I have never had a bad relationship with my mother-in-law, but that has always been easy because I now live in America and so I only get to see her every 2–3 years. A serious car crash, a heart-wrenching divorce and years of alcoholism have left her in a fragile state with little money and no options.

In light of God doing a number on me over the last few years with regards to ‘living out the Gospel’ and 'living in light of the Gospel’, I began to feel convicted about certain things. Long story short, I approached my wife with the idea of bringing my mother-in-law over from South Africa to live with us. This naturally caused me to look like the hero, which felt good for about five minutes, but after working through the implications of it, I realized that it would take the Gospel to make this thing stick. Some of the implications include remodeling our home for a handicapped elderly person, navigating the delightfully complicated green card process, and organizing the medical insurance for someone who is virtually "uninsurable".

We are about a year into this journey and expecting her arrival in March 2012. I can honestly say, there is an excitement growing in the two of us and my kids can’t wait for their grandma to come. There has also been a change in my mother-in-law. Although she is nervous about the hip replacement she is having this month, people close to her say she has a new lease on life and she has now been "dry" for nearly two years.

The Gospel is at work!