WHATEVER YOUR HANDS FIND TO DO........DO IT WITH ALL YOUR MIGHT!

Back now to life in Burkina.  We had lived and worked in Santidougou for many years, but God was preparing us during that time for a larger sphere of ministry. While in Santidougou we learned to appreciate the hard working, great Burkinabe.  We also learned to live happily as we worked among the Burkinabe.  We learned language skills and how to mish. After some years of this, we were asked to move to Bobo-Dioulasso and never returned to Santidougou except for visits and celebrations.  When we moved into the city ministry in Bobo-Dioulasso, I never dreamed how my horizons would be stretched and how my ministries would be multiplied among many different people groups, including, of course, the Bobos. I loved the verse in Colossians that tells us that whatever our hands find to do, do it with all your might. And that is how I spent my years of ministry in West Africa, working with all my might!

I just returned from a women's retreat in North Carolina where Ann Hemminger spoke - another retired missionary and also an MK.  As she spoke it took me back once again to how difficult it had been for me to adjust to life in the United States. She spoke of how she was almost in depression when she realized that she was now anchored here in the United States and no longer had the exciting evangelism and teaching ministries she had had in Brazil and Argentina.  I related to all of this perfectly, and it helped me to analyze my own feelings and reactions better. 

I squeezed into American life and separated from African life slowly. We retired, were duly fêted by all of our colleagues - both African and missionaries - given gifts, said goodbyes and returned for furlough - and retirement.  We spent that year on tour in various areas, sharing our lives in missions with many people here.  Then we were asked if we would be willing to go back to Côte d'Ivoire for a year to take care of the Alliance Guest House there while the personnel went on home assignment.  We readily accepted. We had bought a house here in Toccoa, but the Strongs needed a place to stay and so they rented our house and we happily went back to a new ministry - but in the continent we loved.

Then we came back to try retirement again.  We got involved in mentoring and substitute teaching in the schools, served on church committees and boards, continued to speak in churches concerning missions.   America seemed so boring, there was not enough to do, we longed for our people and work in Africa. I missed my languages. Four years later we had a telephone call one day. I answered and Bob Fetherlin was on the line. He asked if Milt was there and told me to call him to the phone so we could both listen to what he was asking. We had not the faintest clue what the call was about. He asked us if we would be willing to go to Mali for one year and serve as field director couple!  Wow - were we ever surprised!! We said we would talk together and phone him our answer.  It did not take long and then we were back in the swirl of packing, travelling and adjusting to living in the Mali capital city of Bamako!  God loves to surprise us! 

Then we came back here to Toccoa and we were reasonably content.  But to this day I miss the people and work in West Africa.  And sometimes it comes over me in a wave and I feel so useless here, especially after being sick for so long. I get so bored sometimes.  But Anne's words at this retreat spoke to me and made me take stock of my present life.

The first thing I need to do is to be still.  Stop longing for what won't happen, Stop fussing!  Meditate quietly on how fortunate I have been in my life. Pray more.  Be still!

Another principle for my life is to remember that God chooses the colors of our lives, not us.  Some seasons are bright primary colors, others may be pastels and still others may be somber colors.  But God ordains all of that and we need to accept and be content.  Even happy!

I need also to come to the place where I can say with the Psalmist,  "My soul finds rest in God alone!" Not in travel and excitement, but in what God sends my way each day. I need to be grateful for what God allowed me to do in the past and to be content with what I am given to do now.  Like ministering each week to the women in jail. Like mentoring younger women. Like serving on missions committees in my church to facilitate the world program of missions.  No, not as exciting, but restful once I accept what my place is now.

Ann ended with the example of the lighthouse which blinks out a message to ships at sea - in order that they will avoid danger. And the message is "Alter your course!"  And that is what retirement is about. Oh we are still working with and for God, but we need to alter our course, our focus. 

The list is long of ministries I used to be involved in:  witnessing to people, following up new converts, teaching literacy, doing translation, preparing books, speaking to women and children, new converts' classes, working with national literacy, teaching at Maranatha Bible School, doing seminars, writing courses for TEE (PEDIM) and training facilitators for this program as well as teaching myself, mentoring new missionaries and working with them both in Burkina and Mali, as well as in Côte d'Ivoire, preaching at women's conferences, church planting, being hostess and chauffeur to teams coming out from the States. Being involved in literature and teaching programs for all of Africa - like CPE, CEFCA and FATEAC.  I served on committees in these organizations and often taught, did seminars on TEE in numerous African countries.  I guess that is enough....

What a busy life, what a great life!  And it was hard to give it all up.  But again, now it is time to alter my course and do what God has for me to do now.  To find my rest in God, not in busyness. And to allow God to choose the colors of my life at this stage. I have had a long, blessed and full life.....and God continues to find ministry for me to do!