The Month After

It has been a month since we returned to the US and it's taken sometime to recover from jet lag, post-lag (when your desk has three months of mail) and communication lag (when you've got hundreds of unaswered letters in your inbox).  I feel for my part, I need more time to really reflect on what the Lord has done and how amazing has been the work He has accomplished through His Spirit during this time.

It is true that the response exceeded our wildest expectations.  Every prayer was answered exceeding abundantly above all we could ask or think.  We sort through photos, and still are doing so, that we might be able to ready a video that accurate portrays all that happened that day.  We want to share it with all of you in the way we feel you so richly deserve to see it. It was an amazing event that many people contributed to in prayer, sacrifice, and love.  There's no other way to say it. 

Life moves on and with it our need to transition to our next phase of ministry. We've been asked to consider putting church planting on hold for two years to give full attention to assisting with a study Bible project that is greatly needed. We've so longed and waited for the chance to begin in church planting, yet feel a sense that our experience is well suited to what we are being asked to consider that we are still talking over how we might best proceed.  

Personally, I am exceptionally tired.  There has not been down time since the scriptures were published and my body is telling me in many ways with many voices, "You are 55, not 25 and you just had major surgery in January".  I find that I am a better listener than I once was simply because I can no longer bend over and slip on my shoes as well as I once did.

In the coming weeks we have many speaking engagements and talks with leadership as well as conferences we are to attend to share the work as well as plan what comes next.  I very much hope to get a vacation in there at some point even if we can't go away.  To have a couple of weeks without commitments to re-energize and reflect on what God has done would be a welcome gift.

I cannot help but say, though, that were I to die tomorrow, I would be a woman who had lived such an extraordinary life with so many gifts just given to me for no other reason than God's grace.  Yes, I lived in the rain forest. I found that hard. I've also been in England, Germany, Switzerland, Italy, the Philippines, Singapore, China, Dubai, Australia, Canada and Mexico in my life. I've taken photos of our son with a Beef Eater in London and a Swiss Guard at the Vatican.  I've wandered through the jungle and ancient Roman ruins.  I've walked through the streets of Salisbury and see the magnificent cathedral there. I've ridden in PMVs and Jeepneys.  I've been married to a wonderful man for 34 years and have a son who loves Jesus.  I am so blessed.  I just thought I would take this space today, to say so.