Again with the beautiful West Virginia summer. The skies are gorgeous blue, almost as deep blue as in October, which almost throws me off as to which month of the year it is when I look up. It is definitely warmer than October!

One thing missing though (and if you’ve been here in the summer, perhaps on a mission trip, you know what I mean): it hasn’t been raining that much lately. This weather is great for painting houses and roofing (which our summer home repair teams do), but if you want green you have to have rain! We live in a northern “rain forest”; we have forests because we have rain. I think I can safely say I rarely grouse about the rain! (In fact, one of Randy’s and my favorite things to do is call to one another, if we hear thunder, to go sit on the porch together! We love thunder and lightning storms.)

It was also rainless in Tennessee when we were there last week. It had been 3 months since I’d last visited my mom so I really wanted to get down there and spend some time with her. I’d roll her outdoors in her wheelchair and we’d sit and enjoy the warmth and breezes. I read a chapter at a time to her from Hannah Whitall Smith’s classic, “The Christian’s Secret of a Happy Life” (Barbour Publishing, Inc.). It is a small book, 190 pages, and worth the time to read. It is a classic, as I said, first published in 1870; biblical truths that have stood the tests of time and culture.

Not only did we both enjoy the messages in the chapters I read, but I was amazed and thankful I could read aloud for a whole chapter’s worth of words! If you know me, you know what I mean. For most of my life I have not been strong enough to read aloud. Talking has been difficult, to say the least. I remember back in high school before I was diagnosed with Myasthenia Gravis, when I was called on to read in class, it was extremely difficult for me because of the weakness of my muscles and I had to ask to be allowed not to continue struggling to read out loud. It was embarrassing. I was a good reader! I loved reading. But I couldn’t easily form the words and say them clearly so others could understand me. My muscles just didn’t work.

When my sons were just little and we’d sit on the couch in our house in Pasadena to have a morning devotional time before school, as soon as Jeremy and Seth learned to read in kindergarten I had them reading the scriptures for us because it was so difficult for me. I put them to work! I guess it was good reading practice for them. Now, wonder of wonders, I can read to my mom a whole chapter in a book! I get choked up writing this because it is such a miracle to me that I am stronger than I’ve ever been since I was 13 years old.

I am continually amazed and awed by the Person of God. I (dare I say ‘we’?) are so impatient with things in our lives, especially the unpleasant things. We cry out to God to do something about it…and, of course, we mean “do it yesterday!” Oh what He puts up with from us! I have thought, I need to take a hard look at how patient God is with us (from examples in scripture and life around me) and learn from His example of patience, and long-suffering. Oh how He does ‘suffer long’ with us.

Is 40 years too long to wait for a prayer to be answered? Not when you are at the 40 year end of it. And all the prayers I’ve prayed for daily strength…why, God was answering those all along.

Are you on the “front end” of some prayers? Keep praying! Keep giving yourself and your concerns into the hands of God, sincerely asking for His will to be done. Believe me, you and I don’t want it any other way.

Keep on Writin’

Though I feel like a snail (not the same as a slug) in my writing progress, I am excited to announce Randy is almost ready to publish his second book! This will be an e-book. You’ll need a bookless-book to read it, like Kindle, Nook or iPad. It will be sold on Amazon and everyone will be able to afford it. The title has been chosen (From Here to Kingdom Living: Transitioning from short-term missions to a Kingdom lifestyle) and though it is going to be a paperless book, it still has to have a cover design, which is in the final stages of being decided on. Though his target audience is late teens to 20 and 30-somethings, it is one of those topics which every believer can profit from. Watch for further updates!

And as for my snails’ pace…well, I did get in some reading I need to do to learn to write well, publish, and so on. Now, just to get to the writing part…. I count my blog and prayer letters and receipt notes as “writing” to a certain degree, but there is a difference now for me when I talk about writing and “writing”. Because I am learning there is writing, and then there is writing. If I sound like the proverbial dog chasing its tail, I’m not really! I’ve just stepped into a new world and am learning the language and culture. I hope I can learn well and communicate better within this new world! (Prayers appreciated!)

Updates to follow!

The hardest part is time management. Most people struggle with it, whatever field of endeavor they undertake. I am finding it difficult to set aside time to write.

In May, while in California, I attended a Christian Writer’s Conference, the first of its kind for me. In fact, though I have to visit my California doctors for follow ups every 6 months, I scheduled those appointments around the Writer’s conference just so that I could attend it.

After years of waffling amid scores of requests, comments (and a lecture) and questions about when I was going to write a book, I have finally kicked into gear to do so. Certain people have been instrumental in the process, Randy most recently. Just after the New Year we sat down as a couple to list some priorities for this year (on a handout from church labeled “What I want God to do this year”) and one of the first priorities, on my side of the page Randy said I should write “my book published by next year”. Sort of pushy, don’t you think?!

Sometimes we need a firm push, like a boat from the dock, to get us moving. It was just what I needed to get me going. Thanks, honey. And thanks to you who have spurred me on one way or another over the past months and years.

Since January I have been working on a manuscript. I determined to go to the Christian Writer’s conference which was held in Newport Beach (no, I didn’t get to see the beach, sigh), just an hour by car from where my sons live in Southern California. I knew this was doable.

Boy, did I learn a lot. And it is the kind of experience where you begin to realize how much more you have to learn! I’m reading new material to learn the craft and how to market my product, whenever I have one (I doubt it will be by early next year). I will also be writing, well, let’s say, learning to write shorter articles for publication. I’m seriously considering writing devotionals. This is something new writers are encouraged to do while they write their first book. It is even something I had previously thought about too.

Are you picking up that I need your prayer backing for this new venture?! I certainly hope it is true one is never too old to learn….

I had a good time at the conference; met a new friend there, another woman who is an aspiring writer; and had a good time with my family over the 3 weeks I was in California. I had the good news from my oncologist that I am still cancer free, thank God. My neurologist is happy I am still strong and we agreed to maintain my current lowered dose of Prednisone for the next 6 months and will at that time consider cutting back on another immunosuppressant I am taking for the MG.  Unfortunately, my cardiologist reported that my heart function regressed slightly from 5 months ago, but she was not concerned. Apparently that happens. (My heart was damaged during chemotherapy for cancer. I have been under Dr’s care for the past 3 years for this reversible condition.) We look for improvement over the next 6 months.

So overall, can you tell, my time and experiences were “good”. Good is…well, good. And I am thankful to God.

So now, how to manage my time. Which really equates to managing myself. So many “little” things literally gobble up the time! But I think I am coming to a plan in my mind. I will be working at implementing a way of managing my time whereby I make the most of it to accomplish what I need to do.

Redeeming the time, making the most of every opportunity, working while it is day…words of wisdom for me… and everyone.

Now I have a request of you. If you read my blog and have liked what you read (at least at some point), will you drop me a line at jacquelinegwallace@gmail.com and tell me what it was/is you like about what I write? I didn’t make that up; we were encouraged to find out this information in a workshop at the writer’s conference. And besides, I’m curious about it too!

Here they come!

Our first teams of the summer arrived here in Northfork yesterday. I will go to the meeting this evening and get to meet people face to face I’ve been emailing with for months, setting up their mission trip. It is always nice to meet these folks, some youth and adult groups, some families, from all over the country. This year we have families and groups from states as far away as New Mexico and Iowa, Florida and Georgia, New York and New Jersey; Minnesota, Michigan and Indiana; and as near as Tennessee, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Maryland.

We will be meeting new folks and old friends (that is, return teams!) through the second week of August. God has provided 3 interns to work with Lacy and one of Lacy’s daughters to work with the younger children when needed in weeks when families are here. We are thankful for these young people, as well as our regular staff, to carry out the demands of the summer home repair ministry.

Won’t you pray for us? Pray for safety in all travels, both for teams/families to and from WV and teams/families and staff within WV each week; and that all of us will have hearts to serve and learn from the Lord as we work together. Pray for Randy as he guides our staff and for the teaching of the Word with teams each week. And pray for the seeds of the Word of God to be planted deep in hearts… and bear fruit in the lives of children and adults here in WV and on the teams. It is our prayer that even seeds which have lain dormant for years will begin to grow and bear fruit to the glory of God.

And pray for Randy and me as we continue forward with the ministry of Mustard Seeds and Mountains, now 20 years and counting, moving at the directives of the Lord for the work He wants to do through us.

Because it is all about Him.