Hallelujah! Praise God Forever! Having been two weeks now since the accident, we continue to be very thankful to Jesus for His gracious provision of His presence. Daily life continues on and while there continues to be much to process, pray through and give back to the LORD, there has been a very real sense of His guiding us forward. We move to Arua a week from today (Saturday, 20th). There is a whole mixture of emotions as we anticipate such a pivotal transition. It has been since the summer of 2002 that this town Arua has wooed our hearts and now that we are on the verge of arriving, there is a certain “angst” at what lies ahead. Some of it is fear of the unknown; responsibilities that we’ll suddenly assume; balancing various expectations at differing degrees and levels… All those things make us quite prayerful. Yet there is a humility and excitement about the whole venture. It is a privilege to be a part of what God is doing in Africa. This is uncharted territory for us. There are no other WGM missionaries up north. Our cell phones will still work but our field director Jon Mayo will be a seven hour trip away. He will not be able to answer and fix all the questions or problems. Daunting? A bit. Yet there remains a certain pull on our hearts where in we know that if we were to stay in Kampala it would be disobedience. There is something…or someOne that calls us to Arua. We believe God wants to train pastors in that region of Uganda and believe He even wants to spill over into Sudan and Congo. The subtle sense though is even with that as our “goal,” Jesus may very well be calling us to Arua for the work He desires to do in our hearts. Somehow that does not seem quite as heroic. Not quite as fantastic. Or spiritual. None the less, it very well maybe real. And so we follow where He leads us. We thank you for joining us in the journey.
The picture is of our friend Felix. Many of you all will remember that this man’s testimony of the need for pastoral training in his village and people in Southern Sudan was very inspirational in the LORD calling both Joanna and me back to Uganda. We had the privilege to reconnect with him this last week and had a terrific time sharing and listening to the possibilities of what God might do in raising up church leadership in Sudan. Please continue to pray for him as well as the right connections and networking upon arriving in Arua.
The picture is of our friend Felix. Many of you all will remember that this man’s testimony of the need for pastoral training in his village and people in Southern Sudan was very inspirational in the LORD calling both Joanna and me back to Uganda. We had the privilege to reconnect with him this last week and had a terrific time sharing and listening to the possibilities of what God might do in raising up church leadership in Sudan. Please continue to pray for him as well as the right connections and networking upon arriving in Arua.
Our new postal address is P.O. Box 53, Arua Uganda. We will no longer use the previous addresses.
7 comments:
Dear Billy and Jo,
What a wonderful experience this blog site is!!! I've just read ALL your messages and am blown away. Praise God for his blessings of safety, friendship, protection, His wonderful plan, His Promises, His constant love, and His sense of humor. Needless to say how I felt when I read about your accident - you are sooooo in God's Hands!!!!
Do not worry about your transition to Arua - He's there and has it all worked out. Any problems will be tackled as all have been in the past - proven in your previous writings!!!! Remember ?!!!? Don't doubt - release the angst and feel the excitement of living the REALITY of HIS plan. This is sooo cool!! I am loving this site.
I've had you guys in my prayers. Jo, I know you love the letters, and I really enjoyed the one you sent me - I will work hard to send back these wonderful gifts for you as well. "Our" girls are doing wonderfully - Victoria is working hard on our D-group (8th graders) in making them accountable for daily devotions; and Amanda has moved to Starkville, but is returning to catch up as often as she can. I will pass along your new mailing address.
Love you both - and in His hands you remain. Chrissy King
Billy & Jo! I hope the two of you are doing great and looking forward to my sister getting over there, I know she is! Just to catch you up...Sarah and I got married on Dec. 30th! I'm sure you knew, but that's coming from the horse's mouth. Sarah and I are praying for all of you as you are doing the Lord's work in Uganda and for your protection. Love you both and only a few more days til Jeannie is there!!! - John Banter
We continue to hold you in God's mighty hands through prayer! I love visiting your blog! You are both so encouraging and we love seeing what God is doing!
Kim and Joel
Billy and Joanna,
i just read an article about Isaiah 49:2. It says we are arrows that are hidden in the quiver. You guys have been hidden in God's quiver until all things come into alignment. Now is that time. He has reached in and is shooting you straight and true to His mark. He will accomplish through you all that He has planned for now. Then He will pick you back up and put you back into His quiver to be hidden again and again. This is the true purpose. Yes, you will learn much about your own hearts and your love and trust of Jesus. I am so looking forward to hearing all that transpires.
Billy and Jo-
I just met with Cricket for awhile and we prayed for you as you leave for Arua. We prayed that Jesus will give you both peace and joy as you set out, and that He will make clear the path in front of you. When obstacles arise that seem to be roadblocks, may Jesus give you incredible confidence in the plan He has for you.
We love you!
Chrissie (and Josh) Moon
Billy and JO, we mailed a package to you today. Praying it arrived safley we will pray for you tonight. From the Steffen
We've been praying continuously about your move. Noah is very faithful to pray each night before bed. It is so encouraging to hear and read about God's miraculous provisions and guidance for you. Stand strong and keep your eyes on Him.
Lorene Jager
Post a Comment