Sid and Vilda Collison
1826 14TH Ave. S.W.
Vero Beach, FL 32962
(772) 569-5791   
 sidcollison@earthlink.net or vilda@mpinet.net 

February & March, 2004

Dear Family and Friends,                                            

	Greetings once again in the matchless name of Jesus. We are together in a marvelous adventure called life, and I hope that every day you are  discovering  something  new  and exciting about this fantastic gift given to us by our Creator. 
	The year 2003 held a lot of surprises for most of us.  Some of those surprises were  great and some were not so good.  For some of us, things did not go just the way we thought or even hoped they would. Perhaps you even wondered what in the world God was up to anyway? Have I got news for you! You are not the first to come to Father with this kind of a problem. 
	As the year 2004 unfolds, I am sure that it, too, will be a mixed bag. In other words, things will appear to be either good or bad. When things look bad, we may feel unhappy and dejected and wish that things could be different. It is at these times that we must follow the instructions and take hold of the promise in Proverbs 3:5-6: “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not to your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.”  If you are saved and a part of His forever family, then you can depend on this promise for this new and exciting year of 2004, because “. . .all things work together for good to those who love God,  to those who are called according to His purpose” (Rom. 8:28).

Little Words:  “Dejection”  

	This Bible lesson deals with what happens to most of us when we come to those really hard times in life—dejection—that feeling that we are all too familiar with when things just are not going right.
	Let me set the scene. It was the third day since Jesus had been crucified and a couple of discouraged, weary men were discussing one of the most difficult situations of their entire lives as they were on their way to Emmaus: “We were hoping that it was He who was going to redeem Israel. Indeed, besides all this, today is the third day since these things happened.” (Have you ever been where these guys were?  I have.)  As you read the account in Luke 24:13-35, you will realize that they had all of the right facts, and yet the conclusions they drew were wrong. The result of a wrong conclusion, especially in the spiritual realm, can and often does lead to dejection, which can be defined as lowness of spirit.
	Whenever I become dejected in the spiritual realm, I am to blame, not God.  My focus is in the wrong place. My focus is on the wrong conclusion I have drawn from the facts that I had regarding my situation.  If I am only seeking an answer from God instead of seeking God Himself who is the answer, I will be dejected.  Human frailty—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes or the pride of life—causes me to see only the emptiness of the tomb and to believe that all is lost. He does not always do what I expect, when I expect it, and the way I expect it. When He doesn’t, and I become dejected, I am always the one who is off track, not Him.
Just as the two disciples on the road to Emmaus were so taken up with the their negative thoughts about their situation that they didn’t even recognize Jesus when He began walking and talking with them,  I  do  the same.  I, too, sometime get so focused on the troubles of the day that I fail to even notice the one who is walking with me until He allows something to open my eyes, and I recognize Him and the need to turn to Him for the truth of the situation.  Even though a situation may appear to be hopeless as did the empty tomb for the disciples, when Jesus opens our eyes, the meaning or the reason for the situation becomes abundantly clear. When Jesus broke bread with these disciples, their eyes were opened and they recognized Him. It was not long before they came to a full understanding of the third day and the empty tomb—eternal life in Christ had been won for those who believe! He  had conquered death.
	So, dear Family, as this year continues to unfold, and you are faced with some apparently hopeless situations, remember to “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not to your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths”   (Prov. 3:5-6).  When we do this, He will give us the proper understanding of each situation and bring us into victory over dejection.  

Feedback from the Family

Praises and Prayer Requests:
•	When God does something special in His Forever Family, we want all the family to rejoice. The prognosis seemed hopeless for the couple for whom we asked you to pray last month who were caught in the tangle of divorce. They recently began to discover how to appropriate the Exchanged Life truths in their marriage relationship and are reconciling and planning to renew their vows. Continue to pray that this couple will have trophy marriage for our awesome Lord. The following is an excerpt from a letter from the man:

“…Isn’t this amazing, how things have worked out in our lives and marriage?  I can’t pull my mouth up off the floor!  Thanks for your commitment and encouragement.  I know that I have been pretty hard to deal with on many occasions, but I’m thankful that you (both) hung in there, and saw me through those times. I can’t tell you how much I needed that.  I’m sure you remember me telling you how I watch everyone around me,  including married couples and families,  to see if they live a life that is pleasing to God,  and how they do it. There aren’t many out there who model the exchanged life marriage, to model after, but I am so thankful for both you and Vilda….”

•	Eden’s surgery was a great success, and we are grandparents (again—18th time). Jonathan Alexander was delivered by caesarean section on January 23, 2004, at 7:33 AM. He weighed 7 lbs. 2 oz., was 20” long and has lots of black hair—even eyebrows! Both mom, baby and big sister, Michaela, are doing well. Thanks for praying.	
•	Continue to pray for the forever family member estranged from her children. Progress is being made. Her husband had a heart attack on the 18th and needs your prayers as well.
•	Also continue to pray for the couple (and family) who have been temporarily separated due to his change in employment. Pray that their home will sell quickly when they put it on the market.
•	Pray for a Christian man who is running for political office in our county that he will depend upon God the strength to stand on his convictions.
•	Pray for Vilda and I, the Forever Family Ministries and the newsletter as we are facing some important decisions. Pray that we will trust Father completely and never lean on our own understanding.  Both Vilda and I desire above all else to follow Him as he directs our lives.
•	Please continue praying for Eve that all the problems she is having will smooth out and this pregnancy and delivery will go well. She is due June 22nd.       

If you have a prayer request or a testimony you would like to share with the part of the Forever Family   receiving this newsletter, please send it to us. It is this kind of sharing that helps us truly follow the Lord’s command to encourage one another.

We would like to share with you a little more personal news so that you really know how to better pray for us. Some of you know that Eden’s husband left her after they found out that she was pregnant. She has been going through a very difficult situation and is living with us along with the children, of course. Along with helping her during this period of recuperation to care for both children and herself as well as trying to get all the repair/replacement work done that is needed due to the flood we had in our home, Vilda and I have not had the time or energy to do a lot of the things we had planned during our sabbatical year. Getting our newsletter out in a timely manner this month has been very difficult. Consequently, we have decided to make this a February and March letter. For those of you who contribute to our support account monthly, we have included an extra envelope for March. Thank you all so very much for your understanding, your love, prayers and support. May our Heavenly Father abundantly meet all your needs and may you experience His great joy and peace in a wonderful way each day.  We love and appreciate each one of you.

In His love,