Tuesday, February 25, 2014

We are Bulgaria Bound Once Again!

"As cool water to a thristy soul, so is good news from a far away land!"  Proverbs 25:25



 REJOICE WITH US!!!


We just got our travel dates to go and meet our precious JoyAnna!  Praising the Lord today! We will arrive in Sofia, Bulgaria and the 15th of March, and get to meet her on the 17th! We'll visit with her from the 17th, through the 19th, and then head back to Sofia and fly home around the 21st. 


We'll keep you posted!!!

Tuesday, February 18, 2014

Stiched with LOVE!!!





Matthew 18:20 says:
"
For where two or three gather together as my followers, I am there among them."


One of the families in our church had been given a lot of wonderful fabric. My dear friend Christine said to me...."Would you like it if the ladies of our church got together and made some quilts for the orphans for you to take with you when you go back?"...oh my..would I..."YES!! I would!!" is what I said!!  

So....this past Sunday, the ladies young and old of our church gathered together after lunch to sew some quilts for us to take to Bulgaria with us on our next trip! The time flew by as we sorted fabric, picked colors, cut out 6 inch squares, and sewed, sang, prayed, and yes..did a little bit of seem ripping, too. 

In the end, 3 hours later, we had 5 quilt tops completely done! There are 5 more waiting to be sewed, too! There is a woman who runs a quilting ministry that may be willing to machine quilt them for us, as well! It was an amazing blessing from the Lord, and a wonderful thing to do in our time of "waiting", which can be so hard!!! Take a peek at our afternoon!



We worked in Gran's basket room! Thank you Christine!!

We selected our fabric and it got cut into strips!

Once cut, our "resident expert" helped us lay them out just so!

Young and old comprised our team! Here is Grace and Lydia!

No quilting team would be complete without our ironers!


We had 3 sewing machines going at once!





Everyone had sooo much fun picking out different designs!




Here's a finished one help up by Grace!


This was Amie's first time ever making a quilt! She did awesome!




Grace even enjoyed trying on the fabric!


2 quilt tops complete! Wow!


Here's another one!


And another one done!


Here are 5 more ready to sew! We'll meet again in 2 weeks!

Our five completed tops hung upstairs!




Here's the remaining crew still there at closing time!

Our littlest quilter taking a much needed rest!


This was such a blessing to my heart! We'll put a small signature on the back of each quilt to let people know who made them and where we are from! It was such an encouragement to be active and do something productive while we wait and wait! Thank you ladies! We love you!

Thursday, February 13, 2014

Good News!! Please Pray!!





"Like cold water to a weary soul is good news from a distant land."  Proverbs 25:25

Rejoice with us!!! Received this note from our attorney this morning!!:

"Yesterday the verbal referral for Yanka was issued. Now we are waiting
for the written to be signed by the Minister. I can't tell how long it
will take her but I truly hope it will be soon.

Love,
Toni"
Yanka is JoyAnna's Bulgarian name! !! We are getting sooo close!! Keep praying please!! Thank you so much!! We love  you!


Wednesday, February 12, 2014

Dear Mrs. Winslow...





this is a letter I got in the mail yesterday. Such a blessing and encouragement. Written in better cursive writing than I could do it said...

"Dear Mrs. Winslow,
I'm praying for you and your family about Zoey. Mrs. Bennett tolled us about your family. I'm Alexys Licciardi. I'm in Mrs. Bennett's class. She's talked about you adopting children all around the world and we will pray for your family! :) :)

Love, Alexys :) :) "



This just made my day! Thank you so much Alexys! Her teacher, Mrs. Bennett, is one of my long time friends in the Lord. She teaches at the Christian school where Alexys goes. Thank you for sharing our story with your class, Cindy!! We love you!!!


Monday, February 10, 2014

Stepping out in faith...

We love read aloud missionary stories. We truly do.  It's always amazing to us when these young men and women step out in faith and watch God provide for their needs to spread the gospel to the world!

This time, our beloved 14 year old son Edward is stepping out in faith. God has prompted him to attend the Quest, a program for 14 year old boys and up held on the Alert campus in Big Sandy Texas.  This is such an amazing honor and blessing to Glenn and I!
"I could have no greater joy than to hear that my children are following the truth." 3rd John 1:4





Here is some info on the program!



A Vision for Manhood

God calls young men to be mature, following Him. Quest helps young men reject the myth of adolescence and choose to pursue Christ-like manliness.

Practical Life Skills

Many parents struggle to find ways to teach their young men the basic skills needed to meet the challenges of life. Quest provides basic training in areas such as home and auto maintenance, first aid & CPR, financial planning, and time management.

Disciplines for Success

The most important aspect of maturity is a young man’s walk with God, and Quest focuses on developing habits for spiritual growth.


Quest exists to help young men as they strive for responsible, Biblical manliness. We seek to cast a vision for manhood and answer the questions guys have about the transition from child to man. Through one-on-one discipleship and group classes, we help young men overcome the struggles holding them back from maturity and teach the skills and knowledge they need to succeed in life. Our goal is to be a useful tool for parents seeking to encourage their sons to strive after manly maturity.

Our Mission

God has blessed us with a wonderful training facility here at the International ALERT Academy, giving us a broader vision for reaching the hearts of families. Our mission is three-fold:
1. Challenging young men to God-glorifying manliness.
2. Assisting parents by presenting practical life skills from a Biblical worldview.
3. Encouraging young men to develop healthy relationships with Godly role models.

Combining hands-on skill training with live classroom workshops, Quest seeks to instill the sense of responsibility and focus necessary to be a man. An emphasis on spiritual disciplines and a dedicated leadership team creates an environment conducive to spiritual growth. Scripture memorization, journaling, regular times of Bible study, and prayer are required.

Our History

The first summer Quest took place in July 2006. Since then, over 350 participants from the US and other countries have attended this summer program, growing in their love for the Lord, forging strong friendships, and learning principles and skills necessary to be a mature man.



Quest 2014

When: June 30 – July 25, 2014
Where: International ALERT Academy, Big Sandy, TX. Transportation is available to and from the                         Dallas/Fort Worth and Love Field airports.
Who: Young men ages 14 and older.
Cost: The cost for the 4-week program is $1,395.

Training

Spiritual Disciplines

  • Journaling
  • Scripture Memory
  • Personal Responsibility
  • Service to others
  • Character training in:
    • punctuality
    • orderliness
    • attentiveness and more

Life Skills Training


Outdoor
  • Physical fitness (hiking, daily group physical exercise)
  • Flatwater canoeing
  • Basic First Aid and CPR
  • Sports Activities

Home
  • Basic Electrical
  • Basic Plumbing
  • Basic Auto Maintenance
  • Handling Automotive Emergencies
  • Financial Planning

Life
  • Life Purpose Planning
  • Counseling
  • Time Management
  • Leadership   

Isn't this exciting?? We think so! This is such an answer to our prayers for our son! Such an incredible blessing! Edward has always known that he would like to attend the Alert Academy once he is 17, but what a wonderful thing to do in the meantime! Wow!  Here is a letter that Edward has written about his stepping out in faith!!      






Dear Friends and Family,
I would like to tell you  all about something very exciting!
I am stepping out in faith to attend a program called quest. It's a program designed to develop habits of spiritual growth.
The program is takes place from June 30th through July 25th , 2014 on the Alert campus in  Big Sandy, Texas.

Would you please pray for me? Thank you! Please pray that:
1. I would fully trust God and His leading.
2. For God's will to be done.
3. For God to provide the money needed to go.

Quest is designed for young men to grow a stronger relationship with God and their parents.There will be many skills that Iwill be learning while there too:
1. Basic electrical.
2. Basic plumbing.
3. Auto maintenance.
4. Auto emergencies.
5. Financial planning.
I will be doing lots of activities with other young men too like: Canoeing,hiking,sports,first aid, and CPR and others.

The tuition for the program is $1,395.00 plus airfare. So far the Lord has provided a little over
$200.00  Yay!!!!  I am excited to trust Him to provide the rest. I am praying this trip helps me grow closer to God, to filter out bad things in my life, and to strengthen my relationship with my parents.
I grow more excited every day it gets closer and to see how the Lord will work.
Thank you in advance for your prayers and encouragement:)         
                    
                                                                                                                
IN CHRIST,
                                                                                                    
Edward Joseph Winslow:)