Colossians 4:3 God opens doors and closes doors. Psalm 37 :23 says “The Lord directs the steps of the Godly.” He delights in every detail of our lives. He will always give us His best. Beth and I have made a commitment; that if a door is open by God, we will walk through it. This does not mean we will always be able to recognize immediately the next step as He leads, but it is an amazing feeling to know God is orchestrating, protecting and providing as we trust Him. God is all knowing, and all powerful and we can trust that we are uniquely prepared by Him for whatever is ahead. God is for us and not against us. Romans 8:31 One thing to recognize is that once you walk through the door, our utter dependence is on Him for results. You are not walking through the door in your own strength. You are just being obedient to His call. We can do nothing without Him. Remember, “He who holds you in His hand has no problems only plans. He who has control of all even sees the sparrow fall". John 15 :4-5 We pray and through the power of His Holy Spirit, we move. Each step is a step of faith and trust. The Lord often gives us gracious breaks in the clouds to show us His successes and to highlight His glory. Revelations 3:8
“I have put before you an open door....” On our recent missionary adventure, God called and we said yes. We had no idea where we were going once we arrived in the country or where we were staying. We did not have a vehicle and we had been tasked with preparing the country for Good News Across this nation. After landing at the airport, we were told “you may not even get into the country because you do not have your yellow fever shots.” But ...”no man can shut it...” we sailed through immigration and had no challenge with the health ministry, while others around us did. As we walked outside the third world terminal there was no one to immediately meet us, But ... God provided. Nowhere to stay but God provided us a room. The next day, we had a Chinese truck called a Wingle to travel north on roads we were not accustomed to, to a city we had never been before. When we arrived, we found a room on top of a mountain at a local Christian Radio Station. Navigating the unknown potholes and roads with no GPS system was nerve rattling as we traversed the mountainside. But God was preparing a great harvest, and the results of the trip were God sized and prepared the way to open 119 new Good News Clubs to reach the children in the schools across this crime and murder capital of the world. The churches across this land were enlivened and we were able to do multiple interviews on T.V. Stations and shared the gospel unfettered for the nation to hear. God opened the halls of government for us to be able to meet directly with the mayor and deputy mayor weekly of the capitol city. God opened their hearts to the ministry of reaching the children and actually provided us police protection as we went into some of the crime and drug infested areas. They also offered to provide the snacks necessary for the clubs. The police even drove up to check on us every so often at the radio station. All I can say is God is mighty and God gets all the glory. This is not to imply there were no challenges at all. Within the first couple of days, someone backed into the rear fender of the truck. We were awakened one night as our bed was suddenly a black blanket of large ants. Beth went with broken toes and the pain plagued her most of the time. Killer bees swarmed the compound, and actually killed people near where we were staying. We prayed as we turned off the main roads and went into the jungle. Our guide asked to stop before we entered, he told us to pray because he was not sure we would be coming out as we entered a war zone, mostly made up of Honduran and Guatemalan MS-13 killers. As we arrived, we stopped at a wake where a 18 year old boy had been hacked to death. But God ...Bill was asked to speak and he had the opportunity to share the hope of the gospel with those who were grieving. The church we visited in this community, in hopes to start another Good News Club, was in a converted barn and was also housing a pastors family. God reached the heart of that pastor and now they have a regular Good News Club teaming with children from that village. To God Be the Glory! The peace of God in our souls and minds was so noticeable. I can only say it was a supernatural. It was truly amazing to feel the protection of God’s hand on our lives, even as our vehicle was surrounded and attacked by an angry mob one evening as we returned home. God is Awesome! By the time the follow up teams arrived, churches had been contacted, volunteers recruited and schools set up for club demonstrations. The time there was a blur of activity but God gets all the glory and honor. All I can say, this is truly a Bbexcellentadventure.com - Ministry is a blast!