“I’m so excited to eat these!” Ty giggled as he walked ever so carefully, balancing a cup full of the most exciting cereal he’d ever seen. The bright red, blue, yellow and green circles promised to be the best thing ever to cross his 3 year old lips. I know he thoroughly enjoyed those fruit loops, but I wonder if they were as good as he imagined, not as good, or even better than he dreamed.
A few weeks ago I got the news that the radiologist confirmed that the cyst in my head has not grown, and therefore I do not need surgery. Praise God! He answered our prayers. I will have one more follow up MRI about 6 months from now, which I will most likely fly to Australia for since we will be in Papua New Guinea. As I was contemplating surgery, it seemed terrifying to me because I didn’t know what to expect.
However, I do know my God. I know that He loves me and is totally in control of every aspect of my life. In life there are many times I don’t know what to expect, but in it all, I expect God to come through. I expect Him to be for me. I expect Him to do more than I could ever imagine.
Ephesians 3:20-21 says, “Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.”
When I told Ty I had given him something yummy, he trusted me. He knew that I love him and want good things for him. He knew I wouldn’t lie to him. When I’m faced with the unknown in life, I remind myself of the heart of God. I remind myself that He doesn’t just have good things for me, He has better things planned than I could ever imagine. Sometimes they are not the things I would choose. Sometimes it’s even hard to see how He can bring good from them. But I know my God. He’s the God of fruit loops and brain surgery, and he’s able to do more than I could even hope to imagine.
Thank you for praying for us as we embark on our next unknown. Lord willing, we leave around January 23rd.
Till All Know,
Matt, Karissa, Ty, and Wyck Long
(Tribal Church Planters in Papua New Guinea)
PS- We hope you all have a very merry Christmas as you celebrate our Immanuel, “God with us.” Isn’t that incredible? God came to Earth to be with us, so that by trusting in Jesus, we can be with Him forever. Here is a Christmas video for you: https://www.dropbox.com/s/1enc6gycipq180x/NTM_MattKarissaLong_1080p.mp4?dl=0
Please Pray:
– We are extremely stressed about getting everything done we need to before we leave
– That our kids handle moving well
Praise God:
– We got our entry permits!
– Karissa doesn’t need surgery!
– We had a good visit with one of our supporting churches, Grace Bible Church