Sunday School

Leaning on the Everlasting Arms

Well, I finally have my registration from a hospital. For those of you who have been wondering, every pregnant woman is required to be registered at the women's hospital in their region. This registration gives you the needed paperwork to receive the baby's birth certificate. In order to keep your registration you are required to follow the rules they set for you. So, with all of that in mind I should have been very excited about being registered, but instead I found myself on the edge of crying...or sobbing hysterically and saying that I just couldn't deal with this. What brought this on? Just pregnancy hormones? Culture shock? or maybe the fact that the doctor seemed SO strict and told me up front "Listen, and everything will be okay. Don't listen and there will be problems" following with a HUGE list of tests that I had to have done by Monday? Whatever my reasons, it put me in a state of dread over what the next 4 months would bring. My thoughts were "If I was in America..." (not that I want to be), "The Kiev hospital does this..."..........It was during one of these sessions that I "happened" to be standing next to the piano and, like Lydia, just had to touch it. I just had one hand on the piano tinkering while thinking, then I noticed I was playing a song and tried to figure out what I was playing. The song I was playing was "Leaning on the Everlasting Arms". The first two reactions to come out were: 1) stomp my feet and say that it just isn't fair and 2) laugh out loud at the humor of it because I was doing everything but leaning at that particular moment. After I got past that, I decided to open up the hymnal and read the song. Here are two of the verses:

What a fellowship, what a joy divine, Leaning on the everlasting arms;
What a blessedness, what a peace is mine, Leaning on the everlasting arms.

What have I to dread, what have I to fear, Leaning on the everlasting arms?
I have blessed peace with my Lord so near, Leaning on the everlasting arms.

Leaning, leaning, Safe and secure from all alarms;
Leaning, leaning, Leaning on the everlasting arms.

I have blessed peace with my Lord so near, Leaning on the everlasting arms. WOW! Instead having peace from leaning on Christ, I had a headache from thinking about something that I can do nothing about! Please be praying for me these next few months as I know satan will try to get me stressed about this situation again. Pray that I can lean first on God and secondly on my husband, knowing that between the two of them I'm pretty well taken care of. And with my eyes off of me and my situation, maybe God can work through me to reach this doctor with the Gospel.

Tea Party

With all that has been going on here, banquet (Valentine Banquet pictures are on our ministry blog), "wedding", regular church activities, pregnancy checkups/looking for a hospital, planning upcoming visa trip....I could tell that my girls were starting to feel a little deprived of attention. So, I decided to plan a special time just for them on Thursday. When they went down for their afternoon naps, the preparations began. I started by fixing my hair and makeup, and pulled out one of the prettiest outfits that accommodates my ever expanding waistline. :) If anyone had knocked on the door, they would have wondered where I was headed to all dressed up. To a tea party with two of the 3 most precious people in my life (the 1st most precious was in the city working on our trip to renew our visas)! Here are a few pictures from our little tea party. Hope you enjoy them! (Just ignore the un-emptied trash, overflowing baskets, messy table and stove...they were taken care of before Eric got home...ummmm, all except the stove...and baskets.)

All prettied up, hair in a bun...just didn't change the tights.

Is it possible to sit beside a piano and not touch it?

Now every time I say we need to get dressed pretty for the day, Anna talks about a tea party. Looks like this will be a weekly event for us. :)

Brace, Banquet and Baby :)

Whew! It has been one busy month! Right now, my mind is so wound that I'm not sure I can unscramble things enough for you to understand, but here goes.

Anna is doing excellent and her brace came off today. She was so excited that she started diving on the couch! Not sure how we are going to keep her from braking something else...bubble wrap still sounds like a good idea. ;)

We had our Valentine's banquet/services on Sunday and also congratulated Yuri and Christina as they got married on Friday! There were at least 6 people there who were not saved. Eric preached a strong salvation message. Pray that God will use His Word to work upon the hearts of those who attended. Lina's husband, Dema, also came. This is the first time that he has come to any of our services or special events. Can't wait to share pictures with you...both of the banquet and of Yuri and Christina getting married.

The pregnancy is going well. It feels so nice to pretty much be past the "morning sickness" (or more like "all day sickness" for me). Tomorrow, I go to the women's doctor in the village to try to get registered at this region's hospital. A little nervous because you are techinically supposed to be registered by 13 weeks (I'm 20). We waited so long hoping that something would work out for me to get registered with the doctor I had when pregnant with Anna and Lydia. Eric met the doctor today and said she seemed very nice, but I'm still hoping I can use my doctor. Not only am I comfortable with her, but she is also very pro-natural birthing. She also let me get out of doing many of the "required" tests that the hospital told me to do. I know that whatever happens though, God is in control and I don't need to worry. When we first came over, I cried almost every time I left visiting a hospital. The differences were so huge compared to what I had been used to and so many laws of what we legally could do. Especially after visiting the hospital, I desired to have my baby at home but was told this was not possible. God heard my cry and allowed me to not only have one home birth, but TWO! It is with this that I know I can rest in His plan for me and our next baby. But I would still appreciate your prayers as sometimes the cultural differences can be frustrating, more so while pregnant.

Goodies From America

MMMMM Fruit Smiles :)

Their favorite part...getting into the box

THANK YOU GRACE BAPTIST TEMPLE!

"From the Heart of Mexico"

I came across a blog the other day that was such a blessing and encouragement to me that I can't help but share it with you. From the Heart of Mexico is by Mrs. Billie Sloan who has been serving as a missionary in Mexico for 49 years. That alone makes her blog worth looking at, but it also touched me that all 8 of her children are missionaries!

In her blog she shared a great burden of hers (and I believe one of every missionary), entitled Epidemic, and it is not the H1N1 epidemic that she is concerned about.

Though her article is mostly directed towards missionaries who have left the field, I believe the epidemic also includes those who have been called but never make it to the field. The problem still remains... “…The harvest truly is plenteous, but the labourers are few;” Matthew 9:37