Spring 2008

Dear, lovely sister whose hope is in the Lord,
I pray, as always, that this small publication finds you doing well and pouring the love of Jesus out upon your family and neighbors through service, grace-seasoned words, compassion, peace, joy, and the living out of the Gospel message. Remember, your very life is the greatest testimony you could ever give, and the most animated story you could ever tell. People are watching constantly to see if you are “for real,” thus your God be real. Taking every thought captive in obedience to Christ, love the Lord in your thoughts, your words, and your deeds. Love Him with your life! I truly believe that yours is an “Esther” generation! God has preserved a remnant of young ladies who refuse to compromise or bow down to the world’s way of doing things. They are brave and strong in the Lord, empowered by the precious Holy Spirit. They walk by faith, not by sight. They walk in obedience and they delight in God’s will. They do not dare wish to take one step out of His perfect plan for their lives. They are called, “set apart!” Like Esther, they may do the unthinkable according to the world’s view of logic, risk their “reputation” and their immediate desires in order to stand pure and holy before their Lord… and to influence generations to come. They may be ridiculed and persecuted-even appear foolish in the eyes of onlookers, but because their feet are planted on the Rock, they shall not be moved, and the convictions GOD has placed in their hearts will only grow stronger! You are a trailblazer! Do not take this calling lightly!

Oh, dear young woman of God, YOU were born for this moment, and this season in your life was brought about FOR SUCH A TIME AS THIS! Be blessed and encouraged in the Lord Jesus and continue the race with perseverance and faith, for the time is at hand.

Behold, Winter is Past!

For, lo, the winter is past, the rain is over and gone; The flowers appear on the earth; the time of the singing of birds is come, and the voice of the turtle is heard in our land… Arise, my love, my fair one, and come away.
Songs of Solomon 2:11-13

In late February, our town was hit with the first tornado in over 50 years. It came as a surprise, and there was not even time for a warning to be issued. Several homes were destroyed, and many others damaged. By the grace of God, no one was severely hurt, and our home wasn’t touched. How sovereign is our God, and how endless is His mercy! We are so thankful to be alive and well despite the frightening tornado.
The winter has passed so quickly, it’s nearly a blur. I am ready for the earth to awaken! I am about to enter into my favorite earthly season of all- SPRING! How can I explain the leaping of my heart on the first day that I heard the frogs singing their courtship song?! I was also able to be present for the birth of my dear friends’ first goat of the season! One of their dairy goats delivered a baby doe in early March. Daffodils and tulips are bursting open in worship to their Creator. The trees are blossoming. My garden peas, lettuce, cabbage, and onions are pushing their sprouts above the hard soil. Birds are singing praise. Brown is turning to green! Life is everywhere! Praise the Lord for Spring! Praise the Lord that He is risen indeed, and all creation sings the song of the empty tomb!

The Dress Before the Man
A testimony from Charity Leib

In writing this article, I want to praise and honor Jesus Christ. I had been saved, and living the best I thought I could, but in March of 2007, I fully and completely gave my life to Him. Less than two weeks would pass before I would receive a blessing far above the mind could imagine.
My mom and I went into a church clothing house, where we have gotten many things. I noticed a white zipper cover over something. Out of curiosity, I decided to open it up. Inside was a wedding dress! I called my mom over to look. We thought it may be stained and worn, so we decided to go.
On the way home, my mom was telling my dad about the dress, “The top is all beads. It comes up high around the neck.”
After arriving home about five minutes later, my dad told us we could back and get the dress if we wanted it. We went back and found it where we had left it. Out of the white cover it came. I held it up. It was perfect! One of the ladies came over and held it around my waist. “Perfect,” she said. She called all the others, and they gathered around me and prayed.
With a wedding dress in hand and tears in our eyes, we left without having to pay a penny! Once I got home, I tried it on. It couldn’t have fit any better! The shoulders were perfect. The top is all beads, and it has a gorgeous train.
Right now I still do not have a potential husband, but I pray everyday for him.
Dear fellow sisters In Christ, when we least expect it, God drops a blessing on us. Please don’t give up on God. In the days to come, I believe I will meet that perfect man God has for me, and I will be able to tell this story all over again. Think about it. If you begin praying now for your future husband, how wonderful will it feel to say “I’ve been praying for you all this time?”
Charity Lynn Leib, 18, PA

Even Youths Grow Weary
A word of encouragement from Candace

Do you ever have seasons where your faith seems to weaken and you never really know why? You continue in your Bible study and prayer time. You continue to spend time with the Lord, like always. You try to wear the armor of God daily. . . but somehow, for some reason unknown to you, your faith begins to. . . deflate. The message you were ready to boldly proclaim to anyone who even looked curious yesterday, you just don’t seem so sure about today. You may rack your brain, trying to think of what has caused this doubt to enter. You may even feel guilty. You may just feel tired and feel like “giving up”. As I was writing this, the Lord whispered to me a Scripture;

Hast thou not known? Hast thou not heard?, that the everlasting GOD, the LORD, the CREATOR of the ends of the earth fainteth not, neither is weary? He gives power to the faint; and to them that have no might He increases strength. Even the youths shall faint and be weary. . .Isaiah 40:28-30

Wow! What a Word! Even when we do grow faint, which is translated to mean “exhausted” or “weary”, our God does not! I believe this can mean spiritual faintness as well as physical or even emotional faintness. Even those who love the Lord and strive to please Him with all of their heart will grow faint, weary and tired. Our spirit is so willing, but our flesh is so weak, and as long as we are camping out on this earth, we will all have moments of weakness. But look what comes next! HE GIVES POWER TO THE FAINT and INCREASES THEIR STRENGTH! You are so awesome, Lord! He is the One who created us, and He knows we will have moments of doubt and uncertainty, and just plain old weakness. But, His grace is so marvelous that He is there to give us power and to increase our strength! Only He is able to do that and He is willing! What an encouragement! The Scripture says that “even youths grow weary…”. You don’t have to be elderly and well-seasoned in years to grow tired. Even young, strong people grow weary! Are you feeling a little weary today? Are you feeling exhausted of waiting, or perhaps tired of looking for something you cannot see coming? Maybe you feel that all your service to others and living out your convictions is simply doing no good. Is your patience wearing thin? Do you feel faint at the comments of family or friends who do not understand your God-given convictions? Somewhere, deep inside, is there a place that wonders if God will ever show up and prove them wrong? If this is you, there is good news. He will restore your strength! Just ask Him. Be honest with Him about your doubt and faintness of heart. Repent of anything that may have allowed the doubt and impatience to sneak in. Then, just rest in His strength. Remember, your enemy, the devil prowls around like a lion, waiting for any chance he can find to enter into the battlefield of your mind and tell you it will not be worth it, etc., etc. He is a liar! Resist him, and he must flee from you! (James 4:7)
Oh, but dear sister, there is even more! When God brought this Scripture to my memory, I only remembered the part about “youths growing faint.” I had forgotten what came just after it. When I looked up the first verse, then continued to read on, I nearly screamed with delight! He is so faithful and true. Here it is;

“But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up on wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.” Isaiah 40:31

Are you rejoicing yet? Even youths grow weary, BUT those who WAIT upon the Lord…their strength will be renewed! The longer we “wait” on the Lord with the right heart attitude, the more our faith will be renewed. “Wait upon” here is translated “ to expect, look patiently, tarry, to wait for.” So, young lady who is waiting with anticipation on your God, I encourage you to keep your eyes on Jesus. When you are not sure where He is leading, just be still. He will make it clear in His time. There are such blessings in waiting on Him. Your God-given dreams may sometimes seem like only that- dreams, but please know that He who began a good work in you will be faithful to complete it (Philippians 1:6)! Don’t panic if you cannot see Him working. Trust Him. Allow Him to lead you blind-folded if that is what He asks of you. He is trustworthy! You can step out into the water even if you don’t know how to swim, as long as your eyes are fixed on Jesus. His will and His plans are perfect. Rest in His love. His strength begins where your strength ends.
Jesus said, “Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest.” (Matthew 11:28)

When God Writes Your Love Story…
One young lady’s testimony of God’s faithfulness in providing a husband in His perfect way and time.

How does one share a true story and testimony to God’s goodness? The words we can come up with just don’t seem fitting enough. In 2006, I posted some dresses and jumpers I had made and no longer wanted on a homesteading message board in the barter board area. I also stated I would barter for milk goats in Virginia. I got a private message from a Nathan Black who wrote and said he may know some people in his area that have Nubian goats. At the time, goats had been a desire of mine for 2 years. I was really excited at the possibility of getting goats. Nathan shared some of his goat knowledge, and our messages stayed mainly on topics related to that (farming, chickens, goats, government, etc.). At the time, my family was renting a house, and we were unable to get the goats. Nathan and I lost contact after a little while, but I considered him a friend. I don’t know about you, but when I see certain things I lift up others in prayer. For example, I have a dear friend whose deceased dad use to drive Covenant trucks, and when I see a Covenant truck, I lift her and her family up in prayer. I did this with Nathan’s family too. We had a road near our old rental home that had the name “rose” in it, and when we passed that way and I happened to see it, I would pray for Nathan and his family as their farm is named “Rosewood Farm”. We moved last year in April ‘07 to our own home and 3 streets down is Rose Valley Rd. When I thought on it, I would pray for him and his family. In mid January, I saw a post for Toggenberg goats on the homesteading barter board area. Nathan was posting for some friends who didn’t have Internet access. I posted back to the board, along with 3-4 other people, asking for more information. Two days later, Nathan sent a private message and said he went to my blog, was glad to hear I finally got my goats, and that he hoped my dad’s work was going goodly. I replied very blandly and stated simple facts about my goats and family and didn’t ask him any questions. He replied again and our conversation picked up where it had left off in ‘06. We discussed the Bible, government control, farming, goats (of course), general things about our families, etc. My mom sat with me and read each email going in and out like she normally would. Several more private messages flew back and forth between us on topics like the food industry, fluoride, farming, missionary work, our families, etc. Just basic things that he and I would discuss with everyone who will talk about them. On Feb. 19, ‘08, my goat, Melita, had her kids! What an exhausting day! Mom and I were outside in the cold all day helping Melita birth, cleaning up, making sure the three kids were goodly, and finally at about 8:00 p.m. we sat down for the night. Everyone was in the living room. Mom and I opened a message I had received from Nathan. Dad was sitting in the lazy boy chair, and my two brothers were lounging on the couches. As mom and I read, dad caught the word “tractor” and said, “What does that say?” Mom read him a little, and he wanted to hear the rest. Nathan’s conversation went from tractors to tomatoes, then solar power to diesel fuel, and finally he said… “Jessica, forgive me for being long-winded tonight, but I have something to ask you about. I have tried to find your parents’ phone number but, according to the online White Pages, it is unlisted. I would have talked with them first before telling you this, but since I have no way of doing so, I must go ahead and “say it!” I have been impressed as we have been talking for several months now, that we share a lot of similar views, and I would like to discuss with you what your views and desires are for your future family and home, with the intention being to find out whether the Lord has brought us in contact for that reason. I have strong convictions regarding family and children (as I do about most other things), but I do not want to talk about these things with you without first making my intentions known. Please prayerfully consider this and discuss it with your parents. If you have no other attachment to someone else, and you feel peace that it is the Lord’s will to discuss with me regarding your wants for your future family and the possibility of marriage, please let me know, and also provide me with your phone number so that I may ask your parents’ permission to discuss these matters with you, and I suppose I’ll need to tell them a little about myself before they’ll feel comfortable with me. My one desire is a marriage and family that brings glory and honor to my Lord, and it seems that you are someone who is committed to serving Him with all you are. So, if you would like to discuss this with me, please let me know. If you are already attached to someone else, or just don’t feel at peace about this, that’s fine too. I have enjoyed getting to know you a little, and certainly won’t let your decision affect that friendship! Just take it before the Lord, and through His Spirit and the guiding influence of Godly parents, obediently follow what He shows you is His path for you.”
What was the reaction in our living room? Dad and mom were in tears. Justy was excitedly laughing and Jon was holding back laughter. I sat big-eyed and near tears. For some time, my family had been sleuthing out Nathan, unbeknownst to me! They had been researching him through posts he posted on homesteading and through his dad’s blog. Just checking him out to make sure no “weirdo” was writing me. I prayed about Dad contacting Nathan for two days. One night, I even lost sleep, as did my mom and Justin. The same thing happened the next night. On Wednesday at about 3:00 p.m., the Lord gave me the thought, IF he isn’t what your husband should be, he is not your husband. What were my requirements you ask? He must have fire for the Lord, be bold, truthful, burdened for the lost, loves children (and would not use birth control), have an adventure beard, a warrior, have room for my goats, be prepared for a family (stable), would love and cherish me for who I am…etc. I had made out a list last fall of requirements for a hubby. In November of 07?, the LORD had given me PERFECT peace about being single. For years, I had cried out to the Lord and said, “Why am I not married? Is there no one for me?” I would give God my burden, and then after a while (a week maybe ), snatch it back up and place that burden on myself again! This past November, I had perfect peace- sweet peace…that is, until Nathan e-mailed Feb. 19 about pursuing the Lord’s will…ha.
I shared with my mom my thought from the Lord, and then I shared with Dad. On Thursday, Dad called Nathan, and then on Saturday morning, dad went to Nelson, VA (2 hours away) to meet and get to know Nathan. As Dad left his home that evening, Nathan asked if it would be okay to discuss more serious marriage matters with me, and Dad gave his consent. Sunday morning Nathan sent me an e-mail. On Sunday evening, we went back and forth by e-mail on topics like child training, marriage, birth control, what he wanted in a wife and what I wanted in a husband. We were able to share what we stood on as convictions without fear of stepping on toes or offending each other. I would ask him questions without giving my input. He would respond back with MY answer! Sunday night at about 7:00 p.m., our e-mails were crossing, and it was getting confusing, so Dad said he could call me. We talked on the phone for the first time. I asked him his stand on a few questions, and then we discussed what was going on. He shared he had been “sleuthing” me out for a few months on the board. Keeping an eye on what I posted and what I said and praying for the Lord to reveal His will in all this. When he found my link to my blog on my post, he checked that out too. We talked a little more and then he ended the conversation with prayer that the Lord would give us a sign. We would keeping discussing by email, and he would call me the upcoming weekend. Inside me, I knew already that this was it. My family is VERY tight knit. I love them all so dearly, and although I had desired for years to be married, I was afraid to leave my family. As Nathan told me on the phone, “I will get back to you this weekend and see what the Lord has said.”, I was thinking…”Good! I’ve got a few more days with my family!” Selfish ol’ me! I had been very guarded in my e-mails, using terms like, “if I marry”, “my husband”, etc. I had a wall up around me and was trying very carefully to make sure I didn’t get involved with Nathan emotionally. By Monday afternoon, I had peace and realized I was stalling and just afraid of leaving my family. I told Mom as we pruned apple trees, “I know this is the Lord’s will…now what? ” As we went into the house, I said, “I love Nathan for who he is and what he stands for. I love him like a friend. I love him because of who he is and what he stands for….does that make sense?” That night , we went back and forth by email, and I allowed the wall I had built around my heart be knocked down. I started to LOVE Nathan not only for what he stood for, but I had a true, pure, genuine love for him. It was not a “puppy love”or infatuation. I can’t explain it. I just knew I loved him purely and genuinely. We stayed up until 11:00 p.m., going back and forth (my family was around me the entire time…laughing at our replies and getting excited!). Tuesday, I woke up to an email sitting in my box (YAHOO!). It was 7:00 a.m.(I had been awake since 4:30am!) and we started writing back and forth. At 7:38 a.m., Nathan asked me two questions:

1. When can I come and visit you?
2. Will you marry me?

To make an extremely long and adventurous story short… Nathan and I started courting on February 24th and were engaged on the February 26 at 7:38am. We met in person for the first time on the 28th, two days after he proposed. He did propose to me in person that Thursday in my goat yard on bended knee, and then he asked me in front of my mom while she snapped some pictures later that day! This is my testimony of God’s goodness. There is a lot I have left out, like how God has been preparing me for years to be Nathan’s wife. All the little instances and circumstances that the Lord has used to make me ready have been numerous. I feel totally unworthy of this great thing that the Lord has brought about! Of ourselves, neither Nathan or I could have orchestrated it! It’s been amazing to see God’s hand upon our lives, to see His will be shown to us and to be struck by the awe of the Lord for all the things HE has brought to pass!

Jessica Terry (soon to be Mrs. Jessica Black) is 22 years old and lives in VA. Her beloved Nathan refers to her as “his little wifee to be”.
Notice in the picture, Nathan’s “adventure beard” that Jessica had on her husband wish list. God is so faithful, even in the details! Visit Jessica’s blog to read updates. The wedding is set for April 2008.

*RECOMMENDED READING*

The Hope Chest
By: Rebekah Wilson

This book is a sweet reminder of our purpose as women in a world (and many churches) full of feminism. It has lots of wonderful tips. I read it years ago after beginning my own hope chest. It was a beautiful confirmation from God to me. No one had told me to start a hope chest, but I had always desired to! Isn’t it amazing how God dreams His dreams for us in our hearts if we allow Him to?! If you do not have a hope chest, I would encourage you to begin one. It doesn’t have to be an expensive chest. It can be a cardboard box! It is what is inside that matters most.

*CHALLENGE*

Read Titus 2:3-5. Make a list of the character traits found in this “Titus 2 woman”. Look each one up in a dictionary or better yet, find the original Greek or Hebrew translation and write the meaning beside each word on your list. Ask yourself, “Am I living the life of the Godly woman described in Titus 2?? God will be faithful to show you areas that need change if you ask Him, and are willing to allow Him to change your heart.

It has been a blessing to be God’s instrument in putting this little issue of Watching for the Morning together for you. I pray you are encouraged, challenged, and strengthened in your walk with the Lord, as well as your journey of “radical waiting”, for those who wait on Him shall not be ashamed! Your God, who is forever faithful is always working! Enjoy this beautiful season!

Until He Returns,

Candace