Wait

 

I really dislike waiting. So much of life is filled with it, and from a very young age. You can’t wait until you can go to school. You can’t wait until you’re 16. You can’t wait until you have a driver’s license. You can't wait until you're 21, You can’t wait to graduate from college. You can’t wait until you move into your first apartment. And the list goes on and on.

Those are exciting waits. But, what about the wait to hear from the doctor? The wait to hear if your company is really downsizing? The wait for your child to come home at night? Some of those types of waits are stressful and not at all appealing.

Then, there’s the every day waits. You wait at the traffic signal. You wait at the grocery store. You wait for  Jeopardy! to come on. You wait for dinner to be done. You wait for the clothes to dry. You wait for your Amazon order to come. There are so many times we have "normal" waits everyday.

Waiting in and of itself isn't bad. It could be a good thing. I think that what is done during the wait is important. It seems as if I've been doing a lot of waiting the last few months. I've waited for sinus surgery. I've waited to look at apartments. I've waited for mail. I've waited for an interview. Sometimes I get frustrated with the wait. It's hard not knowing, it's hard not doing. I would rather know what is going to happen and when. That's not how life is, though.We aren't always privy to the when, where, and how. 

For me, the lesson is in the wait. Wait for the Lord; be strong, let your heart take courage; wait for the Lord. (Psalm 27:14) During times of waiting, when I get anxious or frustrated, I can put my trust in the Lord. I can take action. I can be patient. I can prepare myself for each scenario, knowing full well that God is in control and He has my future in His hands. With Him, it's always worth the wait.

Just Do It!

The angel choir singing to the shepherds and their sheep.

Kalsagri Church is having a Christmas Pageant this year. They have never heard of one before. When I asked some of the youth if they were interested, there was a resounding, "YES!" There are challenges, though. At our first practice, plenty of children came, many filthy dirty, a few with only a t-shirt and underwear. So, we had to explain that, even though this isn't school, they still had to wear appropriate clothing.

Sabina taking care of baby Jesus.

On to the practice part...there was no Joseph, there was no narrator. Hmmm...what would we do? "Just do it!" So, we had practice and improvised. We scheduled another practice for Sunday after church. When the time came, Mary wasn't in attendance, we had to recruit a Joseph and a narrator, the head angels were not in attendance and half of the sheep were sacked because they were rolling on the ground fighting. (Am I too old for this?) The rest of the practice went amazingly well, praise God. Our next practice was scheduled for Friday afternoon at 3:00. (Today)

Practicing being a pregnant Mary.

Well, I drove my motorcycle out to the church. I arrived at 2:58. There was NO ONE there, although the boy drafted to play Joseph was quite close. I went to find Nicodemus to ask him what we should do. As we waited for people to come, Nico worked with Joseph, giving him pointers. Sabina and Ernestina came to help with the children.

The sheep adding color to their ears.

 The first thing we did when we had enough people, was to separate the sheep from the goats, oh, sorry....from the angels. The sheep were given their ears and colored them. (Ernestina helped with them.) They look so cute! Since Joseph left early, Sabina stepped in. I stepped in as Mary.

Angel choir practice.

The angel choir practiced, having way too much fun! Even though they may be small in number, they have beautiful voices.

Godwin, our narrator.

Once everyone was ready, we "ran through" the pageant. Godwin did an excellent job, reading the Scriptures from Matthew and Luke in Dagaare. Hopefully, we fine tuned some of the actions.

A couple of sheep just hanging around.

Our next practice is Sunday after church. I have no idea who will show up. We have had three practices and three different Marys! And, will Joseph be there? Who knows, maybe Sabina will step in again, No matter what happens, we will have fun. And, these dear people, most who are illiterate will see the Christmas Scriptures acted out. It will be culturally appropriate,in their own language. nd, hopefully we will all learn something in the process,..

O come, O come, Emmanuel!

Geek in Training

I am not a computer geek. When there is a problem, after I panic, I call Chuck or Joe or Cathy. They roll their eyes as they listen to me whine about my computer problem, then, they are gracious and fix it for me. I thank God for them.

But, what happens when I am in a situation where I need to "look like I know what I am doing" and can't call Chuck or Joe or Cathy? Well, I experienced that scenario on Monday.

Monday, I was scheduled to speak at a women's group at a local church. I packed my car in the pouring rain, slowly & carefully drove to the church and parked, and unpacked my car in the pouring rain. As water dripped off my coat and my computer and projector cases, I eyed up the room in which I was to speak. A table of the perfect size was in the back of the room. I dragged it to the front of the room. I unpacked the projector and my laptop. I connected the cords...blue to blue, projector first, laptop last. I turned on the projector. I turned on the laptop. I waited for everything to focus. I hit the input button on the projector to input from the computer. Nothing. Ugh! But, wait. Maybe I connected the cords in the wrong order. I'll try again. So, I disconnected all the cords and cables and reconnected them. I turned the projector on. I turned on the computer I waited a few minutes. Then, I tried again to get the input from the laptop. Nothing...again. Ugh! So, again, I disconnected everything. And, again I connected everything...still it didn't work! Well, I decided I would try once more, then go to "plan B."

By this time I was just a little bit frustrated. I prayed. I asked God to help me in this situation. I disconnected the cords and cables and unplugged everything. Then, as I recited to myself the steps to connect the projector to the computer, I was very nervous, and very careful. Then, I turned on the projector and the laptop. I remembered that I reset my settings to the default ones. I have no idea if any of these setting have anything to do with showing a presentation, but I checked one of them & changed it. God must have been whispering in my ear. I held my breath as I hit the button for computer input. The desktop picture showed! Praise God! I opened up my Power Point program and opened the presentation. I saw it on my computer, but not on the screen. I knew there was a setting to change, but where? Again, God whispered in my ear, "It's over here. Do this..." And I did.

On the screen, was my presentation, complete with music! Thank You, Lord. I am not a computer geek, but I am a geek in training!

Staying Faithful

Grant, O God,

That we may never lose the way through our self-will,

and so end up in the far countries of the soul;

That we may never abandon the struggle,

but that we may endure to the end, and so be saved;

That we may never drop out of the race,

but that we may press forward to the goal of our high calling;

That we may never choose the cheap and passing things,

and let go of the precious things that last for ever;

That we may never take the easy way,

and so leave the right way;

That we may never forget that sweat is the price of all things,

and that without the cross,

there cannot be the crown.

So keep us and strengthen us by your grace that no disobedience and no weakness and no failure may stop us from entering into the blessedness which awaits those who are faithful in all the changes and all the chances of life down even to the gates of death; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen

~ From Prayers for the Christian Year by William Barclay

Patience

I don't remember praying specifically for patience lately. I know that when I do, there are situations in my life that arise and they give me the opportunity to practice patience. Today, one of those opportunities is before me. I need to book flights for a round trip to Colorado Springs in July. I will be attending Missionary Training International and, I need to get there!

So, this morning I went online. I visited Kayak.com, expedia.com. cheapflights.com, orbitx.com, delta.com, usairways.com, AAA.com, and on and on...My question is, when I put in a time that I have to be there by (2PM), why do they give me numerous flights that get to my destination eight or more hours later? Don't "the airline powers that be" realize that I would have check the "anytime" box if I could really fly anytime? Ugh!

Patience...at this point, I'm not sure of the meaning of the word. I am ready to throw my computer out of my window! But, then, I'd have to go & clean it up and it's cold outside.

So, I continue to look. But, I have realized I do know when I am out of my league. I called a travel agency, too. I know some of my limitations. I really don't want to destroy my computer or my day. I'll see what they come up with & compare it to what I can find. And, hopefully, before the day is done, I will have my flights booked. It won't be because of anything I have done, but by the grace of God!