Matthews Family Herald

"As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord" from Joshua 24:15

SNOWY SEASON

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We've been getting heavy snow here in the Neckargamund/Heidelberg general area (heavy to us, anyway) and so the kids have been having some great fun. I have to admit that it's very pleasant and calming to look out and see a blanket of white over everything. The air becomes so clean, crisp, and cool in my lungs; very refreshing! And so quiet outside. Quieter inside as the kids are out out playing in it! :) There's a lot to be said for quietness. Yes, I intended the pun that time. Seriously, this home has a peaceful quietness I can only recall experiencing out at Nonny and Pawpaw's and then at one other place we visited once off in the country years ago. And there's this old, wind up clock that's so nice to have as background noise when Heather and I sit on the couch, soaking up the silence and having tea.

Our wonderful Grandparents/Landlords came to visit recently and they provided me with some pictures from their visit that I'd like to share. Micah and the kids are quite amusing characters at times and they put together this jolly rendition of Mr. Snowman.

So much has been happening and God has really began pouring out opportunities to fellowship and meet others.




For example, we were told by another homeschooling military family here about some missionaries who came here to Germany from Washington state about a year ago and who believe they are called to the Tibet refugees that came to Europe from China. What's even more amazing is that these missionaries live only 14 kilometers from our rent home in Neckargemund.



The husband, Mike, speaks German pretty well and rides the train into Heidelberg several days a week for ministry stuff he does with Calvary Chapel and other things he does "free lance" if you will, ministry that he does to groups such as "The Hell's Angels of Germany" or something close to that. Basically, rough and tough bikers who need to know about Jesus' love for them. Mike says the ministry opportunities that present themselves to him while he rides the public transportation to Heidelberg and back is enough in itself! Anyway, they came here with no financial backing and with not much money, he and his wife and two children. God has sustained and cared for them and Mike and his wife shared a million stories of all that God has done for them.



Perhaps topping the list or to share for starters is that he himself, Mike, has personally met (briefly) the Dalai Lama, shaken his hand, and told him "Jesus loves you." (I think Mike said he's person number 49 to have done so.) The circumstances leading up to that moment were miraculous. He's also taught Lama monks how to skateboard and I've seen a photo of pehaps the first such monk to learn the art. It's pretty cool.

But anyway, if the "coincidence" of them living less than 10 minutes away from us isn't enough, (we live in a small town about 25 minutes from anything military or big city) Mike's wife, Amberlea, also happens to be into herbal and natural medicine and reads the same child rearing books that we do by Mike and Debbie Pearl. These are a few signs. Thirdly, they have two children who match right up in ages and gender to two of ours. Mike and his wife had been praying for companions for their kids. I've included some pictures of them for your enjoyment:




Here's Nathan and Zion, followed by Mercy and Hannah, and a third photo all four of the "pair-up children" together.


Mike and Amberlea cover their calling to Tibetans on their blog site at:


http://becausejesuslovestibetans.com/


When they, Mike and Amberlea Macy, knew they were called to Tibetans, they tried to come over to Tibet but God kept shutting the doors. "Tibetans, Lord, so Tibet, right?" they were saying. "Tibetans, yes, but not IN Tibet...in Germany,"...the Lord was saying. :) "Germany...oh. Okay." And God began having them meeting individuals from Tibet and also groups of them all over the place in Europe. I have to admit that when I first heard they were called to Tibetans I said to myself "isn't that Tibet. I think I've heard that word before." I had to look it up. "Oh, China and persecution. It makes sense now." :)

Please be in prayer for Mike and his wife as his wife has a number of health concerns. They are also getting a car soon but all of the circumstances haven't yet worked out. Mike believes he is to make a trip back to the States soon and is not yet sure how the Lord will provide for that.



Additionally, a German couple came over for tea yesterday and brought the most amazing, Cherry filled dish. I wish I had taken a picture of it but I didn't. It was circular like a pie and had heart-shaped crust parts placed in a circle around the top. Beautiful and time consuming to make, I'm sure. Anyway, we enjoyed several hours of talking and sharing with them and so we are excited about all that God has in mind for us in growing a friendship there as well.

The German couple I just mentioned we ask for prayer about as they face a large legal and financial battle over some roof troubles they are having. They have a teen son as well.

We have family of friends who lost children in an auto accident and are injured severely also and we lift them up in prayer.

We ask for prayer for our family and that all the work to do in my office would be completed. We have some concerns in our home that be ask for prayer about but also know the Lord has already said are going to work out.



There is quite a bit more going on and things I want to share but this isn't the best time to do so.



Take care,


James and family


Been studying Ecclesiastes about sowing here and there and not being discouraged by appearances. Something about "he who watches the wind and the clouds will not reap a harvest." The more I look at it, the more I think God is saying that he who watches the circumstances in order to make their decisions will not have the courage or faith to plant seeds or do that thing that God says to do. They will have one fear or reason after another to not take an action. But if we'll just do what God says and not look at it with our own eyes or thoughts but trust in Him, he'll make the harvest grow. I'm not talking about money although it could be money. It's more like obedience and trust in doing His will and believing His truth in a situation.


For example, a person could decide not to share their faith at work because everyone seems un-interested in God and so they tell themselves it's pointless. The ground is dry. But an attitude of faith would go ahead and talk about Jesus because God said to and believing therefore that a harvest will come. Noah built the ark when everyone laughed and the sky was clear because he understood this very idea. In the movie "Faith Like Potatoes" the guy planted potatoes in a drought season because he understood this concept and believed God. He couldn't see the potatoes growing but he staked all he had on the belief that under the ground, during the drought, that they were growing. The movie was a true story and potatoes were there for harvest time.


This could apply to marriage as well. Loving and giving and serving when it seems your spouse could care less or that the hope for affections returned is pointless. This could be towards a parent or towards a child or anything. God's truth is better and more real than what we see with our eyes. If He says so, and that's a big point, if he says so then it will and can be so.

Here's something I think the Lord gave me to say and strengthen faith in Him:


"Something is there that isn't there. Yes. Something is there that isn't there! So stand on it because something IS there."


I just received a reprinting of the Geneva 1599 bible and am so excited about getting started with using it. I plan on making it my Sabbath day study Bible and also the Bible I take with me to look at during a free moment during recesses at whatever court-martial session I happen to be recording.

Amazon.com offers the following review of this Bible:


"When the Pilgrims arrived in America in 1620, they brought along supplies, a consuming passion to advance the Kingdom of Christ, a bright hope for the future, and the Word of God. Clearly, their most precious cargo was the Bible. The Geneva Bible, printed over 200 times between 1560 and 1644, was the most widely read and influential English Bible of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. This superb translation was the product of the best Protestant scholars of the day and became the Bible of choice for many of the greatest writers, thinkers, and historical figures of that time. The Geneva Bible is unique among all other Bibles. It was the first Bible to use chapters and numbered verses and became the most popular version of its time because of the extensive marginal notes. These notes, written by Reformation leaders such as John Calvin, John Knox, Miles Coverdale, William Whittingham, Anthony Gilby, and others, were included to explain and interpret the scriptures for the common people. For nearly half a century these notes helped the people of England, Scotland, and Ireland understand the Bible and true liberty. King James despised the Geneva Bible because he considered the notes on key political texts to be seditious and a threat to his authority. Unlike the King James Version, the Geneva Bible was not authorized by the government. It was truly a Bible by the people and for the people. You can see why this remarkable version with its profound marginal notes played a key role in the formation of the American Republic. "

I'm interested in everything mentioned but particularly and especially for the purposes of mentioning it here on this blogpost, "in its key role in the formation of the American Republic."

Time to start writing/typing "2010" on every document. How many times will you accidently write "2009"? I will try not to do it at all. :)


Thanks to God, we are finally moved in to our new place in Neckargemund.
Our household goods are set to arrive on Monday and Wednesday and our "move out" inspection of the on-post quarters is set for Tuesday. I have a court-martial case to record on Thursday and Friday and so you can see we have a very busy schedule set for next week.


Last week at our third home fellowship, our son Jacob heard the Lord and asked to be water baptised/immersed. (This photo is not of him.) He had already decided to follow Jesus with all of his heart and life a few years before but now felt the Lord leading him that this was then the time to be immersed in obedience to the Lord and by the example, in so doing, of our Lord Himself. (Say that sentence three times without slipping.) So, our family gathered in the bathroom and Jacob was baptised in our bathtub. (German bathtubs are just as long and twice as deep as those we are accustomed to back in America. Did you know that being immersed did not begin with John the Baptist but was a custom of the Israelites/Jews long before then?) It meant so much to me to be able to immerse him as his physical father and I suddenly felt more connected than before with centuries of leadership before me. I felt hope in continuing to secure in my family the things of the Lord for those coming after us. This was affirming on so many levels.
It's so wonderful living in Neckargemund. If that weren't enough, we have the most amazing landlords, Herr and Frau Heise. ("Herr" is the equivalent of "Mr." but perhaps means more than that. The bible in German uses "Herr" for the same word we translate as "Lord.") They are more like grandparents, really, and have made this move so much easier and pleasant. We moved in on New Year's Eve and so this was reason enough to celebrate. But here in Germany, it's legal to shoot fireworks from your home. This was surprising because Germany has given us the impression, thus far, that the society as a whole tends to be more careful and to "err" (if one could really call it "err") on the side of caution. But I will say that it had rained for a good part of the day prior to the New Year's Eve celebrations here.


The point is/was that we live up on a hill-top neighborhood and so people began shooting fireworks at about 10:20 (2230 in German time. Germans use the 24-hour clock just like the US military.) These shootings were just random and "here and there," if you will. But just moments before the New Year turned over, the citizens began shooting them off in droves. We could see bursts rocketing from homes, lighting up things below us, on either side, and all around us for miles in a panorama of explosions of sound and color. This went on for over an hour and so it was likely the most spectacular fireworks show we had ever seen and certainly the most beautiful. The best part was just being upstairs, the whole family huddled into Micah's room and watching the show together by the window sills and enjoying the children's fascination with the whole thing.
Today, we go with the intent to complete the cleaning of the home, perhaps get the new tires I need to have our family van pass the German inspection, shop for groceries, and hopefully get the bills paid before Monday.
I have found an awesome tool, Google Translator! Yeah! Through the use of this, I have located and joined in to website forums made for other home fellowshipers in Germany. I found this chiefly through the website of an author, Wolfgang Simson, who wrote "Houses that Change the World." He is a German who lives, I believe, in Stuttgart but travels the world. The afore-mentioned book was the first house church book I ever read, back in 2004. Little did I know then that I'd be in Germany some day. :) How I long for fellowship here...
There's so much more to share...perhaps later when we are more settled in. Planning to get more pictures up soon as well. Heather and I are really enjoying the comments left here by readers and we will do our best to reply back anytime anyone leaves a comment on one of our posts or asks a question.

With that, I'm going to close. Here's an appropriate picture of Jacob putting all of his trains down to bed for the night.



Take care,

James

Hi everyone,

It is the Sabbath - and as a new "resolution", and productive way to use our work-free day, I am endeavoring to be more social, and to stay in touch with friends and family.
So what have we been up to over here in Germany?

Well, first of all I am glad to report that no one is sick right now!!!!! (imagine making herbal teas, and remedies and administering morning and night for 6 children for over a week-plus waking several times during the night! You can imagine why I am soooo happy to announce this!)
We are enjoying having James home a lot for the holidays- Yesterday- he led us in pt and has been helping home school our kids this past week( for which I am most appreciative!) He's put together a Yahoo Group to help in fostering and facilitating home fellowships in our area. He's also studying a German/English parallel bible in an effort to learn the language in the context of our faith. The home church fellowship website is:

(Here's Dad and I playing a Dreidel game with the kids using jelly beans. The other photo is of Dad's German/English parallel bible. The Luther Version in German and ESV version in English.)

Rachel is in AZ still enjoying her holidays; please keep her in prayer. She is greatly loved and missed here. She has an amazing talent for taking photographs. While she was here for our celebrations, she took this uniquely angled photograph.

(Each window sill was adorned with tea light candles.)

I recently got a couple of herbal books that I am enjoying, and a large shipment of herbs from Shoshanna's bulk herb store( I am sipping a cup of stress-free tea right now, made of Ginko, St. John's wort,Gotu Kola, Raspberry, Ginseng, and sweetened with Stevia.) I can't wait to experiment making creams and such, out of my own herbs. I enjoy learning all I can and try to implement change into our family for our optimal health and well-being. Well that 's what is new in my own little world.


(Enjoying a "cuppa" in this first picture. The second picture is of the the seasonal set mentioned, in its entirety. The third is of another other set I bought second hand and that was made in
Bavaria, Southern Germany. Those Almond Sugar Cookies were made by the children.)

Micah has been perfecting his magician skills. He checks out every book he can, and got a large magic show for Hannukah with over 100 tricks. He has a gig set up already at the library. He also has put in a lot of comm. service hours at the library and getting some good training. It helps motivate him at home for his schooling and chores as well. He and Jacob also got a large art set for Hannukah , and has been impressing us with there paintings.
(Winter and Summer so well captured here in Micah's two acrylic paintings. Could these be the same tree even?)

Hannah's sweetness and beauty continue to bless our presence. She is improving in her math and reading skills, and really enjoyed the book Heidi, that we just finished(Our country for the month that we are studying is Switzerland.) She is also highly enjoying the Little House books. She shows a lot of interest in flowers and herbs ( I hope I have a little apprentice to share my hobby with) and she always wants to have a cup of tea with me.

Jacob has probably been the most stir crazy lately since he is the most athletic and has a hard time keeping his body still. He is growing so fast, it seems his bones are outgrowing his skin- getting tall and lanky. I hope to find archery or fencing lessons for him soon when we get settled into our new home (which we get to start moving into in a few days!)

(Jacob the acrobat. His other beloved move is to spin.)

Nathan is enjoying building Lego sets (Hannukah) and his skills and attention span are quite impressive. he has been getting in trouble a lot lately however for saying things like shut-up, butt, and other kinda crude things. He doesn't care for the taste of soap too much.
(Nathan, Eden, and Hannah playing with Eden's new tea set. The next shot is Nathan playing with his Legos.)

Eden has hit a growth of development in speech-and blows us away every day with her new word usage and understanding. She is always very funny and sweet.. She was much more interested in the boys wooden swords than the doll she got for Hannukah.
(Here, Eden is finger painting with shaving cream, colored with food coloring. The other picture is of Eden in a new dress she received from the Army's Angel Tree gifts.)

They are all my greatest joy every day! (And my greatest frustration)
-Heather


Good Sunday morning to all,

We are so excited to finally have our family van here. I was able to pick it up Friday and it's been a huge blessing to be able to use.

Heather will be taking her driving test here on Monday and then we'll both be able to cruise those Germany autobahns...

Rachel leaves in a day or few and we are going to miss her. She'll pick up our lil blue Yaris after the Bachert family brings her from the Tucson Airport to Sierra Vista. She'll spend a few days there and then head to see her almost fiance and his family for a couple of weeks.

We are enjoying the third day of Hanakkuh and the kids are excited about what tonight's gifts might be. I'm making latkes and Heather is making a big roast and it's all part of our holiday feast we'll be eating tonight. We played the dreidel game a night or two ago with jelly beans and Jacob was the winner. We'll play "hide the geld" pretty soon and that's always fun for the kids and the adults. Kinda like finding Easter eggs but with chocolate, golden foil covered coins. We tie in how Jesus as the Messiah ties into this celebration in many, many ways but a couple of them are that: Hannukah is called "the festival of lights" and that Jesus is "the light of the world." Also, the lead candle which lights the others and is centered and placed higher than the other candles is called the "shamash." We also teach that this candle represents a hidden mystery in Jewish custom pointing to Jesus.

Micah is enjoying volunteer work at the library but has been unable to go lately since he's not feeling so well. Various family members haven't felt so well as we traverse through the cold season.

I've already helped record or transcribe a few records of trial and I've got more to come this week.

We should be moving into our off-post rent home here in a couple of weeks and we can't wait to get our big family into a home with a little more room.

Oh, it started snowing today and the kids were so thrilled over it. I was too, watching them and remembering how excited I was when the first snowflakes began to fall each year, as a child.

We love you all and keep you in our thoughts and prayers.

-The Matthews in Germany

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