Today the boys and I took the little girls and headed on up the mountain, leaving Dad with nothing but peace and quiet for the day. We found a gorgeous waterfall, where we stopped and spread out our mats for a cool, relaxing Sabbath. It was so lovely with birds singing in the trees, soft breezes, the roar of the waterfall, and the incredible beauty of the jungle all around us. (Don’t you wish that I had remembered to take the camera???)

Jason had his guitar, so we sang our hearts out, and then had a worship service geared for little ones, followed by a picnic and a hike. We were all blessed.

It was a great way to end the week, and gave us time to contemplate what is next for our little family. Several weeks ago, when all the other medical people here at the school were gone, I had the pleasure of nursing a little sick village girl, along with her mother. I had the opportunity to pray with them, and visit with them, and it suddenly hit me that this was the first time in months that I had the privilege of speaking with a village lady.

There are many lovely white people that I am able to talk with every day here at the school, and I had 9 students that I was responsible for, but my association with the very people that I am here to reach was almost nothing, because my job was administrative. This school is like an oasis in a desert…Jesus is known and loved here, while just up the road a ways, people have never known Jesus or who he is. We were told of a vast area to the north where there is no Adventist work at all.

When we first came here, we were needed. The IMM program needed to get up and running, and it was a job that we could do. But, at this point in time, there are about 27 foreigners here, and we are no longer necessary. They can do the work here while we push on to open up new territory for Jesus. We feel that this is what we are called to do.

So, we have spent the past month exploring possibilities. Now, there are many villages that want us to come, but I have an injured back to deal with, so finding just the right spot, where I can get to without hurting myself too badly was a bit of a challenge. (The roads in these mountains are really bumpy) We have prayed about this a lot, and I asked God to lead us to just the right place, and that is exactly what God has done. The people in this new village want us to come so badly that they are offering us a house free of charge. We plan to use that small town as a home base while we explore the area and find the best place for us to settle. We hope to be able to eventually plant a church there.

Leaving friends and luxuries behind is never easy, but as long as God is leading, we have nothing to fear. Please keep our family in prayer as we begin this new work.