"The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me, because the LORD has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners, to proclaim the year of the LORD's favor and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn, and provide for those who grieve in Zion — to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair."~from ISAIAH 61 Bible verse for this Blog

APOLOGY to READERS who followed a SEARCH to HERE & didn't find it

On July 18, 2017, I drafted almost 3000 blog posts that I had published since 2008 when I began blogging, rather than edit each one. So if you clicked here from somewhere else and ended up with the post unavailable or error, I am sorry but this is why. It'd be too much work for me to go back and fix them. There's an explanation on 7/19/17 as I'm still learning.
Showing posts with label This is My Story. Show all posts
Showing posts with label This is My Story. Show all posts

Wednesday, June 24, 2015

WALK On WEDS. (WOW) ~ PROJECT ANYTHING

As I kinda mentioned in last FRIDAY FOCUS that I should change my PROJECT H.O.P.E. to my 'new' Project "ANYTHING" {since HOPE was My One Word in 2014, not 2015, I named it that last Lent} but it certainly is "ANYTHING" and ties up so well all my "anythings" here in Mexico. since coming here in 1996 to step out in faith and my calling since 6th grade {I waited} ... this one "Project" among so many others of a different nature ... is one that more or less puts all of my HOPE and all of my ANYTHINGS together ... so let's take a different kind of WALK On {thisWEDS. looking at the partial completion (which means - so far, but not yet finished) of my PROJECT ANYTHING


Unlisted Video

{PREFACE: I can't believe that I came back and am adding to this already "way too long" blog post but I just had to preface all of what is written here with I am not sharing this to say what I've done because it's not what I have done at all or alone, it takes many ... and this is just one of ever so many in need of much: HOPE or an ANYTHING project in this vast needy world in which we live ... this is what God laid on my heart, but it took more than me to accomplish this, to God be the Glory. I am not submitting this story to the ANYTHING PROJECT although this is exactly what it is. And it can be duplicated many times over and over to reach others and make a difference in His Story for His Glory and theirs in the Kingdom of God. I submit this here humbly as ...

"My Long "ANYTHING" Story: Testimony to God for His Glory"


When I came to Mexico in 1996 finally, I wanted to work with the kids (after all I'm a double major in Elementary  Ed. (K-6) and Spanish, so that only makes sense, right?) and have been waiting and preparing for this mission adventure since 6th grade with all my educational goals headed south of the border in this direction. So, of course, I was meant to seek out the "orphans" and ministries of this nature with kids because this is exactly what moves my heart. And that's exactly what I did do when I first came. After God spoke to me on the beach the year before I first came through Susana (my 108 year old inspiration), God altered my heart just a little to include "women" with the "children" --- those that may not have as many opportunities for education and learning about Jesus. Soon I readjusted once again to include teaching "English" through God's Word and Christian songs and began putting together lessons in English to go with this, which soon became just teaching English. (sigh) Little did I know that God had something totally different in mind for me. Something that I knew very little about but He spoke with an almost audible voice in one of my trips back to Mexico from Minnesota in 2007. I was certain I had heard Him wrong, after all, I knew absolutely nothing about "trafficked victims" of tourism or worldwide exploitation, but He was sure to confirm and show me. For many reasons, I will not go into the details of this course, but God began to open my eyes to so much more as I began to learn about this, the ministries and all that is involved; calling this my "Project A" ... {who knows, some day I may be able to share more on this "A" of Anything and who would have known when I labeled it Project "A" that the Anything Project would come along, starting with 'A'}.

God began putting together pieces of my own life, pieces of my life here since 1996-2007 and then 'outta the blue' something new showed up with the construction project on the house that I was renting ... or actually someone new. The workers that came to do the construction for the "Architect" were from an "albergue" {sorry, I realize that this a Spanish word and the closest that comes to that is a "Shelter for the Homeless"- the forgotten}. God had yet another plan that He would reveal through these workers, many of whom were new Christians, because their "shelter" was administered through one of the first churches I knew from here, "Espiritu y Verdad" which I had lost touch with because they had moved and moved and finally acquired land and began building a church in the "colonia" known as Villa Verde. {colonia/ colony is another word for just a specific section of the city; it is broken into many}. 

All of this previous explanation, is in part to show you when you step out in obedience, thinking you are ready for God's ANYTHING, He may have something entirely different from what you thought or had planned as meeting His will and following His way - your way, He will definitely pull out all stops to show you HIS way and then go about putting the pieces altogether, or running a silver thread from the beginning to the finale, for you to see how HE really was in this from the beginning and kept trying to get you to see it from His perspective. In the meanwhile, He allows you to "mess" up but He'll keep bringing you back to the ANYTHING He had planned. 

Introduce one of the workers that stands out from the others and faithfully stays with the construction project from the beginning to the end. The short of this individual's complicated life story up to the age of almost 50 ... is he is one of those "forgotten" (abandoned child, left in the care of his grandma until she dies; parents never took care of him as they parted ways and moved on with others starting over with new families, which become his "step" family, half brothers and sisters; yet (until recently by some) he is never acknowledged as family ... in fact, his life went clearly off the deep end in the wrong direction and he was thought dead, so all that was his from his "abuelita" was sold by his mother and sister. He had nothing and no one and really no reason to live, until Christ came into his life on Dec. 20th, 2011 changing everything) ... he was one of those sent to work on this construction project. 

The significance in all this, is I was ready to go home to MN, call it quits (for now) when God showed me that this precious new Christian needed a 'Shelter' of his own that indeed God is Our Shelter and Our Refuge but He does have a plan for each one of His children. This individual needed to get away from other individuals in the "albergue"- the influence that could have pulled him back to his former old self (like me or you) and given a chance to grow in Jesus Christ with his own place to live. God tugged on my heart last year to begin in Lent, a Project to give him this H.O.P.E. thus began Project H.O.P.E. ... land was finally acquired, construction of his own house began in 2015. And the above video (a documentation of God's work) is where and what he has accomplished with God on his own (mostly) through the blessings of a few donations and months of saving and looking [for another version of this story, you can go to the original blog when I got this in my spirit HERE]

He and another Christian friend (brother in Christ) found this land and divided it to have their own place to live ... so already the HOPE was spread to more. His home is built in the colony of "San Antonio"  here ... {"San Antonio"/St. Anthony is the Catholic patron saint of "lost things" ... or lost causes, or patron of the poor} ... I don't believe it was just a coincidence that they found their land here, it was most definitely a GOD-incidence, and God put all of what I had hoped together in this one person, this one soul, who needed His Heavenly Father to provide and care for him, and I pray that God still will, because he will and has many needs yet to come. He is one child among many that somehow in society (whether it's in Mexico or right in our own community) slips through the crack ... never finishes their education, lives on the street, never is able to find acceptance in a family, never draws near to God or a church, for fear and lack of knowing that there is one God, who cares and is willing to go that extra mile to WALK with us to show us His Love ... His ANYTHING -  to make us SOMETHING outta NOTHING. After all, He's God of the Miracles and this one is just getting started. 
We have excellent programs to sponsor many children throughout the world, by supporting them each month, which I totally recommend and am all for ... it's easy to love a "child"; however, on the other spectrum of life, those of us that have reached beyond mid-life ... have been forgotten and quite often need support also. Many, even if they wanted to continue working to go on living, can no longer find employment and in third world countries, economics just don't take care of the aging ones without families to care for them. More and more, families cannot take care of their own, much less their aging parents and sadly too many have forgotten them. Much of what I admired in the Mexican culture of extended families, caring for sometimes 3 generations under one roof is fading and not much of a reality any longer, at least not for the poorest among them. {well, this is another dilemma and topic for another time and journey but meanwhile there are many that are being left "forgotten"  living on the streets, homeless} God forgive us. So many needs ... so much to do ... so many left by the road side

Luke 12:48b

The Parable of the Good Samaritan

Matthew 7:24-27

Matthew 9:35-38; Luke 10:2

"We instinctively tend to limit for whom we exert ourselves. We do it for people like us, and for people whom we like. Jesus will have none of that. By depicting a Samaritan helping a Jew, Jesus could not have found a more forceful way to say that anyone at all in need - regardless of race, politics, class, and religion - is your neighbor. Not everyone is your brother or sister in faith, but everyone is your neighbor, and you must love your neighbor."― Timothy KellerGenerous Justice: How God's Grace Makes Us Just "


Some more quotes to think about


"I have found the paradox that if I love until it hurts, then there is no hurt, but only more love. ~Mother Teresa

If you can't feed a hundred people, then feed just one. ~Mother Teresa

Never worry about numbers. Help one person at a time, and always start with the person nearest you. ~Mother Teresa


How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single moment before starting to improve the world. ~Anne Frank

GOD

will use

ANYONE

to do

ANYTHING

if we are open and begin

our

ANYTHING

by handing God our

EVERYTHING

and

making

SOMETHING

from

NOTHING

for

SOMEONE

who has

NO ONE

but

YOU

as their first

BIBLE

to show

JESUS

to them


TO BE JESUS 

ALIVE

THROUGH HIS SPIRIT

MAKING A DIFFERENCE

REACHING ONE MORE FOR

JESUS CHRIST

in Jesus' Name


Thank you for giving your ANYTHING!

In His Grace

Peggy


*additional part to "This is My Story" 7 part series +
giving testimony to the many tests of my mission
a message from my messes; a triumph from my trials



"God Cares About Every Detail" should be the title of this WALK on WEDS. and was my intent until God moved me to "detail" this part or this much of my "ANYTHING". As you can see, I had much bottled up to share and pour out as I put together this video of our progress update to God's Glory that I just had to show how very much God cares, I care and we should care for others - one by one, WON by One ... please take the time to pop over to "Meet Me in the Meadow" to read the "Someone Cares" #4 for this week ... I'm sure it will bless you as it motivated me! 

Thursday, August 26, 2010

END of THIS STORY

SO VERY THANKFUL

that
"I CAN BEGIN AGAIN"

with 
Larnelle Harris

(hit start and continue to read, no video to see, just a great song to hear)


Yes, as the words of this song say:

"I can begin again..."
and
I am so thankful
that
in
JESUS CHRIST
I am
BORN AGAIN
and
through
HIS HOLY SPIRIT
I can
LIVE
again

BE
FREE
and
TESTIFY

"THIS IS MY STORY"
(the personal testimony of my steps of faith)
is really not complete
because
the greatest part
has
just begun
...

So the
END of THIS STORY
is actually the
beginning
of more
yet
to
BE

of course, the real end, I believe
will be when I am at the feet of my
Precious Lord Jesus
and even then
it will be the BEST & REAL END of this story
I cannot wait until the
Author & Finisher
completes this
Never-Ending
STORY

<>

It is in these last 15 years that my life and passions have really come to be and I know that God willing, if He tarries much longer, the best is yet to be! My journey from so many MAZES and MESSES; bondage to freedom, brokenness to wholeness; failures to true success did not just happen overnight or in one conversion experience. I am still on the path to becoming more and more complete and free in Him; because it's a lifelong process. Wrong habits, unhealthy choices and hang-ups, feelings, thinking and acting take time to change and be transformed. And it all happens because of Jesus Christ & the Holy Spirit in me, step by step... these are STEPS of FAITH!



ooohhh 
And the end of this story...well, we'll all see how that turns out...

ONE DAY
AT
A
TIME
UNTIL
THAT
FINAL
DAY
OF

JUDGEMENT

It's a never ending story... I'm hopeful in that!


[THESE POSTS are in the 
REVERSE ORDER]
so the start is at the end of this list as


Still awake in the early hours, in prayer for so many on my heart over at The Lighthouse of Prayer and throughout blog land, when I was ready to shut down my laptop, this song just rose up from within me so, of course, I had to have accompaniment and I quickly rushed over to YouTube, not getting the right song and finally... well, it's posted over at a different blog:  THE POWER of YOUR LOVE!!! {when I recently tried to follow link I did not arrive there, so perhaps it's best not to follow} 

Tuesday, August 24, 2010

THIS IS MY STORY... Part VII.

STEPS of FAITH...
a LETTER from CHRIST


... a REFLECTION

(The Message) says:
...Peggy,
your very life is a letter...
that anyone should be able to read by just looking at you.
Christ Himself wrote it ...
...with God's Living Spirit...

and we publish it
right here

This next part of my life is very endearing to me. Once more I cannot share as much as I would like to about this because it involves our precious daughter. However, God used this time of a critical health situation for her, to bring us together in a bonded relationship like a real mother and daughter. His touch upon her life was a profound MIRACLE! Because of her undiagnosed situation for one year, after an emergency hospital near death situation; because her hemoglobin levels had dropped so low, followed by weekly doctor after doctor to specialists and frequent hospital visits, blood draws and infusions, much trial medicines, her body took a toil. It was at this time, an angel of the Lord in the form of a person, and a special family from our church, took us into their home to be closer to the hospital, but frankly, we needed the family support and love. I was homeschooling our daughter and this beautiful woman friend was homeschooling her two kids. This was a real growing time for both of us and seeing God in this family as well as how a family centered in God works. I truly could never say enough about how this dear saint, her husband and children encompassed us with God's love and made us family that moved me beyond gratitude and indebtedness.


After a year of healing, both our daughter and I moved on: our daughter back home for that summer to be with her brother, who she missed more than he missed her, AND I moved out on my own.(Yep you heard me right. My husband and I had agreed, had a talk, that this was best for now. Me coming home now was not good for either of us)(as of recent summer visit after 15+yrs., that is still the response).

Later in the fall, our daughter came to live with me so I could continue her schooling besides working 2-3 jobs to make ends meet. At this time, my husband, resigned to me being away and began to help me out financially to support our daughter being there. He also had retired at the end of the last school year & was now home full time but planning a trip to Mexico, where we had talked about moving to upon his retirement, so that I could begin working on a mission field I felt I had waited for since 6th grade to make real my calling in life. He knew of this and at one time had considered living part time elsewhere, but that he would travel to see which part was best so that we could go there and he would come & go from there. But all this would not happen until after both kids graduated.

It was while he was gone that our daughter hit the biggest crisis in her health due to the effects of her medicine... her back broke in 3 places and she needed to be put in a body cast, needing to have constant therapy and relearn many basic skills all over again. It was in this time, that she needed to come to rely on me, like a newborn child. So we grew closer together. A bond that deepened both of us in our FAITH. I became a constant prayer warrior. I became dependent on God. She became dependent on me believing in God and her faith like a child touched Him (and me). It was when my church family rose up once again and came together to not just help us by serving, being there but once again, another family took us in with a hospital bed & all the inconveniences of having two people live in their walk in basement. Our home had too many stairs. But when we were able to do so, we made our living room at home into our daughter's bedroom for her hospital bed. During this time, I learned all that I could about her medical needs and how to care for someone around the clock 24/7. My husband was not there, but my church family and God Almighty, the greatest Healer and Divine Great Physician came to live with us.

When my husband returned, with the news that he would never move or go back to Mexico, I told him that I had taken care of our daughter for 6 months alone without him and now it was time for me to go. So I left for a special Holy Week in Mexico... and not only was it the best price ever for a week away, but God met me right here and spoke to me, confirming that urgency, that desire to "go and teach others" about Him. I met a wonderful messenger of God, 108 year old Susana, who had a Word from the Lord she said for me... which was John 14:6 (I shared about SUSANA a long time ago on this blog). It was clearly God speaking...

This trip, just like one I had made before, with a short term mission group to Monterrey, Mexico, was too short for me... and I needed to come back and determined after my encounter with Susana that I would for an entire month to see if I could live in Mexico alone. I came home, ready to return that fall. That summer, my husband and I came to a new agreement. We would separate but remain married unless... so we drew up separation papers but they would not be filed unless... to this day they have not been filed. Yet we have definitely parted our ways.

I know that this is not God's plan for marriage, but I have stepped away, freed him and myself, by removing me from being his obstacle. Yes, I took myself out of being his problem, decreased our stress filled relationship, but left many conflicts unresolved, probably never to be resolved ...YET I believe that God is at work. Yes, I should be under my husband's headship, yes, I do know what God's Word says and Yes, some even believe until this is resolved there will be no fruit in what I do... but God is still working on me...on him and yes, even in the lives around me.

AND I BELIEVE that SALVATION is more than a prayer... and God's Spirit is at work." It is not by Power, nor by Might but by His Spirit... " and He is gentle, never forces, but beckons us to DRAW CLOSE and COME, HUMBLY, Just as we are and that message still needs to hit home and SO, I PRAY and I STAY until HE MOVES ME... and I have HOPE that as He refines me, HE is at work at home... I go home each year with an open heart and mind, ready & willing but it takes two and Jesus being in their midst, actually right in the center, as it should have been at the very beginning, if it is not God's will or God's plan, it will not be done, if it is... IT WILL BE DONE but salvation is for everyone... and it is our CHOICE because of our FREE WILL and Jesus offers this to each one of us with the same love; an eternal love; a forgiving love; a perfect love; just where we are... I have that kind of love for those that have crossed my life's journey.

...end of Part VII...
Do you know Jesus Christ as Savior and have you made Him Lord?
Do you have loved ones that you are praying for their salvation?
Have you witnessed to them,
opened the door
to Jesus
sharing
His love
for them?
I do

KEEP PRAYING then BELIEVE
and
SEE them as SAVED

RECEIVE by FAITH

THANK HIM
claiming them for God's Kingdom.

NOW LIVE LIFE like JESUS
filled by HIS SPIRIT

BE HIS WITNESS
LIVE IT
TESTIFY
KEEP IT REAL
LIVE FOR JESUS



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yydqnfYqT0E

How I would like these words to be
REFLECTED
in me
&
from me
through my life
actions
words


from one ugly duckling
to
one godly swan
reflecting
HIS LOVE
made in His image
to
be
JESUS
to
U

Can I pray with you? or for you? or for your family to know Jesus? I'd love to have the honor. Let me know right in the comments.


HERE are the other parts of "THIS IS MY STORY" (under the label testimony,too)

Thursday, August 12, 2010

THIS IS MY STORY... Part IV

(for previous parts see links at the end)

STEPS of FAITH...
a LETTER from CHRIST ... a REFLECTION

"...Your very lives are a letter that anyone can read by just looking at you. Christ Himself wrote it—not with ink, but with God's living Spirit; not chiseled into stone, but carved into human lives—and we publish it."
(verse 3 from "The Message")



As I go backward and walk through these STEPS of FAITH, I realize that some of my deepest pains and greatest hurts, God has usually turned them around and made them my deepest & greatest passions, or I'm able to use that pain for His gain by sharing that portion of my life to someone else in a difficult or similar place. I truly believe that is part of why God allows this and we are meant to share with one another and encourage one another.

As I go back and reread each part that I have shared, I recall parts that I did not share, wondering whether I should mention this or that. Then I wait for God's spirit to move me or speak. By MOVING FORWARD in my life to the wonderful MIRACLE of adopting two blessings on my life, I had overlooked the 7 years since my graduation, followed by my mental health setback then marriage.

I was afforded a wonderful opportunity right out of college, with my college's summer enrichment program and also was given an outstanding privilege to be given a teaching contract at the school where I had student taught. That school, those students and staff, still hold a place in my heart and a fond memory as one of the BEST, favorite year of teaching. It was truly a dream assignment of teaching Kindergarten through 4th grade bilingually in English & Spanish!!! I treasure that time. I also worked with their cheerleaders as I had other teams since high school as their advisor/trainer/teacher. This truly kept the JOY of the Lord before me & each cheerleader remains engraved in my heart through the many years. I was hired & paid through the public schools but working in a private school, so it was a double blessing. The sad part was having to leave and be laid off after only 3 years, last ones hired, first ones laid off... very untimely.

And that was not in the current economic turmoil but in the late 70s.

We had just found our ideal home instead of renting, against my husband's wishes (at that time), we purchased our 7 and a half acres of paradise and our home since then, among the pines & beauty of God's refuge for me. Then and now. A dream place come true, though the house was bigger than what we need.

The beginning of the 80s, brought the completion of another dream for me before the adoption of our two 3 year olds. I bought my first horse, a purebred Arabian colt, a dream of mine since childhood to own a horse. But this was a newborn and one that I would have the delight of training or being trained. Trust me there are many lessons learned as you 'break a horse', with no background in the how-to's and take care of them. At this same time, we boarded a horse, since I could not ride mine. The owners were glad to have me take their horse out and keep him exercised during the week. I often walked my little horse along side.

We also opened our home to teenagers that year, 13 foster kids in total, but not all at once, living in our home. I think the most was 6. We started out with teenage moms, trying to keep their babies (the reason I wanted to do this). It was during this time, I realized that teaching other's kids was not enough for me, as I had told my husband it would be. I was now longing to BE a REAL mother. I wanted to have my own children and started looking into the available possibilities. My husband unaware. He already had fathered a beautiful daughter (a year older than me) with his first wonderful wife & mother of her, so it just was not something he had in our plans and we had discussed this before we married if I'd be alright with not having children. And I had told him, being a teacher was the ideal way of surrounding your life with kids, a good variety and not having to take them home (though there were many, that I would have loved to have had as my own). Yet it was at this time, I wanted the fulfillment of "having your own kids"my own.

[I'm leaving out two profound stories from this time in my life, even though they probably had much to do with my future MIRACLE and my spiritual life lessons: one with having children and the other with a horse (my so called near fate with death) which was from being thrown and fracturing my skull instead of breaking just a shoulder or hip like most. Yes, both of these impacted my life (and others significantly) many decisions and choices were perhaps altered because of these episodes, but as previously noted, I won't share other's lives or what may be forever written indelibly online as soon as you publish it publicly.]

My main reason is because I do not want you to focus on my story or the details but on HIS redemptive story in me. It is through God, His WORD and my faith walk with Him, that I have been transformed and my mind renewed through His powerful truths.

However, there is one point I will share from one of these two; a rather important part from the horse fall. While in the hospital, because of my own thinking of a near death experience, being unable to move from the waist down, thinking this was it, paralyzed or dead: a deep sense of the importance in prayer was stirred in me. It was at the time I was new to my second church, and people I hardly knew from that church, came to visit & pray for me, & with me, telling me others in the church were praying too. This moved me deeply and touched me eternally.

Then my own sister (who lived in California) came & visited... this is why I was sure this must be it for me. So I too prayed fervently.

I wanted my life to make a difference. I wanted my faith to increase and my power in praying just like theirs. I also prayed fervently as regards the other untold part as well because God's mercy and forgiveness is overwhelming!
When you spend time before Him, seeking His heart, He really sees your heart and He truly knows your heart. He takes us beyond the pit and resurrects His Spirit in us. God truly knows the desires of our hearts and also when we are truly contrite before Him. He used this experience to draw me into a deeper prayer life.

God answered these prayers and drew me to HIM at that time, and into that deep desire to grow closer in PRAYER with scripture. So my intimacy with God reached a beautiful new level. I had ascended to a new level up the mountaintop with Him from the many valleys.

...end of Part IV...

My STEPS of FAITH are
being made
firm
on the ROCK since
being laid
in the sand


Thank you for reading through this, I do hope you'll continue with me.

[I only wrote up to Part VII. (7 parts) throughout August and an ending]

[sequence is reverse order]


To my faithful visitors;
all of you who spend your valuable time here with me
I do appreciate you so much!

Thank you for taking your time to visit!

Love, Sweet blessings & Hugs!

DIOS TE BENDIGA
GOD BLESS YOU

always

Peggy