Treasure.

For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.

Whom have I in heaven but You?
And there is none upon earth that I desire besides You.
My flesh and my heart fail;
But God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.

Psalm 73:25-26

What do you treasure in this life? Your house, health, family, job? I have recently been made aware of a treasure I’d been holding onto that now needs to be surrendered.

My grandmother’s two hundred year old house, built by my ancestors in 1830, is in danger of being demolished. It is one of the few homesteads in the Atlanta area to have survived Sherman’s burning in the Civil War. It is where my sister’s and I spent most of our childhood summers, where we lived after Daddy died, and where we all got married. It was our only “home” we ever had to go back to, and even though it’s not at all mine to lose, it feels like the loss of the only roots and stability I ever had. Cutting ties to the things I treasure does not come naturally to me, but when I look to Jesus’ face and see the One whom I treasure above all things, (that will all fade and rot anyway) then my heart is at peace. He is enormously worth the loss of all things. Like the man who found a pearl of great price in a field and joyfully went to sell all he had in order to buy that field - such is the Kingdom of God. He is of far greater value than anything or anyone.

We hosted a team retreat for one of our missionary families here on base earlier this month. It is a joy to see how God is using these precious people to plant churches in remote corners of this jungle. Hearing their stories of surrender and sacrifice and having left their families for the sake of the gospel is a reminder to us of why we’re here. This base is a necessary part of the church planting work among the unreached peoples of Peru. It creates a place of refuge, refreshment and rest in the middle of very difficult work.

The automatic transfer switch for the generator has finally been ordered, imported, and shipped over the Andes. Vann has received it on base and is now welding a stand and braces for it before he can connect it to the grid. We’re praying the connection happens smoothly (and soon) since we’ve been experiencing multiple outages recently. Base maintenance, supply buying and support for our families that are out in the tribe take up much of his time, and He loves it all! It really is a joy for him to serve our missionaries and see this base up and running just as we’d envisioned so long ago!

I have been rather unwell with a persistent low body temperature since catching a cold six weeks ago. Addison’s disease complicates everything, but I have help and support from my doctors, and I expect to get better soon. We’ve still been able to enjoy some delightful visits with precious friends. Thank you all for your prayers and support for us and our mission. We really couldn't do this without our faithful support team holding us up in prayer and encouraging us as we stay in the fight!

“The believer who treasures Christ learns to view all things in light of eternity, for Christ becomes the measure of all value and worth.” - Jonathan Edwards