Many Colors
Over the past few weeks, the Lord is painting an assortment of colors on our canvas--some colors vibrant and immediately pleasing to the eye, others dissonant and initially disturbing:
1) VILLAGE: Gabe and Luke and some classmates were privileged to go to a friend's village 5 hours away. While there they helped clean out a water storage cistern and do groundskeeping for a local clinic. It was inspiring for them to see and be relationally connected to "real" Cameroon. In many ways, a city like Yaoundé (where we live) has more in common with urban areas in other countries than it does with the other (rural) parts of Cameroon itself. A huge blessing to encounter the beauty, poverty and kindness of dear Cameroonians! Luke wrote about the experience on his blog: http://yaoundethoughts.weebly.com
2) SEIZURE: An unwelcome event occurred on April 7; Luke had a seizure. Once again the Lord was gracious to preserve him from any other injury; it occurred while sitting at the table with someone next to him. This is a major discouragement because we had hoped the med and new dosage he was on would keep him seizure free as it has done for me. Instead, our Stateside neurologist has prescribed an additional med. We were amazed to find a single bottle of it in a pharmacy here which will tide us over until more can be hand-carried from the USA. Your prayers are deeply appreciated that this will be the Lord's vehicle of protection for Luke. If you are interested in the chemistry of God's providence, here's a pdf: meds.
3) FELLOWSHIP: At last week's Bible study that I lead in the home of a Cameroonian coworker, it turned out that the other attenders were obligated to cook a feast for a funeral of a distant relative. This meant that Ernest (my coworker) and I simply had an hour to talk and fellowship together. I counted it a huge blessing to learn more of Cameroon and place myself at his feet for a time.
4) BEAUTY: In the wake of Luke's seizure, finding beauty can be a bit more difficult than usual. That's why this morning was such a gift. Heidi was out for an early morning jog around the field behind our house. I was sitting by the back window and heard a church choir across the valley begin their Sunday morning practice. Mingled with the multitude of African bird songs wafted "I'd Rather Have Jesus"--the hymn for which Heidi's great uncle George Beverly Shea composed the music. Here on the continent that Bev's brother Alton, Alton's three kids, and all 5 of Alton's grand kids have lived, served, ministered, invested--here was a tangible, perfectly-timed, musical testimony of a legacy of missionary endeavor and the Lord's faithfulness. The link below holds my attempt to capture this gift. You'll need to turn the volume way up and listen very closely:
