Dear Partners, in the beginning of my RJ, I had contact with almost no one. So my only solace was the Lord, which is absolutely wonderful because I got to rely on Him for everything because I had only Him to turn to. When He brought me to this ministry, it was the only place I had where I could talk about my hurts and also about what He is doing in my life and I would not have grown so strong in Him was it not for the ministry and the wonderful partners supporting this ministry.
This ministry became a part of my life but never would I have imagined how big a part. I did not have a lot of contact with Tara, but when she asked me if she can come and visit I was elated. To actually meet someone from the ministry, let alone Erin’s daughter, Wow, Lord how great You are!
So, from the moment Tara stepped foot in my home I felt so blessed and as my friend said, spoiled by the Lord:) Seeing my country through her eyes. The everyday life I take for granted. It made me even more grateful towards the Lord for where I am now and what He is done in my life.
Also for seeing the fruits of Erin’s life. I ask the Lord, that He leads my own daughter to become the beautiful bride I see in Tara. This loving, giving young woman has become part of our family, despite and maybe because of what she has also experienced.
Then to be further spoiled, Tara treated me to an all expenses paid vacation in Cape Town, which is one of our most beautiful cities. To stand on Table mountain and really feel so small and humble in the presence of our Lord. (Be sure to check our Minister’s page for a lovely picture of Yvonne and Tara.) No person can look down from that mountain and not experience the Lord. On the Mountain, there is a bible verse: Psalm 104:24: “O Lord, how manifold are thy works! in wisdom hast thou made them all: the earth is full of thy riches.”
And never did it feel truer for me then up on that mountain. As I was staring at all the beauty beneath us, I could hear the voice of the Lord say: “I made it, and when I made it I knew you were going to come here one day and look down and know that I am Lord.”
My main praise is that He is giving me the opportunity to be with RMI full time and do His work:) Never in a million years would I have imagined that!!!
When I was driving home from work one day, the Lord showed me how everything that happened in my life was meant to bring me to this point here. He showed me the thread of my life and how each good and bad thing lead me here to Him.
So, Lord, I want to thank You for EVERYTHING that happened in my life, the good and more especially the bad…
Praise Reports within my FLM Afrikaans Ministry
It’s amazing how God uses you to encourage and speak faith into people He puts on your path to tell them that GOD DOES INDEED RESTORE MARRIAGES! He restored mine, and more than that, right now He is teaching me about how I am still His bride! 🙂 I am blessed with a double portion.
In this week alone God brought two specific people into my life to encourage, a neighbour who I gave the “How God Can & Will Restore Your Marriage” book to, a woman whose marriage God has restored. – Her brother – He has come all the way from the UK, I live in Africa…. to hear that God has restored my marriage after separation and divorce.
I am printing out the 1st chapter of the How God will restore book for men for him today as he doesn’t have access to email. I gave him my EH copy of the Wise Man book to read in the meantime until he goes back to the UK (while I’m trusting God to work on my EH heart) and I showed him all the ministry links.
His sister has told me that one night he was up praying and had just turned to a page in the Wise Man book and something jumped out at him… answers to questions he sought. Now how awesome is OUR GOD 🙂 He has told me that as soon as he returns back to the UK he will be going online to purchase the books from this ministry. Note that it is not our place as women to minister to a man that is not family, but this ministry has amazing resources that ministers to hurting men.
Another lady I was able to encourage due to being a “Stander”, I was a stander too once – then God led me to this ministry because I had so many questions. I knew from how she spoke about “standing” for her marriage that I needed to encourage her and tell her about the pitfalls of standing. I was a bit scared and fearful not knowing how to tell her about the pitfalls of being a “Stander” or even knowing how to explain it but I knew I had to. God showed me something…
As a stander, you say “I am standing for my marriage” and as I explained to her God led me to tell her 2 things:
1. When we stand we do it in our own strength (God is the only one to receive the glory), He and He alone will receive the Praise, Glory and Honour for restoring your marriage.
2. “I am standing”. You say – “I am” when you speak to people. HE is the Great I AM. God is I AM. When I came to this ministry I started changing the way that I spoke, I stopped saying that I am standing for my marriage and started saying that God restores, renews, rebuilds, God will Restore my marriage and He did!! 🙂 Praise God! Hallelujah!I encouraged her to start doing the courses and Praise God she decided to start doing them.
Then I came across an older woman in a grocery store who when I was divorced we attended the same church, I said ‘Hi do you remember me I used to attend your church?’ She asked me why I stopped attending church, I then explained to her that I am now attending church with my EH as God restored my marriage. She then immediately started telling me about her son who was having his own marriage troubles… and guess what? I again could encourage her with my testimony and wrote down the ministry info to give to her son.
So I want to encourage all you ladies that God wants to use us wherever we go, there are soooo many hurting women out there that need to know what we know, we just have to be sensitive to the Holy Spirit and what God wants us to do & say.
For all of you that are going through trials in your marriage, know this, your trial is for a season God ALWAYS uses the trials and tribulations we experience for a greater purpose. You are an Encouraging Women. We are all Encouraging women! 🙂
Here’s What’s New. *
Well, as I have mentioned earlier, I am on my way to be in the ministry full-time which will give me more time with the Lord and my children. I would never have dreamed it possible and long ago myself and a friend of mine prayed that the Lord would give me a job where I can be a worker@home. When I told my friend about coming to work here full-time, she said the Lord has now shown her that He can do the impossible. She said, that the day we prayed she said to the Lord, “how does she think she will get that?” She said she doubted that the Lord will be able to that. Well, I never prayed for that again although the Lord knew that was my heart’s desire, I now trusted Him for this. And look what He did!!! Look how He came through for me and not just for me, but showing her in a very difficult time in her life what He is capable of.
This month I was introduced to a South African woman living overseas. So I shared the link with her to the MEQ and I am praying that the Lord will lead her here:)
Lord, where do I begin to thank You for everything You have done for me. Lord, You gave me so much peace. That day in the car unfolding my life for me showing me where the pieces all fit together for me to be here. You showed me so much more than that, You showed me how to trust You completely. How to rely on You for everything that I need. How you are the only One that can ever supply my needs. I love You and cannot thank You enough. My cup runneth over:)
Dear Bride, I would never have imagined that I will be a person whom will be able to sit here writing this note to you. Just as I am sure you never pictured yourself facing a divorce or being divorced. The plans the Lord has for us is not what we have in mind. No pictures we paint for ourselves will ever be what He does for us. I am just an ordinary woman with an ordinary life going through ordinary things, yet for Him I am special, I am the apple of His eye. As I am sitting here, He is with me guiding me. What makes me so special? I am not an exception, what He does for me He wants to do for each one of you. Just give it to Him and see what He can do. See how He can use you. If not you, He will use someone else, but don’t you want it to be you?
~ Yvonne