It seems a bit strange
doesn’t it to speak of school and miracles in the same breath, but this is how
God packages up the events in our daily lives – a continual fusion of the marvelous
and the ordinary!
During this past week, the
following events have happened:
*
A bolt of lightning passed between Ronnie and Rudil as they were out on
outreach. It came in through the window and passed between them and within a
foot of them both as they stood talking together in the almost competed church
building at Tagbak. It then hit the floor and sent a shower of mud and cement
up onto the ceiling along with an instantaneous boom of thunder that shook the
whole building. The whole incident passed within seconds and harmed not a hair
on their heads.
*Paul’s 51st birthday came and went along with a quick trip to town, a
list of jobs ticked off of our ‘town list’ and a relaxed evening spent with
Ben, Leonie and Grace to celebrate the birthday!
*Jubab had a shorter school week due to the trip out to town. (We are
very, very thankful for Ben and Leonie and for their 3rd year now of serving
here along with us! Their part in the overall work here is just HUGE as they
free us up from the hours it takes each day to teach school.)
* We had to send a patient to hospital in an emergency trip a few evenings
ago. The weight of responsibility is often heavy on us to help families who
don’t have the means to go to hospital or the knowledge of what to do when they
get there.
*A neighbour was killed down the hill from where we live, close enough
for us to hear the struggle and the tumult that followed......both the murderer
and the murdered were neighbours.
*
We visited the family of the bereaved and walked the very narrow line of
neutrality. In this place, it is important that we do not take sides.
*A beloved brother in the Lord has suddenly slipped from carrying the
Word to carrying a gun and we fear for him. He greatly needs our prayers. Our
enemy is like a roaring lion who continually prowls around the flock.
*The church continues to grow – even this very week, there is a new
family group who have believed and been added to the believers.
*The church leaders are increasing in strength and wisdom – evidenced
this very week as they go through some very difficult times. The lightning bolt
happened on a day when the elders had just gone through a severe trial and to
us it was just like God shaking the house that the apostles were in after they
went through a severe trial in Acts 4. It was just like God was saying ---
“Well done guys. Keep trusting me and pushing on and we will get to the
finishing line together”. Normally if lightning passes so close to you … you
die.
*The Gospel has reached Dungguan, a new frontier which is an area we have
been praying would open up to the Gospel!!
For us, as a little band of
missionaries whose daily lives are caught up in this amazing blend of the
commonplace and the miraculous, we have learnt to accept both from God’s hand.
The commonplace has become like the backdrop to the continual stream of mighty
works that God keeps showing us and doing on behalf of His people here.
“I will ponder all Your work and meditate on Your mighty deeds....”
Psalm 78:12
