An iceberg in Africa

We're sort of up and running now. Got the blog titled (not that easy a process, let me tell you, and subject of many a full and frank discussion!) and active.  Now all I have to do is fill it.

The story so far (for those who haven't heard) ...

In July 2010 we went to the first week of the Keswick Convention.  After the evening mission-focused meeting both Fraser and I felt separately that God was wanting us to go out to serve him in Africa.  We didn't know where and we didn't know doing what but it was a strong call so we started investigating a large Africa-based mission organisation.  There were so many challenging forms to fill in (ask the poor souls who had to fill in references) but we struggled on.  Unfortunately this organisation kept putting barriers in the way:  your children are the wrong ages; it'll be very difficult for us to find somewhere you can both fit in; perhaps you ought to put off going for a few years.  It was rather discouraging but we still felt convinced of God's call to us now, not for a few years' time.  He knows us as a family, he knows how old the children are and if it wasn't the right time for them to go he wouldn't have called us.  In the end we withdrew from the application process for that organisation and wondered what God would do next.

What he did was draw my attention to the Mission Africa website.  There was an appeal for editors to work at Africa Christian Textbooks (ACTS) which would suit me well so I phoned for more information.  When I spoke to Paul Bailie (Chief Executive) I was overjoyed to hear that the Theological College of Northern Nigeria (TCNN), next door to ACTS headquarters, was looking for a librarian, Fraser's dream position.  Not only that but there was an excellent international Christian school in Jos, about 12 miles away, where James and Ruth could go - God doesn't do things by halves.

Needless to say, we attacked another set of application forms, put our poor referees through the process again, flew to Belfast for an interview and were accepted to serve with Mission Africa in November 2011.  It seems to have been a long time since the initial call but God's timing is always perfect.  He may not have answered my prayer for "give me patience NOW please" right at the time but I'm sure, with all its exercise, my patience muscle is a bit more developed.

We are hoping to go out to Jos, Nigeria by June 2012.  This'll mean we'll have a few weeks to settle in before the children start the new year at their new school.  Before that we've got to build up our team in the UK.  I have this rather incongruous image of our mission work being like the tip of an iceberg.  I know that icebergs are not the first things to spring to mind when you think about Africa but Fraser, James, Ruth and I are only the tip, we're not the most important part of God's work, only perhaps the most visible.  The majority of the iceberg, the part that gives it stability and allows it to continue to do its icebergy thing is all below the surface.  There's no way that we can go out to Africa to serve God if there are not people serving God in the UK and supporting us through prayer and financial giving.  We need our team and we're very grateful to those of you who have already said that you will support us.  It's the family of God working in partnership together to promote his kingdom, each doing what they can.  It's exciting; it can be daunting if you focus on the mountains that have to be overcome, but it's wonderfully reassuring and humbling to see God work.

There will be more later when I'll tell you about our exciting trip for orientation in Northern Ireland, security training from an ex-RUC Special Operations officer and trying to fly back to Edinburgh in a hurricane.