Hello everyone. It is really me. I am still alive! There is so much to share right now, that I am unsure of how to begin, but I know I must, or I will continue to leave you hanging longer.
About four weeks ago, I made a decision that changed things in my preparations for the mission field. I realized that after striving so hard to accomplish so many things all at once, that I had to give up. Give up? I can hear some of you saying, "No! Never give up! We don't quit, remember?". I well remember this from Moldova. My team and I were fighters, and were not willing to let anything stop the work that God intended to do in our lives to touch other lives.
Let me explain how I gave up. I was striving hard to juggle a
bunch of things all at once, that I think God did not want me to bear alone. First, upon returning home from Moldova, I was immediately thrust into the busyness of life, and though I was given time to recuperate, the culture change was very drastic, and getting use to a fast pace world again, that for some reason was even faster than normal, after being accustomed to a laid back, slow moving culture, was not easy at all. but I had no choice. I was needed at my place of work. Shortly after returning home, I found out that my boss' wife needed to have major surgery. We were all glad that the surgery did not have to take place until to a later date, so I had some time to get accustomed to the campground routine again, and somewhat gain footing for what was coming, as well as give her time to prepare herself.The surgery was successful on June 18th.
Since her surgery, my boss' wife has been on medical leave for the past 4 weeks, unable to assist me in the office. It the middle of this recovery we were hit with a big holiday weekend, July 4. By the grace of God we made it through that weekend, considering the multitude of issues that surfaced with campers. Along with this, I began to not feel well, which, after seeing a doctor, resulted in a stomach problem because I had been stressing myself too much. It was not just work alone was causing stress in my life, but other very important decisions I have been faced with, which is to follow in detail.
All this time, I h
ave also been balancing another very important decision in life, which you know about if you have been following this blog. I have been preparing to return to Moldova for 2 years. When I returned from Moldova in April of this year, I was willing to take up the challenge to get ready to return there in 4 short months. I was ready to trust God to provide for a trip in a small window of time, because I knew He was able to come through for me. I still believe in His ability to do that. But, I believe He also spoke to me that I needed to be wise in my preparations as well. I was allowing the stress of too many things to take its toll on my physical body, which was not a good start to preparing for overseas travel.So, after prayer, and counsel with leadership in the organization I am affiliated with, I made a decision to postpone my August trip to January. This will give me more time to raise support, and spend time with my family, and overall, just time to settle things here in a timely manner before leaving.
As I posted a couple entries ago, I have been accepted for this trip, so I can begin to receive support for my trip. There is a lot involved, but I know that as God has called me, He will equip me. Pretty soon I will post more concrete details regarding my trip, and if anyone is interested in receiving a prayer letter from me, with more details, please send me your home address one of several ways:
>Email : mella_phillips@yahoo.com
>Facebook: melanie phillips
>this blog: mellasmessages.blogspot.com
>Snail mail: N5146 North Rd/Burlington, WI/53105 USA
And, last but c
certainly not least, I have to mention with a smile, something else very new and exciting that is going on in my life of late. In the midst of the hubbub of the above mentioned things going on in my life, a certain special Russian man slipped into my life, and has found a place in my heart. It is a unique story we share, and in spite of how technology can really stink at times, I am so blessed by the way that God has used it in my life for the past 2 months to unite me with such a wonderful man of God.Michail Bantseev came into my life somewhat unexpectedly this spring. I have been corresponding with the Bantseev family in Siberia for 5 years, since I had showed interest at one point in going to Siberia for ministry with his brother's family. Though not completely unknown to me, all these years, Michail was the one helping them out by sending prayer letters and updates out to friends and family. I was a recipient of those mailings. I also became a part of his ministry(quadonamission.com) mailing list at some point over those years. In spite of the fact that we had some sort of connection, our paths never crossed, personally, until this May, when we became friends on Facebook, and shortly after, on Skype. Our relationship has taken wings! It's awesome to see what God has been doing, and how we have been living almost side by side in two different countries, complete strangers, but destined for something much bigger, when God saw fit to bring us together.
Michail is originally from Siberia, but has lived most of his life in Canada, where his family immigrated from Siberia about 22 years ago.
About a week ago, Michail made the long journey from London, ON to come to Wisconsin to meet me-our first face to face encounter, aside from over Skype! It was awesome! God answered a lot of his questions, and calmed a lot of fears in both of our hearts. We have made a decision in our hearts that we are going to follow what God is doing in our relationship. We are now "seeing each other" also known as courting -as much as you can between Canada and Wisconsin - with serious intentions. :) We are so blessed by the Lord's hand in our lives, and are excited about the future.
What does this mean in regards to my trip to Moldova, you may ask? Well, if you recall in past blog posts, I have mentioned struggles with knowing if I am to return to Moldova. This was the root issue. I have since then stepped out in faith, and chosen to trust God, and follow him to Moldova. But Michail is over here! Yes, he is, and it will be a challenge to be so far away, but there is nothing too hard for God. Will it put our relationship to the test? Absolutely. Is God big enough to handle that for us? Definitely. My Savior-He can move the mountains. He can make possible what seems IM-possible. He is God. There is no other like Him. I call His name Jesus. He is all that I need. He is more than enough for me. He will sustain me, us. He will uphold us, and keep us. There is nothing like the test of time to set in stone the plan of God!
I greatly covet your prayers right now. I am experiencing a lot of testing and proving, and I am attempting to learn what it all means to get ready to leave my own country for a long time. It is hard, to be blatantly honest. Part of me doesn't want to go. But, I know that God has called me. I know He will lead me and direct me, and even renew the passion I once had. Please stand behind me. I need strong arms to support me, and keep me going. I would love to hear from those that are willing to hold me up in prayer. We all need a bit of encouragement sometimes.
Thank you for how you have allowed Christ to minister to me through your life. I look forward to hearing from you!
