A state or period in which no progress or change is made. That is what a holding pattern is. I'd like to share my thoughts on this concept, because I find that when I am in a holding pattern, I become frustrated and impatient. Thankfully, not as much as I used to.
In Papua New Guinea, it takes a long time to get projects completed. As a result, you find yourself waiting a lot. So for someone like me who is able to plan and multi-task, you compensate by having several projects going at once. That way, you always have something that is making progress. Also you develop more of coping mechanism to waiting patiently.
If you know it takes a month to get supplies for a project, then you plan a project for next month, the following month, the month after that, etc. So that once the initial waiting period is over, you have a steady stream of progress being made.
Being in a holding pattern is frustrating because you know you're about to take off, or land. You know you're very close to making progress or completing a project.
For us, the holding pattern is in our return to PNG. We're counting down to June. But we're waiting. Waiting to see if our financial needs get met. We've been cleared medically to return, and so really the only thing left is the financial needs we have.
I have the habit of keeping many irons in the fire at once. Each at a different state of heat, each scheduled to be ready at a different time. For me, I need to always have something brewing, something afoot, something going, in order to not feel like I'm wasting my time.
My daughter says 'dad, time you enjoyed wasting, is not wasted time.' But I don't enjoy wasting time by waiting. I don't twiddle my thumbs well. There is far too much to accomplish in the short period of visitation we have on earth, and that for us, is further concatenated into our periods in the U.S. and our periods in PNG.
When we are in the U.S. we have a little over 4 months left to accomplish the things we have to do here.
The absolute most frustrating time for me, has always been, when I have several irons in the fire, and none of them are ready. I can't add another iron, can't take on another project, because I know at any moment one or more of my other projects is going to pop and I'll have to work on those. So I have to be patient and wait.
Patience. Who among us could claim that was our strongest attribute? Not I. For me, nothing is as stressful as having to employ patience, which is what waiting is.
I fixed my daughter's computer the other day, I'm waiting to see if my fix was permanent or temporary.
I'm waiting for my publisher to get back to me on my book.
I'm waiting to see if our financial support will come in before June.
I'm waiting to see if I will be excused from Jury Duty,
I'm waiting on tax forms so I can fill out my taxes
I'm waiting on an email from tech support so I can fix a web site
I'm waiting to verify my name is on a waiting list for missionary housing in 2017
I'm waiting to see if Conference ratifies the director,
I'm waiting to find someone who can develop iphone apps.
The list of things I'm waiting on, seems so long.... is yours?
Aren't we all waiting on something?
And then it hits me, there are thousands of people in PNG waiting to hear the Words of God in their language for the first time. There are men my age, who were not born like I was, with no understanding that they could open the Bible and simply read about Christ and His acts of love. They can't, it is a foreign concept to them. The idea that Jesus Christ knows them, loves them, can speak to them, is not something they have lived knowing.
They're waiting to meet Christ.
and like that... poof... my waiting list seems so unimportant.
