Complete in Thee! no work of mine
Could take, dear Lord, the place of Thine;
Thy blood hath pardon bought for me,
And now I stand complete in Thee.

Refrain:
Yea, justified! O blessed thought!
And sanctified! Salvation wrought!
Thy blood hath pardon bought for me,
And glorified, I too, shall be!

Complete in Thee - each want supplied,
And no good thing to me denied;
Since Thou my portion, Lord, wilt be,
I ask no more, complete in Thee.

Complete in Thee! No more shall sin,
Thy grace hath conquered, reign within.
Thy voice shall bid the temptor flee,
And I shall stand complete in Thee.

Dear Saviour! when before Thy bar
All tribes and tongues assembled are,
Among Thy chosen I shall be,
At Thy right hand, complete in Thee.

Author, Aaron R. Wolfe 1821-1902
Refrain, James M. Gray 1851-1935

Now let me begin by saying I'm a born and bred, independent, fundamental Baptist-to-the-bone, and I'm as conservative as they come. No, more so. But before I'm any of that, I am a Bible Believer, a follower of Jesus Christ. So as I read in my Bible, sometimes I come across passages that make me reconsider things I heard or thought as I was growing up. One of those things is that all dancing is sinful. In fact, a joke among us when anyone moves with a flourish is to say, "We're Baptist. We don't dance."

I was reading on a forum where someone asked advice about how to train their children, mentioning as a specific example, when to get them to stop dancing to music. I think people in my camp have been rather overreactive (made that word up) about dancing, thinking that all dancing is inherently wrong. Now there is no doubt that some types of dancing are sinful. But do we toss out all dancing because of that?

Reading the Bible, I see Miriam and the other women of Israel dancing for joy when God miraculously delivered them all from being slaughtered by the Egyptian army. I see David's exuberant dance before the Lord when the ark of the covenant was returned. There have been times in my life when I was fairly bursting to dance for joy a la Fraulein Maria in the Austrian Alps!

With children, I daresay it is well nigh impossible to squelch the dance out of them. Little ones naturally respond to music, and I encourage that because they are developing their sense of rhythm and timing, for one thing. But more importantly, they are learning to be joyful! Someday their understanding will awaken, and their joy-dances will be unto the Lord, and not simply a reaction to good music.

Speaking of good music, I've noticed that the way babies move their bodies is directly related to the type of music they are hearing. Melodious music causes them to make graceful, sweeping motions. Light-hearted, toe-tapping music does just that, makes the feet tap or stomp, and the head to bob back and forth.

An ungodly beat, however, seems to move the hips and shoulders more. I do not know why or how, but that is what I've seen. Someone gave me the link to a video that they thought was cute. It showed a child, perhaps a year old, dancing to a music video that was so wicked I was amazed that anyone would show it to their child, let alone encourage them to dance to it. The way that little baby moved further affirmed my suspicions about types of music and the body parts they move.

No doubt there are types of dance that Christians should not perform. Satan has his wicked version of all things godly, but we should not allow him to kill our expressions of joy and praise to our God. Did not our Creator put it in us?

I hope my children never stop dancing for joy! There are few things more beautiful to me than the sight of my children dancing. So as they grow, how shall we keep dancing pure, and not fall into sensuousness and sin? Simply by following the same guidelines of Scripture that apply to other areas of life:

1) Do it as unto the Lord, and not to be seen of men (as in, mankind). (Ephesians 6:6-8)

2) Men and ladies who are not married to one another should not come in physical contact. (I Corinthians 7:1-2)

3) Dance should not be performed in a way that arouses sexual desires in others, causing them to stumble. (Matthew 5:27-28)

I'm sure there are other guidelines that would help. Can you think of any more?

Well, my eldest daughter will be twelve this year. Last year she started to - umm, develop - and I'm trying not to PANIC! She has a very lovely, womanly shape already, and let me tell you I am more thoughtful of what she wears now than ever.

It occurs to me that T-shirts and other knit tops are no longer modest for her, unless worn underneath her dresses and jumpers. Why? Because those knit shirts show her form. Already. Before she is really even developed.

So now we are looking for tops that do not cling, but hang loosely down in the front, and do not fit closely.

Also, her skirts and dresses must not be made of a stretchy/clingy material (such as knit). Knits are for toddlers, ha ha.

My girls are such beautiful treasures! I want to teach them by example and by what clothes I buy or make for them, that the body is beauty to be concealed, and never exposed to the eyes of the general public.

I guess I'm a little nervous, yet excited as I recall the giddiness I felt when I was that age! I sense a peace and protection toward my modestly-dressed girls. Their fair skin and soft blond hair draws enough attention already. The LAST thing I want to do is to draw attention to their bodies by allowing them to dress immodestly. They are too precious, too sweet, too holy for putting on display so cheaply.

The sun touched the top of the mountain almost an hour ago, and daylight is nearly spent. I am just sitting here, pondering the wonderful day we had!

After a good breakfast (everybody's favorite: pancakes), there was school all morning with my firstborn, whose object is to finish as rapidly as possible so she can devour another book of her choosing; my overachiever who wants to do MORE than her assigned lessons for the day; my son who says he can't read but when he focuses his mind on it, zips through a whole paragraph with very few mistakes; and my littlest student, for whom school is just a fun game.

At lunch time we all piled into the truck and headed out for a mountainside picnic, as per Daddy's suggestion. What an awesome school principal! ;o)




We drove up a road so steep I think all the color drained from my face. (Thank the Lord for four-wheel drive!)


We found a nice spot, ate our lunch, and then played and climbed around. The children collected all sorts of goodies from the forest, and some got their hands all sticky with fragrant tree sap. (I love that smell!)


Jessica's colorful collection looks good enough to eat!




(That's baby Jeannette, sleeping through it all.)


The sun was warm, the breeze delicious, and we were surrounded by God's creation to enjoy to the fullest! It was lovely.

Driving down the mountain was not as scary as driving up had been. Three of the children fell asleep on the drive home, and the rest of us needed a nap by then.


Slept pretty hard myself. ;o)

Baby Jeannette awakened from her nap ready to nurse. She is such a sweet, smiley baby, and a delight to her mama. Then we folded some diapers, did some general straightening around the house, and now it is supper time.

Today was just so refreshing! I felt the face of Jehovah shining down on us like the sunshine. Tomorrow may not be so perfect, and things might go "wrong". But a day like today reinforces my joy in the knowledge that God cares for us. I just wanted to share it with you.

Four years ago the Lord gave us our John Benjamin. What a sweet, funny little guy he is! Always sensitive, a lover, not a fighter.. He defers to his brothers and sisters more often than not. When he opened some presents we got for him, he happily allowed his siblings to play with his new toys. I doubt I ever did that when I was four, ha ha!

So here are FOUR things I love about our J.B..

1) His sweet, kind nature.

2) His willingness to help with chores at home.

3) His sense of fun and adventure.

4) His amazingly limber little body. He jumps, falls, runs and climbs like a little spider monkey! LOL

I love you, J.B.! Happy birthday! :oD

This is not the first time I have dreamed of the last days. I believe they are coming (because I believe the Bible), and perhaps we are raising the last generation of Christians. How will we prepare them for the days to come? We must teach them to love Christ above all, to cling to Him when it has become dangerous to their person to do so. We much teach them to walk closely with the Lord. He will be their Guide and their Comfort in times of difficulty and distress. If we would have them stand and not fall, we must pray for them as the Lord Jesus prayed for us. We must train their minds and bodies to endure temptation and hold tenaciously to that which is right. we must teach them to be wise as serpents but harmless as doves. The day may come when the Gospel must be given out in secrecy where you are. (But given out, it shall be!) Will they be wise enough to find ways to accomplish the great commission when evil forces make it (almost) impossible?

Fellow missionaries, think not that you shall always be free to serve where you are. Think not that you have much time to accomplish His will for the people you serve. The world's climate continues to change, and being a carrier of the Gospel will not always be so easy or so popular. Watchman! what of the night? What is the state of your people? Are you preparing them for the judgment to come? Or will their blood be upon your hands?

Are your lamps trimmed and ready? The Bridegroom cometh! He does not come at a time that we think He will. We must watch and be ready at any time.

Fear not the persecution of the Church. History has borne out that the suffering of the saints is the seed of the Gospel, and the true Church will live on. Despise the facade of "religion" that only serves to temporarily soothe the conscience and lull people to sleep. But cling to Christ! Be faithful to the end. Read and memorize the Word, and learn Who will be victorious in the end.

They run rampant, if we're not careful!



Luckily, I have a strong and brave hubby who can keep those critters under control. :o)

"He shall feed his flock like a shepherd: he shall gather the lambs with his arm, and carry them in his bosom, and shall gently lead those that are with young." Isaiah 40:11

(Italics mine.)

As I try to ease back into the groove of things after adding a newborn to our mix, the reality hits that "the groove" has to change a bit. These last six weeks have had their stressful times, and some nights with less sleep than I like, but God's grace is always sufficient. I love this verse in Isaiah chapter forty! The Lord seems to have tender regard for mothers with young children, and there is a special grace available to us. In the midst of caring for my brood of seven little lambs I, too, am being shepherded with tenderest care.

There are some adjustments to be made still as everyone is scooting over to make room in the family for our sweet little Jeannette Abigail. I'm thankful for God's tender care, and for the rest He gives when we lean on Him!

I love our new little one. Isn't she beautiful?

Wow, it's February already, and our new baby is six weeks old. Time flies! (It's cliche, but it's so true!) And though I know the time was filled with valuable things like loving and caring for a newborn and making adjustments as a family, it almost feels as though January is missing from my life (just as it's missing from my blog, ha ha).

Recovery seems to be taking longer this time. I've learned that is so for two reasons: she was big, and she came quickly!

So anyhow.. I'm still here! Just wanted to reassure my readers. All two of them. ;o)

The sky is blue, the clouds are few;
The mountains are bluish-green.

The trees are green, the grass is yellow,
And plowing yonder ground is a fellow.

The birds are singing, a baby is cooing,
And LIFE seems so pretty to me!

~By Jessica Coates, age 11

Oh, did I mention that we had a baby? Ha ha!

It occurred to me today that not everyone who reads This Pilgrimage follows my other blog, where I posted our big news!


Jeannette Abigail was born in our home in San Juan, Guatemala, on December 22, 2009. She weighed 10 lbs, and measured 21.5 inches long. I posted about her birth at my blog Curiously Wrought, if you are interested in reading about a quick, no-nonsense birth. This baby did not dilly-dally! :o)

She's healthy. She's beautiful. She lights up our home. Praising the Lord for this precious little gift!

I know some people think I have some strange ideas about certain things. My family and I are not your typical Christian family in many ways, but to be honest, we don't feel that "typical" should describe true believers. Are we not called out of the world to be a peculiar people? (Deut. 14:2; Titus 2:14; I Peter 2:9) Not that we do or don't do things just for the sake of being odd, but when we study God's Word and decide to walk in His ways, we do stand out from the "typical" variety. I would hope that from my blog posts, my ultimate motive comes across: that I want to be a true follower of the Lord Jesus and His Word. If I can share truth, and provoke another believer to consider it, then perhaps I have gained a fellow pilgrim with whom to walk the narrow path.

I think most of my readers know our stand on Christmas and other holidays which have no Biblical origin. It is a lonely stand indeed, but even if it's not popular, I believe it is right. We do not hope to have a lot of company in this, but I must say it is very encouraging to discover that a godly preacher that many hold in high esteem felt the same way about the observance of Christmas as we do, and proclaimed it boldly from the pulpit on Christmas Eve.

"We have no superstitious regard for times and seasons. Certainly we do not believe in the present ecclesiastical arrangement called Christmas: first, because we do not believe in the mass at all, but abhor it, whether it be said or sung in Latin or in English; and, secondly, because we find no Scriptural warrant whatever for observing any day as the birthday of the Savior; and, consequently, its observance is a superstition, because not of divine authority. (Charles Spurgeon, Sermon on Dec. 24, 1871)."

Not that Spurgeon is the all-in-all authority on matters of doctrine and practice of the church. But his points here are true and correct, and biblically sound. Christmas and the traditions that surround it have no place in the homes and hearts of the followers of Jesus.

Did you know that the observance of Christmas was outlawed in Colonial America for years? And it did not become fashionable to celebrate it until the mid-1800's. Why did our godly forefathers feel that way about it?

I challenge you to look into this deeper. Here are some articles to get you started:

The Plain Truth About Christmas Good information from both secular and religious historical sources.

The Pagan Origins of Christmas From a Messianic-Jewish point of view.

YouTube Christmas documentary video

"..What communion hath light with darkness? And what concord hath Christ with Belial: or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel?

And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.

Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you,

And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty."

II Corinthians 6:14-18

NOTE: I do not endorse nor agree with all of the content of the above-mentioned websites, but am taking advantage of the facts they present about the origins of the Christmas festival. I do, however, endorse AND agree with all of the scriptures mentioned above. :o)

Remember THIS POST about the bees who adopted us and our back yard? Well, take a look at what those little creatures have been up to!


Daniel found a beekeeper and asked him to come out and help him take a look at our bees. They cut open the computer box that the bees had occupied and found this beautiful honeycomb!


We are thrilled about this sweet surprise from the Lord! Daniel learned all he could about how to handle the bees, and the bee guy gave us a smoker, which is used to calm the bees while they are being dealt with.


The bee guy said these are excellent honey bees, and very docile. These are bees that people WANT to attract, or go out and purchase. And they simply came to us. I think the Lord sent them. :o)


We cannot allow them to stay in our cardboard box because it makes harvesting the honey difficult. (Not that we complain about mounds of luscious honey in the comb.)


..So the guys began to carefully remove large portions of honeycomb, and the bee guy tied them to the panels of the artificial hive Daniel had bought. These panels can be inserted into a honey extractor in the future, which will spin the honey out of the panel without damaging the honeycomb.


Our bee guy found the sections where bee larvae were, where he knew the queen would be. He said once she was in the new artificial hive, the other bees would follow.


Looks like the transfer is going beautifully. I hope they like their new home!

Meanwhile, back in the house...


We have this beautiful comb in three big bowls, draining the sweet honey out. Yesterday at church we presented our firstfruits to the Lord and asked His blessings on our bee hive, and shared our abundance with the brethren.

One nice aspect about beekeeping is that it really does not require much time or expense. Another is that raw, natural honey is so nutritious, and renders many health benefits. I'm so thankful that we will be able to harvest our own now. Thank You, Lord!

"Meditate upon these things; give thyself wholly to them; that thy profiting may appear to all." I Timothy 4:15

Do I really believe all that I say I believe? Am I wholly given over to the tenets of sound doctrine? Do I meditate on these things, and allow the Holy Spirit to guide me in truth?

Lord, I want to ponder the truths in Thy Word; meditate upon them; give myself wholly to them; profit from them! Let me not be a believer in name only, but a true Believer, a disciple of Jesus, who walks in Your ways.

We took a walk a few days ago, and had fun snapping some photos outside with the children.


My lovely young maidens are becoming lovely young ladies!


Little ones grow SO quickly, and it's not long before the seasons change...


...and your little boy is suddenly looking like a young man.


And your little girl is leaving behind her babyish ways.


Savour them while they are little! Every word they say, every kiss, every hug...


..Every impish grin. ;o)

I love it all!

It's a cool, crisp Autumn day in San Juan Ostuncalco. The corn is all dry on the stalks, rustling in the wind. The morning air is like crystal with a bit of frost on the edge until the sun rises to oversee the bustle of harvest.

We enjoyed Thanksgiving with a couple of other missionary families yesterday. The fellowship was nice, and the laughter hearty! My soul is full of gratefulness for God's blessings, for the abundance of His provision, for friends and family with whom to share the abundance. God is so good to us!

I have to admit that even though each year I very much look forward to Thanksgiving, my favorite holiday all year, I always seem to feel a little let down the day after. Did we truly honor God on this day we set aside for Giving Thanks? What did we offer as a sacrifice of thanksgiving? Was He pleased? Or was it just all about the special meal?

There is a danger in assigning Thanks Giving to one day on the calendar. Perhaps I am not the only one who lays great expectations on that one day, and when they do not all come about there is disappointment to deal with afterward. Could that be the reason that there is so much depression around this and other holidays?

I was reading Psalm 92 when it struck me that giving thanks and singing praise to Him is to be a daily thing, not a Thanksgiving Day thing..

"It is a good thing to give thanks unto the LORD, and to sing praises unto thy name, O most High: To show forth thy loving kindness in the morning, and thy faithfulness every night.."

This and many other psalms show that praise and thanksgiving are to be offered up daily! Doing so is a daily reminder to us of His great works, and it makes us glad on a daily basis. Praise Him!

Thanksgiving comes but once a year, but Giving Thanks is for all year 'round. Let us thank Him today, too, for all His blessings on us!

THERE'S our sweet boy!


It's so hard for this mama to believe that two years have already passed since our littlest man was born. Joel adds so much fun to our family!

TWO things I love about him:

1) His eagerness to learn about the world around him.

2) The way he snuggles, even if he is stingy about kisses. (Working on that. :oD)


We took this video of Joel several weeks ago.. Every mama thinks her baby is a genius!



Joel's name means "The LORD is God", and it is our prayer that Jehovah will be his God and his Lord all the days of his life!

Happy birthday, little man! We love you so!

At Vacation Bible School, of course! I know, all of you in the States have VBS during the summer months. We have it in November/December because the children here get their big break from school at this time of the year.

It has been a fast and furious week. VBS always goes by so quickly, and it's always a great time for serving others and building up our team of believers in the church. This week was no exception! I plan to blog about it and post several pictures, but that will happen at The Daniel Coates Family blog, our other blog which has been sadly neglected.

Meanwhile, I have much catching up to do here at home (speaking of neglected, lol), which I will certainly get to right after my nap. :o)

I'm glad to be back in Blogland!

For those of you who were praying for the situation I posted about recently, the young man was RELEASED last night. The family asked that details not be posted, and so I have kept this post generic, and removed previous posts about it. They thank you all for your continued prayers!

Praise God!

Can a mother be too proud of her little girl? I am struggling with that right now, as I attempt to write what is in my heart about our firstborn, our daughter Jessica Faith. The Lord gave her to us eleven years ago, and we were so ignorant, so unsuspecting of the treasure we had acquired in her.

When she arrived, I became a mother. I learned for the first time what it was like to carry a part of me outside of my body. So small, so vulnerable, so beautiful, she quickly won our hearts. Our lives had changed forever, and we never looked back.

As she grew, we learned so much about ourselves, about humanity, about God. We denied ourselves so that Jessica might have what she needed, and it was our joy to do so! We taught her God's Word, and promised to teach her to walk in His precepts. In training her, we were being trained in valuable life and ministry skills. We made mistakes. She readily forgave, and adored us as the gods in her little universe.

All too soon, she was no longer a toddler, but a spunky, happy little girl full of boundless energy. Her younger sister had arrived by then, and she eagerly took on the task of showing baby sister the world. How she made us all laugh! I might have kept her a little girl forever, but God knew better. He knew the best was yet to come..

As the years passed, I marvelled at her intelligence, her charm, her individuality, and her growing faith. She often surprised me with the thoughtful things she said, many times displaying wisdom beyond her years. I wrote many of those things into a journal, lest I forget them. We often talked about God and the Bible, and she loved to sing about Him! One day, she told me she wanted vida eterna, to be with God forever. That day she gave her heart to Christ.

And now she is eleven years old. Practically a lady! She chooses for herself to love God, to walk in His ways and seek to please Him with her life. She still adores us, her parents, but she knows we are not perfect. We still make mistakes. And she still graciously forgives. Whereas once we led her entirely by the hand, now she is beginning to walk by our side in this grace of the Christian life. I catch a glimpse of who she is becoming. A Christian. A lady. My friend. I am breathless at the thought that this beautiful person is my daughter.

Thank You, Lord, for giving us our Jessica for these eleven years!

And now, here are eleven things I love and admire about Jessica:

1) Her sweet, friendly personality.

2) Her kindness toward others.

3) Her willingness to help her mom.

4) She is so good with handicrafts and sewing.

5) She loves to give to others.

6) She loves and honors her parents.

7) She enjoys helping care for her younger siblings.

8) She readily memorizes God's Word, and is quick to recall key passages.

9) Her godly desire to learn how to be a keeper at home.

10) Her lovely, feminine ways which delight those around her.

11) Her sweet Christian testimony she maintains among her friends.

Happy birthday, sweet Jessica! I love you!