Well, the latest from the homefront is that Jesus is still on the throne (of course) and does not change or let us rest from the battle. Read on to see how your new missionaries are dealing with their exile from service in Liberia. 

Battles 

The news. And the comments on Facebook. Several times I've had to get up and walk away from a TV or computer screen. I die inside when people imply that Africans aren't worth saving. At least one good that can come from this is the media attention it has given Liberia. We used to have to tell people where Liberia is and try to explain the conditions. Now, every news-worthy person knows. 

Yes, we are planning return to Liberia. Yes, they will still need us, perhaps even more, once this is over. No, there has been no talk from International Ministries of reassigning us to another location. My friends are in Liberia. Children whose hands I've held, whose beautiful braids I've patted when they come for hugs are there! Larry's grandma's cast-iron frying pan, my prayer journal, at least twenty pairs of girls' shoes and our HEARTS are on the Ricks campus. There is no way the Ebola crisis is a ticket out or a sign we should not return. 

Where are we now? We are living with my parents, in the pink-brick house where I was raised. Larry rests his head on flowered pillows, surrounded by my dollhouse and stuffed animals. Sometimes it's like an out-of-body experience. But for its discomforts, this brings me to the...

Victories 

A mentor from my home church remarked, "You must have some unfinished business to attend to here at home." While that made me cringe, I think she's right. One of the spin offs of having to be here now, totally dependent on our parents is time to renew what we thought was going to be a more distant relationship. I haven't spent this much time with my parents in a long time. They are retired now and I am, well, constantly underfoot, and while at first I was a ball of anxiety about messing up their lives, we have actually had a wonderful time together. You should see my dad with the girls. He bought Ruth a new bike and taught her to ride it, and in the same week challenged her (that's how he does it) to dive into the pool. He struggles to understand Maggie's big-eyed stories. And he is charmed by Brandy. She runs to him--"Paw Paw!"--stealing bites of his breakfast and trying to put on her shoes like he puts on his boots. We would never have spent so much time together if it hadn't been for this exile. Mom reads to the girls every night from one of my favorite Laura Ingalls Wilder books, "Little House in the Big Woods." I go get in my big-girl bed and wonder at the amazing way the Lord has granted these desires of my heart, to have a family, having moments like these.

Another victory we witnessed was seeing rice delivered to churches in LBMEC, the Liberian Baptist Missionary and Education Convention. Funds from several different organizations, including from the One Great Hour of Sharing, helped the convention buy a truckload of rice and deliver it to churches in three counties. A pastor there remarked that if Ebola didn't kill them, starvation would! The country has an night-time curfew so travel and distribution is difficult, and if there isn't Ebola in your area there is always a fear that a trip into the market place could expose you and your community to those who have it. Prices have gone up and all government offices and schools are shut down to keep people at home and the virus from spreading, so many of the few working-class people now don't have money for food (remember, 85% of the country does not have a steady, paying job). For us being here in the land of plenty, where we have access to more food than any of us can or should eat, it's heartbreaking to wrestle with these disparities. If you can contribute, please visit the One Great Hour of Sharing link from the International Ministries page and make a donation: http://www.internationalministries.org/drives/22. Funds raised will continue to go to buy rice and medical supplies in the coming months. The battle is far from over.

Just this weekend Larry attended ABC Men's Fall meeting at Lake Springfield Baptist Camp. These are the guys who do disaster relief and have become Larry's closest friends. These are the ones he calls for prayer in a personal crisis and the ones who love to go help people in a physical disaster, like post-tornado Gifford, Joplin, etc. He had a wonderful time with these guys, and they invited him to share about his work and his waiting. When I went to pick up Larry, I joined their last worship session. It is so awesome to hear a room full of men sing. They invited me to speak, verifying Larry's remarks! It was too much fun speaking to an all-male crowd, sharing with them a wife-on-mission perspective and ask for their prayers, because you know the prayers of the righteous man availeth much...

A special shout-out to the churches who have invited us to speak so far during our time home: FBC Elgin, the ABMen of Area 4 and the Region, ABWomen of Areas 4 and 2,   FBC Perryville, Second Baptist Du Quoin, Pate Chapel Murphysboro, FBC Centralia, FBC Columbus (GA), First Northern West Frankfort, FBC Carthage, Crainville Baptist and FBC Peoria via SKYPE! These churches are part of our life-line to mission, and we thank them and all of you who continue to support us. We wouldn't have experienced 100 days in our Liberian home or the awesome World Mission Conference at Green Lake without you. We are available to speak and able to drive almost anywhere, and frankly we're itching to tell our story, so if you'd like us to speak at your church, please drop us a line at our email below or call me at (618) 303-1455.

So, that pretty much says it all. Larry's fixing up a truck for Patrick (don't tell him--and don't worry, he doesn't read our journals!) who will turn eighteen in December, whose final season of wrestling we may get to see after all. The blessings continue, and may they cover you and yours in your battles and victories. Please don't hesitate to write back, telling us about your lives and sharing your prayer requests, too. Send a reply to stanton@internationalministries.org. It's nice to know we are being prayed for and that we don't struggle with life alone. Thank you again for your support, prayers and interest.