"Consider it pure joy..., whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance." James 1:2-3
Greetings!
I had the pleasure this month of spending time with our ECM team in Uganda. I was reminded that the challenges of the past two years have not been ours alone. It was refreshing, then, to read the words of our country director, Brian Mukalazi, who wrote, "Despite the prolonged, multifaceted challenges posed by COVID-19, our team has been more innovative, resilient, and spiritually stronger, and the lives of hundreds of vulnerable children in poor Ugandan communities have been touched." This was music to my ears!
You see, it is the challenges we face in life that cause us to be more innovative and resilient, and to grow spiritually. Without challenges we become stagnant and complacent. With challenges and tests, we grow and learn to persevere.
I fully expect a boatload of challenges in 2022, and you probably do too. I even heard someone refer to the new year as 2020, too. I don't know if 2022 will be a repeat of 2020, but if it is, and we face one challenge after another, we can do so with boldness that comes from knowing the one who controls our lives and the events of this world.
So, with James' advice fresh in our minds, let's pray for a joyous new year for the entire ECM family, no matter what challenges we will face!
Pressing on,