Abundant blessings

Does it sometimes seem like everything is getting dumped on you at once?

Have you ever felt like God’s timing was different than what you wanted?

In the midst of that, have you ever stopped and realized that God is up to something out of the ordinary?

That’s where Julie and I find ourselves today, and we wouldn’t want to be anywhere else. And since I think you’ve been part of this, I want to give you opportunities to get more involved in what God is doing.

Two weeks ago, we returned from a refreshing and good trip to Texas, to see some supporters, share in a couple of churches and do some other partnership development. We also were able to help and encourage another couple of missionaries. From a partnership development standpoint, it didn’t go as well as we had hoped, but we came back satisfied that we had done what God wanted us to do.

On the last day of our trip home, our son-in-law, Jon, made a series of phone calls to us letting us know, in order, that our daughter Meghan had gone to the emergency room with severe pain in her abdomen, was going to need surgery, was in surgery, and then was in recovery.

That helped our next-oldest daughter, Brynna, realize it would be good to have a doctor check on the pain she’s been having in her side. So far, the doctors have found nothing, but she has another appointment today. But that’s not enough. The fun part is that even though she’s on our insurance plan, and the insurance company has confirmed that, they’re denying every claim for her treatment.

Oh, wait, it gets better. But let me stop and tell you, I’m writing this with a smile on my face because I know we can rest in God.

Friday the transmission in our car started acting up, so we started asking around to find a good, reputable transmission shop. Saturday we went out to get in our van and noticed that because of uneven wear, the tread was separating on the right front tire, so we had to buy two new tires. We still need to get an alignment.

Tuesday we found out the car needed a rebuilt transmission – and heard what it was going to cost. Ouch!

So I contacted a man who has basically taken care of our vehicle maintenance and repair costs the last few years. He looked over the estimate and Wednesday he was able to get back to me and tell me that he could cover half of it now, and if we could come up with the other half, he’d send us checks for that much over the next three months.

No, wait, this is good. With the cost of the Texas trip and the tires, we can’t cover the other half. I’m even wondering how we’re going to cover an alignment.

Yes, this is good. It’s good for two reasons.

It’s great because I can tell from my reaction that I’ve been relying on God and not on the man who has been helping us. There’s a subtle but vitally important difference, that I could not discern and that concerned me before this came up. That’s a blessing.

It’s also great because this opens the door for God to work in different ways. Will He show us that we can be fine with just one vehicle? Will He provide for the repair sooner? Will He … well, you know, He’s God. He doesn’t even have to do anything you or I can think of. It’s a blessing to know that and rest in it.

The reason I think you’ve been part of this is the peace that I’ve felt through all of this, the sense that God really is in control and up to all good. And I think that gift from God is because of your prayers.

So the opportunity I want to give you now is to pray even better, because now you’re informed. Pray that God provides as He sees fit, because that demonstrates dependence on Him. Pray that we will continue to be open to His answers in His timing. Pray most of all that His name will be glorified.

Pray that Meghan continues to recover, and that doctors can find out what’s going on with Brynna.

Because of your involvement in our ministry, God gives us the ability and opportunity and blessing to continue helping expand the reach of the Gospel to every tribe. Thank you!