From Heirloom to Heirloom

"Take delight in the Lord, and He will give you your heart's desires." 

Psalm 37:4

In 1988, I responded to Father's invitation to join Him in Taejon, South Korea as a teacher at Korea Christian Academy. It would be a year of learning to delight in the Lord, learning to walk in an intimate relationship with J.s.s, and learning to live in complete dependence on Him. It would prove to be a year that completely changed my understanding of living and walking with J.s.s as well as completely changed my life's direction. He began changing my focus from being a married stay at home mom, to being a single missionary serving Him wherever He would send me.

I not only brought home with me a changed heart, mind, and spirit, but I brought home with me some treasures. In my heart, each treasure was intended to serve as an heirloom to my children as a testimony to the difference the time in Korea had made in my life.Each one would carry with it a story that would declare the glory the One who pursues, calls, and uses broken and hurting people to accomplish His purposes.

Over the last month, Father has been initiating new directions and new invitations for me to follow. With those invitations come major adjustments. One of those adjustments has been the surrender of stuff, the surrender of treasures that represent special times or special people in my life. Father has been so gentle and has walked side by side with me through each step of the emotional adjustments. 

Through this time I have experienced one of the most tender demonstrations of Father fulfilling the heart's desires of those who delight in Him. As I began preparing to sell as much as possible, I asked Father to send specific people to purchase those things that held significant places in my heart. I asked Him to use those treasures to bring joy to the lives of those He sent to buy them. He did just that! A young woman with 2 children came to look at the treasures I had brought home from Korea. Her husband works in Korea, so she had an immediate attachment to and love for those treasures. They fit perfectly into the things she was doing to create a special place in her home. After setting up the special place, she came by to express her joy and excitement about how the treasures were perfect. She said, "These are heirlooms." My heart exploded with joy as I saw how Father had taken my heart's desires and made them a reality. I never really knew how He would do it and it certainly was not how I expected...it was better than I could have ever imagined!

Traveling, Training, and Team Development

Greetings from Texas! Tomorrow it will be greetings from South Carolina! I will be leaving Saturday evening to make my way to South Carolina for a host of reasons. I will be mixing work with a little family time. Two of the college students traveling with us live in NC/SC. We will come together for a time of training and team development. Also joining us for that training is a new church who is partnering with HSI. Oakbrook will be taking a vision trip with HSI in January 2011. They will begin the process of training, team development, and preparation for all that Father has planned for them. I will also be meeting with a young woman who has surrendered to serve for one year in Mali with HSI. I will be meeting with her parents as we seek to understand all the Father is asking and planning for their daughter.
During my time in SC, I will also be celebrating with my family the graduation of my youngest niece. We will celebrate her and her accomplishments. Please pr@y for this time in SC. I will be there from May 22-31. Upon my return, we will sign the closing papers on the sale of my house. Lift up the final details of that as well!

Who wouldn't want to live THIS LIFE?

"My old self has been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. So I live in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me." Galatians 2:20

Since my return from Mali at the beginning of March, I have experienced more of our Father than ever before! Daily I find myself asking the question, "Who wouldn't want to live THIS LIFE?" By "THIS LIFE" I don't mean MY life, I mean the life Christ lives through those who seek Him, know Him, surrender to Him, adjust to Him, and choose to obey Him! I mean the life of daily crucifying the old self, trusting in the Son of God in such a way that He--Christ lives in and through you.
Many of you have followed my journey with Father over the last 4 years as I surrendered to His invitation to join Him in the development of Harvest Seekers International. Some of you have just joined in the journey as a pr@yer partner in the Harvest Pr@yer Network. I want to thank each one of you for your pr@yers, your support, and your partnership in this work. This journey didn't just begin 4 years ago, it begin the day I chose to be a follower of J.s.s, it continued as I surrendered my life at 16 to be whoever He wanted, to do whatever He asked, and to go wherever He sent me. It continues even now as I daily seek to know Him, understand Him, and live out THIS LIFE.
Over the last 2 months, our Father has put into motion the next steps of this journey. He continued His process of reducing me and the responsibilities I have on this side of the ocean. He began the work of selling my house, the 9 acres I have enjoyed and called home for 8 years as well as many of the treasures I have surrounded myself with over the years. These steps have required many adjustments to my heart, my spirit, and even my body...moving is a JOB!! One of the things He has shown me is that "things" no matter how sentimental still have no eternal value. They represent moments, events, or people in our lives that have eternal value, but they themselves do not. When surrendered to Him, He will do with them an even greater thing than what they could have ever done for you and you alone. When surrendered to Him, they still hold eternal value in your heart even though you do not hold them in your hands. He has shown me that there is no end to the joy of relationships He brings into your life as you follow Him, share Him, and allow Him to live in you! Through this move, He has increased the eternal value of the neighbors I have enjoyed for 8 years. By His grace, He has even given me new eternal relationships with neighbors I have had but didn't know until He began moving me. Now He will continue to increase the eternal relationships as I begin the process of knowing and doing life in my new home.
As the foundation for my work and ministry, I share all of this with you so that you can pr@y for ALL that God has for Harvest Seekers International and this life He lives through me. I do not know the full extent of what God is doing or what all of this activity means for this life. One thing I am certain...He is not just doing it for fun. He has a plan and a purpose for every detail of it. It is my desire to follow Him, His plan, and His purpose. Since the beginning of the year, He has placed a deeper sense of dependency, a strong desire to be faithful to whatever He asks of me, and a longing to fulfill ALL that He has for this life and this ministry. I come to you to ask you to pray specifically for the following things:

• A heart to surrender, adjust, and OBEY daily
• Ears wide open to hear and listen to God
• Eyes to see what God sees for Harvest Seekers International
• Feet that will walk wherever He leaves His footprints
  
• Wisdom and Discernment for the Board of HSI to know how to follow God as He develops this ministry
• Clear understanding of what every detail of His invitation and His movement means
• Discernment of His timing and the readiness to move when He says move

My declaration to our Father and to you...I WANT to live the crucified life...Then HE can live THIS LIFE!!
Thank you for your faithfulness to take this journey with us!
lori

Tickets in Hand

Thank you for pr@ying for Father's provision!! I think each student would shout a loud "Thank you!" to our Father and some may even do a little praise jig as they experienced His hand work on their behalf. He continues to provide every single thing we need to follow Him and walk where He leads us. With tickets in hand, we continue the preparation process as a team, as individuals, and as servants in the harvest. Thanks for bending your knees on our behalf!

Focused Prayer

The time is coming quickly for us to purchase tickets for the college mission team to Mali. We ask you to join us in a time of focused pr@yer for the next five days. He alone knows the best way for us travel to Mali. He alone knows how much we need to purchase tickets. He alone knows the exact dates He has planned for us to join Him there. Pr@y for Him to guide us, provide for us, and to empower us to do ALL that He has plan. Pr@y for Father to direct the travel agent we work with to His exact plan and provision for us. Pr@y for each student as he or she seeks to raise the money needed to serve Father with their lives.

Fears and Faith

The College team continues to prepare spiritually, physically, and emotionally to join Father in the work He is doing among the Samogho and the P@n@. We have spent a week learning about what it take to build a team and a week focusing on the importance of spiritual preparation. We are currently learning about spiritual warfare and the battles we face as we walk in obedience to what Father has invited us to do. Please pray for the team as we grow and understand more about the enemies we face and the battles that rage to keep us from being obedient to what Father has asked of us. We each have fears that require Father to turn them into faith. Fears only become faith as we are strong and courageous in our "followship" of J.s.s. Pr@y for us to recognize the schemes and tricks of our enemies and to be strong and courageous to fight against each one. Pr@y for us to not waiver in our faith!

Foundation of Faithfulness--Father's Radio

Many of you have been pr@ying and supporting the development of Radio Kantigiya in the frontier area of Mali. I received word that the foundation for Father's Radio is being prepared and built up. Celebrate and give praise to Father for His faithfulness to do what He says He will do. He began this radio station and He continues to work to fulfill His plans and purposes. Please pr@y for those working on it. Ask Father to give them wisdom, strength, and protection as they work to prepare the way for Father's faithfulness to be proclaimed to the many peoples that live in this region of Mali. Radio Kantigiya will provide access to Father's story so that many peoples will know about J.s.s and the salvation that comes through faith in Him.