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"The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged."June 11, 2005 ...The Word of the Lord... - - - - - - Deuteronomy 31:8 ...God's Timing For All Things...
I have probably used this particular Scripture at least once a year in my newsletters. I go back to this one so much - right before Moses dies, he addresses all of Israel, and then he calls Joshua and speaks to him in front of everyone. He is turning over his leadership to Joshua, and he knows that he himself will not be entering into the promised land of Canaan. In the chapters that follow (moving from Deuteronomy to Joshua) Israel sends spies into the land that God had already promised them, and they come back with terrifying reports. The people wail and moan and wish they could go back into slavery. It's easy for us to sit and read this in 2005, saying, "Why would they be afraid? God has already promised them the land!"
So I ask myself, once again, why would I be afraid or discouraged? It is God who calls me to go. It is God who is in control and directs all things. It doesn't mean we don't experience the doubt and wondering! But knowing who God is and having past experience of what he does gives me a tremendous peace in the midst of the turmoil of trying to do "the impossible". I started my last seminary class at the end of November 2004 and had a due date of end of May 2005. Somewhere around the beginning of March, I remember praying that I did not know how on earth I was going to get all of the work done for that final class - I felt so overwhelmed trying to finish that class, work in the office, sell my house, and raise support. My poor tired brain! I could hardly read and retain, much less produce. I remember thinking and praying that if there was any way I completed this class, I would know it was totally God, because I did not see how I could complete it. And so I asked God once again to show me how great he was! :) And as only God can do, he revealed himself once again as I worked and watched and marveled. I have turned in all of my work for the class and received a passing grade. After 12 years of attending seminary as I had the time and money, I have completed all of the course work. Now, ONE MORE EXAM TO GO. I have to take and pass the Comprehensive English Bible Exam. I am studying for that right now. ...Always One More Thing...
There is always one more thing isn't there! People keep asking me now if I've finished seminary, and I keep saying "Just this one more thing" ....I can hardly keep up with my own schedule, and I certainly don't expect anyone else to.
Here is a recap of what has been completed since I came home last October:
Here is a recap of what needs to happen:
As I look at raising support and am able to truly focus on it, I realize that it, too, looks overwhelming - especially since I want to get back to Peru by Dec. 2005 or Jan. 2006! But as I so often have to do when I start to focus on the giants in my promised land, I go to God with this Scripture in mind and remember that HE is the one who will raise the support. MY job is to be obedient to seek and to work toward the goals that I believe he has given me. So, ALL THE PRAISES AND ALL THE GLORY GO TO GOD!!!! ...Never a Dull Moment When There Are Cats...
I generally try to pick out one funny story in life to share with all of you, and I hope this one doesn't make you squeamish. :) If so you might want to skip down to the end of the letter! Consider yourself warned!
My news from Peru came in the form of an email and pictures from the 2 Interns that are living in my apartment and taking care of the cats, Lucy Jane and Pippen. The girls moved into a new apartment with the cats, which is on the 4thand 5th floor of a 5 story concrete apartment building, so there is no yard for the cats. With the number of dogs that run free and no protected yard, the cats have to stay inside and thus have been severely restricted in their hunting endeavors. Sara and Joanna do a great job of taking care of the kitties, ministries, and etc. One morning Joanna awoke to the sound of Sara screaming, No, Pippen, No, NO!!!!and ran down stairs to find that Pippen had crawled out underneath the roof rafters and caught a pigeon, which he then proceeded to bring downstairs into the kitchen area to eat. With both the girls screaming and chasing, he grabbed his breakfast and ran up the stairs to the attic and back under the rafters where they could not get to him. They had to leave the house for a ministry appointment, but when they came back, they entered the apartment to the sound of crunching bones. Pippen was enjoying his freshly caught breakfast in the kitchen - and unfortunately, in the rest of the apartment as well. He had pretty well dismantled the bird and was feasting on the main body part. They had to search the house amid feathers, head, and various body organs, but could not find the feet. And yes, you know it, they did eventually find the feet but it was a later surprise which no doubt came along with much more screaming and dancing. :) They did send me electronic photos of this entire event, and I laughed until I cried at the thought of those poor girls having to deal with all of that. Ahhhhhh - such is life with a cat. And on that grisly note I will sign off until next time, when I hope to have some good support raising news.
God bless,
1911 Alderbrook Rd. NE
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