“But it’s dark?!” our daughter cried in surprise as we told her we were getting in the car to go somewhere. “This is a special night,” we assured her. Later we were walking across campus when we saw our good friend Steve. He helped us into the building. We settled into the lounge, occupied by just one studying student curled in an armchair.After some minutes the college students started to arrive. Our kids were a hit (any under 17 is a big novelty on a college campus) and the coo’s and ahh’s only increased once we put the kids in their footie pajamas. We came to talk to them about how God led us to Africa, how He changed our lives and our priorities once we gave our lives fully to Him and His control. We talked about how important and special and unique Jesus is-- He is someone worth sharing about.
As we talked to the students, our kids ran in and out from under our legs, playing with anything they could get their hands on but staying relatively quiet. As we looked on at the group of college students crammed into the lounge, we tried to remember what it was like to be a college student, before these cute kids were part of our lives, when our futures were still unknown and God was moving in our hearts in new ways.
Middlebury College is an important place in our history. We met at Middlebury. Our faith was challenged there. Each of us, separately and then together, found ourselves coming to a real and deepening faith within the context of the hills of Vermont. It was from Middlebury that we each took our first trips abroad--Megan to Mozambique and Tom to Central Asia.
It’s a little known fact that like many colleges in the Northeast, Middlebury once had a proud history of people of faith. Hamlin, a former college President, spent 20 years in Asia Minor. Another man, by the name of Robert Wilder spent his life in India. His children would be instrumental in the great Haystack Prayer Meeting (if you’ve never heard of this--look it up!) and Middlebury students were included in those who went to the ends of the earth because of that meeting.Generally Middlebury is not known as a campus of faith, far from it. Middlebury students still go to the ends of the earth, but usually these days with different purposes. So it could be we are part of an older Middlebury legacy. Or maybe Middlebury is simply the place where we met each other and God. Either way, it’s a special place to us.
PRAYERS ANSWERED
Tom had a great birthday! We had good time reconnecting with some old college friends in MA. We had safe travels to Vermont. Our colds are doing much better. One of the mature brothers from the capital has decided to move back to the third island (where we are hoping to start a team). We are excited about his potential presence on that island.
PRAYERS REQUESTED
We are in the process for getting student visas for France. Megan has been approved to get a consulate appointment for more than a week, but Tom has still not been approved. Pray that his approval comes soon! Continue to pray for the new teams preparing to start on the islands and for all our brothers and sisters there. Pray for our travels as there is snow predicted for Sunday (when we are supposed to drive back to MA from Vermont).
