WELCOME TO 2008!

It’s THREE DEGREES in Iowa today. I think the wind chill is in the negative double digits. Ellie and I celebrated the New Year by not leaving the house all day long! 🙂

We leave for Africa on January 16th. We’re looking forward to getting back to life and ministry in Swaziland (where the temps were in the high 80’s today!). 2007 was good…probably the least stressful year since moving to Africa. I love ministry with the women I work with in Timbali Crafts. We saw lots of growth last year, and I’m praying for more in 2008 so that even more women and their families can be provided for financially and spiritually. Ellie will soon be three (Jan 18) and her two favorite things are singing and making messes…the other day she sang me an action-filled medley of ‘The Itsy Bitsy Spider,’ ‘We Wish you a Merry Christmas’ and ‘Happy Birthday.’ There’s a video clip below that will give you just a glimpse of what a great personality she has. I was trying to get it posted by Christmas, but had some technical difficulties (even when not in Africa!), so the message is outdated, but still cute. 🙂  

For Christmas my brother gave me the book “Life as a Vapor,” by John Piper. It talks about viewing life in light of eternity.  The time we spend here on this earth is short, eternity is long, and doing things that have eternal value is what’s important. As I’ve spent the majority of the last 11 years in countries and cultures that are not my own, and can often fill a bit out of place, living in light of my eternal home has become vital to keeping the perspecitve I need to be where I’m at…where ever it might be. Here’s a quote from Piper to make us think and challenge us in the New Year:

“Just think of it. You have one life. One very short life. Then an eternity to remember. Does not the suffering in this world seem inexplicable to you? Is not this great, global suffering a call to magnify the mercy of Christ by how we respond? Is not suffering a seamless fabric, streching into eternity for unbelievers? And, therefore, are not Christians the only people who can respond with helpful relief to the totality of misery? Unbelievers may relieve some suffering in this vapor’s breath of life on earth. But beyond that they are no help at all. Shall we not then live our lives–and prepare for heaven–by strategizing in all our vocations, and with all our talents and all our money, to relieve suffering (now and forever) for the glory of Jesus? The twentieth century was the bloodiest and cruelest of all centuries. Man is not getting better. But God will hold us accountable in the age to come not for what others have done. He will call us to account for what the blood-bought hope freed us to do for others in the name of Christ. We will give joyful and tearful thanks in that day for the grace that covered our sin and the grace that caused our love.”

What will the “blood bought hope” that is ours in Christ compel us to do in 2008? It’s something good to think about…and then to do something about.

Thanks for reading our blog…we’d love your continued prayers and support in 2008!