February 11, 2010
What is the first rule to service as a missionary, for both long term and short term? Of course, be flexible. As we sit here just a few days short of having been here a full month, we have discovered this truth to be completely accurate. For myself, especially, I have been ready to start on the field finances since the first week we have been here, however, in all of the preparations I could have had in coming to the field, I was not prepared to have been told, that they are not yet ready for me to take them over. The finances are in such a bad state, but they don’t want to hand them over until they can get them updated so that I have a clean fiscal year to start with. They said that it would be too complicated for me to be given the finances right now. Of course in my mind, I’m responding, do you not understand that numbers are my best friend? You can give me a complete mess, and I will make sense out of it. Except, I am reminded of rule number one…be flexible. As I sit and write this today, I have already made different adjustments and have found other “projects” that are just as important for the field. Of course, it’s not numbers and something that I am already comfortable with, but the Lord never told us that we would not be taken out of our comfort zone if we answered his call to come to Africa. We would be protected and guided, but not necessarily “comfortable”. As we continue our transition into our new lives, please pray that the Lord will continue to show us new areas that he would like for us to become involved in, and that he will continue to teach us about ourselves, our ministry and the needs of each life we will come in contact with. We are expectant to see what the Lord will do in the next few weeks to come.