When Deborah and I started off on this new adventure, in late 2018, a seed was planted in us. A seed from the Lord. We knew it was from the Lord. There was no doubt. But since it was planted one day, and we acted on it the very next day, we did not see what kind of a seed it was. God said, ” Go south into the Arizona Desert, there is a church praying for you…”. In the months up to October 2018, we had been praying fervently for the Lord to show us what the new thing was that He has said He wanted to do in our lives. We both thought that the Lord was going to do a new thing in us via The Outreach Gospel Mission. But the mission closed in May of 2018. I realized that the OGM was not really a new thing in our lives, but a continuation of the work I did before China. It took me 4 years to come to the realization that God wants to do a new “new” thing in our lives. Ever since Hong Kong, God has given both Deborah and I this verse.
Jeremiah 29:11 (NIV)
11 For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.
and also;
Isaiah 43:19 (NKJV)
Behold, I will do a new thing, Now it shall spring forth; Shall you not know it? I will even make a road in the wilderness And rivers in the desert.
This last Sunday (07/28/2019), we attended a Calvary Chapel nearby for Sunday service. The pastor was away, and the worship leader was appointed to bring the message. OH!, and what a message it was. It was as if the Lord was there, and speaking to both Deborah and I personally. (He Was, and He did). The message was about seeds (Gods Word) planted in God’s Garden (us – His kids), from the great catalogue of seeds, (The Bible). He even told a story of himself, acting on the planting of a seed in him, and how he had to protect it from persecution. Even from brothers and sisters that dont know the seed was planted by the Lord himself. The Lord said;
Isaiah 55:10-12 (NKJV)
10 “For as the rain comes down, and the snow from heaven,
And do not return there,
But water the earth,
And make it bring forth and bud,
That it may give seed to the sower
And bread to the eater,
11 So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth;
It shall not return to Me void,
But it shall accomplish what I please,
And it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it.
So God gave Deborah and I a direction, and we acted on it, knowing it was from the Lord. Even though we did not know what it looked like or where it would lead. It wasn’t until we got to Arizona though, that God showed us that we were holding on to the work I used to do. Not letting Him show us the new “new” thing He wanted to do in us. We repented and prayed for forgiveness, and surrendered all that we have been, to what God would have us be. That’s when the adventure really began. (The Lords Doing)
So the seed that the was planted in us now was sprouting. It was watered by those we knew not, on the way down from Oregon. In God’s house, and all the places God ordained for us to stop. But it was the Lord That gave the growth.
1 Corinthians 3:6-8 (NKJV)
6 I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the increase. 7 So then neither he who plants is anything, nor he who waters, but God who gives the increase.
God directed us to an area in and around Gila Bend AZ, by giving us something we enjoy doing. Looking for minerals in the ground, and exploring ancient man sites (Check it out here.).
Both Deborah and I remarked that it was as if we were in a “Craig and Deborah playground”. Unkown to us at the time, the Lord was keeping us near Gila Bend, as thats where the adventure was about to begin and get very interesting. You see, the Lord was giving us a ministry in which I had to walk, and walk much. 537 miles between 01/28/2019 and 05/15/2019 as a UXO Sweeper. God gave me the ability to walk, when He started me backpacking in Wyoming, and later in China. Walking across the border with a backpack full of Mandarin Bibles. I have found it is nearly impossible to witness to folks in America these days. Its just like when we were in Mongolia. It is illegal to witness to folks there unless they ask first. Same in America today, not illegal but no one listens. God gave me an audience that asked about the Word of God.
God placed it in my heart that I needed to pray, and pray for my co-workers. I prayed much for our safety from dangerous and venemous things, as there are many of those out there. God placed me in a vehicle with the only 3 other folks, out of 35 out there that are believers. We all prayed for the other folks on the team, every mile, every day, and Deborah prayed for us all. Deborah is and was my support team as I walked through the desert every day with my co-workers.
So the seed was planted, watered, sprouted and now is growing. I have been invited, and accepted to go to a Texas A&M Engineering Extension (TEEX) for UXO. School starts 09/23/2019 in College Station TX. God has provided the tuition for the school, and we will be leaving Arkansas on or about 08/15/2019 for Texas. Please pray for us, that the work we did on the bus this summer, gets us there. Also that the Lord would provide housing for us once we get there as we don’t have provision for it yet. I believe that missionaries never really retire. No matter what we are doing, or where we go, that God has given us a job to point to Him in all that we do.
Amen!
Blessings,
Craig and Deborah Graber <><