A testimony from Timothy
still recovering from Malaria -- March 2009
just prior to the trip into unreached tribes in the northern region

Hello all!

Just wanted to update the saints concerning our trip! God willing we will head out early tomorrow morning. We plan on staying one night just north of Kumasi, and then continuing the next day to Bole. (Which is just north of Wa, in the upper western region of Ghana for you eager young geography students!!) We pray God will guide us, hopefully making contact with an un-reached tribe--or two! We will be taking brother 2ndJohn with us, the one who just completed the previous discipleship program. We hope to spend a few days at least and then head back the middle of next week--assuming we don't have a "Lucas automobile adventure." Your prayers are so much appreciated!

Yes, and concerning my malaria!
I won't be able to go into great detail right now.   But I feel led of the Lord so I'll just give brief testimony of the great things my Father has done while i have been down and God willing there will more amplification upon my return.  Suffice it to say, and as strange as this may sound: This sickness has been a joy to my soul!

But first, a little history! The last few weeks, perhaps months, I have been praying much about the life of Christ, the fruit of the Spirit etc. To be quite frank, I have been seeing something amiss, something lacking in my life.

At the end of every day our Lord and Saviour could humbly say, "Today I did not do my own will, but only the will of my Father!" A variation of that phrase is replete in the Gospels, giving testimony to the awesome humility of Christ!

It's so easy for us to toss around words and promises that we do not comprehend!

Well, I profess to have the Life of Christ living in me. Perhaps a very ordinary claim on the surface, but if we only could grasp the depth!!

I received by nature, pride. But praise be to God, absolute humility from the nature Christ!
The Lord reminded me not to long ago: it wasn't necessarily adultery and theft and murder he commanded us to repent from, those are just the fruits.. Pride is the root from which everything contrary to the will of God springs from. I knew all this as theory in my mind, but had yet to work it out into experiential reality. And boy oh boy more than ever do i want the reality of the life of Christ! I have life, but could I honestly say I have the abundant life of Christ? Joy, but joy unspeakable? Peace, but peace like a river? How that ever became a children's song i don't know--what a convicting song!!
Well after much prayer the Lord began to reveal to me my pride and self-centeredness--the enemy to the life of Christ. I don't want to be a hypocrite, I want the Life of Christ living in and through me 24/7. I want to know Jesus, and him crucified--but also, Jesus in the power of his resurrection! And thanks be to God, he is able and he will finish the work he has started!!

Such were my thoughts and prayers when I came down with Malaria last week.

Surly the Lord doesn't expect me to be Joyful and Loving when I have a temp of 104, it's painful to take a deep breath, its 90 degrees outside but my teeth are still chattering, and my body feels like it was run over by a small truck!! ...ok maybe a slight exaggeration ;)

But sure enough, He does expect it because it's all found in Christ. I was forced to ask myself: is He living in me only in health or also in sickness and suffering?! I am so encouraged by the example of Jesus while he was on the cross. Such love and compassion on so undeserving a people while they subjected him to such inhumane torture.

Well that same life is in me, HALLELUJAH!! Even though this malaria doesn't even compare in the slightest to the cross, I can have the same attitude when I go through suffering because of Him!
The Lords work in us is not daunted by sickness or suffering, they are his tools! These last few days I have been allowed such refreshing fellowship in the presence of the Lord I would gladly continue on! It seems times of prayer and bible reading are so much richer during time of hardness. The moments when it's the most painful and trying, it seems he is the closest.

Now please don't get me wrong: I am so very grateful to God for all your prayers and concern for my health! It so blessed my heart to hear the fellowship was lifting me up in prayer on sunday and the following days. I would humbly ask everyone to pray the Lord would finish the work he has started, and would accomplish his purposes in my life--not to just throw out the malaria straightaway! Does that make sense? I almost feel guilty saying all this after the earnest prayers of so many! But the Lord has had a wonderful blessing for me in this sickness, i don't want to miss it;) So I share all this so that we can pray along with the will of the Lord and not against the Spirit. I think you'll understand: of course I want to be healed, but not a minute before the Lord is finished with his work.

As of right now: I still am a bit achy with sore throat. However, the brunt of the malaria is passed, and torrid fevers are going away! What a mighty God we serve! Amen!

Well we leave in 4 hours so I will go get some rest!!

Once again I thank each one for all the many prayers on my behalf, I am so blessed!

Much love--timo