Today's service was awesome, as usual, and after teaching Sunday School, worshipping, listening to the Word, and helping serve lunch for a missions fundraiser, I sat down to focus on putting together packets of information to give to pastors about supporting our journey to the mission field. I should have been exhausted. Our weekend has been full of church leadership meetings and I should have been REALLY exhausted. Oh and to add one more thing...I'm pregnant and busting out of all of my clothes so I should have been REALLY, REALLY exhausted. But I wasn't. Maybe it was the piece of chocolate cake I was eating in between typing...(I know I'm supposed to be a health nut so don't judge my weaknesses)...or it could have been the power of the Holy Spirit that was causing me to bubble over with excitement!!!
You see...
It is going to cost a lot of money for us to spend our first year in Honduras....A LOT of money! Yet, that doesn't move me. Our theme scripture for this year at our church is Acts 20:24:
"But NONE OF THESE THINGS MOVE ME; nor do I count my life dear to myself so that I may finish my race with JOY, and the MINISTRY which I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify of the grace of God."
WHAT A POWERFUL SCRIPTURE! If you're reading this Pastor Chad, that scripture has been in our hearts since the beginning of this journey and your use of it has been nothing short of God's confirmation! Don't you love how The Lord works!
We have to raise a lot of money. That doesn't move me.
We have to move away from close family and friends. That doesn't move me.
We have to learn a new language. That doesn't move me.
We will be raising 2 children under the age of 3 in a foreign country. That doesn't move me.
Do you get the picture?
Paul was one of the greatest missionaries of all time. He planted churches, mentored amazing men of God, performed miracles, and did countless other amazing things for the sake of spreading God's Word! On the flip side of that, Paul experienced persecution for the sake of the Gospel. He was hated. He was threatened. He was thrown into prison. YET...NONE OF THOSE THINGS MOVED HIM. What if they would have? Would we even know who Paul was if he had tucked tail and ran the other direction the minute things got difficult? That's something worth thinking about...
Thank the Lord for examples like Paul. The man put his life on the line for the Gospel of Christ. Not many Christians can say they are willing to do that today. But it doesn't end there...
His desire was to finish his race with JOY. He didn't want to finish it with bitterness and hate in his heart for those who persecuted him. He didn't want to finish it worn out and weary, despising the sacrifices he had to make. No way Jose!! He wanted to finish his race with JOY! How can we testify of God's grace without joy?? I don't know about you, but when I think about hearing a testimony from someone, the first emotion that comes across is JOY! JOY UNSPEAKABLE AND FULL OF GLORY! HALLELUJAH!!! (Sorry...had a pentecostal moment...)
My point in all of this is that we all have a ministry that we have "received from the Lord Jesus." The question is...will you pursue it?
Steven and I knew that we were both called to ministry very early in our dating relationship. We have served in various ministries, but when the call to the mission field was revealed to us, we looked at each other and knew this was it. This was what we had been seeking God to reveal in our lives. We couldn't help but laugh because we both thought "of course God wants us to go to a foreign country!" This is just me, but I picture God delegating ministries from heaven and saying...."See Steven and Candace there.....they'll do anything for me. I think I'll send them to a foreign country. They don't know how to say no." That's just me being silly, but I hope that is God's thought towards us. Steven and I are far from perfect, but we are so crazy about the Lord and building His Kingdom that we will do anything and go anywhere he wants us to!
We are human. We have been frustrated at times during this process. When people don't respond to e-mails or phone calls, it gets down right discouraging. Don't people realize we need money to make this happen?!?!?! The enemy has tried to convince us that this is stupid. BUT MY GOD, who is rich in love and abounding in mercy....His voice booms louder than any devil in hell! I hear Him as clear as day....
"My child...I have already supplied your need. Take heart and trust. I have called you to this and I will keep you through this. Do not fear. Do not worry. Your lives, and the lives of your children matter to me. I will cover you. I will keep you safe. The boldness of my Spirit will push out any and all anxiety and you will proclaim LIFE over Honduras. You will bring HOPE to those who are weary. You have said YES. That is all I required. Trust me and know that I AM GOD. I've got this."
Many people have asked us if we are afraid to take two small children to an impoverished country to live in a 400 square foot house. What if they get sick? Are you not afraid of...(fill in the blank). To be honest, there are several things I'm a little fearful about. As a mother, you experience a little bit of anxiety every time another kid sneezes near yours. That's part of being a mom. We want to protect our children. But while I'm being honest....I am more afraid of disobeying God than anything that could possibly happen while living in Honduras. I could not bear to live with myself if we chose to deny this calling. What would I hear on Judgement Day? Would I hear well done? Or would I hear God asking us why we chose to disobey His will for our lives? I believe I'll go with option number one, please. Obedience requires trust. It requires me to put my petty mommy worries off to the side, put on my big girl pants and believe that the One who called us will keep us!
With tears in my eyes, I bear my overflowing heart to you. If you could experience the peace that we feel, you would know how God-ordained this journey is. This is new territory for us. We are not seasoned veterans of the mission field. This is all a learning curve. We have a fancy letter with a vision, numbers, figures, photos, and references, but what is in our hearts is far more important than that letter will ever be. It's quite simple: We love the Lord. He called us. We said yes. Our hands will be His hands and our feet will be His feet.
I know I've rambled on and on but we encourage you to seek the ministry Christ has for you. It's there, you just have to dig into His Word and draw close to His heart. He loves you child of God. Through that love...the sky is the limit...
If you would like to help us distribute our information to individuals and/or churches, please talk to me personally, through Facebook, or through e-mail at candaceday35@gmail.com. I can get you a paper copy of everything or send it to you electronically. Please take a moment to share this blog also!
Thank you and may God, in His rich love, bless you more than you could ever imagine!
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