Dear Girls,

The first newsletter after my break from the Issacharian Daughters
newsletter was sent out last Monday, 25 August 2008. I’m having some
teething problems with my new email system and believe that many of
you may not have received the previous email. If that is the case, feel
free to access it via my website. There is a link to it from the home page:
www.issacharian.com. Lord willing, you will all receive this newsletter.
Many apologies if you receive it more than once. 

This weeks newsletter: id078-seven-days-of-dancing-and-feasting

Regards,

Genevieve

Introductions and Messages

Name: Angie

Introduction: I'm a homeschooling mother of three beautiful daughters
 currently under 12 years. I live in Auckland, New Zealand, and my
heart's cry is that the Lord shows me His way to raise my girls so
that they can glorify Him. In order to do this, I realize we have to do
things VERY differently, even from those around us who are Christian.
I look forward to hearing from you all as right now I feel quite alone in
my stance and values. I've read "So Much More" and it sounds far
more akin to my values than anything else I've read to date. Good on
you Genevieve, I hope you are able to continue your ministry here,
even as a married woman. 

Name: Emily Shamburger

Introduction: Hello. My name is Emily. I live in central Texas with my
parents and four brothers and sisters. I have been taught from a child
that young ladies should stay at home under the leadership of their
father until marriage. I am looking forward to receiving your newsletter
because I know it will provide Biblical encouragement in this area that
is sorely neglected by so many. Thank you! 

Name: Angie Marshall

Country: New Zealand 

Location: Golden Bay, Nelson

Hey there! I am from Sunny Golden Bay which is at the top of the
South Island of New Zealand! I am one of 15 children. I am 21, and my
parents and siblings are wonderful!  There is something very special
in being a part of a big family! I love it!  I serve at a Christian
homeschooling Training Centre in Marton New Zealand, called Arahina.
With my parents' blessing, I have been able to serve there for almost
three years, serving in the comercial kitchen, helping with troubled
youth as a mentor (I had two young ladies from troubled homes, as
my encouragment cases), and now I am in the Homeschooling
department, keeping in touch with, and encouraging all the families
enrolled in our program (Advanced Training Institute). The Lord has
been blessing me so much through the different challenges that come
up through this area of ministry!  

He is a wonderful friend to have! I look forward to receiving the
Issacharian Newsletters, thanks Genevieve!

Name: Mrs Ron Shipman

Introduction: I’ve always been a homemaker, home educator etc, and
am very serious to stand regarding what Scripture says regarding my
life rather than the world. I currently live on our 83 acres with five
blessings in the central USA. God provides. No living extended family.  
No government aid. God is sufficient!

Name: Joy McCalib

Introduction: Hello! I am a 22 year old maiden from Minnesota. I love
serving my family in my father's home and under his authority. God
has been leading me to focus my single years on serving my family
in the capacity that He wills with leading from Himself and my earthly
father. I look forward to receiving the newsletters from Issacharian
Daughters. I also look forward to being taught, encouraged, and
convicted through them. Thank you.

Name: Christina

Introduction: I have finally found your website!  After many years of
sharing with you over several message boards - admiring you from
that distance - I was blessed to find an ad for this website in a recent
issue of Hidden Wisdom (Abigail Paul).  I am the oldest in the family
(at home, after my older brother is moved out and married), aged 21,
and a returned daughter.  My aspirations were  from childhood, to
become a missionary to India after reading a biography of Amy
Carmichael several times over.  When I was 16, I hoped my parents
would let me go after I finished Homeschool High school "early" but
it was not to be. Instead, I daydreamed about becoming such a
"wonderful woman of God," until the Lord allowed me to go at age 18.
When I returned, I made plans to move there after getting some formal
"Biblical" education accomplished.Though my father never said, “No,”
to me, he was always very sad and downcast when I spoke of leaving
to fulfill what I believed to be God's will for my entire life. Experiences
three months into  my residence in South India led my father to put his
foot down and buy me a ticket out of there at once. I am so grateful to
be home now, and aspire, each and every day, to  fulfill his dreams,
support his decisions, and do whatever I can to help him (and my
mother and six siblings) in these, my remaining single years. 
Thank you for such a wonderful ministry.  I look forward to the
encouragement I truly have needed! Blessings through Him,
Christina (daughter to John & Shawn)

Name: Janalee

Introduction: My name is Janalee Duarte. I am a "MK" in Brasil, SA. I
love helping my parents in the ministry. I love reading your articles.
May God Bless You, Janalee Duarte www.theduartes.blogspot.com 

Name: Lisa Parker

Introduction: Hi there! I'm Lisa and I'm 22 years old. I live in the lovely 
Tauranga,  New Zealand and I work here as a primary relief teacher.
My mum's friend sent me this link as I read the “I Kissed Dating Goodbye”
book by Josh Harris. When I read it I was amazed at this new way of
thinking and knew that it made sense in light of Scripture. For the past
few months I've been feeling like a bit of an island. I feel like I'm the only
one who thinks this way about courtship and encounter a lot of ridicule
for it. I made the decision not to hang out with a guy on my own - even if 
he's just a friend (which they all   should be anyway!) but my friends don't
seem to understand and say that I'm being too extreme". The way I see it
is that we have to refrain from the appearance of evil. Hanging out with a
guy is not evil, but I think about the way other people will see it and their
opinions of me and what I say I believe. Bill Randell has a box set of
sermons on the 10 commandments. On the one for adultery, it really hit
home that God has already got the right guy for me. For example, if I was
dating and I kiss a boyfriend, that guy is not my husband at that present
time, so essentially I am committing adultery against the  guy   God does
have for me. The way I behave as a single woman of God will dictate how
I behave as a married woman (if that is God's plan for me).  What  I view
as acceptable as a singleton will be what I accept as a married woman.
Can't wait to read he newsletter! God bless! Lisa:) Psalm 46v10

Name: Miss Nomvula Ndlala

Subject: Welcome back and Congratulations

Message: Congratulations Mr. and Mrs de Deugd on God's blessing of
the womb. I was not raised with the convictions I embrace today.
Genevieve's testimony was one of the ways that the Father opened my
heart and eyes to embrace the Old paths of the faith. I am a 23 year old
South African woman and never appreciated Australia or New Zealand
for anything until I came across your story. I always felt as though
emigrated nationals to these two nations gave my country a bad name.
By faith, we look forward to the army of saints which will be raised by you.
Genevieve, thank you for your frank honesty as to adjusting to
Mr. de Deugd's vision and what a journey/work a happy marriage
is/requires. Thank you.

Name: Louise Morrison

Introduction: Hi, I am Louise, wife to Kris and Mum to 5 children ages
10 months - 10 years.  We live in Christchurch, NZ and attend Grace
Presbyterian Church in Christchurch where we are very involved.
Four of my children are girls and so I am always looking for encouraging
websites for young ladies (for me to glean information  from for my
daughters when the time is right). I believe a wife and mother is to
concentrate on serving her husband and children at home and this is
what I am attempting to do with the Lord's help (something I need a
lot of!). Congratulations on your marriage and your pregnancy! 
What wonderful news. Louise

Name: Apphia Long

Introduction: Hello, I am twenty years old (a homeschool graduate) and
delight in serving my family! We live on a farm in Southwest Missouri,
where I not  only enjoy the "farming" part of life (canning, hay-hauling,
etc.), but also help my mom with our little home business.  With my
father's blessing, we sew aprons, bags, and little girls' clothing to sell. 
We are also marketing our sewing patterns and selling fabric.  I have
three sisters and three brothers at home... we enjoy working and playing
together! I am serving at home because it is the beautiful calling I was
given by the Lord Himself.  There is no other job as fulfilling. Thanks so
much for this newsletter - I will look forward to receiving it.  May the
Lord bless you richly! In Christ, Apphia Long

PS-- Our family/sewing blog is www.mariemadelinestudio.typepad.com.

Name: Megan Petersen
Introduction: Hello, my name is Megan. I am 19 years of age and the
eldest of 6 children. We all work together for my father's home
business and love spending time as a family. I am a stay-at-home
daughter who desires to honor her parents in all things and seek the
Lord for His will. Cooking, cleaning, reading, playing piano, cross-stitching,
sewing and helping my mom to teach the younger children are some of
my favorite things to do. Thank you for putting out this Newsletter to be an
inspiration to young ladies. 

ID078 - Seven days of Dancing and Feasting

02 Sep 2008

Dear Girls,

I have often expressed the idea that a 30 minute wedding ceremony just doesn’t seem to adequately encapsulate all the joy that ought to go into such an event. For years before my own marriage I was fascinated by the idea of seven days of dancing and feasting—now that ought to just be able to encapsulate all the joy!

From a practical point of view, the idea of seven days of dancing and feasting had its pros and cons. A big pro in my mind was that friends coming from afar would have something more than a short event to attend. And it would give more time for mingling between the guests and bride and groom. On the other hand, I figured that after just one and a half days I’d be exhausted! The logistics would be terrifying. How would one live through seven days? One day in 2006, I was sitting in the Sydney International Airport. I was in transit waiting for my flight to Los Angeles. My father was sending me to attend a conference in the USA for him. I was to join various households while in the USA and do interviews with all the speakers for my dad’s magazine. Sitting in the transit lounge, I noticed a large family of Jews come into the area. Evidently they were flying to Los Angeles too. “Please Lord,” I prayed, “can I sit right in the middle of this family?” Guess where my seat on the aircraft was? I was seated right next to the eldest daughter who was about my age. As the journey across the Pacific began, I enquired what was bringing her and her family to the USA. Her sister, she told me, was getting married. “Was it an arranged marriage,” I enquired. It was. “Would they be having seven days of dancing and feasting,” I asked. Yes they would. I was very excited and put many questions to her.

It turned out that on the first day the couple would be married and given seven blessings. Each of the events on the coming days would be in honour of one of those blessings. It would be organised by a different person who would invite the bridal party and families and then whomever else they wanted. That certainly solved the difficulty with logistics and getting exhausted if other people would do the organizing!

When Pete and I began planning our wedding, we agreed with our families that seven days of dancing and feasting was certainly do-able. We didn’t do it the traditional Jewish way, but here is what it looked like:

Wednesday, 13 February 2008: Titus 2 Evening

Thursday: Family day

Friday: Setting up the reception, big family dinner and rehearsal

Saturday: Wedding ceremony and reception

Sunday: Our normal two church services with a big lunch in between

Monday: New Zealand National Premier of the film documentary, The Return of the Daughters

Tuesday: English Country Dance

Wednesday: BBQ

---

I have been asked to share about Pete’s and my wedding through the Issacharian Daughters newsletter. Thank you for your request. Lord willing, in the next few newsletters, I’ll focus on some of the different events surrounding the wedding and also include some photos. Thanks go to the official wedding photographer, Phil Meaney, for some fabulous photos and also to my Auntie Pam, Brett and Bec Cummins, Ty Bollinger and Marcelle van Leeuwen for sharing their photos with me (some of theirs will appear in the following newsletters).
For the Greater Glory of God through our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ,

Genevieve Smith

Issacharian Daughter