“Call to me and I will answer you
and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know.”
(Jeremiah 33:3)
Dear friends,
In my last letter I said not to expect any news from me this month because my schedule is so full. But alas, I couldn’t resist. And in fact, I’m feeling the need for your prayers more than ever. The last weeks have been full of trial after unexpected trial.
I want to humbly ask that you please continue to pray for me, for all of us here in Galati, and for those you know who are walking through trials and suffering. I recently received heart-breaking news from more than one source. The first was from my Mom and Dad who are dealing with the news that their pastor’s wife, Ruth Morgan, has been diagnosed with cancer in an advanced stage. Ruth has now begun the unpleasant journey of chemotherapy. My heart and prayers are with the Morgans, their family and their church family as they walk through this together.
The other unexpected news is that Seth and Kari A., my dear friends and co-staff here in Galati, were rushed to the hospital for an emergency C-section as Kari’s blood pressure had risen and both her and the baby were in danger. Irene was over two months early and weighed less than three pounds. We rejoice with them at the arrival of their baby and thank God that they are in Colorado where they are receiving quality medical care. I also ask that you continue to pray as both Kari and Irene have been kept in intensive care for several weeks due to high blood pressure, infection, and a ventilator for Irene whose lungs are still not functioning properly.
Another burden that I’m carrying is that a long-time member of our community has decided to take some time away from us, is very hurt and in need of comfort from her Heavenly Father and understanding from us. Please pray that there will be reconciliation and that good will come from this painful situation.
PRAISE:
~ I have found host families and a language tutor for the Servant Team of five who arrive in Galati August 17. They are five girls, Robin, Rheanna, Toni, Korie, and Katie.
~ God clearly stood with me in the scary moments of a painful kidney stone episode earlier in August, providing people to stand by me and even a doctor who I know personally from church and can trust.
~ God is clearly working in us and opening lines of communication in our community even though it can be painful at times to address conflicts and seek reconciliation.
~ In early August I was able to spend two beautiful days at the Black Sea with four other girls which was a wonderful gift. I wasn’t expecting to have time for such an excursion and it came just when I needed it.
~ My time with 30 school children at a week of camp in the mountains was wonderful! God clearly used this time to bless the kids and the staff as we enjoyed the beauty of creation and simply enjoyed having fun together. For some of the children, it was their first time to ever get out of the city and see the mountains. Each night a different group performed a skit and the children amazed us with their talents in acting!
Thank you again for your faithful love and support. You are such a vital part of my life as I seek to follow God’s call to serve Him among the poor.
With love and gratitude,
Rachel
Following is a short reflection I wrote after the staff retreat that I attended in June. The theme of the retreat was “Can You Drink the Cup?” based on Henri Nouwen’s book by the same title.
The Cup of Waiting
At the retreat when Chris Heuertz (Director of WMF) asked us to think about what is our cup, what exactly is Jesus asking me to drink, the only word that came to me was “waiting”. I wasn’t sure at first exactly what that meant. My first thought was that it’s about my singleness. Yeah, waiting is hard. And being single is a big part of my cup.
But I also began to understand that there is a waiting we all experience whether we’re married or single. It’s a waiting for the fullness of justice to come. Waiting for the suffering to be healed, waiting for orphans to have loving parents and waiting for the lame to have all their limbs back again.
There are days when all the suffering and despair and sickness and violence are just too much for me to bear and all I can do is weep. Those are times when I must choose to hold, lift and drink the cup of waiting. I want to stop all the suffering. I long for God to snap His fingers and make things right again. But that’s not the way it works. So I must wait and take hope in Jesus promise that He will return, that He WILL come back and free every captive street boy in prison, He will heal every child infected with HIV and he will liberate every addict from his drugs. That day will come. But for now He is asking me to wait and trust Him and live in the present hope of His promised Spirit.
I recently read a verse in 2 Corinthians that struck me:
“Now it is God who makes both us and you stand firm in Christ. He has anointed us, set his seal of ownership on us, and put His Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.” (2 Cor 1:21)
This is a promise I can hold on to when Jesus asks us to wait patiently for Him to come and heal, when He asks us to drink the cup of waiting. He has not left us without hope, but has given us His very own Spirit, “a deposit guaranteeing what is to come.”