Exactly six months ago today, Bill had a surgery to reattach a detached retina. At the time, the doctor told us that his recovery would be long, seeing as Bill had waited 6 weeks before getting treatment. Well, the doctor was right. It IS taking a long time to recover. Not just healing time, but multiple procedures later, we are still in the waiting game, to see if his eyesight will return fully.
Yesterday Bill had yet another surgery, where the doctor used a blade to scrape off some scar tissue at the back of the eye, as well as put in an air bubble, to help the retina reattach to the eyeball. At his follow-up appointment today, the doctor said that everything is looking good, and healing could take up to 12 weeks. Bill is once again on a positioning regimen; however many hours he is up, he has to be down. He doesn't need to be completely face down like before, he can be on his right side this time around. He has four different drops for his eye, four times a day, including an antibiotic and a steroid.
After training with New Tribes Mission, we had ENVISIONED taking a trip to talk with people and in churches, sharing the VISION God has given us for tribal ministry. Needless to say, our Ministry and Partnership Development time has not gone at all how we thought or hoped. At times we have felt quite frustrated, at other times, we've been able to rest in God's perfect timing for us.
Our frustrations have come when we look at numbers, and don't SEE an increase in support. A lack of increase means we can't go to Paraguay according to our timetable. Resting in God's sovereignty comes when we SEE that He has continually provided for these surgeries (we don't have enough support yet to get health insurance), as well as providing for our daily needs. We have also SEEN a small but steady increase in prayer partners, for which we are very grateful.
Our desire to go to Paraguay to work among a tribal people group has not diminished. In fact, for Bill especially, losing his eyesight for a while has increased in him, a desire to have people's eyes opened to the glorious Gospel of Jesus Christ, even more. He also has come to see his temporary blindness as a weakness that he can boast in, knowing that God's strength has been made perfect in that weakness.
We are still praying for God to work in people's hearts to partner with us. We can't go to Paraguay alone, nor would we want to. Will you pray, and ask God how He might want you to partner with us?
"Felt weakness deepens our dependence on Christ for strength each day. The weaker we feel, the harder we lean. And the harder we lean, the stronger we grow spiritually." J.I Packer
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