We’ve got some good news...we’re going to Weberek this Saturday! Hallelujah! This decision was made just yesterday afternoon when our friend, Lucinda, finally picked up her vehicle (a Mitsubishi Triton twin-cab 4 wheel drive - a ‘man’s vehicle’, as Lucinda calls it!) after the rigmarole in trying to make the payment for it (long story!). However, God is the one making our path straight....all the way up the winding tracks to Weberek!
(Actually, Weberek is down from Dili, near the south-coast of Timor - we’ll try to plot it out on a map for you one day:)
We also received the news that my wedding gown sold in a lil’ boutique in Sydney! This income is timely and we’re so thankful to God for His continual provision for the work He has called us to! Some of you may already know the story of how I actually won this dress...it was an amazing gift from our Heavenly Father! Had I tried to sell it on my own via ebay, I wouldn’t have made more than $150 on it, even though it cost me $350 just to get it dry-cleaned! Even though it was sold with a fairly hefty commission, we still make a pretty good profit on it! Praise God! His good and perfect gifts keep on giving!
We also wanted to thank God for good health! Laurence and I were struck down for around 2 weeks with a terrible tropical flu-type thing! We were concerned that it may have been the dreaded mosquito-borne dengue fever or malaria, but God has restored us both to good health! We celebrated this morning by taking a long walk to the Christo Rei (Christ the King), which is otherwise know as the ‘Jesus statue’ and having a splash in the beautiful bay below! First time we’ve managed to really escape the craziness and pollution of Dili and enjoy the beauty of God’s creation...with the crystal, turquoise bay reflecting the magnificent and lush mountains!
‘How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that brings good tidings, that publishes peace; that brings good tidings of good, that publishes salvation; that says to Zion, Your God reigns!’ Isaiah 52:7
We’ve also worked out how to source, prepare and eat good, healthy food on a shoe-string budget in Dili! We feel like we’ve been eating like kings! There’s quite a lot of food around that is priced for the rich foreigners (or ‘malai’ as the locals call them) - some prices are much more than in Australia! However, they have some relatively inexpensive veges, fruit and tempeh (fermented soybean product) sold in the local markets which suits our preference for a vegetarian diet here in Timor.
It’s been a real blessing to stay at my friend, Natalies’ house too - especially when we were housebound with illness and needing to rest! She’s actually been away in Thailand most of the time we’ve been here, but her hospitality has blessed us greatly, even without her here!
Another blessing and answer to prayer is our visa situation. We had heard many times that it was a very hard process in trying to apply for a visa extension (getting another 60 days on top of our standard 30-day tourist visa). Also, that they gave you 60 days from the day you apply, not starting after your initial 30 day visa. However, much to our joy, we found this to not be the case, since we had already booked our flights back to Darwin exactly 90 days from our entry into Dili! We now await the visa to be approved and praise God for His favour!.
So, we just want to give thanks to God, for ‘Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of Lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.’ (James 1:17)
Thank you all for your continual love, support and prayers too! We will be offline for at least the next month now, as there’s no internet in Weberek (nor any grid electricity). We’re thinking of and praying for you all too!
Stay blessed!
Love C & L
P.S. We're sorry, but still no pics! We don't make very good tourists...hehe...Maybe next time.... ;)
