Dear readers,
You are faithful and I adore each of you. We have seen a handful of specialists over the past few days. To be honest, it is always overwhelming. I do not know if me (Jess) being a nurse and Raja being a doctor makes it easier or harder. Simply being in the hospital can be a very vulnerable and fragile feeling.
My heart for the sick has grown since being a nurse BUT since having a son who has been in the hospital so much…I feel a depth of understanding for the sick and their families that I had never known before.
Then, the added seeming pressure of raising so much money before the needed surgery can even happen…it takes the emotions and the endless thoughts of “how” so much further.
But, my dears, that just will not work. Because it is NOT our burden. He says “Come to ME all you who are weary and heavy burdened and I WILL give you rest”.
And dear ones, by worrying, we are told we cannot add even a moment to our lives.
So we must still.
And we must rest.
David reminds us as He cries out to the Beloved “because YOU are my Help, I sing in the shadow of your wings”.
Shadows are dark.
Corrie ten Boom says it so well “when your under the wings of God, it can get pretty dark.”
Corrie knew shadows.
David knew them too.
And they sang in the shadows.
Dear ones, this $150,000 is dust in the Almighty’s sight.
Yes, it is a lot in this economy and present age.
But, it is nothing in His sight.
Let us not forget that He began the work in Adam’s life.
And because He longs for His glory and redeeming work to be done on this earth…
He will finish the work.
He will provide.
Of that I am certain.
Let us not fret nor worry.
Ann Voskamp says it so poignantly here
“Peace is a belief that exhales. Because you believe that God’s provision is everywhere-like air”
Then she says
“Worry is BELIEF GONE WRONG. Because you don’t believe that God will get it right”
Dear ones, we KNOW that He will get it right.
For the sake of His name and renown.
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So, I am starting something new.
My goal is to write “Posts of Remembrance”
Starting today until the day we know the money is in the bank.
We shall write and we shall testify of His goodness and His faithfulness.
Because those brothers of old.
Walked a generation in the wilderness.
They experienced the miraculous
They saw provision from on High
Manna from Heaven
Water from a split Rock (and the Rock was Him, we are told later)
They saw oceans parted
Yet they forgot it all as time passed
They became comfortable with worldly comforts
And forgot the God of all comfort who sustained them and maintained them
Dear ones, as this new challenge looms ahead of us…
Let us not forget
He has been so faithful
I know He will provide
Because He has already provided.
More than $150,000, He provided Himself
As a ransom.
For you and for me.
Can I share a story with you?
It starts 7 years ago.
It was the first time I ever stepped foot in India.
I think I was 19 at the time.
We made a home in the summer heat in Delhi, India.
It was the summer Abba showed me His love for these people
His desire for their redemption
(and the redemption of myself)
It was a hot summer that included a lot of surprises for me
(like an unexpected appendicitis leading to emergency surgery the first week…)
But, my dear ones, He showed Himself to me thru His children
And He showed Himself faithful despite the bare minimum we all had.
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| words fail me when i look at these faces. how i miss them. ive been able to stay in touch with one. thankful. |
He pursued us in the shadow.
The only shadow in a hot, desert land.
He met us beneath the tree (pictured below) that summer.
We spent many hours escaping the burning rays beneath those branches.
We heard stories and we captured smiles
We sang and we saw His heart for the orphan and the widow
As the summer months passed…
Monsoon season neared…
It got hotter and hotter.
And drier and drier
It was hotter than I ever knew hot could get
You could fry eggs on every solid surface in the place.
Fo real.
And with other stresses in the community
Water soon drizzled down from streams thru pipes into thirsty mouths…
To drops…
To nothing.
The water completely stopped.
There was just no water.
Over 300 children and no running water in the midst of 110 degree plus heat
What do you even do?
Well, you get creative and you send out letter and you ask for help
At least, those of us who could
We had a voice in the community
But those 300 kids?
They had no voice to those outside
But they did have a voice to One
They had access behind the curtain
Because of Blood, Holy, that had been spilled on their behalf
They had favor in His eyes
And they knew what to do
They cried to the Heavens
And they took bended knee
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| captured by Jenny Telfer. |
We sat and we joined them
But this 19 year old’s heart?
It was really struggling
It was struggling to believe His goodness
It was hard to believe His present nature in a room steaming with heat
Filled with over 300 children who had known physical, emotional, and spiritual suffering beyond my comprehension
They already knew that
And now they had no water?
Where was Holy in this?
But oldest boy, faithful…
He stood tall and strong
And He led us in prayer.
He reminded us of the countless praises to give Him
He THANKED Him for His GOODNESS
And I sat in that back bewildered
Breathless, really
Here I am dreaming of icecubes and gatorade packets for each of these little parched ones
And he, one of them, is up there praising His Heavenly Father
Then, He reminds us of prayer needs from all the children that had mentioned one
That leads to his final request
Water
He spoke of how we needed water
He spoke of how we are told to come to our Abba with our needs
That He is faithful and just to provide them
We simply must come to Him.
“BUT“
That conjunction again
“But”, that oldest boy, faithful, said
“(God-man), He is the LIVING WATER”
He quenches our thirst completely
And we KNOW that
EVEN IF we never drink water on this earth again
We can rest
Because He is our Living Water
And the children (not being instructed in the least bit) clapped their hands!
Meanwhile, me (full of doubt) wants to scream to Abba above
Sure, “You may be Living Water” but these kids are dying.
“Quench their thirst!”
Those children…they cried out
They beseeched the throne room
Meanwhile, 10 or so kids with a fever and no water to cool them…
Those kids fought on
We left the meeting and carried on with shadow finding and sitting beneath;)
That is when we heard it
A thunderous downpour!
He provided.
Just as He was struck to bring forth water from that desert rock
I believe He poured forth Himself that day
He cracked the heavens
And poured out Himself
Those children…
They laughed
And danced
They brought out every cup and basin in the place
They filled them with water because THIS was His provision
And continued thanking Him
Because this was not new to them
They knew His provision
Because they go to Him for every single need
And they praise Him and they know Him
They know Him as “Abba”/”Daddy”
And when you have a “Daddy”
You climb in his lap and you share with Him the depths of your heart
And you rest there
Untroubled
Because you KNOW that He is good
He loves you
He will provide for you
And do you know?
After the rainstorm
After we all go right crusted over in mud
One little girl sneaks over to the faucets to test them out…
And they poured forth water!
The water not only flowed from the skies
But the taps again were pouring forth water
He provided ten fold…because that is how He loves us
Dear ones, let us respond as oldest boy, faithful, did
Let us not fret and worry
Instead, let us draw near to Him and believe
Cast your cares on Him
For He cares
He is a Provider
He will not forsake that which He began
When I think of what is ahead
When I consider the costs of all that Adam needs
I am tempted to fret
I am tempted to drink from other cisterns
Not from His streams of Living Water
But, my dears, they will run dry.
Just as He was struck to bring forth water from the Rock in the desert
And just as He cracked opened the Heavens to bring forth water in that Delhi desert
He will.
He will crack open the earth to provide that which His children need
He will again provide for Adam
Because it is WHO HE IS
He will provide because He already has provided
He has already given Himself
There is nothing more precious or needed
Than that blood, Holy
So pray it tonight
Trust Him.
He will provide all that we need
Let us trust and not forget.
Love you all
Believing with you for Adam's complete healing, the funds needed, more grace, more faith, GOD loves to be believed for impossible things. Accomplishing the impossible is one of HIS favorite past-times!
Can i just tell you what an incredible blessing you have been? I began reading your family's story from the beginning and since then, I was married and we are looking forward to the future family that God will give. You have given such an example of an imperfect, yet faithful wife and mom and I can't even begin to describe the ways that God is using your lives to reach out to the world.
We are believing and standing in faith with you for all that Adam needs and also for an incredible work to be done in his body.
Many thanks from the Jinks family. God bless you.
What a beautiful, moving story of faith and God's provision! I was so touched by the boy's faith in praising God while needing water so badly! What a wonderful image of Him (the living water) pouring Himself out for them :)and for us all!
I love following your story of Adam. Praying for healing and God's care in whatever surgeries he may still face
thank you for the testimony on the water. The children's faith is so amazing. Oue heavenly Father has His storehouses… we need only believe.
Blessings and shalom to you and your beautiful family.