Smol tok nomo |
Smol tok nomo |
I read this letter to the congregation of Harvestime AG in Carthage, Mo during our service there on July 27th.
I mean every word of it from the bottom of my heart! I’d also like to say I am in no way trying to complain about our housing in Vanuatu only showing the contrast so they can know just how much their gift really meant to me. Dear Harvestime, I would like to take just a few minutes to tell you how I feel about this church and the difference you have made for us. My husband and I went to the mission field after just a few months of marriage. While we wouldn’t change a thing about our call or how God has allowed it to come about, there were certain normal desires in my heart to have a normal American home like what I had dreamed about as a little girl. Of course the call came first but in the back of my female mind I still had these desires When we went to the field of Vanuatu I was surprised by the things I missed the most. Our little home collected rain water off of the roof and while I was thankful this ran down into a shower I often found myself daydreaming about a big ole American bathtub. Ok, that is a modest description sometimes I was in tears I wanted a bath so bad! Another thing I was surprised to miss was carpet. In Vanuatu only the very wealthy have air conditioning and with the high humidity mold is way to bad for carpet. Our little house has unfinished cement floor that I found myself stubbing my toes in the unfinished grooves and my feet were black at the end of the day (again no bathtub). When we headed back to the States as missionary associates with plans of returning to Vanuatu as career missionaries we knew Nathan would not be able to pursue another career and our finances would be tight (during what we thought would be this short process). Nathan begin praying to find a rent house for a certain amount in America and I laughed at him. He told me to pray about the things I wanted in this house and that He thought God had a special place in His heart for the prayers of wives and would surely hear mine. So after little convincing I joined him in praying. The things I wanted most was carpet, a bathtub, a house around land, and a window to look out of while washing the dishes. When we came to look at your little parsonage it was more than I could have ever allowed myself to dream of. I choked back tears when I stepped onto brand new carpet that felt so good on my feet. I was seven months pregnant at the time and the garden tub, the beautiful land, the window to look out of when washing dishes all of it was more than I could have hoped for and you so graciously rented it to us for less than half (almost half of half of what I had laughed at Nathan for praying for! Our transition into becoming career missionaries did not go as quickly as expected and when we found out we were expecting a second child we were already going through one of the hardest times we had faced as a couple. Our AGWM leadership asked us to hold off on our career missionary application process until after our second child was born. We now see how God used this time to help us grow in areas that would only make us stronger missionaries. You, harvestime, allowed us a home through our trying time and I am so thankful we had a safe home in the midst of so much uncertainty when things were not moving on our time table. We officially begin itineration as career missionaries in March and are finally headed back to Vanuatu. We are so excited to return to the people we feel called to but Harvestime church will always have a special place in my heart. More special than you can know. We brought both of our precious daughters home here, and we became “Mom” and “Dad” while living in your parsonage. “Thank You” is neither big enough or strong enough words to describe how I feel about this church. How friendly your people are as we greet you from time to time and your willingness to invest in us is completely humbling. Just as I pray God uses us to be His hands and feet in Vanuatu He has used Harvestime as His hands and feet to bless us. We will pray for you often and always think highly of your church. Thank you again for your gift to us!
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AuthorWife, Mother, Missionary, Teacher, Friend ... just a few of the many titles I gladly wear. Never dreamed this is the journey God would take me on. Archives
July 2022
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