Together Again…Briefly at Least

As you can understand, after living and serving together for about 37 years, a big adjustment that has come with retirement for both Ruth and me has been living in separate homes in separate nations. Praise God for His gift to Ruth of unlimited phone calls which includes Canada, thanks to her brother/sister-in-law; we keep in touch via phone, text, emails almost daily…but it’s just not the same!

Our gracious God used friends to provide a way for us to spend just over a week together again—house-sitting in Maine. How fun to return to the familiar of sharing cooking, driving, corporate prayer, reading, debrief and discussions, playing games, walking and some sight-seeing…plus, thanks to technology, participating in long distance communication and prayer that included both SEND Canada and Scripture Union Uganda.

One of our goals for that time together was to seek God’s will regarding an invitation from Uganda to return for a 2-month visit in early 2020. After spending time in prayer, we both sensed God’s affirmation, which drove us to prayer again as we started to think through the logistics and goals. As of this writing, we have tickets in hand, health insurance nearly secured, and an emerging tentative schedule which includes both Tanzania and Kenya!

Why Tanzania and Kenya? A couple of days ago, we learned that the Swahili translation of three VOICE modules, Truth, Forgiveness, and Purity, is COMPLETE on all three age levels—answered prayer! As funds are available, plans are to print those three modules in Nairobi (more cost effective) and introduce them to the Ministry of Education in Tanzania in response to their two-year-old request for a Swahili edition. With these developments, training Scripture Union Tanzanian staff to be able to conduct training workshops for Christian volunteer values teachers across their nation is paramount. We hope to participate at least in the early phase of that huge project which has mammoth potential for reaching students for Christ through the teaching of Biblical values. Promotion and training is also planned for Kenya, while providing encouragement for Scripture Union Ugandan staff.

Please join us in prayer for the funds and the expertise to print the Swahili version in Nairobi. Ruth and I are also trusting God for provision for our own expenses for this trip. Pray also for wisdom as plans/dates are finalized for our activities in East Africa, and for our personal preparation and packing. Praise God for this opportunity to once again be able to serve together!