Much has happened since our last entry and I’m not even sure where to start.
A good place is to note that we have received our temporary Mozambique visas and that was our last detail that could have stopped us. Our shipment leaves the US on August 9 and we leave on August 6. Our furlough has passed so very quickly and it is difficult to believe it is almost over. We’re into the final details of determining what we will take in suitcases and what we will leave. We also have a few things we will ship to OMS to hold for future teams to bring with them when they come. Our recent trip to the western US went very well and provided many opportunities to share the good news of what God is doing in Mozambique.
Some highlights in pictures.
We visited some close friends in Hot Sulfur Springs, Colorado, which provided a wonderful opportunity to drive into the gorgeous mountains of Colorado. Snow was still on top of the mountains. We also were able to speak at their church and participate in the mid-week service; a very special time for us.
Then, it was on to Denver to visit our friends who served in Mozambique at the same time we did. We love them and it was a joy to be with them. They attend the biggest church I have ever seen - so big I can’t begin to wrap my mind around it. We had the privilege of going to church with them and I hung out at the Starbucks at the church waiting for my flight time up to Idaho - looking from the porch at the incredible Colorado Mountains; a great place to do devotions.
We squeezed in a short trip to Fort Collins where we visited our daughter Sarah and her hubby and our grandson, who were attending Campus Crusade for Christ training. It seemed so normal to stop in for a little bit. He is a cutie!
Then, I went on to Idaho while Ann attended a Women of the Harvest conference in Colorado Springs. She says that it was life-changing for her and a continuation of the theme we’ve been hearing the last couple of months - that we must stop and listen to what God is trying to say to us. With the routine panic of life that seems to overwhelm us and crowd out our time with God, we need to create those those times we simply present our problem to God, and then just sit and quietly wait on Him to answer. She met many wonderful ladies, including one missionary supported by our home church that she’d never met - but they both recognized each other from the pictures posted on the missionary board! Another God-incidence?
Then, Ann tried to fly up and join me in Idaho Falls; BUT every afternoon these incredible storms were developing over Denver and moving east, messing with the air traffic. A hail storm came through and damaged planes, stranding over 1000 people at the Denver airport. She ended up staying an extra night and day in Denver before arriving after mid-night in Idaho Falls. It’s all in His timing....
Idaho Falls; what can I say? We lived there for over 7 years and it is my (Dave’s) home state, so it is always a treat to go there, even though the climate can best be described as 10 months of winter and two weeks of bad skiing. BUT, it is so beautiful. We spent precious time with family and friends - precious precious time - a type of home-coming.
One of the Idaho highlights was visiting the Bodies exhibit at the Idaho Falls Museum. If this traveling exhibit from China comes your way, I recommend it. It is not without controversy, but it is an incredible exhibit. They have taken human specimens (I guess that is a politically correct way to say human beings) who have passed, and processed them so that you can see specific systems of the body; nervous system, alimentary system, muscles, bones, reproductive systems, circulatory, along with examples of abnormal things, such as tumors and disease processes. I came away absolutely overwhelmed at the complexity of design of the human body and understanding in a new way what the Bible says, “we are marvelously and wonderfully made”. The second thing I came away with was a realization of how crude our attempts to repair this marvelous machine are and how incredibly skilled surgeons need to be! I recommend it but if you have a tendency for squeamish, well, you’ll have to decide.As an aside, the museum was largely funded by the Carr Foundation, the same foundation that is investing heavily in Mozambique to rebuilt Gorangoso National Park, once one of the premier game parks in the world.
Sunday provided the opportunity to go to church with some friends who have visited us in Mozambique. By making the early service, we were able to also speak at a home church that one of our long-time friends attends. It was an incredible Sunday and as I think about the variety of churches we have had the privilege to attend this year, we serve an amazing God who is working in a variety of ways in a variety of contexts, because He has made us so uniquely different from one another. He must find great pleasure in the variety of His creation. From the Gigantic church of this trip to the small home church of the same trip, to everything in between, it has been a true privilege to share our story with His people. It is humbling. God is working and I have found our journey to be a great encouragement. Despite the media reporting bias, America is filled with good salt-of-the-earth people who love God and who are living out their Christianity in quiet and real ways, making a difference in their homes, their neighborhoods, their jobs, their communities, and in the world. Our politicians and media talking-heads seem to want to operate in the extremes, which is where a very small minority of the population really lives. What a world we live in, where truth has been replaced by the shouting from the extremes. Come quickly Lord Jesus....
While in Idaho, I got to do a little farm work. My Grandfather was a farmer and I enjoyed working with him on it. In this photo, the blue tractor is the same age that I am, you could say it’s two old-timers working together.
God is good. Thank you for standing with us. Please pray for healing for our friend Jim who is battling cancer. We visited with him at Duke University a few months back and again at his home in Idaho Falls. We love him and his wife and they are facing into a difficult situation with the strength and confidence that only comes from knowing Christ. Should I ever face such a journey, they have set the example I would want to follow. He trusts God unashamedly and his vision is clearly set on eternity. But he is not alone; we have other friends engaged in this same battle for which we ask for His healing. This life is but a vapor in light of the eternity that lies before us, which gives us great hope.
Blessings to you this wonderful day. May the God of Peace grant you His presence and extend His mercy and peace into your life in a real and tangible way. He is near, we simply need to listen.
Dave & Ann
“Be still, and know that I am God;” Psalm 46:10
