Gettin' Real..

Ministry is tough. No one ever said it would be easy. I'm pretty sure though, that I had it easier when I was a missionary in South Africa. Being a missionary in Durham has proven to be much more of a challenge. I need everyone reading this to pray. I am not comfortable giving many details out about this (and many details are still unclear to me), but things are a mess. Shonda and Vondeara are making some unwise... no... STUPID choices right now and they are affecting more than just themselves. I'm feeling various emotions right now... shock, anger, disappointment, discouragement... Part of me doesn't know what to feel. Part of me wonders if this is all real. Only last Thursday Shonda and Vondeara were in my house, enjoying a meal with us, and talking about the Bible. Now I'm not entirely sure where they are to be honest. I can't get in touch with them. Everything I hear is through their sister, who seems to be as confused as I am. It's all so crazy.

I can't say I'm surprised though. I hope that doesn't sound terrible, but I'm not. Heartbroken? Yes. Surprised? No. This is what we're dealing with, and as awful as it may be, this is it. This is the community God has placed me into, and with all my heart I will serve Him the best I know how. But this is a broken world. I can't expect things to go perfectly when we are not at all perfect. We are a messed up people. We do messed up things and make messed up choices. As part of my Bible study last night I read part of the story of Hosea and Gomer. Who, in their right mind, would choose to marry a prostitute? Who would marry and pursue a woman you knew would be unfaithful to you? This is what God has done with us. He pursues us - He loves us - He wants us to be His bride. And yet we run. We run to any temporary pleasure that we deem necessary for the moment. We fail Him time and time again. I fail Him. And He still yearns to rescue me.

Lord, I pray that you will rescue Shonda. I know that she is not too far for You to reach her. Your arm is not to short to save her. Pursue her. Hedge up her way with thorns, build walls around her, so that she cannot find her path. She will pursue her earthly loves, but she will not attain them. She will seek them and not find them. Then she will say, "I will go and return to the Lord, for it was better for me then than now." (Hos. 2:6-7)