Happy Thanksgiving!!!!!

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! I don't have anything particularly insightful today to share, but I wanted to check in with y'all.  (Do you see that? I've finally abandoned fighting against the usage of y'all!) We have so much to be thankful for this year. For those of you that aren't on Facebook (Umm, Srin!), here are a few pics for you to enjoy!

The girls at Roseberry Farms

Annabelle and Rianne performed in Lagooned! with other homeschoolers

If you want to see Noah, you'll have to catch him in person. He is not fond of me taking his picture! (Teenagers!)

We are so grateful for all 4 of our precious children. We may not get to be with our family for Thanksgiving this year, but we are going to have a great day with a family that is precious to us. We hope that regardless of how you will be celebrating, that you will give all thanks and glory to God. It is not by our own doing that we have what we have, but it is because of our most gracious, generous, and loving Father. 

Happy Thanksgiving,

Anne

P.S. We have some new needs listed on the "How You Can Help" page if you are interested.

"I will praise the name of God with a song; I will magnify him with thanksgiving."

Psalms 69:30 ESV

Abandon the Gods

I hope today's post makes sense and isn't disjointed. I'll do my very best, but this month has been so God-filled, that I have a million thoughts swirling around in my head.

The first milestone of this month came when I finished reading the Bible in 94 days. I was aiming for 90, but frankly, am pretty amazed that I came even close! Bro. Lynn Raburn is a great encourager for Bible reading and it was always something that I struggled with, so I finally took his advice and gave it a go. Now while some days I'm sure I was just reading to get that check mark, God showed me the beauty of reading His Word in one fell swoop. The knowledge and understanding that I have gained from reading it as a whole, has benefited me tremendously! It is definitely something I will be doing again!




Coinciding with this accomplishment, was our annual MTM training. This year they made it very family friendly and took us to the Ozark Folk Center in Mountain View, AR. These weeks devoted to learning and growing are always so amazing to me. It was no coincidence that during this same week, us ladies were learning about the benefits of studying our Bibles and memorizing scripture. I gained so many tools and some new friends too! As always, our children had a blast and hated to leave. They got to experience the folk center, go bowling, visit caves, go hiking, go to a pumpkin patch, go on a hayride and have s'mores, go canoeing,  and play in bounce houses. Their week was full of fun and many memories! We are so grateful for everything MTM has provided for us.

This month, our church also had a revival in a local park with Bro. Will Diggs preaching. It did my heart good to gather with our church family nightly and hear God's Word. There was wonderful worship and a definite boosting to my spirit! We also had our local Associational Meeting which I got to attend a portion of. Again, the preaching was FANTASTIC and I got a lot of encouragement from various pastors in our area. It is moments like these that keep me fueled during this difficult journey.

The last bit of excitement from this month brings me to the title of today's post.

My sweet neighbor-friend and I have started to meet weekly to go through Kelly Minter's What Love Is. It is a study of 1John, 2John and 3John. Our Monday mornings have now become my very favorite part of my week. This time together has filled a need that I have had for awhile in such a special way. And it is through this study that brought me to today's epiphany. We are in the third week of this study, and Ms. Minter has us really thinking about what it means to remain, or abide in Jesus. In the Gospel of John, Jesus gives us a clear picture of what this looks like in chapter 15. He discusses the vine and the branches as an illustration and says: "Remain in Me, and I in you..." (vs. 4). For us to remain in Him takes a good bit of effort on our part. The world wants to drag us away in so many directions. When I really started to think about this, I realized that prior to this journey I had a god that kept trying to pull me away from Jesus. This god looked innocent enough, but it can do so much harm. If I'm not careful, he still tries to steal me away. We all have gods that try to do this. I'm sure I have several others that I am still actively battling. However, it is this one particular god that I want to focus on today because I really feel like it can do so much damage to remaining in Jesus.

What is this god I speak of?.....The god of Stability. Prior to our calling, one of my greatest pursuits and joys in life was stability. I loved that Ben had a secure job that paid well. Even though he was salaried he had opportunities for overtime if needed. We had great health insurance and a 401K. His company gave bonuses twice a year that would pay for our modest family vacation and Christmas. His company took really good care of us and valued him. I felt secure. 

However, it was this security that could have completely drawn me away from following God's Will. If I had not been girding myself with sound preaching weekly, devotions, small group studies, regular fellowship with believers, and serving my community....the god of security would have won. I would have attached myself so deeply with it, that the whisper, tug, and shout of God's calling would have been drowned out completely. I am so grateful God had me in a place where I was grafted so securely to His vine. I pray I never let security lop me from it.

The really good news though comes in the second half of what I quoted..."and I in you." You see, Jesus doesn't have to work to remain in us. Once we ask Him to be our Savior He just IS in us. He may prune us from time to time, but He will not remove us from His vine once we have been grafted. I am so grateful for this! 

I hope you will take some time today and consider if the god of security has interfered with your relationship with Jesus. Or is there some other god that is pulling you away? If so, ask Jesus for forgiveness and then strengthen yourself for the battle ahead.

Armed and Ready, Anne

"Remain in Me, and I in you. Just as a branch is unable to produce fruit by itself unless it remains on the vine, so neither can you unless you remain in Me." -John 15:4

The Cost

We know there is a cost to following God. Before we embarked on this journey we counted it: loss of salaried jobs, moving from our home, distance from family. We did a pretty thorough inventory of losses and agreed to them. However, anyone that has given up their comfortable life to follow God will agree to one thing...sometimes a loss, one you never considered, will jump out and kick you from behind.

I seem to be experiencing these losses quite frequently nowadays. The first one that comes to mind was finding out Annika had a lip and tongue tie. In our former life, we could have immediately gone to the doctor and had them fixed. Perhaps we would have been able to then work through our breastfeeding issues and been more successful. Perhaps I could have still been nursing her now. But, we had to wait for her insurance to go through. And then the ENT wouldn't do her lip tie and a qualified dentist that would, doesn't take her insurance. While I am extremely grateful for her insurance, this is a cost of state-funded insurance that I never counted.

The other such event happened today. The fact that I want to burst into tears over it has me completely blind-sided. It's so vain and trivial, but upsetting all the same.

I took Noah to the optometrist to have his eyes checked again. He has a lazy eye that we have to keep tabs on. While his vision is great with his glasses, the doctor confirmed that he does need to be wearing his glasses all of the time. (Something that Noah is not too keen on). His prescription didn't change much, but it did need modified.

Where is the concern in this? Well, again, his state insurance will only cover some very basic frames. We had spent a lot of time fretting over frames last year to find a pair that he was satisfied with and willing to wear. They were pricey, but with our insurance and steady income we were able to get them. Well, when we asked about keeping these frames and just replacing the lenses, they said his insurance wouldn't cover that but we could pay for it out of pocket. At $85 a lens, that just isn't possible. The part that really broke my heart was the fact that Noah didn't even complain even though I could see the disappointment on his face. It's just glasses, but having my son settle for less then what he wants is hard to bear. I hate that we can only give him a chinsy pair of glasses. Again, I'm grateful for our insurance and that we have access to great optical care. We saw first hand in Africa how amazing this accessibility is. An African would travel miles and weep with happiness over these chinsy frames that I find so heartbreaking. Yet, here I am. Saddened by our loss.

I know we have more unexpected losses ahead of us. I am not looking forward to facing them. However, even though I can't ever count the full cost of our obedience, I know it is all worth it. I wouldn't trade in all this for that old comfy life again. 

So, I will grieve these losses when they come. And then I will count all the marvelous blessings we have and be grateful that God is changing us for the better.

Still a Work in Progress, Anne

So therefore, any one of you who does not renounce all that he has cannot be my disciple.
Luke 14:33 ESV

***Update: Two of God's servants felt called to purchase Noah his new lenses. It is so hard to accept gifts like this, but we are so thankful that God prompts His people to be so generous. This was not my intention with this post, but I have one very happy teenager right now! Praise God!

She's Here!!!!!

I'm sorry it has take so long to post, but life certainly got busy for us!!! If you haven't heard, our third daughter arrived safely on Wednesday, June 22nd via c-section. She is absolutely perfect!!!

With this being my 4th c-section, and a tubal ligation done along with it, surgery was a bit more difficult and recovery was by far my hardest. However, with her about to turn 3 weeks, we are through the brunt of it! We have had a challenging start to breastfeeding because she has a lip and tongue tie, but they should be getting fixed this following Monday. Say some prayers that nursing will be able to resume afterwards. It has been extremely difficult keeping up with pumping in the midst of trying to resume life.

The girls are absolutely thrilled with their new sister! My very favorite thing is to see them interacting with her and laughing at her antics. It is absolutely precious!!! So far, Annika seems pretty even tempted. If we could just get her to sleep at night like she sleeps during the day, we will be all set!

We are looking forward to traveling north with her in August so that our friends and family back home can meet her. My parents got the opportunity to come down for a week for her birth which was absolutely wonderful! I know everyone else is chomping at the bit to get their hands on her!!!

This brings us to our biggest request of this post. WE NEED YOUR PRAYERS!!!! When we started this journey, we began working towards paying off our car, an HHR, with the vision that it would keep our needs until it was time to leave for the mission field. Well, we got it paid off, but now with God's surprise blessing we no longer fit in it!!! We are in desperate need of a mini van. We are not looking to take on extra debt, so we are praying that we can find a reliable used van that is inexpensive. Our HHR isn't worth a whole lot, but we'd like to trade it in and keep the cost above that minimal. We know this is a God-sized task, so please be praying with us! God has provided many opportunities for Ben to preach this summer, which has helped with the time he took off for Annika's birth, and will help go towards a van. We are so grateful! I can't wait to see how God answers this prayer and can't wait to share it with you!

Another update we need to make is important for those of you that currently support us or for those of you that would like to send support at some point. Since we are living in Arkansas now, we have moved our church membership to Oak Grove MBC in Benton. Because of this, we have also moved our mission account. If you are called to send any funds, please send them to:

Oak Grove MBC

2907 Congo Rd.

Benton, AR 72019

Please list in the memo what your intention is for the funds so we can use them appropriately.

Thank you so much for all of your prayers! We have been blessed beyond measure and really appreciate the way God's people have encouraged and supported us. I will update our "Ways You Can Help" page with our newest prayer requests. God Bless!

Under His Care and Provision, Anne

"And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus." -Philippians 4:19

Unexpected Blessings- World Missions Seminar

What an awesome couple of weeks! Our family just spent two weeks with the World Missions Seminar with Lynn and Brenda Raburn at Faith Baptist Church in North Little Rock. I will get back to you on our experience, but I wanted to first pay homage to an unexpected blessing we received.

Ben and I were able to attend the second week of this conference last year. However, since our children had already missed a bunch of school for our trip to Kenya, we could not bring them along. We weren't sure what our kids would experience at the seminar. We knew childcare was provided, but I really just thought they would keep an eye on the kids so we could focus and learn. I packed up some homeschool lessons for each of them, said a prayer that they wouldn't get too bored, and hoped for the best...

Oh man! My kids experienced an amazing two weeks like they have never experienced before. I knew the World Missions Seminar put out outstanding quality for us missionary adults, but I had no idea what lengths they would go to for our kids as well!

Meet Holly Hartung. She gave up an opportunity to help serve in Africa so she could be here to serve our missionary kids! God created her with the love, energy, creativity and ability to discipline that was needed to care for our kids. I could not get over all they did each day!!! I'm pretty sure they went and did everything that was on my go-do list for while we are in Arkansas! Here are some of the highlights......

The Old Mill

North Little Rock Fire Department

Painting

The Trolley

We don't have pictures, but they also went to The Maritime Museum (submarine), The Big Dam Bridge, The Witt Stephens Nature Center, The Discovery Museum, went bowling, and visited Heifer International!!! They were also suppose to climb Pinnacle Mountain but the weather wouldn't cooperate. On top of ALL of this, they played games, put on skits, did multiple crafts and completed school work!!!! I am not sure how it all was accomplished, but it made for some memories that will last a lifetime!

Another unexpected blessing that resulted from these weeks, is the friendships my kids made. It was priceless for them to be around peers. Not just kids their own ages (which was very much needed), but kids who understand them. Kids who are going through the same transitions and exceptional childhoods. It did my mama heart good to see our children flourishing in this way.

Unfortunately, with this fun and excitement comes another transition...our children must separate once more...their new friends go back to other states and they are left with each other once again. We look forward to all gathering back together in October for our next Missionary Training Ministry Retreat, but October is a long time away to a child. Please say some prayers for their lonely hearts. Pray that God will bring some other local friends to them, and give us opportunities to cross paths with our new ones. I know this is all part of "The Cost", and part of the preparation for the field, but it doesn't make it easy. We thank God for all of His provision. We are particularly thankful for His servants: Lynn, Brenda and Holly for helping us so tremendously as we follow His Will.

Cared and Beloved, Anne

"Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above..." -James 1:17a

Please Pray With Us

Hello everyone! So sorry we have been silent for so long. It is amazing how time just flits by without you even blinking!!! We wanted to briefly check in with you all to ask for some specific prayers. We are so excited to be attending the World Missions Seminar starting tomorrow and going through Aprill 22. We were able to attend the second week last year and absolutely loved it! This year we are blessed enough to be able to attend both weeks! We are so excited!

God has been moving greatly in our lives. He has been opening doors, forging new relationships and giving confirmation which has been certainly welcomed! We just know that He will have so much to say to us through the course of this training. Please be praying for us that we will hear clearly what He is saying, and will respond accordingly. Please pray for all of the speakers and especially Lynn and Brenda Raburn that put so much time, energy and love into this seminar. Please pray for me as my growing belly makes sitting more challenging and the long days (while very fulfilling) will be tiring. Please pray for our children that they will thoroughly enjoy these weeks with other missionary kids and hopefully make new friendships.

I hope that if any of you are nearby, you will come join us for some of the sessions. The information that is given is so beneficial not only to missionaries, but to pastors and church members alike. There is no better gift to a missionary than a church that truly understands the missionary's needs. You will find us at Faith Baptist Church in North Little Rock. Sessions are Tuesday-Thursday of this week from 8:30-4, and Friday from 8:30-12. Next week we will be there Monday-Thursday 8:30-4 and Friday 8:30-12. We are so excited to see what God has in store!!!!

In case you don't see us on a regular basis or don't follow us on Facebook, we are now almost  29 weeks into our pregnancy! Our little girl is a kicking machine and growing rapidly! We go for another ultrasound on the 25th so they can check some of her anatomy that wasn't clear in the last ultrasound, so say some prayers that all is well. Oak Grove MBC gave us a wonderful shower, so we have lots of cute little outfits and diapers just waiting for her! 

I am sure you will hear from us soon about what God is revealing, so be sure to check back or follow our blog by email (sign up on the right side of this page), so that you don't miss out on any updates! Thank you so much!

Anticipating, Anne

God is Full of Surprises!!!!

Well, if you haven't experienced this yet yourself, I am here to tell you that God is FULL of surprises!!! Sorry it has been so long since we have updated our blog, but frankly we are just beginning to come out of our state of shock. For most of you, this is old news by now, but for some of you, prepare yourself.....

The Fisher family is expecting!!!!! Yes, I am 37 and yes I had a procedure done last year to prevent any more pregnancies, and yes we are living a "simple" life on limited income, and yes we are preparing ourselves to move to  foreign country...but none of that will stop God in all of His wonderful craziness! I am now 16 weeks, doing better with my nausea and praising God that our little one is doing well! Here is a sneak peak:

So, with this news comes the need to update our prayer requests. God has been so good to us! I will update our prayer page too, but here are our most recent needs:

1) That the baby and I will continue to do well. It is absolutely crazy to be in this stage again, and is much more difficult this time around.

2) Our only vehicle is a 5 seater HHR. We hadn't planned on anymore vehicle purchases before moving overseas, but clearly that has changed now. We're praying that God will make a way for us to get a reliable minivan that will be able to take us through deputation.

3) We are still waiting on God to reveal His clear calling as to WHERE He wants to send us. Please be praying that He is clear with us and that we will have patience while we wait on His timing.

We so appreciate all of you. We know that God could not be so bold and generous with us if it wasn't for the assistance of His people. 

In other news, Ben had a great first semester at Seminary. He is looking forward to beginning the new semester tomorrow. The kids and I have thoroughly enjoyed our Christmas break. We were able to travel home to spend two weeks with family and friends in Ohio and Pennsylvania. God even blessed them with the chance to see some snow! We will start back with our homeschooling next week as we "travel" to Kenya with our curriculum! (I can't wait!) It's hard to believe that just one year ago we were returning from our actual trip to Kenya. What an amazing year it has been!

Blessed and Blooming, Anne

Psalm 139:13–15 (ESV)

¹³  For you formed my inward parts;

you knitted me together in my mother’s womb.

¹⁴  I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.

Wonderful are your works;

my soul knows it very well.

¹⁵  My frame was not hidden from you,

when I was being made in secret,

intricately woven in the depths of the earth.