When I wrote a couple of weeks ago I talked about the challenge of building my support team for our ministry in Haiti, and how much I have dreaded the task. Last year the theme Bev and I adopted was "Walk by faith" and it has been was exciting to see how God had made those words literally come to life for us. He has presented challenges for us to face and resources with which to face them.
God has been building my faith, so it is another step of courage to share our theme for 2014--"No reason to worry!" Now that will require some more internal surgery by the Great Physician! Philippians 4:4-6 are the verses I quote most often and the verses I most often ignore. Go figure. But as we have been learning towalk by faith--largely, because we have to!--we have also discovered that the process of worrying (though still present) is beginning to diminish.
Even as I write I am aware of some of my worries--coping with the aging process, understanding semi-retirement and its quirks (and perks), building my counseling business, making good choices about my time, discovering new ministries-- I confess, I am not yet "worry-free".
But I am making progress, thanks be to God!
The "No reason to worry" moniker will be a hard one to recite when tension is mounting and anxiety is surfacing. But it is our prayer that as we face the challenges of once again building our support team for ministry and figuring out how to live our new life on the Central Coast to the glory of God, that we will continue to "walk by faith"...and declare with conviction, "No reason to worry!"
Thursday, December 19, 2013
Tuesday, December 03, 2013
Building my team
It is not my favorite task as I work in Haiti. But it is essential. It is the time in the fall-winter where I have to rebuild my support team for the new year...and. admittedly, it is not my favorite thing to do.
It is not because I don't believe in the work we are doing. On the contrary, my heart literally pounds within me when I consider the faces of the Gilbert's and the Benjamin's and the Claudel's who remind me why we go. God is using our ministry in a humbling way as we encounter hundreds of Haitian pastors and church leaders each time we travel there to teach. Their expressions of love, thanks and appreciation resonate in my ears when I think about the difficult task of fund-raising.
I am grateful for the faithful team of prayer warriors who stood with us each time we traveled this year. The expressions of concern and constancy in prayer for us made it easier to go and to face the challenges that come from traveling to a third world country where the physical needs are great but the spiritual hearts of the people hungry for the Word.
I am also thankful for those who have been able to support this work financially. In this first full year of working there God has provided our needs beyond my expectations. The greatest joy was the provision of 550 textbooks--unplanned in our budget--mostly from Facebook responses. This alone was almost $6000 that God provided through faithful friends.
There are many needs this year--an increased budget with a growing number of pastors--over 600 now--a vehicle for Gilbert (we depend on his mobility and communication with the pastors), and increased expenses for traveling and textbooks (we are now being assessed exorbitant custom charges on books). It seems overwhelming, except for the team God has provided for us.
We thank you and pray for your continued participation as God directs you. God will build His work. That brings peace to me because His resources are unlimited!
It is not because I don't believe in the work we are doing. On the contrary, my heart literally pounds within me when I consider the faces of the Gilbert's and the Benjamin's and the Claudel's who remind me why we go. God is using our ministry in a humbling way as we encounter hundreds of Haitian pastors and church leaders each time we travel there to teach. Their expressions of love, thanks and appreciation resonate in my ears when I think about the difficult task of fund-raising.
I am grateful for the faithful team of prayer warriors who stood with us each time we traveled this year. The expressions of concern and constancy in prayer for us made it easier to go and to face the challenges that come from traveling to a third world country where the physical needs are great but the spiritual hearts of the people hungry for the Word.
I am also thankful for those who have been able to support this work financially. In this first full year of working there God has provided our needs beyond my expectations. The greatest joy was the provision of 550 textbooks--unplanned in our budget--mostly from Facebook responses. This alone was almost $6000 that God provided through faithful friends.
There are many needs this year--an increased budget with a growing number of pastors--over 600 now--a vehicle for Gilbert (we depend on his mobility and communication with the pastors), and increased expenses for traveling and textbooks (we are now being assessed exorbitant custom charges on books). It seems overwhelming, except for the team God has provided for us.
We thank you and pray for your continued participation as God directs you. God will build His work. That brings peace to me because His resources are unlimited!
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