God Speaks

We were restless. Mike owned a successful landscape company, our kids  brought us great joy and drove us crazy; we enjoyed being active in our church and doing community outreaches, but we felt as if there was something more for us. We talked about going to a YWAM Crossroads Mission School in Hawaii. This was the only base that offered an academic education for our children. In Hawaii, we would receive missionary training on the base while our children were in school just a few buildings away. So we talked about it. Actually, we laughed about it!  Go to Hawaii for missionary training? Yeah, right! Imagine telling our friends that we were going to receive training under a palm tree on a Pacific island!  Still, we decided to pray about it.

We prayed a short, but serious prayer for direction. Jokingly, Mike said it would take three angels or signs to convince him to go to Hawaii. We found out God has a sense of humor. The first response came so quickly! A close friend from Texas called Mike early the next morning. He said he was awakened to pray for us and he felt we were to go to “some school” in Hawaii. We were shocked! No one knew about Hawaii but us, and no one knew we prayed!  A few days later, a relative contacted us for the first time in two years. She and her husband had just returned from Maui. Because of problems with their flight, she had two free tickets to Hawaii to be used within the next year. Mike and I were astounded!  Could this be God answering our prayer? Needless to say, we were stressed! How would we leave our beautiful home for months, abandon a thriving business, and finance a family trip for four to Hawaii? Our stress caused doubt and arguing. At one point, Mike said that he would need an angel from God to come and directly speak to him. I sat quietly on the couch, wondering what would happen. Mike grabbed the TV remote and turned on an episode of Full House for our kids. The first words we heard were “C’mon everyone! We’re going to Hawaii!” Our mouths dropped open in disbelief. This was not an angel, but the words and the timing were too loud to ignore. 

All throughout the Bible, God communicates to people in different ways. He used a burning bush to get the attention of Moses, Joseph had dreams, Elijah heard a still small voice, God used a prophet to correct David, an angel visited Mary, and a bright, blinding light helped change Saul into the apostle Paul. One of the strangest Bible stories involves a talking animal! In the Old Testament, a prophet named Balaam is riding on his donkey to a place called Moab. The donkey keeps veering off the path, and Balaam beats it three times. After the third beating, the animal refuses to move. The Bible says the Lord opened the donkey’s mouth. The donkey says, “What have I done to you to make you beat me these three times?” Then God opened Balaam’s eyes to see an angel with a sword that was blocking the way. No wonder the donkey refused to go forward! God used an angel and an animal to communicate his instructions to Balaam.

In February of 2004, our family started a new adventure in Kona, Hawaii. It was scary, difficult, and challenging in many ways. It was also life changing! In the middle of our self-projected journey, God asked us to do a u-turn.  The decision to attend YWAM’s Crossroads Discipleship Training School propelled our lives in a new trajectory and prepared our hearts for what we are doing today at The 180 Center. God longs to speak to us and He will use anything and everything to do so. Adventure awaits all who dare to listen to His voice! Are you listening?