Challenging Times

We must say that we don't really want a repeat of this last month.  It was a very challenging month for us overall.  We praise the Lord that He was good to us and guided us through some difficult times but we also ask the Lord not to put that much on us again at one time.  Ministry wise we had a good month of seeing people get fired up for the Lord again.  We had noticed a lull in people after we got back from having a baby but the Lord began to light a fire in the hearts of our national partners and we have seen and heard great things.  With this ministry we encountered some of the worst roads we have seen since being in Madagascar.  There was lots of water on the main roads and it seemed like we drove from mud hole to mud hole all day long.  Trips took twice as long and they were very rough on the cars.  Praise the Lord that because of our supporting churches generosity through the SBC we have a strong vehicle that got us through the mud holes.
A highlight of the month was seeing several people whom we had invested countless hours and Bible stories follow the Lord in obedience by being baptized.  This was an exciting day and needless to say the techniques used around the world to baptize are different.  Baptizing in the ocean apparently isn't as easy as you think it would be.
We also suffered through some illness and Adam had to be flown off the island for what was possibly appendicitis.  Praise the Lord he is okay but there is still no diagnosis as to why he was having severe pains on the lower right quadrant of his abdomen.  The Dr.'s believe it was just a localized virus in his intestinal tract.  This trip was an emergency one and it left things at home unprepared all the way for the meeting trip the whole family was taking.  Suzie did a great job getting things together and in order so that the family could join Adam.  However, it was hard being apart from each other and not knowing what exactly was going on with Adam's health.  Praise the Lord he protected and guided us during these times.  Adam was poked and prodded and then Suzie and River got some check up exams.  Praise the Lord once again we all seem to be normal.
We closed out the month with a meeting and it was a good time to be refreshed spiritually but had some long days of sitting along with it.  We all came back to Mada a little under the weather so it is all going on again. 

Thank you for all of your prayers and support.  Please keep up the good work.

Prayer Request:
  • For us to become completely healthy once again
  • Phoebe to finish her third term well
  • The girls as they finish out another School year at home
  • Short Term teams coming through to work alongside us
  • Strong vibrant times with the Lord
  • Ashley as she is closing out her time in Madagascar
Praises:
  • No surgery required for Adam or Suzie
  • Phoebe is 15!!!!
  • We had safe travels
  • People are responding to the Gospel message and teaching others
  • Charlie and Zala are here visiting.  

 Baptismal in the ocean

 The truck after the roads like this one.

 Thomas, Philson and I helping teach the Bible in Beloha

 Baylee doing her chores

Family Picture

Comments

  1. Mary-ElizabethApril 24, 2014 at 5:29 AM

    The First, Second, and Third graders in our Awana/Children in Action Class prayed one sentence prayers for the specific prayer request and praises above. They were such innocent but powerful prayers as they talked with God. Thank You for the work you are doing in Madagascar and your faithful walk with God! The kids were very impressed that you made it through the water in you SUV! They have enjoyed learning about the peoples of Madagascar and we will continue to pray for your family and the people to know Christ.
    -Skyland Boulevard Baptist Church
    Tuscaloosa, AL

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

It's Time to Come Home

Image
The Lord has prepared us and led us to make a significant change.  We're coming back to the USA!  Many things have helped us make this decision, but ultimately, the Lord is leading us, and we are just continuing to be faithful to Him. We haven't changed.  Our hearts remain steadfast.  The passion and desire for His Kingdom to come and His will to be done continue to grow within us.  However, we will now live this out on the front lines of the USA in Texas. We are excited to announce Adam will be the senior Pastor at First Baptist Church Valley Mills, Texas.  He will be officially starting at the end of June.  Suzie should be teaching at the elementary school in Valley Mills.  Baylee and River will finish the school year in Nairobi as we pack up the house and say our goodbyes well.  Baylee graduates high school on May 25th.  We will return to the USA in the first part of June to take a little time to decompress before beginning ministry i...
Read more

Short but Packed

Image
February is a short month but we packed it full! (No surprise!!) Baylee kicked off the month in Olepolos, a village south of Nairobi, where she served a church and its community alongside some classmates. She was able to share the gospel, serve in the church, work on the church and love on the children and students in the village. Adam & Suzie got to tour Istanbul on a long layover headed to Athens where they spent time with others leading the strategy for their cities in other parts of the world. It was incredible to visit places with such rich histories and ancient landmarks, both in Istanbul and Athens. God is on the move around the world. He's the same yesterday, today and forever, which is mind-blowing, especially when your standing in front of an olympic stadium that was built in 330BC, and that's still not as old as creation. Friends from Madagascar had a long layover and we were able to reconnect for a short visit.  It had been years since we'd seen each other a...
Read more

Broken...But God...

Image
The world is broken. This can cause our hearts to become downcast. There are so many issues, moral, political and natural, that cause pain and suffering. But God... On the 29th of January, we visited the site of my Triathlon accident. It was the one year anniversary. I wore my "But God..." t-shirt to express his goodness even in times of hardship. It's good for us to look back and remember God's goodness. We know the victory is won. Jesus is on the throne. We're in the end times. May we live with urgency that all would have the opportunity to hear and respond. We've had the opportunity to go out evangelizing in the town of Juja a number of times over the past year. Last week we were there again. As we began walking the streets and stopping to share with those in the community, we came across a group of young ladies. They had exposure to the gospel and confessed they were seeking to good even in the midst of temptation but they had not yet believed and confesse...
Read more