So…I have a new take on our election…this is it. It helps to be a world Christian. It helps to see elections in other countries. It helps to have a bigger view….and this is why. I listen to my friends living overseas tell of the elections in their countries. They don’t ask for prayer that the right person would be elected. Because usually there is not a right person running for office. They ask for prayer that the fraudulent elections or the crooked candidates would wreak less havoc and cause fewer riots than the last election. They ask for prayer that the church can be the powerful tool of God in their situation.

Oh, I know what you’re thinking. Yes, that’s what makes the U.S. set apart from the rest of the world and all that corruption. That’s what makes us different and better than most. Law and order is our foundation and our high value. Yes, I agree, but our great God allows what he allows.

Both parties seem to be more deeply flawed this election year and they certainly dishonored the reputation that the United States is often perceived as “under God”.

But the odd thing is that in places in the world who experience corrupt presidents,  leaders who incite riots, siphon tax money to Swiss bank accounts, persecute Christians, we often see God at work. We watch Him doing significant things in and through people’s lives who bend their knee to Him. We see miracles happen. History tells us that these trials only make the church grow stronger. Let’s pray to that end for the church in our country.

We just don’t know what’s coming.  And we wlll see what the church of Jesus Christ does in our own country in these next years. I have whined quite a bit. We all need to get on with life. Will we moan and lose courage to BE what we are called to be in this world? Will we be salt and light? Will we stand up and separate ourselves from worldly systems and live as we are to live, citizens of another kingdom? I pray that I will and we will.

Yesterday I read a wonderful blog by a Presbyterian pastor in Nashville, titled To All My Post-Traumatic, Post-Election Friends. Give it a look. It’s very inspiring to get a biblical view of leaders in history and how God worked in spite of them. Let’s all commit to pray more seriously about the Church that we are a part of.

As this pastor reminded me, “the most repeated command in Scripture remains, “Do not fear.” God knows how easily we fall into fear. He graciously steadies us and reminds us that He is with us—“Fear not, for I am with you” (Isaiah 41:10).

We all need each other. Community makes all the difference…and if you can have community with someone who “gets your life”…it’s awesome. As a part of the board of Thrive…this article makes me so happy. This woman went on a retreat with people who get her life and it made all the difference. Have you had a similar experience?

From a very honest missionary blogger I like: http://www.killoughfamily.com/to-thrive-and-not-just-survive/

Let me know what you think?

I’ve served full-time in international missions for six years now- basically every day since I got married. I adore doing this next to my husband, following God’s crazy adventure for us hand in hand. But, there is a side to our lifestyle that I struggle to put into words. A side that has been murky and confusing and harder to communicate. It’s not that I don’t think it’s worth sharing or a valid topic. Quite the opposite, in fact. I wish there wasn’t so much silence on this side of things. When it’s in black and white letterform, I’m never really satisfied with how things sound. So today will you bear with me while I try to put some words to this darker side of my life?

Ok, great!

This month, I attended a women’s retreat in Cape Town, South Africa. It was run by an incredible ministry that God kindly laid before us earlier this year, called Thrive. Thrive serves “global women”, as they call us. The heart of Thrive is to empower women in their roles overseas to thrive, and not just survive.

In the last two years I have frequently described complained about my life being in survival mode to my husband. And when I stop and look, it’s easy to see why. A year ago we said painful goodbyes to a country and community that we came to love, to start from scratch (again) somewhere else. In the meantime, we’ve been battling a chronic, debilitating health issue that has shaken up our lives in very uncomfortable ways. Three precious people in our lives this year made their entrance to heaven. We’ve been without permanent abode for months at a time, and I have battled with isolation-induced depression* for much of the last 24 months. *I have no idea if that’s a “thing” or not. But that’s what it feels like, so I’m going with that.

Those are the “big things”. The “little things” had started to wear on me too. The missed family celebrations, missed moments with friends, financial uncertainties, lack of consistent relationships, the struggle to find a church home…

I could go on and on about the hurts and losses that have swamped us on our journey to Angola, but I don’t want to. It would get depressing really fast. You see now why this can be so hard to put into words? Anyway, the point is, that there is a side to this epic adventure that takes a toll. A real, felt toll, let me tell you. That toll, led me to find the Thrive ministry earlier this year. Don’t get me wrong, landing in Angola and pioneering the work that we’ve been dreaming of, is a joy. It really is. Simultaneously, while there’s been dark times these last couple of years, there’s been great times too. And that’s where the confusion enters in. How can I feel so much love and so much hurt for the same process, the same journey?

I was getting desperate, and my state of mind and heart was hurting our whole family. I needed somewhere to find help, to get better equipped to leave the survival mode. David encouraged me to sign up for Thrive’s Cape Town retreat for women serving in Africa, and while I had no idea what to expect, the description sounded really hopeful.

They may have been the sweetest, short four days of my life. I couldn’t write enough posts to share all the things God poured into me through this retreat. But I will say that while I went seeking him (somewhat shambolically), He was already there waiting for me when I arrived. Seriously. That was my absolute favorite part of the whole retreat. The Thrive team, and all their faithful volunteers, prayer and financial partners, created such a wide open space for Jesus to hang out. From the opening worship session the Holy Sprit just began moving. If I was excited to be there, He showed me that He was even more thrilled that I was there. How incredible is that?!

God challenged me, He called me deeper, He healed me and He spoke softly to me. He took my brokenness and my confusion, my questions and my insecurities and gently but powerfully restored truth where I had embraced lies. Thrive facilitated that.

Thank you, Thrive people.

At the retreat, I was suddenly in a whole room full of people who “get” our lifestyle: the good and the bad, the highs and the lows, the benefits and the sacrifices. And they were prepared to talk about it all! No topic was off limits, no subject too great or too small to be worthy of airtime. If it mattered to one of the women, it mattered. How that brought refreshment to my soul, I can hardly tell you.
One night was a fun gift game (white elephant, if you know it) with a book recommendation exchange as we all took a turn. So fun, and enriching at the same time!

But that’s not all. Oh no. We were abundantly loved and cared for from the very depths of our souls to the very surface of our toenails! I think the Thrive team actually thought of everything. Counseling, pedicures, small group discussions, prayer, generous gifts, massages, health consults, workshops, funny story night, on and on it went. I got my laugh back, my joy back, my enthusiasm back. Tiredness and anxiety were forced to take a back seat to unspeakable joy and renewed energy for the road ahead. I came back to my husband and girls a restored woman. I don’t know that I can ever really express how grateful I am for that.

Today, as much as wanting to promote transparency in this line of work, I’m writing this because I want to say THANK YOU to everyone who is involved with Thrive. Statistics show that the average length of time a women serves in my kind of role is eight years. I can see why. I have been closer than ever to thinking I can’t maintain this for forever. No one wants to spend life in survival mode. I want to thrive, and my four days in Cape Town with this group of sisters, a tiny 0.18% of my career so far, will enable me to continue in this for many, many years to come. How about that for a return on investment?! I feel so much better equipped, connected and aware of what I’ve really signed up for.

So for one last time, thank you, Thrive people.

Friends, maybe you would like to be a part of this amazing and worthy ministry?

There are very practical ways that you can support Thrive and women like me. They are always looking for retreat volunteers (US and overseas), prayer partners and financial partners. Maybe you even know another global woman who would benefit from going on a retreat like I did. Share the website with her! I know she’ll thank you

In the U.S. when school begins, there are all sorts of attitudes….my grandchildren are ecstatic. All nine of them seem to be made out of the same stuff….enthusiasm. Three on the west coast, two in Nashville and three in our Chicago suburbs all echo the same excitement.

In my other country of belonging and some long, gangly roots, when children get to school age, there is enthusiasm but often a burden that is too heavy to bear. The little ones have to have shoes and uniforms to go to school. That’s too much for some families.

Anthony

Joel

Tom

Kezia

Josephine and Virginia

For high schoolers who have passed the rigorous 8th grade exams and feel accomplished to have just made the grade, their burden is also heavy…how to pay for school fees. For you see, to go on to high school requires uniforms, book fees, and high semester fees. And that can add up to $100.oo a month. No, there are no city taxes to pay for high schools. Many high schools are only boarding schools that require some travel and room and board, as well. Sounds like our colleges, doesn’t it?

We have been involved with Hope for Life Kenya for 12 years. I helped start this ministry when I was the Global Outreach Director at Wheaton Bible Church. It was then called Heart for AIDS, since most of the kids who came to Hope for Life’s orphan care center were very young  and orphaned by one or both parents who died of AIDS. The director, Josephine Kiarii hand-picked the kids to have in her lunch and after school programs.

Now in 2016 those 4 and 5 year olds have grown up and are ready to finish their education. What a great group they are.  I have met most of them. Almost all of them are committed Christ followers. They serve in local churches and take care of their households (with their grandparents, in some cases), they mentor the younger kids, and are known in the community for being strong leaders who have purpose and live exemplary lives.

This year there are 37 teens chomping at the bit to graduate from high school. They do well in school and have strong testimonies in their boarding schools. Please pray for these kids. They need our support in so many ways.

You may want to consider partially supporting a student for a few years until he or she finishes high school. Faith and Learning International in Wheaton is the 501c3 that is making it possible to support one of these students. Personally, I would be happy to link you up with a student that you could pray for by name and learn about personally. Just let me know. Write me at judge525@gmail.com

Visit http://www.faithandlearning.org/hope-for-life-kenya

[Any of you readers who are in the Wheaton area are welcomed to come to meet Josephine. She is coming to the U.S. for the first time this fall and will be here in mid-October. Jim and I are hosting a reception for her on October 12 at 7pm at The TEAM Mission Place, 370 W. Front Street, downtown Wheaton.] 

What a summer of contrasts. I was a happy newlywed for a couple months when this tragedy shook our world. There was a flood in Colorado where a friend and leader in Campus Crusade lost her life. The story lives on in many ways. Barbie Leyden ministered to me along with the senior women in 4 states. I was one of her campus ministry leaders who enjoyed that relationship. I remember well the many things she taught me.

https://www.cru.org/train-and-grow/life-and-relationships/hardships/lessons-from-a-tragedy-40-years-ago.html

During the night of July 31, 1976, near Loveland, Colorado, the Big Thompson River flooded its banks.

High in the mountains, a powerful rainstorm dumped around 12 inches of rain in just a few hours, sending a wall of water down the canyon.

Thirty-­five women with Cru, known then as Campus Crusade for Christ, were on a leadership retreat at the Sylvan Dale Ranch, with no idea they were in any danger until they were suddenly evacuated by police.

They were told to get to higher ground, but no one was entirely sure of the best way to go. Two cars were submerged by rising water as they tried to evacuate, and seven Cru women lost their lives. Two women survived by clinging to trees until they were rescued.

It was a great tragedy, especially for those who knew them. And there have been many tragedies since then as well. What can we learn from the past about how to respond to great loss?

Ney Bailey was one of the survivors of the Big Thompson flood, after abandoning her car and climbing to higher ground until the waters subsided. The seven women who died were her friends.

In the aftermath, she wrestled with God about faith, and eventually wrote a book called “Faith is Not a Feeling,”which is still in print today. In it, she explored how the difficult things we each face force us to decide how we will relate to God. Will we take God at His Word? Do we believe He is still in control?

“I knew I was capable of becoming bitter and cynical if I dwelt on the loss and tragedy of it all,” she writes. “Trying to answer the ‘whys’ to which there were no real answers.

“I had to choose with my will, not my feelings, to give thanks over and over again. God, in His Word, had promised that He would work all things (including this tragedy) together for good to those who love Him and are called according to His purpose.

“I was deeply aware that his was not a natural response for me, but a supernatural one, of believing God Word was truer than how I felt.”

In the same way, Bill Bright, the founder of Cru, wrestled with how to respond to this tragedy. His wife, Vonette, was one of the survivors, but for hours the night before he did not know if she had lived through it.

“But I had incredible peace because I knew that God is sovereign and ever­present,” he later wrote.

He grieved the loss of the seven staff members, and decided to make their lives count for even more.

They created full­-page ads to put in newspapers with pictures of the seven women, and explained how they lived their lives for Christ.

“The response was phenomenal,” Bill explained. “Thousands wrote to say that they had received Christ as a result. A foreign ambassador told us that his life was changed by the ad, and later helped open the door for ministry in his country, which had previously been closed.

“When tragedy strikes, take comfort in the fact that no difficulty will ever come into your life without God’s permission. Knowing this truth does not make adversity pleasant, but it gives us hope that the result will be worth whatever pain we endure.”

As of this year, Vonette Bright is now in heaven with the women who she mentored. I thank God often for the influence and discipleship I received working as a Cru staff woman at the University of Tennessee and West Virginia University. I am forever grateful.

To me it is a very good thing that the U.S. remembers Martin Luther King, Jr. on the 3rd Monday of January each year. It seems good that it launches us into a time in February called Black History Month.

A very special church service at Willow Creek Community Church on Martin Luther King weekend is something you may want to see. The interview with James Meeks from Chicago’s famous Salem Baptist Church of Chicago is fantasic.

May we learn more about this people group with whom we share our path. And in the learning, may it hopefully result in deeper understanding, compassion, and action.

Here is a good piece from a blog that I follow called, Tip of the Iceberg. Has anyone seen my old friend Martin?

I would love to have you share good articles with me that move us to understanding and about what it means to be black in a majority white culture in America.