Jeremiah 29:11 “Hope and a Future”
By Lisa Hamsher on November 15th, 2016
I was born and raised in the Catholic religion for the first thirty years of my life. We were taught about the Father, Son and Holy Spirit for as long as I can remember, and I have always felt the presence of God with me daily. He would become my silent friend, the One with whom I would have many conversations with over the years. At seven years, old, I accepted Jesus into my heart but did not truly understand what that acceptance meant until I was much older. I believe the Father gives us glimpses of our missions throughout our lives but we miss them because we are so focused on the “Now” moments.
One summer my family became a part of the Fresh Air Fund Organization. We would host children from the New York City area for two to four weeks every year. Most summers we would have at least ten children in the home. I believe this was one of the moments where God was trying to show me my mission but I missed it until years later. When I turned eighteen, I had the opportunity to travel with my mom back on the bus to New York City with the children as a chaperone. It was a wonderful experience seeing where these children lived daily. They usually came from a very low income home and with one parent. We were able to give them a summer filled with fun and show them that God loves them. Looking back now, I can see how God used this time in my life to teach me how to show His love and kindness. I believed this was a seed that started my heart for broken families.
During my second pregnancy, I was bed ridden for most of the time and was in a daily struggle to save our little baby. I had nothing else to occupy my time but to cry out to Jesus. As I lay awake night after night, I prayed for God to come into my heart and save me. After that time with the Lord, I began hearing from Him more clearly. He was leading me down a long journey which led us to Florida three years later. In late 1997, while attending a revival service, The Father’s love showed up and I was consumed with the Holy Spirit. My walk with the Lord strengthen daily but still I felt a need to do more, show more of the Father’s love to others.
At a conference in 2003, God gave me a very clear vision. He wants me to take care of the orphans in our world. I feel my ministry is to rescue lost hearts of children and show them the hope and love of Jesus. While on a trip to China in January 2007 to serve in an orphanage for several days, the Lord showed me His overpowering love for His children, and his heart for the beauty of family. The Lord placed this burden on my heart and so in December of that same year our family became a licensed foster care home. I feel the Lord is raising up all our children to be ministers of the word of God. My hope for the future is to continue to grow closer to the Lord and be able to spread His love to all the children of this world.
When you recognize that God is not a distant being but a friend and a Father, His love become transcendent, surpassing every little worry or weakness. There are always areas we need to improve on. I am still learning every day to turn even the smallest things over to God. To let Him lead me through them instead of me trying to deal with things and then ask God for guidance. When I am seventy years old I would like to be so connected to God that I don’t even have to think about my relationship. I would also like to be able to see all the faces of the children I have led to the Lord and know that I have used the gifts God has given me to the fullest.
God has taken a farm girl like me away from my secure home of thirty years and placed me in a wonderful new life as one of His servants. I have learned many skills over the years, the main one is being a nurturer. I have been challenged by Him to spread my gift of nurturing to the children of this world. I want to help everyone that crosses my path. I want to show them the Father’s heart for family.
