The Sobie Family - Ministry in Ukraine
" Make me to hear joy and gladness; that the bones which thou hast broken may rejoice.” (Ps. 51:8)
As we are home on furlough now, one of our joys and privileges is to visit churches that are praying for us and supporting us and share the wonderful things that God is doing in our lives and through our ministry in Ukraine.
Last Sunday, we had the honor of visiting the Vesper Lake Fellowship in Akron, Ohio, and enjoyed a wonderful service with Pastor Andrews and our good friends there. The story of how God led us to make contact with these dynamic believers is one of our testimonies of God's incredible care and sovereignty in our lives!
In 2004, just days before we were to leave for Ukraine, our infant daughter, Dalina, came down with severe pinkeye that would not go away. We prayed over it and tried over-the-counter remedies, but nothing was working. We knew what we needed, but the cream that would cure the pinkeye was only given by prescription.
Money was tight for us, and we were discouraged that we were going to have to pay for a doctor visit when we already knew the problem and what we needed – but that was the only way to get the prescription. With frustration, we added a doctor's appointment to our last-minute, busy schedule and to our very limited budget.
On the day of the appointment, Oksana took our daughter into the doctor's office only to be told that our doctor himself wasn't even working that day! However, there was another doctor filling in for him that could see Dalina.
And so, Heather walked into the room and into our lives. As God's amazing plan would have it, she was a Christian and both she and her physician husband, Steve, had a deep interest in missions!
A few days later, we left for Ukraine with Dalina's eyes all healed up, and, more importantly, new friends who would prove themselves to be faithful prayer warriors and supporters! A few months later, they introduced our family's ministry to their church, and the church began to support us monthly! It was a huge blessing to us at the early stage in our ministry when we most needed support.
Looking back, we are amazed at how a circumstance that seemed to be such an irritation, such an inconvenience, and such a disruption turned out to be God's way of bringing us a priceless blessing!
Isn't this often the way of God? The very things that we reject as a curse turn out to be a blessing in disguise! The very things that appear to be our enemies end up being our friend! And the very things that we resist with everything in us turn out to be that which we ought to have embraced!
J.B. Phillips paraphrases James 1:2 in this insightful way: “When all kinds of trials and temptations crowd into your lives my brothers, don't resent them as intruders, but welcome them as friends!”
Let us remember that our God sees the big picture, and if we'll be patient and allow God to write the last chapter, we will see, every time, that His way is best!
Sunday, January 7, 2007
Irritations Transformed Into Blessings
