HEY THERE SISTERS and hah everyone  WE LOVE YOU

Just a quick thought for the day. This is something a friend carried with her for her entire mission, and she just shared it with me. I thought as sisters here in Cambodia, we could appreciate it together. 

Jesus could have come and healed Lazarus when he was still alive. Instead, He waited to raise him from the dead when he was already in his grave.

God could have made David become king the day after he was anointed. Instead, He waited 15 years to rise to the throne, many of those years spent fearing for his life, hiding out and running away from his own father-in-law.

God could have spoken to Moses in the desert about sending him to help free His people from slavery 40 days after he ran away from Egypt. Instead, He made him wait for 40 long years.

God could have gotten Joseph out of prison one year after he was sentenced there. Instead, he was stuck in that dungeon for 10 years before he was finally set free.

God could have given Abraham the son He promised him when he was still a young man. Instead, He waited until he was 100 years old and because of physical reasons would have a more difficult time conceiving at that age.

God could have answered prayers and met the needs of these men of God much quicker, but He didn’t.

He made them wait instead. And He often makes us do the same.

He makes us wait for healing to come after we’ve been praying for years and there is no sign of recovery. He makes us wait to fulfill His call in our lives after He puts the desire and passion in our hearts to serve Him in a certain way. He makes us wait to give us the desires of our hearts, whether it’s a baby, a spouse, or a new job. He makes us wait for direction when we are stuck at a dead end and we don’t know where to go or what to do.

He could answer that same prayer that you’ve been praying for years every night in a millisecond.

That same prayer that has been bringing you to tears. That same prayer that the longer that it goes unanswered, the more it makes you question whether He even hears.

He kept Moses in a desert for 40 years. Joseph in a prison cell for 10 years. Abraham without a child for 100 years. David on the run for 15 years. And maybe He is keeping you right where you’re at for the same reason He kept these men for so many years: to build your faith.

To build your faith in a dungeon cell, during the valley in your life where it’s too dark to see and too hard to believe. To build your dependence on Him when you are barren and empty to see if He is truly all you desire and all you need. To see how well you will trust and serve Him when you are still stuck in the background somewhere, doing seemingly nothing too significant for Him. To build your trust in Him when the storm keeps raging, the battle keeps going and breakthrough and victory doesn’t seem near.

That we grow in faith. That we learn to only depend on Him.

What are you waiting for today? What longing do you have that seems so far from ever being fulfilled? What prayer do you keep on praying that seems to never reach God’s ears?

I want to remind you that God is not deaf to your prayers. He is not blind to your constant tears, to your desires, and to your needs.

IF He is making you wait, there is a very good reason for it. If He is telling you “no” today, maybe it’s because He has a better “yes” waiting for you tomorrow. If He is keeping you in the same place you’ve always been today, maybe it’s because He’s helping build your faith before you enter your Promised Land tomorrow. If He is not healing you or bringing you victory today, maybe it’s because you will have a greater testimony when He waits to help you be an overcomer tomorrow.

Wherever you are at today know that God is right beside you and that there is a purpose for you. Even if that purpose is to wait.

Don’t give up just because you don’t see anything happening today.

Maybe there is nothing physically happening that your eyes can see but there is definitely something happening in the spiritual realm as you learn to rely on Christ.

Don’t allow your waiting period to make you hopeless about what tomorrow will bring. Instead, let it build your faith and give you even greater hope for what God has prepared for you.

He made some of the greatest men of faith wait. Don’t be discouraged if He makes you wait as well.

He will come through for you, just like He came through for them.

“Wait for the LORD; be strong and take heart and wait for the LORD.” – Psalm 27:14

"1.Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us,

2. Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God." -Hebrews 12:1

LOVE SISTER HER AND SISTER SMITH

Kidney Stone Miracle

This is a letter written to me from my sweet girl, Sister Jex. She is an amazing missionary. 

As some of you may know, I had an unusual experience when I was about ten years old of passing a kidney stone.

Well, ladies and gents....

It made a comeback.

As typical of Wednesday, I was in the city, and getting my bags, and Sister Tran(my new companion), moved into our new house, when I started to feel a little uncomfortable on my right side on my back. At first I thought it was probably just a muscle strain from lifting heavy luggage and boxes, or something, so I paid no attention to it. But as we sat down to plan, I noticed it was getting a little worse. 'This is weird,' I thought, but I also wanted to get to know our area, so I thought to ignore it, again. 

Long story short, within twenty minutes, I was curled up on the couch with an excruciating pain in my back right side. It hurt to breathe, I couldn't sit up, and yet.... I knew, I had experienced this before. 

"Sister," I said to my worried, and brand-new companion. "I think I have a kidney stone." 

And a crazy tuk-tuk ride to the mission home, a blessing, and a visit to the hospital complete with IV and ultrasound later, we knew that yes. I, indeed, did pass a kidney stone.

Now here's the miracle part of it all: The last time I had a kidney stone, when I was ten, the doctors told us that it would pass in a couple of days, and that I would just have the peachy time of being able to suffer through it for a little while, but as I had the ultrasound, the doctor looked at me, and back at the screen, and back at me and said "Well, we can see the dilation that shows that you definitely had one, and of a pretty good size enough to give you a high amount of pain, but for whatever reason... it's already gone, now." 

How was it already gone?

Now, I can't give you a scientific answer on how the stone physically left my kidney, but I know with all my heart it was due to the power of God. Sister Tran had managed to get us to the mission home instead of the hospital in her broken khmer, which is where the Mission president's wife had asked us to go in the first place, but that gave the office elders the opportunity to give me a blessing of healing, which they did, before going to the hospital. After I received the blessing, my pain started to become more, and more bearable, to the point that when we arrived at the hospital, and they laid me down on the bed, I almost felt like we didn't even need to be here, and after we left, it never came back. It was crazy how fast it went away, and I know for sure it's because of the power of the priesthood.

I am so grateful that God loves us enough to give us His power, and I'm grateful for the men of this church that are worthy to hold it, that we may all be blessed by it. I know that the priesthood has blessed me throughout my life, but this last week really helped me remember how much it could help me personally.

Because of our crazy adventures to the hospital, and because of the AWESOMENESS OF CONFERENCE, Sister Tran and I have not been able to do a ton of proselyting, but I am super stoked for this next week. It's going to be really exciting, with a lot of contacting, because everyone Sister Tran knows is leaving to the provinces for the Khmer New Year. But have no fear, we'll make it work somehow :) Anyway, I'm still loving life, and now feeling on top of the world. I hope you all have a wonderful week, and know that God is looking after each of you.

Much love,

Sister Jex