It has been a while since we last updated our blog. The Christmas season and end/beginning of the year period indeed have a tendency to bring things to a crawl. However, would we truly want it to be otherwise? We are certainly thankful that our normal schedule experienced a few welcomed interruptions. The time, which we were able to spend with family members over the festive period, was a real blessing. Deputation has allowed us the flexibility of setting our own schedule and the ability to alter it as needed. And, we made full use of that flexibility and ability while our family was here.
We are excited about the next few months. First of all, we are looking forward to starting an internship soon. This past year of deputation involved us doing quite a bit of traveling to present our ministry to different churches. We had several good experiences, and we were blessed by the opportunities that the Lord gave us to represent Him to people in several congregations across the United States. This year, however, our deputation ministry will mainly be to one church. We are expectantly looking forward to the opportunities that we will have to minister week in and out to one congregation.
This internship means that we will not travel as much. As a result, we will be freer to engage in activities that require commitment. Thus, we are excited about the possibility of volunteering more and using our gifts more regularly.
The future belongs to God, and we do not know what it holds. However, we are excited about the picture that we have of that future. In the recent past we have been working to achieve our goal of serving the Lord in Mauritius. At times, it seemed that we would never get there. Now though, we consider the future, and we see fairly clearly a path that God has traced for us, at the end of which, we see ourselves serving Him in Mauritius. We praise our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ for his unending, unparalleled and unfathomable faithfulness. He has been good to us during this deputation process, and that was another manifestation of his grace. It was truly something that we did not deserve.
We are excited about 2012. Our ultimate hope is that this will be the year that the Lord comes back. The Apostle Peter reminds us that "the Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance." (1 Peter 3:9). Because of this truth allow me to encourage fellow Christians by echoing the words of Paul: "Therefore . . . be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain." (1 Cor 15:58). To our unbelieving friends, we lovingly point to Christ who said: "If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink." (John 7: 37)
Happy New Year to all.
