We just received a call from Congo. Pastor Gary Kapinga, National Director, dear friend, brother, counsellor, daily cross bearer, coworker, downright beloved by us, called us on his cell phone minutes ago.
That just cracks me up. Years ago, a cell phone call would never have happened. It's a strange wonder these days.
He called to tell us everything is okay in Congo.
He wants to know when we are coming back. . . we promised August, thinking it would be good to get back then. . .
Thinking the Lord would want us to return sooner than later. . .
Hoping that despite the sluggish (understatement) economy would not prevent us from returning because concerned individuals who love Laban might be in a position to help us out as they have in the past. . .
Thinking of how much healthier it is to return again after 4 months than to wait a whole year or a good portion of the year. . .
That still may happen. We have lived by the undergirding miracles of the Holy One through 40 years of ministry. We believe God's arm is not shortened that He cannot save and that His ears are not deafened to dullness that He cannot hear. . .
In the meantime: we wait--expectantly, anticipatingly, hopefully, and sometimes joyfully.
So to Gary's question and comments: "Are you coming in August? Everything is okay here. Is everything okay there?"--we heard the underlying need for the call. He just needed to hear our voice.
It moves me to think our voice is that important--soothing, comforting, reassuring, vital to his welfare.
And it makes me cry out, Lord, we are so in need of hearing your voice.
Come, visit us.
Speak to us.
Make yourself known to us.
Reassure us.
We can't do this thing called life without you; we can't go to Congo without you; we can't take a breath without your permission.
You say in Zephaniah 3;17 that you are in the midst of us. That in and of itself is absolutely amazing. You are mighty to save. You take great delight in us. You cover us with your love. You rejoice over us with singing.
And though we know this verse to be true experientially in days gone by, the fact of the matter is, today is a new day.
We don't want a day to go by without it. . .
In fact, we don't want much time at all to go by without hearing the comfort of your voice.
Go before us Ancient of Days. You've promised that you will. Go alongside us, Father. Be our rear guard.
Please, Daddy, we just need to hear Your voice.
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
Sunday, June 21, 2009
A new creature. . .
Gary is the National Director of Laban Ministries in Congo. He resides at Nkara with his second wife, Jean, and their eight children. He oversees our multi tribe staff of 101, deals with the State when they come in to "tax" us, negotiates on our behalf, and has the final word in our absence when it comes to decision making. He is a man of integrity, spirit filled, and walks by the drumbeat of Scripture and a consecrated life.
The following is a historical account of this prized fellow servant of the Lord. I want to share with you the wealth of his transformed life.
As a teenager of very lean stature, Gary earned money by distracting men walking through a particular area of hangout for him and his friends near his village. When the targeted individual passed by, Gary caught his attention by harassing him and calling him names. As the victim neared the secluded gang members, Gary annoyed his prey to the point of being chased by him, leading the unsuspecting person right to the gang in the tall grass. The victim was then attacked, and whatever possessions he may have been carrying were stolen. This is how he eked out an existence until he became notoriously known in the area.
From his village of Gombe, this teen-aged man from the Bawongo Tribe, made the 130 mile trek to Kikwit, a city of 1,000,000 people to make a decent living. In 1978, Mrs. Marcella Smith, wife of the late Dr. Laban Smith, was shopping in Kikwit for supplies while staying at the guesthouse, an extension of which was built by her husband in the 40's, which served as his dental office. Mrs. Smith, Jim's mother, had just returned to Congo to precede us and help us get settled into missionary life at Nkara. This was October; we left for Congo on Dec 4 that same year.
Gary was assisting Solomon, the cook at the guesthouse. Mrs. Smith asked Gary to help her with her shopping as she looked for large items like a refrigerator, mattresses, stove, etc. After several days of traveling with him at her side, they struck up a friendship, and one night in the guesthouse she introduced Gary to the Savior. Marcella Smith left a note which Solomon gave us months later when we arrived at that same guesthouse, urging us to consider Gary as a potential worker because he always gave her the correct change and was so kind to her while she was in Kikwit. His transformation was underway! He had become a new creature in Christ Jesus.
On November 14, 1978, Mrs. Smith went to be with the Lord at Nkara, a distance of 60 miles from Kikwit, where she and Dr. Smith had ministered together from 1947 to 1953. She died in what is now Jim's office as she was leaning over her bed. In March of 1979 we arrived at Kikwit only to find Gary still working there and very willing to help us adjust. After six weeks in Kikwit, we made our way to Nkara and Gary became a beloved member of our family. Gary "grew up" in our home with our own children, spending as much as twelve hours a day with us. The only two phrases Nancy could muster at first were masa ya madidi, masa ya tiya, meaning cold water and hot water, buckets of which were carried upstairs for daily bathing. Gary saw Nancy's pain, culture shock, and pregnant state and was a great help to her.
In the summer of 1979, Gary was imprisoned. The local "pastor" Mapungu, an infidel and reprobate whom Mrs. Smith had taught English, falsely accused him of fathering a child with a single girl on the mission station. Gary was taken to Bulungu, put in chains in his cell, and tortured for no reason. After two months of unjust punishment, he was released without bond and walked the 60-mile trip back home to Nkara. We can still see our children running across the valley to hug him and welcome him home.
Late that fall, Gary returned to Combe to find a wife. Suzanne had never seen a white person in her life. He brought her to our home soon after their wedding to introduce her to us. She had the look of electric shock on her face and was extremely shy. One year later, they lost their first baby. In all, Gary and Suzanne lost five children, among them twin boys. Their beloved Diana died in 1995 of Hepatitis B at the age of seven.
Then in 1997, after suffering from liver cancer resulting from Hepatitis B, Gary lost the love of his life. By this time Suzanne and Gary had become a strong team. She did all the cooking and gathering of food for the Bible school students who lived on campus at Nkara. She was Nancy's good friend. Whatever job she was given, one could be sure it would be done. Often, she would come to our house to say "hi," and there in our kitchen, Gary would wrap his arms around her and say, "Nothing will ever separate us but death." When Gary lost Suzanne, we all lost. . . a wonderful friend and partner in ministry. Gary spent many hours on his knees begging God to let her live. In Congo, the person who is in the last stages of life is seldom told the truth by the medical personnel who deal with each case. They are sadly given false hope, and the family is left unprepared for death.
Finally, Gary realized that she was not going to make it. After burying their premature twin boys, Gary hired a truck to take Suzanne back to her village to die, which is the cultural custom in Congo. The truck took them most of the way, and then he and friends carried her on a stretcher-like apparatus on the road for miles because the truck they had ridden took another route. At one point they stopped, and in great pain and agony without the relief of pain killers, she made him promise to take care of their children alongside a dusty, remote road with unbearable heat pouring down on them. Then her spirit and soul fled like a dove into the courts of heaven, never to suffer or sorrow again. Heartbroken, Gary returned to Nkara. How we longed to have been there with them in those final hours. However, Nancy's father at the time was dying here in the States, and our first grandchild was born.
The Lord provided another woman for Gary from Gombe to love him. Jean is also a gift from God. She has been a wondrful asset to Gary, his children, and the ministry.
Gary Kapinga graduated from Laban Bible Institute, and has been directing the work in Congo for many years. His two oldest boys, James and Todd, are now in university. James is studying at Lumbumbashi to be a medical doctor, Todd in Kinshasa to be an engineer. Shines Peace graduated high school this year, and Caleb is in middle school. Gary and jean have four children of their own. He has remained faithful under excruciating pain and rejection of tribalism. He has defended the faith and Laban Ministries in Congo. He is totally trustworthy. He knows our sense of humor and is fun to be around. He is a great husband and father. He has lovingly and justly dealt with staff who have defied his leadership because he is an outsider. No matter what is set in front of Gary, he chooses to sing Hallelujah. He praises God through every storm. He is a hero of the faith. He is the man of God's choice for the hour. He is a marvelous trophy of God's grace. And best of all, he is our true friend and brother.
Just today we talked with Gary. He told me to thank America for your faithful support of Laban Ministries because it means that he along with 100 other men and women are able to serve the Lord Jesus Christ in Africa at Nkara, Iwungu, and Kinshasa. Your monthly gifts help us pay these awesome people who are so rich in faith and glow with the sunshine of heaven on their faces. Your participation with us in the Gospel translates into producing fruit like Gary. Your gifts are being harvested in transformed lives that lay hold of eternal life and anchor themselves steadfast and sure in scripture. God bless you for keeping us and our family in Congo on the move for Jesus' sake.
You are creating hope for the Bandundu Province of Congo by enabling more than 500 graduates of Laban Bible Institute to evangelize an area the size of Michigan. On any given Sunday, more than 57,000 men and women meet to worship our Majesty, the Lord Jesus Christ. There's a big introduction awaiting you in heaven to these redeemed souls because of your obedience in getting the gospel out to this far-flung battlefield of the world. Amen and Hallelujah!
The following is a historical account of this prized fellow servant of the Lord. I want to share with you the wealth of his transformed life.
As a teenager of very lean stature, Gary earned money by distracting men walking through a particular area of hangout for him and his friends near his village. When the targeted individual passed by, Gary caught his attention by harassing him and calling him names. As the victim neared the secluded gang members, Gary annoyed his prey to the point of being chased by him, leading the unsuspecting person right to the gang in the tall grass. The victim was then attacked, and whatever possessions he may have been carrying were stolen. This is how he eked out an existence until he became notoriously known in the area.
From his village of Gombe, this teen-aged man from the Bawongo Tribe, made the 130 mile trek to Kikwit, a city of 1,000,000 people to make a decent living. In 1978, Mrs. Marcella Smith, wife of the late Dr. Laban Smith, was shopping in Kikwit for supplies while staying at the guesthouse, an extension of which was built by her husband in the 40's, which served as his dental office. Mrs. Smith, Jim's mother, had just returned to Congo to precede us and help us get settled into missionary life at Nkara. This was October; we left for Congo on Dec 4 that same year.
Gary was assisting Solomon, the cook at the guesthouse. Mrs. Smith asked Gary to help her with her shopping as she looked for large items like a refrigerator, mattresses, stove, etc. After several days of traveling with him at her side, they struck up a friendship, and one night in the guesthouse she introduced Gary to the Savior. Marcella Smith left a note which Solomon gave us months later when we arrived at that same guesthouse, urging us to consider Gary as a potential worker because he always gave her the correct change and was so kind to her while she was in Kikwit. His transformation was underway! He had become a new creature in Christ Jesus.
On November 14, 1978, Mrs. Smith went to be with the Lord at Nkara, a distance of 60 miles from Kikwit, where she and Dr. Smith had ministered together from 1947 to 1953. She died in what is now Jim's office as she was leaning over her bed. In March of 1979 we arrived at Kikwit only to find Gary still working there and very willing to help us adjust. After six weeks in Kikwit, we made our way to Nkara and Gary became a beloved member of our family. Gary "grew up" in our home with our own children, spending as much as twelve hours a day with us. The only two phrases Nancy could muster at first were masa ya madidi, masa ya tiya, meaning cold water and hot water, buckets of which were carried upstairs for daily bathing. Gary saw Nancy's pain, culture shock, and pregnant state and was a great help to her.
In the summer of 1979, Gary was imprisoned. The local "pastor" Mapungu, an infidel and reprobate whom Mrs. Smith had taught English, falsely accused him of fathering a child with a single girl on the mission station. Gary was taken to Bulungu, put in chains in his cell, and tortured for no reason. After two months of unjust punishment, he was released without bond and walked the 60-mile trip back home to Nkara. We can still see our children running across the valley to hug him and welcome him home.
Late that fall, Gary returned to Combe to find a wife. Suzanne had never seen a white person in her life. He brought her to our home soon after their wedding to introduce her to us. She had the look of electric shock on her face and was extremely shy. One year later, they lost their first baby. In all, Gary and Suzanne lost five children, among them twin boys. Their beloved Diana died in 1995 of Hepatitis B at the age of seven.
Then in 1997, after suffering from liver cancer resulting from Hepatitis B, Gary lost the love of his life. By this time Suzanne and Gary had become a strong team. She did all the cooking and gathering of food for the Bible school students who lived on campus at Nkara. She was Nancy's good friend. Whatever job she was given, one could be sure it would be done. Often, she would come to our house to say "hi," and there in our kitchen, Gary would wrap his arms around her and say, "Nothing will ever separate us but death." When Gary lost Suzanne, we all lost. . . a wonderful friend and partner in ministry. Gary spent many hours on his knees begging God to let her live. In Congo, the person who is in the last stages of life is seldom told the truth by the medical personnel who deal with each case. They are sadly given false hope, and the family is left unprepared for death.
Finally, Gary realized that she was not going to make it. After burying their premature twin boys, Gary hired a truck to take Suzanne back to her village to die, which is the cultural custom in Congo. The truck took them most of the way, and then he and friends carried her on a stretcher-like apparatus on the road for miles because the truck they had ridden took another route. At one point they stopped, and in great pain and agony without the relief of pain killers, she made him promise to take care of their children alongside a dusty, remote road with unbearable heat pouring down on them. Then her spirit and soul fled like a dove into the courts of heaven, never to suffer or sorrow again. Heartbroken, Gary returned to Nkara. How we longed to have been there with them in those final hours. However, Nancy's father at the time was dying here in the States, and our first grandchild was born.
The Lord provided another woman for Gary from Gombe to love him. Jean is also a gift from God. She has been a wondrful asset to Gary, his children, and the ministry.
Gary Kapinga graduated from Laban Bible Institute, and has been directing the work in Congo for many years. His two oldest boys, James and Todd, are now in university. James is studying at Lumbumbashi to be a medical doctor, Todd in Kinshasa to be an engineer. Shines Peace graduated high school this year, and Caleb is in middle school. Gary and jean have four children of their own. He has remained faithful under excruciating pain and rejection of tribalism. He has defended the faith and Laban Ministries in Congo. He is totally trustworthy. He knows our sense of humor and is fun to be around. He is a great husband and father. He has lovingly and justly dealt with staff who have defied his leadership because he is an outsider. No matter what is set in front of Gary, he chooses to sing Hallelujah. He praises God through every storm. He is a hero of the faith. He is the man of God's choice for the hour. He is a marvelous trophy of God's grace. And best of all, he is our true friend and brother.
Just today we talked with Gary. He told me to thank America for your faithful support of Laban Ministries because it means that he along with 100 other men and women are able to serve the Lord Jesus Christ in Africa at Nkara, Iwungu, and Kinshasa. Your monthly gifts help us pay these awesome people who are so rich in faith and glow with the sunshine of heaven on their faces. Your participation with us in the Gospel translates into producing fruit like Gary. Your gifts are being harvested in transformed lives that lay hold of eternal life and anchor themselves steadfast and sure in scripture. God bless you for keeping us and our family in Congo on the move for Jesus' sake.
You are creating hope for the Bandundu Province of Congo by enabling more than 500 graduates of Laban Bible Institute to evangelize an area the size of Michigan. On any given Sunday, more than 57,000 men and women meet to worship our Majesty, the Lord Jesus Christ. There's a big introduction awaiting you in heaven to these redeemed souls because of your obedience in getting the gospel out to this far-flung battlefield of the world. Amen and Hallelujah!
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
The plans of the heart. . .
In our sight, our plans are good. At the moment, those plans include a trip to the Democratic Republic of Congo in August. The staff of 101 nationals who rank from sentinels (watchmen) at the houses, airport, radio station, dispensary, new hospital site, and Cell B (a small warehouse of supplies, including a container where diesel fuel and gasoline are stored) to cooks for the Bible institute dorm students, professors, radio journalists as they are called in Congo, pastors, students themselves at the Bible institute as well as the Women's Literacy Center, masons, carpenters, grass cutters, and more, are eagerly waiting for our promised (by faith) return.
Some in America may question our coming and going to Africa. Why don't we just stay out there? It's expensive to go back and forth. But the majority of people with whom we come in contact understand that the phrase "out of sight, out of mind" truly applies to our situation. There must be continual representation in the US to expose, fund raise, proclaim the great things God is doing there, and promote this multi-faceted work we call Laban Ministries. If we were to go out and stay in the bush with no internet and the other disadvantages of long absences, soon the support level would drop. It takes eye balling people, personal communication, phone calls, special handwritten notes, banquets, smaller venue events, DVD and video exposure in homes, maintaining relationships with donors, and maintaining church contacts to keep the wheels of Laban turning. And, you know, we can do all that, but if God's blessing isn't on those efforts, it will go down in smoke. Ultimately it is all of Him.
So here's our dilemma. We long to go back. We need to go back. I can either become frustrated with the lack of funds to send us back or cease from fretting by nestling into the Lord Himself. If I truly believe that "the plans of the heart belong to man, but the answer of the tongue is from the Lord", (Prov 16:1) and follow the 3rd verse of that same chapter, "Commit your work to the Lord, and your plans will be established," then I will choose to surrender to the paradox of having a good plan which needs to be relinquished to Him and rest in His better plan, which could mean. . . not now.
Actually, it goes beyond submitting, surrendering, and resting. It goes as far as death. I must die to myself and my good plan. Life in general and ministry in particular calls us to relinquish and die to our own will everyday of our lives-- letting go, letting be, and allowing God to actually be God, though we may think we clearly see a better way. How ludicrous! How arrogant! How insulting to the Lord of the universe to throw an emotional tantrum because He is seemingly bypassing our desire to fulfill His will? Sounds insane, doesn't it. But isn't that what we often do? Do we not come up with a "noble" plan and then not just ask Him but expect Him to bless it, and when we run into road blocks that clearly signal it isn't His plan, I at least fret and stress about it.
Wrestling in prayer about the next trip will continue. That's a good thing. The Lord loves that, but my inner being, my soul, my deep seated emotions and responses must be constantly lifted to Him for the soothing that only He can give, so that He will be praised instead of questioned and disrespected. I will choose to remember I am as safe in the stops He orders as well as in the starts, despite the fact that once we announce our month of departure to donors, they tend to want to hold us to it. After all, they live vicariously through the excitement of returning to a land full of adventure, great stories, tons of people asking for salvation, and a work flourishing in the bush of Africa!
Lord, you owe me nothing. You are not obligated. You are Your Majesty, the Lord Jesus Christ. I will choose to remember today your deliverance and provision in the past time after time, and I will trust you for the same in the future.
Some in America may question our coming and going to Africa. Why don't we just stay out there? It's expensive to go back and forth. But the majority of people with whom we come in contact understand that the phrase "out of sight, out of mind" truly applies to our situation. There must be continual representation in the US to expose, fund raise, proclaim the great things God is doing there, and promote this multi-faceted work we call Laban Ministries. If we were to go out and stay in the bush with no internet and the other disadvantages of long absences, soon the support level would drop. It takes eye balling people, personal communication, phone calls, special handwritten notes, banquets, smaller venue events, DVD and video exposure in homes, maintaining relationships with donors, and maintaining church contacts to keep the wheels of Laban turning. And, you know, we can do all that, but if God's blessing isn't on those efforts, it will go down in smoke. Ultimately it is all of Him.
So here's our dilemma. We long to go back. We need to go back. I can either become frustrated with the lack of funds to send us back or cease from fretting by nestling into the Lord Himself. If I truly believe that "the plans of the heart belong to man, but the answer of the tongue is from the Lord", (Prov 16:1) and follow the 3rd verse of that same chapter, "Commit your work to the Lord, and your plans will be established," then I will choose to surrender to the paradox of having a good plan which needs to be relinquished to Him and rest in His better plan, which could mean. . . not now.
Actually, it goes beyond submitting, surrendering, and resting. It goes as far as death. I must die to myself and my good plan. Life in general and ministry in particular calls us to relinquish and die to our own will everyday of our lives-- letting go, letting be, and allowing God to actually be God, though we may think we clearly see a better way. How ludicrous! How arrogant! How insulting to the Lord of the universe to throw an emotional tantrum because He is seemingly bypassing our desire to fulfill His will? Sounds insane, doesn't it. But isn't that what we often do? Do we not come up with a "noble" plan and then not just ask Him but expect Him to bless it, and when we run into road blocks that clearly signal it isn't His plan, I at least fret and stress about it.
Wrestling in prayer about the next trip will continue. That's a good thing. The Lord loves that, but my inner being, my soul, my deep seated emotions and responses must be constantly lifted to Him for the soothing that only He can give, so that He will be praised instead of questioned and disrespected. I will choose to remember I am as safe in the stops He orders as well as in the starts, despite the fact that once we announce our month of departure to donors, they tend to want to hold us to it. After all, they live vicariously through the excitement of returning to a land full of adventure, great stories, tons of people asking for salvation, and a work flourishing in the bush of Africa!
Lord, you owe me nothing. You are not obligated. You are Your Majesty, the Lord Jesus Christ. I will choose to remember today your deliverance and provision in the past time after time, and I will trust you for the same in the future.
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
imbedded and engraved. . .
My heart is fixed on You, oh Lord. The salve of your Holy Spirit lubricates my sorrowful soul through Your Word, making its way into all the hidden crevisces, restoring hope and repairing wounds caused by the storms of life that sweep over me like sea billows. You are awesome. You are just. You are not only righteousness, but You are my righteousness.
You have indelibly imprinted (tattooed a picture of your children on the palm of each of Your hands (Isaiah 49:15 and engraved us in Your compassionate and loving heart. We are that valuable in Your sight; in fact, we are priceless. Priceless because You and the Godhead agreed in eternity past to crucify Your own Son so that we could spend eternity with You.
And for those times we cannot understand; for those times that are past finding out, You state "Who is among you who reverently fears the Lord, who obeys the voice of His Servant, yet who walks in darkness and deep trouble and has no shining splendor in his heart? Let him rely on and be confident in the name of the Lord, and let him lean upon and be supported by his God. Isaiah 50:10.
If you, Father, allowed Your Son, the Darling of heaven "to become an object of horror and many were astonished at Him for His face and His whole appearance were marred more than any man's, and His form beyond that of the sons of men. . ." for us, Lord. You allowed that horror to shroud Him for us. Then we have no other recourse than to trust You.
We await the day when we will join the many angels on every side of the throne as well as the living creatures and the elders who number ten thousand times ten thousand and thousands of thousands, saying in a loud voice,
Deserving is the Lamb, Who was sacrificed, to receive all the power and riches and wisdom and might and honor and majesty, glory, splendor and blessings! Rev 5:11,12
You have indelibly imprinted (tattooed a picture of your children on the palm of each of Your hands (Isaiah 49:15 and engraved us in Your compassionate and loving heart. We are that valuable in Your sight; in fact, we are priceless. Priceless because You and the Godhead agreed in eternity past to crucify Your own Son so that we could spend eternity with You.
And for those times we cannot understand; for those times that are past finding out, You state "Who is among you who reverently fears the Lord, who obeys the voice of His Servant, yet who walks in darkness and deep trouble and has no shining splendor in his heart? Let him rely on and be confident in the name of the Lord, and let him lean upon and be supported by his God. Isaiah 50:10.
If you, Father, allowed Your Son, the Darling of heaven "to become an object of horror and many were astonished at Him for His face and His whole appearance were marred more than any man's, and His form beyond that of the sons of men. . ." for us, Lord. You allowed that horror to shroud Him for us. Then we have no other recourse than to trust You.
We await the day when we will join the many angels on every side of the throne as well as the living creatures and the elders who number ten thousand times ten thousand and thousands of thousands, saying in a loud voice,
Deserving is the Lamb, Who was sacrificed, to receive all the power and riches and wisdom and might and honor and majesty, glory, splendor and blessings! Rev 5:11,12
Sunday, April 26, 2009
Only 4 days 'til Laban dinner event
. Laban is hosting an informal gathering
. Thursday, 6 p.m.
. Crystal Gardens
. 16703 Fort Street, Southgate MI
. $25 per person or $200 for a group of ten
. Jack Smith, Music Minister at Gilead Baptist of Taylor, MI, along with his wife,
Molly, and Mariah Humphries, also of Gilead, will provide music
. Jim and Nancy Smith, founders and directors of Laban Ministries Int., will provide
fresh updates from their recent trip to Congo just this past Feb, Mar, and Apr,
. Lovely sit down family-style dinner
. Informal dress
. Free will love offering
. Contact Molly Smith at 734 775 8125
. Thursday, 6 p.m.
. Crystal Gardens
. 16703 Fort Street, Southgate MI
. $25 per person or $200 for a group of ten
. Jack Smith, Music Minister at Gilead Baptist of Taylor, MI, along with his wife,
Molly, and Mariah Humphries, also of Gilead, will provide music
. Jim and Nancy Smith, founders and directors of Laban Ministries Int., will provide
fresh updates from their recent trip to Congo just this past Feb, Mar, and Apr,
. Lovely sit down family-style dinner
. Informal dress
. Free will love offering
. Contact Molly Smith at 734 775 8125
Saturday, April 25, 2009
yet another loss. . .
The new arrival would be a Thanksgiving baby. Names had been narrowed down to favorites. There would be a brand spanking new baby to hold and cuddle at Christmas by all the family on both sides. Would this little one look like Summer or Luke? How comforting it was to think of this new life. Such welcome news Nicol gave us while we were still in Congo. Our hearts lept for joy. Summer would have a sibling she could touch and stroke and love and be big sister to. Greg announced it on his blog, not only because he was bursting with joy, but because he valued the prayers of blog readers. Hope revisited. New beginnings.
Then, without warning, something went terribly wrong. Baby Sponberg due in November will not make his or her appearance, not yet, not now, not on this earth. We've lost yet another baby. Gut-wrenching sorrow. Reasons, past finding out. No explanation. Overwhelming grief once again. Words aren't good enough. Please pray for Greg, Nicol, and Summer.
Then, without warning, something went terribly wrong. Baby Sponberg due in November will not make his or her appearance, not yet, not now, not on this earth. We've lost yet another baby. Gut-wrenching sorrow. Reasons, past finding out. No explanation. Overwhelming grief once again. Words aren't good enough. Please pray for Greg, Nicol, and Summer.
Monday, April 13, 2009
On the heavier and the lighter side of things. . .
I sit here amazed and flabbergasted by the recent two-month stay in Congo. It was so full of God. Tears stream down my face as I remember Him showing up time after time. It was more than His shadow, although that would have been all right. He is the boss. We must allow Him to call the shots, whether they be like piercing arrows that penetrate the darkness and visibly--even right in our face--win battles we cannot deny and provide in such a way we sense His delight. Or, whether it be struggling to rest in His wisdom and grace though we see the storm clouds gathering and even surrounding us, and we--like a weaned child--in that storm opt to cease from fretting because He doesn't feel near, even though our ears recollect that He promises to never leave us nor forsake us. Either way, we in those moments do best when we allow Him to be God. There is great freedom as He hedges us in when we decide to "be still and let be", rather than fretting which only leads to sin.
Today I miss our dear, dear partners in ministry, partners in death (they lose so many of their babies as well), partners in faith (they as well as my husband are giants in the faith), partners in plain old living--the good, the bad, and the ugly, partners in love (they drop everything and come running when we need them), partners in joyful exultation of our Lord Jesus Christ ) one never has to be hesitant to share the latest praise, whether it be the tasty crumbs falling from the table or jaw-dropping delicious accounts of His divine orchestration), partners in the pursuit of souls (they are fervent in their pursuit), partners in crime (especially Pastor Gary Kapinga who has imbibed our sense of humor and much of our culture) which oftentimes results in laughing from the gut together, and just the all around unity we have with most of our staff. With many there has been a history now of more than 30 years, and we are not just like family; we are family in a most wonderful way.
Today I am loving them from afar emotionally through what I feel for them. I will love them through my prayers, and I will love them through my efforts to fulfill my mission which in part is spelled out in Proverbs 31:8 and 9. . . "Open your mouth for those who are unable to speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are left desolate and defenseless; open your mouth, judge righteously, and administer justice for the poor and needy."
On April 30 we will gather with old and new friends at Crystal Gardens in Southgate, MI to update and encourage, rejoice and marvel together at God's amazing sustaining faithfulness of Laban Ministries. My head swirls as I think of what must take place between now and then to make that night a reality. Lord, please put it together. We are so frail and inadequate, but You can really make something of the evening. Please, God, strengthen what you have wrought for us. . .
However, in the meantime, I want to share with you the amazing phone call I had with Jim, my husband, yesterday, Easter Sunday. It was a delightful day here in Nashville. In fact, so balmy, I rocked with 3 of my beautiful grandchildren and son and daughter-in-law in the porch swing. Just before that, Jim called from Congo. The tone of his voice told me he was up to something fun and exciting. We do have fun in Congo, you know. It isn't all serious, life-threatening, tear jerking stuff.
Well, it seems they went on a hunt. But it was a hunt only to look. You know, like window shopping--just to look, not to buy. I say just to look because he owns no guns anymore. They were all stolen during the pillage of '97, even his big 300 savage was taken. He was so proud of that gun because with it he downed a hippo which had killed a missionary at Vanga in the mid 90's. Many of his childhood memories take him back to thrilling hunts with his marksman father, who brought home meat to put on not only his table, but on the tables of his national staff as well. Jim loves hunting, but without a gun, what can you do? Just look, I guess.
So after he and 5 of our staff evangelized at Mpene Nseke (about 18 miles from our home) they decided to do something fun and frivilous like. . . look for bambis or antelope. Off they went. The first phone call was to tell me they were really stuck. The second phone call reported they were unstuck. The third phone call is the best. They went to those same old naustalgic hunting grounds and guess what? They found lion tracks!!!
Yeah, that's right. A lion had wandered probably hundreds of miles from where they normally hang out into a farmer's plot of ground. His paw prints were so large and deeply imbedded in the soil that Jim guesses he must have weighed in excess of 400 lb. Now that's big for Congo. He had captured a goat for dinner and carried it off to enjoy the morsel, and the farmer thinks he will come back for more. They heard the roar. The hair on the back of my neck is standing up straight right now.
And then--of all things--they spotted a bambi. I wonder if that is where the name for the movie came from because that is the kituba word for antelope. How did Disney know? No bows and arrows. No guns. Just the sheer delight of actually seeing one again after so many years, as Todd said, gave Dad "his fire back."
Of all the things I think that could have topped this unique trip off like frosting on the cake, is the goose-bumping, thrill of adventuring, man thing in Congo to do of tromping out in the sheer, raw nature of Africa, so close to it as to hear the roar of a real live lion just like he did so many times in the night at Kajiji attending school as a young boy. That, back to back with spotting a bambi in the nseke or plains of Africa--well, what more could this incredible man ask for?
Lord, I just love it when you show your Hand in ways unique to us--our past, our personalities, our likes, even our whims. You have our names engraved in your heart and hands. You have the hairs of our heads numbered. You keep our tears in your book and in a bottle. You are writing a book of memories we have made together, keeping track of the praises we offer like incense to you. You know us with Psalm 139 knowing. I see your great sense of humor and delight in us and with us in ways that continue to amaze me and make me love you more cause you care about everything in our lives. I love you so much, Lord. I cannot tell you how much it makes me delight in You when I see you so intricately involved in our footsteps. Why does that always surprise me? When will I know you? Looking so forward to that day when I will truly know you even as I am known.
Today I miss our dear, dear partners in ministry, partners in death (they lose so many of their babies as well), partners in faith (they as well as my husband are giants in the faith), partners in plain old living--the good, the bad, and the ugly, partners in love (they drop everything and come running when we need them), partners in joyful exultation of our Lord Jesus Christ ) one never has to be hesitant to share the latest praise, whether it be the tasty crumbs falling from the table or jaw-dropping delicious accounts of His divine orchestration), partners in the pursuit of souls (they are fervent in their pursuit), partners in crime (especially Pastor Gary Kapinga who has imbibed our sense of humor and much of our culture) which oftentimes results in laughing from the gut together, and just the all around unity we have with most of our staff. With many there has been a history now of more than 30 years, and we are not just like family; we are family in a most wonderful way.
Today I am loving them from afar emotionally through what I feel for them. I will love them through my prayers, and I will love them through my efforts to fulfill my mission which in part is spelled out in Proverbs 31:8 and 9. . . "Open your mouth for those who are unable to speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are left desolate and defenseless; open your mouth, judge righteously, and administer justice for the poor and needy."
On April 30 we will gather with old and new friends at Crystal Gardens in Southgate, MI to update and encourage, rejoice and marvel together at God's amazing sustaining faithfulness of Laban Ministries. My head swirls as I think of what must take place between now and then to make that night a reality. Lord, please put it together. We are so frail and inadequate, but You can really make something of the evening. Please, God, strengthen what you have wrought for us. . .
However, in the meantime, I want to share with you the amazing phone call I had with Jim, my husband, yesterday, Easter Sunday. It was a delightful day here in Nashville. In fact, so balmy, I rocked with 3 of my beautiful grandchildren and son and daughter-in-law in the porch swing. Just before that, Jim called from Congo. The tone of his voice told me he was up to something fun and exciting. We do have fun in Congo, you know. It isn't all serious, life-threatening, tear jerking stuff.
Well, it seems they went on a hunt. But it was a hunt only to look. You know, like window shopping--just to look, not to buy. I say just to look because he owns no guns anymore. They were all stolen during the pillage of '97, even his big 300 savage was taken. He was so proud of that gun because with it he downed a hippo which had killed a missionary at Vanga in the mid 90's. Many of his childhood memories take him back to thrilling hunts with his marksman father, who brought home meat to put on not only his table, but on the tables of his national staff as well. Jim loves hunting, but without a gun, what can you do? Just look, I guess.
So after he and 5 of our staff evangelized at Mpene Nseke (about 18 miles from our home) they decided to do something fun and frivilous like. . . look for bambis or antelope. Off they went. The first phone call was to tell me they were really stuck. The second phone call reported they were unstuck. The third phone call is the best. They went to those same old naustalgic hunting grounds and guess what? They found lion tracks!!!
Yeah, that's right. A lion had wandered probably hundreds of miles from where they normally hang out into a farmer's plot of ground. His paw prints were so large and deeply imbedded in the soil that Jim guesses he must have weighed in excess of 400 lb. Now that's big for Congo. He had captured a goat for dinner and carried it off to enjoy the morsel, and the farmer thinks he will come back for more. They heard the roar. The hair on the back of my neck is standing up straight right now.
And then--of all things--they spotted a bambi. I wonder if that is where the name for the movie came from because that is the kituba word for antelope. How did Disney know? No bows and arrows. No guns. Just the sheer delight of actually seeing one again after so many years, as Todd said, gave Dad "his fire back."
Of all the things I think that could have topped this unique trip off like frosting on the cake, is the goose-bumping, thrill of adventuring, man thing in Congo to do of tromping out in the sheer, raw nature of Africa, so close to it as to hear the roar of a real live lion just like he did so many times in the night at Kajiji attending school as a young boy. That, back to back with spotting a bambi in the nseke or plains of Africa--well, what more could this incredible man ask for?
Lord, I just love it when you show your Hand in ways unique to us--our past, our personalities, our likes, even our whims. You have our names engraved in your heart and hands. You have the hairs of our heads numbered. You keep our tears in your book and in a bottle. You are writing a book of memories we have made together, keeping track of the praises we offer like incense to you. You know us with Psalm 139 knowing. I see your great sense of humor and delight in us and with us in ways that continue to amaze me and make me love you more cause you care about everything in our lives. I love you so much, Lord. I cannot tell you how much it makes me delight in You when I see you so intricately involved in our footsteps. Why does that always surprise me? When will I know you? Looking so forward to that day when I will truly know you even as I am known.
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