Posts Tagged ‘Job 42’

Give Thanks: God is Restoring What You’ve Lost

Posted: November 9, 2022 in Christianity, Church Planting, Ministry, Missions, Prayer
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God is Answering Our Prayer for Restoration
These are just a few of the special friends that the Lord has brought into our life who have become like family to us.
From the top going clockwise: Yudy, Petri, Dawn, Dave, Roberto, Eliel, Jessica, Tirsa, Sarvia, Berenice, Mariel, Jose Luis, Blanca & Federico; Eliel & Jessica with Sarvia & Tirsa; Juan, Viki, Lucy, Jorge, Dave, Dawn, Blanca and Federico; Monse, Dawn, MiRae and Dave; Dave, Davis, Luz, Dawn, Ashley, Emi and Deivis.

Last Tuesday Dawn and I had lunch with a pastor’s wife from Moscow, Russia. She was telling us about her experience in Russia, and how although she was living in Russia she was actually from Ukraine, and her husband was Russian. It was interesting to hear her perspective on what was going on and how hard life is in Russia. She said that the people in Russia and Ukraine are used to suffering – in that they are used to having to live without things. Our new friend’s name is Tatiana. Dawn even met Tatiana’s daughter.

Dawn and I shared with Tatiana about our daughter, Hannah and how just a couple of weeks ago it was the 6th anniversary of when Hannah moved to heaven. Tatiana was very encouraging as she listened to our story. We told her that since Hannah died we have been praying for God’s restoration and redemption of what we’ve lost and suffered. One of the ways the Lord is answering this prayer is through all the young people that God has brought into our lives that we’ve adopted into our family. They’ve become like family to us. Special friends mainly from Mexico and Cuba. In the last year the Lord blessed us with a special friendship with a young woman from Korea. God is expanding our borders and our family.

We encourage and love on these special friends. They have told us how much they appreciate us, and many of them call us their, Padre and Madre, (Dad and Mom). This is more common in the Latin context, and we love the connection we have with them. The Lord has been wonderfully gracious to grow our family in this way. These relationships are some of the highlights of our ministry. Some of the fruit of our work and God’s work in us.

Our special friends from Ministerios Transformación (MT) led by Pastor Daniel Nuñez and his wife, Yolanda (photo middle left). Some of the church planters we are working with going through an orientation and training (top photo). Dawn praying with Pastor Victor Bravo and his wife, Sol and their son, Abraham (middle right). Our sons David & Jonathan helping build one of MT’s churches in Rosarito (bottom right). Pastor Ivan & Rocio Casados with Dawn and Dave (bottom left).

Someone said recently that a seed has to die and then it goes into the ground and it bears fruit. Although I must admit I don’t understand Hannah’s untimely death I do believe that God is restoring what we have lost. We are seeing increased fruit. I used to feel guilty when I would sense that we were somehow being blessed in someway since Hannah died. God is giving me more peace in this area, and I’m seeing God answering our prayer for restoration.

After we shared our story about Hannah and praying for restoration. Tatiana said she thought we should also start thanking God for answering our prayers. He is answering it through all these beautiful people, sons and daughters that he has brought into our family. God has even given us some additional grandchildren through these relationships.

As Tatiana was sharing with us and encouraging us my eyes began to tear up, as I sensed God’s love and grace.

Job’s Example of Perseverance in Suffering
Some of our familia from the Big Island – From upper left clockwise: Dunesky; Rene & Yarelis; Ernesto & Damara; Adnier & Mariesly (who are now in Dominican Republic); Oniel & Heidy; Mario, Dave, Sara & Yany; Sara, Dave & Justo; Luis & May with their family. What a great group!

The next day the Lord continued to confirm what he was saying to us through Tatiana. I was reading through my devotional and it led me to read about Job in James and in the book of Job.
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“Brothers and sisters, as an example of patience in the face of suffering, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. As you know, we count as blessed those who have persevered. You have heard of Job’s perseverance and have seen what the Lord finally brought about. The Lord is full of compassion and mercy.”

James‬ ‭5‬:‭10‬-‭11‬ ‭NIV‬‬ (emphasis mine)

“After Job had prayed for his friends, the Lord restored his fortunes and gave him twice as much as he had before. All his brothers and sisters and everyone who had known him before came and ate with him in his house. They comforted and consoled him over all the trouble the Lord had brought on him, and each one gave him a piece of silver and a gold ring. The Lord blessed the latter part of Job’s life more than the former part. He had fourteen thousand sheep, six thousand camels, a thousand yoke of oxen and a thousand donkeys.”
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Job‬ ‭42‬:‭10‬-‭12‬ ‭NIV (emphasis mine)

Even though I had read these passages before this time it hit me in a new way. The timing of when the Lord led me to read about Job’s life was amazing. God uses Job’s perseverance as an example in the New Testament. He was patient in the face of suffering. Job 42 speaks specifically about how God restored what he had lost. I especially love that it says, “The Lord blessed the latter par of Job’s life more than the former part.”

Wow! God is so good. He is full of wonderful kindness. It’s easy to miss if we only look at the pain and suffering. I thank the Lord for His love, and for the amazing ways that he has brought about restoration to our family. It’s an ongoing work, but I already see so much evidence of God’s restorative work!

I hope my reflections would be of encouragement to you. God is able and willing to restore what you have suffered.

Our daughter, Hannah loved the work that we do. She loved ministering with us. She prayed for the pastors we work with. We are raising funds right now to support our two church plants in Mexicali, and our church plant in Oaxaca. We continue to support our familia on the Big Island well.

Join us in Prayer & Extend Your Hands to Help Our Familia
Our last family photo taken in July of 2016

You can make a gift to support these works in memory of our daughter, Hannah by clicking on the link below.

Dawn and I invite you to join us through prayer and by giving a special gift today to help advance the kingdom through our church plants on the Border, the Baja and Beyond! Thank you for praying for our family and considering this request!

Click to Donate…

In His Grip, Dave

P.S. Help take the gospel to the Border, the Baja and Beyond!
BeyondBordersLife.org

Give Thanks for Our Familia

Posted: December 1, 2021 in Christianity, Church Planting, Ministry, Missions, Prayer
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Grateful for God’s Goodness to Us
Pastors that we work with in Mexico (clockwise starting from upper left): Pastor Davis & Luz Pardo (Tijuana), Pastor Eliel & Jessica Osorio (Oaxaca), Pastor Jose Luis & Mariel Rodriguez (Colima), A group of pastors including Pastor Petri & Yudy Petrikowski (far left – Ensenada), Pastor Federico and Blanca Muñoz (Mexicali).

Dawn and I were able to take a break during the week of Thanksgiving and the pause in our regular schedule gave me the opportunity to think about things that I’m truly grateful for.

One of the biggest reasons that I give thanks is for God’s goodness and His tender care for our family. This year he graced us with our first granddaughter. Who is truly angelic. Dawn and I both give thanks for how our Father is working in the life of David Jr. and Emily, as well as Jonathan and Hannah.

Dave & Dawn with Mirae Lee and Monse Santiago. They are studying at Westminster Seminary nearby. Mirae is from Korea and Monse is from Mexico City.

Another thing that I am thankful for is how God has graced us with a growing spiritual family. Dawn and I enjoy the privilege of being dad and mom, or papá and mamá to a number of the young people that our Papa God has brought into our lives. This reminds me that just a few months after Hannah moved to heaven some friends spoke into our lives and told us that they believed God has gifted Dawn and me to be a Mother and Father to others.

Redemption and Restoration through Family
Pastors that we minister with on the Big Island – our familia

This has been one of the ways the Lord has redeemed and restored what we’ve suffered. What we’ve lost. Not that these relationships can in anyway replace Hannah, but they do bring a measure of healing.

I feel proud as a Papá, and I enjoy being a dad to my own family as well as our spiritual family. I find great joy in these beautiful relationships. The wonderful thing about it is we mutually love and encourage one another.

At the end of the book of Job it says, “And the Lord restored the fortunes of Job, when he had prayed for his friends. And the Lord gave Job twice as much as he had before. Then came to him all his brothers and sisters and all who had known him before, and ate bread with him in his house. And they showed him sympathy and comforted him for all the evil that the Lord had brought upon him. And each of them gave him a piece of money and a ring of gold. And the Lord blessed the latter days of Job more than his beginning. And he had 14,000 sheep, 6,000 camels, 1,000 yoke of oxen, and 1,000 female donkeys. He had also seven sons and three daughters.”

Job‬ ‭42:10-13‬ ‭ESV‬‬

My point isn’t that we’ve suffered as much as Job, although we have suffered. I’m seeking to highlight how God in his kindness has a way of bringing healing, and restoring the loss that we’ve suffered.

Our Loving Father Uses Our Pain
Pastors and leaders from the Big Island – our familia

I hate that Hannah is no longer on earth with us, while at the same time I’m so grateful for our hope of heaven. I’m grateful for a God who is acquainted with grief, and who uses our pain. He uses our journey to bless others. There’s still so much that I don’t know, and that I don’t understand, but I do know that God is good and that He desires to give His children good things.

I know that he made me to be a loving and caring dad to other young friends that we minister with. It gives me a sense of pride when they call me papá in Spanish, which means dad. Some of them also call me padre in Spanish, which means father. And they call Dawn mamá and madre, mom and mother.

I give thanks for these relationships, and I see God doing a greater work in and through Dawn and me as our spiritual family grows.

These are some of the reasons that I give thanks!

God is so good!

Extend Your Hands to Help!
Families that we have helped on the Big Island – they are holding up signs that say “Friends helping hands,” to thank us for extending our hands to help them

Our love for our familia and our concern for them moves us to help them in their need. This is especially true for our familia on the Big Island, because of all they are suffering. We give thanks that they can now meet together for public church services after almost two years of not being able to gather. However, the food shortage continues, the lack of basic needs continues. The inflation for food and goods has reached 500%. So we ask you at this time to extend your hands to help our familia. Thank you for taking the time to pray for our familia and to consider this need!

Click to Donate…

In His Grip, Dave

BeyondBordersLife.org