Bearing Fruit

Lately I've had the biggest craving for fruit popsicles. So my hubby being the blessing he is, drives me to the store and patiently waits as I pick out the perfect one...all natural and full of 100% fruit of course. Then as I unwrap that pretty little paper... a juicy, delicious fruit sickle is revealed and with one taste my craving is satisfied.

Its funny that I've been craving fruit...let me explain. The Bible tells us that if we "remain in Him we will bear much fruit". (John 15:5) This is a verse that is very near and dear to my heart as it is my life verse. No wonder it has been coming to light with recent difficult roads I've been forced to walk. Roads that could easily lead to discouragement and even a stinky defeated attitude that could totally leave my little tree dried up. So I've been asking God to show me the fruit that He has placed around me. In particular to the city...the country...the culture of England that He has called me and my husband to.

This morning I read an interesting article on the front page of the BBC entitled "British Sangfroid: An Outdated Stereotype". (I had to look up the meaning of sangfroid...which means "coolness and composure, especially in trying circumstances.") The article talked about how the British culture seems to be changing from the "stiff upper lip"-mentioned in my last post...to a now more emotional based culture. I found it most interesting...as I do sometimes struggle with the lack of emotions people seem to have...but I do keep it in perspective that I tend to be just a bit over emotional...a bit I said!

Now back to the fruit thing...so I was asking God to show me the fruits around me. After reading the article I realized that it was an answer to prayer...you see I've been very open with many around me about my difficult roads...and in return many have been open with me as well. We have been praying that those around us would see us as different and be challenged and changed by that. What is more different than an emotional American girl who talks a mile a minute? Me and hubs have seen this just recently...that people around us are opening up...and emotions are flowing. I for one think that is a great thing! And then to read on the front page that it seems to be a general change in culture arising...it just sat well in my heart. People seem to be dried up in life here...but so yearning for some water...and eventually some good, wholesome fruit! I instantly praised the Father for showing me this.

Its been said that during times of famine tree roots are forced to drive deeper into the soil to find water. Let's pray that those that are lost and hurting here in England will turn to the loving Father...dig deep...and eventually bear fruit for Him!

Keep Calm and Carry On...

Photo curtesy of keepcalmandcarryon.com

During WWII a series of propaganda posters were created and distributed all over the UK. Just about every shop window proudly displayed them. The most famous being a simple 5 word phrase... "Keep Calm and Carry On". It was meant to encourage the British to stay calm and try to go about life as normal, despite the bombing taking place all around them from enemy forces. The British to this day seem to still have this attitude of "keeping a stiff upper lip" and carrying on through tough times. I must say in some ways it is inspirational and you can really see the strength and courage of the people.

Photo curtesy of decorativeliving.com

Lately I have been humbled with the fact that I have a long ways to go before I am where Jesus wants me to be with my life. There are many "bombs" the enemy drops...especially that of discouragement. Many times I think to myself..."it would be so much easier just to give up and go into my bunker for safety and hiding"!

But I know that Jesus would want me to keep on "carrying on" striving with my entire being...to be more like Him everyday. I can so relate with Paul when he writes to the Philippians and says

"Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me His own." -Philippians 3:12

Paul's goal was simple: Become more like Jesus. He did this by getting to know Him more, trusting in Him, and then being open and obedient for the choices He had made for Paul's life. We all know the difficulties Paul faced...but he "Kept Calm and Carried On". He was and is an example for all of us to follow.

One thing is for certain...there is a battle raging. It may not be something that we can see...but it is there...a spiritual battle! (Ephesians 6:10-18) But take heart...this battle is not ours and for those of us who are IN Christ Jesus...he is right there with us whispering every so gently "Keep Calm and Carry On!"

Application:

Is there something happening in your life right now that has you consumed? Remember "Panic is Manic" in the words of Beth Moore!

Maybe you have often found yourself wanting to know more of God but not sure how? His Word is a good place to start. (Those who seek me will find me... Proverbs 8:17)

Maybe you have trouble with trusting God...especially with the plans that He has for your life. Remember that He has "good plans for your life"...Jeremiah 29:11.

Ask God to give you the courage and tools to" Keep Calm and Carry On"...

Photo curtesy of Wiklipedia.com

After a fierce attack from the enemies, Londoners soon were out on the streets "Carrying On".

Friends Make a Difference...

Yesterday we had some new friends over for lunch. One of them asked me, "So is it difficult being away from the States...do you really like it here?" I could honestly answer "yes...I love it here!" Sure there are things I miss about the States (mostly convenience sake things and eating out more often)...and of course my family and friends.

But for the most part...I love that we are making new friends here...it really helps to make this our home! Below are some great friends...that are making a difference for Him over here!

Paul and Laura

Esther and Andy (A&E)

Things have certainly changed since moving here almost 10 months ago...when I only knew a few people in the office and had no clue how to get around town. I now know where to walk on my own...I know the "English" way of saying things like dessert (pudding) or "I'm going to the surgery" (I'm going to the Doctors), and of course found myself naturally saying "trousers" now instead of pants (which is a really good thing as they are considered undies here).

Belly laugh time...imagine me saying "My pants are wet" to someone here. Oh yes I have done that!

My friend Jenny below (red head) is from the States as well (Arizona) and has really helped me with what to say and not to say! :)

Jenny and Davina

Overall I feel that we are finally making this place our home...and I love where God has brought us. One of the main reasons is all the new friends He is bringing into our lives.

Below is a picture of our Bible Study group having a Thanksgiving meal. One friend brought an American flag to make me feel at home. :)

I recently read a quote from Andy Stanley. He said "Your friends have the ability to influence you...choose wisely". This is a wise word...and I pray that God continues to lead us in our friend relationships. We love nothing more than to hang out with fun loving people that just love Jesus as much as we do!

Below are Andy and Rho...he is the leader of our church...pray for them as they lead us in what God is doing here in the city!

Question? Have you asked the Lord lately to continue guiding you in your friendships? Remember we all need friends in our lives for sharing, loving, laughing, encouraging, challenging, and helping to keep us accountable...

As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another. -Proverbs 27:17

Dear 2010...

Me and my love on our wedding day (Feb 20, 2010)

Me and my love being commissioned to our work in England

Me and honey arriving in England to celebrate our first Easter. "Because He lives, I can face tomorrow..."

Getting settled in married life and getting involved in the community. Excited for what God has in store!

Started to feel unwell...and had to cut back from working. At the same time dealing with some very real hurts from the past. Thank you Father for allowing me to learn to forgive and that you are still teaching me this!

In the thicket of my illness...but such a sweet walk with the Father! He was always there.One day in particular as I was crying out to Him to help me feel better...I felt Him saying "You are my child and I love you". It was like a wave of peace had come over me....and it was what I needed to get through that day!

Bella entered our life...such a blessing from God! And yes...this is the kitty I would "talk to" on my loneliest days...she was a good listener! :)

Me and my love celebrating my remission. Now we can eagerly look forward to what God has in store for us. We feel so energized and on FIRE for Him!

Peaceful-happy to be coming out of what seems to have been a storm... and looking forward to 2011!

There is a song where the chorus goes like this: "Joy and Pain...Like Sunshine and Rain". If I had to only pick two words that described you 2010 it would have to be "Joy" and "Pain". In some ways I am sad that we are about to say goodbye but in other ways I couldn't be happier!

You have brought me incredible joy with the uniting of me and my love J. But you have also have brought your share of hard blows and intense pains. One in particular...even over an unexpected illness...has been the deepest pain I have ever felt. Sometimes I wonder if I will ever be able to make it and feel whole again...but then I think of the sovereignty of God.

God knew what you would look like for me 2010...and He never left me on my own. Reading journals I see His hand guiding me and softly speaking to me to let me know that He knew my hurts...and He was dealing with them. He also showed Himself true in leading us to the right paths. For that I am so thankful!

I must say that I have learned a lot...a lot about how things don't always seem fare and the fact that people will let you down, but also a lot about who I am in Christ...and a deeper rich walk with Him. I truly get what David is saying in Psalms 23...

The LORD is my shepherd, I lack nothing.
² He makes me lie down in green pastures,
he leads me beside quiet waters,

³ he refreshes my soul.
He guides me along the right paths
for his name’s sake.

⁴ Even though I walk
through the darkest valley,
I will fear no evil,
for you are with me;
your rod and your staff,
they comfort me.

⁵ You prepare a table before me

in the presence of my enemies.
You anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.

⁶ Surely your goodness and love will follow me
all the days of my life,
and I will dwell in the house of the LORD
forever.

Father may we continue to be surrendered to your will...and experience joy through the pain...looking up to you in the midst of it all for the comfort, and love, and direction only you can give. Thank you for 2010...and I am now ready to follow you into 2011! Amen.

Reality Check for 2011...

Today I am staring out the window to a snowy wonderland. It has been snowing for the past few days...a rare occurrence this time of the year here in England. Each day the snow gets all sludgy with tire marks or shoe prints going through it. But through the night another layer drifts down from the sky...allowing me to wake to a beautiful new blanket of snow. Snow makes everything look so beautiful-and gives a "new" look to things.

I've been thinking a lot this week about having a new look...not so much with my hair or make up.. but more so with my "outlook". You see this week has been a week full of ups and downs...from meeting new people (which is always exciting to me as I am a people person) to having to deal with physical pain after a procedure.

As a matter of fact, this whole year has been full of ups and downs...from marrying the love of my life... to learning to forgive very deep hurts brought on by others...to struggling physically and emotionally through a difficult illness. So in many ways I can't wait for 2010 to be over and get a fresh new outlook in 2011. And let me just clue anyone out there that is wondering...my FAITH has never faltered and my walk has never been more sweeter than it has over this past year...to HIM ONLY be the glory!

I look forward to the next year with excited anticipation...but am also ready for whatever may come our way. According to the Bible we are not guaranteed a prospering life in our health, our work or anything else for that matter. Can God bless us abundantly in anyone or all of this things if He chooses...absolutely...but stating that He is obligated to do it as if He was a geinie in a bottle is not what the Bible teaches. Nor does it teach that if you don't receive good things...that your faith is not strong enough. In the words of Job..."the LORD gave, and the LORD hath taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD!" -Job 1:21

So what ARE we promised then? We are promised that one day...for those of us that know Jesus as our personal Lord and Savior ...we will live for ever with Him in a NEW HEAVEN and a NEW EARTH. (Rev 21:1-5). (btw-reality check: salvation is the greatest gift and if He gave me no other gift than that...I am blessed beyond measure!) We will one day be free from pain and God will wipe every tear from our eyes. Talk about a fresh start! I look forward to that day, but in the mean time, I will still choose to praise my Heavanly Father...no matter what may come...good or bad in 2011.

The question to ask yourself: are you obligating God to do good things for you in 2011 or are you asking God to do good things for you in 2011...prepared either way to PRAISE HIM? There is a big difference in the two questions.

If you are struggling and find yourself on the "obligating" side (and I have to admit that I sometimes have done this)...ask God to forgive you and give you a fresh "newness" in His word that HE....no one else...not me...not some man who is great with words on TV...but GOD HIMSELF...that He will speak the truth of His Word into your heart. Only then can you really feel grace and have a fresh new look or "outlook". Did I mention I love snow???? :)

Heading Towards the Finish Line!

"Hello Dr. (P), this is Mary O. We wanted to call you and let you know that I seem to be having a lot less symptoms lately. We know that our next appointment we are to discuss chemo treatments...but we wondered if we could just do one more blood test to see if my markers are in deed showing some improvement with my disease."

This was our desperate plea phone call to our specialist several week ago as we were about to face what seemed to be inevitable...months of chemo. We had been praying along with so many others that I would get better and not have to start the chemo treatments.

GOD ANSWERED PRAYERS!

Well I'll just come out and say it: I'm in REMISSION!!!!!!!

Now is there anybody out there that is doing a little jig with me right now? Yep, after 7 long months...my doctors have informed me that they believe I am getting better. If all goes well I should be off all medications and showing no symptoms (total remission)...by the end of the year. I am already feeling much better and getting more strength and energy every single day.

The day we were to go to the specialist and discuss treatment options...we instead heard "Mrs. Oldenkamp...we believe you are heading towards remission. Your blood work shows remarkable improvement of your disease. So therefore, not only do we recommend no new treatments for your disease at this time...we also recommend that you start coming off all of your current medications."

Wow...we couldn't believe it. And as a matter of fact...we were a little shell shocked when we left the office. Instead of jumping up and down...we equate it to what it must feel like being a prisoner of war. For so long we were "locked up and in the prison" of my disease and finally we were being "set free". So we walked out of that room with a little apprehension of "is this for real...are we really free?" This lasted for a few weeks...but every day as I began to show improvement and from the loving nudge of our Father...our fears fell away...and now we are doing the happy dance!!!

So what is next? If I am able to continue lowering my dosages of medications and my blood work and symptoms keep improving...I should...LORD willing...be in complete remission by the end of the year. What a wonderful Christmas gift!

We do have a little bit of not so good news...but hey wanted to share the really good news first. There are a few aftermaths with the Lupus...the lining around the retina of right eye was affected. They are looking to possibly do a minor operation with a laser to sort of "weld" the lining back to normal to prevent the retina from detaching.

So getting back to the good news...this couldn't have come at a better time as this is National Lupus Awareness Month here in the UK. The tag line with Lupus is "Everyone knows someone who has it." What used to seem a quite rare and deadly disease has now become much more prevalent...but also many advances have been made to give hope that a cure is on its way!

There is currently no cure for Lupus and the main stream of medications available to treat are very harsh. RIGHT NOW there is a new medication called Benlysta that is currently being reviewed by the FDA in the States which looks to be the first medication specifically for Lupus that has been developed in over 50 years! If it is approved...it will be available the beginning of 2011!

Here is a personal photo journal of my journey with Lupus. I would not normally post such pictures of myself, but I think it is important for people to realize the devastation of the disease.

Just shortly after being diagnosed-I was having severe joint pains and could sleep for 14 hours per day!

Then came the lovely swollen lips that would appear on random occasions, along with the famous butterfly rash across my cheeks and nose...a classic sign of Lupus.

The hives were more than I could bare at times...I would literally lay in the tub soaking in baking soda and just crying as I tried not to scratch! My hair also began to fall out rapidly.

Here there was a severe adverse reaction to a medication. J and I spent so much time in and out of hospitals.

This was definitely my low point. My kidneys were starting to take a hit and we were being informed that chemo was the only option. We were also told at this point that children in the future would most likely NOT be possible if I were to go on the chemo. But we both just kept crying out to God for help!

What can YOU do to help spread the news about Lupus? Please follow the links to these two videos from St. Thomas Trust here in the UK. It will explain what Lupus is and share a story of a woman trying to start a family with the disease (something very near and dear to my heart).

PLEASE WATCH!

Here is the video telling what Lupus is:

http://www.youtube.com/user/stthomaslupustrust#p/a/u/0/KdAFElp00ko

Here is the video of a woman having lupus and wanting to start a family:

http://www.youtube.com/user/stthomaslupustrust#p/u/8/CEQgfAVemfo

Please continue to pray over us:

• Pray that I will continue to show improvement
• Pray that my energy will increase
• Pray for the "aftermaths" that are showing up (my right eye)-that if surgery is the solution that all will go smooth
• Pray for J and I as we have been informed to attempt to "get in the best shape as possible" while I am in remission to make my body stronger if/when the next flare comes. (the average remission time is around 3-4 years).
• Pray for J and I, and OM Leaders to make decisions in regards to what I will be doing in the ministry-what capacity I will be able to maintain. (Lord willing shooting for January 2011 to start back).

We want to THANK YOU for all of your prayers, letters, emails, FB messages...it was overwhelming to know how many people have been lifting us up in prayer! You have blessed us so much!

We look forward to telling you more exciting news in the near future...Lord willing! Keep checking back here and at our website (www.voicebehindyou.com) for blog and video updates. Also, if you live in the Atlanta area and would are interested in upcoming prayer meetings please respond to this update.

We love you all deeply and are so thankful that YOU are in our lives!!!

Getting Restored in the Valley...

Most of us would say that "the view from the top is great"! You can see so much more...all the valleys below...and you feel great! You could stay there all day long. But what happens when you start your decent into the valley? Does your attitude seem to change for the worse? And is the view really better on the mountain top than down in the valley?

When we are in the valley...although we can only see what is in front of us...we can actually see things in so much more detail than we could looking down from the mountain...much more clarity if you will. What once looked like little spots...now come into full view as a beautiful flower patch or even cute wooly sheep!

The valley forces you to keep "looking up" to see where you are going. If you only look down you could eventually hurt yourself by running into a wall or falling into a lake. Sure there may be some obstacles to face once you are in the valley...some rock walls you must climb and you may injure yourself on some bob wire along your journey, but in the end...it leads to beautiful paths. The valley allows you to see things in detail that you most likely wouldn't have seen on the mountain top...it brings "clarity and direction...which can lead to the ultimate...RESTORATION.

You very well may have just come down from a mountain top only to be facing your own valley right now...valleys of loneliness, discouragement...unexpected health issues...circumstances at work. Are you moaning and groaning and wishing you were back on that mountain? Did you know that our Heavenly Father is waiting to "restore us in that valley"?

The question to ask yourself is "what direction am I looking"? Are you looking down...grumbling the entire way? If so...be careful...you might fall into that lake pretty soon...and that could be very unpleasant...especially with winter coming! Look up...see your surroundings and ask your Father to show you beauty along your path...the fine details...and let Him restore your soul. You will be amazed by what all you will see!

You restore my soul. You guide me in the path of righteousness for your name’s sake. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me. Psalm 23:3-4