Shaarda's Story - It's God's Story!: August 2013

We are excited to share that the church purchased the land we will build on Wednesday. We also signed our agreement with them. Today our family went out to our new "home" to decide where the house will be, where the garage will be, and to make the driveway. We accomplished that with the help of a few neighbors and are excited to get going on this project.

Thank you for your prayers the next 4 month and for making it possible for us to live and serve in Obulle.

1 Thessalonians 1:5-7 and 2:8 have been in my devotional readings this week. They have been a confirmation and encouragement during this time.

"We loved you so much that we were delighted to share with you not only the gospel of God but our LIVES as well, because you had become so dear to us." I Thess. 2:8

That is why we go! We love the people of Obulle so much and have great joy sharing the gospel with them - and now our lives.

August 12, 2013

Hi. I have been tired lately – tired from months of ups and downs, highs and lows, stress and joy, discouragement and peace. It is a mixed bag. Seems every time God encourages us satan sends a blow. It is so obvious God is at work and satan wants to put a stop to it. So, I decided I need some refreshment and renewal. I know God will provide just what I need.

I am so very in love with God’s Word! It has kept me going, filled me. It is my source of truth. My Rock. There is no other peace than in Him. I don’t have to take any worry or stress upon me – it belongs to God. Just this morning I read Deuteronomy 32:4 “He is the Rock, His works are PERFECT, and ALL His ways are just. A faithful God who does NO WRONG, upright and just is He.” If I truly believe this and trust who God is then I can have peace. I should have no complaint or questions. God is perfect and so His plan for me is too. He does no wrong so I can have peace in all that happens. He is just so I can trust Him. Oh, church if only we lived this way! God is God. We must live what we believe.

The other day when satan slapped us with another discouragement I decided to sit before the Lord and ask Him what He wanted me to know through all of this. I waited for His word. I felt Him say, “The battle belongs to the Lord.” I don’t need to fight, worry, get stressed or upset. I can rest in the Lord. It is His. The next day I sat before the Lord again waiting for Him to minister to my heart. This time I was surprised when I felt Him say, “I love you. You are my child.” What does that have to do with our troubles? Then I realized it doesn’t matter what is happening around me all I need is to know I am loved by my Father. I cried. To feel the love of the King simply brings me to tears. He cares, He knows, He loves me. I imagined being help close to Him and I bathed in His love. Just took it in. All is right because I am loved. All I need to do is remain in Him and seek Him, He will do the rest. Then I read Deuteronomy 33:12, “Let the beloved of the Lord rest secure in Him, for he shields him all day long, and the one the Lord loves rests between his shoulders.” What a beautiful promise! We can rest because God protects us ALL day long. He hugs us as we rest in His love. Thank you God! That is all we need. I am telling you church, you have got to be in God’s Word to know all His promises He has for you. There is peace when we live knowing we are His children and He loves us.

I hope to write more about Deuteronomy later – God has been speaking to me through it and I love it! Fill me up Lord! Over and over God’s shares His deep desire for His people – to love Him with ALL of our heart and ALL of our soul and to obey His commands so we may be blessed. Awesome.

So, hopefully tomorrow we will be buying land for the church in Obulle for our house to be built on! What a journey. God’s calling to live there is clear but the discouragements have brought challenges. I can also easily let fear and worry slip in. Will it be ok living in the village again, is it right to spend the money to build a home, what if…? I keep trusting God. Today Josh read I Thess. 1:5b-7, “You know how we lived among you for your sake. You became imitators of us and of the Lord; in spite of severe suffering, you welcomed the message with the joy given by the Holy Spirit. And so you became a model to all the believers.” Thank you God for your calling! We are to live among our friends so they can see Jesus in us and be like Him. They have welcomed God’s message and so will be a model for all believers as God transforms them. Amen!!! I am so excited to live in Obulle. God is doing great things!

Funny story from our church, every Sunday in church we have a time to give testimonies. A few weeks ago our friend Rose gave a testimony about her youngest son who followed his brother to the latrine and fell in! She thanked God for her son’s big head that could not fit down the latrine. She ran and found him half way down the hole. The church was laughing as we praised God for protecting her son.

Lydia

celebrated her 10^th birthday! On her birthday we went swimming and had pizza. Then last week we had a party with her friend who turned 11 and the other girls on the team. We did manicures, pedicures, face peels, coke and orange floats, decorated cookies, had a candy hunt and of course birthday cake. What a joy to celebrate

Lydia

! She is really growing up. She sure loves the Lord and people – she is so me. Although she loves to read, and that is not so me. Last week

Lydia

and I went on a date together to start passport to purity. She was SO excited! She has so much joy for life. We went to our best local hotel/restaurant where we listened to the passport to purity CDs from Family Life Today, had lunch together, and sat in the grass to talk and pray. It was really special.

Lydia

LOVED it. I decided to only do half the material as

Lydia

is changing and growing but still very innocent and loves being a child – so thankful. It was fun to see

Lydia

giggle, talk about questions she had, see her faith and knowledge of God’s ways, and even cry together. I love my daughter. I am so proud of her. Almost a week last and she is still thanking God every time she prays for passport to purity and our time together. I encourage all parents to take this special time with their child. It is our job as parents to prepare them, teach them, and lead them. We need to take it seriously. These are the most important disciples God will ever give us! With God’s help we can love them well and train them up in the Lord.

We are getting excited for Josh’s Uncle Larry and Aunt Suzanne Stahl to come the 3^rd of September. They will be with us three and a half months to manage the building of our house. They came 10 years ago to build in Mahula when we lived in

Nigeria

. It was a very special time together and now we look forward to finally having them in Africa again. AND…our teacher, Sarah Lankheet from our church, will also arrive September 3! We got to know Sarah when she felt God tell her to offer to baby sit our kids. We were drawn together instantly by Sarah’s heart for the Lord and missions. I told her of our need for a teacher and asked if she would pray about coming to teach. She did and God called her to come! Sarah will be with us through January or maybe till April. Pray for Stahls and Sarah as they prepare to come!

Thanks for your faithful prayers!