Eyes Filled with Hope

"...The L0rd always keeps his promises; He is gracious in all he does.
The L0rd helps the fallen and lifts those bent beneath their loads.
The eyes of all look to you in hope; you give them their food as they need it.
When you open your hand, you satisfy the hunger and thirst of every living thing.
The L0rd is righteous in everything he does; he is filled with kindness."
Psalm 145:13-17

Greetings to you all!! Greetings from us, from your friends in the c@pital, and from your friends in the v!llage of Lakeville!

We had a great trip to the v!llage this last week with some of our co-laborers in the h@rvest. There are 2 living in the v!llage and 8 of us joined them for 5 days. Lakeville is one of the v!llages where we distributed grain in May, and that was one of our purposes for this visit as well. The harvest is coming soon and we are glad to share with you that G0d has heard our prayers and the fields are absolutely beautiful! They have had a great rainy season and the corn, millet, okra, cucumbers--well all the crops are growing and producing crops for this year's harvest. This distribution of food came just in time to see them through until the harvest begins and food will be available to them again.

Thank you soooo much for pr@ying for us!! We felt and experienced G0d's Presence and Power as we worked hard to distribute grain to each family. Our co-laborers were able to provide corn, millet, peanuts, and beans for each family. One lady told me how she used the last little bit of food she had 2 days before we arrived. Her thoughts, "I do not know what I will do now. The harvest is not ready." Then she said, "The next day I saw the trucks of food driving into the v!llage." I told her, "That reminds me of how G0d took care of El!jah, the widow, and her son." I shared the story with her and her daughter and we talked about how G0d knows our needs, He sees our situations, and He provides in ways we would never dream. We talked about how birds do not feed people, yet G0d sent the birds to feed El!jah. We talked about how grain and oil do not multiply, yet G0d multiplied the grain and oil of the widow to last until the rains came and the harvest was good again. They sat amazed at the love of G0d and continued to express their gratitude to Him for sending us to share with them Truths they have never heard before.

While we were talking with this lady and her daughter, 2 other ladies walked up. One was from the n0rth of M@li. Her and her husband had been living in the most n0rthern Ktown. She told us they were f0ll0wers of J.s.s. I asked her to sit with us and tell us how she came to f0ll0w J.s.s. She told us how her husband was a f0ll0wer and after she married him, she chose to become a f0ll0wer as well. Then I asked her to tell us about how they escaped from the troubles in the n0rth. It was truly amazing and only the hand of G0d could do it. She told us, "One of the !sl@mist leaders knew that the r3b3ls  would kill my husband and his family. He did not want to see this happen because he knew my husband to be a good man, a man with a good heart. He got a vehicle, put my husband and his family(me and 4 children) in it, and sent us to M0pcity." She continued to testify to us and the 2 women from the v!llage how those who f0ll0w J.s.s will suffer, but how J.s.s lifts their load and helps them carry it. She encouraged them by saying, "If you f0ll0w J.s.s, 90% of your family will not understand and may not like your decision because they are M.sl!m, but J.s.s will lift your suffering and help you."

We were able to visit shortly with one lady who came to the v!llage when the LIGHT team came in June/July. She came saying she was not leaving until the f0ll0wers of J.s.s pr@yer for her. She confessed her belief in J.s.s. as the only one who could help her and asked us to pr@y. We did pr@y and we too believed with her that J.s.s could help her. Her confession to us, "J.s.s has healed me. I am able to walk and I am not having any problems with paralysis in my legs." She gave great pr@ise and thanksgiving to J.s.s for healing her. She is a walking testimony...a woman who does not mind saying that J.s.s has done a miracle for her.

We also pr@yed for another young woman while the LIGHT team was in Lakeville. She struggled with seizures, and her mother and family members brought her and asked for pr@yer. We pr@yed then, and on this visit the young woman and her family came back to say that she was really doing so much better. As she made eye contact with both C@therine and I, she recognized us. She understood our conversation with her. Previously, she had no light in her eyes and could not understand all that was being said to her. Her family asked if we would pr@y again and continue to pr@y for her healing. We gave pr@ise to G0d for what He had already done, and we boldly pr@yed for Him to pour out His healing power on this young woman. Please join us in believing and seeking His continued healing for her.

Another mother brought her son to us for pr@yer. He too suffers from seizures. His name is B@k. Please join us in pr@ying for our Father to have compassion on him, to pour out His healing power in the name of J.s.s.

Many sp!r!tual conversations were had over the course of 5 days, many stories from G0d's w0rd were shared, and many words and songs of encouragement sung among the people of Lakeville. Please continue to pr@y for the Sp!r!t of J.s.s to be poured out on these people, for their eyes to be opened to the Truths of J.s.s, and for their hearts to be fertile ground for the seeds of G0d's W0rd that have been planted.

"Four months between planting and harvest. But I say, 'Wake up and look around. The fields are already ripe for harvest. The harvesters are paid good wages, and the fruit they harvest is people brought to eternal life..." John 4:35-36

For G0d Only

"Salvation comes from our G0d who sits on the throne and from the Lamb!
...Amen! Blessing and Glory and Wisdom and Thanksgiving and Honor and Power and Strength belong to our G0d forever and ever amen."
Revelation 7:10, 12

When our friend O sees G0d do something or when she experiences His great unfailing love, the only thing she can say is "Kuma te!" That is exactly where I was yesterday and I am still there this morning..."Kuma te! I have no words!"

I have only thoughts of pr@ise and a heart filled with gratitude and awe for the One Who Saves! As I read Revelation 7:9-17 this morning, it was a perfect picture of what I see our Father doing here. I imagined eternity and every nation, tribe, people and language represented and then..the faces of those G0d has drawn to Himself here in Mali filled my mind. I could do nothing but join in with the shouts and songs of those who have gone before us!

This week, another man from the street corner where we sit and live and work among our friends there, called us over. He told us, "I want to give my life to J.s.s." C@therine and I looked at each other unsure we understood but both heard the same thing. As always, I told him I would call one of our friends and he would come with us to make sure we truly understood what S was saying to us. S0 was persistent and continued to talk to me each morning about it and then he began asking us questions. He said, "I have not been able to forget your words when we talked, when you shared with me how you came to follow, know, and live for G0d." His hunger was so great and his desire to know how to live as a Chr!st!an was uncontainable. That is when the supernatural Sp1r1t of G0d filled the space we were sitting and talking with S0. Amazingly we were able to understand all that S was saying to us, the questions he was asking, and we were able to respond with words and sentences he understood. The next day, I took him a French B!ble and a pair of reading glasses. We sat to read from the book of John. After only a few verses, I knew that he was figuring out the words but the meaning was nowhere in his mind or heart. The LIGHT team brought with them several mp3 players with the B@mbara New Testament on them. His hunger was so great and his desire to know how to follow so deep, I could not hold back...the one I had been listening to was in my purse so it became his that day. He immediately started listening as well as looking at his French B!ble to understand it. He began sharing with me things he was hearing and things that spoke to him. If you remember, when we first began working on the street we helped this man with a very bad wound on his leg. The wound is so bad it continues to not heal, continues to get better then get worse. One of the first things he recognized about J.s.s was "J.s.s healed many people." I love how G0d's Word speaks to every person in the place where we need him, long for him, and look for him.

Yesterday, our friend was able to meet us there to talk deeper with S. He looked me in the eye and the first thing he said to me, "I do not make this choice for toubabous(white people), for you, for D@n (our friend), FOR ANYONE. I make this choice for GOD ONLY!" He continued, "God has opened my eyes to see that there is only ONE way--G0d's way to salvation. I have tried other ways, but nothing. I want to give my life to J.s.s. I want my wife and my children to know him and follow Him." With that we began to explain the difference between following J.s.s. and the practices of !sl@m. It is all he knows so he had many questions about how to "practice" Chr!sti@nity. You could watch relief come as he began to understand a relationship with G0d instead of rules to follow. Our friend O listened to all of this conversation even though she has heard much of it before. S0 and O confessed to G0d their belief in His Son J.s.s, their desire to give their lives to Him, and  f0ll0w Him. S0 asked us to pr@y for him, so I ask you to join us in that. He knows there will be consequences to his choice...there has already been pressure from others for him to not make this choice, to not dishonor his father and mother. Please join us in pr@ying with him for strength, courage, and faith to f0ll0w! This morning he shared with O that he went home last night and told his wife. She was excited for his decision and agreed with him to teach their two sons the ways of J.s.s. She also wants to f0ll0w with him.

Would you join me and imagine the throne of heaven with people from all nations, tribes, peoples, and languages around the throne of our G0d? Would you give a shout and sing a song of pr@ise to our Father for the work He is doing here in M@li? Would you ask Father to pour out His Sp!r!t on S0, his wife, his sons, O, her daughter K, her son Yac and teach them all to walk in His ways?

Kuma te...
no words only pr@ise....

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.