JOEY'S QUIET WAR

On her parents' death, Josefina was brought up by her grandmother on a coconut plantation in the Philippines.
When she grew she went to live with an uncle in Manila. There she met a young doctor who fell in love with the lively girl. She reciprocated and they were married.

But in the winter of 1941, when her daughter Cynthia was two years old, Joey began to lose strength and her appetite. Swellings appeared. Her anxious husband called a specialist. As gently as he could he told her the truth. "It is in an early stage, and there are promising treatments, but your child could be susceptible, so you must leave her." For hours she sat in the doctor's office praying to God for the surpassing self-control she would need for so many years in the future. Cynthia was sent to her great grandmother.

Husband & wife then began to plan their fight against the disease and against the ostracism of the dreaded leprosy. They learned she needed good medical care and rest.

There was to be neither. Three weeks later came the destruction of Pearl Harbour. Soon Japanese soldiers swaggered on Manila's streets. A contact of her husband told her  the Filipino underground was sending information to General MacArthur in Australia. "Will you join us?" he asked. "I can't do big things, but every little thing helps, " Joey said. "Okay!"

Joey was permitted to bring food to starving Filipino and American prisoners. With disease advancing, she radiated courage and faith to the hollow-eyed troops, some of whom gave her information they had gleaned from talkative Japanese guards. Once a suspicious guard menaced her with a bayonet and then tugged at her braided hair. Her hair ribbon concealed a prisoner's report, but thankfully didn't slip off.

She experienced scores of close encounters but the Lord watched over all her attempts to help the underground. Once she was given a bag of "vegetables" by her husband who also belonged to the underground. She learned later that the exploding Japanese ammunition dumps had been given the "vegetable" treatment. As time passed her face became scarred and bloated and sores appeared. Many a guard stopped her as she carried on her work but shrank back at the sight of her.

At the war's end she was decorated by the US government with the Medal of Freedom with Silver Palms - the highest award for war services by a civilian. She was also presented with a medallion in recognition of "Christian fortitude and concern for fellow sufferers."

Joey Guerrero finally arrived in the the United states for successful treatment of her leprosy.

 (Story from Thomas Johnson)

Occult Almost Destroyed Marriage

 Chris still wonders how her marriage got to the point of nearly being torn apart. Not just by their arguments over important issues, but their continual bickering over insignificant things.

They were both Christians but had quit going to church and reading their Bibles. They'd grown cold toward God and anything to do with Christian gatherings of any sort.

It had only been a few years since they had exchanged wedding rings in a lovely service in their local church. Now that seemed like an eternity away from where they were in their present marriage.

Their interaction soon ceased and to her it seemed they were engaged in a cold war. Two strangers living together under the same roof, but millions of miles away in spirit. Even so they stayed together as if only by a thin thread of loyalty.

Her emptiness and sense of unfullfilment pushed her into seeking something to satisfy her emotional needs. That's when she turned to the occult. Even though she knew it was wrong and against what the Bible taught, somehow she began to feel empowered after delving into book after book on everything to do with the dark arts. In fact, Chris admits she became a witch.

This worried her husband and he confronted her about it. She laughed at his concerns and continued further in her dabbling into the occult.  At the same time her husband, knowing this was anti-Christian and fearing for her sanity, turned back to God and repented of his cold heart. Then he began to earnestly pray for his wife.

Chris was asked by a local para-normal group to help them in casting out a presence ina haunted house. She was excited at this and took up the challenge. As she and a couple of others walked through the house she suddenly remembered how Jesus cast out demons. So she cried in a loud voice..."You're not wanted here. I command you in Jesus's Name to go where He would have you go!'

It seemed as if nothing had happened, but they had recorded the session and she took the recording home with her. Her husband who happened to be a radio technician over heard the replay and froze as he heard the results. An awful piercing scream was heard right after her command. Chris was shocked.  "We never heard that,' she said. He wasn't satisfied that someone hadn't doctored the tape even though she told him she'd brought it straight home. He played it on a digital machine where sounds show up in digital markings and nothing was visual at the point where they heard the unearthly scream.

Only then did Christine realize Jesus's power was greater than the demons and it hadn't been her power, but the power of  God who had acted in casting out the evil spirit. At that, Chris renounced everything to do with the occult and repented before the Lord.

Yes, her husband's prayers were answered, and she was reunited with him in body, soul, and spirit from that day on. Now she has a ministry warning others to stay away from such evil things.

STRIKE the ORIGINAL MATCH

Amanda and Morry at home with friends

Picture this: warm bath filled with rose petals, service of sparkling apple cider and chocolates, mellow music playing in the background - yep, that was my welcome home from work today. My hubby is a keeper!!!!! 

Love you, Morry Deed.  ♥♥♥ 

Fellow author Amanda Deed has good reason to appreciate her husband's thoughtful ways. Hey fellows, don't forget to treat your wife to something special every so often. Just as a reminder she is special to you. Both husbands and wives need to stir the embers and keep the fire stoked!

Amanda shares her life story: 

To some I am a mother, a daughter, a sister, a wife. To others I am a friend, a mentor, a leader, an employee, a member. I cook, I clean, I write novels, I sing, I play the piano, I play games, I nurse little injuries, I laugh, I love, I keep accounting records, I teach. But, above all of these things, I am a child of God and I live to serve Him in whatever I do.

I grew up in the South Eastern suburbs of Melbourne in a Christian home, where I found faith at an early age. By the time I was fifteen, I was involved in the church worship team, which lead to a passion to serve the Lord through music and worship. At the age of twenty-three, I had the opportunity to tour Australia with Pastor John Segond, which was an unforgettable experience. 

In 1997 I married my husband, Morry, and our first little girl was born in 1999. Soon after that we moved to Darwin for five years, where I was privileged to serve further in music ministry which sometimes took me into beautiful and remote areas of the country, and opened my eyes to the miraculous ways God can move.

It was during this period that I discovered a passion for writing and began to seriously pursue it. It has been through much encouragement that I have stepped out in this area and endeavoured to have my work published. Thanks to the Lord, He has made a way for this to be possible, and I now have several Australian historical romances published. My debut novel, The Game, was awarded the CALEB Prize for Fiction 2010, a great surprise and honour. I look forward to many more novels in the future and to where the Lord can take me in this season of my life.

Amanda's trilogy: Ellenvale Gold, Black Forest Redemption, and Henry's Run are intriguing historical romances that take the reader back into the early times of Australia's past. Amanda is very particular in researching all her stories which almost convinces the reader it is nonfiction. However a good deal of the content is based on factual places or events.

Amanda's blog, 
Romancing the Rock, is worth a look:  amanderings.wordpress.com/

CHRISTIAN FICTION - Critiqueing and Editing

Iola and her family

Another pair of sharp eyes is as necessary to an author as cream is to a bowl of strawberries,as salt is to fish and chips...I could go on and on....I have discovered that in my editor, Iola Goulton.

***

Over the last year, God has called me into using an old gift in a new way—which is how I have come to know Rita, and why she has invited me to share with you today.

My passion is fiction, especially Christian fiction. I love stories that share the age-old truths of God in a new way, that draw me out of the wife-and-mother role and into the lives of fictional characters. Stories that teach me something new of God while providing a few hours of wholesome entertainment and relaxation.

The advent of the internet has meant readers like me can share our love of books with like-minded people across the world, through blogs and through sites like Amazon and Goodreads. As I met people online, I found out I could receive free ebooks in return for writing online reviews, so I started a reviewing blog 

Reviews are for readers, not authors. Their purpose is to tell another reader why I enjoyed this particular book (or not), to help them gauge whether or not they will enjoy it. While it might be helpful for authors to read reviews, the reviews are not going to tell them how to improve. A series of God-driven coincidences meant I was able to expand my reviewing into offering critiques and editing services for Christian authors. This is what I offer as an editor of Christian fiction—and is how I came to meet Rita, as I have been privileged to read and edit the two sequels to her novel, Signed, Sealed, Delivered. 

Looking back, I can see that I have always had a talent in this area. At school, I was the one friends asked to read over and correct English essays. In my first job, I was the one asked to take over the writing and production of the company’s client newsletter. In the next job, I was the one asked to develop and write a specialist website for a UK government department. And I have always been writing reports for clients … and reading. Now I find I also have a gift for editing, for taking someone’s story and refining it.

Editing isn’t one of the Bible’s ‘greater gifts’.  Like cleaning toilets, it’s a gift noticed mostly in its absence. But it is a gift God has given me, and one I am called to use for His glory at this time, polishing the words of authors such as Rita to ensure they shine in the way God intended.

You too have gifts, talents God has given especially to you, and He expects you to use them. You may have one of the ‘greater gifts’ (1 Cor 12:21), or your gift might be more mundane (I have a very real appreciation for those with the gift of serving God through cleaning). What your gifts are doesn’t matter. What matters is that you nurture your gifts and talents, that you are obedient to God’s call on your life and use your God-given gifts. I encourage each of you to step out in faith and obedience, and see what God can do through you.

Thanks so much Iola, for your encouraging words to us. Her reviewing blog is:
(www.christianreads.blogspot.com).