Planted

It may be that you are planted where you get only a little [sunshine], you are put there by the loving Farmer, because only in that situation will you bring forth fruit to perfection. Remember this, had any other condition been better for you than the one in which you are, divine love would have put you there. You are placed by God in the most suitable circumstances, and if you had to choose your lot, you would soon cry, “Lord, choose my inheritance for me, for by my self-will I am pierced through with many sorrows.” Be content with such things as you have, since the Lord has ordered all things for your good. Take up your own daily cross; it is the burden best suited for your shoulder, and will prove most effective to make you perfect in every good word and work to the glory of God. 

Charles H. Spurgeon

Believer, do you find comfort in this truth? 

The reality that God sovereignly ordains our days can be both a source of great turmoil and one of great comfort. If you are in turmoil over the place in which God has placed you, ask yourself why. Is it because you wish your life had gone a different way? Or because some situation did not turn out as you had expected, hoped, dreamed? Or because you find this current daily grind so monotonous, dreary, difficult? The truth is that God cares most of all about your process of sanctification, that way in which he is making you more and more like himself. Yes, he cares about your comfort, about your dreams and your desires. But mostly, he cares that you are transformed into the image of Christ and he will lovingly orchestrate your life in order to bring about this Christlikeness in you. 

The sovereignty of God is the safe place for the believer. What a comfort, to know that God has planted me here, in this very place, with these very people, for his good purposes! Does this change your perspective? He knows your sorrows, your difficulties, and begs you to come to him for comfort. He knows your dreams and longings, and desires to give these to you, according to his good will. He knows the depths of your heart and he loves you the same. Praise him!

Be encouraged today, that God has given you the daily cross best suited for you, handcrafted for you, his beloved, for your good. Your lot in life, in this season and the next, is given you in God’s great mercy for your further growth and his ultimate glory. 

And remember that he who has planted you in this place will properly water you, give you sunshine, and tenderly care for your growth. God does not toss his children to fight for their lives in the weeds alone and in our own strength, but promises to never leave nor forsake us, to make perfect his strength in our weakness, to provide us with all that we need. Grace upon grace, how wonderful it is to be a child of the living God!

What the Psalms Have Taught Me about Safety

In peace I will both lie down and sleep; for you alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety.
Psalms 4:8

In the summer of 2008, I spent two months in Pakistan. My time was focused on the discipleship of Christian women, through training teachers at a local Christian girls’ school in English and leading Bible studies among nurses at a local hospital, primarily. When I first arrived on a muggy Sunday morning and was retrieved by the airport by a Pakistani driver via a sign that read “Bethany Simpson,” I watched in fascination out the window from the back seat of the car for the 2+ hour drive at the new world in which I found myself. A few hours after arriving at my new home, after a short nap and changing into a shalwar kameez, I accompanied my hosts to a local wedding reception. Upon arrival, we saw a group of men celebrating by shooting guns straight up into the air, and my hosts explained that this was a cultural celebratory tradition, regretfully sharing about the unfortunate deaths that occur from falling bullets.

I lay in bed that night, and listened to gunshots in the distance, and fear seized my heart. I could die here in this place, of all things, from celebratory falling bullets. Oh God, I prayed, I’m so afraid of falling bullets, of all things, in this place. I drifted into a fitful sleep, and awoke to the call to prayer at dawn, realizing God’s protection of me and his sovereignty over my life. In that first week, and the weeks following, the Lord worked in my heart to show me anew of his sovereignty over the events of my life. On June 21, 2008, I wrote in my journal, “I think fear hit its peak for me last week when I realized that it is possible that I won’t see Ben or my family again…this is a very real consideration, but not one to dwell upon. And then I felt a quiet confidence…that I will indeed see them again. If nothing else, most surely in your presence. But I pray that I will be able to return home." And a couple of months later, by God’s grace and according to his perfect will, I did.

//

One of the most frequent questions we got about our plans to move to South Africa was regarding our safety, asked out of a place of love and concern for the wellbeing of our family. We typically answered it something like this: Yes, there are real dangers in South Africa. There is a high crime rate. There is HIV. There are many deaths each year from car accidents. But there are dangers in the United States too; different dangers, no doubt, but danger the same. Ultimately, we entrust our lives and the lives our daughters to the Lord, and believe that He is sovereign over our lives.

So, while many of you have likely heard that response, I wanted to take a few minutes to unpack that a bit further here, and share what the Psalms in particular have taught me about safety. Understanding God’s sovereignty over our lives and deaths is applicable not only to missionaries, but after all, to anyone who belongs to Christ.

To begin, we first must recognize that God as our Creator has both given us life and determined the length of our days:

“For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother’s womb… my frame was not hidden from you, when I was being made in secret, intricately woven in the depths of the earth. Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them.” (Psalm 139:14a, 15-16)

In his sovereignty, God has both given us this life and determined the number of days we would live on earth. He already knows the day of your death; it will not come as a surprise to him. If your life is rooted in the salvation of God through Christ, you have the great blessing of knowing that you are secure in Christ in both your life and your death! We are able to trust him with both. It is not for me to worry over my safety, or the safety of my husband, or my children, because his love for them is far superior to mine and he sovereignly cares for them.

Secondly, we can entrust our safety to God because he has promised to be our protector. Psalm 91 says:

“He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say to the Lord, “My refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.” For he will deliver you from the snare of the fowler and from the deadly pestilence. He will cover you with his pinions, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness is a shield and buckler. You will not fear the terror of the night, nor the arrow that flies by day, nor the pestilence that stalks in darkness, nor the destruction that wastes at noonday” (v. 1-6).

Here we can understand several key points. God is the only one who can deliver us; all other illusions of safety are simply that, illusions. He has promised to be our shield, our refuge, our fortress; truly, only he can protect us against the many dangers of this world. One of my favorite passages is found in Psalm 3: “But you, O Lord, are a shield about me, my glory, and the lifter of my head… I lay down and slept; I woke again, for the Lord sustained me” (v. 3, 5). I literally cannot find peace from the danger of this world in any other secure place than in the Lord – who sustains me, day in and day out.

Not only can we learn about God’s promised protection, we can also see how the psalmist demonstrates the active placing of his life under the care of the Lord. He “dwells in the shelter of the Most High” and says to the Lord, “my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust” (v. 1,2). This psalm continues on, “you will not fear…because you have made the Lord your dwelling place” (v. 5, 9). There is action on the part of the psalmist, a cognitive step of choosing to put his trust for his life into God’s hands; of rejecting fear, because he is dwelling in the Lord. We can trust God with our safety, in the night, by day, in the darkness, in the noonday sun. At all times, through all our days, he is trustworthy.

Finally, we see that only in Christ is true safety found:

“Because he holds fast to me in love, I will deliver him; I will protect him, because he knows my name. When he calls to me, I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble; I will rescue him and honor him. With long life I will satisfy him and show him my salvation” (v. 14-16).

Here the psalmist is expressing God’s words of salvation, which we now understand has been revealed in Christ, who is our ultimate deliverer and in whomGod will protect him who “knows my name,” here on earth, and in ultimate eternity. For those of us who have trusted in Christ for our salvation, our eternity is secure, and this is our ultimate safety. All kinds of dangers may fly around us, may threaten our earthly lives, but because of Christ’s redemptive work on the cross, we are forever secure in him. What glory! What peace!

And so, we can confidently and wisely entrust the safety of our family in South Africa to our loving Father. This does not mean that we will be unwise in the daily things; we will still buckle our children into car seats, we will still avoid going out at night, and we will still take extra precautions in a country with a high HIV rate. But this does mean that though we seek to be wise in these daily things, we realize they do not promise safety, but God promises his love to us and his best for us.

It is also important to understand that by entrusting the Lord with our safety, we are not guaranteed long lives; in fact, in his sovereignty, he may see fit to end my earthly life sooner. This is not a failure on his part to “keep me safe,” but rather a part of his good plan, according to his ultimate purpose, one we may not understand on this side of eternity.

But whether our years are twenty or ninety, there is wisdom in acknowledging the shortness of our lives:

“O Lord, make me know my end and what is the measure of my days; let me know how fleeting I am! Behold, you have made my days a few handbreaths, and my lifetime is as nothing before you. Surely all mankind stands as a mere breath!” (Psalm 39:4-5)

In obedience to God, we can truly rest in his sovereignty over all the days of life and the day of our death. And then, we are able to pray in earnest with the psalmist, “so teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom” and “let the favor of the Lord our God be upon us, and establish the work of hands upon us; yes, establish the work of our hands!” (Psalm 90).

Yes, Lord, establish the work of our hands!

//

for a beautiful musical rendition of Psalm 4, listen here, by the Psalms Project

Acquainted with Grief

A few weeks ago during a particularly honest conversation with my mom, in which we were both sharing about the grief we were experiencing as we are transitioning our family overseas, she shared this simple, yet profound thought with me, "Jesus himself is acquainted with grief - that's what the Bible says."

In eighth grade, I memorized Isaiah 53 in the King James Version with my video school Bible class (yes, there was such a thing back then - VHS and all!). We started out by reading the chapter every day, and then gradually were able to put the Bible down and recite from memory this rich chapter. There's much to be gleaned from this prophetic passage detailing Jesus' coming to and living on earth, for the essential purpose of being "crushed" by the Lord (v. 10) in order to bear our iniquities and account righteousness to us (v. 11). Amazing! And here is why we celebrate Christmas, in a nutshell - in great praise and honor for Jesus' coming to earth.

Lately, I've been pondering this part of this passage:

"He is despised and rejected by men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: we hid as it were our faces from him, he was despised, and we esteemed him not. Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted" (Is. 53:3-4, KJV).

Taking a quick look into this passage, we know that the suffering Jesus experienced on earth was that which results from sin - individual sin, corporate sin, a world marked deeply and irrevocably by sin. Jesus had full human experience, all the grief and the sorrow and the suffering we likewise experience, but yet he lived a perfect life. This is an essential part of solid doctrine on the incarnation - Jesus is fully man and fully God. In order to completely accomplish redemption for humankind, Jesus must have lived a human life. In order to completely accomplish redemption for humankind, Jesus must fully be God, because only God can accomplish such a task.

This world is marked by grief and suffering and sorrow, so much, we know, from our own lives, from the news, from the lives of our friends and family. Jesus likewise experienced these griefs, and his suffering accentuates the consequences that sin brings into the world, because he experienced this grief without even sinning. Even more so, he did not just experience our grief and suffering, he "hath borne" them - meaning, he took them upon himself, invited them into his life, "carried" our sorrows. This was not a passive experiencing, but rather a very active one, in which Jesus chose in full obedience to the Father to take upon himself the sins of humankind and experience all of the grief, sorrow, and suffering which accompanies it.

Lately, I've had these lingering questions: what do I do with my grief? Where do I put it? How do I do it well? What can I learn from it? There is much yet for the Lord to teach me about this process, but something I have been thankfully clinging to is this: Jesus is acquainted with grief. He knows these very feelings, he has felt these very sorrows, during his life here in this broken world where death comes to all. Grieving, because of distance, because of lost time, because of lost relationship, is not unknown to God, but rather very familiar to him. In my grief, I can sit at the feet of Jesus and know that he is a friend to me. I can look to God as my loving Father, dwell in his shelter and find a shield in his faithfulness (Ps. 91:1-6). I can take great comfort in the God of all comfort, "who comforts us in our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God... for as we share abundantly in Christ's sufferings, so through Christ we share abundantly in comfort too" (2 Cor. 1:4-5). Not only this, but I can rejoice that through this grief "the tested genuineness of [my] faith - more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire - may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ" (1 Peter 1:7).

And while finding friendship in Jesus, resting in God's comfort and shelter, and the refinement of my faith are unbelievable gifts, that's not all. There's also hope. Because, "out of the anguish of his soul he shall see and be satisfied; by his knowledge shall the righteous one, my servant, make many to be accounted righteous" (Is. 53:11). Because Jesus was acquainted with grief, because he bore the suffering of humanity and ultimately death on the cross so that some might be made righteous on account of him, we have much hope. Because he has already paid the penalty for our sin and in him we are found righteous before God. And because one day, he is going to make all things new. He has already said that he will right all that is wrong with this world: "Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away" (Rev. 21:3-4).

And so, in this season where grief is pronounced, I am reminded that I can draw even nearer to the heart of God, for he is my dearest friend, my strong shelter, my ultimate comfort, and the source of my great hope. Merry Christmas to you!

On culture shock.

 We have been in South Africa now for two months! Thankfully, I have already been able to reflect on some of what God is teaching me in this transition to our new ministry home. There is so much good, so much to be thankful for, so many ways that God has provided what we need and shown again and again how he's taking care of us.

Then there's this thing called culture shock, and this lingering thing called culture fatigue. For better or worse, I am not above it. This is how it looks for me right now.

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I thought our new dryer was broken, so I called the store we bought it from and they sent out a repair man. He looked at me like I was an idiot when he explained that there is nothing wrong with this dryer - it's working perfectly fine. "It's supposed to stop and start like that, the whole cycle?" "Yes, that's how it works," he said. "Oh. Well, why does it run for three hours when I set it for a 40 minute cycle?" I prodded further, still thinking something was wrong with it. "Because it will stop for 5 minutes when the cycle is finished, and if you don't stop it, it will start the cycle over again," he explained, eyeing me. "Oh" I said again. I have done hundreds of loads of laundry in my life, maybe thousands, I thought, I'm not an idiot! I know how to work dryers... in my country.

This morning, I see beautiful pictures of the first snow back in Chicago. Here, it is beautifully warm, and I'm trying to be so thankful for the lovely weather, but really, I just miss snow, because it's December, and I've always know snow in December. Norah has been asking when it will snow, and when she can make a snowman, and when she can go sledding, and where her snow pants and snow boots are, because she loves snow. I've told her it probably won't snow here, and together we shared real disappointment. So I close Facebook and IG for now, because it's just hard to see. And I miss snow. (I know, call me crazy.)

If I am out and about with the girls, especially the little ones, people will randomly come and pick them up. At first, this scared the living daylights out of me, as you can probably understand. Now I know it's just sweet ladies being affectionate and loving on my kids. If Tess is happy, they may even walk her around the store while I try to shop and keep an eye on where she is.

Last week, it was Thanksgiving, and we saw so many great pictures of our friends and families celebrating. I knew the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade was about to start, and I heard it was chilly, so I thought about warm sweaters and crackling fires. It was 81 degrees here, and we had a full day of all the normal language study activities, and I had an appointment late in the afternoon. It's a holiday in my home country, I thought, like a secret I was carrying. Very late in the game, we invited our fellow American coworkers over for roast beef, and I threw together a pumpkin pie in a cake pan with butternut squash, and we had a meaningful time together. I'm so glad we did. 

It could be another 21 days before our internet gets hooked up, they said on the phone. Oh, we say, this is another one of those TIA (This Is Africa) things. Deep breaths.

My daughters are, for the most part, adjusting so well to their new environment. Partly, I think, this is because they are so young, and honestly, do not understand all the losses. So we are helping them with that. But yesterday, I thought, if they talk about their plans to go to Moriah's house and Micah's house and Grandma and Grandpa's house one more time, I'm going to fall apart. I tell them, "yes, we will, it will just be quite awhile. Do you remember how we had to take three airplanes to get here? We will have to take three airplanes back to see Moriah, and Micah, and Grandma and Grandpa, and all the other people we love in the US." They understand, sort of, and are not sad, because for them, "quite awhile" could be just a week, or a month or something. They don't know it will be years. I just carry that for them.

I cannot, for the life of me, figure out how to keep the girls' clothes clean. I have tried several different kinds of stain removers here, and nothing seems to work, and there is so much mud. Their clothes are getting ruined, but they are only clothes, so it's okay, I think? But I wish I could just drive to Target and buy some OxiClean, because, for us, that always worked. But it's only clothes.

In the grocery store the other day, we had all the kids, who were squirrely because it was almost dinner time, and I kept walking up and down the aisles, looking for... beef and vegetable broth. I could not find it. I stood in the soup aisle, and tears filled my eyes as I tried to read all the labels to figure out what these boxes were full of. Finally, I just grabbed something, and am hoping it will work. I think maybe I need to make my own broth.

Why don't the lightbulbs sit solidly in the lamps? Every time I open my dresser, the light flickers. Am I doing something wrong here? Hmm.

Anytime I see a little girl with her grandma, I look away quickly, but my eyes fill with tears. Anytime I see a mom with her adult daughter, I have to start deep breathing exercises. Anytime I see friends having coffee together, I feel incredibly lonely.

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Basically, culture shock right now feels like I do not know how to do quite a lot of things here that I could do well, without evening thinking about it, in my home country (like getting stains out of and drying clothes!). I am like a child, here, in this culture, learning how to do life all over again.

Yesterday, we had a truly lovely day, with windows wide open and a nice breeze and warm sun - it was perfect, for July. I knew it would be a challenge to change my internal seasonal "clock" and it is. It will come, I know it will. Day by day we are learning more about how to not just survive, but truly enjoy our new life here. Be patient. 

I am reminded of what Jesus says in Matthew18:3-4, “Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.” And so, here I am, more like a child than I ever wanted to be, more dependent and fragile and unsure of myself and humble, not really out of choice, and yet, thank you Lord. For in this, I am relying more on him each day. 

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 And guess what I found on the shelf in our grocery store a couple of days ago, when I wasn't even looking for it? 

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Some lessons from our first month in South Africa

Sawubona from South Africa! We arrived on the cold and rainy evening of September 28th to the smiling faces of our TEAM coworkers Eric, Susan, and Marci, who greeted us with warm hugs and flowers. 

Since then, we have been describing our landing as a bit rocky. Perhaps we were a bit naive coming in - full of excitement and general optimism for the adventures to come. But suffice it to say that it has taken us longer than we expected to get settled in (still working on that!); that while there is so much we love about our new culture, the difficulties have been pronounced; that we've jumped into language study without particular pieces in place to facilitate a great learning experience; and that overall, we've been in more of a survival mode than we had expected ourselves to be at this point in our transition. 

It has taken us a bit to get our feet back on the ground and we can literally feel ourselves acclimating (like growing pains, remember - those aches in your legs!?) a day at a time. But, as my husband and children can attest to, all it seems to take to derail my mental and emotional stability is the smallest of inconveniences or disappointments. What had otherwise been a pretty swell day could become rather devastating over a seemingly small issue. I have been able to identify that much of what we are experiencing is indeed normal - although it's debatable how comforting that truly is (about as comforting as it is to hear that your awful nausea during your first trimester in pregnancy is normal). 

And so, thankfully, after a month, I am already able to identify some lessons that the Lord has been teaching me:

1. I am weak. Honestly, I do not remember thinking that I was a particularly strong person before moving overseas, but I also know that I did not actively dwell on my weakness. This first month here has revealed to me (and my family) just how weak I truly am. As you can imagine, this realization has been painful. What is wrong with me? Why can I not handle this seemingly insignificant disappointment? How will I function without _____? What I do know is what God has already said: "my grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness" and so I joyfully affirm what Paul has said, "therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of God may rest upon me" (2 Cor. 12:9). I am not strong enough to do this - to say goodbye to everyone dear, to leave our home and move our family across continents, to settle in somewhere completely new, to learn a language I've never heard before, to keep my children quiet through a 3 and a half hour service and try to listen for the few Zulu words I know, but, through my inadequacy and because of my weakness, God's power will prevail in my life. It is his power that enables me, in my great weakness, to get up every morning and seek to glorify him anew. To God be the glory! 

2. Be patient. I have heard parents say that they thought they were very patient people... until they had children. Yes, so were we. And I would say that I was generally patient about certain things getting accomplished... until we moved overseas. A new perspective on patience has emerged, also painfully. We had expected to move into our new home within a couple of days upon arriving; instead, we waited for two weeks. If I could just tell my then-in-a-tizzy-self, be patient - you will be in your own home soon, you will not be homeless forever I think those weeks would have been much less stressful. So now, the Lord graciously has reminded me of his provision for us, one step at a time, one detail at a time. Be patient - he will indeed take care of us, and the details will work out. Some day soon we will have our own internet. Soon we will own a vehicle. In a few months, and then a few years, we will be able to communicate so much more than we can currently. Soon, we will make new friends and find a home church. Be patient. 

3. Set your eyes upon Jesus and find comfort in his character, faithfulness, and provision. It is easy and natural in the midst of stress to focus on myself, to bury my head under the covers, and to throw something of a pity party. But to take my eyes and turn them upward, to remind myself of all the ways that the Lord has been faithful again, and again, and again, and to relish in his perfect, unchanging nature amidst my very imperfect and transitional life is the best antidote for any stress, grief, or disappointment. He has indeed taken my life, raised it from the pit of sinfulness and death, and through Jesus given me status in his kingdom as an heir and daughter; he has faithfully provided for my every need - physical, spiritual, emotional, mental - in the way he sees fit and according to his perfect purposes, and he will continue to do so; he has given me access to his very word as recorded in the Bible and in it is all that I need for my life. There is much to be said about his character, faithfulness and provision, and much for me to dwell upon in difficult moments. What an immense privilege and blessing! 

And so, if this challenging first month was meant only for me to learn these invaluable lessons, then I will be thankful for it and embrace this education, however painful along the way. 

"We must hide our unholiness in the wounds of Christ as Moses hid himself in the cleft of the rock while the glory of God passed by. We must take refuge from God in God. Above all we must believe that God sees us perfect in His Son while He disciplines and chastens and purges us that we may be partakers of His holiness."

 A. W. Tozer (The Knowledge of the Holy, 107).

On the closing of a chapter...

Two weeks ago, we moved out of our Chicago home and community, after five years. This is the closing of a major chapter for us, a chapter that has included seminary degrees for both of us, the gifts of three daughters, the beginning of a future ministry in South Africa, the involvement in communities of believers who've become our family.

As you can imagine, that week was a blur of busyness, of general overwhelm, and of a nice dose of chaos. We managed, with the help of Ben's mom and two of his sisters, plus a couple of our nephews and our little niece, and Beth's parents, and several friends along the way, to sell many of our belongings, ship a small crate of some, donate the rest, and pack our suitcases. We also moved our of our home of four years, were commissioned by our church, and said many goodbyes to our Chicago community.

Since then, I have been reflecting on much of what we have left:

- the edification of our wonderful church body, who have challenged us, supported, and loved us, and who have come around us as we follow God's leading to South Africa

- the encouragement of our "small" group of six other families, all of who have sacrificially committed to financially and prayerfully partnering with us - this is what it looks and feels like to be "sent" as missionaries

- the camaraderie of our friends from Trinity, from previous churches, from our work settings, for two, and three, and four and some even for five years

- the comfort of our bright and cheery and spacious to us home for the past four years

- the routine of "the castle park" the perfect walk from our home and many play dates with friends

- the years of learning and growing during our time at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School - and the refinement of our giftings and how we can serve the Lord 

It is a very bittersweet goodbye - we are leaving what has been a good, rich, growing season for us as a family, and there are so many people we will greatly miss. There are many "losses" and we're taking some time to acknowledge them all. The girls have been asking lately about certain things - "where is my rocking chair? where are our dishes?" So we are learning to explain how some of our things we can take with us, and other things we cannot take - but they are just things. 

But this is the blessed truth that we have been dwelling on:

"Therefore, as you have received Christ the Lord, so walk in him, rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving."

Colossians 2:6-7

So while we've said goodbye to our earthly roots in Chicago, we hold fast to our true rootedness - in Christ, for "in him we live and move and have our being" (Acts 17:28). 

New Teammates

A couple of weeks ago, we attended TEAM's missionary orientation. One of the blessings was connecting with others who either have served in Southern Africa or are about to begin. During one of the sessions, an older gentleman who, with his wife, have been serving in Southern Africa for six years told us that the Southern Africa field had decreased greatly over the last decade or two. There just had not been any new missionaries coming. They, along with others still there, have been praying for a long time for the Lord to raise up workers for Southern Africa. Looking at each of us, seven new missionaries eager to go, he said that we were an answer to prayer. How incredible to see the Lord at work! Here is a picture that we were able to get together. 

(From left to right: Brett & Kara Richstone, Hillary Reneau, Jessica & Stephen Langley, and us)

FAQs: The Basics

So we know that there a quite a few questions floating out there about our family's plans to move to South Africa in the next year or two. Here are some of the short answers, and feel free to keep asking! We love to talk about what God is doing in our lives.

1. What will you be doing in South Africa? Enjoying an extended vacation! Actually, we will be working with Union Bible Institute to train future Christian leaders in South Africa. Ben will focus primarily on teaching Hebrew and other Old Testament courses. For Beth, there are numerous exciting opportunities, such as helping at a nearby orphanage, discipling women on campus, and potentially teaching in the future.

2. Why are we moving to South Africa? During our undergraduate studies at Moody Bible Institute, we found that we both had a desire to serve the Lord in a cross-cultural setting. The Lord had been working in our hearts since high school by giving us a passion for the Bible and for people around the world. Since graduating and getting married, we have continually been preparing for this type of service and are excited to move on to this next step. When we began to look at opportunities to serve the Lord overseas, we knew that we wanted to be involved in a ministry that utilized our gifts of teaching and discipleship. South Africa was one option that jumped out at us and, after our visit in January, the Lord has continued to affirm that this is the right direction for us.

3. Isn't it dangerous? This is a difficult and significant question. Yes, there are dangerous aspects about living in South Africa. However, from our perspective, there are also dangerous elements about life in the United States. We have a firm conviction that God is the giver and sustainer of life, and that he holds us in the palm of his hand. We believe that he has ordained the days of our birth and the day of our death. For us, safety is not THE most important priority, but rather to be faithfully following the Lord wherever he leads us, and trusting him with the rest.

4. Who are we going with? We are thankful to be partnering with TEAM (The Evangelical Alliance Mission), a missions organization that has been sending missionaries all over the world for 125 years. Working with an organization like TEAM provides support for our family in a number of ways, and encourages accountability. You can learn more about TEAM here.

5. How will you be paid? This is a good question. As missionaries, we will be prayerfully and financially supported by local churches and fellow Christians. Just like a local pastor is supported by a congregation, so too missionaries are funded by the greater body of Christ. We know it's a strange concept to not be paid a regular salary; however, many Bible colleges around the world are not yet capable of being self-sustaining, and are in great need of support.

6. What motivates you to do all of this? The love of Jesus! We recognize that, despite our best efforts, we are still selfish and sinful to the core, and that nothing in this life will give our lives the meaning we desperately seek. God is our loving Father, and sent his own Son, Jesus, to live the perfect life we never could and die the death that our sinfulness deserves. Through his life, death, and resurrection, Jesus provided access for all humanity to have a meaningful relationship with God, and we have great hope for this life and the next. This is the passion of our hearts, to share the good news of God's love for humanity with people, and teach them to follow him passionately.

We hope these short answers help clarify some of your questions!