Mission of Faith, ( Part 1 of 3)

One night in a Friday prayer meeting, God spoke throught Sheldon my friend and said, I was called by God to go to the Nations, to help the lost and the poor. I was 62 years old and married that time. Then a few weeks later, I had a dream and I was of looking at a highway on a map of Mexico and than a few days later I had a vision of Mexico. I knew then that my future was going to change, and very soon. I told my wife that I would be leaving soon for Mexico, and living in my van and I didn't know for how long, maybe a year or longer I didn't know for sure. She was not happy about my decision. She would be living alone in our house in Cle Elum, Washington, but our daughter and three grandkids lived nearby to help her when needed. This would be a whole new adventure of faith for me. Before I left, I was varelly healthy for 63 and I trust God for my health and protection. I didn't take any vitamins or supplements. Plus, I drove my van in Mexico with no insurance after six months there. My vision was 40/60,my hearing was not perfect and I also had some ringing in my ears. I also had some other health issues that I had not confirmed by doctors and a minor skin disease with no cure that was worth the side effect or the cost, plus I had a back tooth problem, but I still left trusting in God for healing and His faithfulness. I ended up staying in Mexico for almost two and a half years. During that time, I saw God use me to help the poor with food, money, and heal some people and give to a small orphanage nearby. Jesus also provided for all my needs and protection, including a house to live in the last year and a half for only $200 a month with A/C which I badly need during the summer months. There were also some difficult moments too, including my van breaking down, having my wallet stolen one night, and two laptops stolen out of my van when I was out praying and helping people one week after I replace the first one. But God replaced all that was stollen through a pastor and a Morman friend who owned an art gallery where I often helped. I also made other wonderful friends there and I had no regrets about going down there. However, a month before leaving to go back to my wife in Washington, God gave me a vision of South America, but no time as to how or when that would happen. It was several years later when we realized that the mission God call me on would require me to divorce my wife, because she wanted to be close to her daughter and our teenage grandchildren. So we sold our house there, and she bought a smaller one in Ellensburg. Our divorce was finalized in January of 2020. And I was going to go drive back to Mexico again in my van. However, when I got to the border I had a problem with my drivers license and had to drive all the way back. Then Covid-19 hit the country, and I was not going anywhere and ended up living with and helping my ex-wife for the next two and half years until she sold her house to our grandson who worked as a highway patrolman in the same city and needed a place to live that he could afford. With that decision made it told me my time was up and to move on to my mission of faith, starting with Chile in South America, where my uncle had been a missionary 50 years before. By that time I was wearing a hearing aid, and now it was also confirmed by doctors that I had Parkinson's disease which both my dad and uncle had died from. I could still walk but not in a straight line and had leg spasms because of the disease, which made it difficult to sleep at night. Plus there was the shaking of the hands that made curtain things more difficult, like eating, buttoning my shirt or typing an email or blog post. I also had more teeth issues and had some pulled and others needed crowns and the cost would be over $10,000 and I declined, because I would rather use that money to help the poor. I also had a small sore in the center of my forehead with a dark scab that made it look like I had been shot that would not go away even after the scab came off, it would start all over again. It was rather embarrassing, but I never had it checked out because I will continue to trust God no matter what. For my mission living expences I had a small amount of money coming through my monthly social security to live on, and some money from the divorce settlement which I gave almost half of that money away, along with my van, most of my clothes and almost a hundred of my paintings I still had from being a professional artist. All I had now was my faith in God, three suitcases and a one way plane ticket to Chile. Most Christians that I knew would not want to leave the country with the health issues I had. Plus, I no longer depended on medicare, because I believe" by His stripes I am healed" period. There is one other prophecy that has also motivated me on this mission. One morning back in Washington, I was so depressed that when I looked into the bathroom mirror, I told God "I need a new body, soul and spirit." In the next Friday zoom meeting that I was watching at home at the end of that evening I heard Sheldon say, "Israel, God says to me " I am going to make you an all new man." Wow. I am still waiting and keep repeating that prophecy. knowing God is faithful to complete that promise for me.