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

Happenings

While so much has been going on, I can honestly say that we are still taking baby steps most of the time. God is showing us only small bits at a time. He has been opening some doors for us and we are being faithful to walk through those open doors. So much is also still unclear. I believe God is doing that so we can show Him we trust Him and believe that He will bring about the purpose and direction in our lives in due time.

Our personal lives and those of our children seem to go from good to bad and back again on a minute by minute basis. While so many things seem to be falling apart we can't help but look on it as a possible "fresh start" and a time to begin again with a clean slate. John called a "family meeting" two weeks ago so we could sit down and share with each other where we were in life. It was mostly for the four adults in the family (did I say 4? Wow, when did that happen? In a blink of an eye, we have two grown children in our family. Time passes so quickly. Enjoy each precious moment of your children's childhood. Then have a blast with them as adults.) because the two younger kids just kind of listened and Star Princess feel asleep in my lap. "Dad" shared the things going on in our life with the mission stuff and with his work. Our older two are going through some hard times, major growing pains. But we took each one and tried to find some positive things that could be done and to look at it as an adventure. Also, some things we needed to pray about as a family for each other. He wanted them to know that we are a family, always will be a family AND will always be there for each other, no matter where we live. It is my hope that we will continue these and even when we are overseas, maybe we can S*kype our family meetings.

While we wait upon the Lord to open more doors and make more things clear on the mission side of our life, there are things that I know I must get done. We are always working on school for the kids. Plus, I have many things around the house that must be done. Part of my downsizing is to get the extra scrapbook supplies and fabric cleared out. But not in the way you might think. I am not just getting rid of it. I am using it. I have many pictures that need in books to prepare for storage. I have much fabric that needs to be made into things instead of stored. I have promised quilts to each of my children. Those MUST be made before we go overseas. I have set that as a goal. I can't wait to work on them and post pictures of each.

My writing has been non-existent with the exception of my blogs. That is my own fault. I just have not taken the time to sit down and work. It is work. Anyone who believes writing is easy is in for a shock. But it is still something that is inside me trying to get out. I must obey that command at some point and let the voice inside me speak. I pray I can overcome the barriers that hold me back and that the voice will be free to venture forth to share with all of us what messages God has given it.

Our "next step" is a training class coming up in March for a week. It is for water well drilling. I may or may not get to go. I have to find "childcare" for the two younger kids and so far, I haven't. Then I need to raise money somehow (be it donations, garage sales, etc...) for a mission trip for all four of us, which can be pretty pricey. We would need about $1,500, which would include the trip, passports, visas, shots, etc...  That is something we are required to do before we are commissioned by our church to go out. If you have any fund raising ideas for me, feel free to email me the details. We need all the help we can get. Of course, once we do that, it will be time to start raising the money for long term. God is good and will provide, I have no doubt.

Until next time...blessings to you. 

Doors of Opportunity

The beginning of a new year holds so many adventures. Of course there will be hardships and downs to go along with the ups in our lives. But I choose to see the glass half full. I choose to see the positive things that come along and not dwell on the negative. So what positive things are presenting themselves as possibilities for 2011? I can't wait to tell you.

We are finishing up our Intro to Panorama this month. The holiday busyness got in the way of our finishing in December. We are meeting with the Direct Mission Sending Council in a couple of weeks to make the transition from the inquirer stage to candidate stage. We start the Advanced Panorama in February and should be finishing it up in June or early July.  We will be working on building our advocacy teams and prayer support teams. We will also need to begin working on financial support during the next several months and beyond.

We will be going to San Angelo, Texas in March for a week long training with Water for All International. At first we thought John was going alone but they asked me to go as well. I am really excited to be included. It makes sense that we get to know each other because it will be a team effort for our family, not just John.

John has been searching the Internet for sources on making parts of the well on his own, like the pump. He is learning the many different ways you can make them. He has made a few different models in the garage. Jonathan has been quick to volunteer to try them out and pump the water out of buckets.

The Water for Christ team has a couple of people going to Niger this month to do some ground work in that area. They want to see what they are dealing with and how they need to go about gathering the resources needed for the wells there. Then they will make plans to go back over there in teams to drill some wells.

We may have the opportunity to go with Water for All International to Bolivia for part of the summer to work with them drilling wells there. They have asked us to be a part of that if we are able. Right now I don't see the provision for our bills and the trip. But we trust that if God wants us to do this, HE will keep the doors open and provide the provisions we need to do it. We would be thrilled to have the chance to go for whatever length of time provision is provided for. They will be there from June through August.

A few months ago we started a monthly prayer meeting in our home for The Water for Christ ministry. We hold that every third Thursday of the month. Anyone is welcome to join us that wants to be a part of praying for this water drilling ministry.

John and I are working on building prayer teams. That is going to be one of our main goals in the months to follow. Those teams are something we will continue to build all throughout our ministry. If you would like to be a part of that, please join us. There is nothing like prayer. We will keep in contact with the lead person of each team and allow them to share the information with the others. We would like for those teams to share their prayer concerns with us so that we can pray for them, too. At the bottom of this post, on our newsletters and on our Partner With Us page you will find a list of updated prayer needs. Please continue to lift those up. --Terri

     Just for fun: Jonathan staged this pose the day they were out drilling.

Specific Prayer Request

• Pray a hedge of protection around each of us. Spiritual warfare is very real.
• Pray for financial provision on upcoming training and mission trips throughout the year.
• Pray that all debt (car debt, student loans & medical bills) are able to be paid off quickly. The sell of the land would take care of a great deal.
• Pray for provisions for downsizing our income again as John plans to move into a day position that is a lot less pay.
• Pray for our 23 year old daughter as she continues to seek God's direction for her life.
• Pray for our 18 year old son that he will find a way to be self sufficient.
• Pray for our younger two children, ages 11 and 9, as they also prepare to serve with us.

Low Cost Water Well Drilling

God has placed this water well drilling ministry on John's heart with such a passion. He started doing this local training before he was able to go and train with the Water for All International ministry. And after that time he has continued to take groups out to this local area and practice drilling more wells to get the technique down better. 

Let me share a few pictures of the test water well drilling that John and our son Jonathan have been a part of. In these pictures the guys from Water for All International were there working with them and showing them how to do it.

Until next time...blessings to you. 

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.