Sunday, August 21 I spoke for 5 minutes at Lakeview explaining how I sold everything I owned and was leaving in a few days to move to Guatemala to begin ministering to the people and starting a children's home called Casa Gloria. In the 1500 person crowd was a man I have still never met face to face whose heart was touched by God for this mission. We will call him Mr. Rick.
On August 29, two days before I left, I received a very unexpected donation from this man I had never heard of. It was Mr. Rick. He felt lead to donate $300.
"Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.”
From September 1 to September 3, my inbox was flooded with donations totaling $250 from people around the States that I have never ever heard of. I quickly found out that Mr. Rick was prompted by God to write a letter of support for me to people he knew.
“He who is kind to the poor lends to the LORD, and he will reward him for what he has done.”
I wasn't sure how it was going to happen, but Mr. Rick was a wonderful example of the Lord at work to me.
On September 8, Mr. Rick felt lead to purchase Bibles for me to hand out to people in Guatemala and on September 9, he purchased about $250 worth.
"One gives freely, yet grows all the richer; another withholds what he should give, and only suffers want. Whoever brings blessing will be enriched, and one who waters will himself be watered."
I felt like this man I had never met, who was communicating with me every day, supporting me in prayer AND financially, was right there with me on the mission field in Guatemala. I was not alone. Someone cared as much as I do about the salvation of these people, and he was showing it not only in word, but in sacrificial action!
About Mr. Rick, he has a beautiful wife and (I believe) two children. He works for Premier Aircraft Sales, Inc. selling airplanes. As you can imagine, with the way the economy is right now, it is hard to sell a car, extremely hard to sell a house, and almost impossible to sell an airplane, I'm sure! They have been going to Lakeview for quite some time and are very mission-minded, Christ-centered believers.
After purchasing all those bibles, Mr. Rick discovered that it was going to cost nearly $500 to ship them all to Guatemala (the cheapest way). WOW, expensive. We didn't realize it was going to be SO expensive. He began immediately trying to contact Lakeview and my Spanish pastor to see if they would be willing to help with the shipping expense. After about a week of trying and trying, no one was available to help.
I was discouraged. I thought, "Lord, this man acted in faith, giving so much of his time and money to help us. He felt You leading him to get these Bibles and now it is going to cost THIS much to actually receive them?"
On September 14, Mr. Rick decided to write another letter of support for Mision Vida Nueva without me even knowing it. We received no donations from this letter...but I believe it was for a very good purpose. Little did we know at the time, but God had a huge plan in store.
On September 21, Mr. Rick decided to step out in faith even more. He went to the Auburn Post Office to ship every one of those Bibles to me himself!
I felt terrible for Mr. Rick, but he told me his only regret was that he didn't just do it sooner.
"One man gives freely, yet gains even more; another withholds unduly, but comes to poverty."
HOW MANY TIMES DOES GOD HAVE TO PROVE HIMSELF BEFORE WE WILL LIVE LIKE WE BELIEVE HIM?
On September 23, only two days after he shipped the bibles, I got this email from Mr. Rick (I quote):
"Two airplane deals just landed in my lap. This NEVER happens. I have not sold a plane in 4 months!! But not only are these two deals in the works but there are also two more very close! Thank YOU for your Prayers Jenna !! God is sooooo good !!! ;-)."
On September 28, I received this:
"I have something very cool to share with you also. Your Prayer for the other two aircraft worked and God Blessed me with one of the two deals and the other guy is still very much in play but someone already bought the plane he wanted. That is amazing to me. You would just have to know how difficult my business really is and how long it has been since my last sale. As my Wife and I always say to each other “you can’t out give God”. How true that is."
With in a matter of 5 days, he had sold 4 airplanes.
"Test me in this,"
says the LORD Almighty,
"and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven
and pour out so much blessing
that you will not have room enough for it."
True Story 2:
On October 1, last Saturday, I found myself sitting in the Mormon church surrounded by 14 mormons my age all from the United States. My mormon friend I had shared the gospel with a couple weeks back invited me to come to the 2011 Annual General Conference. To EVERY mormon's amazement, and probably to yours, I agreed and showed up. I was the only believer there. Half the time, believers won't even answer the door when a mormon comes knocking. They looked at me real funny as I sat there in my blue jeans, with my bible, and a smile on my face.
2 hours and 1000 puzzled side-glances casted in my direction later, we stood up and began walking to lunch. Not one person tried to convert me. They asked me why I was here and I shared my testimony with them. They asked me when I was leaving the mission, I told them, "When the Lord tells me to leave."
I prayed all through that conference for each one of them, against the heretical religion, against the words that the "prophets" spoke to the world. I constantly flipped through my Bible, prompted by different things the conference would say to remind myself of what the Truth really was. I told them I was an evangelical Christian, and they didn't say a word. As intimidating as sitting in an enclosed room with 14 mormons on mission was, I was a brave little lover of Christ.
"But when they arrest you, do not worry about what to say or how to say it. At that time you will be given what to say, for it will not be you speaking, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you."
True Story 3:
I ate lunch with Francis Eachus. She is awesome. Definitely a lunch I will never ever forget and she is definitely a woman I admire with all my heart. She moved to Coban from Colorado 56 years ago with Wycliffe. She learned the indigenous language Ki'che', alphabetized it, translated the Bible into Ki'che' for the first time, wrote a concordance, taught the people to read and write, and then started a church, lived here through the Civil War, and wrote her own book. Now she is almost 80 and teaches other missionaries to speak Ki'che'. A true hero!
Oh, then she invited me to her house this past week to watch movies and eat lunch. We are going to hang out again soon, maybe play some cards lol!
True Story 4:
I went to the Dump last Tuesday. I took 60 pieces of fresh bread, 50 flavored waters, and 30 gospels of John (thank you Mr. Rick). We arrived and at first were not very welcomed by all the hard working people in this gigantic mountain of trash, vultures, and dogs. When we told them we were here to give them free snacks, they immediately formed a super long line and we began handing them out in Jesus' name.
Unfortunately the extreme poor (more extreme than the rest of the country) find their food here, find their belongings here, and they find their business here along with the rats, vultures, and dogs. The houses are made of nylon sheets and rotted wood.
They were eager to know when I would return, I am returning this coming Tuesday...Lord-willing.
"The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.'
Amen. Your prayers and your giving allow me to serve the Lord by serving these people. Your prayers and your giving are allowing the least of these the opportunity to see Jesus and to know Jesus and to have His word. Your prayers and your giving are your way of being right here with me on the mission field, doing this work and engaging these people. So thank you, and I thank God for you.
'Not to us Lord, not to us, but to YOUR name be the glory...'
Love,
Jenna
Prayer Requests:
- Geoffrey's house would sell before our wedding (Dec.1)
- Geoffrey's sound system would sell. (All this money will be put toward Casa Gloria)
- The lawyer helping us with our visas will be able to help us with registration for the children's home, and we would be able to afford it.
- The salvation of Julio, Dominic, Lucas, and the mormons.
P.S.- I'm adding this in (a day after) just as an afterthought. The purpose for writing the testimony for what God did through Mr. Rick's strong faith in God's promises, is not to get any kind of recognition for him or praise for him (he would not want that at all), but to give a perfect example of God's abundant provision, the absolute truthfulness of His word, and that He is a God more than worthy of our trust and full-hearted devotion. I asked Mr. Rick if he would allow me to share this incredible story with you and he said yes. We believe that you will read it, your faith may be strengthened and you will lift your hands and praise Him. He is alive today and well at work in your life, my life, and the lives of His children in Guatemala! Praise the Lord and only the Lord! :)
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