Someone withhold money for missions

It was getting late and I went to see if there was milk for Deborah. When I opened the can I saw that there was no more milk left. The worst thing was that he didn't have any money anymore and he didn't even expect to receive it from anywhere. I was looking at that side and I told the Lord at that moment that the provision had already been sent, I knew it had already, but whoever had the provision was withholding. This was the trust that came to my heart. In reality, it was the Lord speaking to my heart.

It's situations like this that bring your faith down. Someone might say no, and it really isn't meant to get you down, but it gets you down. When God does so many wonders in his favor, when you move in trust and one fine day you find yourself with no way out. Before coming to the mission field many times in your work, that safe money, job and etc, and now you don't have any of that and I depend on God's move and the time of need comes. You say: God, help me! But at that moment you have no answer.

Do you know what sustains? It's you having the full confidence that God has brought you to this place. It's knowing that I'm here because God put me here. It is to be aware that for the cause of Christ others died and you are now in need. You think of all this and seek strength.

It's pretty easy to write after a storm. Describing the storm…. but living the storm and surviving to write something later is what is difficult. I couldn't blame anyone. I couldn't put worship in my church, in the pastor, in the Secretary of Mission, in anyone for the simple fact that none of these had sent me to Bolivia. I came here because God brought me here. God said: GO! And I decided to obey. I did, do and will continue to do Your will in Jesus' Name. You know, I've been thanking God that I'm in this situation and I'm not throwing blame around or on anyone else.

But, I left the house with Mina to see if there was anything on my account. We went to an ATM near the house and there was nothing. When I got to our house Mina told me that she walked around with her head down in hopes of finding someone lost money, some bill on the floor. I kept looking and thinking about Mina's simplicity, because after all, our money should come from somewhere, even if it was from someone who had lost it. I believe this can happen and it has happened to me, but not this time.

We went to the fridge, there was some milk. We top up with water, boil it and put it in the bottle. Our daughter was one year and nine months old and was still taking that bottle to sleep. And if you don't take it, you start crying until the milk comes out of somewhere. Anyone who is a parent knows well what it is.

That day Deborah drank the last bit of milk she had in the fridge. And it wasn't just milk that was missing, but we didn't have anything else to eat. It seems that when something is missing everything resolves to be missing at the same time. The other day I get a message. My brother Tiago tells me that a certain brother from our church in Paraguay gave an offering for the construction of the church in Paraguay and my father would send the tithe. In fact, my father already had the money, but some problems arose and he didn't make the deposit. I ran on the internet and sent the message – “Tell me to send the blessing as soon as possible, because the last egg we ate yesterday!”.

Well, that day I withdraw more than B$ 2000 Bolivian Pesos (approx. U$ 280 dollars) from my account. When I return home I remembered what the Lord had spoken to my heart – “Someone has the resource, but they are holding back”. These are the tests we have passed and continue to glorify the Lord.