Robert & Miriam  

and girls Abby, Jess, & Melody

From: Miriam
Sent: Friday, June 15, 2007 10:20
To: Dunn Jack
Subject: web post Jack
 

Hi there one and all! It's good to read your news. Our love to you!

So, what went on in 2006 and is going on in 2007 our end?

Well, most of 2006 we didn't quite know which way was up. We arrived back down south early last year after 1 1/2 yrs based in the UK. Mucho travel and training could sum up that time, before returning to what may be our final stretch here. Veremos!

New workers were arriving in encouraging numbers to cover the north while others would return to the west, (same language group). Colleagues covering the other language group getting older, we were turning our eyes to that upcoming need.

Then, wham, a broadside hit, followed by another. The new workers had to leave for urgent medical problems and won't be back. The team they were to lead was cancelled and members scattered elsewhere - their gain our loss. A project to work on the J film in our language was adopted - but nothing but frustrations since. Visa problems prevented the Aug 06 linguistic survey necessary to kick off the  project. It was again delayed in the New Year. Feb 07 looked a possible, till our friend's house burned down leaving thankfully no-one dead, but big losses and chaos. She is having to consider returning to her home base for lack of personal funds, and yet she is crucial not just to ours, but the other languages she's coordinating for the same project. 

In there, painfully, were some very personally directed jabs. As someone once said re: Eph 6 and 'flaming darts', "it's very hard to fight the enemy when you're kept busy putting out fires". We are not strangers to this - we encountered similarly distracting tactics when breaking territory with the Hindu population in a previous location. But it is frustrating when genuine needs have to be passed up to deal with the thing in hand. Things were the more painful as in R's words : "He didn't see anything coming". Isobel Kuhn wrote of mentor J.O Fraser : "he who had foreseen my future...was quite unprepared for his own, and that is sometime's God's ways with his prophets". Other brothers, loved and greatly respected have had similar or worse battles around the same time which we equally painful to see. A bit like David facing Goliath we were in the brook, for them or for us, going : "Lord, show us the stones..."

We aren't finished with all these situations, and probably won't be till it's our time to leave this place. We're not seeking release - but using alternative warfare or the "power of the opposite spirit" if you like : guarding our hearts, and keeping on trusting. To refuse bitterness & put on love; to trust, whether friendly or enemy fire. "When the Son of man returns, will He find faith on the earth?" Younger colleagues who will be here after we're gone are seeing and learning from all this too, which is some comfort.

This last year pressure was on also as we returned minus the two eldest girls and not just one - a major adjustment for us all. All three are going through testing years, so that for the first time we were battling the lurking thought "is it worth it?" Yet we can bring to mind African brothers who've seen their children die and never think of mentioning it, so in love with Jesus they are. We are still learners here.

When our church prayed over us before we left last year our eldest spontaneously exhorted couples and families to obey if God was calling them overseas, and not hold back because of children. Saying that she would not have missed any of her experiences in the different places and contexts she had known (bear in mind this included being held at gunpoint on a floor in a Kampala house when not quite 16...) she urged people to trust and go if that was what God was telling them. As we were prayed for, one then another started sobbing - at the end we were hanging on to each other as we wept. We are family, and this too is our reality.

The disciples said to Jesus who asked if they wanted to turn back, "to whom can we go?" We burned our boats a long time back...committing ourselves and our girls to Him. How can we go back on that? We know our Dad can look after them best, and not only if we're around! The people we live with are no less dear to the Lord than our kids. If He counted them worth dying for that kind of settles the question of where we should be! So we've spent various times this last year putting some honest names on things, then "taking up the broom" and sweeping out doubts, fears, self-pity...

We're so grateful to our UK church - they are home and family to us and our girls. Just as our NGO is. We don't own anything much barring odd computers R manages to put together and keep functioning, a guitar, an old car that gets us where we need to go, and a tomb in a neighbouring location (don't ask!). But we know we're rich - and know our girls to be so too, loved as they are by all these folk. Today we got an email as follows :  "Two years ago X had talked at the men’s breakfast about a couple with three girls working on Y. And he was so touched and moved that he has been praying for you daily ever since". Not just nice fuzzy feelings then, but powerful love flowing from the Cross : our Father is watching more than ever we could.

This is something we remind ourselves of as our eldest, heads for a year to a Middle East 'hot-spot' to perfect her Arabic before returning for her finals. "But love ... it's dangerous!" And she looks at us, smiles, and says, "Come on - since when did you ever choose the easy option?" Ah. She is in touch with a much older man who's organisation shares a similar passion for that part of the world. This distant mentoring comforts us as he brings his years of experience to bear...Our second, with one more year of highschool to go, lives with her Gran & is twirling thoughts of studies in theology and ancient Hebrew. At present she's exploring her roots in the light of western culture which she's had to switch back to while ... cleaning at a local old folks home to keep herself afloat financially. Our youngest has us riding the emotional roller coaster of early teen years with her - keeps us young - ha. Gifted with making deep friendships, she is divided between our old village life and friends, and the present town one. Two separate worlds. She loved being back with her village friends recently for a week while we were both away travelling.

We also exist between two worlds - dress, language and mode, and if not completely schizo are probably on our way :o) To paraphrase Paul, "To become like all men so that by any means we may win some".  I wonder if Joseph ever felt like that, he who they called 'the Egyptian'...with his new name, wife, language, dress - even hairstyle...? Which reminds me, Robert is talking of shaving off his beard...ahhhh. I may need therapy! Back to the girls, all three have (and will have) struggles trying to make sense of their multiple worlds and Jesus in them - for themselves, but also for their friends. We realised long ago for ourselves it's only as we wrestle with gut honesty that growth comes - not easy, but necessary. Why am I thinking of Jacob...?

Who knows what the rest of this year will bring? Not us, though we have our stubborn hopes and dreams against all the odds. Three years back, we had a visit from Warwick & a friend of his. With part of our team we buried a Bible on a mountain here, open to Ps 37 and the words setting out this peoples' inheritance in God. Yes, there is opposition at every turn. It's never just "one step forward, one step back", but often a mighty whammy that leaves you reeling every time an inch is gained. But we refuse to give in. This is God's story and He can do it.

If anyone's in praying mode, thanks for any that come our way! Age and health issues are creeping up on us, not helped by the climate, so that we are slower than we used to be. We are looking for various miracles on various projects we are working on, and R's is in need of skill as he leads the team to term, investing in newer workers & other ex pat brothers, laying a solid foundation in the beginnings of a first generation community etc. Again, surely with God's help it can be so. "That all may know" is surely worth it. Always!

"To Him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood, and has made us to be a kingdom and priests to serve his God and Father - to Him be glory and power for ever and ever! Amen".  Rev'n 1:6

Well, that is enough for now. If you made it to the end, well done! Father's rich, rich blessing on you and yours. Oh, and guess what our eldest's star song was for a long while? Rita Springer's "It's gonna be worth it"... 

With our love, R & M.