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Thankful for our Family

January 4, 2012 in Devotional, Missions, Thanks by Dave | 2 comments

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This Christmas season, we were able to return to the US to spend time with the family. Our days were full of visiting, catching up, eating (lots of eating), and just being together.

As we prepared to leave, Kelly’s mom asked what it was that we wanted to have for dinner. It was decided to prepare chicken and biscuits, a definite taste of home in then Yaple household. Still, while the meal was excellent, the preparation time is what really got me thinking. There was Kim, working into kitchen. Rebekah was there as well working alongside her, patting out biscuits onto a cookie sheet before baking. They were talking and laughing, pictures were being taken, memories shared. It was then that I was reminded that missionaries aren’t the only ones who make sacrifices.

How many moments in the kitchen has my mother-in-law missed because her granddaughter lived in a foreign country? How many meals has my Mom prepared for herself because her loved ones were far from home? We have are the ones who leave, but they are the ones who are left behind.

Nevertheless, we feel from our family nothing but support for what God is doing through us. I joked with a few Mexican friends as we were preparing for our trip that we were returning for the holidays because our parents had accused us of kidnapping their grandchildren, but nothing could be further from the truth. What happened to Jesus in Mark 3 (also in Matthew 12 and Luke 8 ) when Jesus’ mother and brothers had come to “collect” Jesus and take him home from his ministry has never been our concern. On the contrary, our parents have released us to the Lord, and pray constantly for the work that we are called to achieve. And even though my mom has wondered aloud on one occasion, “Why did He have to call you so far away?” Her sentiment was one of resignation preceded by, “When you were called by God to be a missionary, I gave you into His hands.”

And so, having returned to Mérida, reestablishing ourselves into our work and school schedules, I wanted to take time out to recognize the others who unselfishly gave so that we could be released to do what God has called us to do. Thanks Grandma G., Grandma Kim, Papa Dave, and all of the aunts and uncles (too numerous to type in a brief posting) for giving so that we could go. May God recognize and honor all that you have done, and bless you beyond measure because of it.

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He Knows

June 9, 2011 in Devotional, Ministry by Dave | Permalink

In light of recent events, it’s easy to fall to the temptation of asking: Does God see; does He even care? Fortunately, as we are observant, God show us examples of that care, how we are worth more to Him “than many sparrows.”

We witnessed one such example, in Tzalam, Yucatan. There, in a garage that served as a place of worship, we gathered in prayer. We asked God to bless the fledgling congregation led there by Pastor Eucebio Pech, and we prayed that out of that place would rise up witnesses of God’s love for that community and beyond.

Finishing our prayer, my brother, Mike, who had been visiting with his Chi Alpha team, asked me what the needs are in that community. He wanted to know the hindrances to the gospel in that place. I told him quite frankly that transportation was the big issue. The pastor didn’t own a car, and the 10 year old scooter that he used no longer had the power to drive the hills between his town and the people of Tzalam. The only way to reach his congregation was to borrow a motorcycle that wasn’t always readily available. He needed dependable transportation to be able to faithfully continue his ministry in Tzalam and in the other four communities where pastored. Mike and the team left with a burden in their heart and a mind to do something about it.

Pastor Eucebio's son, Niger with the suspect part of the broken scooter.Having returned to DC, they had found that the work that they had done in fundraising had more than covered the cost of their trip. In fact, they had $1,000 dollars to invest in a used motorcycle for Eucebio. That’s wonderful news, but we haven’t got to the good part yet.

It turned out that in the course of the month and a half that had passed from the time that the team had returned until they notified me about the extra offering, Eucebio’s 10 year old scooter had finally broken down. Without funds to fix it, not only was ministry in Tzalam in jeopardy, but also in the other missions to which he had to travel. The $1,000 blessing arrived “just in time” to fill the need.

So, as we reflect on God’s involvement in our lives, I hope that you are encouraged by how he met the need of one pastor in Tunkás, Yucatán, and I pray that, even before you find yourself questioning, you’ll be reminded that in whatever situation you may be in, He knows.

Pastor Eucebio, gladly receiving the help from DC Chi Alpha.

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Power Outage

May 12, 2011 in Day2Day, Devotional by Dave | 1 comment

We’ve lost power twice this week during two consecutive days. Both times I was put out of sorts. “I had plans,” I said to myself. “I’m entitled to carry them out.” But something inside me told me that my attitude was out of sorts. Then, when I turned to the Internet to look for some electronic pity, reality smacked me in the face. A fellow missionary in southeast Asia commiserated with us, saying that she had been losing power everyday, sometimes twice a day. My mind was pushed to other friends in Africa who had to buy their own generator because reliable power was simply not available. Yet there I sat in Mérida, a city blessed with every modern convenience, complaining about spending a couple of hours in the dark. Certainly our plight pales in comparison to these other situations.

And yet there was no denying my frustration. Perhaps because as I missionary I had thought that my challenges would come from other fronts: resistance to my message, cultural adaptation, language acquisition and the like. Leaving the US, there was the idea or illusion, as we say here in Mexico, of leaving everyday life behind, of having an adventure with God. Funny, so often this adventure is filled with the everyday.

Inept drivers, sickness, homework, yes, even power outages have not been left behind, but isn’t this too what Christ had to face? He had a constant pressure placed upon him in each moment of the day, and there were always a host of characters waiting for him to slip up in even the tiniest detail. But he never slipped, and although his wrath was displayed in the cleansing of the temple he was throughout without sin.

So in my life as a missionary, I find must choose to remain flexible, understanding that simply having left the US does not exempt me from life’s everyday difficulties. And through it all, my prayer is that I might persevere, as Hebrew says, understanding that the difficulties that I must bear have been born before–understanding that, if I am faithful, I will be able to say with Him, “It is finished!”

Photo credits: Power outage by Brenda Anderson Some rights reserved

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Saying Goodbye to CINCEL

October 28, 2010 in CostaRica, Devotional by Dave | 3 comments

Compañeros de Clase (from left to right back to front): David Isabelli, Steve McCarthy, David Godzwa, Jeremiah Campbell, Margot Soto, Mecbelle Matarrita, Karen Suarez

In just two short days, we say goodbye once again to CINCEL, the A/G language institute in Latin America. As we draw closer to that time of closure I felt it appropriate to pass along what I had shared with our fellow classmates in chapel this past Tuesday. I hope you enjoy it.

As many of you know, this marks our last week here at CINCEL. I thought it appropriate therefore to take these first few moments to say thanks to several who have made these six weeks possible:

First of all, thank you Don and Jacquie for allowing us to come and setting everything in order to make this refresher course possible. Thank you as well to Steve and Jill McCarthy. Although they are a few years our junior, they have been a great big brother and sister to us during our time here in Costa Rica. Thanks as well to my “compañeros de clase.” (see picture above) Gracias por crearme espacio entre ustedes y permetirme compartir en su interacciones. And to all who have enriched our short six weeks, thank you for being a part of our experience.

Of course this leaves me with the problem deciding what thought to leave with such wonderful people. As I was thinking about what to share, I kept coming back to the back to the book of Philippians, a book written by the apostle Paul to a truly wonderful group of people. Aside from being the place of Paul’s first Macedonian convert and the site of the great earthquake that released him from prison and brought his jailer to his knees, Philippi was home to a church which Paul describes as having a “partnership with him in the gospel,” a church that had labored alongside him and had also contributed to meet his personal needs.

As he choose which words to leave with the Philippians, he writes, in Philippians 2:12, “Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed–not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence–continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling…” Of course, this direction leaves us asking, “What does it mean to work our our salvation?”

As a missionary, I know what I want it to mean. I want it to mean what Jesus said to the rich young ruler in Luke 18: “You still lack one thing. Sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” How many of us here today can say, “Been there, done that?” It seems to me sometimes that our goal as a family is to whittle our possessions down to what airlines will allow on board without charging extra fees.

Nevertheless, we come to find that “work our your salvation” signifies much more than simply giving away possessions or even leaving behind friends and family. It means getting to the point where, as Oswald Chambers says, our right to ourselves is completely annihilated, and at the Philippians level, at our level, that may have to do more with what is on the inside than what is on the outside. For instance, we can give away our library and keep our know-it-all attitude. We can sell off our collections and keep our pride. We can leave our homes and still wall ourselves off from others.

That is why I believe that Paul’s statement “work out your salvation” appears in the context of interpersonal relationships. He shows us the way in which we “work out our salvation” in Philippians 2:2-4:

…by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose. Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others

When I read this, there are times that I ask, “Lord, can we go back to the sell everything lesson?” It’s so hard to be like-minded especially when we’re different. Other times, I try to make a deal. I’ll say, “OK, I’ll be like-minded, as long as the others agree with my point of view,” but verse 4 stops my bartering before it can start, “Each of you should look not only to your own interests…”

But just when we feel like we are left gasping for breath, ready to complain to God about the difficult rule that he has left us to follow we find that Paul’s words were not a law to be obeyed, but rather an outflow of the power of the Gospel working within us.

As we read the entire passage, we see, first of all, the conditions in which we work out our salvation:

  • encouragement from being united with Christ
  • comfort from his love
  • fellowship with the Spirit
  • tenderness and compassion

All of these we have received in our relationship in Christ and are at work in us as we interact with those who are around us. They are the conditions which provide the environment in which we are to work out our salvation.

Second, we see that God has shown us a model of “worked-out” salvation in his Son, Jesus Christ:

Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus:
Who, being in very nature God,
did not consider equality with God something to be grasped,
but made himself nothing,
taking the very nature of a servant,
being made in human likeness.
And being found in appearance as a man,
he humbled himself
and became obedient to death–
even death on a cross!

… and we find that it His sacrifice was not in vain as we continue reading:

Therefore God exalted him to the highest place
and gave him the name that is above every name,
10that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,
in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
11and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father.

So often we lift this passage out of context, using it to explain the mystery of Christ’s existence here on earth, but Paul intended it not as a theology to be analyzed but as a pattern to follow. As we take this passage as Paul had intended it, though, we find that we who share in Christ’s humility will also someday share in his glory.

Still, as if the conditions in which we work out our salvation and the model that God has given us through Jesus were not enough, verse 13 shows us that he is also our help in working out our salvation: “for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose.” In fact, I like how this relayed to us in the New International Version in Spanish which translated loosely says, “for God is He who produces in you both the “want to” as well as the “do” so that His will is accomplished.” God has not left us alone in our work. His power is working through us that we might not fail in what He has called us to do.

Therefore, as we go, we want to encourage you to continue to work out your salvation both now and as we go our separate ways by being like minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and in purpose. This way we might truly fulfill God’s desire for us and we might validate the message that we share being “blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe.”

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I just have to tell you…

October 22, 2010 in Devotional, Prayer by Dave | 1 comment

As we have been here in Costa Rica, we have been blessed to pick up where we left off with some of our old friends. We´ve had the chance to catch up with former teachers, language helpers, and missionaries alike. But none of our encounters have been as sweet as the blessing that we received two days ago.

Rosa Maria Villalobos or ¨Rosita¨ as we called her, was the teacher who helped me through my cultural integration project. As we were here in 2005-06 she was caring for her ailing husband. His condition was a frequent topic of prayer and concern during our classes and chapels. He had been stricken with a brain tumor and had been given a terrible prognosis. Even after an operation in Mexico, he was told that the cancer had metastasized and invaded his body. In fact, as late as last month, we had been told that the medicine that he had been taking and the surgery that he had undergone had left him unable to even eat.

Imagine our surprise, however, when we had been told the he had completely recovered! Rosita visited the school this last Wednesday when Kelly overheard her speaking to one of the other employees about her husband´s condition. Knowing that we had been praying for him, Kelly had her come and tell me the news. According to the most recent scans, the cancer, which the doctors had said had spread through his body, was gone! He was recovering rapidly and was regaining the use of his jaw which had been disabled because of the operation. In fact, they had planned to treat the weakened muscles with Botox which will not only strengthen his face, but leaving him looking younger as well! The only further treatment recommended at the time was that he was to chew gum in order to continue to excercise the muscles needed to chew his food.

So rejoice with us as we celebrate this answer to prayer. I hope that it serves as an encouragement to you that the God that we serve is the same yesterday, today, and forever.

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It’s a Dangerous Business Going Out of Your Door

February 9, 2010 in Devotional by Dave | Permalink

It’s a dangerous business going out of your door. You step into the Road, and, if you don’t keep your feet, there is no knowing where you might be swept off to. –Bilbo Baggins

The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field. Go! I am sending you… –Jesus

Rebekah has been reading the Lord of the Rings Trilogy by J.R.R. Tolkein to me as we drive along the Missouri roadways visiting churches and speaking about Mexico. It’s a wonderful thing, hearing my daughter read what to me is a classic piece of literature. It is classic because, even decades after it was written, its message can still be heard and applied.

The story is basically about Hobbits, small and self-sufficient creatures, sheltered from the world, suspicious of strangers, with eyes that look no further than their bit of earth beyond their little holes. They had heard rumors of what went on outside their borders, but their small existence kept them from comprehending the ramifications of those strange and foreign goings on in their day to day lives. Until, one day, a not so adventurous Hobbit named Bilbo got swept off of his feet into an adventure. Suddenly, the hope of the world depended on this small, shy, and unassuming lot.

The disciples too had not seemed to seek out the adventure that they found themselves in as followers of Jesus. Most of them were outsiders, blue-collar workers more concerned with the ebb and flow of the Sea of Galilee than of the rise and fall of the religious “powers that were” in Jerusalem to the south. They busied themselves in their own routine of catching fish or collecting taxes, perhaps much like the Hobbits, without even categories to speak about saving the world. That is until Jesus came, and with the words, “Follow me,” they too were swept off of their feet, suddenly at the center of God’s plan to redeem mankind.

They had, no doubt, seen the harvest field before, but not as Jesus had shown it to them. It was a harvest, not of grain, but of souls. A common scene was given new meaning, and a common need, that of workers to bring in the harvest, was given new importance.

So Jesus called them, not to mobilization, but to prayer. However, as they prayed, they found that the answer was to be found within their own small band. The appeal to pray was not an impersonal one. It was not a way to “pass the buck.” It was a way to hear the cry of God saying, ” Whom shall I send? Who will go for us?” and to respond as Isaiah, “Here am I. Send me,” or as the disciples with their feet as Jesus said, “Go! I am sending you…”

Let’s bring this, then, out of the realm of fantasy and out of the distant past to where we go about our daily lives. We wake. We work. We eat. We sleep. We certainly hear and see more than the Hobbits or the disciples, but too often those impersonal rumors on talk radio or the digital images on the screen seem incapable of grabbing us, seemingly impotent at their attempts to move us.

Except when we pray, and, all of a sudden, what seemed so far away has reached out and touched our hearts, and we hear the cry, “Who will go?” and we find ourselves, in our own small voice responding as Frodo the Hobbit before the leaders at the Council of Elrond, “I will (go), though I do not know the way.”

It is a dangerous business, therefore, to pray, but what more exciting business could you ever hope to aspire to?

Photo “Archway” by Syriloth on Flickr

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Dreams Come True

January 13, 2010 in Devotional, Missions by Dave | 1 comment

The holiday season found us in Orlando, Florida, site of Disney World, for the Latin America/Caribbean Missionary Retreat aptly titled, “Dreams Come True.” It was a gathering of over 600 missionaries, representing countries from the Rio Grande in the north to Tierra del Fuego in the south. It was a time of reconnection, worship, and inspiration.

As part of the theme, video clips were shown during the large group meetings, showing how several of our missionary colleagues had seen God help them realize dreams that He had given them. There were those who had planted now thriving churches and those who had birthed ministries that are now international in scope. There were reports of high-powered children’s ministries teams and thriving national missions departments sending missionaries from the mission field to all corners of the world. Truly, things are happening in our region!

Still, for all of the encouragement that such videos bring, I couldn’t help but ask the question, “…and the Godzwas? What have we done in comparison?” The progress that we have made all of a sudden seemed to pale in comparison to the reports of victory being broadcast before our eyes. On top of this, our son Jonathan had come down with a fever, leaving Kelly and I taking shifts staying in the hotel room with him, instead of participating as we had expected.

I was in a funk by the time Doug Clay took the stage to talk about restoring the joy of our calling to the ministry. As he finished his sermon, he asked for those who would like to experience a fresh touch of that joy to meet him at the altar. I walked forward, knowing that that was something I needed. A group gathered around the altar, and after a time of individual prayer, Doug led us in an exercise. He told us to look around and find a partner ten years removed from our age. As I looked to the left, standing beside me as Dale Coad who, 17 years prior, was a missionary on the field in the Dominican Republic where Kelly and I had taken our first short-term missions trip. As the speaker told us to join hands, I reflected on the time I had spent there on the mission field with Dale and his wife Patti. I remembered wondering, as I watched them go through their day to day ministry, “Do I have what it takes to be a like them? Do I have what it takes to be a missionary?” Now I was standing next to him as a co-worker singing, “He has made me glad!”

We then were told to widen the circle, and there, in our group stood Ron Hittenberger, a missionary that attended AGTS with me when I was in the first year of my masters degree program. At that time in my life, the mission field seemed farther away then when I was 18. I had a growing family and an uphill climb to complete my studies, but here we now stood together in our circle, Dale, Ron and I, along with other missionaries, sharing in the joy of the realization of our dream of serving our master on foreign soil.

It was unmistakable. God “opened my eyes” that night to see past the little pity party that I was giving myself. He has made my dream come true. He has completed what He had promised, and what He had confirmed so many times before has become a reality. I am a missionary!

Of course, this is only the beginning. God has bigger dreams, dreams I am only now becoming aware of after spending the last four years on the field. One such dreams is the dream of a relevant, outward-focused, Mexican church that reaches across cultural boundaries and generational assumptions to practice true Christianity in everyday situations. God has done it before in my life and in the lives of so many whose testimony was on display during our retreat; He can do it again.

How about you? What dreams have you seen God bring to fruition? What dreams does God have you dreaming right now?

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Heat without Light

December 23, 2009 in Devotional by Dave | Permalink

While we are on the road, the kids have the chance to grab a DVD or two to watch. Being the driver, I only get to listen. (It’s important to keep two eyes on the road at all times!) Being the Christmas season, holiday movies were being featured at the Redbox and the kids naturally gravitated to “Santa Buddies,” the continuation of the “Buddies” movies which feature talking dogs as the main characters.

The problem to solve in this episode? The Spirit of Christmas, in the form of and icicle, was melting away. No, it wasn’t because of global warming or climate change, however it is referred to these days. It was because people all over the world had forgotten the true meaning of Christmas, which, from what I could gather from my mobile eavesdropping on the movie, was watching Christmas tree lightings and singing Christmas carols. Now, while this favorite time of the year has traditionally been kicked off in our household with the decorating of the tree accompanied by Nat King Cole’s version of the “Christmas Song,” it would appear that “Santa Buddies” has the trimmings mixed up with what Christmas is really about.

The Star of Bethlehem

This brings us to a presentation that we had the opportunity to hear last Wednesday. Richard Hammar talked, from his extensive knowledge of astronomy, about what he felt the Star of Bethlehem, the star that led the Wise Men to the child Jesus, really was. As he dismissed several theories, he made mention of what one scientist at the NASA Jet Propulsion Center said. He said that he felt the Star of Bethlehem was a comet, because that would have been the most impressive astronomical event that could have been observed. Now this was said even though a comet would not have fit any of the evidence that the biblical record presents.

OK, you’re wondering, “What does the Star of Bethlehem” have to do with “Santa Buddies.” Give me a minute to explain. I can make the Star of Bethlehem to be whatever I want it to be if I don’t accept the reality of the historical birth of the Christ Child. I can confuse Christmas traditions for the reason for the season if I reduce the Christmas story to just another fable or fairy tale. What it all amounts to is a lot of heat without light. It may warm our spirits through December 25th, but it leaves us with Christmas hangover and little else when the bills come due in January.

Hammar concluded that a miracle occurred to lead the Wise Men to Jesus. He stated that the glory of God was what formed the star that shone on the stable the first Christmas morning and what eventually guided the Magi to the place where they found the one who would be the Savior of all humankind. And while not all who lived at that time could see the light, those that sought the Messiah, the shepherds and later the Wise Men could. I believe this still holds true today.

So as we complete our shopping and scurry to put together the “Perfect Christmas,” lets take some time to look to the reality that made this season special. Let’s turn again the the truth that God came near, that His light shone in the darkness and illuminated the way to restore our relationship with Him.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year from our family to yours!

More Than Fixing

October 1, 2009 in Devotional, Ministry by Dave | Permalink

I’m a fixer. I’ll admit it. It seems as though even before I see a problem, I’m already at work on how I can make it better. I appreciate being able to make something more useful or more efficient. Perhaps that’s why I had gotten such a kick out of my helpdesk days as a geek in the Evangel University Technical Services office.

Still, what I have found out since then is that what works with machines and operating systems rarely applies directly to work with people. Some events that have happened this week have brought this reality into better focus for me.

AGTS Day of Renewal: Each year, the Assemblies of God Theological Seminary has a Day of Renewal, a time when they set aside the day to day practice to focus in on their pursuit of God as a corporate body. This year, being in the US, I had the opportunity to attend the morning service. In it, Dr. Sheri Benvenuti spoke of her impatience with others and what she thought were their petty problems until her eyes were opened through her own suffering. She said that that suffering, combined with the pentecostal experience enables us to comprehend the situation of those around us in a whole new way that facilitates true ministry.

Ezra Chapter 9: My Bible reading has me currently in the book of Ezra. In chapter 9, he is alerted to a grave problem. The Jews who had returned from Babylon were falling into their old ways. They had married wives from among the pagan nations who had led them astray before the they had been taken away to captivity.

Something had to be done. One would expect the scribe Ezra to sit down at his desk and begin dialing the offenders one by one in order to schedule their discipline meetings, but instead he tears his clothes, sits down in the dust and weeps over the situation.

A conversation with my dad: My dad spoke to me today asking for advice: How do you get a person to see the error of their ways and accept the logical solution, be it spiritual or social? So often, he related, he was met with the rejection, “You just don’t understand what I’m going through.”

Each one of these situations seems against us fixers and our desire to rush in with the solution. Of course it’s not that the people don’t need a solution, but rather we fixers forget that true comprehension of the situation is the first step to solving the problem.

Now, I’m not just talking about hearing all sides of the story. I’m talking about feeling the pain of the situation along with those who are suffering. Dr. Benvenuti admitted that she was quick with the solution before her personal pain, but now she more effectively ministers because she’s “been there” with those who suffer. Ezra hadn’t sinned, and certainly he had the right and the responsibility to meat out justice for the wrongdoers, but it was his public display of sorrow, not his administrative prowess that bought about a spontaneous renewal of the population. Furthermore, the offenders were the ones who carried out the solution to the problem, not Ezra.

So it would seem that people need to see more than the error of their ways. They need more than some set of logical steps to a better life. They need someone to weep with them over their present situation. They need to see that there is someone who truly cares enough to comprehend–to treat them as fellow human being and not just as a problem to be fixed.

A challenge for us “fixers?” To be sure. Still, when it comes to people, God has called us to do more than fix; He’s called us to love.

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A Generation Has Passed…

May 28, 2009 in Devotional, Language, Ministry, Progress by Dave | Permalink

2009 Bethel Graduation

2009 Bethel Graduation

Since we’ve been in Mexico, we’ve witnessed the passing of a generation. No, we haven’t been here in Mérida for 20+ years, although looking at the growth of our kids during this term has made me wonder at times. I’m talking about the recent Bible Institute graduation service celebrated this past Monday, where Generation 06-09, walked the platform to receive their diplomas from the District Superintendent. This marks a milestone as it means that the students that I had the chance to teach from the first year of their Bible school experience are now being launched into ministry. The freshmen from my Personal Cvangelism course of December 2006-February 2007, my first solo class taught in Spanish, are now moving into their vocations.

Watching them receive their charge as graduates I had mixed feelings. There is a sense of joy in knowing that I had a part in their formation as ministers, but there is also a sense of regret. So often I had wished that I could have had certain sessions over again, where my lessons could have been more polished. On more than one occasion I’ve wish that I could have another chance at conversations that I’ve had knowing now that my Spanish could have been more understandable. In spite of my wishing, though, what was taught was taught, and the encouragement, advice, and prayers have been spoken. And that’s OK, because I believe that, though at times stammering or searching for the words, we communicated. As we learned we grew, each one of us offering to the other what we could not acquire on our own.

It wasn’t by chance that God brought me together with this generation at this moment in our lives. I so as I said goodbye to each one I prayed that as we part our ways, the graduates to their respective positions, and my family and I to the US to intinerate, that God will help us to remember the ways in which our being together expressed the manifold wisdom of God (Eph 3:10) that saw fit to join us together during their generation in the Bible school.

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