Published Wed, Mar 18, 26.
Written by Kristy Klitz.
“But those who wait on the LORD
Shall renew their strength;
They shall mount up with wings like eagles,
They shall run and not be weary,
They shall walk and not faint.” (Isaiah 40:31)
It is interesting to look at the different translations of the Hebrew word qāvâ in Isaiah 40:31 - which all point to waiting (NKJ), hoping (NIV) and trusting (NLT) in the Lord.
Gathering Table so far this year has been in a time of waiting on the Lord for him to move. On the surface it may seem that things have come to a stand still - no Pop-Up dinners on the calendar as of yet for the year and the location for the 2nd year of doing the bee keeping apprenticeship that starts in May still being up in the air. Yet Isaiah 40:31 reminds us that God is working even as we wait. As one explanation of the word qāvâ explains it like a strand of rope being twisted and stretched into just the right tension, until it is ready for use.
That is what it feels like right now, that as we wait on the Lord, the ministry is being twisted and stretched and prepared for the things God has planned. Like a tension that is being readied to be released to launch.
What does this mean practically? Here are a few things we are waiting on the Lord for that you can be praying with us about, before we move into some of the things God has planned for Gathering Table this year.
- Land or property in the Clovis area for doing the bee keeping apprenticeship with Hives for Heros. We are praying for God to open the door for someone who has the space to let us use from May-September. We have some possibilities in the works, nothing nailed down yet though. While we wait, we have stepped out in faith and started inviting guys into the apprenticeship, with already two veterans who have said yes! You can find more details about the apprenticeship here: https://www.gatheringtablefarms.com/2026apprenticeship
- Gathering Table team meeting to plan out the pop-up dinners for this year. We are in the process of scheduling the planning meeting in the next few weeks hopefully. This has taken longer than we hoped for, BUT as we have been waiting on the Lord, God has brought quite a few unexpected people who have expressed interest in getting involved in the dinners this year! We have found that some of the most impactful discipleship happens within the planning team. We are excited to see what God has in store.
- Lastly, we are waiting on the Lord for ideas on how to connect local agriculture with the dinners and the ministry as a whole. During some recent vision strategy meetings with some dear friends, the Lord reminded us that gathering people around local agriculture is a part of the DNA of this ministry. We are planning another meeting soon to discuss practical ideas, be praying the Lord reveals his plans to us.
We look forward to updating next time on God’s answers to these things. Thank you for your prayers and faithful support.
The photos below are some recent movement and activity of our bee hives that help support the ministry of Gathering Table and the bee keeping apprenticeship.
Blessings,
Jeff and Kristy
