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My son, Matt gave me encouragement today as he shared with me what he was reading in his devotional time this morning. It is in Oswald Chambers’ devotional, My Utmost for His Highest for July 6th called “Vision and Reality”.

“We always have visions, before a thing is made real. When we realize that although the vision is real, it is not real in us, then is the time that Satan comes in with this temptations, and we are apt to say it is no use to go on. Instead of the vision becoming real, there has come the valley of humiliation.

Life is not as idle ore,
but iron dug from central gloom,
And batter’d by the shocks of doom
To shape and use.

God gives us the vision, then He takes us down to the valley to batter us into the shape of the vision, and it is in the valley that so many of us faint and give way. Every vision will be made real if we will have patience. Think of the enormous leisure of God! He is never in a hurry. We are always in such a frantic hurry.

In the light of the glory of the vision we go forth to do things, but the vision is not real in us yet; and God has to take us into the valley, and put us through fires and floods to batter us into shape, until we get to the place where He can trust us with the veritable reality.

Ever since we had the vision God has been at work, getting us into the shape of the ideal, and over and over again we escape from His hand and try to batter ourselves into our own shape.

The vision is not a castle in the air, but a vision of what God wants you to be. Let Him put you on His wheel and whirl you as He likes, and as sure as God is God and you are you, you will turn out exactly in accordance with the vision.

Don’t lose heart in the process. If you have ever had the vision of God, you may try as you like to be satisfied on a lower level, but God will never let you.”

Thank you, Matt, for following the prompting of the Lord by sharing your devotional with me!

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Where do you see the greatest need? Where would your starting point be? My starting point is where the Lord leads me.

I am just waiting on His leading and timing.

Beginning small is important so that the ministry is able to prove itself faithful and honest to the government, the community and to it’s supporters.

The Bible says,

“Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much. Luke 16:10

Accountable, Truthful, Faithful and Honest.

That is one of the many Following His Call goals.

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Today, I read about a widow’s project overseas. The woman that felt the call to the ministry by God, felt overwhelmed as I do.

Here is her story:

Dorcas Widows Project: An impossible task made possible by an all-powerful God by Soula Isch

For several years the Lord has been showing me the needs of widows in general and in Africa in particular. I could tell widows in Canada and Europe that I understand them, but the needs of the widows in West Africa overwhelmed me. They had no material or moral support after their husbands’ deaths. Often their in-laws want to take their children and sometimes even accuse them in the death of their husbands.

Sometimes these mothers give in because of the terrible pressure they have from the cultural musts; other times they fight to keep their children. I inquired if the churches had any plans to help and support the widows; the answer was negative.

In the beginning of 2006 I went from one area to another, speaking to hundreds of women who were gathered, often sitting under handmade hangars with over 40° C. temperatures. They were eager to hear the Word of God. I asked if it would be possible to have a session with the widows present. I was amazed by the numbers of widows present at every conference, and I was amazed at the things they shared with me.

These widows felt lonely, and had no means to take care of their children. They were desperate for someone to come along and help them. The Spirit of God was speaking to me, but the task seemed beyond me. At the end of my last conference I could not resist God’s voice who was pushing me to step out in faith. I asked the widows present to pray for me, I wanted to become their ambassador, their voice!

I knew this was an impossible task, but I had given a promise to the widows. The Lord was pushing me to do something, to step out in faith and trust him to take care of the rest. And he did.

SIM leadership in Burkina Faso was very supportive and suggested we start in the Piela area where a pastor and his wife were ready to help in such a program. We called it the “Dorcas Widows Project.“

I began to share the news with friends and as I spoke at women’s conferences. People were very enthusiastic and supportive and embarked with me in this journey of faith. God performed some very special miracles for hundreds of widows and orphans. We started to send funds to Burkina where they used the gifts to develop a pottery project followed by gardens, cattle and goat breeding, and cereal banks.

The Lord sent a German couple, the Diehls, who counsel, manage, administer the funds, and train the widows to know how to invest their money in order to make profits before they start their projects. I have immense joy as I visit each year. I hear touching stories from the widows who have benefited from the Dorcas project.

Several say they are able to send their children to school now, others to buy medicine for their children when they are sick. One widow particularly touched my heart when she said “I was able to buy a wife for my son!”

Then we began a Dorcas project in Niger for 20 widows to start, with more on the waiting list. I have a special burden to include Muslim widows who are also in a very bad situation and face also the restrictions of their religion. Benin is on the waiting list. I met with 50 widows last September who are waiting to be helped.

The Dorcas project has given me new energy in my ministry. I feel very challenged, but God has promised to provide for the widows and the orphans. He is faithful.

A.B. Simpson said, “God does not want great men and women, but he wants men and women who will dare to prove the greatness of their God.”

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