Ransoming, Healing, and Love

Well, the busyness of Christmas and New Years has passed and everyone is settling back into their routines of “normal” life. Of course, my routine here in Michigan looks a little bit different this year than it did a year ago! I’m still enjoying the cold and snow, not missing the 100* temps in the slightest. 😉

This past month, my schedule has been filled with catching up with family and friends, as well as my home church family and supporters. It has just been such a blessing to be able to see everyone and hear about the things that God has done over the last 2 years, as well as share with them what God has done in my own heart and life for the past 2 years.

I also have started to schedule speaking engagements, which I know will be a blessing for me. I really enjoy seeing people I’ve met before, as well as meeting new people! I also really like to talk about Paraguay and how God is working there, so that’s a bonus!! If you, your church, or if you know of someone might be interested in hearing about my ministry in Paraguay, please don’t hesitate to contact me! I would LOVE to share about it!

As I’ve been preparing for those, I have been reflecting a lot on what God taught me and how he grew me in the last 2 years, as well as what He enabled me to accomplish and what He’s preparing for me. While thinking through those things, I’ve realized that there were SO many great times and awesome lessons learned. There were some also very hard and challenging times these last 2 years. Thinking on these things makes me so thankful that God doesn’t expect us to be able to know everything or already be able to accomplish the tasks that He’s prepared for us, but instead He teaches us along the way and is the one that enables us as we go. I’m also so glad that He can fully accomplish His work without us, but has invited us to play a part!

I’ve been reading in Hosea, and there is so many great things in there! But some great things stood out to me, and have definitely been an encouragement to me. Hosea 1:2-3a says:

“… The Lord said to him, ‘Go, take to yourself and adulterous wife and children of unfaithfulness, because the land is guilty of the vilest adultery in departing form the Lord.’ So he married Gomer…”

God asked one of His faithful followers, Hosea, to marry a well known prostitute. That seems like a pretty crazy command for God to give one of His own! But why did He do so? Because His own people were “guilty of the vilest adultery in departing from the Lord.” The Lord loved His people SO MUCH that He had one of them marry a prostitute! Talk about a hard thing for God to require of you! I cannot imagine the fear, frustration, loneliness, and sadness Hosea must have felt in this task that God called him to do.

But Israel, His beloved people, had no faithfulness and no love.  It’s not like God had any indication that they were still desiring to walk with Him. They didn’t acknowledge God. There was cursing, lying, murder, stealing, and adultery. They were rejecting knowledge. The list could go on and on. YET, God desired that they come back to Him. Though they were rejecting Him time and again, He still desired intimacy and a relationship with His people.

He says in Hosea 13:14: “I will ransom them from the power of the grave; I will redeem them from death. Where, O death, are your plagues? Where, O grave, is your destruction?”

And in Hosea 14:4-7 God says, “I will heal their waywardness and love them freely, for my anger has turned away from them. I will be like the dew to Israel; he will blossom like a lily. Like a cedar of Lebanon he will send down his roots; his young shoots will grow. His splendor will be like an olive tree, his fragrance like a cedar of Lebanon. Men will dwell again in his shade. He will flourish like grain. He will blossom like a vine, and his fame will be like the wine from Lebanon.”

God called Hosea to something hard, something no one would ever imagine God calling them to do, and something that I’m sure not even Hosea himself understood. During those dark, hard years of Hosea’s life, I’m sure he grew to trust the Lord in ways he never would have imagined and learned more about God and His awesome character than would have ever been possible otherwise. And for what? To ransom His people, Israel. To “heal their waywardness and love them freely.” To have Israel back, His people running after their God.

This is SUCH an encouragement to my soul! Because God has already called me, just like He has already called each and every one of you too, to do some really HARD and unimaginable things, and we can be sure that He’s going to keep calling us to do difficult tasks. But what a joy to know that He has a marvelous purpose in it all!

“You are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals, because you were slain, and with your blood you purchased men for God from every tribe and language and people and nation. You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to serve our God, and they will reign on earth… Then I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all that is in them singing: ‘To Him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be praise and honor and glory and power, for ever and ever!'”

Revelation5:9-10, 13

God has called us all to do unimaginably difficult things. He calls us to love the unlovely, serve one another, give to the poor, and care for the orphans and widows. He calls us to leave the comforts of our home and go into a world full of lost, angry, unloving people who want nothing to do with our Savior. But the purpose is MORE THAN WORTH IT! We will come to know God in ways we never did before! AND more people will come to know our God and Savior and will join in the everlasting praise that will be given to Him! What a privilege God has given us to partner with Him in seeing more and more people ransomed, bringing them to the One who will “heal their waywardness and love them freely”.

I’m greatful that the place that God has called me to Paraguay to do all these hard things. Though I may not be EXACTLY sure what the future holds for me, I can be confident of this: that what He is calling me to do there is part of His great and grand plan for people in Paraguay to come to KNOW HIM! And that gets me excited. 🙂

If you’re wondering how you can be praying for me on this journey, here’s some things that I would appreciate prayer in:
1. For my life to glorify and honor my God, that I will continue to know Him more and more, being transformed into the image of His Son
2. Sharing my ministry – both the preparation/presenting, as well as finding people that want to hear about what God’s doing in Paraguay!
3. For more monthly financial partners* – I saw a slight drop in my support over the last 2 years, and it would be awesome to get my monthly support up to 100%!
4. Saving up for a Vehicle* – I am still sitting right around 25% of what is needed to purchase a vehicle on my return to Paraguay.
5. Direction for my Future Ministry – like I said before, I’m not exactly sure what the future looks like upon my return, but there are some lovely options. Pray for me that I would rest in the Lord and His perfect timing, as well as leading from Him as to what my ministry might be.

THANK YOU SO MUCH for your partnership in spreading the Good News to those living in Paraguay! I’m beyond blown away by those that the Lord has raised up to pray for me, encourage me, love on me, and financially support me! I’m praising the Lord for your faithfulness and generosity!

Love,
Katie Mae

*If you’d like to support me monthly or with one-time gifts, I’ll leave the info here so you don’t have to go searching for it. And PLEASE, if you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to shoot me an email or give me a call!

There are 3 options on how you can give:
1. Click here: Donate to Katie

. There you can give a one-time gift or a monthly contribution.
               Note:  It is a great help to me if you choose EFT as your method of monthly support.

2. You can mail your check made out to NEW TRIBES MISSION with “Katie Mae Sawyer, acct. #:202511” on the memo line. Please make sure not to make out the check to me. NTM will put it directly into my account.

New Tribes Mission
1000 E. 1^st St.
Sanford, FL 32771

3. Using your credit/debit card, call NTM at 1-800-547-2460

Another Note: If you are giving towards the purchase of my vehicle, please be sure to make a note or tell them that that is where you would like that gift to go