Does God go before us?

Every day as we walked out the door of our hotel, we prayed that God would go before our day. It is amazing when we pray this way how you can actually see God going before you guiding your day. I’d like to share a few God going before us days.

London is an unbelievable city. The people were so friendly and helpful. It felt so good to be able to speak to the people. (In Paris it was hard to communicate because of the language barrier.) In fact, when we first arrived at Bexleyheath, the suburb where our hotel was located, a man helped us above and beyond the call of duty.

We had just arrived at the train station. We had no idea where we were going. I saw this man that looked very nice and I asked him where the taxi cabs were. He not only told us, he walked us over to this phone, picked it up and called a cab and then gave the phone to us so we could tell them where we wanted to go. He stayed with us to help us get our cab and then he said, “This is a real nice area of London. It’s very safe here. I am a retired police officer and I know this area.”

God went before us and sent a special angel to us this day, to direct us.

We arrived at our hotel and it was one of the best hotels we had ever stayed in. Honestly, the bed was like sleeping on a cloud. The pillows were all goose feather, the mattress had a separate 4 inch mattress on top of the mattress set. Then the sheets were unbelievable. I cannot describe what they felt like. I looked forward every night to climbing into this bed. (There was a brochure in the room that had all the info about the sheets, pillows, and down blankets. It would cost about $2,000 to buy the same thing for us at home.) Everything about the hotel was wonderful and it was FREE because of Dave’s traveling points. They treated us like royalty.

Then when we went down for breakfast we knew that we got one free breakfast for Dave because he was the Elite Member of the hotel. As we walked into the restaurant and sat down the waitress said to us, “I checked with my manager and we decided that we will be giving you two free breakfasts.” So every day we were blessed with a full buffet breakfast.

God went before us and provided for our food for FREE.

The first morning while we were waiting in the train station for our train to come, we met Barbara. She looked like she might be in her 70-80’s. She was dressed rather modestly. She asked us where we were going. We told her we were going to London Bridge Station to see the sights of London. She suggested that we go to Victoria Station. She said it would be much better for us. It was much more direct for us.

As we sat there together we talked and she was an amazing woman. The stories that she shared with us about the war years were remarkable. This woman was a very intelligent woman. She had served her country doing ammunition testing, she was a professor at a college and she was currently in school with a program for senior citizens.

My heart was so inspired talking to Barbara. We decided to take the train she suggested. We talked the whole way into London. When we arrived at Victoria station we parted ways, but had been touched by this wonderful woman. Every day that we went into London we took the same train. We really believed it was the best place for us to arrive into London. It was close to everything we wanted to see.

God went before us and provided the inspiration and direction of Barbara. We will never forget her.

All of these experiences also tell us about the people that we should be. Do we have time to help someone else find their way? Do we go the extra mile to help someone? Are we the Good Samaritan wherever we go? It felt so wonderful to encounter all of these people. God blessed our hearts so much. They were all shining examples of who we should be.

DO UNTO OTHERS AS YOU WOULD HAVE THEM DO UNTO YOU.

Dear God,
Thank you for going before us. Thank you for sending these people to us. Help us to do the same for someone else.

Isaiah 52:12
But you will not leave in haste or go in flight;
FOR THE LORD WILL GO BEFORE YOU,
the God of Israel will be your rear guard.

IMpossible

We boarded the eurostar train on our way to London. We were excited about our next adventure, riding this train that goes up to 180 miles per hour. The trip would last about two and a half hours.

Our Journey began slow and smoothly, but very quickly we were sailing acrss the countryside of France, which looked alot like Wisconsin. The leaves were beginning to turn the beautiful reds, yellows, and golds of the fall season. We also noticed something very different. The cows grazing in the fields were white. Interesting.

We had been enjoying the scenery for awhile, but we knew that soon we would be arriving to the part of our Journey that we did not know what to expect. What would it be like traveling 3 miles under the English Channel? We waited and watched with great anticipation and then suddenly we looked to the side of the train and there was a big brick wall. Of course we could not see the front of the train, but we knew we were on our way under the Channel. It all happened so quickly, but suddenly it was completely dark on the outside of the train. Inside we had lights on, so it was like we were traveling at night. It really was not fearful at all. It was actually pretty cool. They told us later that they begin the downward descend a long way from the shores of the Channel and gradually you go down. Honestly, we did not feel a thing. It was amazing.

We were under the Channel for about 20 minutes and then as suddenly as it started, we could see the light again. The voice behind me said, "Welcome to England!" We had arrived. Within thirty minutes or so, we were entering the London station.

Our next step was to find the train to take us to our hotel which is about 13 miles outside of London. It wasn't long and we boarded our second train for the day to our final destination, our home for the next five days.

As we were traveling on this train I saw a sign that perked my interest. It had one word on it with two letters crossed out. The word was IMpossible. The IM were crossed out and the word POSSIBLE stood out completely. My mind immediately turned to the eurostar train that we had just come from. It seemed impossible to me that a train could travel under a body of water, but it is POSSIBLE, because I experienced it first hand.

Just take a few minutes and think about all the IMpossible things that have happened in our world today. People who have accomplished these things had to put their minds to doing something, and then work to make them happen. They probably failed at one point or another until the IMpossible became POSSIBLE. They never gave up when things got tough.

What about each of us? Is there anything in our lives that we think is totally IMpossible? Will we give up or keep working at it until the IMpossible becomes POSSIBLE.

God has given us all great minds and with Him guiding those minds, He can help us to turn all our Impossibles into POSSIBLE.

Matthew 19:26b
"With man this is impossible, but with God all things are POSSIBLE.

Do NOT Fear........even in Paris

It's been wonderful for me in Paris this week. I've been able to see the sights and sounds of this beautiful city. Dave on the other hand, has been working hard all week. He's been working with an International Team ( 1 man from each England, Czech Republic, US Dave, Spain, and Norway. They have been evaluating the safety of the men in France who work on elevators. They are all Safety Directors in their countries.

We couldn't use our cell phones over here so communication with each other has been hard. I would never know for sure when he would return to the hotel, because he didn't know either. With just two days left on his work project, I was pretty sure the team would have supper together this night.

So it was 7pm and he wasn't back yet, so I decided to start walking out to our favorite place to have supper. It was an outdoor cafe where we could sit and watch the people walking, biking, visiting and driving around. We enjoyed going there. It was already dark out, but here in Paris it didn't matter. I really wasn't afraid to go out alone at night. WHY?

The nights come alive in Paris. All day long the traffice all around is terrible. People are rushing around doing their own thing, but after 6 pm it's different.

As I walked down the street I came across many people. There were families walking together, children riding bikes, skateboards and just having fun. There were young adults as well as senior citizens. They aren't noisy, but just together. They never really talked to me either.

As I looked around this is how I would describe what I would see.

The streets were very narrow with cars parked on either side. There wasn't more than an inch between each car, many were even touching or parked sideways. The cars are very small and next to the cars there were wide sidewalks. Then at the end of the sidewalk were rows and rows of very tall buildings. The bottom floors could be a business or a home. The buildings were very old, but beautiful. They had very large impressive windows and many had awnings. Everything looked very European.

I enjoyed walking down the streets that night. The weather has been so mild and refreshing. They had very quaint streetlights that brightened the way. The stores were open late and it was fun just window shopping.

Well I finally arrived at my destination, sat down and was served a delicious meal. I watched the sights and sounds of the city as I quietly sat there.

After I finished, I decided to go for a walk around the circle before I headed back to the hotel. I almost decided to go a different way home, but something kept me going in the same direction. Then suddenly I looked up and there was Dave off in the distance waving his hands at me to get my attention. The smile upon his face melted my heart. In this big city, with so many people, the sight of the man I love off in the distance brought total joy to my heart. (I had left a note if he got home he could come there if he wasn't too tired.)

As Dave and I again went into our favorite restaurant for him to eat he said to me, "That was pretty brave of you to walk here all alone." I'm not sure what God is doing in my life on this trip. I have had such peace and joy knowing no matter where I am, I'm not alone. God is always with me going before my day.

I have decided that the next Jouney with God that I write will be, "Do NOT be afraid."

I wonder if I can believe those words with my next adventure. Dave and I will leaving tomorrow and boarding a EuroStar train to London. The fear part of this adventure will be that the train will take us under the waters of the English Channel. My heart is filled with fear thinking about doing this, but fear won't keep me from doing it. God is bigger than my fear. He will go before us. If anything were to happen my peace is knowing we would be in heaven, experiencing the greatest of all adventures that anyone coud have.

I'll write when we get to the other side. London, here we come!

PS Please excuse my writing, I am allowed a certain amount of time and it is a different keyboard.

Walking the streets of Paris at night!

Dave has been pretty busy working, so I have been exploring Paris myself. BUT.......last night we had time together. It was so wonderful. We walked hand and hand to the subway. The weather was amazing. It was just beginning to get dark. My heart was so blessed to be together. We took the subway past the Eiffel Tower and on to Norte Dame. Together we sat in an outside cafe on the Seine River watching the people pass by. It was so romantic and wonderful.

Just an amazing note. I never sleep in late, but I have slept in until 10:00. I don't know if it's the time change or I am so relaxed and stress-less, but it's great. I have never slept in that late.

Dave has been doing an awesome job at his work. He will be done on Tuesday and then we are off to England for 5 days and then back to Paris for 5 more days.

We would appreciate your prayers as we travel this world of ours.

DREAM Team

After the sun had set and all was dark I opened the book that I believed God had led me to bring along on this trip. It is called L'Abri written by Edith Schaeffer. I had read this book many years ago and it inspired me so much in my dreams.

Just to share a litte about this book; Frances and Edith Schaeffer were Americans that took their family to the mountains of Switzerland and there started L'Abri Christian Fellowship. The word L'Abri means "The Shelter", which is what they did. It started with a few people coming to their home to find some help with learning about the Christian faith. The ministry has grown to the point that there are L'Abri centers all over the world.

As I began reading this book it reminded me that when God calls us to do something it's not always easy, in fact, it can be very challenging. The Journey of L'Abri brought many tests of faith, many direction changes, and many health issues and the list goes on, but God was always faithful.

My thoughts turned to He's SPEAKING! Are we LISTENING? Ministries that God has birthed in the city of Madison, WI. We are starting out small. Our passion is to encourage people to get into the Word because God is SPEAKING! We just need to take the time to listen.

God knows how to send encouragment when we need it. I remember back when God had raised up a few very gifted and talented women who were using their talents in this ministry. Then God brought together a team of women who became the DREAM Team. We are dreaming how we can be used by God with our gifts and talents in our community. We dream about our ministry getting out there and showing God's love to our world. The DREAM Team started small, but God has now brought eight or so women to DREAM together. What a blessing these women have been to this ministry and ME.

Then with any non-profit ministry you need to have an official board and God brought together five people to be on the board. Our board consists of myself, Marilyn, Andy, Mike and Carolyn. We have met three times now. Praise God for our ministry Board of Directors.

Whenever there is a need we ALL pray about it and God provides or shows us that He has something better for us.

As I continued reading L'Abri, my thoughts turned to our ministry over and over again. L'Abri experienced many answers to prayers, so have we. L'Abri experienced many situations where all they could do is trust God, so will we. They experienced many challenges, and so will we, but the bottom line comes straight from the words of the Bible.

1 Thessalonians 5:24
The one who calls us is faithful and He will do it.

BELIEVE IT!

He's SPEAKING! Are we LISTENING? Ministries BELIEVES
that with God ALL THNGS ARE POSSIBLE.

So while I am in Europe, Marilyn and the DREAM Team will be meeting. I praise God for every one of you. You are a very important part of the ministry. I look foward to where God is taking us. I'm sure it's beyond our wildest dreams. So DREAM Team, dream big because we serve a BIG GOD. My prayers will be with you. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for all you are doing in this ministry.

Which Way

I walked into the subway station in Paris, France. I had no idea where I was going. The man had told me I can take any train and it will get me to the same destination, but my map said it should be train C. Every train that went by was NOT train C. I was worried thinking that I could get on the wrong train and get totally lost in this country where very little English is spoken.

Fear was filling my mind. I thought of just turning around and not going anywhere. Then I stopped and thought, I need to pray. That's just what I did.

I began to think that wherever I go I am not alone. God is always with me and He will guide me. Fear can keep me from going where I want to go, or I can take a step and trust God to guide me.

As I was thinking about this I was reminded about my family and friends back home. Many of them are at stages in their lives where they don't know where they are going. I experienced that feeling on this day, but the peace that only God can give me flooded my soul when I reached out to Him and then took a step.

It also brought to my mind this ministry, He's SPEAKING! Are we LISTENING? that God is building in Madison, WI. He has brought so many wonderful people together, but do we know exactly where we are going? NO! Do we pull away because of fear in the unknown? NO!

Life no matter what we are doing is about trusting God, no matter where we are or what we are doing. He does have a great plan and when we trust Him, and take any step He might lead us to do, He will lead and guide us.

Well, I did end up getting on the train and one by one the places on my map appeared. I knew I was on the right track. What if I had never gotten on the train?

Our eyes met in Paris

It was almost 6 hours since I boarded the plane. We were due to arrice earlier than scheduled because we were flying with the wind. I wondered where my husband was now.

Well our trip across the ocean was over. I was flying through the air over England, Scotland and finally arrived in the Netherlands. I would spend the next three hours in this country. I met a young woman from Poland and we had a great conversation.

Finally, I was so excited to hear that my final flight was boarding for Paris. It was now 3am my time. I was tired, yet anxious to once again be with Dave.

I boarded the plane and within one hour we were preparing to land in Paris. Would I be able to find Dave? We landed, I got my luggage, and began to walk to the frosty door that said exit. As I walked through and the doors opened, there he was with an awesome smile on his face. He stood up, I walked quickly to meet him, We met, embraced and kissed. It was so wonderful to meet the man I love in Paris.

God's magesty is everywhere

The view from my window was amazing. The sky began changing colors along the horizon. First a brilliant blue sky, then a light pink, then in a matter of minutes there was bright redish color streaming from either side of the sun as it slowly began its descend down to the other side of the world. It was utterly amazing. As the sun set; the sky all around the airplane became light pink, misty grey, and then completely black.

I sat there awhile reading, but then decided to take a glance out my window. What I saw next took my breath away. The big dipper was right outside my window. Now I have looked at this view all the time from home, but this time was so different. It was like I could reach out and touch each star that outlined it. I couldn't take my eyes off of it.

As we flew across the land at 600 miles per hour the Dipper continued to be the view out my window. Just before the sun would rise again, the dipper changed directions, instead of being horizontal; it was more vertical. It was amazing.

The beauty of this whole Journey reminded me of the powerful God that loves me and you. He created everything for us to enjoy. As I sat there I was overwhelmed by the majesty of it all.

I'll Meet you in Paris

It was the biggest plane I had ever seen. Mixed emotions flooded my mind. I was excited to head off in my next adventure; a trip to Paris.

Dave stood looking out the window at Ohare Airport in Chicago. On one side was the monster of the airplane which would take me to Paris and to the right of it was the smaller plane that would take him there. We had never really flown separately, on the same trip. He was flying for his work; and I was flying FREE frequent flyer miles.I would leave the good old USA an hour before him and he would arrive two hours before me. As we kissed each other goodbye we both said, "Meet you in Paris."

God said, "GO"!

Genesis 12:1,4

The Lord had said to Abram, "Leave your country, your people and your Father's household and go to the land I will show you.

So Abram left, as the Lord had told him;......

I know someone who loves God with all of his heart who is doing this right now. He quit his job, packed up his things, and left, not knowing where he is going. Now that takes faith. Does he experience fear? I don't know, but it does take courage.
He has been 'wondering in the wilderness' now for almost two weeks.

God is faithful and he has a wonderful plan for this man's life. He's given up his worldly possessions to follow God. He does not know where he will end up, but his desire is to be a blessing to others.

Wow, my prayers are for this young man and I would ask you to pray for him too. I BELIEVE that God will lead him to his plan for this young man's life, but the waiting might be challenging.

I would share this message with anyone who is waiting on God.

Psalms 27:14
Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord.

Psalms 32:8
I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you and watch over you.

1 Thessalonians 5:24
The one who calls you is faithful and He will do it.

24 Hours

Well it's Monday again. I have so much to do this week and I am asking myself, "Can I really do everything I need to do?"

Yes, life is busy. Every single day I make choices about what I will do with this 24 hours. There are days that I end up doing only the urgent things and at the end of those days I am exhausted. Do I really have a choice to make my 24 count?

Yes, life is short. I do have a choice to do what is important to me today? It might take a slice of my 24, but taking time to encourage those around me makes me feel happy. It doesn't take long to tell my husband that I love him. It doesn't take long to send my kids a quick note via e-mail to let them know I am thinking of them. It doesn't take long to put a short note in my child's lunchbox telling him how proud I am of him. It doesn't take long to send a short note to my mother-in-law who might be lonely. It doesn't take long to say "Have a good day!" to my neighbor. It doesn't take long to ask God to bless those you love.

HOW WILL I FEEL AFTER I DO THESE THINGS? No matter how busy I become in my 24, if I have done at least one of these things, joy will appear in my life because I have blessed someone else today.

1 Thessalonians 5:11
Therefore encourage one another and build each other up....