Chicken Pot Pie

Chicken Pot Pie is a very time consuming meal but the taste makes it well worth the time and effort required to make it. This is definitely a favorite of many guests who have eaten a meal in our home!

NOTE: This recipe makes enough for a 9-inch pie plate pan. I double the two-pie crust recipe and the filling to make it in a 9x13 glass casserole baking dish.

Ingredients

Crust:

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup plus 2 tablespoons shortening
4 to 6 tablespoons cold water

Filling:

1/3 cup butter or margarine
1/3 cup chopped onion (I consider this optional. Sometimes I add it and sometimes I don't)
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 3/4 cups chicken broth (I make my own with bullion cubes)
1/2 cup milk
2 1/2 cups shredded cooked chicken or turkey
2 cups of veggies - (My family prefers fresh vegetables as opposed to frozen. This is up to you as to what you have available. I use fresh carrots and potatoes (steaming them before adding them to the filling to almost complete doneness), canned green beans and canned corn.

Directions

Crust:

Heat oven to 425°F. Combine flour and salt in large bowl; cut in shortening with pastry blender or fork until mixture resembles coarse crumb. Mix in enough cold water with fork until flour is moistened. Divide dough in half. Shape each half into a ball; flatten slightly. Wrap 1 ball in plastic food wrap; refrigerate.
Roll out remaining ball of dough on lightly floured surface into 11-inch circle. Fold into quarters. Place dough into ungreased 9-inch pie plate; unfold dough, pressing firmly against bottom and sides. Trim crust to 1/2 inch from edge of pan; set aside.

Filling:

In 2-quart saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Add onion; cook 2 minutes, stirring frequently, until tender. Stir in flour, salt and pepper until well blended. Gradually stir in broth and milk, cooking and stirring until bubbly and thickened. Stir in chicken and mixed vegetables. Remove from heat. Spoon into crust-lined pie plate.
Roll out refrigerated ball of dough on lightly floured surface into 11-inch circle. Gently fold dough into quarters. Place dough over filling; unfold. Trim, seal and crimp or flute edges.
Bake 30 to 40 minutes or until crust is golden brown. During last 15 to 20 minutes of baking, cover edge of crust with strips of foil to prevent excessive browning. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

The Most Undesired Ministry Success Ever

Soon after thinking about a summary of Noah's ministry, I recalled a sermon my husband preached at a supporting church on the book of Jonah. We had fun contrasting the two "ministries."

---

Noah

Mission field: the very wicked people of the world
Message: total destruction
Converts: only his family (eight people)
Reaction: a sacrifice of thanks

Jonah

Mission field: the very wicked people of the capital city of Israel's enemies
Message: total destruction
Converts: everyone, from the greatest to the least
Reaction: anger, wishes to die

---

What fantastic irony! Can you think of two more polar opposites in Scripture? Noah preaches and prepares an ark for salvation but sees no fruit from his efforts outside of his family. But he praises the Lord for their salvation, this little fruit that came from his long ministry.

Jonah, on the other hand, doesn't want to see the salvation of the Ninevites, even though he himself has been so miraculously saved from a watery death. His sermon is as short and perfunctory as can be (eight words in English), and yet he has incredible success in a mass revival that involves even the beasts fasting and wearing sackcloth!

Jonah by George Frederick Watts

His angry reaction is even more incredible. I mean--what missionary doesn't long to see a revival like that? We can't even tell if he made it the three days the Bible says it took to cross the city before repentance falls on the people. But he is angry at God's great mercy, at His goodness. His emotions are extreme: "It displeased Jonah exceedingly, and he was very angry."

He spits out his prayer, which with your permission, could be summarized in modern speech, "I knew you'd be like that! You know... GOOD. I'd rather die than see this!"

We can learn so much from the book of Jonah. But for now, what can we learn from a comparison of Noah's and Jonah's ministries? I think we can be encouraged by the answer to a natural question that might come up when comparing the two ministries.

Why was Jonah's ministry so successful, though so vehemently undesired, when Noah's ministry was dry as a desert? (That is, ahem, until the waters covered the earth.)

There is only one answer. I'll use Jonah's words:

SALVATION is OF THE LORD.

That is the only explanation for such vast differences between the two ministry results, especially when we consider that Jonah actually worked and prayed against the salvation of the Ninevites!

Look at all the actions the Lord does in the book of Jonah:

• He calls Jonah. "The word of the Lord came unto Jonah..., saying, 'Arise, go.'"
• ...the Lord sent out a great wind into the sea...
• ...the Lord...which hath made the sea and the dry land...
• ...the Lord had prepared a great fish to swallow up Jonah.
• [according to Jonah] "He heard me...thou heardest my voice. For thou hadst cast me into the deep....Yet hast thou brought up my life from corruption, O Lord my God.
• And the Lord spake unto the fish, and it vomited out Jonah upon the dry land.
• And the word of the Lord came unto Jonah the second time, saying, "Arise, go...and preach unto it the preaching that I bid thee."
• And God saw their works...
• And God repented of the evil that He had said that He would do unto them; and He did it not.
• He gently questions Jonah, "Doest thou well to be angry?"
• ...the Lord God prepared a gourd, and made it to come up over Jonah, that it might be a shadow over his head, to deliver him from his grief.
• But God prepared a worm...
• ...God prepared a vehement east wind; and the sun...

After being attacked by criminals, a few pastors asked if I was struggling to believe in God's goodness. Honestly, at the beginning, I wasn't struggling very much on that point. I knew God was good, if for no other reason than that He saved our lives!

Actually I admitted that where I struggled to believe in God's goodness and love towards us was in the extreme difficulty and scant results of our evangelism efforts. I am sure many missionaries can relate to struggling with a feeling of bitterness towards our Lord. "I gave up all ___ for You, and where are You? Why aren't You blessing our ministry? Where's the fruit?"

This is actually nothing but a feeling of entitlement that God owes us certain glories for what we've sacrificed for Him, an expectation of a certain minimum of results. But hasn't it been said so many times in the Bible, that God is the One responsible for our ministry successes?

• "I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it."
• "I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase. So then neither is he that planteth any thing, neither he that watereth; but God that giveth the increase."
• Even the pagan sailors whom Jonah sailed with admitted, "...thou, O Lord, hast done as it pleased thee."

It is initially discouragingly humbling for us to realize that it is not our charisma or plans or goodwill or activities that effect revival. It is the wind of God blowing where it will.

But there is one thing that we can do, that we must do, in order to see God's hand at work. We must go. And we must preach.

Why God, with all of His amazing power and mercy, has chosen to use such a weak tool as the foolishness of preaching, is a mystery to me. But He told us to go, and He said that the Gospel is the power of God unto salvation, and He said that they cannot believe unless they hear, and they cannot hear without a preacher. So...

...don't be discouraged by the truth that God is ultimately responsible for the salvation of souls on your field. Let that truth encourage you. He said He would do it. It may not be as immediate as it was with Jonah; in fact, it could take a long time, but He will go with you, and He will build His church.

And what should be our only response?

Definitely not anger:
"Why are You doing it this way?"

But gratitude and humility. Embrace humility:
"Who then is Paul, and who is Apollos, but ministers by whom ye believed, even as the Lord gave to every man?"

And gratitude:
"You saved me and included me in Your plan of salvation for the Tsonga people? Thank You, Lord. You, O Lord, have done as it pleased You."

Salvation is of the LORD.

For the Days when Everyone Else's Lives Look Better Than Your Own ~ Guest Post

Day in and day out I'm surrounded by possibilities.
What I choose to look at is one of them.
This modern interconnected world offers a door wide open into life anywhere I might want to go and anything I might want to see.
All these images offer up a tempting feast, inviting me to taste it all....
and it all looks good.
Most of the time it looks much better than my life right now.

In fall it's the images of leather boots and chunky-knit sweaters crunching through lanes sheltered by towering trees of gold and crimson.
It's pictures of perfectly orange pumpkins lined up in rows and sweet children with flushed cheeks beaming over their cups of cider.

Rarely are there photos of the pouring rain, the little one covered in mud from a tumble in the pumpkin patch, or two young ones fighting over the same pumpkin.

In winter it's the perfectly-built snowman, each button eye perfectly placed, carrot nose long and orange.
The snow is falling softly through the dusky, sparkling twilight.
Fires glow in fire places, children sit quietly sipping hot chocolate while dad reads a story that everyone listens to with sparkling eyes and contented smiles.

It's never shares of patchy, slushy gray snow that's been around for weeks, the chapped cheeks and fingers from the biting wind, or a house that's been ripped apart by the wild ones with cabin fever when the temperature won't budge over one degree for weeks on end.

Homeschooling is a delight with curated stacks of shiny, picturesque books, clay jars of sharply-pointed colored pencils, and neat stacks of faintly-lined notebook paper.
The children are always wearing the most-fashionable clothes, each hair neatly combed in place, and happy smiles on each face.

I've yet to see a home school feed where the books are falling apart, bound back together with a good dose of clear tape and strict orders that only mother can touch those books.
It's rare to see those lovely pencils as stubs, rolling under foot and on table and down into the edges of the couch where they were last used.
Not too many portraits shared of the little students in their dirty play clothes, hair bedraggled and bit dirty at the end of the day, being ordered outside with that stick to clean up the mess already!

Nature study photos always reveal exciting new finds.
Journals are faithfully kept, and each sketch is accurate and detailed and a miniature piece of art.

The pupils can't wait to head outside each day to learn more about God's creation.

I'm quite sure that not every child runs beaming outside to record the science living and breathing around them, though I don't think I've ever seen the pictures to prove that.

Homes are full of giggling children, each happy to be working with the other.
Chores are finished in record time, and each one checked-off on the adorable job chart hanging on the stainless steel refrigerator.
Food is prepared with plenty of helping hands cooking nutritious, delicious meals, most of it either raised in the family garden or purchased at the nearby farmers' market.

But I'm quite sure that somewhere there are siblings arguing a bit, chores that didn't get checked off that neat little chart {quite possibly they haven't been checked off for a week!}, a mother frustrated by all the finger prints on that shiny fridge, and food that might not be the most healthy, and might.....just possibly.....have come from a fast-food joint.

 I have come to realize that these beautiful images might be just that. Images.
They are a memory that someone wants to hold onto.
Nothing more.
That table loaded with all those tempting morsels to try?
If I don't have discernment, they can be poison.
Maybe they are someone's memories, but maybe they are a temptation of discontentment wrapped in a shiny package.

How often do I look at others' pictures and think my life should look the same?
Do I take time and acknowledge the fact that all of us share our happy images, our joyful moments, our best hair days, our most gourmet meals, the days when everything is actually going well instead of crumbling to pieces at our feet?

I usually snap the photos when the little ones aren't dirty, or covered in paint for the second time in one day, or haven't just been caught dumping out an entire bottle of shampoo in the bottom of the shower while mama was trying to get supper on the table.
Why wouldn't others do the same?

I catch up the things I want to remember, and frankly, some things I don't really need a picture of to do that.
As a mama of little people, the rough days aren't forgotten too quickly.

Many days I choose to take the pictures I do because I need to hunt for the beauty around me.
Why then do I look at all those images available to me, and assume that every one else must have a perfect life that looks exactly like their blog, their facebook timeline, or their Instagram feed?

And why, oh why, do I sometimes choose to waste my time looking at pretty pictures of other peoples' lives rather than living my own?

God, Help me choose wisely and well how I spend my time. Help me not feel obligated to do things just because I see others doing them. Remind me that I have just one life to live. Help me live it well. When I do have time to see the beauty others have captured, guard my heart against envy and discontentment. I want to appreciate it all for what it is ~ lovely memories that others have been kind enough to share. Give me wisdom to know when enough is as good as a feast. Amen.

*Sharing my happy images here and hoping everyone knows that my life has it's ups and downs, good days and bad days, just like yours. And sometimes? It's easy to wish my life looked as pretty as somebody else's.


This is post was written by Patty, missionary wife in Ghana.  To read more, click here to go to her blog.

Veteran Missionary Women Open Their Hearts

Photo courtesy of stockimages, Free Digital Photos

  

I asked sixteen missionary women from all over the world (each serving at least twenty years) to answer a few questions. I’ll let them speak for themselves. You’ll be challenged and blessed. (The last three answers are in random order.)

Q. How many years have you been a missionary?

A. 20, 20, 22, 23, 24, 27, 30, 30, 31, 33, 34, 35, 35, 36, 45, 55

Q. What is your field of service? (Some have served in more than one.)

A. Brazil, Canada, Chile, Germany, Japan, Kenya, Mexico, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Romania, Spain, Uganda, Ukraine, Venezuela, and one other.

Q. What is the greatest spiritual lesson you’ve learned personally through being a missionary?

A.      “God knows where I am and what I am going through. So many times, when we confronted the impossible, I would be so worried about the outcome. Then, God would shine, showing His perfect will. He knows!”

            “God's ways are not our ways and His thoughts are not our thoughts. We can plan and pray and work and anticipate a specific response, but every part of what goes on in ministry (and our personal lives) remains in His hand and will be done according to His time table, not mine. I am learning (always still learning!) through success and failure, sickness and good health, joys and disappointments, that after making my plans to ask God, 'What is Your will for me today?’ Sometimes that involves accomplishing nothing on my to do list but surrendering my plans to Him, when God directs my circumstances to minister to others, spend more time with Him, take care of something totally unexpected, having my plans set aside with no explanation of why, or suffering illness, so I am in a place where I can only 'be still and know that He is God.'”

            “We are to be faithful to God, serving with joy in our hearts, love for our Lord and for the lost and leaving the outcome to Him. We are servants of Christ. He will build His church. It is not in our might or work, but God gives the increase.”  

            “My husband's spirituality and walk with the Lord would not carry me through. I needed my own, very close relationship with the Lord.”

            “I think total dependence for God's provision in every area. If you need cash in America, you pick up a second job or hold a garage sale. On the field, you are 100% dependent on God (really, that's true everywhere, all the time, but it's more immediate and obvious on the mission field). In America, we have our churches and Christian communities, but on the field, we are sometimes all alone without anyone to give us spiritual support. When you've seen God provide over and over in unthinkable ways, you really begin to count on it.“

            “It is God that I serve and not people, so I have to be faithful to what He wants—not to what others think I should be doing or how I should be doing it.”
            "The greatest spiritual lesson I have learned and continue to learn is the power and necessity of prayer."

            “Many times, we judge things solely by what we see, or think we see. We allow our ideas to be formed (not intentionally) by how we perceive things should be. Maybe, it’s because we have always done things this way (in the United States), so we think it is the right way to do it, and all other ways are not right. We sometimes don't let ourselves stop and think that, just because it is done differently, it doesn't make it wrong. For example, church should be Sunday morning, Sunday night, and usually Wednesday night. These times don't work as well in other places. Our ideas on how people should behave, dress, meet, etc. are set in our minds, and it is difficult for some to step back from that idea and look to see it is okay to not think the typical "American" way.

            “I don't have to worry about having enough money to do what I need to do because God will miraculously provide everything we need in His own special way and time.”

            “People are different, cultures are different, but the Word of God transcends all these differences. Aside from the necessary language translations, we don't need an ‘culture’ Bible, we only need the Word of God. It is The Book for all mankind regardless of culture, creed, or people groups, it transcends the ages and addresses the basic needs of every person...the need for a Savior.”

            “Faith that God will A. supply B. strengthen C. sustain”

            “To trust God in every area of my life: His will for a husband; learning to love the people where God called us to serve; financial needs; and protection for my children, and His will for their lives . . . just trusting God.”

            “Know for sure that God has brought you to your field of service, because there will come times when you doubt that you even want to stay. Hurts and heartbreak from the people you serve often are the reasons missionaries leave the field. God has brought you there to serve, not to be served or receive compliments on the great job you are doing. Remember that Jesus had twelve close friends, and one was a traitor.”

            “Missions is a life commitment. You have to be willing to stay put and invest your life. For me, the principle of not looking back after having put my hand to the plow helped me stick in here for so many years. (Luke 9:62)”

Q. What word of advice would you give to any new missionary on your field?

A.        “Learn the language well. We live in a country where there are two prominent languages. We learned one (foreign language) well, but after studying the second language many times, we did not get it well enough to truly minister in that language.”

            “Always go back to the day God burdened your heart for souls. It is so simple, but remember Whom you serve and why you serve Him. If you are married, remember your husband has a calling, and you must help him fulfill that calling. Also, have fun! It’s an amazing life!”
            "Be teachable and flexible, which translates to: be humble."

            “Enjoy the good things about your field and its people. Look for the positives, and understand the negatives. Learn all you can about the culture and how people think. This background will help you witness to the people you meet. Stay completely out of their politics.”

            “Make God your only needful ‘thing.’ Friends will forget you. Family will be far away. Nationals will disappoint you. Your husband will be under large burdens. Without God, I would never be able to sustain these things.”

            “A smile, visible joy and peace, and a gentle spirit breaks through almost any cultural barrier, and destroys most preconceived conceptions of foreigners.”

            “Love the people and as much of the culture as you can as a Christian, and serve them with humility, remembering that I am a sinner, saved only by the grace of God.”

            “Be flexible and teachable.”

            “I praise the Lord for godly parents who, when they became missionaries, they just loved the people they were ministering to and never lifted themselves above the ones they were ministering to. It made a real impact on my life and the lives of my sisters. I would encourage new missionaries to arrive on the field and get to know all about the country where they are working, to learn their culture, celebrate their holidays (unless they are ungodly customs), love their food, learn their language, have the people in your home. You don’t have to sever all ties with your home country, but make this new country your home. Love the people and desire to please God in this new country. Don’t arrive on the field, counting how many months or years until you can go back home. Relax, enjoy this country, the people and show your children how awesome it is to live there, even when there are difficulties and maybe the country is primitive. I remember when the electricity would go out, my mom would say, ‘Let’s get books out and read.’ So the five of us would get a book. We would light a few candles, and we would read. Don’t think about what you had to give up to become a missionary. Praise the Lord for the privilege of being able to serve Him. Determine to remain a missionary the rest of your life, even if God changes where you should be later on down the road. Be joyful.”

            “Make sure of your calling, and then just stay! Don’t leave. It gets better.”

            “Always stop before making decisions and look to see how it will affect others. Many times when I get discouraged and ready to throw in the towel, I stop and consider all the people here who would not be Christians or in church if we had never come to the field—and what the impact would be on them if we left. It’s really amazing how far that net goes when you stop long enough to think about it. I would never want to be responsible for halting what God is doing here.”
            “Be sure it is God who put you where you are. Learning the language is your first priority.”

            “Don't dwell on family and friends in your home country. Keep your eyes on the Lord and put your heart into the new ministry that God has given you.  Allow the nationals to become new aunts and uncles, brothers and sisters, grandparents etc.  It doesn't mean you forget about the real ones, but it means you grow to love and appreciate the people on your field of service.  If you love your field, your children will love it, too.”

            (Missionary to itinerant workforce) “Persevere. This isn’t a drive-through ministry. It takes patience and being willing to give your all to a person, even when you know their job will take them somewhere else in two to six years.”

            “Have a teachable spirit; learn from others. Listen with your heart. Learn the value of keeping a Bible and prayer journal. Disciple your children, don't expect them to "glean" from what they see you do, teach them like you would a new convert.”

            “Learn patience. Learn to keep going even when there are no positive results to buoy you up or report back home. We're working for eternal results, and we need to have that big picture and that long game in mind. If God called you to a field, it's because he wants you there. He knows why, and he knows when the harvest will come, even if you never get to see more than a distant glimpse of it. Every tiny spiritual victory counts.”

Q. Could you share a verse that has “carried you through”?

A. No two missionary women shared the same verses. Be encouraged in the Word!

• Philippians 4:11, Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content. It’s a reminder of how good God is to me.
• Proverbs 3:5-6, my life verses: Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.
• Isaiah 41:10, Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.
• 2 Timothy 1: 7, For God hath not given us a spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.
• Psalm 37:3-5, Trust in the LORD, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed. Delight thyself also in the LORD; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart. Commit thy way unto the LORD; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass.
• Philippians 4:8, Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.
• Romans 8:32, He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things? And, from the same missionary, Colossians 3:1-3, If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth. For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God.
• Proverbs 16:1, The preparations of the heart in man, and the answer of the tongue, is from the LORD.
• 1 Thessalonians 5:24, life verse, Faithful is he that calleth you, who also will do it. “Whatever He asks me to do, He will empower me to do it.”
• Romans 12:1-2, life verses, I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God. “Don't transform to the world!”
• Joshua 1:9, Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the LORD thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest.
• Philippians 4:4-7, Rejoice in the Lord alway: and again I say, Rejoice. Let your moderation be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand. Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. 
• Psalm 68:11-13, The Lord gave the word: great was the company of those that published it. Kings of armies did flee apace: and she that tarried at home divided the spoil. Though ye have lien among the pots, yet shall ye be as the wings of a dove covered with silver, and her feathers with yellow gold. This lady said this was her “hug” from God when she was discouraged.
• Nahum 1:7, The LORD is good, a strong hold in the day of trouble; and he knoweth them that trust in him.
• Psalm 46:10, Be still and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth. “Get out of God’s way.”

Pumpkin Spice Cake with Maple Frosting

A fellow missionary and myself were planning our annual Harvest Party which we hold each year for the missionary kids here in the area of the city where we serve. This year we were wanting a different dessert than we had used in the past and thanks to Pinterest, we found it when we found this Pumpkin Spice Cake with Maple Frosting. This cake is a cake with almost a texture of pumpkin pie. It is delicious! With the hint of maple in the frosting, it is a great fall dessert. But, it is a large cake so it works well to make for a party or event.

Pictured above is most of the dessert table for our Lumberjack Bash Harvest Party 2015.

Ingredients:

For the Pumpkin Spice Cake:
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons sea salt
1 1/2 tablespoons Garam Masala (sub. Pumpkin Pie Spice or Chinese 5 Spice) *I used Pumpkin Pie Spice- you can find recipes to make it from scratch.
1 1/2 cups brown sugar
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
3 sticks melted unsalted butter (1 1/2 cups)
6 large eggs
28 ounces can pure pumpkin puree (3 cups) - I used fresh pumpkin puree from my own pumpkinsFor the Maple Frosting:
16 ounces cream cheese
3 sticks unsalted butter
2 tablespoons pure maple syrup (I substituted the from scratch recipe I posted last week with a pancake recipe and it worked fine)
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
5-6 cups powdered sugar

Directions:

For the Pumpkin Spice Cake: 

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour three 9-inch cake pans and set aside.
Mix all the dry ingredients in a large bowl. Pour in the melted butter, pumpkin and eggs and beat (or whisk) until smooth.
Divide the batter evenly among the three pans. Bake for 30-35 minutes until the top bounces back when pressed.
Cool for 10 minutes then flip out of the pans and cool completely. Use a serrated knife to trim the top of each cake to make a level surface.

For the Maple Frosting:

 Place the cream cheese, butter, maple syrup and vanilla in a bowl. Beat until light and creamy. Slowly add the powdered sugar and beat until the desired consistency is reached. Refrigerate until ready to use.

To Assemble. Place one cake on a cake plate. Spread 1/3 of the frosting in a thick layer over the top. Add the second cake on top spread another 1/3 of the frosting. Top with the third cake. Place the remaining frosting in a piping bag with a decorative tip. Pipe stars over the top of the cake. Garnish with chopped nuts if desired. (I skipped the nuts because we had a missionary with an allergy.)

The Most Successful Ministry Failure Ever

When Seth and I were seeking counsel on whether or not to return to our suddenly-shockingly dangerous mission field, one counselor made some pithy statements that stuck with me; and I've ruminated on them since.

That meeting was quite humbling, because the take-away main point had to do with how unnecessary we are. We really needed convincing on that point! :) When we contemplated leaving Africa, we couldn't get around the "need" for laborers in our field.

Ours is a pioneer mission field. Swiss Presbyterian missionaries laid a wonderful foundation in the last century by translating the entire Bible, translating hymns and inventing a musical notation system for a hymnal, starting schools and hospitals, and building Presbyterian churches. Unfortunately by the '50s,  they were going liberal in their theology and lost the Gospel; and by the '60s, the missionaries were gone.

We, along with our teammates, and a national pastor or possibly two, are the only true churches with a Gospel witness in about 2.2 million Tsonga people in South Africa, and 3.1 million more in Mozambique. Truly the laborers are few! Who else, we wondered, would go through the struggle to learn this African language that had no language school? Learning the language and culture was an investment we weren't going to easily give up.

And we hadn't been "successful" enough yet to leave! Our infant church needed us. It wasn't ready to stand on its own.

But this counselor wanted to make a point even more important than our need for humility (and yes, even he, I think, would concede that our field does "need" laborers), and that is, that our children also needed us--parents, alive and whole, whose eyes could focus on them, and not always be focused on the ministry--in fact, that our children needed us more than the ministry needed us.

I know, this isn't really rocking your world yet, is it? Duh, no brainer. We'd all say our family is more important than ministry. 

But then he mentioned a Scriptural example that gave me a new flash of understanding, that set that truth in a clearer light for me. Are you ready for some easy Bible trivia? See if you can answer this question, the question he posed to us when we were busy arguing for why we were needed in Africa:

Who did Noah take on the ark with him?

Noah's Sacrifice by Jacobo Bassano

The Bible is clear-- "Noah, the eighth person," it says.

By faith Noah, being warned of God of things not seen as yet, moved with fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house; by the which he condemned the world, and became heir of the righteousness which is by faith. ~Heb. 11:7

Which sometime were disobedient, when once the longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was a preparing, wherein few, that is, eight souls were saved by water. ~1 Pet. 3:20

And spared not the old world, but saved Noah the eighth person, a preacher of righteousness, bringing in the flood upon the world of the ungodly. ~2 Pet. 2:5

And the Lord said unto Noah, Come thou and all thy house into the ark; for thee have I seen righteous before me in this generation. ~Gen. 7:1

And Noah went in, and his sons, and his wife, and his sons' wives with him, into the ark... ~Gen. 7:7

The new, interesting thought to me was an analysis of Noah's "ministry" successes. Peter called him a "preacher." I've heard some sermons or children's presentations that mention him preaching to the ungodly for over 100 years. Dramatic recordings usually have Noah pausing in the middle of building the ark to preach a sermon to unbelievers in evangelistic 21-century style.

I'm not sure if that preaching was the same as what we think of today when we think of preaching. But at the least, we know that his righteous lifestyle was counter-cultural, and that preached. And his building of the ark, motivated by fear grounded on faith, spoke; that also was counter-cultural, and this "preaching" condemned the world.

And what does he have to show for his evangelistic efforts?

"Nothing," most of us would respond.

And there's the rub, the immediate rebuke: nothing??! Saving his family is nothing?

But I'm pretty sure that if Noah were reporting to supporting churches after twenty years of service, he'd have lost support. If he were trying to raise more support in his 87th year of service on his oh-so-very-needy field, he wouldn't get it! If ministry successes were based on numbers, and let's admit it, we all do assess our ministry successes this way to some extent, we wouldn't support Noah, the eighth person, today. Wow.

Noah's Ark Mural by David Jermann

So was he a failure, then?

Ezekiel implies he was one of the best, listing him in a group of three along with Daniel and Job. And what of Jeremiah, preaching for fifty years, with only three converts mentioned?

No, Noah the eighth person was righteous, and one of the most obvious marks of his righteousness is that his "house" got on the ark with him. In a day when evil abounded, and every imagination of the thoughts of man's heart was only evil continually, Noah saved his family. His family got on the ark with him.

What about you, dear missionaries and preachers of righteousness? Who are you gonna take on the ark with you? It can be so hard to balance the needs of ministry with the needs of family. My husband tried to think through the difficulties of obtaining this balance here.

For those all-out, die-hard missionaries who can sometimes run over people in their zeal, let's get this one point from Noah's example:

In the eyes of many, his "ministry" was a failure; but he saved his family. And God called him righteous. The eighth person was a hero of the faith.

Noah's Daughter-in-Law in the Dovecote by Mary Jane Q. Cross