Mari Isaacson

…or Furlough, or Home Assignment… whatever you want to call it.

Often I am asked to describe a typical day of work… well, I never really have a typical day. Every day is different, often unpredictable in the midst of routine. Even my routine is different every day of the week. That, I believe, is the story of any one in full-time Christian ministry. Nevertheless, I thought it might be interesting to walk you through one of the days I had this week…

The day pretty much started off with first… GETTING OUT OF BED! Believe me, this week that hasn’t been so easy since I am fighting a cold and am not sleeping the greatest. God enables. Then I really like to grab a mug – a tall mug – of coffee. It helps me wake up and be alert for my devotions. Devotions are a vital thing, but I must admit sometimes I let other things distract me from them. Thankfully that is not a regular occurrence!

On the said day, I had my devotions, ate breakfast with Cora then we hit the road. Our first stop was the parking lot of her church where we could connect with the Internet and get some emails done. Then it was off to the first club of the day. The travel itself was an hour there. I then had the privilege of speaking to the children for almost 45 minutes. I talked about being in transition from Austria to Alberta, sharing a lot of what I did in Austria and hope to do in Alberta. The children were really receptive. Willie, of course, helped in that matter. At the end, before Willie would sing “Jesus loves me” in German, I would try and challenge the children in telling them that they, too, are in transit. This world is not our home. We are here for just a few short years. There really is life after death… heaven and hell. Those who know Jesus personally are on their way to heaven and we will see each other again. Those who aren’t sure or those who have not yet made the decision to follow Jesus and want to could talk to their teacher about it any time. I like to challenge the children to become prayer partners as well. There are extra prayer cards for those children who want to pray for me on a regular basis. Then it was off to lunch with Cora and the teachers of the club. It was a blessed time of sharing and fellowship.

There were 3 more clubs in the afternoon and we ran from one to the other where I had anywhere between 5 and 20 minutes. Most of the time was spent driving from one place to another. I did get to see some real beautiful country. By the way, I have been staying in Klamath Falls this week and have been going to meetings, mostly clubs, all over the county! Molly, Cora’s dog likes to sit on my lap while traveling which is fine when she behaves. Well, on this particular day she decided to try and wash my pants… actually she was washing her paws but got more of my pant leg than her paw. I went into one of the clubs with a big wet stain on my leg. No one noticed but me.

Next it was off to Starbucks for a treat after a busy day. Oh yah. Someone gave me a Starbucks card and Cora and I have been enjoying the fruits (coffee) of that gift ever since. At the office we had hoped to get caught up on emails and Internet work. That didn’t happen! Well, not for me. One of Cora’s committee members was there and we ended up chatting the entire time. Then it was off to another meeting but not before we made a quick stop at home. Real quick. We were a bit behind. Again I got to share with a lady, the wife of Cora’s pastor, about my ministry and how I got into it in the first place.

Home again. Home to stay. But not the end of our adventures for the day. The first thing I did was check my cell phone for messages. I had left it at home that day. My mom had called so I called her back.

We chatted about the day then about what has been going on since we last talked to each other. It was great. She loved hearing about the clubs. Then I started telling her about Autumn. Autumn is an 8 year old girl that was in one of the clubs in Eugene where I had been last week. She had taken one of my prayer cards and started contacting me as soon as she got home. First she sent me an email telling me that she was praying for me. Then she sent me a text message telling me what the prayer was. After that, we would text each other a little bit almost every day. As I was explaining this, I realized that I hadn’t checked yet to see if she had sent me a message. I started looking for my phone. It wasn’t on the table. I looked to see if it was plugged in… nope! Cora was sitting across from me giving me a funny look so I asked her if she had seen my phone. At that moment we both broke out laughing. Of course mom, who was STILL on the phone, wanted to know what we were laughing about. Yep, I guess I was tired! Mom thought that was pretty funny as well. Oh I must explain, while I was on the phone to my mom, Cora was on the phone to her dad!

We then decided to relax by playing a game. We were often interrupted by phone calls or someone texting but kept on playing. At one point I got up to wash some dishes while Cora was texting and stopped because I thought I was making too much noise. Think about that one for the moment. Cora got a kick out of me quoting “Green Eggs and Ham” while playing. Of course, I would make up verses to fit what we were doing. I’ve been quoting that book to her for years.

By the way, we continually get compliments… people think that Cora and I are sisters. Well, we are… in Christ! I always enjoy our discussions and tired as we may be, we did have some very interesting discussions that day. One being how to wash the clothes. She wanted to throw everything in together… that might be fine for her, but I had a few white shirts I didn’t want to turn gray. She assured me her colors didn’t run. For me, she separated the very lights and whites from the darks. Nevertheless, I did get a few undies back that had turned GRAY! No running of the colors there!

The Highlight of the day though was being able to pray with each other before going to bed… and getting a hug too.

So, that might not have been a “normal” day… but it was indeed a blessed one.

God bless you richly!

Good night!

There are events in ones life that, at the moment of conception, aren’t funny but rather frightful. Nevertheless, afterwards, perhaps because of relief of survival one can laugh at the memory of the event. Such was the day Sharon and I were chased across Missouri by a tornado.

It started off a pretty normal day, weather wise. Not too cold, not too hot. Some sun. More clouds. It was our last day in Branson and  we opted for some shopping before heading back to Warrenton. There was a cluster of cute shops in Grand Village that kept our attention for around an hour before we decided to hit the road. The weather was indeed changing. I was starting to think we might be in for a storm. The wind had picked up and there were more clouds trying to block the sun. I was glad Sharon was driving!

Somewhere along the way we stopped off at a very popular restaurant, Lamberts Cafe. It is known for throwing its rolls around! Ha! I even caught all the ones thrown at me. Well, I caught two. That’s all I could eat with every thing else we got! By the time we left the restaurant we were stuffed completely. The wind had definately picket up, almost sweeping us off our feet it was so powerful. The sun had totally disappeared. Now I must clarify here that I really do love storms… Thunder, lightening, wind, rain… the whole bit. That is, when I am snug and warm at home.  But we weren’t at home. Sigh. We were driving down the freeway with still around 3 hours to go.

Well, three hours under normal conditions. These were not normal conditions. In fact, they were getting worse by the minute. We weren’t very far down the road when the storm really broke out! It was raining so hard we could hardly see the car in front of us. The wind was so strong that it took everything Sharon had to give to keep us on the road. We rocked back and forth like a rocking chair going sideways. Traffic had slowed immensely. No wonder. There was such a build up of water on the road that cars were slipping around all over the place. Luckily our van was a good one under such conditions. Why, you would have to ask Sharon. Something about it being able to react better to such conditions. Still, it was not a pretty sight!

Now you are probably wondering why we didn’t just get off the freeway and pull into a mall or something. We’re talking Missouri here. There just wasn’t too many welcoming places at that moment. Sharon was doing fine, so she said. She just wanted to get home. Plus, we kept seeing blue skies ahead… which meant we were at the front of the storm. If we could just get to the blue skies… wishful thinking. Soon we didn’t even see those blue skies ahead. We were in the midst of the storm!

I was already doing a lot of praying for protection and for Sharon, but when we started to see accidents along the road, my prayers and concerns increased. Sharon must have felt the same for she turned on the radio in hopes to follow the traffic reports. Soon it became very clear why this storm was more than a doozie… we were being followed by a tornado. Twice it had touched down in the area that we just drove through. That means, it wasn’t very far behind. At that news our prayers increased immensely. What could we do?

There’s only one other time I had been this close to a tornado. It was while I was on staff at Prairie Bible College in Alberta, Canada. Friends and I were driving to Edmonton when a storm brewed up in front of us. This time there were large hail stones coming down, the wind was fierce and rocking our car around as if it wanted to turn the vehicle over. The clouds were thicker than mud. You would have thought it was evening. Just before Edmonton it was so powerful that we had to pull over to the side of the road and wait it out. There were many cars on the side of the road that afternoon. There was also a lot of damage done in Edmonton that day. We were just grateful and relieved that the tornado didn’t come our way. We would have been sitting ducks for there was no protection whatsoever… not on the prairies.

Here in Missouri the situation wasn’t much better. There was just no where we could have easily driven to for better protection than we already had at that moment. We kept driving. We kept praying! After several hours the storm let up and we could breath easier. We still had over an hour to go but we knew we were going to make it. We were both exhausted but very grateful to God for his awesome protection.

God is indeed FAITHFUL! In these stormy times of financial difficulty, God is still the same… yesterday, today and forever! We often forget what He has done for us in the past. He calls… He protects… He enables! Sometimes I am overwhelmed with all that needs to be overcome before I get to Alberta in the spring… the VISA, the finances, the car… For Austria He ALWAYS provided and I need to trust Him to do the same for Alberta. It’s easy to let fear become a raging storm within us, but He wants us to remember His faithfulness and TRUST HIM! I am learning to do that.

Please pray for me that I will continue to trust Him in this transition time. His timing is always perfect.

God bless you richly!

As I reflect on 2009, I must admit it was definitely a year to remember!!! let me share some of the highlights with you.

In Austria we had more snow than we have had for a long while. Furthermore, it stayed the entire winter. That too is an unusual occurrence. I think God did it just for me seeing as I love snow so much. Seeing it was my last winter in Austria. I loved it!!!

I got to spend a few days in Venice with one of my co-worker friends. It was awesome. It was something I had been wanting to do for years, but couldn’t find anyone to do it with. Then out of the blue, Margit suggested we do it before I leave. So, there you have it! God is good!

Everyone has a birthday once a year… but how many people get to celebrate the BIG 50 on Easter Sunday. What an awesome privilege!!!

When it comes to packing for a vacation it might be difficult knowing what to take, but how do you pack when you are not only moving out of your present home, but also out of the country? It was a big chore deciding what to keep, what to sell, what to give away and what to throw away! I am very grateful for the help. My church even had an action for some of my stuff. It was quite an event!

Taking a boat trip on Woertersee in Kaernten is something I have always wanted to do. Well, it ended up being one of my birthday presents from some dear friends. We made a day of it and had lots of fun. Ha, we even experienced a real dozy of a storm on the last leg (hour) of our trip. Making memories!

How do you say goodbye to co-workers, dear friends, dear places, dear things (my kitties), then children in the different clubs… all after 19 years. Believe me, it was the hardest thing I have ever done in my life. Infact, I believe I started the mourning process already a few months ahead. Out of the blue, I would break down in tears… sometimes alone, but mostly while in church or during some activity with friends. I definitely left part of my heart in Austria!

Then there was the actual leaving Austria. Something I never thought I really would do. Something I prolonged as long as I could. Sigh.

Then there was vacation with Tabea Eggeler in Canada and the US. I was so very grateful that I didn’t leave Austria alone. The three weeks with her were a blast!

Meeting my future boss and a new co-worker in Alberta was a blessing. The other two workers I was already acquainted with from times of furlough spent in Alberta.

Our sister get-to-gether on Orcas Island for a few days. Tabea was there for that as well and fit right in. It was so much fun getting together with my sisters. Something that only happened once before the entire time I was in Austria.

In all the years I have been with CEF, this was the first time I spent a whole month in Warrenton, MO. It was great.

Sharon and I took our traditional trip to Branson and stayed with friends there. We really got to see a lot this time around. The highlight was going to see the Titanic museum. I was glad I was one of the survivors!!!

I had never heard of Stream-cleaning, let alone be apart of such a crew. Therefore I jumped at the opportunity to do it in MO. What an experience. You wouldn’t believe all the crazy things we pulled out of the river and transported in/on our canoes… it’s amazing some of our canoes didn’t sink! What fun!

Spending a few days in Georgia with a dear friend was a real blessing as well. We went contra dancing which was a first for me. Contra dancing is like folk/country dancing… it has it’s own style. We got our exercise that night!

Being in Arizona for the first time was quite an adventure. It included a trip to an Indian school where I was about to challenge the children about missions. Then we got to spend a few hours at the Grand Canyon! Wow. It was spectacular!

I spent more time with family in 2009 than I have with them in almost all the years I have been in Austria! I am so very grateful for my family. Thank you, Lord!

Learning how to blog has been a great challenge of 2009! I am still getting the hang of it!

Then seeing supporters and friends I have not seen in a very long time was a real blessing. There was the joy of seeing other supporters and friends who I usually see each furlough as well. I am so very grateful for each one! I wouldn’t be where I am today without them!

Being a part of the Missions Conference at my folks church in Moses Lake was a real blessing.

For the first time in a very long time I was able to spend two whole weeks at my home church in Edmonds. It was fantastic! This church has seen me thru thick and thin and I am eternally grateful to them!!

I had the privilege of going to the play, “Pride and Prejudice”. It’s one of my favorite stories. It was great.

Being given a trip to Disneyland (hotel and entrance fees for 3 days) by a friend I haven’t seen in 21 years was two wammies in one! I didn’t know Disneyland could be so much fun. It really depends on who you go with. Thank you Bry. It was special.

Jury Duty has always intrigued me. But it’s something I never really thought I would be chosen for. Well, I was called but not chosen since I am not nor ever was a resident of the city in which I was called. Sigh. I couldn’t have done it anyways since I had speaking engagements during that time and wasn’t even in the appointed county. Well, let me rephrase… I am glad I didn’t have to cancel those important meetings.

I got to be in the Christmas program at my parents church. I was even an angel. What a privilege to be a part of that. I was indeed greatly blessed!

Christmas with family for the first time in years was definitely a major highlight. It was awesome. Thank you, Lord.

To end the year, one of my sisters had a Murder Mystery Party and I was invited. What a riot! The theme was oriental so we dressed accordingly. What an evening! It was a crazy group and we had lots of fun. My character was NOT the one who done it!

To top the evening/year off… or welcome in the New Year, we watched over an hour of fireworks. Everyone brought more than enough. Jim made a great bonfire which helped us keep warm. The fireworks and fellowship was great.

Well, these are the major highlights. God has done some pretty awesome things this year. I am so grateful He has used me to speak to many this year about Him. Thank you too for your encouragement in my life. You have made my year much richer!!

Happy 2010!… can you believe it, only 11 months till Christmas!?!?!

How many of you enjoy living out of a suitcase? I don’t particularly. Still I am glad that I am on the road again. It is one step closer to my goal of getting to Alberta, Canada.

Christmas time with my family was really special. I had to keep pinching myself to check to see if it was real! Yep! It has been more years than I can count since the last time I was able to be with family for Christmas. Christmas with family. It is a time to really treasure. The laughter. The sharing. The giving. The food. The listening. I am very grateful to have the opportunity to be with family.

Still, this Christmas left me with lots of time to ponder. Though I was very glad to be with family, I really missed Christmas time in Austria. Being gone all those years, I had started my own traditions… Christmas Eve was always spent with the people in the house. My landlady, her son and his live-in girlfriend. Though they celebrated Christmas for totally different reasons other than the birth of Christ, it was still a fun time. I tried to be a witness thru example and would also share when I got the chance. Unfortunately, most of the time they didn’t want to hear what I had to say in regards to “religion”. Well, what they didn’t realize was that I didn’t want to talk about RELIGION at all. I wanted to share with them what it meant to have a personal RELATIONSHIP with the Creator of the Universe! The One who loves them so dearly. The One who wants a relationship with them. The One who demonstrated His love so drastically in that He died for them. No, they really didn’t want to hear any of that. Jesus is just not “that” which they believe they are looking for. They just don’t get it… they will keep searching for “that” and never find it till they find “that” in the person of Jesus Christ.

Christmas day was always special as well. My two “daughters” would come over before breakfast to open Christmas stockings. No, that is NOT an Austrian tradition. They learned it when they lived with me for a few years. My landlady would also come and we had a stocking for her. She never added anything to the stockings, but that didn’t matter. We were just trying to use anything possible to love her to Christ. The last few years the group was even bigger because Aure had gotten married. Last year she even had a second child with her. After opening the stockings, we would then have breakfast together. After breakfast came the fun part. We would sing Christmas songs accompanied by Peter on the Violin. That was a real treat! The Christmas presents came last. It was great. Frau Krainer would usually leave right after that. Tabea, Aure and her family would follow slowly after more fellowship. By lunch time, I would be at my dear friends, also missionaries, the Bryans, where I would spend the rest of the day. They lived in the next big city over a half hour away.

There were other traditions during the month of December in Austria. There were the Christmas Party clubs with the usual Good News Clubs and then also “one-time” opportunities to share with Children in other party clubs the true meaning of Christmas: CHRIST! Then there was the Christmas celebration at our church where we tried to invite people who normally don’t come to church. The message was always really clear: CHRIST! I enjoyed singing a solo each year and Willie always made an appearance as well. Then I can’t forget the special tradition Tabea and I started a few years back. We would take the very early train to Salzburg arriving around 9am. We wanted to be early enough to enjoy the Christmas Open Market before the crowds. Believe me, even in the freezing cold, there was always such large crowds by 11am that one could hardly move around. After that, it was off to the Getreidegasse to the fish restaurant for lunch. Oh yah, our favorite place. Great food. We then went to other shops and caught the bus to a friends house for coffee in the afternoon. Then we would hit the evening train home. We loved it.  The Austrians were getting more and more into Christmas lighting as well. Each year there were more and more lights on private homes. The cities themselves really knew how to decorate which added to the spirit of the season. Then the SNOW!!! sigh. No show here this last Christmas!

My landlady would always say to me in January… guess what, we will be celebrating Christmas again this year! You know what, she’s right!

Well Christmas is passed, though you wouldn’t know it with all the decorations still up. Still, it’s time to get back to work. So, it’s on the road again!

Today I surprised my home church by stopping by. It was great! Many wanted to know what my future plans are, especially when I plan on moving to Alberta. Perhaps that is your question as well. Well, I leave here (Everett) and go to Idaho for a few days. Then it is off to Eugene, Oregon. My first stop of many the next 2 months in Oregon. If all goes well, I will then fly up to Canada the end of March to see if I can find an apartment. Hopefully then the middle of April I will be able to move up there.

What has to happen first:

1. I need to raise another $500.00 per month in support

2. I need to raise 14000.00 for a vehicle for Alberta

3. I need probably $2000.00 in start-up fees

4. I need my VISA (which I have been working on and am still waiting to receive)

Sometimes it is totally overwhelming especially now that there are so many people hurting financially. Still, Pastor said at the end of his sermon a phrase that really makes one ponder: YOU TRUST GOD, YOU’LL SEE HIM! I really need to trust Him in this whole adventure. The Alberta workers need me… there are only 4 workers for the whole provence! The Alberta workers really want me… I have talents and abilities to do aspects of the work that the others aren’t qualified to do! I need to TRUST God.

Still. God needs hands and feet to do His work down here on earth. Would you be willing to be use by Him in reaching the children of Alberta with the Gospel of Christ? Most of you can’t go, but you can give. You can become a vital part of my ministry by becoming a prayer and financial partner. Perhaps you say you can’t give much… remember: LITTLE IS MUCH WHEN GOD IS IN IT! Especially now during this financial crisis, YOUR help is needed.

Please send Donations to:

USA donors: CEF PO Box 348 Warrenton, MO 63383 for Mari Isaacson Acct# E3AT 4541

Canadian donors: CEF of Canada PO Box 165 Winnipeg, MB R3C 2G9 for Mari Isaacson ISM1

PLEASE PRAYERFULLY CONSIDER THIS. The saying goes for you too: YOU TRUST GOD, YOU’LL SEE HIM!

Please pray for my time on the road now to raise more funds. Please pray that my visa will arrive soon.

Thank you so much. God bless you richly,

mari