Can you even IMAGINE the love kids will know when we finally are able to look into their eyes and tell them God has moved mountains and turned our lives upside down just for us to get to them?
Trust IN THE LORD with ALL your heart
and lean not on your own understanding;
in ALL your ways submit to HIM,
AND HE WILL make your paths straight. Proverbs 3:5-6
This stuff is real.
Very recently I yelled at God. It was something like, “God, YOU are the One who gave me this dream! Show me how and when! We are willing to follow You and obey. You know this. Please just show us HOW!” The ache to be there already is so great.
About 5 years ago God put a thought into my head, “YOU ARE MOVING.”
I didn’t want to hear that. So I didn’t listen.
Instead I told an elder at church that, “I could never move because I love this church too much.” I believe God took that church (building) out of our path because I was disobedient. And I lived to tell about it. God does not stop loving us or using us when we’re disobedient contrary to what so many people tell you. God uses ALL of your (and my) story for His Glory.
But this was so strong that I could not ignore it.
It’s April. God put it on my heart that April 1st would be the time He moved us to Alaska to begin work on the homeless teen center dream. I was like, “God, You KNOW what April 1st is. I don’t want to tell people that!”
Many people know that we thought it was last April.
The thing is; there are a lot of Aprils in our lifetime. There is one every year.
If God’s shown you a time or season for something just keep trusting Him no matter what other people tell you because He knows what He’s doing.
We’ve looked like fools for Him kinda “building an ark” in our yard for the past year and a half since we started telling people about what we believe He’s doing in our lives.
And we’ll KEEP ON looking like fools for Him until the day He takes our breath away.
My God is real. My God can do more than you ever ask or imagine. Follow Him. Talk to Him. (You can talk to Him right now. This story isn’t going anywhere. I’ll wait right here.)
Before He gave me this dream:
1. I never dreamed of going to live in Alaska before this.
2. I didn’t even LIKE teenagers until one of my own kids was a teenager. My favorite ages have always been the 2s and 3s. I love to listen to the stuff they talk about!
The world tells you that teenagers are… well, the world says lots of negative things about teenagers. The truth about teenagers is that teenagers need respect just like adults and younger kids do and when we show them respect, they are quick to give respect back. Listen to their crazy dreams and stuff they think about, pray over them, and help them find their talents and what God wants to do with them. And how God uses them may or may not look like we think it “should” look regarding culture and school, career, and life. And that’s OKAY!
Even when nobody really (other than my 2 daughters who have always believed in me) believed what God had shown me, I still knew He was doing this work in my life and what He’s calling us to go do.
~~> Walking by faith is SO very LONELY but also SO very worth it. <~~
Okay so check this out.
April 1st. I yelled at God to show me HOW.
April 2nd. We were at a car dealership.
Wait. First we were at a camper/RV place.
Okay. There’s not even a way to begin this story and explain how we got here unless God shows me how to share the details.
When you follow Jesus, be ready to let go of stuff you keep trying to control.
This is a God thing. If you’ve read this blog much it’s not new to hear that we have been waiting on God’s timing and (lots of) miracle(s.) We are in the middle of another one right now.
God can do anything with anybody.
This truck thing happened with no credit for several years, a payment that meets our income, all the details we prayed about, strong enough to pull a trailer, and it was at the dealership for just a week (not even put in the front to sell yet.) The guy said they rarely have this kind of truck for this price and right now they had TWO.
After we were home for the night, we all went to bed praying if this is God’s provision then great and if not, that’s great too. We asked Him to show us the next steps and to give us peace either way.
God showed me one time last year in a dream that we had a big white vehicle. When I woke up, I knew it wasn’t a bus or a van. At that time it didn’t occur to me that it could be a camper. A few weeks later I woke up and yelled, “It’s a camper!”
We revisited a used camper lot and the woman asked what we were looking for. All the campers there had only 1 bed in them. (All except one.) We need 3 or 4 beds for our family. She showed us a camper with SEVEN beds and now we have a truck to pull it and to carry the art supplies, photography equipment, decorations, sewing patterns, hair and make-up supplies, and most importantly those mismatched tea party pieces.
You read that right. We are moving to Alaska to simply celebrate people who haven’t been very celebrated.
The story God’s leading us through has touched so many lives already and we haven’t even begun the actual work IN Alaska yet. Praise Him! (When God shows you WHY you’re here it’ll blow your mind! Ask Him to show you. There’s nothing like this in the whole world.)
The other 2 pieces that go with the truck are the camper and hopefully an enclosed truck bed cover to store boxes in for the drive to Alaska.
We need $20,000 more to pay for the camper and for gas to move there. And I hear there’s a ferry we need to pay for to move the truck and camper across water so probably much more than this and I KNOW God will provide this somehow.
If a father asks his son to mow the yard, he’ll give him (or show him how to get) a lawn mower, gas (or an extension cord and electricity,) and a lawn to mow. How much MORE will God supply for His children when we listen and follow what He’s calling us to do?! He will supply everything ~ INCLUDING leading us to the very people He’s calling us to serve.
If you know anyone with a heart for this ministry or who just wants to help this mission get started, please share our story.
We are able to physically go there to serve. We know there are many more people who ALSO have hearts for this ministry and who cannot go physically but DO have resources and will feel called to help do this work for Him.
We are going to give people a safe place to stay for a while, teach interview and job skills, budgeting, celebrate people who maybe haven’t felt a reason to celebrate lately, and MOST importantly lead people to a closer relationship with Jesus.
When you feel called to give, then give.
When you don’t, then don’t.
It’s really that simple.
I’ll say it again.
Can you even IMAGINE the love kids will know when we finally are able to look into their eyes and tell them God has moved mountains and turned our lives upside down just for us to get to them?
All eyes are on You, Lord. We give all the glory to You.
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