Discovering Treasure! A Godly Woman is...Persistent

What a great night! We gathered tonight to put together care packages for the missionaries that we support! These people have so little and we have so much! Thank you, ladies, for giving of your selves, your time, and your resources to bless those who are doing God's work.

We started the night by pulling something out of Felicia's grab bag! In this bag, she had items from different countries. Each lady was to say what she thought the item was and how it was used to serve God. Some of the items were money, candlesticks, chopsticks, dolls, shawls, bowls, and a musical instrument made from some type of hoof (we debated if they were sheep hooves, or deer or pig...either way it was quite interesting). How these items were used to serve God ranged from hospitality to buying bibles to making music.

We then had a devotional on being persistent. The question was asked...what are some of the activities that you do at night? Are you using your time wisely? Elizabeth George defines being persistent as being able to discover & use more hours in our day by utilizing the hours of our night to benefit more people. Some definitions given by our ladies included "being on a mission", "working hard", "being determined". The Proverbs 31 woman was persistent. She planted a vineyard, made clothing, cooked meals, cared for children...the list goes on and on. She was not idle and what she did blessed others. Another definitions of persistence is "having the same goal over and over". Our goal is to share Christ! No matter how you use your time, it should be to glorify God! We should be persistent in sharing His love and blessing others!

That was our goal for the night...to bless those who are serving Him! We took time to talk about and pray for the following missionaries.

James ~ Gospel Harvesters ~ India
James was just here visiting. He helps to run an orphanage, a Bible College for men wanting to become Pastors, and he arranges the meetings when groups come over to minister to the people. Please pray for endurance for James as he travels a lot. Pray for the Bible College especially for books for their library, and pray for the children who have lost their parents. We were able to box up 2 boxes of clothes and blankets to send to India! http://www.gospelharvint.org/



The Wild Family ~ New Tribes Mission ~ Papua
The Wild Family (they have 4 young boys) minister to the Wano tribe. Where they live, everything must be flown in by helicopter. It is very primitive...in the jungle! Their mission is to translate the Bible into the Wano language. Pray for their safety, pray that the Wano people will be open to the gospel, and pray for the boys as they live and learn over there. They did not desire much...just chocolate, seasoning packets, and Jeff's sermons (I think to scare off the snakes:)!!!!! Their parents will be visiting this summer, so they will deliver the box! http://www.ntm.org/pray/




Jamie ~ Lakeshore
Jamie headed to Lakeshore 2 years ago and has not returned! She loves it down there and loves the people! She is in charge of the volunteers that come through to help rebuild Lakeshore! Summer is especially busy for her! She will have contact with hundreds of volunteers! This is an awesome opportunity for the church to reach their community! Pray that the people's hearts will be open. Pray that Jamie will have strength for the long hours. Also pray for the completion of her house (is it really big enough to call a house?). We sent Jamie some homemade goodies, chocolate, and soup mixes. She might have more needs when her house is finished.


Brad & Joy ~ Church! ~ Brooklyn
Brad & Joy and their girls moved to Brooklyn to start a church! New York is full of people especially people who do not know Christ! Church! and its coffee shop, Postmark, has a desire to reach people for Christ! They want to love their neighbors just like Christ commanded! They have numerous opportunities to do that....through the regulars at the coffee shop, through ministering at street fairs, through kids clubs and camps, and through just loving the person who lives right next door! Pray for opportunities to share Christ's love, pray for the hearts of the people to be broken & open for Christ, pray for strength & endurance as they attempt to reach people through their activities. We were able to send homemade goodies for their fellowship time and stickers for the story time that they host at Postmark. http://www.churchofparkslope.org/




Finally, we wrote encouragement notes to all the missionaries!

Thank you to all who contributed your time, effort, and supplies! My prayer is that you were blessed as you blessed others! These people gave up their nice homes to live in smaller quarters, luxuries like restaurants, and just being close to family. We have so much...you don't have to be a missionary in another country....use what God has given you and reach others for Him in your own backyard!

Our next gathering is Tuesday, July 1! More details will follow!

Discovering Treasures...A Godly woman is Thrifty

What a beautiful day God gave us! The temperature was great, the day was sunny and the breeze was nice! Isn't spring wonderful! It is a time of new life and growth! Maybe the Proverbs 31 woman was enjoying the same type of day when she purchased a field and planted a vineyard!
Proverbs 31:16 was our verse for yesterday's PEARLS. "She considers a field and buys it; out of her earnings she plants a vineyard." This woman was thrifty. She thought about her purchase and then she used what she made to plant a vineyard to either provide for her family or to make more income.
We spent a great couple hours in Mary's beautiful home (thanks so much Mary for going out of your comfort zone to have us!) having great fellowship and being encouraged by Tina who led the devotional and gave tips on how to be thrifty. We began the evening with a game of "Who is thrifty". The idea was to have the most pennies when the game was over. You received a penny if you were thrifty, but had to give one up if you were not thrifty. There were questions asked like...
1. Do you reuse cool whip or sour cream type containers.
2. Do you hang clothes out on the line.
3. Do you pick up pennies off of the ground.
4. Do you wash your clothes in cold water.

Mary ended up with the most pennies and Tina was the second Thriftiest person! It was fun, but it also was a good reminder of ways that we can be thrifty in a day in age when everything is costing more!

Tina then led us in a devotional about how being thrifty is one way that God prunes us. One of the scriptures that she used was John 15:1-12. Since the Proverbs woman was thrifty and planted a vineyard, this passage was appropriate because it talks about Jesus being the vine and we are the branches who need to bear fruit for Him. As we bear fruit, we still need to be pruned in order to bear much fruit. Struggles and circumstances in our life will prune us. Learning how to be a godly woman who is thrifty is one way that God might prune us. As good stewards of what God has blessed us with, we should be thrifty.
Tina shared the story of Charles Spurgeon's wife. She was pruned by God when she came down with a serious illness. No longer able to really leave her home, she still was determined to be used by God no matter what her circumstance. She had been saving money here and there and was able to purchase 100 copies of her husband's book and place it in the hands of pastors who could not afford it and therefore they were able to better serve God through Spurgeon's teaching. Each time she saved, it wasn't much, but it added up to a lot in the end...100 books and probably a lot of lost souls being saved more than you could count.
So the true lesson of the night was that it is important to be thrifty, but it is more important to use the circumstances that God puts us through (learning to live on a budget) to be pruned and used by Him.
Tina did a great job sharing and I'm sure I still left out some key points that she made. Feel free to ask her about what she shared.

After the devotional, Tina shared some tips of how she is learning to be thrifty and led us in discussing how the rest of us are thrifty. Here are a few of the tips that were mentioned.

1. Buy in bulk. Ex. Tina buys a bag of wheat and then grinds her own to make all of her baked goods from scratch. This is much cheaper and healthier. (she did add that true junk food like brownies should not be healthy!)

2. Shop thrift stores or garage sales.

3. When you want something new...repaint it! Bev has repainted her canisters 3 or 4 times. She also repaints lamps. This way she gets something new without it costing a lot of money.

4. Garden to have your own vegetables.

5. Buy clothes at the end of the season for the next year.

6. Once a month grocery shop and meal plan.

7. Keep track of your expenses.

8. Wash plastic Ziploc bags and reuse them.

9. Buy generic diapers (Csilla said that target brand are great!)

10. Use old Christmas cards as the name tags on the next year's presents.

There were many more ideas. As prices start to soar, it is really important to count every penny and do the best you can to make ends meet. Being thrifty is just one way to help your family do a better job of being good stewards of what God has given you.


Our next gathering is June 3 and will be held at the church. We will be doing a service project and reaching out to the missionaries that our church supports. Please be looking for more information! I'll let you know the details as soon as they are all worked out!

Discovering Treasures...A Godly Woman is Enterprising

Proverbs 31:14 "She is like the merchant ships bringing her food from afar."

We had a great gathering tonight at Karen's house! I did forget the camera, though, so no pictures of our April Fools Spaghetti that Csilla made! It was excellent! We had a time of prayer tonight...praying for specific needs of the women of our church. Please continue to pray for:

Felica N.'s Mom's Boyfriend's Dad and the critical condition he is in. Also pray for Felica as she desires to be with her Mom during this time.

Mary continues to have headaches. Pray for strength and wisdom for the doctors as to what to do to help her.

Joy is a strength for her family during this trying time. Pray that God will continue to give her strength and wisdom.

Kathleen's family!

Karen then led us in a devotional about being an enterprising woman. The Proverbs 31 woman lived in a different era than we do, but it still applies to us and the way we should provide for our family. She made clothing for her family...we need to provide clothing maybe not the most expensive, but still provide it. She planted a garden...that would help to cut grocery costs. She got up early...a lot can be accomplished when no one else is awake. We, as women need to be able to be creative to provide for our families. The definition for enterprising is showing initiative and willingness to undertake new projects. In what ways can you be creative to benefit your family?

We then took time to share what each of us does for a "living" and any creative ways that we can help to provide for our family. Some shared about preparing the supper meal early in the morning. You could also monthly meal plan or make extras and freeze to use when you need a quick meal. Coupons can always be cut out, too. Working from home whether it is babysitting or selling a product can also benefit your family. The Bible teaches us in Titus 2 that our most important role after serving God is to love our husbands and children and to be busy at home. So whether you work from your home or outside of it...remember to prioritize your time so that you care for your family first!

We have a lot of different ladies who have different occupations. Try to get to know someone new this week and find out what they do as a job or how they are creative in providing for their family!

Next gathering is May 6th! Hope to see everyone there!

Discovering Treasure...A Godly woman is GOOD

This month at PEARLS we focused on discovering the treasure of being a GOOD woman. Proverbs 31:12 "She brings him good not harm all the days of her life." Julie led us through a devotional of serving which is exactly what we did. Tonight was to be a service night and we chose to serve Kathleen by cleaning her apartment! I'm pretty sure that her apartment has never been cleaned so quickly and with so much laughter! I heard Julie scream once as Mary accidentally sprayed her with the shower. I'm surprised Mary didn't spray anyone else since four women were in the bathroom at one time! We were able to help Kathleen by cleaning her bird cage, cleaning out the refrigerator, cleaning the bathroom, dusting, vacuuming, sweeping, and mopping her floor.

After all of our hard work, we enjoyed bunny food (Easter is in March this year)...celery, carrot juice, and of course carrot cake:) Thank you to all who provided goodies!

While we rested from our work and enjoyed our food, Julie shared some scriptures with us about the importance of being a good woman who serves those around her. She started off asking the question "What keeps us from serving?" Most of us answered our own selfish desires or wanting to use our precious time for our own use. Then Julie brought out truth in scripture of why we shouldn't let our selfish desires keep us from serving others. Matthew 20:26-28 says, "Whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant" and Matthew 25:35-40, "For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me. Then the righteous will answer him, Lord when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you? The King will reply, I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me." Good truth to hear!

Finally, Julie asked as about our gifts that we can use to serve others. What are your gifts and how can you use them to serve your family, church, and community this week? Be challenged, ladies! God has called us to serve...will you?

Tina dusting! Cleaning up the kitchen was done by Felica, Csilla, & Felicia.

Cleaning out the fridge! Cleaning the bathroom and birdcage done by Lori, Mary, Rhonda & Julie. Glenda dusting (last picture).

Our next gathering will be Tuesday, April 1 (no this is not a joke) at Karen's house! More details to follow!

"Do the Right Thing"

For all those interested there will be a group of us heading to a women's conference March 7-8. The theme is "Do the Right Thing" Choosing Obedience Above All Else.

If you are interested in attending this conference, please see me for a registration form! It is $30; Student cost is $25. This is always a great conference! It is close by, so we will commute both days.

A Godly Woman is...Faithful

Proverbs 31:11 "Her husband has full confidence in her and lacks nothing of value."

Tonight was a fun and loving night! Since this is the "love" month, it was appropriate to to talk a lot about love and being a Godly wife. We began our night by sharing about someone who models love. The examples ranged from Grandmothers taking care of their failing spouse to a father running a marathon while pushing his handicapped son to friends showing up at the hospital at midnight to check on a sick friend. Who pops into your head as someone who models love?

Rhonda then shared with us about being a faithful wife/woman. She shared how important it is for the husband to have confidence in his wife and to know that she will support him. She shared verses about a quarrelsome wife is worse than dripping water (Proverbs 19:13). All this to say that a godly woman will support her husband, respect him, and encourage him in what he does. She is not nagging or quarrelsome.

We followed the devotional time up with a game of "Family Feud". Teams were divided up by how long each woman had been married (Glenda ruled the roost with 31 years.) Some of the survey questions were name the basic needs that men need met. What 10 things do people want in a mate? What are the 3 most used scripture verses at weddings? (FYI...1 Cor. 13, John 15:9-12, & Matthew 19:4-6). For each correct answer the winners were given chocolate....everyone wanted to win this game:)

After the game, we had a Q/A time with some of the following questions...
1. Did you marry the person of your "dreams"?
2. Are "white lies" appropriate in marriage?
3. How do you handle the verse "do not let the sun go down on your anger"...Eph. 4:26?
4. How do you have fun with your husband...do you still date?
5. As a single woman...is thee anything you want to ask a married woman?

Each of these questions was answered with a lot of discussion and godly advice. The whole purpose was to allow the single girls to get a picture of a godly marriage and to allow the married girls an opportunity to be encouraged and to learn from other women. No matter what, we all learned that marriage and relationships in general need to be built on the rock...Jesus! Lots of prayer needs to be included in a marriage. None of us are perfect...marriage and relationships are not easy, but God will give you the strength you need to be a Faithful wife.

Of course, we ended the evening with lots of sweet goodies!!!!!! February is a great month for chocolate!

Our next gathering will be a service project at Kathleen's! Please come out and help us bless her by cleaning her apartment! More details to follow!

Discovering Treasures

Proverbs 2: 4&5
"If you seek her (wisdom) as silver
And search for her as for hidden treasure;
Then you will discern the fear of the Lord
And discover the knowledge of God."

Today we kicked off PEARLS 2008 "Discovering Treasures". There was a lot of laughter, tears, good food, and great wisdom from God's Word. We are once again this year focusing on being a Proverbs 31 Woman of Excellence.

We took this opportunity to be women (Pastor Jeff did give us a few words of wisdom on taking every opportunity to teach others, but we quickly ran him out of the room)...we had an afternoon tea that included many delicious goodies served along with our tea, coffee, or hot chocolate. The high temperature today was only 5 degrees!

We also had a time of reflection...what is your greatest treasure. This time brought about lots of laughs and tears as we discovered what treasure each of us really cherish.














We learned a little bit about the background of Proverbs from its different poetry use to how packed full of words of wisdom it truly is. Then we took some time to talk about the character traits of a Woman of Excellence.

Each month when we meet, we will discuss a different character trait using the help of author Elizabeth George. We will also use our time to learn practical elements of being a woman of excellence.

For those who missed it, we really missed you and hope that you will put February 5th on your calendar to join us for the next PEARLS! There is a PEARLS profile sheet that we would love for all of our women at RHC to fill out so that we can get to know you a little better. Also, if you would like to participate in the Titus 2 Mentoring program, please let JeriAnn or Felicia know!


We are looking forward to a great year "Discovering Treasures" and we hope that you will come exploring with us!