Our oldest Africa son Solomon is in his second year at Njala University in Sierra Leone. His best friend is Desmond. Together these two are going to change their nation to the glory of God. I will write more about these two precious ones later, but for now I will let you read a recent email exchange between Desmond and I:
Desmond,
Thank you for all the time you spent with me while I was in Africa. Thank you for seeking the Lord with all of your heart. Thank you for being a constant source of love and encouragement for my sweet son Solomon. I feel so blessed and proud to be connected to your life.
You are an amazing young man. I want to tell you some reasons why I am proud of and why the Lord is proud of you through some of the things I observed about you on this last trip.
The first thing is the testimony of how you sought the Lord with everything in you when you wanted to switch course studies. You sought His face and did not give up. You knew that He had the power to act in your behalf and you trusted him in this. The joy that you had when He granted your requested was so precious! I KNOW that He rejoices over you and takes great delight in you…because you take such delight in Him.
I loved that you were content to just sit and be with us. Even if we weren’t directly interacting with you. You were with us to give and not to receive. The few nights that Solomon didn’t come to the home, you came anyway and sat and talked with me…you could have stayed with him because I know you love him and also desired to spend time with him. Thank you for spending time with me in his behalf. You are a great friend to him. Being a good friend is difficult and rare. It is hard to not try and see how we can get fulfillment from our friendships instead of how we can give.
It was worship to the Lord that you sat and spent so much care and time making the ties for dad Jerome and papa Greg…the jewelry for me and Mama Sherri and the necklass for Micah. I want you to know the tie, and the jewelry you made this time and last time are some of our greatest treasures. It is so special to me that you made something with such love and thoughtfulness. I love the jewelry you made more than my most expensive piece of jewelry that has been bought in America. Thank you!
I know it was difficult and a sacrifice to type up the laws. It was so special that you had two copies made and bound for me and Crystal. I know this was not a small or easy thing for you to do. It was a labor of love. Please know that these laws are precious to me. I am so proud of you and Solomon for creating them. They are a treasure to me!
Thank you for the rich spiritual conversations that you had with me about the scriptures, the things of the Lord. Those conversations strengthened my faith and have brought me closer to the Lord.
Thank you for your joy. Your sacrifices to spend time with me. Thank you for the way you love and serve Solomon. Thank you for the way you have accepted me into your life and made me feel special and loved.
I want you to know I feel as if it was a gift from the Lord to meet your family. I felt it was a great honor. The love you showed your mum when we went to your house was so precious. The way you showed her affection and honored her with your words was amazing. She is so blessed to have you as a son! I want you to know it is very difficult to be a mum and raise your children in the Lord, it can become so discouraging at times, you wonder if you are doing a good job and want to please the Lord. You loving and encouraging your mum and praising her, honoring her, being affectionate toward her, gives her the strength and encouragement to continue seeking Him and leading her children in the Lord. God is using you in her life.
I love that you are seeking to honor him by being steadfast in your studies. I know that you know the Lord is going to use you for many years to come to change your nation and even the world to make an eternal difference.
Even though you did not sleep the last night you came back to the home and stayed with me until I left. I know you were very tired. Your sacrifice was such a blessing. Your presence was a comfort.
Desmond, during my time in Africa the Lord has used you in immeasurable ways to bring me closer to the Lord and to encourage me to continue to believe that He will do greater things in my life, in Sierra Leone, in America. He has used you to remind me that He is taking care of Solomon, serving him through you in my absence. He has used you to remind me that investing in the lives of those He has called me to is my highest calling…and that there is an eternal difference being made.
I love you!
I love Solomon, more than I have words for. I know that you are one of the most important parts of his life. I feel so blessed that we too are connected as one family. Thank you for loving him so much. Please continue to encourage him and love him deeply in my behalf…in the Lord’s behalf. Your love and encouragement play a BIG role in God’s plan for his life. Please continue to pray the Lord would bring him to America soon. My heart aches so much for him to be here with us.
I love you and am counting the days until we are all together again as one family.
Give my love to your mum, dad and brothers. Tell your mum that her love for the Lord, her husband and children has made a great impact on me. She will reap a harvest for many years to come for her love and faithfulness. She is beautiful inside and out. I will write her and send a letter with the next team.
Desmond, thank you again.
Your life has eternal value and you are precious to the Lord, so precious.
Pray He makes a way for me to return soon! Keep seeking Him with your whole heart. He is our great reward, our greatest Treasure. He is all we really need. He is more than enough to keep and sustain our lives!
Keep reminding Solomon of God’s love and mine.
I love you!
Mum
(I am so sorry for crying so much when I left. I was trying not to…it is just so difficult. When I am there I grow so much more deeply in love with each visit and so there is pain at the thought of being separated for months. But as always He brings comfort joy and strength to last between each visit. He also somehow grows and strengthens the relationships even though I am not physically with those I love so much. This is a miracle that only He could perform in the human heart! )
I love you and will see you soon!
Mum
Hi Mum
Thank you very much for appreciating the time we spent together, and for the good dialog that we got. No need to say thanks because I did what I did out of love, the love for God, you and Solomon. I was so excited for your arrival here in Sierra Leone so it was my place for us to have good time.
How were Dad Jerome and the boys when you got back? I know they were missing you a lot. I’m so glad Him and Micah love the gift that I made for them.
I’m also glad that you love what we did to the laws, had Crystal get her own copy? I only hope she loves it just as you did.
As you are aware Solomon has set off for his campus, to prepare himself for the exam forth coming. He is going to start his exam on the 25th of this month, my own time table for the exam is not yet up, but hope to be very soon.
I was so sad seeing you both leaving, I did not wanted you both to leave at all. I was really enjoying the time that we all was having together as a family, they were my best moment, especially the night that we stood up till 4:30 in the morning, I love the conversations that we had that night. I pray that the good Lord that we are serving will bring us together again as one family.
Mum is extending her thanks and appreciation for the gift that you bought for her, she really love’s it and like putting it on each and every other day. She loved the conversation that you both had as two mothers and she keeps on talking about it. She really appreciate that you endeavor to come and see them on your arrival here in Sierra Leone, and she hope that God will make it possible for such things to happen again.
Mum, I want to thank you for the time that we had when you were here, I want to thank you for walking all the way down to see my family and had a good chat with them, and most of all I want to thank you for the money that you left with me, I really appreciate it. I used the money to buy my statistics material to prepare myself for the exam, as I’m a little bit behind, so I need the materials to close the gap between me and my colleagues.
Once again I say thank you very much for all that you did.
My greetings to the entire family and friends, I love you all.
Stay bless
Love always
Your Son
Desmond
