Mike's Blog
Letters, stories, and other stuff
Not home yet
Rich or poor, young and looking forward or old and looking back, comfortably settled or barely holding on, the people we have sat with and laughed with and prayed with are all, in some way, still searching for that place that is home – much like we are.
Manning on Trust
At the age of 68, after a truly ragged journey, that I would call a journey of sin and mercy, I am absolutely convinced that it means more to Jesus to say ‘I trust you’, than to say ‘I love you’.
Intense sequences of sci-fi action
No matter what however, we were always happily captive to our imaginations, eternally optimistic, and not so mischievous to warrant a police record but not taking anything too seriously either. This was a great way to grow up and sometimes I miss the kid I was.
Two years and two weeks
After a long assignment overseas, it’s little things like a mouthful of pizza and a couple happy memories that make me feel like I’ve come home.
Who we are – AIM’s Vision
As we return back to the USA for a short furlough this summer, we’ll be traveling around sharing this vision with the churches and people who have supported us over the years. I love what AIM is about, and we feel privileged to be a small part of it.
Looking back
But then I gave more thought to the concept of a “best day” – this idea that a particular event might characterize or encompass all the reasons why we were here in Africa these last two years. A particular story that reminds us of the big picture and connects all the dots. A day that gives us strength for all the others when we could not see so clearly.
The Patient Work of Literacy Ministry
Literacy is like a living thing. Children who read are taught by adults who themselves can read. It is a skill that trickles down from generation to generation, and when the cycle is broken, a people group can become functionally illiterate in a very short time. The war in Sudan disrupted education to such a degree that an entire generation was being left behind.
Revolutions and Resolutions
I woke ridiculously early yesterday morning to catch the red-eye out of Rwanda. After checking in, I sat in a passenger lounge and caught a half hour of CNN through bleary eyes. Sudan was in the headlines. On Sunday, South Sudan began a week long voting process on...
Newsletter – November 2010
Dear friends, This is a letter about change, and how we are sometimes slow to recognize God’s hand in it. This is also a letter about being thankful, which I hope we are less blind to. Our newsletter is long overdue, but perhaps you will understand why once you’ve...
![[Reserection] Sunday](https://delorenzoflyer.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/us2008-111-Version-31.jpg)
[Reserection] Sunday
I discovered this Post-it note in the back of one of dad’s bibles shortly after he died. When I found it, I recognized it at once as a sort of treasure—something special because it is written in his hand, and even contains one of his telltale, and humorous, spelling...
Soil, Sheep, and the Work of a King
The problem was not so much the plough however. The problem lay deeper than any curl of steel could cut in a field. Deeper than the gullies swallowing up the fertile soil. Deeper even than the sorrow of the Basotho who have summarily declared themselves “cursed”. The problem lay in the hearts of the people.
Love Mercy, Walk Humbly
Richard's face is almost entirely, almost always, a mixture of joy and burden. His eyes are wise and reserved beneath an unwieldy tussle of graying eyebrow. His smile sometimes comes with a coordinated squint and a mild shake of the head—communicating both...
Move Against the Fear
This video is aimed at Christians who already have a call to missionary work but perhaps don’t have a direction to go. It is intended to give an unpolished perspective on the needs in these parts of Africa, and challenge people to consider that this may be the place to which God is calling them.
To certain poor shepherds
For a week in November I traveled throughout the “mountain kingdom” of Lesotho. I visited with a missionary family living in a quaint village tucked within a breathtaking valley on the eastern side of the small country. Over the course of several days, John introduced...
Newsletter – December 2009
News since April Dear Friends, It’s been 9 months now since we’ve been back in Africa. Returning after our extended stay in New York last year felt a little like starting over again. But it also felt like coming home. I laugh at myself sometimes, creeping along in the...
Return from the mountain kingdom
I’m sitting in a window seat over the wing, just a couple arms lengths from the giant turbofan engine of a 737 high above Zambia or Tanzania -- I’m not sure which -- on our way back home. The sky is serene and the light is fading fast below the horizon -- blue and...
Inch by inch
I've been doing a lot of thinking lately. That's partly why the blog has fallen behind. I haven't wanted to subject you to all kinds of disjointed thoughts. Sorry if we've left you wondering where we've been, or how we've been doing. It's still hard for me to stroll...
Move Against the Fear
Our objective was to gauge the state of the church here, if there was one, and to learn how to re-engage these lands with a renewed missionary effort. What do you take on a trip like that? Good boots and a Bible. A notebook and an open mind. And, if you dare, an open heart.