Two weekends ago I was privileged to attend a women’s conference with several other female missionaries in the area. Most of the women were from town, Livingstone, however, there were two others coming from the same direction as Amber and I. We rented out a very nice lodge called Kubu Cabins outside the city. There were about 24 women present ranging from 25 years of age to 80. It was such a remarkable thing being together with other women who also have a heart for serving God in Africa. The older women had such encouraging testimonies to ways they have experienced God and also the major sacrifices they had to make. With technology now, it is much easier to stay in contact with family overseas, but 40 years ago, it was not so. Can you imagine leaving for Africa not knowing the next time you would even have contact with someone in your family? One lady told me that she didn’t even know either of her parents has passed away but for a few years after their death. When she said good bye to them and got on an airplane (on two different occasions) it was the last time she saw/spoke to them. So, I praise God for the technology we now have to contact our families and friends back in the states. The sacrifices are still great, but nothing compared to what some of these women had to give up serving God in previous generations. What an amazing testimony to the way we are called to live our lives completely devoted to Christ and no one else.
The focus of the retreat was “Come Away with Me”…leaving behind ministry, families, life, responsibilities, friends, and occupations to spend a weekend with Jesus. Our sessions were from Beth Moore’s “Extraordinary Women “conference challenging each of us to draw closer to God through truths that he has laid out in his Word. The speakers addressed many areas of life that women tend to struggle with that keep them preoccupied and focused on tasks rather than a relationship with their Savior. One of the thoughts of focusing your life and drawing closer to God is to pick a word for the year and a verse to go with it. The speaker suggested that the word and verse will help you to stay intentional in your life and ministry, as well as, to focus on what God is teaching you. I thought this was a terrific idea and I went to the Lord in prayer over a word for this year…thinking back to January and onto what will come; I asked God to reveal to me what he has been teaching me and what he wants me to focus on this year. A few minutes later, the Holy Spirit revealed the word “TRUST”. Since the beginning of this year, God has asked me to take several leaps of faith, most of which prepared me to move to Zambia, in order that his plans would be fulfilled in his timing. I praise God that he gave me the strength to take all those steps and I am even more grateful that he is using those moments to teach me to trust him with everything he has given me. I can look back and see divine moments where God has been asking me to trust him more and more and with bigger things…I truly believe that as the year continues, he will keep asking for more until I have completely surrendered it all to him.
“No distrust made him waver concerning the promise of God, but he grew strong in his faith as he gave glory to God, fully convinced that God was able to do what he had promised.” Romans 4:20-21
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