AUTHOR: JILL
Everybody always tells us that the heat is going to turn up as we get closer to teaching the Gospel to the Wantakia people. Well the heat is turning up. Satan is not happy we are so close. There is so much to be done on a daily basis, we’ve had a few deaths recently, tons of ill people who need our help because there is no doctor, crazy people drama (no insane asylum here!), and so much more. Satan is trying everything he can to cause evil, but we know that God will use it for GOOD and HIS GLORY.
So, during these hard weeks, I have been reading 2 Corinthians 6:3-11. I feel like we can relate to Paul and also I’m desiring to have Paul’s attitude in the midst. And like Paul, “we want to speak with honesty to you, and our hearts are open to you.” This is my desire, is to be honest and open! Here is my takeaway and prayer from the chapter:
Lord, help us to live in such a way that no one will stumble because of us, and no one will find fault with our ministry. We are not enough to be doing this huge job, but YOU are! Help us to patiently endure troubles and hardships and calamities of every kind…which we are experiencing. We have worked to exhaustion…there is never enough time in the day. We have endured sleepless nights…whether it be our own kids waking up, crazy people in the village, or not being able to “shut down”. But help us to prove ourselves by our purity, our understanding, our patience (this one is hard), our kindness, by the Holy Spirit within us, and by our sincere LOVE. You know these people are hard to love…but help us to because your power is working within us. Help us to serve you whether people honor us or despise us, whether they slander us or praise us. While our hearts ache, help us to always have JOY!
The Lord gave me a “Talk Picture” (illustration) the other day. I planted some cilantro a couple of weeks ago. I am hopeful they come up because we LOVE cilantro. As I watch this patch of garden, I see so many weeds. They are everywhere. I pick them, but they come back. When is my cilantro going to come up? Will it come up?
The Lord helped me to realize that because this world is broken, there are “weeds” of hardships, trials, troubles, calamities. These hardships come up, go away, then come back up. When will we see the fruit? Just this week, as I was pulling weeds, I saw a tiny, little green thing that appears to be the start of cilantro! I am reminded of the Lord’s goodness and faithfulness. There are going to be weeds in my garden, but there is also going to be cilantro. So, I am asking the Lord to help me see the “fruit of our ministry” that HE produces, instead of getting discouraged by the “weeds”.
Please pray for next period of time. The heat has been turned up. But the LORD is with us in the heat. Please lift up our team as we desire to keep our eyes on Jesus and see HIM #reachWANTAKIA.