On my flight from Mpls to Amsterdam, I met a lovely gentleman named Donald. He is from Scotland and works for a medical company.  He does compliance checks all over the world. Quite a bit of his time is spent in MN. He started a conversation about following the dreams in our hearts. He asked me what I do…… My answer, Follow the dream that is in my heart….. Sharing the Love of God with tribes, tongues and nations. We talk about my travels and how I make the decisions on where to go and what I do. Although our work for the gospel varies, it always has to come down to one thing: Sharing the Good News and ensuring that all who are in front of me have the opportunity to know in their hearts that they will go to heaven one day. I ask Donald that very question.. At the time of departure from Minneapolis, Donald was not sure. Once we arrived in Amsterdam, Donald had peace in his heart on where eternity would be spent!!! Jesus had became Lord! He told me that he was so thankful to have been seated next to “such a nice person on the flight”. Thank you Lord for the seat assignment.

Prov 29:18 Where there is no vision (redemptive revelation of God) the people perish.

There is a group of Hindutva extremism that has become a shadow over India. They have gained a measure of political power. The ideology of “India is Hindu only” has allowed for persecution, intimidation and violence against Christians. Hindus still long for a true communion with the Creator that only Jesus can give. Hinduism has an emotional appeal, yet in their search after fulfillment and purpose, they are still unsatisfied and empty. The team needs to help unite Christians and encourage believers to be courageous and much more sure of themselves in the faith than ever, speaking out fearlessly about God, about the Messiah in the face of widespread persecution. India operates on a caste system. Even though the Constitution states equality, it is socially important for over 80% of the population. Each of the castes operates as a separate group because of the social barriers that separate them. Please pray that we’ll be sensitive to the caste networks and facilitate people movements to Christ, but also through being touched by the love of the Lord, the elimination of the dividing wall of society. The people of India need a touch from heaven.

I ask you to agree with me in prayer over the following:

For Persecutors: Acts 9 Pray that those instigators will encounter the Lord Jesus, repent of their evil and find forgiveness in Christ.

For Believers: Eph 4:12 People will be sent for the edifying of the Saints so that they will endure the hardships. Phil 1:12-14 (message). And the report will read: imprisonment has had the opposite of its intended effect, instead of being squelched, the Message has actually prospered.

For demonstration of Christ in Word and Deed:

John 14:6 For the Way, Truth and Life to be made known That Christians may so demonstrate true spirituality and the life of Christ indwelling that many will find their desires met in Him.

Mark 16:15-18 Signs Wonders and Miracles accompanying the Preached Word

For social barriers to be removed: Eph 2:4 For He is our peace (our bond of unity and harmony). He has made us both one body, and has broken down (destroyed, abolished) the hostile dividing wall between us.

More to come with how your prayers have been answered.

India Feb/Mar 2007

Greetings Faith Friends!! 2007 is moving right along. I’ve been updating the website tothenations.com as I’ve been to and from the mission field.  I’m trying to get more web savvy to keep you all updated, so please be patient with me.  My vision is that you will be stirred when you read of what the Lord is doing by using you and me to reach a lost and dying world.   I will send out prayer requests as I go out (your supply in the realm of Prayer is treasured and much needed). Due to the sensitive nature of the countries I’m in, some of what I write to the blog has to be done when I return.

Going Ye ~ Where to next:

My missions to Fiji have deposited something inside of me that is being expanded upon this week. Two primary people groups live in Fiji: Native Fijians “Islanders” and India Fijians “Indian’s”.  The Indian’s were brought over as slaves by the British and now make up almost 50% of the population.  My missions there have enabled me to developed relationships with many of the Indian people.  They have invited me into their homes, had me partake in special meals and even taught me to dress myself in a sari. Daniel (Jiten), the school teacher, and I talked about the culture, customs and people. It is these precious exchanges and experiences that give me a deeper understanding of the people. Many of those I met asked me if I had been to their homeland India.  My response was not yet, but maybe one day. When I returned to the US, I found the people of India in my heart.   I started to see more and more of them everywhere I traveled.

My prayers have always been, where You go, Lord, I will follow.  If you don’t go with me, I will not go.   On the 2007 Missions schedule, a trip was listed for India.  I went and gathered information, but did not commit.  I kept trying to talk the Lord out of me going rationalizing: “it’s just me that wants to go, timing is off, and I have many things here that need to be done, and I don’t have to go anywhere, I’ve really not been home much.. etc

The Lord is good, as we keep our hearts right towards Him, He will always lead and guide us to take the right steps. After a few good sleepless nights and more prayer, I submitted to what the Lord was speaking to my heart ~ Go to India. On this Thursday, I’ll be departing on my first trip to India. Inside of me, I’m really stirred and excited.  The time already spent ministering to the Indian people has given me some insight, but I am expecting more to come from this adventure.

I ventured down to Sedona, Az for some time with the Lord and for a special mission. It is a beautiful place. The Red Rock formations that run through Oak Creek Canyon are a sight to see. God’s handiwork is everywhere.
Many of the people who go to Sedona are looking for a spiritual encounter. Whether or not they admit it, their hearts are longing to be filled by the One True Living God and they will not be satisfied until they have the encounter. It is evident by just looking around. I hiked and prayed many of the trails of the Red Rock Park Region. Along one trail, I came upon a multitude of stone altars. I felt like Paul in Acts Chpt. 17 when he was in Athens seeing all of the altars and many religious articles that man had made.

Verse 23 reads: For as I passed by, and beheld your devotions, I found an altar with this inscription: TO THE UNKNOWN GOD. Whom therefore you ignorantly worship…

I stopped and prayed at the sight. Seeing all of this made me realize here was a group of individuals who were seeking to be closer to God. Any yet with all that is around, they have not obtained that closeness. Part of me wanted to do some “tipping over”of all the idols that were created. Love spoke to my heart and shaped my prayers for the place into, May the altar be a memorial built to the One True Living God. To Whom, when the children of Israel had an encounter with, they built an altar as a memorial to remember Jehoviah ~ the one true living God. Not to the “god” of the rock, vortex and stream. For they are all still searching for eternity in their hearts ~ may they find you Lord…

Cathedral Rock at Red Rock Crossing Sunset overlooking Oak Creek Canyon

Church of the Holy Cross

It had always been a desire of my heart to see the Grand Canyon.  I was told that it is breath taking and hard to describe.  My previous attempt to see the Grand Canyon was thwarted by a blizzard that dropped quite a bit of snow and closed the roads. That in itself was an adventure and I did not want to repeat it. So in my “planning”, I made sure that if there was a change in weather coming, I would go to the Grand Canyon before the snow dropped.

Let me say, I took hundreds of photos and not one of them can really capture the splendor and greatness of what your eyes behold. The hand of the Lord is over it all and you stand in awe of His greatness in creating the Grand Canyon VAST!

I traveled the South Rim and took photos from each scenic spot along the way. I met many people traveling the same route and struck up friendships. On the last stop, I was shooting some photos by a watchtower, a man came walking up to me and started a conversation. He said he saw me from the tower and knew he had to speak with me.

Toshi, a Japanese man, was full of questions. The one question he had and needed answered was how he could get to heaven. God is good. He sent me from Minnesota and Toshi from Japan so I could share with him the answer to his question. My first gift to Toshi was eternal life. My second gift, was a small bible that I had thrown in my purse that morning. Seeing the Grand Canyon in its splendor was precious, but seeing Toshi filled with His glory is priceless…..

South Rim of Grand Canyon. Toshi