This morning when I was walking, relishing the cold on my skin and even the rain, this picture came to me of boxes of faith. I saw the boxes sitting around in a room; some boxes were full, others were partially full, and one had just a few things in it.
The verse that came to mind was, “Store up treasures in heaven….Matthew 6:20”, although I must admit I am going on a tangent in some ways in respects to the meaning of this verse.
What filled these boxes was very specific. The family box had pictures of times with our parents and siblings over this Christmas season: Christmas programs, theatre (dig-a-dig-a-dig), Thanksgiving day eating and games, Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, 18 hours with my sister and nieces good meals and long, needed conversations face-to-face. This box was overflowing with good memories!
Another full to overflowing box was friends; it contained pictures of us in different coffee shops, restaurants, and people’s homes talking, laughing, crying, sharing, encouraging and being encouraged. There are pictures a trip with a good friend to Astoria, other times reliving old friendships and the fun of building new friendships. Each visit, we came away feeling the encouragement it is to have other people care for us!
A partially full box contained our time in Chicago for Orientation with International Teams. We were welcomed into a family that gave us safety and relationship. We learned about the organization, but also we got to know future team members. It was a valuable time of connecting but also an opening of a door that is bigger than us-How will we raise the needed funds? How will we come together as team?
Another partially full box is our fundraising endeavor. As much as it has been awkward at times, we have so valued getting to share our story with so many people, and then seeing how God is going to work to provide for us. It is one of those hard but good things, but we have appreciated the time it has given us with people.
The nearly empty box is Masatepe and our future ministry. There are so many unknowns-where will we live? What is our specific ministry? How will God provide for us, not just financially, but relationally, spiritually and emotionally? More questions than answers, but we know just enough to keep us moving in the right direction.
So here is the thing about these faith boxes- some are full and some almost empty, but God knows which ones need to be filled so that those that still have room in them can be steps of faith rather than steps of fear. God has given Stephen and I tremendous encouragement knowing we have a team of people behind us in this adventure. This has allowed us to see those boxes that still need to be filled as something exciting t to how God will provide! The questions are still there but they don’t seem as scary.
PS: As of today we are at 79% of monthly needed support and 70% of one-time needed support! Thank you to God and you!!!!!