Almost Wordless Wednesday: London

Stonehenge

London Tower Bridge

WWII Boat (actual) that saved the lives of many British one miracle night.

Cyrus Cylinder at British Museum

London Alone

My husband has been in London, England that last 10 days. Alone. (We decided that we did not want to pay for a $1300 ticket for me.) What a trooper he is. I know he missed us a lot but we probably missed him more.

I am so happy he could go. There is something so awesome about God allowing him to train 75+ pastors and lay people in the city of London. It is all God. Don't get me wrong, my dear hubby is a great teacher and speaker, but God is so awesome. He opens the doors for great things in our lives. I am just happy to be a part of it all. So now we are praying for training in Australia or Costa Rica. That would be a blessing for sure. I would have to go to that training for sure.

The great leadership in London has asked him to return next June as well. This time they want him to do some training in Wales! The training he provides is practical evangelism training. If it works out, I WILL go this next summer. I have heard very nice things about Wales. And we can extend the trip and go to Scotland and/or Ireland as well. That is always nice.

Next up on our traveling agenda? Atlanta! (We must be crazy, planning a trip to Hotlanta in the summer time.)

Storms

My Princess has been battling a fever this week. Though sheis better, the last two nights we decided to stay home from the seminar. The weather had other plans though. On Monday night as the Princess and I were enjoying our meal together alone, I got a phone call. My husband decided that based on the weather report of possible tornadoes he wanted us at the seminar hall with him. The seminar location has a basement that serves as a tornado shelter. As we rushed to get ready and leave, I grabbed some snacks in water, (*just in case).

With a little excitement and a prayer in my heart we left our "home" and watched as the sky darkened and the wind picked up. Boy, was it humid! That is one thing I don't think I will ever get used to - humidity.

That night as we stayed in the foyer of the hall, not wanting to spread germs to other kids, we watched out the big side windows. The wind picked up and some rain fell. But soon, the clouds passed and the sun started to peak through. The wind died down and it appeared the storm had passed us. Unfortunately, others in this great state of Oklahoma were not so lucky. Tornadoes did touch down and I heard that 5 people have now died because of the severe weather. We think of those who not only died but those who lost their homes and business as well. Join me in praying for the good people of Oklahoma who were affected by this series of storms.

Tulsa Zoo

Week one in Oklahoma is coming to an end and we have been enjoying our stay so much. The church we are working with is so kind. Yesterday we received a basket full of fruit (even pineapple and mangoes!) and a fresh homemade loaf of bread. Today I received some flowers left at our "home". Aren't people in the South known for the hospitality? I know now why. We feel blessed. The Princess and I are here one more week, and though it will be nice to be at our own home, we will miss this small town.

The people in the community are really supporting the seminar as well. The attendance has still stayed above the opening night attendance. That is always a blessing from the Lord. I have been grading the Bible school lessons again here, and one couple accepted Christ for the first time last week. What a blessing to be doing this kind of work!

If any of you get a chance to come to Tulsa, the zoo is GREAT! We had a chance to go yesterday with the pastor's wife and kids. We had fun - camel ride, train ride, elephants, monkeys, fish, birds, and more! Then after the zoo we ate at a vegetarian restaurant. Be Le Vegetarian to be exact! I ordered "chicken" chow mein and my husband got Mongolian "beef". What a great place to eat!

Traveling is a lot of fun when you love the work you are doing and love the people you are with!

This post has been linked to Women Taking a Stand - Thankful Thursday meme.

Oklahoma!

We arrived safely yesterday to Oklahoma Thursday evening. After a long day of traveling, (which our Princess did great!) we were happy to arrive at the church. It was 82 degrees but the wind made it feel so much cooler. We just are not used to that heat yet since we live in Washington. So praise the Lord for 20 mph winds!

The church here outside of Tulsa has a school on the property they no longer use. So they renovated the office in to a bedroom and the library in to a living room. We have everything we need including a kitchen, dining area, shower, washer/dryer, and access to the internet. The Princess is happily playing with all the toys here. New toys! What fun.

When we looked at the weather before we left, it showed sun and mid 70s for the next 10 days. We were very surprised to get a massive thunder and rain storm on Friday. While driving to the health food store in Tulsa we could barely see the road. (We don't get rain like that in Washington!) I hope these lightning/thunder/rain storms don't last. (I packed for 75 degree weather.)

Our seminar began last night. The pastor opened with an archeology lecture and Tyler will continue with a Bible lecture tonight. We had a great crowd of over 100 people. The hall was packed! Many said they would return tonight. For that we are thankful.

I helped in the children's room again this seminar. Boy, is that difficult. I knew there was a reason that I am not a teacher or a mother of 5+ children. Let's just say I slept pretty good last night. (And my feet hurt. Note to self: don't wear heels in the childcare room!)

Please pray for us as we are spending the next couple weeks here. And also pray for the community that those who need to connect with Jesus for the first time or again in their life will.

London's Calling

Talking back and forth since December, we were not sure if we would be going to London for a training seminar. But this last week we found out that yes, they want my husband in June for 10 days. Whew! We are glad that it came through.

Unfortunately, they will only cover my husbands airfare this time. For one brief moment we envisioned leaving the Princess with my parents and having a nice time alone together in the beautiful city of London, England. But then reality set it. She is not sleeping alone yet, not even with daddy right now. Plus, $1300 for a ticket is steep. We could do a lot with that kind of money. (New house = yard upkeep, raised garden, Costco swing set, sewing machine, Wii Fit... The list can go on and on.) So no, hubby is going to go to this seminar alone. Though, I am sure, he will have a fabulous time.

We are getting ready now for a 2 week seminar in Oklahoma. We have already worked with this great church before so we are excited. Plus, the pastor there is also doing an archeology seminar in conjuction with the Bible seminar. How fun! Oklahoma, here we come!

Seminar Wrap Up

We arrived safely home Sunday, just in time to celebrate Easter with our family. Praise the Lord, Jesus is risen!

What a great experience we had in Northern California. Though my Princess was sick the last week of the seminar, it was still exciting to hear from my husband how God was blessing and working in the lives of our seminar guests. The church itself was so excited at the success of the meeting, they did not want to see us go. That is always a great way to leave a church. We have made life long friends and cannot wait to see all those people again, if not in this life, then in Heaven to come.

Friday night about 12 people graduated from the Amazing Facts Bible School. Three people were baptized that night as well. Then the next morning, during the church service 6 people were baptized, including one couple who was celebrating their 23 anniversary. Praise God! There are about 6 more people scheduled to be baptized including one couple, who are biologist, who want to get baptized in the nearby river. (Brrr! Cold.)

Our Princess was sad to leave her new best friend - the pastor's four year old daughter. We hope to one day see them again. It is nice to make new friends and always difficult to leave. That is our life though - on the road.

We now have a couple weeks off before heading to Oklahoma! Contine to pray for us, our ministry, and the good people of Oklahoma who will be coming out to hear the Gospel being presented in a real and life changing way.

Divine Appointments

I really wanted to share a couple of stories with you from our seminar here in Northern California. It is so exciting to see God working in people's lives.

We have one lovely Alaskan Native woman coming to our seminar. She has come faithfully and is so kind. It has been a blessing getting to know her. She was praying for something - anything - for God to intervene in her life and show Himself to her in a real way. As she was praying and walking she stepped on a piece of paper. It was the mailing postcard that was sent out - the words across the top jumped out to her - Hope For Today. When she continued to read she realized it was starting that night! As she has been attending, she realized this was exactly what she needed to reconnect with her Savior. Praise God. She is graduating from the Amazing Facts Bible School on Friday and joining the local church on Saturday.

Another man, a retired welder, received our invitation postcard in the mail. He told me that a struggle was going on inside of him. He wanted to go but didn't feel ready to turn to God yet. Being raised in a Christian home, he had wandered from the Lord. But he could feel God pulling on his heart strings. He came out with his wife and as they listened to the Bible being preached each night, and the themes of Jesus, they realized this was exactly what they needed. Now, he has connected with a retired dentist who needs help with welding. He feels whole now. He has found God again, his wife has found God, and he is doing welding, which he loves. God is so good. He will never stop chasing you when you turn from Him.

These are just two stories from our seminar. God is constantly working in the lives of our visitors. It always amazes me that He chooses us to work with Him. Who are we compared to the God of the universe? Thank you Lord for your love and for using me.

Enter His gates with thanksgiving, and His courts with praise! Give thanks to Him; bless His name! Psalm 100: 4 (ESV)

This post has been linked to the meme, Thankful Thursday. This meme is hosted by Spiritually Unequal Marriage for the month of April.

Hershey's Better Basket

Give back this Easter season in a fun way with Hershey's Better Basket.

Easter is always a celebratory time in our family. Not only are we celebrating our Savior's resurrection (the most important part) we also get to come together as a family, eat a great meal, and hunt for Easter eggs.

Dying the eggs, finding them, and eating candy are all fun - but don't you think it is nice to do good on Easter for others as well? Here is a simple opportunity: for every blogger who links up their posts at Hershey's Better Basket, Hershey's will donate $10 to the Children's Miracle Network.

So instead of giving away a basket to each of you, my wonderful readers, consider yourself invited - all of you.

What a great and easy way to give back with a simple blog post! Please link up!

HERSHEY’S BETTER BASKET BLOG HOP RULES

• Copy and paste these rules to your blog post.
• Create a blog post giving a virtual Easter Basket to another blogger – you can give as many Virtual Baskets as you want.
• Link back to person who gave you an Easter Basket.
• Let each person you are giving a Virtual Easter Basket know you have given them a Basket.
• Leave your link at BetterBasket.info/BlogHop comment section. You can also find the official rules of this #betterbasket blog hop, and more information about Better Basket with Hershey’s there.
• Hershey’s is donating $10 per each blog participating to the Better Basket Blog Hop to Children’s Miracle Network (up to total of $5,000 by blog posts written by April 4th, 2010).
• Please note that only one blog post by each blog url will count towards the donation.

You are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who was crucified. He has risen! Mark 16: 6

Wordless Wednesday: Patrick's Point

Yurok Village at Patrick's Point State Park.

A stick to help her as she walks.

We climbed up to the top of Patrick's Point.

At the top - Daddy's Girl.

The Winning Team

This is what the devil often does: Just when a person is making great decisions to follow Jesus, to make Him Lord of their life - he throws in the obstacles. It is though he realizes that you are making a stand; you are standing strong on the winning team. And he is mad. Of course, since you are a threat to him and his purposes. (This reminds me of the song, "Victory in Jesus..." I love that old hymn.)

Here are just two examples from our seminar here in Northern California this week:

One older lady who has been faithfully coming out, completing her lessons (we run a Bible School with 27 lessons and have a graduation at the end of the seminar), and making great decision for Jesus, is now sick. Luckily my wonderful husband is able to drop off the lessons and CDs of the seminars she missed.

Another lady who has not missed a single night of the seminar, also doing the lessons, also making great decisions to follow Jesus, just learned that her mother died. She must leave until Monday. (Please pray for her as she now must bury her mother.) She also is having financial difficulties. (Like so many people we meet. This really is such a difficult financial time for many.)

I know that God is in control. Of course, I know that, but I still hate that these things happen. And actually both ladies are coming back. So I am pleased that ultimately Satan will not win. I just hate seeing people suffer. I am tired of sickness, death, and sin in general. Does it ever just feel so tiring for you?

I learned today that one of our friend's son is having a huge medical crisis. He began having seizures at the beginning of this month, one even lasted 45 minutes! He is just a young boy. They took him in and found multiple masses through out his body, including his brain - thus causing seizures. We are now waiting for results from the brain biopsy. A. SMALL. INNOCENT. BOY.
What is his mother going through right now? I can't imagine. Please won't you pray for Samuel as well?

So I am brought back to the same conclusion as Tuesday's conclusion: Trust God! This world is not our final home. Praise God we are just pilgrims passing through to a much better place. A place without sickness, death, or disease. Choose the Winning Team today, don't put it off!

Restoration

So a very crazy thing happened to my husband this weekend. As he was out on visitation, a woman flashed him. That is a first in his ministry. She wanted to assure him that yes, she was a woman. And her husband was standing next to her. It was my husband who was embarrassed but he continued with his visit, encouraged them to keep following God, and prayed with them.

When he told me, my first reaction was to laugh. But then as I thought about it, I just felt sad. Tears formed in the corner of my eyes. This couple was raised in the church, left God, got into drugs, and now they NEED Him more than ever. (I mean, how far have you gone when you flash your breasts to a minister?)

The husband has been coming to our seminar here in Northern California faithfully. As he is making decisions to recommit his life to God, I just ask that you keep him in your prayers. Not just him, but his wife as well. God is truly in the business of healing people and restoring all the years that have been wasted on drugs. I'd love to see this couple one day working for Him, and bringing light to others.

I will repay for the years the locusts have eaten... you will have plenty to eat, until you are full. And you will praise the name of the Lord your God, who has worked wonders for you. Never again will my people be shamed. Joel 2: 25, 26

Living Intentionally, A.C.T.S Prayer Time

When I got a journal in a blog swap I decided I would start writing down some prayers to God. At the end of each seminar my husband teaches a class for church about the importance of a devotional life. In that class he teaches the acronym A.C.T.S, which you can use during your prayer time with God.

A= Adoration
C= Confession
T = Thanksgiving
S = Supplication (A fancy word for the things you need and want)

I got to thinking about that acronym, applying it to my devotion time, and also how it related to Living Intentionally for God.

So here is my A.C.T.S prayer for this week:

A = I really adore God for the the beauty of His creation all around me: ocean, redwoods, wild daffodils, and sea life.

C= Some times this area is personal but I want to mention that I need forgiveness and your prayers for impatience, raising my voice, and better time management.

T = I am thankful for the safety God always bestows on us when we travel, I am thankful for my family, for our health, for hope, and above all for salvation.

S = Family friends just lost a 3 month old baby. After a surgery to repair a cleft pallette the baby stopped breathing in the home as he was sitting in his car seat (1 day after being released). I pray for them, it is difficult to understand that kind of loss. We also had 2 old friends come to our seminar, who are not walking in a right relationship with God. It is heartbreaking to witness that. One last supplication to God is that He help us fill up our 2011 seminar schedule.

So as you can see the A.C.T.S acronym can stretch your prayer time. I wrote this out briefly but when you actually pray to God this can make your prayers go from 1 minute to 10 minutes quite easily. And yes, I realize that my "S" section is a bit longer. Isn't that how we are? We need and want so much for God. I need to start incorporating more of the other categories in my prayer time as well. (Add one more necessity to my Living Intentionally in 2010 list!)

Blessings, LaVonne :)

For more Living Intentionally head over to Extravagant Grace.

Things I Love Thursday: Traveling

Because of my husband's ministry we really travel a lot. So it is a good thing that I love traveling. We get to see so many great places, meet great people, and do great things. Yesterday, I posted a picture of myself licking a sea anemone!

On our day off, Tuesday, we went to Crescent City to visit Ocean World. The Princess was free, and our tickets together were under $20. What a fun time we had. We not only held starfish, kissed sea anenome, watched rock fish, sharks and sting rays, petted sharks, we also watched a fun seal show. I love those seals! They are so smart! The entrance fee included a 40 minute tour guide. He asked for a brave volunteer, so when no one raised their hand, my hand shot up. What was I thinking? So, the task: lick a sea anemone to feel their "sting". It wasn't too bad, it felt like licking a battery. I didn't last longer than 5 minutes and did not affect my speech, nor was it painful.

Our Princess is going to grow up seeing so many fun things. Not just tourist activities but also seeing people give their lives to Jesus. What an exciting calling we have!


For more Things I Love Thursday head over to the Diaper Diaries.

Humboldt County is Finding Christ

Last night my husband presented a seminar on Salvation. It was the fourth night of our seminar and after some catchy presentations with great Power Point slides, he choose to present the gospel message in its simplicity. And the visitors and church members responded.

When I entered in their cards (we hand out decision cards on important nights), I was in awe at our amazing God. To tell you the truth, we are having a smaller meeting than we are used to. We actually were expecting it. This is a small town, and it is a very secular, new age, "hippie" area. But the visitors have been coming out. Our numbers have not dipped. So when many people decided to follow Jesus last night or recommit their life to Him after drifting away, I just get excited. Excited to be a part of this great ministry. Excited to see God working in lives, with my own two eyes. Excited to see a glimpse in their life as prayers are answered. Living for God is exciting!

So please, keep us in your prayers as well as the people who are hearing the gospel message. In this day, when life is difficult, Jesus makes it easy to be saved. Just choose Him! Pick His side.

...choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve... But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD. Joshua 24: 15

Please Unlock the Door!

We arrived very happily, after a LONG six hour drive, to this beautiful Northern California coastal town. The owners greeted us, and nicely began showing us the layout and little quirks of the place. So, imagine my embarrassment when the Princess locked herself in the bedroom with the phone. (She is a phone lover, any chance she gets she grabs phones.) I could hear the high pitched beeping as she was happily dialing numbers, calling who knows where. Staying calm (since there was strangers in my presence) I asked, then begged, then raised my voice (didn't yell, luckily) for her to open the door. When she replied "No", I was loosing my cool, for a moment, until I began to worry that the mirrored sliding closet doors would fall on her or she would climb out the screen-less 2nd story window. (I always imagine the worst.) I began to pray. And you know what I did? I lied to her. I feel a little guilty for doing it but it worked. I said, "Goodbye, Bella, we are going." Then I remained frozen and silent outside the door. The sound of little feet made my heart glad, and then as she turned the lock, and opened the door I wasn't sure if I should hug her or strangle her.

Oh, and the nice owners, felt bad, and kept repeating that this has NEVER happened (in the ten years they have owned the home). Yes, we know, but you have not met Isabella.

Menu Plan Monday

We arrived safely to the Northern California coast last night and we have such a lovely vacation rental home near the ocean. (Yes, I know we are blessed.) We had a great day exploring the nearby beaches and parks. Last night, I made a meal plan (finally) for the week. I wrote down all the things I would need, and shopped at the local Safeway from that list.

Plus, I matched as many coupons I could and saved about $16 using coupons. Because we buy mainly organic foods, I am unable to use as many coupons as I once did. But we still did pretty good. (One great thing about Safeway is that they carry their own brand of Organic products.)
Here is our meal plan for the week:

Monday: Organic Whole Wheat Bowtie Pasta (reduced to $3 for 2 boxes) with Organic Marinara Sauce ($6 for 2 jars) and Organic frozen broccoli (the fresh organic broccoli was sad, to say the least).

Tuesday: Tater Tot Casserole - this is one variation - but I use Imagine Soy Cream of Portobello Mushroom soup, Ore-ida tater tots, and Organic sour cream, then at the end top it with some cheese. Sometimes I add veggie hotdogs but not this week. Serving this with organic fresh green zucchini, and organic romaine salad.

Wednesday: "Chicken" Enchiladas (using Morningstar Farms Chicken Strips, green enchilada sauce, Mission yellow corn tortillas, organic mild cheddar cheese, and organic sour cream), organic black beans, chips and emerald valley mild salsa.

Thursday: Boca Vegan Burger with homemade organic french fries (baked in the oven).

Friday: Tacos using Textured Vegetable protein and taco seasoning, organic cheddar, organic chopped romaine lettuce, organic hothouse tomatoes, organic yellow onions, and the leftover corn tortillas from enchilada day. Also, we love a taco salad with tacos on the side.

Saturday: "Chicken" Nuggets (One of Bella's pics) with homemade french fries, and organic peas and corn (frozen.)

Sunday: Frozen Stir Fry with brown rice and organic tofu (baked).

Whew! 7 complete meals and we also purchased bread, Yves bologna, organic fresh fruit, baked chips, Fiber One cereal, 1 gallon of soymilk, whole wheat pancake mix, and organic eggs, "dessert" cereal (for those last night cravings), and Slow Churned Ice Cream (for the sweet tooth).

For more Menu plans visit I'm an Organizing Junkie.

A New Creation

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come.
2 Corinthians 5: 17

God is so good! As we pack to leave our first seminar of the year, it is amazing to look back and see how God has worked. We celebrated baptisms this weekend at church and it was such a blessed day. We rejoiced with all of Heaven today. Truly.

I wanted to share one more story of how God works in such awesome ways. One young man coming to the seminar had a planned move halfway through the seminar. He loved coming out and hearing God's word, and he was making great decisions to follow Christ. Then, it was time to leave which we are sad about. As he drove away from Central California though a "funny" thing happened - his car broke down. Not able to fix a large problem, he had to turn around and postpone his trip. As a result, he continued coming out to our seminar, and decided to baptized with his parents this weekend. Isn't God amazing?

Though we were sad that he is out of a car for awhile, we were so pleased to know that he'd be coming back. We know that many times God allows things to happen for a reason and no matter the issue, we should always trust in Him. We may not know why He allows trials, but as long as we cling to Him, He will always get us through.

Living Intentionally

Yesterday, my husband and I got into an argument. And we were both right. We are always both right. (That is the problem.) The thing is, the argument is often about something insignificant.

While he took the Princess out for errands, I began thinking of more ways I was right. Which is a wrong attitude, I know. It was then that I decided to take advantage of the time I had alone and read a chapter in a book, The Messiah, about the life of Jesus. Then I read and re-read Isaiah chapter 12.

As I was reading about God's awesome love and grace for us, I was convicted deeply. My husband and were not communicating effectively. My own pride and love of self were just getting in the way. I decided, intentionally, that I wanted to communicate my needs in a godly way. I prayed and wrote down what I wanted to say. When my husband returned home, gone was my prideful attitude, and in its place was a Christ like love. I could not have done it without the help of Jesus. I gave him my list, and you know what? He read that list, and said he was going to do his best to do every thing on the list. We hugged, apologized, and stated again, how much we love each other. That is what Intentional Living is for me this year -2010.

• Choosing to spend time with God, any opportunity I can.
• Choosing to allow Him to change me from the inside out.
• Choosing to love my family, even when it is hard.

Won't you join me, in Living Intentionally for Jesus? It is worth it, believe me.

Ten Things I Don't Miss About Apartment Living

Don't get me wrong, when we travel the country, working with churches, I actually prefer to stay in a furnished apartment. The reason? All the amenities of course. I mean, this recent apartment we stayed in had a pool, hot tub, cable television, wireless internet, gym, juice bar, and gated entry. How cool is that? But if I had to put a list together of 10 things I don't like very well about staying in an apartment, here they are (in no particular order):

1. Assigned parking spaces. Not fun when it is raining, or when someone else parks in your spot.
2. Snoring. Yes, I can hear the person next door who snores, loudly, at night.
3. Base. You know when music is so loud, all you hear is the bump, bump, bump.
4. Stairs. When you don't live on the ground level you have to walk up stairs, which takes a century for my Princess. And yes, I am still learning to deal with my patience. Most days I just pick her up, against her will, and carry her.
5. Uncomfortable couches. Some nights, when I can't sleep, I really can't sleep when I have to lay on the couch. The latest one was on a sloping cushion.
6. The road is below the bedroom window. The quiet of our Loop in Washington is bliss. Really. Which leads to #7:
   
7. Light in the bedroom at night. When you live above a major road the street lights, house lights, and car lights are BRIGHT.
8. Strangers. I have an irrational fear of strangers breaking in. I hear noises all the time and look out the peep hole 10x or more per day. And no, no one has ever tried to break in.
   
9. Central mailboxes, that are far from our apartment.
   
10. I don't have enough room for coupons and crafts.(And I do love coupons and crafts.)

Joshua 17: 14 "...The Lord has blessed us abundantly."