Devotion

^{Luke 9:57}

Now it happened as they journeyed on the road, that someone said to Him, “Lord, I will follow You wherever You go.”

                                                      "Are You Coming?"

After years of ministry, I have heard many people proclaim, “Lord, I will follow you wherever you go.”  But when the journey gets difficult, it is then a different story.  I have spoken to hundreds, who proclaim they want to be a missionary in Africa, but time passes and we never hear from them again.  When life gets difficult will you continue to follow Jesus wherever He goes?

Wes Bentley has an analogy he uses when speaking to men at conferences, and that is of a soldier lying in a fox hole with his rifle between his legs, shaking with fear. While the enemy approaches, he’s unable to perform his duty!  His commander yells at him and says, “Are you coming,” and he lays in his fox hole unresponsive.

As believers, we all experience the difficulties life has to throw at us.  But the real question is are we going to continue following Jesus wherever He goes, or are we going to remain in the fox hole…”Are you coming?

I think of all the trials Paul experienced:  stripes above measure, in prisons, in death often, stoned three times, shipped wrecked, a night and a day in the sea, robbers, and perils among false brethren. … “Are you coming?”  

And again, hard pressed on every side, yet not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed… “Are you coming?

As Jesus prayed in Gethsemane, “Father, if it is Your will, remove this cup from Me; never the less not My will, but Yours, be done”…”Are you coming?”

Jesus is saying “Follow Me” are we able to make that journey to the end? “Are you coming?”

EMT Update

Please keep praying for the Extreme Missions Training (EMT) Students. This week they will each begin teaching one of the Rabuna Fi groups. Today Christina taught from 2 Samuel 2:1-11. She did an awesome job and I was blessed to watch the women hang on her words. They truly are starting to crave the Word of God! After study we called for the Rabuna Fi leaders to come and pray over each sister with a need. I captured pictures of the EMT gals praying alongside these leaders. You could hear five different languages beseeching the throne of grace for help and it was like music to my ears! God is doing a marvelous work in this obscure little village. One day these women will be a mighty army for His name….please don’t forget to pray for us!

 

~Agape, Vicky

African Grasshopper

This is just one of many crazy looking creatures you would see here in Africa.  Look at all those beautiful colors!

Our Newest FRM Family Members!

Africa Here they Come!  Our latest Interns.

 

We want to welcome John and Lily Eastham and their children to the Far Reaching Ministries family.  John has begun his phase of the internship in our office.  This time is designed to help prepare them mentally and spiritually for serving in Africa.  Lily currently is focusing on homeschooling their children and they will swap roles midyear.  The Eastham family will be serving in Uganda.  Follow their progress through this final phase of preparation for the field by reading their newsletters posted here on the blog! 

Devotion for the week of Feb 07, 2011

Isaiah 55:8 & 9

           ⁸ “For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways,” says the Lord.

           ⁹ “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways,

            And My thoughts than your thoughts.

^As I read these verses in Isaiah, I am reminded of Acts 1:9 – 11 ⁹“Now when He had spoken these things, while they watched, He was taken up, and a cloud received Him out of their sight. ^10And while they looked steadfastly toward heaven as He went up, behold, two men stood by them  in white apparel, ^11who also said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will so come in like manner as you saw Him go into heaven.”

You see, the apostles kept looking up to heaven for Jesus to return back to them; they did not understand.  To return was not the Lord’s plan at all.  It took two “men in white apparel” to tell them to stop looking up, and then we see that they all returned back to Jerusalem.

At times, when we pray, we feel God does not answer our prayer the way we ask Him to, so we feel He has let us down.  In reality, His thoughts and ways are not ours!

Recently, a brother and I went to this hospital and prayed over a baby who was diagnosed with a disease that is not curable.  As the family and the rest of us prayed and anointed the baby with oil, in my heart I felt God would heal this precious life.  But because His ways are not ours, He saw to take the baby to heaven and into His arms. I was saddened, but it did not shake my faith. In my heart, I wondered why He had not healed the child.

A few days after hearing the news, I was driving to work and the Lord spoke to me with His small quite voice and He said, “I did heal this child.” In His ways, He saw fit to give the baby life for an appointed time, so the family could bond with the child, to hold it, love it, and have memories to last the parents a lifetime.  I said, “Thank you Father, I did not see it your way, I know my thoughts are not yours, and your ways are higher than my ways!”

Just like the apostles, I stopped looking up, asking the Lord why, but thanking Him for the opportunity to experience His love and faithfulness even when we don’t fully understand!

Sudan Succession

We are happy to announce that Sudan has officially succeeded from the North! The results are in from the voting, and 98% are in favor of the succession! We are so glad the Lord answered prayer! Many are dancing in the streets tonight rejoicing over such a monumental victory.

While this is a great day for South Sudan, we need to pray as it is uncertain if the North will honor this clear and decisive vote. Today, Vicky Bentley saw the military fly overhead and soldiers movement on the ground, so now is the time to remain vigilant in prayer for our brothers and sisters in South Sudan!

~ Shannon Forsythe
Assistant Director FRMA

Help for Eowyn's Family

Dear Faithful Prayer Warriors,

Wednesday we shared with you Eowyn Havertape’s passing into the arms of Jesus.  She was the baby at Loma Linda  who you have been faithfully praying for.  Eowyn was the niece of Jason and Britny Havertape, the missionaries serving in Russia who were featured in the January newsletter. 

If you would like to help her family with financial assistance at this difficult time, please use the link below to donate.

 

Please click here to make a donation to help the Havertape family

- or -

Copy and Paste the following link into your browser:

https://www.frmusa.org/?q=support/Havertape%20Family%20-%20Eowyn

 

 If you would like to read more in depth about Eowyn, her story is at http://www.eowynhealth.blogspot.com/.

 

Thank you for your continued prayers for the family as they adjust to this difficult time.

Thankful that Our Savior holds her in His arms,

  

~ FRM Staff