April 2016 Newsletter

“Or what man is there among you who, when his son asks for a loaf, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, he will not give him a snake, will he? If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give what is good to those who ask Him!” Mat 7:9-11

“If we are going to learn to trust God in adversity, we must believe God will allow nothing to subvert His glory so He will allow nothing to spoil the good He is working out in us and for us.” Jerry Bridges

A very short-lived celebration, but a celebration still! Only by God’s grace and by His enablement did I manage to finish a very heavy-loaded semester. Having the most supporting and self-sacrificing wife in the universe also helped tremendously, and I thank God for having Lily by my side all the way. It is a very short respite though as this Monday May 9th I start again with my summer classes. 4 heavy classes that will keep me busy until the end of June. So busy that I will actually not be able to work part-time during the whole month of May. Which means not receiving an income that usually covers our living expenses. We have decided to do it that way and use what remains of our savings and what we have received from some of our friends to be able to hold fort until the end of June. Then, well, our heavenly Father knows. We have made our needs known to Him and have tried to find solutions, and we now rest confident that our Father who is in heaven gives “what is good to those who ask him”.

One of the good gifts from God this month was to grant me the opportunity to attend the T4G conference (www.t4g.org). It was truly a blessed time, representing TMAI with a dear brother, Jonathan Tempies. The teaching sessions but also the informal discussions with pastors, other students and even some of our professors were very enriching. The foundational affirmation of the inerrancy and authority of God’s Word, the fraternity (I still have in mind this beautiful picture of MacArthur, Duncan and Dever praying together before one of them went to preach) and the love for Christ displayed in the preaching and singing were all reasons to praise our heavenly Father.

I have been reflecting a lot about fatherhood lately. I am overwhelmed by the truth of God being my Father, being the Father of all those who believe in His Son Jesus Christ. The immensity of this reality, both the privilege and the responsibility that come with it astound me. God is my Father and He is perfect. Resting in that truth is the best cure for anxiety! Try it! I have also this month had the opportunity of reflecting on my own role a father. I have been taught (and have taught) that the 3P’s of a husband’s responsibility towards his wife are to Protect, Provide and Pamper. It is very true, but I noticed recently that it is also fully applicable to describe the role of a father! After all, is that not what God does to His children perfectly? He shields them in His love (Romans 8:33-39), He provides for all the needs of those who seek His kingdom (Matthew 6:33) and He blesses those who fear Him and love His Word (Psalm 1). And it is what I am called to do as a father to my children.

I would truly value your prayers as I continue to learn to grow in that role. New challenges come with the children now getting older. I realized that time indeed went by as I took my oldest son, Daniel (11 years old) to his first “job” interview. The junior high school he will attend next year has an impressively professional process to recruit the members of the school’s journaling team. Daniel would like to be the graphic designer, and had to write a resume, fill in an application form, prepare a portfolio of his work, get letters of recommendation and face a panel of 7 students and one teacher in an interview! What a blessing to see him at such a young age being trained already in those life skills he will need in the future. That reminded me of the need for me now to invest more time in him and his brother, to prepare them to be men that lead with love. To teach them both the manly skills they would need and to disciple the loving and humble heart that is to fuel their actions.

Please pray for wisdom for me as to the “when” and the “how”. But the best way I can teach them is by modelling it for them. So please pray for me. That in these days of “stress” with the studies and the uncertainty of our financial future, I would display love, patience, and trust in the Lord. Pray that I would use this summer to once more spend more time with the boys (not forgetting the girls and, more importantly, their mum!) to root them in their love for their Father in heaven. Faly

“As a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on his faithful followers. For he knows what we are made of; he realizes we are made of clay.” Psalm 103:13-14

April was a very intense month for our family. Faly was finishing his semester, the kids were also busy with the start of the last quarter of the school year. We were even made busier with the administrative tasks related to taking care of the kids’ schooling for next year, with Daniel going off to a new school for Junior High, and Rachel starting pre-school in the fall, Lord willing. Daniel is also preparing his graduation from 6th grade and there is just a lot to do. So with all these things, as well as many other things that are mentally and emotionally preoccupying me, as the mum in the midst of all of that, I get easily overwhelmed. My mind buzzes to the point of dizziness at times as I think about our current and future financial situation, which also draws me to think ahead about our return to Madagascar next year already, our future ministry, the logistical details of our future life in Madagascar, etc. All of this engulfs me at times and anxiety paralyses me. And I paradoxically end up not doing anything!

But praise be to God that He is not done with me. He once more used the Discipleship Counselling Class, now entering its 3rd session and which I almost dropped out of, to teach and mold me. I was rebuked and encouraged at the same time to be reminded of the truth from Matthew 6:27 that no one can add even one hour to his life by worrying. God is in control and He places every situation in my life, good or bad, to help me grow. Every aspect, from the small to the big, contributes to shape me for His work in the future. These things that are stressing me are there to sanctify me. My soul was refreshed by the sweetness of God’s Word.

We sometimes fail to realize that over-worrying is a sin as it is a failure to trust God. And can we be involved in the ministry of serving God if we don’t trust Him? Wouldn’t it be sad? In the Christian life, we fall and are discouraged in our walk as soon as we don’t have a high view of God (who He is) and a high view of Scripture. Our problems suddenly feel so small in light of those two realities, and our walk in integrity is guided by them.

Finally, this reinforced in my heart the importance of Christian fellowship. Though I knew some of those truths, it was only when I was reminded of them in class that was I strengthened. As Christians, we must build the habit of encouraging one another. Every Christian faces difficulties, yet it is not automatic for us to share our burdens as we want to always show that everything is well. But we should know as Christians that we are in a battle and so encourage one another. I have the opportunity to apply this principle here at home. I fail at times; my kids fail too. So when we fail, I can point them to the fact that God’s goodness, grace and faithfulness are renewed every morning, and God truly forgives those who repent. As I try to encourage them in that way, I can see the work God does in the heart of the boys, mainly, as they are encouraged to persevere, and so am I. Lily

Prayer requests • Praise the Lord for Faly completing another semester! • Praise the Lord for those who are graduating from TMS this Sunday, including 4 of Faly’s colleagues at TMAI, Jonathan, Jimmy, Craig and Aaron. Pray for their future ministry. • Pray for Daniel’s National Mathematic placement test at the end of the month. • Pray for Faly’s summer classes, for continued strength. • Pray for us to be good instruments in the hands of the Lord as we try to counsel a lady and her son through a difficult family situation. • Pray for Ms Marina, Gabrielle’s school teacher, to whom we preached the gospel and is willing so far to come with us to church this Sunday. • Continue to pray for the Nelson family (Scott, CJ and their 2 boys), and their desire to come serve with us in Madagascar. Prays for Scott to finish his studies well, and for God to help them as they start preparing and raising support.