Under His Wings

I’m currently working on a second post regarding covenant obligation.  But, I am feeling a bit overwhelmed with projects I have going on right now.  I am trying to work on my term paper for the soteriology class, trying to knit and trying to learn a new way to eat.  I have been finding more and more things that have been triggering migraines since I did the candida cleanse in November and the list has grown to include beef and possibly nuts.  We have found that wheat is in many more things than you can ever imagine including spices, rice milk, and commercially canned soup.  At least I don’t have a migraine today!

And we are not getting any snow.  In southern Wisconsin they are getting a lot, up to more than a foot where my sister lives near Milwaukee.  Josh is in Wisconsin Dells with a couple of families from our fellowship group and they are staying an extra night because of the storm there.  Of course, this is nothing compared to the severe weather in Arkansas and Tennessee.  Right now I am thinking of Beth and her family and hoping that they are ok.

This afternoon is my time to volunteer at First Choice.  I pray that the Lord will give me compassion and sensitivity to the needs of the clients that come in.  I pray that I would have discernment and wisdom and a listening ear.  I pray that I would be on God’s agenda and not my own.

For His Name’s Sake.

I’m currently working on a second post regarding covenant obligation.  But, I am feeling a bit overwhelmed with projects I have going on right now.  I am trying to work on my term paper for the soteriology class, trying to knit and trying to learn a new way to eat.  I have been finding more and more things that have been triggering migraines since I did the candida cleanse in November and the list has grown to include beef and possibly nuts.  We have found that wheat is in many more things than you can ever imagine including spices, rice milk, and commercially canned soup.  At least I don’t have a migraine today!

And we are not getting any snow.  In southern Wisconsin they are getting a lot, up to more than a foot where my sister lives near Milwaukee.  Josh is in Wisconsin Dells with a couple of families from our fellowship group and they are staying an extra night because of the storm there.  Of course, this is nothing compared to the severe weather in Arkansas and Tennessee.  Right now I am thinking of Beth and her family and hoping that they are ok.

This afternoon is my time to volunteer at First Choice.  I pray that the Lord will give me compassion and sensitivity to the needs of the clients that come in.  I pray that I would have discernment and wisdom and a listening ear.  I pray that I would be on God’s agenda and not my own.

For His Name’s Sake.

The crisis pregnancy center where I volunteer has signed up with Good search website so that if you choose to use this search engine you can money will be contributed to our center.  You will find a link on Good Search to designate where the donations should go.  Our center is First Choice Pregnancy Resource Center (Stevens Point, WI).  If you decide to sign up and use Good Search I would appreciate you leaving a comment and letting me know.  We really appreciate it and the girls we are helping through crisis pregnancy are benefiting also.

For His Name’s Sake.

The crisis pregnancy center where I volunteer has signed up with Good search website so that if you choose to use this search engine you can money will be contributed to our center.  You will find a link on Good Search to designate where the donations should go.  Our center is First Choice Pregnancy Resource Center (Stevens Point, WI).  If you decide to sign up and use Good Search I would appreciate you leaving a comment and letting me know.  We really appreciate it and the girls we are helping through crisis pregnancy are benefiting also.

For His Name’s Sake.

I’ll just pop in here quickly to say that last week we had our First Choice banquet for the community.  We had around 380 people in attendance.  Hannah put together a slide show of the center with some of the girls’ testimony of why they like to come to the center.  Our Executive Director spoke and mentioned that in the 10 months that we have been open we have seen 35 clients.  Many of these girls keep coming back because they love the atmosphere and they feel welcome, they love the support they get and they enjoy being with other mom’s going through the same situation.

Today, like the past several Tuesdays for months now, I spent the afternoon and early evening hours at our local crisis pregnancy center. Because I have been willing to fill in hours where they need people, I am there for about three hours alone with the director each week. She was able to share with me about the conference that she and the other paid staff were able to attend last week which sounds like it was a wonderful opportunity for them. They were so encouraged that God is doing things at our center which is are not being seen at other centers i.e. the number of volunteers, the number of clients we have had even having been open so early, the meals we make available for the girls, etc. We are thankful for those blessings.

I had the opportunity today to spend time with one of our clients. She usually meets with one of the other advocates, but this other advocate had to work today. I was able to talk to her about forgiveness and changing things for the sake of her daughter. I also was able to pray with her. She may not take what I had to say to heart, but I pray that the Lord will use what I said.

My heart goes out to these girls. They so much enjoy coming to the center and having someone listen to them. They love the meals where they can connect with others who are in the same situation that they are. We have one girl scheduled to come in who is 20 years old and has 4 children. Most of these girls have to take there babies for paternity testing to get the fathers to help support the children. Think of trying to be a new mom and having to deal with high school graduation, algebra, and driver’s ed. And not being able to relate to any of your peers anymore because now you are a mom. All the other girls are talking about the prom and you are talking about diapers and teething.

“When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him, then He will sit on the throne of His glory. All nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate them [the people] from one another as a shepherd separates his sheep from the goats; And He will cause the sheep to stand at His right hand, but the goats at His left.

Then the King will say to those at His right hand, ‘Come, you blessed of My Father inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave Me food, I was thirsty and you gave Me something to drink, I was a stranger and you brought Me together with yourselves and welcomed and entertained and lodged Me, I was naked and you clothed Me, I was sick and you visited Me with help and ministering care, I was in prison and you came to see Me.’

Then the just and upright will answer Him, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry and gave You food, or thirsty and gave You something to drink?

And when did we see You a stranger and welcomed and entertained You, or naked and clothed You?

And when did we see You sick or in prison and came to visit You?’

And the King will reply to them, ‘Truly I tell you, in so far as you did it for one of the least [in the estimation of men] of these My brethren, you did it for Me.’” (Matt. 25:31-40)

For His Name’s Sake

Today, like the past several Tuesdays for months now, I spent the afternoon and early evening hours at our local crisis pregnancy center. Because I have been willing to fill in hours where they need people, I am there for about three hours alone with the director each week. She was able to share with me about the conference that she and the other paid staff were able to attend last week which sounds like it was a wonderful opportunity for them. They were so encouraged that God is doing things at our center which is are not being seen at other centers i.e. the number of volunteers, the number of clients we have had even having been open so early, the meals we make available for the girls, etc. We are thankful for those blessings.

I had the opportunity today to spend time with one of our clients. She usually meets with one of the other advocates, but this other advocate had to work today. I was able to talk to her about forgiveness and changing things for the sake of her daughter. I also was able to pray with her. She may not take what I had to say to heart, but I pray that the Lord will use what I said.

My heart goes out to these girls. They so much enjoy coming to the center and having someone listen to them. They love the meals where they can connect with others who are in the same situation that they are. We have one girl scheduled to come in who is 20 years old and has 4 children. Most of these girls have to take there babies for paternity testing to get the fathers to help support the children. Think of trying to be a new mom and having to deal with high school graduation, algebra, and driver’s ed. And not being able to relate to any of your peers anymore because now you are a mom. All the other girls are talking about the prom and you are talking about diapers and teething.

“When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him, then He will sit on the throne of His glory. All nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate them [the people] from one another as a shepherd separates his sheep from the goats; And He will cause the sheep to stand at His right hand, but the goats at His left.

Then the King will say to those at His right hand, ‘Come, you blessed of My Father inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave Me food, I was thirsty and you gave Me something to drink, I was a stranger and you brought Me together with yourselves and welcomed and entertained and lodged Me, I was naked and you clothed Me, I was sick and you visited Me with help and ministering care, I was in prison and you came to see Me.’

Then the just and upright will answer Him, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry and gave You food, or thirsty and gave You something to drink?

And when did we see You a stranger and welcomed and entertained You, or naked and clothed You?

And when did we see You sick or in prison and came to visit You?’

And the King will reply to them, ‘Truly I tell you, in so far as you did it for one of the least [in the estimation of men] of these My brethren, you did it for Me.’” (Matt. 25:31-40)

For His Name’s Sake

Here it is almost the end of July and I have not updated again for a couple of weeks. I hate it when I do that. This morning I am feeling the after affects of migraine medication, but want to update on summer happenings.

Josh passed his driver’s test a few weeks ago so he is now driving his moped to the library and to the park to play disc golf occasionally. What more could a 16 year old want? We made a trip to the doctor’s office last week to confirm that the rash on his neck was indeed poison ivy which has now spread to his elbow and his opposite hand. While we were there the nurse measured him and he is now officially 1/4 inch shorter than his dad at 6′2 3/4 inches and still growing. At least he has slowed down, I think.

Hannah is working at camp this summer. She took the young girl that she has mentored the last few years and is in some of the pictures that you see on my blog. They have been up there for two weeks and have two weeks for sure to go and possibly will stay an extra week as staff is short that last week of the summer. They have been doing accommodations work, cooking, dish crew, and working in the canteen. Yesterday during our prayer time in our home fellowship group one of the women prayed for Hannah and it was the first time that I realized how much I miss her.

Yesterday was my dear husband’s birthday. I guess I’ll put this picture of him up because

he likes it. How blessed I am to have someone to have shared so many wonderful and happy memories with, someone who has a servant’s heart, a man of God who has a sensitive heart and seeks to please the Lord. I pray that the LORD will bless Buck as he walks in faithfulness after God.

I have been leading Bible studies and working at the crisis pregnancy center. The board approved to hire an assistant director and an administrative assistant, but the woman that was going to be the assistant director is not going to take that position so they are looking for someone. I have been asked to put in 5-8 hours a week in addition to the 4 hours that I am already putting in and these hours would be administrative hours, answering phones, etc. I see this as an opportunity to disciple women in a casual setting. However, since I am reading in the book of Numbers about the children of Israel not trusting God regarding the Promised Land, I really want to hear from God on this issue. I do NOT want to just jump into anything ahead of Him. My first priority is to my husband, my children and my home. My husband has already discussed with me that he doesn’t mind me spending more time there. If God’s Presence doesn’t go with me, I don’t want to be a part of it. I guess there are more questions in my mind that I am not ready to ask here. Please, if you feel led to pray, pray for me.

For His Name’s Sake

Here it is almost the end of July and I have not updated again for a couple of weeks. I hate it when I do that. This morning I am feeling the after affects of migraine medication, but want to update on summer happenings.

Josh passed his driver’s test a few weeks ago so he is now driving his moped to the library and to the park to play disc golf occasionally. What more could a 16 year old want? We made a trip to the doctor’s office last week to confirm that the rash on his neck was indeed poison ivy which has now spread to his elbow and his opposite hand. While we were there the nurse measured him and he is now officially 1/4 inch shorter than his dad at 6′2 3/4 inches and still growing. At least he has slowed down, I think.

Hannah is working at camp this summer. She took the young girl that she has mentored the last few years and is in some of the pictures that you see on my blog. They have been up there for two weeks and have two weeks for sure to go and possibly will stay an extra week as staff is short that last week of the summer. They have been doing accommodations work, cooking, dish crew, and working in the canteen. Yesterday during our prayer time in our home fellowship group one of the women prayed for Hannah and it was the first time that I realized how much I miss her.

Yesterday was my dear husband’s birthday. I guess I’ll put this picture of him up because

he likes it. How blessed I am to have someone to have shared so many wonderful and happy memories with, someone who has a servant’s heart, a man of God who has a sensitive heart and seeks to please the Lord. I pray that the LORD will bless Buck as he walks in faithfulness after God.

I have been leading Bible studies and working at the crisis pregnancy center. The board approved to hire an assistant director and an administrative assistant, but the woman that was going to be the assistant director is not going to take that position so they are looking for someone. I have been asked to put in 5-8 hours a week in addition to the 4 hours that I am already putting in and these hours would be administrative hours, answering phones, etc. I see this as an opportunity to disciple women in a casual setting. However, since I am reading in the book of Numbers about the children of Israel not trusting God regarding the Promised Land, I really want to hear from God on this issue. I do NOT want to just jump into anything ahead of Him. My first priority is to my husband, my children and my home. My husband has already discussed with me that he doesn’t mind me spending more time there. If God’s Presence doesn’t go with me, I don’t want to be a part of it. I guess there are more questions in my mind that I am not ready to ask here. Please, if you feel led to pray, pray for me.

For His Name’s Sake

We had a slight setback this week at the Women’s Resource Center. The director of our center and the board had applied for a grant at our local hospital which is a Catholic hospital and pro-life. The plan was to hire an assistant director because the current director essentially works a full-time job while getting paid for only 20 hours. We have been tremendously blessed in that we have wonderful community involvement. The local public high school and jr. highs are wanting us to come in and do some speaking, health and human services wants to work with us, the local army recruiting office is going to send girls to us for pregnancy tests, family resource center has already referred people to us…..well, well you get the idea. We also anticipate involvement with the local university. This is above and beyond what we could have dreamed of. We recently learned of a crisis pregnancy center in another state which was open for a year and a half before they had one client and we have had six being open only a month.

This week I went to one of our lunches where we invite young moms and expecting moms. It is a time of support for them and just a time to be with other moms who are in the same situation as them. One 18 year old girl had her baby with her who was only 3 weeks old and the father is not allowed to see the baby. His parents want a paternity test done. The girls in the group deal with these kind of situations daily.

The devastating news was that we did not get the grant from the hospital. The board at the hospital is made up of community members who do not want to see a crisis pregnancy center in this community.

BUT, I believe in the God who is known by what He does and I am waiting to see what He will do in this situation. We only need to be faithful to Him. He has a heart for the poor, the orphan and the downcast. He has a heart for those whom no one else wants or cares for. He has had His hand on this project in so many ways in the past and He will continue to provide what we need. He likes to do things that only He can do. Once He took five loaves and two fish and fed five thousand people. He will provide what we need.

For His Name’s Sake.