I have abandoned this blog for a while now, and because I'm terrible about writing and blogging, I doubt this blog will see many more posts. But I did want to share some news with whoever is reading this.
In less than one month we will say “farewell” to our New Day family in
Zambia. Our pathway continues as we follow God’s call to Rift Valley Academy,
Kenya. This is the boarding school that our children, Coby & Kelsey, have
been attending, and now we will join the staff at RVA in August 2015. We don’t
know all the details of our work at RVA just yet as leadership puts the pieces
together, but we have been called to serve RVA with our gifts and talents in
administration, support, leadership and logistics.
When we joined the New Day family almost two years ago, we created
for ourselves a home to live in for as long as God allowed us to stay. We all
create life plans or goals for ourselves and specific areas of focus in our
lives. As humans we try to plan for the future that includes a certain career,
a specific geographic location, and maybe even a level of income. We all have
life plans in our head as we imagine our future. For me, I want my life to mean
something or to have a purpose. To reference a well-known author who seems to
get quoted a lot, I don’t want to waste my life.
But there are many times when God intentionally messes up our life
plans. And that’s a really GOOD thing! As I was having my devotion one day, I was reminded about Joseph in the book of Genesis. God really messed up Joseph’s life plan. His brothers threw him into a dry
well, then sold him into slavery. The wife of his Egyptian master tried to
seduce him and when he refused her advances, she turned him over to the cops.
He spent years in prison, which I doubt was included in his life plan! Finally,
after many years of painful waiting, God exalted him to second in command in all of Egypt. So,
God messed up Joseph’s life plan, and it turned out a really GOOD thing. God
did for Joseph what Joseph could never have done for himself.
My daily reading led me to Genesis again, when God
messed up Abraham and Sarah’s life plan. God allowed Sarah to be infertile and
barren for years. He took them out of their homeland, away from their family
and friends, and then after waiting, God promised them a son. But then God made
them wait some more. Finally, their hopes and dreams were realized when their
son, Isaac, was born. But then God told Abraham to sacrifice Isaac. Talk about
a wrench in the life plan! After God rescued Isaac, and all was said and done,
God made Abraham the father of many nations. God seriously messed up Abraham
and Sarah’s life plan, and it turned out to be a really GOOD thing. God
accomplished for Abraham what Abraham could never have accomplished on his own.
These examples gave me hope and peace in knowing that God knows
exactly what He is doing. Now, He usually takes longer than I would like
sometimes, and He often leads us through strange territory. Sometimes He even
defers, or destroys our dreams and plans. This is what it feels like leaving
New Day and the kids we have grown to love and adore. But God, our loving,
tender, delightful Father, knows exactly what He is doing. Because He is
accomplishing more in and through me than I could ever think or
imagine.
As I think about the places God has called our family to serve, and
the place He is calling us to serve now, I don’t think this would have been in
my willfully chosen life plan. And yet I know that God has not deserted us in
this time and He hasn’t forgotten us. He hasn’t made any mistakes along the
way. He knows what the Cook family needs and where we need to be because His
life plan is always better than mine. God has arranged every step of our
journey. Each step in our lives has been guided by our Father. We know Who is
in control of our life! We know that everything that we are and everything we
have is a result of what He has allowed in our lives. We are so thankful for
the moments in time that God has given us to make relationships with people all
over the world. We have been blessed beyond measure in the good times and the
tough times. I also recognize that God has given Ricky & I a gift of
service, and He has opened doors for us to be used by Him and for His glory. We both pray that we will use our gifts to work through our Father to minister to the
world and draw people closer to Him.
How can you pray for the Cook family?
·
As Coby & Kelsey finish this last term of their 10th
and 8th grades, pray for them to be steadfast in their studies and
finish strong on July 14.
·
Pray for Ricky & Niki as they pack up the house and sell their belongings (once again!). There are many logistical things
that have to be completed in a short amount of time.
·
Pray for goodbyes we will be sharing with everyone at New Day
Orphanage and the surrounding villages of Mapanza.
·
Pray for safe travels as the Cooks fly back to America to visit
family and friends this summer.
·
Pray also as the Cooks return to Kenya and begin this new ministry
at RVA in August.
·
And pray for Austin, who will be beginning college life in August.
