I imagine there are many of you who have asked this question or something similar to it, such as, "Aren't they coming home?" To answer the first question, yes, we are in West Africa and relatively not far from all that is going on. First, I want to share with you what Ms. Lynn Kennedy posted on Facebook today: "Our Ministry Team in Burkina is sad today. Three Impact Teams from the US have 'postponed' (and rightly so) October and November and December ministry visits here. By God's GRACE, Ebola has not entered here, yet we can not presume on God's protection when 'flying into' a hotspot of danger. Pray for the teams in the US and our ministry team here." (Posted on Facebook by Lynn Kennedy, Sept. 27, 2014)
In this blogpost, I want to let you all know that the crisis is very much on our minds and hearts. By the grace of God, Ebola is not here now. And we praise Him for this. As Ms. Lynn said, we are very sad that teams will not be coming this year. If there are no teams, what are we doing here? The Lord has a plan.
God, in His grace and wisdom, answered the prayer that we began praying about 2 years ago, "Lord, raise us up and send us out." Later on we added, "...in your perfect way and timing." Well, God indeed did just that, and we arrived in Burkina on June 14th, now just over 3 months ago. Early on when we were just in the beginning stages of looking at Shattering Darkness Ministries, Tracy had a dream, a very urgent dream, where someone said to her, "Hurry...leave now." Later, a man from our church on more than one occasion told us that we needed to get here quickly. This past week, it all came together for us. If we had not left the States when we did, say 2-3 months later (say, around now), do you think we would be here right now? Nope. Probably not. As of just the other day, all the teams have been canceled for the remainder of the year. So why are we here? God has a plan without a doubt. And His way and timing of sending us out was perfect.
Now, here we are in West Africa. We realize that at any moment we might receive word that Ebola has infiltrated Burkina. And do we feel stuck or anxious or scared? By God's grace, NO. Because of His preparing long before our arrival, we see that we must be about His business while we have the time to do so. Currently, Tracy and I are praying and thinking through an exit strategy and will update you on our plans once they have been approved by our ministry board. I just wanted you all to know that it is all very much on our hearts and minds and that your prayers mean much to our family! Please pray for God's wisdom in our evacuation planning. THANK YOU!
Along with praying that God will continue to protect Burkina and the ministry here from this terrible sickness, please pray that we use each day to the fullest and in the way that the Lord would want. This week marks some big changes. Tracy will begin assistant teaching for 2 hours each afternoon at the new Lighthouse Christian School, and I will start preparations to teach on an upcoming Wednesday night IN FRENCH. Both of us will be stretched...and, we pray, used of God in the stretching. Official language training is coming to a close for me. I will now begin to spend more time with leaders and doing ministry. Tracy will continue language study alongside her teaching at home and at the Lighthouse. For us to be able to do all this with our girls, we need a God-picked child-care provider. Please pray that the Lord provides the right woman for the job and that the girls will love her and that she will love them. THANK YOU!
We came to Burkina committing to 2 years and believing that we would be here for that entire time. It remains our intention to fulfill that commitment. However, as it is with all of us, the tomorrows before us are not promised us. It is the "now" that we have as a gift from God to use wisely for His glory and for other's good. Please pray that we use our "now" here in Burkina to its fullest and that we complete the work He has called us to do. THANK YOU!
"For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them." Ephesians 2:8-10 (NASB)
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