Two paths I see;
Which will it be?
One leads to foreign lands;
The other lies close at hand.
Grant us courage to choose today
To strive along the narrow way.
5-17-2014
Prayer for Courage
Lord, we ask Your shining Light
to guide our pilgrim steps.
Lord, we ask Your blazing Fire
to burn the chaff we've kept.
Lord, we ask for grace today
to humbly die to our selfish ways.
Lord, we ask for courage to live
within Your Will always.
Lead us, guide us, grant us strength.
May we truly honor You, O Lord.
Lead us, guide us, grant us courage.
May we truly worship You, O Lord.
5-17-2014
Note: We find ourselves at a crossroads, a place in our life where we have to make a decision between the good and the better. We must choose one or the other, and both are good. There is life in rural Kentucky which is so peaceful and beautiful. I wake up to the sound of newly hatched chicks chirping in the hallway that are in a cardboard box with a bright light keeping them warm. Since it is a cool morning, I got the wood- stove woke up and warming the kitchen. Later, my husband will get up and milk our cow which brings us abundant cream, butter, cottage cheese, yogurt, buttermilk, whey - and plenty to share with whomever is interested. Then we will all be getting ready to walk through the woods, over a homemade bridge my husband and son put over the gully, up the hill, to our wonderful church in the woods. We are greeted by our church family, and we worship God together in this beautiful setting. I have the privilege to play banjo in this small church which is fun for me since I am a novice musician. Doesn't the Lord want us to enjoy worshiping Him? Yes!!!! So it is great to pick along with the more experienced musicians. Life is so comfortable and predictable here where we got married and bore six children.
Then we are also being given the opportunity to return to Tanzania. Our family was given the gift of a trip to Mwanza, Tanzania last year with a six month stay. We had a lot of adjusting to do as we settled in a concrete floor house which requires mosquito nets on our beds because those little critters will not leave you alone at night. In fact, often they got in the mosquito nets and tried to drive us batty. At night, besides dodging mosquitos, you have to step carefully to avoid the cockroaches. Also, it is often quite noisy into the night, then again in the very early morning hours. The only quiet is between 2 and 5 a.m.. It really isn't a picture of comfort. When we are tired and want quiet, it is quite hard to find. There is no place to walk where there aren't loads of people, and since our skin is white, we stand out like a cardinal on a snowy field. So why would we ever want to return?? It is the beautiful people we met that beckons our heart to Africa. They so kindly welcomed us into their lives, forgave our awkwardness, and went a step farther to make us one of them, part of their families. Children graced our home throughout the day, providing many friends for our children. We had three big kids and three little kids who were regulars to our home,and they became part of our lives, forever changing our hearts. I had the fun of trying to teach a couple of English classes, and this afforded the opportunity to get to know several of the students and some of their families. Our son was adopted into an elderly couple's home since we ran out of bed space, and our daughters became part of our pastor's family so now our children have a more extended family which includes African grandparents. Isn't this a priceless gift!!!
The choice we face is between the good and the better. It is not an easy choice. It requires courage to give up the peaceful, quiet setting where we are currently residing, and take that other path which affords very little rest but an abundance of purpose and joy, to join hands with our Tanzanian brothers and sisters in the Lord and their children. God is opening the door to this rugged path. I need courage to walk through it to the warm welcome of the Tanzanian people calling out, "Karibu!" (which means welcome).
Which will it be?
One leads to foreign lands;
The other lies close at hand.
Grant us courage to choose today
To strive along the narrow way.
5-17-2014
Prayer for Courage
Lord, we ask Your shining Light
to guide our pilgrim steps.
Lord, we ask Your blazing Fire
to burn the chaff we've kept.
Lord, we ask for grace today
to humbly die to our selfish ways.
Lord, we ask for courage to live
within Your Will always.
Lead us, guide us, grant us strength.
May we truly honor You, O Lord.
Lead us, guide us, grant us courage.
May we truly worship You, O Lord.
5-17-2014
Note: We find ourselves at a crossroads, a place in our life where we have to make a decision between the good and the better. We must choose one or the other, and both are good. There is life in rural Kentucky which is so peaceful and beautiful. I wake up to the sound of newly hatched chicks chirping in the hallway that are in a cardboard box with a bright light keeping them warm. Since it is a cool morning, I got the wood- stove woke up and warming the kitchen. Later, my husband will get up and milk our cow which brings us abundant cream, butter, cottage cheese, yogurt, buttermilk, whey - and plenty to share with whomever is interested. Then we will all be getting ready to walk through the woods, over a homemade bridge my husband and son put over the gully, up the hill, to our wonderful church in the woods. We are greeted by our church family, and we worship God together in this beautiful setting. I have the privilege to play banjo in this small church which is fun for me since I am a novice musician. Doesn't the Lord want us to enjoy worshiping Him? Yes!!!! So it is great to pick along with the more experienced musicians. Life is so comfortable and predictable here where we got married and bore six children.
Then we are also being given the opportunity to return to Tanzania. Our family was given the gift of a trip to Mwanza, Tanzania last year with a six month stay. We had a lot of adjusting to do as we settled in a concrete floor house which requires mosquito nets on our beds because those little critters will not leave you alone at night. In fact, often they got in the mosquito nets and tried to drive us batty. At night, besides dodging mosquitos, you have to step carefully to avoid the cockroaches. Also, it is often quite noisy into the night, then again in the very early morning hours. The only quiet is between 2 and 5 a.m.. It really isn't a picture of comfort. When we are tired and want quiet, it is quite hard to find. There is no place to walk where there aren't loads of people, and since our skin is white, we stand out like a cardinal on a snowy field. So why would we ever want to return?? It is the beautiful people we met that beckons our heart to Africa. They so kindly welcomed us into their lives, forgave our awkwardness, and went a step farther to make us one of them, part of their families. Children graced our home throughout the day, providing many friends for our children. We had three big kids and three little kids who were regulars to our home,and they became part of our lives, forever changing our hearts. I had the fun of trying to teach a couple of English classes, and this afforded the opportunity to get to know several of the students and some of their families. Our son was adopted into an elderly couple's home since we ran out of bed space, and our daughters became part of our pastor's family so now our children have a more extended family which includes African grandparents. Isn't this a priceless gift!!!
The choice we face is between the good and the better. It is not an easy choice. It requires courage to give up the peaceful, quiet setting where we are currently residing, and take that other path which affords very little rest but an abundance of purpose and joy, to join hands with our Tanzanian brothers and sisters in the Lord and their children. God is opening the door to this rugged path. I need courage to walk through it to the warm welcome of the Tanzanian people calling out, "Karibu!" (which means welcome).
