June 2023 - Rest

 Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.

Matthew 11:28

The past two months have been a strange mix of chaos and rest and of struggles and blessing.  It was a very busy finish to March: working with the Gestrings as they prepared to move back to the US, getting home church organized on campus with the students in charge, and taking charge of the Acts 29 witnessing group and the Bible study.    

Last time with the Gestrings

After those weeks of heavy stress, attending the CVM retreat in Kenya in early April was an oasis of calm for 5 days.  These retreats (every 3 years) are such a blessing! They provide time to rest, debrief, and enjoy time with the other CVM missionaries in Africa.  The hours spent around the dining tables chatting about everyone’s lives are my favorite times.  I also brought a guitar along and led worship in the morning sessions and in afternoon informal times of worship.

Baobab Resort on Diani Beach, Kenya

Just before I left for Kenya, I found out that the veterinarian who had accepted the university lecturer position to teach the companion animal module decided at the last minute not to come.  That left me scrambling to write two exams and two tests in the few days between the CVM Africa retreat in Kenya and another trip scheduled to Turkey.  The home church also wanted to have a baptism service, so we pumped up a plastic pool and baptized 3 students at my home on April 16^th!

By the time I left for Turkey, I was completely drained again.  But what a blessing the Lord had planned for me there!  The purpose of the trip was to attend a MedRefresh retreat.  These retreats are offered by MedSend, a Christian non-profit that pays the student loan payments of medical professionals serving in ministry overseas.  They have supported me in this way for the entire 8 years I have been in South Africa.  Without their support, there is no way I would have been able to serve here.  As part of their ministry, they are focusing on how to improve longevity in medical missionaries in the field and one of the key aspects of that is rest. 

Rest is often a challenge for those of us serving internationally.  We tend feel guilty taking times of rest as if we are letting down all of our supporters back home.  And yet, life overseas in ministry is stressful!  That stress often accumulates over time leading to burnout and collapse if there aren’t good, and frequent, times of rest. 

MedSend really spoiled us during the week in Antalya, Turkey, looking after our spiritual, physical, and mental health.  They paid for a free-day activity (see photos on Facebook) as well as a Turkish bath experience at the hotel spa!   I had also scheduled a few days after the retreat in Cappadocia, Turkey, where I watched hundreds of hot air balloons flying, visited an underground city dating from the times of the Hittites (1200 BC) that burrows down 18 levels (290 feet deep), and took a 5-hour horseback ride through the most incredible landscape.

Pamukkale's white travertines

Anatolian lunch on a floating pontoon in the Ihlara Valley

Hot air balloons rising over Gerome - over 100 total

Riding though fairy chimneys in Love Valley

On my return to South Africa, I could feel the difference.  Even though my last few days in Turkey were busy, the break from my responsibilities in Mafikeng made a huge improvement in my stress level and I feel energized to push though to the end of the semester.

Please continue to pray for the house church and for those students who are taking on the leadership of the church.  It is going well, but this is going to become even more of a burden for them during the exam period this month.