The First Goodbyes...

Our Father, it is thy universe, it is thy will, Let us be at peace, let the souls of the people be cool. Thou art our Father; remove all evil from our path.

African Traditional Religions. Nuer Prayer (Sudan)

They began on Friday morning as I said goodbye to my new friends I met at language school.  What a beautiful group of people.  The instructors, the leaders, the "drill sargents" and the families setting out on new adventures.  I will miss you all.

I was priviledged tp spend two weeks getting to know a group of amazing people.  I am filled with so much admiration and respect for the places they are going and the sacrifices they are making.  I can't even begin to imagine packing up a family with four or five children and moving to "mysteryville", as one person called her country.  Many are taking families into places that can't be named for the protection of them and the people they go to serve. One family is even taking Grandma.  How great is that?! 

Thirty one adults, 28 children, 15 different countries.  That is where our class participants are going to serve God in a variety of different ways.  The places people are going and the work they will be doing is just amazing.  The opportunites to learn and share from each other will only make my mission better.

It was hard to say good bye.

Rev. Dr. Elizabeth Johnson-Pence, Me, Sherri Siler

Saturday was the next of my goodbyes.  They come with a bit of heartbreak and a great amount of joy.  I was honored and priviledged to tell the beginning of the story of my journey to South Sudan to the Fall Gathering for Grace Presbytery Presbyterian Women.

I was honored by the Rev. Dr.  Betsy Pense's blessings and prayers and the story of me being "bucketless".  It's a story of me coming into her office when she was our interim pastor, after a Bible study  about the woman at the well and how excited she was to tell the Jesus story that she ran off without her bucket.  I stopped by to talk about my mission - with one car key in my hand.  Not the usual conglomeration of purses and bags of Bibles and books and bags of things we're going to work on.  Ever since then she's called me "bucketless" because I travel so lightly.  Today I left with my bucket overflowing and I will never be bucketless again.  I kept one of hers as a reminder of all the love and support she and the other women bless me with,

The Rev. Lucia McKee Kremzar, gave an amazing sermon and I was so blessed by her words that I cried all the way through.  I was looking around the room at all the women gathered there, thinking two years ago when I came home I could probably count all I knew on one hand. Now I am so blessed to know almost everyone there. 

And the tears on my face hadn't even begun to dry when Pastor Darla Blatnik began communion and I was served along with all my friends.  Her closing prayer and blessings for my journey just brought a new flood.

And as we ate lunch and began to prepare to leave I was surrounded by more hugs and greetings and promises for prayers while I am gone, I was just overwhelmed and amazed by all the love and support.

As I stood there singing "In His Presence" at the beginning of the service, I thought "How right those words are". We are in His presence. How blessed am I? A little sadness took over as I realized this is the first of many goodbyes to come in the next few weeks.

When I was at language school last week, I remember someone telling me she was praying for God to let her say good by well.  Well, women of Grace Presbytery, YOU said goodbye well.  I only pray that I can do such a wonderful job.

Sunday was off to more goodbyes.  I was honored to be invited to First  Pressbyterian Church in Granbury.  I count this church as one of my "homes" and as I looked around the sanctuary I realized how many people I count as friends.  This will probably be the last time I get to visit them before I go.  That makes me sad.  But I know they will be waiting when I return.  And, there is hope in that.

Sunday night, was not a goodbye.  Yet.  It was the Session meeting where they read and voted on my resignation.  As someone made the motion to accept my letter, he said "with regret".  Me too, a little.  I regret leaving at this exciting time in the work of my home church, but I leave with much anticipation for the work to come in God's wider church.  My final goodbyes haven't started here yet, but I know they will be hard when they do.

May God bless you all as richly as you bless me!  I am honored and priviledged to be "your" missionary.

Sharon

The Vision and the Reality

. . . to those who are . . . called to be saints . . . —1 Corinthians 1:2

Thank God for being able to see all that you have not yet been. You have had the vision, but you are not yet to the reality of it by any means. It is when we are in the valley, where we prove whether we will be the choice ones, that most of us turn back. We are not quite prepared for the bumps and bruises that must come if we are going to be turned into the shape of the vision. We have seen what we are not, and what God wants us to be, but are we willing to be battered into the shape of the vision to be used by God? The beatings will always come in the most common, everyday ways and through common, everyday people.

I love Oswald Chambers!  Somedays he just nails it!!


I am not saying they are beating us at language school!!  Although my mouth feels like it by the end of drills and I never knew my toungue could move in so many directions. According to one of the definitions for beatings on dictionary.com ... to flutter, flap, or rotate in or against ... In that case, they just might be - my lips, tongue, throat etc sure have been fluttered, flapped and rotated this week, with more to to come.  Ok, enough of that...


There have been and will continue to be bumps and bruises along the way, and more to come throughout this journey.  I never really thought about it, I've taken some nose dives off the top of the mountain, but I don't think I have ever really hit bottom.  I am sure those days are coming.  It is what I do with them that is important.

I can turn away and try to handle them myself or I can trust God to pull me through the rough times.  Some of those are going to be much easier because of the skills we are learning and working through this week.  Some of them will be easier for being able to speak the language, communicate. Some of them because of the memory of working through the hard drills, some because of memories of the people that have crossed our path during this time together.  What is important to remember ,even when the road is hard and long, we will make it up to the top of the next hill by taking one step at a time forward.

Peace,
Sharon

Compromise and Commitment

Compromise -

The lesson I am learning -  Be careful what you say or post!!  No matter how innocent it may seem to you, no matter, how proud you are of someone else's accomplishments,

BE CAREFUL!!  You never know what you may compromise.

Those are the stories I am hearing - a mission compromised and cancelled because a well meaning friend posted a location on Face book, jeopardized the safety of all involved, so it was cancelled.  Someone else posted a picture that a sending agency deemed inappropriate, so a  highly qualified candidate was not selected for a dream position.

Sometimes in our eagerness to tell someone else's story, sometimes being very proud of someone and wanting to share a story that is not ours to tell, not only hurts those we love and are so proud of, it can also hurt those they are called to serve. So, I guess my lesson is, don't post something unless I have permission

Commitment -

It is the stories of people called to serve where God is not welcome, who accept the call and go anyway.  It is the stories of families joined together, mothers, fathers, children and parents taking off together, to serve  God through mission.  It is the stories of other family members left behind to carry on without their loved ones.  It is knowing that we are all called to serve together that gives me strength and courage. 

My call is to go, other's call is to support me through prayer and those that are able, through financial gifts, for others, it is storing my few remaining belongings or moving them for me.  No matter what your support, you are part of this mission.  I am grateful, beyond all measure for your love, commitment and support.

Together, we create the circle that keeps the light of God shining around the world...Thank you for being part of my circle.

Blessings to you all,

Sharon

It helps...

It's helps if I remember to hit "Publish Post"

then it doesn't take so long ...

keep reading for the latest two...

Please, Go, My People are Dying...

"Please go, my people are dying".  That was the plea from my language teacher Naylanga, a few weeks ago.  That was her response to me asking why should I go to her country.  She had tears in her eyes as she thought about friends and family members who are suffering, or are no more.  "Please go, and teach my people so they don't die. You can teach them to let the girls learn.  You can teach them to make their water not sick"

I think about her pleas as I look around the chaos that has become my house.  I don't sleep at night the dehydrator is going full blast, helping me prepare food for my trip,  If I don't take it, I don't eat.  If I don't eat I can't teach Naylanga's people.  It is as simple as that.  I have boxes and piles of food in various stages of getting ready.  Bagging and packing, counting nutrition and calories.  Making sure I have enough in a land where people are dying from hunger and starvation.  It is a hard contrast to come to grips with.

I think about her (and many other's) stories of escaping South Sudan - running from the "crickets" in the sky that are shooting and killing men, women, children.  Soldiers running through the streets torching homes and businesses, screaming, crying wailing, the smell of smoke in the air, the scorched, burned flesh of humans and animals alike.  That is the hell that Nylanga and the people of South Sudan have suffered, some survived, others didn't.  Many ran in fright, leaving all behind, many thousands have been displaced and have no homes to return to.  It is a time of  rebuilding and learning new methods of doing old things.

When I look around my house and see the chaos there - boxes and books, blue tape on the floor marking the dimensions of my tent and the furniture set up that I have been using as my living space to make sure I can live in it - the goes and don't go piles - I just can't think it really matters in light of the chaos they have lived through...

It's been a Double Rainbow Week!!

Like the appearance of a rainbow in the clouds on a rainy day, so was the radiance around him. This was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the LORD.  Ezekiel 1:28

Haley Jo  meets her brother, Joe Powel Derington the Third

In my eyes, there are three likeness of the glory of the Lord in this picture - daughter Alicia, granddaughter Haley and brand new grandson Joey. And there are 8 more - my oldest daughter Christi and her five children + two son-in-laws missing.

To experience the miracle of birth is an amazing experience.  To be given the gift of being present for the birth of your grandchildren is truly a gift from God (and their parents for letting me be there and part of it).  These two little ones are definitely the likeness of God. 

They were never supposed to be here, and here they are, beautiful and healthy.  A real reminder that absolute faith is rewarded.  I am convinced that it was my daughter's faith that God would grant her wish for a child of her own that made these two precious gifts possible.  When my faith is faltering all I have to do is remember her and look at my grandchildren to know that God is listening and will answer in His time, not mine.

Not only was it a double rainbow week - I actually saw two!  One Saturday night after spending an amazing day surrounded by family - all my children, all my grandchildren and all my parents in one place at the same time!  That happens on a very rare occasion so it is even more special when it does.  Love and laughter, stories and sharing.  The only ones missing were my brothers and sister and their respective spouses.  I looked at all of them ranging in age from 5 days old to pushing 80 years, four generations.   As I stood back and watched, I realized this will be the last time it happens before I leave for South Sudan.  There was a sadness in that, but also a feeling of peace in knowing that I am leaving my children and grandchildren surrounded by so much love and support.

The second double rainbow happened as I was leaving for church on Sunday morning.  A beautiful, perfect rainbow, from end to end, stretched out across the hills leaving my house.  It's hard to see in the picture above, but the top line is a rainbow.

Words can't even begin to describe how brilliant the colors were, and the pictures don't even begin to do it justice. But, driving to church on Sunday morning, watching the rainbow and listening to a choir on the radio sing "Hallelujah" I was once again reminded how very blessed I am.

What an amazing week it has been!  A double rainbow week that reminds me of God's promises to us.  Here's wishing you all a "Double Rainbow" week!