More lessons on Acceptance

I have been humbled over and over by the generosity of people who have come out of the woodwork to support our trip to Liberia. While in the Old Mennonite bookstore in our home town we met a woman originally from Iowa. She moved to Kansas after her husband died and she lives with her daughter. She volunteers at the bookstore and engaged us in a very interesting conversation on missions. As we prepared to pay for the study bibles and other old keepsake books for our trip, the kind woman slipped us some money and said to me, “I would rather support a young couple like you who is willing to go to Africa for God than the mega churches.” I was so taken aback and I held back tears as I thanked her.

Just a few hours later as we were at the gas station airing up a tire and getting gas my phone rang. It was my dad. He said we should come back to the house for a visitor. We went back and were surprised to find an old family friend. She told us that they and their grown children decided to forgo gifts for the adults this year and give the money to our trip instead. I could no longer hold in the tears welling in my eyes. I am overwhelmed by the sacrifice given from friends and family and even total strangers. This last gift also came from a dear friend who is suffering from cancer (the daughter of the visitor). Just a few years older than me, I imagined the conversation between her siblings and her parents as they read our letter and decided to give to this mission. God is a God of providence and a God of unexpected blessings. On days when I doubt and I am overwhelmed by this calling he has given us I will remember my friend and her family giving in the midst of a day in and day out battle of their own yet they still believe in God working through us.