Living faithful, fruitful and fulfilled on the mission field
“Ughh. Not again! Another day of language learning. Why not quit? I can already understand and speak more than a lot of people.” These, and other negative thoughts cross my mind as I stare at my language books. Language learning is hard work. You need …
When we go on dates, I like my husband to open the door for me. When he walks around and opens the car door, I feel special, loved, and valued. For some people that doesn’t matter much. I guess I am a bit of an …
A week ago today, my mother-in-law, Sylvia Anderson, went to be with her Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. As you approach middle age, you know your parents will not live forever. That doesn’t make it any easier when the time comes for them to go. Their stable, comforting, encouraging presence, their prayers, love, and help are not easy to let go of.
The night of her passing, I moved with my husband into her home to care for and be a support to her grieving husband, my father-in-law, Jerry. I wanted, together with Todd, to do everything I could to serve and help him through this tragic loss. Yes, though she was 83, and not in an accident or anything, it is always a tragic loss when you lose someone you’ve been married to for 65 years.
It’s been painful to stay here and has made me miss her so much. Stepping into the role of the female in this household… let’s just say they are shoes I could absolutely never fill. She was an amazing homemaker and hostess.
When Todd and I were dating and first married, I was quite intimidated by her baking and cooking. She always had these amazing caramel rolls she’d make for us, and her freezer was continually full of cookies and bars…at least six different kinds. They were ready to be pulled out and served to anyone who might stop by to visit. Mom Anderson never expected me to be like her and always made me feel welcome, but still, those were big shoes to fill.
When Todd and I prepared to go to Nepal for the first time, I was three months pregnant with our daughter Jenna. She would be Sylvia’s first grandchild. Not once did she speak a word about the pain of us leaving them, or giving birth to their first grandbaby on the other side of the ocean. She cried many tears when we said goodbye, but never in any way tried to discourage us from going. I know it was hard for her. I realize it even more, now that I am a grandma, living far from my precious grandkids. Sylvia supported and believed in the cause we were working for, and was willing to release her son and family to serve God. Mom Anderson always put Jesus first.
Upon returning to the USA every three years or so, we were welcome in their home. Though I was terrified of ruining her beautiful white carpet with our toddler’s spills or breaking something lovely, she never made me feel that way. We were always picked up at the airport by mom and dad, with all our luggage, and brought to their house.
Since I grew up in Africa, and my parents were still on the field, I didn’t have a home that I lived in for many years as Todd did. The house in Lakeville, became an anchor, a place we always came home to. It gave me a sense of rootedness. It feels so strange to be here without her. I miss her greatly.
The strange reality of death is part of the cycle God designed. We know that He is absolutely and only good, so this too must in some way be good. Yet it is hard. It is a suffering we must bear. I feel for Dad Anderson, and can’t imagine what it would be like to lose my husband. Why God created this passing to be such a loss, I cannot comprehend. Why we must come into the world helpless and leave it in pain I don’t understand. What I do see is that in our suffering, we are carried by Him. In difficulty, we draw near. And that, is a good thing, for it is there close to Him, that our souls truly live.
I am not much like my mother-in-law. She was a quiet homemaker who mostly stayed within an hour of her home. I am a world-traveling speaker, podcast host, and missions leader. What I have learned from her, though, is the power of discipling your children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren well. She loved her family and always had time for them. She was generous toward them. Sylvia made sure they knew they were loved. Faithful in her church, her relationship with the Lord, and in practicing spiritual disciplines like prayer and Bible reading was exemplary. Her husband was her top priority, next to Jesus, and she served and loved him well. I hope in those ways I can be like her.
I miss you, Mom. This world is not as nice without you here, but we will carry forward your legacy.
Goodbye for now, until we meet in Heaven.
“I don’t have connections and contacts with people I could raise support from. I don’t know any __________________.” Fill in the blank. Some would say I don’t know pastors. Others would say I don’t know many foreigners. Some would say all my friends are fellow …
“Jesus is not looking for converts to Christianity; he’s looking for apprentices in the Kingdom of God,” writes John Mark Comer in his book Practicing the Way. This book is a refreshing and insightful encouragement to 1) Be with Jesus, 2) Become like Him, and …
Looking to our own resources and abilities can be discouraging. The task seems so big. We seem small. When I was young, I thought I could take on the world. As I’ve grown older, life’s experiences have taught me how fallible I am. Apart from God, there isn’t a whole lot I have to offer. Yet that little, in the hands of a mighty God, is more than enough.
Several times each day, we get messages from missionaries suffering financial hardship. They struggle to make ends meet. They are serving the Lord in their contexts, with great commitment, heart, and faith. They often see miracles of healing or deliverance.
But money…that’s another story. Many feel they need financial help from the West. They hope to find a wealthy American or European sponsor to invest in them and their projects. There is nothing wrong with that, per se. It’s not, however, an effective or reproducible strategy for fundraising and ministry.
Perhaps more importantly, it falls short of what God wants to do in and through their lives. God is more than able to provide for us in our context. He often does this by using what we already have in our hands, as we offer it back to Him.
There are two stories in the Bible I’d like to consider related to this issue. Let’s begin with the Old Testament.
In the book of 2 Kings, we find an interesting story about a widow (2 Kings 4:1-7). Her husband served in ministry. A prophet among many prophets, he had passed away in a time of great economic difficulty in the land. As was the custom in those times, the debtors she’d been buying food and supplies from were threatening to take her two sons as slaves. She desperately needed to pay what she owed.
The woman approached Elisha with her tremendous need. His response is interesting. The prophet asks her two questions.
Her response spewed out of her trembling lips. “I have nothing at all,” she exclaimed. I can picture her frustration at the prophet’s question. Why would he ask that? Hadn’t he been listening to what she had said?
Knowing he was a prophet, and wanting to be completely honest before the man of God she adds, “except a small jar of olive oil.” Her cupboards were bare, but they were not empty. Not completely empty anyhow.
That offering of oil was enough. More than enough for God to work with.
We know the rest of the story. Elisha instructs her to gather jars from her neighbors, as many as she could find. She then pours the little she has out into the neighbor’s vessels and…God does a miracle. The oil does not run out until all are full. Selling the oil, she pays her debts.
Even more well-known is the story of the feeding of the great crowd found several times in the Gospels. In the book of Mark, we see Jesus did this same miracle in two different locations; once near Bethsaida, and again in the region of the Gerasenes. Both times he used loaves and fish provided by someone in the crowd and fed thousands. See this helpful comparison of these two miracles if you’d like to study it further. http://rosetta.reltech.org/UTSA/HUM3223/Feedings.pdf
Any time you find a story repeated in scripture, it’s notable. Jesus wants us to sit up and pay attention. He did this provision miracle not once, but twice. The disciples (and we today) must have needed a repeat lesson on this one!
In the first instance, found in Mark 6:30-44, the story begins with a strange command from Jesus. Though aware of the situation (thousands of hungry people), the Lord commands His disciples, “You feed them.” How in the world were they going to do that? It was beyond difficult. This was a humanly impossible command!
Their response was incredulous. That would take way too much money! Finances we obviously don’t have Jesus! He then asks them a question. “What do you have?”
Notice the similarity to Elisha’s question.
He then tells them to “go and see.” They return after realizing that they actually do have something. It isn’t much, but it is definitely something. It is more than enough for Jesus. Taking and blessing it, that bread and fish are broken and distributed. It feeds thousands.
These stories are definitely about material provision. The widow needed actual food and money to pay her debt. The crowd was physically hungry. They teach us more than that though.
There are many kinds of emptiness Christian workers face.
Whatever your situation, God is asking the same question He asked in those stories.
What do you have? Look beyond emptiness and see what He has given. There is always something. Offer it to Him. Then listen to what the Almighty God says to do. Simply obey, and watch miracles begin to happen.
With God, what we have, is always more than enough! He is the same God today as He was in the time of the widow or when the hungry crowd had gathered.
How do these stories encourage you or apply to your situation? Let us know in the comments below or on the Missionary Life Facebook page.
“Jesus can do anything,” we say. Except for when He can’t. “What? Are there things Jesus can’t do? Isn’t He the God of the impossible,” you might be thinking. Yes, there are some things He cannot do. And there are many things we cannot do. …
When I woke up this morning, I wondered what I should write. My first thought was, “Joy is a really big deal.” I didn’t understand this for a long time, actually, joy always seemed right out of my reach. It seemed others were in touch …
It’s been described in various ways. Sometimes it’s called a dark night of the soul. Sometimes it’s called burn-out or depression. Mid-life crisis is another name that is used. These are times when we seem caught in an unending period of transition. God is mostly silent. Our lives seem to have little purpose. Not in control, we search for it, but can’t seem to find a way to end these lonely, frustrating times. So, we wait, hoping that somehow, God will bring us out of them.
And He will. He always does…in His time.
Wilderness times are exceedingly difficult. The loss of control makes it seem like we have lost ourselves…or our way. This is not bad. It is good for our soul to be trained to rest in God alone.
Whether it is a “dark night” time in your life or an extended transition, don’t resist. Ask God for the grace to receive, even welcome, this time. Don’t fight the constant transitions our nomadic, missionary lives bring. Instead, in the uncertainty, lean in to receive all God has. As you do this, your life will yield fruit. One day, the transformation God brought in you through those difficult waiting times will have great impact.
Richard Rohr in his book, Everything Belongs, says it well. “We have to move out of ‘business as usual and remain on the ‘threshold’ (limen, in Latin) where we are betwixt and between. There the old world is left behind, but we’re not sure of the new one yet. That’s a good space. Get there often and stay there as long as you can by whatever means possible. It’s the realm where God can best get at us because we are out of the way. In sacred space, the old world is able to fall apart, and the new world is able to be revealed.” While I don’t agree with everything Richard Rohr says, this is a worthy statement.
Reading this, I was struck by the phrase, “it’s the realm where God can best get at us…” I want Him to be able to get to me, to be able to transform and change me. The only hope I have of becoming like Jesus is if He has access to my soul to shape and form it.
The pandemic brought many changes to both our world and individual lives. Almost everyone’s was affected in some way. One effect was the dramatic increase in learning to wait.
What a relief it is now that those things have come to pass!!!
My husband and I waited eleven months to return to our home in Thailand. One after another ticket has been changed or canceled, and visa options fell through. It was difficult. There was grief involved in the loss of the old times when things were easier. They were stressful times for everyone across the globe.
When we came to the USA in March of 2020, we had no idea we would be there eleven months. I admit. There were days I greatly longed for things to go back to “normal.” There were things about my 2019 life I missed greatly!
During the pandemic, each day I tried to embrace what God had for me that day. I told myself – “God is in control of my life, my future, and my transformation. His purposes are greater – far better than what I can imagine or achieve.”
When those feelings, that longing for the way it was, rose in my heart, I gave it to Him. Letting go of my desire to determine my own future, to be in charge of when the waiting would end. I whispered the words, “I trust You. Your purposes are good. Father, I want Your will not mine. I’m so glad You are in control. And I surrender.”
In response, He gave me the grace to embrace that time of waiting with joy. I received new manna for each day during the pandemic.
The pandemic is fading into the records of history and it’s challenges recede in our minds. We should be careful, though, not to lose the lessons it taught us. Other times of waiting and transition will come. Its part of life. What did we learn about waiting that can help us in what we face today? Or what we will face tomorrow?
Surrender and trust. God works all things for good. Live each day fully unto Him and not for progress or productivity. Find joy in submission and faith in His timing and purpose. Those are some of mine. They are lessons I want to hold on to. To carry into today’s waiting times.
And now, O Lord, for what do I wait? My hope is in you.
Ps. 39:7 ESV.
This is a good space. God has access to you in unique ways in the waiting periods when you are not in control of your life. We want to become like Him. Yet we resist.
Our brokenness is exposed to His healing touch.
Would you ask a heart surgeon to rush an operation? Of course not! God is deeply at work in our inner beings. Stay still and let Him do what is needed for as long as it takes.
The things God wants to release through you in the next season require a greater level of dependency on Him. We want to see greater fruit from our lives, but don’t like to let go of control. The more we let Him be in charge, the more powerfully He can use us. Choose to let God determine if you need to grow your trusting God muscles in this season, or your ministry skills.
We can trust Him because we know Him. His Word is true.
Isaiah 55:8 says, ““My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts,” says the Lord. “And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine.” Say it out loud – right now. “Your thoughts are nothing like mine, Jesus. Your ways are far beyond what I can imagine!”
Do you believe that to be true? Sometimes we have to convince our souls to believe the truth!
In the waiting times, we remind ourselves of His promises. We meditate on His character.
“He is good. He is faithful. He has called me to bear much fruit,” we declare.
What has He personally promised you? Spoken to you about as far as your calling or destiny? Review and meditate on those things.
Remember who He is.
Times have changed but God has not.
Jesus endured many things in the desert. Temptation, hunger, attack from the enemy. Yet when He came out of the desert, His ministry began with great anointing. Having gone through those trials and overcome them, there was new strength.
In wilderness seasons, I’ve found my walk with Jesus grows sweeter…more intimate. It’s as if the chaff has been burned off, and my soul is purified afresh. The most powerfully transformative moments in my spiritual life have come from the deserts.
Receive the blessing. Watch for it. Wait, but not in hopelessness.
Steven Curtis Chapman wrote a song when he grieved the loss of his daughter. He wrote,
“We have this hope as an anchor,
‘Cause we believe that everything God promised us is true, so…
We wait with hope,
And we ache with hope,
We hold on with hope,
We let go with hope.”
In the waiting of this season, how is God filling your heart with hope?
Let me know in the comments below or on the Missionary Life Facebook page.
Join me on an imagination exercise. Think of that day when you first see Jesus face to face. What an incredible moment that will be! Just gazing at His incredible beauty. My heart longs to see Him! I wonder, will He say to me – …