During this season we are reminded that the Creator

became flesh and dwelt among us.

What LOVE ! Phil 2:5-8
It is beyond our comprehension. His Love! Rom 3:11
He pursues us. True Love, Grace and Mercy! John 3:16
And what does He ask from us? Faith. Heb 11:6

May the God of peace, who through the blood of the eternal covenant brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep, equip you with everything good for doing His will, and may He work in us what is pleasing to Him through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory for ever and ever Amen.

Hebrews 13:20-21

Happy New Year

Merry Christmas

For to us a child is born to us a son is given, and the government will be on His shoulders. And He will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

Isaiah 9:6

For those of us who know Jesus and have a personal relationship with Him, we know and live in His peace, joy, grace, mercy, and happiness.

God wants that none should perish but that all should come to repentance.

But God demonstrates His own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Romans 5:8

Do you know Jesus? Do you know His peace?

John 3:16 For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.

May you all have a joyful Christmas

Morning and Evening in Kenya

Evening in Kenya looking out from my windows. It is quite
beautiful here in Kenya everything is green and the flowers are beautiful.

You can see God's hand everywhere you look.

Mornings are also beautiful, God's awesome light shining through the clouds. When I look at God's sunrises and His sunsets,
I think of God's Word.

Psalm 119:105

"You word is a lamp to my feet

and a light for my path"

Glory to God

My first attempt at Banana Bread in Kenya. As you can see the banana's are very small you can get the bigger banana's like you see in the States, but oh the taste of the little ones. Once I was able to figure out what I needed and then go to the market and get the right ingredients, which is not always easy because the names may be different I was able to put it together. As you can see we tried it and it is great.

To God Be The Glory

Well it has been awhile since I last updated. So much has happened since then. Training was completed on November 9th, and than I flew back to Oregon with just a month to finish preparing for my departure date of December 11th.

It was wonderful to be back with family and friends to worship with them, to spend time fellowshiping, to be back home. Where is home well for me it is where ever God has me laying my head down at night.

So the month home was spent purchasing things still needed to go with me, pack the action packers then repack the action packers. Continued communication with the airlines, saying my farewells. My church Emmanuel Bible Church held a commissioning service for me on December 9th, than the evening of the 9th, they planned a farewell party which I like to say was a PRAISE THE LORD PARTY!!!! It was a wonderful time.

December 11th was departure date. I arrived in Africa on December 12th, after 21 hours in the air. Praise God for the good flights.
So what am I doing now. More prepartion,getting to know people, adjusting to an 11 hour time difference. Repacking the action packers, yes once again. New sounds, new food, new language. Praise God.


TO GOD BE ALL THE GLORY

Action Packers again

John Chisum, George Searcy

Our heart our desire
Is to see the nations worship

Our cry our prayer

Is to sing Your praise to the ends of the earth That with one mighty voice

Every tribe and tongue rejoices

Our heart our desire

Is to see the nations worship You

Heavenly Father Your mercy showers down upon all people

Every race upon this earth

May Your Spirit pierce the darkness

Break the chains of death upon us

Let us rise in honest worship To declare Your matchless worth

There is no power that for one hour

Can withstand the greatness Of Your Word on tongues of faith

So we're bold in intercession

Praying now that every heart will bow

Before You Lord in praise in praise

Our heart our desire

Is to see the nations worship You

© 1993 Integrity's Hosanna!/Integrity's Praise! Music

Allowing the Gospel to Change our Hearts

God's provisions for equipping, here at CIT; first class completed today. What an awesome 5 weeks it has been. Meeting new brothers and sisters in Christ that are going all over the world that have said to God "send me I will go"

Being stretched. Learning that I will be a learner a 150% person: What is a 150% person?

The example set by Christ; who, "being in very nature God," did not cling to that identity but instead became not only a Jew but also a servant among Jews (Phil 2:6-7) We must love the poeple to whom we minister so much that we are willing to enter their culture as children, to learn how to speak as they speak, play as they play, eat what they eat, sleep where they sleep, study what they study, and thus earn their repect and adminration. In essence, we must leave our prison, enter their prison, and become full participants within it. (From Ministering Cross-Culturally S. Lingenfelter & M. Mayers)

Who am I "I am a CHILD of the KING

Have you ever looked at the heart of an Orphan:

I am alone, unwanted

It's all up to me (other's don't care)

I am responsible for life

I must earn acceptance

I need to create order for safety

I have a question for you.

What would be missing in your relationship with God if He was just your Savior, but not your Father?

I have the weekend off, what will I do, update my blog, catch up on sleep, answer emails, and prepare for Monday morning. Language Acquisition. (How do I learn a language?)

God has equipped CIT to prepare people for the call to Cross Cultural Ministry. The work load is heavy, reflection and processing, study, spending time in God's Word, searching out scripture, memorizing scripture, there is no better way to spend time than going deeper and deeper with the Lord and His Word. CIT is Scripture based with Godly men and women who have been where you are going. God has equipped them so that they can equip us. God is the head and the very core of CIT. You can check them out at http://www.cit-online.org/

ALL FOR HIS GLORY

Studying

We have a lifetime of studying and learning

Preparing for the field

God's abundant blessings. CIT, God has provided a setting to be able to learn, to spend hours in His Word and grow deeper deeper. I LOVE IT!!!!. CIT is scripture based with God at the head. We start every day with devotionals, than go into the days learning, Life mapping, Learning Styles, Worldview, Ethnocentrism, Did you know that people growing up knowing only one culture and language are monocultural, and that Momoculturalsim is the assumption that all other people are like us. Cross Cultural Communication and so much more. The brothers and sisters that are teaching us have all spent time on different fields as missionaries, and they are willing to share with us and be transparent, to help equip us for our different fields. Pray for us as we continue learning. The learning will never end, we have a lifetime of learning.

CIT Roommates

Kathy is my roommate. As we get to know each other more, we are finding out that God has put us together for a reason. (Every thing He does is for His Glory), we worship together, pray together, process together, and God has given us a safety to be able to talk to each other about all sorts of things.
Part of my/our training here at CIT is community living. We are many families, many personalities, many differences. We are all wonderfully made by our Creator, and we are all Children of God.

God The Creator of Heaven and Earth

Oregon coast, and clouds hanging

Continuing to Prepare

Returning home in the middle of July many things have come to a close and things continue to change.

For the first few days that I returned home I lived in a tent in my sister's back yard. That was fun, and such a privilege to experience that before going to the field.

God provided the one who He wanted to fill my spot at church, so we were working together so she could be equipped to step in.

Spending time with family and friends and starting to grieve leaving everything I know and everyone I love. God's promise "Heb 13:5 "...Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you." So we say with confidence, "The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid." Sadness, Joy, Happiness, Excitement.

The day before leaving my sister and I went to the coast, to spend time together and in God's word and praying. To just sit and watch His awesome strength as the waves come in.

So now I am back in North Carolina at CIT for 2 1/2 months of cultural training, team building, community living, and spiritual formation. What an awesome experience, and one Studying different cultures, what is right what is not acceptable. Being prepared to become a child and sit and listen and learn. It is not about the task first it is about relationships, community. Western Worldview, what we perceive to be correct or right is that the worldview of another culture? No
The challenge is to listen, don't assume, to not be critical, to want to become a child sitting at the feet and learning.
"If we are to follow the example of Christ, we must aim at incarnation! Jesus said, "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself" (Matt. 16:24). These acts of self denial are in fact the first steps of freedom in Christ. We must consciously release our attachments to home, income, security, convenience, significance in work or ministry, and even comfort of family. We must enter a new community of strangers, often without many if not most of the comforts and symbols of home, and begin as children, learning at the feet of those we have gone to serve. The challenges will shape us; the changes will trouble us. Our bodies will get sick, our minds will suffer fatigue, our emotions will sweep us from ecstasy to depression. Yet the love of Christ will sustain us so that we can identify with Paul, who said, "I have become all things to all men so that by all possible means I might save some. I do all this for the sake of the gospel, that I may share in its blessings" (1 Cor: 9:22-23) (Ministering Cross Culturally). Alot to learn, alot to process but God says "I can do all things through Him who gives me strength" "It is not I who lives but Christ who lives in me" that God would choose to use me is humbling, All the glory goes to my Lord and Savior.

CIT sits at the bottom of the Blue Ridge mountains you can go to their web site at http://www.cit-online.org/ if you are interested in finding out more about them. Everything they teach is tied to scripture and God is the head. What a awesome way to be equipped.

By His Amazing Grace

Family

After leaving CIT in July I flew to FL to spend time with my family. It was a wonderful time of sharing fun, laughter, go cart riding, which I was told grandma (me) had more fun at than the children. It was wonderful.

In Transition

Hi everyone:

Another week has passed, when I think about the time I've been here at CIT it has been a wonderful time of fellowship with the Lord. Going deeper and deeper into His Word. But it has also been a time of stretching and meeting new sisters' and brothers' in Christ, and seeing how God is working in the lives of all.

Some going to Russia, some going to Vietnam, some going to Africa, some to India, all in transition and all of us pretty much homeless during this time of equipping. But I can truly say all of us Joyful and giving Thanks and Praises to our Lord and Savior.

Kay and I took a little time Saturday (Kay and her husband Kirk will be going to Cameroon, but will first be in language school for a year), to go and do some hiking in the Blue Ridge Mountains. What an awesome sight, God's creation in another part of the US.

If anyone is interested in seeing where I'm at and what I am doing check out CIT's website http://www.cit-online.org/.

The Lord bless you

Following His Call
Debbie

Chimney Rock, NC.

Following His Call

Much has happened since the last time I was at this site. So let's see if I can update everyone.

I was at Simco in Charlotte NC when this Blog was created for 3 weeks of training. Meeting with many different people and boards and listening to hear God's direction on His calling.

I will be joining a team in Africa and will be Ministering to Widows and Orphans. I am so excited that God has called me to this area.

Alot of things to do. I moved out of the house the Lord has provided for me for the last 2 1/2 years and the first weekend in June had a yard sale and sold all my stuff, moved in with my sister and brother for a couple of weeks, all in preparation for coming back to NC (Which is where I'm at now) and spending 3 weeks studying God's Word. What an exciting time. Going deeper and deeper with the Lord.

When I finish here I will be going to Florida to see family for a few days. Then will return home for about 6 weeks before returning to NC for 2 1/2 months of Cultural training, team building, Spiritual formation, community building. Some one once asked me what I do for fun. With a smile on my face I said THIS!!!!

Once I return from NC in November, if it is God's perfect timing I will have about 2 weeks before going to the field.

Pictures of Malakal

Click here for pictures from Malakal, Sudan.