Thanksgiving Reflections

Happy Thanksgiving from our house to yours! This year we talked about Thanksgiving is an attitude of the heart to what we have been given from God…good times and even difficult times. It is very interested that after a long first winter in America, with undoubtedly a lot of losses, the early Americans chose to give thanks to God. They could have lamented on their hardships rather than thank God for what He had done. The position of their hearts was thankfulness and we are reminded to do the same. This year we are all reminded to be thankful for our health and times together with those we love, as we can not take these things for granted. We are thankful for travel in new ways…to have recently had the opportunity to leave Congo for the first time in a year for some rest.

We traveled to Uganda for two weeks with our friends the Dimon family for some rest and relaxation. We visited Murchison Falls National Park, one of our favorite places, to go on safari and see the impressive waterfalls. It is fun to see Emmanuel growing in his understanding of the natural world. He knows firsthand elephants cover themselves in mud or why reptiles, like crocodiles, take a sunbath. It was a joy to watch the kids discover things together! We also visited a wetland on the shores of Lake Victoria and saw the shoebill stork in its’ natural environment. A shoebill is an almost a prehistoric looking water-loving bird that is impressive in its size and great patience in catching fish! There is something about nature that renews the body and spirit and we needed it!

We are living through a difficult security season here in Nyankunde and a local armed group that has formed. There are many people who are praying for and are actively looking for peaceful solutions to problems. Our hospital is suffering greatly from the insecurity with less hospitalizations and patients fearing to travel the roads, or simply refusing to come because they are not from the dominant tribe in this area. It is a critical time for negotiations and elders to be a voice for non-violence. It is not a time to say that problems do not exist or to simply cover them up. We believe that God has called us here for such a time as this, and we want to be courageous and bold for Christ, and communicate that this hospital belongs to God and not a particular tribal group. There are very sensitive issues. We are feeling hopeful, but would ask your prayers. We are happy to dialogue more with those who are interested in a different forum. We remain mostly untouched by the Covid pandemic which is ravaging the world. Whether it is the tropical climate, rural setting, or people living mostly outdoors we are not seeing large numbers of cases. That said we wear masks in clinical areas and take proper precautions. The peak of influenza seems to be different in the tropics. We are thankful for lower Covid numbers! We have all been tested multiple times, any time we need to travel or have a flu-like illness. One of the difficult things about living overseas is missing family, especially when it is difficult (if not impossible) to travel to see them. We have been hoping to get to Switzerland to visit family for the last year and we are just waiting for vaccines to be available to do so. It is hard to plan very far ahead and we live the day ahead of us.

These last few weeks many parts of Scripture have come alive for me. Somehow going through difficulty makes us yearn for the beauty that awaits us in heaven, and truth to win peoples’ hearts on earth! What is really important in life becomes crystal clear. The part of the Lord’s Prayer that has captured my attention is: “Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.” As things seem incredibly “messed up” around us these days, I long for the things of heaven to come to earth. Interestingly this was the first request Jesus makes in the Lord’s Prayer: “Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” As Christians in this world, we need to seek out things of heaven: love, peace and reconciliation in this life with God and man. These are the only things that will truly last. How lovely to experience things of heaven in this life!

The work of Nyankunde Hospital continues. Pray for us as we strive to bring truth into ethnic tensions and yearn for things of heaven. Let us pray for one another while today is called “today.” Let us know how we can pray for you. Blessings for us, Lindsey Our little boy Emmanuel then (age 2) and NOW (age 6)!