The last time I was in Africa was from September 1978 to June 1979. I have always loved Africa and have been intrigued by its rich history and heritage. It seems to be a mysterious and misunderstood place and people. When I left in '79, I prayed that the Lord would enable me to someday return. Now the Lord is answering that prayer after 27 years. We won't be going to the same place, but that is ok. I am sure Niger has changed enough that I wouldn't really recognize it anyway. The people I knew are no longer there.
We leave on September 21 for Zambia. It will be great to see our friends the Ripleys there and meet other people on their team. It is probably our fastest growing field in ACTION and it may not be long before they exceed the Philippines in numbers. I don't know for sure what we will do there but I pray we can be an encouragement to their team and learn from them. I think they live in a more challenging environment due to the constant death from AIDS and the myriads of orphans.
Then on October 1 we will go to Cape Town where will attend a few days of meetings with the group that is strategizing how to reach street children around the world with the gospel.
I pray that I will have enough energy to make this trip meaningful and fruitful. I feel I am adjusting to my new dose of thyroid medicine, but this whole process has been much more difficult than I expected. There is not a "quick" cure. It takes time and there are a lot of ups and downs.
Sunday, September 10, 2006
Come to Jesus and Live
This song has ministered to us quite a bit recently.
Chris Rice - Untitled Hymn (Come To Jesus) Lyrics
Weak and wounded sinner
Lost and left to die
O, raise your head, for love is passing by
Come to Jesus
Come to Jesus
Come to Jesus and live!
Now your burden's lifted
And carried far away
And precious blood has washed away the stain, so
Sing to Jesus
Sing to Jesus
Sing to Jesus and live!
And like a newborn baby
Don't be afraid to crawl
And remember when you walk
Sometimes we fall...so
Fall on Jesus
Fall on Jesus
Fall on Jesus and live!
Sometimes the way is lonely
And steep and filled with pain
So if your sky is dark and pours the rain, then
Cry to Jesus
Cry to Jesus
Cry to Jesus and live!
O, and when the love spills over
And music fills the night
And when you can't contain your joy inside, then
Dance for Jesus
Dance for Jesus
Dance for Jesus and live!
And with your final heartbeat
Kiss the world goodbye
Then go in peace, and laugh on Glory's side, and
Fly to Jesus
Fly to Jesus
Fly to Jesus and live!
Chris Rice - Untitled Hymn (Come To Jesus) Lyrics
Weak and wounded sinner
Lost and left to die
O, raise your head, for love is passing by
Come to Jesus
Come to Jesus
Come to Jesus and live!
Now your burden's lifted
And carried far away
And precious blood has washed away the stain, so
Sing to Jesus
Sing to Jesus
Sing to Jesus and live!
And like a newborn baby
Don't be afraid to crawl
And remember when you walk
Sometimes we fall...so
Fall on Jesus
Fall on Jesus
Fall on Jesus and live!
Sometimes the way is lonely
And steep and filled with pain
So if your sky is dark and pours the rain, then
Cry to Jesus
Cry to Jesus
Cry to Jesus and live!
O, and when the love spills over
And music fills the night
And when you can't contain your joy inside, then
Dance for Jesus
Dance for Jesus
Dance for Jesus and live!
And with your final heartbeat
Kiss the world goodbye
Then go in peace, and laugh on Glory's side, and
Fly to Jesus
Fly to Jesus
Fly to Jesus and live!
Friday, August 25, 2006
Kuya Marvin Prudencio
This has been a long and difficult week. My hypothyroidism is probably at its worst point right now. I feel very sluggish, tire easily, have difficulty concentrating and a myriad of other problems. The encouragement that I find, however, is that I am being treated and all these things will pass in due time. I went to see my doctor on Thursday. She doubled my thyroid medicine from 50 mcg to 100 mcg for the next nine days and then I will start taking 150 mcg. I know that it takes a week or two for the medicine to build up to give me the full effect so it will be a few more weeks before I am benefiting from this increase. I may be at this level for about 3 months and then check again to see if I need any more adjustments.
What has made this week difficult is that our dear friend and co-worker, Marvin Prudencio, went to be with the Lord on Sunday evening. Jeff and I spent several hours at the hospital that night. We did not see Marvin because he had already died and the hospital was waiting for family members to arrive before they would do anything. We are much grieved but so happy for Marvin because his battle with asthma and cancer is over. He was going to turn 70 in September. You can read more about him at the link above.
Back in April when I was about to have my radiation for thyroid, Marvin was just beginning to learn about a problem with his lungs. He wrote to ask us to pray for him and he promised to be praying for me. He told me several times after that that he was praying. I last saw Marvin at an ACTION picnic on August 18. He seemed frail but he said he felt good and was optimistic that he was recivering from his cancer.
What has made this week difficult is that our dear friend and co-worker, Marvin Prudencio, went to be with the Lord on Sunday evening. Jeff and I spent several hours at the hospital that night. We did not see Marvin because he had already died and the hospital was waiting for family members to arrive before they would do anything. We are much grieved but so happy for Marvin because his battle with asthma and cancer is over. He was going to turn 70 in September. You can read more about him at the link above.
Back in April when I was about to have my radiation for thyroid, Marvin was just beginning to learn about a problem with his lungs. He wrote to ask us to pray for him and he promised to be praying for me. He told me several times after that that he was praying. I last saw Marvin at an ACTION picnic on August 18. He seemed frail but he said he felt good and was optimistic that he was recivering from his cancer.
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