I Saw the L0rd

"H0ly, H0ly, H0ly is the L0rd G0d Alm!ghty. The whole earth is filled with His Gl0ry." 

Isaiah 6:3

In the year that R@dio K@ntiguiya broadcast its first message on air, I saw the L0rd! His f@ithfulness and love filled the air and His message of hope and salvation went out for all to hear. His children joined with the angels and proclaimed, "H0ly, H0ly, H0ly is the L0rd G0d Alm!ghty. The whole earth is filled with His gl0ry." Singing that song shook my soul to the very core and I fell to my face! Then I said, " I am not worthy of this honor--the privilege of knowing you O L0rd and serving you is too wonderful for me. Yet I have seen you, the One and Only F@ithful G0d. The One who does what He says. The One who finishes what He starts!"

Get this Gift in G0d's Love

P@stor D@o, the leader of our Gift of Grain Project in the B@ye region of M@li came to spend time with us this week in the c@pital. He talked of what has happened since we saw him last in February. He talked of how the c0up d'etat had impacted him, his family, and his work for our Father. He spoke of the fears they faced as they watched the r3bels in the n0rth come closer and closer to them and the decisions one has to make with the knowledge that those who are causing so much danger are truly against you...against you because of your beliefs. He spoke of G0d's Word that gave him strength, courage, and resolve to stand firm by faith and remain in the place and among the people to whom our Father had sent him. He quoted, "This is my command--be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the L0rd your G0d is with you wherever you go." He said, "We were really afraid, yet G0d gave us courage, strength, and faith to believe Him."

 Then we talked about the Gift of Grain Project. P@stor D@o said, "This is a good work that G0d has done. The food came just in time. I know of one man who took his sack of corn and went straight to the machine to make powder for cooking. Then he went straight to the kitchen to cook a meal. The people were hungry."

 

His message to the people before distributing the grain was powerful. He declared that this food was given because of the love of G0d for them. He said, "My brothers we are here to give you this gift of grain, it is not because we're richer than you. It is to show God's love. God loved us, and he sent Jesus as Savior. Jesus has sacrificed his body for our salvation. We too should love one another. Our Lord told us to love others as ourselves and loving others means sharing the problems of others with them. One must never come to G0d or give their lives to J.s.s. because they received food from someone. One must only give himself to G0d for G0d alone. G0d has done all things for us, so if we believe in Him and His Son J.s.s. we must believe for G0d only. G0d knows the needs of people and He only can meet your needs. Get this gift in God's love"

Face Down

Have you ever been so overwhelmed by the faithfulness of our G0d that it literally knocked you to your knees and put you face down before Him...speechless yet desperate to utter words of pr@ise and adoration?

From that place, I write this post.

From November 2006 to this very moment, G0d has asked me to believe Him for a r@dio station in B@ye...a remote area with pockets of peoples and nations who have little or no access to J.s.s. I had no idea of how He would accomplish this...only a pounding of my heart  in the usual way He lets me know it is Him who is speaking, leading, guiding, revealing, showing me something. He only said, "Believe me for this and I will do it!!"

Today...HE HAS DONE IT!! I received word this afternoon that R@DIO K@NTIGUIYA ...Radio F@ithfulness...is on the air. The installation is complete and the first broadcasts took place today.  It is broadcasting to villages and peoples within a 100 km/63 mile radius. When I read the email, tears came to my eyes and my heart was overwhelmed. I finished reading the email through blurry eyes filled with tears, then all I could do was go to my room...fall face down and utter small phrases of pr@ise!!

G0d is so f@ithful! He does what He says He will do!! He does it ways you can never imagine!! He does it according to His time!! He does it...He does it...He does it!! He is F@ITHFUL...He is FA@ITHFUL...He is F@ITHFUL!!

Even as I write this, tears continue to fill my eyes! You see...for such a time as this...a time when M@li is in turmoil, a time when people are coming face to face with what their religion practices, a time when people are afraid, a time when war is crouching at the door, a time when people are searching for Truth...the LOVE and LIFE of Jss is being declared! NOW is the time our G0d had planned for R@dio K@ntiguiya to declare HIS FAITHFULNESS to the people living on the fringes of M@li'sgreatest turmoil.  NOW is HIS TIME to declare His f@ithfulness to redeem and restore all people to Himself through His Son Jss.

Please PR@ISE HIM with us as we rejoice in His F@ithfulness...many of you have walked this road with us from the beginning...thank you, thank you, thank you! I know you too will join me face down in awe of our F@ITHFUL G0D!

I also ask you to join me in pr@ying for G0d to prepare the road for me to travel to this area to celebrate in person, to hear with my own ears, and to pr@ise Him together with our partners! As I said earlier, this area is on the fringe of the turmoil in M@li. We have not traveled there since January of this year. I have been pr@ying and asking G0d for the road to be opened to me for such a time as this...a time to celebrate and worship and declare His glory among the people to whom He sent me. I ask that you would pr@y with me for His timing, His peace, His protection, His way!!

overwhelmed by HIM...

"Pr@ise the L0rd, all you nations.
Pr@ise him, all you people of the earth.
For he loves us with unfailing love, the L0rd's faithfulness endures forever.
Pr@ise the L0rd.

Psalm 117

Gift of Grain 2012

Over 2 months ago, I watched my country enter into a turmoil I thought could never happen here...a peaceful country and a peace seeking people. I watched the struggles escalate to the point of evacuation not knowing what would happen with all that God had planned for us this year. I cried out to Him to finish what He had started...to allow us to re-enter our country and complete what He had begun. He heard and He promised to do just that ...finish what He had begun.

It is so incredible to be able to see God's promises fulfilled!! It is so empowering to see Him finish what He has begun!! F@ith comes rushing in to help us when we cannot see how it can happen!! For all of that my heart is full of gratitude today!! Today, I marvel at His f@ithfulness...pr@ise Him for His great love for the people of my country!! I bow in surrender to the One and Only who is ABLE!!

On Thursday we sat with D@n who went in our place to help with the Gift of Grain. He had returned with pictures and stories of how our Father was at work. He told us of a man who left his home of the day of the distribution because he had no food for his family. He left to go to another village to ask someone for money for food. He came home without money or food...only to find that G0d had brought food to his family that day.

D@n told us other stories of f@ith ...of how our Father is at work drawing people to Himself despite the struggles and difficulties in our country. One shepherd was sick. P@stor D@o prayed for J.s.s to heal him. This man put his f@ith in J.s.s and believed. He was healed and now he has chosen to f0ll0w J.s.s even though his family will not agree  and his wife will not eat what he provides. She calls him "cafre" which means pagan.  His confession..."I will die on the J.s.s road no matter what my family says."
 

A woman who had been possessed by demons and freed through the pr@yers of our Father's servant came to w0rshipon the Sunday after the food distribution for the first time. She had chosen to f0ll0w J.s.s but her family did not agree. This week she found courage to come from a village 45 minutes away by car(which she does not have) to join with other f0ll0wers in w0rsh!p.

The final number of families impacted by the unfailing love of our Father through you and the Gift of Grain Project is 238!!! We distributed 260 of 261 bags of grain in the name of J.s.s and because of His love! 

Thank you for your part in demonstrating our God and His love to those who are in desperate need!!

humbled by His grace and unfailing love...

Different But the Same

While we waited for the trucks to arrive in one village...an extra few days...we took advantage of that time to join the women in a baby naming celebration. We took a journey through the village greeting people and visiting the family of the man who was leading us to the ceremony and translating for us. We arrived and groups of women were all sitting around doing different things. The woman who had the baby that was being named was sitting with her friends inside the house...the dark, hot house. Most of them had their own babies and they were enjoying their time. After greeting them, we were led to an area where most of the older women were sitting. They were talking while some were stretched out on the mats and others were getting henna designs on their feet.

We greeted them and they gave us places to sit among them. Then the real greeting and the talking began. It was a sweet time of honesty and talking. After the ladies greeted us they expressed their hearts to us. It was a powerful moment in my life and my understanding of what it is like to be on the other side of entering a v!llage as a stranger. I have prepared many teams and individuals to enter a different culture and be prepared to become like them in order to make Chr!st known among them. The thing I guess I had never really considered was what was it like for those to whom we go to visit. What do they think about these strangers who crash their village, spend the night in their courtyard, and bring a message to them. As they talked with us one lady spoke for the group, "We are so glad you have come, but we do not know if we can touch you, what we can say to you, if we will hurt you. We do not want to hurt you with our words or our actions." It made me stop and think....we are the same! Those are the very concerns we have as we enter and seek to make J.s.s known. Will we offend, will we hurt, will we close the door by our words and actions. It seemed that the honesty of these women broke down the barriers.

As we continued to talk we had the opportunity to tell the story of how Elizabeth and Zechariah named their son John. We talked about the story some and then the floor was opened for us to pr@y for them. It was a powerful time where G0d's Spirit was obvious, where a oneness had developed, and where women from very different cultures were bowed before the Father.

Redeemed Time

As we passed out grain and I considered all that this people and this country have been through this last year with drought, famine, c0up d'et@t, occupation by rebels in the n0rth, the instability, the increases in food prices, and the list goes on and on, I had to bow before our Father in gratitude for the privilege to be here during this time. To be His servant and His witness at a time like this overwhelmed me with thanksgiving. To see the hungry be fed and to watch their struggles turn to dancing were sights that will forever be etched in my mind and on my heart!!

During the time we were in the village distributing food, trouble brewed again in the c@pital city. There were demonstrations and unrest. We received texts from the 3mb@ssy to shelter in place again. The newly appointed transitional president had been attacked. Again our hearts were broken for this people and this our country.

For such a time as this we were allowed to deliver food to the hungry and to declare the Good News of G0d's love to the people of this torn and hurting country and not shelter in place. To show them that G0d has not forgotten them, that He is acting on their behalf, that He is revealing Himself to them. As a group, we pr@ised HIM for where He had placed us and for the work He had given us to do. He had redeemed our time...instead of sitting in our homes taking shelter, He had placed us among the people to demonstrate His Presence, His unfailing love, and His f@ithfulness.

No Grain Left Behind

HUNGER...Have you ever experienced real hunger? I'm not talking about hunger that comes because you haven't eaten in 4 hours and the little twinge of pain you feel in your gut. I'm talking about real hunger...a nagging emptiness that has received no satisfaction for a week...a craving and urgent need for food...a longing for nourishment, strength, rest, and peace? Have you ever been so hungry that one tiny piece of bird seed or one kernel of corn would bring you to your knees to pick it up and protect it like your most prized possession?

I have never been that hungry...I have never experienced that kind of value in a grain of millet, a kernel of corn, or a single peanut. I cannot even begin to fathom the kind of hunger that causes a 2 year old child to see some millet seed spilled on the ground and bend down to pick it up cradling each grain in his tiny hand as if it were a piece of gold.

I cannot comprehend how much one kernel of corn must mean to a grown man who has had no food for his family and how the sight of a fallen kernel would bring him to his knees to salvage each one. No words describe the sight of a group of young boys scrounging around the ground scooping up every seed of grain, sifting out the dirt, and putting it in a bucket to take home to his mom.

These are the pictures that fill my mind when I hear the word hunger. These are the images burned into my s0ul when the word famine is spoken. These faces are the ones I will forever see as I read the words of J.s.s in Matthew 25:35-36, "For I was hungry , and you fed me. I was thirsty, and you gave me a drink. I was a stranger, and you invited me into your home. I was naked, and you gave me clothing. I was sick, and you cared for me. I was in prison, and you visited me."