Valerie Gail Markowski
South Africa
May 26,2011
Dear Family & friends,
Welcome to any new folks to this newsletter. If you are on facebook you probably know what is going on with my day to day life. If not and you want to stay connected this way please let me know by requesting to be friends.
It's been a few months since I last wrote so I hope your Easter holiday was as blessed as mine was.
I was honored to have been asked to be a speaker at a ladies half day retreat through NEWIM, which stands for Network of Evangelical Women in Ministry. It was a blessed event sharing the time with about 120 women.
I was unfamiliar with the location I was driving to so I used something on my cell that I have never used my GPS! For those that know me, my cell phone is something that even after 1 1/2yrs I am still figuring out. So I set the GPS for my destination and after quite a short time I hear the voice tell me to turn this direction or that, and when I don't I hear the now familiar sound...'recalculating'.
The GPS wanted me to go straight when due to road construction in my area I could no longer go that way but rather had to make an adjustment & go another way. Recalculating became my traveling companion for this trip.
It really got me to thinking how many times we have to change the paths we are on in our lives. Do we have to change due to making poor decisions? Do we have to change because of others poor choices? Do we have to change our paths for stuff that life throws at us? Recalculating, seems to be a way of life, the way things just are!
Some people blame God because they had recalculating thrust upon them their job dissolved, a promise broken, a relationship ended or something happened with their health. And yet, God, stays constant in loving us, allowing us to get mad at him, forgiving us and guiding us in the way he wants us to go. The way that is the best way for us.
Last month was my....ready to hear this....my 40th reunion of graduating high school. Boy does THAT stick in my throat. Unfortunately I was unable to be in the states for this gathering but maybe next time. How can you not think of directions you might have gone if you had made that decision to be with that person or to take up that path of study. And yet to think God was not a part of those early days of your life is, well, just not true. He is intricately involved with us from the very first meeting of mom & dads cells.
This past weekend, there was much talk on the returning of Jesus Christ, the rapture when all believers would ascend to heaven and leave all the nastiness of this world behind. Recalculating once again. After this did not happen as this man predicted he said, he misjudged, he recalculated and is now saying the day will REALLY be October 21st. It clearly states in the bible 'no man, not even Jesus, knows when this day will happen', and yet this man had too many people believing him instead of Gods word. Many of his followers are I am sure doing some recalculating on what is truth.
Recalculating, changing directions, turning towards or away from the current path one is on. A dear friend recently 'recalculated' her life and left South Africa to spend one year in Israel, why? Because God had a different plan for her away from the corporate life she was leading. She is on an adventure that will forever change her life.
Sometimes recalculating ones life means the death of a dear one, or having a dear one spend too much time in the hospital. So now the recalculating has to be done by the family & friends close at hand. It is not easy but necessary. A new kind of normal as one author wrote about.
God sometimes whispers to those affected by death, illness, loss of job, loss of hope, loss of a dream.....I didn't lose YOU, but rather this is just a detour to bring you into the perfectness of what is your calling. God is not ignoring you or hurting you, but rather doing some 'recalculating'.
Sometimes we are frozen by what life has dealt us, we can't seem to even move, or pray, or speak. If you call Jesus lord one of the many promises he gives us is that,'he will never leave us or forsake us'.
Many of us, myself included, have taken roads that are not good for us at times, but we are allowed to 'recalculate' to turn away from and turn back towards Jesus. We can allow Jesus to heal us, when we make a less than lovely decision. In fact nothing pleases Jesus more than for us to allow him to take our burdens.
Recalculate, I'm pretty sure cannot be found in the bible, but I am sure there are many verses that talk about a better path, a better direction, a path with more peace than the one we are on.
To me, recalculate, is another word for hope, a fresh beginning. So dear one, if you ever need to recalculate on any issue, Jesus is a whisper away to take it and show you a better way. A way that is straight, one that will lead you in to a place of calmness that you may never have experienced before.
Just some of my thoughts....hope some of them blessed you.
So now a bit about what is doing with me. My last check up with my oncologist made everyone smile, my 'bloods' came out clear of cancer. I like my oncologist but really did not want to have to continue to see her every 3 months, pretty much due to spending the money for the visits. What she did tell me was the kind of cancer I HAD (thank you Jesus) was the kind, IF it were to return it would return quickly. So she had to keep checking me to make sure there were no signs. Another thing she said was if it did not return within these next 2 years I would pretty much have a great chance that it would not ever return. So, with that thought, guess I will continue to put up with these every 3 month visits.
Beautiful Gate children are doing really well, we are seeing some of the children just blossom. I am so sure it is because of all the prayers that these children and the staff are receiving. My list could go on and on....one little boy who just never felt the need to talk much even though he is about 5yrs old, now comes back from pre-school singing the songs he learned in school and even eating better because he is copying his fellow classmates. Another little girl who came to us having to wear a helmet to protect her head because she would bang her head so much is now helmet free and speaking her first few words, and even teasing the mamas a bit. On the older end of our children, our oldest is looking into going into a trade school to learn carpentry. He is one of five siblings that came to Beautiful Gate when the authorities realized that their mom was too sick to care for them and the home was basically being run by these children.
The children are still earning some pocket money every week when the weather is agreeable. Winter has blown in to our area very quickly, at least to me, so this means we have rain, rain and more rain. Since our winter rains are what is used by the whole region, although we don't like it for days at a time, we all understand how necessary it is. The plant life that was it's normal brown has now had a good drink and is vibrant green once again....as the song goes...the hills are alive...
But the really nice thing about my area is that although it rains and blows like no ones business, it also has wonderful rainbows, and the sun comes out and warms us very frequently. We hardly ever have day upon day of rain without some peeking sunshine.
Even the weather here 'recalculates'.
Praise report:
·My health continues to do well
·Such wonderful changes in the children at Beautiful Gate
·My 'brain damaged' friend Jennifer is showing signs of healing
·New babies in our family
Prayer request:
·That I continue to 'recalculate' according to the sweet whispers of God
Go well, dear one, and do let me know how YOU are doing from time to time!
In HIS service,
Valerie Gail Markowski
·The best e-mail for me: bg4thechildren@yahoo.com
·My work day number: +027-021-370-2524 work # Tues-Fri 8a-4: 30 pm
·My cell number: +027-072-381-5493 (also accepts text messages, really, try it!)
·Mailing: Valerie Markowski, 16 Kommetjie Rd, Outspan Lodge #11, Fish Hoek 7975, Cape Town, South Africa (if you send a pkg please put tracking on it for safe delivery)
·USA Financial Donations for me: YWAM, PO Box 3000, Garden Valley, TX 75771-3000
·(Do not write my name on check/only on outside envelope or attached note to obtain tax credits). For info or help setting up automatic giving via draft/credit card contact Patricia Robinson patrobinson@ywamtyler.org or phone 903-882-5591.
·SA Financial Donations: VG Markowski, Nedbank, branch : Fish Hoek 121121, Account: 1211011658
·More information about Beautiful Gate Ministries: www.beautifulgate-rsa.org
·I’m on Facebook let me know if you are? Would love for us to be a part of each others daily lives.
·Skype name: Valeriegailsa