it is the Masso's last Sunday in Bundibugyo. Kisembo continued his
sermon on giving, this time from Luke 21, the story of the widow's
paltry offering being recognized by Jesus. As with the other weeks,
the Spirit-led words worked on my heart too. I'm tired of giving the
things that are precious, the things that I feel are the heart of our
resources, like our kids and friends. So when Scott rose to spoke at
the goodbye section of the service, he pointed out that we as a team
and a community are giving our two mites as we send the Massos off to
Sudan. They are an integral long-term serving family; they have
provided our only engineering and goat-nutrition and tracking and
fundraising and community development and church-encouragement
skills. We do not send them to a new field out of excess; it is a
sacrifice. And of course the Massos themselves are embracing
sacrifice as they leave some 13 years of home and relationship and
ministry to start anew in a country that is unstable. In terms of
daily life, it will be like stepping back more than a decade to the
Bundibugyo of the mid-90's. Kisembo's sermon concluded by pointing
out the compassion of Jesus, who saw the sacrifice of the widow, and
blessed her. Tonight we cling to that reality, that Jesus sees, and
knows how hard it is to say goodbye to yet another family.
Many people spoke, including the grandmother of Kobusinge, the
orphaned infant whom Karen (and JD) took in to nurse and foster for
several months when Liana and Louisa were babies, and whose plight
drew their hearts into the motherless baby ministry. Her testimony
gave God glory, because it was amazing to her that people she did not
know who were protestant even (she was catholic) would help her!
Others thanked the Massos for the water flowing, for the teaching they
have done, for the goats and the perseverance to live here with a
family so many years. Karen and Michael also spoke, and the afternoon
closed with the elders laying hands on their kneeling family and
commissioning them to go to Sudan.
1 comment:
My heart aches for you, Jennifer, and for the children and your husbands. Remaining behind with all the familiar discouraging problems has always seemed the harder role, so it seems that you are not only giving your mites, but your last loaf of bread as well. God does see your costly gifts. May you feel His comfort. I am praying hard for you in this difficult time. Fondly, Judy in HMB
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