Saying our Goodbyes (for now)

As we are preparing to leave Madagascar today, I am finding myself grieving a bit. My heart yearns right now to be in the villages, to be with the people who are so desperately in need of God's boundless love and mercy. A part of me belongs here now, sitting in the sand and dirt, praying for the sick, playing with the children, and sharing the love of Jesus. I have never felt so alive in my life as I have here. The same was true last year, but this year has confirmed it. This feeling has come despite the fact -- or because of the fact -- that here I have continually been stretched beyond myself. We have been faced with the impossible, stepped into the impossible, and then seen God do the impossible. The great extent to which I have had to trust and rely upon God has been incredibly stretching and truly life-giving.  

The needs here are so vast and overwhelming. There is no way one person, or one family, can solve all the problems. In a sense, our family's time here has been like a tiny atom of water, not even a whole drop, falling onto a great dusty landscape. I suppose this could be cause for hopelessness, but instead we are confidently resting in the knowledge that we have a God whose Kingdom Jesus described as being like a mustard seed (Luke 13:18-19). The smallest seed becomes the greatest tree in the garden! So we are praying that the 'little' we accomplished here will be multiplied by God for the glory of His Kingdom. But even if we had been sent by God so just one child could have his hand healed, or one man be delivered from demons (we didn't have time to write about this one), or one family could be brought into the Kingdom, or one baby could receive healing ointment for its severe burns, then that would have been enough. Jesus taught in his parable of the lost sheep (Luke 15:3-7) that the shepherd is willing to leave his flock to go rescue the one sheep that is lost. So great is the love of God, our Shepherd.

We are already beginning to make plans for our return visit next year. It is our hope and prayer that we will be able to bring a small team back to Madagascar with us. What a joy it would be to have a team to minister here together!  We are praying that God will, even now, be placing a call on people's hearts to share the hope and love of Jesus with the people of southern Madagascar. Perhaps God might be calling you?  

To all who have been reading our blog, we pray that God has blessed you with a glimpse into who He is. He is a truly loving Father who is able to do more that we can ever ask for or imagine. His love is so great that He chose to save the world through his own son Jesus, who gave up His own life so we might forever be with the Father who loves us. This is the Good News. It means freedom for the captives, healing for the sick, relief for the poor and oppressed, and forgiveness of sins. It also means a new life as children of God, filled with true love and power through the Holy Spirit, and called to live and love as Jesus did. And God can use you (in fact has chosen you) to love the world into the fullness of His kingdom. To God be the Glory! 

A final photo with friends. 

A farewell photo with Bishop Todd.

Scratching in the Dirt

After a very full weekend, we headed up the coast for a short stay and some much needed refreshment in the coastal village of Ifaty.  We took advantage of some tourist opportunities including a morning of whale watching and an afternoon zebu cart ride through a baobab forest.  We arrived back in Toliara this afternoon having thoroughly enjoyed our little side trip.

Upon our return, I headed out to visit some struggling families in the neighboring village.  My guide was an American missionary named Linda who works predominantly with women who have experienced trauma in their lives.  She works with prostitutes, abused wives, child brides, victims of trafficking... the list goes on and on.  Linda just jumps right into any situation and truly loves these women and their families.  It was amazing to watch her work.

After our brief respite at the beach, it was a little jarring to go right back into the abject poverty that exists in the village.  One of our first stops was a home where a young woman lived who was struggling with a troubled marriage and very little food with which to feed her family.  She had been a child bride, although she is now 18.  She sat in the dirt in front of her home with her young child, her husband and another male family member.  

Linda asked how she was doing, and the young woman expressed concern about a health condition with which she and her little girl were struggling.  Linda indicated that she would stop by tomorrow to bring both of them to a local clinic.  The young woman agreed, but as I watched her face, I couldn't help but think that I had never seen someone whose face looked so utterly hopeless.  There was no life in her eyes.  I can't imagine having lost all hope by the age of 18, but sadly, this is the reality for many young Malagasy women.  

We offered to pray for this woman and her family and then all sat down in the dirt and held hands.   As we prayed, a cute little chick hopped into the center of our circle.  It stayed there, scratching in the dirt, trying to find something, anything, to eat.  I watched the chick and thought about how this little bird's existence was not unlike so many Malagasy families -- scratching in the dirt just to survive.

Poverty is so widespread in Madagascar that it is hard to wrap your head around.  Human beings, created in the image of a loving God, should not have to scratch in the dirt to survive.  And yet, for many of these families, there is no other way of life.  

As we leave Toliara tomorrow to begin our three day journey home, I am left with a mixture of emotions.   This year I believe I have gained a greater understanding of Malagasy life, but it has left me increasingly overwhelmed by the desperate needs of these people.  The poverty is huge, but I have to keep reminding myself that God is bigger.  He is the one who "raises the poor from the dust and lifts the needy from the ash heap." (1Samuel 2:8)  This is literally the need of so many Malagasy, and it has become the cry of my heart.

--SSM

One of several families I visited today.  The adorable baby boy in his mother's arms is struggling with pneumonia.

God vs. the Witch Doctor

Let no one be found among you who sacrifices his son or daughter in the fire, who practices divination or sorcery, interprets omens, engages in witchcraft, or casts spells, or who is a medium or spiritist or who consults the dead. Anyone who does these things is detestable to the Lord.... (Deuteronomy 18:10-12)

God has continued to amaze and challenge us day by day as we minister here in Madagascar. We have prayed for hundreds of people (both children and adults) and have seen God's healing power regularly at work.  It is impossible to describe all we have seen God do in the pages of this blog, but we can testify to the fact that Jesus is alive and well in Madagascar. Bishop Todd and Patsy McGregor's ministry here is so incredibly important, and the sacrifices they have made to be here are extraordinary. We are grateful and blessed to know them. 

On Thursday afternoon our healing teams went out to pray as usual. Our target this time was a small nearby village that we had not visited before. Calling it a village may be a bit of a stretch, since we were actually visiting scattered groupings of houses (most made of sticks, but some of concrete).  My healing team consisted of me, Abigail, Nestor (a student evangelist) and Zafi (our translator). After walking along a series of sandy, cactus-lined paths, we stopped at a small grouping of houses consisting of a larger concrete house and a few stick houses. We sat in the dirt and prayed for various members of the family. The last person we prayed for was an older man, who was the owner of the larger house. As he put it, he 'had a demon' and wanted prayer. As I began praying for him, I had a very strong sense that God wanted us to pray for his house. So I had everyone get up, and I explained that we were going to pray around the outside of his house. I specifically felt we needed to pray that the Lord would build a spiritual wall -- a wall of Holy Spirit fire -- around his house, so that nothing evil could pass through. We also blessed and cleansed all the exterior walls, the foundation, and the corners of the building. I prayed for his window and door, that nothing evil or unclean could ever pass through them. The man then allowed us to come inside (or perhaps we just went in), and I prayed for the floor, ceiling, walls, support beams, beds, and anything else I could see. I then felt convicted to pray specifically and boldly that the house would be a dwelling place of God's Spirit and I proclaimed the Lordship of Jesus over it and over his entire family. As I look back at it now, what we essentially did was 'prayer bomb' his entire home. I had no idea why we needed to do this, but I just followed what I felt was the leading of the Holy Spirit.

After leaving the house we moved on to pray elsewhere (God healed a woman completely of pain an stiffness in her wrist). When we returned to the Bishop's house, all the teams re-grouped, and it was then that I learned something that left me astonished. Every group gave a report about their experience praying. Nestor gave our report, and what he shared took me completely by surprise. Apparently, the older man who we prayed for was actually a local witch doctor (an 'ombiasa'). When we approached his house, someone was dropping by to get 'medicine' from him. Nestor said that when we began praying around the man's house, the man began to shake (I wasn't paying attention to him, so I didn't notice). Nestor also shared that he, himself, had been terribly frightened that something bad was going to happen to us because of what I was praying. As Nestor was sharing this with us, the other prayer teams were amazed and thought it was all extremely funny. I had absolutely NO idea that this man was a witch doctor. But God apparently used me, an oblivious white foreigner, to take authority over the dwelling and 'workplace' where the powers of witchcraft and darkness had been embraced and used by this man, and had likely caused harm to many people. Upon reflection, it was probably better that I didn't know he was a witch doctor. I suspect I might have then been hesitant to pray so boldly. Once again, God's plan was absolutely perfect. 

One more ministry day left, followed by two days of rest and then our journey home. It has gone by so quickly!

-Bruce

Here we are with the Witch Doctor (the older man on the right) and his family. Abigail is on the left.  Zafi is in the back row in the blue shirt, and Nestor is in the back row center in a white t-shirt. Everyone is standing next to the Witch Doctor's house. It is nicer than the rest because people pay him for his services.

The Pousse-Pousse

  The other day, I experienced my first ride in a pousse-pousse. This is the way some people get around Toliara. It is the Malagasy version of a taxi, though it is actually a rickshaw. We decided to take one back from the craft market in the city. At first, I was scared to ride in one because they are so small compared to the large trucks and cars that push past them on the road. Sometimes cars even knock them over! There are two types of pousse-pousse. One type is pulled and steered by a bicycle and the other is pulled just by a person on foot. I imagine that it would be a hard job to have because you are either walking or riding in the hot sun all day.

  

  As you are riding, there are many things to see along the side of the road. There are crowds of people walking while balancing sacks or buckets of various foods and other things on their head. There are also carts pulled by zebu that could be trotting alongside you. Sometimes we had to stop because there was a jam of people riding bikes and of other pousse-pousse. There is also the risk that the bike pulling the pousse-pousse will break in some way. That happened with my mom and me. We were riding along and suddenly we heard a snap and then the bike wasn't able to pedal anymore. The person pulling us got off and fixed it really quickly and then we were fine the rest of the way.

  When I was on the pousse-pousse, I realized just how different the culture in Madagascar is from a lot of the rest of the world. I have learned a lot from this trip, and I think that it has been good for me to experience the kind of poverty in this country and the people living here. It's also a little weird to walk around town and have people staring at us most of the time because we look much different. It seems that riding in the pousse-pousse was one of my favorite things that I have done on this trip so far.

Abbie

God's Big Surprise

Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. (John 14:6)

For the past two afternoons, after our morning teachings on healing prayer, a team of us has headed out into local villages to go house to house to pray for healing. Yesterday Abigail came along with me, but today I ventured out on my own with the team. We've prayed for many people with various needs, but something amazing and unexpected happened today. 

My team of three prayer ministers stopped at a small family 'compound' (five stick houses arranged around a small open area). We were welcomed by the family and pointed to a young man lying on a mat and wrapped in a sheet. We were told he had been sick for a year and that he had a demon. He also had a leg that was twisted. He didn't really appear to me to have a demon, but we prayed for him to be healed and set free from any demonic oppression. Nothing appeared to happen. I have to confess that I felt a bit frustrated, since I was longing to see him healed. But God began to give me words to say to him. I began to tell him about Jesus and about how Jesus was the only way to freedom -- that if he wanted freedom, then he needed Jesus. A crowd of family members had gathered while we were praying, and listened to what I was telling the man. It then dawned on me that what God wanted was for this man, and this entire family to accept Jesus as their Lord. God wanted to bring this family, right then and there, into the Kingdom. So I gave them all an invitation to follow Jesus, and they responded with a very enthusiastic 'yes'! (One of the older men said quite emphatically that he was really ready, which took me by surprise.) I led them all through prayers of repentance, and then helped them pray a prayer to accept Jesus into their hearts. The sick man also accepted Jesus, and declared Him to be his Lord and Savoir. I then prayed a prayer of blessing over each member of the family, and they also brought the children to receive blessings. All I can say is -- God is amazing! I wanted one man healed, but God wanted an entire family saved. God's ways are always so much better. Amen and Amen. 

One final note - our family's biggest struggle over here continues to be with our health. Abigail and I have both managed to remain well, but Shay and Avery have a nasty cold-like virus that has kept them home-bound. Shay has had the virus since last Friday, so she really hasn't been able to be involved in much ministry, which has been frustrating for her. Unfortunately, Bishop Todd has also now caught the virus and is struggling. We would love your prayers for healing and protection for our family and also for Bishop Todd. Thanks for your prayers! 

Here's a picture of our amazing prayer team. On the left is Victor, a deacon in the diocese (and our interpreter). In the back row center is the priest of St. Luke's, Ankilifaly (in Toliara). Except for the woman in yellow, the rest are all student evangelists. 

New Creation

Our time in Madagscar has been a little different for me this year.  Last year, other than a broken toe, I remained healthy throughout the trip.  This year, I have been largely sidelined by an annoying virus.  I am thankful that I was able to make it through our children's outreach program on Saturday, but I have been laying low since then.  I was sad not to be able to go out to minster in one of the villages today, but I was blessed by the quiet time I spent at home.

The sky was sunny and bright today, as it nearly always is in this part of Madagascar, and the temperature was perfect.  I decided to relax on the veranda, so I picked a comfortable chair and just sat for some time looking out at the vast horizon and listening to the unfamiliar sounds:  occasional drumming and singing coming from the neighboring village, goats bleating, and birds making all sorts of noises that sound nothing like our North American birds.  Taking time to just be quiet and listen to the sounds of the place where God has placed me gave me a great sense of peace.

After a while, I looked over toward a flowering plant in the corner of the veranda and saw a gorgeous butterfly flitting around its leaves.  It stayed for what seemed like a long time.  As I watched it, I was reminded of the wonderous process that occurs when a caterpillar becomes a butterfly.  I can't look at a butterfly without marveling at God's creative genius.  To me there is no better illustration of becoming a new creation.

I may not have been able to go where I'd planned today, but God met me where I was.  He reminded me of the work He continues to do in me -- indeed, in all of His  creation.  And I am thankful.

--SSM

A Healing in Andranavory!

"Then children were brought to him that he might lay his hands on them and pray. The disciples rebuked the people, but Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of heaven.” And he laid his hands on them and went away." (Mt. 19:13-15)

Jesus SO loved little children. And he LOVED to pray for little children. Perhaps it was because of their innocence. Or their truly childlike faith. He loved them like a father, like His Heavenly Father. What did Jesus pray for them? Was it a blessing? Was it for healing? Did he speak words of life into their spirits? Whatever he prayed, his prayers were certainly perfect - exactly perfect. 

On Friday and Saturday we were blessed to be able to minister to many beautiful Malagasy children. Abigail shared wonderfully in our last blog post about our time ministering to 200 children this past Saturday morning and a bit about our ministry the night before. So I figured I'd share today about two amazing experiences that happened while praying for children on both days. 

On Friday evening, we held a healing service in Andranavory followed by a showing of the Jesus Film. We had two teams praying at the service. One had Shay, Abigail and Bishop Todd, and the other had me, Avery, and Victor (a deacon/evangelist). A young boy came to my team for prayer. His head was hanging low and he was holding his hand. He showed us his hand and said (via Victor translating) that he was in lots of pain. The pain was clearly evident from the strained expression on his face. On his middle finger was a wound of some kind. It was swollen and clearly very infected. It wasn't clear what the cause of the wound might be. It might have been a cut or abrasion that became infected with bacteria. Or perhaps he had gotten a fungal or viral infection that resulted in the wound. Whatever the source, the wound and infection had somehow caused his ring and pinkie fingers to curl up to his palm. He was unable to straighten them out, and any attempt to do so was extremely painful for him. The ultimate effect of the wound/infection was to make his hand un-usable. 

After asking the Holy Spirit to guide our prayers, we began to pray for him. I struggled with an internal dilemma over whether or not to touch the boy's hand. Was it contageous? But God put on my heart (and Avery's as well, I later learned) the account of Jesus touching the leper. So I placed my hand on his, and we prayed for healing. Then an amazing thing began to happen. As we prayed the healing love of Jesus into his hand, I felt his curled fingers slowly begin to loosen. As we continued to pray, the fingers began to straighten. Avery and I could both feel the power of the Holy Spirit flowing through us. I lifted my hands off the boy's hand, and his fingers had straightened about half way back to normal. He could move his fingers more freely and without pain. We prayed again, and once again the fingers began to loosen and straighten. When I removed my hand, the boy's fingers were straight! He stared at his hand looking completely dumbfounded. He had no pain, and was able to move his fingers freely. We all stood there amazed and then praised God. Praise be to thee, Jesus the healer! 

On Saturday here in Andranomena, I was blessed to be able to pray personally for each of the 200 kids who were present (and also most of the adults). There were supposed to have been several prayer teams to share the load, but there was some kind of miscommunication. So there was only one prayer team and only one person was on it - me. When the reality of this overwhelming fact hit me, all I could do was pray that desperate (yet effective) prayer "help me Jesus!"  As it turned out, it took over an hour and a half to pray for everyone. I was completely exhausted by the end, and felt both humbled and blessed. Was I feeling what Jesus felt after he prayed for the multitudes? I can still remember so many of the adorable faces of the children as they came up for prayer. One boy was particularly memorable. He was very small, and dressed a bit better than some of the others. As he stepped forward, he closed his eyes and had a look of expectation and peace on his face. As I placed my hands on his head and prayed a blessing over him, his eyelids began to flutter and he began to sway. The Holy Spirit was clearly coming upon him powerfully at that moment. My prayer was brief, and as I finished he jerked as as if he was startled. His eyes flew open, and it seemed as if he had awoken. From a vision perhaps? He smiled a big, beaming smile, turned and walked off. I haven't seen him since. I can say with certainty, though, that that little boy came to Jesus for prayer (not to me), and Jesus blessed him. How humbling it is that Jesus chose to work through me to bless that little boy. Praise be to God! 

After a bit of a break today, our ministry continues tomorrow. During the next four days, we will be teaching on healing and conducting healing missions in local villages. That's it for now....

-Bruce

Flowers and Zebu

It's been a busy past couple of days. Yesterday, we had our first art session with the kids from two local churches. We weren't really sure how many of them would attend, but there turned out to be about 200! It was a really great experience, and I'm excited for next week. The kids loved to draw so much that some of them drew up to 10 pictures. The most popular things that were drawn were flowers and cattle (zebu).  Some of the kids didn't even know how to hold a pencil. It felt so great to know that we were impacting a child's life in a good way. I've had a little bit of trouble trying to adjust to this type of poverty, but this was an activity that I enjoyed and felt that I could really connect with.

On Friday, we drove to a village about an hour away from where we are staying. There, we had a healing service and then showed the Jesus Film to the people in the village. It was really cold outside, so we sat in the truck for most of the film. There were no lights in the village so you could look up and see the stars so clearly. It was very beautiful. The church where we prayed for people had no roof too, so it gave the service an interesting effect. When my mom and I looked up in the church, we saw that the Southern Cross was right above us. There is a completely different sky in the southern hemisphere than in the north.  It seems that everything in the sky is intensified down here. For example, the sun and the stars seem much brighter.

Last night we went to a pizza place in town, and I think that they have some of the best pizza I've ever had! When you are there, it's hard to believe that you are in Madagascar, but then you are reminded of it when you see the guards by the door and a wall around the restaurant. Afterwards, we got gelato and it tasted so good. I'm enjoying myself, but I have to say that I'm exhausted. I'm looking forward to the adventures that we have planned for the next few days!

Abbie

The Wind

"The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit." (John 3:8)

Today it was windy, very windy. In fact, it was also windy yesterday, and last night. Our bedroom windows rattled, sometimes forcefully, sometimes playfully, all night long. Bishop Todd said that it hasn't been this windy since the cyclone hit in March.  

Wind can be a destructive and deadly force. It can blow hot, or cold. It can also bring incredible refreshment and cleansing. As John writes, we don't know where the wind comes from or where it goes (science may have an answer for this, but that misses the point. John is, of course, speaking of the Holy Spirit.)  As I listened to the wind, I reflected on how our family over the years has been led by the Spirit in such unexpected directions. I could never have predicted our living in the UK, or ministering in upstate NY, or taking mission trips to Madagascar. There have been so many other surprises along the way as well. The Spirit has blown us along a path that has been filled with both joy and difficulty. But, looking back, we can honestly say that when we have listened and responded to the leading and prompting of the Holy Spirit, we have never been led astray. Blow where you will in our lives Holy Spirit! Lead us on! (Life in the Spirit is a guaranteed adventure.)

Today was a day of rest and preparation before our ministry begins tomorrow. We spent much of the day out on the veranda watching the wind pick up the dust and whirl it around as the local villagers got on with their daily lives. I have to say that I am truly amazed how one small boy can drive a whole herd of Zebu (cattle). Shay was busy preparing Saturday's children's program, and I finished up Sunday's sermon and began preparing other talks and sermons for the days ahead. Tomorrow afternoon we head out to a village an hour away to hold a healing service and show the Jesus Film. I can't wait to see what God will do. Please join us in praying for an outpouring of the Holy Spirit -- and that many will be saved and healed!

-Bruce

Here's a picture of Avery and Shay flying a kite on the grounds of the Bishop's Gathering Place. (The kite actually flew much higher.)

A Gift of Love

We have finally arrived in Toliara.  It is not easy to get to this part of Madagascar, and we are thankful to have arrived safely.  When we arrived at Bishop Todd and Rev. Patsy McGregor's home outside the city, it seemed as though no time had passed.  We were greeted by the same friendly faces and treated to a familiar Malagasy meal of rice and loka.  Avery immediately inflated one of the soccer balls we brought and began to kick it around with a friend he had made last year.

Tonight, as we sat down to eat, I was reminded that during our last visit we would each share our "God moment" of the day as we gathered for dinner.  It was a wonderful way to reflect on how we could see God working during our trip.

My "God moment" today occurred before we even reached Toliara.  Early this morning we boarded a flight in Antananarivo that would make one stop along the eastern coast before heading to Toliara.  As we walked out onto the tarmac, I noticed a group of French travelers waiting to board.  Many in this group were wheelchair-bound, and there were several others who appeared to be assisting them.  After allowing us to board first, the men and women who were assisting them took turns carrying these disabled passengers onto the plane.  They were a happy bunch, clearly excited to get to wherever they were going.

When we arrived at our first stop, we stayed on board as the French travelers disembarked.  After they had left, Bruce turned to me and said, "What an interesting group, and what a blessing for them to be able to travel like this."  I was thinking the same thing, but I wondered what they could be doing in such a remote area of the world.  Traveling in Madagascar is not easy, and it would be especially difficult for someone with a significant disability.  If they simply wanted to visit a lovely beach, the French Riviera certainly would have been a lot easier.  Yet, whatever the purpose of their travel was, I couldn't help but be moved by the compassionate dedication of the people who were assisting them.  They were sharing with these lovely people a wonderful, Christ-like gift of love.  Their joy was contagious, and I can only pray that their time in Madagascar is full of abundant blessings.

--SSM

JNB to TNR

It is amazing the difference a year makes. Today as I watched the mainland of Africa disappear behind us and the waters of the Indian Ocean stretch out ahead, absent from my mind was the fear of the unknown that had occupied my thoughts during last year's flight from Johannesburg to Antananarivo. Instead, I was filled with an abiding peace in the knowledge that not only have we done this before, but that God was amazingly faithful in the way He took care of us. Whatever might lie ahead, we know that we are in God's hands.

We are overjoyed to now be back in Madagascar. Since the day we left last year, all we could think about was our return. Even though I was rather sick by the end of last year's trip, I didn't want to leave. It is probably the children that I have missed the most -- their smiling faces, their beautiful songs, their ever-running noses. So many of the kids are sick and there is little medical care available to them. I remember last year holding a beautiful little infant in my arms. The child's chest was distended and deformed and its breathing betrayed lungs filled with fluid. There was little chance the child would live much longer. But I prayed for that precious little one, trusting in the truth that Jesus is the healer. I never saw the child again, but believe that the child is in Jesus' arms - either on earth or in heaven.

Tonight we are overnight in Antananarivo. Tomorrow we fly to Toliara. On Friday, our ministry begins with an evangelistic healing outreach in a local village. We will be showing the Jesus Film and then praying for the sick and demonized. Come Holy Spirit! Lord, confirm your Word with miracles and power! On Saturday, we spend a day teaching local village kids. Shay or Abigail will post a future update on fun things we have planned for them.

Thank you everyone for your prayers. We feel incredibly uplifted.

Blessings and peace!
Bruce

Further Up & Further In

South Africa is a land of breathtaking natural beauty.  Nelson Mandela, acknowledging his obvious bias, once said that he believed it is the most beautiful place on earth.  I cannot disagree.

Yesterday we had the opportunity to hike the Cape of Good Hope.  We saw baboons, wild ostriches and even penguins, but it was the majesty of the land itself that left me speechless.  As we began our final ascent before reaching the end of the cape, I looked out over the windswept cliffs and gleaming ocean and the only words that came to mind were,  "Further up and further in."

If you are a CS Lewis fan, you will know what I mean.  These words are used in The Chronicles of Narnia to describe the ascent into Aslan's country.  CS Lewis believed that when we are awestruck by natural beauty, we are experiencing a longing for our true home -- that place where all of creation is made perfect, no longer veiled in shadow.

I have indeed been awestruck by the beauty of this magnificent land, but I know that I have only been given a shadowy glimpse of what is yet to come.  What joy it will bring to one day truly go "further up and further in."

--SSM

JFK to JNB

This morning we left our car in a remote lot at JFK and boarded a shuttle to the terminal.  We were the only people on the shuttle, and as we pulled out of the lot, we heard the familiar sound of Chris Tomlin's "Your Grace is Enough".  Weird.  I know I've never heard that playing on an airport shuttle before.  We sang along and felt that God was reminding us that His grace would indeed be enough for all that we will encounter on this trip.  Next stop Johannesburg...