Tag Archives: nations

Happy Christmas

Posted in My thoughts by
Happy Christmas to my family, friends and followers near and far away in the nations. Thank you so much for your love, encouragement and support over this past year.  It is always exciting to see your flags in my stats box, Canada, USA, Israel, Ireland, UK, Greece, Cambodia, Russia, Australia, Slovakia, South Africa, Uganda, Ethiopia, Korea and the Phillipines.  Thanks for your comments.  
 
 The empty nest has filled up again with children home for Christmas.  It is good to see one another.   Children have a tendency to want to catch up on sleep.  I wonder why?  Isn’t that what home is for, to crash and recover from work and student life.
 
 Where there are no oxen, the stall is clean, but from the strength of an ox come abundant harvests. (Proverbs 14:4 NIV)
 
With family here there is washing, cooking and cleaning to be done, but there is more strength to get logs cut, and some early spring cleaning done in the home and the garden.
 
 As we have food, fellowship, fun and family times, let us not forget to thank God our Father for all his blessings.  His Son came on earth to set mankind free from sin, sickness and the oppression of the devil.  Let us turn to him and seek his revelation and blessings for the new year.  
 
I heard this hymn recently,
 
God sent his son,
They called him Jesus
He came to love
Heal and forgive
He lived and died
To buy my pardon
An empty grave
Is there to prove
My Savior lives.
 
Chorus

Because he lives 

I can face tomorrow 

Because he lives

All fear is gone

Because I know

He holds the future

And life is worth the living

Just because he lives.

Brendan and I sung this chorus on the way to hospital to hear what treatment the doctor was going to give me for Cancer.  All fear left us.  
May we face the New Year with this hope, that God is near and wants to help us and he holds the future.
 
Angela

PRISONER, PENSIONER AND PRINCIPAL

Posted in My thoughts by

 

Yesterday Brendan and I went to visit a friend who is a prisoner, Brendan’s mother who is 93, and another man who is principal of a school. 

The first snow was falling as we drove early to the prison.  Our friend was glad to see us.  He was cheerful and encouraged us to keep on looking after our family.  His wife and all but one of his children do not visit him.  He realises what he has lost because of his selfishness.  He encouraged us and we encouraged him.  He is sure of God’s forgiveness and love and prays for his family.  He is hoping for restoration.

Brendan’s mother is settling home after a few days in hospital.  Despite her weakness she blessed us with Christmas gifts for our family.  She has lived a long life and has seen her children’s children’s children, all sixteen of them.  She was widowed young, reared her boys and lived humbly.  She is leaving behind a good legacy.  She has borne good fruit.

The principal of a school invited us to pray with him.  Two hundred and twenty five young children attend the school.  Jesus said “Let the little children come to me for such is the kingdom of heaven.”
We encouraged him and prayed for wisdom for his task in overseeing forty staff and all those pupils.
I always give thanks to God for the school teachers who cared for and taught my children.  I was reassured they were being well looked after, while I was busy with my younger children.

Teachers do a great job, but the parents can give the best example to their children.  How we live our lives as parents affects our children.  We do not get to be selfish for long as we rear our children.  One of my favourite verses in Exodus 20 says God promises to bless us to the thousandth generation of those who love The Lord but curses come upon our children to the fourth generation if we disobey God.  What choice will you make? 

But I believe their is hope for the prisoner and his family.  Jesus forgives our sins and promises to restore all that is lost.  Over and over in the bible we read about the children of Israel.  When they were far away from God because of their sins He always had mercy and restored them.  When I was feeling hopeless and about to die of cancer, God sent his healing and restored me.  There is hope.

Brendan and I were in Canada and Slovakia recently sharing this hope with many people.  God wants to restore families.  Jesus shed his Precious Blood to pay the price for our wrongdoing and our forefathers’ wrongdoing.  You can go free from guilt and shame.  Do not blame, just forgive.  And God will restore that which has been lost.

May God bless you and your family in this season of good will.

Angela

FATAL ACCIDENT

Posted in Family Friday, Healing, Travel by

I went to school in the country in a place called Drumaroad. It was a two teacher school. The head master was an excellent teacher but was know to be strict. He taught the basics of subjects that prepared one for the grammar school. As well as Reading, Writing, Arithmetic, and Religion, we learnt Algebra, Latin and Geography. I enjoyed Mathematics and Geography.

Children in my class stood around the maps of the world, as the teacher pointed out faraway places. We learnt the names of towns, mountains and rivers in Ireland. We learnt about the capitals of the nations, London, New York, Moscow, Paris etc. I saw that New Zealand and Australia were at the other end of the world, on the opposite side from us. I wondered if I would ever go there.

Many years on I have had the opportunity to travel to New Zealand, when my daughter got married there. I have been to London, Paris, Bratislava and unusual named places like Quala Lumpar and Dubai.

I was not so good at creative writing. One day the Master asked us to write a letter to a friend who had been in an accident. I started off saying, “I hope you have recovered from your fatal accident.” I did not know what “fatal” meant. I heard the word being used by someone so I thought I would try it out. When the master gave back my work he pointed out my mistake. He laughed. I laughed as well. I did not take offence but I have never forgotten what “fatal” means.

I was remembering this recently. I may have been prophetic then because I have recovered from the fatal disease of cancer. Nothing is impossible with God. Jesus rose from the dead. There is power in His name to recover from accidents and diseases.

I love to tell others what God has done for me by healing me from Cancer. Isaiah 66 says “I will send some of the survivors to the nations, to distant lands that have never heard of me or seen my glory. They will proclaim my glory to the nations.”

I am in Scotland visiting my children, three of whom are at university there. Angela has recently gone to Edinburgh. Abraham is at St Andrew,s, where Prince William and Kate met. Jacob is in Aberdeen, home of the oil industry. I have had the oppportunity to tell Abraham’s friends about my healing. I am giving them something to think about, that cuts across the the secular humanistic thinking of education.

Our God is the God who hears when anyone prays. He has compassion on all he has created in this world. He created all the nations that I studied about all those years ago, as I stood around the maps in that country classroom.

Some people stand out in our lives as having a big influence on us. Master Fitzpatrick is one of those people and I thank God for him. He had knowledge and he wanted to impart it to the next generation.
He was a good teacher. Thank you. He may not have travelled beyond his parish but someone he has taught has gone to the nations. I am sure he helped many others, who have done well in life.

We don’t realise what good we do when we help someone, that can have far reaching effects.

Angela

Adventures in the Nations

Posted in Family Friday, Nations by

Image

Photograph of Mary and Hannah when they met up in Ethiopia for Christmas 2012.

My daughter Hannah is home visiting. She is a midwife and is volunteering with Voluntary Services Overseas.   We met as a family at Nora and Colin’s house for May bank holiday.  They had a barbeque after the Belfast Marathon.  My daughter Nora had organised three groups to run for the Charity VSO.  Well done Nora.

Many of our young people want adventure in their lives.  Very often before or after university they will head off to other parts whether across Europe or down under to Australia or New Zealand, as far away as possible from home.  This is often a challenge to parents when their child wants to leave.  Will they ever return?

Twelve years ago my eldest son decided he and his friend wanted to travel for six months.  They had finished university.  As a parent one’s natural instinct is to be fearful.  This was my first experience of my child flying the nest to go so far away.  Brendan and Paul set off with promises of being in touch regularly.  Back then there were few mobile phones, Smart phones or Skype.  The trip turned into a year when they ran out of money, but my son had a round the world adventure!

In the sixth century another Brendan, the navigator, set sail from Ireland and sailed north to the Faroe Islands and across west to a land we now know as Canada.   My husband Brendan travels to the nations speaking to people about dreams, signs and wonders.  So my son must have inherited the desire to travel from his father.

I learned to trust God that he would look after my husband and now my son.  Matthew 18 v 20 says “See that you don’t look down on one of these little ones.  For I tell you that their angels in heaven always see the face of my father in heaven.”  Also in Psalm 91 v 11 “For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways.”

Paul’s mum rang me soon after and asked me, “Are you not afraid for your son.”  She could not get over how easy going I was about my son being away.  I believed God’s word which promises that he will be under the Lord’s care.

These are the days, as it says in Daniel 12 v 4  “ Knowledge and travel will increase”.

Thank God for Easyjet and Ryanair, both of which have introduced us to affordable flight travel into Europe.  The nations are opened up to us.  I live in Ireland and my family have been able to take advantage of this freedom.

Knowledge has increased as well.  We can be in communication with anyone in the world with e mail, blogging, skype or mobile phone.  I am taking advantage of this freedom to write my blogs!!!

I have got used to, not only my husband travelling but more of my children as well.  Last September five of my children left to go to the nations.  Isaac went to Canada on work experience, David went to Nicoragua with Raleigh for three months, Mary went to Ethiopia with VSO to work as a doctor and Hannah went to Uganda to work with VSO as a midwife.  My son Aaron went to live in Slovakia with his wife and children.  Two years ago Jacob went as a volunteer to work in South Africa.  They are certainly having adventures!

Next weekend I am going with my husband to Slovakia. I get to go on many adventures with him. Brendan broke through to go to the nations and his children are following.

Angela