I stand amazed…

I’ve spent the last several weeks…

Working on gathering groups to go to the Colville Indian Reservation in Washington and to the Cheyenne River Reservation in Northern South Dakota.

I’ve signed up with Open Door Missions again to go to New Mexico and with Twin Bridges Baptist Church to go to Oklahoma. I’m also making arrangements to join Bill and Bridget Earl at the Lac du Flambeau Indian Reservation in Wisconsin in August.

I’ve been doing contract work at home for the Louisiana Baptist Convention. I’ve also visited friends in Arkansas and I have a few upcoming speaking engagements.

All of this is par for the course when it comes to missions ministry…we all have details to work out each day no matter what our life’s work is. But then there are the moments that leave you speechless (a major feat for me).

I’ve had a few of those moments lately. For me, the greatest tool in my ministry, after prayer and the Word, is my car. I put a lot of miles on Sophie (yes, I’m one of those dorks that names their vehicle) but I also take better care of her than I do myself! I very rarely get in that car without praying over it and thanking God for it. She’s paid for and even though she has 126,000 miles on her at 6 years old, she has given me very little trouble.

Zeb Mathews and John Phillips taking care of Sophie in Wisconsin

A couple of weeks ago I noticed that the “Check Engine” light had come on. My first thought was the fact that I did not have the funds to have anything fixed at the moment. I was on the way to the Post Office so I just prayed and told God it was all in His hands. I should not have been surprised at what I found when I got to the Post Office….a surprise check for a generous amount from Harmony Baptist Church in Glenmora.

The check was definitely the answer to my prayer but even more important was the letter that accompanied the check. Several weeks before, the pastor, Robbie Rollins, had asked me for 10 prayer requests for my ministry for a missions themed Super Bowl party their church was having. I sent the ten requests and didn’t think about it again. The letter explained that the youth and young adults at their church had a Super Bowl prayer event where they each pledged x-amount of money per point that their team scored to give to my ministry. During commercials and at halftime, the television was turned off and their youth minister covered one of my prayer needs, discussed it and revealed the Biblical relevance of it.

It didn’t stop there. The church body that didn’t participate in the Super Bowl event met at their regular time and did the same thing. Their normal sermon time is approximately 35 minutes but this prayer time lasted over an hour. Afterwards, they received an offering for my ministry. There are even some who have dedicated themselves to keeping my prayer requests before their eyes and before the Lord regularly.

Y’all, the check was the answer to a prayer but the idea that these people had spent so much time in prayer for my prayer requests and would continue to do so was overwhelming and brought tears to my eyes right there in the Post Office.

The story doesn’t end there. I brought my car to have it repaired and all that was needed was for some box to be cleaned…please don’t ask me any questions about what box because I am a woman who knows NOTHING about mechanics of any kind. 🙂 The cost was minimal so I was able to do something I didn’t think I would be able to do…repair my driver’s window after 8 months of having to open my door at drive thru’s, etc. (You can read about that in another post entitled “The Good, the Bad and the Ugly”).  The window needed to be fixed for the sake of safety but it was last on my list.  Being able to have it repaired was an unexpected blessing.

Two days later my car wouldn’t start at all. I panicked for about 20 minutes (a major improvement over the Terry Tanner I used to know) and then I reminded myself that God was in control. Thanks to Connie and Phil Thomas, I now have AAA so I had the car towed free of charge. I will admit, I was quite aggravated with myself for having that window repaired because I figured now I would need more money for these repairs. I…was…wrong. (I knew that would happen some day. Ha!)

Price Auto informed me that the wires to the fuel something-or-other were bad and had become disconnected. They felt that may have happened when they cleaned that box thing-a-ma-jig; therefore, they repaired it free of charge. Imagine my relief and my dismay at just how faithful God is!

Friends, I get to see this kind of thing so often now. I’ve been surprised with last minute funds that have gotten me home when I didn’t think I was going to have enought to get home. I’ve received monthly pledges from individuals that were totally unexpected. I recently received a monthly pledge from First Baptist, Rayville as a result of the article the Baptist Message did on me. I don’t know anyone from that church and I have never spoken there so, once again, I was left speechless at God’s provision. Zeb Mathews, a young man I’ve ministered with from Twin Bridges Baptist Church, is giving a concert for his senior project and all proceeds are going to my ministry. I am blessed at EVERY turn!

When I stepped out on faith, I had no idea how things would work out but God did. I have not wanted for anything and He has provided for every surprise. I haven’t been buying many purses lately (a past obsession) but, then again, I already had too many of them. 🙂 I don’t live extravagantly but God knows what we need…and He does provide for His children. I find myself constantly standing amazed in His presence.

And as for that letter from Harmony Baptist Church in Glenmora…well, it now hangs on the wall in my office here at home to remind me of just how awesome God is and how awesome His people are! Thank you all so much!

The letter from Harmony hangs in my office to remind me of God’s faithfulness!