Give a Gift of Meaning

What Weight Are You Carrying?

I read this article today about a woman whose job was to carry a huge basket of veggies on her head, going door-to-door to sell them. I cannot fathom having to carry that weight every day!
Even more heavy is the reality of the weight many women like her carry within their hearts as they walk with guilt, shame, and condemnation in a society that doesn't value them as highly as men. They know no hope. Simply because they are women, they will have less chance to hear the life-changing Gospel of Jesus!

But, Gospel for Asia missionaries are changing that! We just uploaded our newest video showing the reality of life for women in Asia. Take a few minutes (three, to be exact) and watch this clip. The realities might break your heart, but the way God is working will give you hope!

The last week has been very busy for me. Along with four other GFA staffers, I worked at a booth during a women's conference in Ft. Worth (Thursday through Saturday).

The arena with Nancy Leigh DeMoss speaking; there were about 4,000 women.

Below, me telling a woman about the reality of life for women in Asia.

We met lots of really neat ladies from around the country. We shared about the ministry, gave out brochures on the plight of women in Asia, gave out free books (Revolution in World Missions), offered ladies a chance to partner their lives with a woman missionary in Asia, and sought opportunities to speak to additional groups.

This woman was telling me a really funny story.
(see, I'm committed to not only posting flattering pictures of myself!)
Below, my friend Clara is giving a woman a free book!

On Monday I shared with a local MOPS group about women in Asia--their issues and how God is meeting their needs. It was a sweet time and I thoroughly enjoyed sharing!

Cari, me, and Cassie
Below, Cassie and Clara...and the woman from Asia.

Yesterday I had to clean up the mess I had made from the past week--returning unused materials, sorting through responses from the conference and the group meeting, and making notes to improve for our "next times".

I have to say, I am one tired lady! But, my fatigue comes with great hope. I'm hoping the women who took missionaries to pray about sponsoring will choose to make the sacrifice and link their lives with those in Asia. I'm hoping I get more chances to share in the months ahead. I'm hoping we can finalize some research/development we've been working on for the past few months. I'm hoping my efforts changed at least one woman's life in Asia!

FREE book

I just spent a few days at a women's conference in Ft. Worth giving away our ministry's FREE book, Revolution in World Missions.
Have you read it?

Do you wonder what exactly our family is doing as GFA home team staff--why we are here? In a simple answer: we said "yes!" to go where God led and read this book.

Get your FREE copy today. Fill out a simple form and one will be sent right away.

What are you waiting for?

Over 150 women from around the country received their copy this weekend. Join me in praying they will now READ the book! One of the ladies at the booth next to us sat and read the entire book while we were at the conference (during the sessions when traffic to our booths was slow). What joy it brought to see her reading it and to then hear her tell others coming to her booth why they should stop over and talk to us!

Be a part of the revolution!

Fletcher Newsletter July 2010

July 2010 Fletcher GFA newsletter

Our House Guest

This is Matt. He lived with us for 8 weeks this summer while he is serving as an intern at the ministry in the Graphics Department. Matt still has another 5 weeks of ministry with us, but he has moved in with another family for the second half.
We have enjoyed having Matt with us. He is a very sweet guy who loves the Lord and looks forward to all God is teaching him.

Our kids like Uncle Matt and had fun messing around with him in the evenings. Matt was such an easy guy to have living with us. We will miss him. He was a great jokester with the kids and loved to tease them. Many times I would get on them only to turn the corner and then find myself saying "Okay Matt, don't provoke" with a smile on my face.

We took Matt to Ft. Worth a few weeks ago to watch the bulls run. (ha! They walk at a saunter down the brick street, but they are definitely cool to see.) We also ate some yummy ribs while there. It was all-you-can-eat for a really decent price! Matt had bunches.
Matt is staying at the ministry longer than some interns stay, which is neat because he gets to really understand what we do. Joel has already had 3 interns this year; one back in January and two thus far this summer. It's always fun to have college students added into the mix of things to teach the staff new stuff and to be taught. We always hear neat testimonies of how the Lord has worked in their lives through their time with the ministry. This is our first time to actually host a student, which has given us lots more opportunities to get to know him.

If you know a student who might be interested in an internship, they can check out the GFA website here. We also have a School of Discipleship for students ages 18-25 to come spend a year serving at GFA, growing in their walk with Christ, and take a trip to India. More info can be found on the website, as well.

Fletcher Newsletter May 2010

May2010 Fletcher GFA newsletter

Last Installment of Arizona Trip Pics

Whew! This is the final post on our Arizona trip with pictures. I'm just going to write little descriptions below the photos to finish it off.
We drove up to Phoenix one day to visit with our friends, the M family. Their oldest two kids are 9 months younger than our kiddos. And, my Jenna is sort of named after their oldest daughter. The mom and I would talk about our kids playing and one day I said "Rylee and Jenna; that just goes together so well." After my friend said it was okay with her, I decided I really wanted that name to be in the hat in case one of the twins was a girl. I had loved the name for years, so it was perfect. And, when I finally got to hold my Jenna for the first time, I knew she was a Jenna, not a Sydney.The kids were having a blast playing with each other. They really hit it off right away. I talk about the M family's kids regularly and they met them when we were in Arizona 3 years ago. They decided to roll over the legs of one another and were cracking up.It was all fun and games until Asa got hurt. That's what happens!
While in Phoenix, we also stopped by to see my college roommate and her family. J and I were in school at Northern Arizona together for one year...living in a dorm as older students. God was good when He matched us together. We both got engaged in the fall of that school year and then got married the next summer/fall. Our kids enjoyed meeting one another and playing. It was good to catch up on life.
My kids were enjoying all the beautiful 80 degree days and the swingsets at each home!

We spent lots of hours in the car. Between the long drive from Texas to Arizona and back, the daily commute from my mom's house into town (about 30 minutes each way), and then a day trip up to Phoenix and back, my kids sat in these carseats quite a bit. Jenna is obsessed with Dora. Loves her. Tells us so almost every day. So, we got her this cute little doll. I think she likes it.

One afternoon we stopped over to visit with more friends in Yuma that have kiddos the same ages as mine. Rylee is posing with Karis, who she first met as a baby and then 3 years ago.

The kids alternated between playing inside and outside. Jenna figured out how to swing herself this afternoon! She was literally yelling with excitement, so I grabbed my camera fast and clicked a pic. This was Wednesday and you can best believe she made a beeline for any swing she saw for the rest of the trip. She was one proud preschooler!
We took the kids to climb one of the mountains near Mom's house. It was a little windy, but they were excited. As soon as we hit the first peak and the wind bolted us in the face, they all begged to go back down. But, first I took a snapshot of the mountains on the other side and some kind of rock quary.

We spent one evening with the Mellons, very dear friends of ours. They have supported me in my pursuit of following God's call on my life for over a decade--from college to youth ministry to missionary. They invited all their kids and grandkids out to their place to have dinner and fellowship with us. Wonderful conversation and delicious food!
Pastor Chuck and Mary had us over for lunch. We always have such a great time with them. They are so relaxed and welcoming and have always treated us like family. They go out of their way to take care of us and support our family. Before we left that day, their oldest daughter let each of my kids have a shamrock cookie she made for St. Patrick's Day.


Andrew, Anne, and their sweet daughter were also part of that lunch. Anne's is the middle daughter and was in Joel's youth group when he served at Calvary. It's fun to watch their young family as it grows--another addition soon to come!
And, Sunday afternoon we stopped by to say hi to Grandma White. My mom spends time with Grandma White regularly and enjoys it so much. She is my friend Erin's grandmother. My kids took right to her as soon as they heard she was L and S's grandma too (those are the other kids who drove with us from Texas to Arizona and back)!

More Arizona Trip Pictures

We had the privilege of sharing at both churches in Yuma that financially support our family, Stone Ridge Church and Calvary Chapel.
Megan began attending Stone Ridge as a teenager and even served on staff directing the youth ministry for a year. Pastor Sam officiated our wedding in 2002. When we told him about joining the Gospel for Asia staff in 2007, he was excited since he had read the book Revolution in World Missions many years earlier and it shaped much of his own view on missions. During this trip we got to share for a few minutes in each of the church's three Sunday services. We also shared during their youth service Saturday night. Many people signed up to receive our newsletters and took the free copy of Revolution in World Missions we offer. It was a great time of encouragement for us.
Joel began attending Calvary Chapel when he got stationed in Yuma while serving in the Marine Corp. He began leading a simple weekly Bible study and eventually served on staff as the youth pastor and office administrator. It was during a visit by a GFA speaker to Calvary Yuma about a decade ago that Joel first received a copy of Revolution in World Missions. Like many other great books, it was put on a shelf and moved from place to place. Only when God confirmed His calling on our lives to serve in missions did Joel finally take time to read the book. And, now here we are. We shared for the teaching time at Calvary during both their Sunday services and Megan shared at their monthly ladies meeting on Saturday. The reception for us at Calvary was overwhelming and a good taste of the lavish love the Father has for us.
Though we have been gone from living in Yuma for almost eight years, it feels like it was just yesterday. The bonds that are forged in hearts between friends who love God and one another continually amaze me.
We enjoyed the Yuma Wetlands park several times during our 10 day visit. We met friends there for a picnic on Sunday, met more friends there for play and lunch Monday, and then had a little reunion of youth ministry days there on Saturday. Eight former students brought their families to play and visit. It was so neat to see everyone and catch up on where life has taken us all.
The kids were fascinated by the desert around their Nana's house, particularly the mountains. So, we took them on a few nature walks. They enjoyed collecting rocks, picking up big sticks, and running through the washes.We also played lots of dominos.

A Little Torn Up

My heart is a little bit on the torn side. I'm not really sure how to even describe what's being done to it.

It's not painful in a bad way, but good. The kind of hurt that you know is helping, though it doesn't feel good at all.

I've been going to physical therapy for my shoulder. When she gets deep into the muscle and tendon tissue to work out part of the problem, it hurts. I breathe deep and exhale slowly and imagine the pain pushing out what hurts.

Last Tuesday night I watched a video on persecution. I've read stories. At Gospel for Asia we talk about it because the missionaries we live and work to support deal with it. We get reports directly from the field on a regular basis.

I even shared about some of the persecution last year when we went on a support trip back to PA.

But, last week, the video messed me up. (I tried to link to the video, but it's not working; sorry.)

It features Pastor Francis Chan. I had heard of him. He wrote a book called Crazy Love that my friend Kristin read. She said it was good. I downloaded an audio version and got through the first few chapters.

The ladies in my LIFE group recently decided to read the book and discuss it each month when we meet.

So I knew who this guy was and knew what he was going to say...sort of.

Do I really want to be like those Christians?

Then, Pastor Francis came to GFA this week. He shared with our staff. And, again, I'm a little broken.

Pastor Francis shared quite a few things that were challenging, encouraging, and convicting to me. I'll just tell you a few. I'm not sure they'll make sense, but this is where I process sometimes.

First, he talked about obedience. Simple obedience. God asks us to obey...to do what He says.

He used an illustration to talk about how little we obey. It really hit home. (this is my version of what he said, not from a transcript, but just my notes) He said "say I tell my daughter to go clean her room. It would not be okay if she came back and said 'I memorized what you told me to do.'" It wouldn't be cool if she said "Hey Dad, I learned to say those instructions in Greek." And, it really wouldn't be obedience if she said she was going to invite some friends over so they could discuss what it would look like for her to clean her room. Obedience would be cleaning the room. Anything else is disobedience.

I disobey God a lot.

Second, he talked about emergencies. He told us that he signed over the royalties from his book Crazy Love. He and his wife decided they would probably waste the money on things they didn't need and would regret it. So, they donated it to a charity that helps orphans and the poor and dealing with issues like sex trafficking. Someone told him he wasn't being a good steward with the money. What would he do if there was an emergency? Pastor Francis' question for them was "What about what is happening in India, Haiti, Uganda...is that not an emergency? People dying of starvation, going to hell without the Gospel, being sold as sex slaves?" He asked "is it only an emergency if it involves you and your children?

We are not concerned about whether or not we will live. We are concerned about our standard of living. We are worried that someday we won't have the nice things we want to get.

I live as though there is no emergency.

Finally (in the 3 things that stood out most to me right now...maybe I'll share more later, but this is enough to rip me up for now), he talked about the church in Sardis that is written about in Revelation 3. It says in verse 1 "I know your deeds; you have a reputation of being alive, but you are dead." Pastor Francis explained that the church of Sardis was doing many good things. They looked like they loved God. They had a good reputation. But, Psalm 139 tells us God searches us and knows our heart. God told the church of Sardis that He knew their heart.

Pastor Francis pointed out that he is a good communicator. So, he can communicate truth or a lie. We can make people believe whatever we want them to believe. We can spend oru days building up our reputation. It's easy to fake it. To our staff directly, he said people will assume things because you're staff of GFA. He is right. I've heard people tell me their assumptions. Just the other day someone told me they knew we (Joel and I) were in a completely different place than them (because we serve on staff and have prayer every Tuesday and spend our days working for a ministry).

I've made it a point on this blog to try and dispel that myth. In fact, one of my labels for blog posts is "being real". But, even in my attempts to "be real", I tell you what I want to tell you. I share what I want, post what I want, make it sound how I want. I don't tell you about all my screw ups and failures and nastiness.

There's plenty. I want a good reputation. Sometimes I want a good name more than I want to know God. Sometimes I want you to think more highly of me than I care what God thinks.

I'm not really sure what God's doing in my life, in my heart.

But, I'm pretty sure I'm not going to be the same.

At least, I hope not.

Cast Your Vote--Favorite Pic

We are printing new prayer cards.
Help us pick the best new family picture.I'll include a few of the fun shots here, but I'll put a number under a few. (okay, I moved them to the bottom so it would be a little easier)

Jenna was having "issues" when we first started. It was incredibly frustrating. Melt-downs seem to always occur when I'm trying to get a family picture done. Just ask my step-mom. (It was Rylee having a melt last summer; I guess it was Jenna's turn. Rylee was just being silly this time.)So, for those of you looking at these pictures thinking that you have a hard time ever getting a good photo, don't envy us for getting one. Ellie took probably 100 in just the 20 minutes we tried. And, at least 10 of those minutes were spent disciplining Jenna. In fact, the picture of Joel offering knuckle sandwiches to Asa (above) was snapped while I was in the bathroom dealing with Miss Grumpy-Pants.We took the pictures at our GFA home office here in Texas. And, Ellie, who you have probably read about here on our blog, took our pictures. She's a very neat teenager who loves our kids and helps take care of them and has a great eye for photography. We all love her!

Feel free to comment, but to cast your official vote, use the survey on the right sidebar.

Thanks for helping us! **poll is now removed, see this post for the results**

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