August 2013

Vol. 9 Issue 33

By The Way Bethany Baptist Church Women’s Ministries Quarterly Newsletter

“I am the way and the truth and the life.

No one comes to the Father except through me” John 14:6

Sad as it is to say goodbye to all the simple pleasures that summer brings, there’s always a freshness and anticipation to starting a new ministry year. As a child I remember being nervous about going back to school, even though I attended the same school and had the same classmates year after year. Will the other kids accept me? Am I wearing the right clothes? Will anyone laugh at me? Am I going to be the only one still using last year’s crayons? Sometimes even as an adult it can be a little daunting to step into a new Bible study or come to a women’s ministry event. We have an innate desire for others to accept and approve of us, and new situations tend to threaten that. Romans 15:7 encourages us with these words, “Therefore welcome one another as Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of God.” Think about how Christ welcomes: He doesn’t care what you wear, doesn’t care if you’re popular, doesn’t even care if you’re using last year’s crayons. That’s the kind of welcome we in the church are to extend to one another. We can’t wait to spend time together! So whether you feel intimidated or not, I encourage you to come out to a Bible study or MOPS or other women’s ministry event this fall and welcome one another. You’ll be glad you did.

A Word from the Chairwoman Joy Unseth

By The Way August 2013 Team

Erika Childs Jaclyn Lewis Jill Phillips

Abby Pfeiffer Mary Ellison

Women’s Ministry

Council 2013-14

Joy Unseth

Chairwoman and Discipleship

Kristi DeBacker MOPS

Debbie Good

Women Helping Women

Karen Waibel Showers

Kelly Walenta

Events

Ann Bryant Circle of Care

Kendra Showalter

Bible Studies

Prague, People, Plants, and Prayer 18

Discipleship — A way of life that centers around bringing others to Jesus.

Discipleship—Following Jesus 10

Regular Features

Book Review . . . . 12 Spotlight . . . . . . .14 Cutting Corners . . 16

Pursuing Biblical Friendship 8

Ministry as a Single Person 6

August 2013 Volume 9 l Issue 33

God’s Grace to the New Girl 4

God’s Grace to the New Girl

faith. I was just following my husband, and my move was admittedly filled with fear, and yes, some tears. But, I am encouraged by the trustworthiness of God and His faithfulness to provide for His beloved children when we step out in obedience, even if the step is more like that of a toddler’s first—wobbly and unsure.

If you want to encounter the dramatic story of a woman who followed Yahweh, the one true God, check out Ruth. If you’re interested in knowing more about God’s faithfulness in my life, the new girl in town, keep reading as I share my salvation testimony!

A couple of months ago, my husband and I packed up all of our earthly belongings and hopped into our little Honda Civic for a 2,000 mile move from Los Angeles, California, to Peoria, Illinois. Now, for the first time, I’m experiencing what it’s like to be the new girl in town. My current circumstances got me thinking. What women in Scripture share my “new girl” experience? The account of Ruth immediately came to mind. After the death of her husband, Ruth left the familiar comfort of home to follow her mother-in-law to a distant, foreign land where she believed God was leading her. I can’t compare myself to Ruth who was full of courage and

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My parents love Jesus and raised me to fear God. I heard the Gospel in every venue of life—at school, at home, at church. I believed intellectually, but I didn’t count the cost of following Christ (Matthew 10:38). In junior high the Holy Spirit opened my eyes to my hypocrisy, and I realized I couldn’t rely on my parents’ faith to save me. I had to believe and obey the truths in God’s Word (Luke 13:24-30). I learned that true, genuine, saving faith is a relationship with Christ who died as the ultimate sacrifice and payment for my sins (Romans 10:9). Despite how “good” I thought I was outwardly, on the inside I was powerless and hopelessly lost in sin. The only proper response to Christ’s atoning death on the cross was to give Him all of me.

As I grew in my desire to know Christ through Scripture, God entrusted me with trials to help shape me into His image. My mom was diagnosed with cancer, which prompted me to evaluate my priorities and to focus more on significant, eternal matters (Colossians 3:1-2). Through the years, my journey with the Lord has been filled with difficult trials, like the death of my mother, and great blessings, like marrying my wonderful husband, Josh. I remain amazed at the Lord’s faithful

provision and lavish love! My salvation story is a miracle because only God’s power can raise the spiritually dead (Ephesians 2:1).

Jenea Beakley is thrilled to be part of the body at Bethany and looks forward to pouring out her life as a drink offering in service to God alongside her husband, as they serve the youth here.

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Visit www.bethanycentral.org for details.

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In my final year of graduate school, I lived with a family as a nanny for a year. This was a huge blessing to me in so many ways. It was there that I was first able to see the love of Christ demonstrated through family and to understand what it means to raise a family as believers. When I graduated, the husband and wife (Chris and Sarah) sat me down to have a conversation about my future. I don’t remember much of what we talked about, but one part of the conversation has really stuck with me and has been a guiding force for me in ministry and how I pursue relationships with other believers. First, Chris asked me when I would ideally want to be married. I jokingly said, “Two years ago.” But joking aside, my desire was for marriage and a family, and they knew that based on my heart to take care of their children and be a part of their family for that year. Their advice to me as I was moving from Texas to Illinois, while partly about finding the person I would want to spend my life with, was to find a church where I could serve families and serve alongside families in ministry. They knew this was where my heart was in ministry, and they believed that in doing so, the

man the Lord had for me would be found serving alongside me in these ministry opportunities.

It has been seven years since that conversation, and I am still struck by how much those words have meant to me and have driven how I do ministry as a single person. I am often struck by the diversity of the body of Christ. And as a single person, that diversity can sometimes be intimidating and can sometimes make me want to crawl into my single person shell and only seek other single people who understand me. Finding places to serve can sometimes be intimidating as a single person. For a long time, I had a misguided idea that some ministry opportunities were only going to be relevant for me if I were to get married. For example three years ago my question was: How could I possibly be a director in AWANA when I am younger than many who serve and I don’t have a family of my own? I quickly was given counsel in this area and was able to realize that it was my own fear stopping me and creating doubts. The more I find opportunities to serve alongside families, the more blessings I am able to receive and bestow.

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Through Bethany, I have found exactly what Chris and Sarah prayed that I would find. A church where I can minister among families and to families. A place where I am part of something bigger than myself and where I can seek to glorify God today. Not while I am waiting, but as I am in service for Him. Have I found that husband? No. But I can’t say that it was ever truly my motivating factor for following Chris and Sarah’s advice. My motivating factor was to trust the Lord’s good for me and that He would give me the desires of my heart. Those desires are not always fulfilled in the way we would want them to be fulfilled. Do I have a family of my own? No. But I have children I minister to in multiple ministries. And I have families who welcome me into their homes to share life with them. And I am filled with joy as I seek to live out the plans God has for me today.

Teresa Forsberg has been attending Bethany for 7 years. She enjoys spending time with friends playing games or watching movies, travelling to see family in a variety of states, and spending quiet times at home where she can read a good book. Quirky things she loves: new pens, reading the last sentence of a book before starting the book, and collecting turtle figurines from around the world.

You can currently find me directing the T & T AWANA girls on Wednesday nights, serving on a couple of nursery teams, and helping in the kitchen for different events. Most Sunday mornings (because I am a creature of habit), you can find me sitting five rows from the front on the left side with a wise woman in the faith. We originally met on a committee for Women on their Own. I sit with her because I do not have opportunity to see her outside of church and because it is nurturing to my spirit when I miss a week and find out that she has asked others where I am. And even in our few minutes of conversation before and after the service, I gain a new perspective on my own Christian walk by listening to the perseverance of a saint as she tells me about her week. Since last year I have been attending one of the multi-generational ABC classes on Sunday mornings. Through that class, I am able to study God’s Word with people who are my parents’ ages, who have families, and who are just starting families. Our life stages do not matter, because God’s Word doesn’t change for the single person or the married person or the widowed person. God’s Word remains true no matter our life circumstances. I am also in a small group that has people from other countries in it and people of different life stages. And again, we are all able to study God’s Word together and encourage one another through the study of His Word.

“God’s Word remains true no matter our life circumstances.”

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I am the ultimate people person. I am energized by spending time with others, and in my ideal world I would never have to do anything alone. Despite my extroversion, two years ago when I settled in Peoria I feared the process of making new friends.

One of the hardest parts of starting life in a new city is that everyone else already has friends. In a church as big as Bethany it is so easy to be just another face in the crowd week after week. Although I would meet people in an ABC or while serving on the worship team, no one sought my friendship out. I remember one Sunday after church my husband, Kevin, who grew up in Peoria, got a phone call from a friend asking if he would like to go golfing. In the middle of Sam’s Club I just started sobbing! I was not just sad to be companionless for the afternoon, but because I realized my phone would not be ringing with a similar request - no one even had my number!

Shortly after my episode at Sam’s the Lord gently reminded me that my feelings of loneliness were, at least in part, my responsibility. God had already introduced

me to the body of Christ here in Peoria, and it was my turn to move forward in faith as I sought deeper relationships. My first couple of attempts were not the most fruitful. While I was getting more involved at church I was struggling to meet peers. The first big answer to my prayers came when Kevin and I took a step of faith and decided to join a small group. Today that same small group continues to be comprised of our dearest friends at Bethany. How sweet of the Lord to answer our prayers and bless our little step of faith!

Over the last year God has given me a specific desire to reach out to girls, who like me, are not Peoria natives. Each time, it starts with a prayer and a step of faith. I send a Facebook message or approach someone at church and ask if they would like to get coffee or come over for lunch. A couple of weeks ago I sent a message to a newcomer, and Kevin jokingly asked me, “What if they write back and say they don’t want to get coffee with you?” I laughed, but in reality it could happen. Relationships are messy, and they can come with misunderstandings, hurt, and rejection.

Pursuing Biblical Friendship

Sometimes I forget what it was like to be the lonely new girl, and I fail to continue to pursue new friendships at Bethany. Other times I share only what is on the surface of my heart because vulnerability feels effortful or I fear being misunderstood. But, if God has called me to fellowship I must continue to step out in faith. When I do, I have found that God blesses my efforts.

A few weeks back I spent an afternoon considering how far the Lord has brought me since I moved to Peoria. God’s abundant provision of friendship is so apparent! As I have stepped out in faith He has blessed my efforts, and I am thankful that Bethany has become a church family. Knowing this, I must continue to move forward, never ceasing to seek deeper fellowship. I believe if our love for one another within the church is obvious that others will be drawn to know Christ. And I desperately long to be a part of that!

In light of this, what fear is holding you back from forging deeper friendships? What steps of faith would God have you take to grow in relationships here at Bethany?

Catherine Malone has fallen in love with life in Peoria. She lives in Washington with her husband, Kevin, and when she is not at home she can often be found at Starbucks. She is passionate about fellowship and would love nothing more than to get coffee with you as you take steps of faith towards deeper friendships here at Bethany.

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At times when I fear moving forward in friendship I think of Christ who moved towards me when I was still His enemy. Romans 5:10 says “while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his son.” We were running away from God, worshipping the idols of our hearts, but God interceded on our behalf. Christ went to the cross so that I would no longer be God’s enemy. He moved towards me when I was running from Him. And He had the strength to do so because His identity was not wrapped up in my love for Him, but in God’s love for Him! Thinking on that gives me freedom to extend friendship to others even if they reject me. If my identity is not wrapped up in man’s acceptance but in God’s acceptance, I no longer have to fear rejection.

As Christians, all of us are called to participate in deep biblical friendship. The Bible calls this fellowship. 1 John 1:7 says “if we walk in the light, as [God] is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all of our sin.” Here John correlates fellowship with salvation and walking in the light. Fellowship is something those of us who have been saved by the blood of Christ are called to participate in. It is not a call just to extroverts, but to all of us! Just as God is a relational God, He did not create me to live the Christian life alone. Fellowship is companionship, joint partnership, intimacy. I cannot experience those things without engaging in deep relationships with others in the church nor can I passively wait for it to happen to me.

There are many ideas that can come to one’s mind when she considers the word “discipleship.” For some, it is something needed for those new in their walk with God. For others, it is something necessary when someone is “struggling”. Still, others consider it something that is “uncomfortable” and “not for them” perhaps.

Jonathan Parnell of Desiring God says this of discipleship, “Discipleship – following Jesus – is to live before God’s face, to dwell in his presence, to be satisfied in all that he is.” When I consider discipleship in this way, it adds so much more meaning and importance to me. All of a sudden it becomes much more than “a ministry” but rather something I should be doing every day. Probably like many, when I used to hear about discipleship my first thought was that it was something to help new believers. Fortunately, through many circumstances and relationships, God has helped me understand that discipleship is not something only for a certain subset of believers, but in fact, something all of us as Christ-followers should be doing and spurring one another to do.

Many times there is a distinction

made between those “being discipled” and those “making disciples” but should there be? If we consider the first disciples, we can begin to see that these men were not only being discipled by Jesus Himself, but they were also going out and encouraging others to follow Jesus. In fact, Jesus’ final words to them on earth were, “Go and make disciples…” (Matt 28:19). While these words were spoken specifically to those who stood there at the ascension with Jesus, they are words that apply to all of us today. So, should we not consider how each of us can be encouraged and challenged by one another to follow Jesus and be completely satisfied in him and also encourage others to do the same?

What does this really “look like,” and how can we as sisters in Christ encourage one another to follow Jesus? Perhaps, this resembles Titus 2:3-4 “Older women likewise are to be reverent in behavior, not slanderers or slaves to much wine. They are to teach what is good, and so train the young women to love their husbands and children.” Having an “older” woman come alongside a “younger” woman to encourage her in her walk with Christ and the roles He has placed her in can be a huge blessing to both women and challenge both women to

be satisfied in Christ in the places He has put them. This does not have to be a

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Discipleship—Following Jesus

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“formal” process, and in fact, can flourish as a natural relationship that may have grown out of an interaction in an ABC or small group.

This type of relationship does not always have to be between two women of different ages or stages of life, though. Many times there can be a hesitancy to step into a relationship like this because one does not feel “qualified,” and many times some life situations and circumstances can be “messy.” God has gifted each of us uniquely and places us each in different places to minister to those around us, and He has given us His Word with “everything for life and godliness” (2 Peter 1:3). Is there a friend who is struggling in her walk or going through a trial and needs to be pointed to Christ and upheld in prayer? Is there a newer believer with questions and uncertainties that needs help learning the Bible and growing in what it means to follow Christ? Many times it is in these situations that God reveals that He is sufficient, and it is only by His grace that we are able to minister to one another. It is also an opportunity to be humbled and admit that we can each have times in our lives when we

struggle and need help from a caring friend and sister in Christ.

Discipleship does not have to be a daunting or complicated idea. Truly, if we really think about it in a Biblical perspective, it is a rather simple concept – follow Jesus and encourage and challenge others to do the same in every stage of life and every circumstance of life. It is looking to Jesus as the ultimate example in life and striving, by God’s grace, to live in the same way whether we face heartache or joy. Will you not consider who God may have placed in your life around you that can either encourage you in this way, or who He has placed around you that needs to be encouraged in this way? Pray and seek His guidance, and then pursue these relationships for the glory of God.

Kim French has been attending Bethany for about 10 years. She is very thankful for the discipleship relationships in her life. She has been married to her husband almost three years, and they are so excited to welcome their first baby in November.

“...it is in these situations

that God reveals that He is

sufficient.”

Book Review: Non-Fiction Faith through Fire: Rwanda and Me Memoir of Gary Bennett Author: Randall Bennett Review By: Jeanette Akright

Many of you will recognize the last name of Bennett.

Gary has been a missionary at Bethany for many years.

This is his story!

I was warned when this book was given to me that it

would be hard to put down. And it was true to the word.

I had no idea how much Gary and Melanie had gone

through in their young married life. I can honestly say

that I am not sure how many marriages would have

survived what theirs did.

The story starts at the beginning. It backdrops Gary’s

youth and how he began on the mission field. It quickly

moves into the uprising in Rwanda in the early 1990’s.

Gary and Melanie were simply trying to survive as the

bullets whizzed through the air. I don’t know how they

did it but they kept themselves calm and tried to carry on

with normal life between the lulls of the fighting. When

they are called to leave their home, they are courageous

and stop to pick up as many of the other missionaries as

they possibly can in an effort to escape to safety.

This is a short review as I don’t want to tell you

everything. Just know that it will help you to see what

some missionaries – YES! even the ones you know --

have gone through on the mission field. While it is true

that most don’t see the amount of war that Gary and

Melanie did, they do live completely reliant on God each

and every day. If you would like to read this one, it will

be available in the church library.

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seeks to share the hope of the Gospel with those

experiencing miscarriage, still birth, and early infant death.

Join us for a Work Night to help prepare the products we offer to hurting parents. Special skills are not needed. We cut material, tie ribbon, and iron gowns.

Work Nights are held on the third Monday of each month in Room 815 at church.

Upcoming Work Nights: Monday, September 16 7-9pm Monday, October 21 7-9pm Monday, November 18 7-9pm

HOPE

Women Helping Women

For more information about Women Helping Women, contact Nicole Pepper. Phone: (309) 683-1181 Email: npepper11@hotmail.com

For more information, contact Holly Miller:

Phone: 648-1693

Email: hlm112770@aol.com

Work Nights The third Tuesday of

each month from 6-9pm in Room 815 at church.

Tuesday, September 17 Tuesday, October 15

Tuesday, November 19

Hats of Hope produces hats for cancer patients.

Use your gifts and

talents in sewing and knitting, or simply to cut fabric and make

fabric flowers. Yarn and materials are available if you desire to make hats at home.

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Why do you serve with your time and energy? Why

do you care to take time out of your day to spend

emotional energy engaging in conversations about the

messy issues of life, the mundane tasks that keep our

household running, and the risk of putting yourselves in

uncomfortable situations for a new friend?

Because…..it’s a command, 1 Peter 4:10, “Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God’s grace in its various forms.”

Because you may encounter a mother in your group who:

Why MOPS?

O P M S

Anna Sceggel serves as the MOPS Coordinator. For more information about MOPS contact Anna at ajsceggel@gmail.com.

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Spotlight On MOPS

Is considering leaving her husband.

Had a child when she was not yet ready to be a mother.

Is struggling to conceive another child.

Has a husband without a job.

Has been physically and/or emotionally abused.

Has struggled with eating disorders.

Has struggled with PPD, Post Partum Depression.

Has a husband struggling with mental illness.

Is currently parenting alone.

Struggles with the symptoms of an autoimmune disorder or similar health challenge.

Has had suicide affect her family.

Has had to bury a child.

Has had to bury a parent.

Has been divorced.

Lives miles away from her mother and family support.

Struggles with consumer debt.

Grew up without a father.

Thinks she’s a Christian because she is a “good” person.

Had no prior experience as a mother until the birth of her 1st child. =)

Ephesians 2:10 teaches us that God is creating mighty works in our lives, molding and shaping us to accomplish His great plans. He equips each one of us to walk the path He chooses, for good works He has prepared beforehand for us. When we allow Him to guide our actions and words, we are fulfilling His Great Commission to “..go therefore and make disciples of all nations…teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.” Matthew 28:19-20

So why MOPS? To essentially use the gifts God has specifically appointed to us to guide others to Himself and to minister with His grace and wisdom to encourage the needy, lost and hurting.

“May the glory of the LORD endure forever; may the LORD rejoice in his works..” Psalm 104:31

If you or anyone else you know would be blessed by the MOPS ministry at Bethany Baptist, please visit our website at bethanycentral.org/MOPS to register today. We meet every other Friday 9am-11am for a time of fellowship, food, crafts, and encouraging speakers. Childcare is provided to allow for “mommy time” and adult discussions. We would love to serve you!

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CUTTING CORNERS

Reduce Food Waste and Save Money More than three million tons of wasted food is being dumped every year by

households - about one third of what they buy, government researchers have found. Break that down to individual households, and you can see that approximately 30% of what we buy goes in the trash! If you look at your own annual budget for groceries, I think you’ll be amazed at what the grand total may be if this statistic is true of your family! Luckily, this is something that can be easily amended by simply following some tried-and-true shopping, storage, and usage tips! Once again, you’ll save yourself some green by going green! Just another way to be good stewards of the resources that God has given us!

1. Write a list and double-check your pantry and refrigerator. Only buy fresh fruits and vegetables that you know you’ll use. Resort to canned and frozen supplies if you run short at the end of the week.

2. Check the temperature setting on your refrigerator. The optimal setting is between 35 and 38°F to reduce bacterial growth and fruit and vegetable spoilage.

3. Get creative in your cooking. Fruit that is going soft can be used in baking or smoothies. Vegetables that are starting to wilt can be cut up and frozen for future soups.

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4. Use up your leftovers. Either eat them or use them for tomorrow’s recipes.

5. Rotate. When you buy new food, bring all older items in your pantry and refrigerator to the front and put the new in the back.

6. Serve small amounts. Your family can always come back for more! This will reduce the amount that is scraped off your plates at the end of a meal.

7. Be choosy in the produce aisle. Thoroughly check each fruit or vegetable for bruises, soft spots, discoloration, etc. “A rotten apple can spoil the whole bunch!”

8. Utilize your freezer. Just about anything can be frozen and reused at a later date! Just make sure you properly store and label the items and keep a log of what is in your freezer so you are reminded to use it later!

9. Compost. If you are a gardener, this is an easy and inexpensive way to fertilize your garden!

10. Be realistic. A lot of us have great ambitions for eating healthier, especially when shopping on the weekend. As a result, we stock up on fresh fruits and vegetables. But when the work week kicks into high gear, we often resort to pre-prepared meals and take-out.

Elise Haroldson has been married to

her wonderful husband, Steve, for

eight years and is the mommy of 5 ½-year-

old Treyven, 3 ½-year-old Kolbe, and 6-

month-old Brycen. She has been busy packing for their move to their

new home.

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While I was teaching in the Christian International School of Prague, I was able to come home for the summers. My parents would go on vacation for a week or two, and I was left to care for the plants. Without fail, this would happen during the hottest, most scorching weeks of summer. Truthfully, the survival rate for my mom’s plants is small when they are left with me. As it turns out, you can’t expect plants to care for themselves.

Even as I am currently (probably) killing their plants (sorry, Mom!)--and looking back at my time in Prague-- I find myself asking: “How was my spiritual gardening? Did I do my watering as often as I could? Was I faithful to water at every opportunity—in and out of school—or did I just sprinkle water on when things were obviously starting to wither?” One thing that I found was that it didn’t matter if I was with a professing believer or a professing non-believer; each person needed the water of the Gospel.

I get caught in the mindset of “planting and taking care of seeds = automatic fruit.” When my thoughts dwell there, I am discouraged. Aris doesn’t know the Lord and is content with his 24-hour partying lifestyle.

I spent the last three years in

Prague, Czech Republic. When I

think of Prague, several things come to

mind: Charles Bridge, Prague Castle, the (John) Lennon Wall,

Petrin Hill, the Golden Lane, the beautiful grounds of the castle ruins at Vysehrad and the Vltava River that flows through the Golden City. I think of some of the delicious foods that

I still can’t spell and close access to Ikea and euro fashion.

But I also think of names. Claudia. Ellie. Ruthie. Aris. Cail. Luke. Michelle. the Millers. Sheila. the Marshalls. Rach. Lori. Sarah. Jess. Some of these names are students, some roommates, some co-workers and some are simply my “Prague family”.

The thing that these names have in common is that the people who own the names have changed me. Some of them I’ve laughed with, cried with, flopped on their couch, prayed with, prayed for, been encouraged and blessed by, but more importantly—with some, I have been a co-planter and co-waterer of the seeds of the Gospel.

Prague, People, Plants, and Prayer

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encourage believers that we know even if they are at a distance (much like Paul and the Philippians ). He calls us to faithfully pray for the lost that we know.

As I close this article, my heart echoes Paul‘s in Philippians 1:3-11 “Every time you cross my mind, I break out in exclamations of thanks to God. Each exclamation is a trigger to prayer. I find myself praying for you with a glad heart. I am so pleased that you have continued on in this with us, believing and proclaiming God’s Message, from the day you heard it right up to the present. There has never been the slightest doubt in my mind that the God who started this great work in you would keep at it and bring it to a flourishing finish on the very day Christ Jesus appears. It’s not at all fanciful for me to think this way about you. My prayers and hopes have deep roots in reality. You have, after all, stuck with me…He knows how much I love and miss you these days. Sometimes I think I feel as strongly about you as Christ does! So this is my prayer: that your love will flourish and that you will not only love much but well. Learn to love appropriately. You need to use your head and test your feelings so that your love is sincere and intelligent, not sentimental gush. Live a lover’s life, circumspect and exemplary, a life Jesus will be proud of: bountiful in fruits from the soul, making Jesus Christ attractive to all, getting everyone involved in the glory and praise of God.” (Msg.).

Janna Laugherty is back in Peoria for the foreseeable future and is open to pretty much any job opportunity, except plant care. She is learning to play the mandolin, loves driving manual shift cars and enjoys caramel ice cream.

Claudia may be on the brink of believing, but is pressured by her family to live for the moment, whatever form that may take. Ellie often believes that she is unloved by everyone, but especially by her family. Cail hasn’t been accepted into university for the coming school year. Ruthie is scared of following in her older sister’s footsteps of eating disorders and depression. Michelle is having panic attacks, and Sarah sometimes believes that the darkness can overpower the Light.

My time in Prague from this angle is depressing, but then I remember that each person I encounter needs the water of the Gospel whether they are a Christian or not. I remember that being faithful to love well and to water every chance I get may not result in immediate change and that’s ok. The desire to see the results that I want is strong—but I have to believe that God put me in Prague and took me out again at this time for a reason. Scripture reminds us that God is the one who gives the growth (I Corinthians 3:7), and I am just a fellow worker. It also says that His Word does not return empty and that His purposes will be accomplished (Isaiah 55:11).

This is fantastic news! This means that I can leave people who are dear to my heart across an ocean whether they are saved or not yet saved because our capable Savior is still working. I can trust that He will put the perfect people in their lives that will pray for them and love them. Even though I’m no longer physically in Prague, my job still isn’t done. He calls each of us to pray without ceasing. He calls us to love and

By The Way Bethany Baptist Church Women’s Ministries 7422 N. Heinz Lane Edwards, IL 61528