Trumpeting God's Works

This morning, my sleep was troubled by a dream so vivid and real that upon awakening, I felt myself literally cowering. In my flesh, I was overwhelmed by what my mind had seen. But in my spirit, I knew that fear was trying to take control of my thoughts and render me powerless. Over the last several weeks following General Conference, it seems a good number of the "stops" set in place have been removed, and our family has been under a constant stream of spiritual attack. Yesterday, it seems that I lost nearly an entire day due to lack of focus, inability to "get moving." Infirmity is trying to overwhelm all of us in different forms.

We have been told by several we esteem highly in ministry that the prince of Finland has sent his emissaries to trouble, attack, and attempt to stop our progress. From the multiple "hits" from all sides that we have endured over the past four months, it would seem - on the outside - that our enemy is winning. However, his emissary made a mistake this morning. It attempted to speak to me as God would, and call me to prayer as a result of the fear that had momentarily paralyzed me. Do the devil and his imps not realize that we know our Lord's voice? Do they not realize that the power he tried to imitate is greater than he could ever hope to have? Evidently, this particular spirit didn't even begin to consider that he could potentially unleash the opposite of what he tried to accomplish,for to pray as a result of fear would have meant that I accepted the horrific things that I had seen! I am convinced that our enemy now certainly knows where I stand, as I certainly explained our position to him upon arising.

God's vision and calling is clear. Mark and I both have a clear and very vivid account of His bidding on both of us. My children have each received a call to minister there as well. His voice has spoken and told of those in Finland who would be part of His Bride. He has trumpeted that there are many souls there who will be won to Him. I have had visions of angels - legions of them - being sent to minister to, and do battle in, the capital city of Helsinki. They are there even now, moving throughout the streets, touching the people. God has shown us these things, and no power in Hell is strong enough to stand against what His Will and Vision will accomplish there. God does not tell untruths, nor give hope where there is no hope.

God never said He would remove the trial, but He did show us how to overcome it. We may be tired and weary, but greater is He... We may deal with infirmity, but greater is He... We may see 'dry spurts' in our budget progress, but greater is He...

Our trust lies in Him. He is protecting us from what we cannot see. He is equipping us for those things that are hidden from our natural eye. I choose to see His glory, the things that He has done. So, in your face, devil. I'm sharing a few testimonies so that His works will be made known. Our journey here in the States is not over, because He has spoken to us through messengers multiple times and said that our ministry to the American church is not yet complete.

To God be the glory: A woman in Canada was immediately healed of scoliosis. A lady in Tennessee was immediately healed of a severe pain in her ear that resulted from a swimming accident. A teenage girl in Arkansas - toothache. Multiple people have been instantly healed of severe back conditions. Two other ladies received what we would call the start of a progressive healing in their back, with severe symptoms immediately starting to ease following prayer. A man in Georgia, pain removed and mobility restored in his hands. Multiple people have been instantly healed of heart conditions, some who were experiencing pain at the moment of prayer. A boy in Ohio was enduring symptoms of a heart condition, although the doctors could find no definite reason - the pain left and he testified of a healing to his church following prayer for him. Multiple people have been instantly healed of arthritis. Multiple others delivered from addictions including alcohol, tobacco, drugs, pornography. A woman was delivered from lesbianism. There have been more backsliders return to the Lord in the last 19 months than we could possibly count, and multiple others filled with the Holy Spirit for the very first time. Countless others have received a miraculous touch on their mind. There are many more testimonies that I could share, and others that we probably have no inkling of at this time. "For do I now persuade men, or God? or do I seek to please men? for if I yet pleased men, I should not be the servant of Christ. But I certify you, brethren, that the gospel which was preached of me is not after man. For I neither received it of man, neither was I taught it, but by the revelation of Jesus Christ." (Gal 1:10-12)

I am speaking even more vision and purpose into our lives. I speak the ability for God to overwhelm us with His Passion for Finland. There are already people hearing of truth through the actions of other missionaries; there are those who await baptism even now. The prayers of Finland's Intercessor Team are being heard throughout the spiritual kingdom of satan, and we have been told that the prince of Finland is afraid. In and of ourselves, we are truly nothing - all that we do centers around Him. We are simply facilitators of His Vision, and hell is running scared because God's people are joining forces with us to see an entire country awakened.

So... while this has been my song of late: "I will ask God, my rock, "Why have you forgotten me? Why must I walk around in mourning while the enemy oppresses me?" With a shattering blow to my bones, my enemies taunt me. They ask me all day long, "Where is your God?" Why are you discouraged, my soul? Why are you so restless? Put your hope in God, because I will still praise him. He is my savior and my God." (Psa 42:9-11), I stand upon His promises and say, "This I recall to my mind, therefore have I hope. It is of the LORD'S mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness. The LORD is my portion, saith my soul; therefore will I hope in him." (Lam 3:21-24) "He only is my rock and my salvation; he is my defence; I shall not be greatly moved." (Psa 62:2) "For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places." (Eph 6:12)

I am writing this as a reminder to myself - we are called. We are chosen simply because of our willingness to serve, not because we are special. We are overcomers in Him, not in ourselves. "I will say of the LORD, You are our refuge and our fortress: our God; in You will we trust. Surely You shall deliver us from the snare of the fowler, and from the noisome pestilence. You shall cover us with your feathers, and under your wings shall we trust: Your truth shall be our shield and buckler. We shall not be afraid for the terror by night; nor for the arrow that flieth by day; Nor for the pestilence that walketh in darkness; nor for the destruction that wasteth at noonday. A thousand shall fall at our side, and ten thousand at our right hand; but it shall not come nigh us. Only with our eyes shall we behold and see the reward of the wicked. Because we have made the LORD, which is our refuge, even the most High, our habitation; There shall no evil befall us, neither shall any plague come nigh our dwelling. For You shall give your angels charge over us, to keep us in all Your ways. They shall bear us up in their hands, lest we dash our foot against a stone. We shall tread upon the lion and adder: the young lion and the dragon shall we trample under foot. Because we hath set our love upon You, therefore will You deliver us: You will set us on high, because we hath known Your name. We shall call upon You, and You will answer us: You will be with us in trouble; You will deliver us, and honour us. With long life will You satisfy us, and shew us Your salvation." (Psa 91:2-16)

We will go forward. We will prevail. We will achieve our budget goal in His time. And, we will impact the North American church in the process.

In Jesus' Name.

Month 19...still going strong!

Wow. To consider that we have been traveling for nearly 19 full months is... staggering. Why in the world time can fly past so quickly - yet not seem like it lasted so long - is absolutely beyond me. Maybe it's because we understand the journey - many say that the process we follow is broken. However, if we did not 'do what we do,' we could not connect, could not touch others, and could not grow ourselves. Just the past 4 months have taught us so much - I am truly a better person because of them.

I realized something rather saddening during the early part of August. While I have been seeing growth in my spiritual walk, in that He has allowed me to flow in the gifts in different areas, I had not striven to grow 'exponentially.' I had let deputation 'get the best of me.' We do lead (what I call) a "crazy" life, continually traveling...going, and going, and going...just like the Energizer bunny (smile). Add homeschooling two teenagers to the mix and wa-la - your life just got crazier (another smile). So, Mom had just been coasting along trying to make it, not going out of my way to seek things such as "growth" reading, etc. "Weeellll...," Mark and I went on an extended fast in August, and this was the 'main change' that I underwent during that time. God flipped a switch and illuminated this part of me. Yep, it was painful, but I am so glad that He did! I finally finished the "Twelve Extraordinary Women" (John MacArthur) that I started in February (yes, February). I read "The Simple Church" (Thom Rainer, Eric Geiger - must read for every pastor/wife); wow, that was an eye-opener for someone who will be building "from the ground up." Now, I am working on the complete set of works on Prayer by E.M. Bounds. I highly recommend this book to anyone who wants a deeper prayer walk with God (just make sure that you're serious - God has been awakening me early ever since I started reading it)! And, of course, we have a stack of 5-6 more already... when God flips the switch, He REALLY flips it! (lol)

Our whole family has gone through a metamorphosis that is astounding to see. Each of us is developing in a specific ministry - the girls are as much a part of this as Mom and Dad, and it is wonderful to see the growth. The summer has been a hard one, but... isn't it interesting that in the midst of trials, we have grown? I know that is the way that it's "supposed" to be, but it's so cool to learn a lesson so that repetition is not necessary. I don't want to be one of the people stuck on the hamster wheel, enduring the same things over and over, simply because I am too stubborn to say "Okay, Lord, I get the message!" :)

We are currently in Florida - we have one more week down in the Tampa area - then off to General Conference we go. We are looking forward to reuniting with fellow missionaries, seeing friends, but most of all, being refreshed in the Word. The services never fail to bring new perspective to our walk with God, and we always leave feeling "so much better" than when we arrived.

God has been faithful - part of the trials that we underwent this summer have had to do with our silly van, fondly named "Greta" by Candace. Greta decided to give us a few problems this summer, beginning in July. I guess the fact that we've been pushing her a little too hard caused her to rebel; the transmission started slipping, amongst other things, namely a wiring issue that decided to cloak itself every time a mechanic came close (sometimes I wonder if Greta did that on purpose) :). After the fifth visit to a "shop," we finally got her into a mechanic that was like a dog who refused to let go of a juicy bone. Although he misdiagnosed twice, it would have been easy to do - the wiring problem that we had was missed by most all of them (except for the auto parts store clerk who diagnosed it - in the beginning - without all of the fancy equipment...go figure). God has covered us financially through it all; in approximately $3,500 in repairs, we only paid for about $500! He knew that the lack of services had not allowed a buildup of funds - Can anyone say "TRUST" with me? Our summer has had that word written all over it. I am so very thankful that I can trust Him - He 'always' comes through!

An incredible experience happened just a few weeks ago - we had the privilege of helping a woman release the shame that she carried from a lifestyle contrary to scripture. While she had repented, the shame was keeping her from receiving the Holy Ghost. What a change when that release came... the instant she lifted her hands after self-forgiveness, a precious heavenly language began to flow! It is the God-given moments such as these that make this journey easier...

We try to connect with fellow missionaries on the road whenever we can - a couple of weeks ago, we met up with the Miller's, "brand-new" missionaries to India and Bangladesh. Love, love, LOVE these people! If you haven't met Patrick and Sandy Miller, please try to do so... they are awesome.

We have also met some absolutely incredible people since March 4, 2008. I wouldn't trade this experience for anything - my life is so much richer because of it. (But don't get the idea that we want to do this full-time...we are ready for Finland!) All in God's time - Lord, can it be soon? There are people waiting to be baptized...

Have a blessed day, everyone! Keep on trusting Him... Father Knows Best.

Winding Down the Summer Months

Mark and I had three wonderful weeks together while the girls flew home in order to attend NAYC. It was good to be apart, yet good to come back together. We are enjoying the few weeks before school begins again...

We are approaching the end of August - wow, how time has flown. We start "back to homeschool" after Labor Day, head to Florida that weekend, then culminate the month at General Conference 2009 in St. Louis. It is hard to believe that we will have been on the road a full 18 months at the close of this month! God has truly kept His hand upon us; we have covered approximately 55,000 miles over the last 1-1/2 years, visited 33 of the 50 states, plus three provinces in Canada. Our van, affectionately referred to by Candace as "Greta," is beginning to show the wear of it all. As of this Monday, she will have visited a mechanic five times since mid-July, undergoing a transmission rebuild, plus attempted diagnoses of a seemingly veiled problem...electrical? or is it the body control module (computer)...who really knows? :) It seems to depend on which mechanic you speak to at any one given time. However, in the midst of it all, God has truly covered us with angelic protection. We have never sat on the side of the road - our destinations have always been met, and He has provided men that help us look after our problems. We truly serve an "on-time God!" Blessings upon those who have helped us... we will never forget, and neither will He.

We are currently in Virginia and head to North Carolina next week. We have made some great friends down south, and we look forward to "revisiting" some of them over the next month.

We have enjoyed the connections that God has allowed us to make over the last month - He really does know "what" we need, and "when" we need it. He has also again spoken prophetically to us, allowing us to know that there are provisions being made in numerous areas that will assist us once we get to Finland. Thank you, Lord, for taking care of ALL of our needs.

If you are at General Conference, please look for us in the Foreign Missions area. We would love to "catch up" with you!

Blessings,

Enjoying Some "Space"

The last couple of weeks have been somewhat different, as our family is apart for a little space of time. The girls received a financial blessing which enabled them to attend the North American Youth Congress. Due to some automotive issues that we were having, combined with a lack of services during July, we had told them they would not be able to go. I am so thankful that God knows what we need - and cares about our wants, too. He supplied adequate funds for their plane tickets "home" to be taken care of, and off they went to stay with Grandma for a few weeks. This allows "Mom and Dad" to have some rare time alone as well.
We are currently in Canada, having been scheduled in the provinces of both New Brunswick and Nova Scotia. Our family has never had the opportunity to travel quite so far north, so it has been interesting to see the sights as we drive (and there has been a lot of that over the last week). The towns and cities are spread quite a bit apart (and the roads are not always the best), which requires a whole lot of travel. Thankfully, we are "put down" in one place for the next several days, which allows us to take care of laundry and simply rest our bodies. The responsiblities never stop (newsletter, office reports, etc.), but we try to sprinkle in some sightseeing along with it and that helps the time go by a little better (smile).
We have about 3 weeks until school starts back up again; Candace will be entering her sophomore year, and Miranda will be a senior. It is so hard to believe that our girls are "growing up" so quickly; where does the time go? Mom is learning to "let go" (aaaahhhh), which is never a fun process for anyone, I've been told. But, we'll make it. We are happy for the accomplishments that the girls have made thus far, and believe that God will use them to do great things in the future.

We have just one more week here in Canada, then it's back to the U.S. to meet up with our daughters. Mom and Dad are enjoying our "space," but it will be good to have the family 'all back together' again.

We'd love to hear from you - keep in touch!

Blessings.