Heading Home

I am on my way home.  It is taking longer than I thought it would.  As a child, I had not idea my journey would last this long.  Even though I have been traveling for a very long time, I may still be a long way off. Yet in my mind’s eye, I can see it.  Every bend in the road brings me closer.  Each step makes me wish I were there already.

Home, they say, is where the heart is.  If that’s true, then I have more than one home, but the one I most long for is the one I have held in my heart almost all my life.  Heaven is my heart's home.  I want to see the Holy City, gleaming in all its splendor.  I want to meet Peter, Paul, Moses, David, Ruth, Mary, and so many others. I want to see my relatives and friends who are already there.  I want to see the tree that bears fruit in every season and the river that flows from the throne of God.  I want to experience a place where there is no loneliness, no sadness, and especially no sin.  But most of all, I want to see Jesus, the author and finisher of my faith, the One who paid the price for my sin and made it possible for me to be adopted into His family.  I want to worship Him and be amazed all over again at His love, mercy, and grace.  I want to keep learning about the amazing God who forgave and adopted people like me into His very family.

Sometimes I despair that I will get to hear Jesus say “Well done.” The long, winding road I have traveled has had many hills and valleys.  Distracted, I have sometimes forgotten to follow the map God gave me. Sometimes I have found myself off the path He had for me and had to ask Him to help me find my way back. At other times, I thought I could take a slight detour toward temptation, only to find myself desperately lost.  How blessed I was when the Holy Spirit rescued me from those sinful distractions and detours and set me back on the right road.

I am not the only one on this road.  Along the way, I share my experiences of God’s grace with others who are also heading home.  We have the same goal – to reach the gates of heaven and see Jesus welcome us with open arms.  Some are wounded and need to be nursed back to health or carried for a while.  Some are easily tempted and need a companion to help them stay on the right road.  Some are discouraged and need a friend to walk with them through dark valleys.  Some are strong and ready to help others.  Some are lethargic and need a gentle push.  Some have wandered off toward temptation and we call out to them to come back.  But together we are all heading home.

When we keep our sights set on reaching home, our goals are clearer. We help each other stay on this road.  We post warning signs along the road where we have noticed temptations.  We keep inviting those headed in the opposite direction to turn around and travel with us because our destination is so much better than the one going the other way.  We share what we know of Jesus with each other and encourage each other to keep going.  We share what we know of Him through His letters to us.  We look forward to that day when we will watch each other walk through the gates and hear Jesus say, “Well done.  Welcome home.”

Someday I may get word from my doctor that I am nearing the end of my journey. I hope that when that happens I will be excited because I finally get to cross the river to the home that has held my heart all these years.

Blessings in Disguise

"In everything give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you."  I Thess. 5:18

The miles passed quickly as we made our way in the car from Mercedes, in Corrientes, Argentina to Concordia, where we were going to cross the bridge into Salto, Uruguay.  As we approached the bridge, orange cones blocked the access and a police woman stood on the side of the road.

“What is going on?” Anibal asked.  “We’re going to Salto.”

“I am sorry, sir,” she said.  “The bridge is closed for repair.  It will open again in the evening.”

“But these two have to get to Montevideo,” Anibal explained.  “They have a flight out tomorrow.”

The policewoman kindly offered the available choices: 

• Wait until the bridge re-opened and go across then.  We knew that was not a good option because we would miss the afternoon buses to Montevideo.
• Go down to the next bridge which was more than 60 miles away.  That was not a good option for Anibal because it would take him further out of his way and delay his return home.
• Go into the next town to the Navy base where we could catch a boat across the river.

The third option was obviously the best one, so Anibal turned the car around and drove down the road.  After meandering through the town, we eventually found the Navy base where we got out and asked about the schedule.

"The boat just left and the next one is not until 3:00 p.m."

Oh well, there was nothing to do except wait for the next one.  We had plenty of time, so we left the car at the Navy base and headed out on foot to find lunch.  It was not even noon yet and many of the restaurants were just opening.  We walked along the sidewalk and saw one restaurateur setting tables outside.  

"Are you open?" we asked.  

"If you wait just a moment while I finish setting up," the owner replied.

We ordered burgers.  The typical Argentine burger comes with a fried egg on top and lettuce and tomato.  Charlie asked for mustard, but since it is not a normal condiment, we were charged for the entire bottle.  At the end of the meal, I asked about a tip.

"We do not usually do that," Anibal told us.  "Besides, you are leaving behind the bottle of mustard.  Let that be your tip."

Getting to experience a typical Argentine burger was a blessing.  It was a blessing in disguise because it came with a delay in our schedule.  If we had gone across on the bridge or if the boat had not just left, we would not have been able to experience that.

We headed back to the base.  We said our goodbyes to Anibal and continued to wait.  At 3:00 we boarded the boat and headed across the river to Salto.

In Salto, we got a taxi to take us to the bus station.  The taxi driver said to us, “I was born in Salto.  I have lived here all of my life, but I have never taken the boat across to Argentina.”  Without even realizing it, we had experienced what he thought was a novelty.  It was, to be sure, another blessing in disguise.

Days before, when we left Montevideo, we made arrangements with our missionaries there to stay at a hotel near to their home so that we could spend time with them.  Now we were very delayed and had no idea when we would arrive.  We contacted them to let them know they should not expect us.  At this point, we had no idea when we would actually arrive in Montevideo.  Of course, that meant that we had no idea where we would stay that night.

We arrived at the bus station and saw a Days Inn across the street.  An unexpected blessing.  We would not have to worry about having enough money for a taxi.  We could just walk there.  And yes, they had a room available.

In the morning, Charlie and I joined other hotel guests on the tenth floor for a typical Uruguayan breakfast of fruit, pastries and coffee.  After breakfast, I sat at one of the tables with my Bible and notebook in hand and marveled at this blessing in disguise.  Little did we know the night before as we pulled into the city that I would be able to sit on the tenth floor of a high-rise, enjoying my quiet time with the Lord with such a beautiful view around me.

The following day we boarded our plane to return to the U.S.  A few minutes after our scheduled departure, a deep voice came over the intercom.  “This is your captain speaking.  We are sorry for the delay.  There was a problem with a seal.  It is not something that will interfere with our flying, but we need to have the maintenance book signed off before we can fly.  Thank you for your patience.”

A half hour later we were still waiting.  Once again we heard the captain.  “Thank you so much for your patience.  I really thought we would be flying tonight, but because of some very bad weather over the Amazon, we have been informed that we cannot fly the plane with the problem with the seal.  I am so sorry.  This is a surprise to me.  I really thought we would be leaving tonight.”

So we all got off the plane and re-entered Uruguay.  The agent crossed off our exit stamps from a few hours earlier.  We reclaimed our luggage and headed for a hotel for the night.  As we drove through streets that were starting to become familiar, I realized we were heading for a different part of the city.  Now we would receive a night in a beautiful hotel with my loving husband, and even our meals were mostly covered. This was definitely another blessing in disguise.  

Traveling the world has helped us to understand that we can expect changes to our plans.  Yet even so, sometimes our reaction to the change shows that we do not appreciate the change.  We can chafe at the sudden change instead of finding the treasure in the adventure.  Instead of looking for the blessing, we focus on what was lost instead of what we gained.  No wonder we need to be reminded that we are to rejoice in everything.

Thank you, Lord, for your blessings, especially those that come disguised.
  

Road Blocks and Detours

We rounded a corner and saw it - a tree lying across the road.  A crew had just arrived and was beginning to start their chain saws to go to work to remove it.  One by one the cars turned around to find another route.

Road blocks.  We have occasionally encountered them on our journeys.  On this trip, however, we have had many more than usual.  They were not trees in the road but changes in plans.  One thing after another seemed to go wrong, and we had to readjust our plans.  Every time a change in plans was necessary, we wondered why it was happening.

Detour!  It was no surprise after all the road blocks we had encountered on our trip, that a detour arose.  Less than two weeks before we were supposed to leave for Peru, the home office called.  "Can you stay in Peru longer?" Matt inquired. After all the road blocks that had already forced detours in our schedule throughout the past few weeks, the question was not a surprise and our answer was easy.  "Of course!" we replied.  Suddenly we understood.  All of those road blocks that had forced us into new paths were simply God's way of preparing us for this detour.

Then began the frantic preparations for the new schedule.  Coordinate with our Latin American director to meet us in Lima.  Cancel the original plane reservations and make new reservations.  Cancel the overnight stay in Panama and reserve an overnight in Lima, Peru.  Add an additional week to the trip to go to Iquitos, Peru, and rearrange meetings that were planned for that time in Maine.  Find out from the LA director what we should teach while in Iquitos.  Look for additional materials needed for teaching those classes.  On and on the list goes.

I wonder what other road blocks and detours still await us.  No matter how many there are, I know that God has gone ahead of us to prepare the way.