Sunday morning, after presenting South Africa, my mind being scattered by the events of the evening before; I sat on the front row listening to Pastor Boggs preach. I had been away from my family for a week already, and I was trying to hide my own pity party and loneliness. That’s when the Holy Spirit spoke to my heart through the preaching of His word…
Pastor Boggs began to talk about the loneliness Christ must have felt as he was beaten and mocked by the crowds. He spoke of the shameful walk down the road, carrying his own instrument of death to Golgotha. He told of our Savior being forsaken of all men, and even for a brief moment His own Heavenly Father as He bore the weight of our sins upon Himself.
I no longer had a reason, or excuse to feel sorry for myself and snapped back into the reality that my Lord is with me! I thank God for Him using Pastor Boggs to encourage me through His word and pray that I may always be that sort of encouragement in the lives of others!
Saturday evening, I decided to skip the fast food and sit down at a restaurant for supper. During the 45 minutes I was eating, my truck was broken into and all of the bags in my truck were stolen. They took my computer, an iPad, a Glock 34 pistol, and our South Africa display along with my Bible that Ashlee bought me for our anniversary last year. They also stole a bag that I always keep with me in case of an emergency, which had some supplies I carried while in Iraq when I was a soldier.
On a lighter note, I praise God for the 5 new partnering churches this month and for the opportunities He gave me to preach and present! Tomorrow, we will be obtaining Neyland’s passport and completing another step in the visa process!
Please pray with us as we head to Oliver Springs, TN tomorrow evening. Then Sunday, we begin a missions conference in Kinston, NC! As deputation starts to wind down, we are fervently praying that the remainder of our support comes in! We are only two months away from our departure date and are trusting God to provide.
I am extremely grateful to those who have given toward our set up fund! I would ask that you also continue praying with us about that. July 30th will be here before any of us realize! There is still much to be done!
Thank you all for your prayers, love, and support of our family!
Your Missionaries to South Africa,
Stephen, Ashlee, Peyton, Eli, and Neyland
The Underwood Family
Acts 20:24
southafricamissions.com
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