December Reflection – Share Goodness: Sharing the Good News

As I write this reflection my family are celebrating the safe arrival of our 3^rd grandchild Eliana Grace, our 2nd granddaughter in our family in 3 months. We were so delighted and humbled at the excitement sharing our news created, especially at a time like this… good news was exactly what everyone needed to hear!

2020 has been a year like no other. As I look out across the world, I have been reflecting back on GB in a year dominated by the effects of Covid-19. The way amazing GB Leaders have been role models demonstrating Christ’s love, kindness, joy, patience and also creativity, resilience and courage. This month our Focus is ‘Sharing Goodness’ and alongside this how we share the ‘Good News’.

As we all look forward prayerfully, reflecting together on our theme, and on our Advent journey, the Christmas story in Luke 2 :8-20, of the Shepherds came to mind. You may recall, the angel of the Lord appeared to the shepherd’s, often the most marginalised people in society, and chose them to share the news that Christ was born. They went obediently then to Bethlehem and found the new Born King baby Jesus, after which with great excitement, they ‘spread the word of Jesus’ birth. As I prayed with this passage, I couldn’t help wondering whether there were any women there too, as female shepherds did exist, just as they do today. We pick up the passage at verse 15.

Luke 2:15-20 (NIV)

¹⁵ When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.”¹⁶ So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. ¹⁷ When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, ¹⁸ and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. ¹⁹ But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. ²⁰ The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.

I would like to invite each of us this Advent to consider ways we can share the Good News of Christ. By both what we say and do. Each of us can find ways of sharing the Christmas story, in the way that is natural for us either in our GB Groups or individually. Perhaps we could send someone in who is lonely a card and Christmas message of hope, make a gift of food or offer to help someone in need. In all of this too, to give ourselves time alone with God, perhaps with this passage, to ask to be re-inspired to have the confidence and energy to share His good news with others.

2000 years ago, the amazing news of the new Born King Jesus, bought great excitement. Wouldn’t it be amazing this Advent if we could all do or say just one thing, to share the Good News. Our world needs more than ever before to know the transforming love and hope that the New Born King brings.

My husband and I are not sure yet, when we can safely meet our new granddaughter, but the joy and excitement of the news of her safe arrival have been so precious.

May God bless you richly, as we travel through Advent together.

Just as Mary did, let’s ponder in our hearts all God has shown us, and whatever our circumstances praise Him for sending His own Son to save each one of us.

November Reflection – Share Goodness: making a difference

The Bible says, “Who is going to harm you if you are eager to do good?” (1 Peter 3:13).

During these times of uncertainty and sadness, the thought of doing good for each other might be the last thing some of us would have in mind to do. We are unable to touch our loved ones and show them that we care, because God is good, He is a refuge in the time of trouble. He cares for those who trust in Him; that is the main reason we have peace during these troubling times and the gift of the ability to share the goodness of His mercies with our neighbours and loved ones.

When we say that God is good; we are not talking merely about what He does; we are more so speaking about God’s character, who He is and who He is never changes. In Psalm 46, the Psalmist writes: “God is our refuge and strength, a present help in times of trouble.” Therefore, we can say with absolute confidence that God is good.

Goodness has a few elements that may be attributed to it. These include kindness and generosity. The primary act of sharing His goodness, is the sending of His son Jesus Christ to save mankind from sin.

During these challenging COVID-19 times, we have the golden opportunity to make a difference! When we think about making a difference, let us not fall for the myth that what we start out doing has to be on a large scale to have any lasting effect. I have learned it does not.

Making a difference begins with the belief that you can do something which will impact another life; no matter how small the deed may be. The truth be told, we who help others, also derive a measure of satisfaction, which causes us to keep on giving, keep on doing, keep on reflecting Christ’s goodness. If the motive is pure, God is pleased with our intention of ‘doing good’.

Speaking specifically to our Girl’s Brigade movement, the easiest way to make a difference which will inspire someone is to pick a Mission you care about and with God’s help, faithfully carry out the plan. God has entrusted these several girls to us. Could it be that He desires that each leader should inspire at least one girl? That seems like a noble and achievable plan to do good as God’s Holy Spirit working in our hearts and minds, refines us to reflect the nature of God.

We talk a lot in our advice about “having a positive impact”, “doing good”, and “making a difference”. What do we mean when we use these phrases?

As Officers, “doing good” or “making a difference” is a call to service, to build and promote communities by helping to transform the lives of our girls.

As a child I grew up in a family where volunteering was and still is part of our DNA. Giving to other warms our hearts, that is the reason we go all way to give the best of ourselves. My greatest joy to date is to see the light in the eyes of a young brigade member, the confidence in her step and the determination to make her corner of the world a better place.

Making small actions will feel unimportant at the time. We start out doing one thing we love and go from there. Without sacrificing anything that might be of comparable moral importance.

Jesus went about doing good, now it is our turn. Let us make a difference!

October Reflection – Be patient with others

I am told that the Chinese bamboo tree is one of the most remarkable plants on earth. Once the gardener plants the seed, he will see nothing but a single shoot coming out of the bulb – for five full years! During all that time even though the gardener is caring for the plant, the exterior shoot will grow less than an inch. At the end of five years, however, the Chinese bamboo will perform an incredible feat. It will grow an amazing ninety feet tall in only ninety days! Now ask yourself this: When did the tree actually grow? The answer lies in the unseen part of the tree, the underground root system. During the first five years of its life, that tiny shoot must have daily food and water so that slowly but surely the fibrous root structure  can spread deep and wide in the earth, preparing to support the incredible heights the tree will eventually reach. It takes patience!

We, as GB leaders, are privileged to be given the responsibility of working with many children and young women. Let’s be honest for a moment, some of these young people try our patience to its limit! They don’t listen; they have their own agendas; they go their own way; they seem to reject the values and teaching we try to inspire them with. They may lack self-control and be self-centred. They may be more easily influenced by their peers or the media than by the things of God. It can be so easy to give up on them. But we have a responsibility to nurture them, to keep on feeding them, to work with them, to care for them, to accept them, to pick them up when they fall.  As we do all this we are helping them to build firm foundations for life. We are enabling them to learn values that will keep them steadfast in times of difficulty. We are ensuring that when the time is right they, like the bamboo tree, will burst forth and flourish.  All we have to do is be patient in our dealings with them.

Paul, in one of his pastoral epistles, gave the young church leader Timothy this advice:

‘Preach the word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage—with great patience and careful instruction.’   2 Timothy 4:2

The advice is good for us too. No matter how hard it may seem, or how long it might take invest in those God places in your care. Remember this: when God wants to grow mushrooms, he can do it overnight, but when he wants to grow a mighty oak, it takes a few years.  Our vision is to transform lives – it takes time, it takes patience, but that’s OK because just think how much patience God has to have with us!

September Reflection – Be patient with God

Romans 5: 1-3 and Genesis 28:15

I know it is hard sometimes to be patient. Patience is not only the ability to wait, but also the ability to keep a good attitude while waiting. God has perfect timing; never too early, never too late. It takes a little patience and it takes a lot of faith but it’s worth the wait.

God has heard your voice crying out in the morning hours and late at night. He knows your entire request. Remember, He is not constrained by your time schedules or limited to your solutions. But be assured of this, He will answer your prayers and deliver in His time and in His way.

God is the God of promise. (See Gen. 28:15) He keeps His words, even when that seems impossible; even when the circumstances seem to point to the opposite. And when you wonder whether He will take care of you, think of this: since he sacrificed His own son for your salvation, will he not also, along with Him, graciously give you all things? You can count on that!

Beloved, let hope be the last thing we lose! You see, there is no other God like Jehovah, who acts on behalf of those who wait for Him. Not one. For He is the Almighty Father who longs to be gracious to you. He freely shows His compassion.

I don’t know what you are going through at this very moment in your Marriage, academic, in your career, in your business. Maybe you are married without a child, maybe you’ve lost your job, your business is experiencing a downturn, or meltdown, maybe your expectations in life is darkened into anxiety. Child of God, waits on God. Be patient, for God is a specialist when the anguish is deep. Patience is a conquering virtue.

Today, God is saying to you: I am your God, a God of Justice. And I will bless you when you confidently wait for me. So be still and know that I am God. Be still before me and wait patiently for me to act. Wait for me, my child, and put your hope in my word.

If all things are possible with God, then all things are possible to him who believes in God.

Be patient!

August Reflection – Running on empty: lessons from an Icelandic geyser

A few years ago, I got to visit the most beautiful place on planet earth – Iceland – and watch a geyser explode right in front of my eyes. It was fascinating. After the initial pillar of water propels itself into the air, the base of the geyser drains of all the water for a few minutes. As I stood engrossed, I felt God whisper powerful truth to me: “That’s you, Claire.” Literally, I was the human equivalent of a drained geyser: I was running on empty. Burnt out. Done.

Are you living a life of ‘breaking busy’? Alli Worthington in Breaking Busy defines this as a life without peace where decisions are made for the approval of others not God. I know what it feels like to be tethered to an ever increasing do-list; it feels overwhelming and anxiety-inducing. It’s far from the “life to the full” that Jesus talks about in John 10:10.

Sound familiar? I am sure that for many of us as GB leaders, it does sound familiar. Then let’s take off your busyness badge of honour and breathe. And ask yourself a question: Why am I always striving to make myself busy?

Many of us have formed complicated narratives about our own identity and self-worth. In the world we live in, it’s quite easy to discover that our self-worth is built on a foundation of sand especially if we judge it through the world’s definition of success, achievements and other people’s approval. As Fil Anderson asks in Running on Empty: “Are we unable to distinguish between activity and identity, so our activity determines our identity?”

So how can we implement a different rhythm of living?

1) Pausing to recharge

I had to recognise that my passion and enthusiasm for God’s ministry can be the same energy that causes me to ignore my needs and deplete myself. Just like our mobile phones, we have a finite capacity. We need to ensure that we’re recharging and plugging ourselves into our ultimate power source: God.

2) Cultivating self-compassion

Some may perceive self-care as selfish, but we can’t live the life God has created for each of us if we don’t take care of ourselves. For me, self-compassion is ensuring that I don’t just have a Sabbath on Sunday but have a Sabbath hour every day: 60 mins of doing something that lights up my soul.

3) Be present over perfect

Amid all the striving that causes us to seek perfection, it is powerful, counter-cultural and biblical to pause and remember: “I am enough.” Imagine if we all extended God’s grace to ourselves when we suffer or feel inadequate.

In God’s eyes, you are loved (Jeremiah 31:3), forgiven (Titus 2:14), chosen (Isaiah 43:2) and valuable (Deuteronomy 7:6). Sometimes we need to make more time to breathe in these God-truths and breath out the lies that our culture feeds us.

Sometimes, the most courageous thing that God is calling us to do is to stop and be still.

If you would like to explore creating Rhythms of Grace in your life, Claire will be leading GB International’s first LEAD//FOLLOW webinar on Saturday 5 September at 0600-0730 and 1200-1330 GMT. Book online here before Wednesday 2 September.

July Reflection – Random Acts of Kindness

Have you ever been struggling with your shopping, and the children are not very much help when you are trying to pack the car in the car park, then suddenly, a lady comes over to offer her assistance.  How do you react?  Is she going to take my bags or is she going to help?

I know what it is like to be struggling with life.  When my family was young, my husband John, and the company that he was working for went on strike for 6 weeks.  We also found out that our fourth child was on the way (Elizabeth). There was no money coming in, so once a week, I would take the girls and our son, and we would deliver the local newspaper to all the people around our area. This would help with our household expenses. Both of our parents would help with food for us, but we didn’t want to be dependent on them. Then one day sitting on our front doorstep was a box of groceries. We had no idea where the box had come from. This went on every couple of weeks. We think that it may have come from a neighbour or the Leaders of the local Girls’ Brigade we attended. No-one ever said anything and I could not thank them. In later years I have done the same to others, what was done to me in the earlier struggling years.

There are lots of ways of helping people. If you see a homeless person, buy them a cup of coffee/tea and a sandwich. Help at the local homeless centre (if you have one). Smile at someone who is looking down and say hello. This may help them through the day, a smile can go a long way.

Encourage your girls and young women to bring in a tin or a packet of food to Girls’ Brigade (when it is safe for you to meet again). This can then be put together for a family in need in your community.

In the Bible there are many stories that are told of people helping others, the Good Samaritan is one that often comes to mind. Tabitha helping the poor by making clothes.  In 1 Timothy chapter 5 verse 10, it tells us about showing hospitality to others, helping those who are troubled and washing the feet of the traveller.  There are lots of stories in the Bible that look at kindness to others.  If you have two of anything share it and this sharing will go onto bigger things.

At the time of writing this reflection, in outback New South Wales, Australia and other areas there is drought, we are praying for rain for them, but they are fast running out of water.  Our company is looking at ways we can help them.  One township where there is a Girls’ Brigade company has water to last 5 months, in some of the out lying areas there is no water at all. We are buying water and sending this to them to share around their community and families.

I challenge you to do at least four acts of kindness this month.

Blessings
Renelle Neale
IVP
Pacific Fellowship

June reflection – Celebrating God’s creation

Kind – the dictionary says is – doing good, sympathetic, gentle, tender, merciful, loving, showing compassion.

The Bible says all those things, plus – a friendly attitude towards others.

In Colossians 3 v12 – 15 we read:

“Since God chose you to be the Holy people whom He loves, you must clothe yourselves with tender hearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience.”

You must make allowance for each others faults and forgive the person who offends you.

Remember the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others.

And the most important piece of clothing you must wear is Love that binds us together in perfect harmony.

Sometimes I am sure we find all that hard to do.

But as we strive to be more and more like Christ, His Holy Spirit will surely help us to achieve this.

When we think of Celebrating God’s Creation, we should all be doing our best to keep His Creation as He made it.

God said as He completed His work – ‘He saw that it was good’.

If God looked down on His creation today would he still say ‘it was good’?

I think not.

Mankind has not done a very good job of caring for God’s creation.

But we can all make a conscious effort to, first of all,

Reduce the things we buy to basic needs

Re –Use every item we can

Recycle items for a further use

We have become a world of ‘throw away’ mentality. We see so much waste going on all around us, particularly in affluent countries.

I am very sure this is not the way Christ would have us live.

As Christians we should present to the world around us qualities of Kindness, Self-control, Integrity, Compassion, Humility, Endurance, Peace, Joy and Love.

If the whole world could take on these attributes what a different place it would be!

I send you my Love

Jill Clarke. CNZM

GB International Patron

April Reflection – Peer Pressure

Hello from the Isle of Wight, the southern tip of England. It is a beautiful place to live and the Island’s motto is “All this beauty is of God”. How blessed am I! We are surrounded by water and I love to swim in the sea and walk along the beach. Amongst the busyness of everyday life there is such peace as you listen to the waves rolling in & out over the golden sands.

The beach has always been my go to place when I have been upset, worried or under pressure and especially when I am happy. I feel very close to God as I walk along the sands. Often the poem “Footprints” by Mary Fishback Powers (see below) comes into my head and I know that I am never alone.

I was asked to write this reflection before the end of 2019 – way before COVID-19 took hold of our lives; so I thought I would add to it now.

How are you feeling? How has your life been impacted?

For me personally I am finding being indoors very limiting so I am trying to ensure that I can find a neighbour or elderly church friend that I can help each day. I can go shopping for them or just ring them for a chat; especially those that I know are on their own. Our church prints a weekly newsletter plus our Sunday service including songs, prayers and bible readings. Most people receive it by email but we have a few that need it to be hand delivered so a team of us print them and walk the streets of Ryde to deliver them. This is an ideal way to prayer walk the town as we go and then we spend time chatting to whoever we are delivering too – in one place I now chat with several of her neighbours as they are all sitting in the shared garden area. They share the service sheet together, which is great.

The beach has become my refuge during this time, it is where I choose to go to spend time with God as I listen to the waves coming in and going out. Our God is an awesome God and he has given us so much to think about, look at and listen to. Go outside to hear the birds singing and the trees rustling in the breeze.  The other day I laid on the grass in the park overlooking the beach and just looked up into the sky and began looking for the shapes and the animals in the clouds – I haven’t done that since I was a teenager and it felt so good. A time when my life was carefree! This is the life God wants for all of us Matthew 6:25-34.

Peer pressure is the direct influence on people by peers, or the effect on an individual who gets encouraged to follow their peers by changing their attitudes, values or behaviours to conform to those of the influencing group or individual. This can result in either a positive or negative effect, or both.

How do we deal with peer pressure?  What do we say to our friends?

4 ways to say “no”

It can be hard to say ‘no’ to our friends, especially when they are all joining in.

Sometimes it can feel like we have to do what they tell us in order to be accepted. It can make you feel scared and alone. It is not ok for friends to pressure you like this – and it’s not your fault. Try these tips and see if they help:

1. Say it with confidence. Be assertive. Practise saying ‘no’, so that it is easier when someone asks you to do something you know is wrong. Avoid situations that feel unsafe or uncomfortable. You could explain that you are going to pay for something instead of stealing it.
2. Try not to judge them. By respecting their choices, they should respect yours.
3. Spend time with friends who can say ‘no’. It takes confidence to say no to your friends. You could try seeing how your other friends stand up to peer pressure and you can try this too.
4. Suggest something else to do. If you do not feel comfortable doing what your friends are doing, why not suggest something you could do instead.

When I was a teenager (many years ago some of you may say), I was in this situation many times and it was hard to admit in front of friends & to my 4 brothers that I was a Christian and went to Church every Sunday as well as going to Girls’ Brigade on a Wednesday evening – my favourite part of the week. Then my Church youth leader gave me a bracelet with 4 letters on WWJD (what would Jesus do). I wore it all the time and it really helped me to focus when I had difficult decisions to make. If Jesus was stood next to me, what would he do? Or I would ask myself – “Would I be happy to take Jesus with me?”

If we always follow our friends does it make us feel good or does it leave us wondering what life would be like if we had followed our instincts, our parents instructions or what the teacher had asked? I know if I ever did anything wrong it gave me a horrible feeling in my stomach and I couldn’t sleep at night until I told someone my fears. As a child this was usually my mum or dad – once I gave my life to Jesus it was a privilege and still is to share everything with him.

I asked some of the girls in my GB group – 3^rd Ryde for their views on peer pressure and these are their replies:

“Peer pressure is a big thing that affects all teenagers. I feel that my experience with peer pressure made me want to change my personality and the way I look to ‘fit in’. It made me doubt myself and feel very low at times. However now that I’m older I have started to think that it doesn’t matter what people think of me, making me feel more comfortable with the way I look and happier within myself.” Georgina, 16

“Peer pressure is when your so called ‘friends’ tell you to do something that you don’t want to do such as smoking, skipping lessons at school or even dealing with drugs and no one should be peer pressured – it makes people feel sad because you know you shouldn’t of done it and then you will realise they are not true friends but if you have people peer pressuring you, you need to say no and tell a teacher if you’re at school or a parent or if you are at Girls’ Brigade you should tell a leader or whoever you are comfortable with.” Kelsey, 12

At the moment we are forced to stay home and spend time with our families. How do we stay in touch with our friends? We are using social media – how safe are we? Are we thinking of what we are posting especially photographs? Please do not be persuaded to make inappropriate posts. Once again my bracelet comes to mind WWJD – would you want Jesus to see what you have written? Would you want him to see the photograph?  Would you want your parents or grandparents to see them?

A couple of sayings my mum would often be heard saying to us – “Remember to put your brain into gear before opening your mouth” and “If you cannot say something nice, do not say anything at all.”  I would say to you all “Remember to put your brain into gear before posting on social media.” And “If you cannot post positive, encouraging messages then do not post at all.” Please remember what goes online stays online.

How can we get through this time – another bracelet I was given as a teenager – PUSH (pray until something happens)!  God is never engaged; he is never too busy to listen to his children. Cast all your worries onto him.

God wants each one of us to live our lives to the full and we cannot do this if we are always worrying about what others are thinking and saying. We need to fully focus on God and then we will be truly blessed by him.

Spend time looking after yourself. Ensure you eat healthily, stay hydrated, exercise and sleep well. Take care of your mental well-being too – The Girls’ Brigade Ministries have some amazing resources on their website under KOKO that may help you.

Matthew 6:25-34

‘Therefore tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father, feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life.’

John 10:10

‘I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.’

Each of us is unique and made in the image of God.

Jeremiah 1:5

‘Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.’

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.’

The above 3 readings are very powerful and each one shows us how much God cares for us and loves us. God tells us that he has a plan for each of us and that he knows us intimately. How awesome is our God. Even if there are times when we forget about God – he never forgets about us; he never stops loving us and he never stops wanting the best for us. God is the same yesterday, today and forever.

Prayer

Dear God, help me to love you and understand your word. It is awesome that you knew me and loved me before I was even born. Help me to share with my friends how much you love each one of us. I am only one person but with your help and guidance I can step out in faith. In this time of uncertainty I pray that you give me patience, compassion and understanding. Help me to be kind to my family as we spend time together.  Encourage me to share my concerns and anxieties with you. Help me to trust in you. Amen

Ephesians 3:20

‘Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us.’

Footprints by Mary Fishback Powers

One night a man had a dream. He dreamed he was walking along the beach with the Lord. Across the sky flashed scenes from his life. For each scene, he noticed two sets of footprints in the sand; one belonged to him, and the other to the Lord.

When the last scene of his life flashed before him, he looked back at the footprints in the sand.  He noticed that many times along the path of his life there was only one set of footprints. He also noticed that it happened at the very lowest and saddest times in his life.

This really bothered him and he questioned the Lord about it. “Lord, you said that once I decided to follow you, you’d walk with me all the way. But I have noticed that during the most troublesome times in my life, there is only one set of footprints. I don’t understand why when I needed you most you would leave me.”

The Lord replied, “My precious, precious child, I love you and I would never leave you. During your times of trial and suffering, when you see only one set of footprints, it was then that I carried you.”

A message from Jill Clarke, Past International President

Nehemiah had gathered people together to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem. They were discouraged, afraid the enemy’s would attack at any time.

Nehemiah said to them “Don’t be afraid of the enemy. Remember the Lord who is Great and Glorious. Fight for your friends, your families, your homes.”

We may at this time  think of Covid-19 as our ‘enemy’.

We may be discouraged because deep down we are afraid of the spread around the world of this new threat to our lives. That’s understandable.

But we need to remember that God is still in control!

We cannot see the end to our situation, but God knows the end from the beginning.

All is not lost. We see many people now looking after others. Concern for others is becoming more evident  in society.

May we through our faith in God who carries us through our difficulties, by our kindness, generosity and thoughtfulness of others be carriers of Christs love to all.

If you are totally ‘shut in’ as we are here in New Zealand – it is for your own safety, and that of our fellow citizens.

Keep your attitude one of gratitude.

May God bless you & keep you in his care,

With Love, Jill

A message from Joyce Evans, Past International Treasurer

God sent His son, they called Him, Jesus;
He came to love, heal and forgive;
He lived and died to buy my pardon,
An empty grave is there to prove my Saviour lives!

Because He lives, I can face tomorrow,
Because He lives, all fear is gone,
Because I know He holds the future,
And life is worth the living,
Just because He lives!

This song was written in 1971 and over the last almost 50 years it has been a blessing to so many facing different trails and problems. In each situation God has used it, to bless and assure His children, that Jesus lives!

The Bible tells the Easter story, when we can share some of the experiences of the character of the Story, Peter, Mary, Judas, Pilate. Let us look at Luke 24:13-35 the two friends on the Emmaus Road.

As you have read/remembered the story, how did the events burn within your heart? Are you rushing to tell others about Jesus? Put yourself in these friends’ position. They were sad, not understanding really what had just happened. Then He was there, He appeared to them and they recognised Him in the ‘breaking of the bread’. Jesus disappeared. Excitedly they ran back to Jerusalem to tell the disciples.

Are you struggling with your family, job, church, GB? In the current situation, use it, be sure to have time with God, ask Him to burn with your heart, spend time in His Word. Pray using Phil 4v6 ESV ‘do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, let your requests be made know to God.’

It is not possible for you to go out, it’s “stay at home” but, let’s share ways we have done GB differently. I have heard of GB Ireland challenging their girls to write a poem, create a dance, post a hug. GB England & Wales offer online activities, some are using Zoom for company evenings. Please share what you are doing.

Because HE Lives, I can face tomorrow.

Joyce Evans

Past International Treasurer