“The fall?!” he asked.

“Yes,” I replied, sitting down.

“The fall?!” he said, louder this time.

“Yes, the fall.” I proceeded to take a laptop out of my bag, smiling slightly at his response.

“THE FALL.” He was leaning fully across his desk, his hands resting on the top.

While thousands flock to New England to view the brilliance of autumn foliage, not everyone is delighted with the changing of the seasons, and it was clear as we sat down to meet that Pastor Ryan Bradley’s* opinion about the upcoming season differed from mine.

Love it or leave it, embrace it or resist it, New England has entered the fall season. With the changing colors comes cooler weather, and it won’t be long before warm, sunny days give way to the deep chill of winter. And, as with the fall, New Englanders have varying opinions of winter also. Some welcome the cooler temperatures, happy for relief from summer heat. Others detest the cold, and look forward to packing their summer clothes and heading to southern states where temperatures resemble the warmer seasons of the North.

I, too, am looking forward to a move.

Just before the account of Paul's journey to Macedonia, Acts records that Paul and his companions tried to go to into Bithynia, but were prevented by the Spirit. While International Ministries and I initially anticipated the DR Congo as my place of ministry, it became clear that God is leading elsewhere. My ministry assignment was recently redirected to Durban, South Africa where I plan to serve alongside family physicians and International Ministries missionaries Rick and Anita Gutierrez.

I met Rick and Anita during the All-Staff Gathering in Green Lake this summer. We connected very well and took advantage of opportunities to discuss how my skills and background might fit in with the ministry they are providing in South Africa. The Gutierrezes utilize a threefold approach to addressing the spiritual, physical, and economic needs of the communities they serve. They train community health promoters to provide infectious disease evaluation and detection for HIV, AIDS, malaria, and tuberculosis, as well as screening and referral for non-communicable disease like diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and arterial disease. Health builders, in turn, train and equip others to provide the same services. Rick and Anita also operate a poultry project through which people are taught to raise and care for chickens which provide for families and serve as a source of income. Recognizing that physical and economic well-being are incomplete without a relationship with God, Anita and Rick place high priority on discipleship, and train community leaders to facilitate small group Bible studies and invite people to discover God together. I intend to join Rick and Anita in ministry as together we focus on discipleship, health promotion, disease prevention, and livelihood creation in the greater Durban metropolis, rural settlements, and beyond. My presence there will help them to expand their ministry beyond what they are able to accomplish by themselves. Together we will be able to reach more people and impact more lives both now and for eternity. I am very excited about the opportunity to serve alongside the Gutierrezes in South Africa, thankful that Anita and Rick already consider us a team, and looking forward to witnessing the work of God in that context!

I don’t know exactly when I will arrive in Durban but, since South Africa (the southernmost country on the African continent) is located in the southern hemisphere where winter is from June to September, whenever I depart, it will not be more than one season removed from winter in either the northern or southern hemisphere. So, like so many in New England, I, too, am looking forward to heading South for the winter!