God is my Refuge

 So often a new missionary thinks, "If I can only make it through deputation, things will look better and get easier."

While some of the challenges deputation brings comes to an end, the adventure has only begun! Starting my 5th year on campus at Syracuse University, I can say that the challenge to remain in full trust mode before God is stronger today than the toughest stretch in deputation. I say this not to discourage but to point out that we never stop learning to trust and grow in our relationship with God! 

During deputation, the challenges were to trust God for churches to see the need and vision for your ministry. You stressed about plans for travel, balancing ministry with family, financial needs, running vehicles and, support level. 

Now the challenges are plans for travel, balancing ministry with family, financial needs, running vehicles and, support level. Added to that is the stress of the actual ministry that God called you to, the demand for reporting to your Ministry Support Team, a desperate need for taking time off and the frequent feeling that you are alone.

David felt much of this at times in his life (Ps. 142:1-4). His response found in verses 5-7 was to call on the Lord, trust Him as his refuge and lean into Him with his life. The goal of this prayer was not to make life better but that all the righteous would see God at work and rejoice with David in His answer to prayer.

Our desire as life and ministry get crazy is to do as David did, trust God as our refuge, ask Him for wisdom (James 1:5), acknowledge and fully trust Him (Proverbs 3:5-6). My goal is to make Him known through His work in my life and allow that, not my effort, and to glorify Him.

Lesson 2 from our Mission trip

 

The second lesson learned during our mission trip to NewMexico was one that most believers know and understand but here in America but seldom experience on a large skale. Here it is: Being part of God's family means more than simply "going to church". Here's what I learned about this simple concept.

1. Not everyone does the same job.

While there were only 8 of us that embarked on the mission trip, there were many more than that involved! Yes, there are the envaluble financial supporters who helped fund the trip. There was also an army of Prayer warriors before and during the trip. When I look back, there were many more who took part in this adventure!

   - When Beth had to head home early, one woman from church took it apon herself to call the airline to try and get her the quickest flight home. Dropped everything instantly to assist from 1,900 miles away.

   - When Beth arrived home, she was not only picked up at the airport but she was supp

lied with groceries and anything else she would need after arriving home early. God's family didn't just provide physically for Beth they constantly called, stopped by and cared for her shile I was still in NM. Family cares for family.

2. "Love one another" means a lot more when you feel helpless

When Beth left and was so sick, I felt helpless and out of control. My wife was sick, I could be life threatening and she was leaving me. How was I to focus on a week of ministry in a challenging environment knowing that she was going home alone?

It was a battle for me to let her go and fully trust that God had her. I fought with Him most of the way back to camp after dropping her off at the airport. I was reminded of truths from the Bible like, "Be still and know that I am God" and "Trust in the Lord with All your heart...". God was at work.

To hear what God's family was doing for Beth in my absence was a lesson on what it means to love one another! Every time a friend from church of other brothers and sisters in Christ called or stopped by to make sure Beth was OK and had what she needed they were showing love. They were also showing me love from 1,900 miles away, reminding me that Beth was better off in His hands than in mine. A humbling yet confidence building lesson!

If I had to sum this whole experience up into a brief statement, it would be something like this: When I am weak, He shows Himself faithful and trustworthy.

God is Good all the time!

God working at 7,000 feet

 My family had the privilege of being part of a mission trip through our home church here in New York. We went to help Joe and Dawn Lee (BMM missionaries to the Native Americans) at Whispering Cedars Camp in New Mexico. After weeks of preparation, we arrived at the camp on June 10. We were so excited to experience a new mission field with our kids and see God work through them during the week of what promised to be a "out of my comfort zone" week. Little did we know that God was working in ways we still don't understand. 

This is where the lessons arrive! 

Trusting God even when it makes no sense

A few hours after we arrived at the camp which was at 7,000 feet in elevation, Beth started experiencing a high heart rate and generally not feeling well as a result. As we were warned about having to adjust to being in higher elevation, she drank lots of water and rested a bit... nothing helped. In fact, she continued to get worse. About 10pm that night, I took Beth to the ER which was down the mountain about 35 minutes away. When we arrived, her heart rate was averaging 130+ sitting still. After testing her heart thoroughly, the doctors determined that she was experiencing high altitude sickness, something that the medical world knows to be real and serious for some but still can't figure out who and why some get it and some don't. Beth was evidently one who did.

After consulting with the doctors who where both very kind and knowledgeable, we knew she had to get her out of the higher elevation and home to New York. Her condition was bad enough that she could have had cardiac arrest, etc., had she stayed. God used a woman named Jackie at our church in NY to help adjust Beth's plane ticket and Beth and I made the 2.5 hour journey back to Albuquerque and the Sunport (airport). God got her home safely (a part of the second lesson).

We may never know why God allowed Beth to miss the trip and have a long recovery from a "random" illness. God uses things in our lives to drawl us closer to Him and make us more like Christ. We have seem a few blessings come from this experience even though the disappointment, fear and discouragement was real:

1. God forced me to work with elementary age kids without my wife to lean on for the first time in our married life! He taught me a new level of 2 Corinthians 12:9-10, "And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. 10Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong."

2. Both Timmy and Olivia were forced into responsibilities during the week that required them, in mom's absence, to trust God and not lean on parents. I was one of the boy counselors so I was pretty busy! We saw both kids grow in their maturity as well as in their relationship with their Heavenly Father!

We had the privilege


during the week to see 5 kids make professions of faith! God was working even though we did not understand His whole plan! HE IS GOOD!

Lesson two coming soon!