The Peace of the City

The joy of being at this stage of preparing (and networking and fundraising) to move to Zambia for a year is that we are constantly given the opportunity to express our hearts and desires to people who ask.

The difficulty of being at this stage of preparing to move to Zambia for a year is that we are constantly wrestling with the challenge of how to adequately express our hearts and desires to the people who ask.

We have found that sometimes the things you care the most about are the things that are hardest to speak most clearly about. The emotions that run deepest are the most difficult to articulate.

During our first discussion with Bethany and Jeremy, the directors of Choshen Farm, they shared with us how Jeremiah 29:7 serves as a guide for the work that they do at Choshen:

“And seek the peace of the city where I have caused you to be carried away, and pray unto the Lord for it: for in its peace shall you have peace.”

They explained that the word “peace” in that verse is “shalom” in Hebrew, which-- if I may borrow their phrasing-- “refers to the total flourishing of every dimension of society, and is only achieved through the fulfillment of God’s perfect law in Jesus Christ.”

Friends, that’s it. The peace of the city. The emotional, physical, familial, spiritual peace of the city. That’s how nurses and teachers and preachers all work together to further the Kingdom. That’s what we’re up to; that’s what we desire.

Last Sunday, we had the beautiful privilege of sharing with our home church in Chicago the call that we believe God has placed on our heart and our plans to answer that call in the coming months. In a couple of weeks we will be speaking at a church in Effingham, IL.  We’ve spent what feel like countless hours creating letters and info packets and updating this blog, and we are constantly in conversation with someone about what God is doing in our lives or the work to be done in Fimpulu. Some folks are more interested in logistics; others want to talk missions philosophy and sustainability practices; still others are mostly curious about the dynamics of preparing to move around the world with a 1 year old.

And we are so thankful and enthusiastic about all of those things, because another aspect about the things you care most deeply about is that you really want to share it with anyone who will listen.

We want to share this with you.

So let’s get coffee and chat. Let’s be pen pals. Shoot us an email, or drop a comment at the end of this post. Take this journey with us.

Naya Ku Boma

There is a phrase that has been tickling the edge of my mind today. Every time we would start down the dusty road to the village in Zambia, our friend would yell after us, “Where are you going?!” 

“Naya ku boma,” I would answer. I’m going to the village. And we would all delight in the quick exchange and in his resolve to teach us his beautiful language.

Today, I am delighted to say it once more. 

Friends. We’re going to the village. 

A different village and a different journey, but one that we are immeasurably delighted to undertake.

After much prayer and searching, we have committed to a 1-year internship with Choshen Farm in Fimpulu, Zambia. (It’s a much longer story than that makes it sound, consisting of some impromptu emails, a fortuitous dinner date, and a great deal of careful consideration and planning, but we’ll leave it at that for the moment.) We have pretty much all of the emotions right now, with excitement and something between contentment and assurance being the predominant two. I encourage you all to head on over to ChoshenFarm.Org and check out what these folks are up to. It is Kingdom-focused living, and we are honored to be a part of it.

While you’re at it, check out the “Fimpulu” and “Fundraising & Support” tabs at the top of our newly updated family blog! There, you’ll find details about what we’ll be up to during our time with Choshen and how you can help make it all possible.

If you would like to be a part of our email list, you can contact us at dtsuell.gmail.com. We’ll send you monthly updates as we prepare to launch into this endeavor and continue to keep you updated once we’re there. If you’re a fan of snail mail, we would be delighted to send you a paper copy instead! Simply put, this is not something we can do alone. We treasure your prayers and are oh so grateful for your support.

We hope to depart sometime in late September or early October. Our salaries at Choshen Farm are entirely dependent on donors, so between now and then, we’ll be doing a lot of traveling and networking for fundraising purposes. If your church or group would be interested in hearing more about what we’ll be up to or supporting us financially, just drop us an email or comment below and we’ll set up a date!

We praise God for His faithfulness, and we thank Him for you, our family and friends, whose support has meant so much to us along this journey. As always, may every step bring Him glory.