After a recent glance at the calendar, I'm aware that my in Africa will come to an end (or at least a pause) in a little over six months. This realization produced sensations somewhere between unsettling and panic-inducing, partly because I feel so privileged to be here and partly because of the unknown that lies on the other side of May 2012. There are so many aspects of life here that are just glorious… I get to see and be a part of the Father healing people body and spirit ALL the time! The pace of life is slower, I can buy dinner for a quarter just outside my gate, I see camels every day, I don't have to deal with winter and because there are less "options," there are less distractions from the things that are most important. (Not to say that I don't get distracted; I am actually amazed that I still manage to get distracted so easily in a place where there is no TV, movie theater, Starbucks, Target, or organized sports, but I digress.)
Then looming out ahead is the future with its many unknowns and the drastically faster pace of life in the States. In communicating with various friends and family in the states, I am reminded over and over again of the real and perceived constraint on time in the States. I get an email with 4 paragraphs and the writer apologizes for writing a novel… (what must people think of my epic-length updates?) or I hear about how work, fellowship, family, neighbors and other activities are 5 non-intersecting realms stretching the bearer too thin…(is that inevitable?)
What's a girl to think or do?
Well, I have many thoughts, but for today I turn back to the Father who reminds me NOT to worry about tomorrow, to remember that He has counted out my days before they came to pass, to enjoy and utilize every day HERE and NOW, and to keep my heart and mind focused on HIM today and tomorrow and every day to come regardless of circumstances!
Here is a little girl we've seen come back from the brink of malnutrition... now she's happy, alert, adorable and growing fast!
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