I again must come to you and humbly ask for your apology as I have failed you. I have neglected to keep you up-to-date.
It has been some time since our last update. In the past months, the Gilpin family has spent time in the United States and has returned to Brazil. During this stint, we have felt those moments of joy when one is alone on the mountaintop with God and felt the depths of despair in the valley caused by separation and isolation.
At the end of October, we returned for an extended stay in America. It was great to visit the United States but there is such a stark difference between northern Brazil and the United States. This made for an interesting visit. Watching our children experience American culture and life was a delight. It was a true blessing to watch the joy in the children’s eyes as they experienced, for the first time, jumping in a pile of leaves and playing in the snow. The moments with family were some of the best and definitely a gift from God. For three months, our family was privileged to be the guest of Calvary Baptist in Winston-Salem and each moment spent in America was enjoyable and rejuvenating.
In late January, the Gilpin family returned to northern Brazil to begin a second term serving as missionaries in the Amazon Basin region. This return was bittersweet. On one hand, we were returning to serve our Lord and Savior in the country that has become dear to each of us. On the other hand, we had to leave our family and our home culture yet again to return to a land that will always be somewhat foreign to us.
As our family has ridden this emotional roller coaster, we have been reminded of the sovereignty and provision of our Lord. It is easy to place our faith in God when circumstances are just as we like, but much more challenging when we are confronted daily by tough circumstances. When the days are good and when the days are bad we want praise the Lord. It is our desire to be like Job and say, “The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; may the name of the Lord be praised. (Job 1:21b)”