Mira, Myra, My Lord and Me

Ok, I have to write down what happened today because it was so encouraging to me. Since we gave our dog, Mira, to her new owner nine days ago, I have really been missing her. This morning during my prayer time I cried about Mira, sharing with God how much I miss her and how I hoped she was adjusting ok to her new home and wondered if her new owner (Get this, her name is Myra!)was happy about her decision to take Mira. Today was the day we had to drive our stuff for our Africa shipment to Kansas City, so a friend of ours drove up to the house this morning and traded his truck & trailer for our van. He is a physician and a couple minutes later he called and said he'd left his stethoscope in the truck. Josh and I drove it to his office and when I walked in to hand it to the receptionist, I heard "Well, hello, Nancy!" I turned around and there was Myra! So I sat with her for a couple of minutes and she shared that she had been praying for us. Then she said that Mira is just crazy about her, follows her everywhere and wants her attention all the time and that she loves the dog. I had to go, but I gave Myra a big hug and my thanks. I have told my children many times that God cares about animals, that He counts our tears and cares deeply about the things in our hearts. Today was my turn to be reminded. I don't believe in coincidences. God knew what I needed and provided the answer as only He can. Just last Sunday morning our pastor prayed for us and asked God to "just love on the Burtons". I'll have to let him know that God has been doing just that.

Full Speed Ahead

I haven't forgotten to blog, I just haven't had time. We have had our van in the shop again. Old story. Hopefully it will be finished soon. We went camping this past week with some friends of ours. Primitive camping. Bring your own water and dig your own potty camping. We were right on the bank of the Current River. The kids got to play in the water. Our friends have horses and brought them along so we all got to take turns riding horses in some really beautiful country. We had a blast until Friday. Friday morning, David woke up in pain and having trouble breathing. By the time we broke camp and drove four hours to home he was worse. One of our friends with us is a doctor so he checked David out and promptly sent him to the hospital. He has pericarditis, an inflammation in the sac surrounding his heart. We aren't sure if it is viral or if it was brought on by a response to his yellow fever vaccine. He got to come home yesterday and is slowly regaining his strength. The doctor said his heart wasn't damaged and he should be himself again in a few weeks. We are going crazy packing and sorting. Last week we also said goodbye to our dog and turned her over to her new owner. She went to a really sweet lady who I know will be kind to her, but it still hurt all of us to let her go. We miss her. We also celebrated Daniel's 8th birthday. I have pics from the campout but in all the chaos of taking care of David I left my cameras at our friends' house and didn't have it for Daniel's birthday celebration. I used Josh's camera but his flash is broken. If any of them turn out I'll post some later. We are taking some stuff to David's brother's for storage, wrapping up loose ends, packing for Canada, trying to plan a yard sale, and hopefully leaving on Monday, so I'll probably not be blogging for a while. We expect to arrive in Canada on the 24th. We'll have a week to get Josh enrolled in school and get school supplies and learn our way around town before school starts. So, our adventure is going full-speed and about to take a turn in a new direction. We are excited, but there are constant reminders that we can't do this in our own strength. Praise God that we don't have to and aren't supposed to!

My Baby is Growing Up!

Yesterday, Josh turned 16. Today, Josh passed the exam to get a Missouri driver's license. Needless to say, as his mom, I have mixed feelings. I wish he wouldn't grow up quite so quickly! I am proud of him and excited for him. He set a goal, worked for it, and succeeded in reaching that goal. He has passed a milestone in his journey toward adulthood. On the other hand, now he will be driving without the benefit of one of his parents there to catch his mistakes and help him make good judgements. He'll have to rely on what we taught him and learn from experience. Also, it is not insignificant that when I called the insurance company today our rates more than doubled. Ouch! The agent on the phone tried to make me feel better by telling me that the rates would go down again when Josh becomes 25. Since by that time he will be paying his own insurance, I'm happy for him but it gives me little comfort here in the present time. So, any moms out there who understand all these mixed feelings who happen to read this, I would love some empathy.

Finished!

Last Friday, I finished a big project that I have literally been working at off and on for five years. I will eventually post a photo but I can't yet. I can't even say what it is yet, because I plan to give it to someone who happens to read my blog. I just had to write about how excited I am to finally have it finished! What a good feeling!

Yesterday we worshipped at Mt. Auburn Christian Church in Cape Girardeau. We didn't realize until we got there that it was their Sunday to present their vacation Bible school program. What a great service! The kids sang that you don't have to be big, or strong, or smart or great for God to use you. You just have to be willing. It's a very elemental truth, one that most Christians learn early, but one that we often need a refresher in. It is such a joy to see so many seeds of Truth planted in young hearts!

***UPDATE***You can now see my completed quilt project HERE.

Calm and Chaos

We've been busy, busy, busy! We are still speaking to churches, groups, individuals, anyone willing to listen to us, about our ministry with MAF and what God is doing in our lives and in the Democratic Republic of Congo, where we will be serving. Language school begins soon and we'll be packing up and driving to Canada next month. We are sorting through our stuff and deciding what goes to Canada (very little, thankfully), what goes to Africa, what goes in storage, and what goes AWAY. We have been purchasing things we need and we have a dear friend who is working on planning a shower for us to help with that. We are taking care of legal stuff, insurance, paper work, tying up loose ends. Getting vaccines, helping our dog get to know her future owner, visiting friends and family. You get the idea. I always enjoy my morning cups of coffee, one with God and one with my hubby, and now that peaceful time of day before the chaos begins is even more important to me. This week for a break I scrapped another page. This is an older photo but one I had never scrapped before, and I wanted to get it done for Emily. I hope you like it. I used a kit called Pinkalicious, designed by Kristi Cakebread. You can purchase it at www.scrapbookmax.com .

Cowboy Daniel

One of my favorite web sites is www.scrapbookmax.com . I scrap for a hobby and a couple of years ago I discovered digital scrapbooking. I was skeptical at first, then I decided to try it. Now I am totally hooked. My papers, embellishments, templates, etc, fit neatly into my computer until I am ready to print pages. I can use each paper, pattern, frame, embellishment, etc an unlimited number of times. I can even scrap when I am traveling via my laptop. And clean up is EASY! Overall it is also less expensive, which leaves me more money for my other hobby, quilting. Each week the designers at Scrapbook Max present a challenge that is intended to help you learn more about digital scrapbooking and how to maximize what you can do with your software. I happen to use their software because it is very reasonably priced and user friendly. The challenge last week was to randomly select a photo from our files and scrap it. I landed on this one of Daniel. It was in a file of "undated" photos and I haven't decided yet whether I took this photo in fall 2003 or spring 2004. Other than the missing date, I really liked how this turned out. I used a kit called "All American Cowboy" by Yardbunny.

Wisdom and Words

Proverbs 15:1* (Photo credit: stephen.h2010)

The ladies in our church are going through the Beth Moore studies in the book of Proverbs. This week the topic was "Wisdom With Words". Beth used several passages from Proverbs and from other books of the Bible to show that just as God breathes life through his words, we are made in his image and our words have power. We need to pray for wisdom and use our words to bring life and healing to others. Proverbs 12:18 says "Reckess words pierce like a sword, but the tongue of the wise brings healing." Beth read that verse and questioned how many of us are walking wounded with holes in our hearts because of words that others have spoken to us. When she said that, I sensed God asking me how many people have I cut deeply with my recklessly spoken words. I didn't hear what Beth Moore was saying in the video during the next few minutes because God and I were having a pow-wow. God called to mind something I had said that very day that I needed to repent of and apologize to the person I had spoken to. I am so thankful that God is in the business of changing me. I know that what we say is really a reflection of what is in our hearts. Jesus prayed for believers in the garden that God's love for Him would be in us. "Lord, I want people to know I am yours by the love that comes from my heart, revealed in my words and my actions. Please make me more like your Son, who only spoke what You told Him to, the way you told Him to, and never used words recklessly when He was here on earth. Give me wisdom so that my words will bring life and healing to others." Here are some more verses about wisdom with words:

John 12:49-50
2Cor 4:13
Proverbs 18:21
Proverbs 15:4
Heb. 4:12
Proverbs 18:8
Hebrews 13:15
Proverbs 15:28

Bragging On My Kids

I know it irritates others when a parent talks constantly about their children's accomplishments, how wonderful they are, how smart, how cute, blah blah blah. So, I will try not to go on and on about it, but I am proud of my kids and this past week and a half they have given me reason. Josh and Emily both helped in Vacation Bible School last week. Emily, though, was in the classroom for 2-3 year olds and worked herself weary every night and kept her good attitude. Daniel, my cautious one who doesn't like to try new things, has been learning new games and actively participating in VBS and children's church. Josh took two CLEP tests and passed them both with very decent scores, earning dual high school and college credit in those classes. I didn't get photos of any of those activities, so in honor of Josh's academic progress, I dug out an older scrapbook page and scanned it into the computer. I had to do it in two parts and stitch the photos together, so it may not be the best quality.

Friends And Flowers

Wow, has it really been over a month? Time goes so quickly! We've been on the road again. We had a very busy time in Florida. We got to spend time with friends and say goodbye to them before leaving for language school this fall. God opened doors for us to make new contacts and speak in churches and small groups. We got to spend a couple of days with my parents, which is always a blessing. After we got back we had a few days to recoup and then we drove to Columbia, MO. to speak at a church that we were members of in the early days of our marriage. It was a real treat for me to get to see friends I hadn't seen in 12 years and walk the halls again of that church. Our first two babies were dedicated in that church and we met some amazing friends there, so we will always have a special place in our hearts for Calvary Baptist Church. Here's a scrapbook page I did with a photo from our trip. Ben and Shirley were our Sunday School teachers years ago and are dear friends.

Simple Pleasures

Sometimes I am delighted by the simplest things. Earlier this week, I went outside to cut some roses from a huge rosebush in our yard and startled a female cardinal. I walked around the back side of the bush for a closer look and found a nest with three tiny eggs in it! I was excited enough that I called the kids to come and see it. Soon there will be baby birds right under our dining room window. What fun! Last night we were on the road and I was listening to praise songs. At the same moment that my mp3 player began a Chris Tomlin song praising God as our creator I looked up and noticed a huge, perfect, full moon. How cool is that?! Today as we neared our destination in Florida, I decided to see if our favorite Christian radio station from our days living here before was close enough to pick up on the radio. As soon as I had it tuned in we recognized the song that was playing and all 5 of us simultaneously started to sing along. Instant fun! We got the added bonus today of getting to see old friends again after eight months away.

1 O LORD, our Lord,
how majestic is your name in all the earth!
You have set your glory
above the heavens.
2 From the lips of children and infants
you have ordained praise [b]
because of your enemies,
to silence the foe and the avenger.
3 When I consider your heavens,
the work of your fingers,
the moon and the stars,
which you have set in place,
4 what is man that you are mindful of him,
the son of man that you care for him?
5 You made him a little lower than the heavenly beings [c]
and crowned him with glory and honor.
6 You made him ruler over the works of your hands;
you put everything under his feet:
7 all flocks and herds,
and the beasts of the field,
8 the birds of the air,
and the fish of the sea,
all that swim the paths of the seas.
9 O LORD, our Lord,
how majestic is your name in all the earth! -- Psalm 8

Tears and Raindrops

Rainy Window - School (Photo credit: John-Morgan)

It rained today in Nampa. A perfect picture of my feelings. We haven't even begun our goodbyes yet, but I have already had a couple of crying spells just thinking about it. It hurts to let go, to say goodbye. But I've come to understand that both rain and pain can bring growth and an outward beauty that reflect the strength within. So I will do my best to embrace these days, even though there will be tears, and look forward to the next adventure God has for me -- "Look among the nations and watch - be utterly astounded! For I will work a work in your days which you would not believe, though it were told you." Habakkuk 1:5

Tonight we will spend some time with our friends we have made here before we all go to our new destinations. Please pray for all of us, that God will comfort our hearts, protect us as we travel, and unite us in spirit as we serve Him together with MAF.

Commissioned!

Believe it or not, even after our encounter with the snake, we went back to Succor Creek again last weekend. This time we took two families with us who had never been there. We had a picnic and did some hiking/walking, and explored a cave. Yes, we did find another rattlesnake, but at that point we had split into two groups and I was in the lucky group, I mean the group that didn't meet up with the snake.

Classes have been interesting but draining this week. There have been a lot of emotions, at least for me. We know that after this we are going off in all sorts of directions and have no idea when we will get the priviledge of seeing eachother again. Most of us were in class together last summer also and we have all grown to care for one another. Leaving will be difficult.

Yesterday we had commissioning chapel. I made a scrapbook page of some of the photos. If you click on the image it will enlarge so you can see it better. It was a joyous occasion because we were being prayed over and encouraged and marking a milestone in our journey, but was also serious because we knew that we still have much work to do raising support for our ministry before we can go. Please pray for God to open doors for us and to raise up people who will want to be part of what He is doing through us. Pray also for decisions we have to make regarding the kids' schooling while we are in language school, and for our visa applications to go through without any trouble.

Rattlesnake at Succor Creek!

Today was filled with adventure. One of our homework assignments was for our family to attend a church of a different culture, so we went to the Peace in Jesus Vietnamese Lutheran Church. None of us were quite sure what to expect, but we all had a wonderful time. Everyone was warm and friendly. We couldn't sing in their language, but we recognized several of the tunes so we knew the jist of what they were singing. In our hearts we were able to sing and worship with them. I admit I didn't get much out of the sermon, but still enjoyed watching and observing. The pastor obviously was passionate about what he was sharing. We even picked up a few words by the end of the service. Then this afternoon we joined another MAF family and went hiking at Succor Creek, Oregon. We cooked on the grill and enjoyed the amazing scenery. On our walk, I came very close to stepping on a rattlesnake and after I got over being seriously startled, I just had to take pictures! And video! From a distance, of course. We certainly had something to talk about on the way home and thanked God for his protection and the beauty of his creation.

Class has begun

Friday was our first day of non-technical orientation at MAF. We had class all day, followed by pizza and ice cream with the kids Friday night. The new apartments here don't have televisions yet, so we watched old episodes of our favorite tv shows on-line with the laptop. We are excited to get to see some of our old candidacy classmates again and spend time with them. The kids have been enjoying their time with friends they haven't seen since last summer when we were here for deputation. Also, MAF is hosting activities and classes for the missionary kids to better equip them to adjust to new cultures. Yesterday they got to try foods from several different countries. It feels like we are back in school, we were even assigned homework! (Mostly reading, and nothing overwhelming.)

Mighty Mountains

Wow! In just one day we: saw antelope and sheep galore, drove to Firehole Canyon in Flaming Gorge National Recreation Center, saw wild horses in Green River Wyoming, and drove through a snow storm! We crossed Wyoming and are now in Ogden, Utah. I finally remembered to move my camera from my suitcase to the front of the van so I got photos today! I did a quickie scrapbook page for you. If you want to see it larger, just click on the image. Daniel and I have been reading a book together called "Mountain Born", about a little boy growing up on a mountain. His family raises sheep for a living and the book describes shearing in one chapter. We had the priviledge of seeing both wooly flocks of sheep and some that had been recently shorn and still bore the telltale marks, so Daniel got to see the difference first-hand. Emily especially enjoyed the antelope. I think David would say the highlight for him today was seeing the wild horses. All five of us were reminded constantly today of the creativity and majesty of our God.

Tired

Image via Wikipedia

This morning we left early and drove up the western edge of Missouri, cut the corner of Iowa, and drove all the way across southern Nebraska into Cheyenne, Wyoming. My limited experience of Nebraska is that it is rather boring, and quite stinky. We saw, and smelled, a plethera of cattle. It's been a long day and we are all tired, but very happy to be out of the van for a while.

Isaiah 40:28-29 (New International Version)

28 Do you not know?
Have you not heard?
The LORD is the everlasting God,
the Creator of the ends of the earth.
He will not grow tired or weary,
and his understanding no one can fathom.
29 He gives strength to the weary
and increases the power of the weak.

Let the Driving Begin!

Today we started our big road trip. We are on our way to MAF headquarters in Nampa, Idaho for orientation. We drove to Pleasant Hill, MO and are staying tonight with David's brother and his family. Other than rain, we had an uneventful trip, which is unusual for us. We usually have someone get sick or the van breaks down, or both, so we are grateful. Tomorrow we get up early and hit the road again. We borrowed a car-top luggage carrier and somehow it seems like we have even less space than we had before we borrowed it. Must be some sort of Murphy's law or something. Part of the space problem is because we packed all of our school stuff so the kids can keep up with their schooling. And Josh's guitar. And I MIGHT have purchased too many snack items for the road.

The Grave Couldn't Hold Him!

Happy Easter! Our life has been crazy with illness, car troubles, travels, and school. I have neglected my blog. And we are about to hit the road again, but I wanted to share this video with you because I think it is excellent. It is a portion of a sermon by S.M. Lockridge that has been put to music and video. Let me know how you like it.

Broken Trees

Nearly six weeks after our ice storm, I can still walk through my neighborhood and drive through my county and see evidence of the storm’s destruction. Broken trees line the roads and occupy the lawns and yards. They aren’t just missing a limb or two, they are pathetic, bowed, broken off in multiple places, and bare. Since every tree is affected, it’s almost eerie. The weight of the ice and the force of the wind were just too much for them to bear. Some of them were destroyed completely. Some, with time and nurturing, will eventually fill back out and be beautiful again. Last week as we were driving, I was looking out the window at the broken trees and began to think about how like the trees people are. Our community, nation and world are filled with people who are broken and damaged spiritually and emotionally under the weight of their sin and the oppressions and stresses of this life. They are hopeless without Jesus. He can make them into what they were meant to be, beautiful and full of life. Lord, here I am. Please give me a heart to serve and reach those who are "broken". Don't let me pass them by. Give me your eyes to see them.

Titus 2 Blog Party

I just discovered Michelle's blog - She Looketh Well - today! Michelle is hosting a Titus 2 blog party, a chance for us to meet other bloggers and have some fun. Go check it out! So, anyway, here is my Titus 2 Blog Party post and introduction. Hi, I'm Nancy Burton. I'm a new blogger, since the first of the year, and still getting the hang of it. In fact, I didn't know how to even put those links above until today and I had to ask someone how to do it. I'm a Christian, a missionary wife, and a home school mom. Right now we are "prefielders", still getting ready to go. We are scheduled to depart for language school in August and are pretty excited about the adventure God has us on. He is using this time to stretch us and grow us. We have made incredible friendships, learned more about the internet, computer programs, writing and corresponding, budgeting, flexibility, trusting, and waiting, just to name a few areas. Trusting and waiting have been in the forefront. The one thing I am constantly reminded of is that I am not in control, nor am I supposed to be. I have been forced to trust God more and wait on Him more than I ever have before. I am sure this will serve me well when I get to Africa. I started blogging because my teenage son kept encouraging me to try it. He was having such a good time with his blog, keeping in touch with his friends from far away that I thought it might be a good way for my friends and family to keep up with me, especially once we leave the U.S. I still haven't decided on a permanent name for my blog (suggestions, anyone?) or gotten around to learning how to personalize my template. Even though I am new to blogging, I have already discovered some cool blogs and benefited from the wisdom that others have been willing to share on their blogs.

Praying Scripture

I like to pray Scripture verses. It's something I learned from one of the Beth Moore Bible studies I have done. When I first heard someone use Scripture in prayer, it seemed new and different to me, but I realized that as long as it is in correct context, what better way to know you are praying in line with God's will? And there are so many amazing verses of praise to God that I can use to lift up His name! It has also helped me to become better at memorizing Scripture. Imagine being in the middle of a prayer and telling God to hang on a minute while I find that verse I wanted to talk with Him about. Praying Scripture really added a new dimension to my prayer life. Recently God gave me Psalm 63:1 to pray for myself and my family: "O God, You are my God, earnestly I seek You; my soul thirsts for you, my body longs for You, in a dry and weary land where there is no water." I pray my children will earnestly seek Him and that they will have a longing and a thirst for Him. I also pray that anything other than God that they might turn to for satisfaction in life will be like David's "dry and weary land" and will cause them to turn back to God for true satiety. I'll just share one more. Proverbs 21:1 states "The king's heart is in the hand of the LORD; He directs it like a watercourse wherever He pleases." I am praying this for our nation's leaders, all of them. Whether I voted for them or not, whether they are Christians or not, God is in control. So I pray He will direct their hearts for His glory and the good of our nation.

A week or so ago we went up to Columbia, Missouri for part of our ministry partnership to meet with some families and old friends. It was a great time of renewing friendships and we were so blessed to get to fellowship and pray with people who have meant so much to us over the years. One friend took this photo of us before we left. No, Daniel did not have a growth spurt. He is standing on the hearth.