God Be With You
God be with you till we meet again
By His counsels guide, uphold you,
With His sheep securely fold you
God be with you till we meet again
Refrain:
Till we meet-----
Till we meet, Till we meet at Jesus' feet,
Till we meet----
Till we meet----God be with you till we meet again
God be with you till we meet again,
'Neath His wings protecting hide you,
Daily manna still provide you
God be with you till we meet again.
God be with you till we meet again,
When life's perils thick confound you,
Put His arms unfailing round you
God be with you till we meet again.
God be with you till we meet again
Keep love's banner floating o'er you,
Smite death's threatening wave before you
God be with you till we meet again.
Jeremiah E. Rankin (1826-1904)
Public Domain
How did the time here in Niger go so fast? This morning I woke up thinking about this old hymn. It is a bit of a tear jerk-er. We used to sing this at the end of BSF Leader's Retreats. The tears would flow not knowing if we would see each other for another few years. My Mum has recalled saying good bye to missionaries at the docks in England. She recounted a time when a young woman was going to a far off land with a wedding dress and baby clothes in anticipation of her future joys! When one left to serve in another land it was a lifetime commitment with seldom opportunity to seeing one's homeland or family again. Serving the LORD today is quite different. With the advent of airplanes, antimalarial medications, Internet, stricter visa requirements and government restrictions on Christian missionaries rarely leave their home country forever. I was brought up to love and respect missionaries. At the same time, I learned that all those who are saved are a part of the God's family. We are missionaries...each one has the privilege of sharing the Good News of God's kingdom. Simply put, you are either a missionary or a mission field!
As a young child, my Sunday School teacher, one year, was a missionary on furlough. Her name was Mary Poole. She was a missionary in Rhodesia (which is now Zambia). I was 10 years old and so impressed with her love and devotion to the LORD and to the children who she taught at the Sakagie School. She brought reel to reel movies which was pretty sophisticated for missionaries in those days. All the other missionaries had slide shows beginning with maps and ending in lovely sunsets. In between these book ends, there would be pictures of missionaries in villages with straw thatched roofs and church services under trees. Miss Poole's movie showed me the movement of children playing, learning and engaged in everyday activities. During her movie, I sensed the Holy Spirit calling me to go to Africa to be a nurse for these dear people. Oh, how I wanted to leave everything behind to go and be a missionary in Africa! So I began to pray.....and pray........the Lord's timing was not what I expected.
Fast forward 37 years, nursing studies, marriage, 3 children....many life events, including various ministries.
Finally, it seemed that the LORD answered my prayers and in 2004, I was able to travel to Uganda for my first African experience. It was so wonderful to be able to integrate my nursing with my love for the LORD....What would be the next step or phase of serving the LORD? How could I be a missionary in Africa as my heart desired?
God's plans and ways are so amazing as He has allowed me to go back and forth since then serving with CURE International as a nurse. Now I get to serve as a nurse consultant, sharing my love of Jesus Christ with my passion for caring for people's health and well being....physically, socially, emotionally and spiritually. It has been a joy to even have family members join me in the earlier years. More recently, my dear husband Paul has enjoyed joining in God's activity through CURE International and is able to travel with me. This journey, I had to make alone. It is hard to be away from Paul especially at this particular time in our lives as grandparents and with some health issues. It is hard to be away from Mum who lives with us too. Being able to go back and forth works well for the most part. So here I am preparing to return to Lexington......part of me will always be in Africa, particularly in Niger, ( but also Zambia, Uganda, Ethiopia, Egypt, Kenya and wherever the LORD calls me)!
God be with us till me meet again!!
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| Sweet cuddles and goodbyes...last picture together for this time! |
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| Some of my team of nurses....I say my team because they are like my family! Love each one1 |
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| Deep and wide there is a fountain flowing deep and wide. May these dear children and their caregivers all know the length, breadth and height of the love of God through Jesus Christ one day! Looking forward to next time! |
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