God is no stranger

Matt and his guys are truly enjoying their course on Psalms they started this week together (they actually groaned whenever the bell dismissed class today!). The Lord gave me the strength and the words to preach in chapel the other day, and it went really well. With our director and academic dean back, a lot of very good, (but still hard!) decisions were made today. And, I successfully conquered making bread (7th time's the charm!). A visitor cleaned both of our teeth today for free. Happy Birthday, Mia! Our house-guests left today, leaving us with the first apples we have had in 6 months! We had four little ones and their mother over for supper tonight, which brought joy to all of us. God continues to bless us in so many ways, and most of all, with Himself!

As a matter of fact, much of our prayer time, lately, has been spent thanking God SO MUCH for God. I'm sure there is something theologically confused about this, but we are SO grateful for ALL that He is in our lives, and so dumbfounded whenever we think about where we would be without Him. He carries us in a way I never realized He did before we moved here. The poverty, the "fish-bowl" we live in, the cultural differences, the hardships, the difficult issues at the seminary, and simply the ministry has all stretched us far beyond ourselves, and formed in us a reliance upon the Lord that is...desperate.

As far from home, comfort and the familiar as we have felt these past 6 months, God has made Himself so intimately known to us. Where would we be if we found Him a stranger? A "good feeling" that was far-off and inconsistent? Instead, we have found Him to be our Stability, our Provider, our Dear Friend. What a journey walking with the Lord is, one we wouldn't pass up for anything in the world, hardships and all!

When the Bible talks about the FULL-LIFE, the life with many rewards, we always thought it was talking about heaven. But Jesus didn't just come so that we could have a full-life in heaven, but that we might live life HERE to the fullest. It's not talking about houses or cars or romance or glory, families or job satisfaction, money or vacations. It's talking about the kind of life that comes from KNOWING HIM...and knowing Him more each day. The more we seek Him, despite how difficult things have been, the more we are experiencing that full-life, those rewards which cannot be taken away.

And our JOB here it to tell people who are lost about this full-life in Christ! Family, that's the job we each have! ...and what a blessing of a job it is.


If you don't have
even a cup of cold water,
you can say the same thing
as those who have meat.

"Thank you Jesus.
You were born on earth for me."

No one can say more.


Menm si ou pa genyen
menm yon tas dlo fret,
ou kapab di menm bagay
ak moun ki gen vyann.

"Mesi Jezi, ou te fet
sou la te pou mwen."

Yo pa ka di plis.