Wow, has it really been two months? (No comments from the peanut gallery, Eric Kuykendall! :)) It really is amazing how time gets away from you. So much has happened since I last posted.
In early March, I had the privilege of going to Paraguay on a mission trip with ten brothers and sisters from London Bridge Baptist Church (my outstanding church!). What a joy it was to be able to go. By the time we returned to the States, we had seen nearly 80 people come to know Jesus! An enormous privilege, indeed. How incredible is it that the God Who has all power and all knowledge and all ability and all sufficiency, the God Who can do anyTHING He wants anyWHERE He wants, would choose to use us to accomplish His work? There is surely nothing more incomprehensible than that.
A few details on the trip: I've already mentioned my ten brothers and sisters from the States. Well, we joined a wonderful missionary couple and their son (the wife is Brazilian, the husband American), along with three Uruguayan believers and one Christian translator from Paraguay. To sum it all up, that's four countries, three heart languages, two genders, eleven occupations, and 18 personalities.
But here's the most important number: One. That's what we were, what we ARE in Christ. Of course, His Word says it best.
"There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus." (Gal. 3:28)
Our differences do not matter. The only thing that does matter is our relationship with Christ and the unity that such a relationship brings with each other through Him, Who is our peace.
"May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you a spirit of unity among yourselves as you follow Christ Jesus, so that with one heart and mouth you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ." (Rom. 15:5-6)
The truth of this passage really struck me early in our trip, when I went out to share Christ alongside Emilia, one of the Uruguayan believers who ministered with us. She spoke no English, and I speak REALLY poor Spanish. But it didn't matter because we were sisters. We laughed and enjoyed each others' company the entire day, despite the fact that we could barely communicate. And, as God bonded us together that day, we saw 15 people come to Christ. Do you think He used that unity to glorify Himself? Absolutely!
"May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me." (Jn. 17:23)
Unity is our mandate. Jesus prayed this for us in His high priestly prayer just before His crucifixion. His desire for us is unity, God is glorified in our unity, we are taught to diligently guard that unity (Eph. 4:3), and unity is said to be "good and pleasant... like precious oil poured on the head" (Ps. 133:1-2). Jesus Himself has made us one (Eph. 2:14). Only in that unity can we accomplish all that our Father has for us to do. Let's be diligent to guard it!
Field Update
Well, this is it. Tuesday, April 8, is the day of my trustee approval. My candidate consultant will be presenting my application to the trustees between 10:30 am and 12:30 pm that day. It's pretty much the last major hurdle. Please be praying that the Lord's will be accomplished.
Also, please be praying for my final medical clearance. I was slightly anemic on my labs that were done in February, and that has now resolved with iron supplements. I've sent in all of the most recent lab data and am just waiting for the IMB's doctors to clear me. Everything should be fine, but you never know how things will go with the medical process. So please pray that things will work out there.
And, finally, please be praying for the Xtreme Team. I've been in contact with several of the missionaries there, and I'm so excited at the prospect of joining them. They are just finishing up a three-month training session, and the new members of the team will soon be going into the jungles and mountains to engage the unreached Indian tribes. Pray that God will use them in whatever capacity He chooses, and that they would be one. Our enemy, who is NEVER creative, constantly seeks to attack their unity by using their differences against them but, as I mentioned above, they, like all of us, are only effective when they are united as one. Please pray that they would be diligent to guard the unity of the body.
If you'd like more information on the Xtreme Team, check out www.thextremeteam.org. You might even find someone you know if you click on "About Us," and then "Womens Team 2." :) For those of you on Facebook, feel free to join the "xtreme families" group for updated news on the team.
Thank you so much for all your prayers! I will update later this week when I find out the results of my trustee approval. I love each of you!
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