Roller Coasters, A Give-Away Winner & A Sweet Reward!

To my shame, I’m way overdue with this posting.  Please forgive me!!

October was a roller coaster month. 

That is apart from the fact that I was on a real roller coaster too! For the first time in my life I rode the Cobra, though it was the 3rd time I paid a visit to Ratanga Junction in Cape Town. Both the previous times, I was over 28 weeks pregnant!  Me, a Fun-Girl, enjoyed it tremendously!  But it was quite a challenge to juggle the children.

The older children wanted to have the most out of their rides; 

The little ones need to get their share of fun;

Then to figure out how Christo and I could have one or two rides together.  

The main ride was the Cobra.  Heidi-Mari and Josua could hardly contain their excitement. There was a queue of at least 20 minutes and CJ, Heidi-Mari and Josua also wanted to ride, but what about Danika, Andrew, David, Daniel and little Michael?  Leaving the little ones with the big ones, while Christo and I went for our ride and then keeping the little ones with us again, while the older ones fell in the queue for their ride, would take us at least an hour and it was already noon.  Besides, Heidi-Mari wanted to go for a second time, this time with me!  So we all fell in the queue, the little ones with Christo and me, yes, we did get a few strange looks, and the older ones about 5 minutes behind us.  As we were nearing the end of the line, I took the little ones to the older ones. They would keep them with them, while we went for our ride. When I got off the roller coaster I would ask the personnel if I could fetch my little ones from their older siblings.  

Everything went according to plan and as Christo and I were on the landing, waiting to get on the ride, I asked the one very friendly personnel if he would just keep an eye on my children, who have their young siblings with them, about two rides behind us. On hearing how many children I have (LOL), he was so accommodating and immediately called all our children out of the line, (causing quite a stir among the people) and let them stand on the landing, while promising me he would take care of them.  How cool is that!?  As Christo and I got off the Cobra, me with wobbling legs, he escorted me through the people and helped me gathering my little ones. Since CJ, Heidi-Mari and Josua were waiting with their siblings in front, Heidi-Mari and Josua got the bonus of getting the front row seats on the Cobra! 

Wow, did they enjoy that, although an extra dose of panic was added!

The first ride was quite a shock for my system, I thought it would never end!  But with the second ride I could actually open my eyes and enjoy the ride!!

But to come back to my overdue posting.  Here, I did a review on the Visionary Womanhood Gathering e-book, with a give away, kindly sponsored by Natalie Klejwa from Visionary Womanhood.  

I’m proud to announce Mignon as the winner. Congratulations! Mignon, I’ll send you an e-mail shortly, to give you instructions on how to claim your Visionary Womanhood Gathering e-book.  

In September two very special Christian Girls honored me with a sweet award, the Bloggers For Christ Award.
  

Dear Kelly-Anne from Beautiful Girlhood and my own Heidi-Mari from Heidi’s Crafts.  It just warms my heart when I look at these two beautiful girls, who put Christ first in their lives, bringing Him glory daily by creatively making use of their special talents, serving their Mothers and family with a joyful attitude and still make time to nurture their special friendship!  

Kelly-Anne and Heidi-Mari, I’m so proud to know you and love you lots and lots!!  I can’t wait to see what God has in stall for the two of you!

The object of this particular award is to award bloggers who believe in Jesus Christ and write freely about Him and His glory on their blogs and encourage others. The requirements for this award are to:

1: Explain three things that have encouraged you on your walk of faith, like a particular verse in the Bible or a prayer, book or someone who has really touched your life. It must be a certain moment, whether in church, a retreat, etc.

2: Pass this award onto three other Godly bloggers.

The verse / couple of verses, that encouraged me the most in my walk of faith is Psalm 37.  With the dawn of the 1st of January 1998 the Lord gave me Psalm 37 during a time of recommitting my life to God.  Little did I know that the following years would be challenging, evil would try to oppose us in our new walk with God and ungodly people, as well as fellow Christians would disappoint us in more than one way.  Through those years as well as today I hold on to Psalm 37 and the Lord at least once a month prompt me to re-read it and so encourage me to press on!

Two ministries changed my live for good: Walk Through the Bible with the teachings of Dr. Bruce Wilkinson;

Above Rubies and the teachings of Nancy Campbell. 

God used Walk Through the Bible during the period 1999 till 2003 and amazingly Above Rubies ministries entered my life in 2004.  The truths I’ve learned through the Walk Through the Bible courses (Biblical Portrait of a Marriage, The Three Chairs, The Foundations of Faith, The Testing of your Faith, The Prayer of Jabez, Secrets of the Vine, A Life God Rewards) laid a foundation in my spiritual life, that changed my walk with God forever, resulting in a journey of becoming a true Disciple of God.  Amazing, how the truths taught by Nancy Campbell from Above Rubies, built on the truths we’ve learned with Walk Through the Bible, in the following years.  Above Rubies, renewed my mind on Motherhood, in a way I could never have imagined.  Through Above Rubies I’ve came to know my value of being created in God’s image and given the freedom to serve the Lord right here in my home, with my talents, gifts and strengths, becoming everything God wants me to be.  

I never again felt the need to make excuses that I’m just a Mother, but knowing it is the Most Important Career in the Universe!

Except for the Bible, the book that touched my life the most and encouraged me in my walk as a woman is, Created to be His Helpmeet by Debi Pearl.  

I read this book for the first time in 2007.  At that stage I had six children, four of them between thirteen and four years old, a toddler who just turned two, a baby of 10 months old and my marriage took much strain. This book renewed my mind and changed my attitude towards my husband, forever. I still mess up big time in being the wife God created me to be for Christo, and God periodically reminds me through Created to be His Helpmeet that being a godly wife, following the instructions in His word, is His perfect will for my live, no matter what the World would want to make women to believe!

Pass on this Reward.

I’ve recently got introduced to some very inspiring ‘new’ (for me) blogs.  

Inspired to Action By Kat

Thanks to Kat’s Hello Mornings I’m experiencing a new level in my walk with God.

Do not Depart by Katie

I’m currently doing Katie’s Fruit of the Spirit course Abiding Fruit. You can still download it here.

Visionary Womanhood administrated by Natalie Klejwa

I hope you enjoyed this Roller Coaster Posting!

With much love

Linnie

A Special Birthday Coming Up - Follow the Heart Link!

They Are Here!

100 Days of Blessings

While constantly crying out to the Lord for wisdom and guidance in raising, training and teaching my children and loving my husband the way he wants to be loved, I’ve received a very special book two months ago, helping me to live more in God’s grace and truth, love and mercy - 100 Days of Blessings by Nancy Campbell.  This book is an absolute blessing to a wife and mother!   It is filled with encouraging messages for women who choose to do things differently to the world and get persecuted and ridiculed in the process.   Nancy’s messages fill you with hope and excitement, while reminding you of the great and awesome work you are doing not only in this life, but also for eternal life!

So, I’ve immediately ordered this book from Nancy to be able to make it easier for South African Readers to purchase it.  And I’m delighted to say, I’ve received the books, today!  They are now available from Above Rubies South Africa for R99 (included a donation of R20 for Above Rubies with every purchase).  If you still want to order for Christmas presents, please let me know immediately and we can post it with normal posting R35 or overnight shipping R55.

Wrist Bracelets

While Nancy’s sister Kate proof read her book 100 Days of blessing she stuck little Post-it Notes to her arm.  Nancy curiously asked her what she was doing, to which she replied: “There are so many statements in this book that are life-changing.  I don’t want to forget them, you should get bracelets with these slogans on them so mothers can look at them and be reminded of these truths throughout the day.”

Well, Nancy did exactly that and knowing it would be too expensive for mothers to purchase fancy embossed bracelets, she has printed eight different rubber wrist bands with positive affirmations for mothers and wives.

I LOVE MOTHERHOOD 

(did you know there is a difference between loving motherhood and loving your children?)

WE’RE A SMILING FAMILY

I’M A COVENANT KEEPER 

(In a world that feel nothing for and constantly attacking the sacred covenant between husband and wife)

I LOVE MY HUSBAND

I AM ABOVE SELF-PITY 

(one of my favourites, how we need to be reminded of that while taking care of all the many needs of our family, often without recognition)

MOTHERHOOD = ADVENTURE 

(with 4 very busy, demanding, self centered, little boys in the house, I need to be reminded about that too, seeing the bright side)

I AM A NATION BUILDER

WORTH MORE THAN RUBIES 

(while the world is looking down on committed stay-at-home-mothers)

And these bracelets I’ve got too!  They are available at R20 each or R99 for the eight bracelets! You save R60! Please order quickly if you still want them for Christmas.  I can also send them overnight for the same deal as the devotions - overnight shipping for only R20 extra, normal posting R35 and overnight shipping R55.

With Love

Linnie

Above Rubies - From Me to You!

During the past 5 years sending out the Above Rubies magazine has become a highlight in our family's lives and we developed a production line to make it happen smooth and effective. Since it is our family ministry, everyone who can read, that is from Danika and older is part of the operation!

On Friday night we started packing Above Rubies #79 into envelopes.  Currently we send out about 4,000 magazines to 600 subscribers in South Africa and neighbouring countries.

The operation starts days before the packing, when I clean up the address list (new subscriptions and address chances) and print the labels.  Danika and Josua puts the labels on the envelopes, while Christo, CJ and Heidi-Mari put the magazines into the envelopes. We use pre-paid envelopes, which saves money, we get 5% discount on buying 500 envelopes and saves LOTS of time, no need to put stamps on the envelopes.  

As a rule we send out at least 2 magazines to every subscriber.  You never know when the Lord may lay it on your heart to give a specific issue to a friend or family member or even a stranger in the supermarket and we don’t want you to give away your one and only, precious copy.  Back issues of Above Rubies are seldom available and it has happened before that not one copy was left, even before a next issue was printed.  We therefore encourage our subscribers to take more than two copies - to hand out or to keep. I currently keep 10 copies of each issue, for my children and can’t wait to hand them a treasure of wisdom on being a Godly wife and mother, the day they get married.   

On each address label, the amount of issues required by the subscriber, is printed and Christo, CJ and Heidi-Mari put that amount of magazines into each envelope.  When Josua and Danika are finished putting address labels on envelopes, they too will put magazines in envelopes. 

As soon as the magazines are in the envelopes, I update each subscriber’s address card on my computer.  This way I make sure an Above Rubies subscriber’s magazine doesn’t get lost somewhere in the process of label printing and posting and I double check the amount of magazines to each subscriber.  When we packed the previous issue, #78, I couldn’t update the address cards, due to a lot that happened in our family during that time.  Unfortunately some Above Rubies subscriber’s didn’t receive their Above Rubies.  

If you are a regular subscriber, please check if you have received Above Rubies #78, if not, please contact me and I’ll send it out immediately.

After I’ve checked a subscribers’ amount of magazines in the envelope and added the new information to her address card, the envelopes are sealed and a returned address is stamped on the back of the envelope.  Josua and who ever are finished putting magazines in envelopes will seal the envelopes and Danika is in charge of the return address. 

Then we still have to do the neighbouring countries, who have different envelopes.  The most economical way to send these magazines are for the envelopes to not exceed 300g.  That means 5 magazines per envelope.  Ten magazines in two envelopes cost less than ten magazines in one envelope!

CJ is responsible for bulk orders.  I give him the bulk order address labels and he prepare the boxes.  We use the boxes in which we received the magazines from America for our bulk orders, but these boxes carry 350 magazines and our bulk orders most of the time are between 50 and 100 magazines.  Thus CJ has to cut and change the box to the right size - no easy job, taken in account we had 11 bulk orders this time!

The post office also requires an extra label for bulk orders and I try to fill them out as soon as I finish the address cards on my computer.

The last stretch, is taking the envelopes and boxes with bulk orders to the post office.  That is Christo’s job and again no easy one.  He will get a grocery trolley at the shopping mall and load all the local envelopes in the trolley to hand over to the post office personal.  The neighbouring country’s envelopes and bulk orders are a little more time consuming - it also requires a second trolley.  Every envelope and package has to be weighed at the counter, the amount of stamps calculated and needs to be stuck to the package (at the counter....)

Finally I put the bulk order tracking numbers in the computer as reference.  Only now I can say another Above Rubies magazine has successfully been posted!

And this is what kept us busy this weekend.  Hard work - Yes!  Satisfying job - Yes, Yes, Yes!

It is such a privilege to send out this encouraging magazine to families in South Africa and to know God is touching lives through this ministry!

To all our South African and neighbouring country’s Subscribers, may this Above Rubies bless you and encourage you in your high and noble calling as wife and mother!

With love

Linnie

Unexpected Blessings!

Friday was such a special, blessed day!

Early in the morning we discovered I’ve won a card making challenge I entered with the sample card I’ve made for Heidi-Mari’s First Blog Anniversary Card Making Challenge. 

It is the most amazing feeling to open a challenge blog and see your name and/or the picture of your card.  I normally feel like someone who dream when I see Heidi-Mari’s name and have to look twice! She has won quite a few challenges until now (she confesses, she still experience an initial shock every time!), so when I saw my own name, I was pleasantly surprised!  I won 3 digital stamps for Heidi-Mari’s digital stamp collection!  

The rest of my Friday was taken up with normal chores, cleaning the house (how is it possible that a house can get so dirty in a week?), doing laundry, taking care of the many needs of my many children, in between home schooling and driving the older children to their extramural activities in the afternoon.  

I also gave little Michael his first haircut!  

Oh! My baby has grown up so quickly and is becoming a little boy.  It felt like yesterday that my baby was born, but he is already 8 months old.  He is developing a personality of his own, but also amazingly share personality traits of his siblings! 

Since he got his first haircut he is even more adorable (if it is possible).  David (turning 4 end of October) will often tell me “Your baby is very cute”  I’m sure you’ll agree when looking at this precious little face!  

Then when Christo came home after work, Friday afternoon, he handed me a parcel.  Now I’m mad about surprises and since I was not expecting anything, it was even more exciting!  I couldn’t find scissors quick enough to open my parcel!   Inside this unexpected gift was a book, 8 rubber wrist bracelets and a very encouraging thank you letter!  

The book:  Nancy Campbell’s newest book ‘100 Days of Blessing’. 

I couldn’t believe my eyes, for the second time the day! I read about Nancy’s latest book in her  newsletter and decided I just had to have it, but didn’t have the time to order it yet.  What a blessing to receive it as a gift!

While making Daniel asleep that night, I read Day 1 with my LED headlight and already I’ve been blessed!  It was such a powerful message and taking into account the unexpected blessings/rewards I’ve received during the day, it hit home even stronger!  

“Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.”

1 Cor 15:58

How easy do we get weary in the very demanding job as a mother!  I almost daily receive e-mails and phone calls from weary mothers! I myself have days that weariness is in every single part of my body! It is no easy job to raise a growing family, with Godly standards, in an ungodly world!  It is a selfless work, serving your family, mostly 24 hours a day, with a joyful spirit, while human strength often cannot keep up the pace! 

Then it is a lowly  job in the eyes of the world - wasting your time and talents!  Often family don’t even understand why you are doing it, giving you moments of heartache and disappointment.  I myself just recently got an unexpected blow from a family member for having so many children, embarrassing them in front of their friends!  

Friends don’t encouraged us in raising our children ourselves, either.  The moment you confess weariness in a moment of weakness, they are quick to tell you they are glad it isn’t their job, they will never manage, they don’t have the patience!  Not very encouraging when you are weary!  

Raising godly children, one need to have a long term vision. Often we don’t feel strong enough for the challenges that lies ahead and fruit or rewards on your hard work is few and far between!

But in 1 Cor 15:58 we read the Lord want us to ‘abound’ in our work for Him!  Where can women find a more valuable work in the eyes of the Lord than caring for the needs of children and train them on His behalf! God also exhort us  not to become weary in doing this work for him - He has a promise with His challenge!  He will be our Rewarder!  

Wow, how encouraged and full of joy and excitement my day ended on Friday, because of my unexpected gifts!  How much more will be our joy and excitement when the Lord returns with our rewards!

To keep going with the work He set before us, we need to renew our minds and think what is important for God!  We need to separate our selves from the thinking of the world and take every thought captive. We need God’s Word in our hearts and minds so we can recall His promises when we get weary!  And to help me with this, I’m so thankful for my rubber wrist bracelets!  

Here is how the Wrist Bracelets where ‘born’ in Nancy’s own words:

When my sister, Kate, was proof-reading my book, 100 Days of Blessing,

I noticed loads of little Post-it Notes sticking to her arm.

"What on earth are you doing, Kate?" I asked.

"There are so many statements in this book that are life-changing. I don't

want to forget them," she replied. "

You should get bracelets with these slogans on them so mothers can look

at them and be reminded of these truths throughout the day," she

continued. 

It sounded like a pretty good idea to me.

It would be too expensive for mothers to purchase fancy embossed

bracelets so I have printed eight different rubber wrist bands with...

Powerful and Positive affirmations for 

wives and mothers!

The ones currently 

available are:

I LOVE MOTHERHOOD

WE'RE A SMILING FAMILY

I'M A COVENANT KEEPER

I LOVE MY HUSBAND

I AM ABOVE SELF-PITY

MOTHERHOOD=ADVENTURE

I AM A NATION BUILDER

WORTH MORE THAN RUBIES

Over the past few days I constantly wore them on my wrist and were reminded of my high and mighty calling as a mother and wife! 

While writing this posting  I’m wearing I’m a Nation Builder!  What an incredible goal and to see it every time when I look down, it is such a strong reminder!

When I received the bracelets on Friday, I immediately put on ‘I love my Husband’!  It was amazing what effect it had.  My husband was really tired and stressed out when he came home!  On top of worked very hard the whole week, the new DVD player he bought the day before, didn’t put out sound after CJ connected all the wires.  He had to work through the whole system to find the fault and that wasn’t good.  While he had all these challenges, I saw my ‘I love my Husband’-bracelet while I took of the washing from the line, bathed the little ones and did the dishes.  It was just so much easier to encourage and love my husband while he was tired!

Over the weekend I went with 6 of my 8 children to buy summer clothes!  Christo and the two older boys were at the WP Junior Show Jumping Championships.

Heidi-Mari and I had to take the 5 younger children with us! What a challenge!  So I put on “We’re a smiling family” Wow it was so powerful!  Every time when weariness and frustration wanted me to give up on being a loving, smiling, patience mother, I saw my yellow bracelet and I could smile with my children, again! How powerful is the smile of a Mother!

I’m going to wear my bracelets every day and change them as I’m facing challenges, to help me win the everyday battles that come with being a Godly Wife and mother!  My only hope is in the Lord! 

“Father God, please help me to have an abounding attitude as I mother in home - abounding in joy, fun, laughter, nurturing, sweetness, love and wisdom. 

Amen”*

“If I only do what is required of me, I am a slave.  When I do more than is required, I am a free person.”*

* Taken from 100 Days of Blessing

by

Nancy Campbell

For South African Readers:  I’m going to import these bracelets and Nancy’s 100 Days of Blessings as soon as possible.  I’ll post here when it arrives.

With Love

Linnie