Glory Revealed

To My Most Amiable Readers;

Blessed am I that the events of the past week can be taken as a wide step outside of the norm. Dustin caused a massive fire in our co-worker's home while saudering a pipe. Same day our truck rolls away with Dustin digging in his heels with a death-grip on the bumper until it smashes into a blackberry bush. Two days later Dustin and I end up with a nasty stomach/intestinal virus that leaves us vomiting all through the night. It was so volatile, I actually have the job this week of disinfecting the ceiling in the bathroom.

"Dear friends, do not be surprised at the painful trial you are suffering, as though something strange were happening to you." 1 Peter 4:13

"..Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour." 1 Peter 5:8

One could argue that all that has passed this week had natural cause/effect relations, explainable logically. I too, would side that way but for the intensity and close proximity of the aforementioned events to today, Saturday. The day we, the women of the Amor Viviente church, have planned for our first cooperative effort, a women's outreach, the goal of which was to bring our unsaved friends and neighbors to hear testimonies of our great God.

We have two new sisters in the Lord today, Saturday.

That's miracle number one. The other preceeded it. Friday I started feeling nauseaus, not an alarming symptom for a pregnant lady, and by ten o'clock at night started throwing up. This continued throughout the night coupled with diarrhea, on into the morning. Dustin joined me in this fashion sometime after midnight. Praise God for two bathrooms. I believe I slept maybe two hours in total.

Awake to Saturday, to children who need me, to a spouse retching in the bathroom, to a bunch of to-do's left on my list for the women's outreach at 3:00. I shut my eyes and pray, "Lord, give me strength, give me joy, let this illness pass from me so that I can be a part of showing Your love and hope to the women who are coming to learn about You today."

Feeling weak and lathargic, I bumble my way through taking care of the children. I admit they watched two movies today as I lay stretched out on my bed. By 1:00 I'm thinking, I'd better not go, I'm white as a sheet, our vehicle is in a blackberry bush and I have so much stuff to bring with me, I'll probably throw up in the taxi...on and on. By 1:30 I start to revive. Kati, one of the women planning this event, arrives and we arrange for a taxi to pick us and our considerable baggage up. I realize I'm conversing normally, sitting up even; something's changing.

On arriving to our church I find I'm filling up with energy, joy, and excitement. My color returns. I fly into the flurry of activity as we women dish up plates and plates of our homemade goodies. By the time our guests arrive I'm good as new; better in fact...with joy and energy and spunk to share. God made me well.

If one would doubt the miraculous element in this, it's well to know that as I write this at 10:22 at night, Dustin is still sick in bed, having recently thrown up again. He looks and sounds terribly sick, and he's not a wimp. Also, any who know me well are familiar with my dependence on good sleep. I slept hardly at all last night, but still at the time of this writing I feel wide awake and ready to go.

Our outreach went well; my rowing friends were there and they were moved by the powerful testimonies shared. Two women answered the Lord's invitation and are saved. More women expressed joy and interest in attending more meetings like this. All received prayer and blessing, fellowship and joy.

"Dear friends, do not be surprised at the painful trial you are suffering, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice that you too participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed." 1 Peter 4:12-13

Your Most Devoted,
Sarah

Hi, I'm New Here.

God is Great!

To My Most Amiable Readers,

Greetings from a sunshiny Chile! We're just emerged from five days straight of rain, so we feel quite renewed! Lately we've had such wonderful times as a church family. Today after the service, Nancy graciously extended an invitation to all of us to stay for beans and rice. Working together we made a nice salad and the guys ran out for drinks and bread. Nancy and Juanita whipped together an apple cake. We ate together on the pingpong table and so enjoyed the meal together. We were few but had such a great time together.

Us women of the church are planning an event for women on the 28th of this month. It will be an afternoon of sharing testimonies, Biblical teaching, and on topics relating to women. We are all inviting our acquaintances, neighbors, friends, and co-workers with hopes that they will be moved by God to commit their lives and hearts to Him. We ask your prayers as invitations are extended, that God would draw these women to Him and that they would make time to come. We ask prayer for the husbands of these women, that they would release them to attend, helping care for children left at home. We ask prayer to cover all the little details of hospitality that need to be attended to, and that God would protect us from the Enemy's plans to distract or discourage us. Thank you!

Your Most Devoted,
Sarah

Little Crazy Gingrichs

Aren't they dear?