In His Hands

Submitted by Jason

     When we started blogging about our journey into the mission field, we had our own set of ideas about what this new season would, or should, look like. Stepping out of our comfortable lives and into an extremely uncertain and unpredictable future required a measure of faith that the Lord had provided us with.
     From the beginning of this blog, my intent was to be as transparent as possible in documenting our lives and how we recognize the leading of the Lord and his hand upon our daily lives. However, I've quickly concluded that such transparency in a forum as public as this could be, in some areas, detrimental to the very cause for which we've been sent. I'm simply not at liberty to share all of the things that the Lord is doing in our lives at this time. Just know that there is much more going on in our lives and the lives of those around us than I'm able to share at this time.
    
     In early June, my father-in-law came to visit us here in Belize for a total of 4 weeks. He currently lives in Arizona and, to my knowledge, this has been his first trip out of the US since he spent time in Germany as a member of the US military in the 60's, with the exception of the occasional day trip into Mexico via Nogales, Az.
     He flew into Belize City on a full sized jet and connected onto a smaller plane destined for a small airstrip in Placencia, Bz. There, we picked him up and spent one week in the Caribbean coastal town of Placencia at Surfside Escapes. It was our joy to see him enjoying swimming in the Caribbean, sitting on the dock, trying Belizean cuisine and playing with his grandchildren, whom he had feared that he'd never see again when we left the states.
     The other 3 weeks that he was visiting with us was spent in our current hometown of Spanish Lookout. Here, he met many of the Mennonite people that have embraced us so dearly. His life was forever changed by the fabric of the people here and the conversations that he was a part of.
     With him, we visited the Belize Zoo, the capital city of Belmopan, the Springfield Fruit nursery and the Cayo marketplace, to name a few. He was humbled by the living conditions of some of the local Belizeans. On several occasions, as we were driving through some of the poorer sections of the country, he said that he only wished that he had a video camera to document what he was seeing so that he could take it back to the states with him. He was certain that if he shared such a video with the "poor" back home, that they would really see a new level of poverty that they've never known.
     It's been about 4 weeks since he returned to the states. Just yesterday, Francie was skyping with him and he said that he was already saving his money for a return visit.

     In late July, my 13 yr old son, Joey's appendix had ruptured and needed emergency surgery to remove it. The procedure was done by, from what we have heard, the best surgeon that Belize has to offer. It was told to us that this doctor had performed a surgery on an assistant to the Prime Minister of Belize. We're grateful that the surgery, which has significantly changed our financial position, was successful and without complications.
     Currently, one of our main goals along the way to a sustained presence in Belize is in the Lord's hands. Before the surgery, we were on pace, financially, to apply for and, upon approval, pay the necessary fees to obtain residency here in Sept. which would allow me to seek employment without the need of a, difficult to obtain, temporary work permit.
     From the very moment that Joey's condition was diagnosed, I'm sure that Francie and I both knew that such a surgical procedure would jeopardize our ability to accomplish this as planned. However, we never once doubted whether the Lord was able to provide us with the necessary means at the appropriate time.
     Honestly, I wrestled with whether to share our financial position with anyone or just quietly trust the Lord for provision. As I sought the Lord regarding this during our 5 day stay in the hospital, I was reading my bible, I came across Paul's letter to the church at Phillipi. Paul found himself in a seemingly similar situation when he wrote this;
          "How grateful I am, and how I praise the Lord that you are concerned about me again. I know
          you have always been concerned for me, but for a while you didn't have the chance to help me
          Not that I was ever in need, for I have learned how to get along happily whether I have much or
          little. I know how to live on almost nothing or with everything. I have learned the secret of
          living in every situation, whether it is with a full stomach or empty, with plenty or little. For I
          can to everything with the help of Christ who gives me the strength I need. But even so, you
          have done well to share with me in my present difficulty. As you know, you Philippians were
          the only ones who gave me financial help when I brought you the Good News and then
          traveled on from Macedonia. No other church did this. Even when I was in Thessalonica you
          sent me help more than once. I don't say this because I want a gift from you. What I want is for
          you to receive a well-earned reward because of your kindness."
                                     Phillippians 4:10-17 NLT

     I came to this conclusion after reading this and studying the context surrounding these passages in particular;
                 God knows my heart. He knows that I would have just as obediently refrained from mentioning our needs as I would to share them. If Paul, the author of nearly two-thirds of the New Testament, inspired by the Holy Ghost, unashamedly prefaced his needs by stating his contentment in any and all situations, which is exactly where I find myself, so should I.

     Paul obviously learned how to be content in all things. If he "learned" this, then I believe that it would be safe to assume that this "learning" was greatly aided by circumstances and events in his life that took him through seasons of "plenty" as well as seasons of "little". I believe that it would be equally safe to assume that his personal witness of "well-earned reward(s)" in the lives of those who contributed to his needs encouraged his belief that he desired their gifts more for their sakes than for his.
    This is the current state that Francie and I find ourselves in. Our trust for provision is, and has been, completely in the Lord. We trust that the Lord will complete His work in us. We've placed our lives completely in His hands for a testimony of His goodness. So, whether He brings us through a season of little as He molds us, or whether He moves on the hearts of many to "receive a well-earned reward" by giving financially into the work for that which we were sent, our devotion and our hope is in Him alone.
     For those whose hearts are stirred to give, information on how and where to give can be found on our home page. Thank you in advance and as always, thanks to those who continue to stand with us financially as well as in prayer.