“Don’t be afraid, for I am with you. Don’t be discouraged for I am your G0d. I will strengthen you and help you. I will hold you up with my victorious right hand.” Isaiah 41:10-11
Thank you to everyone for your emails, your skype calls, words of encouragement, and scr1ptures to read!! It has been a blessing today to hear from so many of you and to know of your presence with us through this journey!! Today began in a much different way than the past few days. The last few mornings were just silent–absent of all noise except gunfire. Not this morning…The rhythms of life in Africa were the sounds I woke up to this morning. Sounds I love so much like the children next door laughing and playing outside, people talking, the neighbor going out in his car, and the sounds of women cooking–pounding of the millet and the clanging of spoons in pots. Then there was the one sound that is difficult to hear each morning–the unhappy and unending cries of one little baby that lives next door. Even that sound was a blessing today, since the child had been unusually silent the last 3 mornings. I could see green machines, taxis, motos, and people on the street in the distance. I could see the doors of the boutique opened for business and people had returned to the markets to buy and sell. This morning the rhythms that define life here were beating as normal! For that I stood looking out the window giving pr@ise to our G0d.
Things are far from over here, the events that have taken place are still being figured out, and the full rhythm of life is not yet being played. But today a sense of restoration was happening in my neighborhood. We are still sheltering in place and remaining fairly invisible. We are living out the words of the ps@lmist in Ps@lm 91. I challenge you to read that with me today and maybe every day until this situation is resolved. Will you live with us in the shelter of the Most High and find rest in the shadow of the Alm1ghty? No matter the situations we all face, whether it is a coup in a foreign country, the joy of new life being given to us, the loss of something or someone important to us, or the realization of a life long dream, He alone is our refuge, our place of safety, our G0d and the One in whom we trust!! As our friends, family members, and those chosen to walk with us through this work in M@li, your f@ith and your declarations about our G0d are being tested and tried along with us. Let’s believe him when he says, ” I will rescue those who love me. I will protect those who trust in my name. When they call on me, I will answer; I will be with them in trouble. I will rescue and honor them. I will reward them with a long life and give them my salvation.”
Will you also join us in pr@ying that the people of M@li will choose to live in the shelter of the Most High and find rest in the shadow of the Almighty? Will you pr@y that they will come to know the G0d described by the ps@lmist and understand by experience the salvation He alone gives?
We have at least 2 more days of sheltering and waiting to see what will unfold here. We hope tomorrow to spend our time sheltering by working peanuts at our house. Our friend O continues to go to the market to sell peanuts to provide for her family during this time. When we talked with her today, she said there is peanut work to be done tomorrow. Since we cannot go to her, her son will bring peanuts to us. I must say I did a little jig while we were talking about it. Pr@y for us as we continue to demonstrate J.s.s to her and her family. Pr@y for us to have time with O and her family to share with them about the G0d and S@vior we know as described in Ps@lm 91.
We love you all and thank G0d for you!!
unafraid and under His wing
peeping out at His gl0ry…