Dare to Believe: A Book of Short Adventurous Stories Written to Inspire and Encourage You

By Karen Klassen

Mother Teresa once said, "Only in heaven will we see how much we owe to the poor for helping us to love God better because of them." Karen and her husband didn't have to wait for heaven; they learned this through their missionary work. Enjoy the book! -Terry Bliquez, President & Founder Sky Cross, Inc.

These short stories

• Language: English
• Publisher: Trilogy Christian Publishing
• Release date: Sep 20, 2023
• ISBN: 9798887389639

Karen Klassen

Karen married as a teenager and is blessed with three children and seven grandchildren. Besides being a registered nurse, she and her husband have served as missionaries for thirty-five years. They founded Harvest Field Ministries, focusing on sharing the hope of Jesus Christ, equipping and empowering the nationals in their countries.

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Dare to

Believe

Karen Klassen

Dare to Believe

Trilogy Christian Publishers A Wholly Owned Subsidiary of Trinity Broadcasting Network

2442 Michelle Drive Tustin, CA 92780

Copyright © 2023 by Karen Klassen

Scripture quotations marked ASV are taken from the American Standard Version. Public domain. Scripture quotations marked CEV are taken from the Contemporary English Version®. Copyright © 1995 American Bible Society. All rights reserved. Scripture quotations marked CSB are taken from the Christian Standard Bible®, Copyright © 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. Christian Standard Bible, and CSB®, are federally registered trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers. Scripture quotations marked ERV are taken from the Holy Bible: Easy-to-Read Version (ERV), International Edition© 2013, 2016 by Bible League International and used by permission. Scripture quotations marked MSG are taken from THE MESSAGE, copyright © 1993, 2002, 2018 by Eugene H. Peterson. Used by permission of NavPress. All rights reserved. Represented by Tyndale House Publishers, Inc. Scripture quotations marked NASB are taken from the New American Standard Bible® (NASB), Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. www.Lockman.org. Scripture quotations marked NIV are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.TM Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com. The NIV and New International Version are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.TM Scripture quotations marked TLB are taken from The Living Bible copyright © 1971. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, a Division of Tyndale House Ministries, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved. Scripture quotations marked TLV are taken from the Holy Scriptures, Tree of Life Version*. Copyright © 2014, 2016 by the Tree of Life Bible Society. Used by permission of the Tree of Life Bible Society. Scripture quotations marked KJV are taken from the King James Version of the Bible. Public domain.

No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means without written permission from the author. All rights reserved. Printed in the USA.

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Trilogy Christian Publishing/TBN and colophon are trademarks of Trinity Broadcasting Network.

For information about special discounts for bulk purchases, please contact Trilogy Christian Publishing.

Trilogy Disclaimer: The views and content expressed in this book are those of the author and may not necessarily reflect the views and doctrine of Trilogy Christian Publishing or the Trinity Broadcasting Network.

Manufactured in the United States of America

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available.

ISBN: 979-8-88738-962-2

E-ISBN: 979-8-88738-963-9

Dedication & Acknowledgments

This book is dedicated to the many who crossed our path to encourage, inspire, teach, and walk with us.

Thank you to our ministry directors, coordinators, and the many others who assist us in running the race to keep heading toward the goal set before us. Your years of commitment to us personally and to the ministry help us reach countless recipients who become the beneficiaries of our urge to share God’s precious gifts with the world around us. You are the fuel that the Lord uses to keep us going.

We will be forever grateful to the Lord for His faithfulness to us. We have been blessed to see the fruit of our labors and, in that course, have met and befriended so many amazing people.

I also want to thank Patsy Lemke, who cheerfully edited and gracefully suggested changes to better express or define what I was attempting to convey on paper.

The stories in this book are shared to remind us how much God cares. He’s always way ahead of us, orchestrating events to bring about His will, to show His power, and to extend His mercy, forgiveness, and grace to those who call upon His name. To God be all the glory!

Endorsements

I remember a saying by Mother Teresa from long ago, when she said, Only in heaven will we see how much we owe to the poor for helping us to love God better because of them. I was reminded of this saying while privileged to be one of the first to read Karen Klassen’s new book, Dare to Believe. After reading and contemplating her stories about her early days, marriage, calling by God, and the missionary life of her and her husband, I concluded that the Klassens didn’t have to wait for heaven to realize the rest of Mother Teresa’s quote. They learned it here on earth through their missionary work. Enjoy the book!

—Terry Bliquez

President & Founder Sky Cross, Inc.

These stories serve as a profound manual for mission-minded living. It is truly remarkable to see what has been accomplished by the people whom we call our mission mentors. Karen has done a masterful job of recounting some of the highlights from the field that stood out to her among the thousands of other encounters they have had over the years. While many people strive to pull themselves up by their own bootstraps, Phil and Karen have found a more excellent way—to trust in the Lord, always. Whether it was for provisions or protection, their faith in the Lord’s ability to meet their every need is mind-blowing.

The number of people who have been touched by the work of Phil and Karen easily reaches into the thousands, if not the tens of thousands, and it continues to grow as the life-changing love they gave to others is passed on to the next generation. It is quite apparent that these two forerunners have hearts that never stop pouring out.

—Dr. Brent Wong

President & Founder of Shine the Light Initiative

Table of Contents

A Note from the Author

The Beginning

The Yearning Within

California, Here We Come

Who Is a Missionary?

Your Unfailing Love

Additional Provisions for the Family

Trust—Easy to Say, Difficult to Do

Food Delivery and Not by Uber

Multiplying the Loaves

Kindhearted Man

God of Precision

Visitation of Angel

Commode Cleaner

Show Me

Language and Cultural Training

Chocolate Pudding…Not!

Is It Calor or Caliente?

God’s Timing

New Chapter of Life

He Is God

Our Three Children

Birth of Harvest Field Ministries (HFM)

HFM Child Sponsorship Program in Mexico

HFM Professional Christian Counselors

Our Main Interpreter

Ebenezer Children’s Program

Child Sponsorship Program Moves to the Dominican Republic

Our Trip to Haiti

Air-conditioned Outhouse

Dinner with Live Entertainment

Home Visits—Always a Highlight of My Day

Co-Laborers in Ministry

In Honor and Remembrance of

Sleep like a Log

Fountain of What?

Amazing Sense of Direction

Raising the Roof

Short-Term Missionaries

Serving Seniors—Winter Texans

New Home for Family with Handicapped Children

Like the Widow’s Mite

Prayer for Fertility

HFM Bible Schools

Empowering the Nationals

Finding Our HFM Mexico Director

HFM Mexico Director and Coordinators

Rain of Blessings

HFM Medical and Dental Clinics

Cleft Lip and Cleft Palate Surgeries

Healed from Cancer

Finally, A Good Night’s Sleep

Making the Most of a Difficult Situation

No More Nibbling Rats

Remember

Aztec Indians of Mexico

Stone Them

HFM Food Program—Reaching the Hungry with Food

Joining Forces with Sky Cross, Inc.

From Building Restrooms to Building Faith

Public School Opens to Hear about God’s Love

Safe at Last

In the Arms of God

Lord, Make Me Look Ugly!

Bunk Beds

Flushing Toilets

English Class and More

Abandoned

Employed

God’s Hand Is Upon You

The Local Witch

Pain Gone

The New Roof

Making a Joyful Noise unto the Lord

Fe y Poder Church (Faith and Power Church)

Tarahumara’s Years of Drought

Extra Baggage

Abscessed Tooth

Who Is Really Rich?

José’s Trash Pick-Up Business

When It’s Not the Answer You Hoped For

In Memory of Edriel

Why

Loaded to the Max

Power in Jesus’s Name

Switching Sides

The End of an Era

The Perfect Plan

True to His Word

The Grand Finale

Closing Note from Author

A Note from the Author

People would often ask about our missionary work and listen intently to some of our wild and wonderful adventurous stories. It was often suggested I write a book to share and encourage others with these real-life-changing testimonies that resulted from our efforts to bring the hope and love of Jesus Christ to a broken and hurting world.

However, in my endeavor to determine the best way to articulate on paper, knowing I am not the best with chronological order, I kept hitting a brick wall. I feared it was near impossible to keep events in the correct sequence. This caused me to be skeptical about achieving my goal in writing.

Then someone suggested that instead of facing it as this huge mountain of years of flowing information, why not rather compile a book of short stories to recount some of our diverse, memorable adventures? Immediately, I knew this was it! Communicating on paper the same way I verbalized, one story at a time, was definitely the most familiar way for me to share. And the best part was I didn’t have to follow any chronological order, but rather relax and relay our life experiences as they came to mind.

While writing, I often pondered on what to name this book. Then one day, I was awakened in the wee hours of the morning, and the name Dare to Believe came to me, and I knew this was it! It’s the theme, the purpose, and the reason for sharing; the challenge, if you will, to encourage you to dare to believe. From the start of this journey as missionaries, my husband and I dared to believe that the Lord had called us, then dared to respond to that call and move out of our comfort zone. We dared to believe He was able to keep and provide for us, dared to believe we could hear His voice to guide us, dared to believe He could and would use us, and that He would be faithful. He’s never let us down.

I’d like to be able to report that we then had a fairytale easy sailing ride, where life was beautiful all the time…but then…this is not a book of fairytales.

Not wanting to spew cliches, it is true, however, that our choices in life, as well as our life experiences, define us. Whether we choose to retract in fear or move out in trust, whether we become bitter or better when facing circumstances, these decisions are game changers. Our choices open doors to see Him move in greater ways or slam doors shut, possibly stifling blessings meant for us.

I hope you enjoy reading these venturesome stories from our voyage as missionaries. May they build your faith and encourage you to dare to believe!

—Karen Klassen

The Beginning

Finally, we were married! It seemed like it had been forever since we had talked and waited for this day. Although I was only seventeen years old, I truly believed I was mature beyond my years and well up to the challenges of life ahead of me. I couldn’t for a moment understand why people thought we were too young. Of course, today, I see a little clearer and sometimes can hardly believe we made it!

Because of a somewhat rough childhood, I couldn’t wait to get out and decided in my early teens that since I was probably going to get it anyway, I would make my getting