Full Obedience

I have to begin this post by saying God is ALWAYS faithful.
I will start a few months back. One of Rhesa’s coworkers told her about an education mission trip to Nicaragua, and knowing that I, Robert, was both pastor and certified teacher, she thought I might be interested. Rhesa told me about the trip, and I was able to get in contact with the gentleman in charge. As I contacted the man, I quickly realized that I had met him before, while trying to help one of the teens from our church. This man was the principal at the teen’s school. As we met and talked, and he shared the idea and mission behind this educational mission trip, a trip for educators to help train local teachers, I got excited and thought it would be great. Then reality set in. How in the world was I going to go? The trip cost was a total of about $1500. While this really is reasonable price, the reality was I did not have it. I felt like God was asking me to go, but could not see how. Well, through some donors, the Lord provided the way, and what I could not do in several months, the Lord literally did in a matter of days!!! It was amazing to watch. So now I was prepared to go, my way was provided. Well, as Rhesa and I had been praying, and sensing the Lord speaking, we knew that a move was in our future. We, well really I, Robert, had begun to lay out a plan. We would work until summer and then move in June, once the kids were out of school. Remember, those were my plans. Rhesa went ahead and applied for a job at a Children’s hospital in El Paso that was opening in February. On her application her available start date was June, again our plans. Well, little did we know that things were about to change faster than we thought or maybe even comfortable with, cause after all, it wasn’t “my” plan. The hospital in El Paso contacted Rhesa. They had received her application, and wanted her to work in their PICU, the only thing was they wanted her in February before the hospital opened. So, already knowing that El Paso was where the Lord was leading us to work with the Nazarene Border Initiative, we recognized that while we had our plans, the Lord had his. Rhesa accepted the offer, and off we went.
Okay, so now we know we are moving in February, but realized that Rhesa had to start on the 6th. This meant that we had to be moved to El Paso before that, so now we are talking January. WHAT!!!!! When I realized what this meant, I worried. This meant that I would be out of country for a week, then be back a week, only to have to move. I could not think of leaving my family for a week, right before we had to move. I came to Rhesa and told her that I had decided to cancel my mission trip. Now here is the real reason I am writing this post! Let me say, that I always prayed for a wife, not only who had a call to missions, and spoke Spanish, but that was independent enough to move forward even in my temporary absence. Don’t get me wrong, we need each other, for we provide strength, encouragement, and love to one another, but my wife is not the kind of lady who is going to sit back and act like the world is coming to an end because her husband is not home. Okay so back to the fact that I had decided not to go to my trip. I told Rhesa about my decision, and with a still small voice, she said, “ honey, you have to go. God has given me peace about this, and you have to go.” WHAT!!! Did she realize what this meant? It meant that she would have to do most of the packing and getting rid of things by herself not to mention care for the kids. My heart was heavy and I asked her if she realized all of this. She said she did, and again repeated that God had given her peace, I was to GO.
The day came for my departure, and I worried and prayed for her over and over. I asked God to give her strength and peace. As I worked in Nicaragua, providing training and workshops for local teachers, my wife cared for our three kids and packed up a whole house. She is an AMAZING woman!!!! It is not every woman who would let her husband go for a week to train teachers, and especially not right before a big move, and especially not when it means she will be packing up house. God has blessed me beyond measure. Not only is Rhesa an incredible wife, mother, and nurse, more importantly, her daily desire is to listen to and follow God’s voice.
This post is to honor the wife God has given me and to express my love and appreciation toward her. I love you Rhesa and count myself a very blessed man. Your love for God is amazing and contagious. May God continue to use you, and may I continue to have the extreme privilege to have you as my wife and mother of my children!

Love YOU
Robert.