The passing of years can seem to be a long time or only a few days — it’s all in perspective. Looking at the rocks and mesas surrounding Immanuel Mission evidence of many years of God’s use of His creation is seen in the scouring and shifting sands. Yet -

It seems only a few days ago that there were worry lines on the face of a wife who never knew the delight of being submissive to her husband. She has been brought up in the tradition of the matriarch — the woman makes the decisions and leads. God is doing His work and is using the truth of His Word to scour away the worry lines and replace them with wrinkles of joy as she looks with respect to her husband and he returns to her his look of love. Thank you God for the sands of time that you allow to trickle through Your fingers for the benefit of Your chosen ones.

And then there was the shy and quiet Navajo man whose eyes reflected the gleam of fear each time he was to speak aloud. Just as we experience new vision after the cloud of dirt, debris, and sand of this earth settle following a violent storm, now he too has the new vision of the Lord. With the confidence of Christ as his Savior, his eyes not on his shyness, but instead on the glory of the risen Savior, he can speak openly and without hesitation of what God is doing in His life. Thank you God that Your sand of time is doing it’s work.

These are some of the changes that we, Dave and Leona Douglas, have been privileged to witness in 16 years as staff at Immanuel Mission. And now the sands of time are causing changes for us personally. God has shown us that it is time to leave Immanuel Mission and He desires to shift us to a new area and move us on to the next thing He has for us. At the end of this school term we will be going from full time support work — bus mechanic/maintenance worker and bookkeeper — to full time retirement work. — discipleship and nurturing of those He puts in our lives and our grandchildren as well. As our grandchildren are located in the Pacific Northwest that is where we will be heading.

Verses He has given us come from Deuteronomy 33:18-19 NASV — “…Rejoice, Zebulun, (Dave) in your going forth, (from Immanuel Mission into the unknown of My choosing) and, Issachar, (Leona) in your tents, (our 12′ slide-in camper parked just wherever He leads). They shall call peoples to the mountain; (to Christ as their personal Savior) there they shall offer righteous sacrifices ; (worship of God and God alone) for they shall draw out the abundance of the seas, (those we encounter in the seas of the Pacific NW) and the hidden treasures of the sand.” (as already shared above).

It is with trust and trepidation that we embark upon this new “Sierra” in our lives. We are trusting God for His leading, yet somewhat like Moses — “What if they will not believe me, or listen to what I say…” and His answer is still the same — “I, even I, will be with your mouth, and teach you what you are to say.” Thank You, God, that even though we see the shifting of the sands of earth and the resulting changes, You are changeless. You are the same yesterday, today, and forever.

After initially receiving counsel from the leading men in our commending assembly, that we should prayerfully consider other options for next year, I found myself wrestling with the question, “What was the point of the time we’ve spent here at Immanuel Mission?” Why would God bring us out here for four years, and then have us leave?

I have had a month or two to ponder the question, and the only response I can firmly come up with is, “Sanctification.” Through the working of the Spirit, and by God’s grace we have grown. Perhaps this growth has been quite obvious to onlookers in some areas, and perhaps not so obvious in others. In some small measure though, I feel that our loving Heavenly Father brought us here to further transform us into the image of his Son.

He knew it would take a remote place like Immanuel Mission to take us out of our comfort zones, to begin to teach us dependence on Him alone. It took stripping us of a regular salary, insurance, etc., to begin to teach us to seek first His Kingdom, resting on Him to add all other things to us. It took the removing of the illusion that we have control over our lives, to begin to teach us that obedience to, and an active seeking of His will, resting in His goodness and sovereignty, are where true security, joy, and blessing are found. Can I say that our tenure in Sweetwater, Arizona, has been a smashing missionary success, with scores being won to the Lord through our service here? No, I cannot. I can however attest, that God has given us the opportunity to sow and water, especially amongst the young people in the community, and that fruitfulness lies with him. We felt the Lord’s hand leading us here, and likewise we feel Him leading us away. We trust that He does not, and will not lead us into pointless ventures.

All that being said, my family and I would like to thank all of you for your prayer and support over the last four years. We have prayed much about it, and are taking the counsel we have received as from the Lord. The future is a bit murky at present, but we trust the Lord will bring His desire for us into further clarity as the school year begins to draw to a close.