Opportunities

We are teaching at the international school this semester while we wait for the Lord to open some door or give us some direction in where we should serve permanently. Enjoying teaching at the school and can see how the Lord is using it, but don't plan on doing it long term. If we had wanted to teach we would have stayed in the States and lived in a house with carpet. :)

So last week we got opportunity #1... the current guest house/supply buyers came over and offered us half their job... taking care of the guest house. (Both are full time jobs and the poor family is a tad swamped.) I would love to run the guest house and envision creating a nice B&B retreat for all the tribal missionaries to come and have a break. But it would pretty well seal that we are never going into a tribe and I really don't know that I want to live in town and destroy our livers taking anti-malarial meds the rest of our lives.

Last night we got opportunity #2... an email from a team with two families asking us to join their team. Before you jump up and down and say "this is it!!!" let me explain... Part of us is excited (yeah! a chance to serve in a tribe!) but the other part is dreading it... there would be lots of issues to work through - both families are very, very conservative (yes - more conservative than us!) as in no birth control, the ladies always wear long dresses, etc. They are really friendly to us and have never made any comments, but it is very obvious that I am the only one who wears shorts and tank tops (only in our house - always dress up to go out!) and lets my boys go without shirts. There are also some major personality differences... though they are very conservative, both families are very "grace-oriented" in their parenting... which translates into parent-speak that the kids run a tad wild.

Also, this tribe is a very, very difficult area... there were previously 3 families in this tribe who all left before learning the language to the point where they could present the Gospel. One of them the husband DIED, the other family left when their 5 year old developed a brain tumor and the third family quit... can you blame them? The two new families have been house-building the past 6 months and we have seen the set-backs and it's so obviously spiritual warfare - almost scary how strongly the demonic/Satanic opposition is in getting these people the Gospel. Also, this tribe is in the lowlands which means malaria is still an issue (I had envisioned moving into a nice cool mountainous area where there was no malaria!)

So I know you're thinking why would we ever even consider this tribe? We are here to serve... however the Lord wants to use us. There will be obstacles in any tribal area - but we know that and is there a people group where the cost is too high? Do these people not need to hear the Gospel any less than people in the mountains? And in working with teammates are there really people we cannot get along with when we are walking in the Spirit and focused on the same goal? We have long said we are here to serve how and where the Lord wants to use us. It drives us crazy when new missionaries come who are so set that they are going to do their dream ministry and refuse to open their eyes to all the needs around them. But do we knowingly walk into a such a difficult situation?

There are some pluses... both families each have a kid our boys ages plus extras so there will be lots of playmates and our kids have already been playing with them as they live on the same property as us. That's a huge praise (we've seen MKs who have lived in the tribe without other white kids and it's not a pretty sight) Also, we've seen both these families deal with some big set-backs in their whole house-building process and handle everything with such grace and really trusting the Lord... they have been a huge encouragement to us in that way. And, though our personalities are so different and sometimes they drive us crazy... that's actually good that we've got such unique gifts and abilities so that we can make a better "team"

Anyways, we are not planning on making a decision tomorrow... nor am I asking for your opinion (though you are more than welcome to give it!) Really, I am just asking that you would pray for us that we would really seek the Lord on this and know what HE wants us to do. We don't want to give into fears and concerns but we also don't want to act rashly because here's a tribal ministry staring us in the face! We want to do what the Lord wants us to do.

PS Ezra is doing a ton better.... whatever silver medicine goup the nurse gave us has worked wonders and most of his burns now look like little smooth pink marks. He does have one big spot on the very top of his head that is still open and thus potential for infection and scaring, and his scalp is flaking like CRAZY but other than that, we are praising the Lord he is almost as good as new. Only lasting effect is that he is now terrified of the bath and screams continually when we bathe him.