Weekend around the world

Well, it was a busy weekend!

I went to scrap with some friends on Friday night. A very dear friend has us over once or twice a month from 6:30pm until whenever we all leave. She's such a gracious hostess and enjoy my time there working on my pages. I'm making progress... I have almost filled one album completely since I began scrapbooking this past spring. I started with the earliest pictures I have (beginning of high school) and am working through chronologically. I'm almost through my second and last year of college now. I'm getting more excited as I progress because as I get to newer stuff I'll be able to be more creative with my writing and layouts because I remember the details better than stuff in high school and college!

Saturday late morning I have a home full of friends for a Pampered Chef party. We had a great time and of course enjoyed the food. I took a short nap and had some dinner before heading out to a wedding shower for a couple from my Sunday school class. I didn't stay late because I was tired, but a good time was had by all. My Sunday was much more relaxed... after church and Sunday School I had some lunch and read a book while watching some of the football games. I'm quite sure I dozed a bit too. I do like my naps!

We are in the middle of our tything/giving campaign right now at church and this was commitment Sunday. We are pledging for a many-phased building campaign that will allow us to build in stages and in such a way that we have several worship venues and will be able to reach out to different cultures as well as different age groups and tailor worship services and opportunities to each without having to change the current service for those who enjoy it. I really like the way they have put this together and believe that the Lord is leading us in this direction. We heard a testimony on Sunday morning from a church member who grew up in Taiwan, China. She came to be in the states with the help of an American mission team many, many years ago. In the last year or so, she has been speaking with our pastors about opportunities to go back to her homeland and reach others for Christ. This past June, 2 of our pastors along with she and her husband went on a mission discovery trip to China, I believe for 2 weeks. Her small hometown (pop. 3 million) has only 2 protestant church buildings and all services are crowded to overflowing. The team from our church met with some of the leading pastors there for luncheon and we asked what we could do to help and support them. They asked us to build them a church, they have the land, but need the building. The details are being worked out now and we will be sending a team to do the building. This is a very definite God-thing because as I understand what the team eplained, churches in the Chinese culture do not trust churches from here so easily or so quickly, it usually takes much building of relationship before they would ever inquire for support of this magnitude. Yet, they spoke with boldness to our group!

Praise God - He is working all around the world! So many other reports that I get from field personnel that I'm in contact with and hearing several times a week how hungry peoples of many, many nations are for the Living Word. I consider it a privilege to be a part of many teams as a prayer partner. Won't you consider seriously praying consistently for even one people group? If this is something that sounds intriguing or interesting to you and you have questions, or want to know where or how you can get more info, please let me know and I can put you in touch with resources.

In the meantime, may God bless you richly as you go about your day! Remember, someone is watching you and trying to figure out what is different about you - let His light shine through you in an unmistakable way!