GRACE's PERSONAL NEWSLETTER PAGE
Archives - INDEX to Personal newsletters
Dear
friends...there is a lot in this long newsletter, and many of you may not have
time to read it all; others have heard about bits and pieces of it. Therefore
I have put it into smaller sections for easy access to the sections you are
interested in reading as able.
I hope
this helps :)
I am so sorry it has been so long since I have updated you and since I have written you personally more than just a couple lines here and there between the stuff of life...So much continues to happen and to change that I can't keep up! I'm sure you know the feeling!
So this update is very linked to my August 2005 newsletter which I also finally recently finished - I had been about to send you the link for that some months ago but just as I was about to finish the last paragraph, the whole thing disappeared and I didn't have the energy/motivation to re-do it until recently...so some of the things referred to in this newsletter are very connected to or following up on that newsletter.
How are YOU and how have YOU been
doing?? I have heard from some of you but would love to hear from the rest of
you as well as you're able!
The past months have been rather wild - actually this whole year was quite different than the norm in some ways!...major changes/transitions happening on all kinds of fronts in my life...almost in every way, it seems!
So I'm trying to keep up with the Lord and trying not to run ahead; trying to listen and cooperate when I hear; trying to deal with my on-going health issues and changes, family changes - some positive and some negative (almost everyone has been having health issues); etc., and I have had a lot of company from out of town and out of country - which has been WONDERFUL! With all of this going on in addition to my regular work, it has been more difficult to try to keep connected during this time...hopefully my connecting will improve again before long!!
Mostly the changes are very encouraging and many things that I have been praying about for years seem to be becoming more clear and some more of my dreams seem to actually be 'being birthed' (even this past week!!!!!) that I've been waiting/praying for for years - others seem to be slowly being 'raised from a state of appearing dead' for many years!! Aaaah, the process of waiting for our visions to come into being... Meanwhile, other things that have been moving forward are having to change or be laid down until God raises them up again...
OVERVIEW
As you can see in the August
2005 edition of the newsletter, the year began with getting a strong sense
from the Lord about some things I felt He was putting on my heart for this year:
+ He wanted me to COME UP HIGHER (more details about what that meant/means to
me in the August newsletter noted above)
+ He wanted me to cooperate with Him in having Him break up more of my unplowed
ground (Hosea)
+ This was going to be a year where eveything that can be shaken will be shaken
(Heb). - This year was going to involve more transition in pretty well every
area of my life
He has indeed been working on all of these areas big time this year!! (again, much more info about that in the Aug. newsletter).
He has been bringing me through a lot of emotional and spiritual pain to even greater levels of healing, freedom and intimacy with Him; but I sense there is more to come as I've recently felt like I've come up against some more blocks that I'm trusting Him to break through! Interestingly, it seems to me that whether we are experiencing physical, emotional or spiritual healing, it always involves some level of pain before the healing comes. Seems to be a part of the package. Often we don't tend to shy away from the pain because we feel like we've already have enough of that, but I'm finding out more and more that if we are not willing to face the pain, we will likely also not find the healing which is on the other side. A sore needs to be cleaned out before it can heal...not a pleasant experience...Same with spiritual/emotional healing...but the freedom and healing afterwards is TOTALLY WORTH IT!!!
A major area that He has been dealing with this year is in the area of my FEARS (which I hadn't realized I had), but boy did He know that they were there and He found ingenius ways to bring them to the surface so that I had to face them and deal with them!
ANSWERS
TO PRAYER
There have been many incredible answers to prayer, which you can find more details
on in the August
2005 newsletter). For example:
+ God provided some custom-made shoes for my crippled feet!!
+ God miraculously enabled me to get up off the floor (something I've not been
able to do in over 12 years!!!) when I fell in my office in spring (I couldn't
even get to my phone less than 3 feet away!)
+ God protected me from an attempted break-in while I was home
+ God kept me from choking, and other fears...
+ God continues to provide amazing 'divine appts'. with people
+ He continues to provide some very interesting opportunities to listen to/share
Him with my non-Christian friends - ie. one of my Sik+h friends who studied
World Religions in Oxford and this is his passion...he's definitely a 'seeker'
and also trying to convert me to his very interesting combination of Sik+hism/kabala
and what have you; one of my New Age friends who used to run a psychic shop
in Surrey; my M*u-slim friends, etc.
+ and many more!
TURNING
WHAT THE ENEMY MEANS FOR EVIL, FOR GOOD
There have been many faith challenges...mostly in the areas of the fears He
has been dealing with. One of the wonderfully encouraging blessings in the midst
of these many fears, though, has been the increasing realization that God speaks
to us and in most of these situations God gave me specific answers that I needed
right then in these wild situations He had me in when I called out to Him!
GOD'S TRAINING/EQUIPPING SCHOOLS
It has also been a year where I've felt like He's had me enrolled in some more
of His 'schools' - it seems He has been teaching me soo much this year...but
as usually seems to happen along with that, the more I realize I still have
sooo much to learn and the more He is calling me to re-align my thinking/life
with His Word!!
All of this is in the context of Him increasingly revealing to my heart His long, high, deep and wide love - SO THAT I - and we as His Church - may be FILLED TO THE MEASURE of the FULLNESS OF GOD. He has been letting me see that so much of my life and the lives of those around us are often built on foundations that are based on many traditions of men rather than purely on the Foundation of Jesus and His Truth. This is where we run into problems.
But I believe He is in the process of changing that in a major way in the comnig months/years as He prepares us to be 'without spot or wrinkle'. The Bible often speaks about Him and His prophets 'tearing down' in order to rebuild, or uprooting in order to plant, etc... I believe we are in a major time of this and in this process we can sometimes feel rather shaky and uncertain as He continues to renew our minds...replacing the lies we've believed and unwittingly had as a part of our foundations, with the Truth!
If are foundations are not deeply rooted in Him, how will we stand firm in what's to come as predicted in Scripture? It is His grace that is constantly wooing us forward into all that He has for us in these days, in the midst of an increasingly intimate and joyful relationship with Himself!
We are to be like the 'Bereans' in checking everything out with Scripture, and not just believe it because it's tradition to believe it... The more He leads me to do this the more I have been seeing that some of my foundations are needing to be restored and He has been in the process of doing that a LOT more this year than in the past, it seems! I hear He is doing that with many these days! And I sense there is much more to come... It is a painful process, but also sooo encouraging and freeing as He replaces the faulty thinking we have believed, with His Truth! That is why we are to renew our minds... The more this happens, the more I see SUCH a need for it in this day and age, especially!
There's soo much more to share but I'll leave some for next time...
Here are a few things that have been/are happening:
+ The GA=TEW*AY CREATION ARTS CENTRE Ltd., (GCAC) which two of my long-term mis-sionary co-workers and I incorporated about 3+ years ago (all as a part of the vision of encouraging ethnic musicians and artists and church planters/mis*sionaries internationally but especially in the M*s world, hopefully also providing some income opportunities for them so they could have some supplemental income if they were ostracized due to their new-found faith, etc.) was made inactive, several months ago, in the country that one of my co-workers/co-directors was working in. She needed to return to Canada due to some unforeseen situations that arose.
Interestingly, before I knew she had made it inactive there, I had been sensing that God was asking me if I was willing to totally lay down the Vancouver/Canada headquarters if He asked me to. At first I thought He was just asking me to be willing, but the more I prayed, the more confirmation seemed to come that He either wanted me to actually shut it down for good, make it inactive for a year or two, or something like that... I have felt that I am not to be involved in the business admin. aspects of that in the next year or two but rather focus more on developing potential products that we can begin to sell once it's functioning as a business - which wouldn't take much cause only a few more things are needed. I also felt that I'm to continue to develop various other aspects that can eventually be a part of that vision again, but feel I'm to go ahead with these things whether I officially stay with the GCAC or not.
I had thought it looked like the GCAC would be ready to roll in early Jan., probably - like the 'baby' was finally about to be born after a several year pregnancy! However, it seems God often lets visions develop to just that point where they are 'ready to roll' before He asks them to be laid down!! That is when the test is a lot more difficult - once there has been a lot of time, emotional, spiritual, prayerful and financial investment into it!
At first it was very difficult to think about laying this down ACTUALLY if He was indeed requiring that, but the more I prayed, the more EXCITED about the idea I became!! because it will free me up to do the things I feel He IS putting on my heart for the next couple years (all still very much a part of the larger and longer term vision), plus everything I work on in the next couple years will fit into whatever He does with me and the arts in the future, anyway, whether the GCAC continues or does shut down completely at some point.
The co-director mentioned above spent several weeks in the Lower Mainland in fall, during which time we spent time praying and seeking the Lord together for His further direction on this. Things didn't really become too clear until the day before she left, when He began speaking to us a lot about it and confirming some general direction about that in many ways...though we're still waiting for the practical application of what that will look like. We hope to have a better idea of that, too, by the end of this year. He put many very interesting Scriptures on our hearts and it was verrry interesting!
One of the things we felt was that we were to literally lay it all down, completely. So as we were in tears and submitting this to God - giving up our 'baby', suddenly He brought to mind the story of Abraham laying down Isaac, and there was a focus on the ram in the thicket... As we prayed about that, we realized that He was indicating that there was going to be a major shift/change, but were not sure what that was.
He then also gave us the story of Hannah and other ones, which also gave further direction and confirmation! I love the way He does this! Interestingly, the day after we felt He had put these things on our hearts, a prayer partner who did not know what we had been receiving from the Lord, sent me a prophetic word that she felt would encourage me...it 'happened' to include the story about Abraham and Isaac and about Hannah!!! And it was only a few pages long!
Anyway, the long and the short of it at this point is that we have felt, so far, that she was to move the GCAC headquarters (a couple boxes of papers at this point :), to where she is in Toronto, and she will likely give it a new name, get a new board out there, and run it as a sole director. We will continue to work together as the Lord leads, much as we would have anyway, but I will not be officially a part of the GCAC unless the Lord indicates differently at some point.
+ ETHNICLAY FINALLY BIRTHED!!!! - Just after I talked with her about my initial sense about feeling like I was to 'lay this down' and pull back from business involvements in this (before she had to return to Canada and before she had made the company inactive overseas), SUDDENLY, after 3 years of waiting/praying for someone to help me put together my EthniClay note cards professionally so I could begin to sell them, suddenly God provided a Christian artist who lives in my Mom's townhouse complex!! to do this together with me, and so I have begun to get some of my cards on the market this fall in time for folks to be able to order some for Christmas gifts or to use themselves as Christmas cards!! Thankfully almost all of the business aspects of this had already been developed (as a part-time home based business) except for a few things, and so it was basically READY TO GO!!!!!! PTL!!! This is a hurdle I was waiting for God to bring solution to for 3 years and now He's done it!! INTERESTING TIMING (for a number of reasons, but more about that in the future, perhaps)!!
I had been praying for months about how He wanted to provide so that I could hire a hand physiotherapist to do physio with me here at home after my upcoming hand surgery, since I am hardly able to get out with the use of BOTH hands!
Since there does not appear to be any supplemental funding available to help pay for these costs, and since I already have such high on-going medical costs, I will need to come up with the extra for that, and whatever other extra help I need during recovery. I also will need to come up with further funding for the new medication my rheumatologist has wanted me on for several years (more about this - ARAVA - in the August newsletter).
As I was praying about how God wanted to provide for this, I felt like at least one of His solutions was the EthniClay products He finally enabled me to begin to sell!
So I feel hopeful that I will be able to get my hand surgery done sometime in spring or thereabouts as the Lord provides at least partially through EthniClay! We'll see how He brings potential buyers! I would appreciate your prayers in this regard. I hope these products will be a blessing to people who receive them!
I have been very encouraged by all the enthusiastic support of many friends and also encouraging support and help from family! I have been encouraged by the Christmas sales of my initial thrust even though at this point the profit is enabling me to recover some of the initial business costs. I think that early in the new year I will begin to have some real profit, and am looking forward to that!
In the coming weeks I plan to begin some of my other marketing plans which I feel God has put on my heart, so we'll see what happens and how He confirms them one way or the other! I need His wisdom and discernment and am praying He will bring me the customers He wants me to have! I hope this also opens the door to touch the lives of many non-believers in the coming years!
Some of my local prayer partners have also deeply encouraged me by offering to help to sell the products through local art shows that we coordinate, through home parties, through other venues, etc. I'm very excited about trying the various options and seeing what God has in mind!
One friend held an 'open house' at her house about week ago...Although it seems the 'open house' idea isn't the best, partially because people might feel strange about going to a stranger's house, or perhaps because it's easy to forget about such an event during a busy Christmas season especially if there's not an RSVP, I did find it encouraging! Apparently only one person showed up, BUT 100% of the people that came bought!! And this person bought a figurine AND 26 note cards!!! I was totally amazed!!
As soon as my friend told me about this, I felt like this one person was significant in the midst of a situation where it could look very discouraging that only one person came. As I prayed about the significance of this, immediately the story that came to mind was the story about Elijah and how he told Ahab that he was hearing the sound of a heavy rain coming - though they were in the midst of a long drought. So Elijah and his servant (Obadiah) prayed for rain. Again and again the servant went to check for rain - and nothing till the 7th (number of completeness) time, and finally came back saying that there was a cloud the size of a man's hand. Immediately Elijah told them to hike up their robes and run so they wouldn't get caught in the downpour!
As this story came to mind, I felt that this woman's purchase was like the cloud that was the size of a man's hand. I have felt, the past months, that I am 'hearing the sound of a heavy rain' coming even though it hasn't looked like it yet...but I feel that this woman's purchase that day is an indication to me to GET READY for the downpour!! What this all means and how it all works out I have yet to find out, but I felt it was a MAJOR encouragement even though it could have looked very discouraging...
I feel very excited about what God has in mind with this, and hope that He also uses it to help provide for others in some ways as well! May His will be done and may He accomplish all of His purposes for EthniClay! I would appreciate your prayers for wisdom, discernment and His protection over all of this in addition to my other involvements. Thank you soo much!!
I also feel that there are aspects to EthniClay which He wants to use to also encourage various church planters that are visual artists. Perhaps about ways that they can also potentially use their visual arts to help supplement their income and help potentially provide some supplemental income opportunities for some of the new believers that they're connected with as well.
Also, it seems that God keeps opening more and more opportunities to use this type of visual art (and could use others as well) to reach out into the marketplace. Maybe it will inspire others that their gifts can also be used in similar ways in an affordable way from a home.
+ SOCIAL & JUSTICE ISSUES - As you have likely been becoming aware, (see more in my Aug05 newsletter) social and justice issues have been increasingly becoming a major burden on my heart over the past several years and especially this past year. The Bible says justice and righteousness are the pillars/foundations of His throne! so it is obviously VERY significant to Him! Encouraging artists to use their gifts to help stand for social and justice issues, both locally and to help missionaries/ministries, etc. overseas that are working directly with oppressed folks there, etc. is also something I feel God leading me into more and more, as well, in conjunction with reaching out to Ms and others locally and overseas, as well. I believe that the Holy Spirit wants to take many that begin to do this here to do it overseas as well, to help to advocate for the oppressed and helpless.
One of the many ways that I feel I'm to be involved is to continue to network folks that share similar vision, whose hearts God is already stirring in these directions. A part of this is also to cast vision, facilitate and perhaps help to coordinate training opportunities and events locally and/or overseas where Christian musicians/artists can get involved. I am hoping to develop some of the initial ones this coming year as the Lord continues to network me and provide the resources, confirm steps and the timing, etc.
A few social and justice issues that have been increasingly becoming some of the top priorities that I have sensed in this regard for my own personal involvement as the Lord leads, and which seem to be being confirmed a lot the past couple months and the timing of beginning to get involved being confirmed in the past several weeks as well, are those of AIDS orphans, refugees/persecuted believers and street ministries!
I recently presented my ideas to the coordinators of the international office (Langley) of the Refugee Highway Network (through Evangelical Fellowship of Canada) and I'm now a part of the network to aid in networking and especially to assist re the arts aspects. It turns out the coordinator is also very keen on utilizing the arts in this regard so I'm hoping, in the coming months, to begin to enlist local and perhaps international artists to begin to develop various art works as part of a couple of collaborative efforts to assist through some of these specific projects.
Similar things are in the beginning stages of developing with some of my local and international contacts that work with or are interested in working with AIDS orphans, as well as with a particular local street ministry nearby. I continue to be amazed at how God continues to connect me with folks and how eager people are to work together shoulder to shoulder to see God's Kingdom expanding!
+ TYING UP LOOSE ENDS: - Slowly but surely I'm continuing to tie up loose ends (something I've felt God has had me working for the past 7 years!!!) and am sure beginning to see why! It seems like next year things are going to be hopping!! I feel that I will finally be done with these loose ends by the end of Dec.!! Perhaps this end of the 7 years is why the 'cloud the size of the man's hand, as mentioned above, was only evident at the end of 7 times of checking to see whether it was raining yet!! Hmmm...wonder if there is a connection?
+ MY FIRST ART SHOW (Lord willing) - I'm hoping to have my first art show in spring and perhaps another one in the fall of 2006 to sell my note cards and figurines. Perhaps by that time I may also have my calendars available. I'm so grateful for some friends that are willing to help me with this, as I may not be able to actually attend, depending on my health at the time. I hope I can, though!! It would be fun and great to see friends and others that come!
+ HOUSE CHURCH TRANSITIONS - The 4 house churches that have been meeting in my home are also going through transitions....one is scattering to some degree as it seems God is continuing to begin new groups and to develop further ministries through the ones that have been a part of the initial group. One of the group started a couple new groups this past year as well! One of the other groups appears to be growing and changing in dynamic somewhat, while another group is also in a major transition but we're not quite sure, yet, what it will look like in the new year...I think we're pretty close to having that made clear to us, though, as it seems the Lord is giving some more indications in that regard in the past short while. Always an adventure to see where He is leading next!!
I am soo blessed that these groups have been meeting in my home since my walking is so difficult that I rarely get out of the house.
I think this is an awesome way to reach shut-ins! I have numerous friends with chronic fatigue syndrome and other illnesses which also keep them homebound, or mostly homebound, and I think that there must be many folks like this in our communities who would be very open to having fellowship in their homes - believers and even unbelievers! I know it continues to be a HUGE blessing to me!!
+ GATEWAY RESTORATION NETWORK - The first Gateway Restoration Network meeting is hopefully going to take place in fall.....this is a group of local believers who share a heart to see the worst section of Surrey restored as we work together as the Body of Christ in that region - whether it's Christians in business, in the arts, in health or education, in politics or whatever. I believe that this is part of the bigger picture and part of the larger foundation that God is building in this region and I have a sense that it will, in the future, help to impact the city with God's love as we seek Him together and work together to see the things on His heart for this region coming into being. This is the region that we were originally hoping to have the GCAC situated. Although that is not now going to happen here as envisioned (I feel God put a verse in 1 Cor 15 on my heart to that end - that the seed must fall into the ground and die before it can bear fruit and that the PLANT THAT COMES UP looks VERY DIFFERENT from the SEED which is planted, yet it contains the seed! - I felt that the Holy Spirit was impressing on my heart, at the time that He asked me to lay GCAC down initially, that GCAC was the seed.), I believe that the seed of GCAC is a part of what will come up.
If it wasn't for the GCAC vision, I probably wouldn't have the same heart for this region as I do now because after the years of praying for God's heart and purposes, etc. for this region, because of the GCAC vision, etc., it seems God has increasingly given me a greater and greater heart for this region and for all of Surrey, and it seems God has continued to enlarge my vision and the GCAC vision is only a part of that.
Because of the GCAC vision, I have also been developing relationships with some of the Christians in business and others in that region that share a heart to see God transform the community. And I think this is an aspect that He wants to use me more in in the coming months and years, as well.
I also hope that through this, Mu+sli*ms and others in the multicultural community will be reached and in turn reach out to their own people and beyond. I also think it will provide many opportunities to intern music and arts missionaries among local refugees and others. It will hopefully help to train and equip them in a less volatile situation for overseas opportunities in some ways, too, before they actually make such a big move.
There are many other dreams that are brewing in my heart in this regard, and I'm praying for God's leading, timing and connections for them. I know that most of them take years for Him to bring into being, but I've also seen Him bring enough of them to pass over the years that it is getting a lot easier to wait for them to 'come to birth'! :) Next time I'll include something about a couple of the larger visions that I feel I'm to write proposals about sometime this winter in order to begin to submit them to people that I've felt He wants me to submit them to, and then see where He takes it from there. I feel the proposals are an initial step of faith and I'll see what He does once these are given to the people He has put on my heart.
+ HOPING TO FINISH BOOK IN SPRING - Another thing I've been sensing that I'm to focus on this winter is on finishing my introductory book about music and the arts (and especially multicultural musicians and artists) and missions, including some initial aspects, of course, about encouraging ethnic musicians and artists and utilizing ethnic worship & the arts in church planting, etc...and of course most of my examples being re the M*us-li+m world, though folks working with other cultures can also utilize most of the same examples in their situations. I have been working on this book bit by bit for about 10 years now by writing numerous articles. So this initial book will be a compendium of these articles, but revised and updated as needed.
I hope to write more articles and books in the future, as well. I seem to be meeting more and more writers/authors who want to potentially work together on some book projects together - with them doing the writing and me providing the EthniClay illustrations.
One of the books I would like to eventually work on in this regard is one which puts together stories in line with the Chronological Bible Storytelling approach which New Tribes Mission developed and which is and has been increasingly effective in reaching Ms and many other groups. Basically it includes some key stories, in chronological order, from Genesis to Revelation, which helps people to understand WHY Jesus had to come, so that even Ms, when they get to the stories of Jesus dying and coming to life to bring salvation, etc., are able to grasp WHY this had to happen. This is a HUGE stubmling stone for them if they don't have the chronological/historical/OT background to this, but apparently it is very effective. I would love to see the arts utilized in presenting this approach, and would like to eventually see this approach developed into musical/artistic presentations, perhaps - perhaps presentations which those that church planters are hoping to reach can themselves be involved in, even? Or perhaps eventually it could be made into a movie appropriate for various cultures and language groups - something like what has been done with the Jesus movie.
Anyway, I know it will take miracles, but some day.... : ) I would love to see this type of thing come into being!! I've talked briefly about the initial concept with some Christian TV outreach station directors in the Mid.dl-e East and with a couple screenwriters, and their initial responses have been very encouraging! I contacted them about this some years ago but have felt to just leave it for some time and keep praying while God sets things up for the next step, which, I believe, is for me to begin to connect some of the interested parties and various types of folks that I know that would be needed on such a team and who share similar vision. I feel my role would be to be the catalyst to pass on the vision and connect some of the initial team, and then see where they take it... But at this point in time I feel this is to be on hold.
+ INTERNSHIPS & PROPOSALS - I also feel that I need to write down some more specific internship possibilities for future internships here locally - perhaps for the coming year and following - and start getting them 'out there', as well as some more specific proposals I feel to propose to some local churches, ministries, etc. of ways that we can encourage our musicians/artists and use the arts to reach out into the marketplace, etc. Hopefully these ideas can also be used by many others in their own situations in many other places, including overseas on church planting teams, etc.
One of the things I feel to begin to work on developing in 2006 is to work with the local Refugee Highway Network and other local ministries and others that are working with refugees, as well as with Christian arts therapists and music/arts educators, etc. to develop some music and arts camps for the children and youth. Camps which can provide some biblically-based arts therapy and opportunities to develop their artistic gifts while developing relationships with godly believers who could continue relationships with them and their families after the camps would be over. These camps could provide many opportunities to show God's love to the refugees and to share about His love with them as well. They could provide opportunties for prayer ministry to the children/youth as well.
I would love to involve summer teams from local churches in these types of possibilities in the future, and hopefully some of the things they learn from this could also be used in refugee camps overseas sometimes... or at AIDS orphanages, or among street people, etc.
+ UPCOMING EVENT COORDINATION - Next year there are several folks (long-time music/arts and missions instructors/practioners that I've been connected with for many years) who have expressed interest in coming out here to do some concerts and/or training in our region and I am sooo excited!!!!!!! We'll see what God has in mind!!! One long time 'musicianiary' couple is hoping to come perhaps the last two weeks of March. I have been deeply blessed by them when I've been with them in Nashville a couple times many years ago, and also by their deeply ministering CDs!! So I'm hoping to see some local and regional events happening during that time in order to hopefully be able to bless and encourage the Body throughout this whole region and not just here in Surrey....
+ GCoMM (Global Consultation on Music & Missions) - Still praying about being able to potentially make it to GCoMM this coming fall (2006) - it would certainly require a major miracle!! GCoMM is a music/missions conference which was first held 2 years ago and run by some of my long-time music/missions colleagues that I've been working with for many years as part of the International Worship & Arts Network (which initially was the AD2000 Worship & Arts Network). I was asked to be one of the resource people and one of the sponsors for GCoMM and they have been praying that I would be able to make it there last time and hopefully this coming time to do some seminars/workshops, etc. re music/missions, etc. I would LOVE to do this and to see the folks that come, since I have been connected with many of them over the years!! If it is not God's timing for me to go in 2006, I certainly do hope I am able to do so the next time! Please pray that His will would be done with this with regard to the extent of my involvements and also the conf. as a whole. Thank you!!
+ DIRECTORY - I finally got the first Lower Mainland Christian Musicians & Artists and Arts Supporters Networking e-Directory out several months ago after working on it for almost 2 years....I'm in the process, now, of finding someone to potentially develop a web site directory of international Christian musicians and artists, which could perhaps be run as a business with a membership fee, etc. I'm talking with the music/arts coordinator of the Transform World (a major international missions networking conf/event - see more info about that in the August 2005 newsletter) team about potentially working together on this somehow, as that is also one of their objectives, so we'll see what God brings about....this could potentially be a huge encouragement to help bring Christian musicians and artists together and help promote them and enable churches/ministries/missions, etc. to find them as needed!
I've also just been asked by Missionsfest, whether I could find someone to coordinate, or whether i could coordinate some local multicultural musicians to play in the lobby at various time slots throughout the weekend. Since I can't be there physically, I'm hopefully going to have one of my multicultural musician friends doing the on-site part and I can do the administrative coordination aspects from here. Just in the process of sorting out the details of this with Missionsfest. Please pray that God will bring the right musicians for this time.
ORGAN
FUNCTION IMPROVING
Healthwise there have been many changes over the past year....some positive,
some negative, and more difficult this year than last. My walking, especially,
has been a lot worse and I have been out of the house a lot less, too.
HOWEVER I am also on some products from my naturpath that I've been on for almost a year, that are also showing, from the tests, that my ORGANS are functioning MUCH BETTER than they were and that they are CONTINUING to improve even though I'm FEELING worse, still!! My naturpath is very encouraged, and anticipates that I should soon be experiencing some major breakthroughs in my health!!! PTL!!!
EYE UPDATE - Regarding my eye surgery from last year - my eye that was operated on is doing better and better, and my other eye is slowly deterioriating but thankfully not as quickly as we had anticipated, so hopefully I can continue to hold off on surgery for that!
Recently I had another eye test done, and the tests showed that my eye that was operated on is so much better that my eyesight is now 20/20 most of the time, though it goes through a couple weeks of not being as good every month with hormonal changes. It is INCREDIBLE to have such good sight again that I often don't even think about my eyesight, which i couldn't help doing for a long time when I was continuing to go blind with that eye! How amazing it is to be able to see so well 1 1/2 years after having that eye be totally blind!!! Both eyes are now at the place where surgery on either of them is indefinitely postponed! I just need to keep having regular checkups now....I'm not even having to wear my glasses! PTL!!!!!! Thank you soo much for all your prayers!!
UPCOMING HAND SURGERY- I'm planning on trying a new drug (ARAVA - see more about this in my August 2005 newsletter) my rheumatologist wants me on and has begged me to try for several years already. I recently purchased a super massager which helps my circulation and helps to remove toxins and so hopefully my surgery will be postponed while I go through the settling in process with this new drug - Arava....it's supposed to help me be able to cut down the cortisone (prednisone) so hopefully if that happens, my surgery will be more successful and I'll be less susceptible to post-op infections....plus it would give me more time to finish preparing for my recovery time since not everything is sorted out yet...
After months of trying to track down someone to do hand physio for me here at home after my upcoming hand surgery, I recently suddenly heard from one who is open to the idea. We hope to discuss this further sometime this month (Dec) so I'm praying that unless God has a better plan, that this woman will do it for me!!
DIABETES HAS REVERSED - PTL!!!!
In the fall of 2004 I was diagnosed with also having diabetes. THANK GOD that with prayer, my naturpath's help and a number of related diets, the diabetes was reversed and I no longer have it!!!!, though I need to be careful of those tendencies. It seems to run in my family...my father and sister have it as well. My sister recently was diagnosed as well and is in the process of adjusting to life in appropriate ways. She is doing much better now, PTL!!
I would really appreciate your prayers for my family's health if the Lord brings them to mind.
My Mom had her pacemaker replaced recently, and just had two lumps removed. THANK YOU so much to those who prayed for her! God sure answered prayer and she is recovering very quickly and the tests showed that the lumps were benign!!!!! PTL!!!!!
My younger brother had been getting weaker and weaker for the past couple years and has really been struggling with his walking, too, even though he was seeming healthy and normal only about two years ago! For about 2 years we prayed and he had myriads of tests to find out what was wrong, all to no avail! Thankfully he has been able to get on disability and it was recently discovered that he has Addison's disease, which is a rare disease. They had him on some treatment which made him much worse very quickly, so he had more tests and they now have him on some treatment which seems to be bringing slow but gradual improvement. He will likely still need to be on disability for another year or so. Sure would appreciate your prayers for him! He has been such a blessing in helping me with getting my EthniClay note cards ready to be printed, as well, by enhancing all of my jpg files of the figurines so that they look good on the web site and note cards!! That's been a lot of work for him and I'm sure it has gotten old fast, but he has been a trooper and his efforts make SUCH a difference in my photographs of the figurines!!
As mentioned above, my sister is struggling with diabetes but seems to be getting it under control as well, PTL!!!
My teenage nephew has had numerous bouts of bronchitis in succession this year, so that has been very hard on him, but he continues to be his cheery self!
My father continues to also struggle with diabetes and cancer and age-related difficulties.
So thank you so much for your prayers for my family!!
Well, my friends, there is always so much to share even though I feel like i've just started cause there's so much I haven't shared yet!!
THANK YOU!!! soo much for all your love, prayers, friendship and for investing in my life and the ministries that God has me/us involved in together in various ways!!!!! I appreciate you very much and thank God for you!!
I look forward to hearing what's been happening with you, too, as you're able!!!
I hope you all have a very encouraging Christmas and a deep sense of God's Presence, with an increase in understanding of His direction for you for the coming year! I believe that, as in so many examples in Scripture, THE BEST IS YET TO COME!!
May God cause ALL of HIS DREAM in you to come true!!!!!!!!!!
Have a great week!
With much love and prayers,
Grace