Sunday Night Reflections

My little house; my "home away from home."

It was beautiful, sunny, and dry in Tamale today. I had a light schedule, preaching at Faith Baptist Church again this morning and then relaxing this afternoon at the Seed Ministry compound. Tonight I ate a light supper with Bob and Bonnie (I'm beginning to feel like their fifty-something son who never moved out) and now I've retreated to my little house to blog, read and go to bed.

I had a long talk with Donna on the telephone today, which always revives my spirits. We've been dating since we were fifteen and in the almost forty years since we've never been apart for this long. I know a few guys who might relish the thought of being away from their wife for an extended period of time, but not me – I miss her so much! She is my best friend and my hero and I love her more than anyone on earth. But I am enjoying my work here; and I'm praying it will be fruitful.

There are a few things I do miss over here besides Donna, just in case you're wondering. I miss the rest of my family, my morning Starbucks run, my fast internet connection, watching football on TV, my Saturday night steak dinners, and going to church and worshipping the way I'm accustomed to worshipping. I miss hot showers and ice and being able to use all the features of my Blackberry, which is reduced to little more than a clunky telephone over here.

But I know when I come home I will miss Africa. Everything here is so amazing; the best way I know to describe it is that it is like life suddenly shifting from black-and-white to color. Remember in the Wizard of Oz when Dorothy opens the door to her house after the tornado drops it down in Oz? It's kind of like that. It's a whole new world where everyone is outside a lot and people actually interact face-to-face. It's a land of beautiful sunrises and sunsets that fill the huge African sky, followed by dazzling stellar canopies with more stars than you'll see in a lifetime in most parts of North America. It's a place filled with exotic birds, weird fish, and strange-looking lizards. Africa has larger-than-life rivers, and trees with canopies so large they could hold an entire village of tree houses.

I still have a lot of time over here to enjoy God's beauty; and lots more people to get to know and learn from and to share with. I'm excited about what God has in store this week. May your Monday, and your week be a blessed one!