Equipping Volunteers

Many of you know that besides being part of the Emanate staff I work in MK Care and Education.  So as part of MK Care I try to encourage and connect with our college age MK's as they transition to life back here in North America.  Yesterday afternoon I was baking five different types of cookies to send five different college age MK's.  As parents we have tried modeling serving and ministering to people.  We also tried to minister with our children in many different ways overseas and here in North America.  In each place, with each child it looked a little different.  While we were in Venezuela our kids would help when our supplies came in off the plane.  They helped cut the grass, delivered food to the our sick people in need, helped cut up logs into usable slabs of wood, at times helped Vern while he was treating someone medically, helped host many people in our home and the list goes on.  Here in North America our children have helped us in ministering here at Emanate.  They were especially a big help in jungle camp, in putting together socials, in babysitting for our student's children, helping in cooking and serving many meals and snacks to people coming in and out of our house.  We also tried to get them involved in church through ministering in children's ministry with them.  We feel as Christians we are called to serve.  One of our hopes in serving  the Lord and people with our children was so that they would grow up to have a heart for God's work and have a love for people.  We are by no means a perfect family but I do believe that our children are serving and do have a heart for God.  We deeply love our grandchildren and pray for them faithfully.  With our grandchildren being so close there is lots of opportunity to do things with them.  Yesterday, Jeremiah, Aubrey, and Gavin were over.  As I was beginning to work on my cookie project Jeremiah asked, "Grandma, can I help?"  Now he has helped me before.  However, it was so fun to have Jeremiah there and to talk about why we were making cookies and what we were going to do with them.  I know he is too young to know what an MK is.  So in simple terms I tried to explain to Jeremiah that we were making cookies for kids like his Uncle Titus  whose parents live very far away.  I am hoping that these cookies will make those kids happy.  I know at his age it really didn't mean a lot but I look forward to more opportunities where he can help me serve. How I pray and invest in our grandchildren so that they will grow up to have a heart for God and love for people.

The Southern Connection

It was so nice to have Titus home for several weeks during Christmas.  However, it was time for Titus to hit the books again so last weekend we headed down to VA to bring Titus back to school.  The only thing that eased the fact that we were going back to empty nesters again was that it worked out for us to pop in on Glenn & Ruth and Zachary & Elisha.   Since Vern and Ruth both have January birthdays we celebrated their birthday while we were their together.  Unfortunately Raleigh and Charlotte are three hours apart so we weren't able to be together with all our NC kids.  We are so thankful for where the Lord has our kids in life, but that doesn't mean we don't miss them.  So we sure treasured the time we did have together.

 

Gone Too Soon

With this being the beginning of 2017 I am sure you have seen the list of "Famous Faces Gone Too Soon" or "Celebrity Deaths in 2016".  We heard that a "princess" died.  I have also been seeing people getting awards for Bravery, and for exemplifying Inspirational Courage.   Last week on December 26th, 2016 this world lost a Super Star, Princess, amazing woman of the faith, my hero and friend Margaret Jank.  Most of you will not know her.  But Marg had been a missionary for over 50 years.  I first met Marg as a new missionary in Venezuela.  I am very language challenged and for the second half of my time learning Spanish she was my Spanish teacher.  She not only tried to get me to become fluent in the language, but she wanted to pass on a love for the Venezuelan people, the Venezuelan church, and to help me grow deeper in my faith.  

Marg had worked for years with her husband and family in the remote jungles of Venezuela with the Yanomami people.  But due to some health issues she needed to be out of a high malaria area so she helped new missionaries learn Spanish.  (Her husband died over 30 years ago and Marg continued serving the Lord as a single missionary.) During my time in the Spanish study I can still remember Marg sharing how she felt God was leading her back to the jungle to continuing ministering to these dear people.  Even though it could have greatly affected her health, within a few years Marg was back living in the remote jungles of Venezuela.  Although we worked on the same field I did not often see Marg.  However, several years ago Marg moved back to Canada and onto the campus here to make this her home base.  During her years here she joined our training staff and helped out in many different ways teaching, disciplining, and impacting all of our lives.  Every semester she also shared in our ladies chapel and was our guest speaker for many events.  There was one theme with Marg's messages which was: to put off anything hindering you in your walk with the Lord and to fall deeper in love with the Lord.  She encouraged us that as we here in Canada, dress for the weather, especially in the winter, we need to daily get dressed for the spiritual battle and put on the armor of God.  

All the time Marg was here she was still making trips back to Venezuela to continue to invest in the Yanomami people.  Both here and in Venezuela she was continuing to write up Bible lessons for the people.  During these last years she also was dealing with cancer.  Each time she had a check up she tried to get the doctors to ok another missions trip.  Marg's hearing was starting to go so when I called down to talk to her, she often would say how she was having troubling hearing me.  I would then go to her place and talk to her in person.  (This was always a treat to sit and have coffee with Marg.)

Marg had hoped to make it back to Venezuela again in December, to continuing to ministry there for another few months.  God had other plans and welcomed Marg to her  forever home, in heaven.

So my 2016 Woman of the Year goes to Margaret Jank who exemplified Inspirational Courage, who was a true servant of the Lord.  She lived a sacrificial life and made it her life goal to walk faithfully with the Lord and to reach people with the gospel.  Although this world will not recognize any of her accomplishments, we know that as she entered heaven she received great riches.   She finished strong, loving and serving the Lord till the end.  I thank the Lord for this Godly woman and for the privilege I have had to know her.  She has greatly impacted my life.   May God use her testimony to encourage us to keep pressing on in this race and to finish strong.  "Well Done, good and faithful Servant." 

Ushering in 2017

Since we were in the Saint Paul area yesterday morning it would have been an incredibly long day to drive all the way back to Durham yesterday.  Therefore we stopped in Chicago for New Years Eve. It is always great to seize every moment you can with family to connect and make some fun memories.  Even if your team loses every game of the night.  :)  There was no Big drum to bang, and although we didn't march up and down the block like when we were kids,  I think we did a pretty good job of going outside, making some noise, and ushering in the new year.