The picture in my mind is of the front yard of our house, looking out the picture window of our front room. There wasn’t much to look at, actually; a small yard with a big Chinese elm tree which was so shady it killed all the grass around it. We were missionary staff at the US Center for World Mission in Pasadena, CA, and our sons were in grade school. It was this period of our lives when I had the first realization that the life of faith and serving the Lord is an adventure. The memory is always accompanied by the sense of excitement in the adventure. Always makes me smile.

It was when I was about 20 that I finally came to the point in my life as a Christian--for it was when I was a child I had asked Jesus to save me from my sins--that I was serious about living whole-heartedly for God. He, of course, had been calling me to Himself for several years; I just finally heard.

Since that time I’ve sought to serve Him with all my energy and strength. If you know me, or anything about my story, you know those two commodities have been in short supply for me from the time I was 13 years old. That was when I began to show symptoms of muscle weakness; I was diagnosed with the disease known as Myasthenia Gravis.  With a severe muscle weakness I didn’t have much to give the Lord. But God wasn’t interested in what I could do for Him, in what great abilities I could give to Him for His service. He was interested in how much of myself I would give to Him, in all my inability and weakness. Back then I had no idea how I could ever serve the Lord, but I started on the road to prepare myself for whatever service He might lead me into.

And for nearly 40 years now I’ve been a partner with husband Randy in serving the Lord with all my strength. It’s always an adventure, this living by faith; “faithing”, as Randy calls it.

Oswald Chambers so beautifully says, “Faith never knows where it is being led, but it loves and knows the One Who is leading. It is a life of faith, not of intellect and reason, but a life of knowing Who makes us “go”.” My Utmost for His Highest, March 19.

Mustard Seeds West

While the WV ministry moves ahead apace, these days Randy and I are in a new adventure of faith, seeking by prayer and research the ministry God has for Mustard Seeds and Mountains in and around Bakersfield, California: Mustard Seeds West. We are a bit more ‘seasoned’ after 40 years of “faithing”; we’ve been learning to be patient and wait in hope as we seek the Lord for His guidance.

Waiting on the Lord does not mean doing nothing. It is a very active period when we investigate and research, gathering all kinds of information about the needs of an area and who is doing what to address those needs. We lay before the Lord all this information, remaining open to how He may impress us to act on that information.

Wherever one goes, there is need: West Virginia, California, your town and county. But the need is not the call. We cannot be involved in meeting all the needs a community presents. In fact, no one can but Jesus. Our call is to Him. So we keep our eyes on Him, seeking to find out the particulars of how He wants to put us to work as His hands and feet to meet needs in a particular area.

Randy’s been meeting a lot of people here in Bakersfield and Kern County, and learning about the multitude of needs and who is doing what in the area to meet those needs. So now we are beginning to see things narrow down to some ‘what’s’ and ‘how’s’ and “who’s”; the particulars of ministry involvement. We are still on the front end of this, but already we are excited about the possibilities.

One venture has already begun: Randy has been serving a small, struggling non-profit which serves the poor community, by consulting with them on how to better do what they desire to do. His years of experience and training are being brought to bear to help others fulfill their vision and calling. And that is exciting.

“…those who wait for (hope in) the LORD will …walk and not get tired…” Isaiah 40:31