What is our PURPOSE??

Many of you may not fully understand what our goals are as we journey to Honduras. While doing my devotion I cam across the verse of Proverbs 17:6 which says: "Children's children are the crown of old men; and the glory of children are their fathers." So, I thought I would share with you why we are going to minister to the children.

I can speak true of this passage because I know that my children are deeply loved by their grandparents. Hunter and Josiah are the the only grandsons that my daddy has. I know that this journey is especially hard on him for he will not be able to see them grow up; but he will be proud of them just the same. I have heard many people say including Pastors; that grandchildren are God's reward to parents for not killing their children.......lol. But regardless of that saying they are a reward to both parents and grandparents.

Our first goal is to help these children by taking them in and giving them a family. We want to give them a new sense of belonging and make them feel safe and secure beyond measure. We want to teach them about our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and lay down a Biblical foundation that will last a lifetime. Our ultimate goal is that each boy and girl that we are able to reach will trust Christ and grow up to minister to the people of their country. Our Pastor back home Brother Jeff always says this saying: "our goal is to fulfill the great commission by seeing folks saved, seeing them baptized and teaching them how the Bible says that they ought to live." That is just what we want to do for these children. We want them to grow into Godly adults and put Proverbs 17:6 to light in our eyes for we in return will become most of their parents. Not for us only...but for the Lord our God first so that he will receive the glory and praise of the seeds sown through the children's home.

Please pray as we are closer than ever to being able to leave April 26th for language school so that we can finish school in a timely matter and start our purpose above.

The World moves forward on the feet of little CHILDREN!!

Bibilical Guidelines for 2010

I can not take credit for this one. Someone sent it to me via an email and I thought that it would and should be applied to our everyday lives. I have added a little bit to it however to make it my own. Below is a list of (7) things that you should do everyday.....wow and it's GOD's Perfect Number!



1. WAKE-UP!! When you wake up you just decide as soon as your feet hit the floor that you are going to have a good day. Psalms 118:24 says; "This is the day which the LORD hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it." Regardless of what is going on in our lives the Lord saw it fit to give us yet another day to take a breath and enjoy what he has given us.



2. DRESS-UP!! The best way to dress ourselves up is to put on a SMILE! (I love this one)(maybe b/c I love to smile) But a smile is an inexpensive way to improve your looks....imagine that ladies....you can't buy one of those in a department store... The Bible says in 1 Samuel 16:7; "But the LORD said unto Samuel, Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have refused him: for the LORD seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the LORD looketh on the heart."



3. HUSH-UP!! Follow that rule that your mother gave you so many years ago...."If you can't say anything nice well then just don't say anythng at all." WOW! How come we never follow that advise. Oh, how much happier we would be if only we would learn to keep our mouths shut and just listen. God gave us two ears to hear and one mouth, so he must have meant for us to LISTEN twice as much as he wanted us to SPEAK! Proverbs 13:3 says "He that keepeth his mouth keepeth his life: but he that openeth wide his lips shall have destruction."


4. STAND-UP!! We must as Christians stand for what we believe in. There is an old country song that says this...."you have to stand for something or you'll fall for everything." Oh what a truth. How come we have something and someone to stand up for but we let the world and the devil keep us from doing so. Do we stand up for the Lord and be a witness in a dark world? How many of you go out and pass out a track to someone you don't even know? We have so many opportunities and never take advantage of them. I am sure that we all go to a drive-thru window sometime during the week....when they hand you your change ...hand them a track....they won't say"NO". When you are in Wal-Mart and the cashier hands you the receipt....hand her a track and tell him or her that it has some valuable information in it that changed your life and you are sure that it will change theirs. Believe me...they want say "NO". The Bible says in Galations 6:9-10 "And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not. As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith.


5. LOOK-UP!! We must look up and fix our eyes upon the Lord. If we truly believe on HIM and cast our sight on HIM all things are possible. "I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me." Philippians 4:13



6. REACH-UP!! Not only must you look up but you must reach up and allow the Lord the be the center of your live. Proverbs 3:5-6 says "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."


7.LIFT-UP!! You must always lift up your prayers to the Lord. The Lord tells us that we have not because we ask not. I don't want to miss out on a blessing from the Lord because I do not ask HIM to bless me or ask HIM for a specific need that I have. If we never bring it before the Lord how can we expect Him to help us. We should not worry about everything but pray about everything. Philippians 4:6 "Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God."

I hope that you all try and apply these seven guidelines in your lives I know that they are going to be the focus in my own life.

Acting on the Leading of the Holy Spirit

When we first moved down to Tampa, I noticed something that I had really never seen before in North Carolina and that was the number of homeless people on the street. While I was not completely in the dark about the ongoing rise of this situation it was just not something that we saw in our small town of Fuquay Varina. However, on our way to church I began to notice a person.....possibly a lady pushing a shopping cart filled with gray trash bags and tattered clothes and floppy worn out shoes on her feet.

The Lord began to place this lady on my heart and each time we passed to go to church I was searching her out. It took many times of the Lord pressing on my heart to cause me to act on those impressions. I am sure that if we are all honest with ourselves we have been led to do something for someone that we never acted on.

Well, this past Wednesday night the Lord touched my heart again and burdened me about doing something if we saw her. So, driving home on that rather chilly night there she was backed up to a building with her cart in front and with her forehead on the handle trying to fall asleep standing up. I asked Mark, "Honey can we please stop and take her something to eat it is cold out and a hot meal would at least be something that we could do." So, he agreed and stopped at the next fast food place we saw which just happened to be a Burger King. We purchased a double cheeseburger, fries and a drink to carry back to her.

Of coarse, Mark being the kind and protecting husband that he is, said that he would feel better if he went and delivered the goodies in the bag. The women was almost asleep when he approached her. He told her why we had stopped. "He said the Lord has placed a burden on my wife's heart about you and she wanted to do something for you". He began to tell her what we had in the bag, and she said that she was thankful but ......she does not eat meat. He began to ask her about the drink and fries and she told him that she was to cold to drink a soda tonight. Mark proceeded to ask her about her salvation and the Lord Jesus Christ. She told him that she was in fact a Christian and she believed in Jesus. He asked her name and she expressed that is was "Tammy". He then asked if he could give her some money so that she could go and get something that she would like for dinner and she again said no thank you. However, it was awesome when she I will not take your money but I will take the track in your hand.

It was encouraging to know that she was willing to take that track which has the plan of salvation on the inside. Mark told her that she would be in our prayers and we drove away.

You know all we have to do is obey what the Lord tells us to do and he will take care of the rest. We don't know what will happen to Tammy but we do know that she know holds in her hands the Romans Road.

Beloved, if our God so loved us, we ought also to love one another. No man hath seen God at anytime. If we love one another, God dwelleth in us, and his love is perfected. 1 John 4:11-12

The Lord shall guide thee continually, and satisfy thy soul in drought, and make fat thy bones: and thou shalt be like a watered garden, and like a spring of water, whose waters fail not. Isaiah 58:11

Hoops at HOPE....

Well, for those who know my husband....you know that he is a true lover of sports. So, for me it was no surprise that he started teaching our children the same love for sports when they could each hold a ball. For the record, it did not have to be just a basketball but football and baseball as well. He is a wonderful daddy who truly loves to get outside and play with his kids. I think that because he loves it so much they all love sports including Josiah whose second word I must admit was "BALL" instead of "mommy". He loves a ball more than any kid I have ever seen next to Hunter.

This brings us to today. Taylor is playing basketball here at HCS and is only in the 8th grade. However, she is a starter and her daddy and I are very proud of her. She has picked up valuable skills over the coarse of her younger years and her daddy's "tall genes" seem to help her on the court.

We have had three games so far this season and so far we are 2 and 1. Taylor has done a great job at coming out of her shell and becoming aggressive with the ball. She has the ability if she would just apply it all the time on the court. We are very proud of how she has improved with each game and tonight was no exception. She had at least 6 points plus many rebounds and assists.

Not only did the girls win but our boys did as well. I love the fact that I can go and watch her play ball and the rest of the kids here at HOPE. I do however, sit and think about what their parents are missing out on and the accomplishments that these teenagers have made and they will never get to see it. You see each day is something new, just like when you learn to ride a bike or you loose your first tooth. You can not ever recreate those memories. What a shame it is that when they grow up they will not have those thoughts and memories of what happened tonight. With that said it brings to my mind a shot that a young man made tonight; imagine standing at 3/4 court and the clock is ticking down so you throw the ball like a football with all you have......the buzzer goes off and the ball swishes the net.......the crowd jumps to their feet in awe and cheered because you just made a "3" and that could never be recreated in a million years. Thankfully he had peers and staff family and other fans to help him remember such a remarkable play.

I want to always try and do my best and making memories with my children and letting them know how much they mean to me and how proud I am of their accomplishments.

Turning the "To Do List"...into the the "To Be List"...

I know that many times in my life I have made a "To Do List". If you all sit and think I am sure that each one of you would agree that sometime in your life you have made one too. When reading in God's Word he wants us to each create a "To Be List".

I know that there have been times in my life where I have written out my schedule and my day and had everything in my own plan and said to the Lord...okay this is all that I have to do today please be with me and help me with it Lord and bless me.

But instead of taking it from the the "To Do" perspective we need to apply the "To Be" one.

From the "To Be" perspective, we should have prayers that consist of things like the following:

Help me Lord to reflect your love today.

Help me Lord to manifest your peace.

Help me Lord to practice your patience.

Help me Lord to exhibit your joy.

Help me Lord to make known YOUR goodness.

Help me Lord to express your kindness.

Help me Lord to display your self-control.

Help me Lord to reveal your faithfulness.

Help me Lord to share your gentleness.

If we express these traits then it reflects the mark of God's presence in our lives. Everyday we should start out our "To Be" List by spending time in Prayer and Meditation in HIS Word.

The best way to express God's kindness is first receiving His Kindness in your own life. When you receive the Lord's kindness in your life it will reflect through everything that you do. You will be more app to spread it unknowingly. It will become a part of who you are and you will display it to those around you. We will then be able to share God's love and kindness through our daily behavior.

When we make our "To Be" list a top priority in our lives the things that we have "To Do" will become less of a burden in our daily routines. We must however, always remember to put HIM first and want to strive to be like Him.....then we can accomplish all that we need to in a much better attitude.

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance: against such there is no law. And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lust. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.

Galatians 5:22-25

New Recipe......Watermelon Salsa........

Since living here in Tampa the Lord has blessed us with fresh fruits thanks to God guiding great people to drop things off at the home. Sometimes things come in such bulk that we as staff get the opportunity to help our fridges and cupboards be not so bare. I had a co-worker back in NC when Taylor was little that gave me this recipe for Watermelon Salsa....don't knock it until you try....it is spicy and a tiny bit sweet all at the same time.

2 Cups watermelon; chopped

3/4 Cup sweet onion; diced

3/4 Cup black beans; rinsed and drained

1-2 jalapenos; chopped and seeded(more or less to liking)

1/4 Cup fresh cilantro; chopped

1 clove of garlic; minced

1 Tablespoon brown sugar

1/2 tsp. salt

Combine all ingredients and refrigerate. Serve with chips or toasted pita bread.

I hope that you all take time to try it. It really is a sweet and healthy treat.

COOKS TIP:

If you ever get something to salty add a little vinegar and sugar. If it is a soup or sauce then just add a raw peeled potato to the pot.

Giving God All I have To Give.....in 2010

This Christmas season has been one that I will never forget. Not only was it one that was spent away from friends and family but it was time for us to reflect as a family on how God has truly blessed us.

God has blessed our family beyond believe. We are so amazed still....at the fact God has called us to such a journey. Now each day that passes only makes our hearts long for the people and the country that he has called us too minister too.

So for 2010 I plan on giving God all that I have to give. Our Pastor here in Tampa preached a sermon from Ecclesiastes 9: 1-10. The title of his sermon was "A Living Dog is better than a Dead Lion". It really made me stop to think about what I was doing for Christ here and now.

You see we may be little now and not very important but we can give all that we have to God and he can use it greatly. Or we can see ourselves in a comfort zone and always try to do everything on our terms and in our own time.... when we die it want matter anyway. The prophets of old did a great job at living for Christ while they were alive.....however, they are all past away and can do nothing from the grave. I want to know that while I am alive I am giving all that I can to the Lord. You see, we only have a short time to give, serve and share God with others. No man knows the day that he will take his last breath. So as for me, I want to make sure that I make each day count. I want to keep myself ready for God to use so, that I don't miss out on a blessing that he has for me. I also plan on memorizing at least 52 new passages of scripture. That is one a week. The best way to keep God close is to fill your heart and mind with HIS WORD. It will also help to defeat the devil when he throws those curve balls your way. I challenge you to memorize some scriptures and read Ecclesiastes 9:1-10 and see how God speaks to you in the new year.....

So, Happy New Year to all............and remember.....

"The Holy Spirit Fills Empty Vessels......are you willing to empty Yourself so that God can fill YOU UP?"