P P raise raise and and C C offee offee Spring 2011 Beyond The Storms... When the Storms Roll In One mother’s nightmare Visible Faith A woman stuck in the Ukraine with her newly adopted son for almost a year. Fasten Your Seatbelt “I’m sorry, it’s malignant.” Introducing… Praise and Coffee Cooks! Praise and Coffee Night ...in a hospital??
Praise and Coffee Magazine Spring 2011
Mar 16, 2016
A magazine to connect, encourage and inpsire women.
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Transcript
PPraise raise and and CCoffeeoffee Spring 2011
Beyond The Storms...
When the Storms Roll In One mother’s nightmare
Visible Faith
A woman stuck in the Ukraine
with her newly adopted son
for almost a year.
Fasten
Your
Seatbelt “I’m sorry, it’s malignant.”
Introducing…
Praise and Coffee Cooks!
Praise and Coffee Night
...in a hospital??
2
Praise and Coffee
3
The ministry of Praise and Coffee includes:
Praise and Coffee Nights
Praise and Coffee online Magazine
Praise and Coffee Cooks
Praise and Coffee Runs
4
Praise and Coffee Talk
18| Excitement is Brewing
22| A Divine Appointment
36| That God Group
46| Thank God for Pushy Girlfriends
50| Introducing “Praise and Coffee Cooks!”
52| The Dark Side of Coffee
58| Bringing Praise and Coffee Nights to the Hospital
Features
10| When the Storms Roll In
26| Visible Faith
38| Fasten Your Seatbelt
Beautiful You
25| Praise and Coffee Runs
32| You Are Beautiful ~ Scars and All
In Every Issue
6 | From the Editors
8 | Start a Praise and Coffee Night
62| For Caffeinated Moms Like You
70| Lessons From Lauren
Praise and Coffee
the Magazine A quarterly online publication.
Founder and Editor
Sue Cramer
Co-Editor
Denise Dykstra
Submission Guidelines:
1. Anyone is welcome to submit articles
or testimonies.
2. Submissions by women who have
attended or hosted a Praise and Coffee
event will be considered first
3. Testimonies can be personal or con-
nected to your experience at a Praise
and Coffee event.
4. Articles that will be considered are to
be encouraging and inspiring.
5. Humorous articles and funny stories
are encouraged!
6. Length of submission should be 400-
1,000 words. This can be negotiated for
feature articles.
7. Submissions will be read and consid-
ered among the Editor and co-Editor.
8. We do not pay for articles, they are
on a volunteer basis.
9. Submissions should be in “Times
New Roman” #12 font.
10. Submissions need to be emailed as
an attachment and include:
Name
Website (if applies)
Short (100 words or less) bio
11. Email submissions to our
Co-Editor:
For advertising info, contact Sue at:
Spring 2011
5
Volume 1~Issue 3
6
Sue Cramer Magazine Editor and Founder of Praise and Coffee
t’s here! Spring, glorious spring!
Living in Michigan we anticipate the arrival of warmer temps and spring flow-
ers bursting through the cold hard earth like a child on Christmas morning
waits for the light of day.
I’m reminded of the song “Every Season” by Nicole Nordeman,
And everything that‟s new has bravely surfaced
Teaching us to breathe
What was frozen through is newly purposed
Turning all things green
So it is with You
And how You make me new
With every season‟s change
And so it will be
As You are re-creating me
Summer, autumn, winter... spring
I love that God walks us through the cold hard seasons of life only to bring us into the joy
and newness of change. Changes can be hard, bringing with them many storms, but as
the storms quiet, the rainbows come. And the women who know their God rise up and
show the glory of their Creator in a new and more powerful way than she ever dreamed!
That’s you. And it’s time to shine.
Much love,
How much do you love that picture on the cover?!
The storms pass, the rainbows come and we grab our
boots and stomp in the mud puddles!
7
Denise Dykstra Magazine Co-Editor
love spring. Just ask my family. I start a countdown as soon as
January rolls around and my boys know full well how silly their
momma gets when she can run around with bare feet and hang
clothes on the line again.
Spring, it’s a time of newness. Of color and new life all over again.
I think that being in part of the country that is dark and blah looking for so
many months makes me appreciate the spring so much. It’s probably why I can never
pick a favorite color either.
Having gone through the dark days is what makes you appreciate the sunny
days. A lot of our articles this issue deal with that. The women you are about to meet
here went through some dark times. And because of that they were able to see the joy
of the other side more fully.
I don’t know if you are just out of a storm, in the middle of one or about to en-
ter a stormy season, but I do know you were meant to read this. Because God just
doesn’t make a mistake.
The tough times are just that – tough. And it is because of that you can enjoy
the harvest and warmth of sunshine on the other side.
8
Start a Praise and Coffee Night in your community!!
It’s as easy as 1-2-3!
1. Choose a location.
Preferably a coffee shop or restaurant.
Somewhere in your community that’s com-
fortable for women from all different
churches/backgrounds. But, don’t rule out
your home if you are a smaller group!
Kitchen tables can be a great place for girl-
friend time!
2. Pick a date & time.
Meet as often as you like. Most groups
meet once a month or once every other
month.
3. Invite your girlfriends!!!
And then once you do, let us know! We
want to pray for you and help promote your
event.
Check out the easy to fill out form on our
website:
Schedule a Praise and Coffee Night
Don‟t know what to talk about or have a guest
speaker?
No problem!
Check out Praise and Coffee Conversations on our
web page.
There are several short (under 10 minute) videos for
you to choose from and show at your event. They
even offer conversation starters at the end so your
ladies can continue with the same topic.
Topics include:
“From Mess to Masterpiece”
“Forgiveness”
“Importance of Godly Girlfriends” and more!
Size doesn’t matter!
You could have a Tall (2-6 gals), Grande (6-15) or a Venti (15 + ) group!!
9
For where 2 or 3 gather together because they are mine,
I am there among them. Matthew 18:20
Prescott, AZ
Reno, NV
Henderson, NV Summerville, SC
Ft. Lauderdale, FL
Ephrata, PA Buffalo, Minnesota Plainwell, MI (the original!)
We want pictures of your events!!
Email them to us or post them into the albums on the Praise and Coffee Nights page on Facebook!
Saginaw, Michigan
10
When the
Storms Roll In A mother’s nightmare that taught her to trust in God.
11
When the
Storms Roll In A mother’s nightmare that taught her to trust in God.
Written by Amy Bender with Sue Cramer
12
To say that we‟ve walked through a
few storms would be an understatement. It
has felt as if our family was caught up in a
hurricane over the past several years. But I
share this to offer hope to those feeling
overwhelmed. God is faithful and if He can
walk us through these storms, we know He
will be with you in yours.
A little back ground
We mis-carried our first pregnancy which
broke our hearts but then in 1998 we had
our first child, Faith. When she was 15
months old we spent over a month in two
separate hospitals because she had a 3
pound tumor in her liver. Thankfully it was
not cancer, but it was still a very dangerous
situation and we almost lost her. This experi-
ence taught me that sometimes there are
situations in life that ONLY God can fix and
that before a hard time ever touches our
lives it has already gone through HIS hands.
Fast forward to July 2008
We now have three children, 9 yr.old
daughter Faith, 7 yr old Charlie, and 5 yr old
Lane. All full of life! We spent our summer
days busy with our dairy farm and evenings
playing bike tag.
One night Charlie and Lane decided to
make a bike jump out of an old barrel that
they cut up. It wasn‟t pretty or sturdy but we
thought it would be funny to watch the
boys play. They set it up and agreed that
Charlie would jump first. Yes, as you might
imagine he fell flat on his face. He seemed
fine and everyone laughed but we put the
bike jump away.
Soon began the storm that our family
would never forget.
Charlie started taking naps in the middle
of the day. I thought it was a bit odd but
assumed he must be growing. Then he start-
ed complaining that his hip was hurting, but
thinking that it was probably just a sore mus-
cle from the bike fall we didn‟t take much
notice.
He continued complaining about it so we
checked his leg and saw a huge lump in his
inner groin area. We took him in to the doc-
tor who said that he had an infection in his
lymph node from bug bites, but that is was
not related to the fall. The doctor put him
on amoxicillin and said to come back for a
re-check to make sure the swelling was
down. He said not to worry if it didn‟t disap-
pear overnight because these infections
take time to heal.
We ended up at the doctor‟s office every
two days for a week. They sent us for an ul-
trasound, and Charlie spent four days in the
hospital on very strong drugs because the
“infection” was not responding to meds at
all. He was discharged and went back to
the doctor every two days for another week
and then for another ultrasound.
They kept assuring us that this was not se-
rious and we did not need to worry. They
sent us to a surgeon who told us that we
wasted our money and his time. He told us
that these infections take time to heal. He
said that we should wait another two weeks
to come back. But within one week Charlie
was in so much pain he could barely walk.
His leg hurt so badly that he could only
sleep an hour at a time.
He continued
complaining about it so we
checked his leg and saw a
huge lump in his inner groin
area.
13
We went back to the surgeon. This
time he gave us two choices, we could do
surgery, but that will cause more pain than
he is already in, or admit him and put him
back on an IV with extremely strong drugs
again. We chose to admit him, but within
two hours we were told that he would have
surgery the next morning to remove the
lymph node.
He went through the surgery fine and
when he woke up I leaned over the bed
and said, “Charlie it is over, you are going
to get better now.” I thought we were
through our storm. Little did I know that the
rain had only begun to fall.
After we were home, Charlie started spik-
ing bad fevers so we took him to the ER and
they drew 98cc of fluid off the wound. He had also developed more lumps.
They sent us home to see our doctor after
the weekend.
Meanwhile, did I mention that we are
dairy farmers? Cows don‟t wait for you to
deal with this stuff, they keep producing
milk. We had amazing friends and family
that helped but you can imagine the stress
of everything we had gone through while
trying to keep a dairy farm afloat.
During that time the price of milk
dropped in half draining our already
stretched finances. Then our fridge and
stove both quit working at the same time.
So we packed up our exhausted family and
went to Sears to get new appliances. By this
point Charlie could not even walk so we
carried him through the mall.
As we were walking through the mall our
cell phone rang. It was the doctor...
14
I watched the color leave my hus-
band‟s face and I knew it was terrible
news. He hung up the phone and whis-
pered to me, Charlie had cancer. Our
world crashed. I don‟t know how we fin-
ished our shopping and got the kids in the
truck but my husband and I embraced in
that parking lot and sobbed in each other‟s
arms. We locked eyes and said, “this, can-
not tear us apart we have to stay tight.”
On the way to the hospital the next day
Charlie said something that we had no idea
would be so prophetic, he said, “last night I
slept so good for the 1st time in a long time
and I had a dream that I had to be in the
hospital 55 days.”
Charlie was admitted to the hospital.
Every day from 4am to 4pm the doctors
came in like a revolving door, poking,
scanning, test after test, EKG‟s, cat scans
and more scans, until the chemo started on
Sept 2. It was then that we learned a new phrase,
“stage 3 anaplastic large cell lymphoma.”
Charlie‟s tiny little body was full of cancer.
The only reason it was not considered stage
4 was that it had not gone into the bone or
brain.
And the storm continued to rage…
One week and four days later my hus-
band went to the ER with a painfully swollen
ankle. Somehow he had developed an in-
fection and needed surgery. They kept him
in the hospital for 4 days.
It was almost too much to think that in the
midst of all that was happening with Char-
lie, my husband is now in need of support
and help himself.
It left me torn between home, hospital,
chores (don‟t forget the cows need milk-
ing!), and three kids in the house scared to
death and torn to pieces by all this mess.
I will spare you the awful details about
Charlie‟s treatments and how many times
he puked in an hour.
And then, when we needed sup-
port the most, like Job‟s friends we
had people telling us that it was our
sin that brought all this on us. Others
warned and chastised us that the
medications and chemo that Charlie
was receiving to kill the cancer was
bad for his heart.
Rumors started flying that he would not
make it to Christmas. People even said that
it was the milk we were letting him drink!
They wondered why we didn‟t scream and
complain “malpractice!” about all the
doctor‟s that said it was not cancer.
On and on the voices continued, but you
know what? God is good! No, GOD is
GREAT! Never once did we suspect cancer
in the beginning. NEVER were we upset with
the doctor, never did we resent God for
what was happening.
So for the hurting person, just remember,
don’t take the advice and input of some
people personally.
Charlie’s tiny little body was full of cancer.
15
Y ou most likely would not know what to
say either. And for the people trying to
comfort the hurting, a simple “I love you”
and a hug is more comforting than any oth-
er words can ever speak.
A friend sent me an email card it said,
“God placed the mountains and valleys”
with a picture of a beautiful mountain sce-
ne. And the verse: Jeremiah 32:27 “I am
the LORD, the God of all mankind. Is any-
thing too hard for me?” NO, nothing is too
hard for God.. nothing.
We also had our very close friends self-
lessly give up so much time to make sure we
were doing a bible study and always re-
minding us they were there for us and pray-
ing for us and giving updates at church for
us and keeping the visitors at bay. We are
forever grateful to God for this family.
It was the worst year.
No, I will re-phrase that…
it was the hardest year.
But God transformed our family into a
much tighter, loving family that no longer
takes good health for granted. We love the
doctors and nurses to pieces and pray for
them. We didn‟t used to do that, but now
we also pray for the lost more because we
know what it‟s like to have hope when
there is no hope.
Charlie always said from the beginning if I
die from this cancer it is ok because I will be
dancing with Jesus. What horrible, comfort-
ing and scary words from a 7 year old, but
pure innocence and peace given by God
himself to a boy with the fight of a life time
on his hands. Remember the dream about 55 days?
Well, from the first visit to the KCMS Pediatric
Hematology/Oncology to the last chemo
treatment was 55 days!
16
Thank God for verses like:
1 Cor. 10:13 not to give you more than you
can bear but will give you an escape, a
way to bear it.
Is. 41:10 Fear not.
I will not lie. I feared what was to happen. I
could see us carrying a casket, but God
said, “don‟t fear.”
I told my husband, “I don‟t want to do this, I
can‟t do this!” but he said, “we don‟t have
a choice.”
And God proved
that I, (we) could
bear it- all of it.
With Him.
And I‟ve come to
love this verse al-
so:
James 1:2-4 count
it all joy when you
go through trials.
God showed us
true joy.
On October 23,
2009 the Make a Wish foundation sent our
whole family to Florida for the week to be
treated as royalty. It was better than words
could ever describe! We stayed at „Give
Kids The World‟ and were given tickets to
Disney, Sea World, Gator Land, Animal King-
dom, and many more. It was our first family
vacation and we had so much to cele-
brate.
One of the many amazing memories was
the night at Disney while standing under a
flagless flag pole in
the pouring rain
watching the fire-
works. They were so
big and spectacular
even in the rain!
While standing there our family held each
other and prayed to our amazing God and
thanked Him for the hardest mountain climb
ever and the most wonderful blessings at
the top of that mountain.
Charlie is Cancer free!
And the storm was over. God had taught us
so much and drew our family together in a
way that only He could. That prayer, in the
presence of God and the cool rain washing
over us, WOW, priceless moment.
If you can
take one
thing from our
story it is this:
God is the
only way to
have true
peace.
We are, by
FAR, not the
perfect fami-
ly. We have
LOTS of grow-
ing yet to do,
but the Bible is very clear.
It says not “if” the hard times come, but
“when” they come. Your only hope, my on-
ly hope is in Christ who did not say, “I can‟t
do this,” but said “YOUR Will Father, not
Mine,” and allowed Himself to die a horrible
death on the cross for my sins and lack of
trust. Then He was raised the third day to
give us all HOPE and strength in the storms
of life.
Amy and Randy Bender have been married 14yrs. Amy enjoys
decorating cakes, making picture movies, gardening and canning.
Charlie is doing great making up for lost time growing! The 3 kids
enjoy memorizing verses for Word Of Life Club at church and
playing outside as much as they can.
17
Expect to have hope rekindled.
Expect your prayers to be answered
in wondrous ways.
The dry seasons in life do not last.
The spring rains will come again. Sarah Ban Breathnach
18
Melissa Mashburn Melissa Mashburn has partnered with Sue Cramer and serves as the CoCo--Founder Founder of the ministry of Praise and Coffee NightsPraise and Coffee Nights
Visit her website: Visit her website: Melissa Mashburn in Mel’s World www.MelissaMashburn.com
Excitement is Excitement is Excitement is
BrewingBrewing
19
S ometimes I just have to step
back in awe of what God has
been doing in the Praise & Coffee Nights Minis-
try. What started out, as a small gathering of a
few women in Plainwell, Michigan has now
grown into something truly spectacular. Little
did we know when we saw signs of what God
was doing that He was going to do even more
than we could see right at that moment.
Just this March we had our first South Florida
Praise and Coffee Night of 2011. It is crazy to
think that it was six months
since we had our last event.
Life got busy, the holidays
came and went then the re-
ality hit of how much time
had passed.
The team and I got busy on
planning our event for March
knowing that we needed to
make this happen. The long-
er it is between the event the
harder it is to get the word
out and get women to come.
Everything we do is word of
mouth or via social media so
we picked a date, then start-
ed shouting it from the rooftops to get women
to bring their friends.
We were blessed to have my dear friend and
ministry partner, Sue Cramer, come down to
South Florida for a few days to join us for our
Praise and Coffee Night. Sue & I spoke that
night about the importance of godly girlfriends.
We opened up the floor at the end of the night
and got some great questions from the women
there and openly tackled some tough issues
about friendships, forgiveness and how to take
care of your relationship with God first.
What happened that night was more than we
could have ever imagined…God showed up,
blew our socks off and lives were changed. Not
because we did anything fancy or special, but
because we stepped out in obedience to what
He is doing here in our midst. Just like, He is
doing with YOU and your Praise and Coffee
Nights.
Women are meeting all
over the world.
Let that soak in a minute…
ALL over the world, women
are gathering in Jesus name
at a Praise and Coffee Night
event.
Tall, Grande, Venti, no mat-
ter what the size is of your
event women are coming
and that, sweet sisters,
makes our hearts giddy
with excitement.
We want to hear from you…
We want to hear your stories,
Your celebrations,
Your milestones,
His victories,
Your obedience.
20
E very single bit of it is something we want to celebrate with you and give
Him the praise. We had one such amazing story at the South Florida Praise &
Coffee Night and further in this magazine you are going to read an incredible
story from a dear friend of mine, Jody Benedetto. Just as Jody has a story to
share, we know many of you do too. Please take some time to send us your
stories so we can share them here.
Yes, excitement is brewing within the ministry…As we continue to expand the
ministry we have heard from some of you that you would like to have some
videos to share at your events. We realize that not everyone likes to speak in
front of groups or even teach, but you have a desire to plant the seed of this
ministry in your community so we wanted to let you know that the ministry is
growing, yet again, with our all NEW
Praise and Coffee Conversations videos!
Here is a list of the videos we have on our You Tube Page (Praise & Coffee):
www.YouTube.com/PraiseAndCoffee
What are Praise and Coffee Nights?
Godly Girlfriends
Forgiveness
Taking Your Everyday, Ordinary Life (Romans 12:1-2)
Mess to Masterpiece
Bloopers (our personal favorite) A Candid Close Up with Sue &
Melissa. After shooting videos for almost four hours we had
plenty of “bloopers” to choose from
We will be doing more videos for you in the future, but we wanted
to get these done and up for you to start using now. We would
love to hear from you about the videos and your ideas about fu-
ture videos.
God is absolutely doing something amazing in our midst…I am
just so thankful to be on this journey with each and every one of
you!
Seeking JOY on the Journey,
Melissa Mashburn
Co-Founder, Praise & Coffee Nights
Founder, Mel‟s World Ministry
These short videos can be shown at your Praise and Coffee
Night. They are a fantastic way to get the conversation started
and then you step in and facilitate a group discussion with the
women at your event.
VIDEOS
21
VIDEOS
22
A
divine
appointmentappointment
23
I felt such closeness to these women that
I had just met. As the beautiful worship
music started, I could see Lauren’s fami-
ly start to surround her. They were all
crying and praying for her. I began to
forget about my own broken heart and
started to pray for them. I could almost
feel their pain, but as I continued to wor-
ship and pray, I felt my heart start to
heal.
The worship leader was singing and talk-
ing about God’s promises and how much
He loves His daughters. I began to cry
tears of joy. Every promise I had ever
heard or read became so alive to me. I
am so thankful for that night and so
thankful that His promises are true.
The whole South Florida Praise and Cof-
fee Night that night was about the im-
portance of godly girlfriends, that night
Lauren asked me if I would be her godly
girlfriend. That is an honor to me. I
want to live a purpose-filled life for Je-
sus. I pray that I will be that godly girl-
friend for her and I pray that whoever is
reading this right now would know that
they can trust the Lord for everything.
Seek obedience and to be set apart for
His glory. They are far better than any-
thing you could ever imagine.
~ Jody Benedetto, 3/10/11 South Florida
Praise & Coffee Night
Wow!!!
Is what comes to mind when I think about the
experience I had the other night at the South
Florida Praise and Coffee Night. What I
thought was going to be just another Bible
study turned out to be so much more.
Recently my boyfriend and I broke up. Instead
of masking my pain with temporary fixes, the
world offers I have been choosing what Jesus
offers. I have been delighting myself in His
ways and seeking Him everywhere. Although
my heart has been aching, He was so faithful to
keep me strong.
Little did I know that He would completely
heal my heart that night. It had been about for-
ty days since my break up and I am always
quick to tell people “obedience is the key,” but
I must admit that I do not always follow that.
For the first time these last forty days, I have
truly been following Him in obedience. I have
laid down everything in my life that would not
be pleasing to the Lord. In my time of seeking
Him He has given me such a hunger and thirst
for His righteousness.
When I first arrived to the South Florida Praise
and Coffee Night, I noticed that there were al-
ready many women sitting at the tables and
talking. Everything was decorated so nice and
girly; beautiful flower centerpieces, yummy
cupcakes and of course, coffee. Some of the
women I knew and some I did not know, so I
decided to sit at the front table.
There was no one sitting at this front table yet,
but I was excited to see whom God would
bring to join me. I even trusted Him on whom
to sit with. The women He brought were all so
wonderful and different. I met a girl named
Lauren who is suffering with cancer. She is a
young girl who just recently had a tumor re-
moved from her brain and will soon have to go
through chemotherapy.
24
A You could call Praise and Coffee the “accidental ministry” be-
cause it started out as a blog with no intention of being anything more.
Sue Cramer decided to gather a few girlfriends in Michigan for coffee
one evening and she (teasingly) called it a “Praise and Coffee Night”.
The next day she blogged about it and suddenly women all over the
country wanted to start Praise and Coffee Nights in their community.
The vision of this ministry is to connect women with the God who passion-
ately loves them and link them up with other women on similar journeys.
Many amazing women with the same heart and desire are now part of
this growing team. Praise and Coffee Nights are meeting in several differ-
ent states and even other countries.
The ministry of Praise and Coffee includes:
Praise and Coffee Nights
Praise and Coffee online Magazine
Praise and Coffee Cooks
Praise and Coffee Runs
and other resources on our website and videos to
connect, encourage and inspire women!
Q What are
Praise and Coffee
Nights ?
25
Casie Dussia is a small business owner and a personal trainer that ministers to wom-
en’s soul, mind and body and is the founder of RWE~Run with Endurance. She lives
in Southwest Michigan and enjoys life with her husband John and son. Casie is a
team partner to the Praise and Coffee Night ministry in Plainwell, MI.
Email: [email protected]
We’ve partnered with Run With Endurance to encourage women to connect with
each other and start a RWE chapter in their community!
Praise and Coffee RUNS!
Check out Run With Endurance at: www.RunWithEndurance.net or
click here for a direct link: Run With Endurance
26
Visible Faith The nearly year-long battle of a mother living alone in the
Ukraine fighting to bring her adopted son home.
“Serve only the Lord your God and fear Him alone. Obey His commands, listen to His voice,
and cling to Him.” Deuteronomy 13:4 (NLT)
27
“How did you do it?”
I’m often asked this question about our adoption.
Excellent question. No short answer.
“It” refers to my 11-month-plus battle living alone in
the post-Soviet country of Ukraine while I was work-
ing through a tangle of complications in the interna-
tional adoption of our son Jake. After my husband
Jahn and our 8-year-old daughter Jacey returned to
Michigan, I stayed behind to finalize what God had
stirred in our hearts so many years before.
My husband and I had felt drawn to adopt interna-
tionally early in our marriage. We had family mem-
bers who lived in other countries, so we never felt
geography or culture limited a family’s love. Our
church sponsored outreach programs in Ukraine, and
I’d traveled there with a short-term mission team
years earlier. In Ukraine I’d witnessed a stark con-
trast in the lives of people who knew a real faith and
those who didn’t. A typical Ukrainian never engaged
others in eye contact, and their expression revealed a
deep despair. In contrast, believers carried them-
selves with hope; they looked others in the eye, and
they actually smiled. Ukrainian believers walked out
a faith others could physically see.
M y husband, daughter and I arrived in Ki-
ev, Ukraine, on May 12, 2009, to complete the
adoption process we’d initiated in the U.S. After
making visits to Ukraine’s State Department of
Adoption (SDA), different orphanages, and endur-
ing days of waiting, we finally met our son Jake on
June 19. With confidence that our pre-adoption pa-
perwork had been completed, my husband and
daughter returned home mid-July, while I stayed in
Izmail, Ukraine, planning to finalize our adoption
in early August.
Jake was three years old when we met him. He was
a curious, bright boy whose smile reflected a sur-
prising resemblance to my own. It wasn’t long be-
fore I started to grow in my maternal love for him. I
forced myself to learn as much Russian as possible
so I could communicate with him in his own lan-
guage. I found myself daydreaming of Jake romp-
ing at our lake house in northern Michigan.
It took Jake a little longer to develop feelings for me.
His stoic indifference to my arrival soon gave way to
hopeful glances, and then to genuine smiles. Within
a couple of months, he was running to me with arms
open wide for the hugs his face told me he so desper-
ately needed. My mother’s heart jumped every time I
realized my little boy was learning to receive and to
give physical affection.
T he appropriate paperwork for the adoption
had been filed and was in order, so I was stunned
when I received notice that our adoption was going
to be appealed. Jahn and I were totally unaware that
months before we’d filed our first papers with our
adoption agency, a political movement had begun in
Ukraine, whose leaders were committed to keeping
orphans in their birth country. The prosecutor in Iz-
mail aligned himself with this political movement,
and he found a technicality in our adoption decree,
which allowed him to appeal our adoption – virtually
halting any forward progress in my leaving Ukraine
with my son.
28
I spent days crying. When my
tears were spent, I threw myself
into the task in front of me, pray-
ing I wouldn’t waste any time on
tears again.
On September 1, 2009,
when the prosecutor didn’t sub-
mit his appeal paperwork on
time, I was granted legal, physi-
cal custody of my son. This ac-
tion made the prosecutor furious,
and he immediately placed a
phone call that prevented me
from obtaining the necessary paper-
work for Jake to leave the country.
His decision came like a deathblow to
Jake’s future. I’d fallen in love with
my son, and I could not abandon him
and rejoin my family and life in the
United States. After consulting with
my husband Jahn, we made the wrenching decision
that I would remain with Jake in Ukraine.
In a stunning action, the adoption agency that had
represented us dissolved their Ukraine adoption pro-
gram and abandoned me. As the days unfolded, the
prosecutor used every delay tactic he could. The days
stretched out, seemingly into infinity. Finally our ap-
peal was scheduled – for December 22, 2009. Jahn
and Jacey flew back to Ukraine to be present for the
appeal court hearing. It would be difficult for me to
describe the anticipation I carried in my heart that
day.
The ruling devastated me.
We did not win the appeal. Neither
did the prosecutor. The appeal
court judge requested a new adop-
tion ruling instead. My daydream
of Jake playing at our lake home
began to fade.
“The prosecutor will keep fighting
you. You need a new adoption rul-
ing from a different judge to stop
him from appealing the small faults
he has found in your original adop-
tion decree. You must start over,”
our attorney explained.
Walking out a visible
faith became a struggle.
My heart broke for my
son, who was depending
on me for his freedom
and his future. The future
seemed bleak, yet I knew
God had called me to this place and this moment. My
husband returned home once again without us, but
this time, our daughter refused to leave. She insisted
she would stay and fight for Jake with me.
I researched Ukrainian law, hired a three-person le-
gal team, learned how to home school and created a
home away from home for the three of us in Odessa,
Ukraine. At our pre-trial hearing, the new judge
found in our favor and scheduled our adoption hear-
ing for the end of March. The prosecutor became so
angry, he walked directly to the police station next
door and filed a warrant for Jake’s return. Our attor-
ney advised us to return to our apartment, stay inside,
and keep hidden until our new court date.
My daydream of Jake
playing at our lake home
began to fade.
29
W ell-meaning Ukrainian friends and people
familiar with the legal system repeatedly told me we
would never beat a determined prosecutor within the
corrupt legal system. I was told stories of ruthless
police and of life-threatening prison conditions.
Friends and family at home began to lose heart. I
struggled to hold on to the faith that had brought me
so far from home. However on March 30, 2010, our
new adoption ruling was granted.
But the prosecutor wasn’t finished.
Once again, he placed a call to the registrar’s office
to stop us from obtaining Jake’s new birth certificate.
However, this time, after listening to my pleas and
giving my son’s story thought overnight, a clerk new
to the office issued the birth certificate, disregarding
the prosecutor’s threats. At last, I was able to finalize
our adoption.
Our long journey home wasn’t over yet.
We arrived at the airport in Kiev, Ukraine, to discov-
er a volcano in Iceland had grounded all planes fly-
ing in and out of the country and most of Europe. We
needed to get Jake across the border before the pros-
ecutor found another way to stop us. A missionary
friend arranged for us to be driven into the neighbor-
ing country of Moldova by a strong-willed brother in
Christ named Sasha.
At the border, a wave of fear ripped through me as
Sasha spoke with a guard. My Ukrainian protector
turned to me and asked me to leave my children in
the car. Then he escorted me into the guardhouse.
Inside, the commander’s words fell like a gavel.
My passport was questionable. I was being arrested.
But in spite of the risk, Sasha fought for my immedi-
ate release and signed papers, taking personal re-
sponsibility for me. The commander responded to
Sasha’s courageous defense, and I was released.
Hours later, we arrived safely in Chisinau, Moldova,
a country known to be even more politically corrupt
than Ukraine. I prayed we wouldn’t experience more
delays. Within days we boarded a plane from Chis-
inau, Moldova to Istanbul, Turkey. After a few more
days in Istanbul, we finally boarded the plane for our
flight home. After almost a year, Jacey and I arrived
home with Jake to a waiting crowd of family, friends
and news cameras on April 25, 2010.
Jake has adjusted well to his new home and sur-
roundings. He loves having a room of his own, deco-
rated with cars. He has grown to know and love his
dad, and most of the time he even loves his sister.
The attachment process that began in his home coun-
try helped ease his transition from the stark orphan
home to a loving family.
Jake is quick to tell anyone his favorite place is our
lake property up north, among the turtles and frogs
he enjoys chasing so much. He is “all boy” and full
of seemingly endless energy. My son is a walking
example of God’s goodness.
My passport was questionable.
I was being arrested.
30
It is my prayer our story
will bring glory to God for His
faithfulness and His heart for or-
phans. I pray our journey of faith is
an encouragement, especially to our
Ukrainian brothers and sisters in
Christ who so impressed me with
their visible faith during my first
mission trip years ago to my jour-
ney of faith in bringing my son
home to his forever family.
My prayers continue for the mil-
lions of orphans worldwide who
struggle to survive exploitation,
desperate circumstances, and who
long to find the love and nurture
they deserve.
Our adoption journey wasn’t easy.
Fear was transformed into
determination.
Patience became a
series of moment-by-moment deci-
sions.
Trust in God grew from a
spiritual truth to a
daily reality.
And as part of God’s greater
story, one little boy became
part of a family.
Kim Seeds de Blecourt is currently writing their adoption story in book form. She is a writer, speaker and voiceover artist. She resides in Holland, Michigan with her hus-
band, Jahn, and their two children, Jacey and Jake. To inquire about Kim, contact: [email protected] or phone: (209) 430-4688.
31
Kim Seeds de Blecourt is currently writing their adoption story in book form. She is a writer, speaker and voiceover artist. She resides in Holland, Michigan with her hus-
band, Jahn, and their two children, Jacey and Jake. To inquire about Kim, contact: [email protected] or phone: (209) 430-4688.
32
You are beautiful ,
Scars and all
Written by: Sue Cramer
33
L auren had the day off so we went to the
grocery store and then to Pizza Hut to redeem
her book-it coupon that was burning a hole in
her pocket. She was sorely disappointed when
she realized that all she received for her cou-
pon was a pizza. I think she was expecting bal-
loons and pony rides, or at least a prize box
from which she could pick a super ball or plas-
tic necklace. Nope, just a pizza. But that's not
the heartbreaking part, at least it wasn't for me.
As we sat there and talked she complained
about her swollen lip. She had a slight accident
while sledding the day before and her top lip
was red and swollen making the scar from her
cleft lip surgery even more pronounced than
usual.
She was very self-conscious about it, constantly
checking in the mirror to see if the swelling had
gone down.
I assured her that it would go away and look
just fine by the time she went back to school.
This didn't satisfy her.
I mentioned that it was right on her scar so it
looked worse than it was. The minute I said
that I saw the life drain from her beautiful
brown almond-shaped eyes.
Her head dropped and she slinked out of her
booth to crawl into my lap and weep.
"Mommy, why does my lip look like this?" she
asked with tears streaming down her face.
With every mommy bone in my being aching, I
answered, "honey, you were born with a cleft
lip and the doctor fixed it but it left a little mark
but it will fade."
"No one else in my school looks like me,
NO one." she cried out.
I held her tight and kissed every inch of her I
could reach.
She calmed as I told her how beautiful she is
and how special God made her. That she was
also the only one in her class that came all the
way home from China. This seemed to appease
her for the moment.
As she climbed back in to the booth across
from me I asked her to give me a great big
smile so I could take a picture of her.
My heart broke.
I know that not one of you looks at this picture
and sees a "flawed" little girl, but you see her
heart and passion and know that she is a pre-
cious gift of God.
I pray that you would remember this the next
time you start to compare yourself with some-
one else. Think about how you wanted to con-
vince Lauren that she is beautifully and won-
derfully created by God...and look yourself in
the mirror and say that same thing to your re-
flection.
The Father feels just as heartbroken when we
compare ourselves and rate our own worth.
You are His daughter, He loves you and He
sees just how beautiful you are, scars and all.
34
Praise and Coffee Nights is joined with Inspired Hearts Media!
Partnering with these incredible women‟s ministries ….check them out!
Online conferences and training for women ministries online
www.awomaninspiredconference.org
Daily encouragement and online devotions
www.internetcafedevotions.com
A site dedicated to bridging the gap
between the child and the parent, a relationship designed by God
www.heartofthematteronline.com
35
Praise and Coffee Nights is joined with Inspired Hearts Media!
Partnering with these incredible women‟s ministries ….check them out!
The Homeschool Lounge is the premier online community for the homeschooling
mother searching for fellowship, encouragement and support
www.thehomeschoollounge.com
Monthly Online & Magazine
Encouraging women to live lives that glorify Christ
www.exemplifyonline.com
Meeting God together on the other side of the screen
www.girlfriendsirl.com
36
That God group...
This is a testimony from Sheryl Anne Lehman
she is a Praise and Coffee Night leader
in Buffalo, Minnesota.
Email Sheryl: [email protected]
37
“Hello, I would like to make a reservation for
Monday night.”
The cashier is busy counting receipts. “We don‟t
take reser….”
The manager that is standing a few feet away
interrupts. “It‟s ok, we‟ll take hers.”
“Oh…” she looks up and smiles. “Oh I know. . .
you‟re that God group?”
“Ok, sure, it‟s called Praise and Coffee and I
would like the back room for about ten people.”
As I leave, the words keep playing over in my
mind…we were „that God group‟. I decided that
was a nice way to put it. A group of women
meeting together for coffee, a treat perhaps,
and sharing the love of Jesus can be called the
God group by a
teenage waitress.
We have been
meeting in the
backroom of the
restaurant for six
months. Our group
includes women
from different
churches and dif-
ferent cities, but all
with one primary
goal, namely; to
gather as a sister-
hood of God lovin‟ gals. Coffee is optional.
As one of our evenings came to a close, I gath-
ered my things after giving the last person a
hug, and was approached by the waitress. She
asked what this was all about and I set down my
bag. I invited her to come to the next one, as-
suring her that it was an informal time of shar-
ing. She didn‟t need to go to a church or be a
certain type.
I told her that the only requirement was to know
that Jesus loves her, no matter what, and that
we all have been through things. We all need
Him and each other. She thought she would like
to join us and began to tell me things of her life.
Then she suddenly needed to get back to the
kitchen before she got in trouble. I haven‟t seen
her since that time, but she will be welcomed if/
when she comes.
Another time, my computer lap top was hooked
up to the city wifi so I played a video of Graham
Cooke & Jonathan David Helser. The title of this
is Inheritance and it tells us how much Jesus
Loves us. I tried to not have it too loud as to dis-
turb customers, and yet to have it just loud
enough to
spark interest. I
saw others sit-
ting at tables
out in the cen-
ter of the din-
ing room that
smiled at me,
they knew who
I was.
I saw the wait-
er from the
other side of
the restaurant
peering into the room, and it gave me a peace.
He often jokes with us and tries to make us
laugh. This time he looked inquisitive. He made
a point to walk over to listen. Although this is a
time for us women to share, we are ready to
claim the love that Jesus has for us with anyone.
We are known by some as „that God group‟ and
that‟s just fine by me.
38
Fasten Your Seatbelt
A blast of hot desert wind poured through the open window and ruffled up my bangs. My t-shirt and shorts felt thick and heavy and my
legs stuck to the green vinyl seat as I leaned away from the sun beating through the half-rolled down window. We were chugging down a sticky
black Arizona highway in our olive-green Ford station wagon on a cross-country road trip to visit relatives in Texas. There was no air condition-
ing.
My mom and dad were in front, my sister and I in the back seat. We passed the time playing highway bingo, thumb wrestling, and play-
ing cat’s cradle with a long piece of string. My parents enjoyed looking at “the scenery.” My sister and I were more excited about calculating
how long before we hit the next Stuckey’s Truck Stop and the possibility of getting a bag of candy or a soda. When we got tired of playing, I
stared out the window at the endless string of barbed wire fence along the side of the road, tumbleweeds stacked up along the wire like lint in a
hairbrush.
39
By: Susy Flory
Fasten Your Seatbelt
A blast of hot desert wind poured through the open window and ruffled up my bangs. My t-shirt and shorts felt thick and heavy and my
legs stuck to the green vinyl seat as I leaned away from the sun beating through the half-rolled down window. We were chugging down a sticky
black Arizona highway in our olive-green Ford station wagon on a cross-country road trip to visit relatives in Texas. There was no air condition-
ing.
My mom and dad were in front, my sister and I in the back seat. We passed the time playing highway bingo, thumb wrestling, and play-
ing cat’s cradle with a long piece of string. My parents enjoyed looking at “the scenery.” My sister and I were more excited about calculating
how long before we hit the next Stuckey’s Truck Stop and the possibility of getting a bag of candy or a soda. When we got tired of playing, I
stared out the window at the endless string of barbed wire fence along the side of the road, tumbleweeds stacked up along the wire like lint in a
hairbrush.
40
Then it happened. The wind shifted, got an-
gry, and scoured the ground, creating a twisting col-
umn of dust off to the side of the highway. I was fas-
cinated, watching my first dust devil dance and
twirl. When it died down I looked ahead and saw
something that horrified me.
A giant tumbleweed, pushed off the fence by
the gust of wind, had blown into the road ahead. The
tumbleweed was as tall as our station wagon and it
began to roll directly towards us, pushed along by
the wind. My dad kept steering straight ahead and
pretty soon the massive tumbleweed filled the wind-
shield. It was a dark, dirty brown and covered with
prickles and to my seven year-old eyes it looked like
we were going to be crushed. It was just like the sce-
ne out of Raiders of the Lost Ark where Indy faces
down the rolling boulder.
The tumbleweed incident hap-
pened almost 40 years ago. But just last
year those same feelings came back
when I received the phone call every
woman dreads: “I’m sorry. It’s malig-
nant.”
I was in shock. For a moment I
was back in that green station wagon.
The tumor in my right breast was just
the size of a pea, but the fear that swept
over me was just like facing down that
giant tumbleweed again. And I knew
where the fear came from: the ghosts of
cancers past.
There’s my great-grandmother Susanna, who
I was named for. She was a beautiful and tough Ar-
kansas Ozarks mother of ten who died in her late
sixties of cancer. No one is quite sure what kind.
And my husband’s grandfather Duffy, who
died of lung cancer. Robert took him to his radiation
treatments as he wasted away. He ended up so weak
that my husband had to carry him into the hospital
for his treatments towards the end.
There are other close relatives and friends.
Marilyn. Josephine. David. Stan. Lou Ann.
And then there’s my dad. He was an amazing
father and I adored him. He provided my sister and
me with an idyllic upbringing. He loved horses and I
grew up on a string of fat and friendly ponies. My
favorite memories are of trail rides with him in the
gorgeous green foothills surrounding our house. He
was active, fit, and happy. He loved life and he
loved us.
“I’m sorry. It’s malignant.”
41
C But when he was 45 he contracted renal
(kidney) cancer. And when he was 47, despite sur-
gery, radiation, and chemo, the cancer advanced into
his liver and he died.
So when I had my first indication that there
might be something quite dangerous lurking in my
breast, the ghosts started to stir. Fearful memories of
others’ illness and death dusted themselves off and
came back to life. Long forgotten images and con-
versations and smells and sounds came to mind, un-
bidden and unwelcome.
Dealing with breast cancer is
enough, in and of itself. There’s so much to learn
about the disease and the treatment, so many emo-
tions and experiences to process, so many fears to
battle. I knew this, in a way. I knew there would be
much work to do and that I had a long and uncertain
journey ahead of me. I just didn’t know that I’d be
undertaking the journey with the ghosts of everyone
I’ve ever known
who’s died of cancer.
I’m not quite sure
what it is about can-
cer that is so much
more frightening
than, say, heart dis-
ease or Alzheimer’s
or even the H1N1 flu.
I’ve noticed that
some people are
even afraid to say the
word cancer, dancing
around the word or
calling it “the Big C.”
“I’m sorry. It’s malignant.”
There’s some kind of dark power in the
word. I feel it, and often I talk about “what I’m ex-
periencing” or “this health issue” or “health prob-
lem” without using the word itself. I’m not sure
why, but I do know that the dark cloud of fear and
memories that goes with cancer is a very real part of
the battle.
And those memories are wrapped up in the
people I’ve known and lost to cancer, despite the
best efforts of doctors and surgeons.
Very early on around the time of my diagno-
sis, I began to vividly relive my dad’s illness and
death. I felt afresh the agony of losing him and just
the unfairness of the whole damn thing.
And I agonized over his age. He had been 45
when he got cancer. I was 44. I couldn’t get past
those numbers. They haunted me. Was everyone in
my family going to die in their forties? Would my
children have to experience what I went through in
losing a parent so young? It was a dark time. I was at
a women’s retreat down in the Santa Cruz mountains
during this period, and I had the time to think and
grieve and cry and argue with God. This was so un-
fair. How could he do this to me and my family?
Why did I have to go through this? I explained to
God that I didn’t have time for cancer. I made my
case: I’m writing books and speaking and doing
ministry. I’m raising kids and being a wife and liv-
ing my life. I’ve been working out and eating
healthy. I’m even mentoring a budding speaker and
teaching a women’s Bible study!
Was everyone in my family going to die in their forties?
42
I didn’t tell anyone at the re-
treat what I was going
through and I felt very alone
and afraid. I really didn’t know
where to turn. Then the retreat
speaker, a gorgeous and wise wom-
an, shared a Bible verse that rocked
me. I don’t remember much of what
she said but I do remember this. It’s
from the book of Philippians in the
New Testament:
“Don’t worry about anything, but
pray about everything. With thank-
ful hearts offer up your prayers and
requests to God. Then, because you
belong to Christ Jesus, God will
bless you with peace that no one
can completely understand. And
this peace will control the way you
think and feel”
(Philippians 4:6-7, CEV).
Another translation reads like this:
“Be anxious for nothing…
and the peace of God, that surpasses
all understanding, will guard your
hearts and minds through Christ Je-
sus.”
I clung to that verse like a blind
woman stumbling down a dark hall-
way. I memorized it and repeated it
and soaked it in. I practiced it. I did
what it said. I prayed, and thanked
God for all the ways he has blessed
me, and I told him my worries and
my deepest, darkest thoughts. And
slowly…slowly…it worked. It
doesn’t make much sense, but I
found peace.
Meg Ryan wig.
43
First chemo treatment
and head shaved soon
after.
Post chemo with kids Ethan & Teddy
44
And that’s it. That’s how I’ve been able to stay strong on this journey. It’s my little se-
cret, and now it’s yours, too. God’s mercy and grace and peace, delivered to me through those brief words of
Scripture, broke through the horror and fear that enveloped me and allowed me to know this: I am not my fa-
ther. My cancer is not my father’s cancer. After surgery, chemo, and radiation, I’m cancer-free.
And the gigantic Arizona tumbleweed? Our station wagon hit it, head-on. I screamed on impact and the
strangest thing happened. It disappeared, crushed into a million tiny pieces of dried brown grass that scattered
across the road under our car, then blew away.
Chances are, you’re going to face some tumbleweeds, too. But when you belong to Jesus there is hope,
and there is peace. Just fasten your seatbelt and let that station wagon roll on.
Susy Flory loves to uncover big stories with happy endings that inspire and challenge readers to embrace a life of pas-
sion boldness, and adventure. She has two new books coming out this year. She’s also the author of So Long Status Quo:
What I Learned From Women Who Changed the World.
Her website is: www.SusyFlory.com
45
“It's spring fever.... You don't quite know what it is
you DO want, but it just fairly makes your heart
ache, you want it so!”
Mark Twain
Do you have a testimony that you would like to share with us? Submission Guidelines:
1. Anyone is welcome to submit articles or testimonies.
2. Submissions by women who have attended or hosted a Praise and Coffee event will be considered first
3. Testimonies can be personal or connected to your experience at a Praise and Coffee event.
4. Articles that will be considered are to be encouraging and inspiring.
5. Humorous articles and funny stories are encouraged!
6. Length of submission should be 400-1,000 words. This can be negotiated for feature articles.
7. Submissions will be read and considered among the Editor and co-Editor.
8. We do not pay for articles, they are on a volunteer basis.
9. Submissions should be in “Times New Roman” #12 font.
10. Submissions need to be emailed as an attachment and include:
Name
Website (if applies)
Short (100 words or less) bio
11. Email submissions to our
Co-Editor: [email protected]
It is a quarterly online magazine, here are the dates for submissions:
Summer 2011 issue deadline: June 1, 2011
Autumn 2011 issue deadline: September 1, 2011
Winter 2012 issue deadline: December 1, 2011
46
Thank God for pushy girlfriends!
Pam Timmer is the wife of her best friend Troy and the mom of Caleb
and Abbie. She is currently working on a book about sports that is
specifically for women. She likes sunsets at Lake Michigan, walks in
the woods, hearing the laughter of her children, sharing a bowl of ice
cream with her hubby, and drinking in the fact that God lavishes His
love on us. Email Pam Timmer: [email protected]
47
The day had been hectic and I could not wait
to go out for the night. My sister-in-law and
I were planning to go to the Praise and Cof-
fee Night at the Plainwell Coffee Mill.
But, my plans began to unravel. First there
was a call from my sis-in-law saying that she
could no longer make it. Then, came the
phone call from my hubby. His meeting was
running late and he would not be home in
time to watch the kids so I could go.
I was so bummed. I dejectedly made supper
for my kids and tried to think of some way to
salvage my evening.
The phone rang and it was my friend Becky.
She immediately asked in her upbeat tone,
“So, what are your plans for this lovely sum-
mer Thursday evening?” My
sorrowful tale spilled out to her
listening ears. Her response
was immediate, “YOU ARE GO-
ING! DO YOU HEAR ME?! YOU
ARE GOING! You are supposed
to go to this tonight. God has a
plan in this. Let’s figure this
thing out!”
So, we did. A short time later,
my kids were at my in-laws for the evening
and I was heading to the Coffee Mill. I could
not wait to hear Lorilee Craker, an author
who was that evening’s speaker.
Thank God for pushy girlfriends!
I arrived at the Coffee Mill and was wel-
comed in by women that I knew. I found a
place at a table and met some new women
who I hit it off with right away. I was so glad
to be there.
As soon as Lorilee began to speak my heart
bent towards her. I could relate to her story
about how writing the book Through the
Storm was literally a storm in her own life.
She talked about God’s constant presence
and how He was the one in charge and He
protected and provided for her through the
whole thing. I loved it.
At the end of the evening Sue Cramer said
that if anyone wanted to pray with her to
find her afterwards. I got up and headed to
the restroom but found myself in front of
Sue instead. Something, or rather SOME-
ONE, had definitely di-
rected me there. The
story of my evening was
shared and I asked her to
pray for my writing
dreams and goals. In the
middle of the cadence of
women’s conversations
going on all around us
Sue lifted me up to our
Savior.
I felt so encouraged. After she prayed she
steered me over to Lorilee and to Alison
Hodgson, a friend of Lorilee’s and also an
author.
Her response was
immediate,
“YOU ARE GOING!
DO YOU HEAR ME?!
YOU ARE GOING!”
48
I spent the rest of the evening talking
with the two of them. We laughed to-
gether and shared delightful conversa-
tion. They both invited me to come to the
Breathe Christian Writer’s Conference.
The next day I was paging through the Praise
and Coffee newsletter that I had picked up. I
was floored when I read the article written by
Jaime Rogers. Jaime wrote about her hus-
band’s love of Notre Dame football and her
resentment of it. She wrote about how God
pricked her conscience and
she decided to make a
change to better her mar-
riage. She began to em-
brace the love of ND foot-
ball instead of resent it.
She began going to games
with her hubby Shaun and
she made it a special time
for them. I was so excited
because the book I am writ-
ing fits beautifully with her
story.
I e-mailed Jaime and we set
up a time to meet for me to
interview her for my new book. We had a
fabulous time and it was just confirmation
that I definitely was supposed to go to Praise
and Coffee that evening.
And, I signed up for
the Breathe Confer-
ence and excitedly
made plans to go.
Labor Day weekend I was not feeling well. A
few days later we found out the surprising
news that I am pregnant! This was a big
shock to us. Our son is 10 and our daughter
is almost 7 ½. We thought that we were fin-
ished adding to our family. But, our kids
have been praying for over a year now.
Caleb has been praying for a brother and Ab-
bie has been praying for a sister. They were
not at all surprised that God had answered
their prayers with a new little sibling on the
way!
I must confess that I really
thought that my writing
was now going to be put
on the backburner again.
I did not know what God
had planned now. This
baby is a miracle in our
family. So, this new little
one is definitely part of
His plan but what about
my call to write? And,
what about the book I’m
working on?
On the way to the Breathe
Conference I poured out my heart to God. I
asked Him to show me very clearly exactly
what His will was for my writing. I was con-
fused and questioning Him and His plan. By
the time I arrived at the conference my heart
felt at peace. As soon as I stepped into the
building God’s divine direction was present.
And, I was stunned to leave the conference
that day with a request for a book proposal
on my new book I am working on.
49
www.BreatheConference.com
I was amazed. God’s answers to my
prayers could not have been clearer!
God did want me to write this book
and He had orchestrated my life to make all
these connections so far! Incredible!
I am currently working
on the book and the
book proposal. I am
now in my second tri-
mester so I am starting
to feel a bit better. And,
I am now thoroughly
convinced that God’s
plans for me include this
precious new baby and also the writing of
this book that is near and dear to my heart.
Lorilee, Alison, Sue, and Jaime all continue to
encourage me on this journey I am on.
Sue asked me to share my story with you so
you could be encouraged. We do not under-
stand the workings of our Lord. We cannot
always see what He is doing. We can trust
Him though that He has our lives planned
out for us. He is working out His plan for
us. He will see us through.
What are you dreaming about? Could it be
that God is calling you to a new adventure?
Does God have a plan or a path for you
that you are just beginning? Join me and
step out in faith. Follow His leading and
see where He takes you. I cannot wait!
Jeremiah 29:11 “For I know the plans I have
for you, declares the LORD, “plans to prosper
you and not to harm you, plans to give you
hope and a future.”
Visit the link below to find our more about the 2011 Breathe Conference
coming to Grand Haven, MI on October 14-15th.
50
W elcome
to our
new addition to the Praise and Coffee
lifestyle…Praise and Coffee Cooks!
Praise and Coffee Cooks was sorta-
kinda in a way brought about last fall.
Sue and I both had gotten a Pioneer
Woman cookbook and decided we
would be brave and really try to make
some of her recipes. Then we figured,
hey, why not make them together?
The first time we made the lasagna.
We planned to make it a blog post so
we set up the flip camera, we fed Lau-
ren and Abraham Little Debbie snacks,
we took pictures galore, we kept Band
-Aids on hand, we tweeted, we face
booked, we boogied to the radio.
And when we were done we had really yummy
lasagna for dinner. Another time we made
chicken potpie. I think we barely remembered
to check the chicken since were on a deadline
with the magazine or something. We were
running from the kitchen to the computer and
back again. I left her house that day with the
food and a lot of work done.
My husband began to assume such visits
would become commonplace. We would be
eating my throw together noodles and canned
sauce for dinner when I’d mention going to
Sue’s the next day. His eyes would light up.
“You gonna cook anything?”
In a way, our starving husbands and children
forced us to begin Praise and Coffee Cooks.
Introducing...
51
It comes down to this…we all are going to
make dinner. We might as well make it to-
gether.
That’s it. That’s all Praise and Coffee Cooks is.
Sue and I had so much fun making dinner to-
gether. It’s all kinds of fun to call or text each
other after dinner and see what the other fam-
ily thought of dinner and compare notes.
It’s fun to work in the same kitchen together;
the job isn’t a job anymore. And the clean up
is way more fun when you are talking the
whole time.
What we would like to see is two or more
friends getting together for coffee (tea is al-
lowed :))and making din-
ner together.
Make a recipe that you
know well or find a new
one. Someone shop before
hand so you have all the in-
gredients there and ready to
go. Make up a dinner to-
gether and then each of you
have a dish to take home to
your family that night.
It makes for a relaxing night
for your family too. No
“What’s for dinner?” and in-
famous after dinner mess for
you.
When you spend time cooking together you
are doing the most basic of acts together. It
can’t help but make a friendship dearer. It
gives you time to talk about what your fami-
lies like to eat, or do, or activities you are in-
volved in, or a favorite song, or a memory of
the dish you are making.
Who doesn’t have a favorite memory linked to
food? So get out there with a friend or two
and make up some food.
Take some pictures of your good time
in the kitchen & send them to us!!
Got a recipe that was a huge hit?
Send it to us at [email protected]
with the subject line “Praise and Coffee
Cooks” and we’ll start looking for new friends
to highlight in the magazine.
What we would like to see is two or more
friends getting together for coffee (tea is al-
lowed :)) and making dinner together!
Sue Cramer and Denise Dykstra
52
The dark side
of coffee!
53
When I heard the latest chapter of ‘The Many Adven-tures of Sue and Denise,’ I had to nod my head in agreement. Praise and Coffee Cooks may take con-necting far deeper than grabbing coffee. Now before you throw coffee beans at my head, I do have a the-ory.
My mom’s family can cook. There was a silent com-petition between mom and her three sisters, not to mention grandma could hold her own. Family get-togethers were sort of viewed as the Holy Grail of the dinner plate. There was much lifting of forks in thanksgiving.
There is just something so comforting and uniting about food - even if it’s bad. One of my favorite sto-ries about my mom is how she met my dad. They worked at the same place and mom was one of the secretaries. Her boss, who was a huge prankster, kept pestering her to bake him something.
Mom decided to get him and get him good. She went home and concocted a brilliant, yet slightly evil plan. And because brilliance and pure evilness needs company, she got grandma and her sisters in on it too.
By: Joanna Moore
The dark side
of coffee! Mom was going to serve some laced cupcakes. They raided the spice rack and dumped in garlic, cloves, paprika, and any other thing that shouldn’t belong in a cupcake. I guess when they went to bake them; it smelled so bad they had to open all the windows in the house. To hear my mom tell this tale is priceless. She starts to laugh until she has tears streaming down her face. She said those things stunk to high heaven and the only thing that would cover the nasty smell was to make a strong chocolate coffee frosting.
I will point out that coffee can be used for evil and us tea drinkers already know this about the dark side of coffee. What else could cover up the cupcake’s true nature other than coffee’s strong aroma? Coinci-dence? I think not.
So mom waltzed into work the next day and present-ed the charlatan cupcakes to her boss. All the other ladies were in on it and gathered around to watch the show. The poor guy took a huge bite and froze. Mom was laughing hysterically at this point as she remem-bered his face turning red and sweat pouring off his head. He started coughing and sputtering and quick-ly left the room to spit it out and down a bunch of wa-ter all while the ladies crowed with laughter.
54
The dark side of coffee! Enters through the side door - my Dad. He sees a bunch of woman cackling like crazy and his eyes landed on the cupcakes. He marched into the group and asked mom if she made it. Dude never picked up on the gleam in her eye as she extended the plate to him and said yes.
Now my dad HATES coffee. He can't stand the smell of it, let alone the taste of it. He caught one whiff of the coffee icing and wolfed down the cupcake as fast as he could to avoid the taste. It probably saved his life. When he later found out what my Mom did, he thought any broad that pulled a stunt like that was worth getting to know.
Just 2 months ago, my parents were at some church gathering and ended up meeting the step-son of my mom’s boss. He said he heard that tale for years and felt truly happy to meet the crazy lady who pulled a fast one on his step-dad.
I grew up hearing all kinds of stories that happened all in the kitchen. Certain meals bring out stories. I recently got my hands on the recipe my grandma used for homemade noodles. While we were eating it, I was remembering my grandma and was telling my boys different stories about our crazy family.
I was doing a bible lesson with my youngest son and it was about Jesus hanging around the table, enjoy-ing food all while teaching. I’ve seen this so many times with my own family. Enjoying a meal can take the conversation so much farther and deeper.
55
The dark side of coffee! We’ve all had that moment where we take a bite of someone’s dish and think I have GOT to know how to make this wonderfulness or come up with some plan to force this person to make it for me on de-mand. Or maybe that’s just me.
We all have that one recipe that inspires others and cooking it together could take connecting to a whole new level. As well as world domination especially with international recipes. Grab a friend, pick up your whisk, and try not to poison your boss with laced cupcakes. But I guarantee you’ll never forget the tale of "remember when we…"
Joanna Moore is a married, thirty-something freelance writer, and stay-at-home,
homeschooling mom to 3 growing boys. In her free time, Joanna likes to blog, play
way too many Facebook games, and spend time with her friends and family.
Visit her blog at: www.BugsInMyTeeth-Joanna.blogspot.com
Email: [email protected]
56
www.mercyministries.org
Help for women in crisis...Help for women in crisis...Help for women in crisis...
57
Hotline advocates are available for victims and anyone calling on their behalf to
provide crisis intervention, safety planning, information and referrals to agencies
in all 50 states, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
Assistance is available in English and Spanish with access to more than 170 lan-
guages through interpreter services.
Help for women in crisis...Help for women in crisis...Help for women in crisis...
1.800.799.SAFE or 1.800.787.3224
Anonymous & Confidential Help
58
Bringing
Praise and Coffee Nights
to the Hospital?
That’s just what Trina Martin and her team did
when a friend needed some uplifting.
59
We usually host our Praise & Coffee
nights in a small coffee shop called Java-
teas in Ephrata. Sometime we have held
it in my home.
This time we mixed things up a bit, one
of our girls has been going through a
difficult time in her life, her husband was
diagnosed with Leukemia in De-
cember 2010.
After a round of chemo he need-
ed a bone marrow transplant.
On March 3, 2011 He received
the transplant (donated by his
15yr old sister) everything went
well, but this wonderful young
woman is staying by his side
through it all.
They are a young couple in June they will
celebrate their 3rd anniversary, Be-
cause of this we decided to take
Praise & Coffee to her.
Some wonderful ladies from the
worship team of River Church of
Juniata County volunteered to lead
us in worship, they brought their
sound equipment, a guitar, drums,
and a couple of their husbands to
haul it all into the hospital for them.
We set up in the back of the cafete-
ria at Penn State Hershey Hospital
and set out to bring the holy fire of God
into the place!
We started with almost an hour of wor-
ship which was incredible and anyone
who was in the cafeteria was able to
come and listen.
60
Bringing Praise and Coffee Nights to the Hospital!
A fter the amazing worship, we
had a devotion on tears, and some of
the ways we use tears.
Some of the key verses were:
Psalm 56:8 you keep track of all my sorrows. You have collected
all my tears in your bottle.
Ecclesiastes 3:4 a time to cry and a time to laugh. A time to
grieve and a time to dance.
Revelation 21:4 (The Message) He‟ll wipe every tear from their
eyes. Death is gone for good-tears gone-crying gone, pain gone
-all the first order of things gone. The enthroned continued
“Look I‟m making everything new.”
61
Bringing Praise and Coffee Nights to the Hospital!
W e continued our worship
with a time of prayer, several ladies
shared prayer requests and praises, as
they were shared we spent time lifting
praises and requests to our Heavenly
Father.
Our evening closed with several an-
nouncements and then a time of fel-
lowship. We were so encouraged and
blessed to spend the evening togeth-
er.
Thank you for the blessing Praise &
Coffee is to so many women! What a
God inspired idea!
In His grip,
Trina Martin
Some of the key verses were:
Psalm 56:8 you keep track of all my sorrows. You have collected
all my tears in your bottle.
Ecclesiastes 3:4 a time to cry and a time to laugh. A time to
grieve and a time to dance.
Revelation 21:4 (The Message) He‟ll wipe every tear from their
eyes. Death is gone for good-tears gone-crying gone, pain gone
-all the first order of things gone. The enthroned continued
“Look I‟m making everything new.”
62
For Caffeinated Moms Like You!
I’m just plain not sure what to title I’m just plain not sure what to title I’m just plain not sure what to title this...but if you need a little giggle today, this...but if you need a little giggle today, this...but if you need a little giggle today,
this is the article to read. this is the article to read. this is the article to read.
You’re welcome.You’re welcome.You’re welcome.
Denise Dykstra, co-editor of Praise and Coffee the Magazine.
Denise is heavily caffeinated and joyfully married to her truck
driving, farming husband. They reside in Michigan raising
their four boys (ages 11 to 4) on a hobby farm that keeps
them hopping busy. She updates friends on her sons’ latest
escapades and caught snakes on her blog
“Life With Four Boys...Coffee Please!”
63
I’m just plain not sure what to title I’m just plain not sure what to title I’m just plain not sure what to title this...but if you need a little giggle today, this...but if you need a little giggle today, this...but if you need a little giggle today,
this is the article to read. this is the article to read. this is the article to read.
You’re welcome.You’re welcome.You’re welcome. We live on a little hobby farm out here in the cur-
rently frigid Midwest where my husband and I grow boys
(four of them), vegetables and fruit, and chickens. My
days are one exciting situation or conversation after an-
other with all my boys home, thus the reason I blog. I
often joke that without my boys, I would be boring.
Then this happened and changed my thoughts on
all that.
It was an unexpected Monday home all alone, all
the boys in school, Jake away plowing snow and me
home to tackle laundry and dishes.
I was totally set up to have a boring day. It was an-
ything but.
All morning my two dogs, Sadie and Josie,
had been on high alert, jumping from window to
window and barking at the slightest sound.
It didn’t help that with the boys gone that
we could hear every time the recovering rooster
on our enclosed porch crowed.
I let the dogs out when they began to wres-
tle and knock into dining room chairs and went
back to washing dishes. I had painted my nails a
pretty glittery ruby red color the night before and
I had to admit it DID make washing dishes much
more fun!
64
Suddenly, I caught sight of Sadie, our
one year old German Shepherd, trotting
up the driveway with some THING in her
mouth. I didn‟t have to wonder long be-
cause she came to the kitchen door,
opossum in her mouth – and, if you can
believe it – a smile upon her face.
She and Josie, our older Australian Shep-
herd, had some fun playing with the nas-
ty dead thing, left it near the clothes line
in some deep snow and went off to get
the dead taste out of their mouths by
chewing on discarded deer bones on a
snow pile.
I cautiously approached the opossum
and couldn‟t resist snapping a picture
with my phone. I quickly sent it off to
my husband, Jake, and
a few friends cuz it was
sorta gross and funny
all at once.
I despise opossums.
They kill chickens. My
goose just died a terri-
ble death by some vermin this winter. I
have seen these nasty things hiss and
bite and snarl and I. Do. Not. Like. Them.
But in case the boys were to miss the
opossum due to Jake getting home to
take care of it before they arrived home
from school, I ran back to the house and
grabbed the camera and snapped a few
pictures. “This is gonna make a great
blog”, I thought to myself.
Funny how any awful icky farm thing
makes me think I should write a blog
post.
I went back to washing dishes, enjoying
the shocked emails (ie “Why do I so of-
ten jump backwards from my computer
when opening pics from you??? Blech!”
and “Quick, get rid of it before the boys
want you to cook it up for dinner!” (to
which I replied, “we just ran out of go-
pher gravy”) Apparently we all have seen
a few too many Beverly Hillbillies epi-
sodes with Granny cooking.) I was get-
ting back from my friends and glanced
out the window to see….
The opossum was up.
It was shaking the icky dog slobber
off of it.
And I just stood there in amaze-
ment. I could NOT believe I had
JUST been out there taking photos
of it.
Clearly, the opossum had pulled a fast
one on my two dogs (and me!) but this
thing could NOT stay in our yard! I have
chickens to protect!!!
I rapped on the window to get the dogs
attention off the nasty deer bone and in-
stead on the nasty opossum.
It didn‟t work.
65
They waddled up to the window, looked
at me like I had lost my mind, and then
sauntered off.
Sadie even stopped to sniff the SITTING
UP OPOSSUM and still thought it dead
(how awful that thing must smell!) and
returned to her snow mountain.
The opossum was clearly going to be on
the move soon and I had to stop it…..
So I did what every girl like me does, I
sent off another message to my friends
“IT LIVES!!!! AHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!”
But it was just me here to protect my
home.
And flock of hens.
Because the rooster, as I have stated, is
currently living on the porch (but that is
another story for another time).
I have pulled this princess thing off with
my boys a bit too well. Jake shoots var-
mints that must be eliminated. Andrew,
our oldest, has two wild pig kills under
his belt and is a great shot and hunting
enthusiast, the boys know how to work
BB guns…
But I only know how to work the NERF
gun.
That was clearly not going to work here.
I hurried for the gun cabinet because I
AM a country girl. I know which gun is
Andrew‟s and was pretty sure what bullet
went in it.
I have paid attention to the boys as they
target practice.
I pulled the gun out, dug out a bullet,
and stopped.
In my hands was a 12 gauge and a bullet
and I wasn‟t 100 percent sure I knew that
THIS bullet went in THIS gun.
Just then the rooster crowed.
From our porch.
I looked up at the rooster, to the gun in
my sparkly painted fingers and just had
to laugh.
This day was anything but boring.
I put the gun away, locked the cabinet,
checked the window and seen that the
dogs had suddenly decided I had not
noticed the opossum enough…
…if only they really knew…
and moved it to the front of the house.
The driveway in fact.
The opossum must have thought it
struck gold because it was getting up on
the cleared path much more bravely than
in the deep snow.
66
But I DO have a four wheel drive.
I paused only momentarily before jump-
ing in the suburban, told myself not to
think about it and revved the engine.
And ran the nasty chicken killing growly
opossum over.
But I wasn‟t positive if I for sure got IT or
the snow bank. So I backed over it
again.
Ka-thunk.
And then I drove it over again.
Ka-thunk.
And backed over it when I parked the
suburban.
I was sure it was dead.
And reported to my giggling friends in
other towns…and regions of the country.
As one friend put it so eloquently “And
so the saga ends”.
It was about this time that my husband
called and was immediately alerted to
“something” going on.
“It‟s nothing, really, I just had to run over
an opossum.”
“What? You? In the road?”
“No, it‟s in the driveway.”
“The driveway?”
“Yup, it‟s dead now...but, just to make sure,
could you run over it one more time?”
He was silent a moment and then burst
out laughing.
“This is so a blog post!” he chuckled.
Yes, my family looks at my traumatic expe-
riences as great blog posts too….What
does this say about our life?
And my knight in shining armor ran it over,
grabbed with his snow plowing back blade
and hauled it out to the field.
Where I am fully expecting the dogs to dig
up when it is rotting come spring.
When I updated my Facebook status that
evening I wrote “The dogs delivered an
opossum to me today. I am choosing to
think of it in a positive light, like, a sure
sign of spring.”
Because,
honestly, what
more could I
say?
I was never so
happy to have
the boys come
home and
have a nice
boring evening.
A little gift from my boys when
we went to Cabelas!
68
We’re all a Twitter!
@praiseandcoffee
Connect with us online! Connect with us online!
69
Praise and Coffee Nights on Facebook
Praise and Coffee the Magazine on
Connect with us online! Connect with us online!
Praise and Coffee Cooks on Facebook
70
The lessons I learn from
Lauren Written by: Sue Cramer
www.PraiseandCoffee.blogspot.com
These are from our trip to China to bring Lauren home. She had spent the
first 2 years of her life in an orphanage. We were crazy about her from the
first time we saw her. She’s six years old today and still making us smile.
L auren takes speech class. For
one of the exercises, the teach-
er shows her pictures and Lauren tells
her what they are.
She had a couple cute ones the oth-
er day.
The teacher showed her two women
and instead of saying lady or mom,
etc. She said "friends!"
I love it!
That's the way it should be huh?!
Then she showed her a picture of a
garden. With rows of plants sprouting
out of the ground. Lauren looked at it
and said,
"mashed potato flowers!"
I laughed so hard.
What a forward thinker!
She looked at those plants and
thought- those will lead to mashed
potatoes (one of her favorite foods).
71
How do you look at life?
Another person may have looked at that gar-
den and saw WORK...pulling weeds, watering,
dirt, mess, bug invasions or rabbits!
But she saw the reward.
I want to think like that!
Those plants didn't look a thing like a potato,
but that didn't matter to her, she knew what
they were capable of.
Reminds me of a man in the Bible that looked
at his circumstances differently too.
Romans 4:18-21
18 Against all hope, Abraham in hope be-
lieved and so became the father of many
nations, just as it had been said to him, "So
shall your offspring be."
19 Without weakening in his faith, he faced
the fact that his body was as good as
dead-since he was about a hundred years
old-and that Sarah's womb was also dead.
20 Yet he did not waver through unbelief
regarding the promise of God, but was
strengthened in his faith and
gave glory to God,
21 being fully persuaded
that God had power to do
what he had promised.
NIV
Here's a couple of promises that He's made to
you...
Matthew 11:28-30
Come to me, all you who are weary and
burdened, and I will give you rest.
29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from
me, for I am gentle and humble in heart,
and you will find rest for your souls.
NIV
Hebrews 13:5
"Never will I leave you; never will I forsake
you." NIV
Matthew 6:33-34
But seek first his kingdom and his righteous-
ness, and all these things will be given to
you as well. 34 Therefore do not worry
about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry
about itself. Each day has enough trouble
of its own.
NIV
Let's look at life for the joy it can bring us
and see mashed potato flowers
in our gardens!
72
Visit our store at cafepress:
www.cafepress.com/praiseandcoffee
Want to start a
Praise and Coffee Night
in your community?
Go to: www.PraiseAndCoffee.com
Start with 2 or 3 girlfriends and see what happens!
Praise and Coffee
P.O. Box 112
Martin, MI 49070
www.PraiseAndCoffee.com
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