Memories...

Sitting here with tear stained eyes and wondering why there are days when God feels so far away.

After a year of serving in a ministry that we love; but in the hardest area of the world we have ever lived in; there are days when I wish I could blink and wake up back in my cozy North Carolina bed. Alas, when I blinked this time, all I saw was more falling snow and the pile of papers that I still have left to get done for work. Life is so different now than it was a year ago and there are times when I feel like I'm hanging on by a thread.

But then...

Then, I am blessed with memories of days gone by. Memories of a time in our life when the road didn't always seem clear but the "Guide" seemed to know exactly where He was going all along.

As I read through my old blogs (yes, from back in the day when I used to blog - sigh), I found this "memory". Thank you Lord for memories...tonight it is carrying me through.

Written December 3, 2009

"The will of God will never take you where the grace of God will not protect you."
Anonymous

I have repeated this phrase in my mind countless times over the past few days.

Donn's official last day at church was on Sunday and he was scheduled to leave town to go ahead of us to NY on Tuesday morning. About 3 hours after he drove away, he called me and said that his transmission had gone on his old truck. We then spent the remainder of the day watching God provide...

First He provided for Donn's truck to be towed back to Charlotte.

Next he provided for a group of people to come beside us to pay for the new transmission in the truck.

Finally, he provided plane tickets so that Donn can still fly to NY to be at an interview which he had previously scheduled (which he would have missed because of the truck still being in the shop).

Many people have responded to the incidents of the past few months (like the house sale falling through and the truck breaking down) by asking us if God is saying that we should be staying in NC. Although we've asked ourselves those same questions; I can honestly say that our spirits tell us that these trials are from Satan. God is still at work even in the midst of what seems to the world as a disappointment.

In our hearts we know that God has called us to this new ministry. Every part of our being tells us that these trials are a direct result of the fact that Satan is trying his hardest to beat down our spirits and keep us from getting to NY.

On the flip side; God is shining brightly as He provides for us in countless ways such as car repairs and plane tickets.

And so I remeber the quote that I shared with you earlier:
"The will of God will never take you where the grace of God won't protect you."

Today we pray simple prayers. "Lord, let your will be done and let us remain in the center of it. Protect our family...protect our spirits, and guide us down this path."

Faith is not supposed to be easy. I sure wish it could be, but in my heart I know that easy faith is no faith at all.

"The will of God will never take you where the grace of God will not protect you."

Amen.