This time out a team of 5 will head to Hot Springs for a 2 and a half week stay with our Thai family, and I am stoked! Three have never been before. Three are young adults on various amazing adventures. Two are Sponsors of children there. One we are leaving behind for a six month stay. One brings a treasure to leave behind according to his mother's wishes. For 1 this is a 4th visit with lots of next steps in language and culture to anticipate. And for 1, that's me, the grace poured out to allow this to be a regular and repeated part of what I do is overwhelming.
I'll leave you to ponder the math and Venn diagrams I've just laid out. But it will give you a glimpse into the dynamics and potential of the group I get to travel with....in just a few hours.
I should be napping.
When you get up before 5 to be ready to preach, and you also have to board a plane at 1:45 a.m. in the same stint of a day, napping isn't just a cute little Gramma luxury. It's a much needful thing.
But apparently getting up a 5, having a robust and wonderful time of worship with beloveds, being totally packed and having an all-checked-off list, isn't enough to convince my body to lay low today. Not right now anyways.
I think I'm just too 'abundanced'.
It overwhelmed me on my way into the church early this morning to observe my pre-preaching ritual (something I'm grateful I have the freedom to do in this post-pastor reality) of arriving first, praying over the sermon and the service, and rehearsing what I hope will be God's message to people I love. Even before I got to doing all of that, alread in the van I was drinking in the morning sky and couldn't help but begin my worship there. I mean, come on. My life!
I'm just back from a sacred space where the flat water and kayak and quiet are sanctuaries incredible.
Here in the city, in my backyard, over the pond at the church, and in the context of so many deep friendships (lovely dinner out last night), there are holy places too. And then today, much later, so much later we'll call it tomorrow morning even though it won't feel like it, I get to head to another place, literally half way around the world, where heaven touches earth some more.
What kind of God is so lavish?
I can't add it up, and it's not because the part of my brain that does math died in grade 4 (true fact), but because there's too much, so much, big much blessing.
When I travel with others as a leader or guide to our mission experience, it is always my prayer that they will receive this over abundance thing too.
When I visit Hot Springs as an ambassador of love and support from so many here who lavish their love on our kids, it is always my prayer that those supporters will experience it too.
So, not napping, oh well. Lots of time to just sit and be still on the flights that will get us there.
Not napping. Counting blessings makes me so happy, but it clearly doesn't have the same effect as counting sheep.
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