Going to India

LEFT: Mom 'Packing' yesterday :-) .... RIGHT: are the sisters in 1995. Esther, my mom, on the left & Marietta

I POSTED THIS LAST WEEK, BUT AM MOVING IT UP TO THE TOP BECAUSE TODAY'S THE DAY WE LEAVE -- WOO HOO!!!

A week from tomorrow I'm going to India...taking my mom to see her sister. They are both in their 80's & I know this trip is going to be a hoot.

I've created this blog so I can share the experience....

concerns:

-Getting there = LONG flight, long train ride &, from what I've heard, a wild taxi ride up the mountain

-altitude = live at 105 feet & going to 6,500 feet --- (Woodstock School)

-coming off a few strenuous weeks at work (think I'll sleep for a couple days upon arrival at that 6,500 feet destination :-)

looking forward to:

-time
....to get to know my extended family better
.....to rest & ponder
...to "smell the roses"

-making memories with my mom

-being immersed in another culture again

Can't wait. Let's get going Mom.

Thanks to the generous Mitchell clan for making this trip possible!!!

I just want to praise my LORD ....

...my Creator, the One who has given me purpose and joy in this life. The past few weeks have been INTENSE and He sustained me. Last Tuesday night (Sept 25th) was the biggest event in my career at Wycliffe! Big not in numbers, but in complex details. We offered a three entree plated dinner = chicken, beef and fish to those coming to honor Chuck & Cynthia Swindoll with the Bill Bright Scripture Award *. It went off real well. An event always has cliches behind the scene that the client never knows about :-).

As the event coordinator a lot of my time was put into the planning out of this event thus taking time from my 'desk work' which kept piling up. Normally in situations like this I start 'whigging' out which starts a downward spiral, but this time I took a different approach --- keeping my focus on my God & TRUSTING Him to take care of the details rather than letting the details distract me from my worship of Him. The analogy of Peter walking on the waves towards Jesus was my 'mantra' so to speak. It was as Peter focused on Jesus that He was able to walk on top of the water, but when Peter's focus changed to that he was walking on as it rose up in waves that is when he started sinking into it. It was hit & miss as the waves got bigger for me, but I'm so happy to say that I came 'off the water' more dry than wet :-). (In the Bible the book of Matthew Chapter 14 is where you'll find that story). I'm just blown away by how much the LORD is there for me, how He longs for me to lean on Him and my 'job' is to do that. It lightens the load so much and also puts a joy in the journey that goes a missing when the details become my focus.

I praise God for bringing back to my attention an email from a cousin forwarded by a cousin that talked about this concept and gave me the hope to try it. Here is an excerpt from that email:

For a few weeks I struggled under a cloud of bleakness, feeling very disheartened, but ...I determined to fight this in prayer... that was the only recourse we had. That's why I started out this letter with the emphasis on prayer. But a healthy reminded for me was what Bill Johnson wrote in his book, "Strengthen yourself in the Lord": Firstly we are to love God in prayer, to worship and adore Him, to seek to bless Him....

"...the affections of our hearts get drawn away from the Lord, to the point that we care more about the problems than about giving Him what He deserves. We are letting other voices speak louder than His, and that is irresponsible!... I am responsible to Him first, and for this reason I have decided to live in a healthy state of denial. ... I have learned to ignore problems just enough so they don't become a threat to the affections of my heart. I know I'm not being irresponsible because God has promised me over and over that if I'm faithful to be who He has called me to be, especially as a worshiper, He is more than happy to bring the solution."

It is the part that is bold & in italics above that I highlighted in bright green & had laying on my desk at work. I can attest to God's faithfulness as I sit here with a mound of work from work DONE and me now ready to fly off to India with my Mom. THANK YOU MY LORD, SUSTAINER, CREATOR and One who loves me so much. Thank You for turning my eyers towards You, for helping me lean heavy on You these past weeks. It's an experience I want to have become reality in my life.

*

The Bill Bright Scripture Impact Award was created to
recognize those who have followed in the steps of Bill
and Vonette Bright- and Cameron and Elaine Townsend - with
a lifelong dedication to Scripture Proclamation.
Please join us as we honor Chuck and Cynthia Swindoll with
this award. As part of the evening’s celebration Chuck will share
about his life experiences.

TheBill Bright Scripture Impact Award Dinner will be held on:
Tuesday, September 25, 2007
5:30 PM-8:45 PM
at the
Wycliffe Bible Translators USA Headquarters
WordSpring Discovery Center
11221 John Wycliffe Blvd.
Orlando, FL 32832

Next post has some pics from the occasion. I'm still learning how to use this blogspot thing so they're a little rough :-).

Here are some pics from the ocassion...

A tribute to my brother, Peter

Here he is with his his lovely wife Tammy
(they are working in Tanzania with Wild Hope Int'l)

My Brother had a birthday yesterday. My thoughts flew his way often as I went through my day. We've come a long way in our relationship. We used to fight like cat & dog .... I've thrown everything in this world at him 'cuz he would make me so MAD! He was pretty quick on his feet I must say - so his injuries weren't too bad :-). We knew where each others buttons were and enjoyed pushing them.

Today I'm glad to say the night has turned to day and I have a deep love for him that is hard to explain without talking about the healing power of God's Father heart love. We've been able to work through a lot of the past hurts, come to a place of enjoying each other and wanting to actually hang out together. It truly is a miracle.

I love you bro! So glad you're in my life. Thanks for shining the light on the path in front of me. Wish we were on the same continent,

Joy

Mom has arrived!

I was able to go to the gate to meet mom as she arrived in Orlando. To the right is a picture of her prepping to leave Los Angeles. (Do need to say that as soon as we stepped outside here in Orlando the coat was shed :-).

Two more days then we head across the world.

Woo hoo

Why THE JOY OF ORANGE?

a) my favorite color is orange

b) the other blog sites I tried were taken ... "sprinklersintherain" ..."desta" ..."faraha"

c) it will be easy for people to remember