The posts have been sparse around here. Â You may have guessed why. Â The road, here lately, has been paved in painful thorns. We’ve been limping, and crawling, and surrendering, and repenting, and struggling down that road. Â The crucible is a hot place, and the refiner’s fire is not always fun.
But the blessing after that makes it all worth it.
He is so beautiful. Â His grace really is enough.
At this point, there are things happening that we don’t know how to put into words, and there are miracles in our house that we can’t share with you yet (no I’m not expecting a baby).
God is so faithful. Â His gifts to us are so sweet. Â We are all thick in the middle of enjoying the relationships that He has so sweetly brought to each of us at Chez Jo.
And here is what I can share with you. Â There is a literal harvest happening right now on the land that God has given us. Â We bought the seed. We hired the hands. Â We thanked God for a place to start. Â We prayed that the investment -the seed money- would come back to honor and bless His plan for this place. Â So that (eventually) the orphans and the widows and the hurting could be healed and restored and made whole through His goodness. Â Because His plan for this place is good and His power and favor is enough to make it great. Â We prayed for the harvest to be plentiful and abundant. Â >
And it is.
Today we visited the spot. Â As of today our friends have harvested enough millet off of that land to feed 10 people for a year. Â And we are no where near a quarter of the way done harvesting the millet. Â And that’s not all we planted. Â We planted beans too! Â It’s so hight that it’s over our heads. Â And higher than all the fields around it. Â And we’ve had to hire boys to run around and yell and bang pots in the fields because the birds see fruitful abundance and they want some too. Â >
The people in the village want to know what we’ve done in the fields. Â The man (who isn’t YET part of our flock) who is living on that land to hire the hands and watch over it, he knows the truth. Â His eyes glittered when we talked about it today.
Our God is good. He is faithful. Â He makes this GROW.
Life Giver. Abba Father. Â My Keeper. Â Creator. Â Beautiful. Â Abundantly More. Â That’s who our God is.
We now have so many turkeys living in our yard that we literally don’t know what to do.
And that’s just God’s favor and blessing that we can talk about. Tomorrow morning in church I am sharing my testimony. Â Please pray for me about that. Â It literally scares me to tears to think about sharing in French. Â I am a very weak jar of clay, and I want God’s story to be told to His people so that they can share in my excitement over how faithfully He has answered my prayer, my cry of JUSTICE for the hurting and lonely. Â I cried out to Him, and I am watching Him answer that prayer in my very own home. Â I want them to know that in God NOTHING IS IMPOSSIBLE. Â And very, very soon it is my hope and fervent prayer that I will be able to share this testimony with you as well. Â For now I’ll say that in our daily life- full of chaos and joyful play- God is showing us a special grace and a special goodness that we will treasure our whole life long.
“Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these because I am going to the Father. And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son.  You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it.” from John 14
We heard back from that Minister’s office this week. Â The one who has been holding the papers that we need to do the work we really want to do. Â ….sigh… We were sent (for the fourth? time) back to another ministry’s office. Â This time with a glimmer of hope that we could be weeks away from the end of this ping pong game. Â I don’t like ping pong at all. Â But if it all ends in a yes. Â If this is somehow part of His plan and His time…. well. Â ok God. Â I just finished saying that NOTHING IS IMPOSSIBLE.
In the process.
In the waiting.
You’re making melodies over me.
And your presence is the promise for I am a pilgrim on a journey.
And you will lead my head above the mighty waves.
You are able to keep me from stumbling.
And in my weakness You are the strength that comes from within.
Good shepherd of my soul, take my hand and lead me on.
And so I pray, here and now… God, you promised that you would not leave us as orphans. Â You promised you would come to us. And God I ask you that you would set the captives free in this place. Â Those who are neglected and abused, would you set them free? Those who are left alone, would you provide a place for them? Â Raise up your Church in this place. Â Break their hearts for the things that break your heart. Â And do it now God. Â Don’t wait. Â Help us to share your Grace in the same way that you have lavished it on us. We love you Father. Â We lay our lives down before you and we ask that you would use them for your Kingdom.