TROUBLED TIMES IN LIFE

God continues to encourage His children in the midst of  life on this
 earth.  It is amazing to watch the care and concern that God has for
 each of us.  If we look for Him, He is always there.  There is nothing we
 endure without His constant companionship.

Because of the various ups and downs of the past nine months, God has
 been ministering to me concerning various and assorted trials in 
life.  A very kind missionary friend commented when I sent her a list of
 "what we were dealing with".  She wrote, "God must really trust you."  I stopped to think about this statement.  Wow!  Does that mean that the horrible circumstances of life that we pray about have to do with God
 trusting us to handle things?  That is a major thought in this world of 
self gratification and selfishness.

A month has passed and the same message in church today.   Can God 
trust you to be a faithful when trouble comes?  Yes, I was encouraged
 once again.  When life is normal,  it is easy to say God is so good.  It 
requires no sacrifice and worship to expound on the gifts of God in good
 times.  It is an honor to be trusted to deal with the hard stuff of life.  Our
 God is so individual in His dealings with us.  He knows what to do to encourage each of His children and He is there to minister to us.

We need to train ourselves to notice the droplets of encouragement that
 God gives.  Each day He showers us with the beauty of His creation, the
 smiles of our children and grandchildren, the love that is shown to us by others, the cards and gifts received from people who care about us.  God
 wants us to grow up and be able to endure hardship.  People are watching 
us during the troubled times in our life to see if our faith is real.

This brings me back to my sister, Bonnie.  She endured hardship and 
thanked God for each day.  God used her in many lives to demonstrate
 real Christianity.

I am thankful that God can trust some of us with troubled times...

Bonnie Jean Clapp (Frydenlund)

One week ago, my sister and best friend went to be with her

Heavenly Father in heaven.  She is rejoicing in a place we spent

major time talking about.  We smiled thinking about the place

that children of God spend eternity.  Her suffering in this life

is ended.

Bonnie invested herself in people.  I was one of the people that

she forever changed.  I don't think many women will ever have

a person in their life who was a constant cheerleader.  She was

always on my side.  She encouraged me and lifted me up through

many of life's hard knocks.  We often spoke about our relationship.

We were very different personalities and yet we loved our 

differences.  Though we were born sisters, we did the work of

becoming best friends.  We even look alike!!  Those who know

her will remember how sweetly she would say, " Oh honey, I am

sorry."  

Bonnie was real.  There was no pretense about who she was or

what her opinion was.  I love that.  In our world today there are

so many pretenders.  They play with words and don't tell you the

truth.  She made a difference in so many lives because she was

willing to listen and then help as much as she could through her

wisdom.  She was an amazing woman of God.

Bonnie struggled with health issues most of her life.  She did not

complain.  She would not give up making memories because she

was in pain.  She lived her days to the fullest.  She was an 

inspiration to me.  I was able to do many things in ministry which

she could not do.  I would tell her that she was part of everything

I did because she PRAYED.  

Bonnie left 4 children and 9 grandchildren with many examples

of how to live.  She was able to spend quality time with the

grandchildren very close to the time of her departure.  They know 

how much grandma loved them.  She left treasure boxes for the

little ones so they can have a connection to her.  She gave precious

gifts to her children while she was alive to see their joy.

Bonnie left a fragrance of Christ behind.  I will never have her

to talk to on the phone but she is with me in so many ways.  We

loved Starbucks and talking; we loved the same tv programs; we

loved harp music as a background; we loved our grandchildren;

we loved talking about how good God is all the time.  I will miss

her.  

I hope that when I am gone I will have had an impact on this world

like my sister, Bonnie

TRUST IN THE LORD

It has been quite a while since I have posted.  Life has so many twists
and turns.  God certainly keeps life exciting.  I have learned so much 
and continue to hold on for the ride.

TRUST IN THE LORD...

This is a common term for Christians.  It is easier to tell people
to practice this discipline than it is to do it yourself.  I have
observed the rhetoric of trusting versus the reality.

In the real world, people suffer loss and pain.  We do not get a
pass because we know the Lord.  Everything we endure has a 
purpose for us or someone who is watching.  God has the
Master plan and we trust Him.

In the last 8 months, I have been through a trial, my store dying 
of cancer, my father's passing and caring for my mother who
has medical issues.  Friends have commented that it is a lot to
handle.  It has been.  God has shown me things I would have never
imagined with such clarity.

Experiences equal growth.  Being a follower of Christ is not a
stagnant position.  How can we know that we trust God if we
are not tested?