Laying Down our Lives

The message of the Gospel, salvation and laying down our lives for Christ, was brought closer to us tonight by a wonderful missionary couple from Ireland. They shared the deep suffering they have experienced while serving God on the mission field and the many things they have learned as they left their family & friends, attempted to adapt to a strange culture, endured the painful results of sin within their missions team and experienced great fatigue. They have not been thwarted by any of this and feel very confirmed in knowing how obviously displeased Satan is with their work.

They shared God's promise to come to us with comfort "...the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God. For just as the sufferings of Christ flow over into our lives, so also through Christ our comfort overflows" - 2 Corinthians 1:3 "Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal" - 2 Corinthians 5:16

We are experiencing some trials right now... this year has been a tough one with the loss of Earland, HUGE changes for our family and now concerns for family back at home. We can have joy in the midst of this, knowing that God will indeed be our comforter and our provider. God is preparing THIS family to serve Him. We need to ABIDE in Him.