Twin Leaps

So now I’m sitting around the house “waiting on the Lord” and enjoying the Germany spring. Praying and listening to a California radio station over the internet, KNVBC, that has excellent, vintage Christian music on it.

We turned in our ID cards last week after a spree of buying stuff at the Commissary and the BX for the last time. Now, in a few days, we’ll be off our work permits and back on tourist visas for 90 days. We were upset with this, of course, and didn’t understand what the Lord was doing.

Meanwhile we took a trip to Simsheim to two huge museums to view the German military might of World War Two that is history now. It great being with the grandkids and we needed a few days away from our struggles to get a little perspective on the situation. God blessed us and the time together was a wonderful one of fun and fellowship that all of us needed.

 The next day, we visited a water-operated polishing mill where they processed gems and saw how hard it was to produce a precious stone. The rock had to be held right next to a strap rotated by gushing water and the friction refined it. Mmmm…sounds like us and our trials. Maybe the Lord was trying to tell us something.

When we returned home, I said a little prayer. “Please, Lord, lead me to read a book on my Kindle. I need something right now to help me through this.”

The Lord guided me to the perfect book and it was by someone I personally knew about 30 years ago. Lon Garber wrote this book called “The Leap” about his journey of faith with his wife Val as they headed to Namibia in Africa. Their story so paralleled ours, I could hardly believe it. We both stepped out in faith as God provided the way for us. When they arrived in Namibia in December (same time of the year as we did), it was the middle of summer there. Of course, with us, it had to be in the middle of a cold winter… However, it was back in 2003 so they had a rough time as Americans with the Iraq war going on. They had trouble with their visas because of it. The government didn’t trust them. We’ve had our status revoked too so we know how that feels. I’m still reading and it is encouraging my heart as I see this couple live out their faith.

In our situation, there’s a light at the end of the tunnel. Bob went for a job interview arranged by a good brother at our church. It looks promising. The whole mission church has rallied around us. They all want us to stay because they know we love them and will work wherever we are needed. We have to keep believing in God’s guidance.  He’s certainly teaching us to trust Him.

If the Lord wills it, we will stay.

It all depends on Him.

Thank you for all your prayers!