To the 100% Finish Line

9/25 UPDATE:  Praise the Lord for new monthly partners!  I have now pledges for 100% of my minimum monthly ministry budget with projected cost-of-living increases.  

Plans are in progress for leaving the week of January 7.  I am eager to get there as soon to allow moms covering for me to focus on their language project roles and meet needs described in  "School Librarian Role Supporting Bible Translation". 


I am deeply humbled by sacrificial financial pledges and giving. I am strengthened by prayers of  many - the wind beneath my wings. Intercessory prayer is making significant impact. My heart is touched by many and varied means of support and encouragement.

THANK YOU for letting me represent YOU and your family, your church in Vision 2025 – “To see a Bible translation program in progress in every language still needing one by 2025”.    To God be the glory!

Join me praying for wisdom and discernment for the multitude of decisions and next steps...that I may be a blessing along the journey stateside and in Cameroon.

August - September 2012 WattsLine Newsletter Posted

NOTE: My  August - September  2012  WattsLine  

has been posted on the Newsletters  page.

ICC: Music that Strengthens

During the "Intercultural Communication Course" there were many uplifting times of singing and worship. The words of songs strengthen the heart, mind, and soul.

            

The song we sang most often, the prayer of our hearts was "Lord, Prepare Me to Be a Sanctuary" (click title to listen) by Randy Rothwell.  It is so refreshing to wake up with this song running through my head. - during ICC and since.  

"Lord, prepare me to be a sanctuary    Pure and holy, tried and true

With thanksgiving, I'll be a living   Sanctuary for You

It is you, Lord    Who came to save   The heart and soul   Of every man 
It is you Lord    Who knows my weakness   Who gives me strength,  With thine own hand.

Lord prepare me to be a sanctuary  Pure and Holy, tried and true  
With thanksgiving I'll be a living  Sanctuary for you

Lead Me on Lord  From temptation  Purify me  From within   
Fill my heart with  You holy spirit   Take away all my sin

Lord prepare me to be a sanctuary   Pure and holy, tried and true  
With thanksgiving, I'll be a living   Sanctuary for You."

            

                        

A song that provided a perfect background to staff sharing during the session on "Theology of Suffering" and "Counting the Cost" was Laura Story's "Blessings." (click title to listen) I have experienced the message of this song for decades - Romans 8:28. Perspective is crucial and this song help provide that.

We pray for blessings  We pray for peace  Comfort for family, protection while we sleep
We pray for healing, for prosperity  We pray for Your mighty hand to ease our suffering
All the while, You hear each spoken need  Yet love is way too much to give us lesser things

'Cause what if your blessings come through raindrops  What if Your healing comes through tears
What if a thousand sleepless nights are what it takes to know You're near
What if trials of this life are Your mercies in disguise

We pray for wisdom  Your voice to hear   We cry in anger when we cannot feel You near
We doubt your goodness, we doubt your love  As if every promise from Your Word is not enough
All the while, You hear each desperate plea  And long that we'd have faith to believe

When friends betray us  When darkness seems to win
We know that pain reminds this heart  That this is not our home

What if my greatest disappointments  Or the aching of this life
Is the revealing of a greater thirst this world can't satisfy
What if trials of this life  The rain, the storms, the hardest nights  Are your mercies in disguise

            

Another favorite was the Newsboys' "He Reigns" (click title to listen).

ICC - Theology of Suffering and Counting the Cost

The most sobering part of our Intercultural Communication Course was the session on "Theology of Suffering" and "Counting the Cost".

As the Laura Story's  "Blessings" played  with  lyrics such as "What if Your blessings come through raindrops"  and "What if trials of this life are Your mercies in disguise." ICC each staff came before course participants with a wooden signs; one one side was written a trial, hardship, type of suffering they had endured while serving abroad on the mission field. Each  flipped their sign to show us how how had provided or a blessing that came via the trial.:

War  --  HE GAVE SHALOM

Alone: Coup attempt --  GOD IS MY COMFORT

Missed grandkids  -- Grandmother to MK’s (missionary kids)

Defamed by colleagues   --  UNDERSTANDS FORGIVENESS

Children and I hospitalized  -- LEARNED TO TRUST GOD

Missed Mom’s funeral   -- GOD was CLOSE to Me

Fearful Pilot’s Wife   -- GOD SET ME FREE

 For homework we were assigned to read Philippians 1-4 or 1 Peter, and list everything we learned about suffering from the passages. We discussed our learnings in class. I challenge you to read these passages and list or highlight what the Bible says about suffering.

The most heart-rending part of this session was a DVD of Reid and April Satterfield about Reid and fellow missionary Erik Lawrence being shot, seriously wounded, and left to die. Reid and Erik returned to show their love and forgiveness to the Aringa villagers in Uganda. On returning, they saw much fruit from what happened to them, both in development around the village and spiritually. Their story is summarized in "Mission to forgive". 

Suffering, hardships, sacrifices are a part of life. Especially as missionaries, it is crucial we are well grounded in God's Word and firmly committed to making His Word known to the world. 

ICC: "Stones of Remembrance"

    

A precious  and powerful part of the Intercultural Communications Course was the "Stones of Remembrance" session following the awarding of our course completion certificates.

Instructions: "Prepare to share at Stones of Remembrance: Select a rock/stone. Write a verse or words that illustrate something special and/or insightful you have learned or experienced during ICC." 

Easy for me to decide - I chose a scripture verse that jumped off the pages to my heart during my 3-hour personal retreat - 
2 Timothy 1:7 -  For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline. (NIV)  I believe that God gave me this verse to help me go the last stretch of partnership development to 100% annual budget pledged, to finish pruning 59 years of accumulated stuff, to learn basic French, to get to Cameroon and to be able to stay there for 5-10+ years of fruitful service with good strong health.

Half of the participants shared the verse or words we had written on our stone, explained their significance, then placed our stone on the cloth around a Bible. We stood in a circle several feet away from the Bible and stones of remembrance; the other participants and staff moved around the circle, as they felt led they put a hand on our shoulder and softly prayed for us, our ministry assignment, the words we had shared, etc.  The other half of the participants followed the same procedure, then the staff each shared their remembrance stone and we prayed for them.  ( A lot of tissues got used by a number of people.)  I will always cherish this special time with these wonderful people of kindred heart.