\”In repentance and rest is your salvation,
in quietness and trust is your strength.\”
Isaiah 30:15
This morning as I was reading one author\’s commentary on Isaiah 30:15, I had to disagree. For this author, the idea of \’resting\’ created the image of a fly \’lighting down\’ so it could be smacked. The author did go on to say that that\’s not what is meant here, but I already knew that. The image created in my mind is one of God waiting for us to \’light down\’ so that He can hug us and love on us. I guess this image is fresh in my mind because of the very special time I\’ve recently spent with my granddaughters. My heart still yearns for the times when Summer would stop long enough to let me hug her. Is that how God feels? Is that why Isaiah goes on in the same chapter to say that \”He rises to show you compassion.\”? Imagine that! We know that God doesn\’t sleep, but if He did, His excitement at getting up each day would be the possible chance that I would light down long enough to allow Him to once again show me His love! As David exclaimed in Psalms 139:6, \”Such knowledge is too wonderful for me…\”
I praise God for travel safety as I traveled alone to the states last month without Bob, for the time with my family and the opportunity to personally welcome baby Hannah to our family, and for the chance to connect with many of you. I am back at Sahel Academy and busily catching up on many things that were waiting for me. We praise the Lord that Sahel technology ran smoothly while I was away. Many thanks to those who were available to cover for me in the Computer Lab and for any possible emergencies (which didn\’t happen).
It seems that we\’re running without any margin this year at Sahel in many areas. First of all, two staff members who were to join us have not arrived. For one of them, her arrival date has been postponed until next school year. The other staff member, our math teacher, is still raising support. We need him. Local missionaries are covering some of His classes; Bob has also picked up an extra class. As you can imagine, this puts a strain on the other ministries/classes to which these willing people are called. Please pray that God would supply what is lacking: both in getting this young man to the field, and in the extra strength that is needed by those who are filling the gap until he arrives.
Second of all, our electrical power problems continue. When we do have power from the local electrical company, it is often insufficient to power everything on campus, and almost always is below the voltage that is \’healthy\’ for our equipment. While a new transformer has been put in place, we are still waiting for the paperwork that lets us flip the switch to see if this will solve our problems. It\’s been more than a year since the beginning steps of this project. The work itself hasn\’t been that time-consuming, but the waiting for ‘official permission’ between each step has been long and very discouraging. Just as Isaiah encouraged above, we are trying to \’rest\’ and see what God will do. Please pray with us for God\’s intervention and \’show of love\’ in this situation.
Pray also for one of our co-workers who will be returning to the US soon in order to be closer to better medical care for her high-risk pregnancy. While she is taking some of their children with her, the rest are remaining here on the field with dad. This lady fills so many crucial roles, one of which is overseeing our national French school for about 600 elementary Nigerien children. Her caring and involved leadership are making a difference in this ministry. Please pray that this influence will continue as she tries to guide and direct at a distance through e-mail and long-distance communication. Also pray for dad as he takes charge at home and also continues in the studio ministry without his partner for these few months. Pray for the health of mom and the new baby, and for the children who will all be missing a parent for these few months.
We can\’t thank you enough for your prayers. Knowing that you are praying encourages us in ways that you cannot imagine. While our financial support level as been slowly falling due to both the economy in the US and here in Niger, we\’ve seen God meet our needs in ways that we cannot imagine. We look forward in anticipation to what God will do in the future through our partnership.