Hey, Y’all! Welcome back to Life of Heritage Corner! I’m so excited to share about this particular Missions Spotlight because I knew someone whose family was from Guyana! It’s fun when you have some kind of connection! Anyways! Time to get into our spotlight! Hope you enjoy!

Country: Republic of Guyana

Continent: South America

Population: 782,766 (2019)

Capital: Georgetown

Largest City: Georgetown

Motto: One People, One Nation, One Destiny

National Anthem: Dear Land of Guyana of Rivers and Plains

Current Leader: Ifraan Ali

Language: English

Bordering Countries: Suriname, Brazil, and Venezuela

Religions: Pentecostal (22.8%); Seventh-Day Adventist (5.4%); Anglican (5.2%); Methodist (1.4%); Jehovah’s Witnesses (1.3%); Roman Catholic (7.1%); Christians (Not sure what all they consider Christian) (20.8%); Hindu (24.8%); Muslim (6.8%); Other (2.6%); None (3.1%). Approx. 79% of the population is involved in false religion, and probably more have never heard a clear Gospel presentation from the Bible.

Animals of Interest: Jaguars, Arapaima (freshwater fish), Harpy Eagles, Giant Anteater, Giant River Otter, Black Caimans (alligator family), and Capybara, just to name a few!

Famous Foods: Curry (chicken, beef, lamb); Metamgee (a dumpling dish made from cornflour, yams, plantains, eddos root and cassava, cooked in coconut milk and grated coconut); Pepperpot (a stew famous for its hot peppers and spices, cooked with Beef and yucca); Garlic Pork; Plantain Chips.

Fun Facts: Guyana is home to the rarest type of Otter, the Giant River Otter! It’s also the home of the largest scaled freshwater fish! Guyana is the only South American country with English as its official language!

Missionaries: (Subject to Additions!)

Prayer Requests: Pray that the light of the Gospel will reach this nation. FBN has been heard in this country, so please pray that God will bless the broadcast and that the Guyanese people will hear the Gospel. And above all, pray for laborers to go and serve!

Don’t forget to check your list of missionaries at your church for Missionaries to Guyana! Encourage your family to pray for them and perhaps send them a note of encouragement!

Have a blessed week!
Ryana Lynn

Hello All! Hope you are having a lovely weekend, preparing to worship the Lord with fellow believers tomorrow! Today I am sharing a short story (as requested/promised)! Since there is a side plot involving the Mennonite, I want to go ahead and state that this story is NOT intended to look down on the Mennonite people. It is meant to show the tension between those who believe in pacifism and those who do not. I will go ahead and state that I do not believe in pacifism and I do have scripture to back that up (if you have questions about it, feel free to contact us!), but I respect each persons' choice to believe how they want on this matter ;)

This is a longer story, so I will be releasing it in parts! (Also note, this is a part of a WIP, so it is subject to change.) I wrote this story last year as a part of a writing challenge several of my writing buddies were doing! It was so fun!

So, without further ado, let's hope into the story.

Charlotte tugged at my sleeve and said, her voice trembling, “Christina, please take this customer. It’s…a soldier, and I’m scared.”

It killed me. My uncle's family were Mennonite, and as such, they didn’t understand the Biblical and moral reasons to maintain a military to defend their right to pacifism. But I’m not Mennonite, and I’m not gonna turn my back on a soldier.

I hurried out, my denim skirt swishing as I rounded the counter. “Hello! Welcome to Schnyders! What can I get you, sir?”

At first, He didn’t realize I was talking to him, and I laughed. “Sorry, I forgot you don’t ‘sir’ Specialists.”

A smile split his face, and he said, “I’d like a Ruben, side of sauerkraut and a cup of coffee, black, decaf, please.”

“Coming right up! And,” I held out my hand. “Thank you for your service, sir. My brother was Army. Lost him in Baghdad.”

His eyes clouded, but the look disappeared in a blink. “Thank you for standing by him. And thank you for your support, ma’am. I…I almost lost a brother in Iraq too.”

“He’s all right?”

“Yes, Ma’am.”

“Thank God. Let me get your coffee.”

I didn’t even know what had happened to his brother, but I wanted to cry anyway. I wiped my eyes and straightened the bow in my hair, and faced him with a smile. He smiled back and took the coffee, turning his attention to a letter in his hand.

Moments later, I interrupted his reading with his food. “Okay, I have to ask. Do you speak German?”

He looked up at me. “I do. Why?”

“I noticed your accent when you ordered. I grew up speaking it, so I notice it when an ‘outsider’ speaks it around here.”

His eyes laughed. “I was born in Germany. My family moved here when I was eight. Thanks for not getting creeped out by how I talk.”

“Oh, yes, I get that too. Too bad, though. It’s a lovely language.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

I refilled his coffee and turned away.

“Uh, ma’am?”

“Yes?”

“Could I ask for your advice?”

“Shoot!”

“Okay, so I have a younger sister. And I… well, I’m deploying in about a month. I’ve had two, and both times, I’ve had close calls, and I know this is gonna tear her up. How would you suggest I tell her?”

I let out my breath in a rush. More than likely, he was heading to Iraq. It was horrible over there right now. “I…” how would I have wanted Stanley to tell me if we could redo it? No, I wouldn’t change it. “Find a restaurant where you two can talk, with food that she likes. And order dessert.”

He laughed. “So our family isn’t the only one that doesn’t normally do that.”

I smiled. “Then take her somewhere special, and break it to her gently. And tell her…”

I swallowed. “Goodbye isn’t in the Dictionary.”

I expected him to ask what I meant and I wished I hadn’t said it, because I didn’t want to explain. But he didn’t. He got this look in his eyes… and nodded slowly. “And get her one to prove it?”

I nodded. Lucky guess.

***

I figured I’d never see him again. But I was surprised when three evenings later, he opened the door and entered. He wasn’t in uniform, but he had an Iraq War T-shirt and jeans. His sister was about nineteen, older than I had expected.

I greeted them and took their orders. She talked softly, but loud enough for me to hear, about how beautiful the place was and how good the food was. “How did you find this place? It's so quaint!”

I smiled and quit eavesdropping. I looked over the evening’s dessert menu and made a guess at what they might want. I got right to work on it. This needed to be extra special for them.

As they were finishing, I walked up. “I hope you don’t mind…I made this for y’all, my treat.”

The girl looked up at me, and her eyes brimmed. He thanked me and accepted the two fried Apple pies with frosting, spelling out “Army Strong” on each one with stars. “Oh, wait! This is my sister, Becca. Becca, this is…I’m sorry, I didn’t get your name.”

“Christina. It’s nice to meet y’all.”

“And this is Randy,” Becca laughed. “He never remembers to introduce himself. I tell him it’s because he’s SF now.”

“Airborne?” I asked eagerly.

“Airborne Ranger Infantry,” Becca said, clearly proud of her brother. I couldn’t help smiling, or the tear that ran down my cheek. “Oh, dear,” she whispered. “He told me about…your brother. Oh!” She jumped to her feet and hugged me. And I hugged her, a stranger. How had I not seen his wings the other day? Or maybe I had but didn’t want to.

How long we stood there, I don’t know. Finally, I dried up and let them enjoy their dessert. Randy laid something on the table and paid their bill. Then they left.

I cleaned up the table, my heart aching for Becca, and the news he was about to give her. I found tucked under his cup a wad of dollar bills, $10 in all, and a note. “Thanks for caring. Lead the Way.”

And I sat at the table and cried.

Interested? Want to see more of the story? What is your favorite part so far? Any ideas about what will happen next? Recognize any of these people? Let me know what you think in the comments below!

Have a blessed day and God Bless America!
Ryana Lynn
Jude 22

Hello everyone! So sorry I haven’t been active of late. Right when I felt I was able to get back into blogging, I got hit with another round of some kind of illness (again, not the virus that shall not be named), and it’s starting to look like 2021 is gonna be my year to be sick all year! One cold after another! And now I have allergies 😊 Like I said, it’s been rough for several weeks! But you didn’t drop by to hear about that, lol! Today, I’m bringing you the fourth devotion in our Rejoicing series! It’s a bit tardy, but I hope you enjoy it!

The above verse is taken from the account of Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead. As we know, Jesus was foreshadowing His own resurrection and that of His children in the coming days! Today, I want to take a look at Christ’s resurrection, what it means for us, The resurrection of the Saints, and what that means for us! Let’s dive right in!

In the end of the sabbath, as it began to dawn toward the first day of the week, came Mary Magdalene and the other Mary to see the sepulchre. And, behold, there was a great earthquake: for the angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from the door, and sat upon it. His countenance was like lightning, and his raiment white as snow: And for fear of him the keepers did shake, and became as dead men. And the angel answered and said unto the women, Fear not ye: for I know that ye seek Jesus, which was crucified. He is not here: for he is risen, as he said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay. And go quickly, and tell his disciples that he is risen from the dead; and, behold, he goeth before you into Galilee; there shall ye see him: lo, I have told you. And they departed quickly from the sepulchre with fear and great joy; and did run to bring his disciples word. And as they went to tell his disciples, behold, Jesus met them, saying, All hail. And they came and held him by the feet, and worshipped him. Then said Jesus unto them, Be not afraid: go tell my brethren that they go into Galilee, and there shall they see me. (Matthew 28:1-10)

The resurrection of Christ brings us hope for eternity! As Christians, we are the only religion in the world to have a living Savior. Mohamed is still in his grave and Buddha in his. We are the only ones who have a LIVING Savior! The only ones with the power to raise Himself from the dead and ascend to heaven!

It gives us a reason to rejoice, for Salvation, is complete! Because Jesus rose from the dead, we can go to heaven when we die! All we have to do is accept His free gift of Salvation, believing that He is the only begotten Son of God!

For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. (1 Thessalonians 4:16-17)

As a Christian, this means that one day, I’m gonna rise! Whether I am in my grave or I am standing on the ground, Jesus is gonna call for me, and I am gonna go to heaven to be with Him! If you have accepted Christ as your Savior, you too will get to be raised to be with Christ!

But what does this mean for those who have not accepted Christ as their Savior?
Sadly, this means that you have used up your chances.

When speaking on the rapture of the church (no, the word rapture isn’t in the Bible, but everyone knows what I’m talking about. rapture is a word we use to describe this event), Paul said in 2 Thessalonians 2:7-12:

For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way. And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming:  Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders, And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie: That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.

(Here is an excellent sermon on these verses by Pastor Travis Burke of Cazaddale Baptist Church!)

Reader, where do you come into this? Are you a child of God? Rejoice in the resurrection of our Savior! Are you still searching for answers? Please! Contact us here at Life of Heritage! We would love to help you come to know a personal relationship with Christ! No one should be left in the dark on the love of Christ!
 
I hope this devotion has been a blessing to you! Please feel free to leave your thoughts with us in the comments! What are you rejoicing in today?
 
God Bless and God Bless America!
Ryana Lynn
Jude 22

One of my subscribers asked me about writing romance into one’s story. More specifically, what was acceptable in Christian fiction. I originally wrote this post back in February 2020, lol! I’m gonna go ahead and post it as is since I just really liked the opening! Enjoy!

It’s February (😉), and for a lot of people, the one thing at the forefront of their minds, as far as holidays go, is Valentine’s Day. It’s cute and fun, but I have to admit, it’s pretty low on my list of favorites. But today, I want to talk about something associated with the holiday: Romance. Specifically, is it okay to include Romance in your Christian novel? Now, these are my personal preferences, so please don’t get angry with me if you disagree. These are my observations, and I hope these are helpful to you. Let’s dive in.

Full disclosure: I’m not a huge fan of romance in books. Let me clarify exactly what I mean. I don’t mind a couple getting married in a story. I don’t mind a brief kiss between a married couple, as long as it’s not detailed. I don’t mean people saying I love you (if they are engaged or married). I don’t mind seeing a relationship develop through the story. But most “romance” books don’t line up with that. I can’t stand characters holding hands/kissing before marriage, a story solely focused on the relationship (unless it’s a courtship story), you get the idea.

The Bible says, “Now concerning the things whereof ye wrote unto me: It is good for a man not to touch a woman” (1 Corinthians 7:1, King James Bible) unless they are married. Because of this, I don’t have my characters holding hands, etc. if they are not married. (I mean, sure siblings might but you know what I mean 😉)Most romance books draw attention to physical attributes and set young people to thinking and desiring things that God doesn’t have for them at this time in their life. It’s wrong to let your heart wander into areas that, for the time being, God has put a keep-out sign on.

But is there a way to depict a relationship in a way that is good, proper, and Christ-honoring? After all, Marriage is a part of life. I’m happy to tell you that there is!
 
Surprise! It’s a Wedding!

I love when I find a book that does this. Isabella Alden often informed her readers that Characters had feelings for each other by merely throwing the wedding right into the middle of things! No hints, or minimal at best.

Subplot

This is a side storyline. A passing mention that Joe and Missy are courting, but not making it the focus of the story. It’s just a side detail. Not a lot of page time. Just a fact of life, these two are in a relationship. Or mention they are praying about it. The best way is to always draw the focus back to God, seeking His will and the sacred responsibility of marriage. It’s not something flippant and shouldn’t be treated as such.

So How is a Godly Relationship Conducted?

This is referring to a specific series of books that every young person should read. Called The Courtship Series, there are 4 books written by Mr. and Mrs. Stephen Castleberry, and they are soooooo good! It’s not lovey-dovey but God-centered and family-oriented. I highly recommend them. They compass many different situations that may come in the life of a Christian life person. Three are about young ladies, and the second book is from the young man’s perspective. All 4 are five-star reads.

First and foremost, pray about your story and what God wants you to do. Read over your scene. Imagine Jesus reading your book. Are you blushing at the thought? Better do some editing! Secondly, remember who your readers are. I have a lot of young ladies and young gentlemen who read my books. I am not about to be responsible for leading them to think things they shouldn’t be, such as someone else’s appearance. In the confines of marriage, some of these things are acceptable, but if it’s not your spouse, why do you care? I personally don’t want to know everything the couple in the story thinks of each other. It’s none of my business!
 
So, in short, I don’t have a problem with wholesome relationships being included in a story, but romance…not a fan.

Hope this was helpful to you!

Have a blessed day!
Ryana Lynn
Jude 22

I haven't gotten a chance to finish the two books in this series yet, but I've started Promise's Prayer and I'm looking forward to the finish!

3/15/2021: Victory's Voice comprehensive book review by Chelsea at Sheep Among Wolves Publishing.

3/18/2021: LAUNCH DAY! Read Victory's Voice on Kindle today!
+ Character spotlight on Caeleb (27-year-old friendly elder-brotherly friend), shared by Abigail Kay Harris at Read Review Rejoice.
+ Character spotlight on Jolyn (an Academy student) shared by Tara at Tower in the Plains
+ Book spotlight & excerpt shared by Jenavieve Rose at Living Outside the Lines
+ Special release day post at Resting Life

3/20/2021: Book review by Katja at Old Fashioned Book Love

3/22/2021: Character interview with Carita (Ellisia's older sister who is devoted to God) shared by Chelsea at Sheep Among Wolves Publishing

3/25/2021: Character spotlight and interview with Aethelwyn (Wyn - a bubbly Academy student who plays cello) posted by Katja at Little Blossoms for Jesus

3/26/2021: Promise's Prayer and Victory's Voice book reviews by Jenavieve Rose at Living Outside the Lines

3/31/2021: Last day to enter the #VictoryContest

Have you ever read Mrs. Matthews? If so, what book?

Hope you have a blessed day!
God Bless America!
Ryana Lynn
Jude 22