A Transformed Life

It will be one year, 6 days from now, since we first moved our family to Haiti. What unknowns we had, what a peculiar first year we had, what depths of sorrow we had at times with missing those we love most and the life we knew for the past 35 years behind us and yet what great depths of JOY we had as well as He did so many things in our lives and hearts that we will forever thank Him for.

“Jesus is our STRENGTH and what we cannot do or bear, He can both do and bear in us.” – J. Hudson Taylor

Our furlough time and time that we’ve have had for April to heal is coming to a close and we will be heading back home to Haiti soon. We miss our home, our RMI family, our friends, and are excited to see even in the chaos of 2020, what God will do this year and we look forward to being a part, no matter how small, of whatever He invites us along to do this year. So as we prepare to head back, we have three churches we will be speaking at and meeting with another mission group from another church before we leave.

Just like last year before we left, we are taking this time to prepare our hearts, and spend some time with those we love most. We know saying goodbye will be just as hard if not harder again, but we know without a shadow of a doubt this is what He has for us and so we walk forward, rejoicing, with anticipation knowing that these goodbyes are not forever but what we give up now, will Lord willing, produce something far greater for eternity!

“All our difficulties are only platforms for the manifestations of His grace, power and love.” – J. Hudson Taylor

We would love to pray for you as you pray for us. Please leave us a comment, message, email or call us and share how we can be praying for you. What a privilege we all have, to have that access everyday, to go before His throne and pray for each other.

We would love prayer for the following:

1. Finishing up well here with speaking, goodbyes & packing.
2. Safe & smooth travels back home to Haiti.
3. April’s continue healing with her gastrointestinal health.
4. Transition into year two in Haiti, as Jim and April start ministry work, Jim works on a new position he has and April as she schools the boys from home. 
5. For us to be aware in the moments God is wanting us to say or do something. For wisdom, discernment, grace & love as we grow relationships more this year and show His love however He asks us to each day. 

We want to leave you with this, a life transformed. I am sure many of you have heard of J. Hudson Taylor, a missionary to China for 51 years. What many know is of the life he dedicated to the Lord, the hundreds of missionaries that followed after him to China and the thousands since then who have come to know Christ. However, what you may not be as familiar with is the story of his praying mother. J. Hudson Taylor was actually living a life in the world, away from the Lord and fully for his own self. He left all he had grown up to know and learn from his childhood for the passions and possessions the world had to offer.

His mother, Amelia, knew the best thing she could do for her son was to commit to praying for him. One time she went away from their family home and was determined to pray for her son until she came to a sense of assurance that God would save him. She locked herself in her room and pleaded that God would extend mercy to Hudson.

Coming home from her time away, her son greeted her and said “Mother, I have some news to tell you.” and before he could say anything she shared with him how she already knew because during that time away she was praying for him and God reassured her that Hudson had come to know Him. Amazing how the same time God was working in his heart, he came to know Christ and was praising him for his salvation, his mother was away, praying on her knees for that very same thing.

He shared their last time together and how she sat beside him on his bed and they sang one last song together and then prayed together. They then had to say goodbye, never expecting to meet on earth again. As he stood on the dock, and the ship left the gates, he said he could hear the anguish of her cry that came out and how it felt like a knife going through him. He said he never knew so fully, until then, what “God so loved the world” meant.

Friends, we share this to encourage you and remind you of the intense power of prayer. No matter what you find yourself facing this year, lets all remember to go to God FIRST about it before anyone or anything else.

“When we work, we work. When we pray, God works.”  “Learn to move man, through God, by prayer alone.” – J. Hudson Taylor

Praying this also encourages those of you who are in the parenting season right now, especially in this crazy year of 2020, that no matter how you feel as a parent, no matter how weak you feel this year, how you feel you have failed, or that you don’t have the strength to handle this year….pray! Prayer isn’t a last resort, something we do on the side or a plan B.

Friends, prayer is the most powerful thing we can do for our family. Fervent prayer on behalf of our family…WOW…can you imagine what things will come from that!

Love,

The Starkey Family