Doing Life Together
Tim and Melanie have just celebrated their 10 year anniversary of serving among
the Yawo of Malawi and their 21 year anniversary of doing life together as
husband and wife. Here they share a bit of their story together.
Melanie
Years ago when we were doing our first Global
Interaction orientation training, we completed a
Myer-Briggs personality / temperament test. At
the end you get labelled as a peacock or a dove
or some strange letter combination which allows
others to better relate to you.
At the end of this test, it was reported that Tim
and I were dangerously close in our results. The
test facilitator looked nervously at the readout,
according to the statistics we were not compatible.
Both of us have strong personalities and are
extraverted leaders with teaching and apostolic
giftings. If opposites attract, then we weren’t
playing by the rules!
Tim and I have just celebrated our 21st wedding
anniversary, which just shows that statistics can be
wrong. When you get the Tim and Mel combination,
you get a double barrel shot gun! We work together
side by side in battle. Not a battle against each
other, but a battle against all that comes our way to
steal, kill and destroy so that we can live life and life
to the full.
This has been our story in mission. Innovation,
taking risks, thinking on our feet and doing things
that haven’t been done before.
Tim
Mel and I both come from missionary families who
believed that serving God is what life is all about. So
often our missiology (theology of mission) and ministry
comes out of experience rather than a textbook. God
was preparing us to serve in Malawi years before we
knew anything about it. Ten years into the journey of
sharing Jesus with the Yawo of Malawi, Mel and I realise
that as much as God works through you He is also
working in you.
We have a richness of life that only comes with knowing
we are where God has called us to be. Our highs are
high and our lows are very low, but we know without a
doubt that He who has called us is faithful.
We have watched our children grow up in a very difficult
environment, yet they shine. We have worked through
life-threatening situations only to see His angels protect
us. We have felt alone, crushed and ready to give up
only to see the silver lining of hope emerge in the
clouds. Mel loves Jesus more than she loves me, but I’m
ok with that because He chose me to be her partner.
God is a good, loving Father who has an amazing plan
for our lives and has so much to teach us if we are
willing to obey. What a joy to be on an adventure with
a wife who believes and lives this as much as I do!