Stelzl Family

In the beginning of July, Hannah and I were blessed with the privilege of attending our 4^th Journey to the Heart. The Lord used those 10 days of self-examination and time alone with Him, to reveal Himself to me in great and powerful ways! I found myself asking the first day, “Lord why am I here this week? What are you going to teach me? Why is Your Word not coming alive to me today like it should?” It was as if I took a step forward, and threw all my burdens before Him in a huge tangled mess. He spoke to me in a quiet voice that morning. He said, “Ye receive not, because ye ask not…” Such a simple answer! God is not a God of intellect or human reasoning. He doesn’t care how you word your prayers, or if you sound “put together” when you come before Him with all your worries. He much prefers a child that is desperate for Him, lost without Him, and no longer concerned about anything but Him. He wants you in your lowest, weakest state – the REAL you – void of all human strength, empty of all self. That is when He draws near and whispers in your ear the perfect answer; that is when He fills you up with Himself; that is when He provides a solution that heals every problem and destroys every burden.

My Father taught me to pray at Journey. He didn’t whip out a gigantic list of problems that I had, and tell me to fix them all so that He could wipe away my tears. He simply said, “Ask, and ye shall receive from my hand…”

So I asked!

Prior to the Journey, the Lord had placed on my heart a tremendous burden in an area that required fervent, incessant prayer. That first day at Journey, I felt the Lord saying, “Sarah, you have not received, because you have not asked.” I knelt by the bed in my room, all alone, as my team members were to arrive all throughout that day. I found myself pouring out my heart before the Lord. He gave me peace as I laid it all at His feet! I was able to cast my cares upon Him and spend the remainder of the day rejoicing in His love and feeling a new awareness of His presence! It was only one day later, as I talked by phone with my younger sister Bethany, that the Lord proved His awesome power to me. She shared excitedly the miraculous story of how God had been at work, even in the very hours I had been praying. He had been answering my prayers even as I prayed them, and I had been absolutely unaware of it at the time! “Ask, and ye shall receive…”

The Lord showed me all throughout those 10 days at Journey, that life is a process!!! By this, I mean that every day we face new decisions, new choices, that bring freedom or bondage. Yes, I can choose to believe the truth in place of Satan’s lies. But this is not a one-time commitment or breakthrough. Rather, it is a daily, even moment by moment choice I must make to replace wrong with right, bondage with freedom, death with life. Mr. Norvell, one of the Godly older men who spoke at Journey, shared this with us: “Even after the bell stops ringing, it still gongs a few more times…” I discovered that the key to healing past hurts is not just saying “I forgive you.” But it is making a decision each day to emotionally release that offender when Satan triggers a painful reminder of that past hurt. In other words, when something comes to mind that has hurt me deeply (because Satan WILL bring it to mind sometime again), I must choose then and there to believe the truth, and to let love overpower the bitterness that would have its way in my heart. The pain will become less and less until the wound has healed and there remains only a scar… and these scars are reminders to us of man’s weakness, God’s unfailing love, the power of genuine forgiveness, and the freedom that comes by believing the truth! And because of these scars, we have a testimony to share of Jesus and His love, with all people and to all nations.

Perhaps the greatest lesson God taught me at Journey is this: Solutions to my problems do not come by a method, but by a relationship with Him. On Friday evening in the Northwoods, 6 teams (64+ girls) had gathered to pray in the upper prayer tower. For the first time in 4 Journeys, I witnessed the one-accord power in prayer throughout an entire group of girls and not just a single team! I watched as young ladies committed and re-committed their lives to Jesus, confessed hidden sins, cried out for freedom, and laid their requests at the feet of their Maker. During this time our team cried out for salvation for lost friends and family, healing for the sick among us, and various other needs. The Holy Spirit was present among us that night!!! Others who were far beyond the walls of the prayer tower testified that they had heard us crying out to Jesus – a noise like thunder.

Later on in the week as I waited to see how the Lord would answer our prayers, Satan attacked me with discouragement. I found myself questioning God, “Why do you not heal the sick that we prayed for? Why do you not save the lost that we lifted up to you?” It occurred to me that I had been looking to this one accord moment as the key to all my problems. I had been convinced that if we reached that one accord power in prayer, I could simply lay every prayer before the Lord and He would grant it all for me just like that. God taught me a powerful lesson on drawing near to Him, and persistently, fervently praying without ceasing. Prayer is not a one-time act. God instructs us to pray day and night, without ceasing. Furthermore, we do not use it as a tool to just check off every problem and solve every trouble. Prayer is a means of drawing us near to the heart of Jesus, and of fellowship between believers and their Heavenly Father. It is meant to be the vital part of our relationship with our King and Creator, and thus the most effective weapon in that way. God is ever teaching me that He knows my every need, and He desires me to be in full fellowship with Him, that I may trust His perfect will whatever that may be – without doubt or worry, or anxiety.

As a result of what the Lord taught me, I DID see Him answer my prayers! He didn’t always answer them the WAY I wanted, or in the timing I had expected. However, even as I prayed every day for the group from HQ that had gone to Peru, the Lord was at work. We arrived back from the Northwoods around the time the Peru team arrived back at HQ. They testified of heart transformation, and the salvation of many key leaders in Peru – the very leaders we had been praying for by name during the course of our Journey. God DOES answer prayer! But since prayer is fellowship with our Heavenly Father, we must come to the point of total and complete surrender - where we have no will of our own, but only that of Christ’s will, our will.

It is with great humility that I share with you the valuable lessons God has been impressing upon me, and urge you to draw near to the heart of our Heavenly Father! Lay every burden at His feet and cast your cares upon Him. He will open His hand to pour forth untold blessings upon you, if you simply ask in faith, believing.

For more pictures, click here.

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Hannah Grace Stelzl

Class of 2010

Graduate of Institute for Excellence in Christian Virtue

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While at the ATI Nashville training conference, we heard Steve Dulin speak about taking sabbaticals 3 times each year. We were so inspired by what he said, we purposed to begin this ASAP. I took mine for 4 days at the end of June. I had a list of things I wanted to seek the LORD about, and my biggest desire was to experience the love of God in the way described in Ephesians 3. Just before leaving town, I had a physical therapy appointment and was telling my therapist (also a friend,) all about the journey I was about to embark on. She wisely said something like, “It sounds like you have your agenda all figured out.” I am a detail person, and I wanted to really  experience God and get some leading. I realized I needed to lay down my expectations and wait on the LORD.

When I arrived, I purposed to begin with a time of confession and repentance. It seems when life is moving so fast, my quiet time consists of reading the Word, bringing my grocery list of requests to God and confessing those glaring sins one can’t forget, (yelling at the kids, harsh discipline, disagreements with my spouse, etc.) Often the rush of the schedule and the demands of a large family make it difficult to allow the Spirit of God to quietly show me the attitudes behind the glaring sins and the real root causes of those sins. The first thing I learned on my Sabbatical was that confession and repentance are the key to drawing near to God, and that with unlimited time and quiet, He will show me things about myself that can’t be explored in a 1 hour quiet time. Unfortunately these things are painful, ugly, uncomfortable, and sometimes even surprising. As I spent that time, I began to see attitudes I was having that promoted the sins in my life. Things like presumption, a sense of God owing me something because of the promises in His Word, attitudes of unfairness and comparison, etc. We all need this time to let God  plumb the depths of our heart and reveal these things to us.

Several weeks before leaving for my sabbatical, I was reading in Luke 22:31-32 where Jesus says to Peter, “Simon, Simon, Satan hath desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat: But I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not: and when thou art converted (means returned,) strengthen thy brethren.” Those words leaped off the page for me. It might as well have said “Tina, Tina…,” the words were so strong to me. I pondered what it meant. Was some great test coming? I confess I felt a bit afraid, but then had a sense that God would soon reveal what it meant for me. This came together for me on my sabbatical.

A bit of history is needed here. My life has been one of many sore and fiery trials. Satan was at work  very early in my life arranging many painful events even before turning 3 years old, with many more to follow. One of the most painful memories was my great grandfather dying on my 3rd birthday. He was the one person who really wanted to spend time with me and whose eyes lit up when I came in the room. When he died, the enemy of my soul seized the opportunity to plant the thought, “That is the kind of gift God gives to you on your special day!” All through my life I have questioned God’s love for me, and often with all the trials I have been through, my circumstances seemed to scream “He does not love you!” As I have tried so hard to serve God and kept trying to get the knowledge that he loved me into my  heart, I could not break out of listening to my circumstances. On my sabbatical, I cried out to God to understand why He didn’t rescue that little 3 year old from such fiery trials at such a young age. Where was His Father’s heart? Any earthly father would move in and rescue, or at the very least comfort and explain. This was the root of my questioning His love. Then He gave me a picture of Him sitting on His throne praying for me, and the words came back, “But I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not. OK, so these were tests of my faith. ” A sense of unfairness rose up in me and I cried out to God, “But Peter was a grown man, Job had walked with God all his life, why a little 3 year old???” It was as if in the silence of the next few minutes He said to me, “I have a special plan for you that requires fiery trials and coming forth triumphantly.” Something in me seemed to quiet down, or come to rest that had been squirming and wrestling for a long time. I realized that those events from 0 to 3 years old were the beginning of sifting and all the trials between then and a huge trial that took place in 1999-2000 were all sifting with that huge trial being the culmination of the sifting. I realized that from 2000 until now I have been like Peter when he returned to his fishing, just doing what he knew, and what felt secure and solid. Then on my sabbatical it was like when Jesus came to Peter and said 3 times, “Peter, do you love me?” Jesus ended each time with, “feed my sheep.” Back in Luke He had said, “when thou are converted strengthen thy brethren.”  After surrendering and coming forth triumphantly, He wants us to strengthen others who are still squirming and wrestling. He wants us to beckon to them to keep believing, surrender and rest in Him. This is what Peter did, his hope was rekindled, his faith was rejuvenated, his passion blazed forth again, and he burst forth with a mission and a purpose. Are you going through a fiery trial that seems too much to bear? Or, has your life been a long string of fiery trials? Picture Him in prayer for you saying, “But I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not.”

Several months ago we were asked to write a paragraph about what ATI (the homeschooling ministry we are a part of,) has done for us. The thought of summarizing that in 1 paragraph was so daunting, I could not figure out how to do it. While on this sabbatical, God gave me an analogy that enabled me to express this. Now if you are not in ATI, this will still apply to you, so keep reading   I had read the familiar Psalm 23 and had not gotten any new revelations about it. The next morning as I was waking up, the words, “Thy rod and thy staff they comfort me,” came back to me. I began to ponder, “Why is the shepherd’s rod and staff described as a comfort?” I began to think about the purpose and use of the rod and staff in the shepherds hand. He uses it to ward off enemies, to count the sheep so none is lost, to retrieve sheep who have wandered, to pull them out of thorny places, to guide them away from poisonous plants and to lead them to safe, green pastures. I realized that this is what ATI has done for us. It has clarified our vision, kept us from straying, pulled us back when we have begun to wander, protected us from and warned us of the lush looking, poisonous  plants of the world’s ways, and kept before our eyes the green pastures of God’s Word and principles. Each one of us needs a rod and staff in the hand of our Great Shepherd to do this for us. It may not be ATI for you, but you need to know what it is. What will keep your eyes on Him and His ways and keep reminding you, keep prodding you, keep retrieving you, and be a comfort to you? Make sure you know what your rod and staff is in your Great Shepherds hand, that when you think on it keeps you on the proper path and comforts you. It may be a variety of things, but know what they are, and keep them in sight.

What is a sabbatical? A sabbatical comes from the word sabbath. A sabbatical is an extended sabbath. It is a time to rest and reflect and seek God’s face. To enter into His presence, confession and repentance is the key. Begin with that. I remember thinking, how will I know what to do? How will I know where to read? How will I know He is speaking to me? Begin with confession and repentance and He will weave your path the rest of the way. How long should it be? Ask God. I went for 4 days, and each day built upon the last. It was just the right amount of time for what God had for me. Get alone with no distractions. Try not to have an agenda, His agenda will be different that yours For all you mothers: there is a special opportunity I want to make you aware of. ATI is hosting a Journey to the Heart retreat for mothers from September 22nd to October 2nd. This is a time to get away from the motherly routine and get quiet before the Lord, examine ourselves, and seek His face. You do not have to be a member of ATI to go. For more information go to www.ati.iblp.org.  Scroll down and click on Mother’s Journey 2010 under recent updates in the right hand column. I went to one last year and it was a tremendous blessing! I look forward to going again this year. Maybe I will see you there May The LORD Bless you as you seek His sabbath rest and revelations

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Tomorrow (at 3:00 AM) begins an exciting, thrilling adventure for the entire family as we head off to visit relatives in Pennsylvania. It’s been a while since Hannah and I were in PA with the family, as they visited twice while we were on different Journeys. This time we are all going together and will be staying with a man my parents met at a Health Conference back in 2006. He has graciously opened his home up to us many times over the past 4 years, and it is with great anticipation that we look forward to seeing him again!

One of our highlights of every PA trip is visiting Lancaster county and making all our favorite, familiar stops along the way. Driving the short 1.5 hour stretch from Pennsburg to Lancaster has become a family tradition! We eat breakfast at our favorite smorgasbord, “Shady Maple” and then visit the gift shop down below that is entirely HUGE – it take about 45 minutes to see everything, if you have already seen it all, and are hurrying through Throughout the day, we “get lost” in Amish country, visiting the Amish stores and touring the scenic farmland. We usually wind down the day with delicious home-made ice cream at Lapp’s dairy farm!

This year we are going to the Sight and Sound Theater, where Bible stories are dramatically acted out in a fantastic way! We discovered the theater a few years ago, and have seen Ruth, David, The Christmas Story, and Sarah and Abraham. This time we are going to see Joseph!!! I can’t wait also, our grandmother is going along for the second time, so we are thrilled!

On the 4th of July we will be watching fireworks at the park in town. Last year we were amazed at how close they were, since we are used to seeing them from far off in the distance. We were actually able to see the men shooting them off in the field in front of us, and the noise was electrifying:-) I think we should wisely take earplugs along this year…

On the 9th of July, Hannah and I head off to our 4th Journey from the Philadelphia airport, while the others drive back to NC. We are going with a team of 7 other young ladies, mostly whom we know very well. It feels strange to be going back for the 4th time, but I can safely say with great confidence that there has never been a Journey not worth the experience! Every time there is something new to learn, something new to examine and work through, something new to apply to life. I am assured that God is going to do a great work in our hearts, and that He will teach us new and wonderful things from His Word!

So…now that you have an idea of where we will be for the next week (some of us for the next 3 weeks), please pray for our family as we set off on this adventure! Pray for our visit to PA because my grandfather has advanced emphysema and we don’t know how long he has to live. Each visit may be the last time we see him, and that is difficult. Pray that we could be a blessing to them. God can do so much in and through each one of us, and He will if we are willing and obedient, open and broken, fully surrendered. When we arrive back from all the busyness of life away from home, there will be exciting new reports and stories to share, all proof of God’s unfailing, unchanging, everlasting love!

Until then, please keep us in your prayers

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Back in March of this year, Hannah and I left for our 3rd Journey to the Heart…and to be sure, we came home with more than a few “sisters” to keep up with! The bonding that takes place between like-minded believers at a place like Journey, over the length of 10 adventure-packed days, is an incredible experience that you don’t just throw away the day after you come home

On Saturday, we were blessed to be able to drive about an hour and a half to Columbia, SC, where we met up with the the Adams family from Evans, GA. Hannah and I met Madelyn and Abigail at Journey and visited their home shortly after, for the celebration of Madelyn’s birthday. This time we met up at the Cracker Barrel for Abigail’s birthday, about halfway between our homes! We had NO idea what an exciting time lay in store for our celebration together.

How do you describe the sweetness of fellowshipping with like-minded believers in the Lord? How do you write about the memories that were made, the smiles that passed between us, and the little moments that made our short time together a VERY special time? While we laughed and talked, and shared updates about our Journey friends, we couldn’t help but notice the thunder and rain outside the windows. (Probably because the lights flickered a few times). Just as our meal arrived, the power went out. When we waited for it to come back on and it didn’t, we all started laughing. Our waitress ran around lighting the lanterns on every table, and soon the entire restaurant was filled with flickering lights from every corner. It was a rather awkward experience, because I couldn’t tell one thing from another on my plate…or rather, should I say, I was having difficulty seeing my food! People cleared out pretty fast and soon we were practically the only ones left there!  A few waiters were playing checkers nearby, and others were standing around talking… a very unusual situation It felt strange to sing happy birthday, eat cake, and watch Abigail open her presents…all in the dark!

It’s strange how the little things that happen in life can mean so much! Sometimes they are the difference between having a good time and having a GREAT time together! It was hard to say goodbye…but that means that next time will be even better! We are so thankful for the Adams family, and their faithfulness to God! They have been such an incredible blessing to our family, and we await with great expectation the time when our paths will cross again!

On the way home we passed a billboard for the Cracker Barrel…it said, “Dinner by Candle light.” :-) (Do you suppose they meant that the way it sometimes happens?)

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    With a family of 9, there’s never a dull moment… something is ALWAYS going on with at least one member of the family! And…more than likely it’s not just one, but a few of the crowd that’s involved. Last week our parents took off on a short 3-day trip to celebrate Mama’s birthday. They went to the beautiful NC mountains about 2.5 hours away. The 7 of us kids stayed home, which IS an unusual circumstance! So…we decided to document this special occasion and all the great things we did, with photography!

As the pictures prove, we had a lot of fun and enjoyed our time together immensely! Just a few of the exciting things we did, include eating donuts for breakfast, baking banana bread, archery, bike riding, and photoshooting. Our dear friends who live just down the road came by for dinner one evening, and we enjoyed sweet fellowship with them Needless to say, we all survived and made some wonderful memories!!!

for more pictures, visit my Picasa album

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We were standing in the kitchen one day – David and I…

David: What should we make for lunch?

Sarah: I’m not sure. Do you have any suggestions?

David: Pasta?

David and I love cooking together! Although our preference for WHAT to make is often different, we can pretty much always agree on  pasta From David’s perspective, what could be better than a big dish of noodles floating in tomato sauce, or better yet cheese sauce? He is our “Italian chef,” and the house always smells good when he’s at work in the kitchen…

So, on this particular day I was home alone with the 5 below me…and of course it happened to be dinner time. David and I set right to work searching the cabinets for a recipe that would please everyone’s taste buds. We decided on a delicious looking alfredo cheese sauce for our pasta, but discovered almost immediately that we were lacking all but one of the ingredients! This was a hopeless situation calling for creativity. We decided to cook up a specialty of our own that would be even better!

So…5 or 6 cooking expeditions later + some additional flavors of our own + a few minor adjustments recorded, this is what we came up with! We wanted to share it with you

Tomato Cream Sauce

1 cup milk

2 cups grated parmesan cheese

1 cup shredded mozzerella cheese

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 stick (1/2 cup) butter

salt and pepper to taste

1 1/2 jars marinara sauce (39 oz total)

Instructions: In a medium saucepan, melt butter in milk over med-low heat. (If the temperature is too high, the cheese will stick together and become lumpy). Stir in minced garlic. Gradually add parmesan and mozzerella, stirring constantly unto melted. Sauce should be slightly thick but not lumpy. Add marinara sauce and stir until mixture is hot and thoroughly cominbed. If desired, add salt and pepper as needed. Pour over cooked pasta (We used angel hair pasta) and serve hot.

Enjoy!

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I don’t know why I call it that, I really hate getting shots of any kind! Going to the Nashville  ATI training conference is like getting infused with something… WONDERFUL! It is inspiring, motivating, convicting, thought provoking, revealing, awe generating, exhilarating and….. exhausting! But it is a good kind of exhausting. It is the kind of exhausting that comes after searching and searching for a treasure and actually finding it; or like you feel after completing a mammoth project and you stand back and look at it with great satisfaction! Between the wonderful fellowship with new and old friends, inspiring and informative speakers, and seeing the excitement in our children as they lead or participate in various aspects of the ministry, it is completely rejuvenating. It is just what I need before beginning another year of school. It sets the vision, renews the pace, reminds me of why it is I do what I do, and why I do it the way I do it. It keeps God’s principles before my eyes. It reminds me of the blessings that come from keeping on the narrow path and the risks of straying from it.

We were able to head out on Sunday to have an extra day and a half to rest and mentally prepare for the conference. Tuesday was quite an experience as David had to report to be an Alert Cadet Squad Leader by 10AM with a sack lunch, then we went to registration and lunch, followed by dropping Hannah and Sarah off for Commit leadership training. Just when I got back to the hotel and Dave took the younger children to the pool for a short swim, we realized that He and Jonathan had to be at the church in 30 minutes for flag ceremony practice, (oops… we were late!) After dropping them off I had to go back and register Jonathan for alert cadets, because they did not know earlier what team David would be leading. Finally I flopped down in the lobby of the training center to take a deep breath and rest until supper! Timmy immediately noticed his dear friend Robert Staddon in Mr. Gothard’s office (it has glass walls), and began calling, “I want to see Robby!” How do you tell a 2 year old who has been asking for “Robby” for weeks, and has been told for weeks, “We will see Robby soon,” that ,”You have to wait a little while longer sweetie!”??? Well, after a little while, “Robby” appeared, to Timmy’s great delight! He picked him up, and Timmy immediately laid his head down on Robert’s shoulder snuggling in for a cuddle from the person he had been asking for since we left the Staddons at Easter time. After a short visit with Robert it was time to go to dinner. At dinner, David told me that he had gotten sick after eating his lunch. He was not able to eat any dinner, (OH NO!) During the flag ceremony, I saw Dave and Jonathan make a Quick exit from the stage before it was time to come off the stage.  As it turned out, Jonathan and David were coming down with a stomach bug that Bethany had the week before. I whined inside saying, “Oh, why does this kind of thing always have to happen? We anticipate this conference all year, and then someone gets sick!” I immediately began feeling sorry for myself and mentally preparing myself to spend the week in the hotel room while everyone else enjoyed the conference. That night as I got into bed, I asked God to forgive me and make me willing to serve my family, even if it meant missing the conference. Suddenly a great feeling of anger at the enemy rose up in me. I began to bind the enemy and ask God not to allow the enemy to keep my family from being able to serve or from getting whatever He had for them our of this conference. I prayed that He would heal David so he could lead in Alert Cadets, (they were very short of leaders,) and that He would heal Jonathan so he could learn and experience what God had for him. I felt more at peace and was able to go to sleep. What a day!

The next morning, to my surprise, David felt good. Jonathan still felt kind of puny, but he thought he would be able to sit in the auditorium with us. By the time it was time to drop students off for their various activities, Jonathan felt up to going to alert cadets! That was the last I heard all week of tummy aches, in spite of being outside in 90+ degrees and  running around. God had answered my prayer and healed them. The other thing I had anticipated was a noisy and fidgety Timmy, and that Josiah would complain and whine about sitting quietly for 3 1/2 full days. To our great surprise and amazement, both of them sat quietly and did not complain at all. Timmy only had to be taken out for correction one time the first day. After that it was smooth sailing all the way. Timmy even took naps on the chairs with his pillow and blanket every morning and afternoon. I know that is normal for a lot of toddlers, but Stelzl toddlers have never successfully napped anywhere but in cribs or car seats, and forget about moving a sleeping Stelzl baby. As soon as the engine is turned off they are wide awake. Our babies wake at the drop of a pin in spite of having them sleep with lots of noise at home from the time they are born. So this was a real miracle for us!

Once the conference gets started, it is kind of like a snowball picking up momentum the rest of the week until the final crescendo on Friday with the choir singing “It Will Be Worth It All.” We heard great sessions that gave us a lot to think about. We learned about the difference between dedicating our business to God and giving our business to God from Steve Dulin. It was a highlight for us both as we heard how this man has applied God’s ways to his business. Steve also spoke about taking three sabbaticals each year to hear the LORD’s direction. Dave and I are both looking for our first available opportunity to take one.

Another highlight was hearing Gil Bates tell “How to Support a Family of 19 Without a Salary.” What an inspiring message about letting God develop stories in your life while you pray and trust Him for answers! Often, when we felt God wanted us to get a certain thing, we would not feel right about praying for God to supply it if we already had the money to buy it. We assumed He had already provided by allowing us to have the money for it. Even when Gil had enough money to get whatever it was he needed, he would wait and pray and often see God provide a better item than he could have bought with the money he had for it. This gave us something to think about. Perhaps when the money is there it is for something else, (a widow, a needy family, the church, a ministry, or even some other needed item?) In any case, waiting and seeing God provide, gave Gil many stories to impact others in their walk with the LORD. He constantly reminded us that it is all about impacting people. We are praying about what is in this message for us.

We also heard a pastor of a Hispanic church talk about the experience of a group of girls in his chruch at Journey to the Heart. They came back in such one accord power that they are seeing answers to prayer everywhere they go. They went on a missions trip with their church and the leaders of that country asked for them to go to many cities and pray for the people. Everywhere they went people were healed and delivered. The country has asked them to return regularly. Dave asked them to pray for my health. It was an amazing time. That group of people truly had one accord and tremendous faith. I can’t explain it, but you could feel the difference! I pray I will have that kind of faith one day!

Well, as we were approaching Charlotte, I began to feel that old familiar discomfort of a sore throat. By the next morning I was sick, and Jonathan was once again feeling “puny” on his tummy. By Sunday afternoon Dave was feeling a sore throat coming on. When the adrenaline comes down, so does the immune system Getting back on track this week has been a little slow because we have needed lots of rest and “remedies.” The blessing in it, is that I have had some down time to reflect on everything I have heard, and have sarted reading some of the new stash of books we bought. It has been like having a pre-sabbatical while I am waiting for the real thing.

The conference was amazing. God was so good to me and our family. We are refreshed and inspired. I am excited about what God is showing Dave and I for our family, our ministry, our business, and our personal lives. I am filled with excited anticipation of what God has for us in the coming year. I am so grateful for God’s servant, Mr. Gothard and the ministry he started years ago. God uses different things in different peoples lives, but for us, it has been IBLP and ATI that have kept our biblical priorities before our eyes and kept us going on the right path. Now it is time to come back to earth, roll up our sleeves, and get busy doing what He has shown us. I am already looking forward to next year!

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Have you ever experienced a day in the past that was really refreshing in every way, yet packed with excitement and adventure? A day spent enjoying fellowship with like-minded believers, learning new Biblical principles for everyday living, and gaining priceless treasures from Scripture? With a family of 9, it’s hard not to fill the calendar up with every kind of plan imaginable; yet you can look high and low, and never find a day labeled “refreshment and relaxation.”

We had the joy of experiencing this kind day for a whole week, beginning the last day of May! One of our highlights of the year is attending the regional ATI home-school conference that takes place in Nashville each June. As a family, we eagerly look forward to crossing paths with dear friends again, participating in exciting programs for all of our different ages, and having some time away from the busyness of normal life to simply rejoice and be inspired! Needless to say, the best part of every ATI conference is the time of growing in Christ, as new principles are brought from Scripture and stored up in our hearts for the years to come! We always come away so enlightened and exploding with rich treasures from God’s Word!

Hannah and I were blessed with the opportunity to be COMMIT leaders again, and I had the privilege of having Bethany on my team! It was her first year as a COMMIT student and God made it a very special experience for her David was also able to be a leader for the Alert Cadets, with Jonathan on his team. Josiah and Timothy enjoyed the main sessions with our parents. They were amazingly quiet and content

God really spoke to my heart in two ways this year through the conference. (1) I was able to experience the love of my Heavenly Father and His voice speaking through me, as I shared with the COMMIT girls, and with the students in afternoon sessions. Before my second Journey, I was a VERY fearful person, and God has been daily teaching me the importance of putting my eyes on Him, and allowing Him to DO all the work. (2) I watched God at work during the last COMMIT large group session, as we had a time of praying and declaring freedom on the  girls present. I was so touched by the lines of girls who came from every corner of the room to share areas that God had given them a breakthrough! During that time of prayer and silence, God stretched my love for others to a whole new level! I felt His leading to lay hands on and pray for several of the girls there, and as a result, He gave me joy in watching them experience breakthroughs as well!   It was so special to hear various ones praying in the name of Jesus for freedom for all the girls!

I wouldn’t trade the experience we had at Nashville for anything in the world! The “little” things God taught me are in fact huge things that will change my perspective from day to day life! As evangelist Paul Washer points out, “you can’t have an encounter with God (no matter how big or small) and not be significantly changed for life! The week was refreshing! Relaxing? Not exactly, but amazing!!! There is something about looking back over your life and seeing how God literally transformed you from one day to the next. It is awesome when you consider the person you used to be before you experienced His powerful presence and love! This is something that can never be accurately described with words in a book, or written with a pen, or even to some extent spoken with the mouth. For each person, the encounters they have with God and His Word, are testimonies of His love that can only be understood by experience.

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This past weekend we had the wonderful privilege of hosting the Neely Team for a short visit! They were passing through on their way to the beach for a family vacation, and were planning to participate in the NRA (National Rifle Association) gun show, representing Accurate Innovations. They arrived late Thursday evening around 10:00, bringing joy to the close of one of our busiest days ever! Although they were absent nearly all day Friday, we willingly took advantage of every spare moment in between, including late night conversations that lasted into the early morning hours

On Friday we prepared one of our favorite meals that we often share with guests. The Neely Team arrived back from the gun show just in time for scalloped potato special (made with an Italian tomato and herb mixture rather than cream sauce), grilled chicken, salad, and brownie-ice-cream-desert. To top off the meal, 15 of us kids played “beat the clock” to get the kitchen sparkling in just 5 minutes! Although the dish scrubbing line got a little behind, we certainly had the most experienced of dish-washers hard at work with great and amazing effort! Way to go Amanda, Bethany, and David (and all others who were involved with other jobs as well  )! It is simply amazing how normal tasks like wiping crumbs off the tables, sweeping floors, and scrubbing dishes can be SO much fun when individuals become a team and willingly pitch in with joyful determination!

Saturday morning provided opportunity for much needed sleep as we prepared to fix a big breakfast on the later side – 9:00. The Neely Team hoped to get on the road before lunch in order to arrive at the beach for their family vacation in good time. A few of us decided to forgo sleep for the joy of extra precious hours together! I enjoyed my devotional time outside with Kathryn immensely and later wrote about the wonderful memories we made together in my journal. There is nothing like the sweet lasting fellowship between like-minded believers in Christ, and the blessings that come from sharing and praying together!

Overall, we had a perfect visit with our dear friends the Neelys! They are such a beautiful example to us with their willingness to serve, their radiant joy, and their sincere love for Jesus Christ! We eagerly await the time when our paths will cross again…wherever, whenever, however that may be. We praise the Lord for drawing our families together in such a special and unique way…as sisters and brothers in Christ!

Photography by Hannah & Sarah Stelzl

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