Those Amazing Jaredites!

We have been in Zambia for a year. Most of the babies that were on their mother's backs when we came are walking now. The overdue rains are pouring forth again and we are living in the same green, wet season that we started with. I haven't written much since October because,honestly, Rand and I have been too busy paddling upstream. There are many challenges in trying to keep this sub-mission afloat, but just the Physical Facility problems have been enough to almost drown us. We’ve had no Physical Facility help for over 6 months. Not only was the Zambian handyman fired, but the main Zimbabwe Mission PF Manager was finally fired after robbing the church blind. We are gratified that it has happened after so many months of our whistle-blowing, but the fallout has been bad. No wonder no one wanted to see it before . . . we have shot ourselves in the foot!

The good news is that right when we were ready to hobble towards home on crutches, Elder and Sister Renlund came to Zambia for a mission tour. Elder Renlund, a new member of the 1st Quorum of Seventy, is a counselor in the SE-Africa Area Presidency. We knew a little about the Renlunds before they came. Sister Renlund is the attorney who helped our mom (Gayla) win a case against Lakeview Hospital. Elder Renlund is a leading heart transplant surgeon who used the heart catheter Ryan was working on at Worldheart. This extremely accomplished couple proved to be completely enjoyable company. The Lord has hand-delivered this dynamic duo to Africa.For three days they trained and enlightened the saints of Zambia.On Friday,they trained our missionaries in Zone Conference. Rand and I almost missed it--we were at the Immigration Office trying to keep one of our Elders from being deported or jailed because he didn’t arrive with his police clearance! Never a dull moment. On Sat and Sun., Elder Renlund presided over Lusaka’s District Conference. A number of times, Elder Renlund said that he was on special assignment from Pres. Monson--which is always true of a visiting General Authority, but this particular mission tour was out of calendared sequence, so we couldn't help wondering if our red flares finally flickered in a distant sky! The following Tuesday, the Dube's (mission pres.) and the Renlunds had a long layover in Zambia while flying from Malawi to Zimbabwe. (What a huge mission to tour!) While Pres. Dube took care of missionary business, we had the opportunity to spend a few hours with the Renlunds. As they asked us many questions, we had many stored-up tales to tell. Our experiences and observations, told all in one sitting, do make quite the tale of mission intrigue. The Renlunds were willing and anxious to see the rest of the story, not just the pleasing Lusaka that most visiting authorities see when they stay at the five-star hotel, eat in the upscale restaurants, and worship in the lovely Lusaka chapel surrounded by its beautifully groomed grounds. The framed flip-side to that pleasant picture has some splinters which could fester under thin skin. We’ve prayed for tougher skin as we have investigated, documented, written letters, and prayed some more--often to no avail, until the Lord sent Elder and Sister Renlund our way. By their questions and responses, we knew they were getting it. We took them to visit a rented meetinghouse which was billed through Physical Facilities with an exorbitant price tag for remodeling, but the work was never done. We showed them some of the areas the missionaries are tracting which are not conducive to a strong membership-foundation in this new vineyard, but which easily produce the Elder's numbers-of-contacts. When we take newcomers, such as Renlunds, into the dense compounds, we view it anew through their wide-eyed, dropped-jawed stares, and we realize how accustomed we have become! Renlunds are bravehearts, and they are only interested in the best interest of the Lord's work, whatever that involves, or wherever that takes them.

I am currently reading in Ether in my Book of Mormon studies.In chapter 6, I could relate to the Jaredites being buried in the depths of the sea as they were being blown towards the promised land in the barges that the Lord had commissioned. “They were many times buried in the depths of the sea, because of the mountain waves which broke upon them, and also the great and terrible tempests which were caused by the fierceness of the wind . . . therefore when they were encompassed about by many waters they did cry unto the Lord, and he did bring them forth again upon the top of the waters.” And so it is, the Lord has brought us again upon the top of the water. While we catch our breath, we realize that the winds will continue to blow, as there is still much to be done here which apparently requires the Lord’s tempest. “And it came to pass that the wind did never cease to blow towards the promised land while they were upon the waters; and thus they were driven forth before the wind.” The Jaredites were driven forth, submerged, and tossed to and fro for 344 days!  And they sang praises to the Lord every day through it all! Can you even imagine? I am just grateful that Moroni has not been documenting our journey! We certainly haven't been singing constant praises in the last 344 days--although we do try to sing praises on Sundays!