An Open Door...

More than I would like to admit the phrase “God opened the door” comes out of my mouth. That phrase itself is not bad. In fact, it is good. It is acknowledging that God is at work rather than me. More of Him and less of me is a great thing!

In the last few weeks something strange has happened. Countless conversations have turned to the topic of “God opening doors.” The odd part is how a few friends and I started to see that there seems to be a hidden expectation with the meaning of this phrase. As we were talking, we all kind of had a moment of “Huh? Wonder why that is.”  For me, that moment has continued for over a week now. For some reason I cannot stop thinking about how an open door does not mean walking through will be smooth or painless.

Some how the idea that when God opens a door in our lives, whatever is on the other side will be easier than where we are now. Not sure how or why, but many, including myself hold on to hope of this unrealistic expectation. Yes, God is good and desires the best for us! 

Jeremiah 29:11 For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

 John 3:16 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

Psalm 52:8  But I am like an olive tree
    flourishing in the house of God;
I trust in God’s unfailing love
    for ever and ever.

God is not anything if not loving.  But I think we have forgotten one key aspect. We have forgotten about someone that seeks to have power and influence over us. We have forgotten about the enemy.

Now, please, understand I do not want to give credit to the devil. But, face it, he is good at what he does! We have forgotten he is free and roaming this earth.  I believe  that has led us to think an open door means golden roads ahead.

Personally, I can look back at my life and see where I assumed there was going to be golden roads ahead when God opened a door in my life. And more over, I can tell you how many times I have been sorely mistaken. The lack of golden or easy roads on the other side of the door has never meant God did not open the door, but it hasn’t been a cakewalk! The thing I have been learning is God opens the doors in our lives and when we have the faith and trust to walk through them, the enemy panics.  Through the Lord’s strength, the fears of walking through the door did not hold us back, so his first strategy failed. So he goes on the attack!

The enemy understands that because we were obedient to the Lord, mountains are about to move. Lives are going to be changed and he will do what he can, even when he knows he will fail, to de-rail us. He makes the steps we take after crossing the threshold feel like we are under fire. Here we thought it was going to be a bed of roses because the Lord opened the door for us. Hate to spoil the ending for ya but, GOD WINS. 

 1 Samuel 17:47  All those gathered here will know that it is not by sword or spear that the Lord saves; for the battle is the Lord’s, and he will give all of you into our hands.”

The Lord wins every time. So when we are hitting the deck to avoid the attacks of the enemy we need to remember who has ALREADY won the war.  We need to stand strong and fight back with God’s word and TRUTH. We have nothing to fear. The Lord of angel armies is on our side.

Exodus 15:6  Your right hand, Lord,
    was majestic in power.
Your right hand, Lord,
    shattered the enemy.

Now I do realize it is much easier said than done. Our human nature tells us to duck or run away. So now my prayer is for us to be strong and realistic when God opens a door.  Praying for the Holy Spirit to instill peace and passion into us so we do not hit the deck but stand strong. Stand strong knowing God has already one the war!

Speaking of Africa

I have been back a month now.  Already spoken at two churches and seen many friends and supporters. Can you guess the number one question I am asked?! Been gone for a while.....so it make sense people want to know "How was Africa?"

This is a hard question to answer. Hard to answer because there is a lot I could reply with, just never sure who wants to hear what. Everyone wants to hear I am good and God is amazing (like He always is) but not everyone wants to hear about the hard and dark days. Often people do not even really want to the truth. It is the same thing when people ask you "how are you," as you pass them in the hall at work.  You say "good" or maybe even "fine" but in the back of your mind you are thinking "do you really want to know how I am?"

Come on.....you know what I am talking about. Everyone has been asked the question and then formulated a response that they thought the other  person wanted to hear. To be fair I was like this when I lived in the States. Yup, asking "how are you," is what you say was you pass people you know.

Here is where it gets hard for me. For a year and a half I have been in a culture where you stop and talk to people. No matter if you are late for work, a meeting, or whatever you STOP and chat with people you pass.Time is not what is important, it is more the relationship with the person you are talking with that takes precedent. Time is spent with others thinking about them, not about how much time has passed.

Some of you are thinking how odd it is to stop where ever you are to chat with someone. Some are even passing judgement, because time is valuable.  Trust me I once thought the same way. Over time and learning more about Ugandans and the heart of my heavenly father I come to see things in a new light. There is a phrase I have learned and say daily in Africa, it just might help with this. "It is not right or wrong, it is just different." Without understanding why something is done or not done how can anyone make a judgement call?  You can't. You would be assuming, and we all know what happens when you assume.

This is a lesson the Lord has taught me over the years and now as I am back in the States for a while; I have to re-learn this lesson with in American culture.  So, I often take a breath and pray when someone asks me "how was Africa?" Not because I am tired of being asked that questions but more so to invite the Holy Spirit to come and give me words. I do not want to answer as others want me to. I pray I answer as the Lord is asking me to. To be honest and open about what He is doing in Africa. 

Lord,
I ask you help me never open my mouth to speak about Africa without your words in my mouth. Please touch my heart when it is time be still and wait on your for answers. Give me the answers you know other people need to hear, even if they do not want to hear it. May you also tell me when to shut up! I pray everyone will be genuine and honest when they ask others "how are you." Help me to care less about time and more about my brothers and sisters. Help me do this here in the States as well as Uganda. Thank you Lord to loving me and taking your time with me! -Amina

Faces I have missed...

Hard to believe it has been one month, one month back in the great state of California. 

God is so good. He knows me more than I ever could and speaks to me in ways that just touch my soul! Over the last month there have been countless moments of sweet reunions. There have also been moments of pure and utter laughter! You know, the kind that makes you cry and almost pee your paints.....yes there has been much of that.


Thank you for all your prayers as I did make the transition to the States from Uganda. I will be honesty and I am not 100% comfortable here but it is blessed time. Learning and growing, trusting and surrendering.

Here are just some of the faces I have missed but are apart of my daily life for the next two months. I am one blessed girl!

Keri and I enjoying chatting, sunshine, and good friends!

Erik and I goofing off at my Birthday Party!

Jaylee Ann ready to take a ride with Auntie Cass

Beth and Erik making me laugh!

Faith, Hope, and LOVE

Life in Africa is hard. Often things happen and we wonder and pray. Someday we hope to understand but until then we have faith in God's master plan. We also walk in the true love and freedom.

“Look at the nations and watch—
    and be utterly amazed.
For I am going to do something in your days
    that you would not believe,    even if you were told. Habakkuk 1:5

¹¹ For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Jeremiah 29:11

When I started with AIM I was blessed to spend three weeks with over 30 adults and 15 children. We all learned more about life in Africa, missions, the African would view, and more. So many firsts were shared together and life long bonds were created. 

 ¹³ But it is you, a man like myself,
    my companion, my close friend,
¹⁴ with whom I once enjoyed sweet fellowship
    at the house of God,
as we walked about
    among the worshipers. Psalm 55:13-14

My fun ABO crew!

Julie Gennaro and I at our last ABO dinner!

One family I loved spending time with was the Gennaro Family. They answered the Lord's call to live along the people in the hills of Losatho in southern Africa. This amazing family of eight packed up and said goodbye to Sunny San Diego and headed off to the cool windy hills of one of the smallest African countries. They came to work with a vocational training center in a small village. Chris, the father, has indescribable skills in dress making and tailoring. Whether cracking jokes with Chris and his lovely wife, Michelle, having a sleep over with their three daughters, or running around outside with their three boys I LOVED being with this family. They truly love the Lord and seek Him in all they do. Each child is growing more and more into the person the Lord has created them to be with loving and supporting parents. 

One of the CRAZY Gennaro boys!

Can you tell I love this family?! Well I do. This morning I could not help but lift this family up in prayer. With tears in my eyes I learned that last night Chris went to be with Jesus. The family was blessed to say goodbye and be by his side. After a heart attack and three weeks in a South African ICU, the Lord called His faithful servant home. Please lift this family up in prayer as they grieve the loss of a husband and father. We have HOPE that this family will see God's loving hand in this dark season. We have FAITH that God's plan will bring Him glory for the Gennaro's obedience and work in Africa. We ask that the LOVE this family has for the Lord will be a testimony for all to see.

⁴ because we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love you have for all God’s people— ⁵ the faith and love that spring from the hope stored up for you in heaven and about which you have already heard in the true message of the gospel ⁶ that has come to you. In the same way, the gospel is bearing fruit and growing throughout the whole world—just as it has been doing among you since the day you heard it and truly understood God’s grace. Colossians 1:4-6 

With a sad heart I say goodbye but with a hopeful spirit I rejoice with the heavens as they welcome Chris home!

10 More Days...

A face I will miss!

Sweet little WOO HOO man!

In just 10 days I will be landing in California. It is so hard to believe that almost 2 years has gone by. As the anticipation of 3 months at home becomes a reality I can not help but think of all the people I have missed. At the same time I am started to see how much I will miss Uganda, even more my Ugandan family. Oh, the life the Lord as called me to. A life of joy because of all the relationships I am blessed to have.

No matter what side of the world I am on, the Lord had given me people to call family. My Ugandan family is so sad to see me head to the States.  They are constantly asking if  I will be coming back. Just today I told a friend I was leaving in 10 days and she said "No! Three months is too long. You must come back before that!" Just as sad as my family on this side of the world is, the family on the other side is very excited. While SKYPEing with my sweet little man, I informed him it was just 12 more days and his reply was "Oh Yeah?! WOOO HOOO!"

As you could image my emotions are all mixed up at the moment. Should I feel sad? Do I feel happy?! All I know is in 10 days I say goodbye to sweet sweet friends, the part of being a missionary I will never be use to. But, in just 24 hours after these goodbyes I will be saying HELLO to people I have missed like crazy.  And in May the process will start all over again! So I am giving it to the Lord. Asking Him to allow me to feel what I need to feel while giving me peace and joy. All the while praying I do not look like a hot mess of emotions!

Holding On

Do you remember the spark?  The undeniable tugging on your heart that you were called to go, to serve, to preach, to love, and to share the good news and amazing grace of Jesus Christ?

To those abroad living out your faith in the capacity of missions, congratulations and thank you.  You are examples of what it is to walk by faith and not by sight.  You are storing up treasures in heaven where moth and rust do not destroy, where thieves do not break in and steal (Matthew 6:19-20).  Your obedience is precious in God's eyes.  There is no doubt that when your day comes to go home, you will hear His voice proudly say, "Well done, my good and faithful servant" (Matthew 25:23).

That spark turned into a blazing fire.  His Spirit in you has given you the passion to reach out to the lost and the needy for the sake of His Kingdom.  You followed His voice.  You obeyed.  For that, I admire you, and I pray for you.  So many of us here in the States are lifting you up in prayer daily.  But will you also pray for us?  Will you pray for those who have a passion for missions like you do?

Lynn heard God's calling in her college years.  She had a heart for Deaf ministry.  She learned of an American Sign Language (ASL) Bible translation project and had a desire to help translate the Bible into other sign languages around the world, as sign languages are not universal in form or in grammar.  She believed that her background in linguistics would be a good starting point for a ministry of this type.  She also desired to interpret in church settings so that the American Deaf community could have more access to church services.  She used to browse the internet looking for Deaf missions opportunities in other countries.  She dreamed with excitement and wonder at how God could use her in such settings.  What happened to the spark?

While studying ASL-English interpretation, she was afflicted with a muscular condition that caused chronic pain head to toe.  Interpreting as a career was not a plausible option.  Even talking with Deaf people left her feeling sore for hours after.  Treatments weren't curing, and hopes for healing were getting crushed bit by bit.  Even in the struggle, God did not forget her.  He blessed her with an amazing husband who supported her and never made her feel like a burden.  They wrote worship songs together that glorified God.  Lynn continued to praise God in the storm.  God gave her jobs that were within her range of expertise and physical abilities.  She loved who she worked with and always strove to shine the love of Christ to those she came in contact with.  She learned to have a missionary heart wherever she was.  Then a baby came, a little girl who she loved with all her heart.  Her little girl was her ministry.  As Lynn met other moms, they also became her ministry.  God continued to put people in her life who she could bear witness to.  All the while, dreams of being a missionary in a far off country were slowly fading.  Passions were still there, but new ones had replaced the old ones.

As for Lynn's health, new hopes in alternative medicine and healthy eating sparked her interest.  She found some relief down this path.  She continues to follow a healthy diet but sometimes makes it an idol.

In light of the miracles written of in God's word, she sought out the prayers of other Christians, particularly brothers and sisters who have gifts of healing.  She experienced eye-opening, supernatural miracles on her own body, but she never had a complete healing for her head-to-toe pain.  In her own conversations with God, it became clear to her that He would heal her in this lifetime, but in His own way and in His perfect timing.  She trusted Him, but she held on tightly to her circumstances.

Putting much faith in her organic diet and alternative healing modalities, she carried the thought, Well, it's not the right time for me to go on a missions trip.  I wouldn't have access to all the things that have helped me feel better.  I already hurt, and without these things, the pain could worsen.

A girl who had seen the power of prayer firsthand doubted God's hand of protection if she were to go abroad, out of her comfort zone, away from her simple pleasures and home remedies.  This same girl who expected God's miracle of healing was holding onto her health like it was in her hands.  God spoke to her about this matter and said this:

"Listen, O daughter, consider and give ear:
Forget your people and your father's house. 
The king is enthralled by your beauty;
Honor Him, for He is your Lord."
-Psalm 45:10-11

In her journal, Lynn wrote this in response:

Today, I heard you speak.  You asked me if I would GO.  If you were to call me to the mission field, would I be willing to go?  If you stripped away the security and comfort I have here, would I trust You to take care of me?  Would I trust You to be my daily bread?  Would I trust You to guard and preserve my health without access to my home remedies, my raw milk, and my organic food?

In asking this question, You revealed to me my idol, that which I place before Your power and sovereignty.  Who am I to put You in a box, to doubt You, when You have given me the blessing and privilege of witnessing miracles?  This is big.  This is what You've been getting at all along.  This is the fear that has been growing inside of me, and its roots go deep.  You want to uproot it, but You need me to loosen the soil around it.  You need me to loosen my grip.  You need me to walk in the authority that You have given me, authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means harm me (Luke 10:19).  For no weapon formed against me shall prosper (Isaiah 54:17).

Lord, you spoke with and interacted with lepers, those considered unclean.  In the Old Testament, we read of the laws that said to steer clear of the unclean or else reap the consequences of becoming unclean ourselves.  But Jesus, you were higher than the law.  Knowing the authority You have, You touched the eyes of lepers and healed them.  You did not contract their disease, their uncleanness, or their sin.  You made the lepers righteous and pure, healed and whole.

Christ, You live in me.  The same power that conquered the grave lives in me (Romans 8:11), and You said that Your followers would do greater things (John 14:12).  If I am truly operating on that belief, then I need not fear the food that I eat, the products I use on my body, the medicine I take, or the treatment I may receive.  The same goes for my family.  They are in Your hands, and I don't need to fear.  Fear is not of God, but perfect love casts out fear (1 John 4:18).

So God, You know that I desire to eat healthy, to live a very natural lifestyle, but most importantly, help me to live and embrace the supernatural lifestyle of love that You have called me to.

I believe that Lynn represents a great number of Christians who once desired something bigger, but circumstances of this life took them in a different direction.  It's not to say that God hasn't used them on the path they are traveling.  Indeed, He uses our circumstances and struggles to increase our faith and to increase our passion for Him.  But those circumstances and struggles should not kill the dreams that were planted by the Holy Spirit.  We hope for what we do not see (Romans 8:24-25), so who's to say that Lynn and others like her do not have missions in their future?  May God's Spirit reignite their passion, and may the power of prayer break every chain that binds them to a lifestyle lesser than what God has called them to.

To those in missions, I would ask that you pray for those of us who desire to join you on the missions field but feel inhibited by our circumstances.  We mean well, but we lack a peace that says, "It is well with my soul."  We are holding onto something.  We are waiting for God to part the seas before we step out in faith.  What we need is to step out in faith, and I believe that as we go forward, He will direct our path, part seas, and move mountains because we are seeking first His Kingdom and His righteousness (Matthew 6:33).  Dear missionaries, we are praying for you, and we thank the Lord for your faithfulness in serving Him and drawing others into the Kingdom of God. 

In closing, I'd like to turn your attention back to Psalm 45:10-11, the verse that God used to speak to Lynn.  He asked her to rewrite it in her own words, personalized to reflect her own circumstances and struggles.  I challenge you to do the same.

"Listen, O daughter, consider and give ear:
Forget your people and your father's house. 
The king is enthralled by your beauty;
Honor Him, for He is your Lord."
-Psalm 45:10-11

Here's what Lynn wrote:

Listen to me, Lynn.  Hear my voice and think about what I have to say to you:

Forget the opinions of your family members, your parents, your sisters, your husband.  Forget about the opinions of your friends and acquaintances, Christian or non-Christian.  Forget about the views that oppose yours.  Forget about the people who mock your beliefs and your faith.  Don't live in bondage to them.  Don't live to be accepted by them.  They are not your audience. 

The King is your audience, and He is enthralled by your beauty.  After all, He made you that way, and He wants to continue to embellish you and crown you with the riches of His Kingdom.  He loves you.  He receives you.  He accepts you.  He enjoys you.  He wants more and more of You.

Honor Him.  Spend time with Him.  Love Him.  Rely on Him.  Surrender Your all to Him.  Hold nothing back.  Release it all, and let Him have complete control over Your life and circumstances.  Be desperate for Him.  Trust Him to meet your EVERY need.  He is good, and His love for you endures forever.  He is your God, Yaweh, the Great I Am, the Pearl of Great Price, Jehovah Jireh, Jehovah Raphah, and He wants You.  He is love.  Embrace Him and rest in the arms of His peace which surpasses understanding.  Yes, honor Him, for He is your Lord.

Amen.

Thank you for reading, and blessings to you all.

Love,
Your Sister in Christ,
Marsha Lynn Hoyt

Keep Your Eyes Open!

I am so excited to post this news! There will be some guest bloggers coming soon!!

God has touched tuned my hears to worldwide missions.  He is doing so much outside of Africa. The world is so big and yet so small. Missions does not mean packing up and moving 1/2 way around the world. Yes, for some but God is calling each of us to be apart of what He is doing HERE and NOW!

There are amazing things happening all around us, so I am thrilled to highlight some of it. Also if you have some great stories of how God is moving, missions, and loving others contact me. I would love to hear all about it!

So, keep your eyes open....some great new posts are coming soon!