The Little Girl in Me

Founders note: Today on the blog is Nannette from Hope in the Healing, we connected through the she reads truth community and once we found her blog, we knew that we wanted her to share her heart with our readers. So today, she is sharing her testimony. So, Ladies be encouraged by what God has done in her life.

It seems like most “girls” dream of growing up to be doctors, lawyers, nurses or some other noble profession. Not me. I wanted to be a Mom. Sure, when I was in fourth grade I had the notion to be a teacher for a whole nine months. I loved Mrs. Berzens, she could paint the most beautiful word pictures and take you anywhere in the world in a matter of moments without ever leaving the classroom. I even received really good grades, I just always pictured a beautiful home and a beautiful family to care for.

By the time I was a teenager I had met Mr. Wonderful and had fallen in love at an early age. We were smitten. We dated all through high school and talked about “life” and our future for hours. We had dreams of pastoring a church; we look back on that now and realize we had no idea what we were really dreaming of but yet thankful that our dreams did come true.

We were blessed with three sons and I was able to stay home and raise them just as I dreamed. We have devoted the last twenty years of our lives to the ministry, as youth pastors and then pastors and most recently as missionaries in the Baltic countries of Estonia and Latvia.

                                                                                                                     

That “young me” that wanted to stay at home had to transition into the “new me” and get out into the world and let God use me for His glory in a way I never thought possible. I was born with a yellow streak that ran all the way up my backside...literally. I have always been afraid of everything. The dark, of course, the dark. The boogie man, my shadow, strangers, the sky falling, anything that could happen, would happen, and it would definitely happen to me at the worst possible time.

I am so claustrophobic I once made my husband climb 14 flights of stairs to avoid the elevator. He loves me. Yes, I am shy, timid, and even afraid, but He showed me that if I would step out of the boat, He would calm the waters and He has been faithful every time.

We spent a year in the capital city of Riga, Latvia starting a brand new work. We helped established home fellowship groups and formed English clubs in our home. We had a wonderful group of twenty-something’s coming to our home two and three nights a week for bible study and fellowship.

Riga, Latvia is a very oppressed country. They have only been out from under Soviet occupation for 20 years!

There is not a lot of Christian influence in the country like we know in America. So when you show up in a country like that with the intent of "taking it for Jesus" the enemy isn't just going to sit back and let you have his territory!

But I didn't know that....I didn't know that every missionary that goes over there is hit with some sort of opposition. I just showed up "Miss-Happy-Go-Lucky-Glad-To-Be-Here".

Well about the third day of cleaning my little Soviet apartment I was literally hit with a spirit of FEAR! Now I don't mean fear like “I'm afraid this dress doesn't match my jacket fear”...we are talking panic attack fear. I was beside myself and didn't know why! I was wringing my hands, saying I had to get out of there but yet I knew I couldn't.

Finally my husband, “Douglas, the Mighty Warrior”, said we had to call the missionary.  Oh my, now they would think I was crazy!! They would know I was weak and not strong enough to be there and not a prayer warrior and on and on and on...you get the picture.

When he arrived he explained that Satan really did own that country beforehand, and had for centuries and that when God's people came in to take dominion over it that he would try anything to keep us out, and if fear was your weakness then that is what he would attempt to use to scare you into leaving.

Every missionary that came over was met with something and we were no different. He then told me he was going to bind that spirit and command it to go in Jesus' name and then loose the peace of God in its place. And he did just that. And INSTANTLY I was completely at peace again!! One minute I am a mess and the next I am as calm and peaceful as can be! I can say now I am so thankful I went through that so I could experience His healing power!

If you need deliverance from fear, God still delivers! He desires for us to experience His presence today and not be bound by fear and anxiety. 1 John 4:18 says, “There is no fear in love. But perfect love casteth out fear, because fear hath torment...”

Nannette has served in various ministry positions over the last 25 years, most recently as a pastor’s wife and missionary to Eastern Europe serving in the countries of Estonia and Latvia. She is also an aspiring writer, speaker, teacher and editor. She was kicked out of her comfort zone by the Lord and enjoys encouraging others through her blog, www.hopeinthehealing.com Nannette has been attached to The Sweetheart, Douglas, for 33 years and is happiest when the joys of her life, Kyle, Rachel, Kristopher and Korey Ross, are all gathered around her table making her laugh.