When William Carey, known as “The Father of Modern Missions,” left for India, one of his friends observed that his departure could be likened to someone being lowered into a deep, unexplored mine. For someone to be safely sent into the mine and enabled to begin mining for souls, others were needed to “hold the ropes” that lowered him down into it. As William Carey and his friends stood at the brink of decisions, considering this venture into India, William volunteered to go—if his friends would faithfully support him as he went. His mission would not be successful if they did not do their parts in “holding the ropes.” Though missionaries ultimately depend on God for their every need, we can be the human instruments that God uses to support and help them in their endeavors. Here are some practical ways that we can do this:

How often does God answer a specific prayer and you rejoice over it? Maybe your excitement bubbles into a desire to tell everyone you know of the amazing work of God in your life by answering that prayer. How many times have you faced something big and suddenly your faith-o-meter plummets?
 
“This is impossible,” you may think.... Of course, we know God will never fail us, but even if we do not directly admit it to ourselves, our thought patterns can reflect this false belief. It is easy to grow discouraged. What can we do to avoid this pitfall? Remember.

“Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.” (James 5:16 KJV, emphasis mine.)
   
​Here are some notes from a sermon that my pastor preached a few weeks ago, that help us know how to pray for others.

Our time with the Lord is the most important time of each day. I hope that the following comments will help you to draw closer to God.
  
​Here are some essential elements of personal devotions:

Do you have a heart for missions? Have you ever wondered how to practically prepare to maybe one day go into the missions field?
  
​One idea that our family has implemented to learn about the nations, pray for laborers to enter His harvest field, and to get a heart for missions is to have a monthly missions night.

My Dear Sisters,
   
What do you do when you are in need of spiritual rejuvenation? We certainly “go in the strength of the Lord GOD” (Psalm 71:16), yet we still retain our human frailty and God knows that there are times when, like Elijah, “the journey is too much for thee.” Do you attend a Christian conference? read a devotional book? talk to family or a good friend? go on vacation? eat a chocolate candy? :) None of these are wrong and in fact may be a tremendous blessing (except for the chocolate!). However, there is one thing which is simply incomparable, it is so infinitely better. It worked for Elijah, it’s worked for Christians all through the ages, and I wholeheartedly recommend it: Spend a day with Jesus!

Darling Virtuous Daughters,
   
Today I want to share with you a quick thought that is near and dear to my heart. Recently the Lord has drawn my heart close to Him and has called me to sit at His feet. I sometimes see myself as a princess and my Father is the King. Even though I am the princess of a great and mighty King, many things trouble me. Yet my loving, kind, and gentle Father calls me to His throne to sit at His feet. Sometimes I just talk to Him and tell Him my cares and other times I cry upon His knees. Although my problems are trivial compared to the greater problems in His kingdom, He never forbids me to come to Him. And He lovingly welcomes me with outstretched arms, patiently listening.

My Dear Sisters,

Earlier this year, I was asked to share at a ladies’ retreat. I felt very honored, but I also felt overwhelmed. Last year was hard, and to be honest, I felt inadequate to talk about having a heart of trust and surrender and contentment…because I knew that these were areas that I needed to grow in.

However, as I prayed about this opportunity, the Lord reminded me that we will never “arrive,” and through my own journey, He has graciously given me so much truth and encouragement from His Word to strengthen my heart and renew my focus…why would I not pass along that encouragement to my sisters in Christ?!

​This article is simply my notes in written form. Truly, it is not about me or anyone else “having it all together,” but about leaning on the Author and Finisher of our faith. You see, Christ wants to live His life through us. Understanding this truth has given me so much peace and victory, because it reminds me to depend on His strength instead of my own. “I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, Who loved me, and gave Himself for me.”—Galatians 2:20 My prayer is that the things God has been teaching me would encourage you and point you to Christ…not because of who I am, but because of Who He is.

An accident. A cancer diagnosis. A terminal illness. A miscarriage or child born prematurely. It pains our hearts to see our friends, neighbors, and church family hurting from medical crises. We want to help lift their burdens, but it can be difficult to know how best to help. Sometimes it is difficult to find ways to help because we don’t really understand what they are going through or we don’t know what the person or family needs. Sometimes we might even wonder if our efforts to help are truly helpful. Though each crisis and each family’s experience is different, there are many things you can do to help these hurting people regardless of the specifics of their situation. Through my own family’s experiences with medical crises and my nursing training, I would like to share with you some thoughts and practical ideas to empower you to effectively meet the needs of those in medical crisis around you.