From Tulsa, to Peru, then to China

Perhaps I am taking this National Blog Posting Month thing a little too seriously. It's very late - Alison had her birthday party at the Little Gym tonight with eight girls who could make your hair stand on end with their banchee screaming. I haven't downloaded photos yet. I've been proofing the Tidings magazine, and I just really don't have anything to post...but I am determined not to blow my goal of posting every day in the month of November. So here I am. No photos, and nothing incredibly interesting to say.

Actually, I take that back. I got an email from my best friend, Shannon, who is in Peru on a mission trip. Here is an excerpt:

"Thanks so much for all your prayers. My health has been great--no problems at all. I feel very safe here as well. We have been busy each day meeting with people for Bible study, evangelism, training, and baptisms. Many people have accepted Christ and others continue to learn and grow in their house churches. It is pretty slow work though, I must say. For many reasons, the people are willing to say yes to most things asked, but then the follow-through is very slow. They work long and hard to make a living and maintain a household and it´s not like you can just shower up and drive up to church. Please pray that God will give them energy, encouragment, and passion for growing in their faith and knowledge of Him and for spreading it around to all these little villages scattered across these beautiful mountains. I guess that is the same prayer we should all have for ourselves, isn't it? Maybe not the beautiful mountains part, but wherever we are.
As always, God teaches me more about myself on these kind of trips and, even better, more about Him."

I so agree with the last sentence. We always think that we are going to change the lives of other people, but most of the time - we are the ones who are changed. We see the world differently, we see ourselves differently, we see God's purposes and His kingdom with a clearer focus. We are blessed to be moved out of our comfort zone, and into a place where we can see the face of God in amazing ways.

Tomorrow is my little girl's birthday. She will be seven. Six years ago tonight, I saw her for the first time in a hotel conference room in Nanning, Gaungxi Province, PRC. Tomorrow, I'll post photos of then and now. We are blessed, indeed.