Similes and Metaphors

    

Do you ever read scripture and think about how beautiful some of the wording really is? While in school, English was my favorite subject. I would thoroughly enjoy the opportunities to write a new poem or craft an original story. I even loved the assignments that included coming up with similes (a comparison that uses "like" or "as") and metaphors (word or phrase for one thing that is used to refer to another thing in order to show or suggest that they are similar). I was reading James and couldn't help but notice how many there were in just that one book:

"For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed" James 1:6.

The rich shall pass away "as the flower of the grass"  James 1:10. 

"...the grace of the fashion of it perisheth: so also shall the rich man fade away in his ways" James 1:11.

"For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass:" James 1:23.

"For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also" James 2:26.

 

"...the tongue is a fire..." James 3:6.

"For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away" James 4:14.

Time Drives on By!

Laura passed her driving test on 2/22/22!

    It seems like just yesterday Micah was getting ready to enter kindergarten. The summer prior, he went to Safety Town, a class for children entering school. The class was to help teach the children how to stay safe going to and from school. A gymnasium was set up with a layout of roads and street signs. The children rode around the gym in a car propelled with their feet. Twelve years later, he and Laura are now learning how to drive. Time certainly drives by quickly!

Goodbye to a Friend

Today was the funeral of a friend of mine, Carol. I met Carol during deputation and we became what you may call "penpals" or more accurately, "email pals". Often, I would send her a picture from our travels and she would send pictures of her cherry tree during all seasons, or covered bridges she had seen with her husband, Jim, of 24 years. No matter what was going on, a note from Carol in my inbox always brought a smile to my face. 

Her funeral was a lovely service consisting of her favorite hymns: "Victory in Jesus", "Amazing Grace", "Brethren we Have Met to Worship" and even a video of her telling the story behind "Great is Thy Faithfulness" and singing it after. 

Psalm 23 was read as well as :

Psalms 145:1-3

DAVID'S PSALM OF PRAISE.

1​ I will extol thee, my God, O king;

and I will bless thy name for ever and ever. 

2 Every day will I bless thee;

and I will praise thy name for ever and ever. 

3 Great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised;

and his greatness is unsearchable. 

Psalms 146:1-2 

​1 Praise ye the Lord.  Praise the LORD, O my soul. 

2 While I live will I praise the LORD:

I will sing praises unto my God while I have any being.

What stood out to me the most was how much love she poured into others through her gift giving. At the mention of her quilts and cookies bestowed to others, I thought about Dorcas in the Bible. I could imagine others clutching the quilts she had made just as Dorcas' friends clutched the clothes she had made them as they grieved for thir loss. But we can look forward to te day we are be reunited in heaven:  1 Thessalonians 4:13-14 13 But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope. 

14 For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him.

First day of School

     Another school year is underway! I have a junior, and sophomore, and a freshman this year. How can it be that all three are now in high school?! I am so thankful to the Lord for entrusting these three precious lives to me as their mother! 

Saturday Outreach

The church my family has been attending when we're visiting other churches for the ministry has Saturday Outreach. I met the sweet lady in the photo below during this time. Her name is Judy. Judy shared a bit with me some of the trauma she has been through and all the concerns she has with her health. I prayed with her and invited her to church the following day. 

I was so excited when she walked through the door of the church the following day!

She has since moved to a different town, but I have been keeping up with her and texting her a verse a day to encourage her. 

It has blessed my heart just to hear of her faith in God's care for her through all the trials she has been through. I try to encourage her, but she ends up encouraging me!  

 

Croatia Missions Trip 9

Wednesday, June 17, 2021

Today was last day of the campaign. We met near the Cathedral of Zagreb and were assigned areas by the tram stop to hand out fliers. Jason and I were given an area near the Brother Tim and Mrs. Debra. Mrs. Debra commented on how odd it was to her that most of the people refused the free materials handed to them. She said in Romania, everyone accepts them. At noon we went to lunch with them at a diner called Good Food before parting ways to prepare for the evening meeting. 

At 6 o'clock, our group gathered at Hotel Antunović for the meeting we had labored all week long to invite the people of Zagreb to. The service itself didn't start until 7pm. Many of the members from the Brother Johnny's church came to attend and serve. At 7, the auditorium filled with around fifty people. Fourteen registration cards were turned in for free Bibles. One of the gentleman that came was named Javier. He was Cuban but married a Croatian. He turned in a card for himself and his wife to both receive a Bible. She was working and could not come.

Micah, Jason and I said goodbyes to all as our flight was scheduled to depart early the next morning at 7:10am. This time on our return flight, everything went smoothly and according to schedule. We arrived around 9pm Friday night to two happy girls excited for their family to return.

Croatia Missions Trip 8/9

Wednesday, June 16, 2021

    Jason brought me the square to have breakfast with Micah before the group met. In the meantime, he, Pastor Jeff and Travis put John and Romans and invitations in mailboxes near the AirBnB since they had a 1 o'clock flight to catch.

    Brother Brad and Mrs Connie  picked Micah and I up in the square along with everyone else that needed a ride. This time, we met near as Catholic Church. Brother Johnny gave the devotional from Matthew 9 that it's Christ's harvest and not our harvest. He said that Jesus had compassion on the multitudes, but in His ministry, He sought out the individuals and we should do likewise. 

    I helped Brother Brad and Mrs Connie with putting invitations in apartment mailboxes until lunch time at a bakery. After lunch, Jason texted me that he had brought Pastor Jeff and Travis to the airport and that he was on his way to meet up with our group. I gave him  the bakery address where Brother Brad was parked while Mrs Connie, Charissa and I sent to six more apartment buildings. When we finished those, Jason and I went to help Micah's team with the apartment buildings they had remaining.

    Caleb was going to be spending the night with Alex, Micah and Lucas, so as it worked out the four of us rode with us back to our AirBnB so Jason and I could prepare for church and then we brought him and Micah back to their place to prepare for church. The boys apartment is near the church. Caleb had other dinner plans, but Micah, Charissa, Hannah, Jason and I met at Pizza Poma for dinner. Jason got spaghetti, I got a burger that came with half a plate of the most delicious fried onions. The three young people got a gyro not realizing how huge it was. None of them were able to finish it.

    At church, the five  of us that had dinner together stayed in the hallway because of social distancing. Brother Brad led the singing and preached. He also did a question and answer time since there was a good number of young people there as well as a number of people currently serving in ministry. He asked "How did you know that you were being called to ministry?" to get the ball rolling for others to ask questions. Jason answered that there was no escaping Hungary. He said that everything became about Hungary including simple things like pictures on the wall, where before he would not have even noticed them. Brother Brad's translator asked if anyone had ever knowingly disobeyed God and Jason answered that he had. During Bible College, his teacher who just returned from a trip to Hungary in 2010, invited all in class to go with him. Jason knew he should go on the next trip but didn't because of lack of finances. He didn't go until the following year, 2012 but it still hurt him knowing he should have gone in 2011.

    After question and answer time, we broke up into groups of three to pray for the meeting the following day.