Faith….

I am walking out a time of leaning on Him right now. He is teaching me about Faith and Hope in Him.

How well do I really know Him? If I knew Him, would I doubt? Would I really question Him?

I am waiting right now to see if I can leave the country to go on my mission’s trip to Mozambique. So many questions are going through my head. Did I hear God correctly? Did I get the timing right? Should I quit my visa process right now to go on the trip, and start again? So many questions going through my head, that if I allow it, can steal the freedom of walking in His fruits of His spirit. 

When I sit at His feet He talks to me about hope. Hope that all will fall in place in the perfect timing. That He is a good Father that loves me more than I could know. He whispers in His still voice that He never fails us. He never leaves or forsakes us.

He sits with me and talks to me about Faith. He takes me to Psalm 25 and gets me back in line. Reminding me who is in control, as I feel helpless. I realise how that is exactly the best place for me. When my only plan is Him.

‘In you, Lord my God,

    I put my trust.

² I trust in you;

    do not let me be put to shame,

    nor let my enemies triumph over me.

³ No one who hopes in you

    will ever be put to shame,

but shame will come on those

    who are treacherous without cause.’ 

I am still $1000 short for the trip, yet I know that He is so faithful. I don’t have a ticket yet, but I know He is my provider.

I have to do it up to 100 times a day. But He is teaching me how to give my worries and disbelief to Him. He reminds me not to give up Hope prematurely. He reminds me that even if things don’t work out to my desires, He is still good. Just as Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego claimed. He is good, even if we get burnt up. God is still good.

A friend of mine lead our devotional time at the gym this last week, and lead a wonderful revelation of God’s love for us, in a very simple way. He pointed out the reason of why artists put their signature on a painting…because they want to show it’s theirs. They have just created a master piece, and they would like to reveal it.

What did God put His face on? What did God reveal as His?

Us.

He made us in His image. He is so proud of us and allows us to walk as His children daily.

If I was to doubt that God hasn’t got the best for me, then I am doubting that He will never leave or forsake me. I know that He has. I know that whatever His plan for me is to be, that is the best.

I know God wants me to go to Mozambique for a visit. I know that He has spoken Joy, Freedom and healing in this trip. I know that He is good.

Please continue joining me in prayer for my visa and finances. For any mountains in the way that would stop me from going, gets moved, according to His will.

Children from our community having a creative night in the woodshop

The Simplicity

The alarm goes off at 5:30am and I struggle to get out of bed. It’s still dark and my mind doesn’t instantly click into gear and work. It’s my morning to serve in the coffee shop, so this means my hair goes up and I need to find my trainers as I can’t wear open toed shoes. I find my We Will Go shirt and run out the house.

I drive down the quiet streets, that normally has so much life in them. The sun begins to rise, and I smile, thanking the Lord for His beauty. As I get to the coffee shop I look at the litter that has been dropped outside during the night, and pick it up on my way in. As I go in, I do the needed things to get ready for the day. Make the coffee, turn on the machines, get the ice, put out the chairs. The coffee shop (The Urban Sip) is not here to make money. In fact, all the money goes into giving people jobs and into running the business. The Urban Sip is here for ministry. As I prepare and open-up the shop, I am preparing a place for people to come and hear about Jesus.

Through-out the morning people start to trickle in. It is raining outside as we get a day of cold weather from the hurricanes. So, the Urban Sip becomes a good place to get out of the weather and rest for a moment.

I have a homeless person come in and tell me all about their meetings that they have today about potential housing. I give them advice, pray with them and see them on their way. I have students come in and make the most of free wifi to get their essays done. I have another homeless person come in to take a nap, as they haven’t slept all night. I have one of our young men from the gym come in, just to ask for prayer. He wanted to just get through the day, mentioning that he heard God for the first time. He wanted to clarify that it was God and that he wasn’t going crazy. So, I talked about reading the bible and learning the truth from there. You won’t hear anything from God that doesn’t line up with scripture. We talked about worship and I showed him and his friend some YouTube clips of worship. I had missionaries come in and send emails to connect with colleges in the area, about serving together in the Jackson area.

The man who fell asleep woke up and talked to me about his struggles. He is unwell and is getting worse news every time he goes back to the hospital. He then doesn’t want to go back and has a real fear with hospitals. I talked about my same fear, and how God has come in every time I have had to go. We prayed together.

I don’t think we sold a huge amount of coffee through-out my morning there. But, God moved in so many lives. He reminded people who they are and what He was doing in them. He showed people how much they are loved and seen by Him.

I am about to go to Mozambique in November, and I am excited for God to do the same there. I have seen God move anywhere I am in the world, and I am learning the simplicity of it all. God wants to simply walk with you.

Even there your hand will lead me, and your right hand will lay hold of me. Psalm 139v10

He wants to have a say in each moment, of each day. He wants to have a father/son relationship. He wants to be your friend. He wants a two-way conversation, not just for you to give Him a list of needs and then be on your way. He wants to be there when you have housing and when you don’t. In the good and the bad times. 

I am learning that He wants me to have Him as the 'Go To'. To choose His joy when it doesn’t make sense. To listen to His guidance with each step. To have faith, even when it looks impossible through my eyes. 

To know that He rules and reigns in it all.

I am excited to learn more through my time in Mozambique. God has given me three words for this trip. joy, freedom and healing. I feel like the joy and freedom comes along with the healing. This excites me and gives me the expectation that He is going to move a lot in my life, and other people’s lives. I am excited to see my babies again! To minister to the beautiful Mozambican ladies who look after the children day by day. To have fun as a team from We Will Go and to encourage and build one another up, as God moves in us all. We will be going into the ‘Bush Bush’ to do some outreach, as well as connect with the students who are currently in the mission school.

Look Ms Ruth, I spelt your name right! 

Please pray with me as I get closer to this trip! Pray for my heart to be open to all He wants to do in this lead up to me going for 12 days! If you could pray over that dates I am gone too, the 6^th - 18^th November, that would be beautiful! For finances for the whole trip, as well as the everyday life here. God is wreaking me with how faithful he is in every moment, and I love how each one of you who pray are part of this!

Thank you again for all your faithful prayers, kind emails and messages cheering me on. You are all amazing!

He is a good Father....

My last few weeks, God has been teaching me about His goodness, particularly with how much of a good Father He is!

Some sweet visitors serving with us! 

He told me to start reading Exodus, looking at Moses. I looked deeper than I had ever looked before and in that I had so many questions. I asked why He gave Aaron, and not just told Moses to get over it, and preach. I asked why Pharaoh had to have a hard heart, and with that, why all the plagues. Why was that needed. Why was Aaron the person doing the miracles in the beginning?

He answered so many questions, and heart queries, relating to so much in my life. 

He is good like that. There is so much fruit from going through the word with Him.

He made me realise that He did all that He did, as He was nurturing His people. He had mercy on Moses and so gave him Aaron, to be his helping hand. But in that, you see how it went from Aaron talking and Aaron doing the miracles at God's command, to Moses doing it. He didn't fully know who he was, but as time went on, he got to see who His God is. Therefore, he found out who he is.

He showed me the same heart for His people when it came to the plagues. His people where in a slave mentality. They had been slaves for 430 years! However, the way that God set His people apart from the Egyptians each time He sent a plague was beautiful.

The first thing that they did when they left and got into the desert was complain. If they hadn't of had that foundation of - look what God just did for us! I am not sure what state they would have got into. Even for the sake of having Moses set up as a good leader.

        I saw this father's heart melt one of our ten year olds this last week. 

     We were helping with homework and had this one boy doing division on the whiteboard. This one boy, who I had to send out the room for punching his cousin in the face the week before, was calm and having fun. He then starts to join in with singing a worship song that was playing, and getting everyone to join in. Convicting those who weren't, saying 'Don't be shy, Jesus would want you to sing'! He then asks us to put on 'Good Good Father' with Chris Thomlin singing it. He has it on repeat, as he takes in every moment. He goes quiet as we start the song for a second time. So, I encourage him to sing along, but he can't. He expresses that he can't sing it because he is about to cry.

This ten year old that has had to grow up way too fast, that has seen things he shouldn't, and has way too much anger that he knows what to do with. He was suddenly wrapped up in worship. Declaring the truth that our God, is a good good Father.

He stated that the song has stolen his heart. I think however, that he experienced God stealing his heart in that moment. That the Holy Spirit was embracing him with such truth.

He has been embracing me too. 

He has been placing this truth in my heart, every time I forget. Each time I stop walking in the knowledge that I am His daughter, he pulls me back in. Each time I get worried about the future, or I let disappointment overtake, he sets my eyes back on His. 

God has had me on the floor in tears, praying for the fatherless nations in the world. Those who just don't know. Those in and out the church. Those who are not walking in truth and love. Those who have never had an earthy father, so they just don't know what a good father looks like. 

Some of our children leading us in worship

If you look at Luke 4 when Jesus was in the desert place, you see Him be a beautiful example of how to walk in such truth of who He is. I heard a teaching once on how Jesus' time in the desert was restoration for what happened in the garden of Eden. In this time of temptation, you can see how Jesus stood so firm on the truth of who His Father is. Because of this, He left the desert still full of the Holy Spirit. He was still full of the beauty and splendor of who He is. 

I have found that if there is ever space between me and God, it is because I put it there.

My prayer for the last few months is, Lord, show me everything that is between us. This He has done. It is usually fear, yet the way He removes that fear out of the way, is to show me more of who He is, drawing me closer. He shows me that reality that He is a 'Good Good Father', that is so for me and not against me. That he is an almighty God, that loves me more than I could know. 

Lord, I never want to forget who you are, and forget who I am in you. Thank you for the gift of worship that brings us back to truth every time. As we stare into your eyes of beauty, fire and love for us. Thank you that you are a 'Good Good Father'. 

Please keep praying for Jackson with me! That all know the truth of who God is, and therefore can walk in the truth of who they are. For hurting hearts to be healed, as God pours the truth of who He is into them. 

Please continue praying for me! Attached is the video I made two months ago, the prayer requests are the same! 

• Visa
• Finances
• Missions trip to Mozambique in November for two weeks
• For Jackson!  

       Please do come and visit and see all place behind the stories, meet the people that walk out the testimonies and experience all that God is doing here!

Ruth Alexander's update for May from ruth Alexander on Vimeo.