Praise the Lord! He has answered our prayers.
Months ago, we asked you to join us in praying for someone with accounting abilities to join the Prayer League’s business office. Faced with my approaching retirement and Ann’s departure at the end of the year, the need for someone with the necessary skills and experience was looming. As our prayers went unanswered over these months (or so it seemed), many of us were asking what God was trying to tell us. Some, I am sorry to say, were even starting to despair.
In Chapter 1 of his letter, James says to count it all joy when you face troubles because the testing of your faith produces patience (vv.2-4). If your faith is not tested from time to time, how do you know if you really have any; or, if you do have faith, whether it has the right object? Over time we humans develop methods and practices to accomplish what we believe God wants us to accomplish – and, over time, trust in our own methods can displace our trust in the Lord. Answered prayer, then, offers an excellent opportunity for soul searching. Those of you who were praying knowing the full situation can evaluate how well you did.
In our more than 80-year history, this is the first time we advertised a job opening. Previously, the Lord led people to just walk through our door, in a manner of speaking. People wondered, can we really find a Spirit-filled believer with the right training, the right experience, and a heart for the Lord by advertising on a secular job board? The answer is yes, by God’s grace we can, and we did. It is hard to see how we would have found this person any other way. We are very pleased, and will make a formal introduction next month.
Our new accountant will begin training part time this month and join us full time on September 1. The transition over the next few months will be challenging. It will be a steep learning curve for our new accountant and a reorganization of our home office staff with some learning new duties and procedures. Please pray for this transition, and for someone with administrative abilities to lead our home staff into the future. Thank you for praying with faith and perseverance!