The Light that Never Fails

My dear friend Natalie, blessed me with a devotional this year.  I know many people read it daily but I have only on occasion.  I have begun a habit of starting my day with this devotional along with reading the Word.  It is called, "My Utmost for His Highest"  by Oswald Chambers.

It has been incredible how this simple little devotional book has spoken to my heart and comforted me on a daily basis.  

The last few weeks have been very difficult as I have been working though some unexpected things that have happened.  I have been asking God to show me what to do in this particular situation.  I believe He has spoken very clearly to me through this devotional.  It was April 22nd, Wednesday.  Below is an except from the devotional and I pray if you are dealing with anything that doesn't make sense or that is hurtful to you it will minister to your heart as it has mine.

The Light That Never Fails April 22

A servant of God must stand so very much along that he never realizes he is alone.  In the early stages of Christian life, disappointments will come - people who used to be lights will flicker out, and those who used to stand with us will turn away.  Paul said," no one stood with me, but all forsook me...BUT the Lord stood with me and strengthened me..." (2 Tim 4:16-17)  We must build our faith not on fading lights but on the LIGHT that never fails.  When "important" individuals go away we are sad, until we see that they are meant to go, so that only one thing in left for us to do....to look into the face of God ourselves.

Amen.

Trinidad....cont.

I wanted to write one last post about my trip to Trinidad.  I met some of the most amazing people there. I was reminded as we often are when we go to another country of how much we have and how much we take for granted.  

Pastor Mervin and his wife Marie were so gracious to us as we stayed in there home.  Because the crime is so bad in Trinidad - their home and many other homes are surrounded by a steel gate and at night they leave 2 huge dogs out to patrol the yard.  

As we visited the homes of some of the congregation I was amazed at how little many of the people had.  They do not get loans for their homes - so they build a room and live there until they can build more.   In the mist of all this they are so grateful for all they had and for just their relationship with God. 

It was such a reminder to me at how we take so much for granted and really do not need so much of what we are always striving to have.  We are very selfish, spoiled people for the most part when you compare with what others have and their attitudes toward it. 

I really have come back with a different outlook on what I NEED on a daily basis and how little I have to complain about. 

I thank God and the beautiful people of Trinidad for showing me what REAL trust and hope look like.  Its easy to trust when we have so much but when you live day by day on so little you truly are walking in faith - knowing that God is going to provide your every need. 

Their dollar is 6 of theirs to 1 of ours.  It was amazing to see the prices of things. I believe everyone should go on a mission trip at least one time in their lives, it certainly puts everything into perspective. 

Trinidad

Breakfast our first morning in Trinidad

Last week I left for Trinidad on a Mission Trip. I was traveling with 6 other ladies from Faith Outreach Center. I have only been on a mission trip out of the country one other time and that was about 20 years ago.

We were going to present a Woman's Conference to Jesus Resurrection Life church. We arrived at Pastor Mervin and Sister Marie's home about 10pm on Thursday night. We were blessed with air conditioned rooms, :) so our sleep time was pretty comfortable. I was in a room with two other women who became my friends by the end of the trip. We slept on bunk beds, I chose the top bunk.

This is a picture of the church (on the hill)

Trinidad is a beautiful country, with all much variety. There are mountains, beaches and beautiful views. It is hot but there is always a cool breeze.

The highlights of the trip were all about the people. The people of this church are some of the most precious, dedicated people who love the Lord with all their hearts. They have so little by our standards but give so much.

Because our meetings were at night, we did have time during the day to do some sightseeing.

We went to the downtown area, Port of Spain, you could almost imagine being in Tampa as they have a very modern downtown area. We also went to a park called San Fernando Valley that had a beautiful view of the city. The rest of the team went to the beaches one day, but unfortunately I was sick and could not go.

Our nightly meetings were amazing, with God's presence filling the church. Sister Marie is the Music Director and she leads singing with a strong anointing and presence of God. Our team all had an opportunity to give testimonies, Mickey spoke at many of the meetings, as well as Belinda Womack who is an anointed singer. I was blessed to bring the, "Growing a Seed of Hope" message to the congregation on Tuesday night. What a blessing it was for me! I also had the opportunity to speak to the youth group on Friday night along with Belinda.

This is the youth group

Tuesday night service

My thanks to Pastor Mervin, his wife Marie and daughter Della for their gracious hospitality.

Next Post I will share some of the time spent with the people of Trinidad.

Isaiah 50:4 (New Living Translation)

4 The Sovereign Lord has given me his words of wisdom,

so that I know how to comfort the weary.

Morning by morning he wakens me

and opens my understanding to his will.

Have a Blessed Easter

I am so happy to be back in the states but still remembering the wonderful time I had in Trinidad. Tomorrow I will post about my trip to Trinidad but today I want to give honor to Jesus and what this day represents. 

Today is a day of remembrance for what Jesus has done for us.  Today is the day that Jesus defeated the enemy and conquerored death.  Today is resurrection Sunday.  Our past is forgiven, Jesus in with us during our daily walk and we do not have to fear death as a result of what this day represents.  

Matthew 28

The Resurrection

 1 Early on Sunday morning,[a] as the new day was dawning, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went out to visit the tomb.

 2 Suddenly there was a great earthquake! For an angel of the Lord came down from heaven, rolled aside the stone, and sat on it. 3 His face shone like lightning, and his clothing was as white as snow. 4 The guards shook with fear when they saw him, and they fell into a dead faint.

 5 Then the angel spoke to the women. “Don’t be afraid!” he said. “I know you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. 6 He isn’t here! He is risen from the dead, just as he said would happen. Come, see where his body was lying. 7 And now, go quickly and tell his disciples that he has risen from the dead, and he is going ahead of you to Galilee. You will see him there. Remember what I have told you.”

Strawberry Pick'n!

I am leaving on a mission trip for Trinidad tomorrow and will hopefully do some blogging from there, but before I left I had to do one last blog about my week. This is an important one.

When I was growing up in Pa, one of the favorite things my mom would do would drive out into the country and go berry picking. In Pa this was usually blackberries, raspberries or blueberries. After the picking came the jellies, cobblers, pies and all sorts of other wonderful food items. Well, when she moved to Florida the best she could find, as Florida is not known for its great woods full of berries, was strawberries farms. So we began our annual strawberry picking event. This went on every year in March or April until my mom was no longer able to go because of her health. The routine was the same -we picked, came home washed and prepared the berries and made all kinds of good stuff, but mostly canned jams. As the years went by, my daughter Debbie became part of our annual event as well as other family members.

When my mom stopped going so did I, which I can't even remember when that last time was. Well, this year my sister in law Diane, her daughter Sharai (who were part of our original crew) my daughter Debbie and the most exciting part for me was the addition of my granddaughter Kaitlyn, started up the tradition again.On Saturday armed with coolers, straw hats and sunscreen we went back to the berry patch. What fun it was. So many memories, I could almost see my mom bending over the berry's with her dress (she didn't wear pants) blowing in the wind and her straw hat covering her head. How we don't appreciate things until we no longer have them.
Anyway, Kaitlyn was beside herself with joy. She loves her mommy's garden and this was one really big garden for her to pick. She got to work with her little quart container and worked beside us for 1 and 1/2 hours non-stop. Her great-grandma would have been proud! Her grandma (Nana) was very proud!