Setting up Housekeeping

We have now established a temporary home in Zionville, North Carolina. Some dear friends of ours are letting us use their cabin, which is located on the top of a mountain overlooking Snake Mountain and Rich Mountain, if you know where those mountains are. It takes us 1/2 hour to get off the mountain on a winding gravel road that goes over 1200 ft in elevation in about 3 miles. I cannot imagine doing it in the snow and the neighbors say they were snowed in for over a week last year! That is a big change from Mozambique.

We have set up a small office but we have very poor cell phone reception - we are on the edge of coverage areas and if atmospheric conditions are just right, we can make and receive calls. Otherwise, we have to drive to Boone, North Carolina where we have signal. Our Internet is also linked to the cell phone, so we have the same problem - can receive email, but not always send and it is entirely dependent upon atmospheric conditions. Plus, we are roaming - so it is almost like being back in Mozambique, where our friends tell us that the Internet is not working any longer where we lived.

However, I love it here and I think it is what God knew I needed. In our Transition training/counseling, we are studying lots of different things and one of them is learning our individual styles for worshipping God. For example, some people find great comfort in tradition, litergy, and grand cathedrals and are able to best worship God in that environment whereas others are moved to worship through the natural world around them (mountains, streams, nature). There are nine different styles. In the testing we've taken, I score exceptionally high on the nature side, and so living temporarily in this location is just amazing and thrilling to me and does indeed move me to worship.

Yesterday was my birthday and daughter 3 of 4 came up for the day and that was very special. We have to drive down and lead them up here and back out again. We use a GPS (Garmin) system but in these mountains, it is extremely unreliable. We've been taken all over the place by the GPS and in some cases to places we should not be as we have tried to find this place. In one case, we ended up at the end of a small road (after an hour) that we knew was 'close' to the road we needed (above us about 300 feet) but there was no way to get there. So, we go back down the steep narrow road and get the map out and then find our way back to the house.

I think there is a sermon in there and we've experienced some of this since being back in the States. It seems that we are always seeking new paths or ways to God. In the Old Testament, we see the same thing where the nation of Israel would follow 'new ways' (false Gods and idols) introduced by those around them. There is much talk about making the church relevent to the culture and thus we hear about and see new 'paths' to make the Gospel more 'seeker friendly'. I think that's all good stuff but it is also frought with compromise and dilution. Like my newfangled Garmin, I can use it to find the right road but sometimes I end up at a dead end or in total confusion, so I pull out a map, and sure enough am able to figure it out. It reminds me of God's word. The Bible remains relevent to the culture and is key to staying on the correct path. When we try to do it the new way, or the short way, negating what He has given us in his word, we get fustrated, lost, and confused. Great lesson for us all.

As a PS, today there are riots, gunfire, and mobs running through the city we used to live in. The reason? The economic crisis is starting to reach Mozambique and the goverment lifted the price controls on bread and fuel to mention a few things. In addition, the value of the local currency is falling in relation to the dollar, affecting quite a bit as well. The expectation is that the Goverment (or Patrao, chief, boss, etc.) is responsible for taking care of everything and meeting every need. When they cannot, then riots break out. Often it becomes self-defeating as well. This is the third time since we've been in Mozambique and it can be quite dangerous if you have to venture out in your vehicle during these times. I have been praying for my colleagues this day as these kinds of things can be quite dangerous and are certainly stressful. There is alot of tension just under the surface, which is why our work there is so important. People need to learn to follow a different path....

Time to continue with preparing for our upcoming travel schedule!

Blessings.

Dave & Ann

"Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path." Ps 119:105