I know I haven’t written anything for a while and I’m sorry about that. We’ve been very busy here trying to get all the grades in and wind the quarter down. I am actually looking forward to going home May 9- I plan on sleeping for a week straight!!
For the past couple of weeks, an American couple has been staying at the mission. Thomas and Jill Businelle have an 8-month-old son named Titus (who is adorable, by the way). They were working with the HIM program (out of Memorial Road church of Christ in Oklahoma City) in Mozambique. Unfortunately, it turned out to be a bad time for them to go. They started a 2 year contract last November, but as soon as they arrived, they all got sick and more or less stayed sick until March. Thomas, Jill, and little Titus then spent several weeks in a hospital in Johannesburg. After healing, they came to the Chimala Mission to reflect on their experience and recuperate before returning to the States.
For the past couple of weeks, an American couple has been staying at the mission. Thomas and Jill Businelle have an 8-month-old son named Titus (who is adorable, by the way). They were working with the HIM program (out of Memorial Road church of Christ in Oklahoma City) in Mozambique. Unfortunately, it turned out to be a bad time for them to go. They started a 2 year contract last November, but as soon as they arrived, they all got sick and more or less stayed sick until March. Thomas, Jill, and little Titus then spent several weeks in a hospital in Johannesburg. After healing, they came to the Chimala Mission to reflect on their experience and recuperate before returning to the States.
It seems, at the outset, that a trip such as theirs has ended in disaster. But I don’t think so (and they don’t either). Even though they were only able to stay in Africa 6 months instead of 2 years, they learned a lot about themselves, mission work, and their relationship with God. It truly has been a time of growth and maturity for all three of them.
Garry and I grew very close to Thomas and Jill during their stay at the mission. They have a lot of great ideas to improve the work here. They were also wonderful encouragers and supporters. They are leaving tomorrow, and I am sad to see them go. We really need a young, energetic couple like them to come work here in Chimala. I hope they do well in whatever ministry they pursue, but I really pray God brings them back here to Chimala.
As my time here winds down, I realize not only how much I have learned, but also how far I have to go. I am still not fluent in Swahili, though my vocabulary, grammar, and pronunciation improve daily. I am also not content with the education I have. This summer, as I finish my Bachelors in Biblical Studies, I am also going to begin my Bachelors in Education, with a minor in Intercultural Studies, at Liberty University online. I am very excited to begin this new phase of my life and hope that my studies will produce much fruit for the kingdom and glory of God.
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