Sunday

Today I am writing from Destin, Florida, where we are staying with a dear couple that we count as good friends.  Berry had visited us in Mozambique and we drug him and a team around northern Mozambique and this team actually started a church along the side of a road that is still meeting - I wrote about that some time ago.   But I digress yet again...

They invited us to their church where we had the privilege to speak this morning in their Sunday School class.  We were so blessed to be with this group of people - And then the service - it reminded us so much of our dear home church in Pittsburgh that we miss so much - from the music to the preaching style to the facility and we found ourselves singing with tears streaming down our face as God's spirit moved through the song, the scripture, and the message.  It never ceases to amaze me how God can reach down from eternity into time and reach you right where you are at the time.  We serve an amazing God.

This afternoon, we were able to hook up with another couple who also visited us in Mozambique with a team and have started a ministry of missionary care; reaching out to missionaries serving overseas.  (They are counselors by profession).  They had some scary statistics:  47% of missionaries don't survive their first term (either leave before that term is over or don't return for a second term) and that over 70% leave for reasons that could have been prevented through good missionary care, including counseling.   It was good to see them again and to hear the amazing stories of what God has been doing in their lives since we last saw them.  More of seeing how God 'connects the dots' as he moves His work forward.

Berry and Lois have many years of experience working overseas - in fact Lois returned today from a 10-day trip to Guatemala.   They have links to Mozambique going back into the 1990s and listening to their stories today helped us fill some gaps in our understanding of the history of our mission's work in Mozambique.  They are a great inspiration and encouragement to us along with being wonderful hosts for the past couple of days!

Blessings this day.  May the God of peace fill you with His presence!

Dave & Ann