YOU STILL HERE?

I thought I was going to my daughter's today for my grandson's 3rd year birthday celebration. But he got a fever suddenly and had to be taken to the hospital. I got a call from my daughter asking if my husband and I could come next week instead. So, instead of today, it'll be next week. I hope the critters at the park won't be too disappointed to see me today.

"Our disappointments our God's appointments," my Mom used to tell me.

I remember when we were too little to understand, we had to pack up real quick and "go home on furlough". What we didn't know was that the doctor had told my parents was that my Dad had, due to overwork, begun to see double, and it had been up to my Mom to pack up everything, get everything in order, talk to all the church folks, take care of all the loose ends of all our ministries while we were away (we had multiple church and outreach ministries going), make sure she had three daughters' needs taken care of, contact all relatives involved, look to legal/international papers having to do with travel/moving; and whisk us off in several months' time. The doctor had told her there was no time to worry about appearances or to hem and haw about doing things smoothly, just get your husband needed rest NOW!

And she had done so. She hadn't questioned how disappointing it was that we were in such a fruitful part of our ministry or questioned what it would do to our testimony or future support OR ANYTHING.

In fact, wasn't there an Old Testament character--Gideon, wasn't it, that, got up and moved THAT NIGHT when God told him to? Ooh; that was my favorite Old Testament Bible story because Gideon was a timid one to begin with but decided to move when God called him. It's made me want to go read it again--Judges 6? 7?

BIRDS, A LOG, AND A BRANCH

While sketching the heron and Kawasemi (April 23 post), I met a person with photos of all sorts of birds on her cell. The next time I saw her, we got to talk of spiritual things. Could we talk again, she asked.

Takako told me then she was born into a militant Buddhist family and was versed in its doctrines, but got disillusioned with a questionable leader, left the group, and joined a different sect.

Takako believes man cannot find God any more than a turtle, blind in one eye, can find a floating log. The Bible also teaches no man can come to the Way, the Truth, and the Life, except the Father draw him.

Did that log not extend a BRANCH to that turtle and tap it on its shell? How it responds...is up to him.

THEY KEEP ME ON THE BALL

When I went to the park, I habitually mouthed the words, "Lord, empower EVERY ENCOUNTER." But when I saw the people inside, I almost felt my bones shriveling. There were high schoolers clowning around with a ball. Senior citizens, children, foreigners, even people of other religions or cults don't bother me...but I don't know what to do with teenagers that just laugh at you!

"POOM!" A misdirected kick sent the ball sailing behind the youths' backs and to the left of where I was walking.

I found myself taking a few quick steps to stop the ball after it had taken several bounces, then I lightly kicked it back to them.

"Did you see that," one of them said, and kicked it back to me, wanting a replay. The unruly group I had been afraid of had my full attention. God showed me again He could make inroads for me if necessary.

So, did I see this as an opportunity to "share my faith"? Not hardly. I think God was just trying to coax this timid turtle-like blogger out of her shell. But if I keep meeting up with my new teen friends, I will talk more with them.

Like someone else who came later. We'd talked last week about my drawings and the Kawasemi. 

This time however, we not only talked about park things; she asked me questions that led to my telling her how my real desire was to communicate through art, God's Love for us.

We ended up talking a long time before she had to go home for dinner--"home"--an hour's walk away!

Draw on a New Page

"But I drew all the other critters in Deeper Pond, and you're not swimming there," I said to the turtle. "This, the "Irrigation Ditch", is one level lower than the rest of the park. I can't sketch you in the other picture if you're here."

Did the turtle look crestfallen? It almost felt like he was saying, "But I came out to pose just for you!"

I cocked my head. "So I guess I'll just have to draw you on a completely new page, won't I?" I said, turning the page of the sketchbook. "Would you hold still for me?"

Aren't you glad God doesn't expect us to be in the right place to take time for us? 

And I ended up, in my drawing, yanking down the walls around the turtle because the memo pad was too small, resulting in making Bilbo look four times bigger than he really was! Yipes.