A woman of God...

How I desire to be a woman of God. Tonight I was reading Proverbs 31 and challenged yet again to be a more Godly woman. So much I have yet to learn, to strive for as I seek to be more like my perfect Saviour.

Every day I am reminded of the helplessness of self and necessity of His strength to accomplish anything of worth. How often I attempt to glorify God in my own strength- to no avail.

Please pray for me to be a woman of God, a woman seeking to praise her Lord, a woman serving whole-heartedly, and a woman worthy of the affections of the man pursuing. How I long to see God's perfect will accomplished in my life. May my heart be fully open to the Spirit and His leading. God is so good!

Piper Sept prayer letter...written by me.

Dear Faithful Friends and Prayer Partners,

Thank you so much for your treasured prayer these past months. As many of you know, soon after our last prayer letter, Lynette made an emergency trip to Michigan to be with her parents and help her father. During the five weeks she was gone, Garth was very ill and had surgery to remove his gall bladder laparascopically. Thankfully, he had a quick recovery and is doing well now. Grant just had his 12th birthday (even though he looks 16!) and Lydia just turned 21.

Garrett spent his summer travelling with FaithWay Baptist College’s Servant Singers. He was privileged to travel Canada coast to coast. He and Lynette met in LA and flew home on July 23rd. Finally our family was together again! The three weeks Garrett was home were packed full of memories. He and his girlfriend, Rebecca Broxholme (from a sister church an hour from here) are now starting the fall semester at FaithWay.
Soon after Lynette and Garrett arrived home, the Hassel family arrived from Illinois for a family holiday/missions trip. They ran a couple sessions of Neighborhood Time and while they were here we saw several kids saved. We fit in plenty of fun as well to make their trip memorable- boiling mud pits, luging, goat hunting, black sand beaches, seeing glowworms in caves, bungy jumping, zorbing…I think they’ll remember this trip. :)

Our church is growing steadily and we are looking forward to beginning Reformers Unanimous very soon. The workers are eager and learning so much. Lydia is enjoying being church secretary. She is a blessing and we are glad to have her here serving. We recently had a special Bible Revival, hosted by Pastor Jono Millar and Fellowship Baptist Church in Hamilton. Over 150 people attended and many hearts were touched and three souls added to the Book of Life! We treasure our times together, especially since many churches are so small and don’t have much fellowship. God is so good.

Thank you for your faithfulness and prayers. Lydia and Grant especially loved all of the birthday cards!
Your Servants in New Zealand,
Garth, Lynette, Lydia and Grant

His Goodness

When I feeel most worried, it is then I must turn to Christ! Wednesday night as I wondered how dad's surgery would go, I cried and wished mum was here with us. Soon, however, I got out my Bible and read in Psalms and within moments my heart was relieved of all pressure. Now, I am reminded of how GREAT my God is- the Great Comforter, in charge of all things.

God has mum in America for a reason, he has Garrett travelling Canada encouraging people in the churches there, and he has dad resting body and soul in the hospital. He has me learning how to take care of a home, and he has precious people looking after Grant. Wow- our family is spread out today, but God is watching each of us! May my eyes never stray from His goodness.

The Importance of Family...

Today I remembered and pondered,
How full my life has been,
All the precious moments with family,
All the priceless moments with friends.

I hope I never take it for granted,
Nor miss a moment so dear;
For it's my family and friends and Saviour,
That encourage me year after year.

No matter the heartache I cause them;
No matter the mistakes I may make;
Their special love is unbroken,
And they promise it will never break.

Oh Lord, thank You for showing this,
This agape love so true,
And may my life from this day forward,
Shine forth, Shine fully for You.