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Before we left Benin, the kids recorded a video tour of our home and Rift Valley Academy (www.rva.org). The post-production editor (me) took way too long to finally edit the video. But it is done and can be seen on YouTube at:

http://youtu.be/T46f7tkFPwI

Donna and Micah Joy made it safely to Benin and they are settling into the rhythm of life there. Donna feels pretty good from her surgeries; some days she is a bit sore and has yet to return to her previous energy levels. Her doctor said it would be a couple more months before her full energy levels would return. Please pray for Donna’s energy levels.

As many of you know, TWR is constructing new missionary houses and the plan was for Donna to move into a new home when she arrived. The housing project is just a bit behind schedule so Donna and Micah Joy are back in our old house anticipating the move to our new house. Pray for them as they figure out what to unpack and what to leave packed. In addition, Donna will start teaching the Kennedy boys on Monday (January 14).

Most of you know that I am taking a study sabbatical. This study sabbatical will be the start of my work on a PhD in New Testament interpretation. Pursuing a PhD is something that Donna and I have been praying about for a number of years and feel that the time is right to start this process. I will be formally applying to South Africa Theological Seminary (I have been provisionally accepted).

South Africa Theological Seminary is a non-resident program (i.e. I will study from Benin) so I will continue with my position as Station Director with TWR in Benin as I study. Plans are in place for more help to be around the Benin Transmitting Station, so my schedule should not be as full as it has been in the past.

During the time I was caring for Donna after her surgeries, and her dad while her mom had surgery, I lost key time to finish up our furlough responsibilities. As a result I was a bit late starting my study sabbatical. In an attempt to regain some of this time, I will be leaving the USA at the end of January, two weeks later than originally planned.

Your prayers for the start of this new endeavor would be appreciated. Please pray that the next three weeks would yield very fruitful study and for the extended separation of Donna and I. Pray that I can change my tickets without any problems (I have waited to change my tickets just in case Donna was not feeling well).

As always, thanks for your prayers.

PS For those of you interested in my topic, Lord willing, it will be in the area of using social science in New Testament interpretation; more specifically, using the cross-cultural communication research of Geert Hofstede and his six cultural dimensions in biblical interpretation.

In life there is a pattern of mountaintop high experiences followed by valley low challenges. This pattern is seen in Scriptures, in history and has recently been our experience.

Our time visiting churches and reconnecting with friends and supporters has been a mountaintop high. We cannot begin to describe how revitalized, uplifted and supported we have felt. We have been encouraged by the growth and depth we have seen in many of the churches that we have visited. We are greatly encouraged that New Covenant Church in Albuquerque is planning a mission’s trip to West Africa including a team coming to Benin. We are also excited that some close friends are planning their first trip to Benin to see us.

Our descent from the mountaintop began with Donna’s surgeries. While we praise God that they went well and Donna’s recovery is still going well, they took a lot out of both patient and care giver. Because of this I was unable to start my study sabbatical in December. At this point, we are unsure of all the implications of the delayed start with my sabbatical. In addition, we recently heard from Benin that due to some complications a key deadline was missed in the NGO process. What made this news even more discouraging was that the deadline was missed while some were focused on other issues.

At this point it is unknown whether the missed deadline will result in having to redo much of what was done just before we left Benin or if our colleagues can get an exception from the government of Benin. Your prayers for this would be appreciated.

I have already had my little rant with God demanding why He would let some complications cause a missed deadline with the NGO process. As usual, God was very gracious and kind and did not judge me too harshly for my rant.

Praise God with us for the mountaintop, the valley and His graciousness during my rant. Pray for our colleagues who are working on the NGO process. Pray for us as we work through the delayed start of my study sabbatical and start preparing to return to Benin.

As many of you are aware, Donna’s first surgery to remove some fibroids and her gall bladder on November 12 went well. Her second surgery to have some blocked veins in her leg removed on November 26 also went well. Please thank the Lord with us for these successful surgeries.

Praise God with us that Donna’s recovery is going very well, although a bit slower than she had hoped. The doctors are very pleased with her progress and to date there have not been any complications.

Pray for our transition from furlough and surgeries to study sabbatical.

The other day Psalm 95 struck me. About half way through the Psalm (verse 7b) the psalmist changes the tone from praising God to a warning about not hardening our hearts like Israel did at Meribah and Massah. It was at Meribah and Massah that Israel complained and grumbled about not having water (Exodus 17:1-7). Here in Psalm 95 the event that is mentioned is not the worship of the golden calf or failure to obey and enter the promise land at Kadesh but it is Israel’s complaining and grumbling. What is even more indicting is that Israel prayed for years for God’s deliverance from Egypt and now they are complaining about His methods of answering their prayers.

How often do we complain and grumble against the Lord? Many times, just like Israel, we complain and grumble about the very methods God is using to answer our prayers. Recently I have been complaining about a busy schedule rather than being thankful. We are so blessed by the many people and churches that support us and we have been very encouraged by our many visits. How I wish I was not so much like Israel at Meribah and Massah for complaining.

Lord praise be to you for all the mighty and wonderful things you have done. Praises to your name for the many people and churches that help support us as we minister in West Africa. Thank you for the opportunity and the means to visit so many.

There has been electricity and water since we arrived in the USA, the Internet is lightening fast (at least compared to what we are used to), there seems to be a bazillion choices as to food, clothing, entertainment and stuff that we purchase, the roads are fantastic, all our transactions have been in English, we have not see one malnourished child, we have not pasted a single fetish or talisman and we do not feel the constant spiritual oppression that we feel in Benin. We are grateful for these blessings.

However, life in the USA has presented its challenges. All the choices can be numbing if not outright overwhelming. All the comforts and niceties can give complacency strongholds in our hearts. All the entertainment options are fierce competitors for our time and attention. Distraction from the things that are eternal seem to be at an all time high in our lives. It is all too easy to let prayer and the study of the scriptures have a second seat, or worse.

The realities of Africa and the USA are reminders that this world is not our home and in this world there are problems. Please pray for our brothers and sisters in Africa who face a very different set of challenges than those of us in the USA. Pray for us and the other believers that make their home in USA. Pray that God would provide self discipline with all the distractions and entertainment competitors. Pray for compassion to grip our hearts in the midst of the comforts and niceties. Pray that Donna and I can help those in the USA better understand the challenges those in Africa face and what God is doing in that part of the world.

Over the past few weeks we have received a wonderful Welcome Home. First Baptist Church in Whitesboro has provided us a wonderful missionary house that was “move in” ready with lots of extra touches. Vilot Baptist Church gave us a pounding. (A pounding is when a church gives a family groceries and other items to help them establish their home.) Our pantry and refrigerator have never been so full. We have the use of two wonderful vehicles both of which can make road trips. Add to this family, friends and others have helped to welcome us back to the States.

While our welcome home has been wonderful, the last few weeks have been very busy. In addition to moving in and trying to get settled, we have spoken at two churches, had a trip to Cary North Carolina to visit TWR, sent our kids to camp and spoke to two groups in a home settings.

Thank the Lord with us for the wonderful provisions that He has given to our family. Please pray for us as we adjust to the USA and try to share the vision of what God is doing in Africa.

In seminary I learned the fine spiritual art of plodding: Make sure you are heading the right direction then put one foot in front of the other, fall down sometimes, get back up, fall down other times and lie on the ground for a while then get back up, reorientate to the correct direction and put one foot in front of the other over and over and over and over again. Get mad at God sometimes for not making the road shorter or easier, get frustrated with colleagues about stupid things, repent, be thankful for grace, reorientate, put one foot in front of the other over and over again. Plodding, it is a fine spiritual art.

For the last several years I have been plodding along working on the NGO status and shortwave license. I know that many of you are plodding along with me in your thoughts and prayers, and for that I am very grateful. Those of you who have been astute readers of my blog know the long history of the NGO status and all the various updates and requests for prayer. So today when I say: “I think we have a good way forward.” You will recognize that I said those exact same words close to a year ago.

One of the reasons I do not update you as often as I should is that many times I feel like a broken record player repeating the same prayer request over and over. This is further complicated by the fact that I cannot give you all the details so I just end up saying something like “pray for the NGO status, there are meetings about it,” when in reality cultures are colliding, there are conflicts between French and American legal systems, opposing opinions on how to move forward are debated, meetings with government officials range from very helpful to … …, well lets just say I am very thankful for the helpful government officials, other issues pull at TWR staff (myself included) and things do not happen as timely as they should.

Hence a year of plodding has brought me full circle to report the exact same words: “I think we have a good way forward.” While a year of plodding on the NGO status was not my first choice, lots has been learned, relationships tested and strengthened, ideas discussed, new relationships developed, concepts shot down, certain relationships renegotiated, action plans modified and patience developed.

Please pray that the new way forward brings the needed results. Pray that the NGO status does not come full circle again. Pray that the team and I may plod well for God’s glory.

The Lord has brought a provision to the Benin Transmitting Station (BTS) that has come through a very unexpected channel. We have been praying for years for an administrative assistant and the Lord has brought us one.

Thuy, whom Donna and I have know for the past year, is a Peace Corps Volunteer who needed a change of post as her pervious post was unacceptable to both her and Peace Corps. Thuy has her PhD in Higher Education Administration. She is Vietnamese, grew up in Vietnam in the French educational system and completed high school in France; hence her French is beautiful.

Thuy and her husband wanted to do missionary work outside of the USA and to this end were preparing for missionary service when her husband became ill and eventually died. After the death of Thuy’s husband, Thuy pursued a number of different service options but finally ended up with Peace Corps for a number of various reasons. (Hence Thuy is not your typical Peace Corps Volunteer.)

Given Thuy’s experience and the need for her post to be changed, BTS pursued the possibility of Thuy joining the BTS team and were able to secure her placement with BTS for one year.

In addition to Thuy, Devin, a recent college graduate in Mechanical Engineering has been able to work with BTS the last couple of months. Devin has been a tremendous help to my colleague Garth with the construction of the new houses and other projects at site. The only bad thing about Devin is that he was on loan to us from another mission organization in Côte d’Ivoire and we have to return him.

Pray for Devin as he returns to Côte d’Ivoire and completes his service there before returning to the USA. Pray for Thuy as she adjusts to TWR and settles into her position.

Picture of Devin, Paul, Donna and Thuy

“Whether it is grace for salvation, grace for sanctification, grace for service, grace for suffering, grace to keep us singing, grace to govern our speech, or grace for any other need, we experience it by believing God, believing that we need His grace, that he has enough available to help us, that He is willing to share it with us, and that it will be adequate to transform our burdens into blessings.” (Strauss 171)

Strauss’ comment about enough grace is a challenge. The real problem for many of us is not the challenges and difficulties. The real problem is whether we believe we really need God’s grace, whether we believe His grace is sufficient and whether we are willing to humbly ask for His grace. Pray that God will continue to impact us all with the need for and sufficiency of His grace.

Praise God with us that the construction of new missionary homes here in Parakou is going well. The foundations have been finished and currently bricks for the walls are being made. Lord willing in the near future the walls will start going up.

Continue to pray for the shortwave license and NGO status. For the last couple of weeks things have been a bit quite on this front, although in the next couple of weeks TWR will make some efforts to continue moving these things forward.

We praise God that we had a good time with our kids while they were on break from RVA. Continue to pray for them as they attend boarding school. Continue to pray for Donna and I as we parent from afar.

References

Strauss, R. L. (1984). The Joy of Knowing God. Neptune, NJ: Loizeaux Brothers.

Recently, our children have felt the presence of spiritual warfare (more so than the normal amount that missionaries and their children experience). Your prayers for them would be appreciated as they engage in the battle for the souls of others.

My discussions with my kids and some of my colleagues has reminded me that the real battle is not for the short wave license or NGO status, but for the hearts of people to know, worship and glorify the Lord. Please pray that God, in His way and in His time would reach the many people in West Africa who do not know Him.

Please continue to pray for the short wave license, NGO status and more laborers for Benin. Should God desire that TWR use other means to reach West Africa, pray that TWR would follow this leading.

Thank you very much for your prayers for our trip to South Africa. Donna had a wonderful time reconnecting with old friends and colleagues and connecting with new ones. Many of the meetings went well, however, there were a few points where I was hoping for more clarity before we left, pray that these points can be clarified in the coming days. Also pray for the arrival of our kids in Benin this coming weekend for their month long school break.