This morning our family read through Genesis 22. The story of Abraham obeying God through preparing to sacrifice Isaac, his only son. The son God promised to rescue the whole world through. The son God had promised Abraham.
As Mike read this story that I have heard myself many times I can’t help but smile. Because you see God has laid a passion on our family’s hearts. A passion that God alone continues to provide for.
That passion came from the Lord walking with us through struggles, pains and even sometimes consequences of stupid choices. That passion came from Praising Him is dark places and glorious places of our life. That passion didn’t come from a prophetic word or a “calling” but from a common call of understanding that God wants all His church to a part of sending and going. God wants ALL people groups in the world, each person, to come to understand their need for a Savior and who that Savior is. Mike and I learned this through the Bible in our mother tongue, English. We treasure the Word of God. It is our lifeline.
The bottom line is that of the worlds 6500 language groups there is still 2500 who do not have that lifeline. Of that 2500 language groups there is 250 in Papua New Guinea ALONE.
I don’t know the people group we will work with yet. I don’t know their faces or their individual story. But I pray for them. We pray for them. We ask the Lord to please, please make a way for our simple family to take His light and hope to them.
Missions is not about us the missionaries. We are literary simply the foot (feet are rather dirty and well disgusting, eh?), taking this that God already graciously supplied to us English speakers. There are so many of us, why is there still 2500 languages without this lifeline to their Creator? Oh Lord forgive us for hiding and keeping your Light to ourselves. For making our lives, the very life you gifted us with, bigger than You.
Where am I going with all this? Well, Mike and I are sat down and added up our startup cost to get to PNG and what we will be taking. The number is LARGE. $20,000.00 exact. *Gulp*
Yeah, I KNOW. We even have gone over it a couple times and have removed things that we don’t have to have.
On top of that $20,000. We still need 60% more for our monthly support. That is, we are still in need of $5394.00 a month. To help a little more, that would take 108 committed people giving $50 dollars a month as an example. Right now, we have 35 individuals who give monthly to our ministry on church planting in PNG. And also 2 churches who we are immensely thankful for. CBC in PA and WBC in Ontario have been a God send. Lord God thank you, thank you for your universal church!
Back to that fun subject ($) we all love talking about. (I’m being sarcastic) My flesh says, “whoa mama, that’s is A LOT OF MOOLA! You can’t do it. Ahh Lord I hate feeling so dang needy!” but, yep there is a but.
But God.
God simply asked Abraham to obey. Did Abraham obey on blind faith? No, Abraham had been walking in relationship with God. Abraham at this point had a history of faith with God. Times God asked Abraham to obey and God always, always provided for Abraham.
Abraham was not comfortable. I’m not able to talk to Abraham in person but I’m guessing he was trying to hold it together and not freak out.
Well that is how I FEEL RIGHT NOW. Even as I said out loud to Mike “that is a huge number!” I heard the Spirit whisper “God loves BIG mountains” I know this be true. It seems the bigger the hurdle in front of us then the bigger His glory. The more intimate our relationship can become as the trust continues to build.
So, Lord, I’m thankful for the ways you have blessed our family within this season of raising support. Housing, food, family and friends close by. People who are catching your vision for the nations and stepping out in faith to give their hard-earned money to see others far away come to know You.
Lord thank you for the things you have not given to us. Knowing that you know best. Things like 100% monthly support up to this point. You will provide in your time. I’m certain it will be big, and we will all worship you for reminding us that You alone are in control.
I read the story of Abraham and I’m comfortable, because I know the outcome. God provides a ram to be the substitute for Isaac.
Our goal is to fly to Papua New Guinea in July. We don’t know if we will be at 75% support (the minimum we can go into ministry with) or 100% support. I don’t know the outcome; it makes me squirm.
But God.
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**** UPDATE OCTOBER 19, 2020****
God has raised ALL of our start up cost to move to PNG! We are going to write this praise in our book of Gods faithfulness to us!
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