Lots to catch up on…my January and February blog
The Bible Recap – Reading through the Bible in a year with a group of ladies
My encounter with “reading through the Bible in a year” all started when I was a little girl visiting my Mamaw in Blairsville, GA. My Mamaw would wake up each morning, sit in a wooden chair by her dresser and read a book (The Bible). I asked my Mamaw what she was doing and she told me that she was reading her Bible. She then said that she reads it every morning and showed me her check list of what she was reading for the day (about 3 chapters every day). Then she told me that in one year she is able to read the whole Bible completely and then when the new year comes, she starts all over again. I was not a believer in Jesus at this time (I was probably 9ish and didn’t get saved until 27 years old). I enjoyed reading books and with a puzzled face asked her how she can read the same exact book every year…in my little mind, I couldn’t imagine reading the same exact book every year. My Mamaw said that she learns something new every time she reads her Bible. At that time, I was confused and didn’t understand her, BUT now I totally understand what she was saying. I started reading through the Bible in 2012 (90 days through the Bible which was way to fast), then took a year to read it in (2018, 2020, 2021, 2022). I really enjoy reading through the Bible, but it was starting to change. At the end of this last year, I confessed to my husband that reading the Bible in the morning was feeling like a “to do list” item and not like it used to. He reminded me that I LOVE reading The Word and that I also LOVE reading The Word with others. I asked my husband, and he wanted to do it with me…our son wanted to join in too. But God told me to reach out to other women to see if they would like to join along. Well, to my surprise, 19 (and counting..some are still joining in to this day) women said they would take this journey with me and the Lord. We are using “The Bible Recap” with Tara-Leigh Cobble. She has a Bible reading plan and (starting this year) has bonus videos to go along with all of the daily readings. It has been an amazing journey reading through God’s Word alongside each and every one of these ladies!!! We focus on seeing God throughout the scriptures and Tara-Leigh Cobble remind us that HE IS WHERE THE JOY IS!
My 40th Birthday…
Most people like a big party for their birthday, but I like something small and intentional. This year for my birthday I got to spend time with my husband and son. It is always good to be with my guys, oh how I love them so much. This year we went kayaking to Luna Beach and I got a cappuccino, yum. The waiter is a good friend of ours and brought me out a birthday brownie with ice cream (which Guenther enjoyed as I am not eating meat, eggs, or dairy right now). It was a great relaxing time with 2 of my 3 guys and Jac, my doggie. I wish Messiah was here to celebrate with us, but know he busy “adulting”.
Then the day after my birthday my friend took me to the petting farm on the island for a birthday adventure. I only have pictures of the cute sloth because when I was near the other animals, who were free range, that got super close to me and I was focused on them not taking me out, especially the ostriches. It was a fun and crazy adventure for sure.
And then 2 days after my birthday, I got a special visit from my Dad and Uncle Lane. They came in on a cruise and we got to hang out with them. It was so much fun having them here again for the 2nd time! I love having family here so much! Looking forward to their return and praying other family members will visit too!
VIP group FFL (Faithful Finish Lines) to get healthy for Jesus
As many of you know, when my brother got diagnosed with cancer, I stated taking my own health serious. I was overweight and needed to make a change, especially since at first they thought the type of cancer he had might be genetic (later they said it’s not). A friend gave me a book that talked a lot about what we eat has a lot to do with how we fight off disease. Then God led me to Faithful Finish Lines to invite Himself into my weight loss journey. I am almost to my goal weight, so much healthier, feel great and have so much more energy. On my 40th birthday I participated in a “5 Days of Bite Sized Prayers for Weight Loss” with FFL and it was amazing!!! I was asked to be a VIP leader for 6 weeks with the goal of helping and encouraging the first 25 women that signed up for the monthly FFL program after that week’s challenge. It was an amazing experience and I gained life long friends. I am so proud of their hard work and dedication to getting healthy for Jesus. Losing weight is not easy, but with God it is possible.
Travel to the states
From January 20 – February 20th we were in the states staying at Tyler’s parent’s house. The main reason for this trip stemmed from a conversation Tyler had with his dad. We don’t get to visit them that often (1 time in almost 4 years) due to the high cost of travel. His dad’s health isn’t the greatest (using oxygen at night and sometimes during the day now). When Tyler’s dad made a comment asking if we’ll come home for his funeral, it hit our hearts hard and we desired to go back to the states to see them living. We were praying for God to make a way, and that is just what he did….the airline ticket prices happened to be ½ the price as usual for round trip tickets, Praise God. We booked it last minute because the prices were so good and flew home to see family, along with friends, churches, various Celebrate Recovery programs and so much more. We had such a good time seeing everyone in person and spending much needed quality time with everyone.
These are just a few pictures from this trip...I need to get better at taking pictures.
During our time in the states Guenther took his Driver’s Education test that he was preparing for and passed!! Now he has a learner’s permit, which means I need lots of prayer. He needs to practice driving and for those of you that have driven with a teen, know why I need prayers. I am so proud of Guenther for passing the test and taking this next step towards his future.
God also knew we needed to be in the states during this time to help our oldest son as he transitioned from college to Nana/Papaw’s house while he figures out his future. He was in college for 1 ½ years and now is on a different path. Please come alongside us in prayer for our son that God would guide each step on Messiah’s journey as he navigates being an adult.
We ended the trip with all 3 of us getting a bad cold/sore throat. You may think this is a bad thing, but God ended up working this out for His good. Because we had symptoms of COVID, our tests that we needed to travel back to Honduras were free (otherwise they would’ve been $150pp). God saved us a huge chunk of money. I always say, it’s all about perspective…there’s blessings even in the bad that happens because God is at work even when we can’t see it.
Back home…
At the end of February, we returned to Honduras. We are excited to get back into all the different assignments that God has for us to do here in Honduras, fulfilling the calling that he placed in our hearts of making disciples of all nations (Matthew 28:19-20). A special blessing came right before we left the states, a friend is sponsoring our monthly gym membership so that we can work out to stay healthy to be of better service for all the ministry that we do here. It is a huge blessing! Tyler and I try Monday through Saturday super early in the morning after our devotion time to walk (1.38 miles) to the gym while talking about ministry/kids/life, workout, then walk (1.3ish miles) back while trying to pray for ministry/kids/life.
Next month I will give you a more in depth look into specific areas of ministry with pictures (which I am really bad about taking, but will try hard this next month), so stay tuned. But just know the Lord is at work here in Honduras. Here’s an amazing example…two people just professed Jesus and got baptized. One of them is a recent rehab graduate…he is now on the other island (Guanaja) sharing all about what the Lord did in his life. PRAISE GOD!
Thank y'all for your prayers and support! We love y'all bunches!!!