All In

Today is a milestone day for us.  After much prayer, planning, work and waiting, we have officially begun the process to return to Latin America.  Four years ago this month we landed in the States with more questions than answers as to God's direction for our family and how we could best serve Him.  It was a very bittersweet time when we returned from the mission field.  We were not sure when, or even if, we would return to overseas work.  Ken focused on completing his seminary degree with Liberty before returning to work, and I focused on the kids and work.  It was a time of waiting on God and soul searching. One thing seemed to remain, our hearts' desire to work among the Latinos and share God's love.

Ken is not really much for sharing his feelings with strangers, or even in a small group setting.  I, on the other hand, have a tendency to just "put it all out there" with the friends I am close to.  I did this last summer in a small group of ladies from the church that would meet for a Bible study on Sunday afternoons.  I distinctly remember getting teary eyed as I told the ladies that I couldn't bear the thought of never returning to serve the people for whom God had placed such a burden in my heart.  

Just a few short weeks after disclosing this to my friends, Ken told me that there would be some missionaries from Honduras visiting our church that our friends, Scott and Elaine, wanted us to meet. For me it was difficult to even think about.  I envisioned myself sobbing as I listened to the story of their work among Hispanics, wishing that I could stow away in their luggage, so I told Ken that I didn't feel up to meeting them. I suggested we miss the Sunday school hour (when they were supposed to speak) and only go to the service where chances were low we would even see them.  Of course God would have none of that!  As I tried to sneak out the back door our associate pastor, Chuck Locke, asked me if I had met Mike and Marty, the visiting missionaries from BMDMI as he ushered me over to meet them.  Instantly I felt that connection that I think a lot of missionaries have when they meet, kind of like meeting a member of your extended family. What really struck me as Marty shared her story about what God was doing through her at Nena's Place was how she was so passionate about the people that God had called her to serve.  I remembered that God had placed in me that same burning desire, especially during my time at La Casa de Restauración. But I knew this was a calling where Ken and I both had to be led by the Holy Spirit, not our emotions.  Little did I know that Ken too felt this same tug at his heart.

And so we prayed, and we waited.  We waited three months to really even talk to anyone about it, and then we planned a trip to Honduras to see the work there.  I told Ken that I would not do this unless the children too felt the calling.  I have heard too many sad stories of families torn apart because their children resent being moved overseas as they become young adults.  So again, I prayed that God would call each of us individually if that was indeed His will.  It is no small thing for God to call a teenager or even a very social preteen, but that is exactly what happened.  When we went to the Good Shepherd Children's Home just a few hours away from where we would live, it became apparent to me that God was calling our kids too.  It was wonderful to see how our children longed to minister to the children there, even seeing the needs and trying to figure out how we could be used by God to meet them.  God used that trip to confirm not only in Ken's and my heart, but also in our childrens' hearts the call to serve Him in Honduras.

We are super excited about what God is doing in preparation for us as we begin the journey to return to the mission field.  God has been in the details of this entire process.  Ken has always had a burden for discipleship and sound Biblical teaching. This is the very opportunity that Mike approached Ken with that Sunday evening, as pastoral support for the many Honduran pastors trained at the Thomas Herrington Bible Institute where Ken will also serve as BMDMI Missionary Director.  And not to be outdone,  we knew that God set the whole thing up when it just so happened that they needed an anesthesia provider to live at the hospital, so I will serve as the anesthetist in residence for the Hospital Bautista.

We covet everyone's prayers as we begin the process of seeking out ministry partners to come alongside us and support the ongoing work in Honduras.  We are reminded of what our Lord did in Luke 9:2 - "And He sent them to preach the kingdom of God, and to heal the sick."  We know that many of you would like to be a part of the work God is calling us to do, and we would love to share more with you.  BMDMI is a faith-based missionary sending agency, which means that all missionaries serve through the ongoing financial support of ministry partners. We want to make sure that everyone we know has the opportunity to be a part of this ministry as we serve the people of Honduras.  Will you prayerfully consider partnering with us to reach the Honduran people for Christ?

We would love the opportunity to speak to your church, your small group, or with any individuals who would like to know more.   Please email us at kennethnelson@bmdmi.org or kirstennelson@bmdmi.org and/ or click on the link below to learn more and to become one of our ministry partners.  We thank you all for joining us on this amazing journey and can't wait to see what God will do!

Baptist Medical Dental and Mission International

"For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in." Matthew 25:35

Weary

     People say, “The Lord never gives you more than you can handle.”  I believe that is a platitude at best, and at worst might even be used by Satan to discourage a believer when they are at their lowest.  I have most recently contemplated this saying in light of several changes taking place within our family.  As we prepare for the call we know God has placed on our lives to serve Him among the Latino people, we deal daily with stress from work; an upcoming major job change for me and an increase in Ken’s work load, the difficulty of trying to sell a home in a flat market, and unsupportive remarks from people as to why we would even consider returning to the mission field now.  All this to say, we feel well past the breaking point.
But these feelings of being overwhelmed can be seen throughout the Bible.  Consider the author of Psalm 88:14 when he said, “Lord, why do you cast off my soul?  Why do you hide your face from me?”  I confided in Ken recently that even as a believer of 40 years now I still wonder when there is a great burden upon me, “Does God care?”  I think sometimes the weight of our burden we so desperately want to cast off on the Lord seems too difficult to just forget and move on.  We know God can handle the situation fully, but we struggle to understand His timing.  We grow tired and weary under the stress as we cry out to the Father we begin to wonder, is He as sick of hearing our pleas as we are of repeating them?  Even Jesus when He was weary with weight of our sins uttered the words, “If it is possible, let this cup be taken away from me.  But I want Your will, not mine.”  Matt.26:39
The Lord reminded me of some words penned by a prophet during a dismal time in Israel’s history.  Isaiah said to the former Babylonian captives in Isaiah 40:28, “Do you not know?  Have you not heard?  The Everlasting God the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth does not become weary or tired.  His understanding is inscrutable.”  We serve a God who never tires, and perhaps in His infinite wisdom He allows us to come to the end of ourselves in total exhaustion.  It is at that time that He can fulfill His purpose in us.  I love how the Message puts it:  If you only look at us, you might well miss the brightness. We carry this precious Message around in the unadorned clay pots of our ordinary lives. That’s to prevent anyone from confusing God’s incomparable power with us. As it is, there’s not much chance of that. You know for yourselves that we’re not much to look at. We’ve been surrounded and battered by troubles, but we’re not demoralized; we’re not sure what to do, but we know that God knows what to do; we’ve been spiritually terrorized, but God hasn’t left our side; we’ve been thrown down, but we haven’t broken.   2 Cor.4:7-11
Just in my experience as an anesthesia provider I see three to four times as many patients being treated for depression and anxiety now than I did just 10 short years ago.  I can understand why people are weary and exhausted in this world and our society especially, but I know we must allow God to take control of the situation and our feelings. We must refuse to give into the despair and become despondent recalling as Isaiah told the Israelites. He gives power to the weak, and to those who have no might He increases strength. But those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint.  Isaiah 40:31
“They shall mount up with wings like eagles”  Eagles are not born with the ability to fly.  In fact, the Bald eagle takes over 12 weeks to go from the downy fluff at birth to the strong feathers that serve a young eaglet to fly when they finally leave the nest.  But the mottled brown plumage does not fully develop into the majestic crown of white on the adult Bald eagle’s head for 5 years.  Scientists believe that this serves as a camouflage from predators for the young eagle until they are mature.  This is also true in our faith.   Our relationship does not mature over night.  We must grow daily and trust in the Lord and His ways before we can fly.
“They shall run and not grow weary”  I remember “hitting the wall” as I ran my first marathon back over Red Mountain at mile 21 of the Mercedes Marathon.  I was certain I could not take another step and then I heard the beautiful sound of my family cheering for me.  I had asked them to be there because I knew that would be where I faced my greatest challenge.  They helped give me that second wind so I could finish the race.
“They shall walk and not grow faint”  Sometimes we cannot soar.  We cannot even run.  All we can do is merely walk.  A wise person once said, “The real test of faith comes, not when he flies or runs, but when he must plod along.”  Walking daily with God is the true test of our faith, and often where nonbelievers genuinely see Christ in us.  How do we respond to trials and tribulations?  Do we blame God?  Do we whine about our circumstances, or do we praise God for all the blessings He has given us?
This is the crux of the matter that I find most challenging in my walk.  Remembering the words of the apostle Paul to the church in Corinth, I am inspired.  So we’re not giving up. How could we! Even though on the outside it often looks like things are falling apart on us, on the inside, where God is making new life, not a day goes by without his unfolding grace. These hard times are small potatoes compared to the coming good times, the lavish celebration prepared for us. There’s far more here than meets the eye. The things we see now are here today, gone tomorrow. But the things we can’t see now will last forever.  2 Cor.4:16-18.  
So, does God ever give me more than I can handle?  Yes. But He never gives me more than He can handle, because in the end it’s not about me.  It is about Him and His glory revealed in me.