"All my life, I knew I was a sculptor", Rich told us, his dark eyes sparkling with life. Here in our bedroom stood the salesman Jim had been dealing with by phone cross country for the last two years. And now we were staring at the face behind that familiar voice, fascinated by the man the real person who had been hidden behind all that computer jargon. "One day, my wife signed me up for a course to carve a carousel horse head" (certainly not a beginner's course!), Rich continued. "How did yours turn out?", I asked. "It was the best in the class", Rich answered matter of factly. There was no pride in his voice he had only done what he already knew was in him. He promised to send a photo of "Fred" as he casually mentioned, "I can oil paint too". "What have you painted?", I asked. "Nothing yet.", was his reply. But I'm sure when he does, it will be the best!

I've thought a lot about Rich and the gift inside him. Although he knew it was there, someone (in this case, his wife) had to say "go" and in a sense, set him loose to do it. These last years, God has placed an enormous deposit in me. My heart burns with vision. I can see myself doing the work of Jesus not because I am anything great but because of what He's put in me. In a sense, I'm just waiting for Him (my Heavenly Spouse) to say, "Go".

On February 28 we received a letter from a dear woman of prayer who has not seen me for over 14 years. She has only gotten an annual Christmas letter until recently when God drew her deeply into our lives. Last December God revealed things to her about us that we never told her things we had shared with only a few close prayer partners. So of course since then we've been in much closer contact. Before I share Bobbie's latest communication you need to know God gave me 2 Cor. 1:11 years ago that my deliverance would come through the prayers of many who would then give thanks to God. And according to 2 Cor. 1:8 9, my afflictions would be almost to the point of death so that I would die to self trust and learn to trust in God who raises the dead. We knew these afflictions also were to draw us to our Heavenly Father as the source of comfort so that in turn, we could comfort others with that comfort. (vs 3 6) That's what our letters have been all about. But now it is time for verse 11 to be fulfilled. Bobbie writes:

"With great excitement I write this letter. For it is in Jesus Name we pray and believe for you! Your last letter has sent us into anticipation of what is forth coming. All I could pray yesterday was, "Lord just speak the Word and Cora will rise! Speak the Word to Cora! You have a host of friends here you have never met that are praying and waiting for the Word and also they want to meet you! God will design what He wants us to do to have that fulfilled. I continue to copy your letters and give them out for continued encouragement and prayer. You are on my mind so much these days. I know I'm waiting for your new birth. You will run and not be weary. You have already waited so get ready. God just has to say, "GO"! We have a girl in Bethel that after 22 years in a wheelchair He said "GO" and she is all over the country giving her testimony. When this happens to you, you will have to come see all your friends here. It's hard to believe right now. My concordance in my Bible under 2 Cor. 1:9,10 says, "So great a death: Humanly speaking there was no hope of surviving." We know we will see the supernatural touch of the Master on your body! In constant prayer and anticipation."

Now, let me tell you about Cindy, another special woman whom I'd known only briefly years ago. Recently God especially burdened her to pray for this release and showed her it was for a larger work in the Body of Christ. Most recently, she wrote to Jim telling him she felt the Lord had said that whenever he prayed for me to "ask God to make all the prayers that have ever been prayed for her collected into the present as if they were all being prayed at the very time you are praying." I was immediately reminded of the bowls of prayers kept in Heaven waiting to be poured out. (Rev 5:8) When our pastor came to pray last week, he be began declaring (under the direction of the Holy Spirit) an end to the time of captivity and then asked God to pour out all the bowls of prayers that had ever been prayed for this breakthrough. Jim and I stared wide eyed at each other! Pastor Jim knew nothing of Cindy's letter.

So dear ones, be encouraged with us that God is mightily at work and things are about to change. Thank you for your participation. God has saved your every prayer! Please continue to pray for us in whatever way He leads you. And in areas in your own life where you are waiting and perhaps years of prayer have gone unanswered remember those prayers are kept in bowls as incense before the throne of God they are not wasted. They are being mixed and readied for just the right moment when God will be most glorified. Take heart beloved. God has not forgotten you. We love you so very much. It has been a great privilege to participate with you in the work of God's Kingdom. Finally, we leave you with these words from Psalm 102:13,18 21 (NKJ):

"You will arise and have mercy on Zion; for the time to favor her, yes, the set time, has come. This will be written for the generation to come, that a people yet to be created may praise the Lord. For He looked down from the height of His sanctuary; from heaven the Lord viewed the earth, to hear the groaning of the prisoner, to release those appointed to death, to declare the name of the Lord in Zion, and His praise in Jerusalem." Hallelujah! So be it!