Enjoying precious time with precious lives......

Merry Christmas everyone! I pray your holiday was filled with Christ's joy and peace!

Tim and I had the wonderful opportunity to go visit my
family in Oregon this passed week for Christmas.

It was extra special because we knew this would be our last Christmas together. We also got to hang out with my nephew, Benjamin, and my niece, Grace for three days in a row! What a blessing! Here are a few pics from the few days we had.

There's something very powerful in spending time with children who know Jesus. My niece and nephew are growing up in a Christian home where both parents are completely and helplessly in love with Jesus and it shows in their children.

As I sang Christmas Carols and "Be Patient" and "Silent Night" with Grace, her joy spread throughout the entire room and none of us could bear to keep a straight face. And little Benjamin, with His peaceful spirit and his gentle hugs and touches melted our hearts. What a joy to be with them and experience Jesus in them. I loved their honesty and their purity of heart. They had a desire to serve and to include. Every activity was met with Grace saying, "B, ya wanna play with me?" and "Uncle Fuzz! Come see this!" and "Grma Con! Come sing with me!" and "Papa Jim! Ya want sum cookies?" And baby Ben was always quick to hug and put everything in his mouth!

Even when my best friend, Alissa, came bowling with us Grace and Ben smiled, played and gave kisses and hugs to her! I was blessed. It reminded me of how God is so inclusive and gracious....He invites people into His plans and into His play....His Son brings Him such joy that He cannot wait to share Him with others to bless them. And He has....my prayer is that when Tim and I journey to the Philippines, we will never take advantage of this precious time with such precious lives and that His Son is always close.
Be blessed and have a wonderful New Year!

Sorry for the delay...I was away...that rhymed!

I actually was not away....just didn't quite make it to the computer. It has been a busy season. And this is my 90th post!! And this is little Seth...he's my good friend....so is his mom, Rebecca...my dear, dear friend. I got to meet him for the first time last week. What a blessing.

No doubt you are experiencing the busyness of the holidays, too. On Saturday, we had our very first fundraiser. It was a Christmas Benefit Tea with all your high tea English favorites! We had a gas! A lot of hard work, but great fun and we had a pretty good turn out of ladies.

In this crazy season of crowded malls and shopping centers, kids having to go to one Christmas program after another, holiday parties and work get-togethers, visiting relatives we're not so keen on, driving in rush hour to get to some party you HAVE to make an appearance at....it's a wonder we have time to open all those presents! (Notice I left out something VERY important about CHRISTmas.)

I was at the gym yesterday and there were quite a few ladies there who don't know Jesus and frankly have a poor view of Him. They know that I am a Christian, but they think I am an anomaly because I haven't gone political on them, yet. ;) But one thing struck me about their speaking on Christmas. They HATED this time of year! Really!

One lady was frustrated because she couldn't find anything for her grandkids that they haven't already received. Another was complaining that she goes into debt every year as a result of this "season of giving"....and another said she just stop giving altogether and stated that her family just needed to love her for her and not for what she gives at Christmastime. Whoa....how sad.

What about the joy of knowing that a Saviour has come to offer us freedom from death? What about the giving spirit that just says, "I'm blessing you with a gift because God has blessed me with the Ultimate gift!"? What about serving others as Christ served us? And what about the peace of knowing that one day, we will celebrate the true Christmas WITH Jesus in HIS home?

The world is FINALLY recognizing that Christmas as THEY know it, is missing something VERY important. They are finally understanding how cheap and meaningless our world has made this miraculous holiday. They are finally realizing how empty and tired they are of sin. Good thing we have this Christmas thing every year because it's just gonna get worse until we communicate God's greatest Christmas gift. His Son. Merry Christmas and may you sense His presence (presents) this week and may He give you boldness to tell the truth about Christmas. :)

Christmastime is HERE!

Don't you love that Charlie Brown rendition of "Christmastime is Here...." with Vince Guaraldi? The kids always gag because I put in on 'repeat' in the morning. I love it.

God has been so good to us in the group home this year. We have three boys that we (miraculously) are allowed to bring to church on Sundays. These guys are a tough crowd, but have been on a journey of learning how to worship God both inside and outside the church. They have tried to be respectful and one even said, "Bethany, I wanna try and be good at church so that all the other parents will be jealous of you..."!

I laughed. They are beginning to set the example in Sunday School...both good and bad.

But this Sunday was extra special. The boys got to be in the children's Christmas play! They woke up early all ready to get out the door.....they ran to the church and gathered at the back room where they were supposed to....they waited in line as they filed on the stage in their shepherd costumes....they waved at Tim taking pictures and at me waving back.....they said their lines (which were, "ME", and "YOU"....you had to be there...they had the biggest part.)....then they quietly filed back into line and exited the stage! I was STUNNED! I almost felt like a REAL parent! They were sooooo good and soooo nervous....it was almost like they were NORMAL kids, too! What a joy to see!

To know that these boys have seen firsthand that our Saviour, Jesus, was born to save us from sin and death delights me more than I can say. They got to be the shepherds that witnessed His coming! I pray they never forget this precious Sunday when they were a part of the true meaning of Christmas. God is good.

Then we came home and they opened presents! This weekend was a gift.
Be blessed and keep those comments coming!

"Goodbye fair city..."

Ahhh, Vancouver at night. This is one of my favorite Tim photos. I was just reflecting today on all the wonderful memories we've made in this fair city over the past 6 years.

I met Tim here...we had our first kiss here....we got married here....and tons of others....those are just the biggies.

God has been so good to us and I can honestly say that I have no regrets moving here and I have no problem leaving here. It's odd.

Perhaps it's because God has paved the way for us to go- providing even the teeniest of needs...like people signing up for our fundraisers! One of my dearest friends is coming up from Seattle just to come to our Christmas Tea! What a blessing! And then Tim and I had to get our Hep A and B immunizations....we thought we had to go to our doctor (we don't really have one) in order to get the shots, but found out that you can buy them over-the-counter and have one of my nursing friends administer it! Cool! No waiting in lines! Sweet! This may not seem like a big deal, but it is to me!

Even the color copies we had to get for our letters originally were going to cost $.75 per copy and we had a bunch, but then Tim found a place that would do it for $.19 per copy!!! Way cool.

And you know, satan knows that God is our source and has already tried to get us distracted and frustrated. Just this passed weekend, we had one of our boys in our group home go off the deep end. I mean...REALLY freak out. He tore his room to shreds leaving nothing untouched. He even wrecked the closet and proceeded to use every obscenity known to man in between hurling insults at Tim and me. It was pretty brutal. We prayed, but he continued. We finally had to take him out of our program. At the end of it all, we were tired, worn, and emotionally drained. We had nothing left, but a lot of work still had to be done.

But God has still been so faithful to remind us that these occurrences are satan's way of trying to take away our joy and excitement....to get us to feel as though we cannot handle the pressures of living overseas- especially if we cannot even control a tantrumming 11 year-old! But God gives us II Corinthians 12: 8-10, which says:

8Three times I (that's me, Bethany!) pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me (all the emotional and crazy junk that goes with running a group home and my inability to cope with all the new stresses). 9But He said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I (Bethany) will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. 10That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. , for when I am weak, then I am strong."

Yeah!!! God's power within me makes me able to endure whatever satan tries to push my way! Thank you, Lord, for fighting my battles and reminding me that You've already won! His grace is sufficient for you!

Keep those comments coming! Many blessings to you as we prepare to celebrate the greatest Christmas gift ever.....Jesus! Peace.

And now we begin the hard part......

This picture is one Tim took of one of our kids facing the homemade snow jump without fear....but the next picture he took was of her falling off the crazy carpet face first! Cool. I think it illustrates how I'm feeling...."whoa".

Did you ever have to sell girls scout cookies or candy bars in school? Or maybe you had to get people to sign a petition or vote for something.

I did. I hated it. The feeling of having to sell something to someone....to explain to them why YOUR cause was important....the fear of rejection...of inconveniencing them....I knew the chocolate was stale and the cookies, well....they were good. But I hated selling. Still do.

My dad always ended up buying the whole box of chocolate or cookies....he knew the pain of having to go door to door just hoping the person on the other side of the portal wasn't rolling their eyes at another kid selling junk food. Thanks, Dad.

But now, here I am, preparing to make the move of a lifetime and thinking about the "upfront" costs makes my mind spin. I'm that shy, scared little girl fearing rejection once again. We have to raise $2000.00 for airfare, over $1000.00 for our visas and immunizations, $4250.00 per semester for tuition, an additional $1000.00/month for rent, food, water, etc. On top of that, we cannot work in the Philippines! Mmmm. Something's not adding up, B.

Then I think, "What are you doing, Bethany? Are you nuts!? This is the start of financial insecurity for life....your well-being dependent on the generosity of others!" I have to give it over to God once more. Yeah, I'm pretty nuts.

The cry of my heart and the desire God's placed in Tim and I is to serve the poor without having to fear whether we can continue to live in their land.....to immerse ourselves in their culture and bless them in the name of Jesus....to show them that Christ's love knows no boundaries....not even the earthly territorial boundaries we have set up.

Once I give Him these concerns....He always shows up in one way or another. A day or two ago, Tim and I were writing our letter of intent for enrollment for the school and we were to send a chunk of moola by April 1st, 2007 to hold our place and you know what happened?
That chunk of moola was there....sitting in our account.....all ready to go and instead of sending the moola by April 1st, we sent it this morning! Praise God! It was like God quietly saying, "Bethany, I got your back...I've called you and when I guide, I provide".

And then Naomi and I are hosting 4 Christmas English High Teas of 12 women each to raise awareness and money towards the midwifery ministry and you know what? People actually want to come! They are signing up! Isn't that crazy!? Some of them are complete strangers, too! We haven't had to go door to door. We just have to knock and find rest at God's door and He does the rest. Whew.

This is really happening. I am humbled and I am choosing to trust.
Keep those comments coming! :)

HERE WE GO!!!!

Guess what?! Are you ready for this??

Are you sure??

Here it goes.....

WE JUST GOT ACCEPTED INTO THE MIDWIFERY PROGRAM AT NEWLIFE INTERNATIONAL AND WE'RE MOVING TO DAVAO CITY, PHILIPPINES IN JUNE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

As noted in previous posts, we were planning on this, but now it's actually official! We received the acceptance letter yesterday and now have to start fundraising.

The midwifery classes start September 3rd and Tim and I must move into our new home in the Philippines 6-8 weeks prior. We plan to leave at the end of June or early July. In the meantime, we have to sell EVERYTHING. Everything. It's a very strange feeling to know that we won't need any of the stuff we now have and we can't take it with us anyway. Sounds a little like Heaven, eh? It's true....all our "possessions", toys, claims to fame, heirlooms, and treasures all have to stay here on earth when we die and enter Heaven. What's even better is that everything we need is provided for us in Heaven 'cuz Jesus said He was preparing a place for us (John 14:1-3). You're probably thinking, "Gosh, B, you're taking us on a rabbit trail!" Well, maybe a little, but bear with me here......

You see, Hebrews 11: 8-16 is a passage of Scripture that God gave me 3 years ago and has reminded me of it over and over and over again....and it has everything to do with leaving everything behind to go to a scary and unknown place....the place that God is preparing for us OR maybe He's preparing US for IT....the Philippines. Take a look at the Scripture:

"8By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going. 9By faith he made his home in the promised land like a stranger in a foreign country; he lived in tents, as did Isaac and Jacob, who were heirs with him of the same promise. 10For he was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God.

11By faith Abraham, even though he was past age—and Sarah herself was barren—was enabled to become a father because he considered him faithful who had made the promise. 12And so from this one man, and he as good as dead, came descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as countless as the sand on the seashore.

13All these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance. And they admitted that they were aliens and strangers on earth. 14People who say such things show that they are looking for a country of their own. 15If they had been thinking of the country they had left, they would have had opportunity to return. 16Instead, they were longing for a better country—a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them."

Tim and I have no idea what we are walking into and we're scared spitless, but we know that God is speaking and we know our inheritance and true homeland is where Jesus is. Heaven. With that in mind, we joyfully leave behind the life we now know and look forward to stepping on to a path that God has prepared for us. God is faithful and we believe that the Philippines is God's best for us...we can't wait to see glimpses of Heaven in the Philippines! We also believe that in His timing, we will have our own children despite the doubts of doctors around us, and that when our journey here on earth is done, we will enjoy our faithful Saviour in the true country and homeland He is preparing for us.

May you look forward to your inheritance and live as an alien for now. WE'RE ALIENS, MAN! :) Be blessed.