Both my 3-year-old adopted Chinese daughter, Jessica MeiLan, and I love clothes. As a stay-at-home mom, I’m always looking for a bargain, especially since I buy for my daughter first.

One Saturday I came home from a yard sale with three denim jumpers, two shorts sets, and a princess-waisted floral dress of pastel pinks, yellows, and blues–all for only $13!

I could hardly wait to wear my “new” dress to church the next day. Usually the church women notice new dresses, and I waited, expecting compliments. But none came my way.

THE NILE MOTHER

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She was called the greatest woman in Egypt and was recognized by national leaders for her humanitarian work. About 6 feet in height, Lillian Trasher stood tall in both body and spirit. Throughout her 51 years of ministry she fed, clothed and sheltered thousands of orphans, widows and blind women.

She was born in Florida in 1887 and was converted in her teen-age years. At the age of 18, Lillian sensed the call of God on her life and briefly attended Bible school. She left school to work in an orphanage in North Carolina. Later she left the orphanage to pastor a church and then traveled on the evangelistic circuit.

I WAS SPIRITUALLY AND PHYSICALLY DRAINED FROM THE CHRONIC PAIN THAT TORE AT MY BODY. BUT THE GREATER ONE ON THE INSIDE STILL GAVE ME VICTORY OVER MY ENEMY.

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My eyes fluttered open, and I was jolted awake. My heart seemed as if it were pounding out of my chest.

Where was I? Nothing looked familiar. Was I in a motel room?

I’D RESIGNED MYSELF TO BEING SINGLE FOREVER. SO WHY WAS GOD PROMPTING ME TO THINK ABOUT MARRIAGE NOW?

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Fourteen years ago I was living with a roommate in an apartment close to where I worked and attended church. I had come to the conclusion that God was going to be my only husband for the rest of my life since there were no good men left in the world. I was content with that, but I hadn’t always been. For years I’d harbored the dream of being swept off my feet by Prince Charming.

By the age of 28 I had seen lots of toads and not one prince.

DON’T ASSUME THAT YOUR MOST FRUITFUL YEARS ARE BEHIND YOU. OLDER WOMAN MUST BREAK FREE FROM ALL COMFORT ZONES AND EMBRACE THE JOYS OF LIFE IN THE GOLDEN YEARS.

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As I surveyed my overgrown yard I realized, based on my 40-plus years of gardening experience, that something needed to be done. What had been intended to serve as border grass in my well-defined flower beds had spread and taken over.

Many of my shrubs were misshapen and grotesque, pruned by various episodes of ice, blight and drought. Armadillos–those destroyers of southern gardens–had devastated my bulb bed and left unplanned holes and gaps in the lawn. Yes, it was definitely time to relandscape.

When I was 37, I began experiencing symptoms of menopause. But it
wasn’t until I turned 43 that I found a doctor who would take me seriously. By then, I was beginning to think I was crazy.

Once my doctor prescribed hormone replacement therapy for me, the symptoms disappeared, and I was able to enjoy a normal life again. Unfortunately, a few years later this doctor closed her practice, and the next physician I saw treated me as though I were exaggerating and changed my medication. This threw me into a tailspin.

At times I felt suicidal, a sentiment which is not in keeping with my personality at all. I could not muster the desire or the energy to do daily tasks.

NOREN VANN KIM SAYS SHE HAS A “VOICE LIKE  A FROG,” YET THE LORD IS USING HER TO BRING THE ARTS BACK TO THE CHURCH IN CAMBODIA.

The next time you’re in a mall or grocery store, look around you. Imagine that every woman over the age of 25 has lost a husband, brother, father or child.

That’s the situation in Cambodia today, where death has touched every family because of the brutal regime of the communist Khmer Rouge during the 1970s. One of the millions of women affected by the holocaust is Noren Vann Kim. By the grace of God she has not only overcome immense tragedy, but also is helping others to find–and express–the joy of the Lord.