During the summer months I really enjoy hiking.  I particularly enjoy hikes that lead uphill and into the mountains because the view at the top is so beautiful and rewarding.  Living in Alaska, there are plenty of such hiking trails. In addition to the majestic views from high mountainsides, I also enjoy seeing all the wildflowers.  Although there are many varieties of wildflowers to be seen on almost any hike, there is one flower that I have admired hike after hike for a few years.  It is called the windflower. 

​The windflower itself is rather plain.  It grows just a few inches tall and has five simple, round, pure white petals.  I have taken notice of this flower not so much for its appearance, but for where it grows, as it seems to grow in the most unlikely of places.  I see this flower growing well above tree line fully exposed to the driving winds and sometimes harsh weather conditions we experience even during the summer.  Besides this, it grows in some of the rockiest soil, oftentimes having less than half an inch of soil to grow in atop massive boulders.  And yet these small windflowers bravely put forth their blossoms adding delicate beauty to the rugged mountain terrain.  

​Last year when our family of ten was living in a camper volunteering at a ministry in Flagstaff, Arizona, after five months of living in the same camper on a horse ranch—Sermon on the Mount—in Oklahoma, I finally had this wonderful opportunity to use a full-sized kitchen which was located in the welcome center next to where we parked our camper. With more thankfulness than ever, I resumed the daily task of feeding my large crew.

​I always have an anxious excitement when I am about to buy a plane ticket. You are planning for a fun trip, but at the same time you are spending a lot of money on something you can’t return. As I was doing this a few weeks ago, I was meticulously going through my itinerary to make sure I had everything right. Finally I clicked to finalize the purchase, but it came up with an ‘ERROR’ screen. It appeared that it hadn’t gone through, but it wouldn’t let me purchase the tickets when I tried again. I was feeling a little frustrated, because I really wanted to get them finalized before prices went up. With no other option, I waited until the next morning to try again. And lo, and behold, it ended up that the tickets were cheaper! As I sat there thanking the Lord, I felt like the Lord saying, “If I can orchestrate your circumstances to save you a little money, how much more can I provide for you in the area of marriage?’ I was humbled. ‘Oh.  Yes,  Lord. You are able to work out my future in Your perfect timing and in Your perfect way.’ God used a small daily experience to remind me of His goodness and care.

​What a great joy it is to be a woman! God certainly had a marvelous plan in mind when he created each of us. We are born into a family and we normally grow up there with love, protection and provision. Our direction in life is usually very clear.

​My oldest sister married not too long after she graduated from high school; therefore her direction in life was very obvious. Not all of us, however, will marry quite so young. If we don’t marry right after graduation, does this leave us with no purpose in life? Has God abandoned us? Of course not! (Hebrews 13:5b...“I will never leave you, nor forsake you.”) 

It can be challenging to maintain a cheerful attitude and a vision for a future family when that future family seems so elusive. If you’re like me, the prospect of marriage may appear slim. Mr. Right isn’t around and he’s not even on the horizon or over the horizon. It’s easy to wonder if he died at birth and the possibility of becoming an old, grouchy spinster continues to loom bigger and bigger. While your friends get married and raise their children, you are still waiting and waiting, and waiting some more. Your overflowing Hope Chest becomes more of a Hopeless Chest and you wonder if life has passed you by. 

​First of all, I would like to start by saying that I will be preaching to myself. If you happen to benefit from it, that’s great. I most certainly have not “arrived,” and my guess is that I will not be arriving anytime soon.
 
Ever since I was little, I have always wanted to be married and have a family. When I was around 10 years old, I figured I would be married by 20, so I just had to wait 10 more years!!! Well, I just had my 32nd birthday, and no Prince Farming…(Yes, I meant that. I’d rather have a farmer than a charmer.) Needless to say, singleness has been, and continues to be, one of the greatest struggles of my life. So I’m going to share with you a few thoughts that I hope will turn your eyes (and mine!) back to the faithfulness of our Lord Jesus Christ…

The benefits of organizing are many! Not only will you enjoy the satisfaction of having a neat, clean home, but you will also be able to find what you are looking for, when you want it! When the house is organized, cleaning is less of a chore, and in the long run, organizing your house will also save you time and money. To start with, it is important to have a place for everything. When you’re done using something, put it back where it belongs, right away! At the end of the day, or several times a day, go through the house and pick up whatever little things are cluttering the floors and tables, picking up and putting them away as you go. This will only take a few moments, but it goes a long way towards keeping your home looking neat! Here are a few ideas for organizing which perhaps you’ll find helpful:

Some encouragement for the dear mothers,

Even though I have never written to you before in this newsletter, I hoped to encourage you in this area. Time management…is this not something that all mothers struggle with at some point in their lives? When we stand before the throne of our heavenly Lord, will we have used our time wisely? Psalm 90:12 says, “So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom.” And Ephesians 5:15-17 says, “See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil. Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is.”

​A big topic that has been in our home lately is “Are you a ‘Martha’ or a ‘Mary’?” It all stemmed from a tape set that I recently purchased to help me with the #1 struggle I had been having over the last year….