tonight, I worked a little late helping the telephone manager bring his computer online.
I got home and another person called me apologizing for calling at home, and had email issues. He had jsut gotten back from Australia on medical leave, his wife has been diagnosed with cancer.
I typically draw the line at after hours work, but in this instance, I gave him all the help I could, not because of my job, but because we are brothers in Christ and he was in need at the moment.
For those who have ever worked in professional ministry, it can be hard to know the lines between your job, your ministry, and your private time. Drawing boundaries is important, knowing when to make exceptions is important too. Being good neighbors, for example when our neighbor had to fly to Australia with his son to have his broken arm mended, his wife was at home without her husband.
She was nervous, and scared, and we had her over for dinner, I kept an eye on her and her house for her... to add that extra bit of ... someone is caring.
We are unable to express the gratitude we have for living here because the opportunities to serve God by loving other people are plentiful! You don't have to try hard to find a way to serve in worship. I think the bigger challenge is to maintain a glad heart when you do serve.
You can pray for that, that we would continue to serve with glad hearts, and that others around us who are tired of the struggles, could find some peace.
I'm told that when the one year mark hits, people start to hate life here. It is some sort of mental barrier that has to be broken through. I'm told by many people
"the culture shock hits a new stage, and after a year, you hate it here, after a year and a half, you love it more than ever." Some people don't make it that long.
We haven't hit the "we hate it here" stage, but if we do, we're prepared because we know it's a part of the adjusting.
In fact we still very much love it here.
Tonight, we gathered in our bedroom, the four of us, with the lights out, watching a lightning storm in the distance.
Professionally I knew that lightning is bad for computer equipment, but we were taking a moment to enjoy the lightning and God's creation.
When my daughter said, completely randomly
"you know what it's called when you have a mustache and a beard?... a mushbeard."
we all started laughing.
It was a great way to end the week. A week of ups and downs.
Ups - work is going well, new services are helping translators.
Downs - we would still like to make more friendships here, we have some friends who are getting discouraged and that weighs heavily on our hearts.
To spend the moments before bedtime, watching God's handiwork, and laughing with our kids was a special moment.
