The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases;
his mercies never come to an end;
they are new every morning;
great is your faithfulness.
Good morning from George, South Africa! It is currently 67 degrees Fahrenheit and I (Bethany) can’t possibly remember that it is the end of October!
Last week an American friend invited us to join them for Thanksgiving, it made me take a pause because in mind it feels like June. Getting used to living in a different hemisphere is no small challenge.
A few weeks back, the kids from church sang and old favorite hymn, Great is Thy Faithfulness (if you’d like to see a video let me know). Those words again echoed in my heart this morning as we listened through Laminations 3 in our family Bible time over breakfast. When the chapter was finished I asked the boys what were some reminders of God’s faithfulness to our family. Joshua quickly said, “Sitting in this living room.” Hallelujah that is so true! Right now I’m writing this at the kitchen table, one that once belonged to a faithful sister in Christ here, and I’m listening to the boys play ball in the back yard, while Alex is out at music practice for church tomorrow.
God’s faithfulness to our family is evident in so very many ways. On October 18, 2024 we moved into the home God provided for our family after 4+ years of living in limbo. We’ve spent the last week unpacking and figuring out how things work. There was one day when there were four different appointments going on at one time, plus the boys doing school. We are still spinning a bit, but things are slowly coming into place. Good thing too, because ministry life picks back up next week.
We are blessed to be able to begin hosing Young Adults at our home on Tuesday night, please be praying with us that this home will be a place of peace and rest and learning for all who enter it.
Alex is preparing to preach on Sunday November 3 and 10, please be praying for him to be able to protect the time needed to prepare his heart and mind for sharing God’s Word with us.
On Sunday November 3 a friend who had been in our original Group in Asia is flying in from Cape Town, where she is now settled after also being displaced. She will be staying with us all week to help keep the boys on track with school and settled while we and some others from our team here participate in some on the field training, more about that in a few weeks. We are so thankful that she can come and serve our family in this way. It is a blessing to my heart to know the boys will not have to bounce around that week, but can continue to create some routine here at home. The family of God all round the globe is such a blessing!
Looking ahead, over the next month I’ll be reaching out about gathering friends who are willing to commit to pray for our regularly. We know many of you do, but we’ve been challenged to have at least 100 folks who we know are praying for us daily/regularly. This is a challenge we want to take seriously! If you’d like to be a part of that grouping please let me know!
Healthwise, Joshua will again have scans mid November, please keep those in prayer.
Lastly, if you are reading this, please know that you are an evidence of God’s faithfulness to our family. These last years have been hard in ways many of you can relate to, and we know, as do you, that the only way we’ve made it through was because of God’s great faithfulness to us.
Thank you for praying with us through displacement, uncertainty, loss of loved ones, unstable health, packing up life on two continents, moving to another continent and culture, car and home purchases, and settling into new ministry. We also know that many of you are still facing some challenges and we want to encourage you to trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding, but to acknowledge Him, He WILL make your path clear (Proverbs 3:5-6). Humbly, we are living proof of that! Amen and Amen, to God be the Glory now and forever!
Thank you for your support through this, we know more challenges will come, that is what living in a sin filled world brings, but with those challenges bring such growth in our walk with the Lord and our testimony of the Gospel to ourselves and those watching!
I will end with the words to the song mentioned at the beginning:
Great is Thy faithfulness, O God my Father;
there is no shadow of turning with Thee;
Thou changest not, Thy compassions, they fail not;
as Thou hast been, Thou forever wilt be.
Refrain:
Great is Thy faithfulness!
Great is Thy faithfulness!
Morning by morning new mercies I see;
all I have needed Thy hand hath provided:
great is Thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me!
Summer and winter, and springtime and harvest;
sun, moon, and stars in their courses above
join with all nature in manifold witness
to Thy great faithfulness, mercy, and love.
[Refrain]
Pardon for sin and a peace that endureth,
Thine own dear presence to cheer and to guide;
strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow:
blessings all mine, with ten thousand beside!
[Refrain]
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