Faith Through "Difficult" Times

As many of you know our family is still in the midst of generating support. We have been in Alaska for two years now and we are not yet fully funded. It is something that hangs over our head and has kept us from truly being 100% emersed in ministry. All the amazing things that have happened here we could not do without God first and foremost and the support of those who have faithfully stepped out into mission service through our family.

It has seemed that any success we have had in the past has come on the heels of complete surrender to God’s prompting. Recently I felt I needed to be home with my family. After all, they are my first mission field and the area God called me to first. My day consisted of getting up at 5am, making breakfast, working at The Compass Coffeehouse from 615am-11pm. On Mondays we have a staff meeting before drop in. Every other day of the week I would leave the coffeehouse and head to our school room where the kids would be waiting with a ton of questions. After sorting through the borage of questions I then had a few hours to reply to emails, write thank you cards, prep newsletters and much more. This doesn’t include the preparation for my weekly youth group lesson. I would then find myself needing to run into the kitchen, grab a snack and rush out the door. It was time for drop in. Upon arriving at The Compass I would prepare The Compass for the students to arrive after school. We would engage in conversation, play games, help with homework or do projects until 6pm. Needless to say I need to find more time in the day.

I recently took a huge leap of faith. In my past experiences the best things that have happened in my life have come after I stop trying to do it my way and place the situation in God’s hands. This leap was reducing my hours at the coffeehouse down to 1 day a week. I need more time home with my kids to help them with their schooling, to give them a bit more structure and give me more time to communicate more effectively with our support team. As well as, inviting new people to ask God if He would have them partner with Him through our family. In a market where the cost of living continues to go up it makes no sense to decrease one’s finances. That is just it, the fact that it makes no sense is why it makes so much sense.

God is not limited by our circumstances. He is the one who provided for Abraham when he was asked to sacrifice Isaac on the alter. God is the one who parted the sea when Pharaoh’s army was hot on Moses and the Israelite’s tail. He made a donkey speak and has led me through some dark times in my life. It is in the moments that seem impossible that we can see God work. It is at the end of everything God has brought me through when I feel like I can’t go on like this that he continues to come through. He had been carrying me all this time and has been waiting for me to say “Jesus take the wheel, I can’t do this on my own. I’m letting go”. It is in those moments that I am simply along for the ride. I do not know why God would ask me to step into support raising during a global shutdown. Or why He would ask me to decrease my income in a market with increasing costs. One thing is for sure, when He comes through, He will get all the credit. Even though we have less coming in financially we are not without. We have plenty to eat, roof over our heads, gas in the cars and more importantly A God who cares deeply about our family and the work he has called us to.

While times on the surface seem difficult, I find myself at peace with it. I have faith through the “difficult” times. God has brought our family up here, he called us into mission services, he placed the requirements of needing to generate support. I have faith that the reason we have not reached fully funded status is purposeful. There is more opportunity to share what we are doing. More opportunity to challenge people to look at where God is calling them to step out in faith. I am reminded of the Israelites in the dessert God didn’t bring them out of Egypt to let them die in the wilderness. The wandering the wilderness was a lesson God was trying to teach His people. God was with them every step of the way and he is with me too. Likewise, he is with you! Surrender, give it to God and see what he does with your obedience.