It has been much too long since I last wrote on this blog. I will confess that I have been negligent in writing, but not in my study of the Word. When I returned from Honduras, there was a lot of income-generating business that I had to attend to. It is still there, but I will take time to study what my God has to say.
In relation to that, my God told me over 12 months ago that I was to write a book. The book has to do with the Keys of the Kingdom. I have not run from the assignment, rather continued study and meditating on HOW to go about writing a book.
The material and what is in my head is not the problem. My biggest obstacle is DISTRACTION! Everything seems to call for attention. Some timesI would spent one to two hours on the blog when I was writing. I also teach on Sundays, so study for that takes time. Then, I have wifely, household, motherly things to do as well as maintain our real estate business.
So, when you have competition like that, something must be cut. What I am going to cut, temporarily, is my time on the blog. I feel that time I spent writing the blog will be spent in time writing this God-ordained book.
I feel the book will reach the uttermost parts of the earth and I want to do it right. So, I have started writing. That is why no blogs since September. Please pray for wisdom. I don't want to write what Debbie wants to write but what God wants on the pages so people will be drawn into His heart and desires for His children.
God bless you and protect you always.
Friday, October 16, 2009
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
Missionary Journal
Scripture tells us that God directs our steps and has good plans not bad. I live with the confidence that God has ordered my days and my steps. My plans are not His plans, my ways are not His ways. I believe when we understand this we can live in perfect peace.
Many plans that we had for my stay here in Honduras have not developed, and yet I believe that what has happened is directly His purpose for my life. I came to LaCeiba to speak at 3 women´s meetings, but plans changed. I did speak at two, but the major one where we were expecting 40 women on Sunday for a full day retreat had to be cancelled.
Just a side note, whenever we have meetings, the food or supplies needed in any meeting must be paid for by me, not the host. So this summer, I have sold produce from our garden, taken side jobs and tried to raise money for this trip. So it is money raised, donated by many of you reading this message that helped to feed many people on this trip.
We had prepared the day before to feed 40 women from a church in town spaghetti, salad, bread, dessert... the whole nine yards. I was to speak at two sessions, morning and afternoon. We were all ready with door prizes and decorations. All we had to do the morning of the retreat was bring more chairs into the meeting room and start getting things warmed up for the luncheon.
At 7:15 a.m. Vicky came to my door to say, ¨We have to come up with Plan B.¨ I asked, what happened. She said one of the ladies that was coming today had a 24 year old son that was shot to death Saturday. WOW!!! We never expected something like that. So, of course, the retreat was cancelled as they were going to have the funeral that afternoon. The pastor did ask if I was available next Sunday, but of course I am not.
So, our Plan B was to hold a training session for the Missionary Team that was working here that afternoon. Monday, we would go out to a very poor village that Vicky and Allen have adopted. They have done a lot to help these people and taking teams out is a regular routine. I told Vicky that we needed to give them some spaghetti and salad after I gave my message. It was planned that I would speak to the ladies there anyway. So, the ladies that hardly had food on a daily basis and their children had a good meal.
Then today, we took the rest of the spaghetti food to an Old Folks home. They will get a good meal and the staff won´t have to cook it!!! We also spent time with them singing, giving messages and testimonies and also gave out stuffed animals and dolls to them. They loved it all.
So, the food that would have gone to ladies who have means of support went to folks that were totally blessed by the gift of food. God certainly knows what He is doing.
My messages have been well received. My interpreter for the first meeting with the ladies in the neighborhood, was healed as she interpreted my story about a man who had experienced a stroke was healed. Her faith was so high that she just received.
The missionary team will have one maybe two more lessons this afternoon. Then we will start packing for our journey back to the United States. I say ¨we¨because Vicky is also returning to her family for a week.
I trust God with my whole being. He is my Master, my Adonai. As I allow Him to direct and develop my days, I watch many blessings being dispersed through my willingness and obedience.
My next journey will be November 16-December 4. I will be going to India with Bob accompanying me as well as another couple. There we will also be holding women´s meetings while the men train some young men carpentry skills.
If you would like to be a part of the ¨Going into all the world¨you can help support our trip. We will take donations through THE ROCK Ministries which is a 501C3 organization. Make your checks out to THE ROCK Ministries and mail it to 5134 Highway 17, Clarkesville, GA 30523. You will have a tax write-off for this.
Many plans that we had for my stay here in Honduras have not developed, and yet I believe that what has happened is directly His purpose for my life. I came to LaCeiba to speak at 3 women´s meetings, but plans changed. I did speak at two, but the major one where we were expecting 40 women on Sunday for a full day retreat had to be cancelled.
Just a side note, whenever we have meetings, the food or supplies needed in any meeting must be paid for by me, not the host. So this summer, I have sold produce from our garden, taken side jobs and tried to raise money for this trip. So it is money raised, donated by many of you reading this message that helped to feed many people on this trip.
We had prepared the day before to feed 40 women from a church in town spaghetti, salad, bread, dessert... the whole nine yards. I was to speak at two sessions, morning and afternoon. We were all ready with door prizes and decorations. All we had to do the morning of the retreat was bring more chairs into the meeting room and start getting things warmed up for the luncheon.
At 7:15 a.m. Vicky came to my door to say, ¨We have to come up with Plan B.¨ I asked, what happened. She said one of the ladies that was coming today had a 24 year old son that was shot to death Saturday. WOW!!! We never expected something like that. So, of course, the retreat was cancelled as they were going to have the funeral that afternoon. The pastor did ask if I was available next Sunday, but of course I am not.
So, our Plan B was to hold a training session for the Missionary Team that was working here that afternoon. Monday, we would go out to a very poor village that Vicky and Allen have adopted. They have done a lot to help these people and taking teams out is a regular routine. I told Vicky that we needed to give them some spaghetti and salad after I gave my message. It was planned that I would speak to the ladies there anyway. So, the ladies that hardly had food on a daily basis and their children had a good meal.
Then today, we took the rest of the spaghetti food to an Old Folks home. They will get a good meal and the staff won´t have to cook it!!! We also spent time with them singing, giving messages and testimonies and also gave out stuffed animals and dolls to them. They loved it all.
So, the food that would have gone to ladies who have means of support went to folks that were totally blessed by the gift of food. God certainly knows what He is doing.
My messages have been well received. My interpreter for the first meeting with the ladies in the neighborhood, was healed as she interpreted my story about a man who had experienced a stroke was healed. Her faith was so high that she just received.
The missionary team will have one maybe two more lessons this afternoon. Then we will start packing for our journey back to the United States. I say ¨we¨because Vicky is also returning to her family for a week.
I trust God with my whole being. He is my Master, my Adonai. As I allow Him to direct and develop my days, I watch many blessings being dispersed through my willingness and obedience.
My next journey will be November 16-December 4. I will be going to India with Bob accompanying me as well as another couple. There we will also be holding women´s meetings while the men train some young men carpentry skills.
If you would like to be a part of the ¨Going into all the world¨you can help support our trip. We will take donations through THE ROCK Ministries which is a 501C3 organization. Make your checks out to THE ROCK Ministries and mail it to 5134 Highway 17, Clarkesville, GA 30523. You will have a tax write-off for this.
Friday, September 11, 2009
Missionary Journal
It is amazing how fast time goes by. The last time I wrote, I was in Santa Domingo which was a small town on the edge of a large lake. This lake is actually an inverted volcano that has been dormant for many centuries. There are 12 communities that surround the lake (none of them flow into the other.) We had to take a boat to get to this town. While there. we did a lot of walking. In fact, we must have walked miles and miles in all the villages and towns we visit.
In Santa Domingo Vicky knows a family who weave textiles in the traditional colorful way. There was a girl child in the family whose photo has been used on many magazine and tourist periodicals. She was at her home with a back-strap loom on her. She was weaving a beautiful table runner. Sometimes they stitch two of the runners together to make a wider tablecloth. She said it would take her 2 months to weave. Why do I tell you this? Because if you do have an opportunity to go to Guatemala, the fabrics ARE hand woven. They have taken months to create. So, give these people the honor and pay them a fair price for their labor. I did buy some things...but not as much as I would have liked.
We took the boat back to Ponachel then a bus to Antigua. We spent another day in Antigua which happend to be Vicky's birthday. We did some very special things. First, we took a tour of a coffee plantation and cultural museam. We also went to a textile school where a group of Guatemalan women were learning how to die their yarns with the natural plants. They were working with the color indigo that day.
We also visited a home for the aged. This is Vicky's favorite thing to do. To visit with the old folks and get them to talk. She really has a nack for pulling out conversation from them. The home held 40 residents, mostly men which is very unusual as women tend to outlive men here.
We also did something very indulgent, we found a place that gave massages. Vicky had a full-bodied massage, I got my feet and legs worked on with a manicure! We both left there very relaxed.
Our bus was to leave at 6:30 a.m. on Thursday for a 15 hour ride to LaCeiba, Honduras so we retired early. The bus we chose is Hedman Alas which has luxury scenic buses. The drivers are very good. since we were going to be in this beast for so long, I treated Vicky with the additional cost for a first class ticket. Those seats would be much more comfortable than in the coach. It was definitely worth it!!!
So now, I am safely tucked in Vicky and Allen Skelton's home in LaCeiba, Honduras. I am now focused on the next 5 days where I will be ministering the Word by teaching on the Names of God. It will be exciting to see how God uses this message to enlighten their awareness of how much God wants to be a part of their life. It will also give them great confidence as they walk through life and the destiny that God has established for them.
In Santa Domingo Vicky knows a family who weave textiles in the traditional colorful way. There was a girl child in the family whose photo has been used on many magazine and tourist periodicals. She was at her home with a back-strap loom on her. She was weaving a beautiful table runner. Sometimes they stitch two of the runners together to make a wider tablecloth. She said it would take her 2 months to weave. Why do I tell you this? Because if you do have an opportunity to go to Guatemala, the fabrics ARE hand woven. They have taken months to create. So, give these people the honor and pay them a fair price for their labor. I did buy some things...but not as much as I would have liked.
We took the boat back to Ponachel then a bus to Antigua. We spent another day in Antigua which happend to be Vicky's birthday. We did some very special things. First, we took a tour of a coffee plantation and cultural museam. We also went to a textile school where a group of Guatemalan women were learning how to die their yarns with the natural plants. They were working with the color indigo that day.
We also visited a home for the aged. This is Vicky's favorite thing to do. To visit with the old folks and get them to talk. She really has a nack for pulling out conversation from them. The home held 40 residents, mostly men which is very unusual as women tend to outlive men here.
We also did something very indulgent, we found a place that gave massages. Vicky had a full-bodied massage, I got my feet and legs worked on with a manicure! We both left there very relaxed.
Our bus was to leave at 6:30 a.m. on Thursday for a 15 hour ride to LaCeiba, Honduras so we retired early. The bus we chose is Hedman Alas which has luxury scenic buses. The drivers are very good. since we were going to be in this beast for so long, I treated Vicky with the additional cost for a first class ticket. Those seats would be much more comfortable than in the coach. It was definitely worth it!!!
So now, I am safely tucked in Vicky and Allen Skelton's home in LaCeiba, Honduras. I am now focused on the next 5 days where I will be ministering the Word by teaching on the Names of God. It will be exciting to see how God uses this message to enlighten their awareness of how much God wants to be a part of their life. It will also give them great confidence as they walk through life and the destiny that God has established for them.
Tuesday, September 8, 2009
Missionary Journey
Dear friends and family
It has been a wonderful journey so far. Again, I am a tourist for the first part of my trip. We toured Guatemala City with two doctors in training. Dr. Mario is studying to be an internist and his friend, who drove his car, is training to be a vascularsurgeon. So they have many more years of study. After conversations with these men, I have much honor and respect for all they have to give up to go through such arduous training. They live on a shoestring, cannot develop any serious relationship with the opposite sex, and are exposed to a lot of vices and temptations as medical students. Vicky and I enjoyed their company and their openness to their spiritual battles as these are men of God. We were able to pray for their future, their present, their protection and bless the home we were in.
On Sunday, we drove to Antigua, Guatemala. It is a very old city with ancient churches and cobblestone roads. It was truly beautiful, but the most beautiful are the people. Their clothes are colorful and they are very gentle people. Mario and Oscar gave us a driving tour, Vicky and I checked into a hotel, then we all went to lunch. Afterward the boys went back to Guatemala City and Vicky and I continued exploring Antigua. I loved it.
Monday, we looked for hotels for the group coming in October. We found a very quaint and cheap inn that will be wonderful for the group. Only $25-night per person. After we did our work, we got on a shuttle for a 3 hour ride to the beautiful lake Punachab in Atillia. We found a wonderful hotel and walked around. We have taken a boat ride across the lake to another town which is where I am writing from now. We are about to eat lunch then return to Atillia where we will get on a shuttle back to Antigua.
In all these places are rows and rows of vendors wanting to sell their wares to us. It is so hard to say NO all the time, but we do. I have been purchasing small items, but my suitcase cannot handle any more! So, I am trying not to buy any more. If I find a deal I cannot resist, Ill have to buy another suitcase! Will write more when I get a chance.
It has been a wonderful journey so far. Again, I am a tourist for the first part of my trip. We toured Guatemala City with two doctors in training. Dr. Mario is studying to be an internist and his friend, who drove his car, is training to be a vascularsurgeon. So they have many more years of study. After conversations with these men, I have much honor and respect for all they have to give up to go through such arduous training. They live on a shoestring, cannot develop any serious relationship with the opposite sex, and are exposed to a lot of vices and temptations as medical students. Vicky and I enjoyed their company and their openness to their spiritual battles as these are men of God. We were able to pray for their future, their present, their protection and bless the home we were in.
On Sunday, we drove to Antigua, Guatemala. It is a very old city with ancient churches and cobblestone roads. It was truly beautiful, but the most beautiful are the people. Their clothes are colorful and they are very gentle people. Mario and Oscar gave us a driving tour, Vicky and I checked into a hotel, then we all went to lunch. Afterward the boys went back to Guatemala City and Vicky and I continued exploring Antigua. I loved it.
Monday, we looked for hotels for the group coming in October. We found a very quaint and cheap inn that will be wonderful for the group. Only $25-night per person. After we did our work, we got on a shuttle for a 3 hour ride to the beautiful lake Punachab in Atillia. We found a wonderful hotel and walked around. We have taken a boat ride across the lake to another town which is where I am writing from now. We are about to eat lunch then return to Atillia where we will get on a shuttle back to Antigua.
In all these places are rows and rows of vendors wanting to sell their wares to us. It is so hard to say NO all the time, but we do. I have been purchasing small items, but my suitcase cannot handle any more! So, I am trying not to buy any more. If I find a deal I cannot resist, Ill have to buy another suitcase! Will write more when I get a chance.
Saturday, September 5, 2009
Missionary Journal
Hello from Guatemala City. I arrived last night around 10:30 p.m. or 12:30 p.m. USA time. It was a long day but I got most of the travel accomplished in one day. We are staying with my friend, Mario, who is in medical school here. His roommate is gone for the weekend, so Vicky and I have the privilege of staying with Mario. It is a nice apartment with two bedrooms and one bath. Although small, it is clean and very adequate for the two men who live here.
This morning we took a walking tour with Dr. Mario to see the campus in which he goes to school. It was very active, even for a Saturday. It is a beautiful school with lots of flowers and trees. Mario said we are his first visitors to come see him since he has been here for two years.
A friend came for us with his car to show us Guatemala City. We went up to the highest place and looked over this enormous city that was in the valley. We saw a volcano in the distance shrouded with clouds. It is beautiful.
Tomorrow, we will travel to the ancient city of Antigua. I've been told by Vicky and Mario that it is quaint and I will love it. I'll let you know.
The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want. We will trust that God will shepherd us through this country and I will not fear.
This morning we took a walking tour with Dr. Mario to see the campus in which he goes to school. It was very active, even for a Saturday. It is a beautiful school with lots of flowers and trees. Mario said we are his first visitors to come see him since he has been here for two years.
A friend came for us with his car to show us Guatemala City. We went up to the highest place and looked over this enormous city that was in the valley. We saw a volcano in the distance shrouded with clouds. It is beautiful.
Tomorrow, we will travel to the ancient city of Antigua. I've been told by Vicky and Mario that it is quaint and I will love it. I'll let you know.
The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want. We will trust that God will shepherd us through this country and I will not fear.
Friday, September 4, 2009
Mission Report
I have arrived in San Pedro Sula, Honduras after a smooth flight. It is hot here, about 94 degrees. The mountains that surround the city are in a haze, but the palm trees are waving with a breeze.
At present, I am sitting in the bus terminal, preparing to board a bus to Guatemala City to explore with friends. This will be my first trip to Guatemala, so I will have a chance to see the country side through the window of a bus during the daylight hours.
Please pray for safe travel since traffic laws in Central America don´t mean a whole lot to the drivers. I have no fear, my God Tsaebaoth will protect me with the hosts of heaven. Thank you, Lord
At present, I am sitting in the bus terminal, preparing to board a bus to Guatemala City to explore with friends. This will be my first trip to Guatemala, so I will have a chance to see the country side through the window of a bus during the daylight hours.
Please pray for safe travel since traffic laws in Central America don´t mean a whole lot to the drivers. I have no fear, my God Tsaebaoth will protect me with the hosts of heaven. Thank you, Lord
Thursday, September 3, 2009
A Word From Debbie
My Dear Readers,
I will be on a missionary journey beginning tomorrow, September 4th and will return September 16th. During this time, I will not be writing devotions. I will be visiting the Central American countries of Guatemala and Honduras.
While in Guatemala, I will be traveling with an American missionary, Vicky Skelton, who resides full time in Honduras. She will be scouting out places for a team coming in October to visit. So, I'll be tagging along as well as visiting a dear friend who is going to medical school in Guatemala City.
Then when we get to LaCeiba, Honduras, I will be teaching three seperate groups of ladies in meetings. My messages will be on the Names of God. Please pray for me as we travel in Guatemala and then while I share about our awesome God and His characteristics.
In His Service
I will be on a missionary journey beginning tomorrow, September 4th and will return September 16th. During this time, I will not be writing devotions. I will be visiting the Central American countries of Guatemala and Honduras.
While in Guatemala, I will be traveling with an American missionary, Vicky Skelton, who resides full time in Honduras. She will be scouting out places for a team coming in October to visit. So, I'll be tagging along as well as visiting a dear friend who is going to medical school in Guatemala City.
Then when we get to LaCeiba, Honduras, I will be teaching three seperate groups of ladies in meetings. My messages will be on the Names of God. Please pray for me as we travel in Guatemala and then while I share about our awesome God and His characteristics.
In His Service
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