Sometimes the unexpected happens. Just when you think you know where you’re going, God switches on the turn signal.
At the start of this year, the Lord opened the door to begin preparing materials for a Bible Institute course on reaching the Fatherless. Much of what you have seen in the “What the Bible Says About the Fatherless” series will be a part of that course. Because of the huge amount of work involved in preparing the course, I felt that it was necessary to put international travel on hold for a while. It was my hope that I might work in a visit to the ministry in Central Asia once the materials were completed, but other than that I planned to stay in the US.
Then came the turn signal. I received an email from Kenya telling me about some changes that had taken place. When I left there in July the school had 184 students. They now have 220 students, 12 of which have begun living on the property. This is exciting news! While I was there we all felt that the Lord would eventually lead in this direction, we just didn’t expect it to be so soon. During this time of growth, a major source of income for both the school and the missionary family disappeared. As I understand it, this leaves the ministry to function on apporx. $350 per month. I have estimated that their expenses should work out to be something around $5000 per month. I know that it is only by God’s grace and faithfulness that they are able to carry on.
I began praying about what I should. Finally, a week ago today, I was able to get a hold of the missionary, Paul Sang and talk with him, but the phone call itself was proof that little would be accomplished from opposite sides of the ocean. It took us 4 calls to have what amounted to about a ten minute conversation. In the middle of it all, he had to go out in the dark and the rain to buy more minutes because the connection from my end was terrible. By this time I had already been praying about the possibility of making an unexpected trip there in May. During the call, he told me that one of the directors from his missions sending agency would also be coming in May. This is something that I have been praying about for a long time. The following day, I was able to confirm which director was going and when they would be there. At that point, I had to make a decision.
I have decided to step out and trust the Lord to lead and provide in this situation. I have looked into the possibility of making a multi-destination trip to include Kenya, the ministry in Central Asia, and the ministry in South Asia. Why? Because I still believe that the Central Asian trip is very important. Although we have included the South Asian ministry in the Green Bean Project, I have never been there. I feel it is time to go and see it first hand.
What does this means? This means that I still have the BI materials to finish. I do not feel that is in any way optional. This means that the money for the Kenyan portion of these trips needs to come in over the course of the next 2-3 weeks (Approx $3000). This means the remainder of the funds need to be in by the beginning of June (Approx $7000). This means that we will need great wisdom in setting up a sponsorship program for the ministry in Kenya, for working with the children in Central Asia and for seeing needs that FTN can meet in South Asia. PLEASE PRAY WITH ME and HELP ME SPREAD THE WORD!
As I type this I am reminded of a children’s song that we taught in Central Asia the last time I was there. It was the children’s favorite:
“My God is so big, so strong and so mighty, There’s NOTHING my God cannot do!”
Clinging to that promise!
PS With all that is going on, the New Testament and the Fatherless Blogs may be a bit sporadic, but they will still be coming and will still be listed in order by week and day for the sake of the index. Thank You to all of you who have regularly taken the time to read them. You are a blessing! I pray for all of you each time I publish!
