Twelve more days until Christmas!

Christmas is coming
...and that puts a smile on my face too!

I am still here in San Diego, temporarily living in a 
little camper which is parked in my brother's 
backyard. My brother, his wife and their four 
children live a very simple life, but they are 
very generous people! They have made difficult 
choices through out their lives which means 
doing without some of the luxuries we as 
American have come to expect. Instead they 
have purposed to invested in their children. 

It's fun to see their kids fully enjoying the 
freedom of being CHILDREN...running from 
one end of the yard to the other chasing lizards 
or butterflies, romping through the mud, laughing, 
or curling up with their parents for a bedtime story, 
a song and prayers before bed. 

It's such a different life than hundreds of the 
children who live on the streets of Bangkok

Christiana’s Mud Pie is the BEST EVER!

May not be the most flattering photo, but I didn't want to run and grab my camera (leave my slice unattended) for fear someone else would devour my delicious piece heaven!

Crust

2 cups crushed Oreo cookies

5 T. butter

½ cup granulated sugar

½ gallon Dryers Coffee ice cream

Chocolate sauce:

2 cups powdered sugar

2/3 cups semi sweet chocolate chips

1 can (12oz.) evaporated milk

½ cup butter

1 t. vanilla extract

Topping:

1 carton (8oz) Cool Whip topping

½ cup crushes Oreo cookies

Combine cookie crumbs for crust with butter and sugar, press in bottom of ungreased 8” spring form pan. Make sure to line the sides of the spring form pan with wax paper (so sides don’t stick later) Freeze for 15 minutes.

Spread softened ice cream over the crust. Freeze until firm. (approx. 3 hours)

Mean while combine the first four ingredients for chocolate sauce, bring to a rolling boil for appr. 8 minutes. Remove fro heat, stir in vanilla and let cool to room temperature. After cool, pour sauce over ice cream. Freeze until firm. Spread Cool Whip over the chocolate sauce; sprinkle Oreo cookie crumbs on top. Freeze before serving. Enjoy!

Version Update Completed!

Birthdays are great fun...growing older is not! No women likes having people blurt out her age at gatherings, or have someone pile so many "teeny tiny" candles on her birthday cake that she can't tell what color the frosting is! So I decided to begin referring to my Birthdays differently, in a new way that sounds more interesting, something with finesse, less ancient,more fun, edgy! How about this....

Today I was updated to the new 5.5 version!

(There, I believe that will work just fine.
If all goes well, next year I'll get the 5.6 version. AWESOME!)

Can't imagine why my family felt I needed a new pair of shoes for my Birthday, after all these have taken me literally around the world! Okay...maybe it is time to replace my old shoes for new ones. Now I'm really ready. Bring on the new adventures!

Today I will celebrate another birthday and rejoicing over God's goodness to me! He has blessed me with so many wonderful gifts; family, beautiful grandchildren and amazing friends, for these I am very grateful. He has also given me the best gift of all ages....Jesus!

Jesus came to set me free, to release me from my fears. In Him I find my rest. He is the hope of the Nations, our Deliverer and King forever. He is the JOY of every longing heart!

Memphis for Thanksgiving

Fun with the twins.

Christmas decorations are everywhere....I love the Holidays!

I don't love the prices! Yep, that's a 13 foot Christmas tree for $375.....ouch! We won't be purchasing this one.

Codie decides to try and get a closer look at baby Jesus!

Yummy!! Pumpkin and Apple Butter

When you're little.... "meal time" is more about investigating your food or how far you can throw it!

Codie Rae snuggled up with "Robo" Grandma after a long day of playing. Even though I was there for a short visit, I still had to bring (and wear) my arm splint. Hopefully my arm will be strong enough to handle surgery in a few weeks.

Thanksgiving in Tennessee with Wade, Heidi and their family! I forgot how delicious turkey, stuffing and mashed potatoes are and how expensive a "live" Christmas tree can be. What a treat to hang out with the family over the Holiday. Raising three busy young children is a challenging full time job (and exhausting) but Heidi and Wade are very good parents! We cooked and baked and even squeezed in a few visits to the park, zoo and shopping malls with the kids. ...well we had to do something to burn off those extra calories! Hopefully next stop is up to Washington to see Micah, Eva and the grandkids kids before Christmas.

My NightLight team from Bangkok visits Southern California

In a span of 48 hours.... I drove to Los Angles, connected with my NightLight team from Bangkok, enjoyed a FREE trip to Disneyland, helped Deana and Amber work at the Nightlight LA office, filled jewelry orders, drove to Pasadena and helped set up for Annie's speaking engagement at Fuller. THEN....I left that event and drove to Riverside (arriving after midnight) crashed out on the floor at a friends house, had lunch at the beautiful Mission Inn, drove back to La Jolla to meet Dr. Clay Ford (Pastor and Chairman of Holy Spirit Renewal Ministries) hung out at La Jolla beach with my BKK team & Hannah Ford (musician/artist who God used at "Revival in Disneyland" on Youtube!) Finally after all that, I came back to the Mission Bay area, climbed into my little bed and COLLAPSED. I'm exhausted, but it sure was FUN!!!

The Latest Accessory in Fall Fashion?

You've heard of THE TERMINATOR? Well, for the past week I've been THE SUPINATOR!

Recently, I've been on a very specialized (short term) treatment program which involves wearing a MONSTROUS supination splint. I must SIT STILL (not an easy task for me) with a gigantic robotic cuff on my arm multiple times during the day. My fashionable new "accessory" probably won't make the cover of Vogue Magazine, or show up on a Google search, "Fantastic New Ways to Accessorize Your Fall Wardrobe" but don't let that fool you! This crazy thing, although not very attractive, is strengthening my wrist....or at least that what the professionals tell me!

Politicians aren't the only ones slinging mud!

rain storms (+) dirt (X) two little boys=FUN!

Play'en in the mud, it's a great way to spend the afternoon. After all... we can't let the Politicians have ALL the fun. The elections are tomorrow, it should be an interesting day!

On Sunday October 31, I spent the evening participating in a massive outreach event put on by Newbreak Church. A major part of downtown Tierrasanta was completely closed off to traffic to accommodate this huge party! Thousands came and had a great time! Most people I spoke to thought the event was sponsored by the city of San Diego. When they realized a local church in their neighborhood was throwing this gigantic (FREE) party to bless their kids...they were blown away!

Very impressed with the excellent job NB church leaders did in preparing their people to serve in their community. Since my hand has been getting stronger, I really wanted to help. Face Painting seemed like a great idea, so that's where I started. For many hours our team painted adorable little faces of every size, shape and color! Each little face was an opportunity, to bless, to love on, to quietly pray over or to engage parents in a conversation. Oh, how I have missed these kinds of activities. So glad to be healing. So glad to be plugged into a healthy, outward focused church. I LOVE EVANGELISM.

This is San Diego, it's not suppose to rain!

For the past two weeks we have had REAL rain, enough to make puddles and cause people to use their windshield wipers and umbrellas! This is soooooo.... not normal "Sunny California" weather.

My once vast back yard living area (of desert sand, clay and dirt) is now green with new baby grass! A lovely carpet of green surrounds my little camper/trailer home. After living in the concert jungles of Bangkok's skyscrapers, I had forgotten how allergic I am to some "green things".....like grass. The whole time in Thailand's hot tropic, humid, mold and mildewy climate, I never once had troubles with allergies. A few inches of rain in San Diego and now I'm a sneezing, sniffling, crazy woman! I think that's funny...Aaaaa chuuuu!

What woman doesn't like to go shopping? Okay, besides me.
I actually really like finding the perfect gift for people, but I hate wandering around in malls or shopping centers for hours looking, looking....looking. If you enjoy finding the perfect gift, but don't enjoy parking lots, crowded malls or long lines consider shopping at our NightLight's Webstore. After all....Christmas is coming!

NightLight employees women to make beautiful jewelry from silver, semi-precious stones, pearls and decorative beads. When you purchase these products you are securing the freedom of women who have been sexually exploited or were at risk of exploitation in the bars of Bangkok, Thailand. Visit our store Jewelry Party Kit Mobilization Kit Wholesale © 2010 NightLight

I'm making progress

I know He who "began a good work in me...will complete it". That is a promise form God. I will rejoice in His goodness and love towards me.


Hard to believe this is Sunny California? Notice I'm wearing a warm j-a-c-k-e-t in San Diego. Pretty CRAZY! The people who live here year-round aren't very happy with this unusual weather, but I'm really enjoying the misty mornings and cool drizzly days. We've even had rain!

The beach is my favorite place to go when I want to clear my head. The odd weather, seems to be keeping the sun loving tourists in their cozy hotels. In the evenings the beaches are quiet, a perfect place for long walks, to pray and listen to God. I'm appreciating this gift of time while my hand heals. Not sure how long it will last. My heart yearns to move forward, but God says, be patient and heal.....so I will patiently wait until He reveals my "Next Steps".

10-10-10-10

It's October 10, 2010 at 10:10 pm. Hey that's pretty cool! Seems like I should mark the occasion somehow...let's see, do I have anything profound to say or write...no, not really.

Just returned from a very long walk along the ocean tonight. It was really quite lovely, a warm night, bright moon and calm sea. I prayed for my kids and sang to the Lord, which seemed to relieve my melancholy attitude. Worship always has a way of refocusing my attention and affections.

"Therefore I will give thanks to You, O LORD, among the nations, and I will sing praises to Your name" II Sam.22:50

"I will be glad and exult in You; I will sing praise to Your name, O Most High" Psalm 9:2

It's happening right under our noses!

Human Trafficking is NOT just an issue in some far away land. It's happening right here in our country, in our cities, in our neighborhoods. Victims of sex trafficking are often found working in establishments that offer commercial sex acts, i.e. brothels, strip clubs, pornography production houses. Such establishments may operate under the guise of

• Massage parlor

• Gentlemen Clubs

• Escort services

• Adult bookstores

• Modeling studios

Flesh: Bought and Sold in the U.S. - Trailer

Human trafficking is a modern-day form of slavery. Victims of human trafficking are subjected to force, fraud, or coercion, for the purpose of sexual exploitation or forced labor. Victims are young children, teenagers, men and women.

After drug dealing, human trafficking is tied with the illegal arms industry as the second largest criminal industry in the world today.

If you suspect someone has been trafficked, call the:
Department of Health and Human Services

Toll-free, 24 hour
NATIONAL HOTLINE:
+1-888-3737-888
+1-888-428-7581

Physically I may not be in Thailand right now, but my heart is there. Please continue to pray for the ministry of NightLight and for those missionaries and volunteers serving there. The power of God is transforming lives, women are being set free and experiencing hope for the first time in their lives! Women who were previously exploited through the sex industry of Bangkok Thailand are now being taught to make beautiful jewelery which is sold all over the world!

100 percent of all jewelry proceeds go to pay salaries of those women. You can visit the NightLight website for current stories of these women, facts concerning human trafficking and of course to shop for jewelry!

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My mom...
She loves people, good food and fun shoes!

My mom came to love and trust Jesus as her Savior in her late thirties. This was after many years of living life "her way", which resulted in brokenness and a lack of true peace and purpose in her life. We were never a religious family, but we were a significantly dysfunctional one! My parents divorced when my brother and I were young and they both remarried other partners, always seeking to find true contentment, or their significance in other relationships, their jobs, alcohol and drugs.

It was during those painful years that followed the divorce that God's love caught up with me....and then my younger brother. Our mother was next to begin a relationship with the living God, then our father. Prior to this, there were no other Christians in our family. Our family tree was barren. None of our relatives knew of ANY other family members whom had experienced the life changing power of Jesus Christ....no great grandparents, grandmothers, uncles, cousins....no one.

After many, many generations, God was birthing something new in our family. We are the first generation to celebration God's mercy, power and forgiveness for a very long time! My mom is not perfect, but she is forgiven. She has the assurance of eternal life through Jesus. She has hope, loves others and God. She is quick to befriend the lonely, help others or share an encouraging word with a stranger. Yesterday, she and I spent almost two hours together praying, crying out to God on behalf of our friends, other family members, kids and grandchildren. "GOD continue to heal our friends and family. Show them your great love, show them your mercy!" AMEN

Fall 2010 Newsletter-Update

Click on image to ENLARGE and READ

Did not have a phone or internet immediately upon my arrival to San Diego, so THANK YOU for patience and continuous prayers as I traveled! Arrived back to States, safely, no mishaps and with no "jet-lag". In Bangkok dear friends carried luggage and accompanied me all the way to the ticketing area. At LAX there was no trouble managing my suitcases, computer bag and push cart. Although there was a 2-3 hour wait through customs (special security measures in LAX) I was randomly ushered through the process in less than one hour! FAVOR.

Along the way I was unable to send messages. Internet café in Taipei was down and the only "hot spot" in my transfer area was jammed with wall to wall people. Instead of being able to share an update with all of you, I was able to share the Gospel, the story of God's power and love for us with a few passengers.

My brother drove from San Diego to pick me up at the LA airport, and he was right THERE as soon as I stepped beyond the exiting corridor. No hunting around for each other in the crowds! Made it back to his home by 1:30 in the morning. 23 hours of traveling- done!

Before my arrival to San Diego, my brother, his wife and my mother, read chapter 7 in the book Serving as Senders. This is an excellent book that addresses many of the emotions, needs and processes that happen when a missionary must return to their home culture unexpectedly! He and his family made special efforts to make my arrival back to USA welcoming and smooth! This included setting up my own private space in a cozy and comfortable RV in their gigantic back yard. So it feels very much like I'm camping at the coast, which I absolutely love. In addition, in a few days they set up wireless internet so I could communicate more easily. I am so blessed to have such great family and dear friends.

Prayers for Healing

In May I suffered a break to my arm. I was quickly ushered to one of the best hospitals in South East Asia and told by the orthopedic specialist; this would be “An easy surgery, a piece of cake to repair.” It wasn’t long before complications set in and then the prognosis shifted to “Sorry, but I don’t expect much more improvement in your hand”

Three months after surgery, and 6 weeks of Physical Therapy,including dipping in hot wax, I still had significant swelling and pain.

My wrist remained frozen, ZERO ability to flex or rotate, about 10% ability to supinate. Range of motion to fingers is roughly 15% and the color of my hand was abnormal, odd purplish-gray tint, looked like my hand was dying?

I was strongly advised by another professional in the US to leave immediately, unless I wanted to lose the use of my hand permanently. With in a few days I left Bangkok to meet with a hand specialist in San Diego.

I tried to zoom in on this photo that was taken the night before I left Bangkok. The flash doesn't give to an accurate idea of the odd color (grayish white) but you can see how swollen the left wrist, hand and fingers are as I hug a good friend "good bye"

Prior to my leaving, I was called forward for a special farewell prayer after the worship service by the leaders in NightLight. For many of the 80 women whom we employ through this ministry, this was the first they knew of the urgent need to leave. They had watched and prayed faithfully for months, wondering when would there be improvement to my hand. I knelt down on the floor and they surrounded me, laying hands on me, praying for God’s will to be accomplished in my life….then sudden, my hand began to spasm, twitching wildly, uncontrollably! It was like electric shock waves were being shot through my arm and out my fingers.

It didn’t hurt, is was just very bizarre! Annie asked, “What’s going on, what are you doing!!?” I told her nothing! I’m not doing anything, my hand was acting spontaneously! I don’t know what is going on, but the power of God was doing something!

This condition lasted more than an hour, as specific prayer for healing continued. Most of the time I was overwhelmed by God’s Spirit and needed others to prop me up or I would topple over. We began to notice the color of my hand was changing right before our eyes. The swelling was going down! You could begin to see the tendons and veins in my hand clearly. My watch which was originally fitting normally was now was loosely dangling on my wrist due to the shrinking tissues, My puffed smooth hand was looking more contoured. I’ve never been so happy to see my crinkly “older than I'd like to admit" skin! It was happening right before our eyes. We kept saying to each other, do you see that, do you see that??!! Confirming with one another that this was not our imagination!

It was amazing. God was definitely doing something, but why now? Why an hour or so before time to leave for the airport? I still don’t know and I may never know, but I’m excited. Like a child who has just been given present from their daddy, I wanted everybody to see this gift! Look! Look! Can you see the difference! God does not being a good thing and then not finish it. So although my hand is SIGNIFICANTLY better, looks alive and healthier, less swollen, can move more freely, I will continue to trust Him for COMPLETE healing!