Good-bye March and hello April. We leave for CCBI on April 11 and we are so
excited to start this chapter in our lives.
We started praying about New Zealand back in 2012 without a clear vision
of what God wanted us to do there.
It wasn’t until our exploratory trip in 2014 where things were coming
into clearer focus. As we waited upon
the Lord for confirmation, the Lord was working patience in me (Dawn).
Waiting has never really been my forte, but I
know the Lord has been trying to work on that in me for a long time. Here, I was captive to His timing. Being a driver, a person that gets things
done on the jiffy, waiting usually does not come easily for me. I like to get things done and move on to the
next thing. God had me waiting on
Him until I forsook my own expectations and put them in Him instead. Last summer Calvary Aurora hosted an amazing
conference called Pursuing Peace.
The links to the three sessions are listed below if you
would like to listen. Powerful time!
It was at this conference that the speaker, Tammy Brown,
delved into Psalm 62:5-6, “My soul, wait silently for God alone, for my
expectation is from Him. He only is my
rock and my salvation; He is my defense; I shall not be moved.” I was surprised to see this scripture. What?!?
My expectation is to be from Him!?
Wow, I have this all wrong. No
wonder things were not exactly what I wanted.
What.. I… Wanted…. My
expectations were misplaced.
I had expectations of my husband... expectations on the timing of
things.... expectations of my
boss and peers.... expectations of
myself. Wow.. I needed to let GO! I was headlong into a deep relinquishing cry after that session. I almost got to that ugly cry, you know when your shoulders heave up and down
and you make noises that are better left in private. This was deep sorrow, fortunately, godly
sorrow which leads to life. According to
2 Corinthians 7:10, “For godly sorrow produces repentance leading to salvation,
not to be regretted; but the sorrow of the world produces death.”
I was making a choice, and I still do, to put my
expectations in the Lord. Going forward
I wanted the Lord to show me what He wanted.. what He expected of me, those
around me, and the circumstances I was in or about to face. It is a choice. Will I continue to set the bar of expectation
for me and others, or am I going to relinquish this to my loving and all-knowing
Heavenly Father? Let it go… let it GOOO…
nothing is going to stop me now… from doing what He has shown me. Put my expectations in Him.
Even now I am challenged with turning my focus, my
expectations from what I want to what He wants.
He really does know best and is 100% trustworthy. When I can’t see His hands, I can certainly
trust His heart for me, which is kind, loving, and strong. There is no love on this earth like the love
of our Heavenly Father. You can trust Him
too!!
So, as we head out to a new frontier in our marriage, a new
location, and new ministry opportunities, our focus will be on Him! The countdown continues until we board that
plane, which is quickly approaching. The
journey to get where we are today from October, which was only five months ago,
has been short of miraculous. We have
sold the house and 95%+ of our belongings.
God has been gracious and made a way where there seemed to be no way. If He is asking you to do something that
seems beyond your ability, ask Him for confirmation and ask Him again. He will gladly provide it to you! As He does confirm what He is asking of you,
step out in faith and see what He will do for you and through you! He is an amazing Father that loves and adores
you!
Our next update may be 7,300 miles from here (Denver, Colorado). Thank you for your love and support as we continue to seek His face.
Much love,
Dawn and Andrew
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