April 2014 Sarah Masson Update
Thank you for being so generous with your financial gifts, your time and energy, and the sacrifice you are making for God’s Kingdom. You are precious to me and so much more precious to God. Thank you!
I’ve been assisting in many areas in the last several months, as some of main missionaries have moved on to other ministries or to be with their family members in different parts of the world. I’ve re-learned a lot over the past few months. Among the lessons, I have remembered that as much as we plan something, God has the control. It is God’s world. I’m ‘wee little Sarah’ and I can run about like a chicken with its head cut off, but to what end? It is God who has the days planned. It is God who saves His people. I’m one of His many workers. We are definitely all valued workers, but the reality is that at the end of the day, God will make the decisions, the people are in His hands and He knows what’s best. I’ve especially been reminded of this when dealing with the Secondary Boarding Schools that our youth are attending. For the schools, setting dates and plans seem to be suggestions until a day or night before our students need to be picked up from school (which is a 3 hour drive away). Flexible…I need to be more and more flexible. God is teaching me how to do this daily. He is also showing me that amidst being flexible, that I need to learn to hold things loosely. It is similar to working on a clay pot, in that I can’t ever complete my clay sculpture because its size and shape is always changing. This is challenging for me because I like to see a completed project and move on to the next one. Although the absence of structure is sometimes frustrating (because we can’t make a plan for the week and stick to it), it is also exciting to see what God is going to do in the next few hours, because plans are constantly changing. It is even impossible to keep everyone on base updated on certain changes.
I hold fast to the promises of my God and Savior that He will protect me, provide for me and be my strength. He is the reason I’m here. He is the reason I’ve been healed. He is my daddy, even when I forget to go to Him first, He still loves me and He still holds me.
The general areas that I’ve been helping out in are Hospitality for our International visitors as well as local visitors, youth programming (youth nights and a conference coming up June 27), helping out our children on base with homework, sorting out daily issues, and having fun! I’ve been liaising with 17 Secondary students who are at boarding schools, and covering all the usual administrative duties to support our Directors on the base in their communications with donors worldwide (website, newsletters, reports, etc.), as well as visiting Children of Hope families to deliver food. As you have read, a day for me can start out in one area of the ministry and end up in a completely different area. I’m glad to say that some of the responsibilities will be moving over to other missionaries who have arrived recently. Please continue to pray for our base, as it is going through a transitional period.
I’m reminded of a word someone shared with me about planting and toiling the land to reap a harvest, and in the harvest I would get to see what has happened with all the seeds that I have planted by hand. I’m excited to see that happen! I’m so excited to hold to this promise and know that God does fight for us and come through for us - Psalm 18.
When we throw a small tiny stone into a large body of water it causes ripples that get bigger and bigger. I get so excited when I think of Malawi’s future and how the children here represent the small stones, and the water represents the country. When the children will be set free into the country, they will have such huge ripple effects across the country and the world, for God’s Kingdom. In the daily grind of schedules that don’t work out, and unexpected changes or surprises to the days, I’m reminded wholly that we have an amazing God to fully rely on for everything. I dare say that we don’t even need to pack a bag on a trip because He will provide our every need.
