From Mary Ann's Desk...

“Do you not say, ‘There are still four months and then comes the harvest’? Behold, I say to you, lift up your eyes ad look at the fields for they are already white for harvest!” John 4:35 NKJV

A NEW ASSIGNMENT

On January 20th, Inauguration Day, while I was taking in all the proceedings of that day, the Lord visited me with an open vision. The vision was of a handwritten note on scrolled parchment paper suspended in my field of vision. It was the answer to a prayer I had been praying for months and months: “Lord, if you’re not through with me, what do you want me to do?” As I began to read, Holy Spirit began softly reading it to me in my spirit. It said:

Notice that it said “generations” plural, and “full-time service.” Not part-time or short term. 

I asked the Lord how I was supposed to do this, seeing I have no church or platform from which to do it. I reminded Him that I have a mailing database, but it is limited and has a lot of senior citizens in it, like myself.

I reasoned that I would need invitations to churches or ministerial fellowship meetings to accomplish this new assignment. To date, I have cast the net in two churches and one annual ministerial fellowship meeting. All three times, the message was warmly received, and hearts were moved upon. There is, however, no visible evidence that the net has caught any full-time missionaries.

This does not discourage me. Fishermen often go fishing and return home with no fish. But they don’t stop fishing. They go again and again, and they catch fish. I, too, will continue casting the net.

In the beginning of all of this, I did not think I should share the vision in my newsletter because so many who receive it are senior citizens. As I have kept the “how am I to do this” before the Lord, I have come to know He wants me to share it anytime the Holy Spirit impresses me to, and by any means available to me. As a result, I am sharing it with you today in this newsletter.

I had failed to remember that my newsletter is read all over the world because it is posted on Facebook. 

Who knows who will read this and respond to the call of our Lord to full-time missionary service? Only He knows. 

It is not important that I know who or how many will respond to the call. The important thing is that I cast the net, leaving the results in His hands. Would I like to know? Of course, I would. If you have responded and want to let me know, I will be thrilled to hear from you. But that is still not the important thing. Your responding to the call is the important thing.

As for me, I am compelled to do everything within my power to deliver the message to as many as possible. 

Is LTI supposed to do anything further in this regard? I do not know. If we are, we will do it to the best of our ability with the help of the Lord.

I am certain I am neither the only one, nor the first one, to be proclaiming this message. I don’t personally know of anyone, but God is already moving in the earth with a fresh emphasis on missions, and the younger ones are a great part of that. 

For some reason, however, He wants me to proclaim it as well, with the added requirement of “full-time” service. As of this date, I am not aware of that part of the message being proclaimed by others. 

What does “full-time” mean?

 It means you lay down all of your personal ambitions in obedience to His call, devoting your life to this one thing: taking His Gospel to any nation(s) where He directs you. It is what the Apostles, including Paul, did when they left everything to follow Him. It is what He still asks of many of us in this present day.

It may sound too difficult to do. In reality, it is the most wonderful, rewarding response you can give, because it is His will for your life. And, that brings you joy, peace and fulfillment like nothing else can. In Matthew 10:39 Jesus said, “If you cling to your life, you will lose it; but if you give up your life for me, you will find it.” NLT 

What does “younger generations” mean? 

The answer lies in how we understand the word “generation” as we do in families. Grandparents are one generation; parents are the next generation; children are the next generation, and so on. I will be 79 years old in three months. I am one generation. The generation younger than me is my children, the oldest of whom is in her 50’s. 

If that is the way in which God is seeing “younger generations” (and I believe it is, because He said “generations,” plural), He is calling for anyone in my children’s generation, my grandchildren’s generation, and my great grand-children’s generation; even to those who may still be in their teens whom God is calling. Truth be told, God has a place for all of them to be used of Him. None of them are too young or too old. In Acts 13:36 Paul said, “For David…served his own generation by the will of God…” 

This, and many other examples in Scripture, lets us know God expects each generation to serve Him in their own time on this earth. He does not want any generation to be without a witness of Himself.

Is the Lord calling you? Has He called you in times past and you answered “No” or “Not now, Lord?” Multitudes, living right now, have not yet heard the Good News about Jesus. I urge you, as Jesus did in John 4:35, “…lift up your eyes and look at the fields, for they are…white for harvest.”

What will your answer be? I hope it will be a resounding “Yes!” 

I would love to hear from you.

WHAT ABOUT THE OTHER THINGS?

I have not forgotten the other things I said the Lord has directed me to do – i.e., writing teaching materials. In all truthfulness, I thought I was going to be able to do exactly as I said. And I have tried. And tried.

In the trying, I discovered the subject “Follow the Leader” is so enormous I am not able to keep it in a concise enough form for 13 lessons on a quarterly basis. In fact, it becomes too complex, taking on a form much like an exhaustive study. That is not the goal; neither is it practical. Bud often told me, “Honey, you are too school marmy.” He was right.

So, I have mingled this problem with my prayers about “what do you want me to do,” and the Lord is beginning to give me a better understanding of how I should accomplish this task. I don’t have full understanding yet, but it is coming. I hope to have a good answer for you in the near future.

Confession - I believe I ran ahead of the Lord’s timing and understanding; offering my own perception of how to accomplish this. I pray both He and you forgive me.

TO OUR PARTNERS

There has not been a time, in a long time, when I/we have needed your faithful prayer and financial support to continue, like this present time. In fact, we really need a significant increase.

Either by God adding new partners to us or by moving on our present partners to give a little more each month.

I sincerely hope you do not read these remarks as a complaint, for it is not. There is no way for me to fully express how much you are loved and appreciated for your love toward us and your faithful partnership with us in the Gospel. Without you, and others like you, I cannot do what God has given me to do.

Please join in prayer with me for the needed funding to accomplish His assignment. Thank you.

Because there are over 4.4 billion people in the world who still need Jesus, I remain

Yours in missions,

Mary Ann Cassidy