R e b e c c a N a v r a t i l
Hebrews 11 tells us:
· By faith, Noah….
· By faith, Abraham….
· By faith, Sarah ….
· By faith, Joseph ….
· By faith, Moses…
· By faith, Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, Samuel, the prophets. . . .
Hebrews 12:1-3
Do you see what this means—all these pioneers who blazed the way, all these veterans cheering us on? It means we’d better get on with it. Strip down, start running—and never quit! No extra spiritual fat, no parasitic sins. Keep your eyes on Jesus, who both began and finished this race we’re in. Study how he did it. Because he never lost sight of where he was headed—that exhilarating finish in and with God—he could put up with anything along the way: Cross, shame, whatever. And now he’s there, in the place of honor, right alongside God. When you find yourselves flagging in your faith, go over that story again, item by item, that long litany of hostility he plowed through. That will shoot adrenaline into your souls! Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.
By faith, Rebecca….
Standing in the reception area of our mission’s administration building, I had met a colleague who asked what our plans were. When I responded that we were praying about returning to Brazil to continue in the work we’d been a part of for 20 years, the response was, “You don’t need to do that! You’ve paid your dues! You need to stay here while your kids are in college.”
Mike and I were finishing up a 2 year stint of “home assignment”, living and working at the JAARS Center. It was a wonderful 2 years. We loved having our kids with us again – we’d been apart the last 3 years in Brazil as our kids had had to go off to boarding school for their education. Although I had firmly known that this was the Lord’s will for us, the separation just about broke my mother heart in two. Being together again was absolutely wonderful. But we did not want to be “flagging in our faith”! We wanted to “fix our eyes on Jesus” and follow Him. What were we looking at?
There was an opening at an American Christian University that Mike could fill. If he did, that would pay for all three of our kids’ college education. We didn’t have any kind of funds to help them!
If we returned to Brazil, we would leave two of our kids back in the US – in two separate universities. Neither of them picked a university that was anywhere near family or friends. Who would help them? And our youngest was looking forward to finishing the American high school he was now attending – he did NOT want to leave!
Our youngest son and I would lose our permanent (almost irreplaceable) visas if we did not visit Brazil before the spring semester ended. We did not have the funds to make a trip like this.
So we prayed, daily, fervently. We truly wanted to fix our eyes on Him. We wanted to know what His will was.
One day we got an anonymous gift for our son and me to make that trip to Brazil! That was absolutely amazing! The Lord used this gift to say, “I hear you, and I want you to return to Brazil!” Steve and I flew to Brazil for a week during his spring break. We were able to visit the high school he would attend, and the trip renewed our permanent visas.
Fixing our eyes on Him, we made our plans. Our oldest son would return to his university for his junior year. I would stay and take our daughter to her university to begin her freshman year and then fly to Brazil. Mike would leave with our youngest son to begin his junior year in the new high school in Brazil.
It was very hard to leave! When I left our daughter at her brand new university, where she knew no one, I had no idea if I would see her in two years! My heart just about broke. I felt like I was stepping out of the boat and, like Peter, was walking on the water,. The waves were about to overwhelm me. But I kept my eyes on Jesus. I knew that my obedience to Him has to come first – He will only bless His will in my life – and that spills over into the lives of my kids. I remembered the words of dear friends and colleagues in Brazil. They were Bible translators whose firstborn was graduating from high school and returning to the USA for college. He was going to make his name in sports and no one was going to know where he came from! My friends watched this rebellious son leaving. They knew they could not return to the US until their kids graduated from college – they had 5 kids! I saw them bow their heads to the Lord and pray, “Lord, please take care of our kids, and we’ll do what You called us to do.” Our kids were not rebellious, but I still prayed that prayer deeply from my heart.
Mike drove to Miami with our youngest son to catch the international flight there. Mike felt like he was sitting next to a thunder storm as they drive along. Our son was really upset with our decision to make him start yet another new school.
What did God do?
He gave us His great grace. He took care of our kids –all three have graduated from university and all their debts are paid. Our youngest son had a terrific time in his new school, with opportunities he would not have had back in the US. God brought both our college kids home (to Brazil) for Christmas! We could not have dreamed of that when we were still in the US. Mike was very much needed as Aviation Administrator. Brazil had three aviation programs, and there were times, due to furloughs and visa and licensing problems, that Mike was the only flying pilot for the three programs. We didn’t see much of him, but he was keeping the Bible translators in their villages so they could continue their work.
We continued the very fulfilling work the Lord had called us to for another 8 years. At that point, when the retirement age for missionary pilots was on the horizon, the Lord clearly led us to return to the USA – not to retire, but to cross train into media.
And my colleagues? The Lord turned that rebellious son around and he became a Bible translator like his parents.
Fixing our eyes on Jesus is the only way to know His blessing and His power.
Rebecca Navritil
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