The PF Women Team at our Annual Team Retreat ~ 2018 Today on Seth Godin's blog, he said: It's tempting to decide to make a profit first, then invest in training, people, facilities, promotion, customer service and most of all, doing important work. In general, though, it goes the other way. Yes, it does. If you are waiting to make a profit before you do these things, in my experience you're not going to make a profit. So many organizations, ministries and churches are struggling with financial issues. I know your pain. As anyone who follows our story knows, our ministry was in a ton of debt four years ago when I came on as director. Since that time, we've gotten out of debt and turned a profit every year. God has done amazing things through out team, for which we give Him the glory! I find that what Seth is saying here is absolutely true, with one disclaimer. For Christian leaders, spiritual disciplines must always be first. Before we started i...
What a moron he is. I hate the devil. And I love Jesus with all my heart and nothing is stopping me from fulfilling His call on my life.
Get ready for a Holy Ghost outpouring, because I'm telling you something AMAZING is going to happen in Africa this week!!!! Get ready for a RIDICULOUS harvest!!! Talk about crazy stuff...the enemy pulled anything and everything to keep me from this trip.
We arrived at Tampa airport for our first flight to JFK on Tuesday and were immediately told the flight was cancelled. At first they said they would not be able to get us a flight at all until Thursday, out of Tampa. We had favor with a very kind lady named Carmen at American Airlines who helped us and got us tickets from Miami. She booked us through with British Airways for the next two flights and we headed to London.
Once we got to London they seemed puzzled to see us at the desk. Apparently America Airlines had taken all the money for our flights and left BA with none, causing a hold up in our flight so that we made it right in the nick of time. Again, we had favor at the last minute. AA released the funds literally minutes before we needed to board. Lots of people were praying us through so we could get on that plane. We are so grateful.
This morning we started boarding our flight for Nairobi...our last flight. We were so excited. I actually went through the gate and started boarding the plane and Becca was right behind me and then an attendant came and got me and said, "you need to come with me..." and she asked to see my passport again. Upon looking at it she said, "I can't let y ou get on this flight." I truly expected Ashton Kutcher to come popping out and tell me I had been punked. Seriously. I thought, "THIS. CANNOT. BE. HAPPENING..." Why in the world? She explained there was a problem with the expiration date on my passport. Now mind you, IT HAS NOT EXPIRED!!!! It has MONTHS on it, and I already have a return ticket to the USA on Tuesday!! However, they pulled me out of line for that and said I needed to stay in London and get another passport. I thought I was going to PASS OUT. But I did hold it together while they were giving me the info on what I needed to do...leave the airport...take the train...go to the embassy and ask for an emergency p passport. All the while they were wishing me luck saying that it's horrible to go through this and the embassy people are not very helpful. We were shell shocked walking away from the gate. We got on an elevator and about 15 members of a flight crew -- pilots and flight attendants were crammed on there and I said, "what are the chances of me getting a passport today?" and I'm not kidding...they uproariously laughed!! I waited until I got down the hall away from them to start crying, and kept it to about 30 seconds. Then I pulled it together and said, "okay, okay, okay Becca...let's pull it together, call the prayer warriors and get to the embassy..."
Becca was fantastic at helping me figure things out and navigate, the trains we needed to take, flagging down cabs, and everything else. She was such a trooper! I am so proud of her. Once we got to the embassy they wouldn't let her come in. I was freaked by that. I didn't want her alone. I made her swear she wouldn't move from the doorway to the embassy. She waited right outside. They wouldn't let me bring any of my belongings in and even took my cell phone and EVERYTHING besides my ID and money and made her wait outside while I went in to be questioned, take an oath (YES I'M SERIOUS!!! A flippin oath!!! What is this, the MILITARY?!!) and wait for them to give me an answer. Even after I paid they still said there was no guarantee. Finally they granted me a temporary emergency passport. [huge sign of relief here...]
Let me tell you I didn't so much as even snap at anybody and kept a Christlike attitude but inside I was a little miffed being that I'm Ms. Organized and not kidding when I say that in preparation for this trip I had read the ENTIRE American Airlines AND British Air websites, rules and regulations!!! I don't like to leave any stone unturned. I read ALL the updates about everything. Somehow this passport thing didn't make the list of things they update people about. My missionary friend and host Barb Kuert callled and reassured me...said we'd flow with our new schedule when arriving in Africa...also said my going through this was a wake up call for them because they didn't know and have some missionaries who have passports expiring in a few months and need to take care of this NOW so it doesn't happen to them either.
So, after I had a passport in hand and two new flights for tomorrow morning (Thursday) booked with BA, I said, "come on girl, WE ARE PARTYING LIKE IT'S 2999!!! We are going to get double for our trouble and make the enemy pay back for all the hell he gave us today." My husband helped by booking us a hotel at the Airport Renaissance, and Becca and I headed to lunch at a quaint little pub where we ate meatpies and looked out over the beautiful city. I asked the guards at the embassy to tell us where to eat. I said, "this has been one of the most challenging days of my life. I don't want bad food. We need some comfort right now so point us to the best place to eat in this vicinity" and they did. Then we did an open air bus tour of all the sights -- Big Ben, Buckingham Palace and all the London sights. We saw all that we could within four hours until the tours closed. Then we headed to a quaint little cafe for dinner, and bought two t-shirts so we wouldn't have to sleep naked tonight. :) Yes, I'm serious. There was no way we were wearing these grungy clothes from the last two flights and this tour all day and no way we were wearing nothing. We both have a change of clothes in our carryon and everything we need to get cleaned up and dressed for the next two days to "survive" til' we get to Africa. But somehow PJ's missed the list.
Our flight leaves at 10:25 am London time (five hours ahead of USA time). We will arrive in Africa late evening their time. It will be time to go to bed, bet some sleep, and get up and start preaching first thing the next morning, five times in a row the next 3 days. Please pray:
1) That we actually board our flight and take off, on time, with NO DELAYS OR DISTRACTIONS OR HINDRANCES!
2) That we get some rest. I have to start ministering immediately when I get there and have no adjustment time.
3) That God shows up and shows off! Something big is going to happen...after all the hell I've been through the last few months, with every demon in hell trying to stop me from taking this trip and then what has happened with our travel this time, I KNOW God has an amazing plan!!!
4) Pray that our bags arrive when we do. I have things in the suitcases for the conference for these precious folks and we need to deliver them. In particular I had a few hundred vials of anointing oil for the leadership there and need them for a special service. I could not carry them on board because they are liquid. These are for a very special ceremony. We have props and things for the service, and we REALLY need them.
By the way, I don't have time to chronicle it now...my battery is almost gone however, we had several divine appointments while on planes and waiting in the airport! Of course! Because we believed we would!
Thanks for standing with us in prayer...we love you more than words can say. I'll write more again when I can. xoxoxoxoxo a thousand times to all who are standing in the gap...
Get ready for a Holy Ghost outpouring, because I'm telling you something AMAZING is going to happen in Africa this week!!!! Get ready for a RIDICULOUS harvest!!! Talk about crazy stuff...the enemy pulled anything and everything to keep me from this trip.
We arrived at Tampa airport for our first flight to JFK on Tuesday and were immediately told the flight was cancelled. At first they said they would not be able to get us a flight at all until Thursday, out of Tampa. We had favor with a very kind lady named Carmen at American Airlines who helped us and got us tickets from Miami. She booked us through with British Airways for the next two flights and we headed to London.
Once we got to London they seemed puzzled to see us at the desk. Apparently America Airlines had taken all the money for our flights and left BA with none, causing a hold up in our flight so that we made it right in the nick of time. Again, we had favor at the last minute. AA released the funds literally minutes before we needed to board. Lots of people were praying us through so we could get on that plane. We are so grateful.
This morning we started boarding our flight for Nairobi...our last flight. We were so excited. I actually went through the gate and started boarding the plane and Becca was right behind me and then an attendant came and got me and said, "you need to come with me..." and she asked to see my passport again. Upon looking at it she said, "I can't let y ou get on this flight." I truly expected Ashton Kutcher to come popping out and tell me I had been punked. Seriously. I thought, "THIS. CANNOT. BE. HAPPENING..." Why in the world? She explained there was a problem with the expiration date on my passport. Now mind you, IT HAS NOT EXPIRED!!!! It has MONTHS on it, and I already have a return ticket to the USA on Tuesday!! However, they pulled me out of line for that and said I needed to stay in London and get another passport. I thought I was going to PASS OUT. But I did hold it together while they were giving me the info on what I needed to do...leave the airport...take the train...go to the embassy and ask for an emergency p passport. All the while they were wishing me luck saying that it's horrible to go through this and the embassy people are not very helpful. We were shell shocked walking away from the gate. We got on an elevator and about 15 members of a flight crew -- pilots and flight attendants were crammed on there and I said, "what are the chances of me getting a passport today?" and I'm not kidding...they uproariously laughed!! I waited until I got down the hall away from them to start crying, and kept it to about 30 seconds. Then I pulled it together and said, "okay, okay, okay Becca...let's pull it together, call the prayer warriors and get to the embassy..."
Becca was fantastic at helping me figure things out and navigate, the trains we needed to take, flagging down cabs, and everything else. She was such a trooper! I am so proud of her. Once we got to the embassy they wouldn't let her come in. I was freaked by that. I didn't want her alone. I made her swear she wouldn't move from the doorway to the embassy. She waited right outside. They wouldn't let me bring any of my belongings in and even took my cell phone and EVERYTHING besides my ID and money and made her wait outside while I went in to be questioned, take an oath (YES I'M SERIOUS!!! A flippin oath!!! What is this, the MILITARY?!!) and wait for them to give me an answer. Even after I paid they still said there was no guarantee. Finally they granted me a temporary emergency passport. [huge sign of relief here...]
Let me tell you I didn't so much as even snap at anybody and kept a Christlike attitude but inside I was a little miffed being that I'm Ms. Organized and not kidding when I say that in preparation for this trip I had read the ENTIRE American Airlines AND British Air websites, rules and regulations!!! I don't like to leave any stone unturned. I read ALL the updates about everything. Somehow this passport thing didn't make the list of things they update people about. My missionary friend and host Barb Kuert callled and reassured me...said we'd flow with our new schedule when arriving in Africa...also said my going through this was a wake up call for them because they didn't know and have some missionaries who have passports expiring in a few months and need to take care of this NOW so it doesn't happen to them either.
So, after I had a passport in hand and two new flights for tomorrow morning (Thursday) booked with BA, I said, "come on girl, WE ARE PARTYING LIKE IT'S 2999!!! We are going to get double for our trouble and make the enemy pay back for all the hell he gave us today." My husband helped by booking us a hotel at the Airport Renaissance, and Becca and I headed to lunch at a quaint little pub where we ate meatpies and looked out over the beautiful city. I asked the guards at the embassy to tell us where to eat. I said, "this has been one of the most challenging days of my life. I don't want bad food. We need some comfort right now so point us to the best place to eat in this vicinity" and they did. Then we did an open air bus tour of all the sights -- Big Ben, Buckingham Palace and all the London sights. We saw all that we could within four hours until the tours closed. Then we headed to a quaint little cafe for dinner, and bought two t-shirts so we wouldn't have to sleep naked tonight. :) Yes, I'm serious. There was no way we were wearing these grungy clothes from the last two flights and this tour all day and no way we were wearing nothing. We both have a change of clothes in our carryon and everything we need to get cleaned up and dressed for the next two days to "survive" til' we get to Africa. But somehow PJ's missed the list.
Our flight leaves at 10:25 am London time (five hours ahead of USA time). We will arrive in Africa late evening their time. It will be time to go to bed, bet some sleep, and get up and start preaching first thing the next morning, five times in a row the next 3 days. Please pray:
1) That we actually board our flight and take off, on time, with NO DELAYS OR DISTRACTIONS OR HINDRANCES!
2) That we get some rest. I have to start ministering immediately when I get there and have no adjustment time.
3) That God shows up and shows off! Something big is going to happen...after all the hell I've been through the last few months, with every demon in hell trying to stop me from taking this trip and then what has happened with our travel this time, I KNOW God has an amazing plan!!!
4) Pray that our bags arrive when we do. I have things in the suitcases for the conference for these precious folks and we need to deliver them. In particular I had a few hundred vials of anointing oil for the leadership there and need them for a special service. I could not carry them on board because they are liquid. These are for a very special ceremony. We have props and things for the service, and we REALLY need them.
By the way, I don't have time to chronicle it now...my battery is almost gone however, we had several divine appointments while on planes and waiting in the airport! Of course! Because we believed we would!
Thanks for standing with us in prayer...we love you more than words can say. I'll write more again when I can. xoxoxoxoxo a thousand times to all who are standing in the gap...
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