My understanding is that it is usually difficult for a missionary to fill his calendar during June, July, and August; but God has provided Abbie and me with many enjoyable meetings that were real blessings. We have only had two open Sundays this whole summer! God has also blessed us financially over the last couple of months through the generosity of God’s people. We have been able to save a good portion of money toward our airfare to fly to Ghana and toward shipping costs to send barrels of personal and ministry items to Ghana.
It is so much fun seeing God provide. We had a pastor who had to cancel a meeting due to factors outside his control. The problem was that the meeting was only a couple of weeks away, and it would be practically impossible to schedule a replacement that soon. Just three days later, I got a phone call from a different pastor. I had not talked to him in at least six months, but he called me out of the blue and asked, “Do you think you could come to our church in the next couple of weeks?” Did I have an opening? Yes, I did! The empty slot was filled, and since we were able to reschedule the pastor who had to cancel, the result was a net gain. God takes care of us!
During July we enjoyed our mission agency’s Candidate School, a week of training and equipping for the mission field. So many of our fellow missionaries are also our good friends, and it was a joy to get to spend time with them. The teaching and fellowship were an encouragement, and it was a special blessing to have our team leader, Pastor Ted Speer, fly from Ghana to teach on how to train soul winners. Abbie and I cannot wait to get to Ghana and work with Pastor Speer! He is a gifted teacher! Candidate School was also a fun time for soul winning. After the sessions, Abbie and I got to see 4 people saved that week.
In my last prayer letter, I told about a time when I was reminded that we cannot prejudge when someone will or will not get saved. I was recently reminded that I also cannot prejudge who will or will not get saved. I was at a park, and looking around to see who I should approach first, I saw what I thought were a boyfriend and girlfriend sitting at a picnic table. God prompted me to go talk to them, but I argued with Him. In my experience, boyfriends and girlfriends are usually too worried about what the other person is thinking to be good listeners. Still, I felt like I was supposed to talk to them. I walked over and started talking to David and Ashley. It turned out that they were both interested in hearing what I had to say and were not shy about speaking their mind in front of each other. After about 45 minutes, David and Ashley both prayed, admitting that they had been believing that their good deeds would help get them to Heaven, but now they were turning to Jesus alone for salvation. Thank God for His direction!
Thank you for your prayers. Abbie and I have experienced safe travels. Please continue to pray for my dad as he adjusts to life without my mom as he continues to serve in the Philippines. Please also continue to pray that God would partner Abbie and me with the right churches so that we can get to Ghana in His timing.
Yours for souls,
Micah Christiansen
