TESOL...

TESOL....Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages
I was invited to staff the TESOL course this year, so this is how I spent much of the summer. Fifteen wonderful students came together from various places around the globe to learn how to teach English to Speakers of Other Languages all over the world. Some of these teachers have already chosen what country they are headed to, or are investigating the possibilities of teaching English overseas or teaching ESL classes in the places where they live.

We celebrated Suzie's birthday with Strawberry Shortcake...yummm!

Two of the TESOL students putting together Lesson Plan ideas.

"Hmm...what vocab should we use?"

"Let's see...there's got to be some usable stuff in here somewhere!"

Today several of the students attended First Baptist in Kalispell to thank them for the use of their church for our "practicum." It was rewarding to hear them express their thanks and appreciation to the pastor and the people there. We have just one week of the course left. Wednesday night will be our final practicum night (it's a party, actually, the TESOL students will be hosting a potluck party for their ESL students). We're all looking forward to it...and hoping all the ESL students are able to come.

HOME at last...

Sunrise is one of the most beautiful and therapeutic times of the day for me since we moved in to this lovely home on Troutbeck.

Ahh...the old family organ! I love how it looks in this corner. Now, if we can just get the left pump fixed.

Arthur's new "study." I think he's quite happy with this new situation.

The Living Room! Ready and waiting for a visit from you!

The Dining area...hmm...I need to make a menu list...see if I can entice our loved ones and friends to pay us a visit now that we are getting settled into our own place.

Actually, we have been living in this home since mid-May, but at last it has become "ours," meaning we have moved our own belongings in, and have begun to set things up. My, how good it feels! It's like finally coming "home." Did God make us this way, I wonder. To need and to enjoy the sense of HOME? I think He probably did. And I am so very glad!

TESOL in the DTS Missions Tools Track

These students will be going on "outreach" to India, Nepal, and Thailand. It was an honor to be asked to spend the week presenting language learning principles, lesson ideas, and English learning activities that they will be able to use while they are overseas. They leave in about 3 weeks. It's been a wonderful, very engaging group...a delight to work with! I can't wait to hear the reports of how God used them in various locations and settings to enable others to improve their English speaking skills?

My work station at present...the kitchen table
(in our new home...see my next blog post for more details,
and hopefully, more pictures).
God is so very good to us!!!

Praise God...at last, a home to settle into

HOME SWEET HOME!

This is the family room. Right now there is furniture in here because it's the landlady's furniture. She has not yet moved to her new home in Idaho so it still feels a bit like we are "house-sitting." The furnishings in this room will be extremely sparse once she moves away.

This is a view of the living room (looking toward the dining area)...very cozy, very comfy. Please consider coming for a visit! We'd love to have you! The house is lovely, and roomy. The bedrooms are very large...you wouldn't feel crunched or squished at all. In truth, a family of four could stay in each room...they're that big.
I'll post more pictures once we move our own things in.

Our landlady (Brenda) is very warm and welcoming...and is staying here at present. She's been as busy as a beaver organizing and packing up boxes, getting ready for her big move. She'll be here until the 3rd week in July. At that time she'll move to southern Idaho and we will move our belongings in. No doubt, it will seem like Christmas, rediscovering things that have been stored away for the past 2+ years. Having our own things around us, not only our household furnishings, but even more so, our pictures of family and friends...WOW!...that will be such an immense delight. I admit, this missionary lifestyle (living out of a suitcase, moving from house to house, etc.) makes me realize how much I long for a season of stability. We'll see how long God allows us to stay put in this place...I'm hoping it will be awhile, quite a while. Like I said, we'll see. We know NOT to hold our own plans and desires too tightly.
He knows best...and His will is perfect.

Whew...feeling a big sense of relief today

WHEW!!! Done at last! I guess I didn't realize how much the radio series was weighing on me, but when I got home from the radio station today, I literally felt my shoulders drop as I sighed one of those huge cleansing sighs. Besides the fact that the series took far longer than I had anticipated to bring to completion, the tension that came from attempting such a feat (I had never worked on radio before), took it's toll on me. I freely admit: It stretched me significantly.

All in all, the project weighed more heavily on me than I realized...but now that it's done, I feel like I could fly. If it wasn't raining so hard outside, I'd go for a long walk and process my relief amongst God's beautiful creation. I would shout my thanks to Him for all the ways He helped, encouraged and strengthened me to do this thing. I'd remind Him of how much I've needed Him every step of the way, and that I know I can do NOTHING without Him. He is my Strength...He is my Joy...He is the One who empowers me to do things He has called me to do. In this case, He enabled me to speak into the lives of pastor's wives in the regions that receive this broadcast (Montana, Idaho, Wyoming, Utah, Alaska). Praise be to God!

But being that it is presently very cold and rainy, I will restrict my expressions of joy and relief to this blog spot...and I'll spend some time on the keyboard...singing, and giving Him my worship.

Thank you to all of you who have been praying for me as I've worked on this series. And I especially want to say "thank you" to you pastor's wives who were willing to be guests on the show, sharing your thoughts and words of wisdom with other pastor's wives. You've been a huge blessing! Your words are, and will be, over the next several weeks, going out over the air waves providing nourishment to others who are in need of refreshment and encouragement as they serve the Lord and His people.

Friends and Family

What a joy it's been the past couple months to spend time with Sarah, this lovely Korean woman, and pastor's wife. I help her practice and improve her English speaking ability, and she blesses me with her friendship and with lessons on preparing Korean food. We share what's in our hearts, what we're experiencing, what our challenges are...and we pray together. Each time, I come away encouraged and strengthened. What a tremendous blessing she is to me! I'm so thankful that God has knit our hearts together and helps us figure out how to communicate, even though I'm restricted by my inability to speak Korean, and she is limited in her usage of the English language. But it's like God's word declares: "Nothing is impossible with God." I continue to be amazed at the joy that fills my heart as God divinely appoints my days and hours.

And look at what else God did! He made a way for us to meet our newest grandson, Daniel, adopted from Haiti in December (just a couple weeks before the big earthquake hit Port-au-Prince).

While visiting our son and his family in B.C. we drove into Vancouver to spend some time with a precious uncle. It did my heart good to see him face to face again!

Do you see the resemblance? Haha! Grandpa needs to get out in the sun more, don't you think!? Just after I took this picture I noticed that the camera battery was dead, so that was the end of picture taking for this visit. Thankfully, John got some good shots of us with the kids; I'll have to see if I can get some from him.

PRECIOUS MOMENTS during this trip:

• Singing lullabies to the 3 youngest each night at bedtime,
• Having our car covered (blanketed, really) in pink blossoms on Sunday morning,
• Having Daniel come running and throwing himself into my arms,
• Night-time talks with Zach as I "tucked him in" (he even let me sing to him),
  
• Movie night with John & Kim,
• Visiting with Kim's parents and discussing majority world poverty and related issues,
• Searching for, finding, and playing with snails with Deanna,
• Extending Jacinda's hair by braiding in strands of yarn,
• Listening to Zach practice his piano lesson,
• Having the kids climb unto our laps during "evening devotions,"
• Hearing my dear uncle's voice again, and his gentle laugh,
• Basking in the friendship and hospitality of 3 sets of friends along the way: in Tacoma, Moses Lake, and Spokane.
  

Bummer...not going to India after all!

Sighing with disappointment...we will not be going to India this spring as planned. Things did not work out for the pastor's training school that our friend was organizing over there. But we want you all to know how much we APPRECIATE YOU AND ALL YOUR PRAYERS. We trust God! He knows what's best...both for them, and for us.

Now it's "back to the drawing board," as we ask God for direction on next steps regarding when to go, for how long, and who to take with us. The key in all of our planning is to recognize and surrender to the will of God in all these matters. To hear His voice about what to do, where to go, and when to go. Please continue to pray for us as we minister in the area of strengthening and encouraging pastors and church leaders in rural/village settings, both locally and overseas.

Remember...be FLEXIBLE

These content creatures found the munching quite tasty in our yard this week.

Last Saturday Art taught on "Relating to the Local Church" in a seminar that took place on the YWAM base.

This young couple, new friends to us but people we pray for weekly, live and serve in Germany. She is German, he is Nigerian. What a blessing to meet them at last and spend time with them this month!

Lord willing, we are still going to India...just not in March, as originally planned. Because my visa (Canadian) took so long to clear the process, we made arrangements to postpone the trip to teach at the Pastor's Training School in Orissa, India. The new dates have been tentatively set for the end of April. The young man organizing this training school for pastors continues to have difficulty raising the money to insure that the school will indeed happen, so we are trusting God with all the details. If he is not able to pull it off (he has 20 pastors ready to come, but is lacking the finances to house and feed them), we may end up putting the trip off until late fall (Oct. or Nov). Please pray that all of us will know the Lord will in this. Opportunities abound, and the need for solid Bible training is so needed, but we want only to do what is in keeping with God's will, and His timing.

NO...this is not the house we are moving into in late May; it's the house
across the street from the one we'll be renting. Lovely view, eh?

About our housing situation: GREAT NEWS! God has opened up to us a house to rent here in Lakeside (not on the YWAM base) that will be a wonderful asset to the ministry we have among pastoral couples. We'll not be able to move into the house for a couple months yet, as we'll be house-sitting for a young couple who is leaving on Tuesday for an outreach in Cambodia. We'll likely move into what we are calling the R.E.S.T house the middle of May, or so. It's a good-sized house with plenty of space to provide a respite, a refueling station to couples who are in need of restoration, encouragement, strengthening, and training (R.E.S.T.).

Thank you so much to all of you who are faithfully holding us up in prayer. You have been a channel for God's blessing and provision.

Speaking of provision...God continues to add financial partners and we are in awe of the ways He speaks to people and encourages them to be involved in the things He has called us to do. In January we felt God asking us to "bite the bullet" and recruit more supporters for the ministry He has called us to. He encouraged us with scriptures such as: "Ask and you will receive, seek and you will find, knock and the door will be opened to you." (from Matthew 7). So we asked...we sent out a letter, asking folks (you) to consider, and pray about, supporting us with finances as well as with your prayers. And I just want to let you know that God (and several of you) have surprised and blessed us to the point of tears. It's almost like God is saying: "See, told you so."

So, if you are one of those who responded to our request...I just want to take this opportunity to say, "Thank you!!!" Your willingness, and your generosity, not only blesses us beyond words, but, please realize, also enables us to encourage and equip pastors and Christian workers around the globe. Yes, that's right...around the globe! India, Nepal, Thailand, Ukraine, as well as the Pacific Northwest of the United States. And now doors are opening in Africa as well.

Last week I had the privilege of teaching some TESOL principles and interactive activities to students in the DTS Missions track. It was one of the highlights of the month for me. The students were incredible communicators, listeners, and participants. They were very engaging, honest and courageous. I know they will have a lot of fun teaching English during their upcoming outreach to Cambodia, Thailand, etc.

I could hardly believe how refueling the experience was for me. I'm learning new things about myself like never before. I remember how much I loved training new staff on all the instruments and visual testing equipment when I worked for Dr. Magwire (optometrist) in Wallace and Kellogg (Idaho). I feel that same love of teaching coming through again when I teach students how to teach English to speakers of other languages. I can definitely see why God spoke to me while we were in Myanmar about putting this skill in my "tool bag."

This is one of the new friends God has given me here in Lakeside.
How I love friendships!
Like the old song says:
"Make new friends, but keep the old.
One is silver and the other is gold"
I couldn't agree more!

Lots in the works...

These questions came to me the other day:
What in me is keeping me from doing what Jesus did...taking the road less traveled...going through Samaria...going to the fringe people...the Samaritan woman? The Bible says: "he had to go..." Jesus was driven--motivated by the will of the Father--to go by the way that others would not go. What is keeping me from doing the same? How about you?

It looks very likely that we will be going to India in late March. Arthur has been invited to teach on "The Character of God" at a pastor's training school and I will be teaching English to these same pastors, and others. Please keep us in your prayers as we purchase tickets, visas, and make the preparations. We've been praying earnestly about this invitation to go and have asked our supporters to do the same, and it seems the Lord is saying, "Yes, Go!" It's a short trip, just 2 weeks or so.

We hope to top off the trip with a quick stop at John & Kim's in Abbotsford to meet our newest grandson, Daniel, who arrived into the Fleming family just before Christmas (from Haiti).

Additional prayer requests:

• that I will complete the radio series soon - it has been delayed, almost abandoned, and is now showing a bit of life again. It has been much harder to pull together than I ever imagined. Hopefully we will be able to finalize it within the next few weeks.
• I have been asked to teach TESOL in the DTS Missions Track for a week in early March. Having never done such a thing before, I'm a bit nervous about it. But I must admit, I'm also very excited to have the opportunity to do it. The purpose is to prepare those students going overseas on "outreach" to teach English as an relationship-building and evangelistic tool.
• Pray for Art as he prepares to teach young pastors in India.
• Art hopes to participate in the "Foundations of Community Development" school that takes place here on the Montana base during the spring months.
• Through RSN we have been offering a course on "Preaching." I am slotted to present my sermon in mid-March. Please pray for me as I develop and deliver it to the class.

Here's a picture of Art baby-sitting a bunch of toddlers. We were on "nursery duty" the other night and ended up with 13 little ones in our care. Wow! It was a blast, and the children were so loving and cuddly, but boy, oh boy, were we ever exhausted by the time the evening was over. Again I say, "This is called YOUTH With A Mission for good reason."

Christmas Challenge responders

Wow! One of our monthly supporters "blew our socks off" with their report of how they took up our Christmas Challenge to "give to a stranger." In fact, this particular couple were so far ahead of our challenge that I couldn't help but pass on to you the particular ways in which they blessed strangers.

Judy reported that her husband had made 2500 little trucks that were given to under-privileged children, 1300 of which went to Operation Christmas Child. She knitted caps for cancer victims, street teens, and underprivileged kids, and also wrist-warmers. She made a helmet liner for an unknown marine headed to the middle-east. All of these were strangers to Jerry and Judy, but not to God. She adds, "what a joy to use the gifts God has given us to serve Him."

I have to admit, I sat stunned in amazement for awhile as I took it all in...such love, such expressions of the mercy and compassion and generosity. What joy filled my heart, both at what they had done, and also at the fact that these people are my friends. How our heavenly Father must smile when He sees His Son reflected in His church!

Steven's Ordination

With Pastor Bob laying his hand on our son's head, Great Falls Christian Center (located in Great Falls, Montana) ordained Steven as a pastor and a minister of the Gospel.

Words of encouragement and strengthening were spoken to Steven and Christel by the elders and pastoral team.

Pastor Bob commissions Steve in his calling as "pastor."

Beautiful family celebrating Daddy's big day!
(poor little Natalie didn't let on that she couldn't see a thing)

Art got to remind Steve how to tie a tie...that was fun to watch.

What a wonderful day of celebration it was for us all!
Arthur and I were blessed to the very depths of our soul, tears of joy falling down our faces. How I love to see my children walking in their "calling and destiny."

Amazing weekend in Great Falls

Last weekend we made a trip over to Great Falls to welcome our newest granddaughter, and got to spend some sweet time with Noah and Emily as well.

So much love around Grandpa!

Emily and Noah introduce Grandpa to their new little sister,
Natalie Olivia Fleming.
Natalie arrived on January 6 at 9:25 in the morning. She weighed 6 lb. 6 oz.

Lovely new accommodations

Once again God's provision exceeds our wildest imagination!

We never cease to be astounded at the marvelous ways of our gracious and loving heavenly Father.

We've been invited to house-sit this lovely Lakeside home for the next few months. It's hard to see well in this picture, but beyond the trees in the background, is Flathead Lake. The view is incredible! Wish you could come for a visit and see for yourself. We are all moved in as of yesterday.

This morning we gave a thorough cleaning to the home we've been house-sitting at the YWAM base the past 3 months. Tomorrow we plan to do a little shopping so we can bless them with a "gift pack" and have it waiting for them when they arrive home in a few days.

Isn't it amazing how God has covered our housing needs over the past 12 months? (This is our 5th dwelling since we came on staff in January 2009.) And now, as we enter our 2nd year on staff at YWAM Montana, God continues to keep a roof over our heads. And not just any old roof, or shanty, or lean-to. No, with God, it's always "over the top"....more than what we asked or imagined. Without a doubt, 2009 was for us a great BIG reminder of God's abundant provision.

How about you? What stories do you have to share about God's goodness and faithfulness during 2009? We'd love to hear what He's been doing in your life....and in your family.....