Letters from Texas

We received such a surprise in the mail this past week. 55 letters from fellow Brothers and Sisters at First Baptist Church Andrews, Texas arrived in a small flat-rate Priority Mail box. What an encouragement they were to us as we read each one, and each one reminding us that we truly are one body in Christ. Now, even though I (Janae) am from Texas, I haven't been to this church nor do I know any of its members. However, this effort of love is testimony of a church without walls, a bond that stretches across the ocean from Texas to Prilep, Macedonia. Praise the Lord He does not leave us in this battle alone!
One of the letters came from Pastor Clayton, who had found our blog and emailed us to introduce himself and ask for our address. Here is what he wrote in his letter we have just received:
"Dear Spencer, Janae, and Kate,
Our church is praying individually and corporately that your ministry in macedonia will be richly blessed by the Lord. I am the youth minister here at our church and I have traveled to many foreign countries on short-term mission trips. Each one of our youth are reading about your story and you are an inspiration to us all. Love the Lord with all your heart and live it out!
In Christ,
Clayton"
What a blessing, to have a youth minister that is instilling in the hearts of our youth the importance of missions and of prayer! For those of you who know us, you know that Spencer and I have such a big heart for youth...now instead of ministering to them, they are ministering to us. What a joy!
One of the letters which really stood out was printed in black ink and not signed. This is what it stated:
"Thank you for everything you're doing in your service to the Lord. Know that we are praying for you and that you are not alone in your missions. You have God and a whole church behind. So again thank you."
These letters couldn't have arrived at a better time, as I had been in and out of the doctors' offices, had blood work done, and had to travel to the capital city to see a specialist. The doctor has diagnosed me with Hashimoto's Thyroiditis, for which I will be treated a year and a half. As a part of this disease, I literally feel as if I am running marathons back to back, no matter the level of difficulty of activity, be it walking down the street or sleeping at night. Feeling kind of down about this news, we were really in need of encouragement. Isn't God good? He knew exactly what we needed! We give thanks to God for our Brothers and Sisters in Andrews, Texas. We hope that one day we will be able to meet you and thank you in person for your letters. May God bless you all.