TRAVELING LIGHT

I found a cool app on my phone the other day that counts down the days until a special event.  I put in the date of my anticipated departure for Honduras, which was cool.  As I played with the app, I also found where I could put my date of birth and it calculated how many days I had been alive…not so cool.  That’s a lot of days!  I began to think about how many of those days have been wasted.  I’m ashamed to say that the majority of them have been wasted on things that I thought were important or maybe even on nothing at all. 

I remember a day, several years ago, when I suddenly realized that I couldn’t change the world sitting on my couch.  Some days, I would come home from work, mentally exhausted and just zone out watching TV, eating supper and just sitting there until time for bed.  I’m a morning person, so I always wake up happy, energetic and ready to take on the world.  I have most of my moments of clarity with God in the mornings as I study His word, pray and let Him speak to my heart.  One morning as I told God, once again, that I wanted to be His hands, feet and heart to the world, He spoke to my heart about wasted time.  I started evaluating what I was really doing to reach others and how I was spending my time.  I determined that it was time to change things.  I refused to sit on my couch much and eventually stopped watching TV altogether.  I started getting out and visiting and meeting people and really started to see what reaching out meant.  It is more than just going to church and mission trips.  It is using every available moment to touch lives…and let them touch yours.

As I look at my empty house this morning, I was reminded of the couch moment.  I don’t mind that I have given everything away, because those are just ‘things’.  What I have is more valuable than anything I could own in this world – the Peace of God.  I want to share that peace with the world.  As I prepare for the journey to be a missionary in Honduras, I am traveling light.  I could fit everything I own in this borrowed car I am driving and I am perfectly content with that.  I am looking forward to the ministry in Honduras and watching God move through hearts and lives along the way.

I am thankful for the day that I realized I couldn’t change the world from my couch and the fact that now…I don’t even own a couch!

Patch Club and Gecko Poo

Tonight I shared my journey with with our 'Patch Club' children's ministry.  I tried to explain to them why I am leaving them and going to another country to serve where God is sending me.  I asked God this morning to help me leave some words with them that would be 'food for their journey'.  If I am not going to be here as they grow up, then I wanted to make sure that I still get to be an influence on them.  I talked about listening to God as they make their decisions for the future and how I had no idea as a child that this is what I would be doing now.   We talked about trusting God with their decisions and how He has a plan for their lives, as well as that of the children of Faith Home.  It got quite serious for a while as I fought back tears and assured them that I would find a way to 'skype' in and visit with them.

 

Finally, the mood lightened as the children asked questions and I tried to help them understand what it was like in Honduras.  I told about the scenery and the weather and then I talked about the geckos and the little 'presents' they often leave for us.  Miss Marcella had prepared cookies with chocolate sprinkles on them - which looked like gecko poo, so yeah, I used the comparison....the kids loved it!  What a memory for them...and for me.