Rumble Strip Warning

Have you ever driven off the road a little and experienced the lovely rumble strips?

And then had a heart attack because it sounded like a monster-movie-sized wasp was now in your car, or had possibly picked it up and was shaking it?

(Asking for a friend.)

Those rumble strips are there for our safety. If we start to fall asleep, or God forbid, are driving and looking at our phone, we can veer off the road. It's not hard to do at all! It can even happen when you're wide awake and looking at the road the whole time. But that jolt will get you back in the center pretty quickly!

Sometimes it feels like there's magnets in those strips, drawing the car to that side of the road. Especially if your spouse or travel partner has fallen asleep in the passenger seat, and you're tired of being the only one awake.

Don't look at me like that.

I have looked at these strips as an annoyance when someone else was driving and kept veering off the road for some reason known only to the secrets of the universe.

I have looked at them as life savers when we've been traveling for hours on end and I have blinked a little longer than I expected to while driving.

I have been completely oblivious to them when I am driving in my lane, and not veering off the road in either direction.

Did you know your spiritual life also has rumble strips?

When you veer off the road God has laid out before you, you'll hit some bumps. That's God's way of reminding you to get back on the road. I can't define what those bumps look like, because they are different for every person.

You might not recognize them at first, because you're 'driving' distracted and allowing something else to claim your attention.

Rumble is defined as: A continuous, deep, resonant sound.

If your attention is completely somewhere else, you might be able to ignore that rumble for a while. Maybe your tires are only barely touching the strips, so the rumble isn't that loud yet. But it's there.

Have you ever had that check in your spirit that perhaps you needed to change something you were doing? Maybe you thought it wasn't that bad, or wasn't hurting anyone, but God gave you a check. He started to rumble to get your attention.

And maybe you ignored it.

God will try to get your attention in that first veered-off place as long as there is road under your passenger-side wheels. This may look like someone else recognizing that you're going off the road, and stepping in to lovingly warn you. (Hence the passenger-side tires.)

And you may find that warning annoying at first, and not see it for what it really is- trying to keep you on the road and in safety.

However, veer off farther, and the warning seems to disappear. The strips are still there, but now under the center of your car, doing you no good because you've veered a little too far. You may think everything is fine at this point.

If you're not careful though, you'll wander a little farther, and the rumbling is back, now under the tires of the driver (you) in a last-ditch effort to wake you up before you go completely off the road. At this point you may also be kicking up dust on your passenger side, and flinging stones at the cars behind you.

So, whatever the reason you're veering, it's affecting other people. And it should most certainly have your attention now, with the rumbling being directly underneath you.

Keep veering, though, and not only will the rumble stop completely, but you will probably wreck your car. There are loads of thing to hit head-on once you're off the road.

Don't ignore the rumble.

Ephesians 4:17-24
(17) This I say therefore, and testify in the Lord, that ye henceforth walk not as other Gentiles walk, in the vanity of their mind,
(18) Having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart:
(19) Who being past feeling have given themselves over unto lasciviousness, to work all uncleanness with greediness.
(20) But ye have not so learned Christ;
(21) If so be that ye have heard him, and have been taught by him, as the truth is in Jesus:
(22) That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts;
(23) And be renewed in the spirit of your mind;
(24) And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.

I need to be thankful for the rumble strips in my life, whatever form they take. I don't want to begrudge them or ignore them. I certainly don't want to end up wrecked in the ditch, hurting people on the way.

Hebrews 12:9-11
(9) Furthermore we have had fathers of our flesh which corrected us, and we gave them reverence: shall we not much rather be in subjection unto the Father of spirits, and live?
(10) For they verily for a few days chastened us after their own pleasure; but he for our profit, that we might be partakers of his holiness.
(11) Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby.

Thank You, Lord, for always rumbling to wake me up when I get off the road.

The Peace That God Gives

Troublesome times are here.  Headlines every single hour of every single day can scare you death with talk of corona virus, death, political upheaval, tornadoes, storms, and economic collapse.  

There are a multitude of thoughts within me, but I can honestly say that I have peace during this time…not 100% of time.  Sometimes when I wake in the middle of the night the “pestilence that walks in darkness” can overwhelm my thoughts.  It is then that I must turn my thoughts to the One that has taught me so much about Himself.  

Japan is in one of the most earthquake-active areas of the world.  There is an earthquake somewhere in Japan every day.  This was something that was very difficult for me to get used to.  When we first arrived, they terrified me.  When I was on the subway, I thought, “I wouldn’t want to be here during an earthquake.”  When we were in a very long tunnel, I thought, “I wouldn’t want to be here during an earthquake.”  When we were on the 3rd or 4th level of a very tall highway, I thought, “I wouldn’t want to be here during an earthquake.” 

In the meantime, I was working on verses for my Knowing God study.  God spoke to me through verses I was memorizing and I realized that no matter where I was when that earthquake hit, God would know exactly where I was, He would be with me, He would still love me and He would still be good.

It’s those thoughts that give me peace during these turbulent times.  The same God Who is with me when the earth shakes, is the same God that is with me when my “world” is shaken.  He knows exactly where I am, He is with me, He loves me and He is good!!  I pray that the Lord will give you the peace that can only come from Him.  

__________

“Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.” ~John 14:27

“God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.

Therefore will not we fear, though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea;

Though the waters thereof roar and be troubled, though the mountains shake with the swelling thereof. Selah.

There is a river, the streams whereof shall make glad the city of God, the holy place of the tabernacles of the most High.

God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved: God shall help her, and that right early.

The heathen raged, the kingdoms were moved: he uttered his voice, the earth melted.

The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah.

Come, behold the works of the Lord, what desolations he hath made in the earth.

He maketh wars to cease unto the end of the earth; he breaketh the bow, and cutteth the spear in sunder; he burneth the chariot in the fire.

Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth.

The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah."  ~Psalm 46

*The photo is taken at a flower park.  The wisteria is so beautiful.  In Japan, it is called Fuji Flower.

Sourdough Bread (in a machine)

Sourdough Bread

 in a bread machine

I love sourdough bread, as I'm sure you have figured out. But sometimes I don't have time to make sourdough bread...or I'm told last minute that we need a loaf of bread. 

I decided to figure out a bread machine recipe for sourdough bread. I couldn't figure out how to make the bread golden brown, because my machine only bakes for one hour. I believe if I could bake the bread for maybe 15 minutes more, the top may brown. The texture was amazing! It wasn't dense, and had a nice crumb! The crust was actually crusty, and the inside was soft. I was so happy how it turned out. My brothers loved the bread, so that was a win for me. This bread makes amazing sandwiches and toast. It doesn't crumble when toasted, and doesn't get soggy as soon as you put anything moist on it. 

I cut a loaf in half, and set it in our oven overnight just to see if the loaf would dry out. And it didn't! 

Simply combine the ingredients in your machine, and run the basic cycle....or whatever cycle does a knead, a rise and a bake. 

Just remember, normal sourdough, when allowed to rise for at least 8 hours, is lower in gluten. But because this doesn't have that resting period it will not affect the gluten content of the bread. 

For extra fluffy bread, you can do 2 teaspoons of yeast. In all honesty, the lightness of the bread is determined on your sourdough starter. 

Amber Wells 

Papua New Guinea 

Of Mole Hills and Mountains

Have you ever heard the phrase "making a mountain out of a molehill"?

It's usually said in a dismissive way from one person to another, who thinks the other person is overreacting to a behavior, event, or conversation.

Many times it is said by the person who has displayed behavior that has been offensive, and when called on it, they say 'Don't make a mountain out of a mole hill".

But that is not always the case.

It is sometimes used by a person who thinks another person should respond in the same way they do to a behavior, event, or conversation, and is meant to calm a person down, or cause them to reconsider their reaction to said behavior, event or conversation.

I may or may not have had this said to me, and/or have used this phrase myself. (Don't you love ambiguity? Or is this plausible deniability?) Same for you, right?

Believe it or not, this thought was spurred by a growing pile of dishes, and me, while washing them, wondering if mole hills can become mountains on their own. Like, if that thought made any sense at all. (Do your dishes ever multiply when you aren't looking?)

Mole hills are not a big deal to the person who doesn't have them in their yard. They may have never even seen one before. Hence their quick use of the above phrase.

Mountains are obvious problems, spiritually speaking. They are enormous, take a long time to get, are hard to navigate if we decide to climb them, are formed from trauma (plates of the earth slamming together), and everyone can see them from miles away. 

Mole hills are different though. They aren't high. You may not even know what it is if one pops up in your yard. Your neighbors can probably see it/them, but people on the other side of your house can't. And certainly no one can see it/them from a couple miles away.

However, mole hills are signs of a deeper issue. (Like literally under the ground.) Mole hills develop over time from a mole (or moles) burrowing and eating all the worms and grubs in an area.
This can result in the plant life dying because the mole has severed the roots while digging. Your yard health will definitely be affected, as the worms that used to aerate the ground are being consumed by the moles. There may also be ridges in your yard that are signs of their tunnels becoming closer to the surface. This happens when they've eaten everything and are looking for more food. And their hills look like little volcanoes everywhere.

So mole hills are a problem. Definitely.

Spiritually speaking, this may be underlying issues you have with something from your past. Maybe a person has hurt you, or offended you, and you haven't dealt with it, so that issue becomes like a mole tunneling beneath the surface, affecting other parts of your life, making little volcanoes that erupt all over the place, starving you of the nutrition you so desperately need...

Mole hills, while different from mountains, are actually quite large. They can be two feet across, and nine inches high! Certainly big enough for someone else to fall into if they aren't paying attention. If you looked at one that size from an aerial view, it would look like a crater. Pretty impressive considering moles themselves are only 5-8" long. 

So what's my point? (I do have one...)

Don't let underlying issues tunnel their way through your spirit until you are overrun, malnourished, and look like a person playing "Whack a Mole", trying to keep all your issues under control. It will make you frantic, and definitely cause you to look like you're overreacting to someone who can't see your back yard.

And if you're dealing with someone who has private mole hills, be kind. Don't tell them they're overreacting. Take time to listen, and pray with them. You will surely find there is a whole labyrinth of tunnels beneath the surface.

Galatians 6:1-2
(1) Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted.
(2) Bear ye one another's burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ.

John 13:34
A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.

Psalm 139:23-24
(23) Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts:
(24) And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.

Bandages

Have you ever left a bandage on too long and had the process of removing it be more traumatic than the reason you needed it in the first place?

I recently had this experience. A seam in part of my clothing was making a sore spot on my leg, so I decided to cover that area with a bandage. It worked so well that I forgot about it, even after showering, etc.

And because the area beneath is was just an irritation and not an actual wound I needed to check on, I really did totally forget I even had it on my leg. It was there unnecessarily for over a week. 😬

Did you know that when you try to remove a bandage that has been on your skin over a week that you may have to use a sandblaster? Or pressure washer? Or laser?

It just does not want to come off.

And you have a residue on your skin that looks like you put down superglue, let it dry a little, and then rolled it in lint and dryer fuzz. What is even in that stuff?? It's disturbing.

And SOOOO hard to remove!!

Or you experience an unintended waxing of the area, as removing the bandage also removes all the hairs that were growing under the sticky part. It can be quite painful!! Especially if someone you love is encouraging you to just "Hold your breath and rip it off already."

 

Um, no thanks.

The worst is when you use a gauze pad that's made of those little strings, and you leave it on too long. Eventually during the healing process, those strings get caught up in the scab, so when you remove the bandage, the scab goes too, and you're left with a bleeding wound. Again.

Our lives can be the same way.

Something is irritating. But instead of investigating to see why clothing we've worn literally a thousand times is now causing an irritation, or patiently allowing a callous to develop (which will eventually subside), we throw a bandaid over that area because irritations are somewhat painful.

And because it now doesn't hurt anymore, we forget about it. The bandage is doing its job, so we leave it. And we leave it on way too long.

Or perhaps we are really wounded. Maybe we were running and fell in the driveway, getting a serious road rash. We need a bandage to help the healing process, and keep out infection, and keep our fingers off of it, etc. But if we don't check the dressing often enough, the bandage gets pulled into the wound.

So the thing that was helping us is now hurting us.

And we might not even know it.

See, we have to check on our wounds. We have to face them, no matter how painful. No matter how ugly. No matter how much it makes us nervous to lift that bandage and open it up to the air. No matter how scared we are that a scab won't be there, and we'll be faced with the original awful thing that happened to us.

Because you can't wear a bandage forever.

Eventually the skin around your wound will become macerated, and can cause damage to tissue around the wound that wasn't part of the original injury.

Have you experienced that in your life? You were wounded, and left a 'bandage' on too long, and other areas of your life were unintentionally affected?

Jesus wants us to walk in wholeness. It's part of His gift of shâlôm. He doesn't want us to number the walking wounded. Yes, we get hurt- it's an unfortunate part of life with other humans. But I don't do myself any favors when I prolong the healing process by refusing to look at my wound and change the bandages.

Sometimes just getting it out into the open is enough to start the healing process. Voicing it to the Savior is a beautiful place to start.

Jeremiah 17:14
Heal me, O LORD, and I shall be healed; save me, and I shall be saved: for thou art my praise.

Psalm 23:3-4
(3) He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake.
(4) Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.

Psalm 34:18-19
(18) The LORD is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit.
(19) Many are the afflictions of the righteous: but the LORD delivereth him out of them all.

Isaiah 53:3-5
(3) He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not.
(4) Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.
(5) But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.

Whatever you're going through, Jesus understands. He knows you may be scared. He's ready to walk with you through the healing process, no matter how ugly. No matter how painful. He was wounded for you, so that you might be healed.

Will you let Jesus help you start the healing process today?

Sourdough Cinnamon Rolls

Sourdough Cinnamon Rolls

I love cinnamon rolls, but am honestly too lazy to make them. I know, I’m a terrible person! 

I had been wanting to make sourdough cinnamon rolls for several weeks, and finally decided to make them last night. (Saturday) 

I looked at several recipes online, and they all looked super complicated. I purposely didn’t look at King Arthur Flour, because I wanted to try a recipe from somewhere else. (I don’t know why… ) But after I looked through several recipes, I finally looked at the KAF sourdough cinnamon roll recipe. It was the simplest looking recipe, and I’ve loved every sourdough recipe of theirs that I have tried. I used their ingredient list, but used my own method. 

Combine all of the ingredients except the salt and yeast. In a stand mixer, knead for about 3 minutes. Sprinkle the salt and yeast over the dough, and allow to rest for 20 minutes. (Don’t knead in the salt and yeast yet.) This 20 minute rest is called autolyse (I'm not going to remember that, so I don’t expect you to either… just a piece of random sourdough information that none of us will probably ever use.)  After the 20 minutes, knead dough for another 3 minutes. Leave the dough in the mixer bowl, but remove the hook attachment. Let the dough rise for 3-4 hours. During that 3-4 hours, fold the dough 3-4 times. Maybe once every hour….the timing isn’t necessarily important. The folding just insures you’ll have a strong dough that’s elastic. When I made this, I mixed up my dough right after dinner, and did the folding in-between dinner and bedtime. I actually forgot I was making cinnamon rolls until I was almost asleep! I had to wake myself up and go finish the cinnamon rolls. If you’re like me, you may want to set a timer or reminder on your phone to make sure you don’t forget that you were making cinnamon rolls. 

Once the 3-4 hours is up, it’s time to roll the dough out. Roll it out into a rectangle. The dough should be slightly thinner than your pinky. (That’s the magic thickness.) You will need to roll this out on a floured surface. The dough is a stickier dough. 

Spread the butter on your dough, go all the way to the edges. Sprinkle on the cinnamon sugar mixture, but don’t go all the way to the edge. Leave about half an inch all around the edge. Starting on the long side, start rolling the roll. Try to keep it as tight as possible. Once your roll is complete, it’s time to cut. I normally use my fingers to gauge how tall the rolls should be. Three fingers is what we like. Cut the rolls, and lay them in a greased pan. Cover with plastic wrap, and put in the fridge over night. 

In the A.M. remove rolls from fridge, and turn the oven on. Now with our oven it is kinda impossible to control the temp. But the ideal temp would be 350. Bake until the rolls start to brown. 

While the rolls are baking, mix up your icing. Once the rolls are done, spread the icing as soon as you remove from the oven. 

Now it’s time to enjoy! 

Amber Wells 

Papua New Guinea 🇵🇬

Her Story Silhouettes {Darlene Deibler Rose / When God "Abandons" You}

Go to www.sharihouse.com to read more "Her Story Silhouettes"

Silhouette:     

Darlene Mae McIntosh was born on May 10, 1917, in Boone, Iowa. She was saved at the age of nine, and by the age of thirteen, she knew the Lord had called her into a life of missions work. While receiving training to work on the mission field, Darlene met veteran missionary, Russell Deibler, who had already served a 5-year term in the country of Indonesia. On August 18, 1937, shortly after Darlene’s 20th birthday, they were married. The couple had dreams and plans of opening mission stations in the unreached interior of Dutch occupied Papua New Guinea. In 1938, Darlene and Russell travelled to Holland for six months in order to learn the Dutch language and customs. Later that same year, they sailed to Indonesia, and arrived in Batavia, Java on August 18, 1938, the date of their first wedding anniversary.

Darlene was so excited as her hopes and dreams were coming to fruition. A few days later they traveled to Macassar where she and her husband were greeted by a small group of missionaries that they would be partnering with. Darlene’s first lesson in the native language was the very next morning, and she enjoyed getting to know the other missionaries on the compound and taking in all the strange and wonderful things a new country, a new culture, and a new way of life brings.  By December, Darlene’s husband and a fellow missionary made their way to the Wissel Lakes region of Irian Jaya and set up the first mission post in that area bringing the Gospel to the Kapakau tribe for the first time. Darlene and the fellow missionary wife were required to stay behind until it was safe for them to make the long arduous trek into the interior. Darlene filled her time with language study and service to the church and school that had already been established at the Macassar station. She translated weekly Sunday school lessons for the children, supervised several teachers, taught Bible lessons in the school chapel, and assisted the wives of national workers with the kindergarten. Darlene found tremendous joy and satisfaction in all her responsibilities, but she longed for the day she could be reunited with her husband and, in her own words, “join the long line of intrepid missionary pioneers who had walked into the unknown to lift up His ensign on the mountains and lay a claim for the Lord.”

Over the next year or so, she and her husband were separated many months at a time while he was on expeditions further and further into the interior and worked on building them a home and setting up the mission station. The separation from Russell and the news that England and France had declared war on Germany were both cause for great concern, but Darlene had a strong faith and a close relationship with the Lord that brought her great strength. Finally, on January 23, 1940, Darlene started her journey to join her husband. As she was leaving, Dr. Jaffray, a seasoned missionary and her spiritual mentor said to her, “Remember, Lassie, for centuries the enemy has held these people in darkness. You will now experience satanic opposition such as you have never known. Until Russell’s first trip, no one had ever invaded his territory to challenge him, but don’t be afraid, for he is a defeated foe, undone by Calvary. Never forget that greater is He that is in you than he that is in the world. “

From a steamer, to small ships, to dugout canoes, Darlene was finally reunited with Russell. From there they had to trudge through the jungle trail, cross single log bridges covered in moss with deep gorges below, and survive the elements. Finally, as they were crossing the last summit, Darlene, the first woman to enter this remote area, got a glimpse of the Baliem Valley of New Guinea. She could see the people in the valley waving at her. They were as excited to meet her as she was to meet them. Darlene began to run down the mountainside to them shouting at the top of her lungs, “I’m home! I’m home!”

Russell and Darlene immediately set about constructing a building that would be used for a school and church. Darlene and her husband would daily go from home to home witnessing. Slowly they began reaching the natives with the Gospel one by one, and what a joy it was to their heart with each one who decided to trust Christ as their Savior. The future was bright in Darlene’s eyes. She and her husband were fulfilling God’s call in their lives, and her heart was knit with this place and this people God had called her to.  Little did she know what lied ahead.

In the wake of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941, Darlene and her missionary friends were captured by the Japanese military. The men were the first to be taken and sent to a prison camp. Russell’s parting words to Darlene were, “Remember one thing, dear: God said that He would never leave us nor forsake us.” Darlene had no idea that that would be the last time she would speak to her husband or that she would have to endure horrific things during the next four years before the war ended and she’d be free again.

Eventually the women and children were also taken to a different prison camp. Life in the POW camps was dreadful. There was often a meager food supply, and what was given was not enough to sustain the heavy labor the prisoners were expected to carry out. Prisoners were brutally beaten for small infractions, and diseases like dysentery and malaria claimed the lives of many. During Darlene’s imprisonment she tried her best to be a good soldier for the cause of Christ and strived to be an encouragement to the other women and children. She established a practice of reading a portion of God’s Word and praying as a group each night in the barracks where she lived. This helped to keep her barrack a calm center in the eye of the military storm that raged around them.

One day Darlene was called in to Mr. Yamaji’s office. He was the dreaded commander of the prison camp where she was located. He informed her that her husband had died on August 29, 1943. In that moment, feeling she had nothing else to lose, Darlene boldly proclaimed to him, “{Jesus} died for you, Mr. Yamaji, and He puts love in our hearts – even for those who are our enemies. That’s why I don’t hate you, Mr. Yamaji. Maybe God brought me to this place and this time to tell you He loves you.” Her words affected his heart and caused the strict commander to tear up. He quickly left the room, but from that time on he treated her with more kindness.

Darlene suffered much during her imprisonment, but nothing compared to the time she was summoned to the dreaded Kempeitai prison for solitary confinement and intense interrogation. The Japanese accused her of being an American spy and tried to get her to confess so they could execute her. She had to bear unspeakable things and eventually was forced to sign a false confession. Darlene was given her last meal and was taken to a room where she would be executed. She was surprised and her heart was comforted when the Lord brought to mind the song lyrics “I’ll live for Him who died for me!” A few moments later the Lord miraculously delivered her from death, and she was taken back to the prison camp. She would later find out that it was Mr. Yamaji who spoke on her behalf and stopped the execution.

Seventeen days after the truce had been signed aboard the battleship USS Missouri on September 2, 1945, and the war was over, Darlene found herself in a rowboat that was taking her out to a fly boat that would take her away from her island of captivity. Leaving the island as a widow of two years already, emaciated with a weight of just 80 pounds, and lacking even one material possession was a far cry from how she had arrived at the island eight years prior. Bitterness washed over her as large and daunting as the sea that surrounded her. In that moment she told the Lord she would never return to this place that had caused her so much pain. As she reached the flyboat and started to board it, she heard the sweet voices of the natives who had come to know the Lord and who had also shared in the indescribable suffering. They stood on the shoreline waving at her singing the song “God be with you, till we meet again . . .” Eventually Darlene would say of that moment, “Their song released the waters of bitterness that had flooded my soul, and the hurt began to drain from me as my tears flowed in a steady stream. The healing had begun. I knew then that someday, God only knew when, I would come back to these my people and my island home.”  

The next few years Darlene spent recovering from her ordeal and telling everyone she met of God’s goodness and preservation. She was determined to return as a single missionary to the island God had called her to even though many people tried to discourage her from it. In 1946, some friends introduced Darlene to a Reverend Gerald “Jerry” Rose who had already been assigned a mission post in the primitive Papua New Guinea. The two fell in love and were married on April 4, 1948. In early 1949, Darlene and Jerry returned to the Wissel Lakes, the same area where she and her first husband had started their ministry. For the next 29 years Darlene and Jerry, along with their two sons, served together teaching, preaching, building landing strips, delivering babies, facing headhunters, and leading people to Christ.

In 1978, because of the political climate after the Dutch pulled out the country, Darlene and Jerry moved to the Outback of Australia to begin a new work with the Aborigines. Over the next 15 years, they were used of God to lead hundreds to the Lord and were instrumental in starting several indigenous churches. Due to their failing health, in 1993, they returned to the States. Darlene lived out her final days the same way she had spent her entire life – sharing the Gospel with those she came into contact with, encouraging fellow Christians in their walk with the Lord, and reminding everyone of the Lord’s presence and goodness to her. Darlene died on February 24, 2004, at the age of 86. She served her Savior faithfully all her years, and I can just imagine when she saw her Savior face to face Darlene shouting to Him, “I’m home! I’m home!” She is truly a woman of whom it could be said, “She hath done what she could”!

Her Story/My Story:  

During that particularly hard trial when Darlene was forced to endure solitary confinement and interrogation, she felt many things – fear, discomfort, dread, helplessness, abandonment, anger, love, hope, grace, and even God’s presence. One day she happened to see a prisoner in the courtyard being snuck a banana through the perimeter fence while the guard’s back was turned. She had been living off a diet of maggot-infested rice gruel and the thought of being able to eat bananas caused her to send up a quick prayer to the Lord to somehow let her have just one banana. As quick as she was to pray, she was quick to despair that there was no way God would ever be able to get a banana to her through the prison walls. Every scenario she came up with seemed impossible. The very next morning Darlene could hear the guards coming toward her cell. She stood as best she could and prayed the Lord would help her to make a perfect bow so she wouldn’t be beaten. When the door opened, she saw Mr. Yamaji’s smiling face. He had come from the prison camp to check on her. He was disturbed by her appearance and seemed to speak sharply to the officers. After he left her cell, Darlene remembered that she had forgotten to bow to the prison officers. She knew they would be back any minute to punish her. Sure enough she could hear them coming down the hallway toward her cell, but when they opened the door, instead of punishing her, they gave her a large bunch of bananas from Mr. Yamaji . . . 92 bananas to be exact. Darlene was reminded yet again that the Lord had not abandoned her, and that nothing was impossible for Him. After the war when she was released and was headed home to the States, she made the statement, “I handed over eight long years of my life into the faithful, wise hands of a gracious God Who alone could help me to understand the mysteries of deep pain and suffering.” Every time she told her story of captivity, she would always say, “I’d do it all again for my Savior.” At the end of her life, Darlene could look back and see how many lives she was able to reach for the cause of Christ through the story of her suffering.  

I have never had to suffer physically the way that Darlene did, and I don’t know what it feels like to lose a husband, but I know the heart pain that comes from going through a fiery trial where you feel the Lord has abandoned you or at the very least is silent toward you. I recently experienced this feeling when the Lord brought me to a trial that He is still bringing me through. For years I’ve wanted children. When it passed the time where I could have a child of my own, I began to hope that I’d be able to adopt a baby. Seven years ago, on March 18, 2012, I found out I was approved to adopt a child in Thailand. I just knew it would only be a matter of weeks before the Lord gave me my baby girl I had so desperately prayed for. In 2017, after years of praying and three failed attempts, I came to terms with the situation and accepted the fact that being a mother to my own child was not in the Lord’s will for my life. I proceeded to dismantle the nursery that for so many years had mocked me and caused me to doubt myself and my ability to know the Lord’s will for my life. I gave everything away except for a couple of things I couldn’t bear to part with. Having a peace in my heart, I crossed off the words “a child that will call me mom” that had been listed on my “miracles” prayer list for over a decade and never prayed again for it. For the past two years I have been content in that state.

On August 20, 2019, I felt prompted by the Lord to pray one more time for a child. I did so, although I was confused about it and thought it was unnecessary since I was fine to not have a child of my own and had been so for quite some time now. Three days later a woman, who was due in 4 weeks time, asked me to adopt her baby girl because she was unable to care for baby. After counselling with many people and discussing all the legal matters with our Thai lawyer, I decided to step through the doors that the Lord seemed to be opening. Every time I was sure there was a roadblock, the Lord seemed to open the door even wider. Everything seemed to work perfectly. The mother was steadfast in her decision, the Lord worked miraculously on the legal side of things, and I began to prepare to bring a child into my home. As the days went by and I saw the Lord working mightily on my behalf to bring this about, my heart thrilled more and more. The baby came a week early on September 16^th, and the Lord worked it out for me to be able to participate in every aspect of the birth. I was able to drive the mother to the hospital, hear the baby’s heartbeat on the monitor while the birth mom labored, help her through the labor, and be the first to hold the baby. After the birth, the Lord continued to miraculously open doors for us. God allowed me to secure a private room for us to use so we didn’t have dozens of eyes watching and wondering why this foreigner was crying so much over this baby. The birth mom had signed over her rights of guardianship to me and the social welfare representatives that visited us in the hospital had awarded me guardianship. I participated in a class that all the new parents had to take before leaving the hospital, and the Lord worked it out for me to be able to legally name her. It was a name that had such special meaning to me that I had chosen so many years ago to give to my daughter that one day I knew the Lord would give me.

The term “Gotcha Day” is a familiar term in the realm of adoption and the day that all those praying and hoping to adopt long for. It is the day that you are finally able to take your child home. My Gotcha Day was September 19^th - exactly 2,741 days . . . or 90 months . . . or 391 ½ weeks since the day I first found out I was approved to adopt. As I walked out of the hospital that day with my baby girl in my arms, my heart swelled at God’s goodness to me, His kindness to me, His care for me. Here out of the blue God had given me the long desire of my heart. The birth mother and I had an appointment the following week after she recovered from her labor and surgery for her to sign over her final rights so I could officially adopt the child. I enjoyed every bit of that first week – the round the clock feedings, dressing my baby girl up in special outfits, informing my friends and family, taking her to church and showing her off, checking on her a thousand times to make sure she was still breathing, finding out she loved the pacifier and bottles I had chosen for her, cradling her in my arms and singing her a special song I wrote just for her, and so much more.

My joy quickly turned into a sorrow I have never felt before, and my life turned upside down when the following week the birth mother reported to the police that I had stolen her baby. Of course, we had many witnesses including doctors, nurses, social workers and official documentation that spoke to the contrary, so I wasn’t in trouble, but because she hadn’t signed her final rights away yet, I was forced to give my baby girl back. As I stood there with the police officers, our lawyer, fellow friends and the birth mom, I held my baby girl in my arms one last time and sang her her special song choking back tears. I kissed her cheek, breathed her smell in deeply and handed her back to her birth mom. It is hard to explain, but in that moment, surrounded by all those people, I never felt so alone, so abandoned, so betrayed, so mistreated, so angry. My constant prayer for the next 48 hours was two-fold, “Lord, please give me back my baby girl” and “Lord, please help me to remain faithful and not be overcome with anger and bitterness.” It has been two weeks exactly since that terrible afternoon. My baby girl has been away from me longer than she was with me. Each day I find I can bear it a little more but only through the strength of the Lord. I don’t yet know why the Lord allowed this to happen to me when I had previously been so content. I don’t yet have the blessing of looking back in hindsight, but I know one day I will understand it all, and I will be able to see God’s goodness and purpose for it.

Bible Study:  When God "Abandons" You

Have you ever been there before? That terrible place where you feel all alone, where comforting words from friends and loved ones seem to have no effect, where the walls around you seem dark and there is no light to be seen, and even the Lord seems to have left you all alone. Sometimes we can feel like we are living in this dark place even when we know we are in the center of the Lord’s will. In this dark place our head knows what is right and wants to take the lead, but we often become overwhelmed by the shoutings of our heart and the feelings that the trial brings. At dark times like this it is easy for our emotions to unhinge the truths we normally live by.

During times like this . . .

• it is easy for us to believe God is not good even when we know, “The LORD is good, a strong hold in the day of trouble; and he knoweth them that trust in him.” Nahum 1:7

• it is easy for us to believe we don’t deserve to have to go through this trial because we love the Lord and have been faithful to Him even when we know, “Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him.” James 1:12

• it is easy for us to believe the trial will never end even when we know, “. . . weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning.” Psalm 30:5

• it is easy for us to believe that the only way out of the trial is to fight your way out even when we know, “The LORD shall fight for you, and ye shall hold your peace.” Exodus 14:14

• it is easy for us to believe that nothing good could come of the trial even when we know, “. . . knowing that tribulation worketh patience; And patience, experience; and experience, hope: And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us.” Romans 5:3-5

• it is easy for us to believe that we are all alone even when we know, “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me . . . ” Psalm 23:4a

God never abandons His children. He is always in the dark place in the trial with you. He is ever ready to comfort you, love you, and guide you out of the darkness.

Here are four ways to help you bring the “balance” back between what you believe in the moment and what you know to be true when you are going through a trial.

1. Strengthen Your Faith – Pray and ask the Lord to give you a faith that remains. Still your own voice and listen to His. Search the Scriptures or read good books about people who also went through fiery trials and find out how they remained faithful. Pray and ask the Lord to give you wisdom. Seek godly counsel.

2. Remind Yourself of God’s Promises – Search the Scriptures for times the Lord has clearly spoken to you or showed you a promise. Reclaim these promises. Write the words, “I still believe” next to the verse. Take time to praise the Lord for His goodness and mercy toward you. Take time to worship Him.

3. Separate Fact from Fiction – Look at yourself and honestly answer the question, “Is how I’m responding to this trial based on what I know to be true or what I am feeling in the moment?” Feelings of injustice, confusion, betrayal, fear and doubt will never help us to remain faithful in the trial or help to bring us through it. Take the time to write down things you know to be true about the Lord.

4. Act Presently on Your Future Perspective – Remind yourself of other trials where the Lord has brought you through. Looking at a past trial through the eyes of hindsight can help you in your present trial. Realize that a trial is just another opportunity to show great faith. 

Copyright 2019 www.sharihouse.com

________________________________
*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.

Missionaries around the World sing It Is Well in 25 different languages

Banana Pancakes 🍌🥞

Banana Pancakes 

Any of you ladies live in countries that grow bananas like nobody's business? 

Papua New Guinea is definitely one of those countries. We are brought huge stalks of bananas a couple times a week. We ALWAYS have bananas, and it seems like no matter how many stalks of bananas we have, they're all either green and hard or all ripe. They never ripen evenly so that we just always have a constant flow of bananas....even if we separate the stalks. It's just life, I guess. 

Currently, we have three stalks of yellow bananas. These stalks are huge! They come up to my knees, and the stalk is wider than my body. (I'm a small person ...but that's still a large stalk of bananas.) 

With so many ripe bananas available I decided to try to make some banana pancakes that my brothers actually liked. 

And I succeeded! 

I loved the way the recipe turned out, because it made it so easy to to multiply. One recipe feeds one person. 

Put bananas in blender, blend till smooth. 

Dump in the rest of the ingredients, and blend till smooth. 

Using a quarter cup, or whatever size you want for you pancakes, scoop the batter onto a hot griddle or skillet. I used oil on my cast iron skillet while making these, but I'm sure butter would work just as well. 

Just like normal pancakes, flip once the bubbles don't fall in on themselves, and the edges are dry. 

These pancakes are made with bananas, which are high in sugar. They will be darker than normal pancakes. Don't panic, they won't taste burnt unless you burn them (which would be very black).

These pancakes are also more fragile, so quick smooth movements while flipping are essential.

I did try to take a video while making these... However, my phone shut down, and didn't save the time-lapse. 🤦🏼‍♀️ 

I will be posting a video of how these cook on my Instagram page @thirdculturecooking sometime soon. 

We like to just put butter on these. They are plenty sweet, and really don't need much. You could sprinkle some cinnamon on them.  That is also delicious!

Amber Wells
Papua New Guinea 🇵🇬

Her Story Silhouettes {Alberta Skinner / The Great Storykeeper}

Go to www.sharihouse.com to read more "Her Story Silhouettes"

Silhouette:     

Francis Alberta Skinner was born on August 5, 1903, in Nebraska. Her parents were Albert and Francis Skinner, and her father was an ordained Baptist minister. She was number six in a family of girls – Carrie, Alma, Josephine, Grace, and Edna. When Alberta, as she was known to her family, was only three months old, her mother passed away. Her father remarried when she was eight years old, and her 6^th sister, Mabel, was born the following year. Over the next 15 or so years, Alberta’s family moved several times, and her father pastored churches in Indiana, Colorado, Kansas, and Nebraska.

Alberta graduated from Moody Bible Institute, and in 1930, when she was in her late twenties, she surrendered to full-time missions work and joined the Bible Christian Union. The BCU was an organization that focused specifically on church planting in Europe using teams of missionaries in urban areas. Over the next decade the missionaries, which numbered over 100, had great success in planting more than 400 churches in 12 countries. With the start of World War II, some of the countries in Eastern Europe suddenly became part of the Soviet Union. Many of the missionaries were forced to flee to Western Europe. Some missionaries were taken prisoners or martyred, and others were cut off from the mission and never heard from again. Alberta was serving in the far eastern part of Czechoslovakia when she was seized by the Russian Communists and told, “You can leave and never come back, or you can stay and never leave.” Alberta stayed.

In 1945, the Iron Curtain went up and all communication with Alberta’s family, fellow missionaries, and the mission board stopped. All financial support was cut off, and for years friends and loved ones had no idea what had become of her. Years went by one after the other. Alberta’s father passed away in 1948, her sister Carrie in 1962, her sister Edna in 1966 along with aunts and uncles and four of her brothers-in-law. Finally, in 1969, after 25 years, the phone rang at the BCU headquarters in Pennsylvania. It was Alberta. She was alive. She spoke of God’s goodness and preservation and how, although she had endured ridicule and persecution, she had continued to faithfully serve the Lord. She had met a godly Russian pastor named Eugene Stumpf. They were married and the Lord blessed them with six sons.

During this time the Communists did everything they could to destroy Christianity and erase it from existence. They destroyed church buildings; harassed, incarcerated, and executed religious leaders; and flooded the schools and media with anti-religious teachings. In the midst of all of this, Alberta and her family stayed strong, and although they had faced much persecution and had been forced to live in a small wooden structure with a dirt floor for their home, their ministry had flourished. Souls had been saved and churches were started.

Alberta had been granted permission to return to the States for a brief trip to receive some much needed dental work, but not before being warned by the Communists that harm would come to her husband and her boys if she tried to stay in America. As soon as her medical needs were met, Alberta went back to her husband, her children, her ministry, the persecution, the ridicule, the uncertainty of what the future held not knowing if she would ever return again.

Alberta passed away on September 5, 1981, at the age of 78. Change was coming to Europe. In less than 10 years the Iron Curtain would fall. Annexed countries would be given their liberty. Missionaries would once again be free to minister. Alberta didn’t live long enough to see this, but during those long dark years, she held fast to her faith, trusted in her God, and continued to be a light to the people God had called her to who were sunk in darkness while evil abounded. She is truly a woman of whom it could be said, “She hath done what she could”!

Her Story/My Story:  

In today’s society, when we tend to document every part of our life through pictures, posts, Pinterest and podcasts, it is hard to imagine having your story “lost.” In my pursuit of finding out more about Alberta, this amazing women who wouldn’t turn her back on her calling in the face of grave danger and the unknown, I scoured the internet, contacted her old mission board, and sent out emails and messages to those who manage archival and family ancestry websites. Normally when I write a Silhouette my problem is the abundance of information I find and deciding what parts are best for me to include. In Alberta’s case, though, the little I was able to find out about her story and her missions work came from a single article written by her mission board back in 1994 and information procured from her family members’ obituaries and descriptions on an ancestry website . . . which had some differences themselves. Other than that, there was no other information about all that time, all those years, all that faithful service. All of it unknown to us, but not unknown to God. It might seem that her story is lost, but God knew right where she was at all times. He knew of her faithful service to Him. He knew of her sacrifice she made so that others could know Him. He knew. He knew the chapters of loneliness being separated from her family, and the chapters of love she surely experienced with her husband and children. He knew the chapters of suffering felt by the hands of those who oppressed her. and He knew the chapters of joy as souls were saved and the church grew amidst persecution. He knew. Her story isn’t lost. He knew.

It is no surprise to anyone who reads my Her Story Silhouettes that I love to know the stories of people’s lives. These stories challenge me, they encourage me, they make me smile, and they give me hope. Even as a child I loved to listen to stories. Some of my favorite story tellers were my grandparents. They were the keepers of the past. All throughout my childhood and even adulthood every time I went to visit my Grandma House, she would get out her “albums” filled with pictures, cards, and mementos. We would sit for hours and go through them page by page, and I would listen to her stories . . . stories filled with love for friends and family and the Lord. Those “albums” are now my special treasures that I get to look through whenever I’m back in the States. My Grandpa Meloy was also a fantastic storyteller. He often would regale us with stories from his life as a boy on the farm, his time as a soldier during WWII, and his work at the steel mill. How he could remember names and dates from decades before was always beyond me. Shortly before he passed away, I was able to “interview” him and record his voice telling about his family, his salvation experience, and some of his old stories. That recording is so precious to me. I have been journaling my own story and walk with the Lord for years. I’m not sure who in the world would ever want to read it, but even if someone did read all 75 journals, there are many stories in my life that are not included in the pages of the journals. They are the stories of my life that are known only to God. 

Bible Study:  The Great Storykeeper

There are many names used in the Old Testament to refer to God.

He is Adonai - Lord and Master

He is Jehovah Raah - The Lord My Shepherd

He is Jehovah Shalom - The Lord is Peace

He is Jehovah Shammah – The Lord is There

One of my most favorite names for God is El Roi – The God Who Sees Me. We find the name attributed to God in Genesis 16:13 when a handmaid turned concubine finds herself in the wilderness all alone. She has nowhere to go. She has no idea what the future holds for her let alone for her unborn child. God met with her and assured her that He knew where she was. He was watching over her. He knew the stories of her life that were yet to be written. In that moment the comfort His words brought her caused her to call Him El Roi. Hagar was actually brought to this same point several years later in her life, when once again she found herself in the wilderness, with nowhere to go, not knowing what to do, and both she and her son on the brink of death. God once again spoke to her and told her this wasn’t the end; it was just the beginning. This part of Hagar’s story always reminds me of that adage to be careful to not place a period where God is only using a comma.

When Alberta made the decision to stay behind the Iron Curtain, there is no way she could know what the future held, but she knew who held her future. I’m sure everyone of us have had points of uncertainty in our lives. We have had times when we feel like we are invisible to the world or we feel like we are alone or that no one understands what we are going through or that a story in our life has abruptly come to an end. I want to encourage you today that the Lord sees you. He knows where you are. He knows what your future holds. He knows your story and it is recorded in Heaven.

There are several references in the Bible to the “books” that are kept in Heaven. Whether these books are all literal or figurative is not the point of today’s study, but the point is that God is the Great Storykeeper. Some of His books include the Book of Life mentioned in Revelations 20:15 that has the record of those who trust Christ as their Savior. Isaiah 65:6 tells us that the iniquities of the rebellious were written before God. Malachi 4:16 says, “They that feared the LORD spake often one to another: and the LORD hearkened, and heard it, and a book of remembrance was written before him for them that feared the LORD, and that thought upon his name.” There is the book with the seven seals that we read of in Revelations 5 that announces the judgments that will be brought upon the earth by God during the Tribulation. And then there is the book that holds the stories of us before we were born mentioned in Psalm 139:15-16, “My substance was not hid from thee, when I was made in secret, and curiously wrought in the lowest parts of the earth. Thine eyes did see my substance, yet being unperfect and in thy book all my members were written, which in continuance were fashioned, when as yet there was none of them.”

I want to make three observations from Isaiah 42:16 concerning this matter of the stories of our lives. The Bible says, “And I will bring the blind by a way that they knew not; I will lead them in paths that they have not known: I will make darkness light before them, and crooked things straight. These things will I do unto them, and not forsake them.”

1. “And I will bring the blind by the way that they knew not; I will lead them in paths that they have not known . . . “

God knows the story He wrote for your life before you were born. He knows the best paths for us to walk. He likens us to a blind person who cannot see the best way to go or who is unaware for some reason of His chosen path for us. If we allow Him to lead us and the stories of our lives, God will bring us by a way and down a path that we did not know about. I could give you example after example of times in my life where I thought I knew the Lord’s path, but He had other plans. I can assure you that never once when I left for the field of Nigeria back in 1995, did I think that 25 years later I'd be serving the Lord in Thailand. I'm not sure that could even be considered a crook in the road. That is like switching from your current path to a road on a map you never looked at or ever considered buying.

2. “. . . I will make darkness light before them, and crooked things straight . . . “

We love the bright paths God takes us on or the cheerful stories that He writes for us. They are full of joy and richness. But sometimes there will be parts to the “ways” and “paths” God leads us on that are dark and crooked. They are filled with heartache and peril. We don’t like those stories. I have experienced more than once in my life a dark patch. Sometimes the Lord illuminates the way and other times He holds my hand through it. At times I have had a crooked path staring me straight in the face, and I wondered how I could ever manage. Sometimes all of a sudden God just clears the way, and other times He walks with me down the crooked path pointing out sharp rocks and things lurking in the corners, giving me instructions on how to navigate through it.

3. “. . . These things will I do unto them, and not forsake them.”

No matter what, our story is never lost. We are never forsaken. God is always there watching, and He knows. If you feel lost or like your story is at an end, remember God is there and He knows. If you feel like you are working and serving and no one is taking note, remember God is there and He knows. If you feel like your story has taken too many crooked paths to ever be considered a road, remember God is there and He knows. Whether or not anyone else knows what is going on in your life, remember God is there and He knows.

Jesus Himself has thousands of stories from His time on earth that are not recorded anywhere and are unknown to us. John 21:25 tells us, “And there are also many other things which Jesus did, the which, if they should be written every one, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that should be written.” How wonderful it will be to get to Heaven and see the evidence that God knew us and knew all our stories. How much more glorious it will be to sit at Jesus’ feet and listen to Him tell His stories from His life on earth. But until then, keep serving the Lord, keep pointing others to Christ, keep letting God direct your paths, stay faithful no matter what the unknown future brings, and always remember, that if no one else knows, God is there, He knows, and He is the Keeper of your story. 

Copyright 2019 www.sharihouse.com

________________________________
*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.