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.
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