Reflecting on Blessings...

This past week has contained so many sweet blessings from the Lord.

~ Opportunities to share the Gospel at the pregnancy center

~ Time to work in the kitchen alongside my mother

~ Completion of the book of Daniel for college studies by the end of January (a feat made possible only by the grace of God!)

~ Lunch out with my dear friend Tara

~ Exciting plans launched for future events

~ Answer to prayer on behalf of another for healing of a relationship

~ E-mails from my sister giving life updates across the ocean

~ Financial provision from the Lord to put toward language school

~ Air to breath, thoughts to think, legs to walk with, a Bible to read, hands to play the piano, a voice to sing, a job, a family, a home, a church, dreams, salvation...

I could go on and on.

"The blessing of the Lord - it maketh rich, and He addeth no sorrow with it." (Proverbs 10:22)

Thank You, Lord, for the multitude of your incredible blessings!

A Week Without God

Without God... our week would be:

Sinday,

Mournday,

Tearsday,

Wasteday,

Thirstday,

Fightday,

Shatterday,

Seven days without GOD - Makes one Weak

"This is the day which the Lord has made; we will rejoice and be glad in it!" (Psalm 118:24)

A Thought From Daniel

"...and at that time thy people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in the book.

And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt.

And they that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament; and they that turn many to righteousness as the stars for ever and ever." (Daniel 12:1-3)

A Call for Help in Haiti

Falencia and Esterlina, two precious girls I met at the ministry of Danita's Children in Haiti this past summer

I received the following message from Eric and Leslie Ludy in my inbox yesterday and decided to pass it on via this blog. Perhaps God will stir one of you to respond!


Danita Estrella, the Director of Danita's Children in Ounaminthe, Haiti, visited our home this past summer. Leslie and I were privileged to share in a soul-stirring day with Danita, talking about Haiti and the plight of the orphans there.

Danita is the real deal - sort of a George Muller/Amy Carmichael mix. Like Muller, she really does live by faith, and like Amy, she possesses a spiritual thunder in her step. After all, when someone leaves all the earthly comforts of America and goes to live on a dirt floor in Haiti simply because she loves the orphans there . . . you can't help but see Jesus in her life.

Because of her long-term commitment to Haiti's vulnerable children, several orphanages at the epicenter in the recent Port-au-Prince earthquakes have asked her for help with their displaced children. Danita's answer is always, "Yes!"

As it stands today, anywhere from 100 to 200 displaced orphans from the Port-au-Prince disaster are being bused to Danita's ministry center in as I write this.

Does she have room for them? No. Does she know how she will feed all of them? No. Is she concerned about these issues? No.

When I asked her how she envisioned this all working, she simply said, "God will take care of us. He always does."

If you are looking for a way to get involved in helping Haiti and practically assist in this disaster relief effort, then Leslie and I ask you to consider being a part of what Danita is doing. Maybe you are to be part of God's solution to care for these traumatized, displaced children.

If you have the financial resources to assist Danita's work, I ask you to please consider giving to this relief effort. She not only needs food and clothing for 200 children, but she needs to create shelter for 200 children - and quickly. To donate to this urgent project, visit www.HelpDanita.org.

Danita's ministry also needs volunteers to help with the massive influx of new orphans to her orphanage in Ounaminthe. This Sunday, I am taking a team from our Ellerslie church to be the "first wave" of response to this need. But it is possible that many more volunteers are likely going to be needed in the upcoming weeks and months. And, as Danita put it, she is not looking merely for humanitarian relief workers, but for selfless, servant-hearted Christians, ready to impart the love of Jesus.

If you would like to be considered for one of our upcoming short-term relief teams to Haiti, please click on the application link at www.HelpDanita.org, and follow the directions provided. Please note that we have a limited number of volunteer spots available so it is not guaranteed that everyone who applies will be accepted. And please also realize that those who volunteer will be responsible for their own costs, will be sleeping on floors and eating whatever the orphans eat - no typical American comforts will be available.

Each of the lives of these children is precious to the heart of God. We have an amazing opportunity to be His hands and feet to them. I hope you will consider joining us - financially, physically, or both.

He does not ignore the cry of the afflicted. (Psalm 9:12) So we must not either.

For our Lord's glory,

Eric and Leslie Ludy

Quick Update!

Life on the blog has been a bit silent lately because life in the real world has been keeping me busy! Besides a full work schedule at the pregnancy center, there's been piano to teach, Bible studies and Sunday school lessons to prepare, thank you notes to write, children to babysit, and college assignments to complete!

Ever since coming back from Peru, I've made it my goal to crack down and work really hard on my Bible college assignments. With everything that has taken place in my life these last several years, like Maiden's Quest Ministries, my sister's wedding, and international trips, college work has gotten placed on the back burner. What was supposed to be a two-year degree has stretched into four years! Now that life has "settled down" somewhat, finishing my degree has become a priority. :-) I've been excited to see God's blessing on this decision. He has helped me finish the books of Ezra and Esther recently, and now I am diving into the book of Daniel. My goal is to be finished by August. I have the minor prophets and half the New Testament to go, so we'll see!

Another goal I have had since returning from Peru has been to save as much money as possible toward attending a Spanish language school next fall (thus my motivation for finishing my college degree by August!). The Lord has provided encouragement in this area by filling my weekends lately with babysitting jobs. While I might occasionally babysit for a particular family once or twice a month, this month has been unusual. I experienced three different occasions to babysit for three different families in the course of a week! It is as though the Lord is smiling on my desire to save money and saying, "Here's a little help along the way." He is so good!

Working at the pregnancy center continues to be a joy as well as a lot of hard work! Incoming phone calls and bundles of paperwork keep me on my toes every day at the office. Here is an example of a client data sheet that came across my desk this morning, reminding just how special it is to be a part of a Christ-centered, Gospel-proclaiming ministry like this:

Today, [during her counseling session], "Alicia" came to know she could not be good enough to get to God but that He is reaching out to her and offering salvation through Jesus Christ. She is accepting His love and sacrifice now and desiring to grow to know Him more and more through Bible study and prayer. Last summer, she survived a car wreck and felt God had spared her life for some reason...

This morning in an email, I received a link to an online album Katelin and Nathan compiled of pictures from their last several months together. While many of the pictures might be familiar to you, there are some great shots from the professional photographer at their wedding as well as others that you might enjoy seeing. You can check them out here.

I must get back to work now, just wanted to let you all know that I am still alive and well...just finding little time for blogging these days. :-) But keep checking back --- you never know when a moment of "blog brilliance" will strike and manifest itself in an amazing post that you don't want to miss! (Chuckle, chuckle.) :-)

Urgent Prayer Requests!

Dear friends,

Please take a moment to pray for the Earnhart family. I received the following email from them this morning.

Thank you!
Katrina



Dear Prayer Partners,

We have a number of urgent prayer requests. The Devil seems to be on the attack and we are getting hit on many sides.

Sunday we had 130 in Sunday School with lots of first time visitors. Last night (Wed.) we started our Evangelistic Campaign and again we had many visitors and many salvation decisions. I have not gotten all of the results yet. We will be in services every night through Sunday with a Youth Rally on Saturday night.

On Saturday, thieves broke into our church, Grace Baptist, and stole quite a few things. They also took a lot of Ignacio's things, since he is living in the church with his family. The brake-in occurred during Saturday visitation. On Monday Assistant Pastor Roberto fell and broke his arm. Many of our faithful leaders are passing through LOTS of problems and discouragement and two Sunday School teachers said they wanted to quit!

Many of you remember Mery, our house keeper for over 7 years. She has been battling cancer since Oct of 2008 and this morning she passed away. I will be leaving with Becky and a couple of our kids for Arequipa at 12:30 pm and travel back on Friday night to be here for Saturday visitation and our youth rally.

A fellow pastor, Wilber Hallasi, lost his 3 month old daughter yesterday. She had heart problems and pneumonia.

We need your prayers. There are a NUMBER of other issues and personal items that I did not include. In Christ we are more than Conquerors and we are promised the victory! However, the prayers of a righteous man move the hand of God!

Thank you for your prayers.

Fellow laborer,

Jonathan and family

Verse for the Day

"How excellent is thy lovingkindness, O God! therefore the children of men put their trust under the shadow of thy wings. They shall be abundantly satisfied with the fatness of thy house; and thou shalt make them drink of the river of thy pleasures. For with thee is the fountain of life: in thy light shall we see light."
~ Psalm 36:7-9

I read this passage this morning and that last phrase, "in Thy light shall we see light" struck me. I have been meditating upon it throughout the day, trying to understand it. I would love to know your thoughts! What do you think this captivating little phrase means?

Please leave me a comment stating any ideas that come to mind.

Exposing the Lies

I live in the city where the largest Planned Parenthood in the country, and the second largest in the world, is being constructed.

The abortion agenda is real. It is staggering. It is heart-breaking.

Please take some time to watch this five-minute undercover video that will reveal some of the lies being propagated by this massive organization.

Then, find out what you can do to help your local pregnancy center combat the evils of the abortion industry. It's time we take a stand.

Home Again, Home Again!

My last few days in Peru were very special as I soaked up the remaining time with the Earnharts. We walked all around town, visited a "zoo" of sorts, ate ice-cream, and laughed together a lot!

I had a wonderful two weeks in Peru and thoroughly enjoyed every minute of my stay. The Lord is so good to grant us the answers to our prayers in His perfect timing. In addition to being a trip full of blessings in fellowship and ministry, it was also a time of soul-searching for me as I am seeking to find my place in the world. While I don't know exactly how God is leading for the future, it was certainly confirmed to me that my love for the Peruvians and desire to be a missionary in that country has not changed. As I pray heavily about direction for returning to Peru full time, I am seeking to rest in the Lord's guidance and be able to say, "Thy will be done."

Thank you for praying for my safety in travel. I did not have any complications...only blessings along the way that I shall look forward to sharing on another day!

For now, it is good to be home again, returning to the life God has carved out for me right here. It's been a whirlwind of a weekend helping my grandparents, re-arranging bedrooms, cleaning out closets, hosting guests for a meal, and preparing a presentation on my trip to Peru for the church family. In case you've been wondering where the blog posts have gone, I have scarcely had a free moment!

Hopefully this week will afford a few quiet evenings in which to catch my breath!

May the Lord bless each of you with a week full of His presence in your lives!