Author: rainbowsandotterpelt

Sometimes our journey following the path the Lord is leading us on does not turn out as expected. But that does not mean He isn’t in it.

On July 9, I left Asheville, NC for a mission trip to Moldova. The first leg of the journey was driving to Raleigh to meet up with the other four team members, which I had never met. It was rainy with storms. 55 miles out from Raleigh, we experienced a flat tire. My husband was a trooper, changing the tire in the rain and finding somewhere to hopefully repair it. Unfortunately, it was not repairable and he had to drive back to Asheville on the donut spare. Thankfully, he made it safely. Meanwhile, when I messaged team members what was happening, one of them offered to pick me up. Upon arriving at airport, we discover the flight has been delayed due to weather and staffing issues. We finally make it on a flight to our first destination, Boston, but too late to make connecting flight to Istanbul, Turkey. The following day was spent trying to get on the flight leaving July 10. There were plenty of seats available for Istanbul leg of trip but only four for Chișinău, Moldova. So the rest of the team left July 10 and I spent the night in Boston flying out tonight. Traveling by myself. I’m a bit nervous but know the Lord is with me. “The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; He will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid, do not be discouraged.” Deuteronomy 31:8.

As I am waiting to continue my journey, I have been seeking the Lord and spending time with Him. I started by seeking His reassurances that I am going where He is leading and seeking peace. However, He showed me some lessons I needed to learn and be reminded of. Through a small devotional, God is like a Geyser, He spoke to me. The book begins by the story of waiting for Steamboat Geyser to erupt. It is the most spectacular geyser in Yellowstone National Park, but unpredictable and historically could go very long periods of time between eruptions. Like 20 years or more. Recently, it has begun to erupt more frequently. The book tells the story of a young man who sacrificed his days off as well as physical comforts to wait for an eruption. And he was rewarded by a spectacular performance! The author asked, “How many of us Christ-followers can say we’ve waited on God, honestly waited on God. Not waiting while you live your daily life, but a radical abandonment of everyday life in the hopes of seeing God, waiting in faith for a miracle.” Wow! That got my attention. I recognize that this time of being set on the sidelines to wait is what I needed. I needed God to call my attention to my sin of pride and self. My walk of missions is not about me. This lesson was for me, not the team. And I needed to repent before moving on, and turn my focus toward Jesus. As I am waiting for the next step in my journey (I am writing this while waiting in the Boston airport for my flight to Istanbul to join the team.), I reflect that I am waiting on God and waiting on something spectacular.

The second lesson He showed me is reminding me He is always faithful, but it may not happen like we expect or desire it to. To quote the devotion book, “ God’s people were hungry, thirsty, lost, and confused. They had been brought out of Egypt, a place of slavery, death, and imprisonment, but now they worried whether the God who delivered them out of Egypt would be faithful in keeping them alive in the dessert. The Israelites knew God could do amazing things, turning water into blood, parting the Red Sea, but unlike those miracles, feeding them wouldn’t be a one time miracle. It would be a consistent and faithful miracle. Was their God not just powerful but also faithful? Would He choose to show up time and time again?”. Well, He did and He did provide. As I was reading about the provision of manna, I thought, “ I bet He didn’t provide like they envisioned. Like they may have desired.” My mission trip so far has not turned out as I envisioned or desired but the Lord is definitely here and He is providing.

When our journey is not what we expected or envisioned, remember God is faithful and He will provide. Wait for Him. He may show up in a spectacular way! I am anticipating Him doing something spectacular in Moldova.

Have you ever considered short term mission trips as fasting for the Lord? Consider this:

The concept of a fast is to remove something from your everyday routine to focus on God. When you are serving on mission, you usually give up something whether it is a hot shower or flushing toilet or a simple as a favorite food or comfortable routine.

Isaiah 58:6-7 tells us the type of fast the Lord finds acceptable.

““Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen: to loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and break every yoke? Is it not to share your food with the hungry and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter— when you see the naked, to clothe them, and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood?”
‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭58:6-7‬ ‭NIV‬‬
https://bible.com/bible/111/isa.58.6-7.NIV

Is this not the type of work usually done on a mission trip?

I know for me, each trip I am called out of my comfort zone. The Lord asks me to stretch and I am relying on Him. In 2 Corinthians 12:9, Paul reminds us the the Lord’s power is made perfect through our weakness. He goes on to say “Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.”

“If anyone speaks, they should do so as one who speaks the very words of God. If anyone serves, they should do so with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ. To him be the glory and the power for ever and ever. Amen.”
‭‭1 Peter‬ ‭4‬:‭11‬ ‭NIV‬‬
https://bible.com/bible/111/1pe.4.11.NIV

Isaiah 58 goes on the tell us what God promises when we do an acceptable fast:

“Then your light will break forth like the dawn, and your healing will quickly appear; then your righteousness will go before you, and the glory of the Lord will be your rear guard. Then you will call, and the Lord will answer; you will cry for help, and he will say: Here am I. “If you do away with the yoke of oppression, with the pointing finger and malicious talk, The Lord will guide you always; he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land and will strengthen your frame. You will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail.”
‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭58:8-9, 11‬ ‭NIV‬‬
https://bible.com/bible/111/isa.58.8-11.NIV

Through my hands on horticulture job, the Lord continually teaches me object lessons. Just the other day he showed me one. Since moving to western North Carolina, I have a goal of planting spring blooming bulbs the third week in November, the week before Thanksgiving. A story was shared with me about a year when a crew where I worked at the time had waited to pant and the ground froze before completing the task. It became a horrible muddy mess as they tried multiple ways to thaw the soil. I vowed to not have that happen to me. Hence, planting the third week of a November. Many years the soil temperatures were still a little warm for the recommended planting of spring bulbs but we would plant anyway. This year, as usual, my plan was to plant the third week of November. We had unseasonably warm weather and I knew the soil temperatures were more than likely mid sixties or higher. I was scheduled off the week of Thanksgiving so I felt like the third week would once again be ideal. The beginning of the week brought in unseasonably cold weather. Sunday, our high for the day of 45 degrees was early in the morning with temperatures dropping throughout the day into the 20’s by that night. Everyday that week the forecast was high temperatures in the low 40’s with lows in the 20’s. And rain on Tuesday. I was looking at the very real possibility of not making my goal or getting bulbs panted before the upper layer of soil froze. At the very least planting in miserable conditions – cold, windy days and cold, wet soil. As I contemplated this, the Lord brought to mind Proverbs 16:19:

“In their hearts humans plan their course, but the Lord establishes their steps.”
‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭16‬:‭9‬ ‭NIV‬‬
https://bible.com/bible/111/pro.16.9.NIV

I am reminded of how often we try to plan our lives – from as frequently as daily tasks to future plans like how and where to live, retire etc. We neglect the reality that we have no control. The Message translation of Proverbs 16:1 states:

“Mortals make elaborate plans, but God has the last word.”
‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭16‬:‭1‬ ‭MSG‬‬
https://bible.com/bible/97/pro.16.1.MSG

James even writes in chapter 4 about the arrogance of planning your life.

“Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit”— yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. Instead you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.””
‭‭James‬ ‭4‬:‭13‬-‭15‬ ‭ESV‬‬
https://bible.com/bible/59/jas.4.13-15.ESV

I don’t believe this means to not have goals or make plans but to hold them loosely.

“Commit your work to the Lord, and your plans will be established.”
‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭16‬:‭3‬ ‭ESV‬‬
https://bible.com/bible/59/pro.16.3.ESV

Seek the Lord first and foremost. Allow Him to direct the steps of your life. Otherwise He may just throw you a bribe ball. Like below normal temperatures on the week you plan to plant spring blooming bulbs to avoid freezing soils.

It’s Christmas time. A time of giving gifts. Recently I was reminded of the greatest gift given, and it is why we celebrate Christmas.

“For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us; … And His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace.” Isaiah 9:6

While listening to someone read Psalms 103:4-5, my attention caught on verse 5 where it states that God satisfies our desires with good things. Which made me recall James 1:17, “Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father”. Also, I recalled Matt. 7:11, “If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!”. This is what made me think of Jesus as being the best gift of all.

One of the definitions for satisfy is “to fulfill the requirement of”. You see, when sin entered our lives through our disobedience to God, we earned death. Romans 6:23 states “for the wages of sin is death.” It goes on to say “but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Jehovah God, who satisfies (fulfills our requirement to him) us with good things, sent us His son Christ Jesus as a free gift for eternal life. Christ Jesus = the greatest gift of all.

Ephesians 2 tells us “we are all dead in our trespasses and sins “(verse 1). It goes on to define trespasses and sins as “gratifying the cravings of our flesh and following its desires and thoughts” (verse 3). Verses 4-5, “ But because of His great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ.” Christ Jesus = the greatest gift of all.

Just because you have a gift under the tree with your name on it, is it really yours until you receive it- open it and claim it? It is the same with the gift of salvation. It’s yours. It has your name on it. Your free gift. Romans 10:9 – 10 states “ if you declare with your mouth, Jesus is Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved.” Remember, Matt. 7:11 states our Father God gives good gifts to those who ask. So ask for the greatest gift of all, Christ Jesus! And receive the free gift of eternal life.

You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works and glorify your father who is in heaven. Matt. 5:14, 16

On March 6, amid the beginnings of covid19 epidemic and a level 4 travel alert, I left for Haiti on a medical mission. I joined a team from my brother’s church in Shelburn, Indiana and in Miami we joined a team of college students and doctors from Nebraska, to make a total of 32 team members. Upon arrival in Port Au Prince, we were checked for fever as we left the plane and then proceeded to customs where we paid $10 to enter the country. After loading luggage and boarding three vehicles, we went on a wild and crazy ride through town, weaving in and out of traffic, rarely stopping. The wild ride came to halt twice. Once to repair a leaking radiator hose and once to replace a clogged fuel filter. Satan was working to prevent us from arriving but we prevailed. It made me wondered what God was going to do through us that Satan wanted to prevent it. While waiting for repair to truck, I had a good conversation with Willem, founder of Mountaintop Ministries. He is proud of the heritage of his country and his goal with Mountaintop Ministries is to transform Haiti from a country of poverty, corruption, and voodoo through the power of Jesus Christ and education of the people.

We were well cared for at the mission house. Breakfast and dinner was prepared daily. A generator provided power to charge 16 car batteries which would provide electricity for lights, charging electronics, and running the water pump. Guard dogs patrolled the property and we even had a police officer on our team assigned a shotgun for additional protection. By American standards we were somewhat primitive. Diligent to not flush toilet paper, conservative with the flushes, no hot water or showers. Baths were taken by filling a plastic tub with a small amount of water, using a small bowl to splash yourself to wet and rinse off. And we slept under mosquito netting. By Haitian standards we were staying in luxury.

Each day we would traverse down one mountainside, across a dry riverbed- where Haitians were digging for water to drink, bath, and wash clothes – and up another mountainside to the village of Gramoth. We held 6 days of clinics, along with a small construction team who worked on projects around church and school. The clinic had a well stocked pharmacy, set up similar to a retail pharmacy. I worked alongside a pharmacist from Indiana, a veteran volunteer from Arizona, and a Haitian interpreter, Angela.

While on this trip, I had the opportunity to perform some tasks I have been desiring to do – compounding a medication from tablet form to liquid form, and reconstitute a medication along with preparing a syringe for administration.

In 6 clinics we saw 1206 people, averaged 950 prescriptions filled daily. Each person who came to clinic was given a salvation tract and a Creole translation of the gospel of John and book of Romans.

On Thursday evening, before we even arrived in Haiti, we heard people were already lining up for clinic. Each evening, people would spend the night to be seen the next day. One of the ways I saw God’s hand during this trip was the weather. I heard the people were waiting on rain to plant their crops. It was rainy and cool on Sunday, when we held no clinic, and it rained again the night of our last clinic. All days of clinic when people were waiting outside and spending the night outside it did not rain. Some highlights from clinic: a baby was born, minor surgeries performed, besides blood pressure meds and diabetes meds we treated scabies and sexually transmitted diseases.

God is transforming the village of Gramoth and consequently the country of Haiti through Mountaintop Ministries. The village has a fresh water supply from a Mountaintop spring. The ministry has piped the fresh water to the village for drinking and irrigation. Because of this they are able to have multiple crops annually and with the fresh drinking water, water born diseases have been reduced. Willem has established a school and every child that attends school must also attend church, where they hear about Jesus Christ. Along with elementary and high school grades, a trade school has been established. When Willem first came, the night air would be filled with the beating of voodoo drums. The drums are now silent. Voodoo temples no longer exist on the village. When the last voodoo priest left, he gave his property to Mountaintop Ministries. He said his demons would no longer come when he summoned them. That’s the power of light over darkness!

If you would like to be a part of transforming lives in Haiti from poverty in voodoo to prosperity in Christianity, you can sponsor a child’s education at http://www.mtmhaiti.com

I have joined my older brother’s church on a mission trip to Haiti with Mountaintop Ministries. It is a medical mission and construction mission. I had heard that Haiti is the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere and while I have been to other third world countries, I was not expecting it to be much different. Just in two days, it has been quite an experience. To start with, the night before our flight, the travel risk to Haiti was elevated to a level four. But we came anyway. Customs went well. We loaded a truck with all of the luggage, 28 people’s luggage, 2 suitcases each and one being large for supplies. Several of the guys ended up sitting on top of the luggage for the ride to Mission house.

One truck developed a busted radiator house that we had to pull over to repair. Then the truck with all the luggage stalled out climbing a long hill. We got it to the side and waited for someone to bring a fuel filter, which was replaced on side of road. I thought, God must have something amazing planned for this week for Satan to work so hard to create obstacles to try to keep us from coming. Today, I discovered one of those things. Willem, founder of Mountaintop Ministries, had to point out we witnessed a miracle from God today. A young lady, 19 years of age arrived at clinic this morning and she was pregnant. Upon arrival, she was already in labor and while there her water broke. She gave birth to a little girl later in the afternoon. The miracle Willam pointed out was God planned that birth, at conception, to coincide with a team of American doctors being in Haiti and holding a medical clinic. She did not have money to pay a Haitian doctor but because of God’s timing, she received exceptional medical care and did not pay a dime.

In the afternoon, I had the opportunity to join my brother Phil on his construction project. He, along with 5 other people, were repairing benches in the church. Later this week he will be teaching grade school students carpentry.

Two verses that I think encapsulate the ending of a year and the beginning of a new one. In this year, the beginning of a new decade as well.

Philippians 3:13-14 “But one thing I do: forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead. I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.”

Ecclesiastes 3:11 “He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart; yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end”.

At the end of 2009, I never would have dreamed of being, or doing, what I am now at the end of 2019. I think I have finally reached the point where I no longer look behind, missing what was, and am looking forward. Seeking God’s next move in my life. Striving to live in the present. Not wondering, or worrying about the future. Not trying to figure out what God is doing or planning. Just going with the flow. As Paul wrote: forget what is behind and moving ahead toward’s God. Forget about 2019, or the previous decade. Do not mourn what was or could have been. Move forward to a new year and a new decade. Press on towards God’s calling and His goal. As Solomon referenced, enjoy the present. We can not fathom God’s complete work. And maybe we can not even fathom how what He has called us to do at this present time fits into His big picture work. Enjoy the moment, the present, the beauty of the right now. And be in awe of what God is doing right now. Be present and accept the invitation He has given you to be a part of His work in this present time.

This season, I have been pondering what Christmas is all about. Christmas is a time where we celebrate God drawing near to us. From the time of Adam and Eve’s disobedience to God, there has existed a distance between us and God. A damaged relationship. When we have a damaged relationship with another person, someone has to make the first move to repair it. That’s what God did with Jesus’s birth. He made the first move. He filled the gap. God made it possible for us to draw near to Him, through Jesus. Paul sums it up very well in Ephesians 2:1-5. “And you were dead in your trespasses and sins, in which you formerly walked according to the course of the world…But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us…made us alive with Christ”.

Jesus is the “but God”. God reached down for us, “And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us” (John 1:14) so that we could be alive in Him. “In Him (Jesus) was life, and the life was the light of men.” (John 1:4)

“Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.” Matt. 5:16

My mission trip to South Africa began with a step of obedience and a leap of faith. In mid August I was informed by my friend that there was an opportunity to join the team with North Carolina Baptist’s on Missions to Johannesburg, South Africa. I had just enough money in my missions account to cover the cost. I debated asking for financial assistance but felt God was leading me to use the money I had. Every time I would pray for Him to provide He would say “I already have”. I was hesitant to use all my savings because I was comfortable with having that safety net when depósitos were required. I was obedient to God’s direction and made the commitment and deposit. As usual, God has been faithful and already replenishing my funds. Thank you to everyone who has played a part in praying for me and the teams as well as your financial support. I would be unable to answer God’s call to serve internationally without your support.

My previous post describes the first part of our week in South Africa working in Emaus with Pastor Musa. On Wednesday, we returned to Johannesburg to spend two days working on the property of Village of Hope. On our first day in Johannesburg, before we left for Emaus, we visited a baby house for Door of Hope Orphanage. Door of Hope was started in 1999 with a door and a box in a wall where babies could be left and cared for versus being abandoned on the streets to die. Since that time, around 1700 babies have been saved. Property has been purchased on the outskirts of Johannesburg to develop a village for the orphans that are not adopted.

The first day our team of 13 made bricks that will be used in constructing houses for the toddlers. Once we removed the forms from bricks previously poured, the forms were oiled so that the hardened concrete would be easily removed. I was on the oiling team. Afterwards, the forms were reassembled and concrete poured into them. It takes two days for the concrete to set and harden.

The second day, I had the opportunity to work in the vegetable garden with David, the Zimbabwean who works on the property. I enjoyed pulling weeds with Ashley and getting to know her better. We pulled weeds, prepped the beds and planted seeds for beets, corn and beans. After lunch, we gathered eggs and chased rabbits away from the garden. There are two rabbits that used to be pets but now run free. Sometimes they get in the vegetable garden and eat the plants. When our fellow teammates accused us of being mean chasing them, we responded it was “babies or bunnies.” They were eating the babies food. During the afternoon rain storm, David told us about holidays in South Africa and Zimbabwe as well as the recent political climate in Zimbabwe and the current political climate in South Africa.

Saturday, our team visited a wildlife park and we saw Impala, Wildebeest, Giraffe, hyenas, cheetahs, leopards and lions. I even got to pet a lion cub. That evening, there were intense thunderstorms all around. When we returned to the village, the thatch roof house on the next property was on fire due to a direct lightening strike. That night as I watched the vibrant lightening show, I marveled that the same God who was displaying His power in the storm is the same God who speaks to me quietly and loves me personally. Sunday, we worshipped with the members of Berea Baptist Church, the church that partners with Door of Hope. We sang hymns and worship music, all while many of the members worshipped with song and dance. As we sang the song with the wording “Our God defeats HIV-aids” and “Our God defeats Ebola”, you realize you are in a different country than America.

A few more memories:

• I never got used to driving on the left side of the road. Left turns were a bit unnerving. Seemed like we were destined for a head on collision.

In the tribal communities when a man wants to marry, he has to give the bride’s family a cow. During a conversation with Anesu, one of the workers at Village of Hope, he said (I presume jokingly) a good woman was worth 10 cows, to which I responded I would probably be worth only two. For the rest of the week, my new found friend would evaluate my worth. I believe I completed the trip with a worth of 7 cows.

For the past two days, I have been in Emmaus, South Africa with North Carolina Baptists on Mission ministering to Pastor Musa and his congregation. Pastor Musa has a heart for his Zulu community and bringing them to Christ. We worshipped with them Sunday and the belief that Baptists do not dance is not true in South Africa. The people have such a worshipful spirit and are so gracious. We sat among the congregation- a suggestion of one of them. At the end of service, the pastor instructed us to shake hands with everyone and we had to dance while doing it! Afterwards, his wife made an amazing meal of Zulu bread, chicken stew, and chocolacca, which is kind of like a salsa.

Monday and Tuesday, we held eye glass clinics and installed a fence around church yard for pastor so that the preschool he has will be recognized by government and he can possibly receive funding. We had almost 90 people in eye clinics and each clinic the Creation to Christ story was presented. The South African who mentors Pastor Musa commented on how people would drive or walk by to see the white people working alongside the black people. That is not a sight they usually see. And we were definitely a bright spot in the Zulu village! People will stop by the church just to see why we were there and why we would do what we did. One the second day several ladies came to eye clinic with a mud like substance on their faces. The interpreter told me they work outside and it was like a sunscreen.

The Zulu people were soft spoken. I would have to lean near to hear the interpreter when he spoke to me. Even when Pastor Musa spoke to us, not preaching, it was soft spoken.

We stayed at a beautiful camp where I had the opportunity to see African trees and plants. I even found an orchid growing along the riverbank!

On our first evening there, one of the camp directors was informing us they had snakes on property. But most were not poisonous, only spitting snakes so if you came across a snake that was bowed up to cover your eyes. Oh, but if it did get in your eye you could just wash it out. Well, nobody wants snake spit in their eye.

Wednesday on our way back to Village of Hope, we stopped to meet a wonderful lady named Pebble who has been ministering to the poor of Africa for many years. As she shared a small portion on her story, you could see her excitement in what God has done. She began ministering to the HIV-Aids people and also the poor. She provides food as well as started a sewing clinic. Currently, a nearby resort gives her old sheets and towels which the sewing ladies repurpose into usable sheets and towels. She is currently seeking a venue to sell the products to produce revenue for the ministry and the ladies sewing. Pebble also needs knee surgery and uses crutches to move around. Please remember Pastor Musa and Miss Pebble as they minister to the Africans of South Africa and share the gospel with them.