Thursday, January 31, 2013

"Peace Child"

The Book "Peace Child"


Imagine sharing the gospel with cannibals 
Who admire Judas's betrayal more than Jesus' sacrifice

Among the headhunting Sawi of Irian Jaya, treachery was an ideal that generations of their people had perfected. The heroes of Sawi legend weren't those who took the greatest number of heads in battle or ambush, but those who were the most deceitful in befriending their victims before they took their heads.

When missionaries Don and Carol Richardson searched for the key that would open the gospel to the Sawi, God moved in a stunning way. He revealed His true Peace Child–the ideal fulfilment of the Sawi's own redemptive analogy. Peace Child chronicles the agony–and the triumph–of the Richardson's unforgettable sojourn among this people loved by God.

-Taken From "Peace Child" 


I interviewed my sister Gabby about the book because she just finished it. This is what was said: 

Evangela- "What is your favorite part in the book?"

Gabby- "My favorite part is when the Richardson's were in a boat and they tipped over.  They only found the mother and one of the two sons.  They could not find their other son Steven. After several minutes they found him alive. The amazing part was that he never  breathed in any water the whole time!"

Evangela- "What were the Sawi like before the missionaries came?"

Gabby- "Before they were cannibals and they would just kill each other for fun. They also exchanged "Peace Childs" in order to make peace with other tribes. Often though the peace would not last long and the child would be killed.

Evangela- "What happened when the missionaries came?"

Gabby- "The indians were scared at first and they ran away but over time they began to love the Richardson's and treat them kindly."

Evangela- "How did the Sawi life change after the missionaries came?"

Gabby- "At first the Sawi were not very interested about God but He moved in a miraculous way one day. Through a fathers grief over giving his only son in order to make peace, the whole tribe was able to understand how God felt when having to give His only Son so that way they could have peace. The ultimate Peace Child had already been given! After this revelation the Sawi life changed dramatically. They stopped their killing and the exchanging of the peace child was exchanged with a simple ceremony of forgiveness." 

Evangela-"Thank you Gabby!"



"You and your ancestors are not the only ones who found that peace required a peace child. The Spirit whose message I bear has declared the same thing–true peace can never come without a peace child! Never!"

-Taken From "Peace Child"



I hope you have enjoyed my second missionary book review for my blog. If you have a favorite missionary book you love, I would be thrilled to hear from you! I hope you all have a blessed day! 

-Evangela Grace


By the way, those who are participating in the Liebster award can still continue on as normal. I will continue updating the page as more bloggers join. Newer posts will not effect those participating in the award.  Also,  I am planning on making a post with a couple of my favorite answers that I received when everyone has finished their answers ...... I will tell everyone when I have finished it. 


Saturday, January 26, 2013

I Have Been Nominated For The Liebster Award!




Thank you to my wonderful friend Leah Oxendine at Apassionata for nominating me for the Liebster award!


About The 'Liebster Award':
Bloggers nominate other bloggers that they like with 200 followers or less. It doesn't matter what kind of blog you have, or in what language. If you have a blog then you can be nominated! It's to get to know new bloggers a little better and go networking with them, it's been going on for a few years I guess. It's never ending!



The Rules:
1. List 11 facts about yourself
2. Answer the 11 questions the blogger who nominated you left
3. Ask 11 new questions for those you nominate
4. Choose 11 bloggers with less than 200 followers to nominate
5. Go to each blogger's page and let them know about the award
6. Thank the person who nominated you and link back to their blog


Facts About Me:


1. My favorite school subject is Biology....especially the experiments! I love learning about all the complex organisms that make up our world.
2. Yahweh willing I am going to try to memorize the book of Romans by next year. I think this is a great tool for witnessing to others about Gods Word. I am using a website called MemVerse to do scripture memory. It is extremely well-built and the best part...it is free!
3. I LOVE reading adventure books...mostly books about missionaries and history.
4. My favorite fiction book is Swiss Family Robinson. (Note that I underlined book. I mean the unabridged version.....meaning the version before Disney got a hold of it.)
5. I have the most supercalifragilisticexpialidocious family ever!
6. I adore being a part of a large family. I have learned so much...and still have so much to learn!
7. My dream life when I grow up would be to live on a farm. (The bigger the better!) I would have plenty of cows and goats along with chickens and pigs. I would also make soaps out of the goat milk and make homemade cheese.
8. I am fond of baking. (Because I love sweets!) My favorite things to bake are apple pies, granola bars and homemade biscuits.
9. If there is any place I would like to go in the world my first choice would probably be the Florida Keys. I am sure I could spend all day there collecting shells! Since rock collecting is one of my hobbies I would travel the whole world in search of possible additions to my collection as well!
10. My "love language" is "words of affirmation". I read something that someone wrote about "love languages" and they said that actions do not always speak louder than words. I definitely do not dislike when love is shown towards me in the other active love languages but I notice that encouraging words means a lot to me.
11. My favorite spiritual hero is my Mom and Dad. My Mom is a wonderful example to me of how to walk in Christ. She has always been there for us kids and my Dad and has been a living example of the love of Jesus Christ. My Dad is just as wonderful. He works all day to provide for us and then comes home and has Bible study with us, even when he is tired. He is a great example to us kids and is also a living example of Christ's love.



Questions from my nominee: (Leah)


1. Would you rather be respected or loved?  Wow! Great question! Hmm. I think I would rather be loved because if the person loves you they should respect you but I know I can respect a person and not necessarily love them.
2. What is your favorite quote?  I do not really have a favorite quote but one I have liked, as of recent, is one by Galileo Galilei: "All truths are easy to understand once they are discovered. The point is to discover them."
3. What are your three favorite songs at the moment?  Well, my all-time favorite song/hymn is "It is Well With My Soul" which was penned by Horatio Spafford as he was going over the place where his three daughters had died in a ship wreck. I admire the strength that it must have taken him to be looking out over those icy waters where his young daughters had perished and being able to say, "It is well with my soul." My second favorite is "Awesome God" which was written by Rich Mullins. I do not really have a third. Probably "You are God Alone" sung by Philips, Craig and Dean.
4. Cows or Peacocks?  Definitely cows!
5. Describe your style/taste in art, design, fashion?  Hmmm. I do not think I have a certain "style" for anything and if I do I am not quite sure. I know this may sound strange but I know my style but I do not know what it is called or if it even has a name! To make it easier I will answer each question individually. Art: I enjoy calm, cool colors and shades. When it comes to paintings I like scenic landscape pictures best. Design: I do not have a certain design as in shape or pattern that I like best, but if I were to design a room I would make it cozy and warm.....use dark reds and browns with a light colored backdrop. Fashion: I hope asking other people for help is a part of the rules! I asked my Mom and she could not really describe my fashion either. Here is what I do know: The only clothes I buy are from thrift stores, (I would NEVER pay 100 dollars for one skirt!) I love to look grown-up and I only wear modest clothing.
6. What place would you travel to if you could?  The Florida Keys. I would love to go and collect shells.
7. Coffee or tea?  It depends if you are talking about smell or taste! :) Coffee smells wonderful to me and when we have it I usually pour me a cup but I never drink more than a couple sips. I think that it is too strong for me. I love tea, especially peach tea so I guess my answer would be tea.
8. Introvert or extrovert? Sadly, an introvert. I want to learn to be more of an extrovert but I get nervous and embarrassed easily. :(
9. What do you hope to do with your life?  I want to do whatever God calls me to do. I desire to be a missionary but God may not call me to do that. If that does not happen I will probably be a mother with TONS of kids. (I want to have a huge family!) And I will raise my kids to follow Yahweh God.
10. What's your favorite entree?  To be honest, when I first read this question I was not sure what an "entree" was.....soooooo......I looked it up! Everything I read did not give me a solid answer as to what an "entree" was. In French (which is where the word came from) it meant the dish served before the meal. In American it means the main dish. (As one person said: "When it comes to matters of language, Americans always get things wrong." :) So I decided since in my family we always eat everything at one time I will tell you what my favorite meal is. My favorite meal is steak (with extra garlic powder, salt and pepper), mashed potatoes, hawaiian rolls, green beans and corn.
11. If you could be granted 1 wish, what would it be?  Only 1 wish???!!! :) Alright, you can choose which wish you like best! Having my own farm or traveling all over the world collecting rocks!


Here are my questions:
(Please answer the question and also tell why you chose that answer)


1. Would you rather live on a deserted island a country farm or in a busy city?
2. If you were to write a story what time frame would it be in?
3. What is your favorite name and its meaning?
4. Which do you like best, Skittles or M&M's?
5. What person has inspired you most?
   6. Which person would you rather meet, Adolph Hitler or Barak Obama?
7. If you had 1000 dollars what would you do with it?
8. Which is your "love language"?
     1. Physical Touch (Hug, kiss, etc.),
     2. Words of Affirmation (Words of encouragement, affection, endearment),
     3. Quality Time (Going out with that person, spending time with them)
     4. Gifts (I think this is pretty easy to understand)
     5. Acts of Service (Someone doing your chores for you, helping you with your school)
9. Which of the four personality types are you?
     1.Lion-Needs freedom/Craves authority, Goal setter
      2.Otter- Energizer Bunny/Entertaining
      3.Golden Retriever - More interested in relationships than goals, a good time, or tasks
      4.Beaver- Perfectionist, cautious, high standards
10. What number are you in your birth order? (First child, second child, third child, etc.) 
11. What is your favorite game?


I hope you enjoy! I can't wait to see your answers!

P.S I will keep adding names of the people I have nominated as they respond


Friday, January 18, 2013

Snow, Snow All Around, In The Air And On The Ground!

 Yes!!!! It finally snowed!!! At first it started out as sleet and gradually turned from frozen balls into floating snow! We were out getting our weekly movie when it started to sleet and by the time we got home the snow was coming down thick. We slid a couple times coming home (nothing big) but it was enough to add to the adrenaline of the moment. The long awaited snow had arrived! As soon as we pulled in the drive the kids dashed out of the truck to play in the snow....I waited until I got dressed up in my snow gear before I went out to play. We played outside from 11:45 to around 5:00 in the evening. We went over to our neighbors house with some friends and built them a snowman and made several snowmen for ourselves, including one Hawaiian snowman which we put up next to the road.
Our Neighbors House 
Nathan Trying To Ride His Scooter In The Snow

Justice On His Way To Play

Nathan Sledding Down The Hill (The sleds were given to us by our Aunt Heide for Christmas)

Nathan Carrying His "Snowman-To-Be"

Verity Testing A New Theory Of Torture

Verity and Gabby Building A Snowman

Nathan And Justice In A Snow Fight

Nathan In His Snow Gear

Mikaela Drawing On The Driveway
The younger kids had tons of fun playing in the snow. Justice was freezing but he would not come in because he was having so much fun!  Us older kids had lots of fun too. I helped Gabby build a HUGE snowman. (She rolled the snow balls until they were to big and then I helped roll and then stack them on top of each other) Liberty did not play in the snow much because it was so cold and she did not really care to be out in it. Maybe if it snows next year she will be able to enjoy it better. Dad and Mom were thrilled to see us all having such a fun time in the snow. My Mom took pictures of us and helped clean all of the snow that ended up inside. Every couple minutes someone was charging inside for a breath of warm air and a quick change of socks. (Since snow kept getting inside our boots we kept having to change them often or our toes would freeze!) I probably changed socks 5 times while we were playing. One time I had 4 pairs of socks on at a time! Around 3:00 it began to snow like crazy and I could hardly see across our property. I went on a walk and took pictures of all the snow but it was very hard since snow kept flying into my camera lens. Later our friends next door came over and we built a snowman for our other neighbors and took a quick hike through our neighbors property to see their creek. Then we all played "Apples To Apples" and ate popcorn and then we watched a movie together.
Nathan Driving His Remote Controlled  Car

My Hand-Print In The Snow 

Mikaela Making An "Icee"

Mikaela made us the face scarfs for Christmas.....The hole was just big enough for my tongue to fit through! :) (My Mom wanted me to add this picture)

Snow covered logs

A frozen Justice hugging a snowman

Me building a snowman 

Our house right before the major snow sweep came through

Our Hawaiian snowman

Our Hawaiian snowman (My camera had snow all over the lens)

Mikaela's snowman at the bottom of our mailbox

Gabby and I sitting on our snowmen while trying to see who could reach the highest

Our pond and all the snow falling

Mikaela showing off a snow covered shovel

My camera accidentally made everything blue....I though it looked very pretty though

Nathan in a T-shirt and shorts (Not a smart idea) throwing Mikaela her camera (Another not-so-smart idea) 

Our house again

I am so thankful to God for letting us be able to have "real" snow this year. (Not little flurries)  We enjoyed it so much. Already the snow has melted to hardly nothing.....now the yard just looks like one of the dogs got into the trash and white diapers are all over the yard!

Have a great day!

Love,
   Evangela Grace
Thank you God for giving us a day of snow! 

Tuesday, January 1, 2013

One Humble Man. One Mighty Faith.

Suddenly, revolutionaries appear in front of me.
One shoves the barrel of a rifle into my mouth.
So this is how I'll die, I think. From the bullet of a guerrilla's gun.

But Bruce Olson did not die! He has been shot with bullets and arrows, kidnapped and tortured by guerrillas, and survived diseases, floods, and tornados during four decades as a lone missionary in the jungles of South America.

Yet by relying on God through it all, he has achieved the "impossible"–the Motilone Indians have chosen to walk the path of Jesus Christ and have been given the tools to forge their own vibrant future–and Bruce has discovered lasting peace in his own heart.

Bruchko and the Motilone Miracle has been a remarkable read...full of adventure, tragedy, faith, and love. It has shown how, despite incredible dangers and obsticals, one human man and a nation of primitive, violent Indians-by joining together in simple obedience–can be transformed forever by the sovereign will of God.

-Taken from "Brucho and the Motilone Miricle"

My sisters and I love missionary stories and this is definitely one of our favorites! I just recieved the sequel to "Bruchko" and I just finished it! I think what stood out to me most was how many people thought that he would not succeed in bringing this vicious tribe to Christ...but he did! The first book goes into detail about Bruces' early life and how he came to know and experience Christ and all the trials he went through in order to bring the Word of Life to the Motilone tribes of South America. The second book hits a couple points that the first book did not as far as what happened to his family and more of the Motilones dealing with the guerrillas. The main point of the second book though is about the Motilones in the modern day. It is so encouraging to see how God has blessed the Motilones with being able to keep their tribal ways even through modern advances. Out of the 400 plus Motilone students that went to college and studied at universities-ever single one came back to their tribes and used what they learned to help their people and even their whole nation grow. Extremely inspiring! 
I am hoping to start a new column (which I will write as time permits) on writing reviews for missionary books. Of course this can be problematic since eventually I will run out of missionary books to write reviews for, but when this happens I will move on to a different column. If anyone has any ideas for some columns I would love to hear from you! You can email me at: proclaiminggrace14@gmail.com or post a comment. May you have a grace filled New Year!