Thankful.
In the beginning of this month we hosted a missionary ladies retreat here, where thirty of us had a precious time of fellowship and prayer. I am so thankful to live and serve in a community where women lift one another up and encourage each other to keep the faith and continue in good works, even when we are weary.
Vann was given the opportunity to fly out for a one-week trip to a remote Matses tribe on the Brazilian border to help a young missionary couple begin construction on their house, design a solar power system, and figure out a plan for clean water supply before they move out to the tribe in January. As you might remember, Vann had been struggling with a kidney stone for the past month and a half, but he felt that as much as he pushed through here at home to continue working, he could push through, and work out there just as well. The floatplane flight with SAM Air (our neighboring mission) went well, landing them in the river an hours boat ride away from the village. We had scheduled a time when I would call the only solar-powered, satellite phone in the village before the sun went down that day to confirm their safe arrival. Everything was great! The tribal people gave them a super warm welcome, and they were well cared for with a hut to sleep in and food to eat.
I awoke the next morning to an emergency call saying that Vann was not well, and I needed to call them back asap. I had no way to call them because our internet was out, and Vann had just used the last few seconds of another person’s phone card to call me since the phone cards he had purchased for the village solar satellite phone didn’t work, so they now had no way of calling out, or contacting anyone in the outside world at all. Nothing is easy. I made a hotspot on my cell phone to connect the computer to call them on Skype, to find out that Vann had been up since 3am with emergency level kidney stone pain, so they were asking for a flight out. When I called our dear friend and chief pilot to see about an extraction flight, I found him in terrible pain from having injured his back the day before. After he had dropped off our boys in their destination river, he had rerouted to pick up another missionary from a village an hour or so away, and the plane would not start again. They searched the village for some batteries to jump the plane’s engine, and thank God, were able to take off, and make it home safely. Now, the only plane and pilot that could go get them were both out of commission. Oh, and did I mention that the rainy season has begun, so the weather is dicey every day for flying. With much prayer cover, God’s amazing grace, and a lot of pain pills, Vann was able to wait it out and ended up coming home on the scheduled flight six days later. Two days after he got home, he passed his 7mm kidney stone! Thank God!
The Lord blessed their time out in the tribal village with much progress, and plans made. The coolest thing about this experience for us is the simple fact that Vann is enjoying doing the work that he began 25 years ago as a missionary to missionaries, especially tribal missionaries: helping them in their church planting efforts in technical ways. They’re awfully good at teaching and preaching, and Vann is awfully good at building and fixing things to enable their mission work, and life in the field. We are so thankful to get to do this job!
The same day that Vann called out for a flight in extreme pain, I got another blood clot in my leg, so that was a nice addition to the stress and pain. It’s just a superficial vein, and I’ll be fine, but it was the timing that made it a little hard. Also, that same morning the Dumitru’s called out from their tribal village asking for prayer for Marc’s injured back, and for rain so that they could have drinking water. It all seemed to be just a bit much for me to handle in one day, but it wasn’t too much for God! I sent out the call for prayer, the saints got on their knees, and God answered! That night was the biggest thunderstorm ever. It brought with it plenty of rain, and Marc’s back was soon on the mend. Thank God!
This year Thanksgiving was an epic experience for us as a family, with 64 missionaries gathered in this beautiful mission house. We all ate on the wrap-around front porch, and in the dinning room, and enjoyed a sweet time of thanksgiving and worship in the living room. It felt like home. Like a huge family gathering for the holiday, because that’s exactly what it was! We are so thankful to get to host Thanksgiving in this house with these precious, fellow pilgrims!
Thankfulness hardly describes the depth of gratitude that we feel for the blessing of each of you who make this mission, and our lives here a possibility. From those of you who so faithfully and sacrificially give, to you who pray for us to keep us lifted up and strengthened, and those of you who reach out with a kind, and encouraging word – Thank you. May the Lord bless each of you as you follow Him, and walk this road with us.
“We tangibly feel our constant need to humble ourselves, and thank God in every circumstance, because it is only by His grace that we are saved and even draw breath.” - me