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NEW YEAR, NEW COUNTRY?
Exploring a Ministry Opportunity in South Africa
Our family had a lot of interesting things happen while we were on furlough last fall, but by far, the most life-changing has been a discussion about us possibly moving from Malawi to South Africa!
While we were in the US, the elders of Grace Community Church asked Rachel and I to consider joining the ministry at Antioch Bible Church in Johannesburg. I've known Pastors Tim Cantrell and Robin Brown for many years, and what we know about the church sounds like a great fit for our gifts and passions.
There's a lot we don't know, but tomorrow we're flying down to South Africa to spend 11 days meeting the church, serving where we can, and exploring the opportunities more fully.
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Please join us, and our church here in Malawi, in praying for this trip! Specific things to pray for:
- Servant-Heartedness. It's been very strange to start thinking about leaving Malawi after investing nearly ten years here! Pray that we would hold our plans loosely and be ready to go wherever the Lord would choose to use us.
- Wisdom. Pray for godly understanding for us and the church leaders in Africa and America as we move from the "courtship process" to tangible decisions about what's best next.
- Practical Matters. Should the Lord confirm our leading to South Africa, we'll have a lot of things to figure out soon after our return. Two big ones are the visa and the taxes. Pray that we would continue to trust the Lord in these areas even as we work towards them.
- Malawi. Whenever we leave, I want to hand off things well. I've been talking with my teammates at CAPA and IBF Church to plan how to do that. Please pray for the current and future leaders who will continue to sacrificially serve to strengthen the church in Malawi!
We'll look forward to telling you more after we return!
MORE FURLOUGH HIGHLIGHTS
Other interesting (if not quite so weighty) events
What else happened on furlough? Here are a few snippets...
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WASHINGTON: Our girls got to play in REAL snow for the first time! (We're not counting the thin patch we found on an Arizona highway in 2015 as "real" snow.)
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CALIFORNIA: We caught up on several years' worth of medical visits...including an enlightening sinus surgery for Matt.
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KANSAS: After the parade, Naomi placed second for her age in the Girard Tractor Pull. She beat a bunch of tough little farm boys!
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MISSOURI: We were all surprised to find that Abigail LOVES fishing! She probably would have caught a bass if the line had been stronger.
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LOTS OF PLACES: It was great to catch people up on what the Lord has been doing in Malawi for the last few years. We had the honor to present, teach, and/or preach a total of 19 times at 9 different churches. Thank you all for inviting us!
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One of our greatest joys was seeing so many dear friends and family members! So many of you have followed us and been praying for us for years. It was a joy to hear what's going on in your lives so that we could pray for you specifically!
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We truly consider it a great honor to be able to pray for you all. If there are other ways we can do so, please let us know.
These are rich days for us, as we daily entrust ourselves to God's perfect will and loving character. We're glad you can join us in this journey, and we look forward to sharing more as His plans for us unfold.
The steps of a man are established by the Lord,
when he delights in his way.
– Psalm 37:23
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By grace,
Matt & Rachel
Abigail & Naomi
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