Happy Monday! It's that time again, to get back to work. Well, our family had much to praise God for this weekend. Our daughter accepted Jesus as her Savior on Saturday!!!!! Praise God - I've been doing a happy dance ever since. We've been talking about it for a few weeks. I think the death of gramps may have made her think harder about it but we were in the car Saturday morning and she had hoped that her dad could be with us, but she was ready. I didn't want to waste one more minute, so I pulled the car over and we prayed together. It was the highlight of my life - to pray with my daughter for her salvation!! WooHoo - can you tell I'm so excited!!! I was also 12 when I accepted Christ and was baptized but found myself soon after falling away from God as satan worked hard on me. I do not want her to fall into the same trap, so I continue to pray for God to strengthen her and for Him to show me and my husband how to nurture her faith. I would appreciate you prayers on her behalf.

Something else I would like to share with you as I read Acts 4. Verse 41 says: "Then they left the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer dishonor for the Name." The apostles had been preaching the good news and as punishment they had been beaten and put in prison - more than once. No matter what others did to them or threatened them with, they never stopped telling about Jesus. They rejoiced because they suffered. Can you say the same? I find myself being intimidated and quieted over much smaller things than what the apostles went through - people who I think know more than me, people who I know that have already rejected God, people who mock me, people that I want to impress. You and I must continue to pray for boldness to overcome whatever it is that quiets us.

Do you feel like rejoicing when you are in the midst of suffering for the sake of God? I have found that I can rejoice when the suffering is over and I look back to see what it taught me or changed myself or someone else but rejoicing while in the midst of it is another thing. As missionaries for Christ, the apostles rejoiced over their suffering. We must make the choice to follow their example because it should be an honor to suffer as Christ suffered. Are you suffering for who you are? Don't give up - give praise!

Have a great day
Christie