Download "Far Away" and Benefit Haiti :: Desiring God

Take a look at this video that gets into the questions we all ask when disaster happens.

Download "Far Away" and Benefit Haiti :: Desiring God

Funnies.

Twiggy left me this week for vacation with her Mimi and cousin, Bird.  My mom (Mimi) has been updating us via e-mail about the trip and the following is a conversation that took place between the girls while having dinner at Outback Steakhouse:


Contemplative Bird: “Why are there more boys in here than girls?”
Worldly-wise Twiggy: “It’s ‘cuz of the beer!”





This afternoon I was looking at pictures from Texas when we came across this one:

Frankie pointed to it and said, "Look, Mommy!  A ladybug!"

Little Dude...

...turns 7 months and as you can see, he loves the Pack already.

The Mind of Christ

I love that I serve the living God, who is actively working in my life to conform me to the image of His Son!

For no apparent reason, I woke up this morning with a heart that was heavy over the selfishness that oozes out of my life. I complain because I am selfish. I snap at my husband and my children because I am selfish. I am critical of those around me because I am selfish.

All these thoughts were running through my mind throughout the course of the morning, and little did I know that God was preparing me for what the He wanted me to hear this morning at church.

The missionary who spoke this morning read from Philippians chapter two:

So, if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy, complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. Do nothing from rivalry of conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves....Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus....

How priceless it would be to live a life with that mindset! What if I were to fully embrace the plans God has for my family knowing that He is in complete control and knows where He wants us (as opposed to complaining that they are not what I want)? What if I treated my family as I ought to treat them? Or what if I truly lived out this passage as it relates to those of whom I am now critical? Do nothing out of rivalry or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves....

These are such simple truths, but today they had a profound impact on me. I truly want the Lord to transform me. I am confident that He will.

My Compassionate Little Fly Guy

With the weather getting colder a countless number of flies have sought refuge in the warmth of our home only to discover Rocky, our four-year-old, on a mission to "slay dragons" for his mommy. Or in this case, flies.

Rocky will swat flies anywhere, whether they land in his sister's breakfast bowl or on his brother's head, it makes no difference. If they are in our house, he will hunt them down.

While on this morning's hunt he found a few flies trapped between the screen and the pane of our living room window. After a few minutes of trying to reach them with his orange fly swatter, he sighed.

"Oh, the poor little fellas!" he exclaimed. "They'll die in there!"

Beware of Lion!

Promises

After this many of His disciples turned back and no longer walked with Him. So Jesus said to the twelve, "Do you want to go away as well?" Simon Peter answered Him, "Lord to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life..."

I love this passage because it so much echoes the cry of my heart right now. When I read passages like that in Matthew 24 where Christ tells us that we "will be hated by all nations for My Name's sake" I kind of feel claustrophobic as I think about how truly tangible this is, not just where we live as a family, but all over the world. I mean, really! Is following Christ really worth the promise of ridicule, hatred, even death? Life would be so much easier if I were to give up and be washed away in this world and all the pleasures it has for me! In all honesty, the thought has crossed my mind on more than one occasion lately.

But God draws me back (as He so faithfully does) to the Truth of this passage in John chapter six. Where would I go? What better offer is there? Oh, the world has a lot to offer me that looks so good, but what happens when it's gone? Wh at then? This world offers me neither salvation, nor does it offer me a savior. Not only does Christ have the words of eternal life, but He is eternal life! Christ makes this life worth the pain! Oh God, help me endure!

Rules.

Being an oldest child, Twiggy thought it fitting to post a list of "Room Rules" to hang up in the kids' bedroom. She carefully wrote out each rule and then asked if she could type them on the computer. I said yes, but never thought to look at the rules she was writing until I heard her reading them to Daisy and Rocky. Below is Twiggy's list of rules:

1. When you are don with a toy put it away.
2. Do not open the hall atic (two bats in the house is plenty).
3. Sleep ing rool. 1, blankit 1, stuft Animal or doll and 1 pill0w.
4. Cleen up any BIG messes befor heding down stairs.
5. Obay the Lord Jesus Christ
6. Obay Gods Rools
7. Obay these Rools
8. Honer your Mom and Dad.
9. Do not comit ad0letre
10. Do not steel
11. Do not have any other gods except the tru GOD.

We may have some explaining to do concerning rule #9. Then again.....maybe not.

Four!!

Happy Birthday Rocky!

Twiggy's Concert

Although we homeschool Twiggy, she goes to the local public school daily for "specials" which include music, art, and physical education. Last night she was able to participate in the spring concert held at the school. The theme was based on a whole bunch of songs that define the music throughout the history of the United States. Below are a few clips from her concert. Sorry about the poor quality.

"Elijah and Joshua"

"Swingin' the Night Away"

Here is Twiggy and a friend singing "Old Dan Tucker". My battery went dead before I could record the concert of is so they agreed to perform it again.

Breaking the Silence.

You know, keeping up with a blog on a regular basis is much easier than letting it go for a while and trying to start up again. After eight months of silence, where in the world do you begin?

I could start by announcing to our handful of readers (although I'm sure they are already aware) that we just recently had our fifth child, a boy whom we'll call Dude.

He's a sweet little guy and is greatly loved by all of his siblings, especially Frankie who will push the others out of the way while yelling, "My baby!"

We are currently back in my hometown after 8 months of excellent training with To Every Tribe Ministries. We loved our time down in Southern Texas and made some wonderful (and hopefully life-long lasting) friendships with the people there. Now we are pursuing whatever the Lord puts in front of us, which includes more schooling for Paul. Along with working full time, he has also been able to get involved tutoring immigrants on a weekly basis and is loving it!

I have been busy at home and I am enjoying having five kids. Yes, mothering five kids has its challenges, especially when you throw meals, dishes, laundry, school, etc....etc....etc....into the mix, but I mostly love it! I say mostly because there is nothing that teaches me how sinful I really am like having kids! Ugh!

So, this is our life, in a very small nutshell. If you need me to fill in any details please feel free to ask. I'm not making any promises, but we'll see where this post takes us.

What's Providence?

Here is a great article on the examples of God's providence in scripture.

Medical/Dental Clinic in Jicaral

From May 25-June 5 I was with a team as part of our training at the CPCP(Center for Pioneer Church Planting) with TETM(To Every Tribe Ministries). The purpose of the trip was to do a Medical/Dental clinic in Jicaral, a village in Oaxaca, Mexico deep into the mountains. This was the first opportunity for the students to put the basic dentistry training to practice. It was a bit harder to do a filling on a squirming 5 year old than it was with the maniquine in class!
The medical and dental clinics have been a great avenue for building relationships with the people for the purpose of sharing the gospel. The language spoken by the Coicoyan people of Jicaral is a form of Mixteco. In order to communicate we usually needed double translation from English to Spanish to Mixteco. The longer we were there the more we found that the people can understand Spanish but aren't very quick to speak it.
In the past, the people of Jicaral have been wary of outside influence as remote villages often are. In particular they have been resistant to the gospel. Several years ago a Mexican church planter was run out of the area. When some of the villagers found out where he lived they went to find him. He wasn't home but his wife was and they slit her throat. Because of the dangers the TETM trips have used a team approach and have focused on using the medical and dental clinics to gain the people's trust.
Slowly the receptivity has increased over the past 5+ years as teams have gone in. This year the people seemed to be comfortable with us being there. We were able to play soccer with the kids, speak to several of the parents about the gospel(while their children were receiving fluoride treatments), and even hold their babies! The response to the gospel was one of indifference, but we are praying that that will change.
Before we left the leader of the village asked us several times about sending an English teacher for their school! This may be an opportunity for the beginning of a church planting team among the Coicoyan people. Would you pray that the details would come together for a team to be able to live there permanently? There is also one known Coicoyan believer who lives about a four hour drive away who is interested in helping planting a church among his people. Ask the Lord to give him the courage to follow the Spirit's leading in spite of cultural pressure against it.
Here are a few pics of the trip. Enjoy and keep praying for us!

Our training will be done in August and then we will be doing some travelling to raise support for our long term plans in Papua New Guinea! Lord willing, most of our time this fall will be spent travelling in the midwest.

On the way down to southern Mexico we had engine trouble that delayed us 2.5 days, just long enough to meet a fellow missionary that has experience in church planting among unreached peoples and is also interested in the Coicoyan people!

We had a doctor from Mexico (Alexandra) and a nurse from Canada(Kathy). North America was well represented on this trip.

It was great to have Gerry, our dental instructor, along on the trip. He stayed busy doing extractions all day.

Josef and Lina Urban, missionaries from northern Mexico joined us for the trip. Their boldness with the gospel was encouraging. They're looking to move to southern Mexico to work.

La Barra de la Cruz

We just recently got back from a mission trip to a small village named La Barra in southern Mexico on the Pacific coast. This trip was part of our training at the CPCP(Center for Pioneer Church Planting) in Los Fresnos, TX. We were joined by CPCP staff and fellow students from the school.

Since we were the largest family on the trip we drove the TETM suburban and pulled the team trailer. I was warned to slow down for signs that say "tope" (Spanish for speed bump). Every village has five or six "topes" and sometimes the village is so small you can't tell it's there until you test your suspension on the first bump. Overall I adjusted well to Mexican driving, but I did have to let a few cars pass me since I was pulling the trailer.

Here's Frankie and Daddy taking a break on the way to La Barra.

On our third day of driving we hit a road block and weren't able to move for around four hours. We found out after about three hours that the village blocking the road was doing so as a protest against the Mexican government that had failed to send needed medical care and supplies. With the delay from the roadblock we arrived in La Barra de la Cruz on the fourth day of driving. The village leaders were immediatley wary of our presence just as they have been in the past when missionaries have visited. They have a concern that the presence of a "Protestant" church will bring changes they don't want. La Barra has a great surfing beach that's becoming more well known; so they've become more open to outsiders as long as they don't have an agenda to "change the people of La Barra."

Even though the village leaders have made it clear they are not interested in the gospel, many of the people are willing to listen and now there is a small group of believers(all women) who have confessed the name of Christ and also have a desire to meet for fellowship around the word of God. Please pray for Eva. She and her husband Rafael allowed us to stay on their land in spite of the pressure from the village leadership. Rafael is not a believer, but has been hospitable to visiting missionaries. Eva has been carrying a heavy load mostly on her own because of her public testimony of faith in Christ and her leadership among the believing women in the village.

Eva and Frankie(As you can see, Frankie was held pretty much 24/7 on this trip)

Eva and Rafael's son, Jonathan, who is twelve also came to the fellowship times and listened closely to what was taught. He seemed to enjoy the times of praise and joined in on the songs that he knew. Jonathan is an avid surfer and we were able to make it to the beach a few times to watch him catch some waves. It would be great to see God raise up this young guy through the faithful testimony of his mother to reach the village from the inside! There is such a need for godly men in the church at La Barra.

While we were in La Barra Hannah turned seven so we had a cake and pinata for her and invited kids from the village over to celebrate. Here are a few pics of the party.

Before we left for La Barra we asked the Lord to give us opportunities to connect with the people so we could encourage them with the gospel. One way this prayer was answered was through the laundry! Keri and Hannah tried their hand at Eva's new wash station complete with a washboard built into a concrete slab.

We are now past the half way point in our training with TETM(To Every Tribe Ministries). The Lord's direction seems to be pointing in the direction of Papua New Guinea for us so we are going to pursue that as we prepare for the future. Lord willing, in the fall we will be ready to hit the road to share our burden for unreached places with some churches. Pray for us as we prepare and pray for those who have never heard the "name that is above every name."

Papua New Guinea

On February 15th Paul packed up and, with 6 other guys from the school, made the 30-hour trip to Papua New Guinea for some on-the-field training. He had a great time and learned so much! Right now he is 6 days a week in dental training, while working on a update letter/e-mails, studying...etc....etc......etc..... Although he could do a much better job at relaying the happenings of the trip, I will do my best to get our 11 faithful blog readers up to speed! :)

(sorry for the last two posts.....I'm not sure why the first post didn't take.)

An aerial view of the jungles of New Guinea

Above Paul's group is packing canoes for the trip to Chambri island. On a good day it will only take two and a half hours to reach Chambri Island (the canoe part of the trip anyways).

Chambri Island: straight ahead.

Paul was the designated camera man for the trip.

The picture above is the spring where Paul was able to bathe.

Paul preaching as David Sitton translates. The language they speak is called Melanesian Pigeon. The whole language consists of about 5,000 words and is a mixture of English and, I think, German. Paul said that by the end of the month-long trip he was able to understand a lot of what they were saying.

Paul had a lot of fun with the kids that he met. One afternoon he was coming back from a teaching session and saw a group of boys playing by the water. He ran and jumped in the middle of them into the water and they thought it was funny. He then took a running start and did a flip into the water and they all laughed even harder. After he got out of the water, he picked up one of the boys and threw him into the water. The rest of the boys ran away.

Above is a picture of an Albino from the village of Chambri

Many of the villages had a mumu when the group came to visit (see video clip above). This mumu, not to be confused with the moo moos your grandmother may wear, is a feast where the villagers cook a pig and vegetables in an oven made of sticks and banana leaves covered in dirt. Paul said that the pork was some of the best he's ever tasted. These feasts are a big deal to people who don't have much. Here's more info. on a mumu, if anyone is interested.

This is the hut of Machete Bob, where Paul stayed while in the villiage of Chambri. Long story made short, this is the man who went after David Sitton with a machete years ago, but by the grace of God, has been redeemed by the blood of the Lamb.

Above is a woman named Prisca and her husband, John, and their son. Prisca was one of the first believers of Chambri. After believing she suffered persecution many years both by her husband and other men of the village before their eyes were opened to the Truth. Paul said her face shines with the joy of the Lord despite what she has been through.

Here is a video clip of what Paul was greeted with while at a village

Paul with the mud man from Asaro

Which one is which??

A church building in the villiage of Nupeha

Alex and Paul showered with gifts from the people of Nupeha

This picture was taken in honor of the teens at Faith Baptist. We love you guys!!!

Here Paul is standing with Fred and Reg, two men from New Zealand who met joined Paul's group when they landed in New Guinea. Paul really enjoyed getting to know these great men and hopes to keep in contact with them. Here they are lifting Paul up so that he would be in the same picture with them (they are both over 6 feet tall) ;)

This shirt is based from a song that the people of Goroka sang together, "God is good all the time; all the time God is good" Not that these people don't have their spiritual struggles, but what a challenge it is to me that people with horrific backgrounds who have been brought out of the darkness and into the marvelous Light can say that about their God! We have that same God and no matter what He allows into our lives, good or bad, He is working it together for good to those who love Him...ALL the time! Please remind me of that!

Paul had a great trip and, again, I apologize for the sketchy job explaining his trip. If you have any questions for Paul concerning more of the details of the trip, or if you are interested in getting updates from us, don't hesitate to e-mail us at pkpoppe@gmail.com.

Oops!

I'm not exactly sure what happened with that last post. I actually posted a blurb and all it saved was the title.....twice. Thank you for the comments as I had a good chuckle over them.

Time Passes

She Sits!!

A Weak Narrative of Our Day at the Zoo

Last weekend a bunch of us went to the local zoo with our kids...13 kids to be exact, ages 9 and under (I don't know....we probably looked like we belonged at the zoo). We had a great time, even though by the end of the day we were all in sensory over-load! As usual I didn't get many pictures, but I will share what random pics I have:

Twiggy and her friend Luke acting like Monkeys.

A monkey acting like Paul when he's relaxing on the couch after a long school day (I had permission to write that).

Here are alllllllll 13 kids. The alligator is not real.

Here's Frankie enjoying her favorite part of the zoo.

3/4ths of my clan.

The moms early in the day......cool, calm and collected.

Rocky: I'm not sure if he's preparing for tribal missions or just imitating his mother (wink, wink)

*Twiggy and Daisy want all their friends to know that if they come for a visit they can go with them to the zoo for FREE!

Announcement....

In honor of our sweet Wisconsin family and friends I officially declare today a SNOW DAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Yeah!

We are thinking of you and love you all so much! We are praying for your safety in this weather.

P.S. My Minnesota friends....this SO includes you!