Rev. Nancy Boote penned the words, “Here I am,” in her journal early one morning during her devotional time. “I journaled those words in a prayer,” she says, “expressing my availability to the Lord and my desire to be used by him.”
She was not expecting God to take her up on her offer quite so soon. Within an hour of her prayer time, Nancy received a phone call from Words of Hope, inviting her and her husband to come along on a trip to Albania to help with a devotional writing conference. “When the Lord answers your prayer that quickly with an offer to go to Albania, you say yes!” she says.
Rev. Nancy is one of Words of Hope’s newer daily devotional authors. She was excited for an opportunity to share about her experience of writing, and to offer encouragement to pastors and lay leaders about to embark on the adventure and challenge of writing daily devotions.
But God had even more planned for Nancy on this trip. As she got to know some of the conference participants, one woman asked her to share at an Albanian women’s Bible study one evening. This Bible study brings together both believers and non-believers under one roof to learn about Scripture.
“After saying yes to this last-minute request, I prayed about what to share,” says Nancy. “I shared about Jesus being our Bread of Life and how much he means to me. I also spoke about the importance of being in his Word, which is our daily bread. I encouraged them to read the Words of Hope devotional booklet they were given that had been translated into Albanian.”
Afterwards, Nancy felt unsure if what she had shared had been clear to the women. “But God is always faithful!” she says. A few hours later, Nancy received a text message telling her that one young mother at the Bible study had accepted Christ as her Savior that night.
“Please join me in praying for the Words of Hope Albanian team as they continue to share the gospel through multimedia,” says Nancy. “You may be only familiar with the written Words of Hope devotional that appears in your inbox or mailbox, but the scope of this ministry goes much wider.”
Nancy is very glad that she answered the call to go to Albania. “I am grateful for the blessings I experienced and the beautiful people I met,” she says. “Now I am challenged to be faithful in praying for the women who are serving, for the teams that are working there, and for God to open the hearts of those who are hungering for his Word. Please join me in supporting this ministry, both financially and in your prayers. Together we can make a difference!”