07272018 Providential Prodding

Dear Missionary Lady,

I trust that God has guided your steps this week and directed you in your service for Him.

When hearts are open to God, He has His ways of leading those hearts in His timing. From the beginning of my senior year in college (fall 1991), I knew that God wanted me to go to the mission field, but I didn't know exactly when that would be. As I worked to pay off my school bill, I waited on God.

In September of 1994, I realized that my number of vacation days from work was becoming significant. I saw that as an opportunity to be able to take a brief missions trip, which I began planning toward for the following summer. Even as I made contacts, my desire was growing to do more than just a short trip. I had an increasing desire to go to Mexico "for real."

My church had a missionary from Mexico visit at the beginning of September, and I believe there was another visiting missionary later in the month. Each of these visits worked to prod me further. I wanted to go sooner rather than later, but I saw my outstanding debt as an obstacle. Though I believe my school bill was paid off by this time, I had needed to purchase a new car at the beginning of 1994.

In my anxiousness to go, I sat down and made out a two-year budget. It looked like I would be able to finish paying for my car by August of 1996. I still wanted to take a trip somewhere in both the summer of 1995 and the summer of 1996 - as I put it, to keep the vision fresh and to help missionaries and to help prepare me. I was hoping to start deputation later in that time frame and work toward getting to the field as close as possible to summer 1997.

Toward the end of September or beginning of October, my pastor preached a sermon that stirred my heart. He preached about Moses' call. I wish I still had the notes that I had made at the time. The key thing I remember was God's question to Moses, "What is that in your hand?" Moses had a rod, nothing very spectacular. God chose to use that rod in some pretty amazing ways. First, it was a sign of God's authority, as God turned it to a snake and back again. Later, it was used in many miracles and in key parts of the Israelites' escape. Moses rather belittled himself in that conversation with God. He didn't consider himself worthy or capable of serving. My pastor's application was that if we would offer to God the simple things we had, then God would use us.

Based on that sermon, I wrote my own conversation between myself and God. At this point, I cannot locate the exact words, but it went something like this.

God: Who are you?

Me: Nobody special.
God: What is that in your hand?
Me: A love of kids, knowledge of Spanish, ability to teach. Not much.
God: Will you give me those things?
Me: Of course. They are yours.
God: Are you willing for me to use you?
Me: Yes.
God: Be ready to be used.

At the beginning of October, we had another missionary at church and again my heart was touched. I noted that every time a missionary had come recently, it had increased my own desire to go – not just sometime, but soon. I was still looking at about three years out, but I evaluated again. I didn't want to wait that long. In fact, I wished I could go the following summer. As I thought things through, it was my car payments that held me back. Although my thinking may have been a bit radical, I realized that the solution was to sell my car, thinking that I wouldn't need it on the mission field. I was also helping out with Spanish classes at my Christian school, so I knew that pushed things back until the school year ended in June.

Just like that, in the space of about five weeks, God had moved my departure date from indefinite to 1997 to possibly 1995. (In fact, I ended up going at the very beginning of 1996.) I was very aware that God had incrementally increased my burden over those weeks to show me that it was time to begin preparations. I shared this commitment with my parents and with my church and started putting out serious inquiries regarding coworkers, specific location, and supervising agency.

It still amazes me to read this story. In fact, as I was looking back over some journals for details of this time frame, I was shocked by my immaturity and struggle in so many areas. I battled deeply on seemingly a daily basis with things that were huge at the time, but that I now see as petty and immature. How God ever used me is beyond me. It is truly a testimony of His grace and an illustration of what my pastor had preached about Moses. When I was willing to give myself to God as I was and with what I had, He could use me.

The truth is that none of us is perfect. We don't have it all together. If we were to look back in twenty years at the things we struggle with now, we would probably be appalled. Thankfully, God doesn't demand perfection from us in order to use us. Somehow His power and grace and truth shine through in spite of ourselves. When we are willing and when we offer ourselves to God, He uses us for His glory.

"But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to shame the things which are strong, and the base things of the world and the despised God has chosen, the things that are not, ... so that no man may boast before God" (I Corinthians 1:27-29).

What you do today matters for eternity.

Love in Christ,

Peggy Holt
Open Door Baptist Church
Lebanon, PA
www.dearmissionarylady.blogspot.com
www.pressingontohigherground.blogspot.com

07222018 Fostering Missions Interest

Dear Missionary Lady,

"Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord" (II Peter 1:2).

I just spent several days with extended family - my parents, three of my siblings, seven nephews, and one niece. (Our family doesn't have girls!) This was our fifth annual attempt to do this; only once have we managed to get everyone at the same time.  We don't do anything extraordinary, just spend time talking, playing, and of course eating. These are special and always enjoyable times together. I realize many of you are separated from family, but I trust you will savor the times that you do have - both with the family members that are right around you as well as with other family when you have the opportunity. Thankfully, even when we are separated from our biological families, we have a deeper family in our brothers and sisters in Christ, and that is also a relationship to be cherished.

After I surrendered my heart to God at the beginning of my sophomore year of college, I started to develop an interest in missions. Nothing really compelling; at that point, I think my interest was confined to the possibility of going on one of the sponsored mission teams from the university. In the newness of my maturing as a Christian, I did not think I was ready yet the summer after my sophomore year. I needed that year just to grow in God. But after my junior year, I was able to go on the team to Mexico.

Our trip was ten weeks, I think. For the most part we spent one week at a location and then moved to a different city or town the next week. In this way, we met a number of different missionary families; we saw a variety of churches and other ministries. When I returned from that trip, my interest in missions had increased significantly, but I still didn't know if it was what God wanted me to do. With some elective hours, I took a few missions courses.

At that time, Bob Jones University had what they called a vespers program every other Sunday afternoon. The program was typically comprised of speech and music numbers centered around a particular theme. Early in my senior year, one of those programs focused on missions. As I sat through that service (with a young man who had also been on the Mexico team), God brought His message to my heart. There was no handwriting on the wall, no visible or audible sign from heaven. Nevertheless, as that service progressed, I KNEW. There was no doubt that this is what God wanted me to do. Since I was already open to the idea and praying about it, this wasn't even a huge battle. It was more like I had been asking God if that is what He wanted from my life, so when He answered my question by saying yes, I had my answer. I was so certain of this direction that as we left the building, I told the young man I was with of this leading that God had given.

I didn't know the exact path that lay before me. I didn't have a destination or a specific ministry approach. I didn't even know the timing. I just knew that from that day forward, my path was carrying me toward the mission field.

God has many ways of directing the hearts of His children toward ministry, and toward missions in particular. In addition to that vespers service, I would acknowledge two other things that probably had great influence on me. One of those, of course, was the summer that I traveled on that team to Mexico. The other is related to my home church growing up. Our church loved missionaries. In fact, the services that included a visiting missionary were often our favorite services. Even as kids, we loved to hear their presentations. We talked to them and asked questions. We looked at their displays.

I think of one lady in particular, Mary Baker. She was a single missionary in Africa for many, many years. We regularly prayed for her. In Sunday school we collected offerings for her. We anticipated her visits while on furlough. We hung on her words as she talked. We loved her stories. She was one of our favorite people.

So, of the three factors that were probably most meaningful in directing me toward missions - that vespers service, the mission team, and the positive childhood exposure to missionaries - two of them had very much to do with missionaries themselves. They came to my church, sharing their hearts and their stories. Later, they welcomed me into their homes, showing me their ministries and allowing me to participate alongside them.

I don't know where these components of hosting individuals/teams and visiting churches rank on your list of preferred aspects of your ministry. I am sure that visitors can sometimes be a bit of a burden or can seem demanding or even extraneous to what you are trying to do. While on furlough, you might prefer to actually get some rest rather than have a busy schedule of travel. Of course, in both of these areas there must be a level of balance, but I see them as very important parts of your ministry. Perhaps more accurately, they are important parts of God's grand objective.

God says, "Therefore beseech the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into His harvest" (Matthew 9:38). You have the unique opportunity to do more than pray for fellow workers. Because of your involvement in the ministry, you can put a first-hand face on missions as you share in churches and as you host visitors. You can be an important factor in God's calling of new missionaries. Truly, what you do today matters for eternity. Don't grow weary in well-doing.

May God bless and strengthen you this week.

Love in Christ,

Peggy Holt
Open Door Baptist Church
Lebanon, PA
www.dearmissionarylady.blogspot.com
www.pressingontohigherground.blogspot.com

07132018 Surrender

Dear Missionary Lady,

I trust that God has given you strength and wisdom this week for all that you had to do. No matter how hard the task seems, He can help you through it.

Since I've been doing these letters, I have found that you are on my mind and in my prayers more often than before. I can now mentally work my way around the globe and remember each one of you.

As I continue my story, I will share that I claimed to have been saved at a young age. Perhaps I was, but I didn't have a firm memory of what I had done. In fact, the memory (or imagination) that I did think I had was somewhat bizarre and didn't really make sense. I was a "good kid," though, and didn't want to let anyone know that I wasn't sure I was saved. Finally, at the age of thirteen, I realized it was far more important what God thought than what anyone else thought. I prayed and asked God to save me.

Both before and after that time, I was a good conformist. I suppose there was a bit of pride in feeling like I could do and be what a good Christian kid was supposed to do and be. I rarely got into any kind of trouble. I think a bigger factor than pride, however, was that of fear. Due to the discipline in my family, I was afraid to get into trouble. So I continued to have the reputation of being a good kid, one of the few who really wanted to follow God. To some extent, I did want to follow God, but it was only a concept and something for the future. I didn't realize what that meant on a practical level, and I had no real fire or zeal.

When I went to Bob Jones University, I had far more freedom and independence than I had ever had before. I began to come out of my shell, making friends and having fun. I didn't get into any real trouble, but I did have some adventures that in retrospect were a little questionable - immature, I suppose. With this freedom and the exploration of fun, I developed an attitude that "No one can tell me what to do." I wasn't overwhelmingly rebellious, but there was a hard streak that ran through me. I still mostly followed the rules, but (in my mind) only because I chose to. I chose conformity over consequences, but I was convinced that if I really wanted to, I would do some wilder things. I didn't realize it at the time, but this self-centered and stubborn thinking expressed itself in a hardness of my face.

As my sophomore year began, I was challenged in a preaching service about whether my heart was truly right with God. I was not ready to make a decision during the service itself, but I knew that I needed to do some serious consideration. This was not a baby step for me; it was more like an all-or-nothing moment. I knew that I could conform. I had done it for years. So I wasn't about to take some little step to pretend I was closer to God. Instead, I needed to change my entire focus. I needed a fundamental change in my heart. I needed to fully dedicate myself to God and start actively seeking to please Him and grow in Him.

I thank God that I took that step that night. I yielded my will to God's will. One of the aspects of that was to start reading my Bible for the first time in my life. I had read it in church and school, of course, and with my family, but never on my own - maybe a handful of attempts that lasted a few days. Those two aspects - yielding to God and reading His Word - changed my life. I grew tremendously during that year, and the change was noticeable to those around me. Now instead of doing right to avoid consequences or to look good, I did so because I wanted to live for God.

I chose Romans 12:1 as my life verse. "Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship." I finally realized that this is what practical Christianity was - giving myself fully to God and serving Him.

I don't think my journey was unusual. Everyone has to come to that point of surrender. I am convinced that real growth cannot happen without surrender and without a healthy relationship with the Bible. I don't know about around the world, but I know that in Christianity in general in America, those two things are not nearly as common as they should be. Often Christianity is almost an afterthought, something claimed as a foundation but without great impact on the life.

What is my conclusion? First, to encourage you to be patient with those you work with. Growth takes time. Even those who appear to be the "good" prospects may not be ready yet for responsibilities. Until their heart is really gripped and is truly given to God, they will be going through the motions just like I was.

Second, show them how to love the Word. Let them see an example of someone to whom the Bible really matters, and teach them how to study it meaningfully. I'm amazed at how many people think that merely reading a chapter (or a few verses) a day is considered serious devotions, and they just don't know anything better.

Ministry in people is a long-term investment, filled with highs and lows, progress and failure. So keep teaching, keep mentoring, keep guiding, keep praying. Remember, what you do today matters for eternity. May God show you glimpses of growth this week, both personally and in your ministry.

Love in Christ,

Peggy Holt
Open Door Baptist Church
Lebanon, PA
www.dearmissionarylady.blogspot.com
www.pressingontohigherground.blogspot.com

07062018 Prodigals

Dear Missionary Lady, (for privacy reasons, this public version is slightly amended)

Greetings in Christ. I trust that God is sustaining you in your ministry and is showing you His love and provision.

I continue my story, with an unexpected digression brought on by something that happened this week. ... I was the second of five children - two boys and three girls. We all grew up in the same home, in the same solid church, and attending the same Christian school. We all went to Christian college. With the same godly foundation, it would seem logical that we all ended up in a similar spiritual condition, but such was not the case.

My older brother has remained faithful; he is a respected leader and very active in his church. My younger brother has spent his life in Christian camp work, Christian school, and various pastoral or assistant pastor roles. Most of my life has been in Christian service, and I still serve as I am able.

My two sisters are different. They both started out well. At some point in their college years, both were leaning toward missions. One took a missions trip to Kenya and graduated with a missions major. The other made plans to finish her college studies in Africa as a means of getting onto the mission field. They worked in Christian camps. One of them taught Christian school for a few years.

At some point everything changed. I know the change was gradual and didn't happen overnight. Certainly there were factors that contributed, though it is still hard for me to fully comprehend how they could have changed so much. For a while both kept up appearances, but eventually it came out that they had rejected God.

They both claimed to no longer believe in God. They stopped going to church. They embraced worldly lifestyles. They chose questionable marriage partners and unbiblical relationships. Both went through divorces. They stood on the wrong side of some important issues. One of them explored various religions. One went through stages of very little communication with the rest of us, and even times when we did not know where she was for a while. The conclusion is that they both chose lifestyles and belief systems that ignored and even denied God. As a family we still loved them. We prayed for them. If we had the opportunity, we talked to them. This went on for five years, ten years, fifteen years.

Then last summer things started to change. After her divorce and some tumultuous years still living with her ex-husband, the older of the two sisters decided to move back home. She settled near my parents, which was a huge step after many years of trying to get as far away as possible. During a conversation on a family trip, she left me an opening for follow-up with a compassionate email that touched her heart. At the same time, she was using an online dating service and accidentally went on a date with a Christian man who challenged her. She had been softened, I believe, by the love and support of my parents, my brother, and Christian friends that she was again living near. Within a few weeks, she had returned to God, evidencing a very tender heart. She still has some challenges brought on by years of wrong thinking and poor choices, but she is now faithfully following God and seeking His help.

For my younger sister, we were burdened by successive relationships, one of which resulted in pregnancy. They had no plans to get married, as they viewed that as a religious thing that didn't matter to them. The baby was born in February of this year. About a month later, they unexpectedly got married. I didn't hear any explanation, but I began to see little hints that they might be going to church. She responded positively to some talk of prayer or God's blessings on others. I wondered if things were changing, but she didn't say anything. Then on this past Sunday, she shared that she and her husband had participated in a baby dedication, which she acknowledged was actually a parent dedication - a commitment to raise their child in God's ways. She rejoiced that her 12-year old daughter got saved that same day. She and her husband have been regularly attending a solid church.

My heart was so blessed on Sunday to hear this news. After so many years, God had brought both of my sisters back to Him. In less than a year, two prodigals had returned.

Maybe you face a similar situation in your family, perhaps even one of your children. Maybe it's a childhood friend, a former co-worker, or someone you have invested in for years as part of your ministry. I hope my story will encourage you that there is hope. God is able to bring those people back. He still loves them. Like the father of the prodigal son, He waits and watches, ready to run and embrace these wanderers as soon as they approach Him. It is a dangerous position that they have chosen, but we serve a God who is patient, loving, forgiving, merciful, and compassionate beyond our comprehension. "It is of the LORD's mercies that we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is Thy faithfulness." (Lamentations 3:22-23). No one is beyond the reach of God, and He can powerfully use His truth that the wanderer has heard over the years. If that person was truly saved, the Holy Spirit keeps tugging at the heart, inviting and calling, and if he isn't saved, God is not willing for any to perish.

Keep praying. Keep trusting. Keep loving. Keep reaching out. Keep giving of yourself. What you do today matters for eternity.

As always, don't feel pressured to answer, but if you want to, I am happy to hear from you.

Love in Christ,

Peggy Holt
Open Door Baptist Church
Lebanon, PA
www.dearmissionarylady.blogspot.com
www.pressingontohigherground.blogspot.com