS

Mix 1 1/4 cups of the flour, the yeast, sugar, and salt in large bowl. Heat water and 1 tablespoon oil until very warm (120 to 130). Add water mixture to flour mixture. Beat with electric mixer on low speed 1 minute, scraping bowl frequently. Beat on medium speed 1 minute, scraping bowl frequently. Beat in 1 egg until smooth. Stir in enough remaining flour to make dough easy to handle. Turn dough onto lightly floured surface. Knead about 5 minutes or until smooth and elastic. Place in greased bowl and turn greased side up. Cover and let rise in warm place 1 1/2 to 2 hours or until double. Dough is ready if indentation remains when touched.

Lightly grease cookie sheet with shortening. Punch down dough and divide into 3 equal parts. Roll each part into a rope, 14 inches long. Place ropes close together on cookie sheet. Braid ropes gently and loosely--do not stretch. Fasten ends and tuck ends under braid securely. Brush with oil. Cover and let rise in warm place 40 to 50 minutes or until double.

Heat oven to 375. Mix egg yolk and 2 tablespoons water and brush over braid. Sprinkle with poppy seed if desired. Bake 25 to 30 minutes or until golden brown. Check bread at 15 minutes and tent with aluminum foil if it seems to be browning too quickly. Remove from cookie sheet to wire rack and cool.

Sunday Scriptures - Psalm 90:2

Photo by Shari House missionary in New Zealand

Caught Between

I can feel it in my throat. It gets stuck right there. I try to swallow it back, but it is difficult. I feel it in my heart.

It aches.

And yet it is mingled with smiles and joy.  I want to laugh, and I want to cry. I am not sure why I am telling you all this. Maybe I need a hug or a word of encouragement. Maybe I am telling you this because I need you to tell me this is normal.

Or maybe I am telling you this because deep down inside there is a longing...

Vacation Bible School - Tips for Inviting Children and to Keep Them Coming Back! (re-post)

Hello! We are back again this week to discuss more about planning a fun and successful Vacation Bible School. By the way, what makes a VBS program successful? In my opinion, you can count it successful if you are able to make contact with new children that have never attended your Sunday school class and if you have met a few parents as well! After all, that is the goal - to meet new children and parents, praying that they might begin attending services and come to Christ! A more open and relaxed atmosphere like a week of VBS provides a wonderful opportunity for the community to see what you are all about and how you work with their children. If you are new on a field, a VBS program can be a great way "ice breaker" to give both the children and parents a better idea of what you are about. 

One important rule to guide you throughout the program - 

What if a stranger came knocking on YOUR door to invite YOUR child to attend a daily Bible school? 

Think about it!

What would you like to see in that person or in the way he invited your children? 

What are some things that might cause you not allow your children to attend?

Thinking about the situation from the parent's perspective helps us better understand any hesitation we might receive from parents or children. It also helps us think more seriously about how we will go about inviting children to attend.

I believe the best way to invite children and actually have some attend is to walk around the village/city and hand out flyers, hang up posters, and do your best to meet the parents. We even gave out candy or balloons with the invites as well just for effect. The kids become much more interested when they see a big bunch of balloons walking around!

Our daughter (2007) ready to walk through the village
and hand out invites to our first VBS!

When you are walking around and not in a car, you are less intimidating and more approachable for anyone to come up to you and take an invitation or inquire about the VBS program. Obviously, you may need to drive to an area due to the distance away from your church or area where the VBS will be held, but then get out and walk around a bit so you can personally hand out invitations to children and parents.

Another great encouragement to help the kids get excited about coming out as well as bringing new visitors during the week is a point system. We have used a point system every year, and it is a great motivator. Here is the general breakdown we use...

Attendance

Memorizing Daily Memory Verse

Bringing Worksheets back each day

Participation

Bringing a First-time Visitor

VBS 2007

The point values can be determined based upon your needs/plans. One determining factor for us is that we have a "store" at the end of the week where the children can spend their points to purchase toys and small items. Usually, on Thursday evening, my husband and I pull out all of the items so that we can give them "prices" based on the number of points the children have earned during the week. We do this in order to be sure that every child can take something home, even if he was only able to attend one day during the week. 

Preparing the store - VBS 2012

VBS 2009 Store

Another idea that we tried this past year with our Olympic theme was to award the first, second, and third place winners for most verses memorized and most visitors brought. These children were rewarded with gold, silver, and bronze medals. This was a great idea to me, and I think we will implement it into future VBS programs even though we will use other themes besides the Olympic theme.

Scripture Memorization winners (2012).
They were wet from playing water games!

I will leave you with one more piece of advice in using a point system. You must have a very organized method to keep track of each child's daily points.
This gives us great material for next week's VBS post! 

See you then!

Italian Quiche (with tomato, basil, and garlic)

Depending on the size of your family, this recipe can be served as lunch or a light dinner meal. This is a delicious quiche that makes your house smell delicious!

SERVES: 8
PREP TIME: 20-25 minutes
BAKE TIME: 50 minutes

Preheat oven to 180 C (350 F)

Ingredients:

1 prepared 9-inch pie shell (I make mine from scratch following this recipe)

1 1/2 cups sour cream

1/2 cup evaporated milk (I have omitted this if not available)

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese, divided

4 large eggs, beaten

1/4 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. ground black pepper

3 tablespoons seasoned, dry breadcrumbs 

(I use small seasoned salad croutons commonly sold here in Russia)

1 tsp. dried basil leaves, crushed

3 cloves garlic, finely chopped

1 3/4 cups fresh or canned diced tomatoes, drained

1/4 cup ripe olives, chopped (optional)

Directions:

Whisk sour cream, evaporated milk, 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese, eggs, salt, and pepper in medium bowl; pour into pie shell. Combine remaining cheese, breadcrumbs, basil, and garlic in small bowl; sprinkle over sour cream mixture. Top with tomatoes and olives.

**I allow the quiche to bake for about 5-10 minutes before sprinkling on the cheese, breadcrumbs, basil, and garlic mixture, as well as, the tomatoes and olives. This prevents them sinking too deeply into the quiche during baking.

Bake for 50-60 minutes or until knife inserted near center comes out clean. Remove from oven. Allow to cool on a wire rack for 5-10 minutes before serving.

Note: The quiche will "poof" up while baking but will shrink back down to its original size once you remove it from the oven.

Sunday Scriptures - Proverbs 31:28 & 30

Missionary Survey, Part 2: Young Married Women Speak

This is Part 2 of the Young Missionary Survey. (If you missed Part 1, you can access it here.) All of the missionary women participating in this survey are age 35 and below. In this part, we'll hear from the married women* who've served on the field.  

  

The question they’re answering is: Based on your experience, what advice would you give to women?

The young married missionary women answered:

• Enjoy where the Lord currently has you, and make the most of it! There will be times of loneliness, disappointment, fear, feeling inadequate, but God has you. He has currently called you where you are and as long as you are in His will, you will make it through! He doesn't promise that following Him will be easy, but it is worth it! You will eventually be able to speak and understand the language, make friends (as well as your kids), and you will start feeling comfortable and 'normal' in your new homeland. Enjoy where God has you, and when times get hard and you want to complain or 'go back home,' stick it out and you will see that it was worth all you had to do to get there . . . especially the first time you get to lead a national to Christ, or experience your husband do it. smile emoticon
• Write out your expectations for your ministry, for your husband, and for the nationals you are working with. Then, rip it up and ask God to show you His desires and His ways. So many frustrations stem from our unrealistic expectations of ourselves, others, and even of our Heavenly Father. Remember that surrender is more than surrendering to go; it's a daily laying down of self will. There will be many challenges that the Lord gives to reveal our selfishness and pride. May we say as Jesus did, "Thy will be done." Your joy will only be found in Christ. Enjoy your children; see them as God sees them--blessings!
• Practice being positive and making the best with what you have. We all have down days and struggles but no one has to live there. There are always blessings and things to be thankful for in every situation and generally more than we realize. I believe a happy person and a content person is a thankful person. To be thankful you have to be aware of the positive things around you to be thankful for. In the hardest most stressful times when you can't even find a beginning to your list, start loving on God in your quiet time. When you remember his goodness, it makes it easier to see all the good he has given also. Making the best out of a little will come extremely helpful on the field.
• You don't have to know all the answers right now, but trust the One who does. I have yet for Him to lead me astray.
• Love the Lord, love His Work, leave the results to God. Stand on His Promises. He is faithful! Remember that what we get to do is amazing because we reap eternal rewards. Everything we do, and the things we might do without are all worth it so another soul gets to be in heaven for eternity. I constantly remind myself, “Keep your eyes on Jesus!”
• Communicate! Be patient with yourself. Learning a language, culture, building a ministry takes a lifetime; it's not going to happen overnight. Don’t give up! It will feel like more than you can handle, and it is. But it’s not more than God can handle! Learn how to wait on the Lord. It's so easy to get frustrated when things aren't working out the way you want or as quickly as you want, and it can become consuming and drag you down. On purpose, decide to give it to the Lord every day, sometimes multiple times a day and trust in Who He is and that He is your loving Father Who wants the very best for you. He can see the bigger picture and will take care of any need or situation in His timing. The ministry is people. Love them by being selfless and giving. Step out of your comfort zone, and be willing to be used. God will stretch you and bless you through it, if you let Him. Enjoy the adventure!
• Serve others.
• Let go of traditions and be willing to embrace/create a new normal that will meet the unique needs you have in the unique place you've been called. July 4th is wonderful, but don't let the lack of something you've loved keep you from exploring and enjoying the fun things that surround you in your new home.
• The advice that I give myself all the time is to take everything one step at a time. Day by day. If you think of everything that has to be done, it will stress you out. But one task at a time isn't as overwhelming. One of my college professors always said, "shoot the crocodile closet to the boat." And be faithful. God didn't call us to be super successful, just to be faithful to what He has called us to do. He takes care of the rest.
• Do not go into debt. Living on the mission field is stressful. Learning to live on a foreign currency can be challenging. Doing all of that with debt adds a heavy distraction to what you were called to do.
• Be flexible! Flexible with your expectations, flexible with others' mentalities, flexible with your demands on others and yourself, flexible with pastors, flexible with visitors, flexible with household duties, flexible with your husband being on call all the time, flexible with people who don't have the same priorities as you, flexible with your children, flexible with your schedules, flexible when you have NO schedule! Flexibility and the willingness to learn and adapt are important anywhere, but when we can't "fall back" on what we know, or be with people who we instinctively know how to respond to, or how to deal with, when there are spiritual battles and totally different challenges, flexibility becomes invaluable to success on the mission field.
• Remember, to everything there is a season. As a mother and wife I have learned/still learning there are seasons in which we serve in the ministry. When the kids are smaller, it may seem like we are limited. Deputation, language school—those are only for season. God has purpose for all the seasons of life. Enjoy each one, and give each one your 100% best.
• It's totally okay to not be as busy ministry-wise as other older women in ministry are. I felt so much self-inflicted pressure, which translated to pressuring my hubby more because I couldn’t keep up and even once neglecting my kiddos when they were sick. I had to learn to not pressure myself or let others pressure me because there are seasons of life. Titus makes more sense to me now that I have little children. I understand what I can do, though, Sunday schools and women’ meetings. But I'm careful to do what I know doesn't leave my family with only leftovers of me. Last piece of advice I would give is to make your field your home. Don’t keep your eyes back on the States. Bloom where you are and be there completely. It will make a difference to those immediately around you like your little family and even to those you are reaching. Ask God to do this in your heart and family’s heart and let Him bring you joy through it. smile emoticon
• There have been so many times I just needed to vent. It helps me to write it all down, every ugly feeling. That way I can think it through and avoid burdening my husband unnecessarily, and explain what I'm dealing with better.
• Be humble and realize your biggest obstacle and enemy will be yourself.
• Life, in general, is inconvenient. Be flexible. Focus on truth during the hard times. Never forget that the Lord is always in control and He is always good. When going through a trial, look for the many blessings God gives to help you remember He is there with you during the power outages, loneliness, etc. Never underestimate the impact you are making. You may have to do nursery duty every service and never hear a sermon or talk to visitors, but you are making an impact through your example and service to the Lord. Dig roots where the Lord places you. You won't always be there and you may not be able to speak their language, but love and friendship supersedes language. Be faithful even when it hurts. Never stop shedding tears for lost souls.
• My advice would be to not try to be "wonder woman" on the field. You will not always be able to do everything you want to do (especially when you have small children). Let God lead you on a daily basis and always put your family first. I used to constantly beat myself up because I felt like I was not accomplishing much even though I as so busy. God knows our hearts and works in ways we cannot imagine.
• God has taught me so far to be patient; it's okay to take things slow. Learn as you go. Be teachable. Know that God uses people in all different kinds of ways and at all different timings. Do justly. Walk humbly. Love mercy.
• My go to verse when I have a really bad day is Psalms 139:14, "I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvellous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well." I never understand how "good, godly people" can be so cruel to missionaries but at the end of the day its not your husband (it is good that I have such a wonderful Godly husband), your children, your parents, your friends or even your pastor but you and your relationship with Our Lord Jesus Christ that will get you through it all. If you have that strong relationship with Him, all things will pass away. People will disappoint time and time again. They are not worth giving up the ministry for; they are human! But God is constant!
• God's plans will be much different than yours. After living in (mission field) for a year, I was diagnosed with leukemia, and that definitely wasn't in my plan. We saw God use my illness for good, and even though that wasn't something I would have thought I wanted. Philippians 4:11 is the verse the Lord gave me through that journey. Surrender is hard and sometimes happens to a husband before a wife. (My husband desired to go back to the field when I was given a clean bill of health, but I was much more hesitant.) The Lord worked on my heart, and after several months He gave me peace about returning. God will guide you when you seek and trust in Him.
• Trust God and submit to your husband. Know that your husband is human and he will make mistakes, but that God is in control and it is your job to submit, not fix him. And always show him respect; never disrespect him in public.
• Don't compare yourself to another missionary (good or bad)! Their strengths and weaknesses are not yours. God put you where you are and didn't make a mistake.
• God's timing is always right even when we don't see it. Keep plugging away! He is preparing us for more waiting . . . until we reach heaven! Don't try to carry the same load as your husband. You are not the head of the family or the one responsible for the ministry God has given to him. Your husband needs support and a sweet wife to come home to while he is in the fight! The devil will attack you. Be ready to fight him off with all your might and with prayer. He has been defeated already!
• Keep your eyes on eternity. The highs and the lows, difficulties and victories, will be put in proper focus with eternity in view!

Weren't these a blessing! Thank God for these young missionary women who are willing to lay down their lives to reach others with the gospel.

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* Note: The reason I divided singles and marrieds was not to discriminate; it was because singles addressed their advice to singles, and the married women to other married women.