Chapter 14 - "Visions"

Tommy (my oldest son) has big, big plans to visit the other little villages one day. One night, as we were traveling back home, he pulled the van over...well, actually he stopped in the middle of the road, because there is no place to pull off the road. From San Cristóbal, you go down, down, down until you reach the bottom of the valley where San Lucas is located. So at a certain point along the way, at night, you can see the lights of village after village, the most incredible sight. I was sitting right behind Tommy, and he said, "Mom, I'm just going to get out and look at this." In the darkness, no one saw my tears, but I could imagine Daddy getting out, or getting off his donkey, and looking out over that vast valley, seeing past the lights, into homes and hearts, and wondering if anyone would ever go and take them the Gospel.

You know that verse that talks about Mary pondering? I think that must be what that means, and she must have felt like I felt that night, pondering and pondering...my mind and my body were so tired, but God gave me a little more strength to feel joy unspeakable. (Excerpt from a letter to my children.)

The dictionary defines “vision” as the act or power of anticipating that which will or may come to be: prophetic vision;

Have you ever had a vision? Don’t go all spooky on me, now. If you know me, you know I’m the most “un-spooky” person you’ve ever met.

This book is about my children and what I learned from living with them for twenty-three years (the length of time I home-mothered: from the time the first one was born, until the last one was married.) Boy, did I learn a lot from them!

But let me tell you a story from my childhood…actually I was a young adult at the time.

I practically grew up on the mission field of Mexico with my three little brothers. This story probably happened when my middle brother, Lanny, was about 15. My parents were out of town, my “little” brother, Tommy had by then left for Bible College, and my “baby” brother, David, was with my parents. One night I was fixing to go to bed. It was very hot…no air conditioner, so I had my windows open. I turned off the light, and as I was opening my curtain to let the cool evening breeze in, I noticed a figure under the beautiful big shade tree in our front yard. We lived out in the country, right on the highway, and evidently a bum, or a drunk had wandered up in our yard, and helped himself to bedding down for the night in a chair, which was leaning up against the tree. I was sure he wasn’t there to harm me, but just to have a safe place to snooze for a few hours. Still, I couldn’t bring myself to lie down and sleep, knowing a strange who-knows-what was in my yard.

So I did what any red blooded girl would do: I went in and woke up my teenage brother. “Come here,” I know I scared the daylights out of him, “there’s a man under the tree in the front yard.”

He was a mighty brave about-15-year-old, and shot out the door, as if just waiting for an adventure. “Be careful,” I warned him, and I can’t remember to save me if he grabbed a weapon. I think a machete would have been the only one available.

I ran back to my window to watch the scene. Looking back, I don’t know what on earth I would have done if the stranger had attacked him. There were no cell phones back then, and we had no house phone. The nearest neighbor was across the highway, and I would have had to run right past the villain to get help.

I watched as slowly and quietly my brave little guardian angel slipped carefully past my bedroom window, out toward the tree. I could hear my heart, and thought it would beat right out my ears!

But to my surprise, when he reached the ax murderer, he grabbed the empty chair, and turned around, and just shook his head at me. What appeared to be a man leaning up against the tree was just an empty chair someone had left earlier while seeking a shade from the hot sun. My vision turned out to be a harmless chair, with eerie shadows cast from the tree, creating the form of a man in my imagination.

My little sleepy headed brother came calmly back into the house, but I praised him for his bravery. He had no idea what he would confront out there in the dark, but he was willing to risk his life for me.

My adventure turned out to be just a vision formed by the illusion of the shadow cast by that old tree, and probably my wild imagination.

That’s a good story, but it’s not the kind of vision I want to tell you about…the visions I had when my children were growing up.

Neither am I talking about the mystic visions people say they have of angels or devils, or of their future husband.

I’m talking about the vision defined above; I guess a “prophetic vision,” although I’m not a prophetess.  There’s a Scripture in the book of Luke in the Bible that has always grabbed my attention ever since I became a mother. It’s a comment about perhaps one of the most famous mothers of all time, Mary, the mother of Jesus.  It’s found in Luke 2:19, and it says, “But Mary kept all these things, and pondered them in her heart.” I’ve always “envisioned” Mary sitting there in the stable, right after the shepherds had visited her newborn Son. “To ponder” means according to the dictionary, “to weigh in the mind with thoroughness and care. To reflect or consider with thoroughness”

Can you even begin to imagine what Mary was pondering in those quiet moments right after her Baby’s birth? I can remember so vividly sitting up in my hospital bed (eight times, to be exact) and looking into the face of my precious little baby I had just brought into the world, and “pondering, and pondering and pondering: What will he be when he grows up?...has her husband already been born?...will she someday be sitting here, holding her newborn in her arms?...what will those little hands hold someday?...will he be a doctor like his Daddy?...”

I can almost “hear” you nodding your head. You’ve been there, haven’t you, Mom? Dreams…ambitions…visions!

I can close my eyes, and see him standing there. It’s 7:00 in the morning, really too early for a three-year old to be out of the house. But he determined to go with me every morning, Monday through Friday to my little class next to our house. We lived in a little village called Ixtapa back in the 70’s, and my husband had decided it would be good for the little boys in our boys’ home, to have a Bible lesson every morning. We had taken these little boys, mostly street urchins, some their destitute mothers brought to us. Every morning they would march off to the village school. But before they put “book learnin’” into their little heads, I would teach them a short Bible lesson, go over their memory work, and then teach them a song we would be learning for the children’s choir.

My little boy would stand up as tall as his little legs would allow, open his little mouth as wide as he could, and sing with all his heart.

One morning, I had a vision. I don’t know what else to call it. I was playing my accordion and the boys were singing, just like they did every morning. But this morning was different. Suddenly, my little son looked like the choir boy on a Christmas card. And my mind fast-forwarded about twenty years. He was standing before a large congregation singing with all his might in the most beautiful tenor voice I have ever heard.

As quickly as it appeared, it went away, and was completely forgotten…

…until years and years later. He was in Bible College, and he was singing with his brothers and sisters at a Christmas banquet. There he stood, as handsome as any young man I had ever seen. Suddenly, as if the Lord turned back the clock, I was standing in a little Indian village, accordion strapped to me, and I was looking into the little face of a little choir boy.

A vision? A dream? I don’t know. I never shared this story with anyone until now. Not even back in the 70’s with his Daddy. I think I must have doubted my little country boy could ever stand in a nice church in the USA, much less sing at a fancy American college Banquet. Someone thought he was good enough to sing, though. His music teacher thought he had potential…enough to record a CD with him.

Yesterday, I wrote my weekly e-mail to all eight of my children and their spouses, and I told the story I included at the beginning of this chapter. While I was having “visions” of the past, my son was having a “vision” of the future. I hope he will do the same thing with his children.

Look at those pudgy little hands. What do you see? Let your imagination run wild. I did that early morning, when there was absolutely no one else around to envision in my little boy what he could someday become. Looking back, I don’t think even I believed it enough to share that vision with his Daddy. So impossible!

Impossible?

You know what visions do? They build skyscrapers, and they go to the moon, and they swim the English Channel.

The next time you wash your baby’s hair, or trim her nails, or tie another shoestring, “ponder.”

That’s what that college music professor did with my son.

That’s what my pastor, Dr. Jim Vineyard, did with college kids. He envisioned pastors, and writers, and musicians, and missionaries. He envisioned unlikely kids with diplomas marching across the platform on graduation day.

Don’t limit your vision to the now. Visions turn drab rainy days into exciting challenges. If visions can change a pile of dirty laundry into neatly ironed and folded clothes, if that’s what keeps you diligently working and working until it’s all put away, imagine what visions can do to a stay-at-home mom while she’s explaining a Math problem, or giving out Spelling words.

Sometimes we labor at mommy-ing without a vision. I certainly did. Now that I’m a full-grown Mom, I have the joy of looking back, which is the opposite of vision.

I watch him in the pulpit, reading his passage for the Sunday morning service, and I think, “Wow, I taught that preacher to read!”

She’s a mommy now, and I’m amazed at how she can juggle housework, homework, church work, and six children…at the same time sometimes. And I wow her with, “I don’t see how you do it!” Her response? “Mom, you used to do it with eight!”

I never had a vision of my little girl watching me clean beans, give out spelling words at the same time, and dreaming that one day she would be doing the same thing. But she does!

I never listened, and listened and listened and listened to my little son while he stumbled over the words in his reading exercise, and think, “WOW! I’m teaching a preacher to read!” But I was.

I never dreamed while I listened to him recite the Declaration of Independence, that one day he would entertain a Vice Prime Minister. But he does.

If he’s flying a kite, will he someday be flying Air Force One?

Stumbling through her piano lesson? She could be a concert pianist in your vision, in your dream.

Let’s face it, Mom. Your job right now could be downright nightmarish, when you think of your responsibility. How I flubbed it so many times! I would go to bed at night, and visions of criminals, and druggies danced in my head. That “what’s-the-use” feeling of absolutely being a failure.

I wish I had been smart enough to realize who was putting those visions in my head. It certainly wasn’t the Lord. So when you-know-who puts those negative visions in your head, run him off to where he came from.

Do you want to be successful at anything? You can’t without a vision, whether it’s taking off 20 pounds by envisioning yourself in your dream dress, or tackling that closet by envisioning neatly organized shelves. Can’t do it!

Or maybe you can produce “dream kids” without a vision. I know Moms who didn’t half try, and they have marvelous children, who are mature, responsible adults. But wouldn’t it be fun someday, as you hear a wonderful inspiring sermon, or watch your little girl knead bread while listening to your grandchild recite poetry, and watch as that vision you had 20 years ago unfolds into reality?

Nothin’ like it!

And absolutely nothin’ like mothering. I’m still doing it!

How to Prosper, How to Fail

“And he sought God…and as long as he sought the Lord, God made him to prosper.”

II Chronicles 26:5

Have you written your New Year’s resolutions?  I have, and you know what? They’re the same ones I had last year. We wish each other a “Happy New Year,” and others wish us a “Happy One” right back.

When we wish happiness for each other, what we’re really saying is “I hope you’re prosperous this year.” I want to be prosperous in 2012, not materially, but spiritually. I desire to draw closer to God than I did in 2011. I think when you get right down to it, “to be prosperous” is to “be blessed.”  Well, there’s no better place to find the “formula” for “prosperity, or blessings, or happiness” than in the Word of God.

Some months ago, I was reading in the book of II Chronicles the story of a king named Uzziah. He was only sixteen years old when the people of Judah took him and made him king. Uzziah feared God. The Bible says, “he did that which was right in the sight of the Lord,” (v. 4)

If you want to have a Happy New Year, if you want to be “blessed,” and prosperous, you need to:

Do right.  Perhaps in the eyes of men you can be successful by lying, living an immoral lifestyle, and mistreating others in order to reach your goals this year. But when you do that, you’re not doing that which is right, and the key phrase is “in the sight of the Lord.” As long as Uzziah did what was right, God “made him to prosper.” I’ve heard it said, “Do right though the stars fall.” But we can only do right, when we know what’s right.  The will of God in our lives, the “what’s right” is found in the Word of God. One of your resolutions for this year should be to “read the Bible through.” Start in Genesis, and read it all the way through to the end of Revelation. Even though you don’t understand what you’re reading, read it anyway. If you’ll dedicate just twenty minutes every morning to systematically reading the Bible, in one year you will have finished reading it through. January has already gone? Then start now to read it through, and start all over in February of next year. Dedicate another fifteen minutes to memorizing verses and chapters, one new verse every week. Teach them to your children and grandchildren. There are many methods, many books that encourage people to memorize Scripture. There are even clubs that children can join, organized with the purpose of stimulating children’s memory to “hide the Word in their hearts.” But it’s you, Mom, who are responsible for that, not the church. I don’t know what your routine or your lifestyle is. But there’s nothing more important that you can include in the lives of your children than learning Bible verses by memory.

Uzziah was a good man, and he did what was right, and as long as he did what was right, God made him to prosper. What a simple formula!

But who of us can qualify as a good person, like the people we read of in the Bible? Well, even the good men, like King David, had their weaknesses.

There are at least three sins of which Uzziah was guilty in this story. If we’re honest these same three sins can be a hindrance to God’s prospering us this year.

1. One of Uzziah’s weaknesses was his pride. “But when he was strong, his heart was lifted up to his destruction:” (verse 16) Sometimes success is the worst thing that can happen to us, because we’re lifted up in pride. Think about your goals you’ve set for this year. Why do you want to achieve what you want to achieve? If pride, the desire to have more, or to be better than others motivates you to do more this year than you did last year, this could be a reason for God’s failure to prosper you. Do you remember the story in the Bible of the mother of James and John? Matthew 20: 21 and 22 say she went to Jesus, and asked a favor of Him. She said, “Grant that these my two sons may sit, the one on thy right hand, and the other on the left, in thy kingdom.” She wanted a place of preeminence for her sons, to show them off. Pride manifests itself in many ways in our lives. Sometimes we’re proud without even realizing it, because pride is very subtle. When we interrupt a conversation we’re showing a proud spirit with this attitude: “I know more than you do. What you’re saying is boring to me…it’s not as important as my opinion.” I don’t know if I just have a very critical spirit, but lately I’ve noticed how common it is for people not to pay attention to what others are saying. Sometimes it’s hard to detect. But when someone is very distracted when others are talking, at the same time it may be possible that the person talking is very boring, it could very well be for lack of courtesy. That’s a sign of pride. Sometimes I’m talking with someone, and some little something will distract them. It’s because they’re not interested in what I’m saying. When this happens with one of my children, I stand in front of the wall, and start talking to my curtain. It’s very obvious what I’m doing.  Maybe the word “bless” would be a better choice of words than “prosper.” I love the phrase some of my friends have written to me this year, “May you have a year full of the blessings of God,” which means, “May you have a prosperous year.”
2. Uzziah rebelled against God. He entered the temple to make sacrifice and to burn incense upon the altar. This was the office of the priest, and the priest could even resist the king in this matter. Uzziah’s rebellion was manifested when he disrespected the position of the priest. How about you? Do you respect your husband’s position? What about the position of your son in law in his home? And the authority of your Pastor? The Bible says that “rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft…” I Samuel 15:23 I say this kindly, but this year, let’s not be witches.
3. Lack of self control. Uzziah got angry. He had the censer in his hand to burn it. While he was “wroth” or angry, “the leprosy even rose up in his forehead before the priests…” (V. 19) This was the instant judgment of God. I haven’t seen your resolutions for this year, but I’m sure that most of them, if not all of them require discipline…self control. Have you decided to take off some pounds this year? That requires self control. Do you want to read the Bible through this year? You’re going to have to discipline yourself, get control of yourself. We all get angry, we lose control. We say things, we do things that we wish we hadn’t said or done. We should ask the Lord every morning of this year to take control of our actions, our thoughts, and even our moods. Do you ever wake up in a bad mood? You know what? It’s my very personal opinion that every woman should get up before anyone else in her household. Why? Because we set the atmosphere in our home, whether we’re a wife, mother or grandmother.   The lady of the house sets the mood of her children, her husband and her grandchildren. The First Person every lady should meet in the morning is the Lord…He’ll help you to start your day in a good mood.  No one likes to get out of bed on a cold morning. During the winter months, our bed is more delicious than any other time of the year. But just tell God, “Lord, help me to have enough character to get up, and spend time alone with You.” Guess what! Did you know He wants to spend time with you, more than you want to spend it with Him?

As long as Uzziah sought the Lord, God made him to prosper. As long as he did what was right, he was prosperous. But when he was lifted up in pride, when he rebelled, and when he lost his temper, “the leprosy even rose up in his forehead before the priests in the house of the Lord, from beside the incense altar.” (v. 19) “And Uzziah the king was a leper unto the day of his death, and dwelt in a several house; for he was cut off from the house of the Lord:…” (v. 21)

Imagine being a queen one day, surrounded by people who serve you, and probably love you, who live for your comfort, and the next moment to live in a “several house;” …apart, alone, with no one to care for you. Does that sound like people you know who are in nursing homes? What a lonely life some people live. My heart goes out to them. But I often wonder how many lonely elderly people are where they are, because when they were younger, they didn’t seek the Lord. Maybe they were rebellious, and proud, and had no control over their temper, and they lost their children. Their family rejects them, as though they had leprosy.

Just like King Uzziah, you can enjoy the prosperity of God today in your life. But if you don’t seek Him, you’ll end up like the king did, apart from those who surround you today.

What does 2012 hold for you? Prosperity or loneliness? Blessings or curses? It’s up to you!

Chapter 13 - "Letter to Lorie"

I have two desks…one in my bedroom that I use when my house is full of children and grandchildren, and one in my living room. This desk I use exclusively for e-mailing (because I don’t have good coverage in my bedroom), or when my house is empty and quiet.

I’m sitting at my living room desk this morning, so you know I’m all alone.

Because I live across the drive from our church here, and because some of my children live within walking distance of my house, I usually sit at my bedroom desk for my early morning writing. Except for the men who came out for 6:00 prayer meeting this morning, I have enjoyed delicious peace and quiet, and at the risk of sounding pious, which I’m not, I’ve enjoyed fellowshipping with the Lord this morning.

Unless you have lived in a busy, noisy house for most of your life, you have no idea how I treasure these rare times…getting up in the morning to a peaceful house, with exactly the amount of dirty dishes I left in the sink last night…none, when I’m alone.

I love watching daybreak through my living room window, walking outside and into our peaceful church building, to turn off the outside lights.

But there’s an obvious downside to solitude. There’s no one around, specifically, no children.

We, and especially I, need to be so careful that we don’t take things and people for granted. I love solitude because it’s so rare to me. But what about the lonely widows all over the world, or the ladies who never had children, or the elderly grandmothers in nursing homes whose children have forgotten them (although sometimes it may be their fault). I must constantly remind myself of how very, very blessed I am to be literally surrounded by people who love me, and whom I love.

While I thank the Lord every morning for this special alone-time He’s given to me, I also know that with time, this could begin to turn into loneliness and boredom because of the lack of challenge of seeing a nice clean house, and all the laundry done. Those are things that keep my life full of “up hills,” and the joy and satisfaction of finally having all those dishes done and actually put away. When I’m alone, those tasks are mere “few-minute-jobs,” and sooner or later turn into routine. There’s no longer pleasure in seeing all my counter tops clean, laundry folded and put away, and not one single thing out of order.

Always-full-cupboards take on a ho-hum effect, and I don’t even have to check to see if I’m out of eggs, since I’m the only one baking and eating here.

With that in mind, I would like to direct this chapter to those mothers who would consider my life right now like a vacation to a lovely Pacific island, or wherever she would like to be…anywhere except where she is right now…surrounded…no, overwhelmed with housework, homework, church work, mission work, and just work in general.

I’m writing this on New Year’s Eve, and always this time of the year, my mind goes back to our children’s college years…the hardest mothering years of my life. In a few days, my children would be returning to college after a two-week Christmas vacation.

Several times in the last few days I have either received e-mails, or talked with ladies whose children will soon be leaving home. In most of these cases, this child is the firstborn, and so a first for these moms.

So I’ve been trying to put myself in their places, and empathize with them. How easy that is for me!

Several months ago, I received an e-mail from a lovely missionary wife/mom. They were fixing to say goodbye to their firstborn. WOW! What vivid memories that brought to my mind. So I share with you the letter I wrote in response to her e-mail. I have changed names, and a few circumstances and places “to protect the innocent.”

Dearest Lorie, (not her real name)

I have already marked July 10 on my calendar with "Smith’s return to Africa without college child," because I'm assuming the child you are leaving behind will be starting college, and that she will be attending Bible College.

My heart goes out to you, and I have absolutely no words of comfort to offer.  For twelve years I waved good bye more times than I care to remember to our eight children, and I can truthfully say that college years were the hardest part of my mothering years.  If your family is like ours was, there will be tears.  You will try to cram all the fun into the last days, and give her all the advice and money you can possible part with.

There will be those many "just one last hug."  I remember thinking, "I don't want to forget what her hair smells like"...or "Will he remember to change his sheets at least once a week? Will he run out of toothpaste?"

If you ask me, Lorie, that's when we really truly "give our children to the Lord."  Dedicating her to the Lord on a Sunday morning when she's a newborn is only symbolic; and we did it with all eight of our children.  If I ever did shed tears on those occasions, they were merely sentimental.

Tears shed while driving away from the dorm, and looking out the back window until you can't see him anymore (what if he runs out to tell me something, just as I look away?)...those are the true tears at the very core of what it means to be a mother, and literally give him back to the Lord.

And although I can't do one single thing to ease your almost physical pain of that parting, I can assure you with all my heart...looking back, as if I were looking through the back window of our old van...looking back over the past nine years since our last one graduated, it is one of the best decisions you will ever make.

Our children are sinners, and they married sinners, and made little sinners.  But if my children ever have amounted to anything for the Lord, in part, and in a huge, huge part, it is because of all the people who influenced their lives during those grueling years:  our pastor most of all; their teachers, classmates (well, some of them), the kids they picked up on their bus routes; members of the church; and pastors and missionaries, whom they would have never in a million years ever met had they not been attending Bible College.  I believe David is a missionary to Ukraine today partly because of the influence of a Russian missionary he had the honor of picking up at the airport and escorting during his college years.

Your children probably need Bible College more than the average child who attends a good church in America, simply because he DOESN’T attend a good church in America.  I can't tell you how ignorant our children were in almost everything from singing in a choir, to eating in a cafeteria.  Their college years gave them (don't laugh) poise and confidence.  Our children needed the exposure to all that they needed in order to be who they are today, and to do what they do.  Never could my husband and I have given them all that.

A few weeks ago one of my children called me early one morning.  "Mom, I just wanted to call you and thank you for all you've done for me through the years.  I believe I'm serving the Lord today because of you."  And I said, "You are who you are because of many, many people God has put into your life."  And probably most of those people were there during his college years.

Please know that on July 10, my prayers and thoughts will be with you, as well as the days before and after your departure.

Your friend,
Mrs. Billie Sloan
Nahum 1:7

I have shared that letter with you for two reasons:

1.      If you’re a “college mom,” or if you’re fixing to say goodbye to your child who will soon be leaving the nest, take heart. This is part of being a mom. Remember, your child needs the people God puts in her life in order to become the person He wants her to be. I’m assuming, of course, that your child is leaving with your blessings.

2.      Recently, three of my daughters and I were privileged to get to spend a week together, without babies, homeschooling, or housework. What precious memories we made together! One of my daughters commented, “I feel like I’ve been on a honeymoon with Jesus.” I told her, “One of these days, you are going to suddenly wake up to a quiet house. All your children will be gone. You’ll go downstairs, and everything will be in order, and there won’t be one single toy or one stray sock in the floor. You’re going to leisurely pour your coffee, and have your quiet time without having your ear tuned to the baby’s bedroom the minute she wakes up. And you’re going to remember how simple life was back then…noisy and busy, but simple.” If you’re longing for a little peace and quiet, a little freedom from incessant laundry and wiping runny noses, and senseless dusting of furniture, fast-forward your life for a few minutes. One of these days, you’ll be sitting at your “empty-house-desk,” wishing with all your heart that your life were as simple as the days when the most important decision you had to make was whether to have mashed potatoes or macaroni and cheese to go with the roast you just put in the oven.

Happy New Year from my daughter's family

My daughter Ruth, with her husband Steve and six children:  Steven, Abigail, Elisabeth, Benjamin, Levi and Caleb:

Prayer Letter - December 2011

JOHN 3:16

DECEMBER, 2011

Dear friends and loved ones,

Because I write this "prayer letter" to you every two months, each morning, during my quiet time, I write down things concerning my ministry that I feel might be a blessing and an encouragement to you.  This helps me to better focus, for the most part, on the positive things in my life.  Any negative report to you is so that you can know better how to pray for me.

Looking over my list of "things to report" during the months of October and November, I see nothing but positive!  And at just 6 days away from my 68th Birthday, I'd say "that's just like God."  I would like to "brag on God," as my husband, who has been in Heaven now for seven years, used to say.

Two of my grandsons, Josh and Sam, were saved and baptized during the month of October.  These two little brothers are blessed to have parents like Philip and Liz, who have trained them in the ways of the Lord.  What a blessing it is to go to one of Ulises and Elizabeth's three churches once a month and teach their ladies' Thursday Bible classes!  They will soon be moving the church in Ixtapa out to the property that God has provided for them, and where their orphanage will be located.  Souls continue to be saved through their hospital ministry, and one Sunday I was privileged to watch as he baptized a young military sergeant and his wife.  Lety was among the six military wives we honored at our Banquet this year.  Each lady received a long-stem rose and a Bible.

What an honor it was to be part of the Spanish Ladies' Spectacular in Hammond, IN, this year!  Pastor DeAnda and Ellie treated me like a queen.  My daughters, Sarah, Anna, and Ruthie with baby Caleb added a "family reunion/girls-time-out" flavor as we made unforgettable memories.  Thank you, Pastor, for helping to provide this for us.

On November 16, my son, Tommy and his wife, Mona, and their five children arrived.  They have rented a house, and plan to start a Christian radio ministry.  They're already involved in every part of the work here.

It is a joy to see little souls saved in my Saturday children's classes.  Keeps me young, too!  Remember Jesús, the father of the little girl who was killed down the street from our class?  He was recently saved in Ulises' church!  Thank you for your prayers.

Every month new ladies are attending, and being reached with the Gospel through our ladies' prayer breakfasts.  This ministry is actually for the purpose of praying for our annual Ladies' Christmas Banquet, and all the First Ladies of our town, as well as neighboring towns.  We encourage these special ladies to attend, so they can hear their names called out in prayer.

At this year's banquet, we set a record attendance of 98 ladies, including five First Ladies.  For the first time we honored military wives.  There were six present.  Pastor James Merlo did a splendid job preaching a very clear salvation message.  I'm happy to report that there were seven ladies saved, including two First Ladies, and two military wives.  One of these ladies was at church on Sunday with her sergeant husband.  Thank you for your prayers.  We're already making big plans for November 16, 2012's Banquet.

Another unexpected result of our banquet this year was the salvation of Javier.  Javier was a waiter in a restaurant where our family used to eat out when our children were all at home, many years ago.  He has since been appointed to serve as City Councilman.  This summer I was privileged to win his daughter to the Lord.  She attended our Banquet this year for the first time, and was so touched by the presentation of the orphans we invite every year, that she convinced her (in her words) "hard-hearted Dad" to accompany her to the orphanage in the nearby town.  Because of his position in our city, she wanted him to see if there was anything he could do to help these children.  She said he melted, as the children sang and quoted Scriptures for them.  But the clincher was when one of the little girls crawled up into his lap.  It was easy for Pastor Carlos, the head of the orphanage, to then win Javier to the Lord!

I've talked too long, but as I look back over my letter, wondering what I could possibly leave out, I tell myself, "How could I ever brag too much on the Lord?"

Your friend, who wishes you all of God's blessings as we approach a New Year!

Billie Sloan
Nahum 1:7

Swallowed Up

“…lest perhaps such a one should be swallowed up with overmuch sorrow.”

II Corinthians 2:7

I’m writing this at 8:59 Monday morning. Earlier, I was thinking about two ladies who were not in my Sunday school class yesterday. They form part of the “pillars” of our church, and part of my personal “support group.” You know what I’m talking about…the ladies who always have a sweet word of encouragement, and who leave you feeling like you can make it, after all.

Both of my sweet friends “reported in” sick. And I’m sure they were. They both have serious health problems. But I believe at the root of even their physical problems lies an ailment common to most women: depression. I’m afraid when “my” ladies woke up yesterday morning, they were “swallowed up with overmuch sorrow.”

Did you ever want to go to sleep and not wake up? Did you ever wake up, and (like my friend said yesterday) “don’t have the strength to sit up?”  Be careful! You may be on the verge of being swallowed up.

I love teaching children. And one of my favorite stories is Jonah and the whale. You can make all kinds of dramatic effects. Just let your wild imagination carry them down into the belly of the whale…the slime, and darkness, and stink. Does that describe what you’re feeling this morning?

We’re going into the most joyous season of the year, when we celebrate the birth of Jesus. I’m already looking forward to having half of my children, and fifteen of my grandchildren here. I love sitting in bed early in the morning after prayer, and reading my Bible, and sipping my coffee, while planning all the things I want to do for those whom I love most of all on earth. But guess what! I’m also preparing my heart and mind to stay in tune with God. With His help, I won’t go into a fit of depression as I stand in the middle of the street, and wave to them until their Van gets out of sight.

I plan to have a lot to do after Christmas (not to mention the extra cleaning), preparing material for the publishing of a book, getting ready for a new ladies’ ministry. I don’t plan to cancel my ladies’ soul winning afternoon. Quite the contrary, I’m planning something very special for my ladies, who faithfully come out, rain, shine, cold or hot, to knock doors, or go to the park and witness and hand out tracts.

When the jaws of depression lunge toward me, I’ll shut its mouth, and refuse to be “swallowed up.”

How am I going to do this?

1. I’ll determine with myself. That’s what Paul did. He may have thought about all he had suffered, beatings, imprisonment, cold, hunger, and perhaps he was tempted to go into a fit of depression. But all alone, away from everyone else, Paul said, “I determined this with myself.” David did the same thing in I Samuel 30:6 “…but David encouraged himself in the Lord his God.” He encouraged HIMSELF. “David was greatly distressed; for the people spake of stoning him.” When the pressures of life, and sorrows come, get alone and determine with yourself that you’re not going to forget the blessings of God. Realize that Satan is the great “discourager” of the believer. He takes it on himself to see that you forget the wonderful things that God has given you, and done for you, and he makes you focus on the negative. In order to determine with yourself, include God. Get alone every day, preferably in the morning, and open your heart to Him. Tell Him your burdens, and do like Daniel did: “Daniel purposed in his heart.” Daniel 1:8
2. I won’t let my unhappy circumstances affect my mood, because my mood affects those around me. Paul said, “…I make you sorry,…” There are people whose presence brings a cloud into the room. Don’t ever think that you don’t affect others. We should bring joy into people’s lives, especially our family, those who live closest to us. Don’t let your sad mood reach those around you. Paul said he didn’t want to go to the Corinthians “in heaviness.” He knew his mood would affect others.
3. I won’t stop going to church, like my friends did yesterday. In Paul’s first epistle to the Corinthians, they repented of their sins. Sometimes our sin can be depressing. Two things that will help you more than anything else to overcome your sin, and come out of your depression are: daily Bible reading, and the preaching of the Word of God. Without those two elements in your life, it’s going to be hard to crawl out of the jaws of depression. The reason is simple: the reading of God’s Word, and its preaching are the two things that God uses to reveal our sins. Every morning before I read my Bible I pray this prayer: “Lord, speak to me through Your Word, and help me to be obedient to it. Help it to convict me, comfort me, and guide me, and show me a truth I’ve never seen before. Amen.” I pray that very same prayer when I leave my house to go to church, asking God to help the preaching of His Word to do the same thing.

It’s easy for me to be in a good mood, and to be happy when I’m feeling good, and when I have money, or when the sun comes out. But what about the day when I don’t have good health or money, or when it’s raining? I know ladies who don’t have a lovely ministry like mine. For them, it’s a privilege just to have their lost husbands give them permission to attend church, much less teach a class, or sing in the choir. They have no hope of ever having a ministry, outside ministering to their family. What can I say to those precious ladies whose children have turned their backs on God, and on everything she has taught them?

1. Focus on others. You can always find someone less fortunate than you. No matter how much you’re convinced that there is no one else who suffers like you do, there is. Look for her or him. Ask God to put them in your path so that you can be a blessing to them.
2. If possible, try not to associate with negative people, those who always see the bad in everything and in everyone. When I become critical and negative, it’s usually because I’ve lost my focus on the positive things God has done for me. I’m not satisfied with my work, so I blame others. Look for those people who love the Lord, and who have a purpose in life. Remember, just like depression is contagious, joy is also contagious.
3. Praise the Lord. Psalm 67:3 and 5 say “Let the people praise thee, O God; let all the people praise thee.” Just as we love hearing our husband and children express their appreciation for us, so does God. Have you told Him today that you love Him, and are thankful for the wonderful things He’s done for you? Can’t think of anything? Has He saved you? What a wonderful Salvation is yours! Tell Him how grateful you are for His sacrifice of love.
4. Don’t forget that God loves you. Do like Mrs. Cindy Schaap does, and look for ways He tells you, “I love you” every day. When you see the sunrise, tell Him, “I see Your love.” Walk out to your garden, and smell the lovely fragrance, and tell Him, “I smell Your love, Lord.” From now on, when you drink your favorite beverage, say “I taste Your love.” When you hear your private concert of birds singing in your back yard, tell Him, “I hear Your love.” When you feel the warmth of your favorite blanket, say “I feel Your love, God.” He loves you more than anyone on earth could love you. He loves you so much that He sent His Son to die on the cross for your sins.
5. “This too shall pass.” That’s not a quote from the Bible, but it’s true. Nothing is permanent. Nothing lasts forever, and neither will your situation last forever. Sometimes things, situations that God brings into our lives are to test us. Be faithful. Don’t give up. Divorce, suicide, abandoning our children or our responsibilities never, never solves anything. Quite the contrary, that can complicate life, and hinder God from getting the glory in the midst of your affliction. Trust the Lord. Everything is in His hands; He’ll carry you safely to the other side. Remember, the sun will shine again.
6. Place yourself in the Divine Potter’s hands. There are times when God allows us to pass through great trials and sorrows in order to conform us to His image, to mold us, and to make us the person He wants us to be. Sometimes He sends trials so we can comfort others who will someday go through the same thing we’re suffering. Let the Great Potter mold you, so that you can be a blessing to others.

"In the Potter's Hands"

Prayer Request List for our 13th Annual Ladies' Christmas Banquet
November 28, 2011

1. Wisdom and discernment in all the plans and decisions to be made.

2. Extra strength for the girls and me as we plan and make preparations.

3. For our Lady City Mayor, Cecilia Flores, to be able to attend, as well as First Ladies of neighboring towns.

4. For the wives of the former mayors, and military wives to be able to attend.

5. For extra finances for the cost of the Banquet, Hotel reservations, and plane reservation for our guest speaker.

6. Preparation of the special music, and choice of each song.

7. For our guest speaker, Pastor James Merlo, as he prepares his message for the evening, and for liberty as he preaches.

8. For the Hotel staff to be reached with the Gospel.

9. That the Lord would prepare the hearts of the ladies who will be attending, and for many to be saved, who will be an influence to others. We have had ladies saved in every banquet for the past ten years, including two former First Ladies.

10. For wisdom for my son in law, Ulises Martínez, our Banquet administrator.

Note: This Banquet is an annual affair, and will be attended by ladies, who for the most part are unsaved, and who either because of religious preferences, or pressures from home, do not attend our Church. The Lord laid these dear ladies on my heart several years ago, and I am as burdened for them as I am for the ladies in my Sunday School Class.

Billie Sloan
Nahum 1:7