When God calls you to do something, do you do it? I don't always. I like to tell my friends I need a 2x4 to the head to get my attention. I want to share a story of a command I was given that I ignored - but eventually said yes too.
International Missions.
I had never even had a remote call for international missions. I knew that my oldest daughter had- since about 5 mins after she was saved. "mom when I can travel to the world to tell people about Jesus?" was her question. I read Kisses From Katie and saw my daughter in Katie. That scared me.
I have friends and members of my small group that go on international mission trips. I loved hearing their stories. But I also loved going to We Will Go down town, and hearing stories about local mission work. The power of Jesus is simply overwhelming.
Late in Feb of 2014, I saw in the church worship guide that there was a meeting that night about an upcoming trip to Honduras for orphan care, at Rancho Ebenezer, part of World Gospel Outreach. I remember thinking, how cool! Our church sends teams literally around the world - but this was a first for Honduras. I felt a little sense of "you should go to the meeting" but I brushed it aside. Me? What? I'm not an evangelist, I don't have the money for mission trips. I'm an introvert, how can I POSSIBLY share the gospel with people I do not know?!
Later that same day, I was back at church because my youngest daughter had choir practice. I was sitting in a chair in the hallway when a couple I didnt know came up the stairs. This is not uncommon in a church our church's size. They asked me if I knew where the meeting about Honduras was. I did. I read it in the worship guide, remember? I showed them how to get there. Again I hear "you should go". But I said NO. I'm sitting there, minding my own business, when our missions pastor comes out of the room and comes down to where I am sitting. He asks me if anyone else looking for him, because he felt like someone else is supposed to be at this meeting. I said, no I haven't seen anyone else, but if I do I will send them your way. The only thing the Lord didn't do was write on the walls with his hand or drag me by the collar down the hall. I mean I really wouldn't have been shocked if a donkey walked up to me and started talking, you know what I mean?
My daughter finishes and we leave to head home. Its still on my mind though. I cant sleep that Sunday night. I toss and turn and all I hear was I said to go the meeting. So the next morning I tell my husband that I didn't know why I was supposed to go to the meeting, but I was, so I needed to email the missions pastor and tell him.
I emailed him and told him the whole story - and he sent me all the information from the meeting and agreed to pray with and for me while I prayed for God's direction. I was SCARED. TERRIFIED.
Why me? I'm not anything special faith wise. We don't have this kind of money! I wrestled with it all week. But the direction was clear. Go. The deposit was $200.
That Thursday was the last day before payday for the month . I don't know about your budget, but by the last day before payday, I know exactly how little we have or should have left. By this time, all our commitments have been meet and we are ready for the next month. I checked in our account to make sure all was well - as I have habit to do in this day of debit cards and electronic movement of money and fraud - and we had EXACTLY $200 more than we should have had at that point in our pay period. Exactly. I had a moment of "what did we forget' and went over our month's transactions probably 15 times to make sure all was well. It was. There is no explanation for that money other than God wanted it there. None. I know some readers will think that's nuts or I miscalculated. But I know some readers who've experienced God's provision monetarily first hand will be like AMEN! GOD MATH! Well, at that point I decided I didn't want to risk one of the dogs talking to me like the donkey in the old testament, and filled out my application and took the deposit up to church.
After I submitted it, my husband said he was led to send our oldest daughter with me. I had thought that this trip was to prepare me for the day she left for missions, but maybe she was to go as well. So I emailed the missions pastor again, and he told me that the minimum age was 14 - which she would only be 13. I was discussing this with my small group leader - who goes to a different church - and she said to have him ask the ministry again, because she was going ot the SAME PLACE in June and they were taking younger kids with them. So I did, and we got word from the ministry that she could go. So I filled out her application and paid her deposit. We were off to the races! I had the payment schedule, which seemed insurmountable to me at the time. It was the first part of March. We had these payments to make, passports to acquire, vaccines to research - it was a lot to do and be able to fund.
We designed a tshirt to sell, planned a yard sale, and wrote support letters. Friends and family provided funds instantly, we had support from another church, we had an over abundance of donations for our yard sale - good stuff too, and money just poured in to cover our trip in such away that we were in awe. It was very good for my kids - they saw just what God can do, in a tangible way. 30 days after I said yes, God and provided every cent we needed. Including the deposits back, and money for the passports, things we needed to buy, even the vaccines.
I went out of town for work and my luggage was damaged. I said out loud to my husband "we will need new luggage now" and the next day there was a card and $200 from a friend in the mail - with the note she felt like we just might need a little more for our trip. Even the spending money we took with us was handed to me right before we left. It was simply amazing.
All I did was say Yes. Yes isn't hard to say, unless you are scared. No is much easier to say in fear.
So if the Lord is calling you to say yes, just do it. Whatever it is, say yes. He will make the way, He will provide, and He will not leave you alone.
Next: A trip out of the valley and up the mountain.
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