Something wonderful happened at church last night. We had an amazing service and I would have loved it just as it was.
BUT, we had communion and were able to go to various tables, not just sitting in the pews and having the bread and grape juice passed.
Two of our Bhutanese girls were with us, Sanu and Rupa. Rupa had just left Hinduism 3 weeks ago; Sanu has been a Christian for more than 2 years... baptized in a river in Nepal; how amazing is that?
When the communion began, Dave and I and Sanu stood to move forward, but Rupa stayed seated. I turned to her and said, "You nee
d to come. This is your first communion." She said she couldn't and said she hadn't been baptized. So I told her that coming to Jesus was the only need before communion, and was able to get her to rise from her seat and held her hand and got her forward.
When we had the communion elements in our hands, Dave pulled us off to the side and prayed over us and blessed us and then we had the bread and juice. Rupa's eyes just glowed and she grinned and held my hand.
While she was sitting with me in the pew she told me that Sanu had told her the baptism had to take place first, but that she had wanted to have communion, so she was very happy that I had taken her forward. [I don't know if I will have caused some problems, but one of our pastors works with their church, so it will be cleared up.]
What a blessing to be with this dear girl who just arrived from Nepal on February 25, and had the strength and courage to step away from the family Hindu god.
Overall, I've always enjoyed communion. LOVE IT!! But last night was just one of the best.
[BTW, all 6 girls in that family are now Christian; the parents seem to long for the Lord, but are afraid that if they change, they will come under attack by others, both here and abroad. But the parents love Dave and I... and a number of other Christians who have stepped up to help them adjust to our culture... so I know the Lord is bringing them to Himself. Looking forward to that day!!]
Just wanted to FYI you folks. The reason I fell in love with this poem a number of years ago... a long number of years ago ... is because of that first verse. When I read that at Susie's house, I began to laugh, both outside and inside my body, because it is so true -- I still chuckle when I see it. I LOVE mountains, as you would know by now... but climbing? Tied to someone else who could possibly fall and drag me down? Or who might trip and cause a tripping pattern to occur? Uh-UH!!! Not me. [I also have height fears, in terms of looking down, not the part I love which is looking UP.]
It's such a true poem... in many phases of life and our Christian walk. Wish I'd known the man; his writing was so practical, so thought-filled.
The reason I took Uganda sunrise off the blog and put this lovely mountain on instead is because I am leaving for the Northwest area in a week... and feel it's my last time to be out there... certainly when it is related to driving out by myself. Financially, it's just no longer a reasonable option ... and this trip was paid for by my "Mom" as a result of her death. If this money hadn't come from "her" after the service, I wouldn't be going out now to take some of the items she had sent home with me over the years to keep until she died and then give them to my sisters and their kids. So, after all this time ... driving out there many times in the past 20 years ... I feel the Lord is saying, "This is it."
What will I 
miss? The mountains [Cascades and Olympics], Oregon beaches, the
Puget Sound, Seattle waterfront, Tacoma's Point 
Defiance Park, and on and on. The scenery always fills ... FLOODS ... my heart.
I'm not trying to give an impression that the family and friends out West don't count. In our present day, phone calls and emails and other computer-oriented connections fill most gaps -- although they aren't so good for hugs. But Omaha-area, as nice as the people are, as pleasant as the scenery is, especially during Spring and Fall, doesn't diminish my starvation for rugged and colorful-- and rocky -- landscapes. [Maybe because I'm considered a "rugged" and "colorful" person -- some aspects good and some not-so-good; but a mild and gently pleasant character? Not so much.]
Just thought I'd share this so you could see why the change has come. I hope you like this photo as much as I do.
It's been one wild week-plus. Here're some photos... give you an idea of what he went through. He was released from the hospital yesterday, which amazed me, especially since he'd had some serious seizures just a couple days earlier, the worst the family had ever seen. But, even though they are a little nervous about it, they assume the Dr., after viewing the MRI and other tests, and adjusting the meds, felt this was free to do.
I was at the hospital all except one day... just long enough to check in, most days, since I rarely I hit it when the English-speaking family members happened to be there and I couldn't understand the others 99.9% of the time. Mostly my reason was just to give him a "love" of some sort and hug his family. Overall, it was amazing. He left ICU earlier than anticipated, and sent home at least a week earlier than we thought it would be. So... here are the photos... the first 2 in ICU; the final 2 on Friday -- and he left Saturday morning.
This morning I was reading a portion of a book, In the Arena by Isobel Kuhn. It was her last book before she died in March, 1957 -- she wrote it while spending most of her time in bed with terminal breast cancer. For about 20 years, she had been a missionary in SW China, the Lisu tribe her main group... and whom she loved dearly. [Dave and I have read all of her books; she was very good at using everyday stories to display godly principles.]
In this portion of the story, she was talking about fleeing China into Burma in 1950 as the warfare was continuing and the battles blazing forward while the Communists were taking over. It was one very tough stretch for her. Her husband had stayed behind and she had left with Lisu men to walk her across the snow-buried mountains, the men carrying her 6-year old son and their belongings.
When they reached Burma, because of a number of side events, including "fleeing", she didn't have a visa, a passport handy, and no money that would work in that area. She needed to fly to Hong Kong and try to find a way to the US/Canada.
Well, amazingly, she had a checkbook and, as much as she never would have believed it was a possibility, a check could be cashed there. She was able to receive $150, which paid the main portion of what was necessary to reach a China Inland Missions office in Hong Kong that would give her the rest of her needed finances.
I had to laugh. I remember this could have been a huge solution to a problem Dave and I had during out first trip to Uganda in 1991. We had left home two days after the Gulf War started and had one problem after another... and one miracle after another ... by the time we reached Nairobi, the last stretch before the flight into Uganda. We had left home with $800. Because of flight changes, which, among other things required $75 to store our 18 boxes of goods at JFK in New York and $45 to tip the workers, a 2-day delay, and other problems, we had $547-ish left. We had one credit card, and planned to use it only if required. Since we were going to be in Uganda for 5 weeks, and had no idea how things were going to play out, we were a little nervous about how much our expenses had hit us.
Little did we know...
In Nairobi, while waiting for the final flight, we were told that we didn't have proof that the boxes had been prepaid in Omaha [$1,100] all the way to Entebbe. We had had the documentation, but Dave figured out later that what had happened was when we entered the plane at Heathrow, the flight attendant accidentally removed that proof with our boarding pass. The consequences? To reach Entebbe from Nairobi... about 400 miles [after traveling nearly 10,000]... we had to pay $600.00. I panicked, of course; was exhausted from all the flight changing and airport hanging out time, and now this! One of the employees agreed that we could put it on a credit card, but when we got to that window the other employee refused that as an option. It had to be cash. They agreed to take "only" $500. That left us with $47 and change. As I signed my portion of the traveler's checks, $25 each, my tears fell on them.
When we landed in Uganda, we discovered that it was necessary to have $20 each for the exit tax... so Dave set aside that $40. That left us with $7-ish. For five weeks. HOW COULD WE DO THAT???
God provided in many miraculous ways. But one that could've worked, but didn't work, has always made me grin. IF we had brought our checkbook with us, we could have easily received up to $300 with no questions asked. All we needed was someone to vouch for us... and that we had nearly immediately. Now, in Omaha, even back then, writing a check outside of a neighborhood, could require ID-over the top. WHY would we have thought of tossing a checkbook into our backpacks to take to St. Louis, New York, London, and AFRICA??
When we moved back there 3-1/2 years later, we did that and it worked well. But that one experience was a real eye-opener.
OH, just FYI, in '91, the banks in Uganda would not accept credit cards, no company would risk loaning us any money, and on and on. Just Christian connections pulled us through that 5 weeks. One example: someone we had met in passing for one evening at our host's home, placed a $100 bill in my hand in the dark house as she was leaving for the airport. We couldn't even see what it was until we could find a lantern, so she was well on her way before we saw the bill. I have no idea who she truly was; it was a very quick come and go and I was overwhelmed with gratitude towards her and the Father. Was she an "angel"?
We had the same problems going home. Just as the war had begun 2 days before we left home, it ended 2 days before we left Uganda, so flights and airports were buried in craziness. It was our first time ever, for either of us, overseas, and it was one of the most stressful stretches in our global history at that point ... and we not only made it, but our hearts were swarmed with the desire to return to Uganda.
Just a quick bit to let you know that Phurba's surgery was yesterday. It went longer than anticipated. Began about 8:30 AM and the Dr. came to tell us the news at 7:00 PM... 3-1/2 hours later than originally planned.
He was on a respirator for last night, is in ICU, and I, to be honest, haven't had the energy to go down to the hospital today and haven't had any calls. I'll check it out tomorrow.
The Dr. wouldn't tell me much, b/c I'm not official family, of course, but he did indicate that he hoped all the parts of his brain tumor have been removed. I'm assuming it was branched out and about.
The results ... whether now an "infant" or different responses ... won't be known for sure for a small stretch of time while he has basic recovery.
I'll let you know when I know more. I hung out with his family [I'll post their photos next time I give an update, but don't have time right now] from 1:00 to the end. They all love their son, nephew, brother, uncle, and were praying for him in the side chapel that the Lord's hand would be on this. None speak English except Phurba's brother Bijay, so I wasn't always aware of conversation, but it was obvious they were committed to whatever is necessary for this stretch of time.
Again, thanks for your concern and care.
How many times did You look at me and shake Your head and roll Your eyes, thinking, "UH!! That Girl!".
How could I blame Him for thinking that way?
I was --
@@@@ravished,@@@@@@@rubbaged,
@@@@@@@@@@@rummaged ---
broken,
@@@burnished,
@@@@@@@bruised---
Then, amazingly -- through Him --
@@@reborn,
@@@@@@refurbished,
@@@@@@@@refreshed,@@@@@@@@@@renewed,
@@@@@@@@@@@@restored,
@@@@@rebuilt.
What a blessed heart and soul His "That Girl" has come to have because of His love, kindness, grace, and patience... lots and lots of patience.
d to come. This is your first communion." She said she couldn't and said she hadn't been baptized. So I told her that coming to Jesus was the only need before communion, and was able to get her to rise from her seat and held her hand and got her forward.
