The Eagle Has Landed
Immanuel Lutheran Church has invested faithfully in us for many years, beginning way back in our days on the campus of Universitas Pelita Harapan in Jakarta, Indonesia to our now current deployment in Cambodia. As we look back, we could easily cite many small steps that were taken at those strategic moments along the journey. God seemed to glue us together again and again, even when the boat was rocky or the road very bumpy. I guess ministry goes that way, even though we would wish otherwise. Even the early church we’ve read about we can identify some parallel moments when they too had ‘their’ moments. But God remained faithful. And so did His people.
It is not the easiest thing to live in a culture so unlike our own, more noticeable by us as the years go by. The language hasn’t been any easier to learn, and the weather hasn’t been kind either. But the unfeathered heartfelt attachment to all of this hasn’t been shaken out of us in spite of this. We can’t tell you why or how, but we know it’s there.
One of our steadfast ongoing prayers has been for people who knew us and were our partners would venture across the pond to see what God is doing thru His people here in this country. One team came from our son’s locale during our last deployment.
And then ~ Just a mere three weeks ago God sent us an energized, organized, passionate and godly fivesome to see His work here in this country. The eagle had landed, bringing to us five hearty souls from Immanuel Palatine to share Jesus with their hands and feet (and all the energy they could muster). As we gather in the final tally and regroup all of those photos and videos (7.7 GB) into a firm resting place, we can look back with sheer awe and wonder of it all. Like did we really pack that much up in those mere 14 days we were blessed to share time with them? Yup, we did. And it was beyond good! We couldn’t have been more proud of their efforts to engage Snor and Svei villages under the leadership of Pastor Samuel and four translators who stood strong with each of the team as was needed. They kept us on the move ~ that was good.
Do we, as local in country staff know the results of their time here? Nope. But our Father does. Do we, as local staff, realize the impact that could have happened in this time and this place? Absolutely. The love and encouragement were abundantly seen during all of those strenuously challenging days shared forward in the villages with each person that was sent their way, all the way from the eyeglass clinics to church services to coloring and playing games and all that in between. Somewhere along the way even we, as hosts for this team, fell in love one more time with these people. God always tugs at the heart of His people for the very souls he longs to call his own.
Immanuel, thank you for sharing your time, yourselves, and your resources with the people of this country ~ half a world away from you. We love you!
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