"To do" in 12 days!

Who knew the day would actually come when we leave the country, not to return for almost half a year?! I suppose we knew this would happen, but the reality of it happening seems like somewhat of a surprise. We want to thank you again and again for your prayers, joyful encouragement, contagious excitement, and the countless offers to help get us organized and on our way!

As we've shared before, even if this point is as far as God planned to bring us, we know that He used the past 11 months to stretch us and bless us in such unexpected ways. Ms. Magda (her name has been changed for this story) is one of these many unexpected blessings. Ms. Magda is one of Tom's patients. A quintessential sweet Italian grandma, at 85 years of age, she has been seeing Tom for relatively minimal health concerns over the past five years. As all of Tom's patients have received a letter explaining his sabbatical, Ms. Magda immediately scheduled an appointment to see him before he left. When the day came for her appointment, Tom was met with her usual sweet and warm smile. And throughout the appointment she cheerfully chattered away about her excitement for him and his trip. At the end of the appointment, once all of her health concerns were addressed, and all of her questions about Nepal were answered, she handed Tom an envelope. Covered in stickers, and various exclamations of encouragement, enclosed was a card containing this prayer:

Good and Loving God,

As I place my hands together in prayer,

I turn my heart and mind to You.

Fill me with Your infinite love, 

and let my weakness be replaced by Your strength.

In all that I say and do,

guide me in ways that are right and just.

Direct my hands to do Your work here on earth.

Let them be instruments of healing and reconciliation,

that my actions may offer compassion to all people.

Touch my heart, Lord,

that I may be a channel of Your boundless love,

especially for the poor and suffering.

Inspire me to draw close to You in my times of need,

and to help me to lead others to You by my good example.

Most loving heart of Jesus,

grant me health in mind, body and spirit,

that I may serve You with all my strength.

Touch gently this life which You have created,

and let Your Holy Spirit guide me now and forever.

Amen.

Her closing sentiments to her "good doctor" were, "May the God of hope fill you with joy and peace!" Holding Ms. Magda's aging hands, Tom prayed with her. They prayed together not as doctor and patient, but for the first time, as brother and sister in Christ.

So we thank you, Ms. Magda, for gently and lovingly reminding us that "all there is to do" in the next 12 days is nothing compared to all that He plans to do through us wherever He has us!

by His grace, for His glory

Something bigger than ourselves...

[8] For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, [9] not a result of works, so that no one may boast. [10] For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them. 

Ephesians 2:8-10

The blessing of hindsight is that it affords us the ability to look at circumstances in our lives with a wider lens in order to see God's specific purpose in His larger sanctification process. As we continue to prepare spiritually for this trip to Nepal, God has urged us to look more closely at the circumstances through which He brought us to get to this point. And in doing so, we are spurred on to truly live out our faith by loving others and pursuing their hearts for His glory. 

At Lighthouse Community Church, we have been studying through James 2:14-26. 

So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead. 

James 2:17

James' convicting words reminds us that with our salvation we were purchased a new heart and a new life. A life that is designed specifically to love others and seek the good of others. Our actions as Christians to love one another, serve the people of Nepal, fellowship with new friends, minister to our families, and all the countless ways we have yet to know, should simply be an outflowing of a changed heart and a changed life. 

But hindsight reveals only part of His greater picture. Clarity is achieved through the example of how the people in our lives live out genuine love for others. So, to all of you who have generously (and sacrificially) given of your finances, your time, your love and true care for us, and your dear servant's heart, we thank you and praise God for how He is using you in this greater plan. Family and friends, we have experienced God's love through the way you have loved us in such a manner that humbles us before a great and holy God. Really, words cannot describe how deeply moved and utterly amazed we are by how God is working in us all to be a part of this medical missions trip to Nepal to demonstrate the Gospel by loving others as He loves us.

             

          How beautiful upon the mountains

              are the feet of him who brings good news,

       who publishes peace, who brings good news of happiness,

              who publishes salvation,

              who says to Zion, “Your God reigns.” 

      Isaiah 52:7

Just around the corner!

With just about four weeks to go, it seems we have entered into this realm of blissful denial about all that we need to do before we leave. But in the attempt to be realistic about our leaving, we are holding fast to our faith to keep us focused on God's grace in our lives to keep the anxiety, and moments of panic, at bay.

We want to thank our family and friends who came out this past Sunday to hear more about how God has worked in our lives and how He might use us while we are in Nepal. It was a blessing to be in a room filled with people who are genuinely excited to hear and see what He is doing in our lives. We want to thank you all (those who attended and those who were praying for us if you couldn't be there) for demonstrating God's love for us in such an amazingly real and palpable way. And to our Missionary Support Team, praise God for His work through you! Not only do we want to thank you for putting together such a smoothly run and blessed event, but we thank you for encouraging us by your example to be joyfully obedient to His call to love God and love others. Truly, thank God for you!!!

If you are interested in learning more about what life in Nepal is like, and some of the social struggles the people of Nepal face, we are in the midst of listening to the audio version of a book called:

Little Princes: One Man's Promise to Bring Home the Lost Children of Nepal by Conor Grennan

It was recommended to us by a good friend, and we are truly enjoying the opportunity to learn more about the culture and the daily life we'll possibly experience in just a few short weeks. If you have the time, we recommend the audio version of the book because it is read by the author himself, and he's a pretty funny guy. Check it out!