With all that has happened since the last post, I have to wonder what is going on here. Most people would say there have been strange coincidences taking place. Others might say there is a conspiracy going on or Murphy's law is at work. Having a strong belief that God is sovereign over every event in our lives, I know these are not true. I also know that our struggle is not against flesh and blood (Ephesians 6:12), so in light of these recent events, I wonder if these things are attacks from the evil one allowed by God do distract us. There is a temptation to back off and not stay focused on the preparations necessary for us to effectively minister the gospel to those God has chosen for us. I know the fight is on now and we must continue to pray diligently for God's grace to have the time to prepare properly.
I have meant to make a post for a few days now, but different circumstances have detoured me from all plans I have made. We had an episode with our youngest son, Joshua, when after 9 on Saturday night, he had an allergic reaction in his eyes to something mysterious, which sent us on a 4 hour excursion to the emergency room. Needless to say, I did not get to post then. Then yesterday just got away from me with these issues with my neck. Trying to get comfortable, get rest, and medicate myself to handle the discomfort, left me at bedtime wondering where the whole day went. The morning practice, and worship service with all its difficulties, was also a blur in hind sight.
That being said, there is still so much to do and only 37 days to accomplish them as of Tuesday (for you Charlie). As a group, we still need to purchase more Bibles for the people. we need to purchase 7 sets of MacArthur study Bibles, Bible dictionaries, and concordances for the seminary students. Then we need to work out getting them there in our luggage. We need to make arrangements to get a shuttle for all of us to take us to the airport. We also need to get together and figure out what other details need to be taken care of before we go. There are many little logistical items that need to be finalized and we need prayer to help us identify them all. The finances are coming together, but we are still not quite there yet. My experience is that God will provide it when it is needed. He always does. The Patterson's have most of their immunizations taken care of, and the others are planned for. Brian and I have our appointment with our "travel doctor" on Thursday at 3:30pm. Brian got his hepatitis A taken care of at his regular doctor, and I had it when I was 13, so we are good there, but the rest we will be dealing with on Thursday, Lord willing.
We heard from Brasswell a few days ago, and I had meant to tell everyone then, but as I stated before, I have been hindered from doing so each day. He told us that the training center building is up on the foundation and the walls should be completed within 2 weeks. Below you will see the pictures that he sent us. Charlie also received some pictures in the mail, and hopefully I can put them up soon.
I had a similar experience with loading sand into a flatbed truck and taking it to the construction site when Julie and I were in Namibia. The picture below of the gentlemen shoveling it off the truck brought back some memories. We drove the truck to a dry river bed, shoveled sand in the truck, and then took it to the construction site and offloaded it. We made several trips. On the first trip, I was so enthusiastic to help that I was actually throwing the sand over the bed and onto the ground on the other side. All the local workers got a good laugh out of that one. I do not recall a more gruelling day of physical work than that day! I have had my share of hard working days, but that one is at the top of the list.
Please continue to pray for us. The fight is large, and we need the Lord to keep us on His timetable. Thank you so much for your encouragement and support.
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