From Kristin Hammett

Dear Friends,

One of the highlights for our family this month was a visit from my mom and Eva Reith from LVBC. Such times are SO SPECIAL! What fun! After many rearranged flights, they finally made it. Their bags weren’t so fortunate. They arrived with NO LUGGAGE! It took 48 hours to get their bags to us here. They were wise and had enough packed in their carry-on bags.

Another highlight was celebrating Joel’s 6th birthday. Joel has always wanted to go on a night safari drive in Kruger. He was always disappointed that he was too young. When he found out you only had to be 6, that became a day to look forward to! We made a two night trip to Kruger to take mom & Eva and to celebrate Joel’s big day. The Lord blessed Joel with a wonderful leopard sighting on his very first night drive! It was an exciting trip complete with a flat tire,  sinus infections, and even honey badgers trying to raid our chalet. What memories!

Ministry wise we are gearing things up for the World Cup outreach just a month away. There is lots of preparation to be done! God has given us many open doors this month, for which we are grateful. Things stay busy here as two of the villages we are working in are over an hour away. George goes to each of those villages weekly. He enjoys the time in the car with David, Godfrey, and others that he’ll bring along with him. It is a good time of fellowship and discipleship.

Oftentimes this month I found myself just marveling in God’s Amazing Grace. The words in my favorite hymn are, “Dark is the stain which we cannot hide. What can avail to wash it away? LOOK! There is flowing a crimson tide! Whiter than snow you may be today…” Sometimes I think we can live our lives as if God just forgives our sin but leaves a stain. We hold on to guilt. We put up walls. But God removes even the stain. I seem to be well acquainted stains and laundry these days. I seem to deal with them all day, every day with 3 kids who love the great outdoors. 🙂 And since confession is good for the soul, I will admit that I’ve been known a few times to even dash to the store with a stain on my shirt from a long day in the ‘Adventures of Mommyhood’ – hoping that my purse positioned just right would cover it. Why? Because …err … um…. yeah, I’m a bit embarrassed by it. 🙂  But to think that our Righteous God forgives and washes us white as snow – even the stains – not even a trace remaining. Nothing to hide. Nothing to be ashamed of – because of Christ.  Hallelujah! What a Savior!

With Love,
Kristin