This past year we spent five and a half months on a Crossroads Discipleship Training School (DTS) through YWAM. We attended The King’s Lodge under the leadership of Maged Kalta. It was some of the best spent time of our lives and we recommend it to everyone. There is no price you could pay for an intense time of falling deeper in love with God and pouring out your life on an outreach, sharing the love of Jesus. We are leaving again in 10 days to return to The King’s Lodge to be a part of its ministry locally and internationally.
As you prepare to leave your home and the country for an extended period of time you face the very difficult task of putting your life into two suitcases. It is something that is impossible without a lot of prayer and planning. As Tara packed she was going to leave behind a favorite necklace, a multi-colored cross she had purchased at a Faith party, but she felt like God was telling her to pack it and take it with her. She really did NOT want to take it.
During our time we met a beautiful young lady from South Africa. She had already done a DTS and was now attending a “secondary school” called Introduction to Primary Health Care. An IPHC teaches some fundamentals of health care and the students then use those principles while on outreach and sharing the gospel.
As we got to know her, we learned she had experienced tragedy at a young age. Her mother committed suicide.
She and Tara became friends and shared many stories. During one week of our training and discipleship we had a worship celebration of giving. We all spent a day praying about whether God would have us give something and to whom we should give. Tara knew immediately that she was to give her cross to this young lady.
When we returned to Fayetteville, Tara shared this story at a celebration we threw in October for the families who had supported us during our time away. She was simply sharing one of the ways God spoke to her at the DTS and describing how God had moved in her life.
It wasn’t long after that that a dear friend of Tara’s felt impressed to choose a beautiful cross from the same company for Tara. Tara was overjoyed both at the generosity of her friend but at the goodness of God to restore such a small thing. But, God’s goodness is always more than we can imagine.
Two months later (on Christmas Eve) I received a phone call from one of our supporters who had been at the celebration. He told me that he had been greatly encouraged by Tara’s story and that he wanted me to go to our most famous local jeweler and pick up a Christmas present for Tara. On Christmas Day, Tara opened a beautiful gift containing a gorgeous cross necklace. The sacrifice she had made in obedience to her Father had been redeemed by the Father through the obedience of another.
Just as Jesus obeyed the Father even unto death on the cross and paid the redemption price for us – that is, just as Jesus’ obedience ON a cross resulted in our redemption, many times over- Tara’s obedience WITH a cross resulted in its redemption, many times over. What a loving and amazing Daddy we serve. There is no price we can pay that He can’t redeem in ways we could never imagine. May doubt or fear never get in your way of serving Him wholeheartedly.