One Week and Counting

One week from today we leave for Cuernavaca, Mexico. We will board the plane in Chattanooga and fly to Atlanta.  From there we will catch a connecting flight to Mexico City.  In Mexico city, our missionary, Sergio Herrera, will meet us.  We will get on a bus and ride the remainder of the way to where they live near Cuernavaca.

Many things have already been accomplished. 

Two cases of Spanish Bibles.

• We purchased Spanish Bibles and a flannelgraph set to take with us.
• We have been preparing lessons.
• A friend in Maine is checking over my Spanish grammar on the things I've finished while I continue to work on more lessons.
• We bought our tickets.
• We have been in communication with the Herreras about the upcoming seminar.
   

In the midst of all this, I have been so glad to have an office again.



It has been great to go to the bookshelf to research the things I need for my lessons.

What is left still to do?  Much.

The regular things of life do not stop just because we have a trip coming up.  Resurrection Sunday is coming.  There are special events this week, including the arrival of family visiting from Minnesota.  We also need to:

• Figure out how to pack the Bibles and other materials we are taking.
• Finish the lessons we are preparing.
• Print off handouts and outlines.
• Talk to our neighbors and ask them to keep an eye on things while we are gone.
• Hire someone to cut the lawn and water the fledgling garden that Charlie planted.
• Gather our personal items and pack them without going overweight with all the things we are taking.
• Get a ride to the airport.
• Somehow do the other things like eat, sleep, exercise, pray, read our Bibles, go to church, and all the other normal things of life.

If we were to write a detailed list, I'm sure it would be very long.  But you get the idea.  We would definitely appreciate prayer as we count down to our departure.


 

Finding Buried Treasure

The disaster zone

Our house was a disaster area.  Boxes were stacked upon boxes.  Only a pathway allowed us to move from one room to another as we tried to figure out where to put things.  As we unpacked, a box, the mess grew.

These days I sometimes felt like a treasure hunter.  The next discovery was just around the next bend, or in our case, in the next box.  After four years of having things in storage, each held mysteries yet to be discovered. 

Some treasures I expected to find.  I remembered the dishes and kitchen appliances, though I didn’t remember that we no longer had a toaster.  I also was not expecting our coffee maker to die within a couple weeks of unpacking it, but I guess four years in storage was not necessarily good for it.  I remembered most of the clothing that has been in storage during this time.  (One of the dresses I’ve already given away since I didn’t need it all this time.  Others will probably follow.)  I thought I remembered the paintings, furniture, and other wall decorations.  But occasionally, in the midst of all the things I remembered, I found something that was a lost treasure – something I’d forgotten we had.

Here are the pictures of some of those things.

This piece of furniture was the biggest surprise.  I thought I remembered all of the furniture we had.  Before we went up north to collect our things, I figured out where every piece would go.  Then we unpacked this.  This was a piece Charlie’s father built, so I wanted to keep it.  But where would it go?  We found a place for it, but the dining room is now more crowded than I would have liked. 

Then there were these pieces I bought while working at Lenox.  They’ve found a home on the bookcase in the office.


But then there were these precious pieces I’d forgotten we had, made for us by different families in our church.  These hold special memories for us, especially now that we don’t get to see these dear people very often.
                 
There were books I was delighted to find and others I’d forgotten I have.  Then there are also some books I thought I had that I haven’t found.  With all the books we have, I suppose that’s not a surprise.  This year I plan to keep track of the books I actually use so that I can get rid of some to allow for some different ones.  We really do not have room to add any more bookcases.

I found photos and memorabilia that I have not seen in a long time.  There were even some clothes that I now think I no longer need since I haven’t needed them for four years. 

In the midst of all the discoveries, we occasionally found something that was ruined.  It was during those times that I had to smile.  While I have referred to these things we own as buried treasure, they really are not.  Not even close.  They are just things that rust and moth destroy and thieves may try to steal.

I know where my real buried treasure is. It will have to wait a long time before I will be able to uncover it, but I know that it is safe.  These things that we have uncovered and put into our house help us live life here on earth.  Hopefully, they are also a benefit to us doing ministry while we are here.  In the long run, though, they do not matter.  They are just things.  What matters are the precious people we work with and the souls that God has saved.  They are our true treasure. 

A Winter Trip to Maine

Why in the world would we pick January to take a trip to Maine?  After all, you can expect it to be snowy at this time of the year and definitely cold.  Road conditions are not the best and airline travel is “Iffy”.

We went because we now have a house and needed to collect our belongings from storage.  There were also speaking engagements available for us.  For me, it meant that I could spend some precious time with the ladies of West Hampden Baptist Church on their winter retreat.

God definitely prospered our journey.  We give him thanks for all that He did for us.  Here is a brief summary of some of the many blessings He poured out on us on this trip.

• Delta contributed to our travel fund.  We were waiting for the plane when we heard an announcement.  “If anyone would be willing to give up their seat and be driven to Atlanta to make their connection, we will give you a $400 voucher for future travel.”  Charlie jumped up and went to the counter.  A few minutes later we were on our way to Atlanta via taxi.  Since it was a holiday, we did not even have to deal with traffic.  We were there in plenty of time for our flight to Maine, and we think we may have arrived before the delayed flight.
• Our flight up was without incident.  We flew on a Monday.  The weekend before there had been many weather-related delays.  The next day another storm blew in and once again there were many delays, but we were already there.
• We have such generous friends.  Friends picked us up in Portland and drove us two hours north and dropped us off with another friend to stay for a couple days.  Another friend gave us a very nice vehicle to use while we were there.  Another friend drove me down to the ladies’ retreat. 
• We were able to visit people in Farmington.  Charlie’s uncle lives there, so we were able to drop in and see him and his wife.  Then on Wednesday evening we shared our ministry with the people of New Hope Baptist and stayed overnight in their “Prophets’ Chamber.”
• The ladies’ retreat was a real joy to my heart.  It is the event I miss most now that we’re gone.  Gathering with those dear friends to learn together from the Word of God is such a joy.  There was time for a few heart-to-heart talks, walks in the snow, and enjoying the beauty of God’s creation there in Southwest Harbor.  (More about that in another blog.)
• The men were available, flexible, and speedy in packing the moving truck.  The night before we were supposed to pick up the truck, Charlie got a call from U-Haul saying that the battery in “our” truck was dead.  So instead of picking the truck up early, Charlie had to let the men know that it wouldn’t be available until later.  When they gathered to pack, it only took them an hour to load.  As cold as it was, it’s good there were many men there to make it happen quickly.
• The pastor and his family are loving and hospitable.  The last half of the week while I was at the ladies’ retreat, Charlie stayed with the pastor, and we were both there when I returned.  They were very warm and welcoming, and we love to see that the church is growing under their leadership.  When we left, they loaded us up with sandwiches and treats for the journey that lasted almost until we arrived home.
• God kept us safe on the trip home.  We encountered the worst weather on our second day of the trip home.  After we’d been on the road a couple hours, the snow started, and it stayed with us all the rest of the way.  We saw a number of cars off the road, but the Lord kept us safe. 



Finally home in Georgia!

• We were able to unload the truck with just minutes to spare.  We had hoped to get some help on this end, but the bad road conditions meant that people were not venturing out.  Churches cancelled on Wednesday night, so the promise of a crew to “help with the heavy stuff” did not materialize.  So on Thursday morning, after a night of much needed rest, Charlie and I finished with the remaining items and returned the truck.  The man at the U-Haul store said to us, “You are three minutes early.”  Then we rejoiced at the unplanned delay at picking up the truck as it kept us from having to pay for an extra day.

It was a blessed trip from start to finish, and we give thanks to God for his many blessings to us.

Packing for Ghana

Charlie likes to travel light.  He prefers, whenever possible, to take just carry-on items.  It eliminates the possibility of ending up in Ghana while your luggage flies to Egypt.  It also means you don’t have to wait for your luggage to come off the conveyer belt before heading to customs so you get through faster.

As a teacher, Charlie usually thinks of taking his notes, his Bible, his computer, and his personal clothes and toiletries.  Money for a few incidentals, a passport and a ticket round out all the needed supplies for a teaching trip.  All of this he can fit in very little space. 

This trip, though, is different. 

A couple weeks ago we received word that shoe boxes had arrived in Hanover for the ministry in Ghana.  One of the women in our office was driving to Florida.  She loaded them in her car.  We met her in Chattanooga for breakfast on her way through and loaded them in our car.  Then the packing began.  A few days ago we received another package through the mail that was also included.

Mission impossible?

So instead of going with just carry-on items, or perhaps checking one suitcase, Charlie is traveling with three large suitcases plus his two carry-on items.   On the way home, he will leave one suitcase behind and nest another suitcase inside the third so that he only has one checked bag piece to bring back.

You see, teaching is not our only ministry.  We are also called to serve the local missionaries in whatever way we can.  This time they needed to have us bring these items to them. 

Packing for the Exodus

"And the Egyptians were urgent upon the people, that they might send them out of the land in haste; for they said, We be all dead men. And the people took their dough before it was leavened, their kneadingtroughs being bound up in their clothes upon their shoulders." (Ex 12:33-34 AV)

When they departed for the Exodus and their extended sojourn in the desert the people of Israel were in a hurry and had little time or room to pack the material goods of their lives in Egypt. While we have had lots of time, we will have little room for the material things of the next phase of our sojourn. I realize one Subaru Outback wagon load would have been a vast treasure to an Isrealite household, but by the standards of America in the 21^st century it is small indeed.

The process of our packing started with a yard sale. Last summer we sold much of what we felt we would not need. Then, when our home sold in the winter, we sold or disposed of everything we did not have immediate use for or did not want to store. We now have 300 square feet of rented storage space, and that is with the vast majority of our furniture, almost all our tools and many of my "man toys" sold!

Now the truly hard part comes: What do we pack for deputation? For six months we have been thinking of what clothes to pack, what will our display be like, what storage items will we need for brochures and prayer cards. We have a basic policy - any new purchase must be accompanied by giving something away, unless it is a necessary addition to the deputation kit.

The Lord has allowed us the opportunity to do some part time deputation meetings so we will be able to trial run our presentation and display materials. That will be a great blessing. The day will soon come when we will move from our 400 square foot studio apartment into the Subaru. The few items we removed from storage will go back. The clothes we do not need will be added to the storage locker and we will drive off into our desert wandering.

We have the blessing of a fixed goal for our journey, full time ministry with IPM, which in itself will be a series of sojourns although with the luxury of a home base. We also have the blessing of the same God Israel had in the desert. This is the God who provided manna, the God who prevented their shoes or clothes from wearing out. This is the God who protected them from Pharaoh and his army. While I do not expect Him to feed us with manna or prevent our car from running out of gas or our tires from wearing out, I do expect Him to provide for our needs because He is the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the God of Moses and Joshua, and through the Exodus journey He demonstrated Himself to be the God that provides.

--posted by Charlie