Psalm 18:30 says, “As for God, His way is perfect: the word of the Lord is tried.” This is true and has been demonstrated, but is often hard to accept when circumstances seem to declare the opposite. This week was supposed to be our big decision making week as a church planting team. We have all imagined this point in our ministry and gathered with excited anticipation at the thought of being able to bring some finality to our plans for the future. Then we got the news that Benjamin’s dad, James, was doing poorly.
We asked you to pray and thank you for doing that with us. But in the last couple of hours we have learned that James’ condition has worsened and while he is in no immediate danger the doctors have detected a return of his cancer and have no other treatment options to offer. The most hopeful prognosis at this point is that James has some months to live; probably less than four. Shortly after hearing this news we also heard that Benjamin’s mom, Lisa, has been admitted to the hospital with severe abdominal pain. They have found a small hole in her colon that might repair itself with strong antibiotics, but may need to be operated on. Benjamin’s three younger siblings, Christopher, Deborah and Martha, are all there with James and Lisa and are doing a marvelous job caring for their parents.
We believe that God’s ways are perfect. We believe that His timing is flawless. We believe that because the word of the Lord is tried, we can trust Him with all our hearts especially when we do not understand the circumstances. We don’t know why the Lord has allowed this to happen. We don’t understand why this is happening now, right as we are attempting to launch into life in the tribe! It is not for us to know these answers; but as for God, His way is perfect. We will hold on to this, because it is enough!
There are some very immediate questions that we need to answer and would ask for your prayers as we seek to do so. Our desire is to return to the US for some months to be of assistance to James and Lisa and family, and to enjoy some quality time with James. We want James to be able to see us as a family again and to form some lasting memories with him. We are being urged by different ones here on the field who have gone through similar circumstances to get home and enjoy what time there is left. Our church planting team is fully behind us, and have committed to waiting for our return before moving into a tribe. And because we haven’t taken that all important first step into a tribal location we have this opportunity to leave the field and return with little impact on our overall plans.
The dilemma in our hearts is the extraordinary expense of a round trip ticket for our entire family. Many have told us to not think twice about this, but it is difficult not to, when we consider the sacrifice on the part of so many; not to mention the other ministry expenses we are trusting the Lord for (house building, and setup costs etc.) We understand that the Lord is not surprised by these circumstances or by our need right now, and that is truly a comfort to our hearts. Please pray with us as we look to the Lord in the next few days and try to make decisions.
Benjamin and Missy Hatton