The LORD has done great things for us and we are filled with
joy.” Psalm 126:3
We’ve been in the beautiful
country of South Africa just under 3 months. At this point, we are feeling
pretty settled – living ‘normal life’ in a different place. I don’t want to
take for granted what a blessing it is that I (Kait) can confidently say we
feel at home. God has provided
daily for our every need and has richly blessed us here.
One lesson I’ve been learning
over the past year is to recognize the daily manna from the Lord in my life
just as he provided daily for the Israelites when they were in exile in the
desert (See Exodus 16). God is personal. He is near to us, he hears us, and he
gives us what we need for each day. “And my God will supply every need of yours
according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.” Phil. 4:19
As a daughter of the King, He knows me intimately and loves
me specifically and tenderly.
"O
Lord,
you have searched me and known me!
You know when
I sit down and when I rise up;
you
discern my thoughts from afar.
You search
out my path and my lying down
and
are acquainted with all my ways.
Even before a
word is on my tongue,
behold,
O Lord, you know it altogether.
You hem me
in, behind and before,
and
lay your hand upon me.
Such
knowledge is too wonderful for me;
it is
high; I cannot attain it."
Paslm
139: 1-6
My ultimate assurance of His love
toward me is His son’s work on the cross on my behalf...
“But when the goodness and loving
kindness of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of works done by
us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of
regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us richly
through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that being justified by his grace we might
become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.” Titus 3:4
...But there are also hundreds –
thousands of ways he shows his love towards me daily – through blessings great
and small (His daily manna). I don’t want to let another moment pass by before
I share some of them with you.
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| Nights on the couch with my man. |
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| One of our neighbors has opened his playground and toys for us to use. He has a sandbox, a swing, and toy tractors (Bruce's favorite). We play here at least 3 times a week! |
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| Wyatt sleeps during morning play. |
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| When Bruce plays and Wyatt sleeps, I get to sit and watch and think and pray and enjoy the beautiful setting. |
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| We love story nights with the Whitlock family. Bruce especially loves the acting-out of the stories. |
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| The boys play together! |
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| Moments like this melt my heart. Bruce really loves his daddy and gets so excited when he comes home from work. |
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| I love this picture. We get to be blessed by the photography skills of two of the Whitlock girls often, and this is just one example. |
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| I love that Bruce loves his 'backpack' (it's a dog)! He gives me his tail to hold. |
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| Our boys give us so many reasons all day every day to praise God for his blessings over us! |
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| Here is our peaceful room we get to sleep in. |
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| Victoria comes to clean each week and loves baby Wy. I put Wyatt down for a nap and he was crying and fighting sleep for a bit. The crying stopped and a few moments later I found these two. Wyatt was a 'happy chappy' (as South Africans say) snuggled up on Victoria's back. |
People we meet here often ask us
how we had the courage to make such a huge move overseas. The Sunday school
answer is God’s grace. And it’s true – but more specifically, Zach and I speak
about the hope we have in Christ. The same Jesus we gave our lives to in high
school, is the same Lord and Savior who led us to South Africa and is ever
present with us during our days. He is unchanging, and although our circumstances change, He
remains the same (Hebrews 13:8). He is our very present help in time of need
(Psalm 46:1).
