Yet I will rejoice in the Lord

Where does your joy come from?

I enjoy the fresh beauty of spring, with the promise of life all around me. The beautiful, the hopeful, the encouraging... these give joy. But what about the disappointments and distresses of life? What about when your best efforts fail and hope withers before your eyes?

Where can joy be found then?

I have learned that circumstances will change. People will disappoint me. Life's treasures don't endure. But the everlasting God, the Author and Finisher of my faith, remains true. Whatever I may face in this life, I can rejoice in Him.


The rainy season for the Savannah is nearly over, and Lawrence reports:
We have not yet had rains around Makindu. The crops have now began withering away. But the Dear Lord has blessed the area with underground water from the nearby plains. Several people are growing food there ...which has found its way the market, if only one can afford to pay for it. Some people find jobs in the little farms easily though the food is so expensive! We can now get green maize, vegetables and some fruits-- watermelons are plenty. Praise the Lord for all His goodness.

The cow peas are surviving. They tower above the green peas and are flowering in this drought. How wonderful the Dear Lord is!

Though rain is unheard of in May, the dear brother asks for a special mercy.

See Lord's wisdom and beautiful handiwork. Who can design better than our God? Far beyond the dark ranges on our side of Kenya, we could see the outline of the great Kilimanjaro... Do you see the snow stripes covering its top? Our God is a wonderful Master planner. See the hope of rains in the dark clouds? God is wonderful and His promises are sure. Please pray that the Dear Lord will send us rain once more.


Whether the crops dry out or not, the Lord is our shield. "God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore will not we fear, though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea." (Psalm 46:1-2)

We are very encouraged to see the Lord blessing souls in "the midst of the storm." I was healed miraculously of some very painful spasms in my neck that have lasted about a week. Then we have seen some newly saved people showing real marks of sanctification. It is wonderful.

Oh, and how much sweeter is the eternal spring of joy than any reflection down here! The beautiful and bright and hopeful are just the smallest glimpse of that glory above. Our Heavenly Father withholds the lesser blessings that we may discover the greater. But will we? Only in turning our eyes from the temporal can we know the unending delights of heaven.

Will you find your joy in Him today?

Strengthened for the Work

There are many obstacles against progress in life. I believe discouragement is one of the worst. When the work on the new center building was begun last fall, there was much willing help and enthusiasm. Diligent effort, time, and money was poured into the effort. And the visible results cheered us all.

Then came the set backs. The fall rains eroded masonry and revealed weaknesses in the "ringto" beams. Orders for roofing timbers were delayed, and costs just kept multiplying... Time was put into other efforts and the building that was suppose to be the cornerstone of the work in Makindu has begun to take on the reproach of Jesus' parable. "All that behold it begin to mock him, saying, 'This man began to build, and was not able to finish.'" (Luke 14:30)



Dear ones, are we looking at the crumbling walls with apathy and discouragement? Here the words of one who faced the rubble of a desolate city: "Come, and let us build up the wall of Jerusalem, that we be no more a reproach." (Nehemiah 2:17) It is time to be encouraged, and remember that this is not our work, but God's. As the people of Jerusalem responded, "Let us rise up and build. So they strengthened their hands for this good work." (v. 18)

We need to be strengthened. God calls us to a good work. Not only the building up of earthly walls and buildings, but the constructing of eternal truths in lives around us. Do the "waste places" and "desolation of many generations" look impossible to restore? If we look at our resources and limitations, the obstacles are truly great. We need to look higher. We need to consider instead the ability of our God and remember that "He which hath begun a good work in you will perform it" (Phil. 1:6) and "Faithful is He that calls you, who also will do it." (1 Thess. 5:24) He is the Lord of all the earth. Is anything too hard for Him?

Let us pray for one another and encourage one another in the work that God has laid before us!