The month in Belize "alone" was good. We were forced to figure things out and enter a new level of dependence on God. That is always good, yet seldom our first choice.
We hit a wall as a family. Snarky is the best way I could describe us. (Thank my good friend Caleb Hughes for that adjective.) We pushed through and remembered the gospel must be preached first to ourselves daily, then to each other before we are of any use to our King. Tears are almost always a part of the journey, but we will start each day back at Calvary. Humility is a constant struggle, but there is no substitute for it. We are most grateful for the faithful prayers that get us through those tough days. I wouldn't have admitted to you I was proud a year ago, but I'm learning self-sufficiency is just a good cover for it. It is a lie! We need your prayers! Thank you for interceding for our family
We are each dealing with common and different stress; we need grace extended to each other, not short tempered meanness. We were all missing family. We were all HOT all the time. Laura was hit with the start of her Sr. year in high school, without her. I had an infection in my finger that nearly drove me to the airport,and Todd has the constant tension of providing for us, finding his place and waiting on God to show him what the next step is. Our life in Belize is not hard. It is inconvenient and unfamiliar, exhausting and humbling and at the same time glorious and beautiful and adventurous and exciting!
Pray for communication. It remains our biggest struggle. Of course with family and friends; we miss everyone, it's hard. Todd had planned to job hunt this time stateside, but the job he was planning to hunt is not possible without dependable Internet; again, no surprise to God, so we wait. He is working out all things for our good.
Marian and Victor and the kids moved into the caretaker cottage on the Legacy property; we enjoyed welcoming them, praying with them, working with them and the celebration and adventure that planning a Belizean wedding afforded! That is Todd's story to tell, if you see him! We both have driver’s licenses and have started the very complicated process of a bank account. I began seeing hospice patients and what a pure privilege that has been. Some things are the same all over! We see God opening doors everywhere.
Pray we are always willing and obedient to His lead. Our passion to bring as many as possible to obedience of faith has not wavered. In the month the Rhodes were gone and we expected to "settle in and rest", we had people from church over for meals, Laura and I started 2 bible studies and Todd was asked to lead men's fellowship. I'd say God is moving. And may we never forget it is Him leading, moving, guiding, teaching through us. No one in Belize or anywhere else needs us, but the gospel answers everything. Never give a man less...
"The gospel offers a man life. Never offer a man a thimbleful of the gospel. Do not offer them merely joy, or merely rest, or merely peace, or merely safety; tell them how Christ came togive them a more abundant life than they have, a life abundant in love and therefore salvation for themselves. Many of the current gospels offer a part... peace not life, faith not love, justification not regeneration. Men slip back from such religion because it never really held them. Their nature was never really in it. To love abundantly is to live abundantly, to love forever is to live
forever... love is supreme, it is eternal... because in the nature of things Love is going to last. It is something we live now, not when we die...there is a poor chance we will get when we die if we are not living it now..."
- Henry Drummond The Greatest Thing in the World
Please pray:
Renewing time with family and friends
Laura's college visits to clarify Gods plans for her
Steven has orientation in October and will leave in late December
Michael and Amy as they figure out married life
House in Alabaster to sell
Truck to sell
