Pilgrim's Progress

This month we celebrated 30 years of marriage. For the better part of that we've been in Papua New Guinea. This year finds us waiting to return, living in a semi-packed state with as much in boxes as possible without totally disrupting normal life.

As Tony is at a gathering of friends in Texas, it seemed a good time to get away and just recover from the non-stop movement of the past five years. At times, when enough things happen, you just "numb out" and keep going. Personally, I've been doing that for a long time. Anyone who has moved forty times or more recognizes numbness as a great way to approach another move.

So to celebrate we headed up to Maine. Maine is easy, relatively inexpensive and it's not crowded. There is something about being in a place that is simple and quiet that puts life back in perspective. The ocean is vast. We are small. A very clear reminder of our great impact in the universe. The birds abound. Each is cared for individually by Our Father in Heaven. I even had to laugh to myself as I went through a plate of steamers and enjoyed a lobster the next day, that those "Levitically unclean foods" I so enjoy are a reminder that it is "for freedom that Christ set us free". Back to bondage? No way.

When we got home we had a bit more news of things overseas. Neil's work permit is "all set" but for some official transcripts which apparently now need to be notarized. Neil is out doing that now. The issues of housing, safety and schooling remain unresolved and the fist two issues may not be resolved until we are actually in PNG. Yes, I wish it were all settled. No, I don't enjoy living in a state of perpetual transition. Yes, I remember that we are looking for a better city, one whose Builder and Maker is God. Yes, I feel like I am getting a bit old for this. Yes, we are supposed to live our entire lives as pilgrims and strangers on the earth.

Still sojourning, and praying for the next stop on the pilgrimage.

Psalm 84