Have you ever struggled to believe in the value of your contribution to your ministry as a mom? This feeling will certainly differ widely among us for many reasons, but from my experience, even though I believe our whole family is called to ministry, once I finish devoting my necessary time and energy to my family, there is not a whole lot left over to pour out elsewhere, meaning that this issue has crossed my mind many times. Some older mothers have told me that it gets easier as kids get older, and from others I have heard that this is not the case. Whatever the future may hold, I know that with 3 kids ages six and under, our normal family life is busy and tiring.

Though I wholeheartedly believe that my first priority aside from abiding in Christ is to love and serve my family, as I’ve wrestled with the issue of my own personal role in ministry, I’ve become convinced that God has me here in Russia for a specific reason. Yes, probably the majority of that reason for now is to support my husband and raise my kids, but I think He has other special things here prepared for me specifically to do too!

By the simple fact that we do not live life in a vacuum but are surrounded by others in community, whether or not we have a big visible ministry responsibility, we have been given gifts and opportunities and people in our lives to purposefully invest in.  I believe that God planned and placed each of us exactly where we are for special and unique purposes.

Some of us might have official ministry roles, and some of us might have a quieter daily-life ministry of keeping our eyes open to the needs around us and looking for open doors to share Christ with friends and neighbors and shopkeepers, etc., but the fact is, we are all ambassadors for Christ! You have been entrusted with vital ministry designed just for you (or you for it), whether or not you get a paycheck with your name on it or ever organize any sort of formal event.

I think it is so important to remember that, yes, we’ve been called as a family unit to our ministries, but also very much so  as individuals to be His ambassadors wherever in the world that we are.  But do you ever find it hard to believe that you are actually contributing much of consequence? All sorts of little lies love to try to plant themselves in my mind along those lines. Things like, “You have such little time, how is anything that you have the time or energy for going to make any sort of difference?” or “With your language abilities, how are they ever going to hear the gospel fully, let alone have their hardest questions answered?” and so on.

Over the past few years, the story of Jesus feeding the 5,000 has taken on such dear significance to me. I feel like that is exactly what my ministry outside of my home is like at this life stage. I am that kid, with an inconsequential little sack lunch that on its own could do nothing to satisfy the appetites of that overwhelming crowd. But we all know this story so well! In Jesus’ economy, 5 loaves and 2 fishes means a filling meal for 5,000 men, plus even more women and children, and left overs for tomorrow! Why should I let the size of my offering prevent me from giving it to Jesus in faith?

I fully believe that God has given us just enough to offer back to Him to equate to nothing short of a miracle.  We may see results right away, or we may wait a lifetime and never know what was accomplished by our efforts, but we must never forget stories like the feeding of the five thousand, as well beautiful promise like this from God’s word:

“For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven
and do not return there but water the earth,
making it bring forth and sprout,
giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater,
so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth;
it shall not return to me empty,
but it shall accomplish that which I purpose,
and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it.”

Isaiah 55:10-11

God can use us to accomplish the miraculous if we humbly yet faithfully give our small offerings to Him by seeking to love our neighbors both in word and deed. The only way we cannot be fruitful is to keep our offering to ourselves, believing them too insignificant for God to use.

How have you felt about your personal call to ministry as a mother? Do you ever struggle with whether or not you are able to contribute anything of worth? What is one thing this week that you can do to offer a fish or loaf to Jesus? Be encouraged friends, God desires to work in great ways through YOU!!!

(Post by: Ashley)

Phyllis in Ukraine made the great suggestion on my food-poisoning pseudo Tuesday Topic a couple of weeks back that we share what we’ve each learned about tummy troubles. It certainly is a common thing when living overseas! Have you figured out anything in particular about avoiding tummy issues (food poisoning or otherwise) and/or how to deal with it when you are stuck with such issues? And don’t be shy to wow us all with your most spectacular food poisoning story!

(If you would like to pose a “Tuesday Topic” question, please email it to formissionarymoms@gmail.com . Provide your blog address if you would like to be linked to, and specify also if you would like to remain anonymous. Thanks!)

How do children become good readers? By reading and being read to! It is important to have a rich home library full of “living” books; that is, books that are so engaging that you and your child will not want to put them down. These are not textbooks which list dates and such, but whole books which tell the stories of real people and their real lives. Here “real” can also mean fictional characters such as Alice in Wonderland and Dorothy Gale. Living books are written by one primary author, and that person has such a passion for their subject that it can be seen in the way the book is written.

Here are some general guideline about book selection:

• Look for books with godly characters and lessons being learned. Avoid “twaddle” or as Charlotte Mason would describe, books that have been dumb-downed to a “child’s level” and in the process all the good stuff taken out. Examples would include the “Great Children’s Classics” adaptation of classic novels. While these may be at a younger child’s reading level, usually the meat of the story or character has been removed.
• Avoid book adaptations of children’s movies like Disney movies. Not to say that all these books are labeled “bad” but there are more worthy books out there so save your money. Go for the original Little Mermaid and Snow White stories rather than the Disney-fied version.
• Look for books, chapter and picture, which bear the seals of awards like the Newbery (author) and Caldecott (illustrator) medals. Here is a website with lists of the various honored books.
• Consider your children’s reading level and challenge it. Here is a good site with grade level lists of books. Consider also that children will absorb whatever is read to them, so you can read much higher “levels” to them and it will still be beneficial.
• Ask your Grandma! If the books she enjoyed as a child are still in print, they’re probably worthwhile.

Here are some ideas for building up your home library. These may be difficult in countries other than the U.S., but f you are on furlough, this can be prime “library-building” time (as if you don’t have enough to do!). Please share your ideas in the comments!

• Scour thrift stores- I love going to Goodwill or Value Village and perusing their book aisles. Usually there are buy 3 get 1 free type sales and frequently you may find a golden classical book at a deep discount.
• Library book sales- These kinds of sales are awesome! At my local library these happen about twice a year, but that will vary at different libraries.
• Doctor’s offices, etc- My kids’ pediatrician’s office has a book bin and they welcome patients to take a book. We have picked up several classics like the Little House series.
• Summer programs- Half Price Books has a summer program to encourage reading and rewards children with $3 per week in Half Price Books credit. Last year I signed up my two girls, 5 and 3, and we read and recorded each week, and got $6 per week. We then used it to buy out of the clearance bin where books were priced at less than a dollar. It was a great way to build up our home library for free and my older daughter learned a bit about spending money wisely (getting six $0.50 books or one $3 book).
• Trade with your friends or church- Instead of a clothing swap, have a book swap! Maybe you have two copies of something someone else wants, and vice versa.
• Public school surplus sales- Usually each summer the school district has a sale of all damaged, unused, or otherwise classroom material. My local district’s was open for 4 days and when I went the 3rd day I was the only one and there were tons of books leftover. It was like Disneyland!

I love books! I’m hoping that my children will grow up loving books too.

Do you have any other ideas to share about how you choose what books are allowed to take up precious space in your suitcases?

(Post by: Addie)

From Noelle in Kenya:  What Bible verse has strengthened or encouraged you the most during your time as a missionary mom? I have had chronic tummy problems since moving overseas, and am looking for some perspective and encouragement from God’s Word. Thanks!

(If you would like to pose a “Tuesday Topic” question, please email it to formissionarymoms@gmail.com . Provide your blog address if you would like to be linked to, and specify also if you would like to remain anonymous. Thanks!)

I am guessing that many of you are more natural evangelists than I am, but perhaps this might be an encouraging idea for those of you who very much desire to be always sharing the good news about Jesus but wish you were more naturally gifted in this way.

One thing that has given me a wide open door to the gospel with nearly every friend who has sat in my kitchen for tea for the past year is a simple project that my daughter and I did to help her memorize John 3:16. I didn’t realize at the time that this little project would end up giving me so many opportunities to share about our God who so loved the world that he gave his only son with those who do not yet believe in him.

I had originally planned to keep the project up for a couple of weeks as we usually do with projects, but after seeing what a great conversation starter it was, I decided that it is here to stay awhile.

I anticipate stumbling upon a new helpful ministry tool for myself when we made this little project, but it got me to thinking about how helpful and it is to have conversation pieces in our homes. These are things that will catch people’s eye as they are welcomed for tea or a meal and will give us an opportunity to share about the love of Christ. Your conversation piece might not be a kid’s art project with a Bible verse on it, but perhaps a more sophisticated piece of art that that can’t help but be noticed. I am sure many of you are more creative than I am and could come up with all sorts of great ideas!  I’d encourage you though, especially if you struggle to find good starting places for spiritual conversations, to make am artistic conversation piece for your home and pray that God will use it to give you more open doors for the gospel.

Do you already have any such conversation pieces in your home? Do you have any creative ideas to share? Do you have any stories about how something in your home has sparked spiritual conversation?

(Post by: Ashley)

From Becka in Ecuador: How do you protect your children from the cultural acceptance of sin?  In particular, my question is in regards to pornography.  In my country, it is very common to find porno calendars hanging on every shop wall.  Any television, at any given time will have women dancing in ways that would still be unacceptable in the US.  It was far easier for me to protect my young boys (and my daughter) from these images while we were will in the US, but here, it is virtually impossible.

(If you would like to pose a “Tuesday Topic” question, please email it to formissionarymoms@gmail.com . Provide your blog address if you would like to be linked to, and specify also if you would like to remain anonymous. Thanks!)

My little girl crawled behind me as I ran into the kitchen to grab a piece of bread to give her for an improvised breakfast. I wanted to keep running—from my own stench. But I supposed I should return to my surprise guests who caught me finishing up an early morning workout.

My 3-year-old son saw the bread and wanted one, too. So, I excused myself again to get one for him, looking longingly at the bathroom—its promise of cleanliness calling out to me.

I returned, and smiled, though the sweat rings were still wet on my t-shirt, and my hair was plastered all greasy and sweaty on my head. I racked my brain for the polite thing to do in this culture. Excuse myself for 10 minutes so I could shower and just hope the kids don’t cry and pound on the bathroom door like they often do? Excuse myself for five minutes to change into the more appropriate long pants and long-sleeved shirt, and run a comb through my hair? Excuse myself for 30 seconds to go scream my embarrassment in a locked room?

But nothing felt right and they didn’t teach me what to do with 7 a.m. visitors in language school. And so I sat in my smelliness, hoping my guests had stuffed noses.

They must not have minded because they stayed for a couple of hours and we had one of the best conversations I’ve had since moving to Indonesia six years ago. Though we differ in our religions, we talked about beliefs and life and struggles and faith.

To be completely honest, even when I get a shower in, I spend my days here messy. Sweaty from the relentless tropical humidity. Covered in spit-up or sticky granola or flour from making bread. Confused at words I don’t yet know. Annoyed at something that goes wrong, then annoyed that I’m annoyed since I really want to face all this with grace.

My kids are sometimes fussy, or rude, or just shy. And I am sometimes fussy, and rude or just shy. And though some cultural stress eases as the years pass, I have managed to counter balance that with extra challenges of having kids, and therefore, multiplying all that mess.

And yet… when I learn to serve out of the messiness and receive the grace I wish I always gave, I live the Gospel Truth in its purest essence. When I open my home up to others, even when dinner is boiling over on the stove, I am demonstrating the importance of relationship over works. When I share my struggles, my own heartbreaks with those whose own souls hurt daily, I show the need we all have for a Heart Healer. When I act from my own sin, then return, humbly seeking forgiveness, I seek what I want to offer others—a second chance…and a third one and a fourth.

And I pray that His aroma overcomes my own stench; His grace shows through my need; and His plan is made perfect despite, and maybe just maybe, through all my messiness.

What does messiness look like in your life? What has it looked like for you to strive to continue to serve from the mess?

Rebecca Hopkins lives in Indonesia with her handsome Mission Aviation Fellowship pilot hubby and two cute kids. She blogs about Living for More in a World of Less at www.borneowife.blogspot.com .

This week I’ve been listening to a radio series on Revive our Hearts called “Daughters of Hope” with guest Michelle Rickett, the author of a book by the same title. I found it so eye opening and encouraging, and was so greatly moved to pray for our sisters in Christ around the world facing persecution that I thought I’d post it here. Each part of the series is only 25 minutes long and there are 4 parts. Likely a number of you friends are working with women in very similar circumstances as those mentioned in these messages.  Here is the description from Revive our Hearts:

Many of your sisters around the world are suffering persecution. They are denied freedom because they are women and because they profess faith in Christ. Hearing their stories will increase your perseverance and inspire your faith.

Let’s be praying for these dear women who are facing so much suffering for their faith!

(Post by: Ashley)

The problem with the pharisees was that they found their righteousness in outward appearances and measurable works. The esteemed themselves with those works and measured themselves by their appearances and the perceptions of onlookers. They did everything extravagantly, noticeably, with such skill and seeming perfection that it earned envy and accolades of the society around.  To be a pharisee was to have reached the pinnacle of righteousness according to that culture. But what Jesus saw was dead, ugly, mis-focused hearts in the center of those extravagant shells, and he rebuked them harshly seeing no true love for God.

I don’t know about you, but I find it very tempting at times to be a pharisee mom. If I really put my mind to it, I can do a lot to make myself look like a really great mom. I can do the right crafts. I can take my kids on awesome outings. I can teach my kids to excel academically and memorize the right answer to Bible trivia. I can slave all day to clean my house before guests come over so that it finds itself in a state of order never before seen by my own family and only to be destroyed within 10 minutes of the guests’ arrival. But first impressions are everything, right? I can do a lot, and sometimes with good motives as of course teaching, and outings, and crafts, and house work etc., are in and of themselves just great.  But I also can find myself tempted and to seek after those accolades and to care more about the external appearances of my motherhood rather than the true state of my heart and the actual impact on my children.

Do any of you struggle with this? It is so much easier and more instantly gratifying to do the things that I can snap photos of and post on a blog than it is to do the things that will eternally impact the hearts of my children. What good is it if I take my kids on some historical outing in St. Petersburg if I am a frustrated and grumpy from the exertion, causing everyone to have a terrible time? I know that what does shine through to them is when I humble myself and agree to read the same beloved Dora the Explorer book (Gasp! Now THAT is NOT quality children’s literature!) for the hundredth time.  Or it is when we just hang out and play ponies or legos instead of making the house look all nice and tidy, or when we talk for a long time about nothing theological or intellectual enough to make a good facebook status, but that still makes my kids feel like I am truly interested in them, etc.  It is also in the times when I admit openly before my kids my own sin and apologize to them, showing them my own weakness, and when I admit to them my own desperate need for God’s transformation in my own life.

I love the internet and all of the amazing and edifying things that we can read on all of the great sites and blogs (Ahem, I blog myself, so hopefully I see the value in it! =) ), but as women, naturally predisposed to comparison, I think we all (speaking to myself here) need to be careful that we don’t go from being encouraged and edified and challenged, to becoming competitive and desirous of looking like the an amazing mom rather than actually being the type of mom that our children and husbands most value and need.

I have found many times that when I do what it takes to look like a “best mom” competitor, I often really am doing it for my own pride, negating it all. When I feel, before God, like I am receiving his approval the most, it is often when I am doing the humble and unnoticeable things that look like nothing special to the world around but yet communicate love, attention, and security to my family.

What does your pharisee mom mode look like? When do you most feel the quiet affirmation from the Lord about your mothering?

(Post by: Ashley)