Goodbye A'bad

The A'bad days of Cathy, Rachel & Heather have come to a close. It was an adventurous 6 weeks. We laughed, we cried, we learned from one another, we served one another, we thrived and survived, together.















Rachel has moved on toward her new assignment now. We miss her being with us, but can hardly wait to see what the father has in store for her months ahead.

Cathy & I are currently taking Hindi Intensive classes in the capital, but a move is coming soon! We have decided to move to M-town. We will complete our language learning time there, begin forming networks & relationships, and hope to get to tell and craft some stories over the next several months. These are exciting times! May he continue to show his hand at work in, around, and through us!

~Heather

*Ask the father to give us the stamina to finish Hindi Intensives well.
*Ask the father to grant us great housing, quickly, in M-town.
*Ask him to give us wonderful relationships with national women who will be captivated by his amazing story, that they would come to know the truth, and that he would use them to draw others into his family.

Brokenness

Brokenness, brokenness is what I long for.
Brokenness is what I need.
Brokenness, brokenness is what you want from me.
Take my heart and form it.
Take my mind, transform it.
Take my will, conform it,
to your's, to your's, O Lord.

Brokenness is what the Father wants us to bring to him. Brokenness is truly what we need. Only the Lord can heal our brokenness. But, is brokenness really something we long for?

The Father is at work. He is at work in me, and I pray that he is at work in you. I am quite stubborn. I like things done my way. I like to be in control of how things are done. Too often, my strong, independent spirit becomes an obstacle. I have to often ask the Father's forgiveness for doing things my own way, rather than his. He loves each of us so much though, so much that he doesn't ever stop working on us, to mold us and make us who he has for us to be, vessels through which he chooses to work. I want to be one the father chooses to work through.

In order for the Father to work through me, I must allow him to empty me of myself and fill me with himself. This means altering my prideful, I can do anything, WonderWoman attitude, and coming before him, and others, humbly, to be used to love, share, and serve.

The last months have been full of lessons on humility. I am so thankful that the Lord doesn't give up, he just keeps working on us and loving us. He accepts us each and every time we return to him. The task that is ahead is so much larger than anything any person could accomplish in and of themselves. The father has used and is using this time to show us that he is still in the miracle making business. He is, and will continue to be, at work in, around, and through us.

These weeks and lessons haven't been easy ones. Hindi has become difficult for me. I haven't enjoyed the learning process that must take place. My body isn't handling life overseas near as well as I would like. I have experienced hospitals in two countries in less than a month. Cathy & I have been on the move and without a home of our own since our arrival. We are so ready to settle. I miss people and places in America. I miss getting to be present for special occasions and I miss being part of ordinary days. These are just hard things.

I know that our God is faithful. I look back and see his faithfulness. I am choosing to look forward and trust his faithfulness. He has truly amazing plans. He will see his plans come to fruition. What an honor it is to be part of them. There are incredible days behind us, and before us. May we humbly choose to accept each opportunity as one through which to praise him!

Brokenness, brokenness is what I long for.
Brokenness is what I need.
Brokenness, brokenness is what you want from me.
Take my heart and form it.
Take my mind, transform it.
Take my will, conform it,
to your's, to your's, O Lord.

~Heather

*Ask the father to continue to heal my body completely and to protect me from further illness.
*Ask the father to allow Cathy & I to find wonderful homes quickly in our new city.
*Ask the father to grant sweet relationships with fellow workers and nationals in our new city.
*Ask the father to provide the mental capabilities and attitude to learn Hindi well and joyfully.
*Ask the father to continue to mold me into a vessel that he can use to make himself known amongst the nations.

Worth it all!

On a hot Sunday morning, Cathy, Rachel & I were worshipping the father with our fellow workers in A'bad.

Rose is a househelper of one of the families. She speaks no English. We usually speak only Engish during worship. It was hot. The electricity had been out for quite a while. Worship usually lasted about 2 hours. This particular morning it lasted over 3 hours. Sometimes a few nationals joined us for worship. On this morning, one of our Indian brothers was happy to translate the entire service (which is why it lasted an extra hour).

The father had a divine appointment for us on this, our last Sunday in A'bad. He allowed us to see his hand at work. He called Rose to be a daughter in his kingdom. She accepted. The angels in heaven rejoiced. Our hearts leapt for joy. The father reminded me, "This my child, is why I have brought you here."

Mornings like that last Sunday morning in A'bad make it all worthwhile.

~Heather

*Ask the father to continue to reveal himself to Rose.
*Ask the father to use Rose to draw her family, and others, to know and trust only him.
*Ask the father to allow there to be many more mornings of seeing new brothers and sisters added to the fold.