THE TIME HAS COME. I feel like I have gone from not having any details to drowning in them. I began this moving process months ago so that I’d be prepared; it didn’t work. Apparently, from conversations with others, that never works. I seem to complete one task on my list of things to do and two more appear. I guess that whatever gets done will get done, and whatever doesn’t get done won’t get done. That’s the way life goes, I suppose.
Our final Sunday rolled around, and Mikey wanted his jacket. It’s 90 degrees outside. All other cold-weather clothes are packed or stored because there’s not much need for coats in Niger. But Mikey wanted his jacket, blue jacket. “I want my blue jacket, now!” “I have no idea where…” I looked over and saw it hanging in a closet. Disaster averted. The thing about small victories is that a victory is a victory and enough of them add up to become large victories. So, I took the win.
I was sitting in Sunday school trying to listen to the teacher but also pondering what I should write in an update. Writing an update is one of those things on my obstinate list. A story came to mind, but it has little to do with the topic at hand, and further, I think I may have written about it previously. Anyway. When I was about 6 or 7, we lived in Lomé, Togo and attended an English-speaking service on Sunday mornings. One day in children’s church, the teacher formed the kids into a circle for a time of prayer. He then asked us to raise our hands if we had never sinned. As an adult today, I understand that the intention of this question was to point out the fact that everyone is a sinner. However, children can often be very perceptive. I stood there, and I remembered the many, many classes and sermons that taught that Jesus takes away sins. I interpreted the situation to indicate that, since Jesus lives in me, I had never sinned. So, I, of course, raised my hand. I looked to my left and my right, and no one else was raising their hands. I located my brother, and he was not only not raising his hand, but he was also staring at me (he was once again being embarrassed by his idiot brother). Did this deter me from my sure determination that I was correct? No. The simple illustration was certainly not simple in my mind. If the teacher didn’t want my honest answer, he shouldn’t have asked the question or at least sent me out of the room first. I continued my perusal of the other kids with their hands hanging at their sides and became quite frightened; all of them, including my dear brother, were going to hell!
After all these years, from a theological perspective, I think I agree with 7-year-old Jeremy—not that my brother was going to hell but that the sins and shortcoming of Christians are wiped away by the sacrifice of Christ. We become sinless. This truth should be potent enough to cut through the clutter and untidiness that plague our existence.
Jeremiah is the author of one the most famous verses in the Old Testament. It is one that is often thought of as being quite encouraging. “‘For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future’” (Jeremiah 29:11). He gave this message to the Israelites, and it is encouraging, but verse 10 contains a qualification. They would need to remain in captivity for seventy more years in the nation that conquered them. Further, when they did return, their political situation would never return to the glory that it once was. For Jeremiah specifically, tradition says that he died in Egypt after being stoned by his own people who didn’t like his prophecies. For Jeremiah, the chaos of circumstances was bearable because he knew that his obedience maintained his relationship with God. For us, regardless of what transpires on earth, Christ makes us sinless, restores us to God, and everything else should pale in comparison.
Well, we leave on Wednesday. We will spend a few days in Paris, one day in Istanbul, and then arrive in Niamey on July 24. My activities in Niger will include teaching at an English-speaking school, teaching at Bible schools, assisting a Christian non-profit with their discipleship program, and mentoring individual Christians who are young in their faith. My finances are sufficient at that moment, but that sufficiency is very precise. Any unforeseen issues would cause trouble for my budget. If you have considered supporting me in the past, now would be a great time to do so. Pray for the political and social stability of Niger. Also pray for the students, both young and old, that I will be teaching. This is obviously a huge move for Mikey. Keep him in your prayers as well.
Thanks for Everything,
Jeremy and Mikey Wyckoff
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