Ban Ny Ci Jungle Christmas Party

December 23
Ban Ny Ci Jungle Christmas Party!
Hello!!!! We have made it safely to Thailand! There were quite a few obstacles, but the Lord got us to where He has called us to. I was once told, "If the Lord has called you there, He will keep you there!" Amen to that! We moved into a cute little house and have set up our home. However, after being told by our Landlord that she would remove the Thai spirit house, she has changed her mind. She told us it would be better for us to move than to upset to the spirits. We are praying that she changes her mind as our choices are very.....well....rough! But, the Lord will direct our paths! Pray as led! We will be traveling south to Hat Yai on the 27th of December to meet with the extended team that we have joined. We are going to be praying the New Year in & sharing the vision. One accord! Praise God! We will be traveling by bus. A total of 4 adults & 7 kids in a rented van. Pray for peace, sanity & safety!!! We will be aiming at being back to Ban Nam Kem January 4th. We are praying that our landlord will have had a change of heart & remove the spirit house & we will not have to relocate! So pray your hearts out for this to happen!!! It will be 14 days from the date that we have our housing secured that we will be able to get internet to our house. So we are still in limited communication, but check email as able.

We took many pictures to share with y'all as we went out as a team to Ban Ny Ci to deliver a Chirstmas Message, Christmas Gifts & play with the children. These children work about 9 hours a day in a rubber factory. The Thai do not allow the Burmese children to be educated, so we are their only means of education. We of course use this opportunity to not only teach them, but share Jesus with them! Through your giving we are able to serve these children, and we were able to buy them toys, candy & clothes. Everytime we see them they are in these green shirts that Todds short term team gave them. These children have nothing! What an honor to deliver these things to them in the Name of Jesus! Thank you for being obedient to support us! You make a difference!

In Christ, Amy

I think everybody has a Susan Hendrickson in their life...

September 01
I think everybody has a Susan Hendrickson in their life....
I was recently remembering back to a very crucial time in my life. That time was the summer after 6th grade. My family and I were living in Gaithersburg Maryland. I was happy & had a great best friend, Susan Hendrickson. We had so much in common. I loved living in Maryland. More than for the beautiful seasonal changes. I loved living there because I got to start over. Most of y'all know about the night in 3rd grade that changed my life & threw me into bondage of fear until I reached 30. Part of starting over for me was being somebody I wanted to be! I thought I could create a new me. I wanted a new me, because I was unhappy with who I was. This led to a series of lies. I began making up things, lying about this or that. Hey, it was easy. Nobody knew me or my family. Not to mention people really liked what I had to say. Of course they did - I was creating what they wanted to hear!!!!

I dig back into my past to make this story a testimony for my Lord & Savior Jesus Christ. You see, the Lord used my very best friend (Susan Hendrickson) to be a light into my world. I use her full name because in grade school don't we always say something like Susan Hendrickson, Sally Smith, or Davie Jacobs? We have to use the full name, right? Anyway, she did not come to me in the name of "Christianity", but she did come to me in truth. We were walking back from the community pool. She was listening to what I was saying, when suddenly she stopped me. Susan said, "Amy, you are a COMPULSIVE LIAR!" I stood there in shock, disbelief - I mean, I was called out! She stormed off mad, I ran away in tears. It was a period of time before our friendship recovered. Oh, the pain. But Oh, praise God! Really, to think that I could go my whole life thinking I was fooling God, myself & everybody else. As much as it hurt, I am forever greatful for this gift of truth. In those moments we have a decision to make. Are we going to Repent, truly turn around and go the opposite direction. The right direction. Or are we going to stay in that place of sin?

This is what came to mind as I read 1 John. Let me qoute this paragraph from the book of 1 John.
1 John 2:36
By this we know that we have come to know Him, if we keep His commandments. The one whosays, "I have come to know Him," and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him; but whoever keeps His word, in him the love of God has truly been perfected. By this we know that we are in Him: the one who says he abides in Him ought himself to walk in the same manner He walked.

Take a stand for truth! You never know the eternal difference you could have!

The Rent House

August 13
The Rent House
Well, we are in our rental house! It has been so crazy around here. We are officially moved in & not for long we pray. This move has made Thailand more of a reality. We have been knowing the time was close, but as the other house sold in 6 days - it has felt like we have been in warp speed!

We also are going to be starting home school on Monday! So lots of change, but the kids are doing great & are really really really excited about learning to read! Braden has always loved learning. Trinity likes it too. Jackson is excited to read so that he can read "secret codes"! I just love it! Hey, whatever gets him excited to learn! I am really looking forward to teaching the kids. I know there will be stressful moments, but how cool it is to have something to "do". There are my kids can play on their own while I do house work & I have nearly missed the "hands on" interaction with them. So, for me, this is going to be cool to have that everyday. Especially because we take their education very serious. Another cool aspect is that Trent is going to home school with me 2 days a week. He is off on Tuesdays & Wednesdays and we are going to do it family style. He will be such a great motivater to teach. He is so great at it. He does the coolest devotionals with the kids in the morning. He usually picks his princess, Trinity, as the model - but hey they all love it! The best was last time when he had her all dressed up in the Armor of God! That was AWESOME! He loves every minute of it! I just love the man of God my husband continues to be :)

Well, that it is it. A bit of a more light message as we are in transition. Will post again soon :)

The Tear

July 09
The tear
I am so encouraged that God has been with me more during this life changing time than any other time. I love the Lord more every day! He is beautiful! I praise Him with all my heart, mind, soul & strength!

This morning as I cried out to the Lord the heartaches of leaving our family and friends. Lifting up not only my heartache, but theirs too. I had just opened my Bible to a random page & before reading wanted to ready myself in prayer. Tears were flowing as I painfully cried out as my husband and I interceded. As we came to a close and a release in prayer my eye was caught by a tear that had fallen on my open Bible. The tear had reflected a glimpse of light in the room. This tear covered one word. That word was Harvest. This was taken from Luke 10:2 "The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field. Go! I am sending you out like lambs among wolves."

God knows our heartache & waits to wash us in His Almighty Word! That if we can turn to Him, He can make all things new. That when we get caught up in the here and now - He can give us the Helmet of Salvation - the ETERNAL mindset. He is our treasure, He is our delight! Life is but a vapor! Choose eternal life and build up for yourselves treasures in Heaven. Trust God to do all the things you are incapable of doing or understanding. Trust God! I trust You, Lord!

The Fullness of Gods Unfailing Love!

June 22, 2006
The Fullness of Gods Unfailing Love!
Recently I read a story in the indepth study Breaking Free, by Beth Moore. It paints a picture referencing our daily obedience to our walk with Christ. I felt led to post this on our blog and pray that all eyes that read it are blessed! May the Holy Spirit bring revelation & love to your heart!!!!!!!

Imagine going to heaven and standing by God as He lovingly shows you the calendar of His plan for your earhtly life. It begins with the day you are born. Once you received Christ as Savior, every day that follows is outlined in red. You see footprints walking through each day of each week of your life. On many of the days, two sets of footprints appear. You inquire: "Father, are those my footprints on the calendar every day and is the second set of prints when you joined me?"
He answers, "No, my precious Child. The consistent footprints on your calendar are Mine. The second set of footprints are when you joined Me."
"Where were You going, Father?"
"To the destiny I planned for you, hoping you'd follow."
"But, Father, where are my footprints all those times?"
He answers, "Sometimes you went back to look at old resentments and habits while I was still going forward, hoping you'd join Me. Sometimes, you departed from My path and chose your own calendar instead. Other times, your footprints can even be seen on another person's calendar because you thought you liked their plan better. At other times, you simply stopped because you would not let go of something you could not take to the next day."
"But, Father, we ended up OK even if I didn't walk with You every day, didn't we?"
He hold you close and smiles, "Yes, Child, we ended up OK. But, you see, OK was never what I had in mind for you."
"Father, what are those golden treasure boxes on certain days?"
"Blessings, My child, I had for you along the way. Those that are open are those you received. Those still closed were days you did not walk with Me."

I love God's unfailing perfect love! I am not trying to "preach" only a feel good, sugar coated Gospel. We, as Christians, all know from the book of Revelation we will face the Judgement Seat of Christ. So, with that being said, I just want to love God today and worship Him for the aspect of His Unfailing Love! And yes, often times, even His beautiful love is in the form of discipline - I know. Believe, I know that one! But this story touched my heart. God is omnipresent! He will never forsake us or turn His back on us, even when we turn our back to Him. His Will and desire is ALWAYS that we repent, and turn towards Him! He has so much for us! His love is truly amazing! We can never try to humanize our Mighty God! God is love! The fullness of God is not a one-time occurrence. Every day of our lives - to live victoriously - we must learn to pour out our hearts to God, confess sin daily so nothing will hinder Him, and walk in His ways & not our own ways. Inviting Him to fill us fully! Then we need to continue to fan the flame of His love by reading Scripture, listening to edifying music, and praying! We also need to avoid things that obviously quench His Spirit. Proverbs 19:22 says that "What a man desires is unfailing love; better to be poor than a liar." God is the desire of our soul, regardless if recognize it or not! There are places within our being that were created for only Him to fill! Seek First His Kingdom and His Righteousness! Be filled with His Holy Spirit and delight in His presence!

I just want to share a very special time with you all!!!! May 31st at close to midnight I was baptized! First, let me begin by letting you know it was completely Holy Spirit inspired - or I would have had all my friends and loved ones there to partake. It was so precious to me as I was able to have my precious husband Trent baptize me & our niece Brittany & nephew Jeff there as witnesses!
You know, I was baptized 3 times when I was younger. The first time, I was 12 I think & I was sprinkled with water at the church I grew up at. Then, again I believe that following summer with my grandfather, Baba. He was an ordained minister. Then at a youth camp somewhere in my teens. Through all this reflecting I was praying and asking myself - "when did I really give my heart to Jesus?" I think I went through so many religious ceremonies & sat in many pews at different churches. I was a pretty good person. Well, lets not focus on the blatant rebellion I had in my teens & college years..... Anyway, the point being. I may have had an encounter with Jesus. But I can sadly say, there was no change in my life! I tried to be a good person, but still so caught up in the world & all it had to offer. My thoughts were not on Jesus! He was not Lord of my life! I was the Lord of my life & the things I wanted were the Lord of my life!!!! This is a hard thing to swallow - but praise the Lord He broke up the shallow ground of my heart so that I was no longer deceived!!!! So I have been living for Jesus for 2 years now, although I was around "church" most of my life. It was such an honor to be obedient to the Word to express my repentance, my faith in Christ and my commitment to come! My commitment and pledge that I belong to Christ and have died and risen with him! A testimony of my faith!



It is a mighty thing to call yourself a Christian & quite an Honor!

If the Holy Spirit is tugging at your heart, I pray you would completely surrender to Jesus as Lord of your life!!! To make a decision today and from this day forward to live for Jesus & be a CHRISTIAN!

So, what is biblical salvation......Here is an article from my Bible Every Christian desires to have assurance of salvation, i.e., the certainty that when Christ returns or when death comes, he or she will go to be with the Lord Jesus in heaven (Php 1:23). John's purpose in writing the first letter is that God's people may have ethat assurance (1 Jn 5:13). Note that nowhere in the letter does John state that a past experience of conversation constitutes an assurance or guarantee of salvation. To assume we possess eternal life based solely on a past experience or on a faith that is no longer vital is a grave error. This letter sets out nine ways for us to know that we are in a saving relationship with Jesus Christ.
1. We have assurance of eternal life if we believe "in the name of the Son of God" (1 Jn 5:13; cf. 4:15, 5:1, 5). There is no eternal life or assurance of salvation without an earnest faith in Jesus Christ that confesses him as God's Son, sent to be our Lord and Savior.
2. We have assurance of eternal life if we are honoring Christ as Lord of our lives and are sincerely trying to obey his commands. "We know that we have come to know him if we obey his commands. The man who says, "I know him," but does not do what he commands is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But if anyone obeys his word, God's love is truly made complete in him. This is how we know we are in him" (1 Jn 2:3-5; cf. 3:24; 5:2; Jn 8:31, 51; 14:21-24; 15:9-14; Heb 5:9).
3. We have assurance of eternal life if we love the Father and the Son rather than the world, and if we overcome the influence of the world. "Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For everything in the world - the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he does - comes not from the Father but from the world" (1Jn 2:15-16; cf. 4:4-6; 5:4)
4. We have assurance of eternal life if we habitually and persistently practice righteousness rather than sin. "If you know that he is righteous, you know that everyone who does what is right has been born of him" (1 Jn 2:29). On the other hand, "He who does what is sinful is of the devil" (1 Jn 3:7-10)
5. We have assurance of eternal life if we love our brothers and sisters. "We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love our brothers.....This then is how we know that we belong to the truth, and how we set our hearts at rest in his presence" (1 Jn 3:14, 19)
6. We have assurance of eternal life if we are conscious of the Holy Spirit dwelling within us. "And this is how we know that he (Jesus Christ) lives in us: We know it by the Spirit he gave us. (1 Jn 3:24). Again, "We know that we live in him and he in us, because he has given us his Spirit" (1 Jn 3:14)
7. We have assurance of eternal life if we strive to follow Jesus' example and live as he lived. "Whoever claims to live in him must walk as Jesus did" (1 Jn 2:6)
8. We have assurance of eternal life if we believe, accept and remain in the "Word of life," i.e., the living Christ (1 Jn 1:1), and in the original message of Christ and the NT apostles. "See that what you have heard from the beginning remains in you. If it does, you also will remain in the Son and in the Father" (1 Jn 2:24)
9. We have assurance of eternal life if we have an earnest longing and an unbending hope for Christ's return to receive us to himself. "Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when he appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. Everyone who has this hope in him purifies himself, just as he is pure." (1 Jn 3:2-3)
(The Full Life Study Bible)

Well, it is summer time! Jackson & Braden officially graduated Preschool! Ha! Love it! They had a ceremony and everything! They even had caps! It was such a blessing to have Jackson open the entire school in prayer! Wow! A mothers dream! I was hoping for him to be able to pray from his heart, but I am sure the teachers know best. It was cute as she whispered line by line. I pray that is just a foreshadowing of his future. Praying before masses of people & preaching the Gospel! Trinity did not quite understand why she wasn't graduating. She thinks shes a twin too! She has been so cute lately. My niece, Brittany, is living with us & been teaching her a few things! We have "Talk to the hand with a wave of a hand and a rolling of the eyes - the head rolls too! She only does it for show. Lord help her if she truly tries to reply to me that way! "Spare the Rod, spoil the Child!" Brittany is evening it out as she also taught the kids "Children, obey your parents, in the Lord for this is right! (Ephesians 6:1) That is awesome! Trinity is also quite the little singer/speaker... Right now she is singing "O I love my Mommy, she sweet as she could be.... O I love my Daddy, he's cool as he could be" and she pretty much repeats this little tune to the beat of the Oscar Meyer song about a dozen times! Then there is the Pledge of Allegiance. This girl is gifted in Memory! We are storing up the Word of God in there!!!!!!!!

It has been a crazy year! It has also been AWESOME! We had a Leadership Masters Commission student, Abby, living with us. She will be moving out on Wednesday:( We love her & will miss her! She will be in Plano & hope to see her through the summer! Our niece Brittany and Jeff are living with us too. It is so fun having a full house & I mean it! It is so great to see them on FIRE for the Lord & seeking the Lord with all their heart, mind, and souls! Truly a gift to be a part of their lives! I will never forget this special time! I am dreading letting them go! I know our kids will miss Brittany tremendously! Jeffy will be going to Thailand. He may be there before us, or with us.... So thankfully they will be reunited with him! Trinity I think will be the most pleased! She sure loves J.P.

As we have been called into the mission field I have been thinking about our children's future. I pray for whatever God's Will is for their life. As a mother, I can't help but see my mom and dads pain in our leaving. So many times I just want to grab them and hug them so tightly and say, "Mom, Dad - we'll stay!", but I can't. If I did that we would be disobeying what the Lord spoke to our hearts. Believe me, we were sure and prayed confirmation for 6 months before sharing Gods Will for our lives. I pray that the Lord brings healing & comfort for all our family and friends & us to at our being so far away. It brings me joy to serve my King as he has asked. This is not just a great idea, it is what we are created for. It hurts.... This is that "dying to self" part Trent was always telling me about. It is definitely not easy, but when I look unto the Lord I am joyful in serving Him! As much as it will temporarily hurt - I hope if the rapture hasn't come yet, that our children too will be out preaching the Gospel that haven't heard yet! The Lost are everywhere! Let His Kingdom COME!!!!!!!!

So its 2006!

Wow! It is 2006! We are so excited about this year! God is so good! We are still in "Go" mode to Thailand!!! It is such a mix of emotions for us. We are so excited that God has brought so much clarity to our lives and our "call" to Thailand. We know the service will not be easy, but are so blessed to be able to serve God & preach the Gospel! Then there is the other side of the reality of being so far from our loved ones. This is such a "cross" for us. We are so inlove with our family & our friends & it will most definately be the difficult part of serving. I can't tell you how much Trent & I love our friends and our family.
Stand in the gap with us as we pray for the Prince of Peace to touch this nation.
FREEDOM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!