Volume 12 Issue 2 | November 30, 2017
Monthly Snapshot
CHOOSING JOY
It’s not always easy to choose joy. Thankfulness can be elusive. Sometimes our circumstances are just so overwhelming and our emotions so all-consuming that it feels like we may not make it through. There are really hard seasons in life.
This fall has been a hard season, filled with tears and fear and crying out to the Lord. When my fiancé Adam was inexplicably detained by UK immigration officials on October 3, we were shocked. Adam had followed every rule, was heavily involved in his church, and enrolled in a local college to take classes toward a degree. And suddenly he was locked up in a cold cell block, not knowing what may happen. At the same time, I have been focusing my time and energy on building my team of ministry partners so I can move to the UK but have seen an overall decrease instead of gaining ground. I need to be fully funded to move to the UK, and it feels like it will never happen.
Adam was finally released from the detention center yesterday, after eight long weeks! When I finally saw his face, I cried my first happy tears in months (see photo below). We are currently still in a season of tears and fear and crying out to the Lord, as I still need 23% of my monthly support and Adam’s immigration status is yet to be resolved, but we are rejoicing.
In this hard season, there are days when I don’t have the words to pray and I can’t engage with the Word the way I normally do. So I have been studying the Psalms. The Lord has met me there. As I read the words and feel the emotions of David and the Sons of Korah and the other psalmists, I experience peace (even if it’s fleeting).
We have experienced the Body of Christ in new ways. The Lord has used many of you to encourage us along the way, through your concern and prayers and offers to help. So far, the Lord has provided thousands of dollars to cover legal fees to keep Adam safe. Friends have dropped everything just to hold me and let me cry. Cru staff that I had/have never met have been praying faithfully for me and Adam because of the pleas of mutual friends.
We have seen the Lord’s goodness in other ways, too. Like the provision of college courses at Adam’s detention center. Not only did classes provide a much-needed distraction, he was actually able to accrue some college credit! And Adam ran into a friend from church who had also been detained; seeing a friendly face inside the dismal walls of the detention center provided a small relief. And I have gotten to spend quality time with friends and family as I traveled for Ministry Partner Development and Thanksgiving.
We still have no idea what the future holds – where we will live or when we will be reunited or how the Lord will provide for us – but we will still choose joy. Once again I say, “We have no idea what the future holds, but we know the One who holds the future.” Please join us in continuing to pray!
PRAISE AND PRAYER
Praise God for Adam’s release. He is
still wrestling with PTSD and anxiety, but at least he is with family!
Please pray that the Lord will provide
the committed partners I need to get me to the UK. For those of you who like to
pray for specifics, I need $1200 in monthly support and $8000 in special gifts
to report to the UK.
Pray for wisdom for us and for Adam’s
lawyers in the UK as we try to find a way forward that will keep Adam safely
out of Botswana. We have met with opposition every step of the way so far.
Praise the Lord for the promise of His
presence as we prepare for Christmas throughout the Advent season!
