Life Update

I realize it’s been quite some time since my last post. I have no excuses other than to say, when you are asked to juggle too many balls it is inevitable that some of those balls will get dropped. Unfortunately, this blog has been one of them. I am hoping that I can begin to place this juggling ball back into the rotation of things once again, but please extend some grace in this area as our family embarks on a new chapter of our lives that will be full of the unexpected. Please continue reading to learn more about the changes that have happened and are continuing to take place.

I did a post awhile back called “Dodging Bullets.” In this post, I shared that we had an interview for a position that would enable us to raise funds for Liberia more on a full-time basis. We received word that we got the full-time position as “Missionary Ambassadors.” From the instant we received this news, we were hurled into a full steam ahead no turning back whirlwind. Within 7 days of that news we had a verbal agreement on the selling of our house and three days later we signed the paperwork. We never advertised, nor did we even put a sign in the front yard. We spoke with one person and that is who ended up purchasing the property. We did not even have to negotiate price. They offered us the exact amount that we wanted without us ever telling them what that price was, they were the ones who spoke of price first. The people who moved in, even purchased some of our furniture from us, right down to the bed I slept in. No one other than the Lord is able to work out those minute details. Things have been pretty much falling into place, but at a pace faster than I can keep up with!

If you don’t already know that when the Lord moves, so does satan. Satan will try to dig deep into his bag of arsenals in order to keep the plans and purposes of the Lord coming to pass. One of the many weapons satan so quickly hit us with had to do with our rental property. We own a duplex and one of our units were not paying rent. So this meant beginning the eviction process. Now, if any of you know anything about evicting anyone, it can easily turn into a long drawn out process with no guarantee that you as the landlord will see a penny of any of the money that they owe. We had tried as best we could to be gracious and patient, but when there are bills to pay and income not coming in that you have a contract stating that it will come, it begins to create a bit of an issue. From the day we were legally allowed to take possession of the property to do any work, we had just one weekend to turn it around, and even then the tenant's things were not off the premises, just simply moved to the garage. With the help of friends and family, we were able to get the apartment ready to turn it over to property management.

As if a marathon of work on a rental unit was not enough, we also got word that my grandfather had passed away. My family had asked my husband to perform the service. In that very instant I realized that all my struggling to move was so graciously postponed by a loving Heavenly Father who not only wanted me to be with my family in their time of grief but who also had a divine appointment scheduled that He did not want my husband and I to miss. At my grandfather’s viewing, we were introduced to a family member who had spent 52 years ministering on the continent of Africa. We sat and listened to sweet testimony after sweet testimony of the Lord’s provision and protection over his life. I thank God so deeply for that divine appointment. We were able to exchange contact information and I am looking forward to developing a precious relationship with this retired missionary. I look forward to gleaning the words of wisdom that are stored up in his heart.

We had tried for a week to physically move and every time we thought we were ready to go the Lord kept allowing things to keep us from going before He intended us to go. When we finally did load the moving truck and pulled out, it was pretty much the last possible day we could because we had a flight to catch for California within a couple days of moving from the new city we were moving to. Did I mention that our move was not a town or two over, but rather a couple states over? We moved 9 hours away!

Our move went well, but we hit the ground running as soon as we got there. We have the blessing of living with family in order to ease the financial obligations of owning a house while we pursue the call of missionary work. But when you go from having your own space with your own routines and then move in with another household that has their own routines it does make for some challenges. All in all, it has worked out well. We are still in the throngs of adjusting and settling, but I have a feeling our life will become nothing more than one big adjustment after the next.

Our next major adventure is fundraising. Our family will spend two sessions on the road each being about three months in lengths. We will be traveling to various churches sharing our story and our hearts for Liberia. We place our faith in our heavenly father who is the provider of all our needs (Philippians:19) that He who has begun a good work will see it through to completion (Philippians 1:6).

Father, we thank you for your grace and provision over our lives in the chaos of this move. I pray that as we continue to step out of our comfort zone and walk in faith that we keep our hearts and minds steadfast upon you. Help us not to get distracted by all of the wind and the waves that will inevitably crop up, but to keep our eyes focused on the one and only author and perfecter of our faith.

Unchecked Emotions And God's Faithfulness

Just the other day we had a ladies meeting at our church. The main text was from Psalms 34 and the woman delivering the message shared just how easily it is for us, especially as women, to become overwhelmed by our unchecked thoughts, fears and emotions. In today’s post I wanted to share with you yet another testimony of God’s goodness, faithfulness and how He continues to make my jaw drop in amazement.

The very next day as this whole idea of submitting our thoughts, fears and emotions to the Lord was still very fresh in my mind I received a phone call. On the other end was a friend of mine who was in a panic. “Jessica, what in the world am I going to do with this situation?” She began to share the events that had just transpired. She was flooded with emotions of frustration, anger and was very heavy hearted. The tears began to flow, and I was finding that everything I knew to say in a situation like this did not help her perspective to change. It seemed that the more I tried to share the more her emotions piled up on top of her. Her situation was one that I truly did not have a clue how to solve in and of myself. It was in that moment that I realized that the Lord had allowed me to hear that message the night before for situations such as these. I heard that message not  just for dealing with the unchecked emotions in my own life, but also helping others to deal with unchecked emotions in their lives as well. So I did the only thing I knew to do in a situation like this. I placed her at the feet of our Heavenly Father. I prayed with her, cried with her and for her and for the situation that she faced. When I finished praying I heard a change in her voice. There was a peace that passes all understanding guarding her heart and mind through Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:7). Her situation did not change, her problems were not solved, but she had simply placed them at the foot of the cross. She had laid her burdens down and left the outcome up to the Lord. This is exactly what God desires for us to do, he wants us to give up our burdens to Him. The burdens we try to carry are not meant for us to pick up. This is why we feel so heavy hearted. This is why we feel so overwhelmed, like we are being crushed under a weight too heavy for us to carry, because it is a weight too heavy for us to carry. We must put it down and allow the Lord to pick it up for us.

 “Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” Matthew 11:29-30

The Lord’s burdens are light. When my friend gave her burdens to the Lord, He replaced them with his burden of peace. I don’t know about you but I would much rather be walking around with a burden of peace than a burdened heart, overwhelming frustrations and a weight of anger on my shoulders any day of the week!

The story could end right here and that would be a pretty great testimony in and of itself of gaining peace in an not so peaceful heart, but our God has a way of blowing the doors right off their hinges just to show how He is able to move on our behalf. I no sooner got off the phone with my friend and within about 10 minutes it rings again. She was calling to inform me of an update in her situation. God had completely changed the heart of the other person that was involved! My friend had received a tearful apology with deep heartfelt conviction and was so blown away that she wanted to call and inform me of the 180 degree change! My friend told the other person involved  that she had called me and that I had lifted her and the situation up in prayer. This other person involved said, “That is why I felt so convicted! God was using those prayers to move in my heart.” And with that the situation was resolved!

All I can do is sit back in awe! We serve a pretty amazing God, one who can change a heart in an instant and make a very bad situation be resolved in a moment. Now, I realize I did not go into exact details about the situation, but all I can tell you is that unless God changed the hearts of each person involved, it would not have ended well for anyone. I thank God for His unending faithfulness and answers to prayers. If you are dealing with emotions and fears that are unchecked, or maybe you have a situation staring you in the face and you have no idea what to do with it. Take your thoughts, fears, emotions and your situation and lay them at the feet of Jesus. He is faithful! I can not promise that the situation will work out as you might want, but it will always work out for the good of those who love Him (Romans 8:28).

Lord, I thank you that you desire to work on our behalf. I thank you for desiring our thoughts, emotions, and fears to be laid at your feet. I thank you that you desire for those things not to overwhelm us. Thank you that your yoke is easy and your burden is light. Help us in those moments of crises to lay everything down at your feet so that you can carry what we were never meant to ever carry. Thank you for the answers to prayers even when we don’t see them answered in the way that we would like, because we know that you have a greater good in mind for us than we can see in this moment.  You are a truly awesome God. We love you so much!