This is short history of which we were only tools and bit players in the infinite scheme of events....as God can move the world as He did with the birth of His son, he moves in our lives as well...
In the eighties we were concerned with gold production in Nevada, there was a slump and money was tight. We had our only call for a late mortgage payment....But, we felt moved to pray to become debt free. We had no way and saw no way that that was possible. We wanted to buy the piece of ground in Lamoille and fulfill our dream of building a new home on acreage where our children could have animals...and as long as we were in debt, we felt we couldn't, in good conscience, do that...
But, God intervened and made it possible. We sold one of the pieces of mining ground for the amount to pay off the debt, buy the ground and pay for a new house, if we really a watched every dollar ....Grandpa decker gave us a cedar tree to cut up for the interior finish, a lumber store went out of business and we were able to purchase the lumber as reduced rates, as well as other money saving things at the time ...
But, on another plane, we were concerned about the body of believers of which we were apart. Legalism was becoming more and more apparent and we felt we needed to break from that body. God provided a way to do that as well, when Don's mom needed help in Oregon, as well as an opportunity for Don to attend Western Conservative Baptist Seminary in Portland...
Instead of the two year absence we planned, we stayed 9 years...seeing our children blossom while attending a multi-denomination Christian school, caring for his mother, working on her family book, running the Nevada - based business, and eventually building another new home in Oregon. Dad was, however, hitting a wall. He had SAD from the perpetual gray weather which led to the necessity of taking antidepressants as well as u recognized grieving from the death of his mother and brother...we needed to return to sunny Nevada...
While all of. this was taking place, we were attending Northwest Hills Church...which had a vibrant Sunday school, women's ministry, small group program and consistently supported short term and long term missionaries...along with being involved with local ministries...one of those was the beginnings of Church of the Valley, which met periodically for prayer and song worship .....
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Shortly after deciding to return to Nevada, I remember attending one of the Church of the valley events. I dreaded that return so much as there had been considerable emotional church abuse and cult-like control that I felt it was to return to prison...I was crying as we sang, praying that Elko would open up to a similar revival with churches actually working together for the good of the community ....
We did return and opportunities for service for dad and I opened up to our greatest involvement and some of of our greatest hurts in the church...but in the ensuing years, evangelical pastors actually got together and prayed for one another, worked together in community wide projects..and the bonus was that now, in 2015, they get together at the Young Life building...a building we gave to Young life to service the youth of Elko...and now serves as a neutral spot for pastors to come together ....how God works is so amazing...I sit back in awe and wonder...to be a minute part of His plan in this one town...vision carried on from one person to another and another and yet another...orchestrated by the Creator of the Universe...
Thank YOU for a tiny glimpse of the tapestry in which You have woven our lives...
Psalm 42:8, 11 By day the Lord directs his love,at night his song is with me—a prayer to the God of my life.
Why, my soul, are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God,for I will yet praise him,my Savior and my God.
Psalm 65:2-5, 8 You who answer prayer,to you all people will come. When we were overwhelmed by sins,you forgave our transgressions.
Blessed are those you choose and bring near to live in your courts! We are filled with the good things of your house, of your holy temple.
You answer us with awesome and righteous deeds,God our Savior,the hope of all the ends of the earth and of the farthest seas,
The whole earth is filled with awe at your wonders; where morning dawns, where evening fades,you call forth songs of joy.
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