I am so looking forward to this ministry to you, and that
stems from knowing that it is what God wants me to do. In fact, my temptation
is to write you frequently - probably more than would be manageable for some of
you to keep up with! So I'll try to limit myself to once a week. I don't know
what difference these letters will make in your lives; for some of you, it may
be very minimal, while for others I hope it will become something special. I am
confident that there will be some blessing along the way, because God always
blesses obedience to the plans that He directs.
For the first several letters, I want to mix my
encouragement with letting you get to know me better, so that you have some
idea of the person who is writing to you. For those who already know me, that
means some review, but I trust that I can still be a blessing to you.
There are a handful of people that have played significant
roles in my life, particularly in regards to directing my heart to follow God
and remain faithful to Him. There are many others who also impacted me in
lesser ways, but these few reached out to me and invested in me in special ways,
and often at just the right time.
The first of those was a teacher when I was a senior in high
school. I was a bit of a loner and an introvert, not active in all the sports
and activities of the school, and not having any close friends. So it was
meaningful to me when this teacher reached out to me, having Bible studies and
praying with me, expressing love, and spending a little bit of time with me. I
was not fully dedicated to God at that time, but her influence made a
difference.
The second person was just two years later, when I was in
college. At a time when my dedication to God was awakening and I began rapidly
growing in God, she was there to be a help and encouragement. What was special
about this lady was the way our relationship started. She was the dorm
counselor for my dorm. Since I had worked on campus during the summer, I was
able to move into my new dorm early, and she was already moved in as well. She
made her rounds each evening, coming to the few of us who were in the dorm
already, checking in to say hi and chat for a few minutes. When God began
working in my heart and drawing me to full surrender, I already knew someone I
could go to for help. By her friendliness and care, she had laid a foundation,
and she followed that up with many hours of investment over the course of the
year.
Those are the only two stories I will share for now. The point
is that reaching out to people makes a difference. People everywhere want to be
loved and cared for. Some of those people are not very lovely. But they are
still needy and they still want love. In many countries around the world, the
suicide rate is increasing significantly. These are people who are basically
without hope, often without God, and usually believing that no one cares about
them.
This is one of the beauties of missionary work. You do not
always get people to come to church, and you do not always get a chance to
share the gospel. But you get many opportunities to interact with people, to
show kindness and to show interest. Those interactions make a difference. Maybe
not for every person and maybe not every time, but when you show love and concern
for others, they will know where to come when they want help. You can show the
love and beauty of God. You can let people know there is hope and there is
help. When they really want those things, the door will be open for you to
minister to them.
I am reminded of I Corinthians 13:1-3: "If I speak with
the tongues of men and of angels, but do not have love, I have become a noisy
gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy, and know all
mysteries and all knowledge; and if I have all faith, so as to remove
mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. And if I give all my possessions
to feed the poor, and if I surrender my body to be burned, but do not have
love, it profits me nothing." Without love, our service is empty and
profitless, but with love, our influence for God can be widespread and
effective. So keep loving, keep reaching out, keep caring, keep making
contacts, and God will do His work through you. What you do today matters for
eternity.
I know there is a lot available on the Internet now, but if
you are looking for more spiritual input, you might be interested in my blog. I
call it "Higher Ground." It often shares Bible studies or devotional
thoughts. I just completed a series from the Psalms dealing with troubling
emotions and God's help for them. My blog is based on the premise that the
Christian life is a never-ending upward journey, and I hope to encourage others
who share the passion to pursue that upward course. The blog is found at
www.pressingontohigherground.blogspot.com.
Archives of these missionary letters can be found at
www.dearmissionarylady.blogspot.com, and you can feel free to share if you
think something would help a friend or co-worker.
If I still don't have the best email address for you (or you
prefer to opt out of the emails), just let me know. Otherwise, please don't feel
obligated to respond unless you want to, in which case I would welcome hearing
from you.
May God bless your labor for Him this week, and may His love
shine effectively through you.
Love in Christ,
Peggy HoltOpen Door Baptist Church
Lebanon, PA
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