Once again, His Faithful Hand Prevails

2008 has come and gone. Our "high places of trouble, suffering or responsibility" according to Habakkuk 3:19, Amp., this year have included walking down the corridors of death together as a family, watching the ups and downs of ministry funding due to the catapulting downward spiral of America's economy, and sorrowing the loss of Romai, a Congolese staff member electrocuted by lightning while huddling in a round, grass-roofed, 4-poled shelter, endeavoring to escape the tropical storm's fury. To Romai's right sat Kibala, and on his left, Nkwe. They escaped. Romai died. Or is it the other way around? Romai escaped to rapturous glory. He is walking with The Great I Am, the Ancient of Days, the One who formed him while he was yet in his mother's womb. Romai is more alive than ever before. Why would He ever want to come back here? Nkwe and Kibala, continue to "live" in a land filled with despair and hopelessness humanly speaking. Theirs in many ways is a living death, albeit, a temporary existence. But James sheds light on their blighted condition. He proclaims that their wealth does not consist in the clothes they wear, the stuff they display in their homes or the satisfaction of a growing savings account. Their riches are displayed in their faith (James 2:5) because they live out the reality that their earthy surroundings do not measure their worth, nor can they dictate true joy.

Ministry wise, every so often we come to a crossroads of true ownership. We face the fact boldly once again that Laban Ministries from start to finish belongs to the Lord of Lords and King of Kings. Because my husband, Jim, was born into ministry and began earning a living in ministry at the age of 19, and then myself marrying into ministry in a local church at the age of 22, the lines can get murky. That is, we or at least I tend to find difficulty in separating myself from the work. We love our "job", we love the Congolese people, and we love watching the harvest God continues to reap. We love seeing the Lord make the crooked paths straight, (winding paths made crooked by the evil one, by human error, by the Lord's testing, and by things that are not seen).

I absolutely jump up and down inside when the provision through God's people amounts to more than the outgoing expenses for this mushrooming, thriving, vibrant, exciting organism so close to our hearts made of up over 100 Congolese nationals. They are the hands of Jesus through the Radio Ministry, our little dispensary where hundreds of babies are delivered each year through the loving efforts of our own Florence Nightingale, Marvina, through the weekend preaching of our student pastors at Laban Bible Institute, through dedicated professors who teach the student pastors, and through women professors who carry beat up, defeated village women who can't even read or write their own names to a place of determination to not only read and write their names but to a higher ground of tackling the goal of becoming acquainted with the Word of God, a place of quiet confidence and gleeful achievement as they learn that the Bible is comprised of books, chapters, and verses that will change their lives. As they speak this Holy Writ into the depths of their being, they rewallpaper and renew their minds with truth that sets them free from their former prisons of ignorance and despair. Those are a few of the upsides.

On the other hand, I fight my own giants of panic, fear, and stopping dead in my tracks when the monies aren't there to meet monthly ministry expenses. This year has been one of those years. We haven't been able to return to Congo in more than 12 months because of lack of funds, and salaries have been seriously behind. In October, we faced the possibility of shutting down the Bible institutes because there was no money to feed the students. Would the ministry continue? Some ministries have had to make tough decisions this year by cutting staff and making concessions that have been excruciatingly painful. When Laban's funding got so low that we couldn't feed our 50 students, it forced us once again to re-evaluate. Each times this happens, we search our hearts. We plead with our Congolese staff to search their hearts, which they are so willing to do through all night prayer meetings and fasting, and we relinquish any mistaken "ownership" on our part to the Lord Jesus Christ. January through September were hard, hard times.

Mercifully, during the last quarter of 2008 the Lord has lavished us with evidence that tells us He wants the work to go on. It is because of His compassionate heart that we are able to share with you that through the Dream Packages and gifts from total strangers who view our website, as well as prayer partners who read our letters and share the vision of reaching the lost in Congo, that we are ending 2008 in the BLACK!!! To those of you who have taken Laban Ministries into your hearts and minds by praying, fasting, and/or giving we thank you from the depths of our souls. Satan's defeat is being acted out in front of our eyes. Christ, who always leads us in triumphal procession, is also our rear guard. In other words, HE'S GOT US COVERED! Amen and Hallelujah. Oh, the beauty of seeing his faithful hand prevail.

Father, it is an awesome privilege to call you Father, even more intimately, our Abba (Daddy). You are not obligated to us. You are the boss. You call the shots, but we sure love it when the shots you call are so in line with what we want to see happen. You can do anything you want to do. We humbly bow in obedience, awe, respect, and love, and proclaim that You continue to do all things well.

I leave these verses with you, which are swimming around in my mind with such fury and force that I can't stop thinking about them. There is an earnest desire on my part to experience their reality, and yet I find them scary because of the brevity, gravity,and implications of commitment to them it will take to realize even a portion of victory. I also remind myself that God takes us at our word. Nevertheless, here they are. With blessings and a grateful heart, Nancy Smith

Jeremiah 33:3 is a very well known verse, but I love the Amplified version:

"Call to Me and I will answer you and show you great and might things, FENCED IN AND HIDDEN, which you do not know (DO NOT DISTINGUISH AND RECOGNIZE, HAVE KNOWLEDGE OF AND UNDERSTAND)." I want to know those hidden, fenced in things that I am not distinguishing and recognizing nor do I have any knowledge of or understand.

This is the one that requires my all to even bring before God everyday:

Acts 24:16

"Therefore I always exercise and discipline myself (mortifying my body, deadening my carnal affections, bodily appetites, and worldly desires, endeavoring in all respects) to have a clear (unshaken, blameless) conscience, void of offense toward God and toward men."

This is so not me that I tremble at the thought of wanting to make this my life, but I cling to II Timothy 3:16 that states, "Every Scripture is God-breathed, (given by His inspiration and profitable for instruction, for reproof and conviction of sin, for correction of error and discipline in obedience, and for training in righteousness, (in holy living, in conformity to God's will in thought, purpose, and action). Whew!