When God Closes A Door

What do you do when God closes a door? What feelings run through your mind? While I have had many times where God has closed a door, there was one time that stands out more than all the others. I believe that we should learn from our life experiences and grow from them. So, as I celebrate my 50th birthday I want to look back over a period of time where I struggled and grew the most in my faith. I want to share that with you so that you can know you are not alone. The struggles are real. We all have them. 

In 2009, we changed churches. We had been members of a different church for over 22 years so it was not an easy thing to do. But we felt God was closing that door and opening a new one. We joined First Baptist Church of Arlington. We had been working with a ministry that is connected to that church for the past decade and a half, Mission Arlington. It seemed right. They are very missions oriented and had great programs for the kids. It has been a huge blessing to our family. The younger two kids have grown up in this church and are now in high school and the leadership in the preschool, children and youth has been the same since we joined. The pastor has been here for over a decade, too. And he just leads the flock with such love and compassion. 

In 2010, we had some HUGE ups and downs. We struggled with our teen through some difficult years, this one bringing it all to a head. We struggled financially and lost some land in Colorado and a vehicle. In January we began mission training. At the end of the 5 months of Perspectives training we both felt called to missions in a different country full time. In the fall we started a more in-depth mission training, Panorama, to prepare us for the full time commitment to missions abroad. The two kids had their own training as we did ours. We felt they needed to be prepared, too, so they came up with teachers to work with them. It was great. We also got involved with ministry that does low cost water well drilling. John felt that this what the type of work God wanted him to do. 

In 2011, we started part two of the Panorama missions training. We touched on some deep subjects. We also went through some testing through the counseling center that everyone who goes into the field through our church must go through. We did a week long training with Water for All, the water drilling ministry. That was really great. We were asked to go to Kenya with another group that summer for 3 weeks. John was to do water well drilling there, teaching them how to do it. Our two younger children went with us. They were a part of all our missions training. They even sat in the back of the room of our Perspectives classes. The trip to Kenya was a once in a lifetime experience for all of us. But my son really didn't want to do that full time and he was quick to tell us. He didn't want to move away from our home and our church. Our daughter didn't voice it, but she probably felt the same way. 

After ALL of that training and experience, the doors SLAMMED shut. We were told they would NOT send us. Here is one of the hard parts for me. It was because of me. In the testing it revealed that I need people too much. I made friends while I was in Kenya. I feel like I would have done OK because my needing people would have just drawn me to these people in whatever place we lived. But it didn't matter about our trip to Kenya. It didn't matter that the kids did well. It didn't matter that John really enjoyed his time there teaching them how to drill. 

I was hurt, mad, and upset. I even became very bitter. Other people were being sent. We planned on making this a lifetime commitment. A couple who had done the water drilling training at the same time were sent to another country in Africa. They have been there all this time. They now have foster adopted 2 children and are expecting one of their own. I was so confused as to why God closed the doors. Every time they would announce in church that they needed people willing to go, my mind would scream inside "WE WERE WILLING AND YOU SAID NO!!!" It hurt for so long. I did my best to pretend it didn't matter that the doors just shut. But it did matter. 

I honestly can't remember when those feelings stopped. But they did. I no longer feel angry or bitter. And I look back at the training and the mission trip that the 4 of us did together and I am so thankful. We have life lessons and experiences that we would not have had otherwise. We have friendships from those trainings and from the trip. I would NOT trade that for anything. 

The following year God took our apartment ministry church through Mission Arlington and moved it into an actual church building. Our congregation tripled in number. We began meeting not only on Sunday mornings at 11 but also on Wednesday nights. John now is a part of a worship team on both of those days. He also teaches the older kids in Bible study both days. He has done ESL classes, too. Our church there is all Hispanic. Most are from Mexico. So in a way, God is using us to reach people from a different country, just not in that actual country. John hasn't been able to do any more water drilling but you never know what God has planned for the lessons He teaches you. 

In the years that have followed the relationship with my oldest daughter has grown by leaps and bounds. It was in a very precarious place at the time. That is something I would not have had IF we had moved overseas like we thought we were supposed to. We would not have been here for our granddaughter's birth and first year of life. Our other son would not have gotten to know his sweet girlfriend and fallen in love with her. Our youngest would not have found her love for dance and been a part of this wonderful dance school for the past 3 years. I would not have reopened my preschool and had the wonderful children and families that have been a part of it in our lives. I would not have found a love for fitness and become a Beachbody coach. 

I know that God has MORE for me. The years to come are exciting to think about. God KNOWS His plans for me, even when I don't. HE KNOWS when to close the doors even when I am confused and hurt because of it. HE has great plans for my life. I just need to allow HIM to direct my path and change it when needed. As one of my friends says "Jesus is big y'all!" He really is. He has walked me through this journey for the past 50 years and He isn't going to leave me now. 

I tell you all this not to have you feel sorry for me or to judge me for my anger. But to be real with you. Feeling anger and disappointment is a very human thing. God understands. You just have to take it to Him and He will help you deal with it. I cried out to him many, many times. But I hung on to the hurt for longer than I should have. I was angry at people for deciding my future. When really, God decided it. He KNEW what He had for me that was so rich and worthwhile. So many blessings He bestowed upon me since that time. I am so thankful!!! 

When God closes a door, stop and think. Remember He has great plans for you. Then ask Him to show you what they are. He may not show you everything right away. But He will give you glimpses. You can chose to see good in things or the bad in them. Life is much better if you can find the good in each situation. Hang on to those good things. And let God handle the bad ones. Take it all to Him.

Until next time...blessings to you. 

Our Mission Church: Fuller Street Fellowship

This is our mission church, Fuller Street Fellowship. We started out in an apartment but someone donated this church building, a mission house and a house, since fall of 2012. We now meet here each week, three times a week. The mission house in the middle is used by visiting missionaries. The house on the end is used by the family we have served with for the past 7 years. 

Behind all three buildings is a large play area. We have fellowships out there but the kids also go outside after the lesson when the adults aren't finished yet. The whole thing is fenced off. 

The little girl in the picture has been a part of our mission church since she was about 18 months old. Many of the families from the old apartment church followed us to our church building. It is great to have old families and new families joined together to worship the Lord and learn more about Him. 

This is a view of the mission house and the other house. As you can see, the fence goes around the whole property. 

This is the inside of the big room in the church. We sing songs in Spanish and then the children go into separate rooms for Bible study and then outside to play. 

The younger elementary and older preschoolers go in one room. (There are rooms for the even younger children, too. On Wednesday nights there are more families that come so the amount of children and rooms needed is larger.) Our other co-teacher, Mr. Ed teaches that group. 

John and I are in the room with the older elementary kids. Sometimes we stay in and do puzzles and color but most of the time they kids like to go outside after we are done with the story. 

On Monday nights there is an ESL class that John teaches. It is a big class and they are enjoying it a lot. Jennifer goes and helps with the kids.  

Our Mission Story

My husband and I have been serving the Lord together since before we got married. We worked with the other youth in our small town church by putting on puppet shows and helping with Vacation Bible School. Over the course of our marriage our ministries have taken on many new aspects. We worked in the children's department of our church for many years together while also serving in other areas separately. For the past 14 years we have worked with Mission Arlington in apartment ministries. We pastor an apartment church that met on Sunday mornings at 11 a.m. for many years. 

In 2009 we participated in a study called Perspectives On The World Christian Movement at our church. It was during those four months that we began to feel the call to cross cultural work beyond our city. We had been working cross culturally for the past 8 years. But we understood that the "fields are white unto harvest but the workers are few" so we took the next step in that commitment.

In 2010-2011 we began another type of cross cultural training that took a year to complete. Our Panorama group met each Thursday night and we studied many different aspects of living and working cross culturally. We completed this training in August of 2011.

We began to look for areas of ministry that we could serve and something that came up for my husband was low cost water well drilling. He grew up in the oil field and it just seemed to call to him. The ministry that he found is Water for All International. He began talking to these gentlemen and learning the process by watching videos online and actually going out in a local area and doing some test wells. In March of 2011 we went to West Texas to train for a week with the WFA leaders and 5 others from all over the globe that came to get this wonderful training.

After our return home we were approached by a member of our church. They had heard about our training in the low cost water well drilling and wanted us to be a part of their group that went to East Africa in June of 2011. We were able to go for the three weeks in June, along with our two youngest children. We were blessed beyond measure.

When we returned the doors closed for us in all of these areas. We were unsure why but knew God must have a plan. We continued to work with our apartment church. We were moved to another apartment that had a larger ministry in 2012. During the summer of 2012 a church building was given to Mission Arlington and they moved our congregation into it. We not only meet on Sunday mornings, we now meet on Wednesday nights. John started an ESL class on Monday nights since the congregations only speaks Spanish and they have a desire to learn English.

We will continue to serve where we are planted and will try to share with you about the things going on at Fuller Street. If you even want to help our ministry you can always donate to Mission Arlington and address it for Fuller Street Ministry. I am sure they will get it into the correct hands to help our congregation.

We appreciate all of your prayer support. Keep them coming!

Until next time...blessings to you.

Mission In "Our Own Backyard"

We have been doing mission work for almost 15 years, right here where we live. We haven't stopped doing that while we have been on this journey of growth and adventure in new things. In fact, our heart for our ministry here grows each week as we meet with the families that are a part of our apartment church. 

John teaches the youth and English speaking adults that come to our church. Eugenio and Deyanira lead the Spanish speaking adults in Bible study. Ed teaches the elementary aged kids (I used to take half of them until the preschoolers outnumbered them by triple). I teach the preschoolers and some of the early elementary kids because of their English levels. Some do not speak English well yet so they join me in a simplified lesson. In the winter we are inside and I work with the kids in a room with blocks and other toys. We don't have air or heat in the apartment so we stay out of the wind in the winter.

With the preschoolers it is a time to build some relationships, more so than the older kids, because of the language barrier. I have to break through the barrier with love and a smile. I talk to them in English and Spanish (what little I know) and they even teach me some Spanish. My group has built up a great deal these past few months that I have been teaching the younger children. A lot of times those kids will just go where ever or back and forth between their moms who are doing Bible study inside. One of the things I try to do is get them involved so their parents can focus on their lesson and learn more about Jesus.  

There are times during the year where we have a meal at the apartments. Everyone brings food and sometimes we have a cookout. Our last one was wonderful, the food was delicious! (It always is but this was over the top!) We just hang out with the families and get to know them better. We play games with their children and that lets them know how much we care about them. We do a lot with the families throughout the year, like school supplies, Fall Festival, Thanksgiving meals delivered on Thanksgiving morning, the Christmas Store, an Easter celebration, youth and children's summer camps, and gym nights. There are so many opportunities to work with these families and show Christ's love to them with a simple smile. If you want to be a part of something big right here in your own back yard, contact Mission Arlington and they will put you on the right path.

~Terri

Our Mission Arlington Apartment Ministry

We work with Mission Arlington and teach at a local apartment complex. We sing songs with just the kids in English but with the adults we sing in Spanish. We take the kids to off site activities throughout the year, like Fall Festival, the Christmas store to shop for their family, Easter egg hunt, summer camps, and youth gym nights.

The kids get a big kick out of the fun songs we sing.

For the Rainbow Express and on Sunday mornings we break into smaller groups with the children to give them more individual attention. It also helps them to focus better when the groups are smaller. We break into groups to do a Bible story and craft and/or booklet of coloring pages and word search puzzles.

We also do things for the kids and families on site, like deliver Thanksgiving meals on Thanksgiving Day, pass out school supplies, and do what is called Rainbow Express with volunteers from all over the US who come to work with Mission Arlington throughout the year.

If you ever want to serve at Mission Arlington for a few hours, one day a week or regularly, just go up there and they will put you to work. They are always in need of anyone willing to help. They need more Bible study teachers for apartment complexes that don't have anyone.

Until next time...blessings to you.