In seminary I learned the fine spiritual art of plodding: Make sure you are heading the right direction then put one foot in front of the other, fall down sometimes, get back up, fall down other times and lie on the ground for a while then get back up, reorientate to the correct direction and put one foot in front of the other over and over and over and over again. Get mad at God sometimes for not making the road shorter or easier, get frustrated with colleagues about stupid things, repent, be thankful for grace, reorientate, put one foot in front of the other over and over again. Plodding, it is a fine spiritual art.

For the last several years I have been plodding along working on the NGO status and shortwave license. I know that many of you are plodding along with me in your thoughts and prayers, and for that I am very grateful. Those of you who have been astute readers of my blog know the long history of the NGO status and all the various updates and requests for prayer. So today when I say: “I think we have a good way forward.” You will recognize that I said those exact same words close to a year ago.

One of the reasons I do not update you as often as I should is that many times I feel like a broken record player repeating the same prayer request over and over. This is further complicated by the fact that I cannot give you all the details so I just end up saying something like “pray for the NGO status, there are meetings about it,” when in reality cultures are colliding, there are conflicts between French and American legal systems, opposing opinions on how to move forward are debated, meetings with government officials range from very helpful to … …, well lets just say I am very thankful for the helpful government officials, other issues pull at TWR staff (myself included) and things do not happen as timely as they should.

Hence a year of plodding has brought me full circle to report the exact same words: “I think we have a good way forward.” While a year of plodding on the NGO status was not my first choice, lots has been learned, relationships tested and strengthened, ideas discussed, new relationships developed, concepts shot down, certain relationships renegotiated, action plans modified and patience developed.

Please pray that the new way forward brings the needed results. Pray that the NGO status does not come full circle again. Pray that the team and I may plod well for God’s glory.

The Lord has brought a provision to the Benin Transmitting Station (BTS) that has come through a very unexpected channel. We have been praying for years for an administrative assistant and the Lord has brought us one.

Thuy, whom Donna and I have know for the past year, is a Peace Corps Volunteer who needed a change of post as her pervious post was unacceptable to both her and Peace Corps. Thuy has her PhD in Higher Education Administration. She is Vietnamese, grew up in Vietnam in the French educational system and completed high school in France; hence her French is beautiful.

Thuy and her husband wanted to do missionary work outside of the USA and to this end were preparing for missionary service when her husband became ill and eventually died. After the death of Thuy’s husband, Thuy pursued a number of different service options but finally ended up with Peace Corps for a number of various reasons. (Hence Thuy is not your typical Peace Corps Volunteer.)

Given Thuy’s experience and the need for her post to be changed, BTS pursued the possibility of Thuy joining the BTS team and were able to secure her placement with BTS for one year.

In addition to Thuy, Devin, a recent college graduate in Mechanical Engineering has been able to work with BTS the last couple of months. Devin has been a tremendous help to my colleague Garth with the construction of the new houses and other projects at site. The only bad thing about Devin is that he was on loan to us from another mission organization in Côte d’Ivoire and we have to return him.

Pray for Devin as he returns to Côte d’Ivoire and completes his service there before returning to the USA. Pray for Thuy as she adjusts to TWR and settles into her position.

Picture of Devin, Paul, Donna and Thuy

“Whether it is grace for salvation, grace for sanctification, grace for service, grace for suffering, grace to keep us singing, grace to govern our speech, or grace for any other need, we experience it by believing God, believing that we need His grace, that he has enough available to help us, that He is willing to share it with us, and that it will be adequate to transform our burdens into blessings.” (Strauss 171)

Strauss’ comment about enough grace is a challenge. The real problem for many of us is not the challenges and difficulties. The real problem is whether we believe we really need God’s grace, whether we believe His grace is sufficient and whether we are willing to humbly ask for His grace. Pray that God will continue to impact us all with the need for and sufficiency of His grace.

Praise God with us that the construction of new missionary homes here in Parakou is going well. The foundations have been finished and currently bricks for the walls are being made. Lord willing in the near future the walls will start going up.

Continue to pray for the shortwave license and NGO status. For the last couple of weeks things have been a bit quite on this front, although in the next couple of weeks TWR will make some efforts to continue moving these things forward.

We praise God that we had a good time with our kids while they were on break from RVA. Continue to pray for them as they attend boarding school. Continue to pray for Donna and I as we parent from afar.

References

Strauss, R. L. (1984). The Joy of Knowing God. Neptune, NJ: Loizeaux Brothers.

Recently, our children have felt the presence of spiritual warfare (more so than the normal amount that missionaries and their children experience). Your prayers for them would be appreciated as they engage in the battle for the souls of others.

My discussions with my kids and some of my colleagues has reminded me that the real battle is not for the short wave license or NGO status, but for the hearts of people to know, worship and glorify the Lord. Please pray that God, in His way and in His time would reach the many people in West Africa who do not know Him.

Please continue to pray for the short wave license, NGO status and more laborers for Benin. Should God desire that TWR use other means to reach West Africa, pray that TWR would follow this leading.

Thank you very much for your prayers for our trip to South Africa. Donna had a wonderful time reconnecting with old friends and colleagues and connecting with new ones. Many of the meetings went well, however, there were a few points where I was hoping for more clarity before we left, pray that these points can be clarified in the coming days. Also pray for the arrival of our kids in Benin this coming weekend for their month long school break.

Donna and I are in Cotonou to follow up with the shortwave license, NGO status and then travel to South Africa. Upon arriving a man who has been helping TWR called requesting that TWR submit a letter to a government office in Cotonou concerning TWR’s shortwave application. Praise God with us for the divine timing of this call with our arrival in Cotonou.

Today (March 2, 2012) I will be contacting and seeing various people about the shortwave license and NGO status. Please pray for God’s guidance and continued providence.

Tonight Donna and I start our trip to South Africa with a 12-hour layover in Kenya with our kids. Please pray for the travel logistics (on-time flights, fast processing at immigration and customs and minimum Nairobi traffic) so we can have more time with our kids. Pray for our time with our kids.

After our 12 hours in Kenya Donna and I travel on to Johannesburg for various meetings. Praise God that Donna is able to join me on this trip. Both Donna and I will be involved with various meetings on a number of important topics. Please pray for these meetings.

Last week the “The War on Christians” was on the cover of Newsweek. The article inside “The Global War on Christians in the Muslim World” by Ayaan Hirsi Ali tells of how Christians are persecuted throughout the Muslim world and the mainstream media remains mostly silent. Let me strongly encourage you to read this article to better understand what many of our brothers and sisters in Christ face daily. May the Spirit move your hearts to compassion for fellow believers so that you will cry out to the Lord on their behalf and may some of you be moved to action.

Please pray for TWR as we are trying to address these issues both in Nigeria and the new South Sudan. There are no easy fixes and the Muslim / Christian lines are also tribal lines so in addition to the Christian / Muslim conflict there is also tribal conflict. Pray that the Lord will provide the needed resources (spiritual, personnel and financial).

On a personal note, please pray for my health. I have had another bout with Malaria this weekend and a hand injury that shows signs of infection.

Why are we so weary when Jesus’ yoke is easy and His burden light? Personally I find myself taking on burdens, yokes and worries that the Lord never intended me to carry and wearing myself out. Oh Lord, help us leave behind all the stuff you do not want us to carry. Help us to take up your easy yoke and light burden.

There is a tremendous amount going on with the shortwave license at this moment. There has been some very good contact with various officials (some that we have dealt with in the past and some new contacts). Dr Mbennah was unable to visit Benin in December but is hoping to come this month. Timing is becoming critical. Pray that God would move and lead TWR in the right directions to reach West Africa.

Later this month I have a meeting scheduled with some other officials to follow up with TWR’s NGO status. The Lord has provided an additional contact in this process who may be able to help. Pray for wisdom as we move forward.

Thank you for your prayers concerning our kids and instilling God’s ways in them. There were a number of fantastic discussions about God’s ways and how to walk in them over the Christmas break. Your continued prayers for our children are appreciated.

With my kids returning from Kenya for five and a half weeks I reviewed Deuteronomy 6:4-9. In this passage is the command to talk about God’s laws with your children when you sit at home, when you walk along the road, etc…. Although I have read the passage often the first part of verse seven struck me: “Impress them (God’s laws) on your children” (NIV) parenthesis mine. Other English translations say, “teach them diligently,” “get them inside” and “repeat them again and again.” When I looked the Hebrew word up in some lexicons they suggested the sense of teach incisively or inculcate. No matter which one of these senses or phrases you choose, they all imply more than just teaching. They imply instilling something in our kids that goes beyond the passing of information. Pray that all of us as parents (and especially Donna and I in the next five and a half weeks) can inculcate God’s ways in our kids.

Please continue to diligently pray for the short wave license and NGO status. Dr Mbennah (TWR’s International Director for Africa) is hoping to visit Benin in early December to move these two items forward. Pray that all the details would fall into place.

Praise God with us that the Benin Transmitting Station (BTS) has had very little lost airtime resulting in the gospel and biblical teaching being broadcast consistently during 2011.

Pray for BTS’ finances as we end the year. Pray for God’s continued provision and wisdom as we finish the year.

Do you ever get overwhelmed with your inbox or to do list? After three weeks of conferences and meetings my inbox and to do list runneth over. Pray that we all will worship the Living God rather than the to do list and inbox gods. Pray that we remember that God’s love is based on what His Son did on the cross rather than the number of emails answered or how many checks are on the to do list.

Many thanks to all of you who prayed for the Africa International Partners Conference. God’s grace abounded, the Word pierced my heart and I believe it pierced the hearts of some others.

I also attended regional management team meetings and a spiritual life conference, both of which went well. Praise God for the good meetings and spiritual life conference. Pray that the Lord will work miraculously and that the leadership of TWR Africa will continue to hear His voice and obey, as there is always more to do than time or funds.

While I was away the Lord blessed Donna’s time “home alone.” Many thanks for praying for her while I was away. We continue to work on NGO status and the short wave license your continued prayers would be appreciated.

My friends and I have been having discussions (some in person and some via email) on joy in the Lord, contentment in the Savior and rest in God. We have all commented on how elusive these can be, both for Christians in general and for us personally. Most unfortunately, of recent my life has been marked with a lack of joy rather than the fruit of the Spirit. Our discussions have revolved around ideas of faith, trust, letting go, letting God, dying to self and living to the Spirit. Must of these concepts I like and embrace both intellectually and emotionally. However, the dying to self is the one I most resist. When I read the biblical text the violent language used goes against my sensibilities: crucify the sinful nature, die to self, mortify the deeds of the body, I am crucified with Christ, the sinful nature and Spirit are in conflict, lose your life for My sake, etc…. Although if I understand the biblical text correctly, the road to joy requires crucifixion.  Please pray that I would be crucified for joy.

I know that my last blog asking people to pray and fast did not give many of you sufficient warning. Although I am thankful some of you were able to quickly adjust and once again join TWR in concentrated prayer for these issues. As of yet, there have not been any breakthroughs. Your continued prayers would be appreciated.

Next week (Oct 24-27, 2011) is the Africa International Partners Conference (AIPC) for TWR in Johannesburg. Pray that God would direct and use AIPC for His glory and the advancement of His kingdom. I have been requested to lead the devotions for this conference. Please pray that God’s word would pierce me as I prepare and lead the devotions. Please pray that God’s word would do the same for the participants.

The following week the Regional Management Team for TWR Africa will be meeting in Johannesburg. Please pray that as a team we would clearly discern the Lord’s leadings and act in obedience.

Donna will be “home alone” (see her blog www.cox-net.com/family_blog/?p=188) for the next two weeks with me in Johannesburg and the kids at RVA in Kenya. Please pray for her.

Thanks for your prayers.