Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Hello friends! How was your Christmas? I hope you all had a wonderful holiday celebrating the birth of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ!

I had a lovely Christmas this year. There has been so much going on that it really snuck up on me! On Christmas morning I had no idea what I was getting for Christmas. We were all cutting back this year and I wasn't expecting too much. I was just happy to be with my family eat yummy food! Boy oh boy was I surprised when I opened my Christmas present! There were four boxes and I had to open them in order. Number one was a Green Bay Packer bag that I had been eyeing up. It is made out of jersey material and is pretty cool! Box number two contained a white and green Packer zip up hoodie. Another great gift! Box number three, I couldn't figure out. Inside was a pair of binoculars. What could those be for? Box number four was a packet of info with hotel information and two tickets to the Packer game on Sunday! I was SOOOO excited! You see, I love football. I have been watching it with my dad pretty much from birth. I have always wanted to go to a professional game. Every year I bug my dad to take me to a Packer game. I thought this year was out because now it's too cold for me to go. The tickets we got were for club seats...inside where it was nice and warm!

So, the next morning dad and I left for Green Bay. We checked into a hotel next to the stadium and then when over to check things out. We visited the pro shop and the hall of fame. We took a stadium tour and got to go out the tunnel the Packers run out of...they even had the sound of screaming, cheering fans as we walked out of the tunnel so we got an idea of what the players hear when they are coming out! We stood in the end zone out on the field and it was pretty cool! Yes, that's me doing the Lambeau Leap (well, they wouldn't let us do it so that's as close as I got!) After our tour we went back in the Pro Shop and the long line for autographs was gone. So I got to walk right up to the table and get Mark Chimura and George Koonce to sign my new Packer bag! We went back to the hotel, took a nap, had supper at the hotel and tried to sleep over the noise of a hotel filled with Packer fans who had been drinking since who knows when!

Sunday morning we walked over to the stadium, they were not letting anyone in until 10:00 so we wandered over by the fence where there were some people standing. That was where the players were coming in, so we watched them for a while. The only one I recognized was Aaron Rogers (that's him, behind the fence..trust me)! But Amman Green's truck was there and it was huge, jacked up and super sweet! We got in the stadium, found our seats, did some people watching and watched an amazing game from club seats above the end zone. Oh, and the binoculars worked great! It was like they were playing two feet in front of me...amazing! By the way, the Packers beat Seattle 48-10!!! What a great Christmas present!

Oh, and for all you Viking fans...happy new year from the Packer Hall of Fame!

Sorry that I got a little carried away there for you non-football fans! Okay, so what else has been going on? Last time I wrote I was going to have my photography prints and cards in a craft sale at church. That went very well and I am now in the process of developing a website to sell my work. I'll let you know when it's up and running!

Also last time I wrote my grandma (mom's mom) was in the hospital not doing well. Praise the Lord for healing in her life! She was moved to a nursing home for a couple weeks to do therapy and regain her strength and she was able to go back home yesterday. Please be praying for her and grandpa as there are a lot of adjustments to go through will all of these transitions.

As for me, I'm doing pretty good. I've been working a lot and feeling good most days. I would ask you to pray for wisdom and guidance for me as I pray through something. I am sorry I can't go into details at this point, but there is something that I am praying about that I would like to you pray about too. God knows what it is!

One of the things that God has been teaching me is obedience. Day by day obedience. I always had an idea of what my life was going to look like, what I was going to do and how I was going to get there. What I now know is that I don't know anything! I trust that God has something for me to do and I trust that He will enable me to do it and provide the opportunity to do it. God really spoke to me through Luke 1:45. I believe that what the Lord has said to me will be fulfilled. What I am not so sure about is how or when it will be fulfilled! I know, I'm kind of rambling here, but I guess what I am trying to say is that I have thrown out all of my plans and goals. I have a new goal. To become more like Christ every day and to follow Him wherever He leads me...every day. That's it. I don't know where that is going to take me, but I know that it will be good and it probably won't be what I thought it was going to be!

I best cease my ramblings for now and let my fingers warm up. Sometimes I get really cold typing!! I pray that you all have a wonderful 2010 that is full of joy and blessings and growth in your relationship with the Lord. I can't wait to see what He does in my life and in yours this next year! Quigley and I wish you a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Life

Hello dear friends!

First of all, I want to thank you so much for all of your prayers, cards, phone calls, love and support when my grandpa passed away. My family has felt very blessed indeed. Grandpa was a wonderful man who will be missed by many. We were so surprised by how many people came to the visitation and funeral. What a blessing to have that support and to hear the stories as we remember grandpa together. Grandpa was quite mischievous and loved teasing people and playing jokes. That is something that he passed along to my dad and on to me. My grandpa, dad and I were all cut from the same cloth! I think I better get married and have some kids so I can pass along this wonderful mischievous streak!

It has been a hard couple of weeks, but it has also been good. I know I've talked to some of you about this already, but I wanted to share about those last days. We spent them with grandpa in the nursing home. The night he passed away my parents, brother, uncle, grandma and I were all able to be there. When I was rushing back to the nursing home because the end was near I had second thoughts. Did I really want to go back there and watch my grandpa die? I had never seen anyone die before. But I wanted to be there. For myself, to say goodbye and for my grandma, to support her. He went peacefully and after the tears I looked over and I was amazed at what I saw. You see, I know that when a person passes away their soul is gone. It's just a body left. What I didn't know is that I would be able to see that so clearly. When I looked at grandpa after he died, it wasn't grandpa. It was just a body laying there. I could physically see that his spirit was gone. That really hit me. Right then and there, I praised the Lord that grandpa was in heaven. Grandpa knew Jesus and loved Him. He was ready to go and he went peacefully. He didn't have to fight death because he was going to a better place.

So this is my question for you. Do you know Jesus? I don't mean just know who He is and believe that He existed. As it says in James 2:19, "You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that--and shudder." What I mean is do you love Jesus? Have you placed your faith in God, asked Him to forgive you of your sins and are you following Him? Do you love Him? If so I rejoice with you and I'll introduce you to Marlowe Siler from Downsville someday! If you don't, I plead with you to get right with your Maker. Death is a part of life. It can be a beautiful part of life or it can be tragic. I know I might offend some people here, but truth is truth and it must be shared. If you do not have a relationship with God when your day comes and your spirit leaves this world you will go to hell. A place of torment and eternal separation from God. I do not want ANY of you to go there. I want to be reunited with you again someday. The truth of the matter is we will all spend eternity somewhere...forever...it will never end. I want you to spend forever with me and God, not in hell. There is nothing you can do to make God not love you and accept you if you turn to Him...NOTHING. He sent His Son to die for you and it is up to you to accept that or reject Him. Your sins are already covered, but you have to accept that covering. Please friends, don't leave this decision to another day because we don't know how long we will be here. Life is short and death is a part of life. Make it a good thing, something to look forward to, not to fear.

On to a lighter topic...this Saturday, November 21 from 9am until 2pm you are invited to a Craft Fair at the Alliance Church of Menomonie. I will be selling some prints and cards there and if you live close I'd love to see you there. There will be lots of crafts and goodies so come on out and get some Christmas shopping done! This is the first time I am going to try selling my photography so we'll see if anyone buys it!

One last prayer request...my grandma (mom's mom) is in the hospital. She has been having a hard time breathing and has been very weak. I visited her at home earlier today, but after her lips started turning blue grandpa took her into the doctor and they admitted her. They have her hooked up on oxygen and hopefully that will help her breathe easier and get her strength back so she can go home. I know she would appreciate the prayers and I do too!

Thank you for the prayers and the continued prayer. It means more to me than I can ever explain to you! Blessings on you and yours. I hope you have a marvelous Thanksgiving. I know that I am thankful for so much this year. Even in the hard times, there are so many things to be thankful for and ways that I've seen the Lord work. Thank you God!

Here Comes Winter!

Last time I wrote I was on my way to North Carolina for vacation, today I woke up to snow and it feels more like December than the middle of October!

My time on vacation was absolutely wonderful! We spent a lot of time driving around the Smokey Mountains, they were so beautiful! We even saw a mamma bear and four tiny little cubs alongside the road! The highlight of my trip was having three of my dear friends from Columbia come and visit me. Thanks Linda, Andrew and Julie, it was so great seeing you again! The four of us went to Grandfather Mountain, paid way too much to get in, but had a great time!

When I returned from vacation it was to some not so great stuff happening at home. I can't really go into detail, but my family would still appreciate your prayers. We'll call it an "unspoken" prayer request, the Lord knows!

The good thing that happened when I got back was that I got a job! My doctor had approved me to go back to work, very part time. I shot an e-mail over to the church where I have worked off and on the past several years and wonder of wonders they found out about an opening the same day I sent my e-mail! I started working oh, maybe 3 or 4 weeks ago. It has been so wonderful to be back there. I'm not biased or anything, but it really is the best place in the world to work!

This year I am also trying something new...I am getting involved with AWANA this year. I am in the Cubbies room, which is the littlest kids and they are so adorable! The funny thing is, there is a bar in my town called Cubbies...the first night I went to help, dad couldn't figure out why I would want to go to the bar...wrong Cubbies dad! I love our kids, they are so stinkin' adorable. I have not had much experience working with kids so I figured it was time to learn!

Last weekend we had our District Women's Retreat in beautiful Green Lake, WI. It was marvelous. Great speaker, great workshops, great friends... One thing that meant a lot to me was climbing Judson Tower. You may wonder why climbing a tower is such a big deal, but last year I could not do it. There was no way I could physically climb up there, I could hardly do the stairs between the different buildings. But this year, I made it all the way to the top! Sure, I had to stop several times on the way up, but I made it not only up the many steps to get to the tower, but up the 120-something steps in the tower. Praise the Lord!

So pretty much, life has been going really well for me. I am feeling so much better. I still have my days, especially with this crazy weather. I have realized that now that I am working the days I don't work I really need to rest. That makes it hard to do all of the things I had been doing. I have had to drop some things that I did not want to drop, but I need to be working and I trust that as I get more used to working, I'll be able to pick some of these things back up again.

The Lord is so good to me. As a church we have been going 3D...Deeper with God, Deeper with other Christ Followers and Deeper with those who don't know Him yet. Every 60 minutes we stop what we are doing and spend a moment with the Lord. How wonderful to connect with the Lord and go deeper with Him, after all, that's what life's all about!

Thank you so much for your prayers and encouragement. I hope you are doing well, I'd love to hear what's going on in your life and how I can pray for you. Enjoy fall if you have it, winter if you're getting it and those nice hot temps if you are blessed enough to live somewhere warm!

Vacation at Last!

Hello friends!

I just wanted to make a quick update before I leave for vacation. Thank you so much for praying for my grandpa and my brother. Could you tell everything was happening all at once?! They are both doing good. My grandpa ended up being in the hospital for 14 days with pneumonia. He is now back at the nursing home and doing as well as he can be, given the circumstances.

When my brother got to the hospital they thought he had appendicitis, but you all prayed and when they did more tests they found out it wasn't, so he didn't have to have surgery. He got to go home and he'll need to go to a doctor for follow up to figure out why he gets these pains in his side. Thanks for praying!

As for me, I had been fighting a nasty cold since the 22nd of July. It just wasn't getting better so I went back to the doctor last week. When I was at the clinic I had a temp of 100 and felt miserable. Turns out my cold turned into walking pneumonia...though I sure didn't feel like doing much walking!! I was in bed the rest of the week and after many drugs and much rest I am feeling so much better!

Dad has a meeting in Asheville, North Carolina next week. I was going to stay home with Quigley while him and mom went...but we found a dog sitter so I get to go too! I am so excited! It has been such a crazy last couple weeks and it will be SO good to get away for a while and relax. We are going to drive down. We leave this Thursday around noon. We'll be home either the 29th or 30th. The place where dad has his meetings is supposed to be amazing! I can't wait, I'm bringing my fancy camera and will take a bunch of pictures to share!

For those of you in South Carolina, you are more than welcome to come visit me in Asheville, I'd love to see you!! (Hint, hint!)

Well, I better get back to the packing, but many of you have been asking for an update so I wanted to make sure I got this out before we leave on Thursday! Again, thank you so much for your prayers, God is so good!

Back to the packing...

Is It August Already?!

Hello dear friends,

I have to apologize for missing my post last month. I can't believe how quickly this summer is going! Here in Wisconsin it hasn't felt very "summerish" as it's felt more like October!

I have had a very good summer so far. These last couple weeks have been kind of rough though. I'll get to that later.

In June my dear friend Linda came to visit me. It was so great to see her again and show off beautiful green Wisconsin when it isn't covered in snow! I feel like we did a whole summer's worth of stuff in 10 days! We went to Crystal Cave and saw the difference between a cave in North Africa and a cave in the states. The one in NA was so much more fun!! But we had a great time and got to go mining for gems afterwards! We also went to a cheese factory, went fishing, hung out with friends and got to take a trip to northern MN. That was great! We stayed in a cabin, went to Gooseberry Falls and Split Rock Lighthouse, Pattison Park (more waterfalls there) and on the way home went to Hayward, WI... home of the best candy store in the world and the Fresh Water Fishing Museum Hall of Fame!

In July I got to go to Wells, MN and visit my dear friend Cori and her family. Cori and I were roommates for two years in college and she lived with my family for a summer. I got to play with her adorable little boys Eli and Isaiah. They sure stole my heart! I loved being Auntie Josie and spoiling them a little bit! We got to go to the fair one day and that was lots of fun. We saw all kinds of animals, the pigs were my favorite of course, and tractors and historical buildings. It was such a wonderful time!

Something else that is fun is that I won an amazing prize! Remember in my last blog when I told you that Pastor Tom and I were recorded for an Alliance DVD about Partnerships. Well, we must have done okay because we both won $300 gift certificates to bedandbreakfast.com! I think mom and I might take a girls trip up to Bayfield, WI and stay at the Old Rittenhouse. We'll see what happens, but that was a fun surprise!

My health has been okay besides the fact that I have had a cold for about two weeks now. It is hanging on and I'm getting quite sick of it! I was able to drop down to 5 pills which was great, half way to being off of them! But I haven't been able to take them these last two weeks when I've been sick so that is a bummer. My joints have been feeling okay though so that's good.

My aunt had another scan and some of the cancer has grown a little. They gave her some new chemo pills to try, but her insurance doesn't cover this kind. They are $8,000 a month. She has applied to a place for help in paying for this medicine and I don't think she has heard back yet. She can't start taking them until she does. Please pray that the paperwork would go through quickly and she could get the medicine she needs. But more importantly pray that God will heal her body of this cancer!

My grandpa (dad's dad) has been in the hospital with pneumonia. It was a very nasty case and I really didn't think he'd make it. However, yesterday when I went to visit him, he was sitting up and eating and laughing and talking and doing really good. Praise the Lord! He was supposed to

go back to the nursing home today, but he had a fever again this morning so they are going to keep him a while longer. Please pray for healing for him as well.

My brother has also been very sick. He went to urgent care yesterday and they sent him over to the Emergency Room. They did some tests and sent him home. They said he just had an intestinal virus and he'd get over it. Well, he has had these awful pains in his side for quite a while and he thinks it is more than that. He called the ER this morning and told them how he'd been feeling and what the doctor did yesterday. They said that's not right and to come back in. So right now my mom is taking him in again and I'm at home with Quigley. Please pray that it is nothing serious and that God would heal Ike's body.

Please pray for good rest for my family. There has been a lot going on lately and we're all tired. Physically and emotionally. But God is good and I can see His love and care all around us in every situation. Thank you all so much for your prayers and love and support. It means more than you'll ever know!

Make sure you keep reading and check out my post below about a new book that you will definitely want to read!

GREEN

Hello friends,

This is a very special edition of Josie's Jericho. I want to tell you about a new book coming out on September 1st by my favorite author, Ted Dekker.

Green is a book I have been looking forward to for a long time. It is the beginning and the end of the Circle Trilogy. If you like the Chronicles of Narnia or the Lord of the Rings, you will love the Circle Trilogy. Here is a brief description from The Forest Guard website about the book Green:

"The story of how Thomas Hunter first entered the Black Forest and forever changed our history began at a time when armies were gathered for a final battle in the valley of Migdon. Green is a story of love, betrayal, and sweeping reversals set within the apocalypse. It is the beginning: the truth behind a saga that has captured the imagination of more than a million readers with the Books of History Chronicles.

But even more, Green brings full meaning to the Circle Series as a whole, reading as both a prequel...and a sequel..., completing a full circle. This is Book Zero, the Circle Reborn, both the beginning and the end. The preferred starting point for new readers...and the perfect climax for the countless fans who've experienced Black, Red, and White."

In the Circle series you will read about the Forest Guard, people who are set to defend the truth and share Elyon's (God's) love. The Forest Guard has been recommissioned to help get the word out about Green and I have joined. I love the Circle Trilogy so much that I want to share it with you! I promise you won't be disappointed when you read these books. They grab your interest from the first page.

Please go to http://www.teddekker.com/readgreen/ to become a recruit and learn more about Green. You can get special deals on the book. Make sure you use my Forest Guard number (4588) when you sign up so that I can get points for "recruiting" you!

Enter the world of Ted Dekker and as we say in the Circle, dive deep my friends. Dive Deep!

Where Do I Begin?

Hello friends!

Okay, so I know it's been over a month since my last update, but I wanted to wait until I got back from General Council so that I could tell you all about it! I feel like I have so much to share that I don't know where to start. But I want to keep this relatively short so that you don't fall asleep and fall over and hurt yourself or something!

May 7-9 was the College of Prayer at church. It seems so long ago! I'm not sure what to say about that besides, just like the last one, it was amazing. This time the topic was Breaking Free to Your Destiny. It was on deliverance and finding freedom in Christ. It was a great week and God really met me there.

Between the College of Prayer and Council there were no other "big events" but several fun, little things. I got my birthday present a bit early and have been having so much fun with that. I got a nice camera and I have been doing lots of photography and making prints and cards. I will be selling them at Discover Downsville Day the end of August if anyone wants to come check them out!

Then came Council May 28-31. Council was amazing! I grew up in the C&MA and have heard about General Council and especially the Parade of Nations for a long time. I have always wanted to go and this year it finally happened! I was able to go with three other gals from my church and we had a blast! We drove down to Louisville, KY (the city that A.B. Simpson, the founder of the Alliance, once pastored in), stayed in a very nice hotel (and got a great deal on it), and went to lots of meetings and services! Some of the highlights:

My birthday! May 29th was my birthday and the girls surprised me with cupcakes and cards. It was a great day and fun to be at Council, celebrating my 28th year of life!

Candidate Forum. On Friday morning those of us who are in the process of heading overseas got together. That was a good time of connecting with people and hearing about where God is working.

Partnership Lunch and Seminar. Many of us from Menomonie went to this because of our partnership with Mongolia. It was a preview of the Partnership trainings the Alliance will have regionally in the US. There will be one in Appleton, WI in October for those of you in the area!

Partnership DVD. Yes, I may be a star one day!! Pastor Tom and I were chosen to do a professional recording for a DVD on Partnerships. We went to this room and were interviewed about our church's partnership with Mongolia. If they end up using it, our 30 minutes of talking will be edited down to about 3 minutes and it will be shown at the various Partnership trainings around the country. It was kind of fun to do, but also really embarrassing. I really hate video cameras. I don't know how I got myself talked into doing that!

Commissioning Service. Sunday morning all of the new International Workers that are going out this summer were commissioned. It was really neat. They walked through this door and were greeted on the other side by veteran workers. They walked into the audience, people gathered around them, and they were prayed for. It was such a special time. It was great watching my friend Kristen go through this and to be able to pray with her.

Parade of Nations! This is by far the thing I was the most excited about. At the end of Council, after the Commissioning Service, all of the international workers came to the front. They were dressed in traditional clothing from the countries where they are serving. They carried flags with them as they led the rest of us out of Council. It was so exciting!

I had a lot of expectations going into Council and I am very happy to report that I wasn't disappointed at all! It was just as wonderful as I thought it would be :-)

Another highlight that I didn't mention above was further direction for my future. I was able to meet with my Candidate Director and one of the Vice President's for International Ministry to talk about my future. I can't really talk about that on the blog, but I was able to get some direction clarification. I am getting really excited about my future and the steps that will take me there!

Okay, I know, I know, this did get long. Hopefully you are still awake and not on the floor with a lump on your head from hitting your desk on the way down! Thank you for reading this, supporting me, loving me and being such a blessing!

P.S. (If you want to see all of the pictures I took at Council they are posted on Facebook. Don't have Facebook? You can still see them by clicking on these links: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=113999&id=726289807&l=a2322ce365

and http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=114343&id=726289807&l=25761477f2)

Let The Good Times Roll

Hello friends!

How are you? I trust this finds you joyful in the Lord and doing well! First of all I want to thank you for your prayers when I went to share my testimony of healing in Cable several weeks ago. I could feel your prayers and I think it went really well. I was so blessed by the church there!

I just got back from District Conference in Watertown, WI. It was excellent. Usually I get stuck in a room by myself, but this year my friend Kristen and I got to room together. She will be going overseas this summer and it was such a blast to get to hang out with her this week. It's so encouraging to have like-minded people to talk with and get excited about things with. The top picture is of Kristen and me in our Mullen's t-shirts. We got them at this great ice cream place that tons of us went to one night after our meetings!

Let's see, what else has been keeping me busy? Since it is finally feeling like Spring, I have been able to get out on the motorcycle! I am so excited to get some miles under my belt this summer. I haven't been able to ride in almost two years so I'm pumped!! My family might even get to take the bikes to South Dakota this fall...we'll see, it's a dream!

I am slowly coming off of the medication I am on and still feeling good - Praise the Lord! My doctor doesn't want me to go back to work while I am coming off of this medicine...one major change at a time. Since I can't work, but I feel good, I am taking advantage of this time. I will be able to go to General Council in May. Growing up in the Alliance I have heard about Council for years and I can't wait to finally go! I am also excited to be going with three other girls from church. We're looking forward to the road trip to Louisville, KY in about a month! (Now we just need to find a vehicle that we all fit in and won't break down on the way!) There is one other conference I may go to in June and I hope to be able to visit my dear friend Elizabeth and her family in Latvia in July or August. So we'll see what the Lord provides during this time in my life.

I am back on track to head overseas. As long as I keep getting more involved in things and eventually working full time and still feel good, I'm all set! Still not sure on the exact when and where yet, but I'm not sweating it. God will clue me in when I need to know, until then I'm just taking things one at a time and enjoying life.

I have started discipling a young girl from Stout (the local college in town). This is a great opportunity for me. She's great and we are both learning a lot. She's pretty new in her relationship with Christ so this is great experience for me and I hope I am able to help her grow as well. I'd appreciate your prayers for this as it is a challenge, but so good! We only have a couple more weeks to meet before school gets out, but we are planning on meeting again next year.

Well gang, I think that's all the news I can think of for now. I so appreciate your prayers and your support. As you go about these next few weeks may you "be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer (Romans 12:12)."

Living Hope Community Church

Hello friends!

Just a quick prayer request for you. This Sunday, March 29th I will be speaking at Living Hope Community Church in Cable, WI. I am very excited to be able to go there and share some of my journey and testimony of God's healing work in my life.

I would appreciate your prayers as I finish preparing and also for Sunday morning as I share. I want to be sensitive to the leading of the Holy Spirit and just be the mouth He uses to share His message of hope, love and compassion.

Thanks for praying!

A New Kind of Healing

Hello friends!

I've been wanting to write to you for a while now, but it seems as if suddenly life is quite busy again. It's amazing the things I can do now that I am feeling better! The last three days of February my mom and I attended something called the College of Prayer. These are all over the world and our church is the campus for the Upper Midwest. This is the first one we have been able to attend and it was amazing. The topic was Divine Healing and I was able to share my testimony of healing the first night.

God really touched my heart over those three days. The teaching was excellent. There are a couple of things that really impacted me that I would like to share with you. One of the things that presenter Ron Walborn said was "Let's not get trapped in our pathetic lack of experience!" I liked this because as a follower of Christ, I am often skeptical of things that seem "out there" or things that I have never seen or experienced personally. That doesn't mean that God isn't working that way!!

Another thing that radically impacted me has to do with Christ's divinity and humanity. I know that Jesus was fully human and fully God at the same time. I even know that He limited Himself and lived a fully human life here on earth. But I never fully understood the implications of this. When I think of some of the amazing things Jesus did on earth, I automatically think, "Well, that's because He was God." That is an incorrect way of thinking. Everything that He did on earth was through the power of the Holy Spirit in Him, the same Holy Spirit that is in me! "If Jesus ministered in his Divine power and then told his disciples to do the same things, it would have been a mockery. But if he ministered out of his Spirit-anointed humanity, then his disciples could do the things Jesus did by the authority and power of the same Holy Spirit." Wow! John 14:12-14 is true, it is for us, and it is for today! How is this going to change the way I approach life? How is this going to change the way you approach life?

So, you're probably wondering why I've titled this "A New Kind of Healing" as I haven't talked about that yet! That is the most exciting part of the weekend! God really met me at the College of Prayer. I heard His voice and felt His great love for me. You see, God healed me physically in January, but I needed emotional healing as well. I am going to be very honest with you. This past year was very difficult for me. Even though I tried to be joyful and stay strong and put on a good face, I was dry, I was tired, I felt awful, I wondered why God would prepare me to serve Him and then take it all away. In one way I clung to God this past year, my faith grew, I learned so many things. But I also felt distant from God at the same time. The intimacy we had previously shared was no longer there. At the College of Prayer, that intimacy was restored. I felt the love of God pour over me. I was prayed for and really feel like I have been anointed for ministry again. I have my joy back, the kind of joy that can't be faked or fabricated, but can only come from the overflow of my relationship with Christ. For those of you who know me well, you'd be surprised at how the tears flowed that weekend. Just ask my mom, she has never seen me cry so much in my life...but they were tears of joy!

I was able to share again on the last day my testimony of further healing. I wanted to share it with you as well. I would be cheating you out of something very special if I didn't share this with you, my dear prayer warriors. You see, God is a God of compassion and mercy. He loves you and I so much. He is not content to just heal the body. He wants to heal your broken body, mend your broken heart and fill you with His love, joy and peace. May you know His love today.

What Comes Next?

Hi friends!

I took the picture above of a flower in our house with a snow storm outside. I feel kind of like this picture. Even though there is a storm in the background, things in life that still need to get figured out, the Lord has made me new and there is hope for the future!

Well, it's been a pretty exciting couple of weeks. I'm still feeling good and have been able to join life again! I have been able to get involved with the International Student Bible Study again, start going to Sunday School again and go to some meetings in our district that I hadn't been able to go to!

Like many of you, I'm also looking for work again. At this point I can go anywhere so I've been looking for jobs in places where I have friends in addition to right here and even some work from home jobs. Please pray with me that the Lord will provide a good job where I will be able to stay physically well.

Tomorrow I will start physical therapy to help strengthen my muscles and joints and regain full mobility. Please pray that this would work quickly as I don't really have the money to pay for it!

I would also ask you to pray for my family. Several of my relatives are going through some pretty serious health issues right now. I have experienced Christ as my healer and it is my prayer that they will as well!

Thank you for all of your prayers and support! I am happy to say that I am officially a "M" Candidate and can pursue overseas service once again!

Good News!

Hello friends!

Just a quick update to share with you how my appointment went at Mayo today. Thanks so much for your prayers! It was such a good day and really a confirmation of God's healing on my body! To make a long story short, it appears that I "had a bout with lupus" as the doctor put it. I got to share with both of the doctors I saw about how I had been feeling and how the Lord healed me. I told them that the pain I feel right now seems to be because I haven't moved my joints this much in a year and just need to stretch and regain strength. He said that is what it looks like to him as well. Not sure if the lupus is completely gone or just under control, but either way it doesn't seem to be a factor anymore!

I had some x-rays and lab work done today and will be getting a letter in the next couple days with the full results and all of that, however, things look really good! He also wants me to start lowering the dosage of medication I am on so that's great.

The best news is that I got to share with the doctor what I feel God calling me to do and he said to go for it. He said that I shouldn't change my life plans because of this and that I can go anywhere in the world God calls me to! What an encouraging day! I am pretty sore tonight because of all the poking and prodding and all that today, but it's a very happy sore :-)

Thank you all so much for your prayers and your encouragement this past year. I look forward to what God has in store for me this year and where He leads in the future! I'll definitely keep you posted! I need to go to bed now, though I'm not sure how well I'll sleep when I'm this excited!

Because of His infinite grace,

Jo

(The picture at the top is kind of amusing. It is a picture of the sun rising behind the tent that housed the toilet in the middle of the Sahara Desert. I feel like it sums up this past year...kind of stinky, but beautiful all at the same time!)

Glorify the Lord With Me!

Hello dear friends,

I want to share with you my excitement and what the Lord has done! As you know, I went to South Carolina to visit friends this past week. When I was down there GOD HEALED ME! The short version is that some friends prayed for me I was healed. I called my doctor this morning and talked to her nurse. I have an appointment at Mayo Clinic a week from today (January 19th at 9:00am) and I wanted to see if I still had to go to this appointment. She encouraged me to go anyway and have them check me out. She also told me that "There is something going on though because the lab work you did came back really good." So please pray with me that on Monday I can go to the Mayo Clinic and get a clean bill of health!

For those of you who want the details, keep reading!

I flew to South Carolina on Thursday, January 1st. There were supposed to be 5 of us driving up to Virginia for the wedding of my good friends Andrew and Julie (congratulations guys!). However, two of my friends got stuck in Canada and couldn't get another flight out until after the wedding was over. Another friend got sick and so it was just Linda and I. She wasn't feeling the greatest and I was quite sore from my long flights. So we decided not to go to the wedding. We were so sad, but it was a good thing we didn't end up going. By Friday night I could hardly walk. Well, I rested and got back to "normal" which is pain, and being tired, but still able to get around. My joints were quite sore most of the week and we didn't do a whole lot, mostly stayed home and watched movies. We did a bit of shopping and went out to eat a couple times. Over all it was a great trip. The best was yet to come!

Before I left for SC, I was talking it over with God and I though that since this all began a year ago (almost to the day) when I was flying back to South Carolina from being home for Christmas that maybe this trip I would get better. Well, Linda and I were having lunch with our friend Sarah (see picture above) on Friday before I left. She asked me if we could pray for me before I went back home. She felt led to call her friend (Zack I believe) and ask him to come pray with us. We were filled with a sense of expectation and even told people that I was going to be healed that night. So we met that night at Sarah's place and when Zack (sorry if I got his name wrong!) got there he shared with us that God had called him to fast and he didn't know why. He brought his journal and read to us where he had asked God why he was fasting and yet he knew that there must be some reason. His girlfriend and her mom had been reading Isaiah 58 and shared it with him and he had been thinking about that when he was fasting. On Friday he felt at peace to end the fast, but when he ate he was very intentional about it and was still asking God why he had done it. They he got Sarah's text message asking him to come and pray for me! Ya, God is pretty awesome! So he read Isaiah 58 to us and then we had an intense time of prayer. He anointed me with oil and we prayed and prayed. All that day my knees had been very sore and I had heat wraps on them. I couldn't bend them very far and was sitting with my legs out. When we were done praying I could bend my knees and they didn't hurt anymore. I felt full of joy and strength and energy! The Lord had healed me!

We met some other friends for a movie that night and instead of being sore and stiff when the movie was over, I felt great. I was so excited I could hardly sleep that night. I got up a little before 5:00 the next morning and we left for the airport at 5:30. I had a new Ted Dekker book that I wanted to read so I started it at the Columbia airport. Needless to say I didn't get to sleep on the airplanes because the book was so good. I finished it about halfway between Minneapolis and Eau Claire. So by the time we landed I was exhausted. I was so tired and my eyes were all red, but I felt GOOD! My legs didn't hurt at all. I was just sore from sitting so long like everyone else on the plane! It is now Monday and I still feel good. I can bend my knees and I feel good! Praise the Lord! I am still a little sore and can't bend my knees all the way back, but I can kneel down and cross my legs and everything! I think I just need time to get my strength back and do some stretching as I haven't done much of anything this past year.

I know God has began a good work in me and He will bring it to completion. He may use the people at Mayo or He may completely heal me before I get there. Whatever He does, I am rejoicing! I feel alive again and full of joy. Praise the Lord with me, let us glorify His name together! Thank you all so much for your prayers. I know God has used them to heal me. I'm not sure why He chose to heal me now and not before, but I know He has a plan and I can't wait to see what's next! I want to encourage you to read Isaiah 58. I have included verses 6-14 below...be encouraged!

Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen: to loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and break every yoke? Is it not to share your food with the hungry and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter - when you see the naked, to clothe him, and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood? Then your light will break forth like the dawn, and your healing will quickly appear; then your righteousness will go before you, and the glory of the LORD will be your rear guard. Then you will call, and the LORD will answer; you will cry for help, and he will say: Here am I.

If you do away with the yoke of oppression, with the pointing finger and malicious talk, and if you spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry and satisfy the needs of the oppressed, then your light will rise in the darkness, and your night will become like the noonday. The LORD will guide you always; he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land and will strengthen your frame. You will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail. Your people will rebuild the ancient ruins and will raise up the age-old foundations; you will be called Repairer of Broken Walls, Restorer of Streets with Dwellings.

If you keep your feet from breaking the Sabbath and from doing as you please on my holy day, if you call the Sabbath a delight and the LORD's holy day honorable, and if you honor it by not going your own way and not doing as you please or speaking idle words, then you will find your joy in the LORD, and I will cause you to ride on the heights of the land and to feast on the inheritance of your father Jacob. The mouth of the LORD has spoken.