There is none like you among the gods, O Lord, nor are there any works like yours. All the nations you have made shall come and worship before you, O Lord, and shall glorify your name. For you are great and do wondrous things; you alone are God. -Ps 86: 8-10
A few weeks ago at our Saturday night Church gathering we had 10 nationalities represented in our small meeting place. There were multiple languages, people groups, histories, and experiences present & we were all worshiping one God, listening to one Gospel… and it was beautiful! We are falling into bed each night exhausted but also thrilled and thankful that we get to spend our time and energy laboring for God in this precious land. We are continuing to meet with, pray for, and labor beside the locals in this land and are feeling more and more knit into this culture.
It is my joy to share that, Lord willing, this coming Saturday we will be baptizing two people. I wish I could share their stories, what God has done and is doing; it is remarkable! He has brought them from death to life, from false religion to Jesus, and by His grace He will carry them home.
We as a family are doing very well. The Lord has been gracious to us. Our days are full and the needs of the locals are many, but we understand that apart from Christ we can do nothing. Our desire is to keep Him first in all things so that He may be glorified from the inside out. We continue to have daily family devotions, weekly date nights, and we keep the Sabbath as holy. Some days we have little tiffs with each other and some battles with our three year old, but we pray that through it all we may be conformed more into the image of Christ.
Our language is slower than normal, but continuing to grow. We are, however, learning this culture and these people quicker than ever. We spend almost everyday laboring side by side with the locals and we love it! One day milking cows, feeding chickens, & shepherding sheep, the next day doing electrical, working on cars, or helping a local carpenter, and all the while sharing the good news of Jesus, praying, and laboring to see His Kingdom grow. We never know what God has in store, but we always know we won’t be bored.
Please pray for us and with us! We are praying that God’s name would be hallowed in this land, that His Church would grow spiritually and physically, and that many more would hear the Gospel in this tongue. There are many divisions amongst the few believers and a lot of immaturity. Please pray that God would keep us faithful before Him and for strength and energy to continue to do what He has called us to do. Please pray, just like the Psalm above proclaims, that all the nations He has made will come and worship before Him, the One & only most Holy King. He alone is God. Amen.