The King's Daughter Interview - Gail

What is your (first) name?
Gail.

What state/country do you live in?
The beautiful state of Montana, USA but in my spirit I live in Israel.

What is your website name?
Standing at the Crossroads
Beit Simcha - House of Rejoicing

Please describe your site/blog:
I actually have two now! http://neshama-ancientpath.blogspot.com/ (Standing at the Crossroads) The main one got kinda rambling, with a mix of my thoughts on a variety of topics, mainly homesteading, homeschooling, adoption (especially international adoption) and my Torah observant faith. I found myself writing a lot of Torah posts and bible study topics so I made a new blog just for that. http://beit-simcha.blogspot.com/ (House of Rejoicing)
I desire to teach the 'good things' of God to women, preferring to do so with my life and only using words if absolutely necessary. These blogs are my attempt to use my words to bless others.

Please tell us a little about your family:
I have the most wonderful family! I am wife to a great man of God, who has had to overcome a lot of difficulties and has come through with an even greater faith than when I met him. I am a mother to 7 children, 5 born from my body and two I received through adoption. My oldest daughter, 20, is studying to become a nurse; the next daughter is 16, then a son, 14; twin boys adopted from Russia five years ago, ages 12; a daughter age 12 and the baby, another boy, just turned 11 in July. We have always homeschooled and we LOVE it!


Please tell us a little about your faith:
I want my faith walk to be a very open book - the good, the bad, the ugly and the beautiful, however, it is not so much about MY faith, as it is in the One in Whom I place this faith. I believe that faith is only as good as its object. In other words, while I understand that there are other 'faith's' out there, I believe that there is only One correct 'object' worthy of us placing ours in. The God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob - the One who reveals His nature through so many different names, but reveals Himself as Creator and sustainor by the name YHVH (Yahway), the one we read about in the 66 books of the bible.

I have so much joy knowing that YHVH is worthy of all my love and devotion and total obedience. I know this not just by what I read, but by experience. For someone to tell me that YHVH is not real.....well, it would be as crazy to say that my husband is not real, if they have not met him either.

One of my greatest desires is to follow YHVH's torah as a way to interact WITH Him. It is like the setting of a grand passion play and He and I get to be in many scenes together! What could be better than that??

I am so blessed that He loves me enough to have a plan for my destiny and that He desires to shape and mold me into the woman He desires me to be! I am so glad that I finally understand that I do not have to figure this all out on my own!

I know that YHVH has given you a heart for adoption, can you share some thing about that with us?
It's the most amazing thing! Adoption is not something that I would have thought of on my own. My husband either. We had some friends who got us involved in our local Summer of Hope program (a summer camp bringing international orphans to Montana for a month) and we became an advocate family - one who hosts the children and tries to find them a FOREVER FAMILY. We had no intention of adopting. After we had identified the children we would host, (they were from the Philippines) and got that finalized, I saw a picture of twins 6 yo boys from Russia, also planning on coming over with the same program. I literally heard an audible voice tell me 'these are your boys. Go get them. ' And THAT started our adoption journey.

It is so clear to me, from your blog Biet Simcha that you are zealous for YHVH and His Scriptures. I find myself getting all "Pentecostal" when I read your posts there. :-) What have been some of your favorite ways to study Scriptures? Who are your favorite teachers?

LOL! Thank you...I think??? :)
By far, my all time favorite torah teacher is Bill Bullock. I am on his yahoo email group and get sent weekly torah portion commentaries. He has opened up the scriptures for me in a way that makes me fall in love with YHVH and His Word, Messiah Yahshua in new ways all the time!
I had an INTENSE season of several years where I had no teacher but YHVH. That was not my choice mind you, but one that I am now so thankful for. Before that, I was heavily dependant on others to teach me the bible, so I really needed to be freed form that dependency as I moved in torah observance.

Do you have a link or any contact information for Bill Bullock? I can't find him when I search.

What people usually do is email him directly to get his weekly studies. He doesn't have a website. Here is his email. rabbisson@cableone.net and the Rabbi's son facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#!/pages/Texarkana-TX/The-Rabbis-son/112395278800878?ref=ts&__a=6&ajaxpipe=1

List your top 5 favorite things to do:

ok, I'll list them, but they are not very 'active' things....so be forewarned....
1)brag on what YHVH is doing or has done in the life of His people
2)brag on my children
3) encourage people to fall in love with YHVH and His living and written Torah (Messiah Yahshua)
4)make people laugh
5)teach people to become who YHVH created them to be

List your least favorite 5 things to do:
1)die to self
2)diet
3) try on clothes that fit me last month but this month are too tight....
4)argue about God's Word
5)cook in a dirty kitchen

If you could change one thing from your past what would it be?
YHVH gave me His gift for teaching. I would like to undo the things that I used to teach that are not of Him.

If you could do one thing from your past again, what would it be?
Run into the waiting arms of my Heavenly Father the first time He knocked.
Luke 11:9

What is your greatest challenge?
my flesh; dying to my wants and desires; Hashimoto's disease which lead to hypothyroidism

What are your home school philosophies?
Teach and model a love for learning that goes beyond a classroom. Teach my children how to learn and then provide plenty of opportunity for them to do so, limiting those things which rob them of their natural born curiosity to learn.

If you could teach other mammas ONE THING, what would that be?
Truly, truly, get to know YHVH on a personal level - not just His words as a philosophy or way of living. He is real and He desires to commune with us. His commandment/instructions/Torah are ways to interact WITH Him - not things to strive for in and of themselves. He is holy and worthy and ELOHIM, but He desires to know and be known by us.

What is your biggest parenting challenge?
I am going to sound like a broken record, but....dying to self. All the best books and seminars and theories are useless if we as parents don't pour out our lives for our children. This doesn't mean give them what they desire...this means to be the hands and feet and arms of YHVH for them, until they get to know Him on a personal level. We can not lead them to Messiah, (who leads them to YHVH) unless we are being led daily ourselves; taken to Him and taken again and again and again.

What is your idea of femininity?
A women who is so in love with YHVH - so in tune with Him and responding to Him that all everyone else sees is Him. I do not believe it has only to do with how one dresses (same with modesty) however, it helps when we dress in a way that is not a distraction to others being able to see YHVH in us.

What is your idea of modesty?
One who only speaks those things which edify, only does those things which please the Father and has died to self sufficiently enough that she is not remembered, but YHVH in her is. It is something I aspire to attain.

What is The Father doing in your life right now?
That's what I'd like to know! He brought these two precious little orphan girls into our lives for the next 21 or so days when I was least expecting that. He is teaching me that when He speaks I must be very careful not to assume I fully understand what He is doing, but that I must wait upon Him for clarification and the next step. He is reminding me of the beauty of adoption and how He loves the orphan and puts the solitary in families and how He uses imperfect people to work with Him to accomplish His will.

Do you have a miracle to share?
This all happened at the same time: it was that the Creator of the universe cared enough about me, a sinner - a self proclaimed "I am my own god" new age pagan - to speak into my life and reveal Himself to me and give me the time I needed to come to Him. That He took away the addictions in my life that were robbing me of my destiny as His child, and replaced them with many of the fruits of the Spirit immediately upon my recognition that He is REAL. That He was there for me when no one else was. That He made me a mother and gave me a mother's heart and a heart for Him and His Word and ways. And He gave me Someone to put my faith in, instead of myself.

What are you currently studying in The Scriptures?
I really enjoy teaching my children, so I end up studying what I intend to teach to them. We are currently studying the book of Matthew and I am amazed at how often we start there and end up in the Tenach, which is as it should be!

What are you most passionate about?
Showing others the beauty of the Torah - both written and LIVING. Encouraging others to know and be known by YHVH. In this season, this passion extends to the care of the widow and the orphan.

Choose 3 words to best describe yourself:
dedicated, zealous, imperfect

What things do you do to be a good neighbor?
At first I thought you meant just the people who live in my neighborhood, and I was going to say I try not to let the children scream outside too much. :)
But being a good neighbor to me means that I keep my eyes and ears open to YHVH's leading and be alert for ways I can help those in my sphere of influence. I desire to give of myself and my time or resources to those in need. Some days it is just a smile to someone who was a little gruff with me. Other days it is taking in a single mom and her two children and driving them around to her dr. appointments. Who's to say which is more important?



Why must Montana be so far away? I absolutely gobble up Gail's posts at Beit Simcha! One of my favorites that was so "spot on" was called Disputable Matters. (Posted below.) We are of "one in the Spirit" on that one! Her words could have been either my or my husbands words -easily! And it is "a Word" that the everyone needs to hear! I love your zealousness and passion for YHVH! It oozes out of your keyboard! It has been such a treat getting to know you and I am looking forward to a long friendship with you Gail! Spaseba Bolshoi! ;-)