Saturday, February 2, 2013

letter

I know I just wrote last month, but as always, there are so many new developments happening all the time. The first huge surprise is that when Dan came home he brought Hannah with him. Dan was in the States to settle the three older kids in college. Ruth and Seth are at Ambassador Baptist College and are doing well. They are still looking for jobs.

 

Meanwhile, Hannah decided to come home for a while until August, and serve the Lord here with us. This truly does my heart good. It was a huge surprise. I knew the week before because of the ticket information that came back to my computer (smile). I was reading along and said, "Hey, what is this? A ticket for Hannah?" It has been pretty fun to watch everyone else though, who did not know she was coming. We are all enjoying having her home, for sure!!! 

 

We have gone to several offices, and Hannah is cleared to work at the big hospital here for five months doing a practicum. In each office, we witnessed and gave out tracts--wow, it was great! In the first office, we waited for two hours--no time wasted there. Hannah said we were out on evangelism for two hours. Yes, God had us there for a purpose. 

 

Today was Hannah's first day of work, 7:30 a.m. until 6 p.m. I stopped in at lunch to take her some food and she had already seen a C-section, and is lined up to do a delivery this afternoon. She looks so pretty in her pink, pin-striped lab coat. What a witness and testimony she can be there. As I was coming home, I was just praising God for this opportunity for her and for the good choices made in the past that enabled her to be able to do this; like learning to speak French (her French is better than mine).  Also, I was thanking God that, with all my "run-ins" with the hospital, I never lost my testimony or my friends there. Decisions today determine what you will be tomorrow. We are already seeing so great a need. I had written a long paragraph.  I'll just say, things here are done way different than we would do them.

 

After a month, we will go back to that first office and find out what we need to do to get her Ivorian midwifery license. She is here learning and laying a groundwork for a potential future maternity center in a village. God doesn't lay out the whole plan for our lives. He wants us to make right choices as He opens doors of opportunity. It is the waiting that is so hard sometimes. Keep praying for Ruth, Hannah and Seth in these new phases of their lives. Prayer is an exercise in waiting. When we pray and don't get an answer right away, we want to give up or get discouraged. Remember that a day with the Lord is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as a day. So, pray and wait.

 

We are all fine. During the holidays, the flu struck hard. I was happy to be losing weight (smile), and happy when all the kids got better. There is a great spirit at church. I am happy to have Dan back and in charge of all that. Speaking of which, the wall that fell down is rebuilt. There is only about 1-2 weeks' worth of work left on that project for it to be finished. Work projects do not move fast in Africa; it is the money that flows fast everywhere. 

 

Thanks for your prayers! We do so appreciate you.

 

Love in Christ,

Dan and Joan, Ruth Marie, Hannah, Seth, Lydia, Susanna, Isaiah, Stephen, Rebekah, Josiah, Joseph, Esther and Gideon