Trust and Obey

Dearest Friends and Prayer Partners,

It is hard to believe that more than six months have passed since I stepped off Slovak soil. 

Transitions

There have been many transitions since I’ve been back in WI and some of them have been less than easy. However, God has used all of them to refine me and draw me ever closer to Him.

Around the same time that I was traveling from Slovakia to the U.S., Pastor Kelvin Swanson was diagnosed with an aggressive cancer. The Lord took him home in December. He had just celebrated 30 years of serving at Berean. We rejoice knowing that he has now heard the words, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant.’ 

While we were surprised by Pastor Swanson’s home-going, God was not and perfectly orchestrated everything that Berean needed. Last February, Pastor Vince Stover came on as an assistant pastor with the plan to take up the mantle when Pastor Swanson retired. It was not our planned timing, but it was God’s timing. Pastor Stover was voted in unanimously as our Senior Pastor this February and has been faithfully leading us since then. It has been such a blessing to serve under and alongside him through this time. 

Pastor Stover and I spent much time in prayer and each came to the same conclusion separately — that God was leading me in a different direction rather than continuing in partnership with BMM. Therefore, I submitted my resignation to them in November.

Busy Waiting

Have you ever been in a season of waiting? I find them difficult. I like to know what the plan is and be able to take steps to see the plan accomplished. God often doesn’t reveal the whole plan to me. Sometimes, it seems like there isn’t even enough of the path lit to take a single step. However, it is during those times that He is strengthening my faith and teaching me to trust that He has a plan, that I don’t need to know it, and that I just need to stay in step with Him. These past months have been such a season for me.

I’ve been busy with whatever God has given me to do. I’ve been serving at Berean in a variety of ways — helping in the nursery, teaching the children once a month, assisting with bookkeeping, participating in our door-to-door outreach, and visiting a friend in long-term care who has been unable to attend church for several years. God has also given me countless opportunities for conversations and for being a blessing to those He has placed in front of me. I’ve been back in the office at MBU helping with some projects there. I’ve had the opportunity to spend some time with my family and have started a Bible study with my mom going through Romans. 

One area in particular that God has been growing me in is my understanding of prayer. I’ve known for a long time that prayer is important, but God has been deepening my knowledge of how important it is. He has been showing me how He uses prayer to accomplish His purposes and teaching me to labor with all of my heart and soul in prayer. He’s been perfecting me in and through prayer.

Next Steps

God has continued to burden my heart for missions. He’s continued to give me a burden for Slavic peoples and has grown a burden in particular for Ukrainians. A couple of months ago, I started reaching out to missionaries who are potential ministry partners in Ukraine and the surrounding countries. I do not yet know exactly where God is leading, but I am praying and seeking to faithfully take each step as He reveals it. 

Prayer Requests

Please pray with me for the following:

• That God would grow, refine, purify, and purge me.

• That I would walk in step with God and neither lag behind nor try to rush ahead of what He has planned.

• That He would use me to accomplish His will where I am currently.

• That He would open the doors He wants me to walk through and close the doors He does not want me to walk through.

• That He would give strength, comfort, and peace to my friend in the long-term care facility and her family. She was recently placed on hospice.

• That He would open my eyes and my mom’s eyes to learn what He has for each of us through our study of Romans.

Your servant in Christ,

Shae