Pursuing God-Sized Dreams While Hitting Big Obstacles ~ Patty Cossette Ep. 45

How do you keep believing in your dreams when they feel dead? What are the dreams that are in your heart? Marriage, children, career, ministry? How do you go deeper with God while you are in the waiting?

In this episode, Patty Cossette drops so much wisdom and experience as she shares about a calling that God put into her heart while she was in college. Shortly after, she began to step into that exact dream, but only for a short time. When it seemed as if her dreams were dead, God resurrected them in a way she never expected, and He did more than she ever imagined. You won't want to miss this episode!

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Transcript

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SUMMARY KEYWORDS

god, dreams, russian, people, life, reclaimed, russia, heart, soviet union, spoken, apartment, hope, fun, sedona, years, church, sit, ministry, began, pray

SPEAKERS

Patty Cossette, Denisha Workizer

Denisha Workizer  00:01

Welcome to Living the Reclaim life Podcast. I'm Denisha We're glad you're here for conversations that revive hope, inspire healing and encourage you to live a vibrant life with Christ. So grab a cup of coffee as we chat with today's guest. I don't know about you, but I am hungry for hope. Can you even be hungry for hope? I don't know. But if you can, I am. I think more than ever, we need hope. And Christmas is a time of year when we experience hope. And not just because of beautiful sparkly lights or nostalgic traditions. But because we are celebrating our Savior's birth. Matthew 1221 tells us and his name will be the hope of all the world. His name, Jesus is the hope of all the world. Christmas brings us hope as we celebrate the moment that hope himself entered the world. And I don't know about you, but I want to hear what God is doing in the lives of everyday people. Not just those who have a spotlight or a microphone. But I want to know what God is doing in your life. To hear examples where Jesus has entered your world and something has changed because of him. There is so much hope in those stories. And this month, we're doing a 2021 rehash of the most listened to episodes. And in this episode, we are going to hear how God spoke clearly to a 19 year old girl, and put a calling and a purpose in her heart that was way bigger than she was. She definitely needed hope to hold on to. Part of her calling was even in another country. Wait until you hear her story. And it's not without obstacles, just like ours. Right? Or times when she wondered if God would or could he really, we pray that as you hear Patty story, you will see how hope entered and there's some pretty amazing moments of trust and dependence on Jesus. So let's get started. Well, hello, and welcome to this episode of living the reclaimed life. Today I have the privilege of introducing you to my fun, dynamic spirit filled friend, Patti coset. Welcome, Patti.

Patty Cossette  02:16

Thank you Denisha. It's I'm really glad to be here.

Denisha Workizer  02:19

Me too. Me too. I'm so glad you're here as well. You know, Patti and I have crossed paths for a ton of years at our church. And it wasn't until two out of my three children had her as a teacher. And that was super fun. I remember our now almost 18 year old coming home and middle school. Yes. And saying Mom, you would love my teacher, I think you guys would be good friends. And maybe I'm not sure he loved that when it actually came to fruition on his eighth grade trip.

Patty Cossette  02:51

That's true. That's true. He was witness to that.

Denisha Workizer  02:54

Yeah, he was in he was there for sure. And we had this incredible eighth grade trip where we took the kids to California to Los Angeles. And it was really a mission trip to teach them how to love others. And it was just that was such that was my favorite trip ever.

Patty Cossette  03:11

It was so fun. It was your favorite part of it. Oh, it's always to watch the students be transformed. By their time. They're just watching them. Coming from there, many of them very privileged lives that they live in and coming to a place of serving people who have absolutely nothing. And serving the homeless and going in and working hard cleaning, having to or working at the food bank and packing boxes, and just all these wonderful things. And yet they absolutely love it. So a lot of times when we take students on trips, they're always looking for this great big experience we're looking for, you know, a tour or a wonderful, fun time that they're going to have, but and they do have fun, like we do take them to Knott's Berry Farm. But that's not what they talk about. When they come back. They talk about what it was like to serve what it was like to have make a difference in someone's life. We go out and we eat breakfast, we bring breakfast to the homeless house. We don't just hand it out. But they go and they find someone to sit with and talk to and learn their story and learn what this person has gone through and and it's a beautiful thing and it really impacts our students, many of whom then have said that that was a moment when they thought about ministry or they thought about being involved in nonprofit work or that this was a place where they made decisions like so it's that's one of my favorite parts of it.

Denisha Workizer  04:47

That was mine too. And for our daughter, our second child. Their eighth grade trip got canceled because of COVID and so that was a bummer. I was looking forward to going on that. We're gonna go together I know it was so much fun. I'm not sure though if the kids had more fun, or we had more fun at knots afterwards,

Patty Cossette  05:06

you had a lot of your super dairy Drew. Yeah. Well, you came with me. It was all peer pressure. There you go. But it was lots of fun. We just had a really good time. It

Denisha Workizer  05:19

sure was. And we've gone to some conferences together also, in fact, our daughter, so if you can imagine two of my kids, right? My daughter wakes up in a Phoenix in Phoenix and a hotel room with us going to some conferences with a math teacher with her math teacher. She goes, Mom, that was so weird to like, wake up in a hotel room with my math teacher. I'm like, I love your math teacher. She's one of my dearest friends. Uh, you have four kids? Yes. Married 32 years? Yes. And I know one of your children, was the youth pastor at our church for a while I got to work alongside him as I was the children's pastor for a little bit during that time. And just incredible. Just agree. You have incredible kids incredible family.

Patty Cossette  06:02

Yeah, they're they're pretty awesome. I love they're the human beings they are.

Denisha Workizer  06:07

So not only she's super fun, but she's very smart. And she got her degree in French and Russian. And then her master's degree in Russian language and Russian literature. So that and so is it three languages total that you speak? Hmm. I felt like there was well, no, I

Patty Cossette  06:26

other I know other languages. But I'm fluent in Russian and English. But I also know French. I know some German. Yeah, that's pretty much it.

Denisha Workizer  06:37

That's so cool. And so to be able to utilize those languages, yes. You have some amazing stories that really drew your heart to Russia. Patty was a full time camp campus minister for 12 years, and also as the pastor for that was the women's ministry over and lead teams, I would love to hear your story just from the beginning, like going back into college and share what God did when you felt called into ministry and just some of your journey along the way.

Patty Cossette  07:11

Well, when I was in college, I got involved in a ministry where we also were, you know, doing Bible studies together. So we decided to take a small retreat and go up to Sedona, Arizona, which is a beautiful spot if you've never been there. It's absolutely lovely, with the red rocks, and Sedona Creek, and so we found a spot on Sedona Creek, and the five of us spread out and each found our own rock somewhere along the creek and began to do a Bible study called dreaming God's dreams. And so as I sat on my rock, and began to I was closing my eyes, and I began asking God, God, what is it that you want me to do? I'll do anything you want me to do? What is it you want me to do? And so the first thing that came to my heart was out of Second Corinthians 520, about being an ambassador for Christ. And I was like, yes, Jesus, where do you want me to go anywhere you want me to go. And so as I'm sitting there, and my eyes are closed, and the sun is shining, and so often when the sun is shining, it's hitting your eyelids, and it's red, right? So, so it's red. But all of a sudden, the red began to take shape. Now remember, I'm a little older than all a lot of you. And so it took shape. And the red became a flag. And in the corner of the flag was the hammer and sickle. It was the Soviet Union flag. And I heard a voice in my heart, say, I've called you to the Soviet Union. And I'm like, How about France? France will be good. I mean, they don't kill people in France. They don't throw you in prison, France. Oh, my God, you know, they throw people imprisoned over there for being a Christian. And I prayed more about that and just kind of let it sit in my heart and began to notice this was what God wanted me to do. Now, I was a French major. But as a language major, you have to take in additional exotic language. Your choices are Chinese, Russian, or Arabic. Chinese is tonal, couldn't do it. Arabic, could not write it, too many squiggles couldn't figure it out. Russian has a lot has an alphabet. You can figure out I was like, Okay, I'll take Russian. So I had taken one. Like, I been six weeks into my class in Russian. And I felt God speak this to me. And so I then began to throw myself into Russian history. Russian poly sai took all my Russian. I kept my French classes but also threw in a lot of the Russian language classes and became a double major. And as I was a junior, at the end of my junior year, you could do a junior you're abroad a junior summer, like a summer abroad program. And so my Russian teacher was like, You should go on this program. And so I applied and was accepted. And so I had been reading by now all these amazing books about, you know, people who smuggle Bibles into Russia. All these exciting things. I was like, Yeah, this is great. I want to do this. This is cool. And so I wanted to be cool. And so I was like, Okay, Lord, like I mean, I found all these ideas you could do a coke can and, and a roll up a New Testament, Russia New Testament and shove it up in the coke can and reseal the bottom of the can just I learned all these things. I was like, I could have a false bottom on my suitcase. And that sounds like

Denisha Workizer  10:43

a spy movie. Yeah, exactly. Right. So cool. So

Patty Cossette  10:47

that's what I thought it was like, yeah, that'd be great. Well, God told me, No, you're not taking any nothing but your own Bible. I'm like. So I was like, Okay, I won't. So. So we started our program, we fly to Paris first. So I got to use my French and my night, right. So we're in Paris in this hostel. And I meet this other Christian young guy named David. And, David. So we decided we should pray. You know, we have four days. And so we should meet together each day and pray for our trip and just what God wanted to do. And so he had brought 15 New Testaments, you know, I'm, like, fair. But so we, one of the times, we were praying, we're praying as to how he should bring it in. And so he felt he had a big backpackers backpack rather than a suitcase that he had all of his stuff in. So he felt led to put all of them across the bottom of his backpack, and then everything else on top of it. And then he had another small bag. And so we go and we arrive, and we get to Russia. And when you get into mot the Moscow airport, it is not like you feel welcome in any way. This is under the Soviet rule. So when you get off you are greeted with soldiers with AK 40, sevens and bayonets. And it's like, Oh, happy to be here. Okay.

Denisha Workizer  12:20

So it's illegal at the time was it illegal to be a Christian or to

Patty Cossette  12:24

bring on is not to be illegal to be a Christian, but you couldn't like publicly Professor practice or and you certainly couldn't bring in literature that was illegal, and could get you shipped back out right there, he would be turned around, put you on the next plane out. So we go through customs armed in one line, David's in a whole different line. So I go through my line. And they open my suitcase, which was big. And he just started going through absolutely everything in my suitcase, he was unrolling my socks, he was he moved everything aside, he was padding the bottom of the suitcase to see if there was a false bottom to it. Like all my great ideas I had, right. He takes my bag of raisins. And he's like, fingering through them to see if there's something in there. And then he takes my Bible. And he says, Is this a Bible? I said, Yes. He said, It must leave with you. When I leave. When you leave this country, you may not leave this book in our country. So they actually stamp on your visa, that you had a Bible so they make sure that it left with you. So as I am re packing my suitcase full of things for six weeks being overseas. I'm watching my friend David go through his other line. So he opens the small bag that he has, he goes to customs and they take the small bag first and the guy opens it and there's a Frisbee in there he goes. Oh, please be very nice. Much better than ration frisbee American Frisbee. Very, very good. Then he closes it. Zips it back up. David offers him the big backpackers backpack and he goes oh, no, no, no. And waves and right on through. So we just sat there and we're like, okay, okay, we're hearing. We're listening. We're hearing and Okay, God, we're just gonna continue to follow your lead.

Denisha Workizer  14:23

And isn't that incredible? That God told you? No, no, you're not taking any Bibles. You're not smuggling anything in coke cans. Good that you have this knowledge now but you're not utilizing it for this trip. Right? Right. And then customs goes through your bag completely. Yeah, and not his that is just, that's such a God moment. I love that.

Patty Cossette  14:45

It was an amazing time. So we got to meet people in both the registered church and in the unregistered church while we were there. We went out to a forest meeting of the church and it was just so this is the 70s Okay, That's my age. I'm old. So anyway. And so this is in the 70s. And our relationships weren't great with the Soviets back then they weren't terrible. But then I came back home and applied to go back for a graduate program, which was a semester long program. And that was when the Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan. And so we broke all relationships with them. And so all the programs were canceled, everything was canceled. And I was thrown into I don't even know what I'm supposed to do. So here God had spoken this vision in my heart that I was supposed to be an ambassador to the Soviet Union, and every door that I knew about was slam shot.

Denisha Workizer  15:46

Now, when you were there, did you feel like you fulfilled your purpose?

Patty Cossette  15:50

Oh, no, you could tell it was just the beginning. Okay, it was just the beginning. So I was like, Okay, God, I have no idea what you want to do. I have no idea what you want to do. And so I worked for a year I'd graduated bachelors, got my bachelor's degree, worked for a year. And then God was like, I want you to go start graduate school down. Do you have a I'm like, So University of Arizona, like, Oh, okay. So I did. And then I got involved in campus ministry, down here at school at the UVA and went into full time ministry during that time, so I was getting my master's degree, but also went into full time ministry, and was active in there for about 12 years took me from, from here in Tucson, and then I went to Boulder, Colorado for a while worked with a church up there, and we helped do different campus things. Got spat on, yeah, boulders, really fun, that's a great place to share, share your faith. And so anyway, and then was in ministry for that amount of time, and then came back to Tucson, and had absolutely no idea what I was supposed to do. I applied. So during this time, I had led one team in 1985, I led one team back over into Russia for a week, just for a week trip. Came back, I didn't know what God wanted me to do. So I had applied for a job in the embassy. And they couldn't find they knew I knew Russians. And they couldn't find the Russians I knew. And so therefore, they wouldn't clear me. And I had had a security clearance before, but they wouldn't clear me for the job. So that didn't happen. So I'm like, I have no idea what you want to do God. And then he was like, It's time to get married. Do you have someone in mind?

Denisha Workizer  17:50

And you weren't dating? Right? Oh,

Patty Cossette  17:52

no, no, he had been interested in me like seven years before? And I was like, Yeah, I don't know. Cuz he's 10 years older than I am. And I was busy doing my thing doing what? I've got to do this thing. And so all of a sudden, God was like, he gave me a scripture. And anyway, and it was definitely Ray. And I was like, Okay, and so I just made sure he was invited to all the parties and that he was around more

Denisha Workizer  18:23

social life.

Patty Cossette  18:26

Exactly. And so, anyways, so then we started dating, and shortly after that, then he proposed, and so then we got married. And I got pregnant, like, bam. Immediately, I was 31. Right was 41 when we got married. And so I was sitting there pregnant with me, and I was like five months pregnant. And Ray comes in and says, I think it's time to send get a job over in Russia in the Soviet Union. And I'm like, I think it's time to paint the extra bedroom green, because we are having a baby having a baby. We don't know what it is yet. But we could do green.

Denisha Workizer  19:11

And now did he have a heart for the Soviet Union? Also, yes, he

Patty Cossette  19:14

had studied Russian in heist. That's crazy. And then he had taken in the military academy from West he was a West Pointer. So we both had this heart. And a new God wanted to use us over there. But we didn't know how, because it's not like you can just do this. It wasn't like you could just pop into the Soviet Union. You have to have visas you have to apply just to even be a tourist over there, let alone do anything else. So we had prayed and we're like, Okay, God, what do you want to do? And so he began to find all the companies that his experience would fit with that had business over in the Soviet Union. So He started sending a resume. And we got lots of amazing rejection letters. Cheese. Oh, and fact, we got a rejection phone call from this one cut man who just said, you know, no one is gonna hire an inexperienced person to represent their country, their company in a foreign nation. And we're like, Thanks for the encouragement. Sounds good. So Ray had also sent though his resume, not just to the corporate offices, but to their Moscow offices. And so we had gotten this lovely rejection letter from dresser industries that said, thank you, we will keep it on file. We'll give you a call. And we were like, Yeah, right. So, but then we got a phone call now. Remember, I'm pregnant. I am now. I had Heather, six weeks early. Okay. So if I had still been pregnant, when we had this phone call, I couldn't fly. Heather is now four weeks old. Okay, so she was born six weeks early. She's now four weeks old. If she was younger, any younger, she couldn't fly. So right at that moment, we get a phone call from Moscow. And, and the representative of dresser said, I was in the I'm here in our Moscow office, and I saw your resume. And I have an interesting opportunity I want to talk to you about however, we need to meet the whole family. So they flew us all the three of us to Houston. And we met with a man named Bob wrenbury. He is amazing, Texan. All his charm. He's a lawyer. And he had been doing international business for years and years and years. And he had this little helper that was his Russian expert. And so we met them and talked with them a lot. And they began to explain to us what they were doing. They were doing a new business. Now. Let's bring this into time. This is in 1990. So the Berlin Wall has come down. Okay. That was when the Berlin Wall came down, was when we began to think, okay, maybe God wants us over there. And so we began to pursue a job over there. So as that happened, then, so the Berlin Wall has come down. In Russia, we have Gorbachev is the leader. And this is time of glasnost and perestroika, where they're trying to bring a greater openness. And they're trying to restructure things that are becoming more open to the west. And so there's lots of changes happening. And so as we sit there with this gentleman, and he starts explaining the job, and they're they've done business in Russia for years, they've had a representation over there. And there was a new opportunity called a joint venture where it was 51%, United States owned and 49%, Soviet owned. And they said, This is a new thing that we want to try. And we need someone to do follow through with this. And so after he talked about it a lot, I said, Oh, how many people are you considering for this position? And he said, You're the only ones. Like he said, we did a two year search through our company. No wife would go. And he said, The reason they won't go is because you're going to have to live in Soviet housing. And you're not going to live in expatriate housing you're going to live in, in Soviet housing. And Ray and I internally are going yes, because x Patriot housing has a doorman, people have to sign in, they have to, they are followed, and they are watched. We wanted people to be able to have free access in and out of our apartment. And so we were like, alright, this is good. So he went down our list, and he just was checking all our boxes that we had been praying that God would just open up an opportunity. And so, um, three weeks later, they called us and said, Okay, we need you in Houston in two weeks, or like, so here I am. And now, this is changing. This is not what I thought of when I was that girl sitting on that rock that 19 year old. And then after that 19 year old then went to Russia when she was 21. Okay, and did all these things and when I was 21 I'm not 21 Now, now there's a baby there. As a baby, and I'm like, God, this is different. This is different. And so they flew us over there so that I could see where we were going to live. So Ray had already been in Moscow now for a month. We've, they've took us over there in January, the coldest month, and one of the coldest winters they had had in a long time. So everything is frozen. I mean, literally, you know, when snow melts, and then you give that layer and then it freezes. So it's just ice. And I'm carrying, you know, a little six month old, and you're from Tucson. Arizona. Exactly. So I'm like, Okay, I live in Chicago, but that's been a long time ago. So, um, and we were in, so they took us to see where our apartment was gonna be. I'm like, Okay, this is great. So we're in the car, and we're driving, and we go through one neighborhood and I'm like, Okay, this is nice, pretty good area. And we kept driving, then we get through another area. I was like, Okay, this sounds good, too. We could live in these, these have some nice apartments in here. And we keep driving. And then we start getting out to an area of town, where the buildings look like Chicago, tenement houses. Everything's a modular concrete block. And they're 12 storeys high. And they're built around courtyards. And inside those courtyards are broken. playground equipment and garbage overflowing out of the garbage cans. And I'm like, You should just keep driving. Just cute. Is all internal this here, right? This is a beautiful internal conversation happening. And I'm like, okay, maybe we're picking someone because he exits and then we go into the courtyard, and I'm like, and there's garbage covered with snow and just, everything's broken them like that. Then he stops. He says, we're okay.

Denisha Workizer  26:53

Did you have a little less enthusiasm than he did?

Patty Cossette  26:57

Yeah, very much. I was very quiet. I was extremely quiet. So we go up to the eighth floor. And we walk in now, these are concrete block modular buildings. So all the walls are solid concrete. They wanted to put a two room apartment. So Russian apartments are just two rooms, or they're three rooms. So you don't have living rooms. And they're just two rooms and you do whatever you can with that. And then you have three rooms. And so they were going to put two together for us. So what that meant was, they had to use a sledgehammer to knock through the concrete wall that joined them together. So yeah, so they did that. So I walk in, and it was a snowy day. So there were no windows in place, because they were remodeling it for us. So there are no windows like no windows, no else, there is snow blowing in into the building. There is concrete rubble, all around. And I'm just like, Okay, so I'm walking through just trying to hold it together. And the poor guy looks at me and says, so what kind of wallpaper? Would you like windows? Just like on Windows, that would be good. So I'm not a person who can just look at rubble and go to wallpaper. Yeah, can't do it. So that night, we were in our hotel room. And Ray is bundled up with everything. And he came bundled up in bed asleep, but you can see his breath. It was that cold in the room. There was a breeze, the all the windows are shut, but they're still the curtains are moving. There's a breeze coming through. And I have my little baby wrapped up in everything. I can wrap it up in and I sit down in this chair, and I began to go God, I don't think I can do this. So here I am, the 19 year old girl on this amazing vision. Who went to Russia when she was 21 then took a team in when she was in her 20s. And now I'm sitting in Moscow. Going I think I can do this. So here's his dream. And he's bringing it about and I don't know what to do. And so this is when God speaks to my heart and he said, This is what you want it but you wanted it on your terms. Are you willing to do it on my terms? Not knowing what would be ahead. But can you trust me and follow me? I say no.

Denisha Workizer  29:49

It's easier though. Standing on the rock in Sedona with your arm stretched out. Send me I'll go where you want me to go right? Nice. Sitting in the room. reality of your soon to be apartment filled with rubble concrete. So all the things yes.

Patty Cossette  30:08

And so I sat with tears running down my face and saying, I will take up my cross and I will follow you, I'm going to follow you. And little did I know all that God was gonna do that was so much beyond all we could ask her think the dreams that we had had the visions that we had thought of. We ultimately after being there six months, we saw, we met a pastor and his wife who had been in the unregistered church in the underground church, all their lives they were. And at six months after we had gotten over there, the laws changed. That allowed Christian organizations to rent a hall for the first time to publish literature for the first time to speak to someone under the age of 18. About God for the first time, all of those things had been illegal. And the laws had just changed. And they were reaching into the institute's and the universities and seeing young men get saved, and come to know them. So we were in their apartment, which was itty bitty and, and you had 40 People just crammed in there and singing praise and worship songs. And then we got a hall and rented a hall for the first time that held 150. We had 100 people at our very first meeting, and then it filled to 150. So then we needed to find a new hall. So then we outgrew that was that one was seated 250. Then we found one that had 400. Then we got one that was 800 outgrew all of these and so by the end of three years, it was a church of 1500 people.

Denisha Workizer  31:41

That's amazing. It was amazing that some church growth,

Patty Cossette  31:45

you talk about revival, we lived one. It was amazing, because everybody wanted to talk about Jesus because he hadn't been allowed to. They've never been allowed to talk about Jesus. So they're asking questions. Do you have a Bible? Can I get a Bible? Can I get one from my mom, can I get one from my grandma. And we were smart. We were no longer smuggling them. But we were having them brought in through diplomatic pouch, because we had friends in the embassy. And so we ordered them, and then they would bring them into diplomatic pouch. So we were handing out Bibles out of his office, we were bringing study Bibles for the pastors, they had never had anything that had any resources before. So we were bringing study Bibles in and it was it was just an amazing, beautiful privilege to be a part of what God and it was way more than we could ever ask her thing. His dreams are so much greater than our dreams. And it was a beautiful thing to see.

Denisha Workizer  32:37

Wow. And so you were there for three years with that church,

Patty Cossette  32:41

ultimately, for four years. We were there for about four years. So and we worked for the Billy Graham crusade when Billy Graham came over and did his big crusade in 92. I think it is. Yeah. I think it's either 91 or 92. We were also there during the coup. And so anyway, we saw history happen right in front of our eyes and had the privilege of being a part of it. So we just are very thankful that God led us and we still have relationships with that church, we go back. My husband was going back every year, then every other year. And then I had more kids, so go back for a little while. And but then we took all of our children as well. And we went out to Siberia and did all kinds of children's camps. And God just did lots of amazing things. So we still have deep relationships and friendships there.

Denisha Workizer  33:37

And that started in 19. When you saw a flag before your eyes, praying, God, what will you have for me? That's amazing. You know, you have such evidence of dreams that God puts in your heart, and even at such a young age to be called by God know where you were going, had no clue how you're going to get there. Right? And then this teacher, that path open. Yeah. And this teacher says, you know, you should come do this year, which sounds like it turned into 12 It's just a summer I was just a summer that then turned into so much more than that. You come back home get married, you and your husband who happens to have taken Russian and happens to have a heart also for the Soviet Union. You both go over there together have this amazing ministry. And like you said, See history made. I also see that your dreams were fulfilled and then it would almost maybe when you came back to Tucson did you feel before you married right and you guys went back? Did it feel as if the dream had died been postponed? How did you feel? Where was Where were you? Where was your heart in the midst of coming back home?

Patty Cossette  34:48

When I came back from my program over there and then when I had applied and the Afghanistan thing happened and all our relations died I had no idea how God could ever make it happen. And so there's a time when it just felt dead. It felt like it was. And I remember God gave me some verses about waiting on him and waiting on the Lord. And when we talk about waiting on the Lord, it's not like waiting with your foot tapping. We're saying, Hey, okay, let's get it done. Come on God, let's go. No, that doesn't work. But it's having that patience. But and when we say that, we often think that this is a passive time that this is something that's passive. But he led me to this verse in Psalm 105, where he talks about Joseph Now Joseph was a guy of dreams, he had a lot of dreams, and they were big. I mean, you know, when you have a dream about the sun, the moon and all the stars bowing down to

Denisha Workizer  35:54

you, that's quite a dream, that's pretty.

Patty Cossette  35:59

Um, so he has these amazing dreams. And he makes the mistake of actually telling his brothers, and so ends up in a pit, then gets sold into slavery, and then gets accused of sexual assault falsely and then gets thrown into prison and then gets forgotten prison. And in Psalm 105, it says, until the word of the Lord came to pass the word tested and refined. That word refining means creating character, refining our character refining, will that work that God has done on the inside of each of us, He wants you ready, he knows the dream he has for you, each of us. And he knows where you need to be maturity wise, and where you are internally to be able to handle the dream. Okay, when he fulfills it. And so I when I read the thought was something that I then just grabbed hold of, and it was like, Okay, Lord, I want you to refine me, I want you to mature me, I want you to make me who I need to be to stand when it comes when you have it. And I will continue to pursue you. In the middle of the waiting. You don't sit and it's like, okay, I'll be waiting here. You call me when you're ready? No, but

Denisha Workizer  37:30

you know, I think it's hard not to tap your foot and go come on God. Or to just sit and go, well, now I'm gonna roll over and die and not doing because it's not coming to pass that tension, right? There is a hard place to be.

Patty Cossette  37:44

And it's a real place. And it is hard. And that's where you have to come and go deeper into him. And understand and know that he knows the timing. He knows where you are. I used to often say that it's like, okay, you know, my address, you know where I am. So I know you can bring it when it's time. And it's that building of trust, which is really, our whole life in Jesus is all about trust, coming to that place of resting in Him, knowing that he knows the plans he has for us. He knows the future. He knows the dreams. He knows the timing. He knows a way better than we do. And he knows how we fit into his big picture, how we fit into his timing. And as we wait on Him, He will do it in a perfect way. We don't want to be Sara grabbing her maid servant and say, Okay, God said they were supposed to have an air. Okay, so it ain't happening with me. So hey, take my maid servant. And so no, let's not try to make it happen by our own means. But it doesn't mean being inactive. I was in ministry during this time. I was. As I was waiting on the Lord. He had me ministering to people he had me doing Bible says he had me doing all kinds of things in the middle, because he still was using your USD as you're available every day, it's an everyday thing. And that's how we walk into his dreams. It's not he gave me a dream. I'm gonna sit here till the fulfills until he fulfills it. And if he doesn't fulfill it, I don't know what I'm gonna do with that. You know, I mean, some of us may have dreams of being married. We may have dreams of children, we may have dreams of ministry, or we may have seen ourselves may have had a dream where we see ourselves speaking in front of people and all these different kinds of things that God does put into our hearts, but he's the one in charge of the timing. He's also the one in charge of making us ready. But just like As Kristin has that a blog right now out there on reclaimed story, just about the fact that it's his what how's it going

Denisha Workizer  40:11

in God's power plus our permission equals redemption.

Patty Cossette  40:15

So it's where we know God has the power to change us and transform us. And as we give him permission to work within us, he redeems changes. reclaims, goes into every one of those areas and transforms us from the inside out, as we are pursuing him, resting in Him, trusting in Him to fulfill the things that he placed in our hearts.

Denisha Workizer  40:44

Amen. Boy, that's a perfect follow up to Easter, isn't it? That's been heavy on my heart thinking of how we celebrate Easter we celebrate Christ's resurrection. And then it's Monday. And what do we do Monday, you know, been real focused on and during Holy Week, real focused on, you know, the different, you know, places that Jesus was throughout the week and the cross, obviously, on Friday and my end Sunday's resurrection. But you know what, Monday is kind of boring. You know, we get to the day after resurrection. And I think it can be the same way with our dreams. You know, we can have a dream, and we can see you got to see a piece of your dream fulfilled. And then you came back home, and then another piece of your dream fulfilled. And like you said, in God's timing, I love that Psalm 105. And, you know, I think there's times also that waiting can be long. And we can think, God, where are you in this? And are you going to resurrect those dreams that are in me those things that we begin to tap them down? Because we hold hope for a long time. But you know, after we've carried that hope for a little while it makes our heart weary? Well, you

Patty Cossette  41:55

know, where it says the Hope deferred makes the heart sick? Yes. And so when we've seen delays, or what feels like delays, we do, our heart does get sick. And that's where very honestly, our hope needs to be in him. Not in what he spoke God's God, not in his word, not in this dream he gave us but our hope is in Him. And when we find our identity in him, not the calling, am not the dream, not any of those things, but we find our identity in Christ, then we can patiently say you do what you're gonna do. And you do it when it's time. And I'll be I'll be I know, you will move me and put me in the position I need to be in at that time. But it's that relationship. You know, when we're talking about resurrection, you know, in Russian, the word Sunday Vaska, Sonia. Every Sunday, they're saying resurrection. That word means resurrection. So it's every week, it's not just Easter. That's cool. Our daughter, we named our youngest daughter, Anastasia. Anastasia in Greek means resurrection. She at a time when she was born was a wreck. We hadn't been back to Russia. And we didn't know when we would go back. And shortly after she was born, actually, we were able to go back again. So so she was a resurrection of some of our dreams. But the thing that I love about resurrection, is looking at that verse that's in Romans eight. Because this is powerful, okay, because this is the everyday part that we live in. And that is, but the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead, dwells in you, He who raised Christ, Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal mortal bodies, through His Spirit that dwells in you, that same spirit, that spirit that had the power to raise Jesus, from the dead, roll back a massive stone off the tomb, that same spirit has been put in each and every one of us, who call ourselves by his name, that Spirit lives inside of us. And that spirit is that transforming power that we live in every day. That's that resurrection power, where he takes those things that have been dead, those things that have gone dormant those things, he breathes life back into us. And he does it every day, as we yield to him as we pursue him. Not just nonchalantly, hey, I'll give you my five minutes. But as we pursue him, and what's beautiful about our God is that He pursues us. He pursues us. He loves so much. And he wants us to have that relationship that is a constant place where we are being transformed from the inside out by the power of the Almighty God that raised Jesus from the dead, that He ever lives our Jesus lives ever lives to make intercession for us. And he continues to move by His Holy Spirit, to accomplish His will and His purposes in each one of our lives.

Denisha Workizer  45:28

Amen. Amen. And that is powerful to let that really sink in, isn't it? That's that Monday. Yeah. And Tuesday and Wednesday? And why? In English? How do you what would you say to a woman listening? Who's thinking, it doesn't feel like my dreams can be resurrected? What would you say to them? Knowing that you've been on both sides of that you've been living the dream and you've waited for the dream? What would you say to her maybe, you know, she's home with little kids, and she has big dreams, or maybe, you know, just the space in her life right now isn't where she thought she would be, what would you say to her,

 Patty Cossette  46:11

you know, I would say a couple of things. One, is find your place in Jesus, find your identity in him, not just in the dream, or the or the goal, or the thing that you thought would make your life complete the thing that you thought this, if just this, this would make life really work, but find your place in him. Because if you find it in him, he'll take you the other places that you need to go and that He has for you. And it's a great place of rest. It's a beautiful place of rest when we in actuality, in if you look in Hebrews four, it talks about the Israelites and how they didn't find rest, because they did not unite the word that was spoken to them with faith in their hearts. They didn't find rest, because they didn't unite it with faith. God had spoken to them what their calling was and what their dream was, but they had not united with faith in their hearts, as God's put those things in your heart, put your faith and trust not in the word that was spoken. But in the one who spoke. Put your trust in Him. And as you find that place of rest and that place of trust, know that each thing that he's given you to do today is moving you that direction. As you're faithful in the little things, find joy in the journey, find joy in the middle, in the middle of the mess in the middle of the crazy in the middle of I don't know how God will ever bring these things about. Find him and find your joy in him and what he's given you to do right here today. And I know, I know that he will fulfill his dreams in his timing.

Denisha Workizer  48:19

That's wonderful. Patti, thank you so much for sharing today, your wisdom, parts of your journey. I would love to have you back on to share more, because there's so much to me. I'm like, then what happened? But thank you so much for sharing with the audience today. And I will be sure to put the passages that you refer to in the show notes as well.

Patty Cossette  48:41

Well, thank you for having me. It's truly been a pleasure. And ladies just know how much our God loves you how much he loves you how much he knows right where you are. The challenge us who are faced with today, and he wants to carry them. Give them to him. Let him carry you and them and understand that he will accomplish his purposes for you in his time. Amen.

Denisha Workizer  49:08

Thank you, Patty. Thanks for listening. I pray you found hope in today's conversation, and maybe even feel a little less alone in your story. Stay connected with us on Facebook and Instagram at reclaimed story. Want to learn more about living a reclaimed life and how you can be a part of our growing community of Reclaimers check out our website at reclaim story.com all of those links and more will be in the show notes. And if you enjoyed this inspirational podcast Be sure to subscribe rate and review. That is a huge help and helping us reach more people to live the reclaimed life. Thank you so much for listening