October Blessings

It’s hard to believe it has only been a month since I last wrote. So much has happened.

Last time I asked you to pray for my Grandma. The disease progressed far quicker than expected. I had driven down a day earlier than originally planned and was able to spend some time with her. She was asleep for most of it, but I was able to sing her hymns and read Romans to her in addition to helping her drink some water or shifting her pillows during the few moments she was awake. It was that night that she passed into eternity. We had the funeral two weeks after that. Please be praying for my family as it has been very difficult on a couple individuals in particular.

On a happier note, it was a tremendous blessing to be able to share how God has been working at both my sending church, Berean Baptist Church in Beloit, WI, and at Ambassador Baptist Church in Sparta, WI. Both churches have been an encouragement to me and I pray that God will use what I shared to be a blessing to them too. Lord willing, I will be sharing at a couple more churches this month. Please continue to pray that God would give me the words He wants me to speak and that He will use me to be a blessing to these churches.

Another blessing that the Lord has provided this month is the opportunity to get to know a new friend. She is a missionary to eastern Europe and has been in the US for a couple of months taking care of some paperwork and visiting some of her supporting churches. She has been staying with one of the families in my church and we’ve been able to spend a good bit of time together while she has been here. She is flying back this week. Please pray for her safety and that God would bless her as she serves Him.

The Lord has also been blessing me through His Word, in particular through two passages in James.

The first passage is James 2:17-22 which says “Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone. Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works. Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble. But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead? Was not Abraham our father justified by works, when he had offered Isaac his son upon the altar? Seest thou how faith wrought with his works, and by works was faith made perfect?”

We are not saved through our works, but we show our faith through our works. It may not be something you struggle with, but I struggle with phone calls. Even if it is with people I love dearly, there is something deep within me that dislikes phone calls. However, part of the way God provides for His missionaries is through deputation, and the deputation process requires lots of phone calls. I have no doubt that God will provide everything needed for me to do His will, but if I don’t do the work of picking up the phone to connect with the churches He has prepared for me to partner with, then I’m not going to receive those blessings. It is like a farmer who prays for rain, but doesn’t plant any seeds. When the rain comes, there won’t be a crop to receive the rain. The farmer's faith in the provision of rain is shown through his actions, just like my faith is shown through my actions. I must allow Him to show me that His strength is made perfect in my weakness and that even when I struggle with something, He can give me His strength to continue.

The second passage is James 5:7-8 which says “Be patient therefore, brethren, unto the coming of the Lord. Behold, the husbandman waiteth for the precious fruit of the earth, and hath long patience for it, until he receive the early and latter rain. Be ye also patient; stablish your hearts: for the coming of the Lord draweth nigh.”

It seems like I am constantly learning another aspect of patience. I’ve learned it through various experiences growing up, taking college classes while working full-time, caring for my parents, helping raise my nephew, learning sign language, and interacting with people who don’t always see things the same way I do. Through each of these, I’ve thought I had learned how to be patient, but now I’m realizing that I still have more to learn. My plan had been that I would either already be in Slovakia or leaving in the next couple of weeks, but the Lord has other plans and through those plans, He has given me the opportunity to practice patience. I know His plans are better than mine, so I’ll wait on His timing and while I wait, I’ll continue to take the steps He has laid before me.

Happenings in Slovakia

The Lord has been working in Slovakia at the same time He has been working here.

The AWANA and teens programs have been turned over to three individuals in the church. This has freed up some of LeAnne’s time. Please pray for these individuals as they learn how to lead the youngest members of the church and that He would provide wisdom so they can lead them well.

There is a new baby that was born this month and another that is almost walking. Pray for their parents as they strive to raise these little ones in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.

Two baptisms took place on October 8th and the Bible Institute classes have started again. Pray that these individuals would learn and grow in the grace of God and that He would mold them into the people He desires them to be.

There are several individuals in the church that are in college classes and a couple families that are moving. Please pray for strength for these individuals. These are not easy seasons of life and they need His strength, peace, and rest.

One other request is for a young man in the church that is going to need a liver transplant. Please pray for his health and peace for him and his family. He has a wife and a son, who is not yet two, that rely on him.