Back in the beginning of December Nathan and I had sent an email and posted a blog update titled Red Sea Moments. The email was about the Israelites crossing the Red Sea in Exodus 14 and their attitudes when they realized that the Egyptians were chasing them. The Israelites said to Moses, “Is it because there are no graves in Egypt that you have taken us away to die in the wilderness?” Moses then stretched out his hand over the sea and the Lord drove the sea back and the Israelites crossed on dry ground. We talked about what a miracle that was and how we had decided to wait for our visas and not doubt our calling from God.
I want to build off of that email and talk a little about how the Israelites continued to doubt God and continued to think that God only wanted them to die in the wilderness. In the fifteenth chapter the Israelites were without water and grumbled to Moses and this is right after the Lord parted the Red Sea for them to escape! In the sixteenth chapter the Israelites said, “Would that we had died by the hand of the Lord in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the meat post and ate bread to the full, for you have brought us into this wilderness to kill this whole assembly with hunger.” As if God answering that cry wasn’t enough in the seventeenth chapter the Israelites again said, “Why did you bring us out of Egypt to kill us and our children and our livestock with thirst?”
I look at this and marvel at the doubt that the Israelites had and then I look at my life, especially being here in Brazil, and marvel at my own doubt. At times I found myself saying, “Lord why did you want me to come here? I can’t even seem to communicate with these people. I could have stayed in the States and gotten involved with a ministry where I can communicate! Lord, you must have made a mistake…” Through my own personal time in prayer and with his word I realized first and foremost the Lord doesn’t make mistakes, I am here for a reason. Even though the language isn’t coming as quickly as I had hoped it is coming and the Lord is using my life and my situations in ways that I’m sure I’ll never know in this lifetime. Secondly, this time in my life where I am forced to communicate, even at most times very badly, has strengthened my dependence on God. It has caused me to realize that He is in control and that He is made strong in my many weaknesses.
Nathan and I both continue to ask for prayer as continuing to learn the language can be a struggle at times, but day by day it gets better. We have found so much joy in the Lord and in the work that is being done here and we continue to thank God for the blessing it is to be here! Paul and Becky are amazing hosts with such a warm heart for the people and God has used them in miraculous ways! We will only be with them for about another week before we continue our work in Campo Mourão with the Bible School and the Miriam Infant Home. So far in our time here in Brazil we have realized that our schedules change on a whim, the day never goes as according to our plans and that there is always work to be done. Only one thing is ever set in stone and remains constant and that’s that the Lord is working in the lives of the people here in Brazil and in our lives. The Lord has taught us so much already and we continue to look forward to what the Lord will continue to teach us.
I realize that this isn’t a typical update email and in the future we will more than likely be more descriptive of the work that we have been doing while we are here. Until that time, please visit our blog at http://preachandteachbrazil.wordpress.com/. We typically update it every night or every other night with the various things that we have done throughout the day and different prayer request that we have.
We thank you for your partnership in the gospel and hope that everything is well for you in the states!
In Christ’s love,
Jon Nelson and Nathan Olson
