ABOVE RUBIES MINI-NEWSLETTER #1, Feb 2011
Dear Above Rubies reader,
It is like a little taste of Spring this week. After seven wonderful snowfalls this winter (which was great for us here in Tennessee) we are enjoying lovely warm weather.
We are doing the final design for Above Rubies # 81 this week and it will go to the printers the following week. I will send out an email regarding any CHANGES you may want to make for receiving Above Rubies as soon as I have completed this mini Above Rubies. Watch for it.
In this Newsletter:
PRAY FOR THE NATIONS-POWERFUL FAMILY MINISTRY
GET INSPIRING MESSAGES STRAIGHT TO YOUR CELL PHONE
WRITING SUBJECTS FOR ABOVE RUBIES: Coping on a Minimum Budget / Difficult Pregnancy / Marriage Restoration / Sibling Fighting / Type One Diabetes
OCCUPYING SMALL BOYS INSIDE: Indoor Sports Arena / Wood and Nails
GUARDING THE HOME: Purged our Home / God Opened my Eyes
A WORD FROM NANCY: GOD'S PRACTICAL PLAN
I PROMISE TO LOVE YOU I DO
My daughter, Mercy, has now completed a beautiful slide show to Serene and Pearl's song, I DO. I know you will be blessed by the song and the pictures. Go to: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Bfh3tbzE6Y
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This song is from Serene and Pearl's album, This is our Road. You can purchase or download the whole album from the Music Store at http://bit.ly/ThisIsOurRoad
EMBRACING LIFE
JULIA JANSEN at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. writes:
This morning my sister called me with the news that "God has blessed us with another pregnancy!" Erika and Dave have nine children. Their last baby, Luke was a precious Downs Syndrome baby and she also has a set of boy/girl twins who are now eight years.
My sister was so happy! I got teared-up listening to her tell me the story of how excited her children were when she and her husband told them! The oldest girl Kristina, 11 years old, hugged her mom and said, "Mom, I am going to be converted from now on. I think God is giving us another baby, so as the oldest daughter, I can help you out more!" She had to call my mom (mother of 15 and grandma to almost 60) to tell her the news, because Erika was crying with joy. We are all very fortunate to have parents who REJOICE and CELEBRATE with us daughters and sons when we tell them we are having another blessing! We were raised with a positive attitude and mindset towards accepting the children God gives us!
Erika's children all ran to their dad and mom and hugged and cried. They were so happy little Luke (one-year-old) was going to be a big brother. Some of the children asked if the baby was going to be a Downs Syndrome baby too as they just LOVE their littlest brother who is always smiling and happy.
My girls and I whipped up a cake and rolled marzipan out on top (European taste) and put a little sign on it, "You are blessed Erika and Dave! We rejoice and celebrate with you for another precious gift to your family!" We took it over for the whole family and she had a turkey in the oven to celebrate!
What a joy to read about the joy of embracing life! This is the attitude that God wants us to have, that when we embrace a little baby into our home, that we do it as though we were embracing Jesus Christ himself! Jesus said in Luke 9:48, "Whoever receives this child in My name receives Me, and whoever receives Me receives Him who sent Me." Read also Matthew 18:5.
FREEDOM FIGHTERS
A dear friend of mine, CONNIE HULTQUIST at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. sent me this email recently. I love her spirit and would love to share it with you.
Good Morning sisters who keep the home fires burning,
Makin' do is our game, we're content at home and we don't want to leave, Mothers of Destiny, Freedom Fighters, and Pioneers of a new move of God on the earth. We have a message that includes and doesn't exclude children. We love our husbands. The fruit of our wombs is precious. We hear the voice of Wisdom calling us--calling us home, calling us deep in our souls to "Come Home, come home, come home to a new revolution."
No weapons formed against us will prosper because JESUS is our banner lifted high, the Word of God is upon our lips and prayer is our Life. We whisper our prayers in the stormy night, "The Blood of Jesus over my husband and my children." We are Covenant Keepers. The blood of Jesus reminds Satan that he lost the wars of the spirit at the Cross of Calvary. "All of my children are taught of the LORD and great is their PEACE." Our unsaved husbands are sanctified and our children are holy.
Raise your banners high, dear mothers. You are the strength and backbone of our nation. Fight for your husbands and children. Hear the Spirit of God calling you to fight for your homes and your nation. You are the true Freedom Fighters of our day!
Connie has a most wonderful testimony of how she waited many many years for her unsaved husband to be saved and to come back to her. It is a powerful testimony that you can share with women who wait for husbands. Go to http://www.aboverubies.org and click on Articles and Stories, then Marriage, and then Bring Him Home.
PRAY FOR THE NATIONS-POWERFUL FAMILY MINISTRY
Dear mothers, I believe that we have the most powerful opportunity as families to not only pray for our nation, but for the nations of the world. God is interested in the nations. I believe we feel the heart of God when we pray for nations. Read Psalm 2.
Awhile back, an intercessor friend of ours called Colin and me to specifically remind us that God wants His people to pray for the nations. We always listen when our friend, Roger calls us. Before the huge earthquake occurred in Christchurch, New Zealand (our homeland) God touched his heart to pray for Christchurch (and he wasn't even familiar with this city in New Zealand!) God answered his prayers in that although it was a 7.0 earthquake there was no loss of life. Recently God urged Roger to pray specifically for Egypt and also Tunisia and Algeria. This was before the trouble in Egypt!
God takes special joy in us when we not only pay for our own needs but for the nations. The nations are on God's heart. May God save us from having a tunnel vision, but may our hearts be enlarged to feel the burden of God's heart for the nations.
We have always sought to pray for nations at our Family Devotions each day. After we have read the Word of God (usually The Daily Light) and my husband has asked questions, we all pray. We go around the table and each individual prays, even the youngest that is just learning to talk. We used to ask each one to ask God to show them a nation on His heart to pray about. Now we use the book,
PRAYING THROUGH THE 100 GATEWEAY CITIES OF THE 10/40 WINDOW
I had this book hanging around my home for many years and never picked it up. When I did, I was sad for all the years we had wasted not using it.
It gives up-to-date information and items for prayer regarding the neediest cities of the world. Many of them have 90% to 99% Muslim population and are closed to the gospel. We started off praying for a different city each night, but felt that each city needed more prayer, so now we take one city for a week and pray about it each evening. I cannot explain effectively enough how I feel the presence of God come to us as we do this each evening. I know God is with us. His heart is for these people--for these cities of teeming people who have never heard the gospel, and for the nations. The least we can do is to pray for them.
PRAYING FOR THE NATIONS TOGETHER IS ONE OF THE GREATEST MINISTRIES YOU CAN DO AS A FAMILY!
And it is a ministry we can do as a family! In fact, it is a powerful family ministry, one of the greatest ministries we can do as a family! You can teach your little ones to pray for nations from an early age. Involve your teens in praying for the nations. This will enlarge their vision for the world. It will give them a vision for the nations. It will take their eyes off their insignificant little problems.
YOU HAVE THE OPPPORTUNITY TO CHANGE THE WORLD FROM YOUR KITCHEN TABLE!
You can order PRAYING THROUGH THE 100 GATEWAY CITIES OF THE 10/40 WINDOW by going to the
Book & Music Store at http://bit.ly/GatewayCities
or you can call us at 1 877 729 9861.
PRAY FOR ISRAEL
Of course, the nation which is most upon God's heart is Israel. He yearns over Israel. I read the other day, "Is Ephraim my dear son? Is he a delightful child? Indeed, as often as I have spoken against him, I certainly still remember him, therefore my heart yearnsfor him. I will surely have mercy on him, declares the Lord" (Jeremiah 331:20). We feel God's heart again in Jeremiah 32:41 (among hundreds of other similar Scriptures), "I will rejoice over them to do them good and will faithfully plant them in this land with all my heart and with all my soul."
And don't you love this promise? "Thus says the Lord, who gives the sun for light by day and the fixed order of the moon and the stars for light by night, who stirs up the sea so that its waves roar; the Lord of hosts is His name: if this fixed order departs from before Me, declares the Lord, then the offspring of Israel also will cease from being a nation before Me forever. Thus says the Lord, if the heavens above can be measured and the foundations of the earth searched out below, then I will also cast off all the offspring of Israel for all that they have done, declares the Lord" (Jeremiah 31:35-37).
It is important to include Israel in your family prayers each day. At the Above Rubies retreat in Canada last month, Marie Ferreira, who handles the Above Rubies data base for Canada, gave me a silk scarf as a gift. The scarf is beautiful but the picture on it is powerful. It is a painting of rabbi praying at the Wailing Wall in Jerusalem. Instead of wearing it, I have arranged it on a sideboard in my lounge. I pass this spot many times a day as I go down to the office and up to the kitchen. Every time I pass I pray for Israel and that those who hate Israel and want to annihilate her will "be confounded and turned back" (Psalm 129:5).
I received an email the other day from Debbie and Randy Boer, dear friends of ours who lived near us here in Tennessee but who have now made aliya to Israel.
DEBBIE BOER at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. wrote: "As things are heating up in the Middle East, Israel also appears to be bracing for what may be on the horizon. Today our children said Chemical Warfare teams came to the school to prepare them and inform them. Gas masks have been distributed to us as well. We thankfully have one for each member of our family. The baby gets a bubble/tent that runs on batteries. I realized that I should really try to stock up food and supplies and any other necessary items in case of an emergency. We have a very small bomb shelter compared to most. During the 2006 Lebanon war, we thankfully only spent about an hour at a time in there. If we had to spend any longer amount of time, it might be quite a challenge."
Pray for the Boer family and all the families in Israel. Pray for their protection and that God will reveal His mighty right arm on their behalf. Debbie's two sons are also in the Israeli army and need God's protection as do all the young men and women in the army.
STAND WITH ISRAEL
Recently a dear friend of mine, Laurie Cardoza-Moore gave me a DVD which she and her husband have produced. It is very powerful and I would love to give you the opportunity of getting it if you are interested. The following is the information:
The Forgotten People, Christianity and the Holocaust is an award-winning, Emmy nominated documentary film. The film was produced by Laurie Cardoza-Moore and directed by Stan Moore, a two-time Emmy Award winning director. The film is 60 minutes in length and exposes the history of anti-Semitism in Christianity and how a "new" anti-Semitism is increasing globally. This "new" form of anti-Semitism is not only anti-Jewish, but anti-Israel and anti-Zionist as well. Finally, we discuss how this growing threat is being fueled by the far-right, the left, and radical Islam.
The mission of Proclaiming Justice to the Nations is to educate Christians about their Biblical responsibility to stand with their Jewish brethren and defend the state of Israel. You can order your copy to share with family and friends at: http://www.pjtn.org/
Laurie Cardoza-Moore, President of Proclaiming Justice to the Nations
Office: 615.778.0202 * Cell: 615.207.4119
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
ABOVE RUBIES FACEBOOK IDEA - SMS MESSAGES STRAIGHT TO YOUR CELL PHONE!
CORINA TREECE at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. writes:
Often I have dreamed of what it would be like to actually spend one-on-one time with Nancy Campbell. Earlier this month, as I circled back and forth in our school room, helping the children with their school work, I heard the familiar small jingle on my cell phone which sits on my desk. Methodically I glanced at the text message window which appeared on my screen. After reading the message, and as I stood there amid the juggle of homeschooling activities with eight children, I knew I had just experienced a little touch of God's grace.
In that text message were the timely words of Nancy Campbell right in midst of a tiresome morning. On Feb 2 at 9:30 am Nancy came into my home speaking personally to me these words, "Are thinking about what to feed your family today? Sometimes you wish you could forget about cooking meals! Be encouraged, dear mother, feeding your family is an important part of your mothering. Ezekiel 34:1 asks, "Should not the shepherds FEED the flocks?" It is the true shepherd that feeds his flock. It is the genuine shepherding mother who delights in preparing meals and feeding her family. Love, Nancy."
Now mind you, to my chagrin, I have never been an organized or well-prepared cook for my family. It seems everything else comes first, and "what's for dinner" comes last. As I pondered the blessing of those words that unforgetful morning, the Lord God communicated His sovereign plan for me in that moment. I wanted with all my heart to be that good shepherd for my children mentioned in the Scripture and a blessing to my husband as well.
What did I do? Quickly, I stopped all my activities and immediately began to prepare a modest meal for my family. What a joy it was to put my mind on something that blessed everyone and all because the sovereign hand of God used his faithful servant, Nancy Campbell, through the medium of technology! Can you believe it?
Though I have resisted much of the digital world up to this point, especially that of Facebook, I will say that God does use these modern devices to rapidly propagate His Kingdom message. If you are not a member of the Above Rubies Facebook, I highly encourage you to consider it.
Also, if you have a phone with internet access, you could sign up on the Above Rubies Facebook webpage to have SMS messages sent straight to your cell phone. With that service you do not have to even think about signing into your Facebook on the computer. No time is taken from your family to "check" your Facebook. Instead, your phone sends you a sound message and opens a text message window every time Nancy or Michelle blesses us with powerful words of encouragement. I cannot tell you adequately how much I have been blessed by the Above Rubies Facebook ministry.
Spread the word, ladies!
May His face continually shine on you and your household,
Corina Treece, Dallas/Fort Worth, Texas, USA
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
What a great idea! I am against unnecessary time spent on Facebook. It can be a time-waster, or it can be a great blessing. What a great idea to get a small but powerful message sent to your phone each day, without even having to check Facebook!
WRITING FOR ABOVE RUBIES
I would like to receive contributions on the following subjects:
Coping on a Minimum Budget
What are your ways to save money in your home as a one income family? Write BUDGET in Subject Heading.
Difficult Pregnancy
Have you experienced a difficult pregnancy? Maybe you have been on bed rest for months? Can you share how you coped, but even more, how the blessing of your child was worth your months of suffering? Write PREGNANCY in Subject Heading.
Marriage Restoration
I am always looking for testimonies of how God has restored a marriage. This gives such hope to others in similar circumstances. Write MARRIAGE in Subject Heading.
Sibling Fighting
An Above Rubies reader has asked for ideas on how to stop sibling fighting. Write SIBLING FIGHTING in the Subject heading.
Type One Diabetes
Anna at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. and cc. to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. would like to know if any mothers with Type 1 Diabetes were able to have their baby with a midwife at home. What natural remedies helped? Are all the medical tests that doctors want to do necessary? Subject heading: DIABETES.
When writing for Above Rubies, please type only only space between sentences. At the end of the article, please type your email address, city and state where you live, husband's name and current ages of your children. Thanks so much.
HOW TO ENCOURAGE YOUR HUSBAND-
Ideas to Revitalize your Marriage
Have you downloaded this new eBook yet? It is greatest gift your husband will ever receive, even though you will not give it to him! Instead, you can keep SURPRISING and BLESSING him each new day with ideas you read in this book. It has over 90 pages of exciting ways to fire up your marriage! Go to http://bit.ly/HowToEncourageHusbands and
BEGINNINGS OF WOMANHOOD
DORAN RICHARDS, Founder of Blessing God's Way - Maidenhood, Maternity and Menopause, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. writes:
Our culture conveys masses of negativity about womanhood and how it should make us feel. Starting with our very first cycle the media inundates us with negative messages concerning making your cycle disappear with no thought of how that could be harmful or dangerous to your body's health and well-being. During pregnancy, the less than desirable messages continue as we are bombarded with images depicting childbirth as an illness, a burden or even as a curse. Finally, and most sadly, our culture tears down the menopause phase, to such a degree that women are left feeling empty and useless.
I have been fortunate to be called by God to serve women in childbearing as a home birth midwife. I am pursing this calling by obtaining my training and requirements to become a Certified Professional Midwife through North America Registry of Midwives (NARM). For the past 10 years now, I have taught conferences on the important aspects to a better birth experience, regardless of the setting that the birth may take place:
1. Obtain education and take responsibility for each phase of womanhood.
2. Erase a spirit of fear surrounding womanhood.
3. Trust the process of your body and God's design.
If we can look at each one of these phases and how it pertains to maidenhood (specifically), maternity, and menopause, we see how they can be improved to help create a better image, God's image, in and for our culture.
Getting education is the key! It is biblical to get wisdom, understanding and knowledge (Proverbs 4:5, 7). Why would this be any different for our three phases of womanhood? Reading Proverbs 2 is encouraging. When we get wisdom, something extraordinary happens. We can then begin to eliminate fear, which is the second point above (1 John 4:18). Only by securing knowledge and understanding in our hearts can we walk forward with confidence and courage (by God's grace and mercy). Having wisdom for our first cycle, as well as for maternity and menopause will enable us to make informed decisions regarding our care. Our bodies are our bodies (in the sense of decision making), and we are the ones solely responsible for them.
Erasing a spirit of fear is a strong phrase. But think of it, we have daughters who are in fear of their first cycle beginning. Why is this? We have women who are scared to death to have a baby. We have women who worry, stress and fear of "hitting" menopause. God wants us to have the spirit of a sound mind (2 Timothy 1:7). I believe this carries over to these areas of our lives as women. It is about taking our thoughts captive, relying on God, not the world, to teach us about our bodies and how they work.
We must trust the process God has created for our bodies as women. What a concept! We have been told time and time again that we are not made well enough, that we are insufficient. Our bodies are bleeding each month-oh, what a bother! That is the mentality we carry around with us. It is difficult, we cramp, we might get headaches, etc. Why would anyone want to go through this? If we trust God, who created us, we would know that He has a perfect reason for it all. We ought to be obedient to trust Him in this area of our lives as well as every other area, right? If we trust the process, when young, we will trust the process of birth and menopause later in life, easier and with more confidence.
I have created a curriculum for young ladies and their mothers called Maidens by His Design. It is a godly approach to teaching daughters how their bodies are created to function. It instructs them on how God has fearfully and wonderfully made each one of us. This knowledge is essential to understanding the other two phases of womanhood-maternity and menopause. The course covers many topics including: basic female reproductive organs, hormones, cycle length, history and various cultural information, tools and gear, how to celebrate womanhood in a godly manner, how to take thoughts captive, how to erase a spirit of fear, how to learn about herbs that are helpful for that time of the month, how to eat well, as well as use your diet to enhance your health during your cycle and all of womanhood... and so much more. The focus is that there is a "big picture" to this thing called womanhood and we ought to start seeing it!
This course can be taught in a group setting or privately. I have taught workshops all throughout the states as well in the Ukraine (yes, the materials were all translated into Russian!) Women everywhere are starving for this information for their daughters because they were not taught themselves. They want to learn more and they naturally want their daughters to know more also. The information is presented very discreetly and from a Christian perspective. There are no male parts or talk of the actual act of reproduction and procreation. However, it does provide a springboard for discussion of those areas, if the parent or guardian deems it an appropriate time to learn this delicate information.
We desperately need Christian resources that allow our daughters to learn from a Christian perspective. We need to counter the pagan worldview in these areas. Consider teaching your daughters, from a young age (it is geared for eight years old and older), that God created their bodies to cycle each month for a reason, a glorious reason! He also wants us to know and believe that it is for our good; it is a cleansing process, a process we should be thankful for, not dread. He has created it as a blessing to us, His way. Yes, maidenhood can be taught and embraced in a godly manner. Join many others by teaching your daughters and bringing this vital message of God's design to your community today! All materials are online at http://www.blessinggodsway.com/
Or Ph: 1 888-218-2453.
LITTLE GIRL WAITING TO BE ADOPTED
LINDSAY BERTRAM, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. writes:
I've recently become aware of a sweet little girl in an orphanage in the Ukraine who needs a family. She had a family coming to adopt her, but they changed their minds. The Lord put it on my heart to send you a link to her website, in hopes of getting a word out for Vera. I know that many of your readers are interested in adoption, and have adopted children themselves. http://iknowyouroutthereimjustwaiting.blogspot.com/
CONSERVATIVE MOMS
Mary Baker, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. sends this information for those who are interested:
Conservative Moms for America
Website/BlogTalkRadio
Ph: 281-741-4478 * Houston, Texas, USA
FROM DEATH TO LIFE
It's a Miracle!
RACHEL CRAWLEY of Rushville, Missouri, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. writes:
In August 2010 we found that we were expecting a baby once again! Everything seemed to be going well. I felt sick (a good sign of my pregnancy), and the test was positive so I started going to the midwife. At 18 weeks I had still not felt movement and began to worry. We went to an appointment December 8 to hear the heartbeat but it was not there and my uterus only measured 12 weeks gestation. The baby had died at 12 weeks.
The midwife wanted us to get an ultrasound. I already knew the baby was gone; however we went immediately to the birthing center to get a viability test. On the hour's trip I prayed. I didn't ask God to bring my baby back but talked to him about how I longed to nurse and hold this little one in my arms. I said, "God, only you can bring life to this baby if it is your will." I then began to feel my body change and felt my uterus rising. I felt God moving over me.
When we got to the birthing center I didn't want to go in as I still feared the worst. The midwife performing the ultrasound turned the screen so I couldn't see and told me to be very still. Then she stated, "I see a very active, moving baby with a strong heart beat." I was in awe of God. God healed my unborn baby. God brought this sweet baby I am carrying back to life. God showed me he is in control of everything. I cannot even express in words how in awe I am at what God can do!
OCCUPYING SMALL BOYS INSIDE
Indoor Sports Arena
RANAE WYNDER, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. writes:
We have three boys, ages ten, seven and five and a three-year-old little girl. We live in a small house with no basement. We do have a pretty big great room with high ceiling. We have minimal furniture in this room and have made it into a mini sports arena since exercise is a must every day, especially for the boys. We have, at times, had two basketball goals (one stuck to a window, the other directly opposite over a closet door) and masking tape on the floor to make a miniature court. Currently, the room is an indoor soccer arena. The boys play lots of lively, rousing games inside during this time of year. It is loud, but helps channel all that energy in a positive direction.
Another idea is to go outdoors with the children in every kind of weather. If they hit an "I don't want to go outside" valley, I find that if I go out with them (to watch them sled, play ball or explore the woods), they happily go out and will often stay a good while longer after I need to go inside.
My younger two often play together while the older two do school work. Also, giving them some "work" to do makes them feel important and keeps them occupied, at least for awhile, while I'm tending to the other two children.
The Lord also reminds me to relax and ENJOY these loud, boisterous children he's given us. What blessings they are!
Wood and Nails!
KARINA FARENHORST of Ontario, Canada, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. writes:
I have found that one of the easiest ways to keep boys busy in the winter is to give them pieces of wood and some nails! My two boys, ages four and six, will work on pieces of wood for hours, hammering them together into different shapes. In fact, my husband and I sometimes wake up to the sound of hammering! I find that smaller chunks of wood are the easiest for them to work with (but large enough for them not to crack when they hammer in the nails). Best of all, you can find free pieces of wood in the scrap bins at hardware stores! The boys have made a boat, a mouse, guns and a bench--it's amazing what they create!
Winter Sandpit
MONIQUE STRACHAN at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. of Regina, SK, Canada writes:
During the winter, I use a large box with low sides and fill it with dry rice and/or beans. I gather toy trucks, cars and diggers, or spoons, cups and funnels. The boys dig and scoop just like in the sandbox during the summer and they stay occupied and quiet for up to an hour! Sometimes I place it on the floor with a tarp underneath so the spilled rice can be easily poured back into the box when finished. Or I sit them at the table with a smaller container, usually a baking dish or roasting pan and sweep up the mess afterwards. They love it and ask for it almost daily.
BABY DIED BEFORE BIRTH
MELISSA WALL at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. wrote a letter to her little baby who died just before birth. I know this will be a comfort to those who have lost precious little ones in the womb:
Dear Ivana, I wanted to write you before these memories fade away. It has been one week since I last felt your body move in my belly and you have been gone from our lives to a better place. How my heart aches for you. I can now relate so much closer to what God felt when His innocent Son died who had done nothing to deserve it.
It all started back in November when I took a pregnancy test and saw two lines. I took it to Daddy and he looked and said, "Are you sure?" Of course I was sure. We were so happy about God blessing our family with new life. It brought joy and happiness to our souls.
From the beginning this pregnancy was different. I never felt my typical pregnancy symptoms of going to the bathroom in the middle of the night, hips hurting, poor circulation and constipation. I always said, "It's the power of one. The Lyme's symptoms are all I feel." Five months before you were conceived Mommy who had been very sick to her stomach for years got diagnosed with a disease called Lyme's. In very rare circumstances Lyme's can be given from Mommy to baby. I was treating the Lyme's when I conceived you and was never worried that it would affect you until about two weeks before you died. As the pregnancy progressed I felt sicker and sicker from the Lyme's. I carefully took the medicines I was told were safe for you and me but the symptoms never went away.
I told a friend, "I have been pregnant five times but this one seems different and I am not sure why." To ease my fears I had an ultrasound. I had read Lyme's could affect you, so I wanted to make sure your placenta, heart, brain and other organs were all developing normally. After tests doctors would say, "Melissa you have a very healthy baby that looks perfect." I cried when I saw your face on the ultra sound. They even caught you sucking your fingers.
How we planned for your arrival to our family. Your brother and sisters were so excited. They loved feeling you move. They talked to you and even tried to think of names for you. We bought you outfits, made you blankets, and planned our whole summer around your birth. Our lives were going to change when you came and it was going to be for the better. We couldn't wait.
Then Mommy got sicker and I knew something was wrong. We started blood work test and they showed things were bad but we didn't know why. Mommy's pee was darker than normal. I started saying things like, "This is the hardest pregnancy I have ever had." "I am afraid I am going to have this baby too early." I started organizing things. Five days before you were born, Daddy and I changed our room around so we could make room for your bassinet. We were getting ready.
One week before you were born Mommy's feet swelled very suddenly and each day got worse. You started moving less and less. On Monday I was so worried for you. I felt you were leaving me and I begged God not to take you. I couldn't get you to move so I called the midwife and she came right over. We got a good heart beat and I tried to believe that you really were okay and that it was just my body that was having all the issues. Your movement was very sparse and on Wednesday morning, June 9th 2010, you kicked my coffee cup on my belly for the last time. That afternoon my pee turned clear again and I now know that was a sign to me you were gone.
On Thursday morning, the midwife came to check your heartbeat and my fears were confirmed when she couldn't find one. We rushed to the Inland Hospital where a wonderful doctor who didn't know us, lovingly took us as patients and did another ultrasound to double check your heart. He confirmed it was not beating. He said you looked perfect and your placenta looked fine. Oh how my heart ached.
God was so good and allowed you to be born quickly and naturally at the hospital, in the water, just like all my other babies. The hospital was kind and let me do whatever I wanted to do with you. You were born seven hours after we confirmed you were gone. As soon as you were born the doctors took one look at your placenta and could tell it was diseased with Lyme's. Not only had it made me so sick; it had taken your life.
All I wanted was to be alone with you and Daddy. We loved holding you and you looked so perfect. Your siblings came right away to see you along with many other people. We hadn't chosen a name for you and Daddy and I wanted to name you something that meant you were a gift. We knew you were a very special gift and we found the name Ivana which meant "Gift from God." Ivana Grace Wall seemed to say what we felt from the depths of our heart that God had given us a very special gift in you.
Daddy went home and in the next few days made you a casket and prepared your gravesite. We planned a small funeral for you and over 100 people came to celebrate your short life. Pastor Denny shared many verses, including Psalm 139. Your siblings all wanted to do something special for you. Faith wanted us to sing "Jesus Loves Me," Eli wanted to read Job 1:21-22, Alicia painted you a picture we put in your casket and Emma was just Emma. Even Daddy shared some special words at your service. I placed the blanket I made you in the casket to wrap and cushion you, a hat Kami had knitted for you and a rose Daddy had bought me.
When the doctors confirmed you were gone, God gave me Job 1:21 "The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away. Blessed be the name of the LORD." Then God gave me this verse to comfort me, Psalm 34:18, "The LORD is near to the brokenhearted." Written June 16, 2010.
GUARDING THE HOME
Purged our Home
LYN CONRAD at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. writes:
My husband, Rob, teaches the 30+ age group adult Sunday School class in our Church. We were reaching the end of a series on pursuing holiness when he felt led to start the next series on what the Lord wants for our families. We both read through Nancy's book Be Fruitful and Multiply and felt that it contained most of what Rob wanted to teach in this next series. The same week we introduced this new Bible Study we also dedicated our five month old first born son at Church.
Aiden was and is a very content baby but wouldn't nap much during the day. He quickly got himself into sleeping for long stretches at night (much to my concern at first) but even when he did fall asleep during the day he would awaken after only half an hour or so. The day he was dedicated our eyes were opened to why this was happening. Once we got home and fed, Aiden started to cry hysterically. He kept looking at one particular spot just below the ceiling. It was as if he could see something really scary, yet we couldn't. He was terrified of whatever it was he saw.
Over the next few days this happened more and more, until on the Friday evening as Rob tried to put him down for the night, Aiden became very terrified of something in his room. Rob brought him back to me, and together we prayed over him for peace. We decided to move him into our room until we knew what was going on. By Sunday afternoon he was screaming as soon as he was left alone for even a few seconds. One of us had to stay with him at all times.
That evening at Church we sought the council of an older godly man. He told us we should not take Aiden back home until the menacing spirit that was tormenting our son was taken care of. Fortunately we did have somewhere we could stay near to where my husband works. I stayed at church while Rob went home and grabbed a few essential items (mostly clothes and cloth diapers for Aiden) before we headed to our temporary home. The very next day Aiden was again a calm, contented baby. For the first time since arriving home from the hospital he had three long naps of two hours each. It was like a miracle. We knew without a doubt at this point that Aiden couldn't sleep during the day because he was being tormented by some kind of evil spirit.
Rob and I committed to praying and fasting for wisdom to know what to do next. A group of men from church went with Rob to the house to pray on the Tuesday evening. After they left Rob could still feel the evil presence in the house. We stayed away until the Saturday. All that time we prayed and Aiden slept. The Lord used this time to show us areas where we had let our guard down, allowing the world and the enemy into our home. In each area that we were convicted, we knelt in prayer together, repenting and asking the Lord to take back the ground we had surrendered to the enemy. Friday evening brought us together in an even closer way than we had already experienced in our three years of marriage.
On Saturday morning we both woke up with a strong desire to go back home and claim our house back from the enemy. We prayed in the car before we entered the house. As soon as we walked in through the garage door we could feel the difference. There was a peace about our home again. The most amazing thing was that the entire house smelled like someone had just sprayed air freshener. We knew it was the Holy Spirit filling our home ahead of us. The house smelt like this for days afterwards and Rob really enjoyed bragging on the Lord about it.
A few months later, we have now moved to a new home, partly because Aiden still had residual memories of what happened. He kept looking around as if watching out for the spirit that had been harassing him. At our new home he doesn't do that anymore.
Rob and I have learned how important it is for us to be vigilant as parents. In response to this spiritual trial we have gone into lockdown mode. We have searched our home and our lives to find everything that does not honour the Lord. Not only did we unplug the TV and DVD player, we got rid of them completely. We purged our home of everything and anything that had any pagan association, even the souvenir lei from a vacation to Hawaii. We have gone through everything, from books and music to clothes and toys. If we have any doubts then it goes. We have become much more disciplined about having a family devotion every day.
One look at the joy on the face of our son and we know we are doing the right thing. http://thestayathomewifey.blogspot.com/
God Opened my Eyes
ERIKA SCHAFFER at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. writes:
I never realized how adamant the enemy was at trying to destroy the home until God gifted me with my first child. Before I had my daughter, my number one priority was to make sure I had every new gadget under the sun. I would be able to sit her, swing her, bounce her, or snuggle her in some type of plastic baby holder.
Once she was born, the relationship I had with God immediately changed as did all my views of how I thought I would be a mother. God didn't change my heart so much as he opened my eyes to a whole new spiritual level of accountability. I had a responsibility before God to care for His gift, the daughter he gave me. Since her coming into this world, the enemy has constantly given me advice from those around me, telling me the way to mother. This includes everything that separates or detaches me from my daughter or breaks our bond and trust we develop together through God's blessing. I constantly here, "Let me hold her, you need a break," or "Set her down, you're going to spoil her."
However, through the endless hours of holding God's gift to me, he's shown me more about myself and how strong He wants me to be. I have been called to become a gatekeeper of my home, where before the gates were ajar, I have to completely lock and bar them, as the enemy is ready to kick them down every, every day!
When my daughter and I are together it puts the fear of God into the enemy because we are forming our new relationship with God. What are the weapons with which I guard my Home? Praying, praying, praying and thanking the Lord!
GOD'S PRACTICAL PLAN
I have been reading through Jeremiah lately. Just finished actually. My plan in reading the Word of God is to read from Genesis to Revelation and then start again. I continually do this. I was reminded again of God's plan for us when reading Jeremiah 29:4-9. God spoke to His people who had been taken captive to Babylon through His prophet Jeremiah. Even though they were now in captivity and away from their beloved homeland, He reminded them to continue the plan He originally gave them. What did He say?
1. "Build houses and live in them" (verse 5). God told Adam and Eve to do this in the very beginning in Genesis 2:15.
2. "Plant gardens and eat their produce" (verse 5). This is part of God's original mandate. Remember, the first home was called the GARDEN of Eden. It was a garden. A garden to provide food for the family is meant to be part of every home. The children of Israel were to continue to do this even in captivity. Check out the following Scriptures: Proverbs 6:6-11; 12:11; 24:27; 27:18; 28:19; 31:16 and 2 Corinthians 9:6.
3. "Take wives and become the fathers of sons and daughters, and take wives for your sons and give your daughters to husbands that they may bear sons and daughters." God's plan from the beginning is for us to be fruitful. We see God's heart for fruitfulness right throughout the Word of God. If you haven't already read, Be Fruitful and Multiply, purchase it from the Book Store at http://bit.ly/BeFruitfulAndMultiply
4. "Multiply there and do not decrease." God is not only into fruitfulness, but multiplication. He wants His people to increase. He does not want them to decrease. If we are standing on the side of God's truth, we'll want to increase. If we do not believe in increasing, we are taking the opposite side to God! That's scary! And where does God ask them to multiply? Not in their own safe homeland, but as slaves in captivity! The same thing happened while they were in Egypt. Even under great servitude and hard bondage, the children of Israel increased so that they became "more and mightier than the Egyptians" (Exodus 1:9). God wants His people to be more and mightier than those who are evil in the land.
5. "Seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the Lord on its behalf; for in its welfare you will have welfare" (Verse 7). God wants us to pray for the city and area where we live. We have this responsibility as God's people. We cannot expect God to bless the city we live in if we do not pray for it.
6. "Do not let your prophets who are in your midst and your diviners deceive you... For they prophesy falsely to you in My name; I have not sent them, declares the Lord" (Verse 9). We must be careful that we are not deceived by the humanistic world around us, or even the humanistic values that have been imbibed into the church today. We must seek after truth and guard against deception. If church pastors do not stand with God's heart for increase, they prophecy deception.
Isn't God very practical? If we embrace His way, we will be blessed. Not only will we be blessed, but the city in which we live will be blessed. Not only will the city be blessed, but the nation will be blessed. And all we have to do is follow God's practical plan for our lives as families.
MY BEST QUOTE OF THE MONTH
"Truth can never win unless it is promulgated. Truth does not carry within itself an antitoxin to falsehood. The cause of truth must be championed, and it must be championed dynamically."
~ William F. Buckley, Jr.
May God pour out His blessing upon you and all your family. Hopefully you will receive your new Above Rubies magazine about the beginning of March.
Yours for the strengthening of families,
NANCY CAMPBELL, Founder and Editress