A conversation I had one morning with some of my dear missionary friends sparked a train of thoughts in me. We were lamenting over the fact that we feel so, well, how do I explain it?....not like missionary material.
Are not missionaries eternally optimistic, just basking in the glow of God's love for them that they can hardly be restrained from spreading the Good News near and far?
Are they not constantly prowling the highways and the byways, searching for lost souls in need of a Savior?
Is the front gate not a revolving door churning through thirsty souls and thirsty kids alike? And of course, the perfect missionary would never get annoyed at these intrusions. She would feel incredibly privileged to have the glorious opportunity to plant a few seeds of truth. With great joy she lays aside her current project and blissfully serves them a cup of hot tea or cold water.
Out and about, she drops coins in the local beggar's greasy palm, slips a tract in the elderly lady's wrinkled hand and is constantly on the alert for anyone that would have a few minutes to stop and chat.
She would never have a one track mind when she is getting her groceries, tunnel vision when walking past the beggar or lock the front gate so she can have alittle me time without any interruptions. No indeed! How incredibly selfish that would be!
Burned out, peopled out or stressed out? Unheard of.
Add to that, she's probably the perfect wife too. Her husband never frustrates her and she never completely baffles him.
Lose patience with her children? Not a fruit of the Spirit. So she doesn't. After all, it only takes a few kind words to reduce the penitent child to remorseful tears.
Daily devotions doesn't require self-discipline and she cheerfully rises in the wee hours of the morning so she can have a few precious hours in solitude.
Ok, I hope you get the drift that if there is a perfect little missionary, it certainly isn't this woman!
Moving across the seas does not make one better, bolder or braver. We are 'normal' (I think,:)) people with the same faults, fears and failures as anyone else.
The truth is, as Christians we are called to be missionaries regardless of what country we live in. Whether we live on a tropical island in the middle of the deep blue sea, the hot dusty plains of the desert or in the rolling, fertile farmland of Pennsylvania, we all need Jesus!
A belated brunch held in honor of Mother's Day. Some of us were missing our
mothers and some were missing their daughters, but we had a good time anyway!
Chris and the boys went camping with some of the men at Bacolet Point 
We enjoyed getting to know Tim & Linda Stoltzfus & family
while they were here for 3 weeks assisting the Laura Church.
L-R: Christiana, Kaylah, Julianna, Katharina, Rebekah and Josiah Stoltzfus
We had Tim's and some of the Laborie staff for supper one evening
Hans & Friedrick Stoltzfus helping Chris with some odds and ends jobs
We enjoyed visiting with Ray & Sue Weaver while they were here for board
deputation. Their boy Eddie still remains Collin's best friend!:)....stemming all the way back to the days they carpooled together to school. It's amazing how much a small boy can look up to an older boy that gives them attention! (and chips:))
While folks back home were celebrating Memorial Day, Grenada was observing Whit
Monday, a holiday held the day after Pentecost. Some from our church thought it a perfect
day to set out and conquer Mt. Qua Qua, a mountain range 2370' above sea level. The hike was grueling, the view was spectacular and the after-effects were felt for days. (at least by me:))
The summit...if you look to the right of the rock, you
can see a little bit of the view we had from the top.
This is the view during the trek to the summit...at the top you actually couldn't see
that far because of the clouds. I always wondered how it would feel to walk in a
cloud, and now I know. It's not as great as my childish dream imagined it to be.
were coming! Brian, Crystal, Mariah and Isaiah Zeiset spend June 3-10th with us.
sometimes. And he doesn't even have to go through all the red tape!
Hauling benches for crusades....(I doubt this scratches the trucking itch:))
Thankfully it was overnight and not when we were all sitting under it!
We enjoyed our week of crusades with Bob Stauffer from Minnesota.
He's also a very good story teller and kept us all entertained:)
Marvin Lapp, pastor at Limes, opening the service
come up on the beach to lay their eggs. We got there around 7:30pm and waited till
around 10:30pm till some finally decided to lumber on shore and deposit their eggs. There
is never a guarantee that we will get to see some so we were glad the long wait paid off.
there are turtles up on the beach. We had to go out with a guide and the researchers
were busy counting the eggs, marking the nests and measuring the turtles.
This is one I found on the Internet. They are the largest sea turtles.
Some have yolks but some are just 'filler' eggs to provide proper ventilation. They
are endangered species, so the nests are carefully watched to guard against poachers.
It was so neat to watch this whole process, which takes almost an hour. It
takes them awhile to dig the hole deep enough with their back flippers, lay
their eggs, cover them, camouflage the nest and them lumber back to sea again.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------I was in that first deep sleep when I faintly heard a beeping sound. My first thought was, "Wow! Morning already!" Almost the same instant I smelled smoke and our door came flying open and Christi was yelling in a terrified voice, "Fire! Fire!" Our room was all smoky so I knew there was definitely a fire somewhere in the house. The question was how big and where? I can't quite explain all the thoughts and emotions that can go through a person's mind in so short a time. With all the windows having bars on and the locked front gate our only way of escape, a fire was always a real fear of mine. (The back door is locked from the outside) After coming to my senses, I realized the fire was in the girl's room and opened the door to see their room eerily lit by flames shooting from their fan. Chris grabbed the fan by the pole and ran outside with it. He got some blisters from burning pieces that fell off, but other than that we were all fine. With clothing strewn around on the floor under the fan and a paper decoration hanging precariously from the ceiling right above it, it would have been a matter of seconds before the outcome could have been completely different. I just couldn't stop shaking and hugging my girl! We were so glad Kaylah was not at home because she sleeps on the top bunk and had hung a blanket in the front for privacy. The fan on the wall blew all the smoke right in that corner and the wall and her covers were black with soot. Another thing that 'just happened' was that the girls door was left open. The smoke detector was in the hallway and if their door was shut the smoke would not have drifted out, setting off the fire alarm and waking the girls. I just shudder to think how bad the fire would have gotten before anyone would have woken since we were all so tired and in our deepest sleep. We certainly don't want to dwell on the "what if's", but want to thank God for His safety and protection! And, if you have a smoke detector, please make sure the batteries are working! Chris had just recently put new batteries in ours after having dead batteries for quite some time. And now all our rooms have smoke detectors!:)
washer humming all week long! We had tons of extra wash because all the
girl's dresses, bedding, ect. needed washed because they reeked of smoke.
Settlers. Sometimes the arguments could go on for a long time after they left
the board....until we told them, "Not ONE more word about the game!!"
so Chris was glad for Brian's help to make new ones.
you just make one. I think this one should be pretty safe:)
Farewell, till the next time!
