2-21-2005
Dear
Friends,
Alot has
been happening here lately...... still...... :-) So this letter is full of just
miscellaneous notes and thoughts from church and from friends, but I still
hope and pray that YOu can get something out of each one too.....
I had
the coolest thing happen last Wednesday that I wanted to share with
you.....
That morning before I left
the house, God impressed on me to take my heavy winter coat with me. I didn't
need it, though it was very cold, because I was wearing my work coat, but
He said take it, so I did..... Then that evening driving home, I pass this dude
on the road hitchhiking and felt led to pull over and offer him a ride. So I
did. He did not have a coat on. He started to tell me how he had just been
fired (truck driver) and all his stuff was still in the truck but that they
wouldn't let him in where to truck was parked to get his stuff, so he just
started walking..... to Salt Lake City..... (6 hr drive). So it was pretty
obvious to me that this was my coat mission.
So I said,
"When I left the house this morning, God told me to bring my other coat
with me, but He didn't tell me why. Now I know why. Which tells me God is
trying to get your attention. Why do you think that is?" Which totally led
into a discussion, which ended with the guy rededicating his life to the Lord,
right there in my passenger seat! He asked God to forgive him for screwing up
his life. He asked God to come into his life and walk with him and help him
overcome substance abuse habits. He was crying as he just poured out some
of his hurt and anger and grief and guilt to God. It was all kinda
cool.... *soft grin*. I had also happened to grab my extra hat and gloves that
morning, and had lots of lunch with me that I hadn't eaten, all of which I gave
Him. I think God blew Him away... *gentle laughter*. But since I was not
planning to be in Boise the next day, him staying overnight with me
wasn't really an option, and I didn't feel led to offer that anyway.
So he prayed, then I prayed, and after asking God to arrange the next ride for
him on his way home to his family and children, I dropped him off back at the
freeway. Then I continued praying for him on my own way home.
Neat, eh?
And the
inevitable finally happened. My water pipes to the house finally froze solid
last week where I hadn't got them buried last summer, and broke in two places
when I went to try to thaw them out. I spent parts of three days working
in the cold on thawing and fixing them in my spare time, and finally got them
working again, only to find out that the main community water supply main had
also frozen, which meant my own lines froze all over again that night.
The main line didn't thaw until last night where it burst my line
once again when the pressure hit it. So with my rain gear on, I was outside
fixing my water lines yet again around midnight last night *chuckle*. But I had
my first (hot) shower in a week finally this morning. It felt VERY good. But
it's amazing how we sometimes take the little things like water in the faucet
for granted.... I lived up here in the beginning for several months before I
had the water running and it didn't bother me too bad back then, but it did
this time somehow..... Getting soft I guess.... *chuckle*. I am thankful
to God that I was able to fix the problems fairly easily and restore my water
this time after only several days without.
I have also
been having generator problems off and on. First a winding burnt out (which I
soldered to fix). Then the air filter came off and broke, (which I finally got
back together). The second winding in the generator is nonfucntional and *not
fixed*.Then the shut off brake also jammed (not fixed yet). The output wiring
needed redone (done). The fuel valve got weird on me (fixed). And finally, the
starter gears stripped out (and let me tell you, rope starting a diesel by hand
is NOT for the faint of heart... *painful chuckle as I rub my shoulder*). But
it's all back up and bascally running, and the starter has apparently fixed
itself??????? I think it was probably a God touch personally, because it WAS
stripped and was NOT engaging, and now it is engaging and working properly
again..... Go figure. I did nothing to fix it, and can only credit God for
touching and fixing it Himself. Neat, huh?
Remember my
widowed single mother friend with cancer that I asked you to pray for back in
December? A partial answer to prayer there too! The spread of the VERY
aggressive cancer suddenly and unexplainably halted (but we know why *grin*),
and now the doctors are no longer calling it terminal. And she's finally going
into surgery next week to get it removed *thankful smile*. So continue to pray
for her if you think of it. She is on the ranch prayer team, and is someone
very dear to my heart. Satan has been working overtime to knock her down
and destroy her faith, but he will not succeed. Please join me as I
stand in the gap for my friend.
I have been
going through "the Purpose Driven Life" finally with a close friend,
and I am learning lots from that. It is good.
Other small
answers to prayer include finally having all the board members for the
nonprofit organization over this ranch selected. Which means that I
can finally proceed with filing all the rest of the paperwork! (which I want to
accomplish this week). But I am scratching my head about something.... The
vehicle that was donated to us to sell to maybe help cover the rest of the
filing costs, is in the American Classifieds/thrifty nickle this week, and I
haven't had a single call on it yet. Which makes me wonder if I am supposed to
keep that car (since mine decided it was going to give me show-stopping
problems today), and find funding another way.... Pray God gives me insight and
wisdom on that one.
The two men
at church who we prayed over and God recently healed of advanced terminal
cancer in one, and aggressive life threatening cancer in the other, continue to
grow stronger and healthier each time I see them. The doctors have now given
them both clean bills of health related to the cancer in each man that
"mysteriously" disappeared - but again, we know what actually
happened don't we? *contented grin*. Truly we serve a mighty God. One of the
doctors themselves even used the word 'miracle' to describe it (very unusual to
hear just such a word from a doctor)..... It is good to be encouraged
by their living proof that God is still in the business of healing hearts and
lives, and that He still supernaturally interacts with those that love Him and
have offered up their lives to him. It's just cool......
I would
covet your prayers over the next several weeks. I will be doing some traveling
that combines both work and ministry, and I need God's touch there. I'll
share more about it later, but right now just ask God to direct my steps, take
care of my finances, keep me healthy, and make the ministry fruitful. I
want HIM to be reflected in me.
And I must
go. Am very tired and need some sleep.
Truly we
serve a mighty God.....
-Tim
Tim
Benedict
Thorn Creek Conference Center
21 Yellowpine Lane
Boise, ID 83716
208-392-6723
tbenedict@bigskytel.net