In early June, we landed in the U.S., weary from a busy season in Juba but excited about the prospect of visiting churches and friends in the U.S. to share about how God is at work in South Sudan. But it has not worked out exactly as planned.
Bob has not been feeling well since before we returned to
the U.S. After resting and seeing a doctor in Illinois, we decided to start traveling on
our six week ‘tour’, hoping that he could rest and recover along the way. Unfortunately,
after several days of travel, it became clear that Bob was not getting
better and that to continue trying to travel and visit people would hinder his
recovery. We made the hard decision to turn back and return to Illinois where
Bob could rest and we could pursue more medical tests.
The loss of these much-anticipated visits and the discouragement
of being sick have challenged us to lean into God and wait on Him. Yesterday
one verse that came up was Matthew 10:39, “Whoever finds their life will lose
it, and whoever loses their life for my sake will find it.” We meditated on
Jesus’ call to give up everything to follow Him, and the life that we find in
Christ is not like anything the world can offer. Our motivation to be
productive in raising awareness of the work and needs in South Sudan is strong,
but we realize we must also open our hands to wait on God. We need God to teach
us and enable us – and after all, God is the only one that can do the work that
will last.
Bob is still recovering, so we appreciate your prayers for healing, strength, and a return to “normal.” We also ask for prayer for wisdom for the days and weeks ahead. We hope and pray that Bob will recover strength and that we will be able to resume our visits and travel. Thank you for your prayers. We are grateful for the encouragements and support that we have received, and we are grateful to know that God is in control.
