“Beloved, it is a faithful thing you do in all your efforts for these brothers, strangers as they are…Therefore we ought to support people like these, that we may be fellow workers for the truth.”3 John 1:5,8

“Yet it was kind of you to share my trouble. And you Philippians yourselves know that in the beginning of the gospel, when I left Macedonia, no church entered into partnership with me in giving and receiving, except you only…Not that I seek the gift, but I seek the fruit that increases to your credit.”
Philippians 4:14-15,17

I don’t usually give money to support people I don’t know or causes that aren’t personal to me. Not that I don’t want to…it’s an easy way to feel good and to be generous.

Because to me it feels like a cheap way out, while living in a city where there is so much need all around me. If I can’t take the time to see the faces and hear the stories of those I’m helping, does the giving really take sacrifice or am I just taking the easy way out?

So we pray for the faces around us and ask God reveal the needs and force our busy ears to slow down long enough to hear the stories.

Then one morning, as my feet pounded the pavement truth blasted through my headphones and hit my heart hard. The preacher thanked those who gave and those who prayed along with those who sweated and worked and listened to the stories.

He said that the blessing is for everyone who participated in the work, no matter how they contributed. And He said, “By helping fund the building of the House of the Lord, as Jesus constructs it out of living stones, there is fruit that abounds in your account.”

And my breath held fast as I pondered that truth.

A few days later, as I was again pondering the mysterious…pondering heaven, I imagined standing before the face of God. As my mind began to run with this thought, I saw His holiness shine so intensely that my minds eye saw my body begin to melt away into nothing. And the painful thought seared my mind, “There will be nothing left…nothing worthy.”

And yet as I looked down where my feet had been there was a large and solid lump of gold, refined through the fire, left over to bring Him glory…a lump of gold left from my life. And tears sprung to my eyes, mentally and in reality. And I realized that somehow, He had worked good…He will work good…through my life and will credit it to my account so that I might have something with which to bring Him glory.

In that moment I knew, when we get to heaven we will be amazed and in awe of the good God has brought from our broken and messy lives. We will be in awe of the good credited to our account…because we will know it was not us. It was Jesus.

“…that we may be fellow workers for the truth.”

And I knew that pastor preaching blessing was right. We all share the blessing. Because it’s God who gets the glory.

And Paul said it right, “Not that I seek the gift, but I seek the fruit that increases to your credit.”

Why wouldn’t we give others the chance to participate the blessing, in the good credited to their account by God? Why wouldn’t we try to hold in all the blessing for ourselves? Why would we be ashamed to offer partnership in all God is doing?

And repentance is never an easy thing and old habits die hard, they say. But action based on truth trumps all the habits in the world if only we’ll let it.

So for me, part of the humbling and life-altering truth is the offering…the offering the chance for others to be a part of all God is doing through and with us. The offered opportunity for you to share the blessing and the fruit from the work God is doing in Bachiniva, Mexico.

In just 3 short weeks, I’ll be getting on a plane before the sun is fully up. We’ll be heading to a little orphanage in Mexico that is just at the beginning. And we’re getting in on the ground floor of the blessings. We’re getting to pray and give and serve with our hands and the reward will be in heaven and the joy will be in watching the growth, the fruit, the lives changed. And the reward can be fruit to your account in heaven too.

Because we serve a God who is generous with His blessing.

A group of 5 adults and 2 children (including my husband and I) will be traveling to the orphanage for 6 days to help, to be, to encourage and to love. We are raising money to cover our travel expenses and to help fund supplies for the orphanage itself.

We’ll be doing construction, childcare, and music ministry. We’ll be seeking Jesus and loving like Jesus and encouraging those doing the work day-by-day. And we’re excited to see this work first hand. The work we’ve been hearing about and praying for and giving too.

Even more than financial provision, we ask for your prayers. Because no fruit can ever come without God Spirit working through us.
Pray for His Spirit to fill us.
Pray for health and strength and safe travels.
Pray for us to be a source of encouragement to those in the work.
Pray for salvation of the Mexican people in the surrounding areas.

And if you’re praying or giving, would you consider investing yourself further in this work by fasting and praying with us all day on Sunday, March 2nd? We will be praying specifically for the trip and the requests listed above.

Thank you for your prayers and support. I’m praying for the blessing and the joy to abound to you as you partner with us.

Be blessed
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