Life After The Storm

While my parents have been out of town, I've been tending to my dad's garden. And I must say, I've gained a whole new appreciation for the amount of work that goes into them. I'm sure the next piece of squash or freshly sliced tomato that hits my mouth will suddenly be juicier and more delicious than ever!

And if you've spent any amount of time around me, you will know that I love me some fried okra.

Mmmm. I bet your mouth is watering even now as you're reading this isn't it? (If it's not, either one of two things is going on: you're crazy or you're a Yankee.)

This afternoon as I finished making my rounds up and down the rows, the Lord spoke to my heart. As I was carrying the heavy bucket of fresh produce back to the house, He reminded me of the power of a storm.

You see, a couple days ago, I had done the exact same thing. I put my rubber boots on, grabbed the same orange pail, and went to pick the ripe veggies. And, although I got a fair amount of squash and cucumbers, I only got one piece of okra that was big enough. Just one.

But today, that was not the case. I had a hand full.

Although that might not seem like much, when compared to just one piece from a few days ago, you can see why I was excited.

And that's when God reminded me it was all because of the storms. You see, last night it rained. And it thundered. And there was lightning. And then it rained some more. All. Night. Long.

But fruit came from that storm. Something good was the end product.

And that's the same way in our lives as Christians.

Sure, no one likes to go through storms. It's never fun when you're in the midst of life's turmoil. But how much easier it is to rest in the fact that God is working. When we're down at the bottom, Christ is up to something.

(Disclaimer: there are certain trials in a Christian's life that are the result of sin and disobedience. God is trying to bring you to repentance through those difficulties. Those are not the type of storms I am referring to here.)

In Matthew 14, we see the disciples out on a boat in the middle of a storm. The wind was howling and the waves were tossing the boat. But perhaps we often miss the 'fruit' that was produced as a result of this storm.

Matthew 14:33 states, 'Then they that were in the ship came and worshipped him, saying, Of a truth thou art the Son of God.'

True worship.

It took a storm in their lives to produce a worship so real and genuine, leading to a greater understanding in their lives of who God was. An understanding that, without the storm experience, they might never have received.

A miracle.

During the storm, Jesus walked on water. I know, if you're like me, you've grown up in Sunday school hearing this Biblical account so much that the very act of defying gravity does not even amaze you anymore. But it truly was a miracle. And, without the storm, they may have never witnessed it.

And an ever greater promise than the expectation of coming fruit is that Christ will never leave us during these storms. (Hebrews 13:5)

So, perhaps you're going through a storm right now. Or maybe one is just around the corner. Just know that God is using them to produce fruit in your life.

Maybe you'll witness a miracle. Or maybe you'll gain a more intimate knowledge of God and obtain a true heart of worship.

Either way, those should be areas of comfort and hope while the storms are raging.

Just as I can enjoy a plate full of fried okra as a direct result of the rain, so too can I take comfort in the fact that life will be sweeter when the storms subside.

No Solamente Otro Sello

Que yo pueda regresar diferente - determinada para invertir el resto de mi tiempo aquí en la tierra para un propósito eternal, celestial.

Estas son las palabras que yo escribí antes de llegar a Honduras esta semana pasada. Yo verdaderamente quería que Dios hiciera una obra en mi corazón. Mi oración fue que esto no seria solamente orto viaje. Claro yo estaba entusiasmada de comer comida nueva, ver lugares diferentes y abrazar una cultura nueva. Pero no quería que eso fuera todo. No quería regresar simplemente agregando otro sello a mi pasaporte. 

El Senor respondió a mi oración.

No tuva una experiencia de una zarza ardiente como Moises y no vi la escritura en la pared mencionado en el libro de Daniel. Pero en maneras pequenas Dios hablo con mi corazón durante nuestro viaje. Y resulta que en querer que Dios me cambie el me mostró que en realidad no se trataba de mi, se trataba de el usandonos nosotros para animar a otros. 

Para ayudarle a entender, yo siento la necesidad de darle una breve historia de fondo del misionero que visitamos, Arvil Smith.

El ha estado sirviendo fielmente al Senor en misiones desde 1977. Empezando en Costa Rica y ahora en Honduras. Hermano Smith ha dado su vida compartiendo el evangelico con la gente de America Central. 

En realidad, una declaración que el hizo en este viaje lo resume todo:

'Si yo me muero o Cristo viene, El me va a encontrar sirviéndole. Eso es seguridad de trabajo!'

Piensa en esto un momento. 

Como podríamos darle vuelta a esta mundo para la gloria de Jesucristo si todo Cristiano, incluyéndome a mi se despertara cada mañana dandose cuenta que eso es nuestro trabajo verdadero mientras estamos aquí en la tierra.

Pero Dios uso otra declaración que hizo el hermano Smith en este viaje para agarrar mi corazón y ensebarme que me estaba contestando mi oración de ser cambiada, pero lo hizo de una manera que nunca pensé.

El hermano Arvil simplemente dijo en referencia a nuestro grupo viniendo a visitarlo:

'Esta es una de las bendiciones mas grandes que he recibido desde que soy misionero.'

Empece a pensar.

Y entonces el pensamiento comenzó a hundirse aun mas.

Quiere decirme que este hombre que ha sido misionero por mas de 35 anos fue bendecido tanto simplemente teniendo una visita de nuestro grupo esta semana?

No me sentia que estábamos haciendo algo especial. En realidad pasando el rato con los estudiantes fue un privilegio y un honor para mi. Quería hacer eso mas que ver a los lugares de interés de Comayagua, el pueblo donde nos quedamos. (Yo quería traerme a los niños para mi casa en Estados Unidos también!)

Y entonces comencé a tener el corazón roto. Pasar tanto tiempo sirviendo al Senor fuera de su país natal y lejos de su familia y no tener a nadie de su iglesia visitare. 

Me pregunto cuantos misioneros mas les falta ese tipo de apoyo?

Eso es cuando comencé a ver este viaje bajo una luz diferente. Este viaje sirvió un propósito que nunca había pensado. Si una semana puede animar a una persona a seguir sirviendo al Senor, entonces mi tiempo y mi dinero no fue en vano. 

Quieres ser alguien que da animo a otros?

Yo quiero motiva a aquellos que están sirviendo fielmente para que sigan adelante.

Su servicio al Senor esta haciendo la diferencia. Vida están siendo afectados y cambiados y viene una recompensa, si no es ahora, definitivamente en el Cielo.

Si nunca has tomado un viaje de misiones, lo recomiendo. Usted sera cambiado y en el proceso usted sera una bendición a los que visitas.

Por ahora mi pasaporte solo tiene sellos de 3 países diferentes (y yo no voy a contar uno de ellos porque fue un niaje personal y no del ministerio). Si es la voluntad del Senor estoy pidiendo que este libro este lleno de sellos antes de que se termine mi tiempo aquí en la tierra.

Pero esos sellos ya no son solo una marca de verificación en una lista de destinos de viaje. Quiero que representen gente que necesitan ser animados y mas importante, almas que necesitan oír el evangelio de Jesucristo.

Not Just Another Stamp

May I come back different - determined and driven to invest the rest of my time here on earth for an eternal, heavenly purpose.

These were the words I penned before arriving in Honduras this past week. I truly wanted God to work in my heart. My prayer was that this wouldn't be just another trip. Sure, I was excited to experience new food, see new sights, embrace a new culture. But I didn't want that to be it. I didn't want to come back simply adding another stamp to my passport.

The Lord answered my prayer.

I didn't have some 'burning bush' experience like Moses or actually see the 'handwriting on the wall' mentioned in the book of Daniel. But in little ways throughout our trip, God spoke to my heart. And it turns out that, in wanting God to change me, He showed me it really wasn't about me at all. It was about Him, using us, to encourage others.

To help you understand, I feel I need to give you a quick background story on the missionary we visited, Arvil Smith. 

He has been faithfully serving the Lord on the mission field since 1977. Starting out in Costa Rica, and now in Honduras, Brother Smith has given his life to sharing the Gospel with the people in Central America. In fact, a statement he made on the trip pretty much sums up his heart:

'Whether I die or Christ comes back, He's going to find me serving Him. That's job security!'

Wow! How this world could be turned upside down for the glory of Jesus Christ if every Christian, me included, woke up each morning realizing that that's our true job while we're here on earth.

But God used another statement Brother Arvil made on the trip to grip my heart and show me He was answering my prayer to be changed, but in a way I wasn't thinking about.

He simply said this in reference to our group coming to visit him:

'This is one of the biggest blessings I've had since being on the mission field.'

I began to think.

And then the thought began to sink in even more. 

You mean to tell me that this man, who has been on the mission field for over 35 years, was blessed that much simply by having our group come down to visit him for a week?

I didn't feel that we were doing anything special. In fact, hanging out with the students was a privilege and honor for me. I looked forward to that more than I did seeing the sights of Comayagua, the town we were staying in. (I may have wanted to bring the kids back home to the United States with me as well!)

And then I began to be heart broken. To go that long serving the Lord, away from your native country and family, and to not have someone from your home church come to visit.

I wonder how many other missionaries there are lacking this same type of support? This same type of encouragement?

That's when I began to view this mission trip in a different light. This trip served a purpose I had never thought about. If one week can encourage someone to keep serving the Lord, then my time and money was not in vain.

I want to be an encourager.

I want to motivate those who are faithfully serving to keep going. Your service to the Lord is making a difference. Lives are being affected and changed and reward day is coming, if not now, then definitely in Heaven.

And if you've never taken a mission trip before, I would highly recommend it. You will be changed and, in the process, you will be a blessing to those you visit.

Right now, my passport only has three different country's stamps in it. (And I'm not counting one because it was a personal trip that wasn't ministry-related.) If it's the Lord's will, I'm asking for that book to be covered in stamps before my time here on earth is over. 

But those stamps are no longer just a check mark on a list of travel destinations. May they represent stewards who need to be encouraged and, more importantly, souls who need to hear about the saving Gospel of Jesus Christ!