As we are reminded of the sacrifice of Jesus who became sin on our behalf so that we might have eternal life, we pray that you would also experience His peace, joy and new life during this Eastertide!
These last few weeks of navigating through the shadow of Covid-19 have been strange but somewhat normal all at the same time. We already work and school at home so no big change there. Video calls & zoom meetings were a way of life for us long before the month of March. All of our services have obviously been canceled, but what a blessing it was to receive an offering for one of those services anyway! Another blessing to come out of this is unexpected time with some of our older kids: Christopher and David had an extra week of Spring Break, and Evangeline is now here with us in Baton Rouge since the dance studio where she works in Oregon has been closed temporarily.
Student ministry in Europe continues albeit in a very different way. Just this week, we’ve heard of students who are participating more in online group video calls than they were in regular meetings before the stay-at-home orders. This is a very encouraging report! Please pray that SFC leaders across Europe will not grow weary in these challenging times, but that they would be innovative and excited about new kinds of opportunities to connect with students.
Please also pray for us as we were tentatively scheduled to be back in Belgium this summer. We need God’s wisdom as we will need to make some important decisions in the next few weeks.
Unfortunately, this sickness has touched several people we know and love so we’ve been crying out to the Lord on their behalf. Please keep praying with us for Greg, Thomas, and Toni who are still hospitalized. We were so thankful to hear that many others have since recovered, including Phyllis who went home from the hospital on Good Friday!
We’d like to thank so many of you who prayed for our son-in-law Caleb during his recent medical adventure! After driving himself to the ER on a Saturday afternoon with severe abdominal pain, he was quickly diagnosed with a ruptured appendix. But, because he and Claire had been exposed to the coronavirus two weeks prior, the surgeon decided to treat him with antibiotics before operating right away. Complications from surgery for Covid-positive patients can be very serious for the patient as well as the medical team. The infection spread too quickly, however, and the surgery happened first thing Monday morning – before knowing the results of his C-19 test. So many of you reached out to us during that time, and for that we are truly grateful! The surgery was a success, and the results of his Covid test (finally!) came back negative. He’s doing much better, still recuperating at home while they prepare for the birth of their firstborn due at the beginning of May.
Speaking of grandchildren, Felicity’s parents have done a great job of keeping us up to date on all her 2-month-old accomplishments. We miss her terribly, especially after a visit we had planned for this past month had to be postponed, but we’re very thankful for the technology we have to keep us connected.
In the prophet Elijah’s day (1 Kings 19) when there was great uncertainty all around because of Israel’s rejection of God’s covenant, the prophet heard the Lord speak to him and give him clear direction, not in the quaking earth, nor in the whirling wind, nor in the intense fire. Elijah heard the voice of His God as a gentle whisper. In these current days of much uncertainty around us, may we position ourselves to hear the Lord our God speaking to us by the whisper of His Spirit, listening intently. May we seize every opportunity He accords us to be His mouthpieces that others may find salvation, solace and security in the One who has vanquished the grave. He Is Risen Indeed!