When we consider what God would want to do in our lives, sometimes it will be outside of our comfort zone - “outside the box,” you may want to call it. But, even if we sense the direction of the Holy Spirit to do something bold, something that we might not get our minds around, we can know that if He has called us to do it, He will provide the power and the resources to get it done. 1st Thessalonians 5 (ESV) states:
23 Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. 24 He who calls you is faithful; he will surely do it.
25 Brothers, pray for us.
Charli Turner saw Northern Idaho as the location for a missions endeavor. Bobby Ross Jr. writes at Religion Unplugged:
While missionaries often move around the globe to fulfill their calling, Charli Turner, 48, found her mission field right here in rural North Idaho — at the site of a former greenhouse and garden center known as Moose Valley Farms.
“Our community has faced challenges — church scandals, splits and growing disinterest in faith — but we are committed to showing Christ to children and planting seeds of hope,” said Turner, founder and executive director of Foundations School.
It’s a K-12 school, and it opened three years ago with only 18 students. A year after opening, Turner persuaded Julie Montgomery to come to Idaho and be the principal.
Turner says: “We believe the mission field in our own backyard is as vital, and often more personal, than distant fields…as we witness generational trauma and dysfunction play out every day.”
Charli and Julie met each other around 25 years ago - they ended up both moving to Montana with their families. Then Charli went to Colorado to work for a children’s home and Julie to Texas and taught school. Charli moved back to Boundary County, Idaho, near the Canadian border, and out of the COVID crisis, a new work was born. The Religion Unplugged article says:
She first started a daycare. Then — concerned about students struggling academically and emotionally after the pandemic — she saw a need for the school.
But finding a suitable location proved difficult.
“We felt like maybe God was shutting the doors,” she said, “and it wasn’t going to be a thing.”
Then Clint Kimball called.
Kimball and his wife Mary started Moose Valley Farms. Charli had actually lived with the Kimballs prior to graduating high school. They were about to leave the greenhouse business and offered Charli the chance to come on board with the school. Now, Foundations School and Turner Plumbing (owned by Charli’s husband) occupy the space. Ross writes:
Moreover, the school is developing the Idaho Mercantile and 9Beans Coffee Co. at the plumbing building. The retail space will sell Idaho-made products and coffee.
Besides generating funds for the school, the mercantile will house a student nutrition program and provide a hands-on environment for culinary education, Charli Turner said. The “9B” refers to Idaho license plates, which use that designation for vehicles registered in Boundary County.
Along with its educational offerings, the school hosts a Lord’s Day worship gathering that has resulted in five baptisms in the Kootenai River.
The challenges are great; Turner says: “In North Idaho, spiritual roots often struggle to grow deep,” adding, “We see this firsthand in the lives of the children we serve.”
First and foremost, the school is a mission - in the northernmost county of Idaho - where the “handle” juts up between Washington and Montana. But, Turner and Montgomery and committed to the cause, and are reaching out to ask other Christian ministries to join them in their desire to provide Christ-centered education in an area, even in America, that so desperately needs it.
They’ve overcome obstacles, but apparently it’s been worth it. They haven’t quit and continued to trust God in carrying out His vision. And, that’s a good word for us - perhaps the task that God has called you to do seems daunting, next to impossible. And, you know, it very well may be - without Him. Jesus reminded us that without Him we can do nothing.
The Bible also tells us in Galatians not to grow weary in well-doing. We can become discouraged, but we can recognize that God provides hope and strength in our endeavors. Sometimes we just have to remind ourselves who’s in charge, and that He is working, even when we don’t recognize it. Prayer and time in the Word, as well as fellowship with other believers, can give us the perspective we need.