tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-54691433619105395682024-03-26T23:37:57.084-07:00Marsha's BlogMarshahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00656608469822694650noreply@blogger.comBlogger232125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5469143361910539568.post-301919934585144112024-03-24T02:00:00.000-07:002024-03-24T02:00:00.132-07:00Life's Little Miracles<p><b>We’ve been doing something with the grandboys that’s beginning to pay off. Every Wednesday evening, I try to cook a meal for them, which gives us an excuse to sit together around the table. </b></p><p><b>As we’re finishing up, Gigi (Tony’s grandpa name) tells them a story about our past. I know it’s egotistical, but we all enjoy remembering and getting some mileage out of our adventures and mistakes. Any of you out there that remember Tony's dad, "Uncle Buddy" will know that Tony comes from a line of storytellers. It reminds me of a verse I just read in the Old Testament, one of God’s instructions to the Israelites:</b></p><p><b>“And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart: and thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up.” ( Deuteronomy 6: 6-8 KJV)</b></p><p><b>So last night, they had a friend at dinner and all three boys were saying “Gigi! Tell him about the ……….!” and they’d rattle off something we’d forgotten that we even told them. As goofy as they can be, it showed that they were ‘remembering’.</b></p><p><b>This morning, I was thinking about something and ‘remembered’ how Tony loves to preach and has been doing it all his life. Then I remembered a time when it was just a flat miracle, and even now we don’t understand how or why it happened. Let me tell you about it.</b></p><p><b>It all started when Kumiko, a good friend in Japan died. Tony and I were working in Bangkok at the time, but when we heard that she didn’t have long, we dropped everything and raced for Japan to be with her. We missed her passing by just a couple of hours, but the family was still in shock, not by her death but by the way she left this world. Waking up suddenly from a deep coma, she smiled and said, “Oh look! Shepherds!” then slipped peacefully into the arms of Jesus. </b></p><p><b>Yep; lots of questions when we see her in Heaven.</b></p><p><b>Then, exactly one year later, we were invited again to the “one-year memorial service”. This is a strong tradition I Japanese culture. </b></p><p><b>In fact, Tony was to be the speaker. This is what I might call the 'real' service, because (I believe) after a year, people are really aware about how they feel about this whole thing. At the funeral, we are all distracted with grief, even if it's happy as was this case, since Kumiko was a strong Christian. Still, the feelings of loss and sadness haven't really had time to develop. So the memorial service is important.</b></p><p><b>As we drove to the church, Tony said something to me, and then just like that, he had NO VOICE! He cleared his throat till he was hoarse, and then, since we were not yet late, we pulled into a pharmacy and dashed in. The people immediately surmised the problem, but insisted on asking doctorish questions like how long had this been going on, etc. Even though Tony was the only one who couldn't talk, we all started gesturing our panic and tapping our watches, getting more wild eyed and agitated. They finally gave him some cough syrup and we were on our way again.</b></p><p><b>We arrived to a completely-filled church and Tony dove for the deacons that were waiting for him. Immediately they disappeared behind the pulpit into the anteroom and we all milled around wondering if we'd have a service or have to suffice with singing 'Kum Bah Ya" or something. Most of the people didn't know anything was wrong. </b></p><p><b>But it was decided to trust God, as this service was dedicated to Him, so right on time, the men appeared from the back, the service was called together and within minutes, Tony stepped up to the pulpit. The look on his face was a combination of abject fear and wonder.</b></p><p><b>He opened his mouth and we could hear just the faintest gasp.......'Mina"(meaning ‘everyone’ in English), ........... and then a second or two later again, a little louder, "Mina"..........and then as the entire audience held their collective breath, he continued louder, "Wa re wa re wa"........ and then with more conviction and much louder again, "Wa re wa re wa...." and then in a TRUE MIRACLE he was off and running preaching a powerful sermon about the love we all have for God and His resurrection of our souls! </b></p><p><b>Tony says, if nothing else, the experience was a reminder directly from God, something to the effect of, “Remember when you preach, it’s never about you. I brought you into this role, and I will be with you till I take you out of it.”</b></p><p><b>Isn't life interesting? Little miracles. Stay tuned and I'll tell you some more!! </b></p><p><b>Marsha </b></p><p><br /></p>Marshahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00656608469822694650noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5469143361910539568.post-35720607722734601592024-03-17T00:06:00.000-07:002024-03-17T00:06:28.062-07:00Hop Hop Bang<p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><b> We’ve lived in Australia for over 20 years and this last week our family had a first: Nathan hit a kangaroo.</b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><b><br /></b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><b>Now you may think that’s like hitting a dog or a deer, but let me explain.</b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><b><br /></b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><b>Kangaroos, when on the move, don’t seem to be looking left and right, or thinking what a speeding vehicle could do to them. Many say they lack the intuitive skills to work out things like this. I prefer to think that they just love the rhythm of the hop and are gleefully enjoying themselves. And for proof, it looks like they’re always in pairs, thus the old Australian adage, “If once you see a kangaroo, best watch out for number two.”</b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><b><br /></b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><b>If you travel very far into the Outback, you can count hundreds of carcasses beside the road, victims of the road trains with their invincible “Roo Bars” attached to the front. </b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><b><br /></b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><b>In Nathan’s case, very fortunately, the kangaroo wasn’t at his highest in his bounce, because then he would have come thru the windshield. That can be fatal to the passengers. No, this one, just yards from Nathan’s driveway, came low, taking out both headlights, driving the front bumper into the radiator, and doing thousands of dollars of damage. He didn’t have “Roo Bars” to prevent the damage, but thankfully he had insurance.</b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><b><br /></b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><b>And the kangaroo? He got up, looked around, and hopped away, either in search of an aspirin or else … well, we won’t think about that. Nathan took it hard, especially since his property has become known as “kangaroo friendly” and we all could envision a little park reserve down off the hill. We hope this one wasn’t one of the alphas that hold the mob together (that’s the proper term for a bunch of kangaroos, BTW), but things like this come with the territory.</b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><b><br /></b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><b>Whereas tourists, including us up till now, think they’re so cute and lovable, and indeed they’re ok on the main, but Aussies, especially farmers, hate them. They eat the grass meant for livestock, and get this………they’re always pregnant (at least the does). The way it works is, there’s an embryo attached to a ‘’baby teat’ inside the mother’s pouch. This baby is only a couple of inches long and has crawled up from where she/he was born (too much information?). When the joey or older baby, who has his own feeding station in the pouch as well, finally leaves home, (about two years) Junior transfers over to the big sippy cup and the process continues. Cool? </b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><b><br /></b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><b>I guess the message this week is that stuff happens. We can’t predict or prevent a lot of it. Very thankfully, this event wasn’t of a tragic nature, but who could have known it would happen?</b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><b><br /></b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><b>And yet we can depend on the promise that God is there for all the ups and downs (sorry, my mind is still on Kangaroos, I guess). </b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><b><br /></b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><b>In three weeks, we’re heading for Hawaii for Tony to finish up his Seminary class for this semester. He’s been teaching from Zoom, and while that satisfied our needs at the time, it left a lot to be desired. I’m sure his students will prefer to have him in person. After that, we’ll be in the States for a month or so, and then headed back home, although probably not by the direct route, till we find ourselves back in the home and land we love, kangaroos and all.</b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><b><br /></b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><b>Thank you for watching in on us. Remember this verse that sorta says it all this week. </b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><b><br /></b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><b>Psalm 121:5-8</b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><b>New International Version</b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><b><br /></b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><b>The Lord watches over you—the Lord is your shade at your right hand;</b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><b>the sun will not harm you by day, nor the moon by night. The Lord will keep you from all harm—he will watch over your life; the Lord will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore.</b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><b><br /></b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><b>Bless ya, </b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><b>Marsha</b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><b><br /></b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><b><br /></b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><b><br /></b></span></p><p><br /></p>Marshahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00656608469822694650noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5469143361910539568.post-85699657435386988992024-03-10T03:00:00.000-07:002024-03-10T03:00:00.155-07:00Farewell to a FriendGood morning, <div> Many of you know that we have a place in our house where we hang pictures of selected men and women. We call it our ‘Wall of Witnesses”, and it’s based on Paul’s mention of his Cloud of Witnesses in Hebrews 12:1, those who have gone before us and encourage us to run the race with perseverance. </div><div><br /></div><div>We started our wall many years ago and now have 9 couples who we believe to have helped make us who we are. Of course you’ll see our parents there, a loving and Godly grandmother, but the other people we’ve picked up along the way, all greatly impacting our lives.
Unfortunately for us, only a few of these people remain with us today, and it certainly hurt (selfishly) to hear this morning that yet another one has gone to be with the Lord. </div><div><br /></div><div>But the good news is that he was ready. In his 90’s, now free of pain and rejoicing with his wife…… only having been separated from her for two years. His name was Howard Kroese, but he preferred to be called by his grandkids and younger associates as “Sir”.
We met him and his wife in Japan when they came out in the 80’s, early retired, to help us missionaries where they could. Our friendship started when they found out I was struggling to homeschool our exuberant 5th grade son. Edith said, “I’m a retired teacher, let me have him!”
Trevor fell in love with both of them, gave up his shenanigans and prospered. She always said Trevor was “Her best class”.
Years flew by and our same Trevor was a teenager with leukemia. Our own grandparents were not as available as they could be for various reasons, and again Howard and Edith stepped up. Whereas my father would come to visit in the hospital and insist on discussing Trevor’s treatment options and different therapies and how they would relate (he was a scientist; this was his love language), Howard would sit down close to Trevor himself and rag on about sports or which cars were hot…….. </div><div><br /></div><div>Both of our boys loved these people, Nathan making sure to take his young bride to meet them.
There are a few people who know just how to do the right thing at the right time. I remember Howard helping to a steer a difficult meeting that Tony was leading one time where he was clearly out of his league. Howard would whisper, just loud enough for Tony to hear, insightful suggestions like, “Ask the group how they plan on paying for the project” etc. Things that as young missionaries, we were tasked to do but really had little idea of how to do it. </div><div><br /></div><div>I wish that the world could have more people who really just know how to HELP. How to be real to a situation and be humble to do it in such a way so that the person they’re helping can maintain his dignity and move forward.
I hope that Howard is enjoying being reunited with his wife Edith and a boy they loved so much, our son Trevor. </div><div><br /></div><div> Let’s BE those people. </div><div><br /></div><div> Marsha
</div>Marshahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00656608469822694650noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5469143361910539568.post-33506950859742343262024-03-03T02:00:00.000-08:002024-03-03T02:00:00.139-08:00In His Time<p><b>Thank you for all your kind comments on last weekend's blog. Today I'd like to focus on the 'Rest of the Story' as Paul Harvey used to say. The part I mentioned in Psalms 30:11 about the 'mourning into dancing'.</b></p><p><b>But first a cute story.</b></p><p><b>It seems that an Amish boy and his father were visiting a mall. They were amazed by almost everything they saw, but especially by two shiny, silver walls that could move apart and back together again.</b></p><p><b>The boy asked his father, "What is that, Father?" The father, (never having seen an elevator ) responded, "Son, I don't know what it is!" </b></p><p><b>While the boy and his father were watching wide-eyed, an elderly lady in a wheel chair was pushed up to the moving walls and with some assistance, was able to press a button. The walls opened and the lady rolled between them into a small room. The walls closed and the boy and his father watched small circles of lights with numbers above the walls light up. Then they continued to watch the circles light up in the reverse direction. The walls opened up again and a beautiful young woman stepped out.</b></p><p><b>The father said to his son, "Go get your mother".</b></p><p><b>Now I'm sure you're curious about how I'm going to twist theology here..... bear with me. </b></p><p><b>After Trevor died, I often was confronted with the popular song, "In His time, in His time, He makes all things beautiful in His time." I refused to sing it and would stand with clenched teeth thinking of the heresy of it all. There was NOTHING beautiful about Trevor's death, what idiot hippie had made up this Pollyanna song? </b></p><p><b>And then, wouldn’t you know it, I came across it in THE BIBLE! One of the many promises in Ecclesiastes 3:11a. "He has made everything beautiful in its time"</b></p><p><b>What we watched going into that proverbial elevator of our lives was not how we envisioned what we wanted. We were in worse shape than the lady in the wheel chair; we were both broken and paralysed by grief.</b></p><p><b>But what came out of the doors, a year later, following many years of us trying to adopt a child, was a beautiful and perfect little girl......our daughter Nicki. She was as full of life as we could handle in our broken-down 40's. And just for fun she had a personality identical to Trevor, resulting in time after time our laughing and saying to each other, “Hey we’ve been here before. We can handle this!”</b></p><p><b>Truly God made "All things beautiful", and turned our "Mourning into dancing!"</b></p><p><b>We are now blessed with two wonderful kids, (our son Nathan who had weathered the death of his big brother and was able to grow up strong and dependable): Nicki, their Godly spouses and enough grandkids to keep us busy. </b></p><p><b>We’re under no illusions; along with everyone else in this sin-broken world, we have no guarantee that something else won’t happen that we certainly don't envision or want, but we are confident that God knows what He's doing. Whatever mountain or valley waits for us, we have the assurance that our Saviour will be there to travel with us. He always has, and He always will.</b></p><p><b>Have a blessed week!!</b></p><p><b>Marsha</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b> </b></p>Marshahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00656608469822694650noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5469143361910539568.post-45326614701702941432024-02-25T02:00:00.000-08:002024-02-25T02:00:00.125-08:00A Time and a Place<p><b> It was 32 years ago this week that our son, Trevor, died. We don’t dwell on the date much anymore, but it does give us a chance to “check systems” and discover to our delight that God is still there and still bringing that comfort and assurance.</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>I can’t help but recall Romans 8:28 during this time and realize anew that things really ARE “working together for good”. In the first year after his passing, a church sprang up, built on shared grief; for awhile, it was the fastest growing evangelical church in Japan, and 32 years later it’s still going strong. </b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>Not a ministry tool I would have chosen, but I have the assurance that this will be only one of many “good things” to have come about through this deepest valley.</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>But I have to look back and remember the day when a well-meaning church member reminded us of that verse, and unfortunately the timing was just not right.</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>We were in Alaska, driving up from California on a family camping/exploring trip, on our way back to another exciting four years in our home in Japan. We couldn’t wait to get back to several projects and endless opportunities. It was high adventure at its best, with Trevor anxious to drive with his new learning permit. Unbelievable scenery around every turn in the road. </b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>Then Trevor began to feel unwell, pointed out by the fact that he preferred to sleep instead of drive. So naturally, when we got to Anchorage, we booked in to see a doctor. Nothing to worry about, we thought … until the call came. Without mincing words, the doctor said, “Your son has leukemia. You need to get him back to the lower 48 immediately and start treatments.”</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>Now the lesson part. The local church there in Anchorage jumped into gear, taking our car, camping stuff etc, promising to sell it all and send us the money. On the way to the airport, a kind older gentleman who was driving us, pontificated, “Well, you’ve just got to remember Romans 8:28, ALL things (and he emphasised this as he looked patronisingly) work together for good for them that love the LORD!”</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>If I could have reached him and not endangered our lives, I would have punched him.</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>Sometimes, I think, the best platitudes can be delivered at the “less than best” of times, even if they’re true. </b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>All that is to say, keep those wonderful words of comfort and encouragement close at heart. Draw on them. Share them. But be sure to check with the Holy Spirit before dishing them out. Sometimes, it’s just not the right time.</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>And the truth of Romans 8:28 is no better manifested than by the fact that I can look back on 32 years and see the Hand of God in my life, doing what He does best.</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>Now I can add another verse to go back-to-back with Romans, and that’s Psalms 30:11,</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>“You have turned my mourning into dancing. You have put off my sackcloth and girded me with gladness.” </b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>Stay with me, folks, and next time I’ll show you a bit of that gladness! </b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>Have a blessed week, </b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>Marsha</b></p><p><br /></p>Marshahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00656608469822694650noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5469143361910539568.post-13650052871211678762024-02-18T02:00:00.000-08:002024-02-18T02:00:00.133-08:00Yes and Amen<p> As a lot of you know, Baptist Celebrity (if there's such a thing) Henry Blackaby died this last Sunday. He was 88. We didn't know if he was sick, the obituary just said he 'died peacefully'. We had just read his morning devotional in his famous book "Experiencing God Day by Day" when we noticed the news.</p><p><br /></p><p>I won't say we were friends, but we knew him. We'd even shared a private conversation or two. I don't think we in any way changed his life, but he certainly influenced ours. The devotional on the day he died, was from 2nd Corinthians 1:20. “For all the promises of God in Him are Yes, and in Him Amen, to the glory of God through us.”</p><p><br /></p><p>Henry talked about when we walk in intimate fellowship with Christ, we have the assurance that every PROMISE God has made in Scripture is available to us, within God’s wisdom and timing.</p><p><br /></p><p>I don’t know about you, but I find this Corinthians Scripture comforting. I have this bad habit sometimes, when we interact with our children and friends, of transferring my worries and fears to them, resulting in what has been called “scenario-ing”. A tough word to say, but it comes so easily! And the result is nearly always a case of the heebie-jeebies, when my wild “what ifs” lead inevitably to bad endings. Just about 100% of the time, those scenarios never transpire, but I keep making them up and worrying about them. This, I realize, is a case of forgetting all those promises, not trusting God and in fact is SIN.</p><p><br /></p><p>The apostle Paul claimed (Blackaby went on to say) that he had tested each of these promises in his own life and found them all to be abundantly true. That’s why he could speak of the “exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus (Ephesians 2:7b).</p><p><br /></p><p>I think Henry died satisfied with all the wonders that God had given him. I know the world benefited by his writings.</p><p><br /></p><p>On the home front, everything is “Yes and Amen” as Tony continues to heal from the knee replacement. He preached perched on a stool this morning, the first time in 55 years of preaching. He said it was really “off-putting” and is counting the days til the crutches go out the window. But at the same time, he was so so grateful that he was able to bring the message at all; resting in the promises, able to do what he was called to do, and doing what gives him real joy and a sense of purpose. </p><p><br /></p><p>What promises are yours today?</p><p><br /></p><p>God Bless you all, </p><p><br /></p><p>Marsha</p><p> </p><p><br /></p>Marshahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00656608469822694650noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5469143361910539568.post-8826319905799409872024-02-11T02:00:00.000-08:002024-02-11T02:00:00.142-08:00Rules Are Rules<p>A few weeks ago I wrote a blog ‘confessing’ that we had been breaking some of the rules. After I wrote it, we thought, much like teenagers, that we better not post it because our ‘guardians’ might read it and then we’d be in real trouble!</p><p><br /></p><p>Now I can’t find what I wrote, we did such a good job hiding our deceit, but in the ensuing time, we’ve confessed and got the resulting raised eyebrows from our kids. We’ve promised to take more heed of the things they try to do to protect us.</p><p><br /></p><p>So regarding these rules, it involves ladders and other dangerous things. Some of you will relate.</p><p><br /></p><p>Since we arrived home in November, we’ve been trying to get our ladder back from where it’s been over the last couple of years at the kids’ garage. Finally the kids came clean about the delays, and said, “You don’t need to be on a ladder at your age!”</p><p><br /></p><p>We were offended, of course, and may have thought, a bit disrespectively “What do they know?”</p><p><br /></p><p>Then a neighbour walked by as I was weeding the front yard. He was walking his dog and I was wondering why I can’t grow anything but weeds.</p><p><br /></p><p>“By the way,”. I chipped, “You don’t happen to have a ladder we could borrow, do you?” I gave him my most innocent smile.</p><p><br /></p><p>“Sure thing, I’ll bring it now.”</p><p><br /></p><p>Poor man, he doesn’t know he just aided and abetted the “Great Ladder Fiasco”.</p><p><br /></p><p>Within minutes I was high up on the ladder, hanging a picture (that’s pretty mammoth), on our wall. Of course there were difficulties. Tony held the ladder valiantly, even though I thought he didn’t need to. </p><p><br /></p><p>Then he walked away to get something (this is pre-knee surgery but he was still moving too slow to satisfy me), so I decided to ‘hop down’ and grab whatever it was.</p><p><br /></p><p>Unfortunately, my body decided that I’d reached the bottom when I stepped out…….. into thin air.</p><p>I was only about two or three steps up, but I landed with great aplomb. </p><p><br /></p><p>Fortunately, because of my fat posterior and my hard head, I was pretty much unfazed. (Well, maybe just a little fazed). Tony made quick time back to me to ooh and ahh, and eventually we got the picture up.</p><p><br /></p><p>So that was a good lesson. We could laugh about it, our little ‘secret’ (Of which there are a growing number).</p><p><br /></p><p>Then later that week, we were down at the beach with a bunch of our friends having fish and chips, as we often do. </p><p><br /></p><p>I regaled them with our hilarious story.</p><p><br /></p><p>And imagine my surprise when I turned back to see them, all mostly younger than us, sitting there with bared teeth waiting for their turn to upbraid us!</p><p><br /></p><p>These are our friends, not our so-called carers, but they let us know in no uncertain terms that such foolish behaviour would no longer be tolerated.</p><p><br /></p><p>“You could have been killed!”, “I have a friend who did the same thing and she DIED!” And on and on it went.</p><p><br /></p><p>I’m reading the Old Testament at the moment and Leviticus is full of rules? Why? Because the Israelites were just like me, thinking that as children of the God of the universe, they could do anything they wanted to!</p><p><br /></p><p>So now……… I’ll stay on the ground and behave. I left that evening a changed person, realising that living in this country with 20+ varieties of deadly snakes, I found that Aussies are really more afraid of ladders! I vowed to listen to people and realize that they just want our best interests for us. </p><p><br /></p><p>I’m happy to report that Tony also is following the “rules” and gutting it out with his rehab therapy. We are blessed to have the Physio guy coming to the house, (which is added protection since I’m the designated driver) and he’s gritting his teeth with grace and style. </p><p><br /></p><p>It’s been quite a week. He WAS able to teach two classes this week and is preaching next, so we’re motivated.</p><p><br /></p><p>Remember out there. OBEY the rules! REGARD those who love you and speak the truth……we’re not getting any younger!!</p><p><br /></p><p>Looking forward to the future, </p><p><br /></p><p>Marsha</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p> </p>Marshahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00656608469822694650noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5469143361910539568.post-38286762509246636672024-02-04T02:00:00.000-08:002024-02-04T02:00:00.142-08:00God Hath Not Promised<p><b> Good Morning Followers, </b></p><p><b>It’s Sunday morning where you are. I’m a little sad and a little bit relieved, to say Tony’s still in the hospital. Everyone here wonders with awe how American hospitals can throw you to the curb after something like a Total Knee Replacement in just a couple of days, but elsewhere in the world, that’s not the case. Some say that it’s probably more‘progressive’ to make you fend for yourselves quicker, rather than being pampered “In Hospital”, as they say here, for 5+ days. I remember Tony had a shoulder replacement in Thailand 10 or so years ago and that was 7days! We’re a bit spoiled. I can’t say I’m sorry to still be commuting back and forth from home because until he gets more independent, I’m afraid that he’d end up in a heap with me underneath him! Every day it gets better, but as everyone has told us, it’s just hard work for a while. Which makes me think about life. </b></p><p><b>I recently mentioned a friend who's going through a hard time, a song that was played at my Mother's funeral when I was just 14. I've never forgotten the message</b></p><p><b>God hath not promised skies always blue,</b></p><p><b>Flower-strewn pathways all our lives through;</b></p><p><b>God hath not promised sun without rain,</b></p><p><b>Joy without sorrow, peace without pain. But God hath promised strength for the day,</b></p><p><b>Rest for the labor, light for the way,</b></p><p><b>Grace for the trials, help from above,</b></p><p><b>Unfailing sympathy, undying love. </b></p><p><b>Sometimes it’s just ‘hard work’. I was looking at the prayer letter of some young missionaries in Japan, and as I read I just felt TIRED. They just received a new couple on the field, and the picture shows them surrounded by mounds of luggage, holding a toddler, obviously shattered by such a long trip, but with a look of excitement and zeal,representing such a strong call, in their faces. Remember those days? Maybe God’s plan for how our bodies work is correct. We start strong and gradually find that we have to hand it over to the younger ones. Only they have the blind ambition to charge in and attack the challenge. We just want to take a nap. I’m sure that even we will get rested and excited about the things ahead. Tony will have to get home soon because he starts the next semester at the Seminary this next Friday. Thankfully it’s going to be on Zoom from the comfort of his office this time instead of us going to Hawaii to work . We’re excited to have about 5 African Pastors joining us, so it should be interesting!! I’ll probably have a lot to tell you about that next week. Meanwhile, ya’ll take care, get the rest you need and remember God always gives us strength for the day, no matter what the task is! </b></p><p><b>Till next time, </b></p><p><b>Marsha </b></p>Marshahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00656608469822694650noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5469143361910539568.post-84080020773216182152024-01-28T02:00:00.000-08:002024-01-28T02:00:00.130-08:00It's Been a Quiet Week<p> We used to listen to a pod cast called “Tales from Lake Woebegone” with Garrison Keillor. Maybe you’re familiar with it. He always started his program with the greeting, “Well, It’s been a quiet week in Lake Woebegone”.</p><p><br /></p><p>That’s kind of how I feel this week, but it hasn’t exactly been ‘quiet’, just pretty noneventful. As we get older, that’s sort of a good thing.</p><p><br /></p><p>So I thought I’d share a cute story I just read. I don’t suppose it’s very sound theologically, but it tickles me to see that there are a lot of different perspectives in our lives that aren’t quite wrong.</p><p><br /></p><p>Bear with me. Next week I’ll be back with profound thoughts and more importantly, news of Tony’s surgery and beginning recovery.</p><p><br /></p><p>So here’s how it goes. Again, pardon me if you’ve seen it before.</p><p><br /></p><p>When Forest Gump died, he stood in front of the Pearly Gates. St Peter said, “Welcome Forest. We’ve heard a lot about you”. He continued, “Unfortunately, it’s getting pretty crowded up here and we find that we now have to give people an entrance exam before we let them in.”</p><p><br /></p><p>“Okay,” says Forest. “I hope it’s not too hard. I’ve already been through a test. My momma used to say, ‘Life is like a final exam, It’s hard’.”</p><p><br /></p><p>“Yes, Forest, I know. But this test has only three questions. Here they are.”</p><p><br /></p><p>1). Which two days of the week begins with the letter ‘T’?</p><p><br /></p><p>2). How many seconds in a year? </p><p><br /></p><p>3) What is God’s first name?</p><p><br /></p><p>“Well, sir”, said Forest, “The first one is easy, Which two days of the week begin with the letter ‘T’? Today and Tomorrow.”</p><p><br /></p><p>St Peter looked surprised and said, “Well, that wasn’t the answer I was looking for, but you have a point. I’ll give you credit for that answer.”</p><p><br /></p><p>“The next question,” said Forest, “is easy too. How many seconds are in a year? Twelve.”</p><p><br /></p><p>“Twelve?” Said St Peter, surprised and confused.</p><p><br /></p><p>“Yes. sir. January 2nd, February 2nd, March 2nd…..”</p><p><br /></p><p>St Peter interrupted him, “I see what you mean, I’ll have to give you credit for that one, too.”</p><p><br /></p><p>“And for the last question,” said Forest, “What is God’s first name? Well, everyone knows it’s Andy.”</p><p><br /></p><p>“Andy?” Said St Peter in shock.</p><p><br /></p><p>“How did you come up with ‘Andy’?”</p><p><br /></p><p>“I learned it in church. We used to sing about it.” Forest broke into song. “Andy walks with me, Andy talks with me, Andy tells me I am His own.”</p><p><br /></p><p>St Peter opened the gate to heaven and said, “Run Forest Run!” </p><p><br /></p><p>Have a great week, </p><p><br /></p><p>Marsha</p><p><br /></p>Marshahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00656608469822694650noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5469143361910539568.post-32822355876065002162024-01-21T02:00:00.000-08:002024-01-21T02:00:00.143-08:00Seasons<p> Good Morning All, </p><p><br /></p><p>Things are going well around here. It's hot and it rains a lot, but that’s just “season appropriate”. On the plus side, we’re grateful that we don’t have bring in the winter insulation over the windows, check the antifreeze in the car, stock up on ice melt for the sidewalk and dig out the snow shovels. </p><p><br /></p><p>On top of that, we’re making progress in moving back into our house after nearly two years away, and Tony’s counting the days until his knee replacement, surgery, now scheduled for January 31st, the day after his 76th birthday. In keeping with that milestone, he went to the doctor yesterday and got his “driver certification”, required by law in Australia for everyone over 75.</p><p><br /></p><p>I think it's so special, as many of our fellow retired Baptist missionaries can appreciate, to still be included in our mission’s “Missionary Prayer Calendar”, and to know that there are still many who read it and will remember to pray for Tony on his birthday. </p><p><br /></p><p>Ann Lovell is one of those we love to keep up with, and today I’m going to share (with her permission, thank you) a blog she wrote a few months ago. Hopefully it'll speak to you as it speaks to me ……</p><p><br /></p><p>"When you were under the fig tree, I saw you", Jesus told Nathaniel in John 1 :48-50.</p><p><br /></p><p>According to a sermon from Mark Becton several years back, in Jesus' day Jewish rabbis would sit under a fig tree when they were praying or meditating. Essentially Jesus told Nathaniel, "When you were seeking God, I saw you"</p><p><br /></p><p>We all need a fresh word from God now and then, a renewed sense of calling, a new understanding of his purpose in the world and in our lives. It's good to sit under the fig tree. Since there are no fig trees where most of us currently live, it looks like we'll have to settle for an oak tree - or a front porch or maybe our favorite chair.</p><p><br /></p><p>Sitting here today, we can see evidence of the seasons changing. God does not see 'change' but He sees His plan, where not a leaf falls or a twig buds without His knowledge. I learned a few years back that He doesn't necessarily keep the leaf from falling but He does see it fall. He still hears. He still leads. Sometimes where we land is actually better than the place we left.</p><p><br /></p><p>In seasons of change throughout my life, I've prayed 2 Chronicles 20:12 many times. "We don't know what to do but our eyes are on You". It is a cry of dependence and trust.</p><p><br /></p><p>In challenging seasons, Jesus says to us "When you seek Me under the fig tree (or the oak tree of the favorite chair), I see you. This is an affirmation of His grace and sovereignty.</p><p><br /></p><p>When we seek God, He sees us, and He makes Himself known to us, just as Jesus made Himself known to Nathanael. "When you seek me, you will find Me when you seek Me with all your heart", God said through Jeremiah (Jeremiah 29:13).</p><p><br /></p><p>Whatever this particular season brings your way, I hope you can rest, knowing that God sees you and He will make Himself known as you seek Him.</p><p><br /></p><p>Enjoy the season, wherever you are,</p><p><br /></p><p>Marsha</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Marshahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00656608469822694650noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5469143361910539568.post-39137459284611788992024-01-14T02:00:00.000-08:002024-01-14T02:00:00.133-08:00Down to the Last Bit<p> Happy New Year, again</p><p><br /></p><p>This morning I was filling my Webster packs and had a thought I'd like to share.</p><p><br /></p><p>Now for you who aren't from Australia, you may be wondering what a "Webster Pack" is. It's something I'm going to guess most of you have and deal with weekly.</p><p><br /></p><p>If you haven't guessed what I'm talking about, I'll tell you. It's the 7-day pill dispenser that we all use. I have two, because I'm lazy and like to load em up and leave it. I use them because with three daily pills, I just can't remember if I’ve taken the day's dose or not. </p><p><br /></p><p>But apparently this wonder is Australian-born (who knew?), invented by a pharmacist here, (who ironically isn't named Webster) back in the early 1970s. His motive was to help seniors like me to be able to use their waning intellect for other things rather than 'Did I take my pills today?'</p><p><br /></p><p>My point here, (wait for it) was the other day I realized that my life is just flying by, evidenced by the fact that I was filling my 'Websters' again .... another two weeks gone.</p><p><br /></p><p>It seems like we just got back from Hawaii but in fact it's been two months. It seems like I could roll around on the floor with my grandkids, or climb the stairs without grunting ........ or so many other things .... just the other day! </p><p><br /></p><p>The Bible says that Moses died at the ripe old age of 120, which was considered 'before his time' as he'd reached the end of the trail with God.</p><p>Read about it in Deuteronomy 34:7-8 </p><p><br /></p><p>Moses was 120 years old when he died. His eyesight was sharp; he still walked with a spring in his step. The People of Israel wept for Moses in the Plains of Moab thirty days. Then the days of weeping and mourning for Moses came to an end.</p><p><br /></p><p>But I always remember that the Bible took the time to include the fact that “His eyesight was sharp and he still walked with a spring in his step"</p><p><br /></p><p>Maybe when we're walking with God, serving out our purpose, it's easier to put up with not only the aches and pains but the quick passing of our days. Statistically, there are more and more centurions around these days. That’s good news, but more important to me is the quality of life those into those years. I want to come to the place when all my Webster packs are empty and I have no more to give. What a sad thing it would be to come before God with strengths and abilities that were never used for His Kingdom. Do you think, “I was saving myself for …” would be a good excuse? </p><p><br /></p><p>When will that days come? Sometimes I think I’m right around the corner, then others, like today, I can say, “Hey! I still got it! What can I do today?”</p><p><br /></p><p>Hope you have a blessed week up ahead!</p><p><br /></p>Marshahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00656608469822694650noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5469143361910539568.post-60398920757255365912024-01-07T02:00:00.000-08:002024-01-07T02:00:00.134-08:00Now Let Me Get This Straight<p><b> Well friends, now that we’re one week into 2024, how are you all doing on your New Year’s resolutions?</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>Of course, our resolution never changes. Next to “Lose weight”, we just scratch off the old year and write in the new one. It probably won’t change as long as we love to eat like we do. This year, we’ve added “Don’t get Covid”, prompted by the fact that at least two of the family members we’ve loved on over the holidays have now tested positive. No worries, though; they’re both on the mend.</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>But as always, my number one ‘Resolution’ is to read more of my Bible. Like the Living Book it is, it never fails to show me new understandings, even though often it’s a passage that I’ve read many times.</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>This morning, I got two “Thoughts”. I wouldn’t be so brazen as to call them “inspirations” because I’m no prophet. For that matter, I make no claims to authority other than that which the Bible gives me as a simple follower of Christ (and a woman to boot). You’ll have to take this all with a grain of salt when I share this thought about the fall of man.</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>Ok, first observation was God telling Adam in Genesis 2: 16 -17 not to eat of the tree knowledge of Good and Evil. Then in the next chapter was the second observation of how Satan tempted Eve.</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>Now I had to go back and read this passage several times, and in different translations. God told ADAM, as they strolled thru the newly formed garden, “You are free to eat of any tree in the garden, But you must not eat from the tree of knowledge of good and evil for when you eat from it you will surely die.” </b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>Eve comes along in chapter 3. Now pardon me if I’ve missed something, but that means Eve hadn’t even been created when Adam got the warning about the tree. So later, when she quotes the rule, we have to assume she got the info from her husband, Adam. </b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>Now, if you ladies have husbands, or know of one, the following conversation should sound familiar:</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>Wife to husband coming home from the doctor, “What did the doctor say?” </b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>Husband: “Oh great, he said I’ve got everything under control and he’s never seen a more perfect body.”</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>Skip ahead a bit, then we have the Nurse on the phone: “Hello, I’ve made all the specialist appointments for husband next week.”</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>So let me move on to the second thing I observed. It seemed that no sooner had Eve been created; we’re not even sure if she’d even met God, when she encountered Satan in the form of a serpent. This is what he said to her in Genesis 3:1, </b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>“Do I understand that God told you not to eat of any tree in the garden?”</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>Can you see what he did? The verse before tells us that Satan was ‘clever’. Instead of just tempting her, he hit her as a woman and a soon-to-be mother, who by definition is pre-wired to go around correcting misinformation! What chance did she have, she HAD to set the record straight, and then when she did, (and she got the warning absolutely correct which I believe is a tribute to Adam’s communication skills, or her supreme intelligence at working things out….), Satan then went on to tempt her. With the confidence she’d gained by setting him straight, she was cocky enough to fall for his skewed logic and the rest, sadly, is history.</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>But now I should add one more tidbit of information. The Bible tells us that Eve was deceived, but Adam on the other hand knew what he was doing when he bit into that fruit. That’s why, I believe, Scripture is always careful to point out that “sin came into the world through one MAN.”</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>Well, we hope you have a great upcoming week. I don’t know about the USA but pretty much everyone here takes two weeks off around Christmas, so it’s been super frustrating getting businesses, doctors and the like to answer their phones. However, tomorrow everyone’s back to work, school summer holidays are almost over, so it should be a good week.</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>Never stop thinking and discovering what God is telling us,</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>Till next week, Marsha</b></p><p><br /></p>Marshahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00656608469822694650noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5469143361910539568.post-83799961999946147432023-12-31T02:00:00.000-08:002023-12-31T02:00:00.246-08:00T'was a Dark and Stormy Night<p> </p><p><br /></p><p>Happy New Year (almost)!</p><p> </p><p>Well, I don’t know if you’ve ever read the short story by James Thurber called, “The Night the Bed Fell”, but we had a similar event last week.</p><p> </p><p>First came Christmas Dinner at Nathan & Kylie’s place (since it’s big enough to accommodate all of us). It was a huge feast, enjoyed by most all our Aussie relatives, and a couple of friends to boot. There was enough food to feed a small army, which is good, because the next day …</p><p> </p><p>… we moved camp with the gang (about 15 or so of us) over to our house for a ‘leftover meal’, showcasing several new dishes and uncountable desserts.</p><p> </p><p>Finally, most of them went to their separate homes, and by God’s Grace managed to get safely inside before a major storm hit the Gold Coast later that night. Tragically, it was killer, rather like the kind of tornadoes we get in America’s Midwest, but covering hundreds of square miles and lasting most of the night. Our own house missed most of the damaging wide and rain, but the next morning’s news looked like pictures from a war zone. Chris and Nicki were planning to stay at our house for a few days anyway, which was a good thing since travel back to Brisbane would have been decidedly dangerous. Nathan and Kylie escaped a lot of the destruction their neighbours woke up to, but the whole community was totally blacked out, with no hope of restoring power for several days. They say 100,000 homes are without power, still many of those after 6 days.</p><p> </p><p>Unknown to us, as we’d only had a small ‘event’, we woke up the 26th and were musing that we might ‘pop to the shops’ and see what kind of “Boxing Day specials” might be available, as we’ve never taken the time to visit these sales. But just as we were stepping out the door, the phone rang. </p><p> </p><p>The kids had no power (keep in mind it’s summer here with temperatures pushing close to the 100-degree mark). And to add to the challenge, Kylie’s relatives discovered that returning to the home down south was considered “unadvisable” for the foreseeable future.</p><p> </p><p>“Oh sure, come on over,” we said. “The kids can swim, and we’ll eat (more) leftovers!”</p><p> </p><p>My son-in-law, also trapped at our place, was looking at his phone and mumbled, “Bring pyjamas”.</p><p> </p><p>An hour later, they arrived in three cars, unpeeling themselves like the refugees they were. We watched in awe as they unloaded the family dog, the newly-acquired family parrot, and their refrigerator, filled to the brim with … more leftovers! Add that to the already in-residence other dog as well as a 2 yr old grandchild.</p><p> </p><p>That was the beginning of a Christmas that we’ll not soon forget. I never got an accurate count of how many people were sleeping under our roof, but you had to watch your feet at night, lest you step on someone’s face. …they seemed to start in one place and end up in another. Fortunately, Kylie’s folks felt it was safe and could get back on the road sooner. I don’t think they were unhappy to leave.</p><p> </p><p>For 4 nights and 5 days we had an absolute ball! All the rules were off the table as we were in ‘disaster’ mode. That meant non-stop movies, games and swimming, and of course non-stop eating. Eventually, roads were re-opened and power, at least at Nathan’s, restored, allowing everyone to give out one last “Merry Christmas!” before packing up and heading home.</p><p> </p><p>This morning the last ones left. I looked at Tony. He looked at me, we both looked around………. and went to bed.</p><p> </p><p>As we said our goodbyes, we all insisted that we must ‘do this again’, but I’m not sure we could ever replicate it. As they say in the commercials, “Some things money can’t buy!”</p><p> </p><p>Isn’t God great to give us ‘excuses’ to be happy? We said over and over how fortunate we were to be safe and dry. Enough shops were able to be opened with generators. Most of all, we were all healthy, and thanking God for watching over us. I don’t think it’s every family that can be so close and just grow closer together! </p><p> </p><p>Then last night, our daughter saw the elephant in the room, commented on the fact that everyone, even though we felt okay enough, just couldn’t stop sneezing and coughing. Quietly slipping out to a newly re-opened pharmacy, she picked up a kit, and you guessed it. She announced to everyone by phone and text, “either I’m pregnant, or I have CoVid! None of the rest of us have tested, because we don’t want to know!</p><p> </p><p>Maybe this is God’s way of forcing us to take a couple of days to recuperate. </p><p> </p><p>Happy New Year! If Christmas is any indicator, this should be the best ever!!</p><p> </p><p>Marsha</p><p><br /></p>Marshahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00656608469822694650noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5469143361910539568.post-67665117806503496882023-12-24T02:00:00.000-08:002023-12-24T02:00:00.147-08:00So Blessed<p> Merry Christmas Everyone!</p><p><br /></p><p>After many months and heaps of trials, Marsha and I are finally back in our own house in Australia. The place is a mess, we’ll be unpacking and sorting until July, and every day brings a new “settling in” challenge, but boy, does it feel good!</p><p><br /></p><p>I know all of you are at least as busy as we are during this time, so we’ll try not to be a distraction. In a quick nutshell, we’re so blessed to have Nathan, Kylie, Chris, Nicki, and a good part of their own extended families all together today and tomorrow for a time of celebration that I’ve missed for way too long. At least half a dozen times a day this past week, Marsha and I have stopped, taken a deep breath and whispered, “We are Soooo blessed!”</p><p><br /></p><p>Now I know that’s not politically correct to say anymore, because the unspoken finish to that sentence is, “And you’re not.” Of course that’s not true, and I’d be happy to preach a sermon or two on the subject, but fair enough, there’s a lot of folks around us here who are struggling with everything from fractured relationships, addictions and poverty. We pray for them constantly, and try to do what we can, but it breaks our hearts to realize that not everyone is truly enjoying the Yuletide spirit today.</p><p><br /></p><p>If you or someone near you can resonate with this, then I recommend a link that’s going around YouTube this year. You may have already seen it, but if you have 15 minutes, I think it will bless you. Hugh Bonnevile (from “Downton Abby) is the presenter, and it’s a real encourager. Here’s the link: </p><p><br /></p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ReApJymYSiw&ab_channel=TheTabernacleChoiratTempleSquare </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Marsha sends her greetings. She’s busy in the kitchen cooking up all the things that have become “family tradition”, so I convinced her to let me take the wheel this week. She’ll be back next week with something great, I’m sure. Until then, God bless and keep you!</p><p><br /></p><p>Love, Tony</p><div><br /></div>Marshahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00656608469822694650noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5469143361910539568.post-11380717358122777972023-12-17T02:00:00.000-08:002023-12-17T02:00:00.135-08:00It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like....<p> </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas!</p><p>In fact as I write this, we’re headed to our “Christmas Extravaganza” at church that has become the norm since Covid. Before that we had more production-based evenings, but relaxed and neighbour friendly is good too.</p><p><br /></p><p>Since many of you are super busy with all the festivities of our Saviours birth, I thought I’d just tell you about a missionary from the mid 1800’s that became the Southern Baptist’s “patron saint” if you will. She is the one our annual offering is named after.</p><p><br /></p><p>That offering sponsors not only all of our 4000+ Southern Baptist missionaries, but heaps of projects, initiatives, etc throughout our world of missions. This offering has been going for around 175 years.</p><p><br /></p><p>Lottie (Charlotte) Moon was born on Dec 2, 1840 in Virginia, USA. Her family were farmers and were quite wealthy, resulting in the girls of the 7 children, being allowed to become quite well educated, against the norm of keeping girls at home. </p><p><br /></p><p>Lottie was exceptional, learning 6 languages, getting a Masters degree, and being well known for her spunk.</p><p><br /></p><p>The family unfortunately lost its fortune in the civil war but it didn’t faze the love and commitment of this family to God or each other.</p><p><br /></p><p>When Lottie was a young girl, she felt called to China. There were some difficulties about ‘single women’ going to a foreign field, but these got worked out and she was able to sign a contract which stated that she was committed to staying in China until a “total breakdown of health or… death”. Fortunately, they’d softened this a bit by the time we went out some 100 years later, but we couldn’t help but be amazed at the fortitude that some of these young ladies had.</p><p><br /></p><p>Lottie spent 39 years in China. The list of what she accomplished is long and extremely significant. She resigned a few times but the mission convinced to be patient (with them, not the Chinese). She did finally get the mission to allow missionaries to have a ‘furlough’ every 10 years, just to reacclimate to their own culture and get medical check-ups. By the time we were missionaries, the ‘furloughs’ were every 4 years and included intensive educational checks for our children who sometimes weren’t being taught in English. </p><p><br /></p><p>During the end of her career, (although she didn’t know it) she had been in China 39 years. There was a famine in China and while no one knew, she was giving her food to others whom she felt were more needy. When she was forced to head ‘home’ for health reasons, she weighed only 50 lbs! (22.6 kg). She died on an American bound ship in Kobe (Japan) harbour on Christmas Eve, 1912. Her carers said she raised her hands in typical Chinese greeting before she passed.</p><p><br /></p><p>I’m always touched by these “Heroes of the faith”. Sometimes they were just single girls with a purpose in their hearts. </p><p><br /></p><p>Have a great lead up to Christmas, eat a lot and love even more! (and don’t forget to be patient and show God’s amazing love).</p><p><br /></p><p>Marsha</p><p><br /></p><p> </p><p><br /></p><p> </p><div><br /></div>Marshahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00656608469822694650noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5469143361910539568.post-58684462025832078962023-12-10T02:00:00.000-08:002023-12-10T02:00:00.137-08:00Pieces of Peace<p> Good Morning All,</p><p>I don't know about you, but between moving back into our house after 2 years and Christmas looming, stirred in with a heat wave that's made the news, it's been quite a week. But as I sit here writing this, much later than I usually do, I have to say my heart is full.</p><p>Just when we were at our wit’s end physically (it's amazing how feeble we've become over the last few years, where we can't seem to just lift a couch and move it across the room for the carpet layers to get access), both kids showed up with muscles, food and lots of cheer. Somehow that and the pool made the weekend a success. (Please keep in mind that we're not rich; most Aussie homes, at least in this area, are more likely to have a pool than an air conditioner)</p><p>But the greatest blessing this weekend was a short word I just heard at my son's church. They had their annual Christmas pageant, and our 3rd grandchild, Micah, had a significant part, so of course we all wanted to go.</p><p>But what the MC had to say was so appropriate.</p><p>Apparently in his household, they always do a jigsaw puzzle at Christmas .... and then either by design or bad luck, there's always a piece missing. And that missing piece usually leads to great consternation.</p><p>Then the MC continued, “We can all see that there is more than one PEACE missing in the world around us today; and all the more important then, the Good News that Jesus is the "Reason for the Season".</p><p>I was so moved by the simple invitation to make Peace with our Saviour and in the process discover a peace like we’ve never known, along with the “pieces in our lives” falling together in wonderful ways.</p><p>Most of you already know this Source of Peace, but I have a lot of 'hits' on the internet, and all I can say is that if you're reading this and don't know the Saviour, Jesus Christ, born in Bethlehem, King of Kings, please make every effort to find someone and talk about it. </p><p>I’m looking forward to watching as the “pieces” of this chaos that is our house today begin coming together this week. With a little bit of Grace, I might even have my own act together before next blog time. Until then, enjoy the season, and keep all your bits together! </p><p>Love and Peace to all, </p><p>Marsha</p><p><br /></p>Marshahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00656608469822694650noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5469143361910539568.post-90852884988227490972023-11-26T02:00:00.000-08:002023-11-26T02:00:00.127-08:00Hands to the Plow<p> Good morning friends,</p><p><br /></p><p>Thank all of you who follow me. I noticed an increased number of readers over the last couple of weeks, so I hope I can find some more exciting stories of God's faithfulness to share.</p><p><br /></p><p>On that note, God has certainly continued to be faithful this week, but it's pretty mundane. For those of you who have ever moved, you can imagine how non-exciting that is. We were apart from our possessions for almost two years and the end result is that we lived quite happily without all that 'frip frap'. </p><p><br /></p><p>But on the other hand, it's a nostalgic joy to see a few things that we love. We decided the things we love are things that elicit happy memories, for example, ramen bowls given to me from a favorite group of ladies in Japan, or a grandson's first artwork.....We had a laugh about those well-off Egyptians who got to carry a lot of their favorite 'stuff' into the tomb to be with them (Sadly, we see how that worked out).</p><p><br /></p><p>But in the effort to embrace minimalism, I'm racing around looking for my turkey platter and the hand mixer because believe it or not, as you're reading this, we're having a family Thanksgiving dinner! It's been years, so I'm excited.</p><p> </p><p>But back to treasures, I picked up another 'treasure' while we were in Hawaii, and that is in the embodiment of a new friend, met at a public swimming pool of all places. As soon as we met, we felt like we were 'sisters' (she's 2 months older than me), finding our lives had been so full, but different, which allowed us a full plate of talking points as we tried to exercise along.</p><p><br /></p><p>On one of our last days at the pool, Tony and I visited her home and what she and her brother (who lives with her) call their "Healing Garden".</p><p><br /></p><p>When she first mentioned it, I had a vision of sitting cross legged in the sand humming some incantation (Shows how much I don't know about her), but no, she's a well-grounded Christian and what they'd achieved over years of hard work, is a garden, created to make them healthy.</p><p><br /></p><p>Here's the sweet poem she gave me to explain things: She said it's "author anonymous," so feel free to share if you like.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>How to Plant God’s Healing Garden</p><p> </p><p>You come to the garden alone, while the dew is still on the grass.</p><p> </p><p>Plant three rows of Peas: </p><p>• --Peace of Mind</p><p>• --Peace of Heart</p><p>• --Peace of Soul</p><p>Plant four rows of Squash: </p><p>• --Squash Gossip</p><p>• --Squash Indifference</p><p>• --Squash Grumbling</p><p>• --Squash Selfishness</p><p>Plant four rows of Lettuce: </p><p>• --Lettuce be Faithful</p><p>• --Lettuce be Kind</p><p>• --Lettuce be Patient</p><p>• --Lettuce really Love one another </p><p>Every garden needs Turnips: </p><p>• --Turnip for Meetings</p><p>• --Turnip for Service</p><p>• --Turnip to Help one another</p><p>Your garden must have Thyme: </p><p>• --Thyme for Each Other</p><p>• --Thyme for Family </p><p>• --Thyme for Friends</p><p><br /></p><p>Water freely with patience and cultivate with love. </p><p>There will be much harvest in your healing garden because you reap what you sow.</p><p><br /></p><p>Isn't that good to think about?</p><p><br /></p><p>And my friend finishes with a Bible verse I used long ago, but hey, it's still appropriate!</p><p><br /></p><p>Of course, being Isaiah, God is speaking to Israel, but look what he has to say in verse 7 for us non-Israelites!</p><p><br /></p><p>But now, this is what the LORD says— he who created you, Jacob, he who formed you, Israel: “Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you;</p><p>and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze.</p><p>For I am the LORD your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior; I give Egypt for your ransom, Cush and Seba in your stead. Since you are precious and honored in my sight, and because I love you, I will give people in exchange for you, nations in exchange for your life.</p><p>Do not be afraid, for I am with you; I will bring your children from the east and gather you from the west. I will say to the north, ‘Give them up!’ and to the south, ‘Do not hold them back. Bring my sons from afar and my daughters from the ends of the earth— everyone who is called by my name, whom I created for my glory, whom I formed and made.” (Isaiah 43:1-7)</p><p><br /></p><p>Hands to the Plow!</p><p><br /></p><p>Marsha</p><p><br /></p>Marshahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00656608469822694650noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5469143361910539568.post-77720443598107062252023-11-19T02:00:00.000-08:002023-11-19T02:00:00.136-08:00From the Ashes: Part Two<p> Hello all,</p><p><br /></p><p>Last week you'll remember that I told you the story of my friend Tatsuo, and his interesting family. You’ll remember that the fire bombings in Tokyo had wiped out just about his entire family along with the Hagiwara family business, which was huge. Today we'll see more of the Hand of God, and less of death and destruction. But first, I need to let you in on another story as well, and that concerns Tatsuo's mother. </p><p><br /></p><p>At the time of the fire bombing, she was a little girl of 6. She had 11 brothers and sisters; again a prosperous family with a big house. Her first name was pretty, but the Japanese characters in the name carried the meaning, "enough". As I understand, that was apparently how the family felt about her.</p><p><br /></p><p>When the bombs came, her family lived in a different section of the city and so was evacuated to another elementary school than the one guarded by Tatsuo's grandfather in last weeks story. When she got there, the school was already completely full, but the gates were still open, so they all ran towards what they perceived to be safety. </p><p><br /></p><p>However, just as they got to the gates, they closed right in her face. But, by the Hand of her Creator, whom she had no idea about yet, she survived! As it turned out, because there were so many in the school building, everyone inside died, either by suffocation or crushing. </p><p><br /></p><p>So although the 6-year-old survived, the rest of her family was either killed or separated from her. As I talked with her the other day, she only said, "I could not go with them," and then changed the subject.</p><p><br /></p><p>Days after the bombing, some neighbors noticed her wandering around her destroyed home and as she'd always been a precocious favorite of theirs, they did not hesitate to take her in, and eventually adopted her (and in the process, changed her name to something more promising).</p><p><br /></p><p>Ok, but let's get back to the Hagiwara family for now. The grandfather was the only surviving member of the clan, having lost his wife and children, except for his one remaining son Junichi, who'd been away at camp, remember?. Soon Tatsuo’s grandfather was pressured by distant relatives to take another wife and have some more kids to carry the family name. Unfortunately, in a story so familiar to Biblical times, the 'second wife' who was just a teen herself, felt jealous of the first offspring (Junichi), especially after she started having her own babies.</p><p><br /></p><p>So Tatsuo's father, Junichi, now also a teen, found life less stressful out of the house, away from the teen stepmother. Fortunately, there was a new church nearby, complete with a loving American missionary, who could give him the attention and comfort he needed. When he grew up, he left the family, the business, and all claims to inheritance, instead becoming a Christian Pastor.</p><p><br /></p><p>Oh, and the little orphan girl raised by the neighbor couple ....... he met her at church and soon they were married. That's where Tatsuo and his sisters come into the picture.</p><p><br /></p><p>The government had a horse farming area just west of Fukushima, but after they war, they didn't need horses, so they were selling land (and even granting some plots for meritorious service in the war). Somehow Tatsuo's father acquired a plot, and there, with a young single American Missionary, Miss Irene Anderson, they founded a church.........and the rest is history.</p><p><br /></p><p>Oh, but wait. While Tatsuo's father was finishing growing up, he became interested in biology and again, thru the influence of a Christian American Professor, he became quite renowned. So when he moved to this little village outside of Fukushima in the northeastern part of Japan, (yes, the one that was in so much danger during the 2011 earthquake and tsunami because of the nuclear power plant), he started a model farm reviving and showcasing some nearly extinct plants. It has become the famous Hagiwara Botanical Institute, even visited by the Emperor’s brother, Mikasanomiya, in recent years.</p><p><br /></p><p>But the influence doesn't stop there. His wife (the little girl I mentioned above) felt sorry that the men of the town had to leave and find work in the cities when the crops were brought in, because there were no jobs, so she started a little cottage industry utilizing some of the flowers, etc, incorporating them into jewelry. This, as well as the Botanical institute has built the town (with a strong church) into a sustainable living option for all. Population of the town has grown to 10,000, which is tiny in Japan!</p><p><br /></p><p>One last tie, a Mr. Masao Yamada, a retired soldier from the 442nd Regiment of WWII (mostly American Christian Japanese who enlisted in the military from Hawaii, and were sent to Europe), led a group from Hawaii to visit the gardens and have now founded a sister institute in Kailua, Oahu. Masao said he has found peace in botany.</p><p><br /></p><p>God has His Hand on each and every one of us! We must never forget that we are really an intricate part of His plan. </p><p><br /></p><p>Thanks for listening. I love stories of Faith. </p><p><br /></p><p>Marsha</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Marshahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00656608469822694650noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5469143361910539568.post-52896518140924058302023-11-11T22:00:00.001-08:002023-11-11T22:00:00.168-08:00From the Ashes<p> Good Morning,</p><p> </p><p>While we were in Hawaii, we met an amazing man named Tatsuo Hagiwara. His story was so compelling, I had to hear it a couple of times to get all the facts straight. </p><p>The day before we left, we had the privilege of meeting his mother who is now in her 80's. She'd come to visit a couple of her kids, including Tatsuo. She mentioned to someone in the room that her husband (significant in this story) was "getting older and didn't like to travel as much". I think he's in his 90's.</p><p>And so, here's what I've understood. We encouraged him to write a book, like the one we wrote about our pastor and friend Naoki Noguchi, "Sacrificed: Given to an Empire, Saved by God". They said they'll "think about it."</p><p>So, come with me to March 10th, 1945. The war is in the final stages, but the atom bombs won't be dropped until August 6th and 8th of that same year, bringing everything to an end on August 15th. </p><p>But back to March 10th. That night, more than 2000 tons of bombs containing napalm were dropped in downtown Tokyo. Over 110.000 people died initially, and another 350,000 soon after. There were an estimated 103,000 people living per square mile and the fire completely destroyed over 16 square miles. Obviously, millions of survivors were left homeless.</p><p>Including those who died of their injuries over the next few days, the total casualties of this one night have been said to have totalled more than the victims of both Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the only difference being that in those two cities, death was for the most part instantaneous. </p><p>But for many in Tokyo, death was not instant but much more cruel, as it was an incendiary death. But even in this tragedy, God’s Hand can be seen at work is so many places. For example:</p><p>Tatsuo's great grandfather, the leading merchant for government and commercial stationary in all of Japan, had recently died of pneumonia. They were a large, prestigious family and had several 'bessos’ outside of Tokyo (similar to country homes for the rich). The extended family had chosen to live in some of these to wait out the war. Altogether, there were seven brothers and sisters.</p><p>But on March 10th, the entire family had come into Tokyo. It was a dangerous time to do so, but they wanted to attend the funeral of this Great Grandfather. And while they were at it, they planned to install Tatsuo's great grandmother to assume the head of the clan as matriarch who would be taking over the family business. It's important to remember that in addition to Tatsuo's grandfather, there were six other children and their families of this wealthy man.</p><p>While they were all gathered in Tokyo, the bombs started falling.</p><p>One of the sons, Tatsuo's grandfather, was a volunteer firefighter. His job was to oversee the inner-city evacuation to a preassigned elementary school. He worked valiantly to encourage people into the building; and then when the area was filled to capacity, he made the decision to lock the gates to keep people out. </p><p>Because of his foresight and planning, the people inside the school survived, but the ones outside the gates were all killed, including his own wife and SIX kids, who had failed to get there in time. </p><p>Eventually ALL of this family, (over 20) were wiped out that night, including the matriarch to be. There were only two survivors: Tatsuo's grandfather, (the fireman), who had done his job so well even though he excluded his own family, and had now become the only heir left to take over the company, alonbg with Tetsuo's father, Junichi.</p><p>Tatsuo's father (to be) was just a boy of 13 and had been out on a school field trip away from Tokyo even though the funeral for his dynasty was taking place. That's the way with school in Japan, often attendance at school functions, no matter how trivial, trumps it all. However, in this case, it saved his life. </p><p>So now Tatsuo's grandfather and father were all that were left. They were the only heirs, but there was nothing left to inherit. The warehouses, the properties, the money......all burned up.</p><p>So now I'm going to ask you to stay turned till next week (don't you hate it?). Because ya' ain't gonna believe what happens next. Yes, God was aware of what was going on in the midst of the war. </p><p>Stay turned, </p><p>Marsha</p><p><br /></p>Marshahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00656608469822694650noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5469143361910539568.post-76652915778769109332023-11-04T14:59:00.001-07:002023-11-04T14:59:00.165-07:00What Do You Want?<p>Good Morning, </p><p>I’d like to share a thought-provoking story I heard just before we left Hawaii. Tony was preaching at the Chinese Baptist Church, and afterwards, we were visiting with the Sunday School teacher. This is the story he told: </p><p>He had gone to a popular electronics shop to buy at TV. The shopkeeper promised that they would remove any old TV when they delivered the new one.</p><p>The new TV was delivered, and when they saw the his pre-21st century monster TV, they tucked and ran, saying there was no way they could wrangle such a monster. After some discussion of the situation with his wife, she reminded him of those newlywed days of poverty when he worked in a call Center. </p><p>"What was your advice on handling upset customers?" she asked.</p><p>"Oh," he recalled after a moment, "I was told to ASK the customer what he wanted."</p><p>So, he pulled up his socks, as the Aussies say, and went into the store and found the manager. The conversation went something like this:</p><p>"My wife and I bought a TV here. We decided to go with your shop because you promised to remove our old one."</p><p>And then the manager’s magic words, "What do you want me to do about it?"</p><p>To which our friend replied (hoping he wasn't sounding too absurd), "I want $300 to cover the pain and suffering you have caused me!"</p><p>To his amazement, the manager replied without blinking, “How about $200?”</p><p>Everyone was satisfied. He paid a high schooler and his friends $25 to carry off the old tv, and most importantly, his wife called him a 'real man'.</p><p>Moral of the story: all we need to do is SAY what we want. </p><p>I tried this the next day with my cantankerous bank who had frozen my online account because of "suspicious activity". I was the perpetrator of the suspicious activity because I had tried to wire some money to another bank and apparently they decided I might be a crook.</p><p>I did everything I knew how, to reason with them on the phone, but my account remained locked. The sweet young thing kept telling me I needed to “step into a 'friendly' branch and identify myself”. I got madder and madder as I explained there was NO FRIENDLY branch (by now I'm shouting) in either Hawaii or Australia. I felt that I wasn't being heard and I couldn't figure out how to get the so the little girl on the other end to understand.</p><p>After hearing the SS lesson, I went back to my only resource, the phone. When a sweet young thing answered, I said something like this, "I need to get something resolved today, and that may involve speaking to a manager". Then, calmly, I explained my problem and geographical challenge.</p><p>By keeping my cool, and saying what I needed and moreover, wanted, she seemed to understand, and within about 10 minutes had me back online. Ironically, her name was Angel.</p><p>My only regret was that I forgot to ask for $300 for 'pain and suffering"!</p><p>Jesus knows what we want. He only asks us to TELL HIM! </p><p>There are so many verses in the Bible where he says, "Come to Me". I'm sure you have some memorized. "Seek me first" etc....... Good topic for your next Bible study. How many places in the Bible are we told, in the words of the old spiritual, “Have a little talk with Jesus; tell Him all about our sorrows; He will hear our faintest cry; and He will answer by and by.”</p><p>This weekend, we are in Los Angeles, catching up with our lovely dorm daughter from Liberia.</p><p>Can't thank God enough for giving us all we've ever wanted, often before we have to ask!</p><p>Next week we’ll be sending from "Down Under"! Someone commented the other day that Aussies never refer to "Up Over!" </p><p>Marsha</p><p><br /></p>Marshahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00656608469822694650noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5469143361910539568.post-53669580864186735882023-10-28T23:00:00.001-07:002023-10-28T23:00:00.138-07:00No Whining, Please<p>I heard a good speaker, maybe you know her. Her name is Jennifer Rothschild, who is blind, by the way, and she spoke from the Book of “Lamentations". I call that the “clean part” of my Bible, since I so seldom go there. </p><p><br /></p><p>What she had to say resonated with me. She went to great lengths to explain the difference between "Lamenting" and "Complaining", explaining that lamentable things happen over which we have no control. She had gone blind from some rare malady when she was just 15. Then there was Jeremiah the prophet, who had a pretty miserable time his whole life. And don’t forget King David. We can see through several of his Psalms that he was no stranger to misery. </p><p><br /></p><p>Closer to home, I was reminded of a brilliant young man I once knew in Japan.</p><p>He had come from Ghana on a scholarship to study Mineralogy at one of Japan’s top universities, and we crossed paths through our student ministry. </p><p><br /></p><p>There were several in his group, and I soon learned that they weren't picked for anything but their outstanding intelligence. And even at that, only a few were selected out of the entire country each year. I was often astounded at their ability to pick up Japanese so easily, which, of course, with my limited ability, didn't make me feel any better!</p><p><br /></p><p>The thing that immediately stood out to me about this guy was that he was missing the back of his head. From the crown of his head to his neck, there was only a concave indentation. It wasn't just a scratch, it was gone...about 3 inches of depth .... missing.</p><p><br /></p><p>From the front, all you noticed was his smile and his love for God. But eventually, I just had to ask, "What happened?" </p><p><br /></p><p>And his reply told me that he’d experienced this question before.</p><p><br /></p><p>"When I was about two, in a remote village, somebody found me like this. No one knows what happened, but I thank God that somebody found me, loved me, and took me to the city. There, they nursed me and found the doctors who could cover me back up with skin, and gave me to a wonderful family to raise me. Because of their love of both God and me, here am today!”</p><p><br /></p><p>Things happen. We don't have to be happy about it, but I think we might be forgiven sometimes when we just can’t rejoice over our situation. Look through the Bible: there are times when it's okay to lament, but let’s never lose sight of the fact that God is with us, and He’s the One Who makes all things beautiful in His time. </p><p><br /></p><p>While I realise that the prophet Jeremiah wrote Lamentations while thinking of Israel, there are some things in his words that can be applied to us as well. For example,</p><p><br /></p><p>“I remember my afflictions and my wandering, the bitterness, and the gall. I well remember them, and my soul is downcast within me. Yet this I call to mind and therefore I have hope: Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. I say to myself, “The Lord is my portion; therefore, I will wait for him.” The Lord is good to those whose hope is in him, to the one who seeks him" (Lamentations 3:19-25, NIV).</p><p><br /></p><p>The take away I got from this, is that it's ok to be sad or perturbed, but we must guard against our nature (at least in my case) to digress into complaining and whining.</p><p><br /></p><p>Perhaps I'm a little sad that this will be our last Sunday in Hawaii. We've had a wonderful and fruitful stay. Next week, we'll be sending the blog out from Los Angeles, where we're looking forward to a little catch up with a lovely missionary girl we had in the dormitory in Liberia about 45 years ago!</p><p><br /></p><p>And then, the Lord willing, the next week ...... business as usual from our home in Australia. All of this shlepping around will be tiresome but it's an adventure, which we always enjoy, and it's especially good that we'll be able to uphold our promise to our middle grandson to be home for his birthday. God is Good!</p><p><br /></p><p>Today I'd encourage you to think about something in your life that you’d rather not be experiencing. Not many of us are missing the back of our head, but that pales in comparison to a lot of the things we wake to every morning. Children who have gone astray, financial difficulties, failing bodies, you name it, it's out there.</p><p><br /></p><p>And if that’s not enough, there’s Israel and the painfully familiar cycle of war and vengeance while surrounded by millions who want them dead. </p><p><br /></p><p>I hope things like this spur you on to greater heights in your prayers and in your dedication to reach out to those who so desperately need what God wants to provide. In the process though, resist the temptation to fall into the Slough of Despond. Remember that God doesn’t like what’s happening any more than you do, and in fact is gearing up for that Great Day when he makes all things right again. Until then, no whining, please!</p><p><br /></p><p>Till next time, Marsha</p><p><br /></p>Marshahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00656608469822694650noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5469143361910539568.post-52262047774585547762023-10-21T23:30:00.001-07:002023-10-21T23:30:00.156-07:00The Battle's Already Won<p> So last week I told you I'd give you a little preview of some of the amazing things we witnessed on the mission field, in terms of spiritual warfare. Here goes…</p><p><br /></p><p>It seems obvious to us, in light of the evidence all around, that Satan is definitely alive and well, but that in some of the countries we’ve lived, he’s better at staying hidden. I think he chooses to operate at whatever level “works best” for his evil purposes. In some places that mean open and overt in-your-face activity, while in others, he’s comes across as more subtle. </p><p><br /></p><p>Anyway, I mentioned before the small prayer group made up of broken and discouraged missionaries. For the first several weeks, we never looked at each other; we just fell on our faces, figurately and sometimes literally, praying for ourselves and our own needs. Then one day, we started noticing each other. In tiny steps, we began to pray for the other people in the group. And to the amazement of us all, God heard us.</p><p><br /></p><p>At first, we just asked for encouragement, then for things like persistent allergies. Then someone suggested we pray for the gunpowder in Tony’s eye, the product of a shotgun explosion 25 years previously. Instantly, he was miserable, as if someone had thrown a handful of salt in his eye. The feeling lasted all night; then when he woke up the next morning, two of the three most prominent specks of debris which had kept him out of military service were gone. That got our attention, along with a whole set of theological questions. “Great job, Lord! But … what about that third spot?” The only answer that came to the group was 2 Corinthians 12:9, “My grace is sufficient for you …”</p><p><br /></p><p>Then people started showing up at our prayer meetings, asking for help. One Christian friend came with a Japanese lady. "I've got a person here who just appeared at my church and is asking if the Christian God can help her. It seems that this morning she woke up with absolutely no voice. It had never happened before, she's not sick, just absolutely no voice. In her panic she went to the Buddhist temple and they wouldn't even see her, then she called a fortune teller and whispered her problem over the phone and was told that her future looked very dark." She had then, in a real panic, thought she'd better try Christianity. </p><p><br /></p><p>We laughed to ourselves, wondering if a fortune-teller's "Very Dark" could be interpreted as a double negative and therefore positive. </p><p><br /></p><p>That's how it turned out. When the missionary sat her down, another of our group, who was absolutely clueless to the Japanese culture (of subtlety, reserve, etc) stood up and addressed her. </p><p><br /></p><p>"Ma'am, I don't speak Japanese so this lady (pointing to another missionary) is going to translate what I say and you're going to repeat it." She nodded assent. </p><p><br /></p><p>"First of all" he began, "I'm going to tell you that you WILL be healed today so you can stop worrying about that, but unfortunately someday you're going to die, and without Jesus you're going to hell. (Everyone shuddered inwardly at his boldness)</p><p><br /></p><p>So, continuing, he said, "repeat after me." He began with first an acknowledgement of Jesus, who would become her Saviour, because of His death on the cross, which she whispered correctly. Then he went on to have her say that she was a sinner, in mortal peril of her soul. </p><p><br /></p><p> Again, whispered correctly.</p><p><br /></p><p>And then, to everyone's AMAZEMENT, as the missionary and translator continued, she began to get ahead of them both and started whispering out the confession she needed, completely untaught, to accept Christ.</p><p><br /></p><p>This went on with us all opening our eyes and staring drop jawed, until she practically shouted out in a full and vigorous voice, "And Jesus! I BELIEVE in You and Your power to forgive me and save me from my sins!!"</p><p><br /></p><p>Everyone in that room realised once more that Jesus is REAL. What a blessing we all got. And of course, this woman is a strong believer to this day, (who wouldn't be after that) and a faithful church member.</p><p><br /></p><p>God CAN win the battle.</p><p><br /></p><p>So many things to pray for this week, thanks for staying tuned. </p><p><br /></p><p>Marsha</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Marshahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00656608469822694650noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5469143361910539568.post-11140221649919004932023-10-14T23:00:00.001-07:002023-10-14T23:00:00.153-07:00In the Great Hand of God<p> </p><p><br /></p><p>Good Morning Friends,</p><p>I know last week I promised you some ‘spiritual warfare’ stories, but begging your pardon, I’d like to interject just one more interesting story I found this last week.</p><p>We were involved in a “Writers Workshop” this weekend. In addition to both of us doing a large share of the teaching itself, this was a big part of the reason for our coming to Hawaii, so it meant a lot to us. </p><p>Reading thru the comments on people’s evaluation, we think it was a huge success, thankfully because of your prayers. We are doing what we love to do, and we’re glad you can be a part of it.</p><p>And in the course of researching for this event, I became, this last week, obsessed with finding a poet that I remembered from our time in Japan. Because I'm getting old, I suppose, I could only remember that he was paralysed and that he’d become a Christian because of a missionary who passed by. </p><p>The way it happened was the missionary stepped into a store to buy something. In Japan, stepping into a store often meant (at least in the old days) that you slid back the Shoji paper door and stepped off the sidewalk where you immediately found yourself at the counter. From there you bought whatever was for sale. </p><p>As the missionary was making his purchase, he noticed a guy in the adjoining living space behind the counter. He was tucked in a bed, propped up in front of an easel with a book on it. </p><p>The shop owner, a widow, noticed the missionary looking and invited him into the family area to introduce him to her son. She told the story of how he had contracted "Multifocal Fibrosclerosis" when he was just nine years old. Before he got sick, he was a healthy only child, excelling in sports and school. Now he was an adult and because of the paralysis, most of his life he’d only been able blink his eyes. Every other voluntary muscle was paralysed. Depression and despair were constant companions of both of them.</p><p>The missionary asked for permission to place a Bible on the easel so the son could read it. Soon after, they both mother and son gladly became Christians. The son began a great legacy as a poet and songwriter.</p><p>That's all I could remember.</p><p>So I posed the question on Facebook, “Does anyone remember the famous Japanese poet who was a Christian and was paralysed? </p><p>My friends on Facebook went to work and by a few hours, with a lot of help from lots of comments, Google and even this new Artificial Intelligence called ChatGPT (although it was painfully wrong) , they finally came up with his name. One friend even sent me a YouTube link, but unfortunately only in Japanese, His name is Genzo Mizuno.</p><p>Anyway, as my friends pitched in, it all came back to me. I remembered…. this guy wrote some wonderful stuff. His biography notes that after finding Christ, he was able to be thankful for his plight, going on to become a renowned counsellor, helping people come to grips with their situations. He became a prolific poet/songwriter.</p><p>I think I liked him because of the simplicity of his life. I guess when you're blinking out the alphabet, you need to pick your words carefully.</p><p>Here's one of his more famous poems based on one of his favourite verses of Scripture, </p><p>Romans 8:28 (And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose)</p><p>“Living in the great hand of God, the snail crawls as a small snail should</p><p>The spider lily blooms as a spider lily should</p><p>The green tree frog croaks as a green tree frog should</p><p>And I, in the great hand of God</p><p>Live as I should”</p><p>May you remember all your memories this week. And remember that you're living exactly as you should in the Great Hand Of God.</p><p>Marsha</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Marshahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00656608469822694650noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5469143361910539568.post-56759242151178984672023-10-07T23:00:00.001-07:002023-10-07T23:00:00.135-07:00On Our Faces at His Feet<p> Good morning friends,</p><p>This last week has been a busy one and I think that will continue till we leave, as Tony has finals and evaluations, as well as a Writer's Conference and a Journeyman retreat with our friends form 50 years ago.</p><p>But in the midst of all this, we got a letter from a friend saying that he wasn't satisfied with the SBC Sunday school's material on Spiritual warfare that they were offering this week.</p><p>I don't know what proportion of you use that material, nor do I know what it said, but since both Tony and I have some opinions on this, we happily wrote up a few vignettes of what we'd experienced on the field, and sent them along. He wrote that what we wrote was a little more personal and he’ll be using them today.</p><p>Ever the dovetailer of time, I thought "Oh, I can use that as my blog this week!", but the more I thought about you waking up to me and reading that, I could envision you sitting down to your cereal and reaching into the box to find a very harmless but startling snake. Might be a little too 'raw', especially unannounced.</p><p>So this morning, I'd like to tell you about something leading up to some of our time in Japan when we felt we were living more in the New Testament, with some of the stories that came out.</p><p>So let's look at a time in our lives. We must have been in about our 30th year with the mission, most of it in Japan. Things were going fine.........we had a new house and car and a growing congregation in our church plant..</p><p>But somehow, we both felt an emptiness in our hearts, the kind of emptiness that makes you say, "Lord. What are You doing?", because it seemed everything we did had either lost its joy or failed, or both.</p><p>I was talking with a friend/fellow retired missionary this morning as we are planning a session we're co-leading at the aforementioned Writers Workshop we're having next Saturday (prayers much appreciated).</p><p>Somehow we went from planning to talking about Prayer.</p><p>"Have you ever felt that all you can do is pray?" She asked me, and I remembered those days.</p><p>Not only did I remember, I could FEEL the desperation and dread, the hopelessness and loneliness.......Yes, I remembered.</p><p>"And what happened?" She asked.</p><p>What happened indeed. Something I never expected. Something that changed us forever. It started with a visit from a missionary friend from another denomination. He dropped by, we talked in the driveway, then he said, “I just feel so down. I feel like something is about the break loose, but not sure what it is.”</p><p>That short meeting resulted in the formation of a little, almost secret group. We were so down and embarrassed, I don't think we wanted anyone to know how weak we were.</p><p>For about 6 weeks, we met in the early morning and just ...........were. There were no flowery words, no exalted attitudes. I don't remember groaning, but we were more at that level. I don't think we could pray out loud because we were so low.</p><p>Ever so gradually, we all began to feel better. There was no mistake that we were at the feet of Jesus, on our faces........and He was there.</p><p>So now I've set the scene to tell you next week about some of the delights that came out of that little group. </p><p>Have you ever felt so tired, discouraged, dismayed that you can't even pray? Have you ever crawled to Jesus and just moaned? What has happened?</p><p>Do you remember the story of Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane? I don't think any of us have sweat drops of blood, but how many of us have been there?</p><p>I'd love to hear from you. Stay tuned till next week and we touch on some 'spiritual warfare' thoughts.</p><p>Marsha</p><p>“And He went a little further, and fell on His face, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt.” (Matthew 26:39) </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Marshahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00656608469822694650noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5469143361910539568.post-75462940459772525082023-09-30T23:00:00.001-07:002023-09-30T23:00:00.142-07:00Coconut Converts<p> Good Morning Friends, </p><p><br /></p><p>If you're reading this, that's good, because we 'moved house' today and we’re not sure we'll have internet where we're going. We find that living in guest houses sometimes has calendar problems, such as previously booked guests. So with the two weeks gap we’re looking at, we’re going to move out to where a friend has graciously made his apartment available. He spends most of his time as a missionary overseas, so it’s a real God send for us. If there’s a downside, it’s just that the apartment is WAAY out on the wild and wooly west coast of Oahu; but we’re looking forward to a little respite from Big City Waikiki. </p><p><br /></p><p>Thank you all so much for your encouraging letters after my last rather whiny blog! I didn’t mean to come across as so needy, but you seemed to know what I needed. </p><p><br /></p><p>I mentioned on Facebook how blessed we were last week to meet a young man who’s gone from a newish Christian last year when we were here, to, thanks to the leadership of one of Tony’s students, a strong Christian leader and Sunday School teacher. </p><p><br /></p><p>Speaking of students, Tony came home from class with a cute story I thought you'd enjoy this morning.</p><p><br /></p><p>One of his students is a Filipino, very dedicated to God and shall we say, maybe a little eclectic? For example, last year he decided to go into the Philippine jungle with little more than a backpack full of Bibles. I'm not clear if he had a decided length of time in mind or if he just let it play out, but as weeks turned into months, his commitment turned into an ongoing ministry, led by people he met along the way. One day he was set upon by a pack of wild dogs, but somehow this particular pack (guardian angels?) took a sudden turn to become on mission: to serve as friends and body guards for this man while he tramped through the jungle. </p><p><br /></p><p>This is one part of his story: He was praying for evangelistic opportunities, (I'm not sure how many people you meet in a jungle, but......) He found an abandoned shack, with a solid metal roof, which was encouraging, so he started praying for a chance to find a congregation.</p><p><br /></p><p>Well, God sometimes works in mysterious ways, and this time it was a fierce rainstorm. The wind was of biblical proportions, and as a result, coconuts started pelting down from the trees all around. If you've seen the height of these trees or the size of the coconut unhusked, you realise this is not unlike an avalanche of boulders. </p><p><br /></p><p>As he was watching from the shelter of the shack, he saw people running toward him for all they were worth. Thankful for the shelter, they were more than willing to hang around for an impromptu church service!</p><p><br /></p><p>Things went well for a while, and then the rain and wind began to let up. People started to look around, gather up their stuff and think about heading out. He sent one more prayer up between sentences, maybe along the lines of "Lord, You brought them here, You need to keep them here!"</p><p> </p><p>And WHAM! There was a huge explosion.........oh, no, it was just the last coconut, smack in the middle of the tin roof. Everyone decided to stay tucked in tight till he finished, and the sky cleared off.</p><p><br /></p><p>When I get to Heaven, I’m going to look around and ask, “Are you one of those coconut converts?” </p><p><br /></p><p>Do you think sometimes God just 'enjoys' being God? I sure enjoy being His. And I especially enjoy being yours (friends, that is).</p><p><br /></p><p>Until next time, look to the skies!</p><p><br /></p><p>Marsha</p><p><br /></p>Marshahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00656608469822694650noreply@blogger.com0