Sharps 2 Thailand

It seems that when God speaks to your heart, you know because the thought just won’t go away, no matter how hard you try.  During prayer, one thought haunted Bill as he came before the Lord – a simple email, sent a few weeks prior from our principal at Grace, that said plainly “if you cannot come, we will have nobody to teach Middle School Science”.  Gee, no pressure there, right?  But how can we come when we are not fully funded?  We don’t even have enough support raised to stay for a full year!!  Yet, the thought would not go away.  It became painfully obvious that there was only one answer – step out in faith and believe that God will provide all of our needs, according to His riches in glory.   Peter, when he saw his Lord walking on the water,  asked Jesus to tell him to step out of the boat.  We needed to step out of our boat- take a step that, under the circumstances, was completely inappropriate.  So, Aug. 2^nd, we contacted the travel agency to purchase 4 tickets to Chiang Mai.  We knew God can provide abundantly, and that to Him, this was an easy task.  But, to us, it seemed an illogical step (in our human understanding).

 The following day, we both shared in a time of intense “buyer’s anxiety” over our purchase.  Did we do the right thing?  Is this what God is calling us to?  But, at the end of the day, we had to believe that this is what we were supposed to do.  So, we stepped out of the boat, nervously excited to see what God had planned.

 Staring at the calendar before me, a pit settled into my stomach.  One week left in July, one more scheduled speaking engagement (at a very small church), one more chance to share God’s vision for our family and to solicit support for our teaching ministry.  At barely 60% of necessary funding, it just did not seem like we would be leaving for Chiang Mai this summer after all.  How can I contact the school in Thailand and tell them?  Can I get my old job back with the county?  We  could not see how it was going to all work.  We knew God had called us, we knew he had opened the door, but it was not yet wide enough to get through.

 On our faces before the Lord, the prayer was simple:  Please, Lord, make a way where there seems to be no way.  Like the Israelites at the Red Sea, we were backed against a formidable obstacle that we could not overcome.

 But we serve a God of the impossible.  We serve a God who parts the Red Sea and allows his children to cross on dry ground.  We believed that he would, once again, provide that way where there seemed to be no way.  So, in faith, we went to the last scheduled speaking engagement and had 25 minutes to share our story and our need.  Apparently, that was all God needed.  By the end of the service, we had 11% of our total budget met just from this one church.  Maybe 4 tickets to Chiang Mai might be a reality after all.

After much prayer, some frustration, and a series of miracles, we have arrived in Chiang Mai to begin teaching Missionary Kids at Grace.  The first three weeks of school have been amazing, our students and staff are awesome, and the country is even more beautiful than what we encountered in April on our advance trip.  What will follow is a series of stories and God-moments that led to our departure from home to our new “home” assignment – serving the missionary families of Southeast Asia.  Stay tuned!!!

God has been truly amazed us since we landed on Saturday.  We have had the chance to meet with both students and staff from Grace, and look forward to meeting with department chairs from Grace tomorrow, tour the school, and then get the courses we will teach next year.

Happy Resurrection Sunday!!  He is risen; He is risen indeed!!

Pondering Science and Maths

Before Abram left Ur for the land of Canaan, an interesting thing happened.  In Genesis Chapter 11 we read about Terah, Abram’s father.  After the death of Abram’s brother Haran, God told Abram to leave Ur and go to Canaan, and gave him this promise:  “I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing.  I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all people on earth will be blessed through you”  (Gen. 12:2,3)

Even though God placed the call on Abram, his father began the journey and went with him as far as Haran, where Terah died.  But, here is the point:  God called Abram, but his father took the first steps without even really knowing it.  The blessing was given to Terah’s son, but it was Terah who brought his son toward a place of fulfilling Abram’s eternal destiny.

This past spring, Bill had the opportunity to attend a youth retreat with Connor, who was 11 at the time.  On the first night, after an awesome time of prayer and worship, Pastor Pat asked the kids if any of them felt like the Lord spoke to them.  So, Connor jumped right up, went up front and took the microphone.  He then says “Hi I’m Connor.  My mom and dad have been appointed missionaries to Thailand, and I feel like the Lord told me that my brother and I aren’t just going because we are their kids – we are going because He has work for us to do there as well.”  Of course, all of the female leaders got all teary-eyed and I was pretty impressed that this young guy would say something so profound.  But now, after reading the story of young Abram and his father, we see his statement as prophetic, not profound.  Connor is already convinced that God is calling him to puppet ministry at the AIDS orphanage in Chiang Mai.  Until now, we have felt that God was calling US, Lynette and Bill, to ministry in Thailand, but as we pray and seek Him for direction and guidance, it seems more and more that we are the “container” to bring our kids to Thailand, but those of you who are supporting us in prayer and finances are the vehicle God will use to get them there.

We are sure He has ministry for us as parents also (teaching and mentoring boarding students), but just the thought of this possibility for our children is indeed amazing!!!  Many people have, at various times, told us that they felt Connor would be a pastor or evangelist when he grew up.  Already, God has used both boys in ministry capacities we never thought of.  Imagine what He still has in store for them in Thailand!!!

Now, before you think we are going all New Age on you, please continue reading.  Proverbs Chapter 3 is titled “Trusting in the Lord”, which is something we are learning to do on a whole new level.  Every day, God is showing us opportunities to trust Him.  What really caught our attention here is verses 5 and 6:  “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding.  In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your path straight.”

 In all your ways….what does that mean, exactly???  It means in your finances, your relationships, your job, your family, your ministry, your future – basically, EVERYTHING.  We cannot trust ourselves to make the best decisions, say the right thing at the right time every time, do a perfect job at work every single day.  Yet, we know, as v. 6 states, that when we acknowledge God first in all of it, He makes it all work out.  Sometimes, we don’t see the finished product right away, but we can believe that He is taking care of it.  What it doesn’t mean is that God will straighten out your road so there are no twists, turns, bumps, or potholes.  Instead, we trust him to lead us on the one perfect path he has laid out from the beginning of time, specifically and uniquely, for each of us.

 Take a moment at the start of every day with this little prayer:  “Heavenly Father, I know on my own I will fail.  But with You, all things are possible.  Help me in all my ways today to walk the path You have laid out for me, and no matter what happens, help me to keep my eyes fixed on You.”

Such a simple statement, yet one that is foundational for those God has called into ministry.  But, whose commitment?  Me? God? My spouse?  Here’s a hint…God is already committed – has been since, well, forever.  Committed to me, you, our family and friends.  But, committed to what???  How about, everything?  Most importantly, for ministry, committed to the task of reaching the lost with a message of love and repentance and forgiveness.  Committed to a burden on the hearts of those He would call to such tasks.

How about us?  What are we committed to?  I would say, look inside yourself, see what God has called YOU to, and then say “Yes; Yes, Lord, I will commit to it and to You.”  Then, watch as He not only shows you the need, but shows the means to meet it.

   Excited to share this new finding, I opened this amazing story to my Sunday morning coffee buddies.  After my comment “I just wanted God to show me where He is in that place”, Larry says, “Did you look in the mirror?”  “No”, I replied.  Why?”  “Don’t ever discount yourself”, he said, “You might be the only light God has in that place.”

   Now my prayer is “God, show others you are here in me.  Let me be your light in this place.” 

 Praise God for a fresh cup of perspective to start my week off right.