Updates
Immeasurable.
Something that a dear friend of mine was sharing with me that I’ve been mulling over for a while, and I’d like for you to think about too is this; with what exactly do you measure your success in life? Typically, we think of success as something that we can tangibly measure or count, like a completed “to do” list, and accomplishments, education, and a career, marriage, and children, visible ministry etc. But what matters most to God are the immeasurable things - things that cannot be counted so easily. He told us that the two things that matter the most are: loving Him, and loving others. Love is immeasurable, and is the one thing that matters eternally. Are you measuring your success by your own standards, or by what matters to God? Can people see your success, or can they feel God’s love for them through your life?
We do actually have a long “to do” list of things that we have already started working on to get things in order around here, preparing for our seemingly long absence this summer. As much attention as this base needs while Vann is here, it is rather stressful to try to think of all of the ways that we need to plan to keep things running well while he’s not here for the families that we serve, and that live here on base. In the midst of the many projects we find ourselves in, there have been many opportunities to serve!
Vann flew out to the village where the family that moved into our garage apartment works, to help them install a satellite internet system! The technology these days – it just astounds me. There is no electricity in their village, but they now have internet access to the outside world. Unbelievable! We are so privileged to get to serve these diligent kingdom workers!
Our children had the opportunity to go to a summer (it is still summer in the southern hemisphere) camp for missionary kids in Lima this month. The program was geared specifically towards mk’s, and their unique issues, and world view. They had a blast, and came home with renewed dedication to their relationship with Jesus, and some new friends that live in other countries and continents!
As usual, this mission house has been kept full to the brim, and busy as ever with people coming and going, to stay for a few hours for the pool, or a meal and refreshment, or a few days for some good, quiet rest. There have been large groups for prayer meetings, youth group, dinner club, and family reunions. We are so super blessed to get to love and serve so many!
The same friend I mentioned in the beginning, is one whom we have come to love like family. Well, because that’s what she is to us now. It’s a phenomenon that’s hard to explain to those outside of the missionary community, but it’s a fast, strong connection built on shared experiences and struggles, and the general dependence we have on one another as foreigners in a strange land that need all of the help that we can give each other. So, this precious friend has now gone on to the next adventure that the Lord is calling her to, and that is as it should be, since she was never here to stay forever. We knew from the beginning that we couldn’t keep her with us for very long, but for the time that we had together, we loved her like family. The problem with love though, is that it opens your heart to hurt too. We have had to say goodbye to so many in the very long list of those who have come and gone from this jungle town of ours over all of the years, and it just doesn’t get any easier to let them go. Even though we know that it’s going to hurt, we have to keep on reaching out and loving those around us because it’s what we’re called to do. Is there someone that you need to be reaching out to? Maybe someone that is alone, or who might not love you in return, or whom you even might not like very much? God has said that the way that people will know that we are His children is by the love we show. Success immeasurable.
“If what we call love doesn’t take us beyond ourselves, it is not really love.” – Oswald Chamber