Psalm 19
The heavens declare the glory of God;
the skies proclaim the work of his hands.
Day after day they pour forth speech;
night after night they reveal knowledge.
They have no speech, they use no words;
no sound is heard from them.
Yet their voice goes out into all the earth,
their words to the ends of the world.
In the heavens God has pitched a tent for the sun.
It is like a bridegroom coming out of his chamber,
like a champion rejoicing to run his course.
It rises at one end of the heavens
and makes its circuit to the other;
nothing is deprived of its warmth.
The law of the Lord is perfect,
refreshing the soul.
The statutes of the Lord are trustworthy,
making wise the simple.
The precepts of the Lord are right,
giving joy to the heart.
The commands of the Lord are radiant,
giving light to the eyes.
The fear of the Lord is pure,
enduring forever.
The decrees of the Lord are firm,
and all of them are righteous.
They are more precious than gold,
than much pure gold;
they are sweeter than honey,
than honey from the honeycomb.
By them your servant is warned;
in keeping them there is great reward.
But who can discern their own errors?
Forgive my hidden faults.
Keep your servant also from willful sins;
may they not rule over me.
Then I will be blameless,
innocent of great transgression.
May these words of my mouth and this meditation of my heart
be pleasing in your sight,
Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer.
As I was thinking of a title for today's post, "rejoicing" came to mind, and then Psalm 19. As I read the phrase "like a champion," I was reminded that the name "Neil" means "champion." He doesn't think of himself as a champion, but he is my champion, and together we serve the Champion of the universe.
Neil just called from the Nairobi airport. His flight to London is scheduled to leave at 11:25 pm Nairobi time (3:25 pm our time). The work of the 2023 Kenya Site Visit is completed. For the most part, it went smoothly and was well received. Thank you so much for your prayers that Neil has felt supporting him all along the way!
The trip through the night Sunday-Monday from the Uganda border to Nairobi was pleasant in an uber (rented personal car). The driver was excellent and happened to be a Christian. They had a wonderful time sharing their experiences of God at work in their lives. The evangelism truck also made it all the way to Nairobi smoothly. Neil and Francis arrived at 6:00 am Monday morning at Cosmas Solamba's house, where Neil slept until noon. It is wonderful that he called when he arrived because our brand-new furnace had just quit working here in Morris. It had become low on water. Neil could walk me through the steps to remedy the situation, so I didn't need to try to locate a service person at 10:00 pm Morris time on Sunday night.
Here are some of Neil's text messages:
Regarding the mass demonstration in Nairobi on Monday, everyone is laying low today in Nairobi.
Cosmas had an interesting guy staying at his other house. A Bishop from WA. He is a prison chaplain. One of a kind. Now I am taking Cosmas's family to supper.
Tuesday morning: We are on our way to Athi Prison. Randy, Cosmas's son, and David, the teacher on end times are with us.
I relayed the Morris weather forecast for today (Tuesday) and tomorrow when his flight arrives. It is supposed to begin snowing this afternoon, followed by rain tonight, making the road to and from Fargo "interesting," to put it into Minnesota language. Neil responded:
I will make it home even if I have to walk.
Roy Hession, "Continuous Revival." That booklet cost 1 shilling when it came out.
Neil called around 2:15 pm our time while in the Nairobi airport waiting for his return flight. Interesting note on the prison visit: the exuberance of Cosmas' visiting prison chaplain had almost resulted in the chaplaincy program being shut down in the prison. Perhaps the day after a citywide mass demonstration it is a word to the wise to bring the Holy Spirit's peace in the midst of turmoil and unrest. Apparently, the bishop's loud voice and use of dramatic gestures did not communicate well through a translator in Nairobi today. However, I checked out the bishop's Facebook site, and he seems to be a dynamic preacher who would be well-received in prisons in the USA.
Cosmas, Neil, Cosmas' son, and David arrived at the prison just as it was closing for visitors, but they were allowed inside to visit with the chaplains. Neil noticed a comment from one of the chaplains that sounded unsure of his own salvation. Neil asked if he could share some Bible passages with him. Then Neil led him in prayer. He was happy to be given confidence about facing the Lord at the judgment wearing Jesus' robe of righteousness. Neil was assured that the chaplain would share the good news with the prisoners in his care.
I just checked the status of Neil's departing flight, which was delayed due to a late arrival aircraft. UPDATE: Departed only 15 minutes late. He will be coming back through London, where the scheduled layover time was 5 hours and 35 minutes, so, hopefully, he will make the Chicago flight and be able to arrive in Fargo tomorrow evening at 8:17. Thankfully, our friend Bob Tirevold has offered to meet Neil in Fargo and bring him home.
Please pray for those flights and connections. Thank you so much!
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