Chinese New Year and God's Faithfulness in the heart of Faith

Education...well, that is a topic that we all have opinions and convictions about.  When we decided to move to California we were a little nervous about putting our children in public school.  You hear so many negative things on the news about "California."  However, Jim and I were very convinced that the Lord wanted our children to be in public school.  We felt the strong conviction of how are our kids going to be able to live out their faith in the real world if they have never been there?  This was hard because we don't want "the world" to "corrupt" our kids.  So we had to trust that God knew what He was doing in spite of our reservations.

Today the Lord showed His unfailing faithfulness to me while doing homework with Faith.  Her class has been studying the Chinese New Year for the month of January.  When I got her homework, it told of their beliefs, gods, and superstitions.  I thought, "Oh no...this is the influence that I was so worried about!"  As many of you know, we have encountered a lot of spiritual attacks since we have been here.  We have seen people truly demonized and it has definitely put a new category in our faith box.  We have seen the power and influence of Chinese ritual and worship of their gods manifested in unbelievers and believers and the horrible struggles that they have faced.  Now some of you may be thinking we have gone all wacky and such but until you see the enemy for yourself, you cannot comprehend his influence.  So, back to the homework.  As Faith and I studied about the do's and don'ts of Chinese New Year we began to talk about our faith and what we believed.  One thing the Chinese believe is that if you behave properly, then their ancestors and mythical gods will grant them fortune and good luck in the coming year.  Faith's first reaction was, "Mommy how sad is it that they think they can "earn" good things by just being good."  "I am glad that I know Jesus and I didn't do anything to deserve good things, He just gives them to me because He loves me."  Out of the mouths of babes!!!!  I was completely blown away at her observation!  The other things they do to earn good fortune and good luck seemed to be so silly to her.  She felt sad for the Chinese people. It was obvious that she has been processing all of this for a month.  She shared that one lady came in to talk about Chinese New Year since she herself was Chinese and grew up in China.  Faith said she listened and thought it was all interesting.  But before the speaker left, Faith approached her and asked her if she believed in God.  The guest responded that she was not sure and Faith told her that she did and that He loves her very much!  Wow!  My daughter was witnessing right there in her classroom!!!

I cannot tell you how my heart sang out to the Lord in thankfulness and praise.  Sometimes all parents wonder if our kids ever "get it" and that it just goes in one ear and out the other.  Today the Lord showed me that His hand and favor is on our sweet little Faith and that she is His.  I know that as she grows older more and more things will conflict with her faith.  We have to continually trust that our Sovereign God will walk with her through all of them.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

We trust that you and your family have had a joyous Christmas Season! This year has been one of the most amazing times of my life! We give the Lord Jesus all the honor and glory He so richly deserves.

We continue to enjoy this week of Holiday fun. Last week, "Uncle"Greg was off and we had a blast with him. Not having any other family out here makes his presence in our lives so wonderful. We are thankful for his heart for us and the church. The kids and Greg spent some time off from school at the Zoo, shopping, movies, trains, the OB Christmas parade, etc... On Christmas evening we had around 14 people here to share a meal with us. Many folks who didn't have family, others were military,singles and neighbors. It was a great time. I used all my Christmas dishes and Jim gladly cleaned up!

Thanks to generous grandparents and my Aunt Barbara and Uncle Marlin, my kids had a great Christmas from Santa. We now own a Wii...which is the coolest game ever!! Finally, someone came up with a way to "play" video games that actually require you to move around!!! We adults are a little sore from the bowling, tennis, and golf. It has been really fun for all of us. Santa brought me a new pale pink beach cruiser bike which I am anxious to hit the beaches with! We had a lot of rain and it has kept us inside but the sunny skies are back and we are ready to get out again. Katie our golden pup is also ready to be back at the park!

We had our first Christmas Eve service at the school. We knew many of our church family would be out of town but to our surprise, we had a packed house! I was able to sing and did a children's corner in the service. Jim's stepmom, Pen, gave us a book @ Thanksgiving called, "Father and Son", so good! It is about Joseph, the earthly father of Jesus and his "thoughts" on how could he ever raise the King of all time? We also had the amazing privilegde to hear the testimony of a member of our church who has been homeless for a long time but is now sober and now has a place to live but continues to minister to the homeless. We all wept with joy as we heard of God's amazing faithfulness and goodness. These stories are becoming more and more frequent in our congregation. Go GOD!!

Jim and the kids enjoyed an afternoon and evening at Sea World thanks to Courtney and her employee passes! She spent a week back in AZ. We missed her and we are glad she is home. Please continue to lift her up in prayer. The Lord remains good by faithfully providing more and more healing in her life. She plans to leave the Huster nest in February. It will be an adjustment to all of us! Isaac does not do well with change, especially when it involves Courtney!

Happy New Year to you and yours!

Fifteen Year Anniversary

Jim and I have been married for 15 years! Wow! Time goes by so fast. We could have never imagined what life would hold for us when we were just 21 year old kids. Life has not been easy but God has always been good!

Here are a few reason why I love Jimmy...

* his never failing love
* his never failing grace for me
* the best friend I have ever had
* when Jim befriends you, he is your friend forever
* he loves his children
* he sacrifices so much for our family
* his heart for Jesus is amazing
* he loves the unlovable
* he sees conflicts as an opportunity to grow
* he doesn't have a lot of money to give but he gives something more valuable...his time!
* he is a visionary
* he inspires people to do great things
* he has a true heart for the fatherless
* he is a PTA dad!
* he has led this family to live life as normally as possible throughout my illness
* he cooks
* he has given my children their baths since they were toddlers so he could spend time with them
* he puts family above ministry, school, surfing, etc...
* Jesus is Lord of His life
* he admits when he makes mistakes
* he asks his children for forgiveness if he disciplines them out of frustration and not out of love
* he knows how to apologize
* he is willing to go the extra mile for you
* our children think is "superman", their real hero!
* his possessions are not his own, if you want to borrow it or use it, he joyfully offers it to you
* he is so goofy
* he gets so crazy at sporting events
* he has fun with his kids
* he teaches them everything he knows...Jesus, surfing, swimming, riding a bike, soccer, serving others, how to be a good friend, how to share Christ...
* he is a good son and son-in-law
* he loves his parents
* he loves all of his siblings
* he doesn't gossip
* he is an eternal optimist
* he is not afraid to cry
* he knows how to make you feel important and special
* he sees no situation as impossible, just an opportunity to see how God will "show" up!
* he admits when he fails or falls short
* he has shared in all my pain and joy
* we make beautiful children together
* he never gives up on people even when they have given up on themselves
* he loves Kahli as his very own and lovingly takes the responsibility to be the father she never had
* he loves Caroline as his very own and shares in her pain even though he has never personally met her and she lives in hiding in Africa
* he opens the doors of our home to anyone who wants or needs to come in
Last but not least....
HE CHOSE ME TO BE HIS WIFE!!! I AM SO BLESSED.... I LOVE YOU JIM!


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East Coast Trip

We had a wonderful time going back East over the Thanksgiving Holiday. Our 13 day "tour" consisted of visiting family and friends in Deland, Fl, Jacksonville, FL, Hickory, NC, Lincolnton, NC, Statesville, NC, Six Mile SC, Easley,SC, and Walterboro, SC. Wow! We shared at Lincolnton First Wesleyan Church and at our home church, Covenant Presbyterian in Easley, SC. The amazing thing about all of this is that I was feeling good and able to be back in the game. Our immediate family has not been able to participate in many activities that include mommy so this was a great time for the 4 of us. It was so great to see family and friends.

Once Again!

Wow! The past two weeks have really been a roller coaster ride for me. A friend from Alabama called me out of the blue because she felt the Lord wanted her to pray for me. As many of you know I have been suffering with chronic diarrhea and back pain for months. I have been hospitalized 3 times and they were able to find nothing. From the beginning of all of this, Jim and I both felt like my illness was a spiritual attack.

Pam began to pray and I literally experienced an amazing touch from the Lord. I knew it was not my destiny to be confined to a bed for the rest of my life. Just like back in March, the Lord delivered me from sickness, depression, and despair. When I injured my back and the gastro problems began, it made me worship and praise the Lord even more. I want to thank everyone who has prayed for me. It was your prayers that God heard. I am so thankful that He had compassion on me so I can be a mother, wife, and a better friend.

OK, now for my warning for those of you who will see me in a few weeks. The medications they put me on for my back made me gain 30 lbs in 2 months. This has been very hard for me but I have had to put things into perspective. I would much rather be overweight than stranded in my bed any day!!! Sorry for being so vain. I should not let it bother me and give thanks for what the Lord has done!

Prayer Requests:
1. I have been without my Growth Hormone for 3 weeks which is very unhealthy for me since I am very deficient. It also controls my body composition and overall well being. Please pray that it will come soon and my insurance will cover it. A physical therapist has been coming to the house to do reconditioning exercises. My muscles have atrified and I have lost bone density. All of this is being in the bed for so long and I desperately need the Growth Hormone to help build my muscle and make my bones healthy again.

2. Please remember our dear friend in Rwanda (Benjamin). The Congo and Rwanda are in turmoil because of the genocide killers who have been hanging out right across the border. 2 thousand people are dying everyday because of these evil men. Also, 40 thousand Congolese die every month. As Ben said, only God can save us.

3. Our church- We are so thrilled and the Lord is blessing Harbor OB! We are running around 65 on Sunday Morning and we have a new children director which has been a huge blessing. The Lord continues to bring us the hurting, homeless and those who need Jesus.
Go God!

4. Please also remember our trip back east. We leave Nov. 19th and return Dec. 2.

5. Please pray for God to call other believers to intercede for me specifically. We are living in a very "spiritual" place and the enemy is very upset. I need prayer coverage as well for Jim, Faith and Isaac

Finally, Isaac turned 5 Oct.30th. Grandpa Huster's was the 29th
HAPPY BIRTHDAY BOYS!!!

Turning the Corner

Good news - I believe Michelle has turned the corner. I called her yesterday afternoon on her cell and she answered and she was at a pet store with the kids. Michelle and Courtney picked the kids up and headed out on an adventure to the grocery store and pet store. This was the first time since late July( 4 monthes), Michelle had out and about. We know that this is the result of the many prayers that have gone up before the Lord. The Lord is so good and faithful. We have seen some dramatic answers to prayers this week.

More pictures and stories to come!

A New Huster

We are proud to introduce you to Katie Huster. She was born July 12 and is now twelve weeks old. For a few weeks now, the kids and I have been visiting different litters of Golden Retrievers around the San Diego area. We found a beautiful little puppy who is so smart.

In just one day she is walking in correct position with a leash and is well on her way to being potty trained. Faith and Isaac are on cloud nine and wonderful care takers.