[To be continued...]

[Original writing & photography by J. E. Lattimer]

© 2013 J. E. Lattimer all rights reserved

*

[For my subscribers who do not read English]

The pain subsided and I was able to rise up to a standing position. I stumbled to the sink and was rinsing my mouth out with tap water when I noticed my reflection in the mirror. A strange cluster of sores had appeared on the side of my face.

*40 Weeks & 3 Days Pregnant Today
*150 Pounds – 40 Gained Since Pre-Pregnancy (stayed the same, thank God!)

Well I’m 40 weeks and 3 days pregnant today and STILL NO BABY! Lol, but it’s okay. I’m totally fine with letting her come on her own time when she’s ready, although that could be any day now because I’m really looking forward to being able to sleep on my stomach again, and turning over in bed without struggle, and bending over, and less frequent bathroom breaks…

I feel like she will be here at any moment because the pain in my ribs that I felt last week, which turned out to be from the positioning of the baby being so far up in me, has subsided tremendously, which makes me assume that she has dropped some more. I am having a lot more discharge these days which is confusing me because I have no idea if I lost my mucus plug already or not. I had to ask my mom “how do you know when your water breaks?” and she replied that I will feel very wet, like I peed myself, but I feel really wet all the time! So I’m confused.

Monday was her due date, and it was also baby daddy’s birthday. He came all the way to Lake City from Jacksonville just to see me for his birthday (and to induce labor, lol) even though he had to wake up at 5:30 the next morning to go back to Jacksonville for work. I surprised him with an amazing beer cake that I made for him over the weekend, as well as a beautiful handmade card!

I had a doctor appointment this morning that went great. The doctor checked me to see how far dilated I was and the results are *drum roll please* : I’m 2 cm. dilated! Looks like we have some progress! My doctor thinks she will be here within the week, but she scheduled me to come in on Monday instead of the usual Wednesday because I will be officially 41 weeks on Monday. She wants to do a fetal stress test to make sure the baby is not stressed out which could be the reason for her post due date. At that time we are going to discuss what I want to do about being induced, if that is even the route I want to take.
Jacob is going to come with me to my next appointment since it will be early Monday morning, so he’s going to come spend the weekend with me. (:

I’m overdue in my pregnancy and still get countless compliments on how great I look, which gives me the best feeling in the world. I love that people can see my happiness through the way I present myself and that my body didn’t turn into a big lump of fat in the process! I really CANNOT wait for her to be here. My impatience will be the death of me, lol.

“So they impaled Haman on the pole he had set up for Mordecai. Then the king’s fury subsided.”

The King: At the second banquet, Esther asked the King for her life, and for the lives of her people. She said that they would be annihilated. The King asked who had done it, and she told the king that Haman did it. The King went out to the palace garden, but Haman stayed behind, begging for his life. When the king came back in, Haman had fallen onto the chair Esther was reclining at. The King exclaimed, “Will he even molest the queen while she is with me in my house?”. When he said this, they covered Haman’s face. Then one of the Eunuchs said that there was a pole 50 cubits high. So, the king told them to impale Haman on it. When he was impaled on it, the king’s fury subsided. After the death of Haman, the King was no longer furious.

Christians: Christians are saved. Jesus has saved us from our sins. He has given His life for us. But, unbelievers do not believe in Him. They are not going to heaven. So if you’re an unbeliever, then  why don’t you join us? Why don’t you become saved from sins, and live in Christ? Jesus is mighty to save, and He has saved believers, and we are going to heaven. But unbelievers are not. So why not join us, and love God. He can and will save you, so why not come. He will give you inexpressible joy. He will love you, and save you. Why not come to Christ?

What to do: Here is one thing that we are supposed to do as Christians: Love your neighbor, and your enemy. Haman had planned to kill the Jews, but he was the one who died. The Bible says to love our neighbors and our enemies. If Haman had bowed to God and told everyone else to do the same, instead of bowing to him, then he might not have died like that. We should love our enemies. Jesus loved His enemies so much, that He actually gave His life for them, to save us from sins. He has given His life to save us from sins. Thank You, Jesus! He has saved us from our sins, He has loved us, so we can love our enemies.

God: God gave His own son for us. He has loved us, by giving His son for us. Praise His name, for His life and salvation. Jesus gave His life for us, and loved us. Give thanks to Him with all of You, for He became our sacrifice. He gave His life as a sacrifice for the sins of the world. He loved us so much! “Praise Him, praise Him, Jesus our blessed redeemer…”. He has loved us so much. Thank You, Jesus. He has loved His enemies, aka us, and He has saved us so that we might to go heaven.

Application: How does Esther 7:10 apply to us? We were like the people. We were going to die. God was angry. But, Jesus came down to earth, and He took God’s wrath on Himself for us. Once Jesus had died, The King’s anger subsided. He welcomed us into the kingdom. He saved us by giving His son for us, and then He welcomed us into the kingdom of Heaven. He has saved us from sins. Jesus had never sinned in His life, but He took on all our sins. God saw our sins on Him.

Prayer: Dear Heavenly Father,

Thank You for giving Your son for us. Thank You for putting Your wrath on Him. Please help me to love You more, and draw close to You. Please help me to grow in You, and be more like You. Please help me to long to be in Your word. Thank You for making me Your daughter, and Thank You for loving me so much. Please strengthen me in You. Thank You for accepting me into the Kingdom. Thank You for all the blessings You have given me. Please help me to be more thankful. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Verse(s):

Beginning verse, Esther 7:10,

“So they impaled Haman on the pole he had set up for Mordecai. Then the king’s fury subsided.”

Peace and love, Joy Cleveland

“Then my anger will cease and my wrath against them will subside, and I will be avenged. And when I have spent my wrath on them, they will know that I the LORD have spoken in my zeal.” 

Okay, in this verse it just says that the Lord’s anger has subsided. And if you look in the verses before you’ll see that the reason that the Lord’s anger is subsided is because He took out His wrath and anger on all of the Israelite people. Then His anger was subsided, so clearly the Israelite nation had needed a sacrifice that would atone for their sins, but because there was not perfect sacrifice on earth they had God’s wrath on them.

And we were going to have the same thing happen to us. We were going to die with God’s wrath on us because of our sins. We were going to perish. But that is why God provided the sacrifice for us. And Jesus was that sacrifice. Jesus as in God (and the son of God)? Yes Jesus who is God. Why would Jesus die for wretched sinners like us?

“For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send His son to condemn the world but to save the world through Him.” (NIV John 3:16-17)

This verse clearly states that the reason Jesus died for our sins was because He loved (and He still loves) us. It wasn’t because we deserved to have Jesus die on the cross for us, if we deserved that He wouldn’t even have had to die for us. So Jesus died for us because He loved us, not because we deserved it.

Instead of dying with God’s wrath on us because of our sins like the Israelite nation, Jesus was our sacrifice. We couldn’t have found a perfect sacrifice, but Jesus came down from heaven to atone for our sins,

“He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world.” (NIV 1 John 2:2)

Jesus was our atoning sacrifice, but instead of a lamb or an animal He was (and is) perfect and He atoned for our sins perfectly, thank you Jesus.

Are you trusting in Jesus who atoned for our sins?

Grace and truth, Charity Cleveland.

22 One day Jesus said to his disciples, “Let’s go over to the other side of the lake.” So they got into a boat and set out. 23 As they sailed, he fell asleep. A squall came down on the lake, so that the boat was being swamped, and they were in great danger. 24 The disciples went and woke him, saying, “Master, Master, we’re going to drown!” He got up and rebuked the wind and the raging waters; the storm subsided, and all was calm. 25 “Where is your faith?” he asked his disciples. In fear and amazement they asked one another, “Who is this? He commands even the winds and the water, and they obey him.”

I want to focus on just one of the lessons He taught while He was in this boat with the disciples.  You might say they were silent instructions.  Pay attention to what our master is doing when the storm hits.  He is at peace and rest.  He does not let the storm bother Him.  He knows He can take care of it. The disciples on the other hand are beginning to panic.  They know the storm is bad and they begin to fear they are going to drown.  They seem to have forgotten who they were with.  After all they were following Jesus, because they thought He was the Messiah.  Yet here He was asleep.  If they really believed that He was who they thought He was, they should have realized that the Messiah was asleep and not even bothered by the storm.  That fact was a pretty big hint that it was probably all going to be ok.

This silent instruction from our Master is a pretty good one for us to pay attention to, as well.  If we believe that we are now heirs of God and children of the King, then we should be confident that God will take care of us.  We need not be afraid even when the worst storms roll in to our lives.  God will calm the storm when it is time.  We just have to have faith to ride the waves with Jesus.

22 One day Jesus said to his disciples, “Let’s go over to the other side of the lake.” So they got into a boat and set out. 23 As they sailed, he fell asleep. A squall came down on the lake, so that the boat was being swamped, and they were in great danger. 24 The disciples went and woke him, saying, “Master, Master, we’re going to drown!” He got up and rebuked the wind and the raging waters; the storm subsided, and all was calm. 25 “Where is your faith?” he asked his disciples. In fear and amazement they asked one another, “Who is this? He commands even the winds and the water, and they obey him.”

Even though the disciples don’t appear to know why they were asked to go to the other side of the lake, they seem to just cooperate and do it.  As you can see by the story, things got a bit rough and scary, but ended safely.  You have to ask yourself “What made them get in the boat?” If you were friends with Jesus would you just get in the boat because He asked?  It was probably their relationship with Jesus that allowed them to just trust and get in the boat.  They didn’t stop to worry about the future.  They didn’t have to know what lay ahead of them in the lake or on the other side.  They simply heard the request and started out after the goal of reaching the other side.

Wisdom is to hear God speaking to you and to respond without question.  Wisdom is just to get in the boat.  What we learn and experience along the way is secondary.  What is on the other side is secondary.  What is primary and foremost in God’s eyes is that we just get in the boat and obey.

NAIROBI, Kenya, April 21 (CDN) — A Christian near Ethiopia’s southern town of Moyale said suspected Islamic extremists on March 29 burned down his two thatched-grass homes.

Evangelist Wako Hanake of the Mekane Yesus Church told Compass he had been receiving anonymous messages warning him to stop converting Muslims to Christ. The Muslims who became Christians included several children.

“Inside the house were iron sheets and timber stored in preparation for putting up a permanent house,” said Hanake, who is in his late 30s. “I have lost everything.”

The incident in Tuka, five kilometers (nearly three miles) from Moyale in southern Ethiopia’s Oromia Region, happened while Hanake was away on an evangelistic trip. A neighbor said he and others rescued Hanake’s wife and children ages 8, 6 and 2.

“We had to rescue the wife with her three children who were inside one of the houses that the fire was already beginning to burn,” said the neighbor, who requested anonymity.

Church leaders said neighbors are still housing Hanake and his family.

“The family has lost everything, and they feel fearful for their lives,” said a local church leader. “We are doing all we can to provide clothing and food to them. We are appealing to all well wishers to support Hanake’s family.”

Hanake said he has reported the case to Moyale police.

“I hope the culprits will be found,” he said.

An area church leader who requested anonymity told Compass that Christians in Moyale are concerned that those in Tuka are especially vulnerable to a harsh environment in which religious rights are routinely violated.

“The Ethiopian constitution allows for religious tolerance,” said another area church leader, also under condition of anonymity, “but we are concerned that such ugly incidents like this might go unpunished. To date no action has been taken.”

Tuka village, on Ethiopia’s border with Kenya, is populated mainly by ethnic Oromo who are predominantly Muslim. The area Muslims restrict the preaching of non-Muslim faiths, in spite of provisions for religious freedom in Ethiopia’s constitution.

Hostility toward those spreading faiths different from Islam is a common occurrence in predominantly Muslim areas of Ethiopia and neighboring countries, area Christians said, adding that they are often subject to harassment and intimidation.

Ethiopia’s constitution, laws and policies generally respect freedom of religion, but occasionally some local authorities infringe on this right, according to the U.S. Department of State’s 2010 International Religious Freedom Report.

According to Operation World, nearly 40 percent of Ethiopia’s population affiliates with the Ethiopian Orthodox Church, 19 percent are evangelical and Pentecostal and 34 percent are Sunni Muslim. The remainder are Catholic (3 percent) and ethno-religious (3.7 percent).

Jimma Violence

In Jimma Zone in the country’s southwest, where thousands of Christians in and around Asendabo have been displaced as a result of attacks that began on March 2 after Muslims accused a Christian of desecrating the Quran, the number of churches burned has reached 71, and two people have reportedly been killed. Their identities, however, were still unconfirmed.

When the anti-Christian violence of thousands of Muslims subsided by the end of March, 30 homes had reportedly been destroyed and as many as 10,000 Christians may have been displaced from Asendabo, Chiltie, Gilgel Gibe, Gibe, Nada, Dimtu, Uragay, Busa and Koticha.

Report from Compass Direct News
http://www.compassdirect.org

In the fall of 2008, thousands of believers were forced from their homes, afraid for their lives, as persecution persisted in the form of extremist attacks.

Although the persecution has died down since then, hundreds of houses were burned and dozens of people were killed in the attacks, leaving many Christians to find refuge in government relief camps. Once attacks subsided, there was some fear that this persecuted minority may not be given the chance to vote.

It appears that believers have nothing to fear, however, as Orissa state (where persecution had been highest) was the kickoff spot for India’s national elections on April 16. According to a Gospel for Asia press release, government officials claimed the elections would start there so they could focus security in one area. Be this as it may, it’s nothing but good news for Christians.

Beginning the elections in a place that has been internationally noted for its violence toward Christians hopefully will allow believers to make quite an impact on the outcome of the election. So far, Christians have not been hindered from voting, and no direct violence has taken place.

“This is kind of a historic thing where in the past, things like this would bring fear and keep the Christians from voting,” says Danny Punnose of Gospel for Asia. “But this is going to bring a very loud statement to those in power that you cannot hurt minorities without repercussions taking place.”

The elections will not be over until May 16, when the results of the election for a new prime minister and 543 other new government representatives will be announced. Christians hope that their votes will help to establish a government who will not stand for the type of persecution that Christians have suffered in the past.

Pray that the elections will yield a government suitable to Christian concerns. In the meantime, continue to pray for the day-to-day trials that face Christ followers in India.

“Pray and ask the Lord that they would be able to stand strong no matter what comes their way, that their faith would be strong, and that they would be a witness to their neighbors. And that’s the greatest thing that they long for, that more people would come to know Jesus through their life.”

Report from the Christian Telegraph

WRC: World Rally Championship

As three time rally champion Ken Block stepped into his Subaru Impreza WRX STi, he knew that today’s racing was going to be magnificent (magnus), although he was unaware of how great a challenge this particular course would present.  Ken situated himself into the bucket seat of his Impreza, a car that meets all safety laws, and is therefore street legal (lex, legis).  The Impreza is what is known as a homologation, that is, a car sold in limited quantities to the public for the sole purpose of qualifying it for the production class of rally racing.  The bucket seats in the said car utilize (utilis) a five-point harness, much like what would be seen in a jet, practical for keeping the driver safe and secure during intense racing and the inevitable (in + evito) rollovers associated (socius) with such racing.  To those not familiar with rally racing, the Subaru Impreza WRX STi’s name may seem to be random, jumbled letters; a closer look reveals what these designations (de + signum) denote (de + noto).  The WRX part of the Impreza’s name (nomen) is based upon its nomenclature as a rally vehicle, WRX being a slight distortion (de + torqueo…tortus) of WRC (World Rally Championship).  STi stands for Subaru Technical International, a sort of in-house tuning and racing team run by Subaru.

Anyway, back to the moment at hand.  Ken Block started the Impreza, heard the engine sputter as it attempted to fire, and was then rewarded with the blasting, guttural sound of the 307HP, turbocharged boxster engine roaring to life.  As the engine settled to an idle, the noise subsided (sub + sido) to a smooth, droning thrum.  All around him engines started adding their exhaust (ex + haurio…haustus) note to the clamor (clamor), the noise growing to the point that technicians had to shout to be heard.  As his spotter climbed into the passenger seat, Ken knew it was about time to start the race.  A spotter sits in the passenger seat and calls out the type of turn that is coming up, and how to best go about it (whether that means executing a heel-and-toe maneuver or any number of other techniques).  The spotter also monitors (moneo…monitus) the road, warning the driver of any peril (periculum) that could put him in danger.

Ken was suddenly brought back to reality, he had been preoccupied (occupo) again, but now his attention (teneo…tentus) was seized by the timer, counting down until the race started.  He glanced over and scoffed at the Ford Cosworth next to him.  Although the driver of the Cosworth did not show any signs of fear, Ken liked to imagine he intimidated (timeo) the driver.  On his other side was a Mitsubishi Lancer Evo, slightly more distinguished, nonetheless something of very little concern (cerno).  He smiled as he grabbed hold of the shifter, confident (cum + fido) in both his driving prowess and the car he had the honor of driving.  The seconds counted down, and Ken tuned out the other engines humming and revving around him.  When the timer hit zero, he accelerated (celer) the vehicle, swiftly working his way through the gears.  As Ken secured a comfortable third place position, he noticed amusedly that he was sending a spray of gravel onto the hood of the god-awful Cosworth behind him.

As with most rallies, this one started off on an earthen road covered with gravel, but would quickly progress into multiple types of terrain (terra).  Ken’s spotter called out an upcoming turn, vocalizing (voco) what Ken was already preparing for in his mind.  It was a long, sweeping left turn that was difficult to carry speed through, that is while going straight.  Ken counted his heart beats as he approached the turn, seemingly in slow motion.  Then, with refined skill, he quickly goosed the brake pedal, downshifted into fourth gear, and smashed the gas pedal into the floor.  This pitched the car sideways, allowing Ken to position (pono…positus) the car in such a way that all he had to do was keep the engine redlining and the front tires counter (contra)-steering heavily to carry the most possible speed through the turn.  The engine gurgled in protest to the complicated (cum + plico) maneuver, threatening to bog down from the improper balance of its fuel to air ratio.  Just when it seemed it would stall, the reassuring whistle of the turbocharger spooling up, followed by the considerably more reassuring rush of the turbo (turbo) roaring to life, brought the engine back to a safe RPM, enabling Ken to complete (compleo…completus) the run with an over-confident application (ab + plico) of the throttle upon exiting the turn.  He noted with a smirk that, so well executed was his pendulum (pendulum) turn he was now able to make the Citroen in front of him give away its second place position.  As the comical-looking, European car receded (cedo…cedere) behind him, Ken set his sights on the last car he would need to overtake: a Mitsubishi Lancer Evo.  Ken could barely see the Lancer, but it was just visible (video…visi) disappearing around corners ahead of him.  The Lancer in front of him, recklessly flying into turns and taking the chicanes dangerously fast, was attempting desperately (de + spero) to guard the gap between itself and Ken.  Ken knew with some careful driving the Lancer would not be able to preserve (servo) its lead, for they were approaching a section of the track primarily composed (cum + pono…positus) of mud; a section where the Impreza’s superior (supero), triple differential all wheel drive system would easily surpass the Lancer’s.  Ken was thrown against his harness as his car quickly decelerated in the mud.  A quick downshift got the car moving along at a decent clip, although the engine chugged apprehensively ( ab + prehendo…prehensus) under the toil of spinning all four tires in the thick mud.  Ken realized how much heat such a laborious (laboro) task would generate (genero . . . generatus), but the engine was intercooled, and would hold out at least till the end of the race.  Glancing ahead, Ken noticed the Lancer’s driver had, most likely out of desperation, gone down to second gear-maybe even first-and as a consequence (cum + sequor), was doing nothing but spinning his tires in the thick mire.  Ken knew this was quite possibly the only chance he would get to gain the lead, so he got on the throttle and let the boxer engine sing its song.  The Lancer drew nearer as the taste of victory grew sweeter in Ken’s mouth.  He would pass him any second.

Well, sorry about the brevity (brevis) of this paper, but I had to cut it short. You see, with that last word, I am now at twenty Latin derivatives (de + rivo), and it just so happens to be 9:30 at night.  Want to know the rest of the story?  That, my friend, is a job for the SPEED channel.

Interested in taking a “live, interactive” online Latin class?  Take the POLL here!

LOS ANGELES, January 23 (Compass Direct News) – Three Christians from two different families were arrested from their homes Wednesday morning (Jan. 21) and are being held without charges, sources told Compass.

Authorities took Jamal Ghalishorani, 49, and his wife Nadereh Jamali from their home in Tehran between 7 and 8 a.m., about a half hour after arresting Hamik Khachikian, an Armenian Christian also living in Tehran. Ghalishorani and his wife are Christian converts from Islam, considered “apostasy” in Iran and potentially punishable by death.

Christian sources told Compass that Ghalishorani converted to Christianity 30 years ago, and his wife received Christ about 15 years ago. They have one child, a 13-year-old daughter, while Khachikian has two children, a 16-year-old son and an 11-year-old daughter. Authorities have not told the families of the charges against those arrested or their whereabouts.

The three arrested Christians belong to house churches, source said, and they hold jobs and are not supported as clergy. Police also took books and computers from the families’ homes.

The arrests come as part of a tsunami of arrests in the past several months, the sources said.

“We don’t know why the pressure is continuously high, but we see that it is increasing,” said one source. “The government does it to the Baha’i people as well – there are more arrests in the last several months among them than in maybe the whole 30 years before.”

Arrests and pressure on Christians from authorities have ramped up even further in the past few months, the source said, adding that the reasons were unclear.

Another source, however, said the arrests are part of a concerted, nationwide government plan.

“We are quite sure that these arrests are part of a bigger operation from the government,” the source said. “Maybe up to 50 people were arrested. In Tehran alone already some 10 people were arrested – all on the same day, January 21.”

Sources noted that whereas past waves of intense harassment and arrests of Christians eventually have subsided, recent pressure has been “continuously high,” with reports of arrests in almost every month of 2008.

“In the past there have been waves of incredible pressure, but then it seemed to calm down a bit sometimes,” said one source. “Then we had the feeling pressure came and went, but now it is continuously ongoing.”

The families of those arrested fear for their safety. Khachikian’s wife is “very confused, she has no idea where her husband is,” said the source. “Relatives are taking care of the daughter of Jamal and Nadereh’s, but of course she’s very anxious about what will happen to her parents.”

The arrests are particularly disturbing in light of the Iranian parliament’s approval last September of a new penal code calling for a mandatory death sentence for “apostates,” or those who leave Islam. In the past death sentences for apostasy were issued only under judicial interpretations of sharia (Islamic law).

Under the new penal code, male “apostates” would be executed, while females would receive life sentences. The new code was to be sent to Iran’s most influential body, the Guardian Council, which will rule on it. The council is made up of six conservative theologians appointed by Iran’s Supreme Leader and six jurists nominated by the judiciary and approved by parliament. This body has the power to veto any bill it deems inconsistent with the constitution and Islamic law.

The last Iranian Christian convert from Islam executed by the Iranian government was Hossein Soodmand in 1990. He was accused of working as “an American spy.” Since then at least six Protestant pastors have been assassinated by unknown killers.  

Report from Compass Direct News

I couldn’t sleep at all last night… what started it was worrying about being induced and not being able to sleep the night before that! Anyway, just before 4am i felt a pain which made me look at the clock to make a note of the time. After that, these sensations which could have been contractions were coming every 10 minutes, fairly regularly, for over two hours.

At about six o’clock, they even started to be about eight or nine minutes apart. But then, after one at 6.15, the next two weren’t quite as strong, and i drifted off to sleep. I woke up an hour or so later, worried that they had disappeared, but i seem to remember feeling one and going back to sleep. I woke up again at just before 9am and woke Tony up to tell him. The feeling still seemed to be there, but nowhere near as strong as in the night.

I’m now up, had my breakfast and shower. They seem to have subsided for now. We’re going to get ourselves out and walking and see if we can kick start them.

Watch this space…