Hello Dear Team Africa!!

I think I'm ready to come out of hiding . . . for a few minutes anyway!
I can't believe it has been an entire year since we landed back on the soil of good ol' US of A. And it has taken that entire year to recover! As I have been reflecting on our time in Africa and the few months following our return to the States, I am in complete awe and unexplainable thankfulness for how the Lord used you, our incredible team, to support, love, pray for, and bring us to a place of rest and refreshing again. YOU ARE INCREDIBLE!! And I'm not just saying that!

We have met many, many missionaries in our journeys over the years. Many of their stories of their support systems are very sad. Often missionaries get sent out with a big fan fare, rarely to hear from their supporters or "team" during their difficult days on the field and ESPECIALLY upon their return FROM the field. Many feel they cannot be real with their supporters for fear of losing necessary funding. Because of our anonymous giving, we felt total freedom to give you our yuck! And we did! And you responded in such love and grace, we just can't imagine it being any other way! Thank you for helping to make our experiences very different from those who feel so isolated in their service in foreign lands.

As we left for Africa two years ago, we were sent out miraculously as God used you to provide the necessary finances to get on the plane with our 17 bags and 3 kids! Once in Africa, we never once felt abandoned. You were faithful to email just at the right time (Praise God for technology. . . 25 years ago, that would've been impossible!!). You would email things God was asking you to pray for and it was SPOT ON! Many of you, I was able to build wonderful relationships with as email prayer pals! We were truly surrounded in prayer. And we always had what we needed monetarily. There were weeks it would look slim, but then God would prompt someone to give and we'd have exactly what we needed . . . over and over again. And as Heath has updated once before, we "made" more money as missionaries than he is making at a "real" job! That is miraculous and such a testimony to your faithfulness to care for us and respond to God in giving when He prompted. THANK YOU!

Mozambique was an incredibly rich experience for all of us, while South Africa proved to be much more trying. The uncertainly of what we were doing there, how long we were to be there and what was next, ON TOP OF having our 4th baby, made the stress of missionary life very difficult. Yet once again, we never felt abandoned by God or by you, HIS Body! Over and over your prayer confirmation was direction for us as the Holy Spirit would tell you things only He and we knew!

The love and care that we were given from Kent and Shay at the Ehmke house (the one we lived at in South Africa) and the friendship and fellowship from Richard and Sheila and others in Nelspruit was invaluable. Thanks so much for loving us and enduring with us through our difficult days! I was a basket case to be sure!

God's provision through YOU to get us back to the US was another amazing miracle. And everything preceding our landing in Portland, Oregon was the love of God manifested tangibly through you! Two weeks prior to leaving South Africa, we had no where to live upon returning home. Then God shows up through Mike Thaler and offers us a beautiful place to stay for 3 months! We got "home" and the house was set up and livable, complete with towels, sheets, beds, crib, soap, shampoo, dishes, warm clothes and a month and a half supply of food! For all of you who were part of that, we will never forget it. You blessed us beyond what we could've thought or asked for at that point. You provided a place for us to come home to and we felt anything BUT abandoned by our friends and team!

Those three months were so difficult in the reverse culture shock and wondering what the heck we were supposed to do next! Yet again, we had you to cry with, sob our guts out with, tell our jaded, processing thoughts to and to pray with! You know who you are! Thank you for letting us be so real. It made our restoration process so much quicker than it could've been. From toilet paper and diapers to friends GIVING US their mini-van, we couldn't recount all the ways that YOU, our friends and teammates have given to and been there for us.

Thank you to all of you who housed us, loved us, supported us financially through those awkward months. The Truaxs, Stagers, Bocseris, Kinds, and then the Georges whom we told we'd be there for 2 weeks and left 3 months later!!!!! I'm telling you, our friends are full of hospitality. We have so many crazy, unbelievable stories of true hospitality and the family of God working and providing for other parts of the body, it's bizarre!!

We truly have not taken any of your love, gifts, prayers, hospitality, financial support, and most of all friendship for granted. And I know in my attempt to give honor to you, our friends and supporters, I will miss mentioning some really big things, moments, or gifts. But they are not forgotten in our hearts and minds. My journals tell it all!

And as we could never repay you for such acts of love and kindness and sometimes sheer obedience, we continually pray that the Lord will bless you beyond what you could imagine for the sacrifices of friendship and love and gifts given to us for the Kingdom of Heaven.

It has been a wonderful 5 months of living in our own little house, with our own little space and our own little family. The Lord told me this would be a greenhouse time for our family where he was tenderly caring for and growing us in order to send us out again. It has truly been this. I am coming alive again and loving life again! YEAH GOD! Hiding has been the best thing in the world for me and the kids . . . a little rough on Heath but he's enduring for our sake!! Ministry, though on a much smaller scale, continues to be amazing as we meet on Tuesday nights to pray. The Presence of God and power of the Holy Spirit is just amazing.

And the biggest miracle of all is that I am LOVING and fully embracing the role of motherhood like never before in my 10 years of marriage. God had to take me through the last 3 years to bring me to a place of fully surrendering my heart and this time in my life to Him by giving it to my family wholeheartedly.

So thank you. Thank you, thank you, and thank you. Forgive my hiding! I will return (it may be 17 years from now but I will return!!). Jesus is ministering to us and continuing to minister through us. Someone asked me if I'm enjoying living in California. I said, "I would've enjoyed living on the moon at that point! I just needed somewhere to LAND for a longish period of time!" So yes, I'm enjoying Cali, but most of all, I'm enjoying routine, stability and hiding! This is the first time in 10 years of marriage where all I have to think about is my family! I think I'm considering this my sabbatical!

Ok, that's enough for one "outing!" Love and blessings and abundant LIFE to you all! We LOVE YOU!

Emie for the Locke Family

Abraham Lincoln on Finances

Dear Johnston:--

Your request for eighty dollars, I do not think it best to comply with now. At the various times when I have helped you a little, you have said to me, "We can get along very well now," but in a very short time I find you in the same difficulty again. Now this can only happen by some defect in your conduct. What that defect is, I think I know. You are not _lazy_, and still you _are_ an _idler_. I doubt whether since I saw you, you have done a good whole day's work, in any one day. You do not very much dislike to work, and still you do not work much, merely because it does not seem to you that you could get much for it. This habit of uselessly wasting time, is the whole difficulty; and it is vastly important to you, and still more so to your children, that you should break this habit. It is more important to them, because they have longer to live, and can keep out of an idle habit before they are in it easier than they can get out after they are in.

You are now in need of some ready money; and what I propose is, that you shall go to work, "tooth and nail," for somebody who will give you money for it. Let father and your boys take charge of things at home--prepare for a crop, and make the crop; and you go to work for the best money wages, or in discharge of any debt you owe, that you can get. And to secure you a fair reward for your labor, I now promise you that for every dollar you will, between this and the first of next May, get for your own labor either in money or in your own indebtedness, I will then give you one other dollar. By this, if you hire yourself at ten dollars a month, from me you will get ten more, making twenty dollars a month for your work. In this, I do not mean you shall go off to St. Louis, or the lead mines, or the gold mines, in California, but I mean for you to go at it for the best wages you can get close to home, in Coles County. Now if you will do this, you will soon be out of debt, and what is better, you will have a habit that will keep you from getting in debt again. But if I should now clear you out, next year you will be just as deep in as ever.
You say you would almost give your place in Heaven for $70 or $80. Then you value your place in Heaven very cheaply, for I am sure you can with the offer I make you get the seventy or ighty dollars for four or five months' work. You say if I furnish you the money you will deed me the land, and if you don't pay the money back, you will deliver possession-- Nonsense! If you can't now live _with_ the land, how will you then live without it? You have always been kind to me, and I do not now mean to be unkind to you. On the contrary, if you will but follow my advice, you will find it worth more than eight times eighty dollars to you.

Affectionately your brother,

A. LINCOLN.

F5

I have been pondering lately what Jesus meant when he said, "abundant life". Does it merely speak of "spiritual" things? Or does it encompass all aspects of life?

This season of "rest" has allowed me (and Emie) to grasp aspects of life in abundance! I will share what I am learning in 5 areas and they all happen to start with an "F".

Nothing profound, but then again all that is found in Jesus is more than nothing.

F5-coming soon!


Heath

My Art

My art now comes in Greeting Cards and any size you desire (framed or unframed) Click Here!

Maybe a kindergartner could be a CEO

Click on image to enlarge.

Death stinks so pour on the perfume!

I was reminded a couple weeks ago how Jesus doesn't answer Mary and Martha's prayer to come before Lazarus dies. He waits until he's dead (which twists our theology). He finally shows up, Martha comes out and says, "Lord, had you been here my brother would not have died." Jesus explains he will rise again, Martha says she knows he will rise on the resurrection day. Jesus explains that He is the resurrection. Then Martha leaves to get Mary.

The scripture says Jesus waited. He did not move from that place!

Martha comes to the house where Mary and friends are mourning Lazarus' death. Martha tells Mary that the Master wants to see her (which we don't know if Jesus actually said this, maybe Martha wasn't getting the results she wanted).

Mary runs out to meet Jesus (the house follows); she falls at His feet and says, "Lord, had you been here my brother would not have died." Martha and Mary say the exact same thing, word for word! Yet Martha moved Jesus to an intellectual conversation about the resurrection (who happened to be standing in front of her) and Mary moves Jesus to say, "Let's go raise the dead!"

Both women had a relationship with Jesus but one met Jesus and wanted to talk about the resurrection and the other wanted The Resurrection. One didn't fully grasp there was more Jesus was attempting to reveal in his conversing and the other grasped fully the revealed Jesus. One came to Jesus alone; the other brought a house full to His feet. One was concerned Lazarus would stink and the other wanted him alive. One still served lunch at Lazarus' "dead raising party" while the other poured $40,000 worth of perfume over Jesus' feet.

We all come to Jesus at the same place just not the same way! If our "coming" only brings conversations and not The Resurrection then let's get out the perfume and not worry if it stinks!

Heath

Pictures

Riding uncle Darrell's dirt bike!

A Little Rhyme

While driving to work this morning a rhyme came to my mind.

Gas is going up
We're all going broke
We don't know what's coming
But the Anti-christ is stoked.

Ok, ok don't quit my day job, I know.

Heath

What about Medicine?

A buddy asked me a great question that I thought many others are pondering.

"If you have time, I’d love to hear your thoughts on it. If a closed ear or back pain (etc, etc) is a spiritual issue (sin / enemy, etc), how is it that medicine sometimes heals those things (w/o prayer, etc)? Does this imply that sometimes it’s not a spiritual issue/problem but a physiological problem?"

Great question. My quick thoughts on that are this.
There are supernatural laws and natural laws. The natural law works and can be effective until a greater law comes. For example, the law of gravity is very real unless the law of flight collides with it. So medicine (which I think is great) works until a greater law (supernatural) supersedes it. So people can be cured by natural medicine but a more REAL truth is that supernatural healing supersedes. It also makes me wonder if medicine is more spiritual then we think. It is in places like Africa. Maybe we have been deceived here in the Western world and divided the two when in reality they co-exist.

The reason we have sickness and pain is the result of sin (you know that). What I am not saying is that someone’s pain/sickness is from their sin (though it could be at times). Rather we live in a spiritually dead world and the results only, always bring death/sickness/sin. When we pray for healing there are physical things happening (ears opening) but it is helpful for me to remember that was not the original intent from God (and we can change it b/c he has given his Bride the authority).
We were created Spirit beings that would never die. Spiritual death brought sin and sickness. And Jesus destroyed that on the Cross, we believe and receive. We now through Christ will never die, because we are spirit beings. We have bought into the idea that we are first physical and then spiritual, scripture is clear on that though. This body is only a container of who we are, spirit. That is why the spirit is dead (who we were truly meant to be) and we attempt to "live" from our soul, until the truth is revealed and our Spirit is born again (it was first born into death and now born again unto LIFE).

Physiological problem? Yes, the mind. Don't be conformed to this world but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. That is why it is so important to meditate on the Word. IT is truth not what we are feeling or believing.
For example this is why I don’t believe counseling works. The truth is that Jesus says we are dead and everything has been made NEW! Old is gone, the flesh is dead. We are free, we must believe and walk in it even when the enemy comes and communicates something else. We don’t really believe Jesus has recreated us, because we don’t understand the reality of the enemy who is continually attacking our identity. Which he did to Jesus! But God confirms who Jesus is, “this is my beloved son in whom I am well pleased.” Then he is led into the desert to be tempted.

We are new creations that live from the spiritual realm out so let's not allow the enemy to give us what the Lord has destroyed. The Gospel is power unto salvation, deliverance and healing.

Remember it is our faith that PLEASES Him!

Hope that answers some of your question. Please keep asking. Sorry I may have gone down a few rabbit trails.

Heath

Some responses from friends:

“Consider exploring the counseling thing a bit further. I believe you are right that it doesn't work to completely heal someone. But for some, I think it can help. It doesn't exactly heal; it's more like an emotional tourniquet until they are healed by God. In some ways, perhaps the counseling is more 'practice' on how to speak and listen. When someone is completely shut down and turned off, they can't (or won't) hear anyone. Sometimes including God. Sometimes the presence of a counselor gives the person 'permission' to begin to admit to the nasty things living inside them. But frequently counseling becomes an all-about-me-fest. It's up to the individual not to go there (or at least live there). I look at counseling like taking pain medicine. It may help lessen the symptoms to help you think more clearly about how to treat the cause - but it isn't a cure unto itself. ...and be careful you don't become an addict.”


“Some thoughts about Meds.

Meds only cover the symptom, not the issue. The issue is Evil, and no med can remove it. That is the part of any sickness or disease or Ungodly thing.

Some times it helps because it gets our mind off of the pain or ill feeling or fear, but only by deadening our senses. Hence when we focus on our “pain” (or sin for that matter of fact) we allow it to win the affection of our heart and we “trust in it”.

“You (Lord) will keep in perfect peace (Shalom) the mind that is fixed on you, because he trusts in you.”

Mind is fixed on what I am trusting in! So the deadening of our senses will allow a respite of the symptom and allow sleep or work or rest or even a chance to focus on the praise of our Lord!

The deadening of our senses is not a good thing over all as I believe God uses our senses to communicate with us. Thus “Pharmacia”, or witchcraft style potions and concoctions are to do just that, deaden our communication with the Father. I have turned to prayer after taking certain drugs, but have also found they get in the way of my communion with God, so I try not to take them.

I still use meds, but I have learned to trust God more by seeing what they do to me spiritually.

Theses are just my opinions, non scriptural, but experiential.”

My perspective on Healing

After sending out the last update I received an email asking me to pray for an individual. Which I will of course, but it is more fun if you get to. So I have put together a quick reference card :) on my view of healing. I will better it later but some of you don't have time, people are sick.
If we all believe what Christ has for his Bride then we don't need specialist.

A simple straight forward version, I typed out over lunch.

First, I believe it is the Lords will to always heal. Not everyone is healed, but I do believe it is his will. Just like it is his will that "none should perish but all come to repentance", though not all do, but that is his will.

Second, God has allowed Satan to control this world (1 John 5:19). Adam and Eve gave over the control. That doesn't mean God's hands are tied behind his back b/c he defeated the enemy on the Cross (which is where we receive Salvation and Healing from, the second Adam "fixed" what the first Adam destroyed) it is now our role (the Bride who co-labor with Christ) to make on earth what is a reality in the Heavens. "My will on earth as it is in Heaven"

Third, God has given us all power and authority to push back the darkness and bring his Kingdom.

Fourth, the thief kills, steals and destroys. So when I pray for someone, I am not asking what is God's will (I believe Scripture is clear on what he desires, this is different then asking God for wisdom or insight into the situation) I am commanding (in Christ) the enemy (and his effects, back pain, sickness, etc.) to move/be gone/let go (how ever you want to say it).

Fifth, If I see things as spiritual and not physical the battle becomes much easier. We can open deaf ears because it is the result of sin and the enemy, not God. I see it as telling the demon to leave/move, get off their ear!

Six, It is believing what the Lord has said, despite our circumstances. It is so easy that non-Christians can perform miracles, prophecy and cast out demons (Matt 7) it takes faith. But we can do it and have relationship so we don't end up in hell. Praise the Lord.

Hope that gives some perspective. Pray with confidence b/c you know Jesus (he knows you) and he has disarmed the enemy.

Heath

God is moving or are we finally moving with God?

I know it has been to long since the last update but here is a little something.
Someone made a list of all that has happened at our Tuesday night meetings within the last 6 months or so. I thought you would like to know about them.

I have omitted names where it would be to personal (except for healings).

"Worship God. For the essence of prophecy is to give clear witness for Jesus." Rev. 19:10

1) Rose’s shoulder healed (China) after Scott’s vision (USA)
2) Scott’s knee healed after 17 years of pain
3) Cathy’s shoulder healed
4) Beginning of a healed marriage
5) Father/Son reconciliation started
6) Mike’s elbows healed (“spirit of stupid” broken off!)
7) A fathers conversion to Christ (or reaffirmation) before death
8) Mike’s knees healed after months of continual ache
9) Kelly’s elbow healed
10) Robert’s skin cancer healed (down payment for his Dad’s healing!)
11) A daughter reconciled with her parents (vision of red tractor & palm trees)
12) Grandma Irene’s back pain healed & she sleeps through the night for 1st time in months
13) A ladies relief from depression
14) Kelly’s migraine headache healed (spiritual battle)
15) A couples financial miracle in the “nick of time”
16) Confirmation of a young ladies call to the ministry
17) Spirit of rejection broken off
18) Spirit of foreboding broken off
19) Spirit of condemnation broken off
20) Glenn healed of Leukemia/kidney failure (“completely reversed” w/ “help”)
21) “Bonking ball” (glory of God) heals Kelly’s back in the night (she thought it was a dream)
22) A lady steps over the chain (prophetic word)
23) A young ladies “encounter” with God
24) Scott’s vision of young lady (above) w/ suitcase @ Bethel
25) Young lady (above) deliverance from worry
26) Young lady (above) series of miraculous provision (new life, housing, Bethel, etc.)
27) Prophesies over young couple (amazing)
28) Crystal’s grandma’s living situation including house selling in 1 day
29) A woman’s daughter’s engagement broken
30) A woman’s (above) son’s surgery successful
31) Prophesies over a couple (also amazing)
32) Couple (above) financial/legal court case resolved in their favor (as prophesied)
33) Emie’s back pain relieved
34) A husbands interest in spiritual things revived
35) Spiritual battle over a fathers funeral resolved by the Lord
36) Emie’s vision (call) to live with Georges while in Africa (God’s provision)
37) God provides the Locke’s with special deal on rental house!
38) Knee injury reversed after lady falls in Wal-Mart
39) A fathers relationship with his kids improving as prayed for
40) Mike’s brush pile healing w/ Ben, start of reconciliation w/ friend
41) A families “awful bill”-$ arrived to pay


Blessings
Heath

View from Home.

You can't see the snow on the mountains or smell the pristine air, but wow it is beautiful. In just a moment the sun will slice open the sky as it rises above the mountains.
What a wonderful creator to give us such blessings.

Resting

The enemy’s urgency makes our resting and waiting a weapon of warfare.

Resting has brought an amazing tool of warfare for me and the family. My kids prophesied over me when we first moved into our home. Judah said: "as you rest you will grow". Abiel saw a tree planted and the roots spread farther and wider than the tree above ground, through resting. Ashers was a little weird (he's only 3), He saw Jesus standing over a volcano and as the lava came out Jesus picked it up and threw it and it became land. (Interpretation please).

This week we have seen a man who had a flu healed. "100% better than I felt yesterday."

A man who was scheduled for surgery to remove skin cancer on Wednesday healed on Tuesday night. What is even better than that (I believe) is the Holy Spirit washed over him in a refreshing way and he left renewed and full of Life. The doctor examined him and said, "what are you here for again?" "To remove the skin cancer." "There is nothing here." The doc checked his computer to verify and it showed there was cancer. "Well, there is nothing there now."

What is also amazing about this, I told one of the guys who was a part of the Tuesday night meeting and prayed in faith believing for healing, that 4 months ago he didn't even realize he had the gift of healing.
Emie and I are seeing clearer our role here (not just Tuesday nights): Cultivate. Disc up the ground, throw some fertilizer down (we all know what that is, where there is no oxen the stall is clean) and let the Bride use her gifts.

I believe things are opening up and we will see more "meetings/individuals" that we can help. Maybe once we are all rested up the Lord will allow us to go at it full time again (please, please). Until then we rest and wage warfare through wisdom and not busy-ness. It's the difference between being a sniper and a GI with a machine gun.

Please continue to pray as the Lord is opening opportunities up I need wisdom. Tomorrow I am going to a Bible study to connect with a pastor (whom I don't know, never been to the church, etc) to "bless" them. The Lord set it/me up through a dream I had last week. Long crazy story. I drive past the church building daily and one day I prayed the Lord would bless my bros and sisters that meet there. He said, "No, you bless them."
I said, "how?"
He said, "I will tell you later."
Hoping he would forget I drove to work. That night he gave me a dream about meeting a pastor (who was my age) and blessing him. A week later a friend walks into the office and tells me about a bible study that meets on Friday mornings. It happens to the same church I had prayed for and the pastor is my age. Coincident?
So I am heading there this Friday to see how I can bless them. And to think that all of this came as I rested and slept.

Isn't this so much fun? Why did I ever try to "do" ministry differently?

Maybe resting and waiting really is warfare.

-- Heath

The enemy’s urgency makes our resting and waiting a weapon of warfare.

She is having her first birthday.

Our little girl is 1 year today. It is amazing what can happen in a year. We were all sitting on a bed in South Africa waiting for this angel to come. She slid out and has not stopped.

Tomorrow we celebrate with cake.

The other three are keeping up their end of the deal and growing into young children. There is never a dull moment for mommy.

I told Emie the other night, "that's because it's hard to raise a Locke, we're world changers."

When we sterilize life, ministry, etc. so no one can mess up, then no one does anything. I heard someone say, "God put two trees in the Garden." GOD DID! He set it up so there could be a potential mess up. He choose Judas to be over the finances, His disciples argued who was the best b/c Jesus believed in them."

So much more, but I am glad my kids are wild (there is a difference between wild and disrespectful and/or disobedient) and struggle with each other. We are raising martyrs not manikins. Ones who can think and will face opposition. What a great place to work it out at home. I don't want religious em ty vessels but Peters who will swing the sword (after all Jesus did tell them to bring the swords) but are willing to be corrected.

OK so back to Elianna's birthday, she turns one today. God has truly "answered us with grace." Now if she could just sleep through the night.

Heath