New Life...

I have a very important announcement to tell all of you. It may be shocking, but it is acutally very good news. I will not be leaving for Peru in February. I know your initial reaction will probably be disappointment for me, but this is a good thing.

After two years of internship, I was used to my leadership making decisions for me. That is necessary during the program, but it does make for a kind of messy transition period once you graduate and start making decisions for yourself. My heart was so submitted to my leadership that I took their suggestion to send me to Peru as a decision and just ran full speed ahead. Two months later, I found myself questioning if this is the right thing for me. My mistake was not really searching my heart and taking more time to hear from God for myself. After a lot of fasting, praying, and meetings, I have discovered that my heart is fully devoted to HPC and that this is where I am planted and should stay. I truly believe that because my motive was purely to serve the kingdom of God here or in Peru, that all things will work out for the good of everyone involved.

For now, I will be staying in Baton Rouge and serving in every way that I can at HPC. I believe that I am in a season where God is walking me through the process of discovering the desires of my heart and His will for my life. As Psalm 37 says, i will be trusting in the Lord, doing good, and dwelling in the land and cultivating faithfulness. I delight in Him and He will give me the desires of my heart.

I also wanted to say THANK YOU so much for all of your prayers, encouragement, and donations. I know that the Lord will still bless you for your generosity and faithfulness. I could not have done any of this without you. My heart is bursting with joy because I will be able to stay here and do life with you!!!

If you have given any donations, they will be forwarded to Heather Stewart for her 5-year return as a missionary to Honduras unless you inform me otherwise. I will be contacting some of you after Christmas to discuss a particular donation that you made to make sure that your wishes for the donation are honored. Again, thank you from the bottom of my heart, and I'll be seeing you around!

Merry Christmas! I love you all SO much!!!!

Looking for some unique, creative Christmas gifts?

To help me raise funds for Peru, my sister is custom making and selling necklaces. She uses a wood burner to carve beautiful, intricate designs on pendants made of thin pieces of wood. The pendants are fastened to a brown ribbon so you can wear them as a necklace.

The best thing about them is that they are one-of-a-kind and completely custom made. You can get initials, a name, or a design/symbol. You can get a Saints Fleur de Lis or an LSU pendant. You can decide if you want it large or small.

AND, they are only $5 each. They would make wonderful stocking stuffers or small gifts for teachers or friends. So, buy one for everyone you know, and help send me to Peru!!!!! If you are interested, please email me your order requests or questions: marybethguedry@gmail.com.