The boys were asked to load some hay at a farm out of town last night. The work was light, and their hearts even lighter – physical work is welcome relief from days of sitting with study books and computers. Physical work alongside believers-with-integrity is a huge boost to all of us. This fellow is a real gem, a spiritual patriarch in this town.
When they returned from the farm to the village centre, they met a man who gave them bread for our breakfast.
You’d think we were in our winter home, tucked away on isolated islands, for when the mail arrives (in this case, the UPS driver), there is so very much excitement. We are exceedingly grateful for each letter and each gift that brightens our lives.
We are staying here in northern Indiana until our bills are completely paid. Our faith is being stretched and strengthened. Many of you relate to lean times with the economy as it is; we pray that you would continue to look to every big and little way that God is providing for your needs. Elizabeth Elliott writes: “Paul made it perfectly clear that his contentment had nothing to do with how desirable his circumstances were. ‘I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions and calamities.’…How, then, did it work? It worked by a mysterious transforming power, something that reversed things like weakness and hardship, making them into strength and joy. …The promise of Christ was not for Paul alone. “My grace is sufficient for you.” It’s a gift to be accepted. If we refuse it, nothing will be enough….”
Todd came home around 11 last night. I heard bags rustling as he put things into the little refrigerator. In the morning, we saw the sacks of southern biscuits, the gravy, the popcorn, and the cereal mix that he had been given by one who knew nothing of our need. Then this morning, the boys met an Amish farmer who asked them if our family could use some extra vegetables he had in his garden.
I think this is the longest wait yet.
The longest wait for mail was 31 days. That was in our second year on the field. This wait –for God’s provision to move on– is happening just as we enter our sixth year.
Christ’s promise: “My grace is sufficient for you”.
Time to Stop. Think about Jesus. Love each other.
Todd has been burning the candle at both ends and in significant chunks right out of the middle and we are worn out. With nighttime turn-in landing somewhere between midnight and 2 a.m. consistently this week, as well as entire days devoted to the needs of those God has put on his path, it is a blessing to our family that a couple of times a week he goes out for an hour ride’s with the children. My frequent prayer is: Send More Workers!
Some of the key issues out there have to do with families falling apart in the 11th hour. Somewhere in the late teens, all the unwise freedoms and the seeds of dissatisfaction, the counterproductive music and the accumulation of nonnurturing experiences away from parental oversight have grown unwatched into adults marked by undesirable behavior and immature, rash thoughts with little self-control and even less principle-based living. We’re not talking about wildly rebellious young adults here; we’re talking about children floundering when they should be flourishing.
When I hear so many sad stories out there of young adult children who veer widely from the godly vision parents once had for them, I quake in my boots thinking about all the gaps in our family that we don’t spend the right amount of time filling with godly training. We had the privilege of breakfast with a missionary couple last week who –unaware of our recent counseling with fractured families– said something that spoke right into my soul: “keep your family a priority, right next to your relationship to God, and don’t sacrifice family on the altar of ministry”. He said he lost his own sons and daughters because he didn’t put them in their proper place in his priorities. Now that he is in his seventies, he is slowly gaining back their hearts.
Do you want some good news? Thursday, Todd and our oldest son spent over four hours with a 20 year old guy who told us that when he was 18 and not a believer, he frequently heard older people pray for his salvation, and he stubbornly thought in his heart, “I won’t let them have their prayers answered”. Yet God drew this young man’s heart to Himself, bit by bit, until His overwhelming love and abundant mercy won over human pride and stubbornness. What a great encouragement to each of us to pray unceasingly for our children.
As for the Report of God’s Provision, we remain in northern Indiana, ministering, waiting on God, and carving out an hour here and a half hour there to nurture the bonds of family.
Happy 4th of July to all of you!
Making it easy for all types of people to visit…
What are the “hitching posts” I’ve put into my life to encourage people to come to Christ?
In honour of Canada Day, a few photos from a favourite stop on Prince Edward Island:
The other photos won’t load…I’ll try again another time.
The Report of God’s Provision:
The mail arrived, and with it the prayers and support of kind friends! God must want us here yet a while, as there remain bills to be paid before moving on, and as there is no sign of the work letting up.
Please pray for strength and wisdom, for soft hearts and for understanding as we seek to be instruments in bringing believers back to the Scriptures in all things.
Happy Canada Day to all of you!
Since we left the islands, we’ve experienced a slew of internet issues (many of them specifically related to uploading information and photos to this website). In short, the resulting silence has been misleading. If you read our June letter in the sidebar, you know our story about Indiana; on Thursday, our oldest sat for a day of exams, and we’re all breathing a little easier.
Please pray for the mail to arrive today. We’ve been expecting it since last week.
Our last days on the islands were filled with discussions, last minute visits with some needy folk and some good friends, and oodles of pictures as we tried to absorb moments into long term memories. After work –and our days were jammed with living the rustic life, visiting with friends old and new, logging hours praying, and churning out endless studies for the boys—we played.
