Hope

A verse has been very meaningful to us for a long time, but it is now, in this place, that we read it with a whole new understanding.  The verse is from Jeremiah 17:7-8.

 "But blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in him.  He will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream.  It does not fear when HEAT comes (and boy its hot!); its leaves are always green.  It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit."

It has been almost 6 months since our last rain.  Our river has gone from full and quickly flowing to completely dried up now in early November.

The river back in March.                                              The river in September.

 

 

Everything has gone from beautiful green to brown as far as you can see.  Dirt swirls can be seen walking anywhere on the compound and now the heat has returned.  Today, inside the house our thermometer read 98 degrees F.  Outside it is way over 100.  We hunger for anything to give us hope and encouragement.   

 

We serve a creative and good God who cares about even this arrid time that could be very discouraging.  All of a sudden we notice color popping up in places we've not seen anything but brown before. 

 

 

Jacaranda trees that were brown and leafless, have now burst forth in bright purple distributing a violet carpet below.

 

 

 

The trees seem to draw down from deep in the earth and pour forth color that lifts our eyes from the death below.   It is all a part of God's design, and we are reminded that every year has its seasons.  It takes every season to bring about life and growth.  It is the same in our lives as well.  There is a purpose and a growing in EVERY season we go through.

 

 

 

We find an extraordinarily beautiful butterfly in our garden of flowers and we marvel at God's creative work in its wings.  We find a small chameleon by our house and watch how God uniquely made this little guy.  Little discoveries like this bring us joy in our day.

 

 

 

 

Like the verses remind us, we can go through drought and heat, whether literally or figuratively, but if our roots are established deeply in HIM, we have no fear and we can still bear fruit. 

 

Thank you to all who send us encouragement, whatever form that is.  You don't know what a cool drink of water that is for our spirits.  We could not be here and do what we are doing if we didn't have this HOPE in Jesus and you lifting us up around the world.  Continue to pray with us for a good rainy season this year, and that it comes soon!  We wait in expectation.

 

 

The boys in Harare after we bought new gum boots in expectation of our rains to come!

The rains have already started in Harare, thus the beautiful green grass.  Makes it a little harder to come back out to our brown :)