Journal Pages...
June 20, 1992 - Early Struggles
Well, don't start buying baby clothes yet. Mikki isn't expecting. Maybe that is really best. We have so much to learn before we bring a child into this confusion.
We may have made our first mistake as missionaries. We needed help in the house, so we asked Casey if he would help us. Later Tim told me that Joe and Linda had wanted him to do something else besides work for missionaries. They thought that the missionaries were holding him back from ministry. It is too late to back out of employing him now. I don't know.
Bob Abbott called this morning. He said that Moussa is coming up the 11th of July. He also said that he is working on a syllabus for a Bible course for Tuaregs.
Language study is difficult. We are finding that there so many things related to getting settled in here that it is hard to find time to work on what we have studied with Casey. I also want to establish a language route. Today I am supposed to go back to Tim's and look at some literature in Tamajaq. We were supposed to go visit Pastor Baidu also, but with the rain that we got last night, I think that he will be in his fields planting. That relationship is another stressful situation. Sometimes I really don't know which way to turn. Must always remember to turn to the Lord. He is the one who will build his church among the Tuaregs.
Yesterday, Mikki really struggled with culture stress. It can be tough out here. I sure hope that people are praying like they said they were. We need an army of prayer support to survive out here. I am so glad I preached that sermon on prayer. I wondered if I came across too strong. Now that I am here, I can see that it was not too strong. This is a battle.