building altars

 "The people came up out of the Jordan on the tenth day of the first month. They set up camp at The Gilgal to the east of Jericho. Joshua erected a monument at The Gilgal, using the twelve stones that they had taken from the Jordan. And then he told the People of Israel, "In the days to come, when your children ask their fathers, 'What are these stones doing here?' tell your children this: 'Israel crossed over this Jordan River on dry ground.' "
 Joshua 4:19-22

 

  crossing the jordan

The past 5 weeks have seen us battling spiritually. To the point where we felt almost defeated and definitely weary. The water was high and raging and we knew we must cross it but couldn't see how. So we prayed that God would rescue us and He carried us across on dry ground.

He is worthy of all praise.

Our plan for the perfect stress-free summer holiday was plenty of fun activities and nothing but relaxation and entertainment. God's plan for us was to send us to faith-building boot camp.

I am going to back up a bit...for many months now we have been contemplating if we have even made a little difference here, wondering if our work here has been worth it. Sure we have a great Bible study, friends, etc...but as missionaries there has been no great revival, no huge amazing miracles to document. We knew coming to CZ would be difficult as the soil here is hard and requires years to til and make ready for planting. Having been made aware that relationships here take years to get to the point where a spiritual discussion is even possible, we came anyway, knowing that God had uniquely equipped us and called us to this field. Financial issues came up for us right away as the dollar plummeted and I was forced to go to work full time instead of doing ministry. I couldn't understand at the time why I wasn't given the opportunity to start all of these ministries that I had planned, but now I do.

building altars stone by stone

1 God had a better plan than assorted ministries being started by me. He knew that for us to be accepted fully into our community and for relationships to become deeper more quickly that I would need to have a regular job like any other Czech...not a foreigner's job, but teaching at the Czech school like any other normal person in our community gave us the opportunity to connect with our neighbors and fellow townsfolk on an entirely different level than other foreigners. God knew and made a way for His plan even when I didn't understand.

Great is your wisdom, O God.

God's provision not only of a job at the local school but of spots for the girls in the same school was again a miracle of God's design. Even the administrative staff of the school, though not opposed to the idea, felt it couldn't be done, unprecedented as it was. But God's plan is sovereign over all the plans and agendas of man.

"The LORD has established his throne in heaven,
   and his kingdom rules over all."

Psalm 103:19