There shall not any man be able to stand before thee all the days of thy life: as I was with Moses, so I will be with thee: I will not fail thee, nor forsake thee. Be strong and of a good courage: for unto this people shalt thou divide for an inheritance the land, which I sware unto their fathers to give them. Only be thou strong and very courageous, that thou mayest observe to do according to all the law, which Moses my servant commanded thee: turn not from it to the right hand or to the left, that thou mayest prosper whithersoever thou goest. Joshua 1:5-7
The Word of God encourages us four times in the first chapter of Joshua to “be strong and courageous.” This weekend, I attended a missionary retreat at the RMI Center in Zanglais. It was very, very spiritually uplifting, and I thank all of you who were praying for our time of renewal and learning. Our Bible teachers were just wonderful women with amazing testimonies of God’s love and faithfulness. We were encouraged again and again to dig into the Word of God for our shelter, hope, guidance, restoration, direction, comfort, and strength. It was a time of refreshment, conviction, and change.
When I sat down to write this new blog entry, I really had to think about the beginning of the week. It seems like a l-o-n-g time ago! Monday, I spent some time at the Gutwein’s house, playing with the kids and chatting with the adults. Tess and I watched Sabrina that night. Tuesday, I enjoyed ladies tea. Wednesday, the Ohio team had their church service on our roof, and we all said goodbye to Shane. He took the crutches with him, and I told him that if he gets to ride one of those little handicap carts in the airport, he should get someone to take a picture of him. That would be classic. Thursday, I attended a Child Care meeting at the MEBSH office and tried to finish my work before we had supper at the Nami with the Ohio team. We bid them farewell on Friday morning.
Friday afternoon, I traveled out to Zanglais. It’s a beautiful area, but more than that, the teachings from the Word were beautiful. We covered Joshua, chapters 1, 2, and 4. Our teachers were knowledgeable, gifted, and wise women. Saturday, we explored more of Joshua, spent time in fellowship and worship, relaxed at the beach, crafted, shared our memorial testimonies, and played Skip-bo late into the night. Sunday, we were challenged to leave the retreat changed women, strong and courageous, with the understanding that God will never leave us nor forsake us. We talked about the Promised Land, deserts we encounter as we cross the Jordon river, obedience to God’s direction, faith in God’s power and truth, and the utter importance of the Word of God in our lives. It was such a wonderful time!
I’m not quite ready to start the week, yet. I’m heading to bed early to make up for those late nights of fellowship, Skip-bo, and Phase 10. While I’m refreshed in spirit, my body is tired. Nothing a good night’s rest won’t cure! Everyone is busy this week. The Gutweins are hosting their Simon orphanage team, and the Reinhards have family here, Joan’s mother and sister. I’ll be working hard at Child Care, and Sheila will be prepping for a new team coming on Friday.
Please pray that I can carry the lessons I learned at the missionary retreat through the week and apply them to my life for the glory of God. A huge thank you to all of you who prayed for our Child Care meetings and the retreat at Zanglais. I believe both encouraged positive changes, in my personal life and the MEBSH Child Care office. Much love! Remember, be strong and courageous for God will never leave us nor forsake us...
http://picasaweb.google.com/aheartforhaiti/Jan20092?feat=directlink
Abby
The Word of God encourages us four times in the first chapter of Joshua to “be strong and courageous.” This weekend, I attended a missionary retreat at the RMI Center in Zanglais. It was very, very spiritually uplifting, and I thank all of you who were praying for our time of renewal and learning. Our Bible teachers were just wonderful women with amazing testimonies of God’s love and faithfulness. We were encouraged again and again to dig into the Word of God for our shelter, hope, guidance, restoration, direction, comfort, and strength. It was a time of refreshment, conviction, and change.
When I sat down to write this new blog entry, I really had to think about the beginning of the week. It seems like a l-o-n-g time ago! Monday, I spent some time at the Gutwein’s house, playing with the kids and chatting with the adults. Tess and I watched Sabrina that night. Tuesday, I enjoyed ladies tea. Wednesday, the Ohio team had their church service on our roof, and we all said goodbye to Shane. He took the crutches with him, and I told him that if he gets to ride one of those little handicap carts in the airport, he should get someone to take a picture of him. That would be classic. Thursday, I attended a Child Care meeting at the MEBSH office and tried to finish my work before we had supper at the Nami with the Ohio team. We bid them farewell on Friday morning.
Friday afternoon, I traveled out to Zanglais. It’s a beautiful area, but more than that, the teachings from the Word were beautiful. We covered Joshua, chapters 1, 2, and 4. Our teachers were knowledgeable, gifted, and wise women. Saturday, we explored more of Joshua, spent time in fellowship and worship, relaxed at the beach, crafted, shared our memorial testimonies, and played Skip-bo late into the night. Sunday, we were challenged to leave the retreat changed women, strong and courageous, with the understanding that God will never leave us nor forsake us. We talked about the Promised Land, deserts we encounter as we cross the Jordon river, obedience to God’s direction, faith in God’s power and truth, and the utter importance of the Word of God in our lives. It was such a wonderful time!
I’m not quite ready to start the week, yet. I’m heading to bed early to make up for those late nights of fellowship, Skip-bo, and Phase 10. While I’m refreshed in spirit, my body is tired. Nothing a good night’s rest won’t cure! Everyone is busy this week. The Gutweins are hosting their Simon orphanage team, and the Reinhards have family here, Joan’s mother and sister. I’ll be working hard at Child Care, and Sheila will be prepping for a new team coming on Friday.
Please pray that I can carry the lessons I learned at the missionary retreat through the week and apply them to my life for the glory of God. A huge thank you to all of you who prayed for our Child Care meetings and the retreat at Zanglais. I believe both encouraged positive changes, in my personal life and the MEBSH Child Care office. Much love! Remember, be strong and courageous for God will never leave us nor forsake us...
http://picasaweb.google.com/aheartforhaiti/Jan20092?feat=directlink
Abby
1 comment:
It sounds like you had a really spiritually uplifting time. It's so easy to forget that we need to be strong IN the Lord. He doesn't expect us to do it on our own and the truth of the matter is that we can't do it on our own. I'm glad to hear that you are being encouraged and I hope you've caught up on your sleep by now.
Lots of love,
Leah
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