Dennis Hilman has safely arrived in South Africa. I will be posting updates from him here. Below is one such update. However, before I post that, I just wanted on behalf of The Foreign Mission to thank all those congregations that hosted our administrator for the church visits and presentations. The time together was very much enjoyed, and we are most grateful for your love and support. Thank you and may God Bless you for your kindness!
Now to South Africa with an update from Dennis!
My Dear Family and Friends Everywhere, The other night as I was flying through the darkness around the globe - north/south this time - from London to Johannesburg I was thinking. Thinking that although I didn't know a soul on that plane God knew exactly who I was and where I was - even my seat number in row 46 (the year of my birth) - and His radar was doing even a better job of pin-pointing my location than any GPS or the moving map on the little video screen in front of me. Though we fly to the uttermost parts of the sea, He is there. Or like it says in Isaiah 40:28 "Have you not known, have you not heard, that the everlasting God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth faints not, neither is weary? There is no searching His understanding." And as I flew over what used to be called the "Dark Continent" I also thought of Psalm 2:8 "Ask of me and I shall give you the heathen for your inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for your possession". No God's hand is not shortened!
I left my home and family in Kokkola last week with a bit of trepidation because in the day or so prior to my departure I had a bit of a problem with my blood pressure. I have certainly never been troubled by that before! My doctor encouraged me to get a digital bp monitor when I got to SA and to keep tabs on it. On Wednesday I headed for our summer home on the island of Notholmen in southern Finland with Maria. What a beautiful day we had there wrapping up and tucking in our "Grand Old Lady" (that's what we call our lovely old summer home) for the winter. We knew that's just the way Birgitta would have wanted us to do it - with the peace and assurance in our hearts that her "summer home" in heaven is even far more splendid.
By the Sunday before I left I was feeling quite OK and preached at the Frebe prayer house in Helsinki. God opened up to me a beautiful place in Jeremiah (32:16-27) which culminates in that powerful verse that has meant so much to me lately "Behold, I am the Lord, the God of all flesh: is there anything too hard for me?"
I arrived in Johannesburg at 7:00 a.m. in the morning of Tuesday, September 1 and was met by Bishop Louis Mphahlele and a delegation from the United Lutheran Church in South Africa. The rest of that day I just relaxed - and bought a bp monitor like a good boy. Apparently my blood pressure was still a bit high so the next day we visited a doctor who checked me over and gave me some good pills so now things have stabilized pretty well and I am feeling quite on top of it. Later in the week I met with the Church Council (the central board) of the ULCSA and with their Sunday School Committee. It is so encouraging to see how the work of the church is proceeding here - especially that among the children. Even in hard times the congregational members have rallied to keep most of the important projects afloat and the Word is definitely going forth.
In other areas the Bishop and I have been working intensely again with several of the young pastor prospects. Among them, the one who you might know the best, is Chris. Chris is so happy for the people who remember his story and also remember to pray for him. His life is definitely a struggle but we have already spent some hours together with him and his father and sister to make plans for the future, including the necessity of adequate professional help.
The picture I am enclosing today is of the little church called Bethlehem, where I preached at the Holy Communion service this morning. You might have seen a picture of it before. However I thought it was very appropriate that I start my visits and services for the next three months in this humble little church which bears the name of that famous little stable town. I was inspired to speak from 1 John 4:11-21.That text is all about love and how God expresses His love to and through us by the gift of His Son Jesus and how that is clear for all to see when the Spirit dwells in us. (v.12) "No man has seen God at any time. (BUT) If we love one another God dwells in us and His love is perfected in us.....because He has given us of His Spirit." (v.13).
In the next three months we will be visiting more than twelve different ULCSA congregations, spending about a week with each one. For the first three weeks these congregations will be in rather primitive villages quite a distance from Randfontein (which is about 40 miles west/northwest of Johannesburg) where my apartment is. Certain conveniences like a shower, electricity and ready internet access will have to be foregone, but who minds a basin bath when the word of God is going forth, the hungry are fed and the poor, the sick and the suffering are visited. For the remaining several weeks we will be making visitations to congregations within day range of this apartment.
All in all I am so happy to be back in South Africa - where spring has really sprung! Seems like such a long time since I was here last having visited Finland, India, the United States (twice), Ghana, Togo and Liberia since then! Speaking of the ends of the earth :-) !
May God bless and keep each one of you in His tender loving care and us here in your tender loving prayer! If your busy schedule would allow a note from you, that would be appreciated, too! In His love and peace, Dennis
