Off they go again!!
Even in the midst of intense hardship and difficulty, God’s work moves forward on thousands of different fronts all around the world, and one of those fronts is our beloved Host Country. Yes, even in times of severe upheaval, turmoil, corruption, suffering, hunger, fear, and death, God Almighty continues to work to open doors and prepare the way for his servants to move forward.
And so YES, our coworkers are indeed moving forward!! In spite of many delays and setbacks, this past week they were back on the road once again with their beat up vehicles heading out to Pretty Water to minister to the beloved P people. Even with the many challenges of finding the needed car parts, getting sufficient gas and oil, as well as groceries, God has brought this together for them and they were excited to be heading back their homes among the P people. And as they passed checkpoint after checkpoint, they finally let us know that they had cleared all the potential problem areas, and none of their supplies were taken away, PTL!! Yes, they had wanted to get back in there a long time ago but circumstances didn’t permit. They made their plans, but God directed their steps, in HIS time and in HIS way.
As they were heading out, we were in contact with them, praying that God would open the needed doors for them. And as we communicated and saw the pictures they were sending to us like the one above, well our eyes teared up as our hearts filled with emotion, wishing we were going back out there with them. But no, God has us in the north writing Bible curriculum for these dear believers. Again, as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are his ways and thoughts so much higher than ours!
As far as a trip for us to rendezvous with some of the P pastors this Dry Season, it isn’t looking too likely. However, we continue forward trusting our Chief Strategist to work things out for His honor and glory when it comes to the P work. Thanks again for your prayers regarding this. How good to know that our great Lord Owner Boss God is all-powerful and that He is the one who sits at the helm of world events…. and so we continue to rest in Him for the future.
Another Twist in the Road
For at least the last year, I have been having a slight discomfort in my throat. It would be there sometimes, and at other times I never felt it. However, I felt recently I should get it checked, and here it turns out I have a lesion on my vocal chords. So on the 20th of March I’m slated for surgery for a micro laryngoscopy with laser. The specialist plans to take a biopsy from the lesion, which is about 3 mm long, and then cauterize it using the laser. He said he doubted that it was cancer but that we needed to find out for sure. He also mentioned that the procedure could be damaging to the vocal chords. So this is a call to pray for God’s healing hand. He could easily heal that lesion completely before surgery! But he may want to use the surgery to take care of the problem too. So yes, your prayers are much appreciated!! Again, as the Heavens are higher than the earth, so are His plans and thoughts higher than ours!
Prayer Items
- Please pray for our coworkers as they continue to encourage literacy among the bilinguals and share truth with them, and as they make a trip out to the monolinguals where the 9 village
churches are. Because of all the turmoil in the country, they were delayed from going sooner. Usually they get out there in December or January. So the people will be very anxious to see them
- Please pray for continued freedom for our coworkers to minister to the people, as there are a several dangerous groups living in that area
- Please continue to pray for this wonderful country as bad leadership has brought it into severe ruin. Pray for God’s will to be done, and that His Name be hugely glorified in it all
- …and thanks for praying for healing and the upcoming surgery. Pray for the safety of my vocal chords, and that no complications take place
- Thanks for your continued prayers for the Bible curriculum. We plan to get a book published this month and sent to the P before Rainy Season sets in
Rejoicing in the God whose thoughts and plans are higher than ours,
Merrill and Teresa