Reflections

I can't believe that a year ago today I said "good bye" to those I love and to all that was familiar to me and boarded a plane bound for Ghana. What a year! In many ways, it seems as if it was a lifetime ago. In many other ways it seems like it was only yesterday. I get a bit nostalgic with anniversaries, so please bear with me. I hope I've grown, matured, accepted and loved plenty since I have been here. I pray that when people see me, they don't see someone who is financially able to solve all their problems, or at least some of them. I hope they see someone who is being Christ to them, who speaks the truth in love and who points the way to the Father. I rejoice in what the Lord has accomplished in the past year. I invite you to celebrate with me.

Being Stretched

When I was younger, I always thought missionaries were people who gave up everything and went to the middle of no where to work for God and share His love, to teach people about Him. They had this aura about them that kinda made them glow, after all, they are SO holy, SO connected to God. They don't mind eating bugs and living among savages.

Well, maybe some missionaries are like that, but I don't think they glow. Now, I have a more mature view of who missionaries are and what they do and why they do it. After all, I am a missionary! (I don't have a halo & my clothes don't glow.) I look forward to giving up most of my worldly possessions and I am ready to embrace the people group with whom I will be working. Language learning no longer scares me. Neither does the thought of killing my own chicken. After all, doesn't Jesus say that His grace is sufficient for me?

What many people don't realize is that God stretches those He calls to follow Him. For me, that stretching doesn't involve moving to Ghana...I look forward to it! And, it doesn't involve eating different foods (well, maybe a little stretching.) It doesn't involve working with orphans - I love the children and have worked with kids most of my life. I know I need to learn new languages and new ways of doing things, especially if I want to eat chicken. That doesn't even come close to the stretching I experienced today.

Today, I drove to White Oak. Now, God gifted me with teaching, administration, working with children and the like. He did NOT gift me in driving in, near, around or through Pittsburgh! I prayed. There was construction. My hands were clammy. Street signs must have not been a part of the budget in several communities in the past decade. I was beginning to get a headache. I kept repeating, "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." I took a wrong turn. I turned into a gas station. A truck driver from Heildelburg gave me directions & even drew me a map & made sure I got on the correct road. I was thanking God for this person and asked God to bless him today. Then, those street signs disappeared again..."I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me."

I finally arrived at the church. The pastor and I had a great conversation. And he showed me a MUCH easier route home.

Missionaries may be gifted in the work God has called them to, but they need to depend on Him for so much more than most people realize. Today was only the tip of the iceberg for me...I need His help in every area and in every instance of my life!