Thursday, March 25, 2010

Andrew's return home and off to school

Andrew returns home to lots of happenings and welcome from all his family. He attends a tent meeting not exactly meaning to and later finds a thirst for God's word. He begins to read the bible, go to church and allow it to.. in a way consume him. Some friends and family who don't understand worry about him and don't want him to burn him self out or they believe it's just because of the war that he acts the way he does. Andrew finally comes to a time where he prays, "Lord, if you will show me the way, I will follow you. Amen."



After Andrew prays this prayer he share with his friend Kees and others in the village. Kees and him end up attending a Revival where they were called by the pastor to become missionaries. Andrew wasn't sure what got into him or caused him to do it but they started reaching out to those nearest in Witte. He gets a job at a local factory and happens to run into Corrie van Dam, the girl that invited him to the tent revival back when he was in the hospital. They began to work as a team of missionaries at the factory. Helping the women that worked there. The first conversion that Andrew ever saw was a woman named Greetje all because he followed God's will in his conversation with her. Soon after he was promoted and his boss even agreed with his missionary work in the factory. But this work was not all Andrew wanted and decided to finish his schooling. But there seemed to be several roadblocks in Andrew attending school. One day while deep in prayer Andrew finally realized what his problem had been. He admitted that he was always saying Yes to God but saying, "Yes, but I'm not educated. Yes, but I'm lame." Andrew realized he was going to tell God Yes no matter what. The moment Andrew stood up from this prayer and affirmation, he received a miraculous healing in his ankle. And since then it has never bothered him since.

Andrew hit a few more would be roadblocks in his attempt to go to school but he decided to trust God and follow anyway. Andrew got on a train and went off to London to a school he hadn't even been accepted to at the time. Just as he had been told there was nothing available such was the case when he arrived. But God opened other doors to prepare him for when it was his time to attend. Andrew tells us several stories of his time at the Hopkins home and how he was learning to trust God in all things. He went on to school and had to face this even more. He had to completely depend on God to provide for his tuition, his daily needs and even a cake once. God did a work on Andrew that molded him into the person God needed him to be, completely dependable on God.

The stories that Andrew tells us during these chapters in the book are remarkable one after another and not uncommon either. I have heard similar stories before from the person who gets the check in the mail right when the power was due. Or the free bag of groceries right when the last can in the pantry had been eaten. God does provide. He may not provide as fast as we would like him or in the way we would think is best but if we place our complete trust in him he will come through. He is God our Provider. Will you trust in him in all things?

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