Thursday of this week our team gathered to discuss our relationship with the local church. With many of our team who have been involved in church planting and discipleship gone or soon going, we need to be on the same page with what kind of support, encouragement, time and programs we are able to give the local church. It was a three hour long meeting that barely touched the real issues of our fears, hopes, dreams and disappointments with how holistic ministry intersects with the life of the local church. All of us wish we could do and be more, but we have to accept our limitations. In January we will meet for vision planning as a group and will have new chances to think about how we may be able to partner with local churches to share the gospel through mercy ministry and evangelism.

My mom sent me a book by Helen Rosevare, an olden-days missionary to Congo, back when things were REALLY tough. She said it reminded her of me but in truth I felt shamed by it. Felt shamed by how little I sacrifice here, how much I protect my time and my health and my family. It’s a crazy hard balance to keep. And perhaps my perspective can be skewed. Relating to the local church is part of that picture. For most of us we take Sunday as our Sabbath - a true day of rest when we escape many of our daily cross cultural interactions to renew ourselves within our homes, hearts and family relationships. But working with churches is a Sunday based activity. How do we do it all and do it well? Of course the answer is that we don’t do it all and most of it we don’t do very well either. Pray that He will give us clarity on how we spend our time, what sacrifices He is asking us to make and a reassurance that He has already paid the ultimate price.

I had a little scare recently that made me suspect my kids my not be as safe on-campus as I hoped. Since then I have spent the last week and a half monitoring them both constantly; supervising every interaction and stressing myself out with it all. Can I keep them safe? No. Do I have a responsibility to take healthy precautions and be aware of their exposures? Yes. God help us to balance what our fearful hearts don’t know how to handle.