March 2006

Jodi Buttram's Prayer Letter (Our Homeschool Helper)

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart."

Jeremiah 29:11-13

Hello to all of my friends and family!

The Lord has been doing some very exciting things in my life in the past few months, in teaching me more about faith and how it can be practically applied in my life. In the process of drawing me closer to Him, He has given me the opportunity to serve the Kingdom in a very unique way by traveling to Mexico with a family from my church who has impacted my life in many ways.

Ken Harer was my youth pastor when I was in high school and he and his wife Diana were actually the first people with whom I ever went on a mission’s trip. From early in my teen years, Ken and Diana were models of practical Christian living, boldly sharing the gospel and their lives with everyone whom God put in their paths. The Harers first sparked my passion for travel and adventure by taking our youth group on yearly mission’s trips. They also encouraged and trained me as a teen to share my faith with others and to live my life according to the truths I was learning. Living life as a Christian became real to me during this time, due very greatly to Ken and Diana's influence combined with my parent's direction and discipline. After graduating from High School, I continued to benefit from the Harer’s zeal for the Lord by participating in a weekly Praise and Bible Study time in their home. I have learned faith in action by watching as they have sacrificed everything in order to follow the Lord's leading and direction, even when they appeared foolish in the eyes of some. After a long period of prayer and seeking the Lord's face, the Harer family felt God's call to the mission field, and then later, specifically to the city of Puebla, Mexico. The Lord has confirmed this calling in many ways and He continues to bless their family as they follow His will.

In addition to Ken and Diana, the Harer family includes three children: Daniel, 14; Maria, 10; and Christina, 7. Diana, and sometimes Ken (to the children's moans) homeschool their children. As the Lord began working out the details of their move, the Harers realized that they could get to Puebla much more quickly if someone could come with them to teach and supervise the children while Ken and Diana were in Language School. Each will have approximately six months of study to complete, and if they must do this one at a time, it will take them a year. If, however, they can have an assistant to go and help with the children, this process can conceivably be cut in half. This is where I come in.

I have known of this need for several months and had even thought that it would be wonderful to help out. I did not see how this was possible however, as I had a full-time job and steady bills to keep up with. In November, God shifted my plans and made it so that I was no longer tied down with a full-time job. I did not know what direction the Lord had for me to go, and so I began searching for His leading, both in my physical life and in my spiritual life. After several weeks of prayer and frustration, the Lord made it very clear to me that He wanted me to go with the Harer family to Mexico. At first I did not see how this was feasible as I did not see how I would have the income to go. The Lord began bringing passages about faith into my life, both through my daily time with the Lord and through conversations with family and friends. As I began discussing the possibility of going with to Mexico with influential people in my life, God emphasized the importance of having faith in Him to provide for things to happen when He has pointed out what His will is. And so, even as I prayed that the Lord would confirm this direction in my life, I knew that He would do so because I have faith that He wants me to go with the Harers to Mexico.

The Harer family will not be the only ones benefiting from my accompanying them to language school. While I will be with the Harer family, I will be totally immersed in the lives of two of the most Spirit-led people that I know. While I was praying for direction in my life, I was also asking God to provide me with spiritual mentors, especially in the absence of Diana, who has been my mentor in these past few years. I also felt that I needed some accountability, both in my spiritual and physical life, and so had been praying for the Lord's provision along these lines. When the Lord showed me that He wanted me to accompany the Harers to Mexico, it also became clear that He was answering my requests for accountability and spiritual leadership.

My journey of Faith has just begun, but already I am seeing the fruits of trusting in the Lord's directions. I need only to raise $3,000 to go to Mexico for six months as the Harers will be providing for most of my living expenses. This figure includes ongoing bills that I will need to take care of as well as airfare to get to and from and to cover emergency expenses. The Harers and I are planning on crossing the border into Mexico on the 4th of May, 2006. Please be in prayer for all of us while we prepare to go into the mission field, they for the long haul and me for the short. I would love to hear from you all and answer any questions that you may have!

Grace and Peace,

Jodi

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