“Here I stand arms opened
wide…I am yours and you are mine…my whole life is yours, I give it all,
surrender to your name…forever I will pray…have your way…have your way!!!”
This song is one of the reasons we are in Uganda for me
(along with many other factors).
Singing it in church Sunday after Sunday and at home on Itunes was a
pivotal moment in my life that the Spirit convicted me personally that I needed
to truly surrender my whole life to Jesus. That meant following my heart to do what God had placed so
heavily on it and that is serving the least of these. This year and a half of being in a third world, raising our
kids, keeping our marriage healthy, starting a new ministry, and just living
life has had its challenges. I can
honestly say, if we had not done it when we did it, I don’t think we would have
ever done it. I am so thankful that God’s timing is
always perfect.
God has been so apparent in this place to us and for that we
are ever grateful. We all feel as
though Friday Night Church is exactly where and when it needed to be. We are so excited for the people that
are starting to call that their “home church” and are looking forward to this
coming year filled with some ministry changes and growth.
I recently read a book entitled “Leading and Loving It” by
Lori Wilhite and Brandi Wilson (thank you to Debbie Hunt for this book). This book has renewed my hope and
encouraged me in ways I didn’t even know I needed. For any of you leading in a ministry please take a
couple days and read this book. It
has reminded me that I am fighting this spiritual battle with so many other
women. I went from feeling very
isolated and insecure to feeling equipped and encouraged to go on. I am so thankful for the insights of
how to pray specifically for my husband, children, ministry, and church while
in a leadership role.
My prayer for 2014 for everyone reading this blog (my family
included) is that you will surrender to God everyday and pour your lives into
the things that matter most.
Spiritual warfare is real and very much a part of our lives here and I
think for everyone in ministry.
Please continue to pray for that specifically for us and for your own
pastor and their families. Please
pray for our ministry specifically the changes we are making early 2014 that
they will grow FNC and it will continue to be a healthy church here in
Uganda. Thank you for constantly
keeping us in your lives and prayers, you have no idea how much this means to
our family and to this ministry…2014 is going to be a great year!!!
Leading and Loving It,
Wendy
