Just thinking ...

I have just stumbled across this little quote ...
it does but at the same time does not make sense ... as mad as that might be!!!
Right now, one day seems to end very quickly and the next one starts even quicker ... and all the while not everything gets done!!!
Which is probably why this quote caught my eye!
Very often, once the kids are in bed, then it's "my" time (or "our" time) to catch up on things that need to be done, sometimes ironing, just washing dinner dishes ... something, anything ... so often nowdays, I feel that time runs out ... before getting everything done! My dear husband tells me to leave things and go to bed as I need my rest ... I, naturally, tend more to race around like mad and quickly do yet another thing before going to bed!!! It's hard to just walk away from things and go to bed!!! Organization, tidiness, decluttering are often things that do not come naturally to me, when life is so busy ... I am a person of great "intentions" ... I meant to do this, to call someone, to email them, and so the list goes on.
Hence, my trying to do everything as when I do bits of organization, tidying up, decluttering ... it gives such a freeing feeling ... with new energies to go on and at the same time, to take time off the never ending tasks, to enjoy more precious moments with my children.
(this probably makes no sense ... right now is one of those moments when I need to go to bed ... but am off to wash the dishes, shower, ... ... , just the same, it is written ... :)

Special times with family and friends

One saturday we drove down to Pilar's home on the Gold Coast, and from there we all went to Lamington National Park ... and to the Natural Bridge.
We had a lovely day ...
Pilar is special, too :)

Between last year and this one ...

Many things have happened since my post of January 2013. ... so much that if I were to stop and try to bring everything up to date ... I would never get finished ... soooo, I will try to just highlight some of the many memories with some pics. 

First, I MUST say how blessed we are at having had my dear mother-in-law with us for 2 months last year (July - August) ... that was special, especially for our boys to have their abuela here! 
Then, in August, we had Mum and Dad Smith with Fernelis ... AND ... Julianne with her 2 children (Abel and Julie Melissa) come also :)
Julianne and the children were here for 6 weeks (if I am correct) and Mum, Dad and Fernelis stayed until the 2nd of February 2014. 
It was great to have everyone here ... even if it did seem mad sometimes. We were 5 in the house, then 6 with my suegra, then all of a sudden 12!!!! :D

Everything did work out great, though. My suegra was sleeping in the 3rd bedroom upstairs which was really Willians' study. (We were in our usual bedroom and the 3 boys in their room).
Then, we rearranged the old schoolroom for Julianne, Abel and Julie ... with a single bed and some bunks. 
THEN, Mum and Dad and Fernelis were in their little unit downstairs. 
Most times those downstairs, ate downstairs ... and those upstairs ate upstairs ... so everything worked out fine. It was fun having lots of family around! :)

Helping Abuela open her ports!!! Especially the one full of lollies :)

With our new soccer outfits that we were sent from Venezuela!

Expoloring Nudgee beach during low tide with Abuela! we had fun ... that was the day Daddy left for a weekend away with the believers in South Oakley, Melbourne. 

A day out at Redcliffe. 

Fish and Chips for lunch at the beach

Julie Melissa in the playground :)

Julianne and Abel :)

This is the lovely spot where we were!!

God ... will ... take ... care ... of ... you

Over the last week I have watched this video many many times ...
I just feel I could listen to the precious words over and over again all day long ... just trying to grasp the truth ... that God ... WILL take care of you. He WILL take care of you ... God WILL take care of you.

Just tonight I have read a blog of a Christian family with an 8 yr old son Azlan and the path they are walking through right at this moment. My heart aches for them, for Azlan, for his mum, for his dad, for his siblings.

http://www.somehowtherespeace.blogspot.com.au/

The words ... God WILL take care of you ... sound as a comfort ... as a prayer ...

Time has passed ...

Days come and days go ... and here we are in September 2014.
I think it must be time to update this blog a little!!! :)

Many things have happened since my last post. 

At the beginning of last year (or thereabouts ... we actually received our letter of commendation in December 2012), the elders from our home assembly here at Conference Hall, Brisbane, along with the elders from our previous home assembly in Tarapio, Venezuela ... felt at peace to commend Willians and myself to serve the Lord in full time work. Our exercise has been to serve Him, just wherever the Lord would seem fit to place us. There is so much to be done for the Lord ... the fields are great ... time is short. 

Now, 10 years ago the Lord saw it fit to bring us to Australia to live. Several years later, we longed to return home to Venezuela ... where we could be of more "use" in the things of the Lord. Many important factors stopped our return, until one day a sister from Venezuela said to Willians on the phone, " the thing is that you want to come back, but the Lord doesn't want you to come back!!" 
True, we accepted that as His will for us to stay ... why did He want us to stay?! 

Well, time went on and we constantly made contacts with more and more Spanish speaking folks here in Brisbane. At one time we were having studying the Bible in Spanish with several of them ... 

Time later, after prayer and also after inviting many friends to gospel meetings in English, where they didn't understand much due to language barriers and maybe some "big" not commonly used words in the gospel meetings ... and many circumstances more ... a monthly gospel meeting was started in Spanish. This was held at Bethany Gospel Hall, South Brisbane, due to the strategic location of the hall, close to the bus and easy accessibility, rather than at Conference Hall. 

The believers from Bethany Hall have been a tremendous support, even from Uncle Joe Jamieson giving Willians a key to the hall and full fellowship in the work ... 

For many many meetings, many of the dear believers from Bethany would drive (some large distances) to be at the Spanish gospel meeting, even though the wouldn't understand a word of the meeting. They would also be very devoted in hospitality and Christian love and care, as we would have some supper after the meeting, also giving an opportunity to talk further with our visitors.  

At the beginning of 2014, the Lord guided and we have been having the gospel meeting twice a month. 

We thank the Lord for the continued interest in the gospel. Some folks come, others go, some return to their homeland, others lose that interest in the meetings, yet we labour on knowing that the seed is being sown and that only the Lord will give fruit for His honour and glory. 

There has never been a meeting without at least one unsaved person present. Often there will be a dozen, sometimes twenty or more, sometimes just two or three ... but we are reminded constantly that the Lord has called us to be faithful! to preach the gospel! to share His love! to pray constantly for there is one enemy of our souls who would not like to see this work continuing ... and much less souls being saved. BUT greater is He that is for us than he that is against us.

We have been blessed to see fruit from the Lord's work (not for our glory... we long for souls to be saved for eternity!). 
One dear lady was saved ... she has been baptised in another church and attends there :( due to family circumstances. A dear man, Jose, was brought along by a friend (I believe he had tried to commit suicide on at least one occasion, due to health reasons and his family abandoning him even though he is not that old) ... Sr Jose was baptised last December. What great joy it was!!! He has been received into assembly fellowship at Toowong Gospel Hall, even though he cannot attend regularly due to health reasons. He will rarely miss a Spanish gospel meeting. 

Please pray for us ... pray even more for this work ... pray for those who have heard the gospel many times ... pray for those who have been under the conviction of the need of their sins being made right with God ... pray for those who no longer attend, many being caught up in the busyness of life ... pray even for those who profess to be saved that they will be convicted of gathering to the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ alone.