Sunshine or Rain / Mrs Geri Jean Sanderson

Mrs Geri Jean Sanderson

Pastor's Wife

First Baptist Church

Troy, IL

Sunshine or Rain

Sunshine lifts your spirit. Sunshine is bright. Sunshine is warm. Sunshine makes you smile. Sunshine helps things grow. Sunshine makes you want to get things done.

Rain is dreary. Rain makes you sleepy. Rain gets you wet. Rain messes up your hair. You don’t want to do much on a raining day. Don’t get me wrong rain is needed and it is enjoyable to watch, but it is different than sunshine.

When I think of sunshine I think of edifying. I want to be the sunshine in someone's life not rain.

I fail often on being sunshine but I want to try everyday to do better. The verse that God keeps bringing back to me in the last couple of months is Ephesians 4:29 “Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers.” Am I edifying and bringing sunshine to others, or do I bring weariness with my words and actions? Sometimes I will ask my husband, “why do you love me?” He will respond, “I love your smile.” I am not always smiling or happy, but he does love when I am.

It was brought to my attention recently, and I consider it a good thought. We all have met someone who has gone to a group session to get help with alcohol, weight, divorce, etc…. In these groups they sit in a circle and share one at a time there struggles and achievements. The leaders always say thank you for sharing and then move to the next person. What if we did this in our homes and churches? When people share good or bad could we just edify? Edifying means to build up. Edifying is not trying to fix people with all your great advice. When people share good, rejoice with them. When people share bad, say, “thank you for sharing, I will be praying for you.” Be a cheerleader! That’s alright! that’s okay! We’re gonna win anyway!! Make Edifying Moments with people. Ephesians 4:32 “And be you kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.”

Are you a blessing a little blessing? Do you make someone happy when skies are gray? Do you know how much you can love someone? Be a blessing of sunshine today!

I AM / Mrs Rachel Rudd

Mrs Rachel Rudd

Pastor's Wife

Cottonwood Valley Baptist Church

Hillsboro, KS

I AM

Exodus 3:14 And God said unto Moses, I Am that I Am: and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I Am hath sent me unto you. I remember clearly, as a child, really grasping the meaning of I AM!!  I had heard that verse many times but never really understood the full impact of I AM!!  I AM…whatever you need!!  Wow!!  As a parent there are things I can not give my child. I can not give my child complete peace. I can make their home peaceful but that doesn't give them complete peace. Only our Heavenly Father can do that!  John 14:27 “Peace I leave with you, my PEACE I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.”  This is one of my favorite verses!  We all have fears. But I AM can give us full complete peace!  Another thing I can not give my children is healing. When my children are sick, there is nothing I want more than to be able to heal them. But I don't have that ability!  But our Lord~I AM~does!! Psalms 103:1-3.  “Bless the Lord, O my soul: and all that is within me, bless his holy name.  Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits: Who forgiveth all thine iniquities; who healeth all thy diseases;” There are so many things that I AM is!  He is our joy~ 1 John 1:3-4 That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ. And these things write we unto you, that your JOY may be full. He is our foundation~ Psalms 18:2 The Lord is my ROCK, and my FORTRESS, and my DELIVERER; my GOD, my STRENGTH, in whom I will trust… He is our salvation~ John 14:6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the WAY, the TRUTH, and the LIFE: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. But most of all, HE is my Lord and Saviour!!

Robert & Joy Murillo Family Missionary Letter

Thank you for praying! We want to thank you for praying for my wife, Joy.  Praise the Lord her mammogram and blood test came back without any cancer threat.  She had been in treatments almost every day for 3 months with alternative medicine.

Our Family Conference

In May God blessed our Family Conference with 50 pastors, evangelist, and missionaries.  The Lord worked in many of the families and marriages.  Thank you to those who payed for a Pastor and his wife to attend our marriage retreat. The Sunday after our conference I had worn myself down and had to be taken to the hospital.  My kidneys reached an all-time low and caused me to be anemic.  I had to take 9 shots of iron and I.V.’s of vitamins for several weeks.

Invest in This Ministry

A new church plant In June we had a group of Bible students from Mexico City come to help start a new church across town. Our young men joined them, and they saw 774 saved and had to have two church services with about 200 in attendance.  They also had another 262 saved in Bible clubs near our church.

This month we were able to take about 18 of our people to our neighboring state, Michoacán, for a conference. We all went out soul winning and the Lord gave me 10 saved personally with 1 man as my visitor in church. Praise the Lord! Our church secretary also had a lady and her children in church as well.

OUR 30TH ANNIVERSARY    I thank the Lord that on July 20, 2017, my wife and I will have been married for 30 years.  We had planned a special event, but had to cancel with all the expenses for our medical treatments.  Praise the Lord a dear lady has said she will provide for a 2-day get away for Joy and me.

Thank you for your prayers for our health, and thank you for your support throughout the years.                                         Yours for souls,                                         Robert & Joy Murillo & Family

"For David's Sake" / Mrs Bo Roloson

Mrs Bo Roloson

Pastor's Wife

“For David's Sake”

And he walked in all the sins of his father, which he had done before him: and his heart was not perfect with the LORD his God, as the heart of David his father. Nevertheless for David's sake did the LORD his God give him a lamp in Jerusalem, to set up his son after him, and to establish Jerusalem: 1Kings 15:3-4

 I was reading this passage while in college and was immediately struck by the phrase, “for David's sake,” which is mentioned 10 times in the Bible.  At the time, I was thinking about how I could make a difference in the lives of those who would come after me.  But in recent years, I began to think about me and about how I came to where I am.

 I often think about how I became a Christian and how God worked in my life to bring me to Hyles-Anderson College. I can clearly see the Lord's hand in my life.  I am a first generation Christian. I didn't have anyone in my lineage that paid a price for me to be a Christian, or did I?  

 I recently visited my grandmother when my grandfather passed away. My grandparents had lived on the 38th parallel in Korea.  At that time, it was still one country.  They had suffered through the Japanese occupation, which  was demoralizing, only to have to endure the Korean conflict.  My grandmother suffered the loss of several babies.  She sold much of her jewelry and precious things to bribe the soldiers from harming them.  My grandfather was given the job of burying the corpses, some of which were his friends.  My mother spoke of how she was often so hungry, that she would eat the beetles in the rice paddies.  There were times when they had to flee their home and hide in caves in the mountains.  Understandably, I cannot speak of all the atrocities that were inflicted upon them. Afterward, they lost their land, their house, their heritage, and their families.  They received no compensation for anything, but instead, were forced to migrate to Seoul.  They had been farmers, with a very successful plantation.  Living in the city was absolutely foreign to them. But they didn't give up on living or on each other.  They worked multiple jobs, until they were able to immigrate to America.  At the passing of my grandfather, they had been married for over 70 years.  Life was not easy, but quitting was not in their vocabulary.

 I knew bits and pieces of their lives as I was growing up, but truthfully, they were just facts.  Only as I have gotten older have I realized the incredible price that they paid.  How could I ever complain about anything that was bad in my life?  How could I ever thank them enough?  They didn't know that I would become a Christian.  But they did intend to give my family a better life.  (After coming to America, they were both saved.)  

 My grandmother is 90 years old and as feisty as ever.  She told me at the funeral that all she wanted for me is to love the Lord and be happy.  They endured so much.  And somehow the Lord used that to bring me to where I am. Had they given up at any time, I don't know that I'd be where I am today.

 Certainly, my grandparents' story is not unique, but it is MY heritage.  It makes viewing life so differently.  I am very blessed to be a child of God.  I have a wonderful and loving husband.  There are five kiddos who call me mom, for which I am very grateful.  And they had a great part in it.  Knowing what they have endured has fueled my resolve to serve the Lord with a greater vigor.  Prayerfully, the Lord will allow me to be used in such a way to make a difference for the future generation.  

Thank you to the aged! / Ms Sara Oprzedek

Ms Sara Oprzedek

1st & 2nd Grade Teacher

Northwest Bible Baptist Church

Elgin, IL

"Thank you to the aged!"

Titus 2:3-5

3 "The aged women likewise, that they be in behaviour as becometh holiness, not false accusers, not given to much wine, teachers of good things;

4 That they may teach the young women to be sober, to love their husbands, to love their children,

5 To be discreet, chaste, keepers at home, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God be not blasphemed."

Have you ever heard a preacher preach on the aged women teaching the younger women in the church? Yes? So have I ;) I have been in my church for 27 years... plus 9 months in the womb. Every time this message is preached, it reminds me of how good God is to have put me in this ministry with a wonderful group of "aged women". If there are any "aged women" out there that are wondering if you are making a difference... the answer is YES!!! I would like to take a moment and speak on behalf of the younger women. THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU! From the moment I was born, I had an amazing group of ladies teaching me in the nursery. Though I don't remember every lesson, you taught me the right attire for church, how to sit still for service and pay attention, how to be kind to the other children, etc. As I grew older, I went to our Christian school. Again, I was surrounded by godly women who prayed for me and lead me in the right direction. The education I received was outstanding. They pushed me past what I thought I could handle... preparing me for real life :) After I graduated from high school, I went to Providence Baptist College to become a teacher. My desire was to give back what the "aged women" had invested in me. I now have been teaching for 5 years and still have many women cheering me on, ready to help in any way they can. So if there are any "aged women" that want to quit and give up on the ministry, PLEASE don't! I am a product of you, and still need you. Someday I hope to get married and have children, and there will be more questions to come. 😊

Response or Reaction / Mrs Hannah Flaugher

Mrs Hannah Flaugher

Assistant Pastor's Wife

New Hope Baptist Church

Independence, MO

Response or Reaction

My hubby and I have been married for a wonderful 6 years, and 5 months. Before marriage, I often heard married ladies talk about how it takes time to learn each other: Dislikes, likes, habits, routines etc. Although, I never really put much thought into that, until after I was  well into our first couple months of marriage.  By nature, I am a really strong leader, and have trouble following. Even if I know it’s the best way. I’ve always been a strong leader, and have never enjoyed listening to someone “directing” me. I don’t want to start listing all my faults, but at the beginning of our marriage, I truly did struggle with submission, and following my hubby. I didn’t realize just how much it really was a problem, until my Dad heard me reacting with a snotty, rotten attitude to my husband, rather than responding with a submissive spirit. The Lord used my Dad that night to lovingly jerk a knot in my tail, regarding how I had been treating my husband. I SO needed that. My Dad explained to me that, when my husband asks me to do something, no matter how small I think it might be, my husband has trusted me with that task! I started thinking about the virtuous woman, and how her husband trusted her with different things. Proverbs 31:11 “The heart of her husband doth safely trust in her, so that he shall have no need of spoil.” It was such a wakeup call. I took that night as a kind of “starting over” point. I made it right with my heavenly Father, and then with my sweet hubby. I felt so refreshed, not having that tension between my hubby and I.  Submission is such an important piece to having a harmonious, God honoring marriage. (I Peter 3:1-5) (Eph. 5:22-33) Colossians 3:18 - Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as it is fit in the Lord. The word “fit” means appropriate, right, proper. It’s what the Lord commands of us wives. It’s not a suggestion. Many times I have just wanted to burst out with all the reasons why I may not have done as he asked. As a young mother of 3, stay at home Mom, piano teacher, Assistant Pastors wife… I could very well just react and say, “Don’t you know I’ve been busy with our 3 kids all day?!? Don’t you realize I didn’t even get a shower today because the kids have been so crazy?! I’ve been doing my piano lessons all day, and I was just too tired! A very un-heartfelt, snarky Sorry! Those are excuses that would fit into my current station in life, but, if you try, I’m sure you can think of some excuses that would fit you. I understand, things happen, and things slip our minds. But, if that does happen, and your hubby comes to you upset about the situation, a soft answer, wrapped with a submissive spirit, can so quickly change the distressed heart of your hubby. I want to be part of a marriage that is full of joy, happiness, love, rest… Not a marriage that is packed with feelings of tension, bitterness, animosity.  I so want the blessing of the Lord on our marriage. I want to have a marriage that our children can look back at, and remember that God was honored. There are so many different parts to submission. This is the part that the Lord has been speaking to me about this past week.