Into the Great Unknown

I am so overwhelmed and blessed by love and support today. I just had an amazing lunch with some beautiful people that love Jesus! I seriously have the most amazing friends who have walked with me through so much these past couple years, and words can’t express my gratitude and love towards you all! It is just now beginning to sink in that I am leaving very soon for Africa and beyond, and will be leaving and missing pieces of my heart in Duluth and Superior. I have been so busy preparing to leave that I have felt disconnected to many of my friends and family during this season, and I know it’s probably less painful to do it this way, in order to ease out of living in the States…but that doesn’t mean I won’t be missing you all! You all carry a super special place in my heart, and that will never change, no matter the distance or time away.

Sometimes I feel as though I’m always packing and leaving for somewhere. Though this can be hard at times, there’s a lot of adventure, thrill, and excitement that comes with it! And I always picture Jesus as the Lion of Judah, coming alongside me as my best friend, love of my life, and unfailing Father. I know that He is leading me as the Gentle Shepherd. In Him I make my home, so that even though there’s no permanent home here on earth, I will never be lonely. I know that I am blessed beyond measure with the opportunity to meet so many brothers and sisters in Christ all around the world! In fact, in 3 weeks and 4 days I will be meeting over 200 people from all across the globe at Iris Global’s Harvest School of Missions, and being trained by Rolland and Heidi Baker, wow!

(Many) final preparations are being made, but please pray for my Indian visa, as I still have not been able to get the full information needed to send off my visa application, and it’s less than a month away! In this time, I am reflecting back on the wonderful memories, the valleys and the mountains of these past two years and I can honestly say I am so thankful for every bit of it.. Jesus has been giving treasures of darkness and the hoards in the secret places.

Isaiah 45:1-3 have been key verses since starting my journey towards a life of missions:

“Thus says the Lord to his anointed, to Cyrus,
whose right hand I have grasped,
to subdue nations before him
and to loose the belts of kings,
to open doors before him
that gates may not be closed:
2 ‘I will go before you
and level the exalted places,
I will break in pieces the doors of bronze
and cut through the bars of iron,
3 I will give you the treasures of darkness
and the hoards in secret places,
that you may know that it is I, the Lord,
the God of Israel, who call you by your name.'”

I know that He is going before me, HE is leveling exalted places, HE is breaking doors of bronze, and opening gates that CANNOT be closed. HE is the one who calls me, who calls you, by name. We all have a God-given destiny to fulfill, and none of us will be satisfied in what we are doing unless what we are doing involves seeking first the Kingdom of God, and serving Him with eternal purposes in mind…whether it’s being a light through your job as a mechanic, teacher, engineer, plumber, or you’re called to full-time ministry.

So anyway, soon you will receive my most recent update via newsletter, but for those of you who don’t receive them, just a quick update with plans as far as Iris goes…I will actually be spending the first 6 weeks now in South Africa at two different Iris bases, which is right below Mozambique, and THEN will be moving onto Mozambique where I will spend the last 4 weeks. After graduating from Iris Harvest School, I will be going to minister in India for a few weeks with a small team of graduated Iris students!

I believe that this school is going to make a significant impact on my life, and if I had to guess, probably on the lives of all the students attending. Thanks again for partnering with me. I will do my best to stay in contact, though I do have to warn you that I’m not sure how often I will get internet!

Stay tuned to hear more! Your love and encouragement and prayers have been so key and wonderful during this time. Please continue to pray. There is a lot of spiritual warfare that I have experienced these past few months, and you and I both know our battle is NOT against flesh and blood but the powers and principalities of darkness. Praise God, Jesus conquered the grave, and died and rose again to destroy the works of the devil, and is victorious yesterday, today, and forever, hallelujah!

Some key prayer points:

– Health for the students and I, and leaders of Iris Harvest School (I have some current back and neck pain that could be difficult in tent-living situations)
– Safe and smooth travels–>especially in unknown airports that might not always speak english!
– My heart and spirit will be open for the Holy Spirit to pour in a deeper revelation of who Jesus is, and to glean off the words of life that will be spoken at the school!
– The lives of many will be greatly impacted for the Kingdom, including students, staff, and those being ministered to on outreaches to remote areas and the children we get to spend time loving on! Pray many will join the Kingdom of God, lives will be touched, healed (spiritually AND physically), delivered, and restored to Jesus!
– Unity of the 200-some students, as we are from many different cultures!

With faith, hope, and love, in Jesus,
Rebecca