I delight to do Thy will, oh my God (Ps.40:8)
Welcome to the jungle! We made it home in time for the kids to start school – the Very. Next. Day. Poor little ones. They were bleary eyed and exhausted, but so glad to be home!
First day of school at South America Mission (SAM) Academy
It was delightful to be Stateside to see family and friends, but it was a whirlwind of a trip that has left us very tired. We knew it would. There is no other outcome to cramming 12 churches (where we preached and presented our mission update) in 7 different States into a short 10 weeks with 3 family reunions, a wedding and a missions-conference, with 17,810 miles traveled! God sustained us, as He always does.
The kids sang beautifully at every church service!
We were blessed with a new church to partner with us in this work, and some of our big financial needs listed on our video (in the previous post) were provided! The children’s tuition for the year has been taken care of, and some building funds have been raised! We praise Him for His faithfulness to complete this work that He has begun.
The Brock Family
It was an encouragement like no other to be among those of you who support us and pray for us. We were undeservedly fed, clothed, and doted on like royalty! We were refreshed in spirit in order to come back to work in the field. It was humbling to be told by so many that we are in their daily prayers, to be handed a few dollars by young children who wanted to be a part of the Great Commission, and to be fed and housed by so many precious people who gave of their time and resources to care for our weary, sojourning family. We were blessed to have my widowed mother loan us her only car to drive all summer, and to be entirely resupplied with clothing, shoes, spices, cheese, and so much more for this next term by one couple that continue to give so generously. Our gratefulness is deep, and our waists are wide!
The Nicolosi Family
So, about my health: many of you have asked, many of you have prayed, and God has heard your prayers. The massive push to dry in the house and pack everything up on the base before the trip had left me exhausted. I was discouraged when I looked at our tightly scheduled summer thinking that I didn’t have the ability to survive it all, but God had His own plans. I ran fevers every afternoon and evening for the first few weeks that we were Stateside, and my hope for continuing my upward slope of healing that had begun last year was dwindling. I was so sure that I was going to relapse. Somehow, and against all of my understanding, I am stronger now than I have been in years. Even through the grueling travels, even though I am tired, I am not sick. It’s hard to explain, but I am praising Jesus! I still need lots of sleep, and I am still on my medication, and I still have to be careful not to “over-do”, but my limitations are broader than they’ve been in a very long time! God is good. He is good when I am sick, and He is good when I am well. Blessed be the name of the Lord!
The Nicolosi Sisters
Upon our return, we found the mission base, house and all of the animals in great shape! Alexis, the young man who has been such a great help in other projects related to this mission, has done a superb job keeping watch over the base and animals while we were away. We came home to 12 German Shepard puppies that had been born to two of our dogs while we were gone. They are the cutest things on the planet. We are trying to find them all good homes, and praying that they’ll be a blessing to many families! One of the joys of our return was having new neighbors on the base. The Romanian missionary family that has been building their house here had moved into their new home in July! We are so super thrilled to have them with us, and look forward to a long and blessed partnership!
This week that we’ve been home has been full of cleaning, sorting, fixing the inevitable broken things and trying to rest. Oh, and of course paperwork - for Immigrations, gun licensing, and passports. All of which will require another trip to Lima next month. Yay. We hope to be back in the swing of things soon, and anyone that is still interested in coming down to help us with finishing the mission house is welcome! There is electrical, plumbing, ductwork, and drywall to be done. Many hands make light work, and it would be so nice to be finished with this project so that we can move on to the next!
The Atlanta Coke Museum
Thank you all for your prayers and for the many tangible things that you do to help us accomplish this work. It is our pure delight to do God’s will, and go where He has called us. Have you surrendered your life to God? Do you know Him? He is ready and waiting for you to come to Him. His love for you is measureless, and His grace is greater than all your sin!
An Atlanta Braves Game
“Remember whose you are and whom you serve."Oswald Chambers