I felt the need to put out this post for a few reasons which I trust will become clear in a moment. Let me try to clarify the title first because there are several thoughts running through it. In ancient times a king would ride to war on a horse that was almost certainly the most incredible animal in his whole kingdom, but when a king was defeated and captured by his enemies, then he would be paraded in front of his adversaries, riding on a donkey, and sometimes riding backwards just to rub it in. After being humiliated like this, he would be executed.
Andrieka and I were in the final stages of our time in South Africa when I started to write this post.
The thought came to me that Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a donkey. The entire Jewish Nation wanted to make Him a King, but here He comes like one who has been defeated. The Romans obviously knew about the thoughts of the people, but this action would signal to Rome that He wasn't a threat. In a similar way Andrieka and I were returning to the field with several things that were similarly out of place. In Kilwa Masoko there were several ministries and Andrieka's home schooling that was running smoothly, but with Annine's passing there has been a complete restructuring of our lives that has taken place. We were riding on a horse, but now it looks like we might be riding on a donkey... backwards, for a season. The wonderful thing is that while we are doing our best to serve the Lord through these circumstances, that we can rest assured that through all the turmoil and trials that await us, He sustains those who He calls.
Relentless Enemy.
On returning to Kilwa Masoko we found chaos in the congregation. I won't mention names in order to leave a bridge in place for those who will repent and return to the Lord, but I will mention that there were several cases of immorality resulting in two broken marriages and an engagement also being dissolved. When your church has less than twenty people attending services on a regular basis, then this statistic is heartbreaking.
Back to work.
The homeschooling and household responsibilities have now fallen square on my shoulders. There are many times that I have simply been overwhelmed by the sheer weight of it all, but the Lord has been so faithful in bringing relief. There have been several occasions where our Team members have come alongside to lift the burden. I mention this to emphasize the importance of working in teams, and being under the covering of an organization.
The well drilling projects have been placed on the back burner temporarily until we get into a rhythm, the higher priority now is Andrieka's schooling. I have found that there is a lot of value in going to visit my unsaved friends one on one. I have seen that if I am to have any impact in the community, then it will be in having these intentional relationships. It has always been an approach to evangelism with which I have been the most comfortable.
Andrieka's role.
I have often made the joke that Annine and Andrieka were the missionaries. I am just the driver but God calls families, and each member has a vital role. Andrieka has been very busy with her classes in the morning, and then playing with her toys in the house afterwards. I looked at the situation the other day and decided that enough was enough. I made a rule that before 6:00pm she had to be playing with the other children in the neighborhood. Andrieka had hardly been out the door for five minutes and I couldn't hear myself think.
It was as though there had been an eruption and children were pouring over the entire yard. The roles of the children in Ministry are often overlooked. In many cases children get saved because of other children, it is therefore very important to train and disciple our children to carry the light of the Gospel also.
Andrieka helping to make Boerewors.
Life in Kilwa is slowly turning into a new normal. The house will soon be in a state where we will not only be able to receive visitors again, but it will also be easy to clean because we are getting rid of a lot of clutter.
By the Lord's grace it may only be a short time before we can get off the donkey, mount real horses and ride off towards the sunset. Victorious in Christ.
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