Forward

It is only beyond what is humanly reasonable and possible that we see the glory of God.

~Lilias Trotter

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

~Hudson Taylor

I feel like I've been standing on the banks of the Jordan for a long time. The water has been washing over my sandal-clad feet and I smell the fresh clean breeze of change around me. 

I'm ready to step in, Lord. Lead me. But I need You to part the waters.

 And the Lord said to Moses, “Why do you cry to Me? Tell the children of Israel to go forward (Exodus 14:15).

I believe that the Lord led us here; He never leads us to leave us. His name and reputation are at stake. 

The Lord will part these waters for us.

We will go forward. Because of Who He is. 

Is the work God's work? Has He called you to do it, and equipped you for it? Be sure on these points. Take time to consider and pray and find what the will of the Lord is. Then when the difficulties have been considered and the needs fairly measured, and the clear conviction remains that God calls you to rise and build, then put your hand to the plough and never look back (Streams in the Desert). 

Please pray, dear friends, for wisdom and direction in going forward. 

I had shared a little while ago that we had decided on adding on to our home with a living space for those who came to Herrnhut rather than focusing on renovating an outbuilding on our property. We had come up against opposition in going forward in the former direction regarding the building and residency codes in the county in Wisconsin where we live. 

Please pray for wisdom in how the Lord wants to lead us forward now. We need His direction and guidance.

Another need that has been upon my heart is the need for someone to help to take care of the grounds here. I do much of the work myself with the help of my children, family members, and the help of a local boy. My husband works long hours doing construction and driving for an Amish crew, and so his time is taken up with that. 

I am unable to do some of the "heavier" work here, especially with the upkeep that I am already responsible for. I am praying that the Lord in His timing would send someone to help with the grounds. This is just a need that has been placed upon my heart; I am not certain how or when the Lord will supply this need. Please pray for His guidance and provision. 

We are grateful for your continued prayers. Our God is merciful and faithful to provide our needs. This work is His. We commit it into His hands. 

For Jesus,

Rebekah 

A Ministry Update ~~ As Promised! :-)

 Oh, that I had in the wilderness

A lodging place for travelers . . .

Jeremiah 9:2

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We should not shrink from opportunities where our faith may be tried. The more I am in a position to be tried in faith, the more I will have the opportunity of seeing God’s help and deliverance. Every fresh instance in which He helps and delivers me will increase my faith. The believer should not shrink from situations, positions, or circumstances in which his faith may be tried, but he should cheerfully embrace them as opportunities to see the hand of God stretched out in help and deliverance. Thus his faith will be strengthened.

~George Mueller

Dear friends, 

As many of you are aware, I've been asking for prayer for many months now. Our family has come up against great difficulty in going forward in renovating the outbuilding on our property for the ministry of hospitality that the Lord has called us to in the Midwest. 

We learned that according to the zoning ordinances in our county, we are not permitted to have what the county labels a "second residence," even though it would be used only for guests as part of our ministry. We have petitioned the board, asked many questions, and spent much time in prayer over this roadblock. 

We believe at this point that the Lord is leading us to build on to our home instead of renovating the outbuilding that we had planned to renovate. We intend to create a living area (general room/sleeping area/bathroom) for missionaries, pastors, and other believers who desire to come apart for a time of rest and refreshment in the Lord. This would eliminate the "roadblock" of a second residence and enable us to go forward as the Lord has called us. We are committing this to Him in prayer and trusting His perfect plan. 

Please pray for us as we move forward in this direction. We are very grateful for your prayers! 

He always makes a way--and He is able--the doors that He shuts no one can open and the doors that He opens no one can shut. 

We trust in Him and know that we will see His goodness in the land of the living as we wait for Him. 

Thank you for your continued prayers. 

For Jesus,

Rebekah 

*To learn more about our ministry, click HERE. 

Ministry Update

I wanted to share an update on our ministry in the Midwest as well as thank all of  those who have been faithfully praying for us. 

Our view outside 

Right now, we are in the throes of winter and eagerly anticipating spring. We have extremely harsh winters here, which makes us all the more thankful when the sweet spring days come. Just recently, I was reading about lilac bushes, which apparently are able to thrive in extreme conditions. There are many, many lilac bushes in Wisconsin! And they flourish, despite the bitter cold winters that we experience here. This fact about lilac bushes reminded me that believers are called to press into the One who is the cleft of the Rock during the harshest times that we face spiritually. We may trust Him to bring life after the chilling winter winds have threatened us with despair. Just as the lilac bush is one of the most beautiful sights in the springtime, so may our lives gracefully reflect the glory of Christ through adversity and hardship. 

Hummingbird near the Missionary House drinking honeysuckle

O Christ, He is the fountain,

The deep, sweet well of life:

Its living streams I've tasted

Which save from grief and strife.

And to an ocean fullness,

His mercy doth expand;

His grace is all sufficient

As by His wisdom planned.

~Anne Cousin

I've shared with you before about an outbuilding on our property which we have affectionately named "The Missionary House." We've been focusing our prayers on that building, asking the Lord to provide the means to renovate it for guests to stay in. 

Last summer, I felt that Holy Spirit was asking me to take a step of faith in using all of the earnings from our small farm stand that my children and I run during the spring/summer months toward the renovation of the Missionary House. We usually use this money toward pint-sized projects/our families needs when things are tight, and so it was a step of obedience for me to trust in the Lord to set it aside. I took a large pickle jar and began putting all of our earnings in it as the spring and then summer wore on.

Next, I set a goal on paper and in my mind to complete "Phase 1" of the Missionary House. This would be part 1 of 4 parts--the storage area that is leaking and needed to be re-roofed and framed. I was hoping that what was set aside during the summer would be enough for that particular project. 

Unusual things began to happen after I had made the decision to use the money from the farm stand for Herrnhut. I hadn't shared that I would be using this money for our ministry with anyone other than my husband and a few very close immediate family members who I asked not to tell anyone (that was what I believed the Lord had laid upon my heart to do). 

My sales in young spring perennials that I dug early in the season went way up. Many people stopped by to buy hollyhock plants that I started in the house. And on two separate occasions, neighbors knocked on my door, one of them asking to buy a hanging plant that was just a decoration on the farm stand! It confirmed to me that the Lord was indeed blessing the earnings of the farm stand and had indeed led me to put them aside.

At the end of the summer, I was hopeful that we might have enough to begin the project. And yet, we fell short. I brought this to the Lord and waited. Miraculously, in answer to prayer, He unexpectedly provided through gifts that were given toward Herrnhut over the winter months, as well as a gift from a family member that was not designated for Herrnhut but that we decided to use toward this project--exactly enough to complete phase one in the spring. 

We praise God for His provision and for His faithfulness to answered prayer. We are waiting at this point for our Amish friend to contact us when he is ready to begin the work in early spring. And we praise God! 

South side of the Missionary House

I am hoping in the next update to share photos with you all of the work that will be done on the Missionary House. Please continue to keep us in your prayers. I am always amazed at how the Lord provides for us exactly in His perfect timing. 

We continue to be grateful for your prayers. The Lord bless each and every one of you. 

My Eye is Not On the Density of the Fog

A very dear friend and man of faith wrote to me and my husband recently. His simple, sincere words of encouragement reminded me of a story that I had read about George Mueller a few months ago. It was a story that "stuck" with me and that challenged me to hold fast to the Lord, even when circumstances seem to contradict His leading and clear direction. Such a situation happened to me about a year and a half ago when my husband and I were seeking the Lord in His opening up a place for the ministry He has led us to pursue (you may read more about that HERE). This is the story that I read about George Mueller. 

When I first came to America, thirty-one years ago. I crossed the Atlantic with the captain of a steamer who was one of the most devoted men I ever knew, and when we were off the banks of Newfoundland be said to me:

"Mr. Inglis, the last time I crossed here, five weeks ago, one of the most extraordinary things happened which, has completely revolutionized the whole of my Christian life. Up to that time I was one of your ordinary Christians. We had a man of God on board, George Müller, of Bristol. I had been on that bridge for twenty-two hours and never left it. I was startled by some one tapping me on the shoulder. It was George Müller:

"'Captain, he said, 'I have come to tell you that I must be In Quebec on Saturday afternoon.' This was Wednesday.

"'It is impossible,' I said.

"'Very well, if your ship can't take me, God will find some other means of locomotion to take me. I have never broken an engagement in fifty seven years.'

"’I would willingly help you. How can I? I am helpless.'

"'Let us go down to the chart-room and pray.'

"I looked at that man of God, and I thought to myself, what lunatic asylum could that man have come from? I never heard of such a thing.

"'Mr. Müller,' I said, 'do you know how dense the fog is?'

"'No,' he replied, 'my eye is not on the density of the fog, but on the living God who controls every circumstance of my life.'

"He got down on his knees and prayed one of the most simple prayers. I muttered to myself: 'That would suit a children's class where the children were not more than eight or nine years old.' The burden of his prayer was something like this: 'O Lord, if it is consistent with Thy will, please remove this fog in five minutes. You know the engagement you made for me in Quebec Saturday. I believe it is your will.'

"When he finished. I was going to pray, but he put his hand on my shoulder and told me not to pray. "First, you do not believe He will; and second. I believe He has. And there is no need whatever for you to pray about it.' I looked at him, and George Müller said..

"'Captain. I have known my Lord for forty-seven years, and there has never been a single day that I have failed to gain an audience with the King. Get up, captain, and open the door, and you will find the fog is gone.' I got up, and the fog was gone!

"You tell that to some people of a scientific turn of mind, and they will say, 'That is not according to natural laws.' No, it is according to spiritual laws. The God with whom we have to do is omnipotent. Hold on to God's omnipotence. Ask believingly. On Saturday afternoon, I may add, George Müller was there on time."

~Herald of gospel liberty, Volume 102, Issues 27-52

My eye is not on the density of the fog . . . these words have been playing over in my mind this week. When God calls us to do something, to believe that He will do something according to how He has led us and spoken to us, it will come to pass. This is what my friend wrote in his e-mail, this is what the Word of God strongly teaches us, this is what the Holy Spirit presses upon our hearts even when human logic seems to contradict His leading. 

The hand and voice of God led my husband and I out to the Midwest from our comfortable, cozy, coastal New England residence. 

He opened the door for a place to begin our ministry here, after living in a drafty, dingy rental house for a little over a year--and after seeking Him in prayer for over 16 years (yes; 16 years)--at the time when every single door appeared to be shut to us and I felt like my prayers were pounding on the iron door of Heaven. 

It was at the point when I let go of human logic and wisdom and what seemed to be the wise, prudent thing to do (to buy a temporary house in town while we were waiting for Him to open up a permanent place of ministry--maybe in the years to come, I thought) that I quietly humbled myself before Him in prayer. He led me to pray and fast in a specific way for 21 days and at the end of that period of time the door opened in such a miraculous way that I sensed His Presence and direction so surely and perfectly that I could only sit in the quietness before Him and thank Him over and over. 

He is God. He is able to do exceedingly and abundantly above and beyond all that we ask or think. We limit Him through our unbelief, through our logical assigning of what we think He is able and willing to do. 

If God has truly called you to something--for me and my husband it was to create a place of rest for God's people--He will do it--be sure of your calling--pray, seek Him diligently--it is usually something that you don't feel qualified to do! But He is able. And as the friend that I mentioned at the beginning of this e-mail reminded me and my husband many years ago, He does not call the qualified; He qualifies the called. 

Are you called to raise children well--with a Godly foundation and heritage? Do it, and don't be distracted by the things of this world. Are you called to serve in a certain capacity in the church and you feel weak and unable to step forward? Take the first step, by the grace and power of Almighty God. Are you called away from your comfortable home to go to an unknown place, called to uncertainty and trial? Press into His calling and you will find His sustaining grace and the everlasting arms beneath. 

There is nothing too difficult for the Lord. And what we see as difficulties are only the places where He makes His glory shine brightest. 

So trust Him--and place your eyes upon Him, not on the density of the fog. 

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, Tea and Word

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