The Gift of a Thoughtful Friend

I feel like I've been away from my blog for so long, and there's so much to tell you.

Mia and Costel are out of Qatar. Last I heard they were in Vienna, but I'm hoping that by now they are on American soil and are resting peacefully in their beds. I'll let you know as I'm updated.

I wanted to post all of the many e-mails that came from Precept, asking for prayer for them, but was battling to get well myself...and by the time I felt up to posting, your precious prayers for them had been answered. Praise You, Lord!

I still plan on posting Jan Priddy's note on continuing in prayer...it was wonderful! Look for that in a few days.

Truly, there is so much to tell you about all that God has done in the past weeks while we've been battling illness....but I have to take it in pieces.

Tonight I want to tell you about Brennan's birthday....

Right in the midst of all of our sickness, Brennan turned 6 years old. It was all that we could do to muster the energy to go and buy a present for her. Shane is the one who mustered it, actually.

My sweet and tender hearted friend Davina found out that it was Brennan's birthday and went out of her way to make it special for all of us.

Davina has a gift with cakes, you see...and she's also a gifted artist. She and Brennan share a common bond because they are both quite talented with all things artsy. :)

Sweet Davina couldn't bear the idea of us not having a beautiful cake for Brennan, and when she found out that we were going to make a princess castle cake, she offered to go to the store and get the items we'd need for it.

Little did I know that she was going to go all out....and I do mean ALL out!

She came through the door looking like the Candy (wo)Man. I wanted to start singing a song about how the Candy (wo)Man showers things in love and makes the world taste good! :)

Not only did she bring the decorations for the cake, but she even brought gifts for both of the children!

For Brennan she brought a Cinderella Polly Pocket and for Caedmon a Match Box Army set. SCORE! DOUBLE SCORE!

D, Brennan loves her Cinderella so much that she's taking it with us to Disney World in a few months...she let me know this today. :)

Davina, thank you so much sweet friend! We wouldn't have had much of a birthday celebration here had it not been for your thoughtfulness.

You are such a sweetheart!

Here are pictures of our princess castle. Didn't she do a great job?!

"A friend loves at all times...." Proverbs 17:17

We love you, D.

Heroes

This will likely be my shortest post ever.

I'm off to bed for rest. Thank you so much for all of your prayers!

A precious friend of mine asked me today, "How can we be praying for you?" and all I could think was to ask her to please pray for Mia and Costel.

They are the Eurasian Amabassadors for Precept Ministries....two of the most humble and gracious people I've ever had the great blessing to meet. They are cherished members of the Precept staff, and loved by everyone there.

The children and I just finished reading a biography on Brother Andrew, and all the while that we were reading it, I just kept thinking about Mia and Costel, and about their work for the Lord all over Europe. They inspire me, as do Jack and Kay and the many other precious people at the ministry. (This could turn into a very long post if I listed each by name...but oh my goodness, I love this ministry, and the people involved with it!)

OK..back to the story....Costel recently had a bout of illness while traveling, and had to be hospitalized in a country that is not his own.

Would you please pray for the Lord to heal him completely, and for grace for Mia during this time?

It's no fun being sick, and especially when you're not at home.

I hope you get to meet them one day...their lives shine forth in glory to God! Truly, they define the word "hero" for me.

OK...I'm off to rest...please pray for them; for the Washington Precept Leader Day; for Janna as she's writing the next D4Y study; and for the Summar, Goetz and Arthur families during their time of heartache.

Much love,
Jes

Precept Leader Day in Bothel, WA - Sign Up Now

***UPDATE on Bothel, WA Leader Day, as of 8/14/08***

Please see this note that just arrived from Precept, regarding the upcoming Bothel leader day. Please keep the Goetz, Arthur and Summar (Leslie's parents and siblings and their families)families in your prayers.

On a side note, if you've never heard David Arthur teach, you are in for a huge treat. I have learned so much about being an effective leader by watching

(and re-watching and re-watching) him lead a discussion group on Matthew.

Your time in Bothel will be well spent, leaders.

Please read Precept's announcement below:

Precept Leader Day—Washington

Canyon Hills Community Church

22027 17th Ave SE, Bothell, WA.

Saturday, August 23, 2008

Precept Leader,

We are pleased that you have chosen to invest a day to be in the Word with us on Saturday, August 23. Kay Arthur is unable to come to Bothell for the Washington Leader Day due to the unexpected death of Kay’s daughter-in-love, Mark Goetz’s wife. (Mark is Kay’s son and Precept’s former COO.) In her place, Kay’s son David Arthur will be our guest teacher for Friday evening and for the Leader Day on Saturday. David is the Vice President of Teaching and Training at Precept Ministries and a pastor.

A Personal Note From Kay Arthur...

Dear Ones,

I know if we have been studying together you know my heart, you know you are loved – and in a sense who I have given my life to. I also know that you can share my shock, my sorrow…and the burden of my heart for my son, family but especially for our adopted 11 year old granddaughter and a son who dearly loved his wife.

What can you give me at a time like this? How can you express the love in your heart? The greatest gift you could give me is to come to this Leader Day and determine that you are going to reach everyone you can and help them discover truth for themselves so that they might know God as I know Him right now. I can honestly tell you that it is my knowledge of Him – His sovereignty, His character, His Word – and that it is pure Truth – that is carrying me through waters I never ever dreamed I would cross – including this, but not only this. Please do not miss the Leader’s Day. Give me the gift of you to comfort me in my time of testing….1 Thes. 3:8…forgive this hurried note written late at night. I am not going to edit it, polish it…it is very late and I have had some busy days. Just know you are loved…and I covet your partnership for what I believe is the greatest ministry any one can have – teaching people how to discover Truth for themselves so they can say, “I have not turned aside from Your ordinances, For You Yourself have taught me” (Psalm 119:102).

In much love,

If you have any questions, please contact Rosemary Walch (423-296-8707), Jeanne Gibbs (423-296-8765), or Stan Latham (423-296-8694).

Hi Everyone,

Sorry my blogs have been so sporadic. We've been sicker than dogs around here!

A friend of mine who lives in Washington asked me to post about the upcoming
"Precept Ministries Leader Day" in Bothel, WA.

To attend the Leader Day, you must be a trained Precept leader.

Here are the details:

Date: Saturday, August 23rd
Cost: $40 before August 15th, includes conference and a boxed lunch and snack
To register please contact: Rosemary Walch - rwalch@precept.org or 423-296-8707


IN ADDITION:
Kay Arthur will speak at Canyon Hills Community Church in Bothel,WA Friday night, August 22nd, from 7:30-9:00pm.
"America at the Crossroads" will be her topic.
This event is free and will be open to the public.
For more information on Friday night's topic, please go to http://www.precept.org/ and click on "America at the Crossroads".

Would You Please Answer the Poll?

I've just added a poll to my blog. It's to the left of the page, just under the description of the blog.

For those of you who are Precept students, or Precept leaders, would you pretty-please go over and answer the poll for me?

It will only take a few seconds, but your feedback will be of great help.

If you aren't a Precept student or leader, please don't vote, as it will skew the results if you do. :)

Thank you so, so much!

Have a super day!
Jes

Prayer Request

Hi Friends,

I hope you won't mind me using my blog for purely selfish reasons. :)

My family and I have been terribly sick all week, and we would cherish your prayers.

We all just returned from the Dr.'s office, and he ordered tests for several things...I've been sick since the retreat ended, and everyone else has been on & off since.

Shane sounds like a seal right now...bless his heart! He hasn't slept well all week long. He never takes off of work due to illness, unless he feels really, really poor.

He looks terrible...

Anyway, if you'd pray for us, we'd be ever thankful. We really need them right now.

Much love,
Jes