Today, I want to do something a little different again. I’d like to share with your our weekly mission update because it serves as not only an accounting of our mission efforts for the week but also of God’s faithfulness and goodness. If you’re facing a dark trial and wondering if God still cares, please read this!

“Sometimes before a miracle, our God sets the stage to show He will always come through, so turn the page.”

— Turn the Page by Jim Brady, Barry Weeks, & Tony Wood

That quote is from one of my favorite songs and reminds me that when things seem the darkest, God is simply setting the stage for another miracle. So, allow me to set the scene.

On Tuesday of last week, we had an unexpected expense of $100. Ouch, right? But nothing too big for our God.

On Wednesday, I had a doctor’s appointment (always pricey) the insurance company didn’t cover. Double ouch!

On Thursday, we took our Xterra into the shop, hoping its recent skipping was merely a spark plug issue or possibly the need for new wires. The plugs were fine, but the wires were shot, and so was the distributor. Seriously?

All of this happened, I should mention, after Jason received one of the lowest paychecks I ever remember. Yes, the grand total of hours for the two-week paycheck was 38. When you’re used to having 40 hours each week and getting a check for 80 hours, getting one for 38 is a kick in the gut. As you can imagine, by the end of the week, we were (or at least, I was) growing a bit anxious and discouraged.

Turn the page. . .

On Sunday, we had service with the precious people at Zion Hill Missionary Baptist Church in Marion, NC. The pastor graciously turned the entire morning service over to Jason (except the music, of course), giving him plenty of time to present our burden for Wales and to preach a moving message. Though Jason was intimidated by the size of the church and the amount of time he had to fill, he did a fabulous job and beautifully conveyed both our mission efforts and the lesson God had laid on his heart. When he turned the service over to the pastor, the pastor and church voted to take us on for monthly support. In the blink of an eye, we were that much closer to the mission field of Wales. We were speechless!

As we headed out to have dinner with the pastor and his dear wife and grand-daughter after the morning service, Jason handed me the love offering he had been given. I opened the envelope to peek at the amount and nearly fell over. I couldn’t believe my eyes. I won’t give you the specifics, but I’ll tell you this much: the amount of money in that envelope more than covered all of the unexpected expenses of the week. That, my friends, is just like God! He had set the stage, and once again, He came through in a mighty and miraculous way.

After lunch, we enjoyed some quiet time in the church parsonage and then made our way to the evening service. As in the morning worship, the singing (congregational, choir, and special) was out of this world. So much talent and all used for the glory of the Lord! That evening, a young man who is attending the Bible college at Zion Hill, preached a powerful message on trading in our best for lesser things.

The entire day was a lovely time of spiritual food and Christian fellowship. It was such a blessing to be around such caring people and to—once again—feel welcomed and loved. Pastor Walker and his wife were a delight to be around and were such an encouragement to us. All in all, the day served as a beautiful reminder of how God takes care of His children!

What a mighty God we serve! His love and compassion have no bounds, and He is faithful to the end. No matter how dark the valley may seem, turn the page. God has something unbelievable just around the bend.