From our archived blog:
This week has definitely been the hardest of ICC so far. Talia was sick Monday and Tuesday, so we had to switch out classes, while one of us stayed home with her. She was diagnosed with strep, but we praise God that we caught it early, and that so far no one else has shown any signs of strep. Wednesday we were both back at class, where the major topic was Counting the Cost. We heard testimonies from missionaries who have encountered incredibly painful and difficult circumstances for the sake of the Gospel. One of the quotes that stood out to me was this, "I guarantee God will ask you to die a bit every day."Let me hear what God the Lord will speak, for He will speak peace to His people..." Ps. 85:8a
Now great crowds accompanied him, and he turned and said to them,“If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple. Whoever does not bear his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple. For which of you, desiring to build a tower, does not first sit down and count the cost, whether he has enough to complete it? Otherwise, when he has laid a foundation and is not able to finish, all who see it begin to mock him, saying, ‘This man began to build and was not able to finish.’ Or what king, going out to encounter another king in war, will not sit down first and deliberate whether he is able with ten thousand to meet him who comes against him with twenty thousand? And if not, while the other is yet a great way off, he sends a delegation and asks for terms of peace.So therefore, any one of you who does not renounce all that he has cannot be my disciple. - Luke 14:25-33
David praying for our friends after they shared the ways God has been teaching them about His sovereignty.
Some of the other topics covered this week include: Field-proofing our marriage. Over the coming weeks will be working through some of the Sacred Marriage materials.
Our marriage study group
Our unique strengths and weaknesses, and how to use those as we go into a cross-cultural ministry situation. Different worldviews and sharing the Gospel. Biblical absolutes. God's sovereignty. Tools for language learning. We not only learned some great tools, we had the opportunity to practice them, as we both began weekly language lessons with a Tok Pisin speaker here! We will certainly not be fluent by the end of our time here, but it is great to get our feet wet before we go to POC in August. Friday night we were all beat, but we had a Family Fun Night, including games and a talent show. Makaylah and Sophia performed "Let it Go" with one of their new friends, who is also heading to PNG in August (the Lord is so good!).
Waiting for the show to start
In the midst of all the mental, spiritual and physical exhaustion of this week, we can have peace, because we know that the One we serve is supremely worthy of anything He will ask us to sacrifice. Beyond that, He loves us with a deep, surpassing love. This weekend we each took time for a personal retreat with God. This was an "assignment," and honestly, with everything else we've had going on, pulling away for 3 hours seemed daunting.
Come, everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; and he who has no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without price. Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread, and your labor for that which does not satisfy? Listen diligently to me, and eat what is good, and delight yourselves in rich food. Incline your ear, and come to me; hear, that your soul may live and I will make with you an everlasting covenant, my steadfast, sure love for David.- Isaiah 55:1-3Our Lord loves us with a covenant, steadfast, sure love, and He knows what we need - HIM. It really is that simple. Please continue to pray for us as we head into another busy week. Pray that we will continue to "eat what is good"!