Pondering Upon a Phone Call

On Monday night, we received a phone call from Martha, a lady whom Mom has known for many years, and who has come to Mom's ladies meetings and Christmas Banquets regularly.

Martha, now in her 70s, told me that she is in Mexico City, getting treatment for cancer that has spread throughout her body.  She said, "I wanted to call and thank Billie for always remembering to invite me to her special meetings, and also to ask you all to pray for me.  I will not get to go to the Banquet this year, but I thank you for the invitation."

She got saved at last year's banquet. 

Martha is the third from the left (in the lime-green top), being honored at last year's banquet

Martha, a sweet old widow, who is the daughter of an ex-mayor of our town (in the 1940s) has been on my mind all week.  I am asking the Lord to keep her in my mind and on my heart so that I'll keep my focus on what this banquet is really all about:  giving the Gospel to ladies, some of whom might be there for the last time.

How many Marthas will be at our banquet this year?  Would you please pray with us for the salvation of the lost ladies who will be present?

Dear Readers

I want to remind you that our annual Christmas Banquet is just around the corner!  We are only 17 days away from this special event!

Invitations are being taken to ladies all over our city (and in other surrounding towns, as well); special music is being practiced, and this year our church choir is presenting a special Christmas drama/cantata; corsages have been made, to be worn by our guests of honor ("First Ladies" of our city...former mayors' wives, as well as the mother and wife of the present mayor).  There are many details yet to be taken care of.

One of the things Mom does every year is to buy a Bible for the first-time "First Ladies."  This year, she is buying 5 Bibles.  Every "First Lady" who has attended a Banquet in the past 14 years has received a nice Bible.

Our present mayor's wife's name is Martha, and his mother's name is Dolores.  Please pray that these ladies will be able to attend, and hear the Word of God preached that night.

If you would like to help with the purchase of a Bible, or if you would like to give an offering toward this banquet (there are other expenses that still need to be covered), please send me a note.

Mom giving a Bible to the Mayor's wife of a near-by town

at last year's Banquet

Please pray with us that all the details will come together; pray that the name of our Lord will be glorified, and that as our Saviour is lifted up, He will draw these dear ladies unto Himself.

(To read last year's Banquet post, please click here.)

B is for Boy!!!

This is a photo I took of the the card we gave to Mom last night

as a way of announcing that we are expecting a

B  O  Y !!!

 

We went to the doctor on Thursday and saw our baby on the screen for the first time.  How exciting it was to see him moving around.  All seems to be fine, for which we are so thankful!

 

The ultrasound showed that I am 28 weeks along,

and that Baby weighs 1.618 kg.

 

Little Andrew is so very excited, but our Debbie-Girl, so desiring a baby sister, felt so disappointed.  When we got in the car to leave, Andrew told her we should be thankful that the baby is healthy.  "And you know what, Debbie?  Just remember that you will always be my Special Little Girl!  And besides, you will be like another Mommy to our Baby Boy!"

That seemed to cheer her up and helped her see the positive side of things.

 

Thank you to all who have prayed for us.  Please continue to pray for Baby and me.  Time seems to be just flying by! 

Before long, I will have my Baby Boy in my arms!

 

Love from a very grateful Mommy!

 

 

 



Sharing Pictures

 In May, our children were "train bearers" at a wedding, and my husband snapped these pictures of the children.

I wanted to share them with you. 

Enjoy.

 



Heartbeats

My heart was beating faster than normal yesterday as Dr. Bonilla told me to lay on his examining table.

His nurse passed him his fetal doppler, and she applied gel to my large belly.  When Dr. Bonilla put the doppler on my stomach, we could hear a "whoosh, swoosh" sound.  He said, "That is your placenta."  He moved the doppler around some more and we heard a very loud and very fast, "Tock, tock, tock, tock."  He looked at me and smiled and said, "That is your baby's heartbeat."  He turned the doppler around so I could see the number...144 beats per minute.

"You have a very strong baby, as far as his heart indicates," he said.

Hearing your unborn baby's heartbeat is one of the sweetest sounds in the world!  How it thrilled my heart to hear it!  

"...Thou hast covered me in my mother's womb.  I will praise Thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvellous are Thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well."

Please continue to pray for my pregnancy.
(I am at 24 weeks now!)  We will go in for an ultrasound in 3 weeks.  So far, all looks good and feels good!

Thank you for your sweet comments and your continued prayers.

Much love from Mommy and Baby!

Debbie Turned Seven!

On Sunday, September 23rd, our Deborah Jolene turned 7.  It is hard for me to believe (I feel this way every year as her birthday approaches).  However, this year it wasn't so "hard" for me, thinking my "baby" is already 7.

Can you guess why?

You are probably smiling.  Yes, it is because we are expecting another Baby, and anticipating a newborn to come soon eases the conflict I feel at seeing my children grow up so quickly.

I am so thankful for our Debbie.  She is a ray of sunshine in our home. 

I have to share the following cute things she said recently:

Debbie recently finished first grade.  On her last day of Penmanship, she came to me and said, "Mommy, my heart is beeping because I'm doing my last page of Penmanship!"

The children and I enjoy reading the pregnancy calendar, which I printed off the internet.  Every morning we read what our baby is "doing."  On August 27, we read "Try talking to your baby.  Baby can hear you."  I took advantage of the moment and talked to the children about being a good example to our baby.  When he's born, he will look to you to see how to talk, how to treat other, etc.  I said, "You need to be careful how to talk to one another, because even now, our Baby can hear our voices."

That night, as I tucked them in bed, we had prayer together.  When it was Debbie's turn to pray, she said, "Jesus, I'm sorry for not always talking right."  (Distressed.)  "I didn't know my baby could hear me.  Help me to talk kindly from now on."

Below are some photos I took on her birthday.  She is so excited to be 7, but she was disappointed on Sunday that she looked

the same as when she was 6. 

Debbie received a very special envelope from Ukraine from her

Aunt Jolene.

 

She actually received it in August, and on the outside, it read, "To be saved and opened September 23rd."

 

She patiently waited, and on her birthday, she opened it.  I snapped the following pictures.

 

A beautiful card that Aunt Jolene bought in Israel. 

If you notice, it opens backwards!

A magnet frame for the refrigerator!

 

And a notebook...

(she also received a refrigerator magnet with a picture of the Garden Tomb.)

Very special gifts, indeed.
"Thank You, Aunt Jolene!"

I said, "Deborah, your Aunt Jolene really does love you."

Her party with cousins and aunts and uncles was on Saturday.
Below:  Cousin Hank and Andrew and Debbie helped me decorate
puppy cupcakes (what she wanted).  We had fun.

 



 

 (You can see the puppy cupcakes in the lower left corner.)

 

 

 

Cousin (and playmate!) Esther and the Birthday Girl! 

I love you, My Sweet Deborah Jolene!

Compassion... for Me!

"Lord, I feel like I need spiritual encouragement!  Please send me spiritual encouragement today!"  I prayed one morning about 2 weeks ago.  I had just woken up to consciousness and was still lying in bed.

Ashamed, I thought of the past few days, when it seemed I lacked joy and cheerfulness as I had gone throughout my day.  "I don't want to live another day like this!"  I thought.

Later that day, I received a phone text from my sister-in-law, Mona.  She said, "The guys are doing a test for the radio transmitter.  Be listening and praying!"

Now, you remember we have moved to a small town nearly 2 hours away.  My heart sank.  "I will be praying," I thought, "but I'm sure I won't be listening!" 

That evening, my brother Tom called:  "Hey, Anna!  We just did our first test, and we are getting texts from..." and he named 6 surrounding villages.  "Can you hear us?"  I told him, "No.  We can't hear you from here."  I was so thankful and excited for him, but I couldn't help feeling sad and disappointed for me!!!

Later my Honey came home and said, "Hey!  Listen to this!"  He could hear the new Christian radio station in his car!!!!  He pulled the car right up next to our front door, opened his car door, and we heard the beautiful music and Tom's voice coming through clearly over the radio waves!

Amazing!  We sat on our front steps and listened.  Absolutely wonderful!!!!

Then, my Honey remembered Dad's old short-wave radio, which we had recently brought to our house.  "I'll bet we can hear it on that!"  he said, and hooked up the old short-wave.  Sure enough, 104.3 FM could be heard clearly in our livingroom!

Woo-hoo!!!!

Lovely, up-lifting, encouraging music could be heard, streaming through our home.

I know God heard me.  24-hour uplifting, encouraging, edifying programming that I can listen to all day long!!!

Truly, a red-letter day for Christians in Chiapas, who desire to listen to Godly programming that glorifies our Lord, lifting up the name of our Saviour through "Radio Compasión."

It has been a long road, especially for Tom and his family, to get to this point.  I know many miles travelled, sharing in churches, Christians all over the world giving, men and women working, much sweat, many tears, big sacrifices, and literally years of praying have been invested into getting Baptist Compassion Radio set up.

"Thank you, Lord, for this blessing!"  My heart has been blessed many times over in the 12 days that this radio began its broadcasting.

I trust that with time, I will be able share with you some of  the many texts that Tom has received (and continues to receive daily) from people listening from miles away, over mountain ranges, and in little Indian huts.

But for one lady, it's made the world of difference, as this radio station makes its way over an amazing distance, and God made it reach far enough for me to be able to hear.

Because one morning I prayed for much-needed spiritual encouragement.

Thank you, Lord.  Thank you, Tom.  Thank you to any of you out there who are reading this, who gave sacrifically toward this ministry.

It is finally a reality, and I get to enjoy it!!!