Quote Of The Day

"Desire for God's glory implies yielding to His way of ordering people and events." -Susan Hunt

Getting well along the way...

Before I returned to Slovenia many people asked me if I was ready to go back to Slovenia. I responded by saying that I didn't think I would be any more ready or that it would be any easier by waiting longer. Recently I read something in a book called "Letter To A Grieving Heart" by Billy Sprague that confirmed this. At a conference that Billy attended, the speaker said "What do we do with our personal pain, which we all have, in regard to our mission in life? Do we get well and then get on with our calling? Or do we respond to our calling and get well along the way?...We are all wounded. If we wait until we are well to be fit for our mission, life will be over." I know that God has called me to Slovenia and still has work for me to do here and so I trust that He will enable me to do the good works that He has called me to AND will sustain me as I grieve and process the loss of my dad. Thanks everyone for your continued prayers.

faith - of greater worth than gold

Thank you for your prayers for me and my family during the last few months. My dad’s last days were difficult days. I flew home from Slovenia on July 20^th and my dad's health continued to rapidly decline until the Lord called him home Wednesday night, July 30th. I am so thankful that I was able to come home and spend these last days with him. When I arrived he was able to talk a little bit. But within a few days even that was too difficult for him, although he was able to hear and understand us when he was awake. It was difficult to watch dad suffer. The blessing of this agonizing time was that we could all see where this was leading and thus had opportunity to say whatever needed to be said to one who is preparing to depart from life on this earth as we know it and enter into eternity. I know that many of you were joining with me in praying for my dad's salvation and I thank you so much for that. I had shared the gospel with my dad numerous times recently but he still was not interested in accepting Christ as Lord and Savior. Two days after I arrived home dad had a good day and was able to talk quite a bit (short phrases). At one point I asked him if there was anything else I could get for him and he said "gold." He was joking and it was good to see him keep a sense of humor. My aunt from Louisiana was here in Oregon and scheduled to get a gold crown on one of her molars as soon as she returned home so we had a good laugh about how I could've pried off that gold and given it to him if she already had the crown. Then later that evening the Lord brought to mind the verse that talks about our faith being of greater worth than gold. I looked it up and found it in 1 Peter and knew that the Lord wanted me to share 1 Peter 1:3-9 with dad that contained that verse along with the gospel message. So I began praying for an opportunity to do so and for dad to be receptive. The next day dad was having a bad day and wasn't able to talk and we thought it might be his last. Numerous people were in the house and in the evening I was feeling that I needed some alone time with dad. I thought maybe other people were feeling the same so I asked if anyone would like some time alone with dad. No one did but I let them know that I did, so they graciously honored my wish. I asked dad if he remembered when he asked me for gold the day before and he smiled, so I knew he was tracking with me. I told him that I didn't have any gold for him and that he couldn't take it with him anyways but that I had something more valuable than gold that I wanted to share with him and that is faith in Jesus. I read 1 Peter 1:3-9 that says "Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade-kept in heaven for you who through faith are shielded by God's power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that your faith-of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire-may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls." Then I asked him if he had faith of greater worth than gold to trust in Jesus as his Savior. Since he wasn't speaking, we were using a hand squeeze for "yes" answers. To the praise of God's glorious grace, my dad squeezed my hand for yes so I prayed with him and believe that he invited Christ into his heart as Lord and Savior! I know there were hundreds of people from all over the world battling in prayer for my dad's salvation and I am so thankful for that. It is painful to lose him in the here and now but I would rather lose a few years on this earth with him and gain an eternity in heaven with him. Because my dad had faith of greater worth than gold to trust in Jesus as his Savior, he is now walking on streets of gold in heaven. I’m certain that if he was here now, he would encourage you all to embrace that same sort of faith if you haven’t already.