Dry season in this jungle amazes me. Every year, the flowers flourish during this season more than any other; even when everything dries up to the point the earth literally cracks apart. Every flowering plant in our yard is defiantly in bloom and displaying the unchanging character of God whose name is to be greatly praised in every season of life.
Adding smoke to the already smokey atmosphere of every dry season (locals burn their fields and let the fires run wild), people were burning tires in the streets during a nation wide strike to protest mainly the rising fuel prices. Gas costs around $7 per gallon. Angry mobs blocked the roads and vandals created chaos that reigned for only a week when our brand new president announced the government will subsidize gas prices for three months. Life returned to normal, and the gas prices have since stayed the same. This is not the worst strike we’ve seen in the last couple of decades, but it wasn’t the least either. We thank God for His protection during this latest unrest, which reminds us how fragile peace is on this earth.
We had the pleasure of hosting dear friends from a supporting church in North Georgia who came to bless us with a few days of hard labor and brought a missions degree student from Truett McConnell University who stayed to work for a couple weeks. They helped us install some drywall in the little house, unloaded and stacked five thousand cement bricks for the walkways on base, and helped lay tile in the front entryway of the Round Robin guesthouse. We are so blessed by those in our beautiful family of God who come with willing hearts and strong bodies to work hard and spend their time in sweet fellowship with us. Also, chocolate - the care package treats they brought from our passport country encourage our hearts in a special way!
Thank you so very much for your prayers for Vann’s eye. The pain is completely gone, thank God, but his vision is still blurry. He is working and driving well, so the urgency has passed, but we are looking into getting him to an ophthalmologist when we reenter civilization to see what options might be available to him for clearer sight.
I have now survived my thirteenth blood clot; I have Factor V Leiden thrombophilia, which is an inherited genetic mutation that causes an increased risk of abnormal blood clots. This one was an unprovoked, breakthrough clot in my knee. Thankfully, it cleared up after a few days without further intervention, since I am already on a high dose of blood thinners that would be prescribed to “clear” the clot. Because I also have Addison’s Disease, my heart does not handle acute physical stress well at all. This has left me very ill, but I am on the mend and thankful for every new day. Our joy in Christ is drought resistant and is unaffected by these seasons of suffering. Because Jesus is better than life, my lips will praise Him!
“Love is doing whatever you have to do, at any cost to yourself, to help people see and treasure the glory of God supremely above all.” - John Piper