Still Living Yet

We have really enjoyed our time of furlough as an overall picture.  It has definitely had some trying moments, but Our Good God has crafted a special strain of ‘beautiful’ written in the threads and knots on this side of glory!  

This past month, our dear children were exposed for the first time to cemeteries here stateside.  We were recently in Pennsylvania making some memories and visiting supporters, family, and ABWE personnel along the way.  On our road trip, we drove past several cemeteries.  Anyone who knows Gunner knows he loves a ‘punny’ joke.  Now, I'm pretty sure that the humor is over his head at this juncture, but he LOVES to make people laugh.  In a straight tone as we drove past one on our road trip, he commented, “Mom?  Do you know that that’s a cemetery?”

“Yes,” I replied.  Not to be outdone, he continued…

“Mom?  Did you know that that’s where all the dead people live?”

It was all I could do to keep from busting out laughing.  I love that boy!  As I reflected on his comment later, I couldn’t help but ponder the profoundness of it and how it relates to what we do and why we do it.  We go to Papua New Guinea because there are precious souls literally dying inside and still living yet in body.  We can not help but run and run HARD trying to share the eternal hope we have found in Jesus Christ, Savior of the World! 

Now, there are ALSO precious souls dying inside and still living yet in the body here.  In fact, it can be a struggle to leave here knowing that as we are leaving and are ‘giving up’ opportunities to testify and share the reason for our Hope in Jesus here.  However, our response to Jesus’ call on our lives is to give now and follow as He leads now and ask questions later.  When we get to heaven, we fully expect to see many we know and love there, and ya know what?  Maybe it’s YOU that will minister and share God’s Hope with them in a way that we can’t!  The Bible talks about how so often “a prophet is not accepted in his hometown” (Luke 4:24).  It was true for Jesus, Himself too.  So, today we not only want to share our Hope in Jesus, but we wanted to charge each of you readers to consider how Jesus might be calling you, here or there, to follow Him in your story!!!

Will you please join us in praying that many souls come to know Jesus this year through the Power of the Gospel being shared in all the dark corners of the world? 

The world, as we know it, is changing.  The landscape of global travel and international relations is also in on the change.  While here in the USA we are navigating new political terrain, it is nothing new in the history of the world.  I don’t say that glibly.  It is a serious matter that deserves attention and consideration, but most of all?  Prayer and petition to Our Good God to help us in this time and for those who will navigate it after us!!!   

“I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, not anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

--Apostle Paul, found in Romans 8:38     

This quote, taken from the Bible, is held up high in my mind tonight.  I want to play a part in sharing this AMAZING truth!!! 

Softly and tenderly Jesus is calling/calling for you and for me/see on the portals He’s waiting and watching/watching for you and for me/Come home!  Come home!/You who are weary come home/Earnestly, tenderly Jesus is calling/calling, “O sinner, come home!!!”

               --Will L. Thompson, hymnwriter                

 We hope you find encouragement in this today as we seek to take one step closer to Christ!  To God be the Glory!!!

We were all able to go on a trolley ride through Hershey...
We got to visit the Hershey gardens and butterfly atrium while we were in PA... 
This tarantula spider had just completed molting....shedding his dead outer shell and still living yet...

This beauty was nearing death, but it was 
still living yet!  They said most butterflies live two weeks or less.....
Our butterfly spreading her wings!!



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