No Greater Love

This time I made the right choice, to be inconvenienced. It was Sunday and we were about a third of the way through the church service when I was called out to help in a situation. I was tired, having already worked at the church all day the previous day leading a ladies’ event for 75 women, as well this day for hours before the service started (as part of the worship team and as an assistant pastor). But I was called, so I went.


There was a little boy. He was in pain, injured during Sunday school. My flesh cried out, “Why me? I’m not a medical professional! I’m not in children’s ministry! I’ve already given more than enough this week!” I prayed for him, gave him a piece of candy, asked others to get his mother and a first aid kit and money to take him to the clinic as I had none. I was one of the few with a car in our rural, impoverished part of Swaziland. There were others, but no one else stepped forward and all obviously looked to me to take care of things. The boy was sobbing; a nurse in the congregation determined that his leg was badly broken. I went.

All the way, I thought about my afternoon plans of a nice lunch I’d planned, leisurely going over teaching materials for the week, getting things in order, and maybe even a brief nap. I also worried about my expensive equipment and other belongings I’d had to leave behind in our haste to get the child to the hospital, which was about 45 min. away. But this time, I went. I chose to be inconvenienced. In between bouts of self-pity, I thanked God all the way for the opportunity to be used by Him; for the honor of being in His service; for the privilege of showing His compassion to a small boy who was frightened and hurting.

There have been too many other times I hoped someone else would do what was needed, because I was too busy, too tired, didn’t have enough money. And because I didn’t want to be inconvenienced. I realized that while we might want to believe that we’d “take the bullet” for someone else, we all too often aren’t even willing to be bothered from deviating a little from our own plans, our own routines, our own comfort zones to help in the small, unexpected needs of others we encounter so often in our daily lives.

I realized this past week that the cross wasn’t convenient. Greater love hath no man than this; that a man lay down his life for his friends. John 5:15 My prayer is that I will be more and more conformed into my Lord’s sacrificial life; that I will make the choice more often to be inconvenienced.





The right choice--little Sambulo



Down But Not Out

These things I have spoken to you, that in me you may have peace.In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world. John 16:33

It has been a month of tribulation--both cars broken down, washing machine and freezer not working properly, bad bladder and kidney infection for Kay, unexplained rashes for us both, infestation of bees in our kitchen and termites in our bathroom....

And yet we are of good cheer, and have peace! These things are so minor. We have seen God do SO much in our lives and the lives of others that we can never doubt His goodness.

Last year, a woman in one of Kay's Bible study groups almost died from tuberculosis. Swaziland has the highest rate of TB of any country in the world and many we know have lost their lives to this horrible disease. But God overcame TB in the life of Nonhlahla! She is now part of our hospital ministry team, sharing the Good News of Jesus Christ to those who are dying without hope. She loves to tell the story of how He healed her heart and her body!

And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony....Revelation 12:11



Nonhlanhla says, "Jesus healed me!"

 

R.I.P. Thoko Mavuso




Here you are praying--now you see Him face to face!





 

You were kind, shy, a peace-lover, generous, and my sister in Christ. My favorite memory of you is when Clarah and I stopped by your vegetable stand to present you with your very own donated siSwati Bible. I will never forget the smile of utter joy on your face. I am so grateful for the time I was allowed to share God’s Word with you in our ladies’ Bible study group at Maphiveni. This enables me to know for a certainty that I will see you again someday in Heaven, and what a joy that will be. You died so quickly and we still don’t have the medical answers to what happened. Your death was like your life here on earth—quick, full of pain and fear and sorrow, and never having what so many of us take for granted. But we KNOW you have no more sorrow and no more pain and no more tears now! I still grieve every time I pass by your empty stall at the market, but rejoice that the empty tomb of Jesus means you now have life and joy to the fullest!

He Washes Us Whiter Than Snow

I am being blessed!

I was wearing a black skirt. At the last minute we decided we needed to take our dachshund-mix Barney with us in the car for the 90-min. journey due to things happening at the house during our absence. As you can imagine, by the time we reached the community where I was to teach a Bible study, my skirt was completely coated with reddish-brown hair. I tried my best to clean up, but was unable to make much progress and finally just gave up, hoping the ladies wouldn’t be offended by my filthy attire.

I was early, so I sat at the care point with the women waiting there, and was immediately surrounded by a bunch of small children all vying for my attention. One little girl innocently began picking the hairs off of my skirt, one by one. I gave her a big smile. That was all it took. The others noticed the “favor” I was bestowing on her, and in no time at all I had about 20 small hands eagerly picking all the hair off my skirt. I was giggling uncontrollably (hey, it tickled!) which set them to doing the same. It literally must have been under 3 min. before my skirt was completely picked clean!


I loved the creative way the Lord resolved my dilemma; I never in a million years could have dreamed up such a scenario! I must trust him that when the “cleaning process” of my heart does not feel quite so delightful, He still knows the best way. I am thankful that he patiently continues to wash the filth away from me, whatever it takes!

Obstacles in the Road

 Obstacles in the US tended to be slow drivers in front of us, hitting every red light, and rerouting due to fender-benders during rush hour traffic. Here, obstacles tend to be cows and goats, huge potholes, and getting stuck in deep mud after frequent rains. But obstacles are obstacles, and when we want to reach our perceived goal, in our desired time, they are frustrating and can even make us angry or lose hope.

Our biggest goal here has been to open up a children’s home for a handful of this nation’s approximately 100,000 orphans. We have hit many obstacles in the road. Costs are far higher than we anticipated. Trying to find skilled labor in order to provide much-needed jobs for locals has proven very difficult. There have been many rain delays. Communication issues often remind us of the curse of the Tower of Babel. Yes, we have become frustrated as we’d hoped to open the home over a year ago.

But praise the Lord, we serve a God who is faithful, and whose timing is perfect. We will have the grand opening of the children’s home this month! We know we will likely hit more snags in the road before we can actually hire a housemother and fill the home with the laughter of precious children. But we serve a mountain-moving, miracle-working God so we know HE will make a way! He overcomes all obstacles. His timing, His glory!



...for the sake of the Kingdom of God....



John, Kay, Zack, and Jeremy

 We are now empty-nesters, though it hasn't happened in the usual way. We, the parents, have left both of our adult sons on the other side of the Atlantic. Both have opted to stay and make their own way in the US, with our blessing, and we have come back to Swaziland with their blessing. Today is Day One and we are wandering around in a painful fog, trusting that the Lord will help us adjust to this new normal. We were once given this comment, "I love my family too much to be a missionary in Africa." Others have been less blunt but we often get that same sentiment. To set the record straight, we LOVE our sons, our parents, and all our other family we tearfully leave behind each time we go back to visit. The pain, as a dear friend who understands affirmed, never lessens. We simply LOVE our Lord more, and wish to be obedient to His call, no matter the cost, and we are doing our best to do that. Luke 18:29-30 tells us "...Assuredly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or parents or brothers or wife or children, for the sake of the Kingdom of God, who shall not receive many times more in this present time, and in the age to come eternal life." Not everyone is called to Africa, but for those of us who been mercifully saved by a sacrificial savior named Jesus Christ, we are all called to take up our cross and follow Him. Joy everlasting.

Sorrow

There is no way to sugar coat the death of a child. A four-year-old boy killed when he was hit by a car. We respond with shock, a sadness too deep for words. We feel our total inadequacy in comforting the mother, our housekeeper and like one of our own family. We weep, we ask the hard questions, we retreat when the pain becomes intolerable. Khaya, you were so sweet and so cute and so very, very young. We will miss you horribly; we will never forget you. We turn now to the only real source of comfort and hope, our Lord Jesus Christ, who was a "man of sorrows, acquainted with grief." While we can't make sense of this horrific tragedy, we trust in our sovereign, wise, and loving Father, and run into His arms. "This I recall to my mind, therefore I have hope. Through the Lord's mercies we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning. Great is your faithfulness. Lamentations 3:21-23