{"id":524,"date":"2011-09-27T23:48:15","date_gmt":"2011-09-28T04:48:15","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.vitwministries.com\/wordpress\/?p=524"},"modified":"2011-09-27T23:50:30","modified_gmt":"2011-09-28T04:50:30","slug":"people-may-make-plans","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.vitwministries.com\/wordpress\/2011\/09\/people-may-make-plans\/","title":{"rendered":"People may make plans…"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Burmese Woman<\/p><\/div>\n

\u201cPeople may make plans in their minds, but the Lord decides what they will do<\/em>\u201d. Proverbs 16:9 (NCV)<\/h4>\n<\/h3>\n

I realize that there have been no blogs for several weeks, and many of you must be wondering where I am and what ended up happening now that I have left Indonesia. This verse from Proverbs is very appropriate for what my past several months have been like. We make plans, think up ideas, and establish courses of action for our future, but it is God who decides what we will do.<\/p>\n

As you are well aware, if you have read any of my blogs over the summer, my plans for my months in Indonesia were completely stood on their head. Basically nothing, nothing at all, turned out like envisioned and carefully planned. This does not mean that the summer was awash, nor that it was not in God\u2019s plans. I believe in fact, that many things were accomplished during my time in Indonesia and Thailand. You can catch some of this in the blogs which I posted over those months.<\/p>\n

I know for a certainty that Theresa\u2019s time here in Winnipeg has also been very crucial for<\/p>\n

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Kites in Bali<\/p><\/div>\n

James and Jessica and their two boys as well. Further, it has been a time for her to be closer with family and friends over these months. None of these things have necessarily been easy, or quite what was expected either. But again, God has had his hand in what has been accomplished.<\/p>\n

In being able to give of ourselves to our family over these months we have been able to find God directing our daily walk along the path. Further, I believe that during my time in both Bali and Thailand, God has directed my mind and imagination into some new possibilities and vision for the work in Mexico. Once again, as the scripture states, we make plans in our mind \u2013 we must envision, dream, strategize and make plans. But it is the Lord who decides what we will do, and which of the plans he wishes to bless.<\/p>\n

I am finding some frustration over the past weeks since returning to Canada as well. I am behind at least a week, if not two in my plans for leaving for Mexico. For several of a variety of reasons I have been unable to leave for Cd. Valles. The vehicle is literally loaded and ready to have me turn the key and point the wheels south. But so far I have been unable to do so.<\/p>\n

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Market Pet Shop in Bali<\/p><\/div>\n

The latest issue is our inability to get health care coverage for Theresa and me while outside of Manitoba. For the past two years of our time in Mexico we have been able to continue our coverage under Manitoba Provincial Health Care. However, our two year provision expired as of the beginning of September. We have spent the past week swimming through the murky waters of private health care providers in order to find some kind of coverage which will be adequate, but also affordable for Theresa and me while we continue our work in Mexico. I can thankfully say that it looks like we have finally crossed this crevasse, and that I will finally be able to make my way south.<\/p>\n

As I mentioned in my last blog, it will be necessary for Theresa to stay in Winnipeg until at least the beginning part of November while I head to Mexico without her. We feel that it is critical that we fulfill the commitment that we made to James and Jessica and our two grandsons. It will be lonely and incomplete without Theresa, but God will also be with me.<\/p>\n

I have some very important business to accomplish along the way south. We already know that<\/p>\n

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Balinese Grandma In Her Kitchen<\/p><\/div>\n

the tractor is still waiting for us at the ministry Tractors For Our Daily Bread<\/em> based in Manhattan, Kansas, and headed by Floyd Dowell. I hope to meet with friends on the way south in order to make plans for transporting the tractor to Mexico.<\/p>\n

We also will need to find finances to be able to transfer the tractor to Mexico, as well as to purchase some used implements for the fieldwork that we need the tractor for. I will keep you informed as to how, and where you can give for this particular need.<\/p>\n

Another stop along the way will be with the organization Living Water International<\/em>, based in Stafford, Texas. We are very hopeful that we will be able to work with them to drill a well on the land site. Water is critical in order to complete the vision that we have for the work. We already know that it will cost us at least $5,000 dollars to drill the well that is so badly needed. At present we don\u2019t have any money at all for this, but we believe that God will provide through his children.<\/p>\n

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Outrigger<\/p><\/div>\n

I will probably swing east through Grove, Oklahoma and spend a day or two there with NewSong Church. We are in desperate need to begin working on the construction of staff housing and dormitory space on the new farm site. I unabashedly bring this need to the churches that I will visit. How incredibly wonderful and unifying it would be if several churches could work together in this vision and be able to come down as a joint team to build these. None of the buildings needed are complicated or expensive, and a multi-church, united project of this sort would be totally doable for any church.<\/p>\n

Then, I must get down to Cd. Valles as soon as possible as well because Cleo Yoder will be arriving at the end of October in order to teach Project L.A.M.B.S. courses for the first two weeks of November. Once again, one of the most exciting parts of this for me is that he is continuing to train national co-teachers so that they will soon be able to completely take over the L.A.M.B.S. program without the on-going need for expatriate involvement. In this way the brothers from Canada and the United States who have been so faithfully serving and giving of their time and personal resources in order to come to Mexico to teach, will be able to take their passion for God to other, and new fields of service.<\/p>\n

Please pray for me. As I have already said, I return to Cd. Valles with new vision, new passion,<\/p>\n

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Balinese Temple Umbrellas<\/p><\/div>\n

and perhaps new direction \u2013 or at least a tweak to the present vision. I will keep you informed as the ideas become plans, and then as these plans begin to move towards becoming reality. At the moment I am not free to elaborate or explain. However, I ask you to please hold me up in prayer as I return and present the new vision. May we all hear God\u2019s voice and be sensitive to what he desires. My prayer is for open hearts to hear and understand the changed emphasis and direction if this is God\u2019s will. If it is not, then may we hear His cautioning and correcting voice and be able to sense what he does desire.<\/p>\n

I simply long to be constantly moving in the flow of God\u2019s will, both in my personal life, as well as in ministry. Sometimes we move in a direction assuming that we continue to be in the center of his will because we heard his voice last year, last month, or yesterday. Sometimes, however, we need to be attuned to the slight changes of direction in the outworking of it. That is what I need prayer for especially now as I return to Mexico. There are no drastic changes which will take place, and nothing earth shattering that I am holding back from you. I will bring you all up to date when I am free to do so. In the mean time, please pray for me as I return. We all desire to hear God\u2019s voice clearly.<\/p>\n

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Cooking Pot in Bali<\/p><\/div>\n

I will spend several days on the road before I reach Cd. Valles. I would appreciate your prayers for safety as I travel. Also please remember Theresa as she stays behind and continues to help in the care of our grandsons.<\/p>\n

Blessings, and I will keep you posted.<\/p>\n

(by the way, I suppose that it is apparent by the photos in this blog that I am having some trouble in transitioning. Also, I like to post photos in the blog, and I don’t have any other newer, and interesting pictures to put in other than these).<\/p>\n

Steven<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u201cPeople may make plans in their minds, but the Lord decides what they will do\u201d. Proverbs 16:9 (NCV) I realize that there have been no blogs for several weeks, and many of you must be wondering where I am and what ended up happening now that I have left Indonesia. This verse from Proverbs is […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vitwministries.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/524"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vitwministries.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vitwministries.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vitwministries.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vitwministries.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=524"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.vitwministries.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/524\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1452,"href":"https:\/\/www.vitwministries.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/524\/revisions\/1452"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vitwministries.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=524"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vitwministries.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=524"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vitwministries.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=524"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}