Reflecting on the past year, I’m amazed by how incredible it has been for us. 2011 arrived in an unusual way, under rather bleak circumstances that God ultimately used to radically refocus us on what matters most – Him – for the year ahead. I spent the final hours of 2010 in a U.S. military medical facility near Schwedelbach, Germany, incredibly sick with pneumonia. From the hospital bed I heard nothing in the way of fireworks or celebrations outside in the cold as midnight, and the New Year, gradually approached. The hours passed and my condition only worsened, with declining oxygen levels and a steadily rising fever. And yet, in this agony and uncertainty I was wholly unaware of how God was using this moment to work in me…in multiple ways, and with surgical precision.
In my medicated haze I thought about all that Megan and I had been looking forward to as we were preparing to work with the Etnopedia project in Mexico. Admittedly, I felt only strangely encouraged by all of this. We had been moving at light speed for months…tearing ourselves away from our comfortable lives in West Palm Beach, driving across the States promoting our ministry and raising financial support, before cashing in a pile of Delta Sky Miles I accrued over the previous couple of years of near incessant work travel to spend Christmas with my parents who live in Germany.
It hurt to breathe. I worried about ensuing medical bills, and much worse. We had a date set for our move to Oaxaca, and we weren’t anywhere near our financial goals yet. Could my pneumonia be signaling a conclusion to all of our work and preparation? Could this be it? Nurses came in and out, giving me meds and checking my vitals. The hospital was well staffed in anticipation for waves of overly imbibed New Year’s revelers. It was still too early for them and I was being very well cared for in the meantime. None of us really knew what to expect. All we could do was pray, trusting God to bring me through this trial.
After what seemed like an eternity, my levels suddenly began to improve, and continued to do so. I thanked God for His mercy and miraculous healing. And as I did this I was struck by something even more painful than my own breathing. God was teaching me something great and far beyond me. But in order for me to truly understand I had to be completely immobilized, relying only on Him. It dawned on me that I had spent months trusting more in my own strength than His, all the while quick to openly proclaim His Lordship over my life. And now here I was, the weakness of my own ‘strength’ in plain view. My God, who knows every hair on my head, and provides each breath of air to my lungs, is truly the One in control. Forgive me Lord for my lack of faith and help me to continue to serve you however and wherever You lead, knowing that You alone are our joy and provision. This was a humbling start to a great year. I would not have wanted it any other way.
Fast forward: We welcomed the arrival of 2012 at our home in Oaxaca, in a much less eventful way than a year ago, though full of memories of a fruitful year. As we discussed our New Year’s resolutions with each other, of course we talked about exercising more and so on…but we have agreed that our primary resolution is to steadily increase our faith, trusting even more in God who is truly in control. Looking back we cannot help but be reminded of where we came from, that we are sinners saved only by His grace through Jesus Christ; we continue to be amazed by where He leads us in this life as we earnestly seek after Him. May our Lord bless you greatly this New Year! Drake & Megan