Nancy’s Kitchen

I’m reading John Eldredge’s book, “Waking the Dead“. You can’t read this book too quickly. You have to take it slowly and let God talk to you. You have to soak it up in His Presence. It is a warm and lovely book. It is not sappy or trite or a quick-fix book. It is encouraging and full of hope.

This is not a book about raising the dead. It is about letting ourselves awaken from the dead, finding our whole heart, fully alive. It is worth the time and quietness needed to read it slowly.

Here is the ISBNumber: 978-0-7852-8829-9 (paperback). List price is $14.99. I got it on sale at Harvest Company for $10.99.

  I turned 60 this year (2007). I just held my sixth grandchild. I have raised three sons and I would compare them to anyone else’s…and win! I have struggled and fought to see who I am and what I am to be when I grow up. And you know…I found it…I am going to be me!

I know that may sound silly but living it has been anything but silly.
I thought I had to do something to have value. You know…write a book, perform before many people, be an influencial public speaker, what ever it took to get recognition publicly. Yet through the struggle I have found that I have a big heart and I care. I care about the poor, about Gypsies, displaced people, about being able to reflect what I believe about God, His son, Jesus and the purpose He has for my life.

As I have worked to find myself, I have attempted to listen and follow what I have heard God say to me and been confirmed by several independent sources. I have gone to Eastern European Gypsies in Greece, Romania, Bulgaria and Turkey; I spent six weeks learning to teach English to speakers of other languages; took sign language classes so I can “speak” to two of my granddaughters.

Over all this time God has lead me and continually encouraged me that I was moving where He wanted me to go. Looking back at my footsteps I see that teaching my children was out of love. Going to Russia with Steve’s family, our oldest, to adopt their second daughter was out of love. Three trips to the Gypsies were out of love. Going to South Africa and assisting in a hospice for AIDS patients was out of love. Spending my time in Texas to learn to teach English was out of love. Supporting women locally with various life issues is out of love.

I have been made to BE in love. There are many scriptural references to loving the lost and BEing a light. As I read them I hear God gently encouraging me to see that this is who I am, this is who He made me to BE, this is who I like to BE and feel most comfortable BEing. I am beginning to REALLY like me!

This is the basis of my next step. I am going to Israel and Palestine in February. My group will do some sightseeing but our purpose is to serve and feed and pray for poor Palestinian refugees in refugee camps, and persecuted Palestinian pastors and leaders. I will BE loving them. We will host and lead conferences in Bethlehem and Jerusalem.

Before I made this commitment I discussed and prayed with Richard and I sought other counsel. It surprises me that I am not alarmed by news reports. I am doing what I am made to do…BE! You are part of my family. I am asking for your prayers, letters of encouragement or warning, and requests for pictures I can take for you while I am there!

I leave you with one of my favorite quotes:

“And now Lord, with your help, I shall become myself.” –Soren Kierkegaard

A friend (thanks Norma!) sent me this article to help me understand better the Palestinian Refugee situation. To respect copyright, I do not want to reproduce the article here, but I encourage you, the reader, to check it out. It is of moderate length, and well worth the time and thought to spend on it.

This photo really caught my heart and helped me to see perhaps through my Daddy-God’s eyes a bit more. I have spoken of going to Israel and ministering in the Palestinian Refugee camps by taking God’s Huge Love. This lady’s image will be my focal point as I reach out to other women in the camps. She will be my motivation and inspiration.

What joy we had Christmas Eve as Sean & Amy, Julia, Andrew, and Jesse joined us for a home-made pizza supper and festivities afterwards!

Before supper, we all had fun putting together the “100 piece” Coca Cola jig-saw puzzle, which turned out as Sean had mathematically predicted to have only 99 pieces!! It was so great to have this time of working together with joy and enthusiasm.

Julia read the Christmas HIStory to us from The Gospel of Luke, Chapter 2, and Andy and Jesse moved the pieces of the wooden creche (manger scene) to show what happened. Sean helped Jesse, who turned 3 just a month ago. Andy knew exactly what to do!

Then we went into the sun room where the tree and gifts were. The children were great! This year, Richard began by giving a gift to Julia. After opening her gift, Julia found a gift under the tree and gave it to the person whose name was on the tag. This continued for a while, then we did it with two people giving and receiving at a time. Everyone had the “spotlight” to share their joy with each other, self-lessly giving and receiving in mutual joy. We all had a great time!!

We’re so happy to call each of you “Friend” and “Family”! May our Lord Jesus bless you immensely!!

Hi All,
Here’s a .pdf copy of my returning newsletter with some photos. I hope you enjoy it and join me on my next trip in person or virtually.

Back FROM the Gypsies - 2007

Blessings!
Nancy

The Global Celebration team is in Bulgaria!  We have had an awesome three days!  For instance, last night we made a “surprise visit” to a small gypsy camp, the poorest group in Varna GC has found yet.  Turns out, it’s about 5 minutes from our hotel!   Sweet, sweet people!  So beautiful, so open, so receiving!  A number of people were healed, including one lady who’s many lumps in both breasts totally went away, and a man confined to a wheelchair got up and walked!  He walked with help, but he stopped every few steps to do some shallow knee-bends — as if to say, “Look! I can do this!”  It was totally AWESOME!!  Check out the link to Global Celebration above and see photos and the team journal!! 

Please keep praying, as we also encountered some drug-related people who were not at all happy about us being there, but all was quiet and peaceful.  One man called the police, but since we had committed no crimes, the policeman told his superiors that he could not legally stop us.   

Other healings include a tumor dissolved off a man’s back, a child with cerebral palsy’s muscles completely relaxed in her father’s arms, another child healed of a hearing loss, a man’s severe vision problems cleared up and he invited team members who visited him in his home to come stay at his house next year! 

Packages of bread, rice, oil, and other essentials were distributed in the small community in Varna.  In Romania, we provided food for a sheep-soup & bread feast with watermelon for dessert… this meal has been known to bring tears to the people’s eyes, who have not had this favorite dish in many years. 

Today we are in Nessebar, an ancient shipping port on the Black Sea.  This is a tourist place and we are taking a break before we go to another new work in a Gypsy community near Burgass.  We will stay in Burgass tonight and head for Kazanluk, stopping in a small community in Sliven on the way.

As I was sitting waiting for dinner last night, I was telling a new friend that when Richard asked me why I am going on this trip again this year, I told him that I need to fulfill a promise to Lubcho (Sophia church musician) to take my violin again.  So I am here.  However, as I told my friend, how could I NOT return again?!!   I love it here!!

By the way, for you Kansans reading this, much of Bulgaria’s landscape looks so very much like the Eastern Kansas peneplain (flat-topped hills) that we grew up in.  The elevations of the hills are higher, but the look is exactly the same!!  OH!  And fields full of sunflowers, too!!  SO BEAUTIFUL!  and SPACIOUS SKIES!! 

Love you all,

Nancy

“What happened to TESOL?” you may be asking. The Lord has that “on hold” right now. My heart is there. I am looking for and at different curricular materials I might use. I am getting a clearer picture in my mind of what I’m looking for in curriculum. So TESOL continues to simmer on the back burner, periodically being tasted and seasoned as needed for a great dinner.

In 4 weeks, on August 2nd, I’ll be driving to Dulles International Airport to leave for Romania, Bulgaria and the eastern coast of Turkey to again minister God’s love and grace to the Gypsies there. I don’t feel the high level of excitement I have in past trips, but I do hear the Lord telling me to “prepare quietly”. So I am. Things are falling into place nicely. Having been there twice, deciding what I need to pack is much easier and low-key. I know I want to take about 1/2 of what I took last year!! Heavy suitcases are such a drag!! I am also asking God what He wants me to take as a blessing and a gift to the people.

We walked into the sanctuary today as a broad range of children rehearsed what they would be sharing during the service. There were dioramas, pictures, pottery, reports, music, student-made videos and slide shows complete with music. We were “celebrating school” at the end of the year. The children attend public schools, private Christian schools, and home-school. All did excellently. Our granddaughter, Julia (6 yrs old), showed her diorama of a mother polar bear and her cub in their habitat. She proudly and sweetly shared about it.

The greatest aspect of this time of sharing was the feeling of family it created among us. We are a small, fairly close-knit congregation, but this day something happened and we all felt proud of all our children. None were favored over the others, none were lacking for appreciation. These were OUR kids!! I am so thankful for our worship leader and Kidz Praise leader, Stephen Elliott. He gets great ideas and follows through on them. He is a gift to our congregation. Thanks, Steve!

Whatever your position, whatever your thoughts, whatever your political views, please stop for a minute and pray for all those in Baghdad. The people of Baghdad, the Iraqi police of Baghdad, and the international military troops in and around Baghdad need you. Please ask G-d for their safety, peace, and stability for their society. Please ask G-d to protect the innocent and bring the violence to cease.

Here is an online prayer tool that focuses on Baghdad:

www.prayercentral.net/baghdad

Thank you,

Nancy

Link to it here and enjoy a nice, restful listen! It’s about 50 minutes long and SO worth it!!