Dear Praying Friends,
It is with great joy and thankfulness that we come to you with news that our visas have been approved! For everything that went wrong in the circumstances surrounding our first attempt, our second attempt went miraculously smooth. This is an answer to prayer that defies the logic of how a “second attempt” like this could, and perhaps should, have gone. We serve a great God, who has graciously moved upon this entire process such that we will be able to stick with our original plan to fly to South Africa this Tuesday!
Of course, God is great and perfect in ALL His ways, regardless of how this would have turned out. And so we reminded ourselves, and were lovingly reminded by so many of you, to keep trusting and praying, to not be anxious or discouraged. As you all know, that’s easier said than done; but with all of your support, encouragement, and prayers . . . we were lifted up continuously throughout these past three weeks. We saw an increase in our prayer and financial support. We grew closer together as a family and in many of our friendships. We grew closer to God as we had to learn, each and every day, to trust in Him as the circumstances were completely out of our control. We heard of churches, small groups, families, and various friends and ministry partners holding prayer meetings, begging God to intervene in this situation. And He did!
We’ve been asked, “Why do you think God allowed it to work this way?” Well, we don’t know for sure – and perhaps we never will, at least not exactly. But there are likely thousands of reasons. Think about this: if we all joined together in prayer as Scripture commands; if our trust and hope in God increased; if we learned in deeper ways what it means to ‘be anxious for nothing’; if we were reminded, rebuked, challenged, or encouraged to grow in any way closer to God – then these are all clear answers as to why God took us, and all of you, through this.
And truly, it’s not ultimately about the “why,” though that’s the question that often seems to burn most intensely in our souls. It’s about “what” and “how.” What does God want us to do? What is God teaching us? How is God using this in our lives or the lives of others? How should we react and demonstrate our ongoing dependence on Him? These are the better questions. And the answers could not be sweeter (or more challenging!) as we continue our journey of faith.
Thank you, over and over again, for fighting on your knees with us, and for us, these past three weeks. We cannot imagine following Jesus into South Africa without you!
Continuing our Dependence on Him,
George and Amy