Where did this week go? The following I wrote in the wee hours of Wednesday morning, but didn’t get around to posting until now, sorry…
It’s 4:40 am and I am trying to decide what God is teaching me tonight. I went to bed at 10:45pm and my neighbours where just starting into one of their late night LOUD talks. This one turned into a concert at 3am, not the “loud resounding base that you feel as much as you hear” kind of concert, but the acapella singing of “You are my Sunshine” at the top of your voice (or possibly from the bottom of your bottle?) kind of concert. I say all that not to complain about my neighbours, although I felt like doing a lot more than complaining an hour or so ago, but because I haven’t been sleeping (and besides it will explain the big bags under my eyes as the day progresses, or maybe its just my excuse for this not making much sense).
I think I had a revelation the other day (with sleep deprivation one can never be sure) and it has to do with the picture of the watch that my mom gave me, notice how the one face is set for Niger time and the other Canada. This has been a very different year for me. Being home and knowing that we were returning to Niger for four years this time has kind of left me in a state of flux. You see, I am one of those people who plan ahead. My cupboard is usually full of canned goods from the sales of the last few weeks; I tend to buy my kids clothes at the end of the season clearance for the next year, etc. Instead of being able to do that this year (although I confess that I have done that on a smaller scale—hopefully I won’t be leaving behind another box of food when we leave for Niger this time!), I have had to constantly evaluate my stuff and asking myself “Is this worth going in my suitcase?”, “Am I going to be upset if I have to leave it behind in Niger?”, “Is this worth it if it is going to go in storage for the next four years?”…You get the idea. All of this has given me a slightly different perspective on life and maybe even eternity. You see I have always known that “home” really isn’t located in the dimensions of this world, but I have always lived like I was going to live forever, or at least planned to be around for a very long time. It isn’t that I don’t think planning is important, because it is (and maybe I’ve been doing more planning in trying to figure out just how much you can fit into a 50lb suitcase). But, I have had to opportunity to rethink “my stuff” and in turn think about what is meaningful. I don’t know if it is directly related or not, but I have found myself much more free to share what God has been doing in my life. In fact it is kind of funny, on the flight to Florida I got to talking to the gentleman sitting next to me and ended up sharing my testimony with the mayor of a nearby American city (not that I knew who he was when the conversation started). I think that being in a state of transition has made me realize that the time I have is fleeting and valuable and being in Niger I learned the importance of taking time for people (so if my house is i
n a state of disaster the next time you visit that might be why, or at least my excuse!). I guess when it comes right down to it we are all in a state of transition, waiting for the next stage of our life or the life here after and we can’t be sure of anything, so the big question is what are you going to do with the time that you do have or how are you going to make to most of today?
It’s 4:40 am and I am trying to decide what God is teaching me tonight. I went to bed at 10:45pm and my neighbours where just starting into one of their late night LOUD talks. This one turned into a concert at 3am, not the “loud resounding base that you feel as much as you hear” kind of concert, but the acapella singing of “You are my Sunshine” at the top of your voice (or possibly from the bottom of your bottle?) kind of concert. I say all that not to complain about my neighbours, although I felt like doing a lot more than complaining an hour or so ago, but because I haven’t been sleeping (and besides it will explain the big bags under my eyes as the day progresses, or maybe its just my excuse for this not making much sense).
I think I had a revelation the other day (with sleep deprivation one can never be sure) and it has to do with the picture of the watch that my mom gave me, notice how the one face is set for Niger time and the other Canada. This has been a very different year for me. Being home and knowing that we were returning to Niger for four years this time has kind of left me in a state of flux. You see, I am one of those people who plan ahead. My cupboard is usually full of canned goods from the sales of the last few weeks; I tend to buy my kids clothes at the end of the season clearance for the next year, etc. Instead of being able to do that this year (although I confess that I have done that on a smaller scale—hopefully I won’t be leaving behind another box of food when we leave for Niger this time!), I have had to constantly evaluate my stuff and asking myself “Is this worth going in my suitcase?”, “Am I going to be upset if I have to leave it behind in Niger?”, “Is this worth it if it is going to go in storage for the next four years?”…You get the idea. All of this has given me a slightly different perspective on life and maybe even eternity. You see I have always known that “home” really isn’t located in the dimensions of this world, but I have always lived like I was going to live forever, or at least planned to be around for a very long time. It isn’t that I don’t think planning is important, because it is (and maybe I’ve been doing more planning in trying to figure out just how much you can fit into a 50lb suitcase). But, I have had to opportunity to rethink “my stuff” and in turn think about what is meaningful. I don’t know if it is directly related or not, but I have found myself much more free to share what God has been doing in my life. In fact it is kind of funny, on the flight to Florida I got to talking to the gentleman sitting next to me and ended up sharing my testimony with the mayor of a nearby American city (not that I knew who he was when the conversation started). I think that being in a state of transition has made me realize that the time I have is fleeting and valuable and being in Niger I learned the importance of taking time for people (so if my house is i
n a state of disaster the next time you visit that might be why, or at least my excuse!). I guess when it comes right down to it we are all in a state of transition, waiting for the next stage of our life or the life here after and we can’t be sure of anything, so the big question is what are you going to do with the time that you do have or how are you going to make to most of today?{Oh and by the way the real estate agent comes on Monday to list our house for rent!--Pray that we can find a good rentor}
Please pray for Dave he has two exams in the next two days and then is preaching (not giving a missions presentation on Sunday). We praise God for the great time that we coul
d have with the FM church in London. Thanks for such a warm welcome and for the opportunity to visit after the service. I've added a picture or two from there and a picture of Cole's casts. Thanks to all of you who have been praying for him, he has been doing really well with them so far and hopefully they will be able to prevent him from having to have surgery in the future. You can keep praying for that though the stretch gets bigger every week (for approx. 6 weeks) and so the last couple he might find really uncomfortable. We are looking forward to being part of a Good Friday Service in Dunnville with Caistor Centre and St.Catharines and participating in the Easter Sunday service at Caistor Centre. Maybe we'll see you there!
d have with the FM church in London. Thanks for such a warm welcome and for the opportunity to visit after the service. I've added a picture or two from there and a picture of Cole's casts. Thanks to all of you who have been praying for him, he has been doing really well with them so far and hopefully they will be able to prevent him from having to have surgery in the future. You can keep praying for that though the stretch gets bigger every week (for approx. 6 weeks) and so the last couple he might find really uncomfortable. We are looking forward to being part of a Good Friday Service in Dunnville with Caistor Centre and St.Catharines and participating in the Easter Sunday service at Caistor Centre. Maybe we'll see you there!
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