ARCHIVE GALLERY
April 2006
April 3, 2006
We unpacked on Monday and settled in on Tuesday. By mid-day Tuesday, I had everything put away and I began to clean the apartment. I really did not leave it very well after the holidays and it just felt dirty. Plus, my in-laws were scheduled to come on Thursday. Bless their hearts, the last time we saw them was on December 11, 2005. So, I know they were ready to see the grandkids! I wanted to give them a nice weekend with Randy and the kids (I was not going to be there) with enough clean sheets, towels and decent food, so Tuesday and Wednesday was kind of like orientation to life on land. I had to leave at 1:00 on Thursday, so my in-laws got here a couple hours earlier so that we could at least see each other.
We did go to bible study Wednesday night, the first time at our home church in three months. It was so good to see everyone and be taught by Pastor Dave.
I was also finishing preparations on my messages for the Plymouth Church of the Nazarene Ladies Retreat at the Doubletree Hotel in Bay City, Michigan. Randy was such a help to me as he got me organized with all four sessions of the retreat. He is so good at putting thoughts down on paper and making sense of it all. I really wanted to be prepared, so he came to my rescue and even color-coded my notes! He taught me how to make speaking four sessions in a row flow. What a help he was to me.
The retreat was just fantastic as the ladies outdid themselves on everything from the gift baskets to the decorations to the free time! They were all so welcoming and made me feel very special right from the start. I met two of the Pastor’s wives in the hall near the conference room a few hours before the first session. They were putting together nametags, so I helped them finish and then we went into the conference room to pray for the Lord’s presence to fill the place! And He did! It was the perfect start to the weekend.
Every session went well and I even went shopping and out to lunch with some new friends. They just made me feel like I belonged there and we had a great time. We even got a pedicure! It was a girls dream day…and then I had to speak that night. I needed a nap…so I laid down, read over my notes and fell asleep.
I was late for the banquet! I thought maybe I could just “slip in” unnoticed. Nope.
Other than that, it was a fabulous weekend with many ladies commenting on the “spiritual food” they received. I loved investing in their lives.
Saturday afternoon, Randy and the kids met me at the hotel and we left my car there overnight and drove up to East Tawas Church of the Nazarene. The kids were so loud in the car! This was the first time in three months we had taken a trip in the SUV instead of the RV and they were SO CLOSE TO US! We finally got to the hotel and let the kids swim in the pool. That helped and then we met Pastor Daryl and his wife, Gwen for dinner. What sweet people! We ate and laughed a lot. Sunday morning’s concert went smoothly and the people were very excited to have us. That is always a good sign and lots of fun. They joined in worship with us and were very responsive. The Lord seemed to work in all our lives and I believe we all left a little bit different than when we came.
After Sunday school, Kennedie came running up to me with a friend, Summer. She looked familiar to me, but I couldn’t place her. Ken reminded me that we met Summer at the mall (near our house) about 3 years ago. We were at the food court playland and they just hit it off. She was visiting for a few days and was having a birthday party that week. She invited Ken and we let her go. It took me awhile to remember it all and her mom and dad had a hard time too. But as Kennedie described the party, house and situation in detail, it all came back to us. What a small world!
Now, I feel like the tour is really over and I can return to some sort of normalcy and routine. For us, anyway. Thank you for praying for us so consistently and following along our journey. We couldn’t do it without you!
What a great week we have had. People are constantly asking, “Does it feel good to be home?” Yes. The only way to describe it is that we LOVE to go and we LOVE to come home. They’re both good. Usually, we are very excited to travel, especially to somewhere that we have never been before, although, it is awesome to re-visit people and places that we really made a connection with. Occasionally, we feel like just staying home. But, don’t you, too? With any calling in life, there are going to be challenges. Overall, God has wired us to love travel. He knew we needed to love it! So, this week was just filled with returning to a home-life schedule. A ton of good schoolwork was accomplished by the kids and Randy and I have been busy with knew music and trying to fill the holes in our schedule. Please pray that the Lord brings in more opportunities for us to encourage the body of Christ.
Friday night, my parents took us to Stillwater Grill, a great restaurant not far from home. They love this place and we saw why. It was delicious. As we sat there with my folks, I was thinking how blessed we are to have these two people who support so fully what God has called us to do. They are genuinely interested in hearing the stories, good and bad, and helping us with anything they can. As we were eating, they decided (via Kennedie and KC’s request) that Randy and I needed a night to ourselves. So, the kids went home with Grammy and Pup-pup and spent the night. Not only so, but they kept them ALL day Saturday! This was wonderful. Now, you would think that we would turn this into a romantic weekend. Nope. Other than a Starbucks coffee (we are addicts) and a blockbuster rental, we worked all day Saturday and we had a blast. Friday night, I got a Café Americano (large) at Starbucks and I do not know what I was thinking, but I neglected to get a decaf. This drink is four or five shots of Espresso in water. I’ve had DECAF before…I always drink decaf. Anyway, watching the movie…not paying attention, I drank the entire thing. I was wide-awake until 5 AM. I thought it would wear off by Saturday. Wrong again. I had so much energy…I got all kinds of things done! Now, I do not suggest this as a means of accomplishment, but I thrilled to reap the benefits of such a mistake.
Sunday morning we sang at Baptist Fellowship Church in Waterford, MI. We have been there before and love Pastor Randy and his wife, Michele. She is part of the pastor’s wives fellowship that I co-lead, so we have bonded!
Sunday was a day of celebration for this church as they had a ribbon cutting ceremony for a newly renovated wing in their beautiful building. They have done a tremendous job and we were invited to participate in the day. So, we were blessed to hear a wonderful sermon and lead worship with precious people. We pray that the Lord blesses this church with endless opportunities to lead their community to Christ.
Please continue to pray for our upcoming events and ministry. We have some extra needs right now and the Lord has promised to care for us. We need His equipping spiritually, emotionally, physically and financially. Thank you for joining us in prayer.
I can’t believe it is already Thursday and I haven’t gotten this week’s journal posted yet! The week is taking on a flavor of it’s own as we prepare for the upcoming weekend. But first, let me tell you about Resurrection Sunday!
My in-laws came from Cleveland to spend the “Holy-day” with us and my folks joined in the celebration as well. Our home church, SoulQuest Ministries in Waterford, Michigan had booked us well in advance to assure that we could be home for Easter. That is just so thoughtful of them…I know they want us there to lead them in worship, but I know they are also thinking of us.
Our little church usually runs between 65-70 people on a Sunday morning…this Sunday we had 150 people to celebrate the resurrection of Christ! How great is that? We had a big breakfast before the service started and there were people everywhere. We love coming home because we have so much freedom and we love to report to those who send us out what God is doing in our ministry. To tell them from our own lips that we love and appreciate their prayers and financial support is both humbling and gratifying. We are truly grateful for our church and the grounding that they give us. People frequently ask us if we have a home church and if we ever “get fed.” That is a great question and we wish people knew just how important our home church is to us. Pastor Dave and Connie continuously pour into us and pray for us, hold us accountable and encourage us. They remind us of how far the Lord has brought us, and the awesome plans He has for us. Their faith and steadfast belief in the Word is contagious and they communicate “life in the Lord” very well. This is what Randy and I want to be to others.
We pray that you had a fantastic celebration and time of worship of your own. He is risen!
We have a great opportunity in front of us…and we ask that you pray for God’s provision, safety but most of all, that the Lord will work in the lives of many Jamaicans as we lead them in worship from May 19th – 29th. The Kingston, Jamaica Salvation Army Church is bringing us over (including the kids!) for a ten-day revival and we are so excited to participate. Because of the event and location, we cannot depend on love offerings as usual, so we are trying to raise some support for this missions trip. Please pray for the Lord to provide everything we need. If you would like to be a part of the support, prayer and/or financial, please email us and we will give you the information. Thank you!
May the Lord bless you this week!
I apologize for not getting this entry posted sooner! My week has just flown by but I have not forgotten!
River Valley Christian Fellowship in Bourbonnais, Illinois brought us in for a weekend marriage seminar followed by two Sunday morning concerts and it was so much more than what we hoped and prayed for. God moved miraculously in the lives of the marriage seminar couples and I wish I could tell you specific stories, but, of course, because of confidentiality reasons, I am unable to give details. I must, however, give God all of the credit, because what happened last weekend was only because He has the power to heal and bring to life the human soul. God has given Randy and I a passion to invest in the lives of people and marriage seminars are one of our favorite ways to do that. To spend the whole weekend together is so rewarding. We were even blessed by having Zac Holmes and Amy Spencer, friends from our home church who were recently engaged, attend the seminar. They made the trip to Illinois just for the seminar to prepare for their marriage, not just their wedding! How wise is that? We were honored to have them.
Saturday night, Hank and Holly Roso (they were in charge of the seminar) took Zac, Amy, Randy and I to a wonderful Italian restaurant about 45 minutes away in Frankfort. We had the best time laughing and telling stories. Hank has such a quick sense of humor and with Randy…the howls were deafening. In the car, after dinner, we laughed so hard that my stomach muscles were aching. Hank & Holly - thank you for your dear friendship. We are better servants of God because of it. (and we sure have a whole lot of fun!)
We have been to this
church several times now and the friendships continue to strengthen.
It is amazing to me how you can see somebody once or twice a year, yet have a
strong bond because of the relationship we have in Christ. God is challenging
Randy and I about unity in the body, and has been for quite some time. He is
giving us these wonderful experiences to spur us on to encourage the bride to
love one another and in doing so; show the world that Jesus really is the
Messiah.
Sunday’s services were wonderful as the congregation joined us in worship. This church loves to worship and they follow right along as they engage their hearts and participate with us. We love it when this happens…God has accomplished our goal for the service - to lead them in worship. There were two services and the challenge I gave for the second service was completely different than the first service. It just did not seem like the Lord wanted me to share the same thing in both services. After the second service was over, a young woman came to me crying. She told me that what I spoke about was the exact issue she had been crying out to God about on the way to church that morning! I even used the exact words she had prayed, so she knew the Lord heard her. He was already beginning to answer her prayer. She thanked me for coming and I told her how the Lord directed me to change the challenge for the second service. I thanked her for sharing that God spoke to her as it confirms to me the Lord is moving and using us as He desires. There is no greater fulfillment in the world than this.
After church, Dr. George and Sharon Miller had us over to their house for dinner. We have been there before and we were really looking forward to this. They make two meats, tons of vegetables, their whole family is there and they do this every Sunday. You just have to experience this! It is amazing! Their son, Derek, and his wife Theresa, are the kind of friends that you wish you lived near. They are just awesome people and like Hank and Holly, are very supportive and encouraging. After eating and catching up on everything, we headed home.
Kennedie and Kadison stayed at Brian and Mary Deforests house in Grand Rapids. They have three girls, Elizabeth, Faith and Jenna. All of them are such sweet people and were so willing to help us with the kids. My plans for Ken and KC fell through (my fault) and God was gracious enough to rescue me! I called Mary on Monday and asked if we could drop the kids off on Friday. She was so happy to help…even took all five kids “glow in the dark bowling!” Neither of them were sick…which if you know our track record with marriage seminars and sickness, is saying a lot! God has blessed us and continuously works out the details of this crazy schedule. He uses people who sacrifice their time and energy and we are very grateful. Thank you Deforest family!
So, it was a fabulous weekend and it seems Randy and I came away with so much more than what we were able to leave. River Valley is a very generous, loving church and their Global Outreach Team has decided to support us monthly in our quest to make a difference in the body of Christ. What an honor! God continues to expand our borders and provide step by step.
Please continue to pray for us…we are preparing for a missions trip to Jamaica (May 16-29) to serve with the Salvation Army Church in Kingston. There is much to do to prepare, funds to raise and most of all, prayer supporters to be gathered. Please email us at concerts@randyandmarli.com if you would like more information about our trip and ways to support this endeavor.
Thanks, have a great week and blessings to you!