Uncategorized

Against all odds, God led Esther to Los Angeles to serve at Antioch Mission Church, where Tim had been led to receive evangelism training. In the beginning, neither really liked each other and there were many a tense moments. But one thing that kept bringing them together was always their love for the gospel and their love for raising the youth in the church. And there it all began — just as God told Abraham to leave everything he ever knew, soon, God would tell Tim and Esther to do the same…

“Okay, have to be ready for Holy Wind. On Halloween, evil spirits are going to be all over the place. Have you guys been praying?” Esther stared at the bewildered teenagers.

“That’s a strange question,” Tim rolled his eyes.

“Right,” Esther continued, undeterred. “Holy Wind is our church’s blessing. We’re not just hosting any sort of event, but we’re breaking down the forces of darkness in this region. You know the kinds of stuff that happens on Halloween, and no matter how much fun people have, these people are just being controlled by Satan. That’s why we need to confess only Christ Who can break the darkness.

“It is only Christ the True King Who defeated Satan and destroyed the devil’s work. It is only Christ the True Priest Who takes away all of our sin, our unbelief. It is only Christ the True Prophet Who opens up the way to meet with God. When we proclaim Christ, God’s Kingdom is established as people make the confession that only Jesus is the Christ, so let’s put on a Holy Wind party so that this entire neighborhood knows Who Jesus is!”

“Hey, I’m flying to Vancouver, did you want to see your parents in Seattle?” Tim asked. He was trying to obtain Star Alliance Gold for another year, and it would be nice for Esther to see her parents again.

“I have a companion pass that expires at the end of the year and I’ve never been able to use it… would you like to be my companion? You’ll fly for free,” Tim smiled at Esther.

“Oh! Yes, that sounds like fun,” Esther said. “And maybe while we’re in Seattle, we can hang out for a bit, too?”

“Sure,” Tim said. “Sounds like a plan.”

But God had other plans, and COVID travel restrictions rendered the Vancouver leg untenable.

“You need to have a negative COVID test to get into Canada, no exceptions,” the counter agent explained. “If your results don’t come in by tomorrow morning, we can’t issue you a boarding pass. However, if you want, you can get a rapid test for $200 downstairs.” We thanked the agent for their help and walked towards the train to the city.

“$200 isn’t worth it, let’s just hang out in Seattle! Maybe you can show me around, I’d like to see where you grew up.” Tim and Esther held hands, warmly finding themselves in God’s guiding hands.

¹“The LORD had said to Abram, “Go from your country, your people and your father’s household to the land I will show you.

² “I will make you into a great nation,
    and I will bless you;
I will make your name great,
    and you will be a blessing.
³ I will bless those who bless you,
    and whoever curses you I will curse;
and all peoples on earth
    will be blessed through you.”

Genesis 12:1-3

Thinking I could write you a song for awhile,
But these words just won’t come out right.
Wishing I could sing a soothing melody,
Just to show we’ll be all right.

Still, any song I write would fade away
And nothing would suffice.
But it’s only by the grace of God,
Through only Jesus Christ–

This is a promise from the Word:
Leave the land you came from,
Go to those who’ve never heard,
To the land prepared for us,
To be blessed to bless,
Proclaiming Christ to all the world.

Praying with the words God has spoken to us,
Covenantal blessings abide.
Letting God make two become one in Christ
In this word we confide.