We have now left Gambela…for good. Saying
goodbye to the folks we have come to love dearly ranks as one of the most
difficult things we have ever done in our lives up to this point…but we knew we
simply could not stay any longer. My heart and my head just could not cope with
the extreme weather.
We are in Cape Town for the present time
staying with family. While this is meant to be a time of rest, relaxation, and
recovery, it is also a time of prayerful discernment as we seek the Lord’s will
regarding our future.
I simply have to get my health back on
track again…that is priority…otherwise I won’t mean much to any mission. So, I
will be seeing my doctors this week, working on a heart healthy diet, and
getting this body back into shape again with an emphasis on cardio-vascular
exercises. My sister-in-law has promised keep me true to the exercise challenge
as long as I keep her true to the (rather strict) diet! Mike and Marianne are
such an encouragement to us…what would do without their very real and tangible
support? Of course the Queen is overjoyed that we are here…ah, however did I
earn such love from my dear mother-in-law?
We will also be chatting with the “Growing
the Church” (see here: http://www.growingthechurch.org.za/site/home.aspx)
leadership while we are here to see if we are able to discern a call to work
together in the future. SAMS-USA Missionaries Wayne and Nicole Curtis work with
them and Fr Trevor Pierce came to the Christian Barnard Hospital to pray with
and for us when I had my heart surgery…we have always sensed a strong bond
between us, so we just need to find our what the Lord has in mind.
We are trying to read up as much about the
Cape Area as possible so that can become reacquainted with it…much has changed
since we were here in seminary at George Whitefield College in 1992! One book I
am finding very interesting is called “Gang Town” (see here, although they only
seem to have the Kindle edition https://www.amazon.com/Gang-Town-Don-Pinnock-ebook/dp/B01DMDBPEG/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1479109213&sr=1-1&keywords=gang+town)
about the two sides of the city of Cape Town. If we are going to grow the
church, then the marginalised must surely be part of the equation, right? I am
also reading two books by Mark Batterson…The Circle Maker and the Grave
Robber…actually I am rereading the latter. Good books to read now as we
contemplate the future…we are asking great things from a great God.
Thank you for your on-going prayers and for
your unbelievable support! So many have told us that they support us as people and
not the project and that has meant so much to us, you cannot even begin to
imagine! To know that we are not simply commodities to be spent is so
encouraging…ah, but that’s what friends and family are for, right?
We have come through a rather dark valley…but
we are sensing the light. Walk with us into His brightness…