It has been our experience that transitions are also times of spiritual warfare. Our routines are upset, we find ourselves in unique situations and the devil sees opportunities. We thank God that He can take what the enemy means for evil and turn it for our good. Lots of the workers on the islands are in times of transition, so we’re praying not only for protection during these transitional months but for opportunities to share the good news! Here's a little story of God's grace in the midst of testing:
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| Tom with troublesome phone |
I was tested this week by an African telecommunications company. My SIM card was acting quirky so I thought I'd stop by the telecommunications shop in order to get it checked. When I got there, there were about ten people milling about. The line didn't seem overly long and I didn’t have whole lot to do that afternoon, so I thought I’d sit it out and get my problem taken care of. But the line barely moved and one and a half hours later, my patience was starting to wear thin! I sat listening to the people behind me complain about what the hold up was while I could see the man at the front of the line sitting and waiting for the man at the counter who was busy doing something else.
There were a number of times when I had to tell myself to be patient and ask the Lord for more patience. I was at the point where I was starting to wonder, “Should I just wait this out, or is this an exercise in futility? Will I get to the front of the line and they’ll say, “We’re closed, come back tomorrow.” When a security guard walked up to me and asked, "Do you have your passport?" “Yes, it's right…..(checking my empty pocket). No, I don't!" I turns out I had dropped my passport going through mall security. But because I hadn't left the mall but had spent the last hour and a half at the telecommunications shop, they were able to find me. The security guard asked that my place in line be held and took me down to his office to retrieve my passport. I came back up ever so thankful for the long wait for two reasons: First, if I hadn’t had the long wait, I might have left the mall without my passport and then security would not have been able to track me down. Second, if I had waited 2 hours to be seen at the telecommunications shop and then been unable to produce my passport, they wouldn’t have been able to provide me service and I would have certainly despaired. But as it was, the Lord gave me back my passport, I held my place in line and about a half hour later (total of two hours), I was helped by the telecommunications staff.
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| Sparklers for Independence Day |
When I finally made it to his desk, the staff member said, "You must be a marine or something to be so patient with us." I said, "If I am patient, it is because of [J].” And we had a nice little chat about the importance of prayer and he shared that he used to pray all the time but had gotten out of the habit. I said it would probably help in stressful work like his. So God took something painful and turned it for my and this man’s good! May we be able to see Him in everything we do.
PRAYERS ANSWERED
PRAYERS REQUESTED
Today is Independence Day on the islands— pray for the islands nation on its birthday that it would embrace truth and justice, that there would be good governance and bright hope for the future. There have been a few recent situations with island brothers and sisters facing extra scrutiny and even threats from family members— pray for their protection, for them to stay strong and know how to respond in wisdom, truth and love. There is a problem with the processing of Tom’s passport renewal— it wasn’t flagged for expedited service as it should have been and so will not arrive in time. Thankfully, the embassy has agreed to process an emergency passport for him at no extra cost— pray that getting the emergency passport goes smoothly. Our daughter graduates a week from today— pray for her as she says goodbye to her friends and her school home. Pray for our older son as he has his final exams this week. May they finish well.
