God's gifts

Well, hello. Sorry about the long pause between blog posts. It's been a busy couple of weeks! Last week I was able to get away for a few days and spend 2 days with a very dear friend whose mother recently passed away. We had some much-needed "girl time" doing lots of talking, shopping, eating out, more talking, and just catching up. Then I spent a wonderful day with our daughter and beautiful granddaughters (her husband was working). We had great fun picking apples and playing! After that, it was time for me to head home and jump on the ever-moving ministry train. I arrived home on a Friday night, and the next day was our annual church picnic (for which it rained, but we still had a great time!) and the beginning of our missions conference. We were hosting a family of missionaries for the next 4 days and I had much to do!

Grilling in the rain at our church picnic

Which brings me to today's topic: God's gifts to us. I should probably write about gifts at a more appropriate time, say, at Christmas...but when God is speaking to you about something I have learned not to ignore it! As I was walking this morning and meditating on the blessings of this past week, I was thinking about God's incredible goodness. There are many gifts God bestows upon us. The ultimate gift, of course, is salvation. He sent His only beloved Son to this earth to suffer and die a cruel death on the cross to pay for our sin. There are so many other gifts that God gives us: peace that passes all understanding, joy in spite of circumstances, His grace that is always abundant, wisdom and direction when we seek it....just to name a few.

But sometimes God's gifts are unexpected. Sometimes they come wrapped in a different package (see, this really would relate well to Christmas...) but they are a gift from God, just the same. This week God's gift to me came in the form of friendship and encouragement. As I mentioned, we were supposed to host a family of 4 missionaries. At the last minute, they decided to leave their 2 children at home in the care of their young-adult children so the children could continue with their schooling, so just Walter and Carol Loescher came to our missions conference and to stay in our home. They have been missionaries to Cameroon for 16 years. Carol is a doctor, and the stories they can tell...Anyway, I digress. God knew this week that we needed each other.

Carol shared with me that since they have only been home from Cameroon for a short time that her life has been (understandably) very hectic, with moving, getting the family settled, beginning school, and working on their travel schedule and ministry DVD and display board. She said she has had absolutely no time to read, study, write, or do anything quiet, and this week was God's special and unexpected gift to her. God provided our home, which is laid out in such a way that our guests could have the entire upper floor to themselves, and the free time to be able to spend quality time doing the necessary "quiet" things that she had been unable to do. I was so honored to be used of God to be a gift to her, to minister to them and the needs they had!

But that wasn't all! We not only had guests from Cameroon, but from Brazil, Canada, and the Armed Forces. They were a diverse group, with a wide gamut of talents and backgrounds. In the process of spending much time together, God knit our hearts with them this week, and I learned so many lessons from each of them. I learned to hold my possessions and treasures very loosely, as they can easily be taken from you. I learned to persevere in times of discouragement. I learned that God can use all kinds of backgrounds, people and talents to make a difference for Him. And that we depend way too much on being comfortable and convenient. It took me back to the days following our trip to Cambodia 4 years ago and some of the lessons I have forgotten.

These friendships and these lessons from this week are God's special gift to me. He knows what I need, and when I need it, and then He graciously provides the people and the means to teach me.

Warmly, with a grateful heart,
Kathi