Posts tagged service
My Journey to A Wife of Noble Character
{P31Wife} Christy Zimmerman
I met my friend Christy Zimmerman at a women’s retreat in Albion, CA. I distinctly remember when our car pulled into the retreat some of the girls in the car cheered when they saw her. They had went to high school with her and grown up with her. I hadn’t even met her yet, and I was a little jealous that I didn’t grow up with her. We met and she greeted me with a big smile and hug—my kinda peep. Right away, I started to feel that we-have-been-friends-forever feeling. She is that genuine, that lovely.
She spoke at our retreat and without a doubt her Christ-light was blinding. I hung on her every word about her neighbors in Alaska, and the path that God had taken her. That evening when there was a time for us to visit, it was hard not to want her all to myself. She has that kind of spirit that makes you feel loved and like family. She is wise, kind, and most of all Godly. Christy is involved in cross-cultural ministry in the North and works full-time with a church. It is my pleasure to introduce you to her:
In our village out in Western Alaska, I spend a bit of time quilting. It is my therapy, my sanity. Recently, I created a series of pot holders with Alaskan motifs. Last summer I sold them to tourists traveling in our area. This summer I hope to go bigger. I have mailed some samples to a small museum and gift store in another part of Alaska. They were looking for Alaskan made, light weight gifts for tourists, so I thought I would give it a try.
Now I wait. There is nothing I can do to control the process. In the meantime, do I sew more pot holders? If they make an order, I need to be ready. However, I don’t really want to invest more time and money into a project that might fail.
I find that this scenario is common in my life. I live my life to show others the love that God has for them. I am convinced that God is the only answer in life to bring hope, healing, and purpose. Many times, I have demonstrated God’s love to my friends and my neighbors, but many have yet to respond to Him. I must wait.
There is urgency to this waiting. This winter, my region of Alaska has suffered many losses. In one month, we experienced four deaths. This past week, there was another plane crash claiming the lives of two local men who left behind children and loved ones. The suffering of my neighbors is palpable. I long for them to experience the comfort of the one, true God. I know that God longs to carry them through these times. He desires a deep and abiding relationship with all of us. I feed, and hug, and share words of truth with those around me. Yet, I wait. When will they respond to this Love? What should waiting look like?
I need to give my fears to God. What if the manager of that store in Alaska decides that my work is not good enough? What if I say the wrong thing to my hurting neighbors? I can be immobilized by a fear of failure, but this is not from God. “For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and self-discipline.” 2 Timothy 1:7
I must not grow weary. I do not want to spend time and resources on pot holders without knowing that I can sell them. I do not want to invest in people that will continue running from God. I find that oftentimes in my life, God is calling me to trustfully take a step of faith and follow Him without knowing the end result. I must try. I must listen. I must trust Him wholly, and let the results be completely His responsibility. “Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.” Galatians 6:9
I need to be ready. Whether it is my pot holder project or more importantly, sharing God’s love with my neighbors, I need to be ready. “Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect” 1 Peter 3:15b. I serve a living God who is working and moving in people’s hearts in ways that I cannot see. What if 2012 is the year that He calls them to Himself? I do not want to miss one opportunity, do you?
0 notes &
{P31Wife Missionary Series} Rachel Ahlmann
I am very excited to introduce you to the next P31Wife Missionary, Rachel Ahlmann. I met Rachel a few years ago as an adult leader with Refuge Youth Ministry. She is quite extraordinary. She is a capable, level-headed leader who naturally draws people in with her heart for Jesus, and helps them to see the Jesus in themselves. I enjoyed serving along side her very much.
As you read through Rachel’s guest post, I hope you see another side of missionary work. Whether it be the “feet” or the “hands” of Jesus’ call to missionaries, I hope you begin to see yourself as a missionary. Rachel is an amazing example of someone who answers the call to missions with her God-given gifts. Thank you, Rachel, for your insights and sharing your love for the Lord with the P31Wife ministry:
When I first met my missionary friend Paul, he was visiting our church in Lake County sharing with us about his work in India. He told stories of the orphans, villagers and churches that OutReach Map (the organization he works with) serves. As I reflected upon his experiences later that day over lunch, I found myself enamored with the sewing project they had started with some women from the Indian villages. For only $1,000 they can hire a sewing teacher for 5 months and provide discounted treadle sewing machines for 15 students! This is an amazing outreach opportunity. I watched his humility in doing the work that God had laid out for him. He understands the language in India, and he lives at one with the people, loving them and the country. He is perfectly suited for the task that has been given to him.
Sometimes I forget that I am also perfectly suited for the life that God has laid out for me. He planned the talents that I would have, the people in my life, the place I would live, and the moment that I am living. With all this attention to detail on his part, it is sometimes obvious that I am the only one holding me back from accomplishing something big, just as Paul has done. I have had to learn to be aware of what I am passionate about and go after that with all my strength.
My cause is economic development on the mission field, serving people’s spiritual needs by taking care of their physical needs first. However, at least at this time in my life, I’m not being called to go myself. Not everyone can be the feet of the body of Christ– some need to be the hands. Here is what I am suited for: short term missions outreach and building support. When I figured this out, I was so relieved. I didn’t have to relocate somewhere as far as India to be able to fulfill my purpose.
With the help of my husband and many other talented people, I have been helping to organize a trip to Mexico every summer for the past 3 years. Our trips support the pastors and people that are working to reach out to their community in the Mulege area. We are bringing what we can to support our brothers and sisters in Christ.
I also started a not-for-profit called Two Tunics. It is designed to raise money to support those women in India that are working to support themselves and their families. Through the sale of hand made goods, we raise money so that the women can get training to make their own hand made products and start a business. John the Baptist said “The man with two tunics should share with him who has none …”
He designed me to be exactly this for exactly this time.
Rachel Ahlmann
Two Tunics Founder
www.etsy.com/shop/rachelahlmann
https://www.facebook.com/TwoTunics
If you would like to help Rachel with her missionary work, click on these links and support her there. And, please share these links! Thanks, Rachel!
{P31Wife Missionary Series} Carla Ritz
My family moved to Northern California from Oregon and on our first day at our new church, I met Carla Ritz. Well, sort of. I had just dropped off my oldest in the church nursery and the nursery worker whom I had been talking to said, “Oh, you would have loved Carla Ritz, it’s too bad you missed her. She just moved last weekend. You two would have been friends. I can just tell.” I didn’t realize it then, but I was sorry about my luck. Still, God had woven our paths together in amazing ways.
I continued to hear about Carla and her husband Jason throughout our new church home. As time passed, we finally met and our friendship has grown through the awesomeness of technology. I can tell you everything I had heard about her, her husband, and her Timmy was completely true. She is the real deal. She is truth, wisdom, kindness, love. She is a Proverbs 31 woman. Her honesty and encouraging spirit is positively infectious. She authors a blog here. It will bless you. She is a blessing and an encouragement. I am so grateful to introduce her to you. She has a servant’s heart, a shephard’s spirit, and is an obedient disciple of Christ:
(Carla is third from the right in the black vest.)
Allow me to introduce myself, my name is Carla Ritz. I am wife to Jason (campus minister at Lock Haven University of PA), mother to Timothy (5th grader extraordinaire), and dearly loved child of God. It is such a joy to write something for the Plumber’s 31 Wife! I am all about women encouraging other women to live out the high calling that God has placed on our lives. Today I want to share with you the joy that I have had in living out Titus 2:3-5:
3 “Older women likewise are to be reverent in their behavior, not malicious gossips nor enslaved to much wine, teaching what is good, 4 so that they may encourage the young women to love their husbands, to love their children, 5 to be sensible, pure, workers at home, kind, being subject to their own husbands, so that the word of God will not be dishonored.”
As far as these verses go, I have come to realize that in the season of life I am in now, I am both the older woman AND the young woman. I have a husband and a child at home and I look to ladies older than I am to help me learn and grow, but I am also in a position to mentor those who are younger than I am, making me *sigh* the older woman too. What stands out to me about this passage in Titus, and what I have found to be such a blessing is the simple command to “teach what is good.”
In my role as a wife to a college minister, I have been blessed with many opportunities to simply “teach what is good” to the young women God has brought into my life. Things like: how to be a good friend, what types of qualities to look for in friends, how to have appropriate boundaries in relationships with men, how to pray, what it means to guard your heart, how to solve conflict biblically, how to study the Bible, and how to overcome patterns of sinful behavior. What I have found is that as I have poured into these young women, teaching them what is good in this season of their lives, some of them will one day return seeking encouragement a few years later regarding “loving their husbands, loving their children, being sensible, pure workers at home, kind, and being subject to their husbands.”
We are laying a foundation in the lives of others each and every day whether we realize it or not. We are showing them who we are and what we are willing to do for them. Over time as they absorb this, they come to see us as either trustworthy or dangerous, as honest or phony, as wise or unwise, as compassionate or selfish. Some of the greatest treasures of my life have come in being invited into the most intimate moments of life of some very special young women – being in the delivery room when their babies were born, being asked to provide premarital counseling or participate in their weddings, and sharing in tearful times of deepest grief over their devastating losses – all because I was willing to teach them what was good when they gave me the opportunity.
We don’t have to have it all together to be Titus 2 women. We just have to be willing to “teach what is good” and let God handle the rest. Do you remember the cartoon, Super Friends, from back in the day? (Okay, I really am showing my “older woman” status now.) There were two characters called the Wonder Twins. They always worked together to fight the bad guys. They could only activate their super powers when they joined forces, and when they joined their rings together they transformed into exactly what was needed to save the day (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ktUx57i63e0). This is the kind of older-younger pairing that we are going for here, one that makes both stronger and the future brighter. Older ladies, is there a young woman or group of young ladies in your life who you can take the time to teach what is good? Don’t wait for an invitation! Pray about what God has taught you that you can pass along and then volunteer to do so. Younger ladies, consider the foundation older women have laid in your life, choose one or two and give them a call or write them a letter or an email to thank them for what they’ve taught you and ask them to go deeper with you in the areas of life and godliness that you have questions about.
Don’t miss the importance of this practice from the end of verse 5: “so that the Word of God will not be dishonored.” The stakes are high, but the call is simple and direct. Wonder Twin powers, ACTIVATE!
0 notes &
{P31Wife Missionary Series} Taren Maroun
Taren Maroun is my first missionary in a series about P31Wife Missionaries. Over the course of the next few weeks I will be introducing you to amazing missionary women. When I first met Taren, I was working with Refuge Youth Ministry. Immediately, I could see that she was special. She has a gift. Several actually. She is a natural leader, her smile is infectious, and you cannot help but see Jesus in her. She exudes love, joy, happiness. Her light is magnificent. Immediately, I loved her. There were a few times in that season of our lives that I stood shoulder to shoulder and worshipped Jesus together with her. It was during this time that I saw the raw beauty of our Saviour in her.
Today, Taren is still out there in the world teaching others to love Jesus too. She leaves April 5th for Kona, Hawaii, with YWAM (Youth With a Mission). She has a one way ticket. I love her fearless, affectionate, and boundless heart for our Lord. Taren is an artist and photographer. You can check out her inspiring and gifted work here or here.
Taren is a woman of noble character. The fruit and evidence of her life is obvious. Please pray for her work for our Lord in Kona and all of her Jesus adventures to come. If you would like to sponsor her mission, go here. Taren’s commitment is long term in Kona, if you would like to sponsor her monthly email her here: marount_@hotmail.com. She is lovely, and I know you will love her too.
Well, well. Fancy meeting you here!
I was graciously asked by the always-stunning p31wife to write a little blip about myself, so I thought I’d start with the basics:
Hello.
My name is Taren.
I am, in the raw, a psalmist with nomadic tendencies.
Of course beyond those two truths there are layers and layers of ‘things’, which make me who I am but those two, I think, sum me up quite well.
So here I am, a psalmist with nomadic tendencies.
Psalm (n): a sacred song or hymn.
There are so many ways to look at the word psalm and apply it to my life. Not only is my life a psalm itself (according to Jesus) but I am also a creator of Psalms. Art is a huge part of who I am and the way I see life, and people and beauty. Writing and photography are among many of the ways I find outlet for passion. To me it’s about capturing the emotion and beauty of a moment and molding it into something that will resonate with others – but I am also a firm believer in ambiguity. This world is a shallow one and to combat that you must allow the depth that is alive within all of us to pour out and paint this world anew. Psalm 42:7 “deep calls unto deep…” someone once said, “deep things call for deeper meanings.” When you allow the depth of who you are to overflow into the world it challenges people to think and react; to find meaning and depth around them and in themselves. It’s a beautifully simple cycle, and the more we partake the more we come to realize the reality of it all: we have so much in common and together we really can move mountains.
Nomad (n): a person who does not stay long in the same place; a wanderer.
I am a nomad at heart. I love new people. I love to travel. The nomadic lifestyle speaks directly to my soul, but I often have to remind myself of what the brilliant J. R. R. Tolkien said, “not all those who wander are lost”. There are times when I feel like I am looked at like a lost duckling because I do not have a permanent settlement and there are times, honestly, when I begin to believe that lie – but the reality is I was created this way. I am created to ‘Go’, and God has honored that passion he placed inside me. In July of 2010 the nomad in me found it’s way to Kona, HI where I was introduced to University of the Nations, a YWAM base. That September I found myself back on base and being led to outreach in Africa. Africa was an incredible and difficult journey. God transformed me from the inside out by way of outside circumstance. I learned to love deeper and God challenged me to move past the physical and address the spiritual aspects of life. Now, I am yet again finding myself on the move. This time back to UofN to be a part of change. One of my strongest desires is to see this generation realize their true identity and be awakened to the truth of the man Jesus Christ – and I get to be a part of that. In just a handful of days I will start my trek back to Kona to staff a Discipleship training school called AWAKEN. My heart is to see freedom reign and truth ruin people for anything but what God is doing.
While I may wander, I am not lost. That much I am sure of. My identity, my depth and my destination is found in Jesus Christ and with the knowledge of who He is I know I will never be lost. But furthermore it propels me to go, to create, to share and to move in rhythm with The Creator Himself.
I am so excited.
I am so excited to have been able to share a little about my passions and myself and I hope that through this God would reveal to you who you are created to be, your identity in Him, because, and Josh Riebock said it best, “who we are meant to be is far more beautiful than who we pretend to be”.
Godspeed,
Taren
0 notes &
For hours each day I scraped the dead skin from this wound and God scraped at the dead places of my heart. Buried places that, though I would never say it, somehow doubted that God could be good, all the time, when my daughter’s bed lay empty. And I said it out loud, to him and to myself. God uses all for good. For His glory. God is using this, I said, and I smiled at new pink life showing through and though I didn’t recognize it yet, God was growing new life out of the very hardest places of my heart.
Want to help my peeps and I help Jesus? Go here. http://theplumbers31wife.tumblr.com/post/18559620200/12-bags-in-9-days-and-that-is-just-for-me-my
0 notes &
“It had happened so naturally, I was simply caring for those around me out of an overflow of love for Christ and the love that He had lavished upon me. I never thought I was doing anything different or unusual, just simply what He had asked. But that night as I lay praying and fighting for this precious little one, and over the next weeks and months as I poured over His Word, I realized that what I was doing was not simply my choice- it was a requirement. I wanted to give even more! I wanted to do more for people who needed help and I wanted others to rise up and do the same. I didn’t want to simply care for these people, I wanted to advocate for them. I wanted to raise more awareness for these voiceless, unseen children. I was exploding with enthusiasm not just to care for the orphaned and needy children but to encourage and help others to do the same.” Katie Davis
72 bags as of today from three homes.
Want to help? go here: http://theplumbers31wife.tumblr.com/post/18559620200/12-bags-in-9-days-and-that-is-just-for-me-my
0 notes &
12 bags in 9 days, and that is just for me. My partners have many more. What are you willing to give up to love relentlessly? I have been asking myself this everyday.
Yard Sale April 29th to help send an orphan to school for a year in Uganda. Read more here. Want to serve Jesus? Here is how to help:
- Come to the sale.
- Donate something to be sold.
- Have some space where we could store some things through April 28th?
- Donate money.
- Message me and we can get you set up.
Have a great day, my friends.
P31Wife
When Jesus heard this, He said to him, “One thing you still lack; sell all that you possess and distribute it to the poor, and you shall have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.” Luke 18:22
0 notes &
Have you read this? I did. It changed the way I think about love. It changed the way I think about helping the poor. It changed the way I think about what I am not doing to help the poor. I will come back to this.
Have you heard of the 40 Bags in 40 Days Challenge? It’s a challenge to organize your home by clearing out the clutter and donatable items in your home. You make a list of 40 areas in your home and each day you clear out a bag of stuff you do not use, do not need. Those things are either trash or donations. During this season of cleaning, a new life is found in your home. I will come back to this too.
Have you heard of this: Lent? I am sure you have. Lent begins Wednesday, February 22, 2012, and ends Thursday, April 5, 2012. Lent is 40 days long to represent the 40 days Jesus spent in the wilderness fasting. It is a prelude to new life. Many people fast, give up luxeries, or simply do what the Lord places upon their hearts during this time. It is a time of refelction, renewal and redemption. Through prayer, fasting, and service, a greater freedom is found in Christ.
I am joining two amazing peeps to find a greater freedom in Christ. Through prayer we have decided to purge our homes of excess in the 40 Bags in 40 Days Challenge. We will be having a Yard Sale April 29th, at my home. With our proceeds we will be helping Katie Davis with her plight to help the poor and orphaned children in Uganda. “For $300 a year, you can educate, feed, provide school supplies, and spiritually disciple a child,” Amazima Ministries states. We are praying to be able to do this.
I will be posting more on our progress during Lent. If you would like to join us, comment here or email me. We can add you to our private FB page. If you would like to donate items to be sold, comment here or email me. We are also looking for a storage area, trailor, horse trailor or some space to store our Yard Sale belongings. If you can help, we would be very grateful.
I will be writing more about Katie Davis’ book. Truly, if you haven’t read it. Do it today. Download it. Order it. Borrow it. It is a remarkable story of an unyeilding love of one person. Makes me wonder how I might change the world if my love was relentless?
P31Wife
“If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” Matthew 19:21
