Traveling- Fun or Folly

Well, normally, traveling for me , would rank up there with a great banana split or a soft chewy brownie, but this past week traveling from California to Florida was a not all fun and games. It wasn't totally folly, but it was long, trecherous and very necessary.

We spent two months with my husband's family, and visiting churches in California. We sang, showed our presentation about the mission work in Gijon,Spain, my husband preached, and we would stay in a hotel or travel back to my father in laws place. Our time with family was so cherished, but, we had one more stop to make before going back to Spain, my family's place in Florida!

We started out Sunday morning for our first leg of the trip up to the central part of California, then the next 6 days were spent in the car except for one. We sure learned a lot about our dear sweet loving family in those close quarters.

It was worth every back-aching minute though, the moment I was able to hug my mom and dad! After 11 years we are finally spending Christmas together. We pray to hang on to every single moment.

Traveling can be very fun or it can, for many a traveling missionaries, be a necessary unavoidable folly.

From my furlough dairy,

Dani Joy

Ps. Sorry I have not posted while on our whirlwind traveling.

Bible in 90 days Summer Recap

It has been such a blessing reading through the Bible in 90 days. We are on day 22 already and should be in 2 Samuel. I must admit, I am behind, but I keep reading a few extra pages everyday. I highly encourage everyone to join in on this challenge. (Click HERE to see more info)

As I read through Joshua chapter 14, I was touched to my heart to learn more about how Caleb waited for God´s promise. He wasn´t the one who disobeyed or complained at Moses, yet he too had to endure 45 years of wandering in the wilderness before he could finally follow God´s command. He could have gotten so bitter. He could have even gotten depressed in all that time, but we find him in chapter 14 storming his mountain, taking it in God´s name! He totally destroyed all the inhabitants of that mountain at 85 years of age!His faithfulness, and patience is a great example for when we are asked to wait. Then asked to wait some more. What is often our response? May my response be like that of Caleb´s. May I wait patiently and be found faithful in the end.

Here is one word or phrase for each of the chapters of Joshua:
1. Joshua
2. Rahab
3. Crossing Jordan
4. Memorial
5. Second
6.Jericho destroyed
7. Achan´s sin
8. ambush
9. Tricked
10. Sun still
11. Destroyed
12. Kings
13. Inheritance
14. Caleb´s Mountain
15. Borders
16. Not driven
17. Daughters
18. Shiloh
19. Lots of land divided
20. cities of refuge
21.Suburbs
22. alter of witness
23. Cleave
24. Joshua´s death

How is your summer going? First write me a quick comment and then head on over to the KJV blog to check out some of our summer camp ministry pictures.

I love Gijón!

It´s so great to love the city that God has called you to!

I could never have imagined myself as a city girl, but Gijón is a small enough city that I feel comfortable!

this is almost the view from our apt. (if you stick your head out of the window.)

I can walk everywhere. I don´t have to drive to do my shopping. I grab my shopping cart, ( a handy dandy bag type stroller with two wheels) and go to the near by grocery store. I can almost fit a whole week´s groceries into that shopping cart! Then I roll it home. It´s a great workout too!

(My cart isn´t this cute though.)

I have posted about where we live and minister on other occations, but I just felt like sharing more about this wonderful city.

(The beach only a 15 minute walk from our apartment)

 I always dreamed about living near the mountains and a large body of water. I love both! Can you believe it is a desire the Lord put on my heart as a child. He knew I would need to be in a place I loved, because I would be so far away from my dear family.

 the Peaks of Europe (only an hour away)

Even, though it rains a lot here in Gijón, Spain, the green, lush, mild summers make up for the long rainy winters. We grin and bare the rains, knowing that that is what makes our area beautiful! (some of us grin anyway.) Did I mention that the winter rains are long?

It´s worth everyday we are here. God has called us to this city. Time is short, so we need to live everyday for Him.

Making today count,

Linking up with Making Your Home Sing Monday.

*** Also posting over at the KJV blog about missions. ***

  

ἀγάπη

ἀγάπη ???????

Yep, it´s Greek!!! 

It means true love!

God´s love.

It´s AGAPE!

What does agape mean to you?

This word alone seems to unlock so much. It seems to be a key word for me and my family this month. Oh, that it will stay that way.

I just got done reading Treasures in the Snow, with my boys, and I can´t tell you how many times this book mentions perfect love. The book refers to the verse that says "Perfect love casts out fear" 1 John 4:8.   We also studied perfect love in one of our church services, and our youngest went around the house saying "Agape, Agape."  I think he just liked the sound of the word. Then again, all day today the focus was on love. We showed Fireproof the movie for our church people.

ἀγάπη

But, what does it truly mean to me?

I feel like I am grasping at tassles on a blanket I want to pull all the way up to get warm. I feel like I am just on the brink of something wonderful, as if I can´t quite grasp the full meaning, and that if I did, everything would change forever. Do you ever feel that way?

Love.

God´s love is perfect. We are to love others as He loved us. That means our spouses, our children, our neighbors and those who aren´t so lovely. We know this truth. We have heard it over and over, but do we really let it change us? Do I really show love? true love?

It means I will discipline my children in love. It means I will speak in love to my dear husband even when I do feel too loving, I will give to that same lady on the corner who as taken and never even come to church, I will keep on loving even if no one gives love in return, and pray to keep on loving. Lord, help me to have your love.

ἀγάπη

*** Today, is my day to post over at the KJV Blog. It´s Ministry Monday Highlights. So, you can guess what I am writing about, but don´t take my word for it, head on over there and check out the pictures for yourself.

Also, I am linking up with Nan for Making Your Home Sing Monday. ***

What does she look like?

Ministry Highlight Monday has escaped me for two months. Not on purpose, mind you. I had a date in my mind that I was going to write for the blog, but it ended up being the wrong date two months in a row. How did this happen? Well, I could blame it on homeschooling, Christmas and even the ministry itself, but I think the main reason was I wasn´t organizing my time well enough.

Which leads me to what I want to write about today. No, not just organization,  but the life of a missionary wife in general. What does she do? How does she live? What are her jobs? I often wonder this myself, as I am here on the mission field in North Spain.

Many of us are forced to look inside of ourselves in light of Haiti´s tragedy. What are we doing for Jesus? What are we doing to help those around us? What am I doing as a missionary wife and mother?

I posted what a missionary profile might look like. Check it out at the KJV blog.

I am also, linking with Nan´s meme  "Making Your Home Sing Monday." Praying that these few things will help our homes sing.

Priorities and Perseverance

Today, I am reflecting on some very important truths I want to apply to my life with a renewed effort. For our Making our Home Sing Monday, I thought I would share a little bit with you.

My husband and I had the privalege to go to Madrid for a special Teen Conference hosted by the Villa Rosa Bible Baptist Church. No, we don´t have teens yet, but we were invited anyway. They must think we look young enough. Well, I would like to think so anyway. Really, the true reason was that my hubby has never preached for the teens before and they wanted someone new. I knew he would do a great job in the Lord´s strength, but he was nervous. (of course who wouldn´t be speaking to a crowd of 100 teens!) I posted a picture from my phone of the whole group on the KJV blog, and a little more in detail about the conference.

I had the best job! I got to pass out the plates. (I did more, but this was a really fun one) I got to see some teens who I knew back when we first came to Spain. They were little girls then in our Sunday School classes and Kids camps. What a blessing to see them as young ladies who love the Lord.

We didn´t take our boys to the conference, because they aren´t teens yet. We missed them, of course, and I was able to reflect on somethings, as always when we are apart.

Priorities and perseverance  have been on my heart this weekend. It seems we always need to be renewing our commitments. I, as a young wife and mother have one resposibility. Really, only one. How do I manage to get so side-tracked.

I want to remember to be a Titus 2:4-5 woman.

"That they (the aged women) may teach the young women to be sober, to love their husbands, to love their children, to be discreet, chaste, keepers at home, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God be not blasphemed."

May we all, persever in our priority, our home.

I HEART...

I heart...

When my sons come home from camp!

I heart...

finding this rock in my son´s bag while unpacking from camp. It was all dirty and just in there with all the dirty stuff. I had to ask him why in the world there was a rock in the his bag.

He said, "Mommy, I found it for you while I was playing soccer."

Then I looked closely and my eyes started to well up and my heart just about burst. Moments like that make all the parenting worth while!

I am posting over at the KJV blog today more about camps and service to our King.

And this blog post is linking up with Moms the Word and her meme, Making Your Home Sing Monday.

My Sisters Are Gone.

"They are gone for ever from Spain. I may never see them again here on earth. I know, it sounds so final. It feels so final.

Rosa and Edith came to Spain from Bolivia. Rosa first came 4 years ago. She was the first one to ever come to our little mission. If she only knew what a blessing she really was that first Sunday she walked through that front door."

The rest of the story has been published on the KJV directory.

**** Caption Give Away still under way till Friday.****

Blog Spots / Hot Spots

I want to tell you about three great Blog Spots today! To me they are definitely Hot Spots.

You´ll have to do some jumping around if you are going to be following the activity of this high- tech frogger,

I mean blogger.

Blog Spot/ Hot Spot # 1

Remember I metioned that you had to head over to All Pain No Gain on Monday to see the results of the "Gettin Fine in ´09" accountability challenge... The results are in!

Well.....You´re gonna have to just go on over to see them, cause I promised myself I would not post my weight on this blog. I will just give a little hint though, this froggy´s been doing a lot of jumping!

Blog Spot / Hot spot #2

As I sit and contemplate about this past weekend, I realize how untypical it was, but it was ministry related non the less. We took a trip to Madrid with the Gijón Mariners American Football team for their first and only play off game against the Madrid Osos (bears)...

To read more head on over to the KJV blog. I write for Monday Ministry Highlights once a month. There are so many great uplifting God honoring posts to read there as well. May this jump bless your socks off!

Blog Spot / Hot Spot # 3

I have been joining Making Your Home Sing Monday for several weeks now. It´s a meme to help us moms make our homes run a little smoother and happier for our families. There are mom´s with some great ideas who can really relate. It has happened on one or two occations when reading one of the posts that I find my self wondering if that that person was actually in my home.

We have had a great time with this meme! But this Monday, I will send you all over to check out everyone else´s posts. My home is sleeping after a long trip to and from Madrid.

So how was your blog spot /Hot Spot jumping? I sure hope you make it back to let me know what you think.

Have a wonderful week!

Monday Ministry Highlights - "Every Day I´m Amazed"

Today, I am posting over at the KJV blog.

Here is the song I featured.

Also, there is an update on our ministry.

Every Day I´m Amazed Upload Music

"In God´s heart there´s a space
That I was made to fill
I find amazing grace
When I´m found within His will
And He´s reserved a special place
In the midst of ever day
He is waiting there for me
Inviting me to stay."

Chorus

"And every day I´m amazed

That God would spend each day with me

I´m overwhlemed by His ways

That He could feel such love for me

To Him I´m worth saving

And my heart is cravingTo know Him inHis Righteousness

And understand His ways

Every day, in every way I´m amazed."

"In my heart there´s a space
That only God can fill
And He covers my disgrace
With the blood that Jesus spilled
And He invites me to that place
In the midst of every day
He is waiting there for me
He´s inviting me to stay"

Chorus
"And every day I´m amazed
That God would spend each day with me
I´m overwhlemed by His ways
That He could feel such love for me
To Him I´m worth saving
And my heart is craving
To know Him in His Righteousness
And understand His ways
Every day, in every way I´m amazed." by Cary Schmidt

Happy Easter! I prefer to say Blessed Resurrection!!
May you know God´s Glorious Grace today!
Love in Our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ,

They are everywhere!

(as posted on the KJV blog)

I was happily teaching my boys this past Thursday morning, when the door bell rang. My first reaction was, "Oh, no, it´s them!"

Now you have to understand, we are surrounded by them. They are everywhere here in Gijón, Spain, it seems.

The Jehovah´s (false) Witnesses have come to our door probably every several months trying anew to convince us of our errors. We see them in the streets going two by two, We receive their evil literature in our church mail-box and they still come to our home.

Needless to say, I have had to do much study as to what they believe and how to defend against their attacks. Thursday morning was a little different, however. The two ladies who came were either more docile or more open to listen.


We discussed the Millenium, Jesus´2nd return, and the end of the Earth. It was exciting to continually bring them to the most important part of Scripture, that if we don´t believe in Jesus as our Saviour and God then we will suffer eternal punishment. They amazingly agreed, but knowing they don´t believe in the Diety of Jesus, I continued to emphasize that Jesus is the only way!

They left finally, after wanting to argue about the Earth not being destroyed by fire. I couldn´t find the verse at that moment ,of course,( it´s 2Peter 3:14) but continued to tell them that what was most important was Salvation by faith in Jesus Christ our Lord. It is always very important to say that Jesus is God because that is the one point that keeps them from truly accepting Salvation. They reject that Jesus is God in the flesh.

It is so difficult to not get frustrated and worked up when they come around, knowing they are drawing so many sheep to the slaughter. Sandra, is one of them. She is a Colomian lady I met in the park the other day. She told me that she had just started meeting with the JWs. I was disappointed thinking that if I had only met her 20 days earlier, we may have saved her from the lies that the Jehovah´s (false) Witnesses preach. Please pray I may have more opportunities to speak with Sandra. I was able to share with her the gospel that night, but she does not want to get all confused listening to two religions. (how ironic)

Please pray too, for these lost Jehovah´s (false) Witnesses that they see their error and that we may continue to be bold but loving to share with them the truth. Many of them are our own neighbors. Please pray for us to have more love for them, as they are mostly all Spaniards.

"Be ready always to give an answer to everyman that asketh you
a reason of the hope that is in you..."

We are attacked on many fronts. We thank you for your prayers.

For research and helps on witnessing to JW here are some links.
http://christiananswers.net/evangelism/beliefs/jehovahswitness.html
http://www.leaderu.com/orgs/probe/docs/jehovah.html we have used this on several occations.
http://www.cephasministry.com/jw_useful_scriptures.html

Ministry Monday

Today it is a special privalege to highlight our ministry over on
www.kjvblogs.blogspot.com/
The title

"A Hundredfold"