Settling back into Normal life!

Life has been busy since we returned home we have definitely hit the ground running full speed.  This week we had the privilege of hosting a team from Medical teams worldwide where we set up clinics in three different villages seeing around 420 different patients from all 6 of the un-reached people groups in the area.  The girls helped with de-worming children and giving out vitamins and even helped people with getting reading glasses. Jason took care of the logistics for the team and also spent the days translating for the Dr. Alan Kelley one of our ministry partners.  I did crafts for the children that came to clinic with my bestie Grace!  Overall it was a huge success and helps us to show the unconditional love of Jesus to our people here.  Jason often gets asked why are these people coming from America to give us medicine or why do people come to help us on the farm or build things...  Its a perfect opportunity to tell them its because we follow Jesus and He loves you so much and He tells us to show His love to you as well.  We are following the voice of our Shepherd.  Speaking of Shepherds.... 

We recently purchased over 100 goats with the funds Cornerstone Nashville gave to us. A wee ago we began to face challenges with this as the Shepherd we hired called to tell us a goat was very sick and near death. Several goats have gotten this sickness now and 4 have died. 

Righteous got to go to the farm yesterday with her Daddy. She came home telling me all about bringing 2 Vet's to see the goats. She watched them take 20 blood samples and some of the samples were clear and some were red. Hopefully in a few days we will have the results and know what to do to prevent any more sickness with the goats. 

I am reminded of the Story of the Good Shepherd. Jesus says, "I am the Good Shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me- just as the Father knows me and I know my Father- and I lay down my life for the sheep. I have other sheep that are not in this sheep pen. I must bring them also. They too will listen to my voice, and their shall be one flock and one shepherd." When we started off with our small amount of goats everything seemed to go smoothly. The females got pregnant easily. They had babies and my daughters delighted in naming all the new goats. Now that we have increased the amount, things are getting shaken up and there are many complications. Life was much simpler when there was only a handful of goats. There is hard work with growth. There are challenges that arise. What I love in the Scriptures above is that Jesus wants all sheep for Himself. He is not content with those that already follow Him. He desires the sheep that are yet to follow Him. 

Besides this goat problem there are other issues that we are taking before the Lord. They can weigh heavily upon our hearts but we know we cannot fix them. We need to surrender them to the Father. 

In school we just read the poem "If" by Rudyard Kipling, It is about the tests that come at us in life. If we choose to act in honesty, fairness and kindness in our experiences we will be all the more stronger at the end. I stand amazed at all my husband endures for the sake of following Jesus. I couldn't help but hear Father God speaking to Jason as I read this poem.

If by Rudyard Kipling

If you can keep your head when all about you

Are losing theirs and blaming it on you,

If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,

But make allowance for their doubting too;

If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,

Or being lied about, don't give way to hating,

And yet don't look too good, nor talk too wise;

If you can dream-and not make dreams your master;

If you can think- and not make thoughts your aim;

If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster

And treat those two imposters just the same;

If you can bear to hear the truth you've spoken

Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,

Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken,

And stoop and build 'em up with worn-out tools;

If you can make one heap of all your winnings

And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss,

And lose, and start again at your beginnings

And never breathe a word about your loss;

If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew

To serve your turn long after they are gone,

And so hold on when there is nothing in you

Except the Will which says to them: "Hold on!"

If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,

Or walk with Kings-nor lose the common touch,

If neither foes now loving friends can hurt you,

If all men count with you, but none too much;

If you can fill the unforgiving minute

With sixty seconds' worth of distance run,

Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it,

And-which is more- you'll be a Man my son!

A medical team came to do clinics in 3 different places.

Patients waiting to see the American doctor.

In this location their were 70 patients waiting to be registered.

One of the team members taking the temperature of the little girl.

My girls got to help pass out vitamins and reading glasses.

Jason was the translator for Dr. Alan

We have a better idea of how to specifically pray for the people after seeing what the sicknesses were.

Thank you so much Dr. Alan for coming!!