Sow

(pt 1 of 2 parts in Sow/Reap)

Psalm 126:5 They that sow in tears shall reap in joy.

These are tough times. Actually for many, this whole decade has been really tough so far, with no end in sight. Worldwide panic and paranoia. Distrust, lies and fake news abounding from all sides. Grandparents isolated from kids.  Whole families separated by walls of fear and uncertainty. Strife. Churches have been shut down and pastors imprisoned. Jobs have been lost by the millions. Inflation, people falling off the wagon, suicides, mental illness, Christians backsliding, crimes, abortions and civil unrest are increasing every day. None of these things however are an excuse for not fulfilling God’s command to sow. People who always look for an excuse not to do what is right, have plenty of excuses right now.  What God tells a Christian to do is always right. God tells us as Christian believers, to sow, in faith. No excuses.

Sowing can be done in many different arenas of life. Sowing seeds for crops, wealth, health and souls all have the same basic steps. In all those arenas the most basic step is to start sowing. Sowing is the first step is for us to take, always. When the Bible talks about one thing it is always referring to other things. Jesus used parables many times as well, connecting the agricultural community of the times to spiritual truths. What you sow you will reap. How you sow dictates how you reap. Sow time in people, for example, and you’ll reap friends and win souls. Sow exercise and diet, you have good health.  Invest wisely you have wealth.  Evangelize, you win souls.  Sow good stuff, not junk or troubles. If you sow strife and contention, you’ll reap that too.

Hosea 8:7 For they have sown the wind, and they shall reap the whirlwind

It’s amazing that God multiplies what we sow up to 100 times or more. That’s why we don’t want to sow bad stuff or negativity. We want to sow good things because whatever we sow, God multiplies. Let’s focus on sowing for the Kingdom of God. A kernel of corn that we have to plant grows a stalk of corn with two ears, containing roughly 1600 kernels of corn. 1600 times growth multiples. What do we do to multiply the kernel? We plant it. Nothing else! God handles the multiplication. We have to do two thirds of the work. Sowing and reaping is up to us (reaping to be continued in part 2)

Ecclesiastes 11:4 He that observeth the wind shall not sow; and he that regardeth the clouds shall not reap.

There are so many reasons why today is not a good time to plant. When rain, (clouds) or drought (wind) is expected, you have a flimsy excuse to procrastinate. You can say you are not wanting to waste seeds and labor etc. Weathermen are never right though, ever notice that? Times are tough now, they say. War is coming, says the hawks. Depression is imminent, says the economists. Nay sayers are never right either. When it’s time to sow, you’ll know it. God will let you know. Sow!

Whether or not times are good or promising, sowing at the right time is always possible, because God tells us when. He tells us to sow seeds (work hard) if we want to eat and provide for our families and others. He tells us to sow joyfully and to whom (although not always easily) with our finances through donations and our first fruits.  When we do, we will see God`s favor for our finances and protection for our investments. Sow the good news into others through our lives, examples and words, even when we feel too weak at the time.  God will show us when.  We don´t have be lunatics, button holing anyone who falls into our path. Ask God to guide you, in faith, and He will.

If you look at the wrong things (clouds and wind) you will allow yourself to put off doing what God has shown you to do, when He showed you to do it. Sowing is always difficult because you need to have faith to do so. If you keep putting it off, it gets easier and easier to ignore God.  Sowing is difficult because we can’t see the end result. We do eventually, if we don´t quit, but not for a while. Sowing requires faith and patience. Sowing is difficult. Tears are often a part of the package.

Working with the poorest of the poor in Nicaragua isn’t easy. It’s like sowing seeds, with the weatherman saying bad weather is coming. It’s planting for an invisible (seemingly impossible) ‘future and a hope’. Although it’s a huge blessing for me to be here, there are costs to be here and to continue doing what we do on a daily basis, year in and year out. We (Winnie and I) do it because we see the harvest with our spiritual eyes. Right now it may not be so pretty. It’s just seeds in the dirt for the casual observer but we see the sheaves 20 years down the line. We have already reaped with joy the seeds we planted here 20 years ago. That encourages us to go on.  We know that sowing in tears works.  We are eye witnesses to God´s goodness and faithfulness although we blow it all the time.

Hebrews 11:1 Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.

There are plenty of tears now, (always mixed with joy) but totally worth it! We know that what we are doing is worthwhile because God has shown us to do this. Since we started in the 90’s, God has raised up pastors, christian workers, missionaries, doctors and lawyers through our ranks of kids in the feeding centers. Call centers and near-shore support desks are filled with ex-feeding center kids who are fluent in English, that were taught in our schools and Sunday schools. Our own staff as well as other Christian organizations have many of our feeding center kids working with them. Almost every bakery in Managua, has a baker that we trained. Most importantly thousands of people are going to heaven directly or indirectly because of the kids Winnie and I won to the Lord and discipled and who now are leading and discipling others in the ways of Jesus. Could we have foreseen any of this all those decades ago? Except through spiritual eyes, No!

Sowing always comes with doubt, hard work and tears. But there is nothing more important. Is it easy or convenient? No! Especially if you are not building on another man’s foundation. Don´t sow in another man´s garden. Just because there’s a lot of churches in an area doesn’t mean that the people are reached with the Gospel. Just like if there’s a bunch of gardens in your area doesn’t mean your front yard is a garden. Dig, cultivate and plant in your own garden. Don’t go into your neighbors garden and rearrange things just because the soil’s been already worked.

Romans 15:20. Yea, so have I strived to preach the gospel, not where Christ was named, lest I should build upon another man’s foundation

Just like exercise, it takes expectation and a discipline to get started. Plug your ears to current events and even most (not all) well meaning advice givers. Listen to God. Read the Word. Pray (ask and listen). When the time is right you’ll get a flicker of joy, peace, certainty and excitement (that’s how the Spirit of God leads me) and then just do it. If you have a check in your spirit, DON’T! But If you are led to take the step, don’t quit no matter how hard it gets. I promise, it will get hard. I think the harder and sadder it is to sow, the more joyous and abundant to reaping will be.

The joy in your heart (if you are a Christian) is not an just an emotional thing. God is in it, and His answer is in it. Be led by the Spirit on how to sow, how much to sow, and to whom. God will show you through the joy in your heart. Like a metal detector guides to buried metal, a Christian has a joy detector that will guide Him where to sow.

Eccl 5:20 God answereth him in the joy of his heart.

WhatisthelovefGod.com

SO, WHAT´S NEW AT PUREHEART?

We are trying to buy a commercial sink, dishwasher and garbage disposal for the sink.

Everything is back to normal in ministry. School, feeding programs, daily descipleship and English classes are in full swing.

We have a new teacher, Kathy, filling in for Yolanda while she´s having her baby.  Pray that it´s a good fit.

COVID 19 UPDATE – NOT ONE CASE AMONG OUR STAFF OR THE HUNDREDS OF PEOPLE WE SERVE (thousands if you include their families! – PSALM 91

PRAYER REQUESTS, all in all the same.

Warning! Sometimes I pray for years for the same thing, because I know it´s what God wants. I pray and stand according to promises God has shown me in prayer and in the Bible.

1. Government wise, we are up to date, and legal again,,, just waiting for the next step towards LEGALLY opening an orphanage.
2. NOTHING HAS CHANGED FOR OUR OWN HOME APART FROM THE MINISTRY. IT WILL BE CLOSE ENOUGH TO DIRECT AND OVERSEE EVERYTHING, BUT NOT INSIDE THE MINISTRY’S WALLS. IT’S NON STOP HERE AND WINNIE’S NOT WELL. SHE NEEDS A HAVE. I FOUND A HOUSE FOR 29K, we have almost $10,600 towards it.
3. FOR THE ORPHANAGE THAT I KNOW IS IN OUR FUTURE. NOT ONLY AN ORPHANAGE, BUT AN OLD FOLKS HOME AS WELL. I THINK THE TWO CAN BE SIDE BY SIDE ON THE SAME PROPERTY, IT’S ONLY A MATTER OF MONEY. IT WOULD BE A BLESSING TO THE OLD FOLKS TO HEAR KIDS PLAYING, AND IT WOULD BE A BLESSING FOR THE KIDS TO HAVE ABUELAS AND ABUELOS.
4. AMERICA!
5. WINNIE`S HEALTH
6. Our own children, going to school in Ohio. That they have Godly, Fanatical, Jesus Freak friends, and that the Holy Spirit fills them afresh.

PRAISE REPORTS

1. All is back to normal, the Pre-k kids are so cute
2. Financially almost caught up, getting it back in control.
3. Little Yolanda is having a baby in a couple weeks
4. We are relaxed, ministry is thriving, all is well.
5. For substitute teacher Kathy.

PLEASE KEEP ON DOING WHATEVER IT IS THAT YOU`RE DOING, IT’S WORKING!! pray, donate, and spread the word about us, what we are doing and the needs here!

5. We have seen some healings, and some people getting saved. Pray for the harvest.
6. God miraculously provides, non stop.

Please share this letter on FB and with your friends, churches & civic groups!

Thank you!!!

Dean and Winnie Peters

Joyfully serving the ‘least of these’ in Nicaragua for the glory of God

[email protected]

www.whatistheloveofGod.com

www.pureheartchildren.org

Facebook = https://www.facebook.com/winnie.pureheart

ANY FORM OF DONATIONATIONS TO PUREHEART ARE 100% TAX DEDUCTIBLE AND 100% GOES TO THE KIDS.

Paper checks can be made out to:
GraceLifeOutReach (PureHeartChildren in memo please!)
And then mail to our snail mailing address:
Pure Heart C/O Grace Life Outreach
190 Seminole Ln Apt 302
Cocoa Beach, FL 32931