Back in the States

A month ago, my husband took a trip to the states for a respite.  He stayed with our Pastor and his family for his 3 weeks stay.  A week before he was scheduled to come back to Ukraine, he informed me that the Lord wanted us to move back to the states.  I knew for a little while God was dealing with him about something, but I did not know what. 

So here we are.  Back in the states. It's hard to believe we are now back in the good US of A.  It is very different, even though we were only in Ukraine for two and a half years.  It is weird not hearing Russian everywhere we go, and even weirder for other's to hear us jabber in Russian.  We do get many strange looks :)  I am very much enjoying seeing all the new things in Wal-mart that they didn't have when we left.  All the new kinds of food products, and the ones that we missed so much....such as good old BBQ sauce!!! 

But, within myself there is a struggle.  I miss the people that we saw come to the Lord, and those who were already saved and serving their in Kharkov.  I miss the fellow Americans that we served with.  It was a great learning experience for us.  I still ponder why God would bring us back so soon.  Was the Lord done with us there?  Was it because of the growing war there in eastern Ukraine?  Was it just a training period for us to prepare us for something else?  So many of these things weigh down my brain.  

It was very hard to leave.  Some of the members were so confused and didn't know why we were leaving.  My husband explained to the church that this was God's will for us to go back.  Everyone was crying on our last Sunday there.  I know some in the church had contradicting feeling about our leaving and did not feel it was the will of God.  That made things so much harder.  I still struggle with it a lot.  But something my Pastor mentioned in a recent message helped me... Bloom where your planted.  No matter where we end up in life, we need to continue to work and be content with where we are.  It's easy to say, but not so easy to live.

Prayer for Missionary Wife's

Missionary wife's, much like Pastor's wife's face situations and challenges that can test and shake their faith.  It can make their world seem like it's spinning so fast that they can not stay standing long with their own strength.  But pastor's wife's have the comfort of being in their own homeland, with their people, in their comfort zone.  Missionary wife's deal with much more.  When you pray for them, here are something's to think of and to pray in their stead.  Because sometimes, they may not even have the strength to pray for themselves....

Pray for Her

Pray for her spiritually.  Her spiritual strength comes from God alone.  In her weekness God is her strength.  The descions she makes are based on scripture. That the Lord would remind her of His Word and that alone would drive her in all she does.  Pray that her love for the Lord would grow everyday, and a love for His Word. 

Pray for her mentally.  Pray that the Lord would help her to continually remember who she is. That it would be easy for her to cast down any imagination that would exalt itself above Christ.  To help her keep a right frame of mind, and that her mind would be consumed with scripture. To help her keep a right spirit, a right attitude.  That she would think on these thinks.... To remember not all her thoughts are her own, some of them maybe planted their by satan.

Pray for her emotionally.  The hardest thing sometimes is to keep our spirits in check.  Prov. 25:28  He that hath no rule over his own spirit is like a city that is broken down, and without walls.  Pray that the Lord would help her not make any decisions based on her emotions, that it will be easy for her to have control over them.  If our emotions are out of control, we have no protection, like a broken down city.

Pray for her physically.  Eating different kinds of food, especially in a 2nd or 3rd world country can be dangerous because of the lack of sanitation.  Pray the Lord would protect their food supplies.  Keep them from food poison and sickness that can derive from improper food preparation and food growth.  Also, for general over good health and safety from accidents.  Some countries have very poor health care, and somethings may not be able to be treated, or taken care of. 

Pray for her financially.  Of course, please pray God would provide their every need and they finances to see His work advanced for the cause of Christ.  Pray locals with not take advantage and all the money's the missionaries get will all be used to further the Kingdom of God.  Even in taking care of the missionary family themselves.