Missions Archives - Page 3 of 4

I remember the first time I laid eyes on her. My eyes were red and swollen from crying, and her smile was full, yet tender. Her eyes spoke to me…they knew my pain. She opened her arms, and we hugged for the first time. I knew who she was, even though I’d never met her before. We had a mutual friend, who told her about me. She wanted to be there for me on this day, in particular. This was the day of my late husband’s funeral.

Just nine months prior, Kathy also said goodbye to her husband, Fred, following his tragic suicide. She was already that much more ahead of me on Grief Road. She knew the awfulness of the days ahead, and she could pray for me like few others could. It’s amazing how the Holy Spirit drew us together.

I remember when she drove to the house one evening to visit with me. It had been several weeks since Chris had died. She knew the time would come when we would need this time together. The time had arrived indeed. She stayed and talked/prayed with me for hours, but yet it only felt like a few minutes. When she spoke, I felt as if the Lord God Himself was speaking to me. I knew He gave her the words to share. Again, such tenderness…yet boldness (an example of the lion and the lamb rolled into one)!

Kathy had her share of bad days. I remember several times the Lord prompted me to pray for her, and without fail, I would discover later (often just in reading her Facebook posts) the very reason for the prayer prompting. At the same time, I could see and sense the Lord brewing a mighty work in Kathy. You see – Kathy also spent her share of time in “deep waters”, much like me. God had already reached for her…He had already rescued her…and, He has restored her and is continuing do so until He calls her home!

Fast forward a couple years, Kathy is this very day in the nation of Pakistan! Yes…you read that right…Pakistan! She’s teaching these hungry people all about Abba! She’s living out a restored life! I’ve been following her status updates, looking at all of her pictures, interceding in prayer for her while she’s away. Just yesterday morning, we were chatting on Facebook, and Kathy made the comment, “Would you have believed what He is doing through both of us?”

In my finite mind…definitely not. But, in my Spirit-filled mind…absolutely!

God is Who He says He is! He will do what He says He can do! Kathy (and I) are living proof of His miraculous power! Only God, my friends. Only God!

The day is finally here. This journey began nearly nine months ago. And no…I’m not talking about pregnancy, at least not in the traditional sense of the word. 🙂 However, my daughter (Anna) has been “pregnant” with a dream – a dream that has been going on much longer than nine months. It just finally took root back in October, 2012. Her dream? Living out her call to serve on the mission field in Africa – specifically, Uganda.

Since her mother (er…uh…ME) traveled to Liberia, Africa on a mission trip in June 2010, Anna has sensed the call to follow in similar footsteps. Last year took her on her first international mission trip to Guatemala. While it was life-changing and some of the hardest days she’s ever worked in her life – she still sensed the call to serve in Africa.

The opportunity arrived last fall when she was invited to serve on a team of teenagers traveling to Uganda for FOUR weeks this summer! Then began many months of prayer, preparation, and fundraising! Lots and lots of fundraising. Anna knew that if she were going to go – the money had to be raised. And…God provided.

Then came the supply purchasing and packing. Trying to determine the least amount you can live with and still have enough was a challenge in and of itself. I dare say, Anna probably packs more for a week of vacation than she’s packed for four weeks in Uganda. But, she won’t need all that “stuff” there.

I know she’s about to embark upon a life-altering adventure. One that will forever change the way she views everything around her. She already has a heart for the “least of these” but to see the “least of these” first-hand…wow…just impossible to put into words.

My prayer is that Anna returns even more Christ-like; that she truly understands life’s blessings on an even deeper level; that God speaks to her in fresh ways; that she learns to love even more deeply…not just the poor but even those she encounters in her everyday life in the USA, as sometimes they are the hardest to love; that she remains “sold-out” to the Gospel and chooses to obediently live out the remainder of her days in such a way that one day Christ will say to her, “Well done, my good and faithful servant!”

And so…today my husband and I will take her to Gainesville, GA and leave her for a few days of training camp with her teammates. Monday at 5:42 pm ET she flies out of Atlanta and heads to Amsterdam on a nearly nine hour flight, where she will then connect to another plane that will carry her for the next 7.5 hours all the way to Entebbe, Uganda – landing on Tuesday at 10:15 pm (3:15 pm our time).

The day we’ve been preparing for is here. Will you join me in standing in the gap for Anna, through prayer, until she returns safely on August 2? Thank you!