The wilderness and the solitary place shall be glad for them; and the desert shall rejoice, and blossom as the rose. It shall blossom abundantly, and rejoice even with joy and singing… they shall see the glory of the LORD, and the excellency of our God.
Strengthen ye the weak hands, and confirm the feeble knees. Say to them that are of a fearful heart, Be strong, fear not: behold, your God will come with vengeance, even God with a recompence; he will come and save you. Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped. Then shall the lame man leap as an hart, and the tongue of the dumb sing: for in the wilderness shall waters break out, and streams in the desert. And the parched ground shall become a pool, and the thirsty land springs of water: in the habitation of dragons, where each lay, shall be grass with reeds and rushes. Isaiah 35:1-7
At a time that we were supposed to receive rain last year it didn’t come. But this year, which was supposed to be exceptionally dry, the Lord has sent rain in abundance, demonstrating it is a gift from Him.
Likewise, He has been pouring out His Holy Spirit on the Mission. We announced the School of Discipleship earlier, but we didn’t get enough students to have a “normal” school, but those that were interested came anyway, along with the Myer family to teach for the three month period. Just over a week ago we started our Season of Discipleship instead, and the Lord is demonstrating His hand and direction in it. Our staff are excited to have daily classes at 10 am and nightly events.
The Mission of course is to care for those who are blind, lame, and imprisoned in bodies that don’t function fully. But along with ministering to those who have those who have those physical limitations we also minister to one another who have those same disabilities in our spirits, souls, and minds.
We never tire of getting to see Luke 7, Matthew 11, and Isaiah 35 being fulfilled in peoples lives the same way that it is always astounding to see the apparently dead, dry, and dusty land of Baja come alive when the Lord sends His rain down on it.
Having grown up in Oregon rain was an unappreciated regular fact of life that I took for granted. But in a dry land it has great significance. Having grown up in a family that is strong in the Lord I now have a greater appreciation for our Father’s gift of His Holy Spirit after seeing so many people pass through the Mission coming from dry, broken, painful backgrounds. When He rains and breathes new life in both ways it produces a beauty that is incomparable and can only be from the Holy Lord God Almighty.
He hath made every thing beautiful in his time… Ecclesiates 3:11
