Peace and Potatoes - a Testimony of God's Abundance
by Abigail Erickson Miller

"Lord, if you really care about us, could you just give us some potatoes?"

We were a young couple with some little children, starting out on a new venture: our own business! How exciting it was to feel those wings of freedom and how proud we felt of our little book business. We had started with high hopes and great expectations, though not unaware of the sacrifices we might have to make while waiting for the business to grow. Now as the months had passed and we were feeling the crunch of a very tight budget, I was finding it hard to have a restful spirit, trusting that the Lord would provide and not worrying over any of our needs. After being used to a regular paycheck, it was a big adjustment not knowing from week to week how much we would have for groceries. This particular time, as I tried to plan ahead for a week of meals, I thought I could really make it work if we just had some potatoes. But the money to shop was not there, not even for just a bag of spuds, and more out of frustration than faith, I prayed those words.

That night we went to church as usual for the midweek service, and on coming back to our car, to our great surprise there were two or three bags of groceries waiting for us, placed there by a loving family who had no knowledge of our need. Instantly, I knew... and as we and the children looked through the bags, I was waiting to see the one thing I knew would be there, and sure enough, there were the desired potatoes, surrounded by many other things. I felt a little rebuked for the way I had prayed, "Lord, if you really care about us..." Of course I knew He cared! But just then I think He knew, even better than I knew myself, that even more than potatoes we needed reassurance of His ever present care in our lives. "For your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask him." (Matthew 6:8)

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Dear Ladies,

As usual, we are looking forward to Women's Bible Study this fall! We have been taking time this summer to pray, read, study and contemplate the lessons that the Lord has put on our hearts. Since we determined the direction for this year's Bible study, we have been studying women in Scripture. It is exciting to see that all of their stories are full of practical lessons for us today.

A very useful phrase is: "Hindsight, insight, foresight". As we look back on our lives, we have the opportunity to learn from everything we experience, whether it is good or bad, and apply those insights to our future. We can learn from Scriptural women and their amazing stories in the same way. It is an incredible blessing that women who lived so very long ago can teach us how to live successfully as women in the 21st century!

See you in the fall!

Colette Fabry and Nancy Curran

Our annual Fall Bible Study Kick-off and Ice Cream Social will be Tuesday, September 22nd at 7:00 p.m. in the Cove. Mark your calendar - come prepared to meet new friends, and praise and worship together. Our teachers, Colette Fabry and Nancy Curran, will present an overview of this fall's study of Women of the Bible. Weekly studies will begin Tuesday, Sept. 29th at 10:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m. in the Singles wing. Please note there is a $2.00 cost for the ice cream. You may sign up and pay at the South Welcome Center starting Sunday, August 23rd.

Colette Fabry has been a member of First Bible Baptist Church for 25 years. She and her husband Matt, have three married sons and 4 grandchildren. Colette holds a Master of Divinity in Christian Counseling and is nationally certified in Mediation and Anger Management. Colette joined the staff of FBBC in 2000. She assists the Pastoral Staff in counseling and teaches in the Institute and Women's Ministry. Colette also owns her own business, "Anger Management Solutions of Rochester".

Nancy Curran has been a member of First Bible Baptist Church for the past 25 years. Her husband, Don Curran, has served as the Missions pastor for a span of about 20 years. Don and Nancy have three grown children, and two sweet grandchildren, with one on the way! Over the years, Nancy has served in various ministries, working with children, teens and singing in the music ministry. Teaching ladies Bible Study over the past several years has given her a particular twofold joy--learning wonderful truths from the Word of God, and sharing them with the ladies who come together to study. Her other interests include reading, handiwork like knitting and tatting, and sitting at the end of the dock by the still waters!

But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.
Hebrews 11:6

Abundant Living in Christ
by Penny Grace

Ever since our salvation almost 37 years ago, my husband and I have experienced abundant living in the Lord, beginning with abundant grace when we were saved in the Fall of 1972 because, "By grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: not of works, lest any man should boast" ( Ephesians 2:8-9 ). There has also been abundant grace in our daily lives because He said... "come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may find help in time of need," (Hebrews 4:16). I quickly learned to lean upon that grace when my mother and three grandparents died within six months the first year I became a Christian.

There has been abundant provision (food, clothing, shelter) because Jesus said "seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness and all these things will be added unto you" (Matthew 6:33). When George left Kodak to go into the ministry with the promise of little salary in 1973, the Lord did not fail us in any of those categories; Philippians 4:19 also says " but my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus."

There has been abundant ministry because God said "The harvest truly is plenteous,..." (Matthew 9:37). We have strived to help with that harvest in preparing the soil, sowing, watering, weeding and reaping when possible. Much of that ministry for me has come through abundant children that God gave us when we submitted to His will for our lives in that area. We had five children in eight years because "the fruit of the womb is his reward." Thankfully they are all grown now and walking with the Lord on their own journey, and by the end of this year, Lord willing, we'll have a total of six grandchildren to add to God's abundance in that area.

There have been abundant answers to prayer because Jesus said that we have "the confidence...in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us" (I John 5:14). I sure called on Him a lot in raising those children "in the nurture and admonition of the Lord" (Ephesians 6:4) and in "doing the work of the ministry" (Ephesians 4:12), but I also learned that sometimes He doesn't answer my prayers; His ways are not my ways and He knows what's best for me. There are also prayers that He doesn't answer because we too often "ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts" (James 4:3).

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To learn more about how much God loves you, click here: Salvation.

Distant Sisters
by Sue Taglialatela

Sue Taglialatela, with her husband, Jim, ministers in Aragon, Spain.

Behold my servant, whom I have chosen; my beloved, in whom my soul is well pleased: I will put my spirit upon him, and he shall show judgment to the Gentiles. He shall not strive, nor cry; neither shall any man hear his voice in the streets. A bruised reed shall he not break, and smoking flax shall he not quench, till he send forth judgment unto victory. Matthew 12:18-20

Spain is known as the coldest to the gospel of all countries in the world. Our region of Spain is known throughout its own country as the most hard headed and hardest to deal with of all other areas. The character of the Aragonese women is one of harshness...they rarely smile, their words are cutting, they are critical and thoughtless in their treatment of others. It is not uncommon to hear mothers in the stores speaking harshly to their children, "If you don't come here right now, I won't love you anymore...what is your problem...You are so stupid...I hate you." To strangers as well as to friends or family members, "Wow, you are really getting fat, that hair color looks bad on you, why are you Americans so stupid?", and they do not say these things once in a while, but daily. The excuse the people here use is, "Well, that is just the way we are" ...even among Christian women.

So with these obstacles, how could I think that I could have any impact? How could I, a wimp of a person, stand up to all this coldness, when all I wanted to do was run and hide in our apartment and pack our bags and go back to America? How could I give love when all I received was rejection and criticism? How could I continue to stand and move forward when it seemed I was being knocked down on a daily basis? How could I show joy and gladness when I spent most of my mornings crying? Well, God is faithful and didn't leave me in a heap of despair and hurt. He lead me to study the life of Jesus: how He thought, how He ministered, and how He loved the people He met every day. My wounded ego did not hold a candle to the sufferings of Christ, so it was time to buck up and face these obstacles with more faith and courage. This passage from the gospel of Matthew stood out to me as theme verses to use as a guideline when ministering to those God would place in my path. I cannot impact all of the women of this region, but I can impart something to those that God puts before me.

All through our Christian life, I believe we go through many times of being refreshed. Being refreshed is being renewed, restored, regenerated. As we go through our daily life we find that we get into a routine. We can get into a slump and our service for the Lord becomes a routine. The joy of doing work for the Lord fades and we may find ourselves slacking off on serving Him.

God's timing is always so perfect. God had been trying to give me some refreshing for some time, and my focus was not where it should have been to see those times He was trying to reach me.

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Learn more about the Taglialatelas by visiting the site available by clicking online here.

Peace and Potatoes...(cont.)
Abigail Erickson Miller

It was only the beginning, as we continued on our adventure of a life of faith with many ups and downs financially. It had been one of our reasons for going forward with the venture in the first place. We wanted to place ourselves and our children in a position to trust God, to see Him visibly providing through faith. The Lord had much in store for us, many lessons and many blessings. That night at the church was not the only time we were blessed with groceries unexpectedly, but there were also times when I had to learn to make do with what we had, and many times I discovered that the contents of the back of the pantry could go a lot further than I thought. There was never a day when we could not eat because there was not any food. The Lord proved His faithfulness many times, and often "just in time," as we waited for a check to come in or looked anxiously at the due date of a bill. The Lord allowed our business to grow, but also blessed us with more children (many more!), which of course meant that the budget just had to keep stretching to accommodate everyone!

But this is an article on abundance, not on just "getting by." Didn't Jesus say He came to give us life "more abundantly?" A story of a family just barely making it doesn't really illustrate the abundant life-or does it? Well, first of all let me say that despite any numbers designated as "poverty level income" I have always felt wealthy, especially in comparison to the many nations around the world who do not enjoy the abundance that even the poorest person in America has access to. We have never been hungry or without clothes, we have never had to forego medical care, or housing, or electricity, or heat, or a telephone because we could not afford it. Our basic needs, and many wants far beyond those, have always been met. So, if wealth is just a relative term, then we are very wealthy and very blessed. But by United States standards, I guess we don't have a lot. I guess. But you could never really convince me that we are not wealthy, because of the great blessings we enjoy. For one thing, we have a Father who owns the cattle on a thousand hills, and who has promised to supply all our needs (Philippians 4:19). We have eight healthy children, a wonderful extended family, and a great church family on top of that!

Over the years as we have gone through times of varying income, we have seen the Lord provide for us in wonderful ways, not just food, but all of our needs. Just when I wonder how I will be able to buy new clothes for my growing children, someone gives us a bag of beautiful clothes, just the right size. Sometimes He provides through a garage sale with just what we are looking for at an incredible bargain, or a thrift store will have just the pair of shoes we need, in brand new condition. These things have happened to us so often that I must confess I have gotten almost used to it!

Years of experiencing the Lord's provision have caused us to look for it expectantly, and at times when He may not bring along just what we have asked for, we have found that we could actually do without it a while longer. But even more than the security that has grown in us as we have learned to trust God's provision, and rest in it as much as any expected paycheck, is the peace that we have in knowing we have such a faithful and trustworthy Father.

Jesus said, in Luke 12:15, "Take heed, and beware of covetousness: for a man's life consisteth not in the abundance of things which he possesseth." It is easy to look around and find people who are not living by this principle. One doesn't have to travel far down the road before spotting a driveway with two or three cars, a boat, a motorcycle, and a garage full of other things. Every summer it is an American tradition to sell off a bunch of stuff, to get some money to buy more stuff, which will in turn be on the lawn in next year's sale, and on and on. Marketing schemes are driven by the natural tendency of people to get stuff, to accumulate stuff, and then to buy more containers and shelves to organize and make room for more stuff. But Jesus tells us to take another look. How many of these people are finding true happiness and fulfillment in the stuff they have gathered around them? As evidenced by the constant stream of people out shopping and buying and trading and selling, not many. If happiness could be found in a few piles of stuff, most people, in this country at least, should be happy in the extreme! But we know this is not the case.

So if fulfillment in life is not to be found in material abundance, where is it to be found? The answer is found in Psalm 37. Read the whole Psalm to find many references to the true abundance that God will bestow on those that seek Him over material assets. For instance, verse three tells us to trust in the Lord, "and verily thou shalt be fed." Verse four tells us to delight in the Lord, that is to find our greatest joy and satisfaction in Him, and "he shall give thee the desires of thine heart." Verse sixteen tells us that "a little that a righteous man hath is better than the riches of many wicked." Verse eighteen tells us that the inheritance of the righteous "shall be forever." Verse nineteen assures us that even "in the days of famine they shall be satisfied." That's some security! One of my favorites is Psalm 37:11, which says, "The meek shall inherit the earth; and shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace." The abundance of peace - now that's real abundance.

Ecclesiastes 5:10 reminds us that "the abundance of the rich will not suffer him to sleep." The more you have, the more you have to manage, to worry about, to watch over, and to lock up at night. It's not a recipe for sweet sleep. But when we have a relationship with God through Jesus Christ, we have a security that far exceeds any financial comfort this world can offer. Not only do we have God's promise that He will always supply our physical needs, so much so that He told us not even to think about it (Matthew 6:31), we have far more than this. We have eternal treasures of love, joy, grace, and peace that the world cannot give. We have at our disposal the unsearchable riches of Christ!

It has not always been a comfortable ride, this learning to trust God to provide. But it has been an experience I would not trade for anything. It has built things into our souls that we could never have gained from a life filled with an abundance of worldly things. It has taught us the reality of the valuable treasures that come from a relationship with God and our family, and the utter emptiness of worldly riches. I would recommend this course of learning to anyone, as it comes from the best Teacher that ever was or will be! There is no amount of wealth anyone could offer us that could begin to compare in value to the joy of trusting in God and seeing Him provide time after time. And as if that were not enough, we can say that we have found the source of all true treasure, and with the psalmist, can delight in the true abundance - of peace.

Abundant Living in Christ (cont.)
Penny Grace

There has been abundant wisdom, knowledge, and understanding about many things that pertain to this life, because God promised He would "shew me the path of life" (Psalm 16:11) through reading His Word because it is "truth"(John 17:17), and His Holy Spirit will "guide you into all truth" (John 16:13). When we got saved, we immersed ourselves in God's Word and were quickly instructed in many things that we had to learn and obey. One of those is that if you give "tithes and offerings" to the Lord, He will " open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing" (Malachi 3:8-10).that you won't be able to contain We became obedient in this area the first week we were saved, but I have to admit I wasn't as full of faith as my husband when he began to double-tithe and give offerings that depleted our bank account. Since then, we have seen many unexpected blessings come our way that can only be explained as coming through God's window.

There have been many trials in our lives because Jesus said, "In this world ye shall have tribulation," but He added that we should, "be of good cheer; I have overcome the world" (John 16:33). There has been abundant strength to go through them because the "joy of the Lord is your strength" (Neh. 8:10). Our abundant family has also helped share those sorrows and joys of life because when we came to Christ, we became "sons of God" (John 1:12) and inherited a whole bunch of brothers and sisters in Christ here at First Bible and around the world. These have provided the love and fellowship we have needed, especially since our immediate family distanced themselves from us because of our new life in Christ.

There has been abundant peace because Jesus gave us His "Comforter" and said, "My peace I give unto you...let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid" (John 16:26-27). Even though there have been disappointments in life and circumstances that we couldn't control, He tells us to "Fret not... Trust in the Lord... Delight thyself in the Lord... Commit thy way unto the Lord... Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for him" (Psalm 37:1-7). It's not always been easy to do in our humanness, but when we have done so, He has always come through at the right time with the right solutions.

There has been abundant hope and expectancy because Jesus said, "I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go... I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also" (John 14:2-3). But because Satan is "as a roaring lion...seeking whom he may devour," we must be abundantly mindful to cast " all your care upon Him, for he careth for you" (I Peter 5:7-8). There have been a number of times that I have had to call out to the Lord because I have been "heavy laden" and each time He has given "rest to my soul" (Matthew 11:28-29).

There has been abundant contentment because "Godliness with contentment is great gain" (I Timothy 6:6), and because God tells us to "Be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee" (Hebrews 13:5). You can have abundant fun because "He that is of a merry heart hath a continual feast" (Proverbs 15:15), but "by sorrow of the heart the spirit is broken" (Proverbs 15:13). If you can enjoy the simple pleasures of life that are God-given (a sunset, a rainbow, a good meal, friends, family, the Bible, a baby's smile, a nap, a new soul won to Christ, a song sung at church, etc.), you are a rich person, but if you need the glittering lights of Hollywood, the vibrations of a rock concert, the thrill of a needle shooting up, the staggering walk of drunkenness, the partaking of sexual pleasures outside of a Godly marriage, or any number of other worldly pursuits that Satan would use to devour you, then you have not experienced true contentment nor true happiness in the Lord.

I could add many more things to "abundant living" in Christ, but I think you get the picture that God will abundantly take care of you and provide a joyful life when you put Him first place in your life. Even in the midst of the storms that He allows in your life, He will abundantly calm your spirit, because "the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus" (Philippians 4:7). May you find that abundance in your life.

Distant Sisters (cont.)

Jesus' goal was to give something to each person He encountered, whether it was healing, deliverance, a teaching, a rebuke to the hypocritical religious, to feed them, to offer them hope, but acceptance, always acceptance...so I had to learn to be quiet, easy at first seeing as how I could hardly speak the language and everything would come out sounding like I was a two year old. But harder to do as time passed and my Spanish improved. I wanted to correct, insult back, hurt them the way they hurt me. I did it, of course, in my head, but learned to keep my mouth shut and wait for God to give me words of wisdom, kindness and love. There were many times that I thought, if one more person treats me badly (a neighbor, a shopkeeper, stranger on the street, even the brethren) I have had it; I am out of here. But those were always the times that God stepped in and encouraged me in some way. A letter or package from home, an unexpected phone call from a friend or other missionary, flowers from my husband... To God I was a bruised reed, a smoking flax, just waiting for that last person to stomp on me and break me, or snuff out my last bit of flame. He always knew when I couldn't take anymore. So, it became my focus on how to treat the ladies here. Once I was able to communicate well with them, I learned of the abuses they have suffered, their children who died, being left widows with nothing to live on, a lifetime of being hurt and hurting others, the moms who now realize how they drove their children away with their harshness and live with great guilt, the atrocities that they or their family members suffered at the hand of communism, family members shot or imprisoned for speaking a word against their dictator, so that little by little I could see them as bruised reeds as well. Even amongst the Christian women, there was much healing to be done. Salvation has given them a fresh start and a sure eternity, but there is much hurt that still needs to be dealt with. They are acting out of pain, like wounded animals that only know to attack the one trying to help them.

Before I was able to minister to these ladies, I had to learn how to stand under the criticisms and insults, to take the unkindnesses and process them with the heart of Jesus Christ and respond with meekness, patience and gentleness. It wasn't easy at first, but over time God has given me the grace to respond as I should. 1 Peter 5:10 encouraged me with these words..."But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered awhile, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you." I needed His strength and settling of my own place in God's heart, to know that I was completely loved and accepted in Him before I could give to others. My own doubts had to be replaced with the certainty that I am always welcome in the presence of God. His words are words of love and encouragement, of edification, and of acceptance in His family as a daughter and a friend.

The most common thing I "do" for the ladies here is love them. To live my faith and not just talk it to them. Be gentle, loving, accepting, compliment them, praise them, give them small gifts, spend time with them, don't be in a hurry. I no longer "serve" in any formal church ministry so that I have more time to just listen to these ladies. I want to have time for people. Mainly, I focus on the village ladies, they are more tender, recently saved and respond better to my attempts to love them. But even the lost ones respond to someone just being nice to them, listening to them, respecting them. The ladies from the city, of whom I know many, are tougher to get close to. City life is conducive to being closed and self protective so it is a longer chore of getting near to their hearts. When God gives me opportunity, I sow little seeds of God's Word in their lives, lost or saved. Giving them all of the gospel at once, or all of any given principle overwhelms them. MANY of the ladies in the villages are illiterate or self taught to be able to at least read, but have little to no education as they worked on the farms to help keep their family alive. All of my "knowledge" leaves them feeling stupid and inferior. So I give it in little bits, small enough to chew on and think about but not so much that they choke. I had to learn to step back, live more where they live, simply, humbly. If we look carefully at who Jesus was, the Creator of the universe, the LIVING Word, God Almighty, how many times did He NOT show His power, His wisdom, His knowledge. He could have done so much more, but He held back, knowing that the people around Him could not take all that He had to offer. He had to give it to them little by little. But more than that, He didn't come to show how much He KNEW, but to SHOW us how to LIVE. He purposed to not break the bruised reeds, to not snuff out the smoking flaxes. Matthew 12 is how the Father described His own Son, the One that we are to be a channel for who He is, to show that to others.

To be honest, it is hard, very hard, to love when they only reject and attack. But isn't that what God does for us? Do we always respond with gladness when God tries to impact our lives? Do we joyfully obey His every request? I certainly don't, I am a kicker and a screamer. But even Jesus had to set His face like flint to not lose track of the goal, it is what I have to remind myself of every day. To keep looking forward at the goal, the day when we see Jesus face to face.

When we are in the States and someone asks me about the ministry here in Spain, I generally sound negative and unloving. That is because America is a safe place to dump all the heartache that we face here each day, trying to reach a people so hurt and broken. If we can leave all of the negative there in America, where our pain cannot hurt them more, then it is easier for us to return here and love the bruised reeds of Aragon. I am grateful to FBBC for letting us be real when we are home, allowing us to leave the hurt with all of you, to know how to pray for us, so that we can come back to Spain ready to love them again. The mission God has given us is that they would be reeds, tall and strong, flaxes who burn bright and shine for their Savior.

I am grateful for all of you, for God's unconditional love,
Sue Taglialatela

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