OMIA Newsletter

Things are not going especially well right now. Struggles keep popping up all around us. Some struggles look like mole hills and some look like mountains. Recently, Shelby asked me if a mole had hair? Ha Ha. Anyway, things have definitely derailed lately.

An example is us driving to Colorado. It was day 4 and we were about 2 hours from our destination. We were driving up a steep grade in the Colorado Rocky Mountains, when suddenly Gary pulled over the truck as he noticed that something was on fire. It was the insulation above the manifold thingy! At this point I was about to freak out, but then… ok, I was already freaked out. Nathan and Gary worked on it while I stood there thinking, “God, do you really want us to go here? And, Is this really your plan for us?” After I calmed down, I realized that God had already confirmed we should be in Colorado. And, there it was, “The Struggle”. Do I trust God or do I give up?

We arrived in New Castle, Colorado that evening and right away Gary became very sick. He was short of breath and had a terrible headache. I started to freak out again. Because I am a nurse and he has a heart condition, I started considering every symptom he had, over and over in my mind, and I finally concluded that he was dying of a heart attack, a stroke, or both. He went to bed and I prayed and prayed and prayed. I was on the night watch. Psalm 119:148 (NIV) My eyes stay open through the watches of the night, that I may meditate on your promises. In the morning we discussed him going to the hospital. I was really upset and discouraged. You see, when we started this journey, God told us to give up health insurance and trust Him with our health.Gary decided not to go to the hospital and I poured my heart out to God. I said, “I am trusting you God, and I’m scared”. The next day Gary felt better and by the following day he was almost completely healed. And there it was, “The Struggle”. So… Do I trust God or do I give up?

You see, I have faith, but it’s easily derailed by “The Struggle”, but the good news is; I have found that during any struggle if I look to God and His Word, I find my faith. My faith is in the truth of the promises of His word. Here are some recent verses that strengthened me:

‎1 Peter 1:5-7 (NLT) 5 And through your faith, God is protecting you by his power until you receive this salvation, which is ready to be revealed on the last day for all to see. 6 So be truly glad. There is wonderful joy ahead, even though you have to endure many trials for a little while. 7 These trials will show that your faith is genuine. It is being tested as fire tests and purifies gold—though your faith is far more precious than mere gold. So when your faith remains strong through many trials, it will bring you much praise and glory and honor on the day when Jesus Christ is revealed to the whole world.

James 1:2-4 (NLT) 2 Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. 3 For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. 4 So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing.

I also called my friends Carol and Denita. They both prayed with me and told me to tell the mountain to move, and so we did!

Matthew 17:20 (NIV) He replied, “Because you have so little faith. Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.”

Through all this God revealed to me that I asked Him to grow me to maturity, and that is exactly what He is doing. And that is why I trust God in the struggle… F A I T H.

We headed for Colorado on July 21st. We were supposed to volunteer a the Heaven Fest in Loveland, Colorado on July 30th, but because of Gary’s recent illness, we found an opportunity closer to where we are staying. It was the Mountain Days Fair in Carbondale, CO. I believe it is no coincedence that we volunteered at the same fair last year, and shortly thereafter God revealed to us that 2011 would be the year of festivals. I would describe Mountain days as a secular, new age, artsy type of fair. We volunteered to be Raffle Rovers.Raffle Rovers walk through the crowd selling raffle tickets, to benefit the arts council. The grand prize was $500 dollars cash and some meat from a local farm. As I roved the crowd, I noticed that those who were near the beer booth, tended to be more friendly and open to buying a ticket or two.

This got me thinking… Why are people who have had a few drinks friendlier than some people you meet at church for the first time. Now, I know that some may be offended by this, and that is not my intention. My intention is to find ways to get people to run for the church, instead of the bar! I believe one of the problems is we are too solemn and stoaic. Where is the joy of the Lord ? We need to welcome people in as if they are being welcomed into the Kingdom of God. That’s exciting. I realize while typing this that I could go on and on about this but…

It was pretty hot outside that day and after roving for about an hour and a half, I was looking for a seat. I saw this lady sitting on a slab of marble (Marble, CO is close by). She invited me to sit next to her and we started to talk. It was a great conversation and I found out that she was a vendor selling beautiful mosaic art. Later, as we were leaving the fair, I stopped by her booth to give her a hug and an OMIA card. She said, “I feel like I’ve known you for a long time.” I don’t know why but those words were important to me.

We will be here for a few weeks and have already been invited by two churches to help out. We also are praying about volunteering at the Garfield County Fair and Rodeo in Rifle, CO this week.

Recently, I read that many of the Inns of the past were not good places. They were usually places of ill repute not unlike a brothel. If that is true, I am thankful that Joseph and Mary could find no room at the Inn. I also looked at what a typical manger must have been like. It was a dingy, dirty, smelly food trough for feeding animals! It makes me thankful for what we have.

We have been so blessed. Not only do we have our own traveling Inn, but if needed, we can park at the Walmart or Sam’s Club Inn. We have also been blessed with some amazing people who have allowed us to park our Inn at their Inn. This gift of hospitality is an awesome thing. People let us invade their Inn’s and their lives for weeks and months. I would like to thank these Innkeepers for making room for us:

These innkeepers have put into practice the word of God which says, ”Keep on loving each other as brothers and sisters. Don’t forget to show hospitality to strangers, for some who have done this have entertained angels without realizing it!” - Hebrews 13:1-2 NLT

Auburn/Lewiston/Mechanic Falls, MN May 24 - June 1, 2011 - Visit, share our vision

Alive Festival 2011 - Christian Gathering June 22 - 26, 2011 - Mineral City, Ohio

Creation Festival - Christian music Festival June 29 - July 2, 2011 - Shirleysburg, PA

Crow Fair - Native American Festival and Rodeo August 18 - 22, 2011 - Crow Agency, Montana

First let us share the good news. We needed approximately 1,500.00 dollars for both April and May. We received $1,545.00 for April and $1,900.00 for May. There was really no bad news. Our was that our expenses increased due to unforseen events (four new tires, brakes, etc.) but God provided for the increase. We are posting a list of our financial needs for the next 60 days. Please prayfully consider supporting us financially.

Our need is about $3,325.00 a month for June and July. These will be our busiest months in regards to festivals. Right now, we have about 1,500.00 of that in income each month. God is so good.

A good friend of mine recently sent me a letter of encouragement. I believe that, as she listened to the Holy Spirit, God revealed some things to her. She then sent this letter which reminded us of our focus and the good plans God has for us. We were definitely in need of this reminder, which served as a fresh revelation of God’s will for us. She said, “God bless you with fire and Holy Rising wind enduring you with power to accomplish the task of preaching the gospel, interceding for America, stirring up the body of Christ, releasing the gifts of the Holy Spirit and calling America to their knees.”

If God is revealing a word to you for someone, let me encourage you to say, send or text it right now. Our words can have a profound effect on others, bringing light and hope into dark places, and reminding them of the good plan God has for them. Glory to God!