A prayer and some words of encouragement

My dear cousin sent me an e-mail today which contained this story. I decided that I'd like to post it for my wider network of blogging friends to read. I send it also with a prayer, that you too will rely on the faithfulness of our Heavenly Father.

*An* *Amazing* *Story *- Subject: Isaiah 65:24
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This beautiful story was written by a doctor who worked in South Africa ..

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One night I had worked hard to help a mother in the labor ward; but in
spite of all we could do, she died, leaving us with a tiny, premature baby
and a crying two-year-old daughter.

We would have difficulty keeping the baby alive, as we had no
incubator (we had no electricity to run an incubator). We also had no
special  feeding facilities.

Although we lived on the equator, nights were often chilly with
treacherous drafts. One student midwife went for the box we had for such
babies and the cotton wool that the baby would be wrapped in.

Another went to stoke up the fire and fill a hot water bottle. She
came back shortly in distress to tell me that in filling the bottle, it had
burst (rubber perishes easily in tropical climates)

'And it is our last hot water bottle!' she exclaimed.
As in the West, it is no good crying over spilled milk, so in Central Africa
it might beconsidered no good crying over burst water bottles. They do not
grow on trees, and there are no drugstores down forest pathways.

'All right,' I said, 'put the baby as near the fire as you safely
can, and sleep between the baby and the door to keep it free from drafts.
Your job is to keep the baby warm.'

The following noon, as I did most days, I went to have prayers with any of
the orphanage children who chose to gather with me. I gave the youngsters
various suggestions of things to pray about and told them about the tiny
baby.

I explained our problem about keeping the baby warm enough, mentioning the
hot water bottle, and that the baby could so easily die if it got chills.
I also told them of the two-year-old sister, crying because her mother
haddied.
During prayer time, one ten-year-old girl, Ruth, prayed with the
usual blunt conciseness of our African children. 'Please, God,' she prayed,
'Send us a hot water bottle today. It'll be no good tomorrow, God, as the
baby will be dead, so please send it this afternoon.'

While I gasped inwardly at the audacity of the prayer, she added, 'And while

You are about it, would You please send a dolly for the little girl so
she'll know You really love her?'

As often with children's prayers, I was put on the spot. Could I honestly
say
'Amen'?  I just did not believe that God could do this. Oh, yes, I know that
He can do everything; the Bible says so. But there are limits, aren't there?

The only way God could answer this particular prayer would be by sending me
a parcel from the homeland. I had been in Africa for almost four years at
that time, and I had never, ever, received a parcel from home.

Anyway, if anyone did send me a parcel, who would put in a hot water
bottle? I lived on the equator!

Halfway through the afternoon, while I was teaching in the nurses' training
school, a message was sent that there was a car at my front door. By the
time I reached home, the car had gone, but there on the verandah was a large

22-pound parcel.

I felt tears pricking my eyes. I could not open the parcel alone, so I sent
for the orphanage children. Together we pulled off the string, carefully
undoing each knot. We folded the paper, taking care not to tear it unduly.
Excitement was mounting.

Some thirty or forty pairs of eyes were focused on the large cardboard box.

From the top, I lifted out brightly-colored, knitted jerseys. Eyes sparkled
as I gave them out. Then there were the knitted bandages for the leprosy
patients, and the children looked a little bored. Then came a box of mixed
raisins and sultanas - that would make a batch of buns for the weekend.

Then, as I put my hand in again, I felt the.....could it really be? Igrasped
it
and pulled it out. Yes, a brand new, rubber hot water bottle. I cried.

I had not asked God to send it; I had not truly believed that He could.
Ruth was in the front row of the children. She rushed forward, crying out,
'If God has sent the bottle, He must have sent the dolly, too!'
Rummaging down to the bottom of the box, she pulled out the small,
beautifully-dressed dolly. Her eyes shone!  She had never doubted!
Looking up at me, she asked: 'Can I go over with you and give this dolly to
that little girl, so she'll know that Jesus really loves her?'
'Of course,' I replied!
That parcel had been on the way for five whole months, packed up by my
former Sunday school class, whose leader had heard and obeyed God's
prompting to send a hot water bottle, even to the equator.

And one of the girls had put in a dolly for an African child - five months
before, in answer to the believing prayer of a ten-year-old to bring it
'that afternoon.'

'Before they call, I will answer.' (Isaiah 65:24)

When you receive this, say the prayer. That's all you have to do. No strings

attached. Just send it on to whomever you want - but do send it on.

Prayer is one of the best free gifts we receive. There is no cost,
but a lot of rewards. Let's continue praying for one another.

This awesome prayer takes less than a minute.

Heavenly Father, I ask you to bless my friends reading this. I ask
You to minister to their spirit. Where there is pain, give them Your peace
and mercy. Where there is self-doubting, release a renewed confidence to
work through them. Where there is tiredness or exhaustion,  I ask You to
give them understanding, guidance, and strength.

Where there is fear, reveal Your love and release to them Your
courage. Bless their finances, give them greater vision, and raise up
leaders and friends to support and encourage them.

Give each of them discernment to recognize the evil forces around them and
to reveal to them the power they have in You to defeat it. I ask You to do
these things in Jesus' name. Amen


P.S. Passing this on to anyone you consider a friend will bless you both.

Passing this on to one not considered a friend is something Christ would do!


Have a Blessed Day

The Mighty Mighty CATS!!

The eager Cats supporters wait with baited breath...

OK, so its only the fourth round, and there are 18 to go before September and the finals, but the early signs are encouraging. I would just love for my beloved Cats to go two years in a row, or even three, though I'm sure that would be pushing the friendship ;)

And erupt with delirious fervor!!

I've uploaded a couple of pics, soundbites and a short film of the action for all of you uninitiated heathens! You're missing out on a great game, fast, spectacular and entertaining. If you're interested enough I'll post a shortie on the the rules... its actually pretty simple.

Enjoy! :D

This is what it looks like, first is the set-up and then the marker goes for goal and scores!



Hope you enjoyed that, the seven of of us sure did!

It was so lovely to watch the game with old friends and family members. I even managed to bring a cake which was a great success at half time.

Viva La Cats!!!

time for a laugh :D

Seeing as Melbourne is still immersed in the annual Comedy Festival and my friends have been sending me funny jokes, I thought I would post a couple for you all to enjoy.

Remember that laughter is the best medicine!!

Going to Israel

A Jewish businessman in Chicago sent his son to Israel for a year to absorb the culture.

When the son returned, he said, "Papa, I had a great time in Israel. By the way, I converted to Christianity." "Oy vey," said the father. "What have I done?"

He took his problem to his best friend. "Ike," he said, "I sent my son to Israel, and he came home a Christian. What can I do?"

"Funny you should ask," said Ike. "I too, sent my son to Israel, and he also came home a Christian.. Perhaps we should go see the rabbi. "

So they did, and they explained their problem to the rabbi."Funny you should ask," said the rabbi.. "I, too, sent my son to Israel, and he also came home a Christian. What is happening to our young people?"

And so they all prayed, telling the Lord about their sons.

As they finished their prayer, a voice came from the heavens: "Funny you should ask," said the voice. "I, too, sent my son to Israel...."



Pastor's Business Card

A new pastor was visiting in the homes of his parishioners. At one house it seemed obvious that someone was at home, but no answer came to his repeated knocks at the door.

Therefore, he took out a business card and wrote 'Revelation 3:20' on the back of it and stuck it in the door.

When the offering was processed the following Sunday, he found that his card had been returned. Added to it was this cryptic message, 'Genesis 3:10.'

Reaching for his Bible to check out the citation, he broke up in gales of laughter. Revelation 3:20 begins 'Behold, I stand at the door and knock.' Genesis 3:10 reads, 'I heard your voice in the garden and I was afraid for I was naked.'


Hope you liked them! Feel free to post your comic suggestions in the comments....

Job Hunting

Oh boy, do I need work! Keeping up with the Jone's aint all its cracked up to be. All I want is a bit of routine and stability in my life so the round-a-bout of job applications, interviews and finding reliable referees is in full swing. I worked most of last year as a temp/casual so it has been quite difficult to find referees. It is making the task just that little bit harder, I must admit. I'm also hoping to do some cleaning jobs in the meantime to tide me over, till I land the right job.

Well, I have another interview on Monday. This time with the Salvation Army, for a project worker position. I really hope it goes well. It sounds like a challenging job, but I'm sure the team would be a good one too. I'd appreciate you're prayers, and thanks to all those who have been praying for me recently. It hasn't been an easy last couple of months, but I'm getting through it with just a little help from my friends and family, and my Heavenly Father. What would I do without you all? It doesn't bear thinking about.

One of my friends has blogged recently about communities and what constitutes one. I think there's no better place to look than on Jesus and his disciples. Wasn't it in sharing together and meeting one another's needs? (See Acts 4, 1 Corinthians 11, etc). It was Jesus himself who fed thousands and began the Last Supper as the ultimate was of remembering his sacrifice for us. I'm cooking up a storm this afternoon. At my church we share lunch together after our Sunday service, and its my turn to provide. I think its a great way to share together and make everyone feel welcome. Don't you find that people "open-up" over food and drink? That's been my experience anyway, and who better to model ourselves on than Jesus himself? I'll leave you to think about it....

head business update

Thanks to all of you who have been praying for me. I went to the neuro surgeon today and thought I'd let you all know how it went. I don't really have anything new to report, suffice to say that they won't be opening me up just yet. It turns out that it is in a bit of a hard to reach place and any surgery would have associated risks, so they would only consider that if I was having uncontrolled seizures or it grows. To that end I'll continue being monitored by the neurologist and will have regular MRIs.

I was much relieved to hear this, and have been feeling well, so am not too concerned. I will continue to look for work and live my life to my fullest capacity. I just have to consider how much I have to be thankful for. We do have a great God. I have so many lovely friends, and though some of my family is a long way away, my brothers and sisters and cousins have been lovely.

So thank you all again, I really do appreciate it :)

I'd appreciate your prayers

I just wanted to let my blogging friends know that I've been having tests lately to find the cause of a seizure I had last month. They've found a bit of an abnormality in my grey matter that requires further investigation. I'm scheduled to see a neurosurgeon on the 26th of March, next week. As they're not even sure exactly what it is yet, I'm trying not to worry, but it is a bit disturbing and I appreciate your prayers.

I'm thankful that I have so many great friends and family members around me. Its times like these we really need them! I feel a bit sorry for my parents, who I know feel so far away at times like these, but we all know that our Heavenly Father watches over us and takes care of us. They wouldn't be able to do much if they were here anyway.

I'll let you all know more as it transpires. Oh, and for anyone interested in my writing, I'm going to put one of my latest short stories on my other blog, hope you like it!

On The Move

Things are happening in the world of Joce once again, so I thought I should post and update you all. Sorry for my silence of late, I've been very lazy (tut, tut).

Later this week, well, on the weekend, to be precise I am moving... yay! Its been months since I've had a room to call my own. I'll be living in Heidelberg, just north of where I was last year (still in zone one). I am moving in with three other young ladies, two of whom I count among my good friends, so am really looking forward to it. It will be great to be able to unpack properly and have a bit of space. I am thoroughly sick of living out of my suitcases. If you want my new address, shoot me an e-mail and I'll forward it on. Not sure of the phone number yet.

I'm still looking for that perfect job, but hope to have some news to report on that front soon too.

Well, that's all from me for now. We just had a glorious long weekend here in Melbourne and I'm off to help a friend mind some children, then to choir practice. Hope you all have a great week!

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PS I'll post some pics once I'm installed!