February Highlights

Looking back, these are some of our blessings from this month.

Twice a month our church goes out into the neighborhoods to visit those who need encouragement and to share the gospel.  In February, Charlie was the prayer partner as one of the men in our church led a young man to the Lord.

We attended a Valentine's Banquet in our church.  In addition to a fine dinner served by the teenagers and an excellent message on marriage, there were also some games.  Charlie and I won the word game and came home with a prize.

Charlie flew to Iquitos, Peru, and from there took a boat downriver to Mazan where he and a couple other men from IPM held a pastors conference.  While they were there, God answered these prayers:

The town of Mazan

• Safety for the men when their boat hit a log at full speed and had to pull over for repairs.
• Encouragement and growth for the pastors who attended.
• An ability for Charlie and the other speakers to complement each other in their teaching, thereby giving more in-depth understanding of the subject matter.
• God is growing His church in the Amazon.  One church Charlie attended was almost double in size from his previous visit last summer.

While Charlie was gone, I went through the small neighborhood where we live and invited the ladies over for a morning coffee.  Six women and one teenager came, and it was a good time of getting to know each other.  When they left, I handed each one a rose.  It is my hope that this is beginning of some lifelong and eternal friendships.

Our church held a missions conference while Charlie was gone.  By the end of the conference, they came within a few hundred dollars of meeting last year's goal, and they decided to raise their faith promise giving by 28%.  This is a huge blessing to the missionaries who attended who are raising support to go abroad.  They can now add our church to their list of supporters.

Charlie arrived safely home on Sunday afternoon, in time to celebrate together with our church on their victory of raising their faith promise goal.   

Another Great Missions Conference

We were just in a local church’s missions conference where the theme was “The Call to Arms”.  Being highlighted for this event were missionaries who were going out to pastor or plant churches near US military bases around the world.  We were encouraged to tag along and put up a table so that the people in the church could get to know us a little better.  We were not one of the speakers, though Charlie was able to share our ministry with one of the adult Sunday School classes this morning.

While we were not the focus of the conference, it was great to be part of an event where the church obviously rose to the challenge of getting missionaries out to the world.  These are some highlights from the conference. 

Every night the missionary families were fed supper.  After the meeting, the whole church was invited to a time of refreshments in the fellowship hall where the missionaries’ displays were set up.  Also every night there was a missionary “store”.  The three main families were invited to take part in taking things from the store on the first two nights.  After that, the other missionaries who were there were encouraged to take part.  Every night new objects appeared so that even though we only went into the store on two nights, we still walked away with a lot of usable items – things like soap, laundry detergent, dryer sheets, work gloves, water bottles, cleaning supplies, toothpaste, shampoo, and other things.

Someone did a great job decorating.  With a theme of “The Call to Arms” they had three displays in front and one in the back that highlighted the need to obey Our Commander in Chief and take the gospel around the world.  These pictures will give you an idea.

Two men from BIMI preached, alternating each night.  They did a very good job of encouraging people to get behind the missionary endeavors of the church.
Tonight they took up their “Faith Promise” offering.  From this church of about 130 people, $126,000 was promised by the people for the next year.  What a great show of faith by the people of that church!

It is exciting to be in any missions’ conference, but it’s especially encouraging when we see the church very excited about the way they are personally helping the cause of missions throughout the world. 

On the way to the car, I said to Charlie,”I would like to be in more missions conferences.”  He replied, “I’d like to have the job of speaking in missions conferences all the time (like the BIMI speakers at this conference).  That would be like giving candy to a kid.”

We came away blessed and so thankful to see people excited about spreading the gospel around the world.

"No man that warreth entangleth himself with the affairs of this life . . ."

God’s Sweet Voice

I love it when God speaks clearly.  It’s scary if it’s been too long since I’ve heard that clear voice of His.  Whether His voice speaks comfort, conviction, direction, or wisdom, I need to know He’s speaking clearly.  I want to know it’s His voice and not my own selfish desires directing the choices I’m making.

We went to Mississippi to participate in a missions conference.  There was wonderful fellowship with other missionaries and pastors.  The music and the speakers were tremendous.  But the best part of those three days was God’s clear voice speaking to my heart.

His Sweet Voice in Scripture

On Tuesday morning, I took Charlie to the conference and returned to the hotel room to read and pray.  I prayed about our deputation.  I prayed for Charlie and the contacts he was making.  I prayed about my ministry.  I asked, “Lord, what exactly is my role in this whole deputation process?”   I heard Him speak to my heart and say, “Read Ephesians 4:1.”

I opened my Bible and read,

I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called.

Wow!  Walk worthy of the vocation wherewith I am called.  That’s a tall order.  I have been called to be a wife to my dear husband, a missionary with IPM, a representative of the King of Kings, and a fellow traveller on my way to heaven with many other fellow travellers. 

“Okay,” I responded to the Lord.  “I get it.  I’m to walk in a way that is worthy of the calling on my life.  But HOW?  How am I supposed to fulfill such a tall order?

So I read on,

With all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love; endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. 

So it’s not so much WHAT I do as HOW I do it.  My role is to have an attitude of humility, meekness, patience, forgiveness and unity.  In my calling as a wife, those are necessary.  In my calling as a fellow missionary, those are necessary.  In my calling as a fellow Christian, those are necessary.  Whether I’m alone with Charlie or out in the public eye, I need these qualities.  When I relate to others, I need these.  When I’m tempted to get discouraged or complain, I need these.  I have been so focused on the WHAT, that I’d forgotten that God looks at the heart and sees everything based on that.  I need to develop His attitudes in me.

His Sweet Voice during Preaching

On Wednesday morning, I sat listening to the preacher talk about the need of the world to hear the gospel.  I cannot give you his three points because the Holy Spirit was using that time to speak deeply to my heart.  When the altar call came, I knew I needed to respond.  Yes, I could have responded in my seat, but it was important that I publicly acknowledge that God was working on me.  I went to the altar with deep sorrow and repentance. He convicted me of sin and reminded me once again of things that I had forgotten.  He helped me regain my focus on Him and on the need to stay focused on eternity. God is far more patient with me than I usually am with others.

His Sweet Voice in Consensus

When the conference was over, we loaded up our display and headed to the car.  Travelling down the road, I told Charlie of the Holy Spirit’s conviction and why I had gone forward.  He then told me that the Lord had addressed an area of need in his life too – the same one for which I had come under conviction.  We realized it was the Lord’s way of directing us as a couple  .It was like a light went on right in front of us directing us in the choice of a home base.

By speaking to us individually about the same thing, we walked away from the conference saying, “We really need to be part of a church that has soul winning as a major part of its makeup.”  It was suddenly so clear to me that I needed a church like that, and then I found out Charlie came to the same conclusion.  We knew God had spoken clear direction into our lives to help us find a home church.

I Need His Voice

We know God can use circumstances to guide as well, but it is the clear sweet voice of the Holy Spirit that I crave.  I need to hear HIm speak clearly in every aspect of my life.  As Moses said to the Lord,

“If thy presence go not with me, carry us not up hence.  For wherein shall it be known here that I and thy people have found grace in thy sight?  Is it not in that thou goest with us?”   

I agree.

Missions Conference Notes

Over the past few days, we have been participating in a missions conference.  The speakers were great.  Here are a few quotes that I was able to get written down.

From Dr. Joe Arthur I heard, "Little is much if God is in it, and God will get in it if you give Him what you’ve got."

I wrote down several quotes from Dr. Tommy Ashcraft, a missionary in Mexico.  Here are some of his:

Teens in Guatemala singing about taking the gospel to the world. 

The only dream a Christian has a right to dream is to take the gospel to a hidden corner of the mission field. 

The average church member only gives $2.00 a week to missions.  That won’t even buy a Happy Meal at McDonalds!  

You have not given sacrificially until you give something you will not be able to replace. 

We complain about waste in government, but if we use any dollar except to further the gospel, it is wasted. 

What right do we have to ask a missionary to change his lifestyle in order to go to the mission field if we are not willing to change our lifestyle to send them? 

Dr. Mark Smith said,

The person sitting in your seat is the one who needs to surrender. 

Our city is not unreachable. It is just unreached.  

I came away challenged, eager to share the gospel more and excited to be part of the work that God has left His people to do.  I am both humbled and amazed that I get to be part of something that actually changes people's lives!

A Virginia Welcome

As we say goodbye to our week in Virginia, we take our leave with hearts of gratitude for the great things God did for us through the good people of Lighthouse.  I will list just a few of them.
1.  Our hosts agreed to take us in early so that we could avoid Sandy, the “storm of the century.”  An apartment in their basement provided luxurious accommodations.  They also graciously allowed us to fend for ourselves for lunch so that we would not be tempted to overeat at every meal.
2.  The church showered us with gifts.  When we arrived, a gift bag was presented to each of the ladies.  The next day, the third and fourth-grade children at the Academy presented us with a goodie box that was loaded with practical items.  We found note cards, sanitizers, lotions, band aids, gift cards, tissues, gum, snacks and other special things. They also included a check that was the accumulation of a year-long collection.  When we opened the envelope, we were stunned by the generosity of these children.
3.  Several people opened up their homes to us for dinners.  Those dinners were great opportunities to get to know them, enjoy good home cooking, and spend some time with some of the other missionaries.  I love being in people’s homes.  You get to know them in a way you could never know them otherwise.  At one home, I got to spend time with three gorgeous little girls.  At another, I said to the hostess when I looked around, “You must love candles as much as I do.” 
4.  The preaching all week was superb.  Dr. Earl Jessup, who helps churches plant churches had many good things to say.  These are some favorite quotes from the week:

• They were ready to attack hell with squirt guns because they had seen what God could do.
• Always keep something supernatural in your ministry.  Always have something only God can do.
• We still have a God who will show Himself strong today.
• You need to get a good return on your missionary dollar.
• The church is good for the Christian the way a home is good for a child.  If a child is in a home that is not good for them, he will not turn out right.  If a Christian is not part of a good church, he will not turn out right either.
• You need to start something only God can finish.

5.  The Lord has been working in my heart through the preaching, the fellowship and the study of His Word.  I still have a long way to go to be a good reflection of Jesus, but my heart has been stirred and my faith strengthened through this week.
6.  I always love beautiful scenery, and this was the view out our window all week long.  Unfortunately, the photo just does not do the scene justice.