Mystery

Mission Connections – 2013-10 –  Mystery

I found this quote while “prowling” the web.  I love quotes and this one seemed to stir some of that gypsy blood in me.  I love fall!  It is one of my favorite times of year – never mind – every  season is my favorite for one reason or another.

There is a bit of gypsy blood in me – that endless longing to wander and be a vagabond.  I think that is what this “season of waiting” has been all about – learning to temper that sense of gypsy blood and turn my focus instead inward to what it is God is calling me to do.

This has been a season of prayer and discernment as we all prepare for what is next in the journey that ultimately belongs to God.  I wrote last month about following in God’s footsteps and the many places I have been privileged to go.  This month I have taken time to look forward to what is next.

While I don’t have answers to that question yet, I know, that God is with me, in heart, mind and spirit as I struggle with that gypsy blood and vagabond wanderlust to take time to sit, be still, listen and glory in the presence of God as I wait.

We have been studying “mystery” in my Bible study class and this journey has been somewhat of a mystery, never knowing what is coming next never knowing if I will be packing to move again, well, not if, but when.  Never knowing for sure where I am going to land and for how long.  The mystery for me is why God chose me to be the mission co-worker to be moved and unsettled and unable to do what I thought was his calling for me when I packed my bags and headed for Akobo.

“Can you fathom the mysteries of God”?  The answer is “no”, but I rest certain in the fact that God had and has a plan for me.  It is in this time I waiting that I have found God in ways I never would have if I had not had this time.  There are many reasons for the long time it has taken.   

Communication with South Sudan has not been good, so that makes contacting them about the safety of my return difficult.  We have discussed other options for placement if Akobo is not possible.  I have had to wait – not so patiently – for answers from doctors regarding the malaria issues.  Things are coming together now, but there are still no concrete answers. Yet.

So, as I sit in the chill of this autumn morning, pondering the mystery of what makes the leaves change color and watching their slow descent as they fall to the ground, I am reminded of the mystery that God paints each season of our lives with.  I look forward to the coming seasons of Thanksgiving, Advent and Christmas as I look forward to the coming Spring season as it bursts forth with new life.  For I know, that as surely as the seasons come, God will be there, unfolding the mystery when HIS time is right.

For your patience, love and support during this time of waiting, I will be eternally grateful.  I ask your continued prayers for our partners, both in Louisville and South Sudan and for my Regional Liaison, Michael Weller as they all work so hard to unravel the mystery of “what is next”.

Peace be with you all as you discover the mysteries God has in store for you.

Sharon