Beginning of a NEW Thanksgiving Trend.........

Well, Thanksgiving was a little different this year for our Family. This was the first year since Mark and I have been married that we have not celebrated the holiday with one of our families. However, it will not be the last one that we do not have our parents at......considering next year we will be in Costa Rica and the following year we will be on the ground in Honduras.

When you think of "Thanksgiving" you think of the season of Fall with beautiful changing leaves that look like they have been painted on the trees. You also think of cool crisp days of kids playing football outside while the turkey is being cooked.

Our Thanksgiving was great even if there were not autumn colored leaves and it was about 70 outside. Mark and the kids played outside while I prepared all the traditional foods that go along with turkey. We had:

1. Baked Mac-n-Cheese

2. Green Bean Casserole

3. Mashed Potatoes and gravy

4. Dressing

5. Butterbeans

6. Carrots

7. Cranberry Sauce

8. Deviled Eggs

9. Sweet Potato Casserole

10. Rolls

11. Blueberry Cobbler w/vanilla ice cream

and of coarse my husband cooked his first of many to come fried TURKEYS.....and let me just say that if you have never had fried turkey it is the BOMB!!!! ((and we will be getting a fryer for Honduras.......))

We had some guests with us for Thanksgiving this year that were not family memebers but kids here in the home. Two of them had no family to go home too and one well her dad is in prison and her mom died when she was little. It was nice to be able to bring them home and give them a family style Thanksgiving Dinner. Before we prayed we went around the room and each of us told what we were 'Thankful" for. One of them said they were thankful for the home, another said "that you brought me to your house for Thanksgiving" it was very heart warming tear jerking to hear those words come out of his mouth. You know all he wanted was to have a family. He has been in the home for 3 years. He is now 5. The sad think is that he will most likely live here until he goes off to college.

This was the start of a new family tradition for us: giving hope to those who have none. Sharing something as small as a plate of turkey dinner and hugs and laughs to someone that longs for love and acceptance. I challenge each one of you to start a new family tradition that would include doing something for someone in need.

We are all so very fortunate to have the family lives that we do and sometimes it is hard to even believe that there could be one without a family. If you want to see or read more about the work here at Hope Childrens Home please visit the link below.

www.hopechildrenshome.org

HaPpY ThAnKsGiViNg To ALL!!!!!!!

"O Give Thanks Unto the Lord; for He is Good:For His Mercy Endureth For Ever.

Psalm 118:29

DO YOU HAVE A FRIEND???

One of my favorite hymns is WHAT A FRIEND by Joseph Scriven. It was very intresting to me that a dear lady gave me a booklet on famous hymns and how their writers were inspired to write them.

In 1845 Joseph came to Canada and lived there until his death at the age of 66. His consecration of his life to Christ was the result of a terrible grief which he endured in his early years.

You see the young lady to whom he was engaged to accidently drowned on the night before their wedding day. Mr. Scriven wrote his famous hymn, WHAT A FRIEND, at a time of very special sorrow to bring comfort to his mother. It was only intended for her eyes only. He told a neighbour, "The Lord and I did it between us". What a true blessing this song has been to so many over the years.

You know while we all have earthly friends it is not uncommon for them to fail us in some fashion. They do not mean too but we are all human which means not one of us is a perfect creature. However, there is one that is always there no matter what the need or situation. I am thankful that I can sing the words to this song and believe them.

Here is the first stanza of this song:

What a friend we have in Jesus, all our sins and griefs to bear! What a privilege to carry everything to God in prayer. O what peace we often forfeit, O what needless pain we bear, all because we do not carry everything to God in prayer.

You should look up the remaining 2 verses and see if they speak to your heart like they do mine.

"A man that hath friends must show himself friendly: and there is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother". Proverbs 18:24

The Winding Road of Our Thought Life....................

Have you ever sat back and pondered how YOUR thoughts affect the people around you? When we have a negative thought about someone "Satan" does everything in his power to make it fester up until it burst, like a splinter stuck in your finger and your body trying to purge it out.

You see the devil does the same thing in our "thought life". He sees a situation that we may have with our children like them constantly leaving their toys on the floor; or maybe it is our husbands dirty socks laying beside the hamper. What ever the situation the devil trys to plant the negative seed to get us angry or to think poorly of them. This could happen with any situation right on down to "Did you see _____this morning at church, they did not even come over to me and say Hello".....boy have I heard that a ton of times. The truth is we don't know exactly what is going through the other persons head. I can testify that I have been at church and it has gotten back to me that I did not greet someone, the truths is "I did not even see them".

What ever the circumstance it can cause one of two situations. One we can blurt out in anger and gain an ill temper for those involved or two we keep it bottled inside but our actions and motives show that we are so mad and ill that we could spit nails at them.

However, there is a third option. You can kick the bad thinking habit by following God's advice to guard your mind. In Philippians 2:5 it says : "Let this mind be in you, which is also in Christ Jesus:" It also says in Proverbs 4:23 "Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life."

We need to take control of our thought life and ask God to give us wisdom in every situation that may arise. We also always want others to be able to see Christ in us. "For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he." Proverbs 23:7

So I challenge everyone including myself to not let Satan take your thoughts on a winding road of destruction but let God guide them with delight.

On the Road to Victory.......

Upon arrival here at HOPE in August we found the kids already in school and practicing for an exciting year of both girls and boys volleyball. Taylor was able to jump right in and be on the girls team and Mark was asked to be the assistant coach for the boys team.

This year was the first time they had ever had a boys volleyball team here at the school. With that said, no one would have guessed that our boys would have played so well at a sport which they have never really played before.

This weekend (Friday and Saturday) we had the championship games for our division. The girls were ranked 3rd overall and if they one on Friday night then they would play again on Saturday morning. The boys had gone 9-0 in the conference so they did not have to play until the Championship Game at 12:30 today. The girls won their first game today and they were headed to the Championship game against a team that they had struggled with all season.

The boys were super. They played great as a team and showed awesome Christian character while playing. They won in the first 3 games. We are so proud that the first year of having a boys team they brought home Conference Champs as well as regular season Champs.

The girls played well but came in second in the Championship game. Maybe next year they will bring home the trophy. They played so hard during the first game and showed awesome team work. They just have to play harder and maybe next year will be their year. You know having kids myself our children have always been in sports and we have always been there to support them whenever they have played. However, this weekend I cheered for my other children (the children here in the home) which I have grown to love as my own.

You know these teenagers played in a game this weekend that were against kids the same age as they were.....the one difference was they had their parents on the bleachers there to scream and yell out support to them. Our "HOPE" kids well they have us but no one can truly take the place of a parent. I remember when I was little and I would get awards at school and I would look in the stands to see if my mom or dad were there. When I caught site of them oh, how I would fill up with pride and excitement. These kids have parents who are strung out on drugs or in jail or who just can not take care of them. Some of them just don't want to have any part of them at all. While you look at the video clip and the pictures of these kids just whisper a prayer to the Lord and ask "HIM" to help someone be a blessing and an encouragement to them during their days here.

I also challenge my readers who are parents to take part in your children's lives and not let a day go by where you are not wanting to cheer them on from the sidelines.....in whatever they do.

My Life and the word Gracious.......

The word gracious is an adjective that means something characterized by warm courtesy or kindness. A person that displays this characteristic can be described as a person being graceful. It refers to a compassionate or merciful nature or being condescendingly courteous. Something or someone graceful shows good taste, elegance, beauty and charm. I am currently reading a book to help me be the best wife and mother that I can. In this book it lists words that would be attributes of a women of God.

So I decided to study the word “graciousness”. Have you ever been talking to someone and seen a pretty girl come along that has a bad attitude? I have, and I have told my daughter that the person would be so much prettier if she displayed some graciousness. You know a person that displays this characteristic is so much more appealing. I personally had to reflect upon my own life.

If we are all honest with ourselves we would have to agree that we are not always gracious. I have been married for almost 15 years and I can say that unfortunately I have not always shown my husband graciousness. In fact I must say that I wish I could take back the times that I wasn’t so kind and merciful to him. However, with the Lord’s help I can say that I am changing all of that. We all do things or say things without thinking. We should be quick to hold our tongue. It says in Psalms 34:13 “Keep thy tongue from evil and thy lips from speaking guile” This is in everything that we say. We have to remember that if we are saved then we are representing Christ when we speak. Sometimes I think that we as Christians seem to forget that part. This could even trickle right on down into our appearance.

OK, so I guess that I have opened a “can of worms” but I have to say my opinion on this situation. If we are saved and Christ lives and dwells within us…how come we think that it is perfectly exceptable to walk around looking like a bum? I am a very casual person, however, I have tried in the last five years or so to put into perspective how others see and view me. I know that looks are not “suppose” to be what counts. But, we should always be showing the attributes of graciousness because we are always letting others see us when we are out and about. I personally try to think about the fact that I could have the opportunity to speak to someone about Christ. First impressions are everything, and if we are representing Christ, then that lost person that I have a chance to witness to will be able to see the attribute of “grace” through me.

I hope that I have made you think of your own life and that you reflect on the attribute of “graciousness”. I personally want to say that I am displaying it better than I have in the past. So my challenge to you is are you showing others graciousness and are you always thinking that someone is watching you not only in this world but outside of it as well?
We need to also be willing to show ourselves gracious just as God has been gracious to us. He sent “His” one and only son Jesus to die on a cross to pay the debt for our sins. We should give others a second chance just as Christ has given us a second chance, and if honest it is third, fourth, fifth etc.

Jonah said this in Jonah 4:2; And he prayed unto the Lord, and said, I pray thee, O Lord, was it not my saying, when I was yet in my country? Therefore, I fled before unto Tarshish: for I knew that thou art a gracious God, and a merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and repentest thee of evil.

From Onions to Christmas Trees............

Well, it has been a very busy week for the Coats Family. Last Friday at about 1:30 or so we packed our bags and van and headed to our hometown of Fuquay-Varina, NC. We made a stop for the night in Savannah, GA and had plans on driving the remainder of the way Saturday morning. The next morning we prepared for breakfast and sat in the dining area of the hotel to eat. It was very busy that morning and there were no seats left. However, there was a lady standing and we invited her to share our table. She began to share with us that she was a secretary for a church in upstate New York. The Lord opened the door for us to be able to share our burden and the vision of Team Honduras for a childrens home. It was awesome to share with her and give her a prayer card. Who knows but God what can happen for the children now.

On, we drove to NC and we arrived at Mark's sisters house for our week long stay. Sunday we were able to attend Hilltop and see our friends and church family. After church we went to one of our favorite fast food places.....BOJANGLES with our good friends the Hawleys. We sat for a long time and just chatted about the home and what we have been up to.

That night we returned back to Hilltop and had another great service. Brother Johnny Hudson spoke to my heart with his message. We knew that we would not have a chance to see our church family again for awhile so we hung out after church and chatted with them until we were asked to go out to dinner with another family from our church. The Lord knows just how to send you encouragement when you need it most. As we sat at dinner we were able to share what was going on with HOPE as well as the future of Hope of Honduras. It was a blessing to us to have had such an awesome Sunday with members from our church.

Monday we slept in.......(lol) until about 8:30 and then set off to visit with Mark's buddies from the fire station. We made our rounds to each station and then ended by having lunch with about 12 or so at a local restaurant. It was nice to see Mark enjoying his time talking not only about fire and the aspects of the job but also hearing him talk to them about the childrens home and how great of a need it is.

We said our goodbyes and then went to Mark's Uncle Johnny ans Aunt Martha's house. They live on the street where Mark and his family grew up. We were greeted with milk and cookies and of all things a fire in the fireplace. Yes, we were about to freeze.....lol. I guess Florida weather had already set in on our bodies. We were able to share with them some stories about Hope and share the vision that is in place for the home in Honduras. It was such a blessing to be there with family. Josiah even had a little buddy his cousin Tyson. This was the first time they have met and they had a great time playing. They are also pretty close in age so it was cute to see them next to one another. Mark and Uncle Johnny took a trip down memory lane walking around the property and seeing Nanny Bug's (his grandmother) old house. I know that it meant alot to him because he loved his grandparents very much.

Tuesday we woke to visit local churches and pass out some of our promotional DVDs. Then we headed to Lillington to take the kids to the county fair. It was free for kids that night so we thought we would try it and see how it was. Mark and I got in for $4 each and then we bought the kids a $15 bracelet that meant they could ride all they wanted until it was time for us to leave. BOY......was that well worth it. Mark's sisters and their kids were out there as well as my baby sister Brittany and my nieces friend John. We had a great time and the kids did not even have to get off the rides if they didn't want too. There was hardly anyone there. We stayed until about 10:15 or so.

The next day was Wednesday and we just hung out around the house because we knew that we were going to be presenting our work that night at Fellowship. We had to leave around 4 or so because of traffic and plus they were serving us dinner. We arrived and were welcomed with cheerful smiles and hugs. This is the church that Mark grew up at....so for him he was home. We had dinner and chatted with friends that we have not seen in over 2 years or so. That night we were able to share the vision that we have along with Team Honduras and Hope for a childrens home. It was such a blessing to see how receptive the people were for the children.

That night brother Eddie Goddard preached a message on "They remembered the onions"......It may not be his exact words but it is pretty close. Anyway in this message he spoke about the Children of Israel and how God had delivered them but the one thing that the remembered was the onions. You know it made me think about all the things that God has done for me in my life and in this ministry so far......then I had to say to myself.....do I remember the onions or do I always try to see the good things that God has blessed me with. Do I think and ponder on the little things that someone has said or done to me or do I think about all the wonderful things that God has given me and my family......It was a great message and you should log onto to Fellowship Baptist Churches website in Durham NC to hear the full sermon.

Thursday was a long day but a day filled with blessings. We arrived at the church and started the day with chapel and then a wonderful lunch. The ladies did such an awesome job of preparing meals for us all week. Then we were treated to a day of shopping with Pastor Finley's wife and a few other ladies from the church. Our children were treated to a day at Marbles in downtown Raleigh......so no shopping with kids.....wow....don't get that opportunity very often. Pastor Finley took men out for the day and also to share with them the future site for expanding the works their at Fellowship. The other missionary wives and myself had a great time of fun and fellowship that day. That night we headed back to church for another great meal and then saw one of the most amazing things.....a missionary parade. Fellowship is a church that currently runs about 1,000 people including a Spanish ministry and a bus ministry. They support over 129 missionaries around the world. As the children marched in 2 by 2 carrying flags and posters of the families and countries that were represented my eyes filled with tears. Here we have just gotten to share our burden and our name along with Honduras was already on a poster. These people had also gotten a burden for the country of Honduras and the children and were ready to support our family. You see the flags and posters that were represented that night did not just represent families that had been called to the mission field but it also represented souls that could be saved and had been saved as a result of their obedience to God and HIS calling. It made me think of the song:

"LITTLE IS MUCH WHEN GOD IS IN IT"

In the harvest field now ripened There’s a work for all to do;Hark! the voice of God is calling To the harvest calling you.

Little is much when God is in it!Labor not for wealth or fame.There’s a crown—and you can win it, If you go in Jesus’ Name.

In the mad rush of the broad way, In the hurry and the strife,Tell of Jesus’ love and mercy,Give to them the Word of Life.
(CHORUS)
Does the place you’re called to labor Seem too small and little known?It is great if God is in it,And He’ll not forget His own.
(CHORUS)
Are you laid aside from service,Body worn from toil and care?You can still be in the battle,In the sacred place of prayer.
(CHORUS)
When the conflict here is ended And our race on earth is run, He will say, if we are faithful,“Welcome home, My child—well done!”

You see we are the workers and GOD is our MASTER and the fields are ready: are you doing your part to prepare the fields for harvesting? Are you willing to do what God has pressed upon your heart? Don't let it pass you by.....

OKAY, I know that this has been lengthy but the week has been awesome and I just had to share it with you all. The last night of the conference the message was great again and people were committing and praying hard as families and as individuals sought God's words for what they could do in the way of missions through their church. You see Brother Goddard made the point of saying that when you give to help others reach others for the cause of Christ....."YOU" have a part in it especially if the seed is planted and watered and that soul gets saved. You see you might not even know it but your giving could be setting up rewards for you in Heaven. It spoke to my heart to pray for the other missionaries that were there as well as the others that are all around the world. Just because Mark and I are now on the mission field doesn't mean that we are not going to support others...our giving will continue. You are probably wondering what Christmas had to do with this story well...the ladies and teens decorated the church to look like Christmas and the four mission families had their own tree and even gifts for us all. THE LORD IS TRULY AMAZING and we have received BLESSING after BLESSING this week...much more than we deserve. We are grateful and thankful to a congregation of people who truly love the Lord and strive everyday to fulfill the Great Commission. I hope that this has blessed you as much as our week in NC has blessed us.