Well, some of you asked for it!
WARNING! Missions and miracles often go hand in hand, especially in high risk missions. Often the missionaries are uncomfortable sharing these things back at home. They can find themselves being doubted, accused of making up stories to raise support, you name it. But among other missionaries they "let their hair down" so to speak. I've been blessed to have some of these folks as friends and partners. If you think miracles ended with the apostles you won't like what follows, you might also want to avoid high risk missions! (I mean this in love)
This man became a mentor to me as God was calling my wife, son and I to leave what most consider a normal life for one of blind obedience and involvement in missions. He and his wife are with the Lord now, how I look forward to meeting them again one day! I would like to share a bit of his story with you.
When he and his wife were in their fifties and well settled in life, church and careers he had a repeating dream three nights in a row. He saw himself proclaiming the gospel over the country of New Guinea and he saw the name of the village he was in. He thought this was a bit strange as he managed a chain of five grocery stores and had never preached in his life not to mention he knew very little about New Guinea. So he shared this dream with his wife. It seems that she, a registered nurse, for three nights had had a dream that she was running a medical clinic in the same village.
So off they went to their pastor trying to figure all this out. Their pastor told them it could not be God, simply impossible. He would first have to go to seminary, then work as an associate pastor for five years, then as a pastor for five more, then as an associate missionary for five more before he could pursue this. That would put him well past retirement age so they were deceived. It could not be God's will for them.
This upset them quite a bit and they started praying about it and the more they prayed the more they knew God was calling them to go. Finally they formed a close group of mature Christians they trusted about them as a possible missions organization of their own. They met for a week and fasted and prayed for a week straight. Everyone there felt the same leading from the Lord that they should proceed with their plans.
So like most they had some debt and a mortgage but they assumed that God would bless them as they quit their jobs and sold everything off and would clear everything and leave them with the money to start as their denomination was showing them the front door for their disobedience.
Well, God did pay off their debts but only left them with a few hundred dollars, enough to fly one way to the west coast and pay for one night in a cheap motel. Not what they expected! So, everyone got together for another seven day fast and prayer and at the end of it all agreed that God had provided that much and they needed to follow in faith.
So, with great concern they flew to San Fransisco (where all flights to New Guinea left from there in those days in the '70s) and got a room on a Saturday night. The next morning they found a small Baptist church nearby and attended service introducing themselves to the pastor on the way in. As they were leaving at the end of the service wondering what they should do now, as there was no money left, they were approached by a very shaken looking man who introduced himself as the head elder. They said he was literally shaking and with a shaky voice he said
WARNING! Missions and miracles often go hand in hand, especially in high risk missions. Often the missionaries are uncomfortable sharing these things back at home. They can find themselves being doubted, accused of making up stories to raise support, you name it. But among other missionaries they "let their hair down" so to speak. I've been blessed to have some of these folks as friends and partners. If you think miracles ended with the apostles you won't like what follows, you might also want to avoid high risk missions! (I mean this in love)
This man became a mentor to me as God was calling my wife, son and I to leave what most consider a normal life for one of blind obedience and involvement in missions. He and his wife are with the Lord now, how I look forward to meeting them again one day! I would like to share a bit of his story with you.
When he and his wife were in their fifties and well settled in life, church and careers he had a repeating dream three nights in a row. He saw himself proclaiming the gospel over the country of New Guinea and he saw the name of the village he was in. He thought this was a bit strange as he managed a chain of five grocery stores and had never preached in his life not to mention he knew very little about New Guinea. So he shared this dream with his wife. It seems that she, a registered nurse, for three nights had had a dream that she was running a medical clinic in the same village.
So off they went to their pastor trying to figure all this out. Their pastor told them it could not be God, simply impossible. He would first have to go to seminary, then work as an associate pastor for five years, then as a pastor for five more, then as an associate missionary for five more before he could pursue this. That would put him well past retirement age so they were deceived. It could not be God's will for them.
This upset them quite a bit and they started praying about it and the more they prayed the more they knew God was calling them to go. Finally they formed a close group of mature Christians they trusted about them as a possible missions organization of their own. They met for a week and fasted and prayed for a week straight. Everyone there felt the same leading from the Lord that they should proceed with their plans.
So like most they had some debt and a mortgage but they assumed that God would bless them as they quit their jobs and sold everything off and would clear everything and leave them with the money to start as their denomination was showing them the front door for their disobedience.
Well, God did pay off their debts but only left them with a few hundred dollars, enough to fly one way to the west coast and pay for one night in a cheap motel. Not what they expected! So, everyone got together for another seven day fast and prayer and at the end of it all agreed that God had provided that much and they needed to follow in faith.
So, with great concern they flew to San Fransisco (where all flights to New Guinea left from there in those days in the '70s) and got a room on a Saturday night. The next morning they found a small Baptist church nearby and attended service introducing themselves to the pastor on the way in. As they were leaving at the end of the service wondering what they should do now, as there was no money left, they were approached by a very shaken looking man who introduced himself as the head elder. They said he was literally shaking and with a shaky voice he said
That was an awesome story! Thanks for sharing. 
Ma Betty