We collect funds for ministry, beans, rice and oil (an ongoing need) and then there are projects like the water catchment project.  The water catchment project is in keeping with our ministry philosophy which is to invest in projects that will continue on without our involvement.  Whether it is a home Bible study or an agricultural project, it is to share Christ and His love.

Another part of our ministry is found in Psalm 127:1 

Unless the Lord builds the house,
They labor in vain who build it;
Unless the Lord guards the city,
The watchman stays awake in vain.

Psalm 127:1

We have always wanted to know that what we were involved in was the will of the Lord.  When deciding whether or not to be involved, we pray, we look for doors to be opened or closed, we look at whether or not we receive the financing and then we give thanks for His direction.

The water catchment was one of these items.  I love agriculture.  We saw how we could prove by example a way for small farmers to improve their farms and best manage the resources that God has given us.  Joseph did this in Egypt.  He collected grain during the years of plenty to take them through the years of drought.  We store water in order to be able to water our crops free during the dry season.  It also provides us with an opportunity to begin relationship with people we might not otherwise have met. 

We were looking for direction so we put forth a plan for the project and began a crowd share campaign.  All the money for the structure and the tanks came in through that campaign and the giving of others.  Once the water catchment was built we found ourselves facing theft and vandalism.  This was difficult.  We did not have the money to build a home, supply it with water and electricity and pay monthly for someone to stay there.  Also, it was a solution that was not maintainable if we left Nicaragua.

So the only other option to best care for this gift of God was to build a security wall.  At first we put out a request for funds of which we received that allowed us to put a wall all around the structure that the metal part of the fences would be erected on. 

But, it gets difficult always requesting funds.  I am sure all of you get request for funds especially if you get on some of the mailing list of people who have given to certain causes.  We have not wanted to be that. 

The security fence was a sad, but necessary way to spend money.  We had other projects.  We have a continual need for money for beans, rice and oil.  There is a woman in our Wednesday Bible study whose home floods anytime there is a significant rain, leaving her to get up out of a damp bed to then walk around on a dirt floor covered by several inches of water for several days until the water subsides.  And, here we were once again asking for money for this project.

I know that it is our dependence and reliance on God that is one of the ways we bring glory to Him and that our faith truly grows.  But, we also experience people coming to our door pretty much every day asking for food, medicine and money.  It is unending.  And, now we were in the situation of once again asking for money. 

Sometimes I dream about having enough funds that we do not need to bother people with our request.  But, then I am reminded of the children of God.  They were given just enough mana for today, thus keeping them relying and turning to God rather than relying on their own resources and forgetting God. 

James says this of the poor and needy:

Listen, my beloved brethren: Has God not chosen the poor of this world 
to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom which He promised to those who love Him?

James 2:5 

When we are without, we turn to God we rely on God for our needs.  We understand that apart from Him I can do nothing.  Just what we need for today is how we live.  At the grace of God and the hands He has chosen to demonstrate His love and faithfulness in response to our prayers.

So, what did I do?  What I did was spent over a week worrying about it.  First I would take my concerns to Him and then I would pick them back up.  Effectively saying, I cannot trust that You will resolve this issue.  WOW, that sure sounds terrible writing it down right now. 

After all we have experienced of His faithfulness.  Pride, not wanting to be needy, effectively blocking the blessings to others of sharing in the ministry was what was at the core of this.  When has worry ever solved a problem?

Now it’s a week and a half later, we are getting closer to leaving and we go out to the farm to check out the crops and to look over the new wall.  What do we find?  The new barbwire fence that we just installed around the property has been cut and the flow control lever on one of the tanks has been destroyed.  So, what now?

Well, I came home and put a post on Facebook asking for prayer for the funds and for prayers for my failure to just rest in Him.  What happened?  Within a day of the post we had the money.  Today the materials are being purchased and the fence build will begin tomorrow Lord willing.  It does not stop there.  Another individual is supplying the money for us to purchase solar powered security lights and a camera that has a built in phone. This camera can notify us of activity and give us a live feed then we can call a neighbor to the property and he will go check it out.

What is my lesson?  One, God is faithful.  I might stop there, but there is more.  Psalms 15:2 while describing a godly person says “he speaks truth INTO his heart.”  Allowing worry is the opposite of speaking truth into my heart.  It is doubting God and not acknowledging His providence over EVERYTHING.  He knows the thoughts we are having; the difficulty sometimes of being needy, but that is where we are.  We need Him every day.  We are dependent on Him for life.  To think otherwise, is pride.  Just like we look for His direction, when we request funds we trust individuals will seek His assurance as to whether or not to give. 

A very close friend of mine says that to give financially means he will receive a missionary reward.  I don’t know that I could point to a verse, but he sees himself fulfilling a vital role in missionary work.  Without the financing we simply cannot be here.   When our funds drop down in our monthly giving, which they do, and are now with the virus, we look to see His will.

We have been so blessed.  He is faithful.  Worry is not His desire for us.  He desires that we are full of joy and living the empowered life for which “His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness.”

For His glory,

Stephen Goff
Stephen.Goff@N-Response2.com
www.N-Response2.com
www.n-response2.com/give/support-for-goffs (Monthly support)
www.n-response2.com/give/to-give-relief-aid-to-nicaragua (Projects / Relief Aid)
My Blog Page: Nicamoments