It has been a very long time since either Michael or I have written a post. Writing is definitely not a gift of ours but I hope that this post blesses you this advent. Some years back, our family started an Advent tradition. Using A Shoot from the Stump of Jesse by Sarah Park, each day of Advent we read a Chapter reflecting on the Geneaology of Jesus starting from God’s Covenant with Adam. In the past years reading these first days of Advent did not resonate so much with me…until recently, when we read about God’s Covenant with Abraham. God asked Abraham to move his family to a land he didn’t know and promised him descendants numbered like the stars in the heavens. Abraham and Sarah were old and had not been able to conceive in their old age, but yet they were faithful to God and left to the land of Canaan like God had asked. They persevered in their faith, it was many many years that they waited to experience the promise God had for them. They didn’t give up. They persevered in faith. Abraham is known as the Father of Faith and rightly so for although many years went by with no child..and no direction…he remained faithful to the words God had spoken to him. Sarah was also faithful and patient to God’s promise and after many years they conceived and Isaac was born and many descendants came from Isaac…..all the way to the birth of our Savior Jesus Christ!
When reading this story to my children, I couldn’t help but be encouraged by Abraham. Many people question why we would bring our family to Taiwan. The answer…honestly we don’t know. We are here in faith. Michael heard the Lord in his prayer to go where they have not heard his name and so here we are. The Lord has blessed every step of the way to be here and we have peace knowing we are exactly where he wants us. It has not been easy…the language is very difficult, the culture is very different, with so many kids…life here in a country where many have less than 2 kids is not easy, everything about what we are doing from a worldly stance does not make sense. We have days where we feel spiritually attacked and we question, yet we are here in faith and I feel the Lord is asking us to persevere in faith, that he has called us here for a purpose which we may never know exactly, we stay close to Jesus in prayer and we listen to the Holy Spirit and so we take each day at a time. Many people here do not know that there is one true God that loves them and wants to have a relationship with them. That we are His and He is ours. God desires us to love him but how can someone love someone they don’t know. We are burning to make him known…but we have to be patient because we don’t speak the language, we have to be sensitive and we have to get to know and love the people of Taiwan. We are called to remain faithful like Abraham….maybe for many years.
If you are struggling with something in your life you know the Lord has asked of you, I encourage you to remain faithful and to persevere in this race. Please keep us in your prayers and we will keep you in ours. May your Advent be blessed!!
If you are interested in this book I have included the link below:
If you are interested in donating to our family click the other link below:
https://smile.amazon.com/Shoot-Stump-Jesse-Sarah-Park/dp/1300165200/ref=smi_www_rco2_go_smi_g2609328962?_encoding=UTF8&%2AVersion%2A=1&%2Aentries%2A=0&ie=UTF8
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