Encouragement for Monday

There are three stages to every great work of God; first it is impossible, then it is difficult, then it is done.

~Hudson Taylor

Have you read Hudson Taylor's Biography? This book will be an encouragement to your faith~~

 Hudson Taylor's Spiritual Secret

How We Have Been Doing and a Ministry Update

Be assured, if you walk with Him and look to Him, and expect help from Him, He will never fail you.

~George Mueller

As I write this, we are in the throes of winter in the Midwest. We are beginning to get used to the "long" (in my opinion 😉) winter season here and to adapt to it. I'm thankful for a warm home and the closeness of family and friends during this time of year. We are inside a lot and I am (still :-)) *trying to get used to not hanging up my laundry outside as I had become accustomed to that pleasure during the warmer months :-) I hear that the Amish people who live near us hang their laundry in their basements during this time of year, but for now, I think that I will use my dryer. :-) 


My Mom feeds the little birds and we see the sweet little juncos and chickadees and cardinals outside the window on these cold snowy days. The birds are hearty around here--I think that they have to be! I don't feel so hearty! I'm trying to get used to wearing two sweaters in my house and keeping myself supplied with a steady stream of hot coffee to sustain me and to keep my fingers from freezing. My two children, ages 3 and 5, are longing to play outside again. We have tried to play a little outside, but it is a challenge to keep the blood circulating . . . 😉. 

I am fascinated by the animal prints that we see around our home --foxes, rabbits, deer, etc., and I often think of these creatures struggling for survival around me. We frequently see deer in the cut-down fields of corn. They try to eat the leftovers until the Lord provides a fresh supply of green for them in the spring. They are such sweet creatures. One day (before winter) a fawn bounded over our lawn during the day. I don't know if it lost its mother or was running from something . . . but these are the kinds of things that we occasionally see.

We replaced the windows in one of the rooms in our home--we live in a circa mid 1800's farmhouse and I am not sure how old the windows were . . . at any rate, the wind is not whistling into that particular room anymore. :-)  Our Pastor replaced them with my husband helping him. So I am very grateful for that--and it made for a bit of a warmer winter--at least in that room! :-)

I began homeschooling my little 5-year-old daughter this year and that has been a wonderful experience for me . . it actually breaks up the long winter days and warms my heart as I see her learning and enjoying her little workbooks (for the most part :-)). 

My kids and I constructed a "chariot" for Queen Esther and King Xerxes out of these boxes from Aldi's :-)

Food warms us up and promotes general well-being and good-will, so we have been doing a lot of baking. 😉 My kids enjoy it, especially my little daughter who loves kneading bread. My son can always be counted upon to put in the salt (for some reason he loves that particular ingredient!) :-). 

We are all longing for spring . . . it will come soon enough--and I think that the long winter will make our hearts gladder to see the spring come in all of its beauty. Praise God that He brings the springtime and softens the icy wind and sends the warm spring winds of His comfort and goodness. 

In terms of our ministry, the Lord has been placing our "attic" room upon my heart. This is a large sloped-roof room in our home that I would like to convert into a guest room. Initially, I had been focusing upon our "Missionary House," a building on our property that I would like to convert into a guesthouse to use for ministry purposes (if you are not familiar with the ministry that I am referring to, please visit the posts at the bottom of this page to learn more about why our family re-located from New England to the Midwest! ) But I thought that maybe we would "start" with this large attic room . . . and so I am praying for the Lord's direction as we take steps forward in this "small thing." It is exciting to look back and to see how the Lord has led us to this point and to trust in His wisdom and provision and love for the future. We truly believe, as Hudson Taylor says, that "God's work done in God's way will never lack God's supplies." And so we trust Him and fix our eyes upon Him by faith. We are building a place of rest for Him, and He is our Hope. 

Please pray for us. 

We are as always, so grateful for your love and continual prayers. 

This is where we take shelter during the really tough days of winter when we have no food or electricity. . . haha; just joking! My sweet, spunky nephew, Simeon built this fort/shelter in our yard :-)

The following blog posts detail why we moved to the Midwest and our purpose here:

Update 1

Update 2

Flying to A Summer Land

The Gift of Quietness

Grace in the Midwest Wilderness

When You Just Can't Do It

An Impossible Prayer Request

Midwest Ministry Update

How the Lord Answered My Prayer of Sixteen Years

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You might find me on these link-ups:


Inspire Me Monday, Literacy Musing Mondays, The Modest Mom, Raising Homemakers, Classical Homemaking, A Wise Woman Builds Her Home, Woman to Woman Ministries,  Testimony Tuesday, Tell His Story, Messy Marriage,  Imparting Grace, Thought Provoking Thursday, Soul Survival, Good Morning Mondays, The Weekend Brew, Counting My Blessings, The HomeAcre Hop, Mommy Moments Link Up, Grace and Truth Linkup, Faith Filled Friday, SHINE Blog Hop, RaRaLinkup, Word of God Speak, Booknificent Thursday, Living Proverbs 31, Coffee For Your Heart Weekly LinkUp, You're the Star Blog Hop, Homesteader Hop, Fresh Market Friday, Heart Encouragement Thursday , Sitting Among Friends Blog Party, Fabulous Warm Heart Party, Oh My Heartsie Girls Wonderful Wednesday Linkup, Writer Wednesday

How the Lord Answered My Prayer of 16 Years~Ministry Update

For waters shall burst forth in the wilderness,
And streams in the desert

The parched ground shall become a pool,And the thirsty land springs of water;
In the habitation of jackals, where each lay,
There shall be grass with reeds and rushes.

Isaiah 35:6-7 NKJV


Nothing so clears the vision and lifts up the life, as a decision to move forward in what you know to be entirely the will of God.
~John G. Paton

About a year and a half ago, our family moved from Rhode Island to Wisconsin, obeying our Heavenly Father's leading and calling in our lives to begin a ministry in the Midwest. We came with a minivan packed full to the brim and I came with a very fearful heart, but also with a heart that hoped in my God's precious promises. He went before us. And that first year in the great "wilderness" of Wisconsin was one of the most difficult years of my life, but I would not trade it and the lessons that the Lord taught me through it for anything. 

I missed my family and friends dearly. But I found in my loneliness a Friend in Jesus. I found peace in the quietness of seeking Him. I found rest in depending upon Him alone when there was no one else to turn to. Truly, He gave me grace in the wilderness. 

My husband and I came out here to begin a ministry--people have asked why Wisconsin? Do we have family here? Was it work-related? The very short answer is no. We moved to Wisconsin after years of seeking the Lord and becoming convinced that this was where He wanted us to be--that this was where He wanted us to begin the ministry that He called us to. We moved here in a simple act of obedience to the Lord as He enabled us by His grace--an act of obedience that I struggled with up to the very end when the Lord strongly spoke to me through a Ravi Zacharias sermon and through His Word. I said yes to the Lord through many tears. 

Years before that, I had begun to pray--to pray for the Lord's direction and guidance in my life in regards to this particular calling. I was around 18 years old when the Lord spoke to me--and I never imagined at that point how much time would pass before He accomplished His purpose in this particular area. 

And now I am seeing the fruition of 16 years of waiting in a beautiful and precious answer to prayer. 

My husband and I want to establish a place of rest here--a place where fellow believers can come and have a respite from the world as they seek the Lord, a place for missionaries to stay, a place for pastors to come apart for a time of refreshing, or for any Christian seeking rest and quietness. It needed to be a peaceful place with enough room to house our brothers and sisters. 

When I came here, my heart was burdened with three main concerns. A job for my husband that would provide for our family, a solid Gospel-driven church, and a place, a home, to establish this ministry. 

The Lord mercifully provided a job for my husband in his field just before we moved here and then recently opened up the door for a different job in the same field in response to our prayers for His provision. 

He opened up a place for us to worship Him-- a church that we love and where the Gospel is preached boldly and with compassion. This was another precious answer to prayer.  

But my third concern-- for a place, a home; this prayer went unanswered. I struggled when the time came for our lease to be renewed. We had been here for about a year, living in a rental home that was not the most cost-efficient place to live. We were traveling a good distance to church with two small children and my husband, after the Lord opened up the second job here for him, was commuting about an hour-and-a-half to work each way. 

I felt as though it would be "wiser" to move closer to our church and closer to my husband's job. I prayed and struggled and sought the Lord, earnestly trying to explain to Him why moving at that point would be best . . . 

I heard the Lord's silence. 

We looked at homes to rent in the area where we felt that we should possibly move. We considered purchasing a smaller home, which would be more cost-effective than renting, while we waited for the Lord to open the door for a home for our ministry. 

I felt hesitant, but we continued to explore options. 

The Lord kept stopping us--a house would already be rented or an offer had already been made on a home that we looking at. My husband and I began to think that perhaps the Lord had a different plan in mind and that we were supposed to stay where we were, at least for the time being--but we just could not understand why. We looked at one final house, hoping that maybe the Lord would show us otherwise. 

That night, I read a passage in the devotional Streams in the Desert--

When the cloud remained . . . the Israelites . . . did not set out. (Numbers 9: 19)

This was the ultimate test of obedience. It was relatively easy to fold up their tents when the fleecy cloud slowly gathered over the tabernacle and began to majestically float ahead of the multitude of the Israelites. Change normally seems pleasant, and the people were excited and interested in the route, the scenery, and the habitat of the next stopping place.

Yet having to wait was another story altogether. “When the cloud remained,” however uninviting and sweltering the location, however trying to flesh and blood, however boring and wearisome to those who were impatient, however perilously close their exposure to danger— there was no option but to remain encamped.

The psalmist said, “I waited patiently for the Lord; he turned to me and heard my cry” (Ps. 40:1). And what God did for the Old Testament saints, He will do for believers down through the ages, yet He will often keep us waiting. Must we wait when we are face to face with a threatening enemy, surrounded by danger and fear, or below an unstable rock? Would this not be the time to fold our tents and leave? Have we not already suffered to the point of total collapse? Can we not exchange the sweltering heat for “green pastures . . . [and] quiet waters” (Ps. 23: 2)?

When God sends no answer and “the cloud remain[ s],” we must wait. Yet we can do so with the full assurance of God’s provision of manna, water from the rock, shelter, and protection from our enemies. He never keeps us at our post without assuring us of His presence or sending us daily supplies.

Young person, wait— do not be in such a hurry to make a change! Minister, stay at your post! You must wait where you are until the cloud clearly begins to move. Wait for the Lord to give you His good pleasure! He will not be late!

And so, against what I humanly deemed as "wise and prudent," I decided to wait upon the Lord for His direction without actively seeking to move forward until I knew His hand leading; my husband and I committed to this course of seeming "inaction," renewed our lease, and decided to wait again upon the Lord in prayer. 

And interestingly, someone very close to me kept reminding me not to limit the Lord--I honestly was very doubtful that the Lord was going to open the door at that point for a home for us that would be the place for our ministry-there seemed to be too many obstacles and I just didn't see humanly how it could be done . . .   But  this person kept telling me to wait patiently--that I and my husband never knew what the Lord would do and at the same time the Lord continually kept reassuring me through His Word that He was ready to act in His perfect way.

The housing market remained grim. I worried and wondered and fretted and then returned to trusting in the Lord as we waited. Nothing came on the market that was suitable. 

Finally, as the time drew closer to when we would need to make a decision about whether or not to renew our lease again (the 6-month period that we had leased our rental house for was drawing closer to its end again), I believed that the Lord was telling me to seek Him more deliberately in prayer, and I set a side a period of time to do this. During that time, nothing still came on the market. Yet I waited, believing that His hand had led me to wait upon Him earnestly in prayer and so I did . . . 

Right at the end of this time of prayer and seeking the Lord, a house came on the market. I can only attribute what happened next as a miracle from the Lord's hand in direct answer to prayer. The house exactly fit what we were looking for for our ministry. It was set on almost four acres in a peaceful setting. Its outbuildings and layout would perfectly accommodate what we have been called to do.  And in the Lord's perfect mercy, the style of the home is one that I love--an old-fashioned 1890s house that reminds me of my beloved New England. Tears of joy come to me even now as I write this, and now that we realize that the Lord has given us this place for this time, for His purposes I can only say

I waited patiently for the Lord;

And He inclined to me,

And heard my cry.

He also brought me up out of a horrible pit,

Out of the miry clay,

And set my feet upon a rock,

And established my steps.

He has put a new song in my mouth—

Praise to our God;

Many will see it and fear,

And will trust in the Lord.

Psalm 40:1-3 NKJV

Furthermore, to add to the Lord's merciful hand in all of these things, the home is located within a much easier commute to my husband's job and near our church. It is in a very rural setting, and yet easily accessible for people to find--I was concerned that we would be "out in the boondocks," in order to find something suitable, but the opposite is the case--we are in a very rural setting, located near a state park , but also in a location that is easy to find and access, which would be helpful for this kind of ministry. It is actually as though this home was made for what the Lord called us to--more than 100 years ago, no less! The Lord never ceases to amaze me and to challenge my "finite" thinking with His infinite plans. For years, I have been fascinated by missionary biographies and stories of the Lord's provision in the lives of people like George Mueller and Hudson Taylor. I have tried to follow their pattern of obedience and trust, although very imperfectly. And now I am again seeing this accomplished in a miraculous and merciful way in my own life. And I praise Him; it is all of grace. 

There were times when I doubted the Lord. There were times when I truly questioned my own sanity--when I questioned whether the Lord had really spoken to us. We had relocated halfway across the United States; some people literally thought that we were crazy, or at best, misled. But I held on to the certainty that the Lord had spoken to us and that He would fulfill His purpose, and He has. At the same time, the Lord held on to me and helped me and strengthened me in my times of discouragement. And He showed me His goodness in a wonderful and miraculous way. He gave us this home. 

Looking back now and writing this, I see that if we had done what seemed "wise" at the time, if we had trusted in our own understanding and ignored the Lord's gentle voice leading us to wait, we would have been locked into another lease or have purchased a home just before the Lord was ready to act and not have been able to move forward into the ministry that He called us to. I have learned through this experience once again, as I have in the past, that it is always better to wait upon the Lord when there is doubt. It is always better to trust in His wisdom, even if it seemingly contradicts the best of human wisdom. His plan may seem like it doesn't make sense, but He is preparing His best for us if we will wait upon Him and receive it. 

And so I praise Him for answered prayer--the answered prayer of 16 years, the prayer that I prayed in a little bedroom in Rhode Island as a teenager. And I pray that He would continue to pour out His grace in my life and make me into a willing vessel to accomplish His purposes. I pray that He will use this place of rest for His glory. And I pray especially that this testimony would strengthen other believers who are in a "waiting" place to hope in the Lord and trust utterly in Him. He is good to those who wait for Him. And they will not be ashamed. 
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Below are the links to other blog posts that I've written detailing our move here and how the Lord has worked His grace through our lives,  if anyone would like to read more about it--

Flying to A Summer Land
The Gift of Quietness
Grace in the Midwest Wilderness
When you Just Can't Do It
An Impossible Prayer Request
Midwest Ministry update

You might find me on these link-ups:


Strangers and Pilgrims on Earth, Inspire Me Monday, Literacy Musing Mondays, The Modest Mom, What Joy is Mine, Mom's the Word, Rich Faith Rising, Mom's Morning Coffee, Raising Homemakers, Classical Homemaking, A Wise Woman Builds Her Home, Woman to Woman Ministries,  Testimony Tuesday, Tell His Story, Women With Intention Wednesdays, Messy Marriage,  Graced Simplicity, Imparting Grace, Thought Provoking Thursday, Soul Survival, Good Morning Mondays, The Weekend Brew, Counting My Blessings, The HomeAcre Hop, Mommy Moments Link Up, Grace and Truth Linkup, Faith Filled Friday, Tell It To Me Tuesdays, SHINE Blog Hop, TGI Saturdays Blog Hop, RaRaLinkup, Word of God Speak, Booknificent Thursday, Living Proverbs 31, Sharing His Beauty Blog Linkup, Coffee For Your Heart Weekly LinkUp, You're the Star Blog Hop, Homesteader Hop, Fresh Market Friday, Heart Encouragement Thursday , Sitting Among Friends Blog Party, Fabulous Warm Heart Party

Monthly Book Giveaway: Hudson Taylor's Spiritual Secret

“But Hudson Taylor, young though he was, had learned to know God in a very real way. He had seen Him, as he wrote, quell the raging of a storm at sea, in answer to definite prayer, alter the direction of the wind, and give rain in a time of drought. He had seen Him, in answer to prayer, stay the hand of would-be murderers and quell the violence of enraged men. He had seen Him rebuke sickness in answer to prayer, and raise up the dying, when all hope of recovery seemed gone. For more than eight years he had proved His faithfulness in supplying the needs of his family and work in answer to prayer, unforeseen as many of those needs had been. How could he but encourage others to put their trust in the love that can not forget, the faithfulness that can not fail?” 

― Howard Taylor, Hudson Taylor's Spiritual Secret

For more information about Monthly Book Giveaways, click HERE. 

This beautiful biography of Hudson Taylor's life, written by his son and daughter-in-law, is one that every Christian would benefit from reading. It tells the story of Hudson Taylor's conversion--a remarkable story in and of itself, and a testimony to a mother's prayers. It tells the story of a surrendered life, a life of power and strength and submission and obedience. It tells the story of a man who trusted in the Lord alone for his supplies, the story of a man who was willing to give up human comforts and pleasures for the joy that was set before him. It tells the story of a man who wept over lost souls and whose life's work was to win them. It tells the story of the birth of the China Inland Mission, a society that was used greatly by the Lord for years even after Taylor's death. It tells the story of a life offered to Christ. It tells the story of Christ's love and grace and sufficiency when one man or woman chooses to bank everything on the promises of God and finds that all the Promises in Him are YES. 

Description of the book (from CBD):

Compelled to share the gospel with the unreached people of China, Hudson Taylor devoted his life to this purpose. He modeled a life of utter dependence on Christ for both his spiritual and material needs. That was his secret and the reason for his lasting impact on the people of China and missions. This biography by his son and daughter in law has become a Christian classic.

To enter the giveaway, please comment below about why you would like to read this book OR about any Christian missionary who the Lord has used in your life to compel you to walk more closely with our Savior. The giveaway will run for ONE WEEK (February 25th-March 2nd)and then I will randomly select a name from a hat from those who commented below. So be sure to check back! I will announce the winner next Thursday (March 3rd) here and on Facebook and give that person three days to respond before randomly selecting another winner. 

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And the Winner of the Monthly Book Giveaway (for a paperback copy of Hudson Taylor's Spiritual Secret is ). . . 

Ashley (:-)) 

(name was randomly drawn from a hat--actually, a mug :-)). 

Please e-mail me your address through the BLOGGER CONTACT FORM (found on the right -hand side of the blog) so that I may send this book to you! 

Winner will be given three days to respond before I randomly select another winner.

Thank you all for participating!  

Blessings in Christ,

Rebekah

Images of Taylor: Wikipedia Commons

You might find me on these link-ups:

Strangers and Pilgrims on Earth, Inspire Me Monday, Literacy Musing Mondays, The Modest Mom, What Joy is Mine, SDG Gathering, A Mama's Story, Mom's the Word, Rich Faith Rising, Time Warp Wife, Cornerstone Confessions, Mom's Morning Coffee, Motivate and Rejuvenate Mondays,, Raising Homemakers, Hope in Every Season, A Wise Woman Builds Her Home, Woman to Woman Ministries, Whole-Hearted Home, Testimony Tuesday, Tell His Story, A Soft Gentle Voice, My Daily Walk in His Grace, Women With Intention Wednesdays, Messy Marriage, The Charm of Home, Graced Simplicity, Theology Thursdays, Children Are A Blessing, Imparting Grace, A Look at the Book, Essential Thing Devotions, Thought Provoking Thursday, Count My Blessings, Christian Mommy Blogger, Renewed Daily, Soul Survival, Good Morning Mondays, The Weekend Brew, Blessing Counters Link Party, The HomeAcre Hop, Mommy Moments Link Up, Grace and Truth Linkup, Faith Filled Friday, Tell It To Me Tuesdays, SHINE Blog Hop, Faith and  Fellowship Blog Hop, Motivate and Rejuvenate Monday Link-Up, A Little R&R Wednesdays. TGI Saturdays Blog Hop. Totally Terrific Tuesday, RaRaLinkup, Word of God Speak, Booknificent Thursday, So Much At Home Link Up Party