Dear Praying Friends,
Thirteen years ago, we had just moved into Itutang and had begun to settle when the death of a child in the village jolted us to think about urgency once again. Read again an email journal entry by Bill from August 24, 2004, a reminder that the need for urgency isn’t dead. Today, there are still those who are waiting for someone to learn their language and tell them the gospel story…and that He was and still is WORTH IT.
August 25, 2004 Email Journal Entry…
Last week a young baby in our village died. One day the little girl was fine and then a few days later, she was gone. About 9 months of life and care…gone in a moment. Yes, there was mourning and grief here, but mostly stone cold emotions. The people here deal with death on a constant basis. There is no way to cover it up, ignore it, or act as if it doesn’t happen. It is always there, lurking everywhere. As we were walking through the village yesterday to go for a swim, my daughter said, “Dad, we need to hurry up and teach the gospel before another baby dies.” What Sabra was referring to is a thought that we have always tried to keep before us…URGENCY. But, as I meditated on what she had said, another thought came to my mind…Why should we be urgent in our ministries and in our lives?
We are urgent first and foremost, NOT for the sake of dying people…but for the GLORY OF GOD. Lost dying people in Itutang on their way to a tormented eternity without Christ is simply our family’s outlet of our zeal to glorify God with the breath and life He has given us today. Let us each loosen our grip of everything in our lives that quenches this urgency…I find here in Itutang it is the simple things that keep me from being urgent…and it is usually those small things that I a doing to make myself more comfortable. For five months I have lived in a tent, eating without screens, plagued with the local insect life. Now, we have finished the screening on our home and have created a “safe haven” to relax in. Is this REALLY better? For health and sanity I have to say it is. But, now we have a new battle to fight…the ease of sliding back home and closing the screen door and spending “urgent” time being comfortable. We are not called to be comfortable in this lifetime. We are called to be soldiers…in active duty! Our prayer for us and for you is that EVRY DAY we would fight the desire to be comfortable and use what comforts God does bestow on our lives to further enable us and ready us to be effective in sharing our hope in God with others.
By God’s Grace & For His Glory~
The Housleys
inapangministries 