While on the trip, we asked Pastor Tom if we could have a Sunday to share our trip with the congregation. So many had prayed for us and also what other opportunity would we have to show so many exactly what this trip had meant to us. Also, it was just this type of sharing years ago that had sparked my desire to experience a mission trip myself.
We decided that we would spend the entire service the following Sunday sharing pictures and memories of the trip at both services. We each shared a different aspect and Tom Smith did a great job of putting a montage of pictures together of the entire week.
At first I wondered if I could capture the emotion and meaning of the trip even after a week, but as soon as I saw the first picture the tears came again and finding the words to convey the passion was not a problem.
So what did I learn?
1. I learned that no matter why you think you're going on a mission trip, God usually has something totally different in mind for you. I really thought I was going to be a big help and blessing to these people, but found that I was the one who had been so richly blessed and barely lifted a finger. I still don't know why God chose me to go on this trip. I may never know this side of heaven. I just know I was called and I answered the call and I'm so grateful that I did.
2. No matter where you go, be prepared to leave a large piece of your heart when it comes time to go. You will be touched in ways that you cannot even being to imagine. When you are linked to others through a shared love for Christ you begin any relationship at a deeper level right from the start. God's people connect heart to heart and soul to soul when Christ is their focus.
3. And this is the sweetest one. I'm so grateful for the promise of eternal life for those who put their faith in Christ. I'm grateful because I may never get back to Suriname, but I will see each of these sisters and brothers when we meet again in heaven.
Would I do it again......? Absolutely. Can't wait and hope to make a trip to Africa soon. Stay tuned!
Monday, March 2, 2009
A Sense of Humor is Key! God sure has one....
Americans are spoiled when it comes to airports. We're used to having everything we need available 24/7 and we just take it for granted that every place is like that. Little did we know.
While the airport building in Suriname is open when we arrive at 2:00 AM, the gate for Carribean Airlines does not open for check in until almost 3:00 AM. When the attendant did finally arrive it was so comical because she had to manually change all of the overhead signs for the gate, set up all of the tags, desk paperwork and everything before she could check us in. It was like setting up for the first time and they do that every day. In the meantime, we sat/stood right in front of her with all this luggage just waiting for her to be ready. She wouldn't even look at us or acknowledge us. Course by this time we've been up since 6:00 AM and we're looking just a little scary anyway so you can't really blame her.
We finally get checked through her, customs, security and such and then we get to wait again. Hard chairs, nothing open to look at, dark so you can't see outside and we're all exhausted. Boarding begins about 5:30 to Trinidad and thankfully an uneventful flight for the first leg, although by this time my poor butt is so sore from sitting in hard seats. I need something cushy to sit on.
So we get to Trinidad and that's where everything begins to unravel. This is where a sense of humor REALLY comes in handy. At check in we are told that our flight to Miami has been cancelled. My first thought is the hurricane, (which by Sunday afternoon had disipated). Oh no, nothing that simple. We are told that the flight crew just didn't show up and they didn't have another one to fly the plane! This begins about a 2 hour saga of running from desk to gate to line as they try to figure out what to do with us. We are dead tired and holding onto our sanity by a thread. They finally book us on a flight to Ft. Lauderdale leaving at 2:00 PM then are gracious enough to take us to a nearby hotel to try and rest and get something to eat.
I couldn't bear to sit in one more chair so I head straight to our room and lay down asking Tracy to bring be back anything that looks edible. I am numb and so tired that I can't even sleep. I ache all over and though I never slept it sure felt good to lay down.
At 12:15 we're back at the airport for our flight home. This time our crew shows up (YEAH!) and we're off to the USA. It's a four hour flight and it was broken up some by the movie "Get Smart" which was a nice diversion. In flight we are told that when we get to Ft. Lauderdale they will shuttle us to the Miami airport where our van is. Most of us breeze through customs, Tracey got grilled and Cody was the only one to get pulled into the little room to be questioned and have his luggage searched.
We arrive at the Miami airport and are praising God that the van is still there and still has all four tires! We load up, stop at a nearby McDonalds for a quick bite and begin the 4.5 hour drive to St. Pete. The ride was brutal because we are all so tired and I'm worried about Pastor Tom driving since he's had less sleep than any of us, but he's caught his second wind and drove the entire way. It's the longest drive I can remember in years. The sight of the Skyway bridge brought tears to my eyes. Home was in sight. Since our house is right over the bridge, they drop Rand and I off at our house and it's over. Home sweet home! Rufio goes crazy wimpering and licking my face over and over. Bruce took Rand to meet MB at the YMCA so I did some unpacking and hit the hay as soon as he returned.
At that moment, we had been up 42 hours straight. What an awesome trip. God is SO good. Night.......ZZZZZZZZZZZ
While the airport building in Suriname is open when we arrive at 2:00 AM, the gate for Carribean Airlines does not open for check in until almost 3:00 AM. When the attendant did finally arrive it was so comical because she had to manually change all of the overhead signs for the gate, set up all of the tags, desk paperwork and everything before she could check us in. It was like setting up for the first time and they do that every day. In the meantime, we sat/stood right in front of her with all this luggage just waiting for her to be ready. She wouldn't even look at us or acknowledge us. Course by this time we've been up since 6:00 AM and we're looking just a little scary anyway so you can't really blame her.
We finally get checked through her, customs, security and such and then we get to wait again. Hard chairs, nothing open to look at, dark so you can't see outside and we're all exhausted. Boarding begins about 5:30 to Trinidad and thankfully an uneventful flight for the first leg, although by this time my poor butt is so sore from sitting in hard seats. I need something cushy to sit on.
So we get to Trinidad and that's where everything begins to unravel. This is where a sense of humor REALLY comes in handy. At check in we are told that our flight to Miami has been cancelled. My first thought is the hurricane, (which by Sunday afternoon had disipated). Oh no, nothing that simple. We are told that the flight crew just didn't show up and they didn't have another one to fly the plane! This begins about a 2 hour saga of running from desk to gate to line as they try to figure out what to do with us. We are dead tired and holding onto our sanity by a thread. They finally book us on a flight to Ft. Lauderdale leaving at 2:00 PM then are gracious enough to take us to a nearby hotel to try and rest and get something to eat.
I couldn't bear to sit in one more chair so I head straight to our room and lay down asking Tracy to bring be back anything that looks edible. I am numb and so tired that I can't even sleep. I ache all over and though I never slept it sure felt good to lay down.
At 12:15 we're back at the airport for our flight home. This time our crew shows up (YEAH!) and we're off to the USA. It's a four hour flight and it was broken up some by the movie "Get Smart" which was a nice diversion. In flight we are told that when we get to Ft. Lauderdale they will shuttle us to the Miami airport where our van is. Most of us breeze through customs, Tracey got grilled and Cody was the only one to get pulled into the little room to be questioned and have his luggage searched.
We arrive at the Miami airport and are praising God that the van is still there and still has all four tires! We load up, stop at a nearby McDonalds for a quick bite and begin the 4.5 hour drive to St. Pete. The ride was brutal because we are all so tired and I'm worried about Pastor Tom driving since he's had less sleep than any of us, but he's caught his second wind and drove the entire way. It's the longest drive I can remember in years. The sight of the Skyway bridge brought tears to my eyes. Home was in sight. Since our house is right over the bridge, they drop Rand and I off at our house and it's over. Home sweet home! Rufio goes crazy wimpering and licking my face over and over. Bruce took Rand to meet MB at the YMCA so I did some unpacking and hit the hay as soon as he returned.
At that moment, we had been up 42 hours straight. What an awesome trip. God is SO good. Night.......ZZZZZZZZZZZ
The Longest Day Continues
Church. It's amazing how different churches are. As different as people I guess. Our church service this morning starts with singing and greeting each other as we sing. We sang and walked around shaking hands and hugging all over the sanctuary. The singing was loud and free and open and wonderful. Sure puts our church to shame. Big Roy is funny singing and waving his arms above his head. I will miss watching him when we leave. The tears are already welling up in my eyes as I think about leaving this place.
As the service starts, our team is recognized as well as the Indian tribes that have traveled from the interior for the conference. We laugh as we see that Cody and Tom have joined the praise band for this morning. Of course, we can't see Cody because he's behind the banner and all we can see are his legs! They did a great job though and how sweet to be able to be a part of the service.
When the sermon starts Kathy, Tracey and I leave and go downstairs to help with the children's class. There is only one Sunday school class for the kids so we have them from four to high school. Our lesson is about heaven and how Jesus will one day return. We tied yellow ribbons around all of the posts and had the children write signs saying "Jesus is coming!". Some of the signs were remarkable in their detail and we posted the signs among the ribbons. It was a great morning and we really enjoyed ourselves. You know kids are kids no matter what country you're in.
After church we had lunch at the Smits, just left overs. We checked our emails and I warned Bruce about the possibility of the hurricane delaying our trip home. Shared several prayer requests with both him and my sisters. We headed back to Peggy's to rest and pack before the night session, but neither of us could sleep. I kept thinking about having to say good-by and would begin to tear up. I finally got up and called Bruce and was able to get through and talk to him. I felt much better after hearing his voice and just being able to share my concerns about the trip home with him. He didn't think the storm was going to be an issue and I can't tell you how great that made me feel.
I showered and did some packing then back to church for our final session of the conference. For this last night, the Indian tribes led the praise and worship and that place was rockin'! It killed me not to know the words to sing along but I could sure clap and smile. It was AWESOME! Perry and Pastor Tom did these last two sessions and then it was over. What a powerful conference. But now we had to say good-by. Hugging and crying I made my rounds of these new friends. It was excruciating. In just 8 short days these people have become so precious to me. I pray we don't have to wait until heaven to see each other again.
With the conference over the team and all of the hosts board Imro's bus and head to the new Burger King to have a quick bite to eat. We all sat around talking, laughing, hating to see this week come to it's end. Then back to Imro and Linda's to head off to our hosts' homes to finish packing and prepare to head to the airport. Imro would be picking us up at Peggy's around 1:00 AM to leave for the airport where we would wait till our flight at 5:30 AM.
At Peggy's we finished our packing, hauled everything back downstairs and then hung out in Peggy's room and talked till Imro arrived. It's funny but when it finally came time to tell Peggy good-by I didn't cry. I really thought I would be a faucet, but we hugged and said our good-byes without a tear. What a precious host she has been this week to Tracey and I. Sure has been different than anything I had imagined.
So back to the airport we head.
As the service starts, our team is recognized as well as the Indian tribes that have traveled from the interior for the conference. We laugh as we see that Cody and Tom have joined the praise band for this morning. Of course, we can't see Cody because he's behind the banner and all we can see are his legs! They did a great job though and how sweet to be able to be a part of the service.
When the sermon starts Kathy, Tracey and I leave and go downstairs to help with the children's class. There is only one Sunday school class for the kids so we have them from four to high school. Our lesson is about heaven and how Jesus will one day return. We tied yellow ribbons around all of the posts and had the children write signs saying "Jesus is coming!". Some of the signs were remarkable in their detail and we posted the signs among the ribbons. It was a great morning and we really enjoyed ourselves. You know kids are kids no matter what country you're in.
After church we had lunch at the Smits, just left overs. We checked our emails and I warned Bruce about the possibility of the hurricane delaying our trip home. Shared several prayer requests with both him and my sisters. We headed back to Peggy's to rest and pack before the night session, but neither of us could sleep. I kept thinking about having to say good-by and would begin to tear up. I finally got up and called Bruce and was able to get through and talk to him. I felt much better after hearing his voice and just being able to share my concerns about the trip home with him. He didn't think the storm was going to be an issue and I can't tell you how great that made me feel.
I showered and did some packing then back to church for our final session of the conference. For this last night, the Indian tribes led the praise and worship and that place was rockin'! It killed me not to know the words to sing along but I could sure clap and smile. It was AWESOME! Perry and Pastor Tom did these last two sessions and then it was over. What a powerful conference. But now we had to say good-by. Hugging and crying I made my rounds of these new friends. It was excruciating. In just 8 short days these people have become so precious to me. I pray we don't have to wait until heaven to see each other again.
With the conference over the team and all of the hosts board Imro's bus and head to the new Burger King to have a quick bite to eat. We all sat around talking, laughing, hating to see this week come to it's end. Then back to Imro and Linda's to head off to our hosts' homes to finish packing and prepare to head to the airport. Imro would be picking us up at Peggy's around 1:00 AM to leave for the airport where we would wait till our flight at 5:30 AM.
At Peggy's we finished our packing, hauled everything back downstairs and then hung out in Peggy's room and talked till Imro arrived. It's funny but when it finally came time to tell Peggy good-by I didn't cry. I really thought I would be a faucet, but we hugged and said our good-byes without a tear. What a precious host she has been this week to Tracey and I. Sure has been different than anything I had imagined.
So back to the airport we head.
Thursday, January 22, 2009
The day that would not end....
It is Sunday morning. Our last official day in Suriname and the last day of the conference. I woke up and got up even knowing that this would be a very long day with no sleep until we would arrive at home on Monday night.
It was just starting to get light and so I thought it would be great to have my last quiet time on the balcony one more time. I collected my Bible, my journal and glasses and tiptoed out of the room shutting the door quietly so as not to wake Tracey. I carefully slipped the locks on the top and bottom of the balcony door and pushed it open. At that moment, the alarm went off! Ooooppps! Didn't even think about that. Now I'm panicking because I have no idea where the shut off is and here it is before 6:00 AM and I'm waking up the whole house. I just have a knack for things like this. Tooopid me.
Luckily Peggy has the alarm panel in her bedroom and she was already up. Without ever coming out of her room (and embarassing me) she shuts off the alarm and I head on out to the balcony to try and compose myself to have some semblance of a quiet time with the Lord. On this last morning my letter from home is from my precious husband and I weep as I read his words. It just never ceases to amaze me how God intricately plans our words to say or write without us having any idea of what impact they will have when they are read. Bruce couldn't possibly have known that what he wrote that day would be exactly where my heart was that morning and what I would need to hear. He wrote: Patricia, Well here you are honey...looking into your last day...so many memories built on your trip and now your "closing ceremony". May God be with you to clear your mind to absorb all that will flash before you today as you prepare to come home. Enjoy the moment and bask in God's glory of the event." Phil 3:12-14, I Cor 6:20.
Little did he know how those words expressed my heart as I tried to prepare for this last day. I knew it would go quickly, as the week had gone, and I was not ready to let go. Though I was already excited about seeing my family again, there was this sense of being ripped away from these people in a way that I have never experienced before. I can't explain why or how meeting these people has been different from meeting people on any other trip, except that this trip was ordained by God and what I shared down here with them transcends all other....... I can't even think what word to use here. Even now all these months later at any given moment I can be right back there and see their faces as though they stand before me in the flesh.
So, once everyone else got up Ahem, we had a wonderful last breakfast with Peggy. I hated to have to get ready to leave for church. I just love talking with her.
Once at church we had our devotion time w/Tracy leading this time. She shared how the book of Revelation has played such a large role in her salvation and the impact it continues to have on her life. She and Tom both gave their testimonies, since Tom hadn't been able to give his Saturday. I knew that Tracy was very nervous about giving her testimony because she'd never done it before, but she did a great job and I was so proud of her. As we've shared our testimonies this week we've really gained insight into each other's lives and we will be forever bonded through our time on this trip.
Pastor Tom, Cody and Tom all left then to prepare for the service. That's when Rand dropped the bomb! There was a hurricane in the Carribean between us and Miami and it was due to be right in our flight path the next day when we flew home. GREAT! Not having seen a single news broadcast or any TV for that matter since Tuesday night, we'd had no idea there was a problem. Here comes that fear of flying again.... but I know that the Lord controls the skies and the winds and we would just pray and watch Him work His will for our trip home.
Gotta go..church is starting.
It was just starting to get light and so I thought it would be great to have my last quiet time on the balcony one more time. I collected my Bible, my journal and glasses and tiptoed out of the room shutting the door quietly so as not to wake Tracey. I carefully slipped the locks on the top and bottom of the balcony door and pushed it open. At that moment, the alarm went off! Ooooppps! Didn't even think about that. Now I'm panicking because I have no idea where the shut off is and here it is before 6:00 AM and I'm waking up the whole house. I just have a knack for things like this. Tooopid me.
Luckily Peggy has the alarm panel in her bedroom and she was already up. Without ever coming out of her room (and embarassing me) she shuts off the alarm and I head on out to the balcony to try and compose myself to have some semblance of a quiet time with the Lord. On this last morning my letter from home is from my precious husband and I weep as I read his words. It just never ceases to amaze me how God intricately plans our words to say or write without us having any idea of what impact they will have when they are read. Bruce couldn't possibly have known that what he wrote that day would be exactly where my heart was that morning and what I would need to hear. He wrote: Patricia, Well here you are honey...looking into your last day...so many memories built on your trip and now your "closing ceremony". May God be with you to clear your mind to absorb all that will flash before you today as you prepare to come home. Enjoy the moment and bask in God's glory of the event." Phil 3:12-14, I Cor 6:20.
Little did he know how those words expressed my heart as I tried to prepare for this last day. I knew it would go quickly, as the week had gone, and I was not ready to let go. Though I was already excited about seeing my family again, there was this sense of being ripped away from these people in a way that I have never experienced before. I can't explain why or how meeting these people has been different from meeting people on any other trip, except that this trip was ordained by God and what I shared down here with them transcends all other....... I can't even think what word to use here. Even now all these months later at any given moment I can be right back there and see their faces as though they stand before me in the flesh.
So, once everyone else got up Ahem, we had a wonderful last breakfast with Peggy. I hated to have to get ready to leave for church. I just love talking with her.
Once at church we had our devotion time w/Tracy leading this time. She shared how the book of Revelation has played such a large role in her salvation and the impact it continues to have on her life. She and Tom both gave their testimonies, since Tom hadn't been able to give his Saturday. I knew that Tracy was very nervous about giving her testimony because she'd never done it before, but she did a great job and I was so proud of her. As we've shared our testimonies this week we've really gained insight into each other's lives and we will be forever bonded through our time on this trip.
Pastor Tom, Cody and Tom all left then to prepare for the service. That's when Rand dropped the bomb! There was a hurricane in the Carribean between us and Miami and it was due to be right in our flight path the next day when we flew home. GREAT! Not having seen a single news broadcast or any TV for that matter since Tuesday night, we'd had no idea there was a problem. Here comes that fear of flying again.... but I know that the Lord controls the skies and the winds and we would just pray and watch Him work His will for our trip home.
Gotta go..church is starting.
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
Gosh, it's Saturday already?
Where has the week gone? Today Tracy and I are up at 6:00 to shower and get ready to be at the church before the first session starts at 9:00. Because it's the weekend, we are able to stay at Peggy's and have breakfast with her. This is a wonderful time. She has prepared a feast for us with boiled eggs, salmon spread w/crackers, cheese, fruit, cereal, juice and her great coffee. For the first time we were able to just sit and visit like girls do. It's a shame it had to come at almost the end of our trip. She is such a dear, open and generous woman. When we had admired her house earlier in the week, she told us that Imro had encouraged her and Marlon to build the biggest house they could so they could open it up to whomever the Lord would bring for them to minister to. What a concept! Exercising the gift of hospitality. Romans 12:10-13 says: "Be devoted to one another in brotherly love; give preference to one another in honor; not lagging behind in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord, rejoicing in hope, persevering in tribulation, devoted to prayer, contributing to the needs of the saints, procticing hospitality." The art of hospitality is a gift. The ability to make people feel comfortable in your home. Not everyone has it. My husband sure does, and I don't think it's necessarily because he's from the South. I believe it's because he genuinely cares about people and wants them to feel at home. When I wrote out my goals for 2008, one of them was to open our home more often to the people God has put in our lives. Sadly, this is a goal that I have not done a good job of achieving. But, I digress.
I loved the idea that you would build a house not for yourself and your family's needs, but to then give back to God to use however He would choose. How different my trip might have been had Peggy not been willing to open her home to us? I have been blessed, but she has too.
I need to recommit to this goal in my own life.
After our time with Peggy we head off to church for the first session. Pastor Tom spoke about technology and how it pertains to the end times. It was facinating for me because I love technology and how cool that God planned all of the technology that we have now in order to reach all those who will be called as we get closer to that day He will return. Time grows short and there are many to be reached. Technology makes that possible. The crowd was smaller but still a very avid group and it is Saturday when many need to shop for their families and do things at home that cannot be done during the week.
We break for lunch at the Smits with rice and beans, pickles and chicken, then back to Peggy's for a short nap. When we get back to the Smits we begin to make sandwiches to serve as snacks during the break in the evening session. We had a real assembly line going with Linda, Millie, Tracy and Kathy making the sandwiches and Rand and I bagging them. They were making them faster than we could bag them being four to two and would have to stop periodically to help us bag to catch up. In all we made about 300 sandwiches!
Afterwards we headed back to church for devotions and testimony. Today was Tom Smith's turn. His topic was "God is in control" Psalm 115:3 "But our God is in the heavens; He does whatever He pleases." His will is done whether we obey or not, Esther 4:14 "For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance will arise for the Jews from another place and you and your father's house will perish. And who knows whether you have not attained royalty for such a time as this?"; We don't need to worry because God is in control. Worrying means that we don't trust God. Phil 4:6, "Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God." This is especially relevant these days as people fret over the election, the economy and general direction our country and the world is taking. God is not surprised by any of this and can use any person and any circumstance to accomplish His purposes. He's used the most godly and the most evil throughout history to bring about His will.
He and Cody have a surprise cooked up for everyone tomorrow so we stopped after his devotion because they needed to get upstairs to meet with the praise band at 2:00. He will give his testimony tomorrow before Tracy does her devotion. (We found out later that the rest of the praise band didn't arrive till about 2:45 and when Tom asked them about it they said well there's still a 2 in the time! The schedule according to Suriname time LOL)
The evening session was so special. Imro had arranged for a re-enactment of a traditional Jewish wedding from the time the contract was first arranged until after the days of feasting were ended and then showed how each part of the wedding correlated with that time when Jesus would return to earth for His bride (us the church). It was so clear the way it was presented and I wish I had taken the time to take close notes about each part and what it symbolized. But, had I done that I would have missed the whole enactment. I would love to go back and see it again. It was very meaningful.
We ended about 9:30 after more good discussion from the crowd. Back to Peggy's. We're exhausted! I also decided that tomorrow I'll be wearing jeans to the evening session. No more of this dress stuff as everyone else is wearing jeans. I try to call Bruce before I go to bed but no answer :-( Maybe tomorrow.
I loved the idea that you would build a house not for yourself and your family's needs, but to then give back to God to use however He would choose. How different my trip might have been had Peggy not been willing to open her home to us? I have been blessed, but she has too.
I need to recommit to this goal in my own life.
After our time with Peggy we head off to church for the first session. Pastor Tom spoke about technology and how it pertains to the end times. It was facinating for me because I love technology and how cool that God planned all of the technology that we have now in order to reach all those who will be called as we get closer to that day He will return. Time grows short and there are many to be reached. Technology makes that possible. The crowd was smaller but still a very avid group and it is Saturday when many need to shop for their families and do things at home that cannot be done during the week.
We break for lunch at the Smits with rice and beans, pickles and chicken, then back to Peggy's for a short nap. When we get back to the Smits we begin to make sandwiches to serve as snacks during the break in the evening session. We had a real assembly line going with Linda, Millie, Tracy and Kathy making the sandwiches and Rand and I bagging them. They were making them faster than we could bag them being four to two and would have to stop periodically to help us bag to catch up. In all we made about 300 sandwiches!
Afterwards we headed back to church for devotions and testimony. Today was Tom Smith's turn. His topic was "God is in control" Psalm 115:3 "But our God is in the heavens; He does whatever He pleases." His will is done whether we obey or not, Esther 4:14 "For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance will arise for the Jews from another place and you and your father's house will perish. And who knows whether you have not attained royalty for such a time as this?"; We don't need to worry because God is in control. Worrying means that we don't trust God. Phil 4:6, "Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God." This is especially relevant these days as people fret over the election, the economy and general direction our country and the world is taking. God is not surprised by any of this and can use any person and any circumstance to accomplish His purposes. He's used the most godly and the most evil throughout history to bring about His will.
He and Cody have a surprise cooked up for everyone tomorrow so we stopped after his devotion because they needed to get upstairs to meet with the praise band at 2:00. He will give his testimony tomorrow before Tracy does her devotion. (We found out later that the rest of the praise band didn't arrive till about 2:45 and when Tom asked them about it they said well there's still a 2 in the time! The schedule according to Suriname time LOL)
The evening session was so special. Imro had arranged for a re-enactment of a traditional Jewish wedding from the time the contract was first arranged until after the days of feasting were ended and then showed how each part of the wedding correlated with that time when Jesus would return to earth for His bride (us the church). It was so clear the way it was presented and I wish I had taken the time to take close notes about each part and what it symbolized. But, had I done that I would have missed the whole enactment. I would love to go back and see it again. It was very meaningful.
We ended about 9:30 after more good discussion from the crowd. Back to Peggy's. We're exhausted! I also decided that tomorrow I'll be wearing jeans to the evening session. No more of this dress stuff as everyone else is wearing jeans. I try to call Bruce before I go to bed but no answer :-( Maybe tomorrow.
Monday, December 8, 2008
What's wrong with this picture?
Once our devotion time was finished on Friday, Kathy, Tracey and I set to work decorating the sanctuary for the conference that would start that night. We hung the trumpets and notes we had made, rearranged some of the silk trees and added lots of greenery to the front of the stage. There was a beautiful hand carved wooden vase that a young man had made for the church some time ago. Kathy placed a beautiful arrangement in it and we place it right in the front under the pulpit. We later learned that this young man is now in prison, but his mama would be at the conference. Linda said she would be so touched to see her son's vase being used.
Decorating didn't take long and we headed back to Linda and Imro's to have lunch. Peggy picked us up and then it was off for the facials and manicures that Peggy had planned for us. It was a very nice salon and the owner was waiting for us. I went in first for my facial and Tracey was off to start her manicure. Now this is only my second facial ever and they are a real luxury. It was so odd to be laying on the table with my face and neck being massaged and pampered knowing I was down there on a mission trip. I kept thinking, "What is wrong with this picture?" More and more this trip was turning out to be so different than I had anticipated.
Friday morning I had had a conversation with Chittra at the church after we had finished decorating. I told her that many times I think Americans can go into mission trips with the attitude of "Here we come, the Americans are here to rescue you, save you, show you how things should be done." I know that I had certainly thought that as Americans we would be coming to share our expertise with the less fortunate. That is such an arrogant attitude and many of us Americans suffer from it. I couldn't have been more wrong. I found a people who are very saavy, they are well traveled, speak multiple languages and certainly didn't need my help to accomplish this conference. So the question that came up over and over in my mind and again while having this wonderful pampering, "God, why am I here?"
While I loved this precious gift from Peggy, it was hard to fully enjoy as I struggled with the reasoning behind it. Not on Peggy's part, but what was God trying to show me.
So, the conference started Friday night. The guys had set up chairs for at least 235 people. We had two full rows w/headsets set up for the tribes who would be coming and would need interpreters. We had no idea how many people would be coming. We ended up filling those seats and adding to them to seat over 300 people! It was a packed house. Two different tribes showed up. They were facinating, beautiful people. While they wore regular street clothes (jeans and shirts for the men and skirts for the women) the women also had colorful wraps with their babies bound to them. Now these people live in the rain forest in thatched huts, but they had cell phones and digital cameras! Now the cell phones they can only use when them come into Parimaribo, but I was blown away them I asked a group of men who had lined up to take a picture if they'd like me to take it for them and he turned around and handed me a digital camera! Don't ask me how they download them or power any computer they might have because I don't have a clue.
We began with music and singing. Oh the joy! They were loud and sang with total abandon clapping their hands and swaying with the music. Since the power point (yes they even used power point) was in Dutch, we couldn't sing along but we sure could clap and rock with them and we did. Their music is very Carribean in nature and we loved it. Now Satan loves to spoil a good party and he tried his best when he blew the fuses and we lost all the a/c, BUT since God always triumphs they were fixed in no time and we didn't even break a sweat!
The first sessions of the conference were an overview of what the entire weekend would cover. Imro spoke first and our team had wireless headsets for us to hear Linda's translation since he spoke in Dutch. She does an amazing job. It sure helped us because we would have been clueless. We had to laugh when Pastor Tom started to speak and she began translating for him and then caught herself. She did that more than once over the weekend and then she'd get all flustered and laugh and we'd all giggle in our seats.
The people were so enthralled with all that was shared that night. The tribesmen took furious notes and even the teens were writing notes. When it came time for the discussion panel these kids brought their notes to the mike and had serious questions about the things they had heard. It was so refreshing to see people so hungry for God's word and especially to know about the Last Days. Many had concerns for family members who were not believers and you could hear the agony in their voices as they asked what scripture had to say about what would happen to them when the church was raptured.
After the conference was over for the night, Peggy took Tracey and I along with her daughter Crystal and youngest Daniel to an Indonisian wedding reception of her friend's daughter. I got the biggest kick out of listening to Peggy and her daughter talking in Dutch about how to get to the reception. Now I didn't learn any Dutch per se while I was in Suriname, but I can tell you that "no" in Dutch is "nay" and they were saying it a lot to each other. Peggy would suggest one thing and Crystal would say, "Nay, nay, nay mama" and then she would tell Peggy something and Peggy would be, "Nay, nay, nay Crystal." Sounded a lot like some of the conversations that Taylor and I have had over the years. In any language, that mother/daughter tone is clear as a bell! In any event, we finally found the place and parked to go in.
I'm not quite sure what I expected, but not really what we found. The reception was in like an event hall. The bride and groom where in the room where the dance floor was and the dj's music was blaring so loud your couldn't hear yourself think. The bride was dressed in what we would consider a traditional American style wedding dress. She was very pretty and she and her groom were about the only ones in the room. I watched how Peggy and Crystal greeted each of them and when it was my turn, gave them the three kisses on alternate cheeks. (Picked that up all by myself I'll have you know!)
We left them to go through the buffet line. Most people were outside at tables or in the room where the food was served. I felt kind of sorry for the bride and groom because they were stuck in that loud room pretty much alone. While I wasn't the least bit hungry, I knew enough to know it would be bad manners to not take something so I took a small bit of noodles (my favorite) and I don't remember what else. We headed outside and sat with Peggy's sister Marjorie and her two children Donovan and Pamela. Few people were dressed up which kind of surprised me. They don't have a traditional wedding cake. A man came to our table with a bottle of green soda, cups and little cardboard trays of 4-5 pieces of different cake like desserts. There were several colors and flavors and Peggy and Tracey enjoyed them as did the kids. Everytime a tray would be emptied that same man would appear with two or three more little trays. I really enjoyed visiting with Marjorie's children. Donovan is about ready to graduate and plans to go to Holland for medical school. He speaks beautiful English and had many questions for me about how I was enjoying Suriname. I really liked him.
Finally made it to bed about midnight......great day.
Decorating didn't take long and we headed back to Linda and Imro's to have lunch. Peggy picked us up and then it was off for the facials and manicures that Peggy had planned for us. It was a very nice salon and the owner was waiting for us. I went in first for my facial and Tracey was off to start her manicure. Now this is only my second facial ever and they are a real luxury. It was so odd to be laying on the table with my face and neck being massaged and pampered knowing I was down there on a mission trip. I kept thinking, "What is wrong with this picture?" More and more this trip was turning out to be so different than I had anticipated.
Friday morning I had had a conversation with Chittra at the church after we had finished decorating. I told her that many times I think Americans can go into mission trips with the attitude of "Here we come, the Americans are here to rescue you, save you, show you how things should be done." I know that I had certainly thought that as Americans we would be coming to share our expertise with the less fortunate. That is such an arrogant attitude and many of us Americans suffer from it. I couldn't have been more wrong. I found a people who are very saavy, they are well traveled, speak multiple languages and certainly didn't need my help to accomplish this conference. So the question that came up over and over in my mind and again while having this wonderful pampering, "God, why am I here?"
While I loved this precious gift from Peggy, it was hard to fully enjoy as I struggled with the reasoning behind it. Not on Peggy's part, but what was God trying to show me.
So, the conference started Friday night. The guys had set up chairs for at least 235 people. We had two full rows w/headsets set up for the tribes who would be coming and would need interpreters. We had no idea how many people would be coming. We ended up filling those seats and adding to them to seat over 300 people! It was a packed house. Two different tribes showed up. They were facinating, beautiful people. While they wore regular street clothes (jeans and shirts for the men and skirts for the women) the women also had colorful wraps with their babies bound to them. Now these people live in the rain forest in thatched huts, but they had cell phones and digital cameras! Now the cell phones they can only use when them come into Parimaribo, but I was blown away them I asked a group of men who had lined up to take a picture if they'd like me to take it for them and he turned around and handed me a digital camera! Don't ask me how they download them or power any computer they might have because I don't have a clue.
We began with music and singing. Oh the joy! They were loud and sang with total abandon clapping their hands and swaying with the music. Since the power point (yes they even used power point) was in Dutch, we couldn't sing along but we sure could clap and rock with them and we did. Their music is very Carribean in nature and we loved it. Now Satan loves to spoil a good party and he tried his best when he blew the fuses and we lost all the a/c, BUT since God always triumphs they were fixed in no time and we didn't even break a sweat!
The first sessions of the conference were an overview of what the entire weekend would cover. Imro spoke first and our team had wireless headsets for us to hear Linda's translation since he spoke in Dutch. She does an amazing job. It sure helped us because we would have been clueless. We had to laugh when Pastor Tom started to speak and she began translating for him and then caught herself. She did that more than once over the weekend and then she'd get all flustered and laugh and we'd all giggle in our seats.
The people were so enthralled with all that was shared that night. The tribesmen took furious notes and even the teens were writing notes. When it came time for the discussion panel these kids brought their notes to the mike and had serious questions about the things they had heard. It was so refreshing to see people so hungry for God's word and especially to know about the Last Days. Many had concerns for family members who were not believers and you could hear the agony in their voices as they asked what scripture had to say about what would happen to them when the church was raptured.
After the conference was over for the night, Peggy took Tracey and I along with her daughter Crystal and youngest Daniel to an Indonisian wedding reception of her friend's daughter. I got the biggest kick out of listening to Peggy and her daughter talking in Dutch about how to get to the reception. Now I didn't learn any Dutch per se while I was in Suriname, but I can tell you that "no" in Dutch is "nay" and they were saying it a lot to each other. Peggy would suggest one thing and Crystal would say, "Nay, nay, nay mama" and then she would tell Peggy something and Peggy would be, "Nay, nay, nay Crystal." Sounded a lot like some of the conversations that Taylor and I have had over the years. In any language, that mother/daughter tone is clear as a bell! In any event, we finally found the place and parked to go in.
I'm not quite sure what I expected, but not really what we found. The reception was in like an event hall. The bride and groom where in the room where the dance floor was and the dj's music was blaring so loud your couldn't hear yourself think. The bride was dressed in what we would consider a traditional American style wedding dress. She was very pretty and she and her groom were about the only ones in the room. I watched how Peggy and Crystal greeted each of them and when it was my turn, gave them the three kisses on alternate cheeks. (Picked that up all by myself I'll have you know!)
We left them to go through the buffet line. Most people were outside at tables or in the room where the food was served. I felt kind of sorry for the bride and groom because they were stuck in that loud room pretty much alone. While I wasn't the least bit hungry, I knew enough to know it would be bad manners to not take something so I took a small bit of noodles (my favorite) and I don't remember what else. We headed outside and sat with Peggy's sister Marjorie and her two children Donovan and Pamela. Few people were dressed up which kind of surprised me. They don't have a traditional wedding cake. A man came to our table with a bottle of green soda, cups and little cardboard trays of 4-5 pieces of different cake like desserts. There were several colors and flavors and Peggy and Tracey enjoyed them as did the kids. Everytime a tray would be emptied that same man would appear with two or three more little trays. I really enjoyed visiting with Marjorie's children. Donovan is about ready to graduate and plans to go to Holland for medical school. He speaks beautiful English and had many questions for me about how I was enjoying Suriname. I really liked him.
Finally made it to bed about midnight......great day.
Wednesday, December 3, 2008
Devotions/Testimony
Can't believe it's already Friday. It seems we just arrived and already the week is almost over. I am up early and off to the church for breakfast and devotions.
This was my day for devotions/testimony and I'm pretty calm even though this is only my second time ever to give my testimony. I had decided ahead of time that I would give my testimony first so they would better understand my choice for devotions. I was glad that Rand had instructed us to write out our testimony ahead of time. It really helps cement it in your mind and even though I didn't read what I had written from the page, it was still nice to have it right in front of me as a safety net. While I guess I could share my testimony here in this blog, I reserve the right to share it in person and not in print so if you're interested just ask me.
Like Cody, I was a little nervous about sharing my testimony with him there. There's always that question of how much do you share. As the Lord would have it, I was pretty open and honest and I hope it gave him a better understanding of why I am the parent that I am. It also prompted a lot of good discussion as each of our sharing has done.
So my devotion was on "letting go". My scripture passage was John 2:1-10. This is the same passage we studied this fall at our ladies retreat and it made a huge impact on me even before the retreat as I prepared for it. In the passage Mary comes to Jesus with a problem. They are at a wedding and the hosts have run out of wine. This could be a terrible embarrassment to this family, so Mary comes to ask Jesus to help. She does not tell Him how to solve the problem, she just explains what the problem is and then lets it go. Doesn't that sound simple? You just tell the Lord what the problem is and then you let it go. Yet we don't do that. We tell Him the problem, then we tell Him how to fix it and when to fix it and why He needs to fix it. Then we just walk away and try to fix it ourselves instead of trusting Him to take care of it for us.
As I have thought about that passage since the retreat, I started a list of all of the things that the Lord has asked me to "let go" of in the past couple of years. Shame and regret over past mistakes and poor choices, embracing instead His love and forgiveness. Fear that my children would make the same poor choices that I did and instead recognizing that they are already living out His plan for their lives. Fear of failure. This was a big one for me because I'm one of those reverse perfectionists that learned early that the best way to avoid failing to be perfect was to just not try at all. I have missed so many opportunities in life because I was afraid to try because I couldn't be perfect and perfect had been the standard.
Other things I've let go of are anger and resentment over a relationship, control of my time (it's the Lords), fears about even being on this trip and as silly as it may sound, I even let go of my fierce desire for the Rays to win the pennant this year. As we began the ALCS series against Boston, I just got on my knees before the Lord and told Him that though I wanted more than anything for them to win, if their winning would corrupt the character of any of those young men and cause them to stumble then their character was more important than any win. Funny thing, God allowed me to be at game 7 of that series when they beat Boston and went on to the World Series. And when they lost to the Phillies I was fine. I had let it go.
What I have found through all of this letting go is that each time I have let go of whatever it is that God is calling me to release and have just trusted Him, He has blessed me in unbelievable ways. Just like letting me be at that game. He's also shown me that He can be trusted and in the trusting I find myself stepping out in new ways doing things I never imagined I would be able to handle.
So my question to the team was: What is God asking you to let go of? An area of sin or temptation? A relationship that is drawing you away from the Lord? A hurt that you have let fester because you won't let it go? A fear? An expectation? The list could go on and on as each of us has something we are clinging to and won't release to the Lord. When we did the retreat, I had each of the women take a chocolate kiss and unwrap it and hold it tightly in their hand while I shared the story of Jesus' first miracle at the wedding. I asked them to think about what they were holding on to and not trusting Jesus to handle. After about 5 minutes I had them open their hands to see the mess that the chocolate had made. That's the same mess we make when we refuse to let go and trust Jesus with our problems, fears, expections, worries, you fill in the blank.
I ask you the same question........what do you need to let go of and would you be willing to let go and trust and watch what happens?
This was my day for devotions/testimony and I'm pretty calm even though this is only my second time ever to give my testimony. I had decided ahead of time that I would give my testimony first so they would better understand my choice for devotions. I was glad that Rand had instructed us to write out our testimony ahead of time. It really helps cement it in your mind and even though I didn't read what I had written from the page, it was still nice to have it right in front of me as a safety net. While I guess I could share my testimony here in this blog, I reserve the right to share it in person and not in print so if you're interested just ask me.
Like Cody, I was a little nervous about sharing my testimony with him there. There's always that question of how much do you share. As the Lord would have it, I was pretty open and honest and I hope it gave him a better understanding of why I am the parent that I am. It also prompted a lot of good discussion as each of our sharing has done.
So my devotion was on "letting go". My scripture passage was John 2:1-10. This is the same passage we studied this fall at our ladies retreat and it made a huge impact on me even before the retreat as I prepared for it. In the passage Mary comes to Jesus with a problem. They are at a wedding and the hosts have run out of wine. This could be a terrible embarrassment to this family, so Mary comes to ask Jesus to help. She does not tell Him how to solve the problem, she just explains what the problem is and then lets it go. Doesn't that sound simple? You just tell the Lord what the problem is and then you let it go. Yet we don't do that. We tell Him the problem, then we tell Him how to fix it and when to fix it and why He needs to fix it. Then we just walk away and try to fix it ourselves instead of trusting Him to take care of it for us.
As I have thought about that passage since the retreat, I started a list of all of the things that the Lord has asked me to "let go" of in the past couple of years. Shame and regret over past mistakes and poor choices, embracing instead His love and forgiveness. Fear that my children would make the same poor choices that I did and instead recognizing that they are already living out His plan for their lives. Fear of failure. This was a big one for me because I'm one of those reverse perfectionists that learned early that the best way to avoid failing to be perfect was to just not try at all. I have missed so many opportunities in life because I was afraid to try because I couldn't be perfect and perfect had been the standard.
Other things I've let go of are anger and resentment over a relationship, control of my time (it's the Lords), fears about even being on this trip and as silly as it may sound, I even let go of my fierce desire for the Rays to win the pennant this year. As we began the ALCS series against Boston, I just got on my knees before the Lord and told Him that though I wanted more than anything for them to win, if their winning would corrupt the character of any of those young men and cause them to stumble then their character was more important than any win. Funny thing, God allowed me to be at game 7 of that series when they beat Boston and went on to the World Series. And when they lost to the Phillies I was fine. I had let it go.
What I have found through all of this letting go is that each time I have let go of whatever it is that God is calling me to release and have just trusted Him, He has blessed me in unbelievable ways. Just like letting me be at that game. He's also shown me that He can be trusted and in the trusting I find myself stepping out in new ways doing things I never imagined I would be able to handle.
So my question to the team was: What is God asking you to let go of? An area of sin or temptation? A relationship that is drawing you away from the Lord? A hurt that you have let fester because you won't let it go? A fear? An expectation? The list could go on and on as each of us has something we are clinging to and won't release to the Lord. When we did the retreat, I had each of the women take a chocolate kiss and unwrap it and hold it tightly in their hand while I shared the story of Jesus' first miracle at the wedding. I asked them to think about what they were holding on to and not trusting Jesus to handle. After about 5 minutes I had them open their hands to see the mess that the chocolate had made. That's the same mess we make when we refuse to let go and trust Jesus with our problems, fears, expections, worries, you fill in the blank.
I ask you the same question........what do you need to let go of and would you be willing to let go and trust and watch what happens?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
