Dear, dear Lord,
I cannot process this truth, but here it is: Forty years ago I stepped onto the campus of International Crusades to begin my short-term mission’s experience in France. Short term, Lord. Three years. And here I am, forty years later, still experiencing ministry in France.
I call that GRACE. Amazing grace, Lord. You called me, really intercepted my life, flipped me around, gave me a gentle shove, me who is such a home-body, who doesn’t like taking risks, who wants to do everything the right way.
Your Spirit blew through me at that Urbana ’81 Missions Conference, and I, who had come to that conference kicking and screaming, felt the tears on my face as I said, “Yes!”
I was terrified on that first day on the campus of International Crusades, which became International Teams, which became ITeams, which became One Collective. What in the world had I gotten myself into? I didn’t feel qualified in any way. Just a recent college grad with a head full of French and English literature and a passion for writing and Jesus.
But there I was.
And there HE was.
Because, Lord, I know You remember the moment I walked into the suburban house in a suburb of Chicago and met the ‘nice Christian nerd’ single guy who would be on my team with me for three years. (After all, what kind of guy would head to the mission field after college?)
But I was wrong, Lord. The guy standing in front of me in nothing but a pair of worn cut-off jeans was not nerdy. He was, well, a very beautiful example of manhood. And his eyes! Hazel, kind with a hint of surprise and tease in them.
And my little ole romantic spirit said, “I think I’ve just met my husband!”
Thankfully, I didn’t say it out loud. But I felt it in that wonder-filled, what-in-the-world-are-you-up-to-Lord way. And I said to You, “I did not plan on him! I came to serve YOU, Lord. And here is this very big distraction!”
August 23, 1982 was a game-changer for me, Lord. Of course, I didn’t know it, had no idea that almost 3 years to the day later, I would marry that hazel-eyed handsome human. That he would be exceedingly above all that I had imagined and prayed for. (And I sure could imagine and pray back then!)
I didn’t know that we would choose to serve You as career missionaries, helping the French begin churches, learning to love a different culture and people, raising our boys in France, and staying in France after they flew the nest, and eventually having the immense privilege of serving our colleagues scattered around the world in pastoral care.
We didn’t know You would hold us and keep us and provide for us and use us. We didn’t know.
I didn’t know.
But I did know that I had said Yes to You, albeit with great fear and trembling, at that conference. And I knew that I trusted You to keep me, one day at a time. I knew You are a God who keeps Your promises and I clung to that marvelous Psalm 121.
I will lift up my eyes to the mountains;
From where shall my help come?
2 My help comes from the Lord,
Who made heaven and earth.
3 He will not allow your foot to slip;
He who keeps you will not slumber.
4 Behold, He who keeps Israel
Will neither slumber nor sleep.
5 The Lord is your keeper;
The Lord is your shade on your right hand.
6 The sun will not smite you by day,
Nor the moon by night.
7 The Lord will protect you from all evil;
He will keep your soul.
8 The Lord will guard your going out and your coming in
From this time forth and forever.
And the wonder of it all is that I’m still here. We’re still here. Serving You in our oh-so-human way, bumbling and stumbling, and letting You pick us back up and dust us off again and again as we hold onto each other and You. As day by day, year by year, we learn more about Your strength in our weakness and Your grace being sufficient.
I never ever expected still to be with this mission with this man in this country.
But You are a God who delights in surprising Your children with good, good gifts. Oh, it hasn’t been without multiple times of thinking I might slide off into despair, tuck my tail and go running back somewhere, anywhere, as the words ‘Failure!” and “Not good enough!” pursued me.
But You hold us forever, You won’t let Satan or our own selfishness or self-pity or sinfulness snatch us from Your hand.
You have kept me, kept us. For forty excruciatingly beautiful, heart-breaking, heart-warming, painful, productive, glorious years.
And what I say today, down on my knees, weeping with gratitude to the great God I love and serve, is simply, “Merci.”
ELIZABETH MUSSER writes ‘entertainment with a soul’ from her writing chalet—tool shed—outside Lyon, France. Find more about Elizabeth’s novels at www.elizabethmusser.com and on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and her blog, Letters to the Lord.
Elizabeth Musser 
Wow! I loved reading that! It was almost like reading my own story, but with a few details changed! =) My kindred spirit! =) Love you, Elizabeth! You and Paul continue to be a blessing in our lives. So grateful to be one of the MANY who have been touched by your life and friendship! Vic
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Love you, dear Vic! Yes, such similar stories and we’re both still hanging around with those guys! Thank you! You are my inspiration!
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Dearest Elizabeth,
It has been so long and yet the memories of times with you are always fresh: first in Germany, where we met, then in Crete, next in Vienna for one hour on your anniversary, meeting that Algerian man, and finally most recently at our home in Lynchburg for lunch!!
I cannot wait to tell you our latest: meeting a new female Algerian believer!! From Lyon!!
I cannot tell you names or anything yet, just wanted to ask for your prayers for Lilia, and her parents who she just told the news…that they would also be drawn as she was!!
Oh my heart!!
Love you dear,
From Lynchburg with a full heart,
Donna Jeanne
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Love hearing this story again! And congrats on the well-deserved award!!! Are we old enough to get lifetime achievement awards? Crazy, isn’t it!
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I am so grateful for you and your family and I am blessed to have been a friend all these years
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Thank you Elizabeth, and congratulations! Your “Letters to the Lord” encouraged me greatly. My pilgrimage took a radical turn after losing my husband in 2015, four months after retiring from a 22 year pastorate. I am still held by gracious hands. I first met you at a Lake Barkley family reunion, and have since read every one of your books. I began with “Two Testaments”, and am now rereading “The Promised Land”. I identify with Abbie who struggles identifying her own feelings. This quote by Gordon MacDonald resurfaced recently which gives me hope: “The freest person in the world is one with an open heart, a broken spirit , and a new direction in which to travel.”. I hope to see you at the reunion in 2023. Judy
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Just wonderful, Elizabeth. Congratulations to you and Paul for reaching such a milestone.
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Beautiful, Elizabeth! And congratulations to you and Paul on 40 years of faithful ministry with One Collective in France. Peace to you both, Christina
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Hi Elizabeth. I devour your books. You speak to my heart and soul. I’m just finishing “Two Crosses”. Your characters become my friends. I read Book 3 first, thinking “ it seems I should know about these people”. THEN I realized that there were two other books. Here’s a God thing for you. We support a young missionary family serving in South America with One Collective, Jim and Suzy Olsen. They were worship team leaders at our church when Jim studied at Cornell. Hugs from Western Pennsylvania. Joanie Burgett
Get Outlook for iOShttps://aka.ms/o0ukef ________________________________
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Loved reading this! What a wonderful, God-honoring testimony.
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Oh Elizabeth, this is beautiful and what an amazing story of grace. Great is Thy faithfulness oh God our Father! Congratulations to you and Paul, dear ones.
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Blessings to you Paul and Elizabeth.
I am so glad that like Cory Tenboom you choose to “show up for duty” each morning.
May the Lord bless you and keep you and make His face to shine upon you.
Sincerely, Jeff & Alice
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Elizabeth, I love reading about how it all began. There is so much about the Elizabeth and Paul experience that I did not know. Love to you — I look forward to seeing you again in GA!
“Now all glory to God who [has kept] you from falling away and will bring you with great joy into his glorious presence without a single fault. All glory to him who alone is God, our savior through Jesus Christ our Lord.” Jude 1:24-25a New Living Translation
Nancy
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Wonderful thoughts and memories. He has been faithful and He remains faithful.
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dear Elizabeth Musser
thank you for sharing your story and you life and Gods wonderful grace.
I love and enjoy your books so much!
I am now reading By way of the moonlight again. I’m loving reading it again!!!
Blessings
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Ah, this is so beautiful ma chère Elizabeth. 40 ans! 4 decades!!!! Félicitations!
I was so gripped by the words of your prayer and feel so privileged to have been a witness, sometimes in person, of the latter half of year 1 into part of year 3 ‘en France’. And the years since, even though our paths have only crossed a couple of times, it has been a delight to see through your many letters, e-mail, books … what God has done and continues to do in yours and Paul’s lives 🥰
The ‘Lifetime Achievement Award’ seems so fitting (& probably humbling).
As you concluded I could so easily picture you down on your knees before your Lord. All praise to Him!
Je t’embrasse 🤗
Beth
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Congrats on 40 years!! Faithful and willing…
35 for me this year!
Gwen
Sent from my phone so please excuse auto fill errors!
>
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