One of our strongest daily struggles on this journey is patience. Both of us are Type A personalities and would be starting the packing process today if it were up to us! But we feel God telling us to wait on his direction, not ours. We feel God moving in a deliberate way and have already experienced so much growth in this process!
As is often the case when a believer is trying to put Christ before anything else, we have definitely felt resistance and attack, but we are so glad that God warned us of this beforehand! (see previous post)
The day after Christmas we began dealing with flooding, ceiling leaks & plumbing issues at our home. Somehow, we were still able to thank God that this happened when Wes was off work and not in Africa! I have dealt with extremely stressful issues with school and grades but continue to feel that God is using these circumstances to help me deal with issues with patience and arrogance. Wyatt has been sick and is still suffering from the after effects of Scarlet Fever. The girls have struggled with obedience in these beginning teenage years as I mourn the fact that my girls are so grown up.
There are sure to be many opportunities to praise God in the midst of a storm, but we strongly feel that all of these trials and triumphs are preparing us for the struggles we might face in the mission field. Our bible devotionals have been focusing on knowing and preparing for God to show you his will. One of the steps that we have taken to prepare our hearts to hear God's will for our lives, is to pray for Him to expose any habitual sins that we might have. Not only will this help us to hear His will more clearly, but it is part of the continual firing process to bring us closer to the children of God we were made to be.
A funny story…
Just before Christmas, Wes was surprised one night to see a mouse scurrying across the living room floor. Although our little terrier dog went after it, she missed and Wes couldn't find it again. Well…I found it a few mornings later, while staying home with a sick Wyatt, as it scurryied almost across my bare foot!! I called Wes, (whispering I guess so the mouse wouldn't hear me?!?) but didn't freak out! I never screamed, ran around or jumped up on any chairs (as I have done in the past!) even though I was scared and wanted that mouse gone! We missed catching it again but later found it had gotten stuck in a floorboard and died. God has a funny sense of humor! It was if He was giving me a little glimpse of what creepy crawly things I might encounter in Africa!
Please pray that we would continue to find God's blessings in the midst of struggle and not let the storm over take us. We pray this post finds each of you well.
"You are who You are, no matter where I am"
The Wilbanks Fam
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