Sour Cream (With Video)

Sour cream is another one of those things that can be hard to get on the mission field. 

It’s often expensive, and, in our case, rotten! Yuck! 

If you can get box cream, or shelf stable cream, then you are good to go! 

All this homemade sour cream takes is box cream and vinegar. 

What You’ll Need:

200 ml box cream

1 Tbs vinegar or lemon juice

Mix the two ingredients together and stir well! 

If the cream isn’t thickening try adding a little bit more vinegar or lemon juice. 

This sour cream works best when the cream is cold. 

Also, for some reason (like the powdered milk cheese) some box cream doesn’t work. I don’t know why this is the case. Some brands are just not very agreeable, I guess. 

Try making this with a couple different brands and see which one gets you the best results. 

This sour cream is great on anything you would normally put sour cream on! 

It also works great for recipes! 

I hope this recipe works well for all of you!

I would love to get some feedback from you ladies.

If you have a certain recipe or something you would like me to do, just let me know in the comments! 

Also, if you have another recipe for sour cream I would LOVE to hear about it! 

I’m always up for trying new ways to do things! 

Enjoy! 

Three More Temptations of Jesus

Luke tells us that after Satan tempted Jesus in the wilderness, he departed for a season.  The devil would be back.

One of those return visits was when Jesus was hanging on the cross.  We read this account in Matthew 27:39-44.  This time the devil used some of his most willing accomplices to tempt Jesus - other people.

The first temptation was for Jesus to prove Himself.  "If  you really are the Son of God, come down from the cross!"  In other words, "Prove yourself!"  This temptation is very much still in play today.  Why?  Because it is so effective.  The devil doesn't need new tricks because the old ones are still in great shape.  How many of us as teenagers made foolish choices in an effort to prove ourselves?  How many people have hurt their relationships in an effort to prove themselves?  How many of us in ministry have made foolish choices in our service to the Lord and others because of the real or perceived pressure to prove ourselves?  What was Jesus' response to this pressure?  Silence.  Steadfastness to His mission.

The second temptation was to compromise in order to win acceptance.  "Come down from the cross, and we will believe you."  The devil keeps this tool well oiled too, doesn't he?  The position you are taking is too radical.  You will have more friends/followers/adherents if you could just lower yourself from that lofty position up there.  A little concession here and there will help people be able to see that you are just like the rest of us.  By the way believer, you are to be peculiar - not ordinary.  Also, we are called to win people to Jesus, not ourselves (Joel 2:13).  What was Jesus' response to this pressure?  Silence.  Steadfastness to His mission.

The third temptation was to defend God.  "He trusted in God, let Him deliver him."  If God is a God of love, why would he allow this in your life?  Why would He allow you to suffer like this?  Why would he ask of you this sacrifice?  Why would he ask you to raise your family so far from your family?  Why would he call you to minister in a place where you aren't wanted?  Why would he allow you to suffer so?  Why would he leave you so alone?  We've all heard at least a few of these, right?   As we read Scripture, we see that God is the great Defender.  He defends us.  Nowhere are we told to defend God.  Twice we see Paul defending the Gospel, but never are we told to defend God.  We are told to trust God and put our faith in Him.  First John 5:4 tells us that the victory that overcomes this world is faith - faith in the hard times.  Matthew 8:10 tells us that faith impresses our Lord.  Romans 1:8 tells us that our faith is a testimony to others.  Romans 4:20 tells us that our faith gives God glory.  Romans 5:1 tells us that faith brings peace. What a testimony that is!

So how can we respond to these types of questions?  Don't try to defend God, but rather trust God for the victory through faith.  Glorify God through faith.  Exhibit the peace that faith alone can bring.  Trust Him for the results.

How did our Lord respond to this?  Silence.  Steadfastness to His mission.  How could He do that?  He knew that there was a great day of reckoning coming.  He was going to rise from the dead!  There is a great day of reckoning coming for all of us.  Let's live in light of eternity! Let's walk by faith!

Scriptures From Around the World - China

That Light Bulb Moment

Missionary Jobs

Missionary work is diverse from one field to another, from one missionary to another, and even from one day to another.  Toilet cleaning and mopping at church, grocery shopping in extreme weather conditions (no one-stop shopping here), struggling with red-tape legalese in a foreign language - these are some of the less than glamorous jobs.  Though those time eaters can be unpleasant, there are some really fulfilling things that we get to do, too.  Some of the best jobs are telling a person broken down by sin that there is forgiveness and hope in Christ, rejoicing with a new Christian over his first answered prayer, or sharing a meal to encourage a family.  My favorite job, though, the one that makes me want to get up every day, is teaching.  

That Light Bulb Moment

One of our children who is headed to college in the fall but is uncertain what the Lord wants him to study spent this last week helping a young lady study for a math exam. She told me that he was able to help her really understand the math like never before. In her words, "He should really be a math teacher." 

I asked him what he thought about that.  Did he like teaching her? Would he like to be a math teacher?  

He replied, "I don't know if I'm supposed to be a teacher or not, but I can tell you one thing.  I loved that light bulb moment."  

I know what he means.  I love that "light bulb moment," too.

In The Beginning

As with many European countries, Iceland has experienced a larger than normal number of immigrants.  One of them, a lady from Ghana, has been coming to our church.  Before meeting this lady and others like her, I took for granted the opportunity I had been given to go school, to learn to read and write. She was never afforded that opportunity. 

At home she, her husband, and her children speak their mother tongue Twi.  She can also speak a little Italian that she picked up while in Italy for a few years but when she came to Iceland, she could speak neither Icelandic nor English. While diligently trying to learn Icelandic along with her children, she also wants to learn English.  

For the last several months, we have been studying both the mechanics of reading and the English language together.  We had to be very creative at first to communicate with each other since neither of us spoke any language the other spoke. Adding a little color to our lessons, at least one of her children is with us during lessons playing, nursing, or sometimes crying.  The learning process has been slow at times, but she is a hard worker and studies what we learn together.

Today was really exciting.  I had an English Bible for her but was waiting to give it to her until she could read it.  As we got to the end of our lesson, I told her that I had a surprise for her.

When I pulled out the Bible, she looked confused.  "I already have a Twi Bible," she said.

"Right," I replied, "but this one you know how to read." 

We opened the Scriptures to the first page.  In broken, thickly accented English she read, "In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth." 

I cried.  What an honor it is to share the gift of reading so that someone can read God's Word for the first time! I am so excited that I get to watch her grow in the Lord as she reads all about Him. 

Hearing for the First Time

When there are no pre-printed Sunday School curricula in your language, you make your own. Creativity is the name of the game here.  At first, I thought it was a handicap not to have anything in Icelandic ready to order. In time, though, I have changed my mind.  By having to do lessons "from scratch," I am able to better tailor each lesson to the children that I am teaching.

Recently I have been struck by the tremendous honor it is to teach someone the Bible for the first time.  God is amazing; telling children about Him is actually so very fun.  From a literary perspective the Bible is written in such an entertaining way.  He makes it too easy for us.  His stories are exciting, funny, scary, miraculous, but most of all true.  Teaching a child to add or subtract is rewarding, but that pales in comparison to the privilege of getting to share true Bible stories with them for the first time.  Watching their little faces stare in wide-eyed wonder at what we are reading is such a treat. The greatest, most wonderful thing of all, though, is that in sharing these amazing stories with the children, I know that they are getting to know the God who loves them.

Yes, sometimes days are long and hard, and many jobs we do seem insignificant and thankless. They are not all like that, though. I feel so blessed to have the honor of teaching, of helping someone read God's Word for the first time, of sharing the timeless treasures in the Bible with children, of watching that "light bulb moment."

Vicki and Patrick Weimer in Iceland since 1999

Granola - With Video

I am not a mother, but I am a teacher. I know that sometimes mornings can be pretty crazy! I don’t know how you mom’s do it! 

Sometimes I forget to set my alarm, and wake up realizing that I have an hour to do devotions, get ready for school, get Miranda (our little adopted girl) ready for school, feed my very loud and always hungry cockatoo, and make breakfast! Those mornings are terrible! 

But I know that on those crazy mornings, granola has my back! 

I don’t know where we got this recipe, we’ve had it for forever though. We’ve changed it, and adapted it, and now it’s perfect! Or close! 

This granola takes me about 30-45 minutes to make. It’s super easy! And it’s super nice because you can change things up to match your taste buds!

What you’ll need 

8 cups oats 

1 cup powdered milk 

1/2 cup sugar 

1/2 cup honey/syrup 

1/2 cup oil

4 tsp cinnamon 

1 tbs sesame seeds 

4 tsp vanilla 

(or whatever extract you like) 

Mix up the ingredients in a large skillet. On medium to high heat start cooking the granola. You’re gonna want to stir the granola very often! Because of the sugar in the granola it will burn if you leave it for too long. 

Once the granola has evenly turned golden brown then cool the granola. 

Once cooled you can add a variety of things to your granola! 

Chocolate 

Nuts 

Dried fruit 

Seeds 

Toasted coconut 

Crispy rice cereal

Yogurt covered raisins 

Store granola in an airtight container or zip top bag. 

Here are some variations of granola you can try:

Tropical 

Change out oil for coconut oil

Change out vanilla extract for coconut extract

Add toasted coconut, dried pineapple, dried mango. 

Apple Crisp

Change out 2 tsp vanilla extract for orange extract 

Add 1/2 tsp each of ground nutmeg, ginger, allspice

Add dried apples. 

S’mores 

Add 1 tsp almond extract 

Add mini chocolate chips and mini marshmallows. 

A Gift from the Father

Don't you just love when God gives you a special "I love you" reminder?

God delights to give gifts to Believers. As a father who cherishes his children, so God is a Father who delights in providing good things for His children. "If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him?" (Matthew 7:11)

Yes, some of His gifts go unnoticed and unappreciated. Some are hidden in circumstances that are hard to understand. Some come as answers to prayer. And yet others are special- meeting the wish, desire, or deepest dream in the heart of His child- and it is His delight to give such a reminder of His love. "Delight thyself also in the LORD; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart."
(Psalm 37:4)

This last week, I received one such "I love you" gift from my Heavenly Father.

All throughout deputation, I kept seeing a particular multi-function bag. The brand name put a slightly more expensive price on it than I could justify on a deputation budget. Besides, I kept telling myself "Like when do I carry a purse???" Everywhere I went, I carried a diaper bag. Anything I remotely needed for a meeting or an outing went in the diaper bag. (Why carry a purse too?)

On the field, I carry a bag only when I'm out by myself. Otherwise, everything goes in a backpack that my husband carries. (He's so sweet!) A shoulder bag IS nice on occasion, but I didn't expect to see the particular brand I really wanted in a foreign country.

And then, my husband saw an ad for a yard sale. Yard sales are a foreign idea here in Georgia, Europe. Only foreigners would host such an event. We went because we saw they listed booster seats, and one of our boys needs one. We found all kinds of things. It was great. There were two tricycles (so our two boys couldn't fight over just one), and a easel just perfect for backyard Bible club, puzzles, books, and a large area rug. The prices were great, and we found a lot of good deals.

Just as we were getting ready to leave, I saw it- THE BAG. Brand new with tags because the straps hadn't come with it! I paid US $5 for it. I was elated. This was God's special gift to me. The straps were an easy fix- I just took the strap from one of our wheeled duffels that we had brought (and is now in storage) and affixed it to the bag. Perfect!

What a blessing to have a Heavenly Father who delights to care for His children in even the smallest of ways. He loves us. He really does. And sometimes, sometimes we see Him fulfill our heart's desire.

"Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning."
(James 1:17)

Scriptures From Around the World - India