A letter from Kay Day in Malawi
January 5, 2011
Dear family and friends,
Happy New Year. I pray that 2011 has been good to you so far, that God has great things in store for you throughout this year and that you grow in your relationship with Him. While we know that the future is uncertain, we certainly know who holds that future, regardless of what it holds, and that God will be working for our good and growth in all that happens (Romans 8:28). That is my prayer for you and I am trusting it for myself.
We may have some idea of a few things the year holds for us. I know one thing that it holds for me is a second hip replacement. I knew when I had the right hip done last March that I would need to have the left one done within the year. The doctor was clear about that. So the surgery is scheduled for January 17, in a little less than two weeks. I will be in the hospital for about a week and then home, “under house arrest,” for about five weeks. There is a sense in which this is much easier than the first surgery. I know what to expect, since I have been through it once. I know the doctor and the staff of the hospital. I know the therapy that I will need to follow after the surgery and how much work I can do from home in the weeks of recovery. All of that is a blessing. But knowing all of this, there is a great temptation to think I can do it on my own. Since all went well the first time, I might presume that it will follow for the second time. That would be a grave mistake. The reason that recovery was so good the first time was because God answered your prayers. You stood with me and supported me in prayer. It would be foolish of me to think that I could do this on my own. I had nothing to do with the first recovery (except following instructions). God was the healer and God will be the healer this time as well. So I ask that you join me in prayer for God’s leading and God’s healing for this second hip.
While I am not excited about doing this again and I struggle a bit with the timing coming so close to the last surgery, just as things are beginning to move forward at Chigodi Center and just as I am beginning at a new church, I am trusting God that he knows best in all of this. None of these things depend on me, but on God’s grace and direction. I am trusting Him for all that this means for me, for ministry here and for my relationships here in Malawi and with you. I am trusting God to bringing good out of this for His glory, not just an ease of walking for me, but to use it to strengthen God’s kingdom. I ask you to join me in prayer for this.
I will keep you posted on progress throughout. I welcome emails as well as prayers, to know how you are doing and what is happening outside the confines of my home in the next six weeks. Thank you in advance for your caring and for your prayers.
Yours in Christ,
Kay
The 2011 Mission Yearbook for Prayer & Study, p. 67
