Todd

Today was Todd’s Birthday. First thing in the morning, I gave him a card addressed to ‘Old Man Watson’ and sang Happy Birthday. We took a walk along the beach before breakfast, and since it was our first full day in Mozambique, we spent the day in the sand and sun, resting and reading before meeting Kylee again for dinner. Later that night, we split a small chocolate bar to celebrate. The three of us talked about past birthdays at home and what we had done and the great dinner we would be having if we were home now. An email from Mom reminded us again of what a luxury it is to celebrate the day you were born and to have others celebrate it too.
This month has definitely brought us many blessings together. It was sometimes an adjustment to be together every day, in the same ministry, and living with so many people. Living Grace was such a natural fit for Todd, while it took me a bit longer. When I first met him, I recognized that he had a gift for talking to people, to seeing them right where they are. This was such a strength working with the men at LG. Right away, he was in there, leading the singing and even dancing on the table one day. I saw God use him in amazing ways though, in some very serious situations too, where he was able to really help people and also took care of the safety of the place when John was sick. One of the most powerful things I witnessed in the entire month was how he helped to completely change one man, who had previously been a gang leader. To watch this everyday was awesome, to see how Todd was being used while also seeing my own growth. Living Grace was a great place to do ministry together, but also to have the freedom to seek what each of us wanted to do. Other than that, we have been trying to get out once a week alone for a bit of a date. We still start each day by reading God Calling (me) and 1 COR.:13 (him) together. He tells me to go take time alone and relax, makes tea, and one night, spent an hour de-bugging my room. I could have done it myself, but really appreciate the little things done as a gesture for me. Being together so much has made us very conscious of exercising extra patience and care with each other. We want our relationship to be part of our ministry too, to reflect God’s amazing love. We have been trying to take extra care of each other and support each other everyday.