The Greatest is Charity

In early January, I noticed that I was not seeing out of my right eye clearly. It was subtle at first and then it started to appear as if I was looking through a dirty or foggy window. I attributed it to the lens that was placed in my right eye about ten years ago when they removed a cataract; I knew at some point this may need replacement. At the end of January, I went off to Jacksonville, NC to see my youngest son off to Japan. During this trip I realized that the upper left corner of my right eye was black. I had not noticed this until I had covered my left eye in the mirror.  My left eye was compensating for my right eye. 

After returning from my trip I went to the eye doctor. They quickly discovered that I had a horseshoe tear in my retina. This required immediate surgery or I would lose my eyesight. I had vitrectomy surgery on February 9^th which involved the use of microscopic cutting instruments to remove vitreous gel and scar tissue inside the eye. The fluid that created the retinal detachment was then drained through the existing tear, thereby reattaching the retina. A temporary gas bubble was then injected in the eye to hold the retina to the eye wall. The gas bubble is slowly absorbed over 6 weeks, while the vitreous cavity fills with fluid normally produced by the eye. Recovery has involved laying on my right cheek 50% of the day and throughout the night for the first two weeks. If all goes according to the doctors plan I should regain eyesight after about six weeks when the gas bubble has dissipated.

During recovery I have had a lot of time to reflect and spend with my Lord. What came to mind specifically was 1 Corinthians 13:12 “For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known.” 

In this world, we do not always see things clearly and we only see part of the picture, as if seeing through a dirty window. However, in heaven we shall see Him and His plan clearly, free from obscurity, and without error! We think and assume things that are not always true and accurate. When you have placed your faith in the Lord Jesus Christ we immediately become a child of God and have a new nature.  However, our spiritual maturity in Christ is not immediate. Hence the preceding verse in 1 Corinthians 13:11 states “When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things.” All the childish things will be done away with the moment we are in His presence. In this world, we tend to respond and act to what we see in the twilight and through dimness. God wants us to see the bigger picture through His lenses. I am so thankful God gave us His word, the Holy Scriptures, to guide us “Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.” (Psalm 119:105)  The Bible helps us achieve spiritual maturity when we are in His word daily, obeying, submitting, serving, and most of all, giving self sacrificing love, which is the key to spiritual maturity.  Hence the proceeding verse in 1 Corinthians 12:13 “And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity.” If you want to know the Lord, seek Him, read His Word, and He will reveal Himself to you. However, until we get to Heaven, we will not fully see God without obscurity in all His perfection and the absolute essence of love. For GOD is LOVE!  

I am beyond grateful for the talented doctors and staff who have treated and cared for me. I am especially thankful for all the prayers that have been said on my behalf.  Please continue to pray for my recovery as follows: the gas bubble will naturally dissipate, the gas bubble seals and attaches the eye wall to the retina, my eye pressure would stable off,  and that I regain complete eyesight in my right eye.

A parent dies. Friends part. Your husband dies unexpectedly. A brother dies. Friends move or die. Life is full of change and this often means beginning again. Noah experienced this in an extreme way. In Genesis 6:5-8 we learn that God brought a destructive flood because of the wickedness of man and their evil imagination. Noah was directed by God, after years of building the ark and being mocked, to get on board the ark, as seen in Genesis 7. God closed that door on him and his family! Noah listened to the rain fall and heard the screams of people drowning, and yet, he trusted God in the midst of the flood!

When God wipes the slate clean, He is thorough. Sometimes, God in His great mercy leaves a well-planned foundation to help us begin again (especially true when we obey His guidance and direction). After the rains “God remembered Noah, and every living thing…in the ark” Genesis 8:1. God never forgot Noah on that ark and God will not forget you! God hears the cry of His people in pray and Psalm 25 is a great example if you want God’s blessing in your life. God is perfect, wise and loving in and through His omnipotence.

Even after the torrent subsided, it took months for the mountaintops to become visible to Noah and his family. Changes in life can be abrupt, catastrophic and trials often involve waiting with a great deal of uncertainty. Can you imagine being on that ark? I don’t know about you, but at times, I can only see the storm that surrounds me. It can be difficult to be patient when people are rude, inconsiderate, misunderstand, or are desperately trying to hold on to something in order to control their lives! We can all tend to do this at times; instead we need to remember to trust God, pray, let go, and ahh… yes peace again.

Noah released a raven and later sent a dove out three times at seven day intervals as noted in Genesis 8:6-12. Finally the dove brought back an olive leaf to Noah (v.11) Olive trees have an excellent root system, enabling them to survive in difficult environments; however, they require much care and attention to grow well (this is one reason for the Olive Tree in our Logo). You want to recover from a dramatic experience, trial, loss, or maybe even failure? For me, being rooted in the bedrock of Christ’s precious cleansing power and a daily walk with Him is where He tends to my life (and yours too, if you allow HIM)!

Second chances can be cause for both hope and sorrow. One may not be able to perfectly reconcile God’s justice or His mercy; however, if you allow Him to grow you, this spiritual maturity will increase your peace. How about you, are your growing, being pruned, or starting over? “Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples”John 15:8. We are all at different stages of life and sometimes this requires pruning and sometimes starting over. You can embrace what God has for you and grow; or you can desperately try to hold onto what is not yours to begin with and have no peace.

The year “2022” has come to a close and I do not know where it went.  It was met with a lot of changes and continued grief for us as a family working through the loss of my husband, Jeffery.  As we hit the road on deputation, I saw God moving in my heart as well as in my daughter’s lives.  Many times they responded to the Word of God as HE continued to deepen my own trust, reliance and faith in Him.  Back in 2020 Jeff & I did not completely understand what the Lord was doing. I am so thankful that we obeyed the Lord’s calling to start Rahab Refuge Ministries.  It is easier to understand when you look back now and see the Lord’s guiding hand (obedience always brings blessings).  No doubt, this year will be filled with more changes, but one thing I know for sure, soon we will hear the trump of God “For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God; and the dead in Christ shall rise first; then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.  Wherefore comfort one another with these words.” 1 Thes. 4:16-18.

When I was encouraged to write this blog for the ministry website, I thought it should be more about the issues of trafficking. This year as I continue this journey, I am going to share more of what is on my heart, my life, and the challenges I face as a single mother, pastors’ widow, homeschooling, and full time ministry work as President of Rahab Refuge Ministries. So hop on board and follow this blog as we face 2023 raw and real!  

Many victims of human sex trafficking are young teens, runaways, foster children and/or groomed on social media by a perpetrator with false promises to lure their potential victim. The New York State Legislature is on the precipice of legalizing prostitution. Ask yourself: how will this help those who are in forced prostitution and being trafficked? It will NOT; it will only make the bad perpetrators (traffickers) more bold, more prolific, have no criminal repercussions, and result in more victims (our children). The criminal prosecution of the perpetrators of sex trafficking and forced prostitution must remain as a criminal offense on New York State laws and be enforced! Here is a recent audio article by WNYC News with an advocate pushing for full legalization of the sex trade and that it is a viable job (this is far from the truth). This would result in the trafficker, pimp, brothel owner, and the solicitor (person buying sex from the victim) not being prosecuted. It would create more forced prostitution, trafficking, and brothels in NY due to the tremendous revenue it would generate. I do not support this type of legislation! Then you hear from an employee at Covenant House (a shelter for teens in NYC) who is advocating that these laws should NOT be decriminalized based on her first hand experience. The audio is only 7 minutes and I highly encourage you to listen to the audio and write your legislator. To me it is a no brainier; let’s protect victims and not the bad actors!

I am not big on Big Government and creating more laws! These most recent eight bills just signed by Governor Hochul are ones I do appreciate and I believe a no brainier. Gov. Kathy Hochul signed a package of eight bills at the end of July to require information about human trafficking and ways to help victims be prominently featured as information cards and signs in places victims are taken the most often. Those include airports, bus terminals, hotels and truck stops. The new legislation will also increase human trafficking awareness training for employees in those industries.

These types of prominently displayed signs DO help victims when they are being transported by their traffickers. I am pleased that New York is starting to make some progress in helping victims but they have a long way to go. Currently, NY state scores a big fat F on their report card from Shared Hope International at https://reportcards.sharedhope.org/newyork/D on the minimum fabric of laws needed to address child sex trafficking. Additionally, NY state received a big D from the Polaris Project at https://polarisproject.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/2019-CriminalRecordRelief-NewYork.pdf on their criminal record relief for survivors.

It is important that you know the signs of trafficking. I’m not an advocate for bars or drinking; however, I am an advocate for training. Christie Foster, a bar tender, versed herself on the signs of trafficking and it resulted in identifying a victim in the bar where she works, see https://spectrumlocalnews.com/nys/central-ny/news/2022/08/09/bartenders-in-new-york-train-to-spot-human-trafficking.

You can educate yourself very quickly by watching a free video sponsored by Safe House Project at https://www.iamonwatch.org/. Additionally, if you are a health care worker you can educate yourself in a short amount of time at https://www.safehouseproject.org/healthcare. Here are some basic signs of trafficking:

• Does the person appear disconnected from family, friends, community organizations, or houses of worship?
• Has a child stopped attending school?
• Has the person had a sudden or dramatic change in behavior?
• Is a juvenile engaged in commercial sex acts?
• Is the person disoriented or confused, or showing signs of mental or physical abuse?
• Does the person have bruises in various stages of healing?
• Is the person fearful, timid, or submissive?
• Does the person show signs of having been denied food, water, sleep, or medical care?
• Is the person often in the company of someone to whom he or she defers? Or someone who seems to be in control of the situation, e.g., where they go or who they talk to?
• Does the person appear to be coached on what to say?
• Is the person living in unsuitable conditions?
• Does the person lack personal possessions and appear not to have a stable living situation?
• Does the person have freedom of movement? Can the person freely leave where they live? Are there unreasonable security measures?

Make a difference, take 15-20 minutes to educate yourself; maybe you will be able to help someone who desperately needs to be set free from bondage and suffering!

With the year coming to a close we are already looking forward to what 2022 has in store. One event we are already planning will be our 1^st Annual Festival of Trees in November 2022, to raise funds for our residential program.  We are seeking donations of Christmas Trees, lights, ornaments and other decorations for this event. The fully decorated trees will be auctioned at the event. We have established a Rahab Refuge Amazon Donation List.  You can donate by making a purchase off of the Amazon donation list to help defray costs for this fund raising event. Here is the link to the donation list https://a.co/bqyFXiC.

If you are an avid shopper on Amazon you can also be donating regularly to Rahab Refuge Ministries at no cost to you by connecting our Amazon Smile Account. Make a difference in 2022 just by taking a little time to add our charity link https://smile.amazon.com/ch/85-3291167

There are only three days left to 2021 and still time to make your end of the year donation.  We still have a matching grant for all donations being given up to $5,000.  Double your donation and get a tax deduction before the end of 2021 expires.  Thank you for all that you do to support our ministry and we cannot wait for what the next year has in store for us.