“Wow, I Am Overwhelmed!”

It has been just over a year … and she has not killed me (yet.)  I stand amazed at the gift God gave me in Cora and allowed her to be convinced to marry me.  For a man of 49 years old, at the time, I was flabbergasted when she said yes to my proposal of marriage.  I had pretty much resigned myself to permanent curmudgeonhood … er … bachelorhood.  As a result, it has been a major upheaval in my life, both in mental and spiritual practicalities.  All good, mind you, but still an uphill struggle to wrap my little truck-driver brain around all of this change going on in my life.

Before Cora, I had come to the point in my life that I knew I was going to be single until I died.  I had fought God tooth-and-toenail, about ‘being single’, telling Him that I did not want to be single.  I had convinced myself that I was finally ‘okay’ with it, but in my deepest heart, I had not yielded that part of my life to Him.  I refused to surrender it to God.  When I finally faced the issue of singleness for the rest of my life and told God that it was no longer my choice but His, He agreed.  When I got over not liking His answer and said, “Okay God, I surrender to your Sovereignty,” He graciously waited for me to get used to the idea.  When I did, finally get used to it, He placed Cora in my vision and said, “This is why I wanted you to wait as long as you did; she is the jewel in the crown I want to give you.”¹  All I could, did, and do say is “wow, I am overwhelmed!”  She is so precious and amazing to me.

Please do not get me wrong.  She can tick me off big time … usually at the wrong times.  Then she has the audacity to look at me and say, “What?” in that innocent-bat-her-eyes kind of way (even when she does not bat her eyes).  She surprises me with her intellectual prowess on topics I did not think she even knew about, much less cared to comment on.  She has astounded me with her naivete on issues that ‘today’s woman’ would be rabid about; but because she believes that it does not honor God, she chooses to walk away from it.  She has overwhelmed me with her passion for her God, her husband, her family.  I see the excitement she has for the children that she shares the Gospel with and the heart for all of the teachers she teaches.  All of this … in just over a year of marriage.  Still, at times, all I can say is, “Wow, I am overwhelmed!”

How do I explain ‘wow’?  Well … how do you tell anyone about a person that moves you to tears because you love them so much?  How do you explain to anyone that the joy in your life is magnified a hundred fold, so much so that you find it hard to contain you own exuberance when you are in the presence this person?  How do you tell anyone how much it physically hurts to separate for any length of time from one another?  I guess you tell them that you are so in love with your “insert your spouse’s name here” that … ‘yadda-yadda-yadda’.  Like you have never heard this stuff before and I am not the first person that has ever said it.  I know-I know, stop re-inventing the wheel.  Yes, I can be sappy, foolish, or overly sentimental.  What can I say other than, “I love this lady that I married and that married me!”?  Wow, I am overwhelmed!

In this year-plus of marriage, I have found out how to bribe her with ‘protein’, (Gummy Bears and/or Sour Gummy Worms), flowers (she likes roses, but likes any kind of arrangement as well), or a home cooked meal (it helps to have cream cheese in it somewhere).  I have found out that if I offer her tomatoes, hot dogs, or salmon as food that I must sleep on the couch or leave on truck for at least one week (and cream cheese will NOT help at all!)  I have also learned that she has an annoying habit of laying something down, not where it belongs, then forgetting where it is located.  Then she gets VERY frustrated when she cannot find it.  The worst part is she then wants to take it out on me … her frustrations, anyway.  However, I have broad shoulders and take this abuse with kindness, gentleness, and loving patience.  (By the way, I have some land in Florida and a bridge in Brooklyn that I would like to sell … if you are interested.)  I have also learned that I am not as forgiving as I thought I was and that the ‘O.C.D.’ that she bugs me about, has a tendency to drive my lovely bride BONKERS at times [insert large snicker here].  Sooooooo … I try to be more patient, loving, contemplative, and less critical of things going on in ‘our’ lives.  A word of warning here:  I drive a big rig for a living.  Stay off the road when I have had a rough weekend at home.  Some of my driving skills deteriorate when I am so aggravated I cannot see straight.  (Without airing our dirty laundry, I will try to give you ample warning when I am heading out to work after said type of weekend.)

So, what have I learned that I would not have living as a curm … er … bachelor?  Several things truly have amazed me by actually coming out of my mouth.  These items seem rather benign, but they truly are amazing because I have heard them before.  They came from the mouths of other married men that I used to laugh at thinking that marriage had somehow affected their brain.  I have been proven correct in my hypotheses (that marriage messes with a man’s brain).  These are (in no particular order):

Ø  Yes dear.

Ø  Anything you say dear.

Ø  I am sorry dear.

Ø  I did that?  (Usually followed by the previous statement.)

Ø  Right away dear.

Ø  May I carry that for you dear?

Ø  You want it done when dear?

Ø  Yes, you can go SHOOOOPPPING dear.

Ø  Here is my ATM/credit card dear.

Ø  Here is my checkbook dear.

Ø  No, I do not have hidden assets dear.

Ø  Of course, the life insurance policy is current, why do you ask dear? 

Yes, this is all tongue-in-cheek fun.  However, now that I think about it, I actually have said these things to my lovely bride.  I wonder if I should be concerned?

A couple of weeks ago she started a new adventure.  This adventure is one that she has never had the opportunity nor thought she would be able to have at this time in her life.  This new adventure is to become an ordinary stay at home wife.  (Please be advised:  There is NOTHING ordinary about being a ‘housewife/homemaker’; however you care to call it.)  This lovely lady has finally agreed with me that she needs some time off from work to relax, refocus, and to recharge.  So she is taking a sabbatical from her mission field as the director of the local chapter of C.E.F.  According to her, she is going to sit at home, watch soaps and eat bon-bons.  Yeah … right!  [Big guffaw!]  The first day off without having to go to work, she sat down to watch a soap ‘As the Stomach Churns’.  That terminated within 5.3 milliseconds at the first crocodile tear she saw.  So much for the soap operas.  So, she is going to try to work on getting her house, health, and relationships in better order.  She plans to go out on the truck with me for a couple of weeks.  She wants to learn to drive truck, not to make a living, but to know what it means to do my job, and maybe help a little bit.  She wants to work on some Bible studies for her own personal growth and to help others grow in their walk with the Lord.  She wants to focus on her family, both sides, and to honor our parents.

My folks will celebrate their 60^th wedding anniversary on November 25 this year.  Her folks just celebrated their 31^st anniversary in August.  What a wonderful legacy they have given us by their enduring love.  What a powerful example of a true covenant with God and to each other.  I know in this era of ‘disposable everything’ (including marriages) this looks/sounds like an anomaly.  It is just one more example that I have to put in front of me about life, love, and my commitments.  Once again … wow, I am overwhelmed!

Well, I guess I have prattled on enough about my gushy love for my wife, how much I admire her and our plans for the next year.  Thank you for taking the time to read my little essay about my wife and myself.  I realize that you did not have to and that you might have got a chuckle or two out of it.  Thank you anyway, because you too amaze me with your interest in a middle-aged man, his lovely and gracious wife, and their ramblings about ‘stuff’.  Wow, I am overwhelmed!

¹By the way, I know I have been putting words into Gods mouth with this essay.  No, I did not audibly hear the words that I have written as His response.  I felt these words in my heart because of my bull-headedness and unwillingness to surrender to God.  However, when I did surrender, they are the words I have imagined He would have said to me, if He were not as gracious and forgiving as He is.

Soaps and Bon Bons

Well, it's official, and I'm still trying to wrap my brain around it, but Cora Tucker is soon to join the ranks of housewives everywhere - for a while anyway!

I have applied for, and been granted a sabbatical from ministry with the local chapter of CEF. And please don't be hurt if you're finding out about it here, and not from me directly: It takes a while to get the word out to all the important people, so sometimes its just easier to post it, then gladly answer questions as they arise.

Starting October 1, I will begin a lengthy sabbatical from the ministry with CEF (though I'll still be partnering in prayer!). It will last 6 months to one year, as far as we know, but Lord-willing, I'll be back after I get a chance to rest and recharge.

Basically, I've hit burnout and am finally ready to just take a break. And no, it's not cuz I'm pregnant - cuz I'm not (Everyone keeps asking that!). :-P   October 1st marks 5 years as Director here in Klamath Falls, and before that, fulltime work in the Eugene area for 4 years, and before that, I've taught Good News Clubs and 5-Day clubs year-round since I was 16. Many have gone before me that have done so much more than that and survived the experience, so I know that this is mainly my fault for getting to this place, in not handling things right. In my thought-life I've learned to deal with stress a lot better than I used to, but I still struggle with the stressful situations.

So... here are the main things that I hope a sabbatical will help me accomplish: 1. Develop my relationship with God to a deeper level, 2. Develop my relationship with Duane to a deeper level, (including spending more time with him!) 3. To rest. 4. to pursue study and/or growth in dealing with the stress of leadership, and with certain character flaws of my own, 5. Spend more time around the home, tackling projects, being a home-maker, and watching for opportunities to develop relationships with our neighbors, 6. Renew the love for people and opportunities in the ministry, as well as vision for the growth and development of the local chapter. 7. Any other things God sends my way (I'm looking forward to seeing the benefits of the lower stress level on my health!).

We're not sure yet who will be stepping up in my place, but for the forseeable future, it seems that God has provided the local volunteers with the gifts and time to step up and help keep things going. The office should be manned (womanned) Monday through Thursday with staff that will be more than happy to help deal with things as they come up, in addition to maintaining the current ministry, all while continuing to grow as God provides!

As the sabbatical begins, PLEASE pray for me: for rest, for diligence, and for progress on the above goals, as well as His provision for the financial end of all this. I've already seen his answers to the latter, as well as for the challenging decisions that have been made, and in smoothing this transition into new leadership (keep praying for these!). Praise God!

For those of you who are financial supporters, you'll be interested to know that CEF will still depend on your support as the ministry continues, and as they pay me during this sabbatical. I'm under orders not to allow "work" to distract me from the rest and recharging that I need, so they are helping to make sure I don't carry that financial burden. Thank you VERY much!!!

So there you have it: Cora Tucker will soon join the ranks of the SFABBOA - Soap Fans and Bon-Bon Eaters Of America. Yeah right! lol Rest or no rest, I don't see THAT happening! Please do keep us in prayer as we walk through this process, and that it be for the glory of God.

An Ode to the Missing Man

*Sappy alert* :)
Okay, so it's Saturday. I have most of a day off. Duane's somewhere in Texas or New Mexico sleeping in the back of a moving truck. And it's my turn to write an ode to my missing man.
Except that to be an ode, I think it would involve some type of rythm or poetic stuff... so... I'll just tell you I'm writing about the missing man. Well, actually, it's just that I really miss my man.
Funny thing how instead of doing something that I know will make him happy when he gets home (like cleaning the house or doing yard work), I just sit here and mope instead. Makes sense.
So... at least if I'm going to escape chores and feel guilty about it, I'll tell you some of the things I like about my favorite man - the one that only I get to call "my Husband". :)
1. Duane is very patient with me.
2. Duane spoils me.
3. Duane works hard to provide for us.
4. Duane hold high standards in doing things right. ... which may also make it on my list of things I DON'T like about my man - especially when it comes to ME having to keep that standard in cleaning, or anything else I don't like to do!!!
5. Duane's eyes are a-ma-zing :)
6. Duane's always watching out for me, whether he's home or not.
7. Duane likes to talk - talking about big stuff or little stuff or deep stuff....
8. Duane makes me talk... which also may make that list of "unlike" stuff.
9. Duane's gentle: with me, with the pets, with family and friends.
10. Duane watches crime shows with me.
11. Duane doesn't make fun of me when I cry at sappy movies.
12. Duane likes to go shopping with me. (Which can also be bad when we're both in a spending mood, but our wallet isn't! lol)
13. Duane is very fun to work with on projects around the house (including building shelves and cleaning out the garage!)
14. Duane likes to cook superbly. - SOOOOOOO yummy!
15. Duane trusts me.
16. Duane is always up for an adventure.
17. Duane is willing to say "I'm sorry" and "I love you" (the latter quite often!)
18. Duane loves God, and it shows in all that he is and does.
19. Duane loves me.
and for the record... I love Duane. And now I'm gonna go show him by cleaning the kitchen and doing *gasp* the laundry!

Mood: Contemplative, Heart: Grateful

      I just waved goodbye to my favorite man, for once a passenger in "Dream Chaser", the semi that usually has HIM as a driver. He's set off for a new venture, this time team-driving, which also means much longer trips and not seeing him as often.
      What an amazing guy though. Knowing I was having a tough time with it all, he stepped up to the plate to help make sure I had a good weekend. He was very much unselfish, and just spoiled me all around. Friday night he took me to the Gem's baseball game. It's their inaugural season, so it was my first time to a game here (really missed going to Em's games in Eugene!), and Duane's first time to a game at all. From the game, we got an offer of a free store-brand bracelet, which turned into paying only $15 for an upgrade to a Pandora bracelet. Of course they want you to buy the charms to go on them, but I think most of the charms are ugly anyway, so I won't have any problem with just the pretty jingles! :) Then my husband found me a BIG bag of gummy worms - big time points for that one - and this morning he fixed me breakfast and cut flowers from the garden for the table. The whole time though, he was helping me deal with stuff, and was sensitive.
      On top of that, we had great (sweaty) fun cleaning out the truck yesterday. One of the things that annoys me the most, but that I also admire the most about him is that he is such a clean freak. That guy made sure we vacuumed every nook and cranny, "pledged" the walls and fixtures, vacuumed, scrubbed, and vacuumed again the floor, washed the windows, repacked everything so there'd be room for Tim's stuff, cleaned the upholstery, and a bunch of other stuff. By the time we were done, that truck fairly sparkled, inside and out. It was a great time just working on something together.
      In between things, I got to fix him some yummy food, too. He really liked the meatloaf, and the mac and cheese that I made from scratch. PLUS I finally got the chance to make my pumpkin cheesecake that I'd been itching to try my hand at. It was the first time I got to make one from scratch, the kind that you bake, using a springform pan. I was purty excited! :)
      I am so grateful for a man that loves me, that can be sensitive one minute and the mans man the next. Working hard to provide for me, striving for godliness, and generous to a fault. Thank you, God, for Duane.

An Update of No Fixed Theme

After realizing how longs its been since we updated the blog, I figured I'd better at least post SOMETHING, or no one would ever check this anymore! lol
I know Duane has a more thought out blog that he's working on, I thought I'd take a few minutes and at least update you on the happenings around here.
Duane's still driving the truck (at the moment, he's on is way to Kent, WA), and working hard at it. In the last couple weeks, the truck had to be fixed twice (for different things), which called for some unplanned downtime. One of those unplanned down-times was at home, though, thankfully, so he got a day to just "chill".
I've still been busy at work, though God has provided amazingly in the way of more help. Mindy is now helping with driving the teams to 5-Day Clubs (like mini Vacation Bible Schools), doing a little teaching, and coaching the young teachers each day. Usually I would be doing this every day of the week, but after only a little training, Mindy had it all under control so I could have my customary Friday off! Meanwhile, since Terry attended Christian Youth In Action with me in June (the training for the young teachers), she is on fire, and an enthusiastic aid in many areas, including the 5-Day Clubs and fairs. Thank you, God, for such an amazing team!!!
I love to have Fridays off so I can get caught up on stuff around the house, trying to have the place a little more presentable when Duane gets home, and just not rushing here there and everywhere.
Usually when Duane is home we try to stay AT home if possible, so we get more done. Over Independence Day Weekend, we got a LOT done. We built a bunch of shelves to cover most of the walls in our 10X12 shed, then moved a bunch of stuff from the garage into the shed in an ORGANIZED fashion! Once we did THAT, we were able to finish tidying the garage enough to be able to park the car IN the garage! Woohoo!!! There's even room to spare, so this weekend, we got some of Duane's stuff out of storage so that HE could actually move in! :) We still get surprised every day though, that we go out to the garage, and there's a CAR there! lol.
One major breakthrough in the last couple weeks, was that I got sick. Not that my getting sick is ever news anymore - and that's the problem. I've gotten so sick of being sick, I just haven't known what to do. While I think that there's a lot that goes into my different symptoms, one of the main ones has finally been pinpointed: I have allergies. It's really one of those "Coulda had a v8" kind of moments, though. I had allergies when I lived in the valley in and around Eugene, but they were much more obvious, so these symptoms I didn't put with the allergy factors. Instead, these allergies had been contributing to my frequent sinus infections (thanks to narrow nasal passages), and general feelings of miserableness. And yes, I made up that word. :) Now that we know more of what I'm dealing with, we're hoping that we can address the root of the problem and at least greatly diminish the symptoms. THANK YOU GOD for an answer!
One other cool thing is that my friends and I have started getting together for a Frugal Club twice a month. We're doing everything from oil-changes to laundry-soap-making, to couponing, and much more. Just the fellowship as we look for ways to be good stewards together is pretty sweet!
So there's my newsy update. Now you have hope and can once again become a regular checker of the Tucker's Tales blog! :) Thanks for joining us!
Cora

What A Diffrence A Week Can Make

What a difference a week can make in a person’s life!  A couple of weeks ago Cora and I decided to attend the International Child Evangelism Fellowship conference in Asheville, North Carolina.  Unwilling to go into debt to attend, we figured if God wanted us to attend, He would supply us with enough money to go and return with enough to sustain us until I got back to work again.  He did and has.

A Brief History

For several years, I have had the conviction that I needed to be in ‘the Ministry’, but had no idea what to do.  Preaching?  Surely, you jest!  I have the gift of gab but that is just too serious a position with eternal consequences, just to stand in front of a congregation (read I & II Timothy and Titus).  I do not have the schooling for a solid theological background, though that can be corrected with time.  Yet I believe I had a season in my life that disqualified me from becoming a pastor.  Yes, all sin is forgiven for believers except that of rejecting Christ as Lord and Saviour.  (That is a non-believer and therefore they are condemned already.)  However, sin in a confessing believer will always-Always-ALWAYS, have consequences, even after the sin is confronted, confessed, and corrected.  As a result, I felt I was/am disqualified for that type of eldership.  That does not mean my thinking is off at this point, it just means that until proven otherwise, this is what I believe.  So I continued to look for ways to serve, staying in the background, and helping who and/or where I could.

Milestones

In every life, there are markers that help a person identify how they are doing as they grow up both physically and spiritually.  Some known physical examples are; marks on the doorjamb measuring height over the years, first day at school, graduation, job, etc.  For me, songs with a Biblical basis, making an emotional connection to the “season” of my life have always been my milestone markers.  Whether I was depressed, excited, moved by something inspirational, or I felt the Lord confirming a truth I had read in the Bible, I always marked them with music.  Music has a deep emotional connection that the Lord uses for some people.  An example, for me, would be just after Job received all of the devastating news about his family and holdings.  The only thing he had left was his wife and the servants that reported the tragedies.

     Job 1:20-22  Then Job arose and tore his robe and shaved his head, and he fell to the ground and worshiped.  He said, "Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked I shall return there.  The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away.  Blessed be the name of the LORD."  Through all this Job did not sin nor did he blame God.  NASB.

The song connection for me is from Matt Redman, “Blessed Be Your Name”.  I was going through some convicting times and was learning what the word ‘surrender’ meant in context with being a slave to a sovereign God and being obedient to Him regardless of the cost.  (I recommend John McArthur’s book ‘Slave’ or his YouTube messages, for further exploration on this topic.)  Milestones like this have the effect of changing the course of one’s life … forever.

This is when it finally clicked for me; I needed to go with Cora to the I.C.E.F. conference.  Always trying to be responsible and earn an income to support my family, I knew that this choice could cost me my job.  Having taken a couple of weeks off earlier due to health issues, I really did not want to push for the time off.  Asking God for direction, I had a peace about leaving the job to attend, knowing that God would support us if I lost my job.  It was that important to Him, and so it was to me.  Yet, I could not figure out what God had in store for us.  All I could hear was go and then listen.  About Thursday, I had the realization what step three was … surrender.  To surrender to whatever the Lord wanted of me; be it to preach, teach, serve local, serve regionally, or serve overseas.  The main thing was to surrender to Him and be the submissive servant that He required of me as a child of God.  Only then would He direct my path for His glory and honour.

Throughout the entire conference, I kept meeting people that would tell me things that confirmed what I already knew.  One lady that I talked with told of having one of those ‘never-never’ moments with God and how God dealt with her.  She had heard Gods call but stomped her foot and said I am ‘never-never’ going to serve there God, it is just too ___.  She then confirmed what I expected.  Never challenge God by saying ‘never’.  (There is a paradox in this statement, but I won’t go there.)  Through various means, God worked on her heart until she finally surrendered.  She and her husband went to that ‘never-never’ place.  Several years later, another move was indicated to a different location.  This time it was to a place more dangerous.  Once again, she said ‘never-never’.  Through prayer, she realized how useless it was to say ‘never-never’.  She told me that she looked at her husband and asked, “Why are we even talking about this when we already know that it is God’s will to go?”  They submitted and now are going to where they said they ‘never-never’ would once more, accepting God’s sovereign will with joy.

The amazing thing for me, I think, was that I had already surrendered just by going to the conference.  Look at my FB status about going off to the ‘Great Adventure!’  Deep in my heart, I think I already knew what was going to happen.  (My accountability partner would be most willing to confirm this and not with a chuckle or smile, but a hearty round of laughter and an “I told you so!” thrown in for good measure.)  I just had to go through the process of grieving a rebellious nature to God, to reach that acceptance of His Sovereign will.  For those who have gone through this process, you know what I mean and how sometimes it is VERY hard … on you and those around you.

Plans, Praise, and Prayer Request

So now what do we do?  Well, Cora will continue as director with the Klamath-Lake chapter of C.E.F.  I will return to the truck for now, working to clear what is left of our debt and saving as much as possible (please note:  I make it, Cora manages it.  Quite well, I might add.)  This year or next, I will apply to C.M.I. for formal training for C.E.F.  After that … I am not sure.  I say this with the caveat that … all is carved in water and subject to change to how the Lord will move in our lives.

I am so grateful to family and friends that have been praying for me all of my life.  I am also grateful to family and friends that pray for Cora.  She has needed a lot more since marrying me!  I will praise His name for His continued grace and tender mercies on both of us.

I ask you to pray for us daily for:  spiritual growth, wisdom, discernment, humility, and boldness for work in His kingdom.  Those of you, who know us, know how much of a leap this is for both of us.  However, we want to do this right and cannot without LOTS of prayer, especially from those who believe that this is truly our calling.  It helps if you know and love us as well!

So now, it is time to sign off.  Thank you for taking the time to read this small milestone in our lives.  I trust the Lord will bless us with many more that I will try to share with you as we grow and go.  Thank you for your prayers as well.

His glory, our goal!

Your brother-in-Christ,

Duane

Three Weeks of Insanity

Duane started an attempt at a blog before he had to get ready to get back on the truck: He called it “What a difference a week can make”. Pretty good title, if you ask me, but I’m figuring there’s been enough going on in the last THREE weeks to make a decent sized book. I’ll spare you THAT length, but I’ll let you share a bit of the ride. 

Backing up just a bit, you need to know that we’ve been praying about the possibility of Duane being in full-time ministry in general, but really didn’t know if/where/what/when. Well there’s a lot of that that we STILL don’t know, but God’s been busy. About three weeks ago, I was telling Duane about some of the ministry needs going on in the global picture of CEF (did you realize that at least in the US, we have about 75%ish of our workers entering retirement age in the next 10-15 years?). Something clicked in Duane’s head right about that time and what had been months of God hammering away at his/our heart, turned into action. Duane asked me what it would take to get the two of us to CEF’s International Conference, where I had told him it would be the best opportunity to see CEF in its “big picture”. After doing the figuring, we realized that God had used our careful budgeting of His finances, and that we had about $50 to spare after all anticipated costs. So, we made the commitment. I’d love to give you details, but I promised not to write a book. Just in those
10 days we saw miracles of God’s provision of favor with Duane’s boss, care for our three “kids” AND house, help to prepare for upcoming CEF events, perfect timing on the flights, and so much more. By the time we got there, we were blessed by an upgrade of our rental car from the cheapest, smallest car to a 2011 Dodge Charger (sweet ride btw!), the ability to visit my friends Tiffany and Andrew and their baby, Isaac, time together, blessing on our relationship with God and each other, meeting new friends and reacquainting with old ones. Just amazing times. And that was just the beginning. Before we left for the conference, Duane had acknowledged the two steps that we KNEW to take: first of all, just to GO to the conference, but secondly to LISTEN to God. We both did that, and were challenged on a daily basis on so many levels. Our walk with God in general was impacted, but specifically our prayer life, and in worship, and hunger for the Word. By Friday of the conference though, we knew that we were in the middle of God doing something bigger. God had broken through the hurdles we had each placed before our willingness to surrender. For me, it was a fear of both the unknown, and concern for how God would provide. I’ve lived as a
missionary for most of my adult life, so it wasn’t anything new to depend on God for EVERYTHING, but there had been comfort in my husband having a “real” job on which to depend (Never mind the fact that we had to trust God for THAT too!). I’m not sure what all Duane was dealing with, other than just not being sure what he was committing to. It was funny though, through our time there, we were constantly hearing God answer our questions through people we’d meet that had no idea of the struggle we were having. One person talked about how they handled the “never never lands” – saying yes to God when He asked you to go where you thought you’d “Never never” go. Another family talked about how they
balanced family life and ministry. So often it was sooo obvious that God’s sense of humor and sovereignty had created these divine appointments to address our human, fragile needs. He doesn’t HAVE to do that, but in his tender compassion, he blessed us the entire week in answer to so many prayers of our friends. Nightly we would compare notes on what God had been challenging each of us with. On Friday we just looked at each other, at peace, knowing that we were embarking on an adventure. We knew that step three was to SURRENDER to His plan, and we were ready to do that. So: we believe God is calling Duane into ministry with CEF. We THINK that means we need to pay off all debt (continuing the process we’ve been careful to work on already!), then save enough to pay the bills while he attends CEF’s three-month training in Missouri next year. However you cut it, I am soooo grateful to share the ministry with my husband, and look forward to seeing what God does with us together.

Would you please commit to praying for us both? Pray daily for our walk with Him and each other. Pray for clear direction. Pray for strength in the battle, and confidence in His calling. Pray for those who are walking through this process with us to have God’s wisdom, and pray for more workers to join us. May Jesus Christ be honored and glorified in and through us!

Watch for Duane’s perspective, coming soon. J