Several months after my husband went to be with the Lord at the age of 51, I wrestled with the decision of what to do about a non-profit organization that we had founded 12 years earlier. Through much prayer, Bible study, great sermons and a burning desire to know God’s will, I made a decision to stay with the ministry working with leaders in small membership churches, keeping the campground going with conferences, camps, and retreats.

That decision came as I pursued an answer from God in my daily walk. I was working a job with an employment agency as I continued to pack up the personal items at the Higher Ground campground on my days off. But I was just not convinced that God wanted the Board of Directors to auction everything off and close down the work.

One Sunday morning, during this time, the pastor preached a sermon on: “Defeating Discouragement from an Overwhelming Task.” Using Joshua 1:1-11 as his text, he began to talk about the overwhelming task that had been placed on Joshua’s shoulders by God after the leader of the nation of Israel, Moses, had died. God had given him the responsibility to lead Israel to conquer the new territory. The original Israelites had died in the 40 years of wilderness wonderings with the exception of Caleb and Joshua. So, Joshua was leading a second-generation nation of untrained, unskilled people that lacked vision for the task at hand. Certainly, if anyone had a right to be discouraged it was Joshua.

The pastor continued his sermon with ways to defeat discouragement. But I was focused on the three points he gave about Joshua because the sermon put into words what I was unable to express about the burden I was feeling. I felt like God was placing a responsibility on my shoulders and the task was beyond my abilities. The Board of Directors at that time did not see a continuation of Small Church Support Ministries beyond Willis’ death.

Another sermon my pastor preached was a message about Samson who was set aside by God to do a task and yet he was not totally surrendered to God’s plan. Therefore, he was sidetracked from accomplishing the task before him.

With these insights mulling around in my head, I now believed God was calling me to continue the work of encouragement to pastors, pastor’s wives and leaders in the small church setting. I was afraid, I lacked courage to act on what I was beginning to understand. Many questions began to flood my mind; “How would I live?”, “How would I support myself?”, “How could I serve without a leader?”’

The next morning with the burden still pressing down hard, I began my morning devotion time. Reading in the book of Hosea, I was having a hard time concentrating on the chapter and in fact read it several times. One particular verse stood out each time:

“As they had their pasture, they became satisfied; and being satisfied, their heart became proud; therefore, they forgot me”. Hosea 13:6

Oh God! I realized I was looking within myself to provide for my needs and the needs of the ministry. I couldn’t figure out how I could work a secular job to provide for myself and take on the responsibility of the ministry too. No wonder I lacked the courage to act on that burden.

With a new perspective, I believe the Holy Spirit brought to my memory the many times I had stepped out in faith, trusting God and how faithful God had been to always provide. I also remembered the scripture in Matthew, chapter 6. I looked it up and read it again.

Matthew 6: 24-34 “No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.
25 Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not life more than meat, and the body than raiment?
26 Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they?
27 Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature?
28 And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin:
29 And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.
30 Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith?
31 Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed?
32 (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things.
33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.
34 Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.

Now it was time to commit to the Lord and trust Him for the direction, sustenance, and timing. I made that covenant with God that I heard what He was saying to me and that I would talk to my boss, tell her what I was going to do and ask if she would allow me to work there as I began to get the ministry up and going again.

On the way to work that day, I stopped by the post office to check the box for the organization. There was only one piece of mail in this commercial box and it was addressed to me. It was a note from a lady who had been a counselor with one of the first mission teams to use Higher Ground. It had been at least 10 years since I had heard from her. Her note expressed her sympathy at my loss and then she added an encouraging word. She said she knew enough about me that she knew I would give my adverse situation to the Lord and He would turn it to my good. She also let me know that every one of the youth that had come to camp that year had made life-changing decisions. That wasn’t all, she included a check for $500 made out to me personally.

I have to tell you that I began to cry in the post office as I read the note and saw the check because to me it was an indication from the Lord that I was going the right direction. That indeed He was my provider.

I followed through with the commitment I made to Him by talking to my boss that very morning. She was kind to receive what I said and allowed me to continue working there as I began to find office space and gradually get SCSM up and open again.

I am happy to say the campground and the ministry continued for 28 more years. The organization is dissolved now, but the campground dedicated to serve God’s purpose is continuing as a ministry outreach.

“Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct thy paths.” Proverbs 3:5,6