It has been almost 3 months since I’ve posted on here or sent an e-mail update, and I really should do that. But life keeps happening so fast, I haven’t seemed to have time to write one and, when I do get a chance, I don’t know what to write about! You see, people usually find it more interesting if I just give a snapshot into one happening of my life, and it can’t be too long. If I just write a laundry-list of things that have happened lately it can get long and boring and I don’t want that! So what do you think I should write about this time? Remember, one story, not too long. Here are some of my ideas. (And yes, this is tongue-in-cheek. I am writing this as my blog post this way to hopefully make it less boring. But put yourself in the role-play and try to see the e-mail updating/blog posting part of my life from my eyes, too. While it is a role play, all the things that have happened are real. And it would be fun to hear from you if you have an idea about what would be interesting/good for people to hear about!)
1. I could write about how this summer was really hard, with lots of the expat community leaving for different reasons, with several funerals and helping care for several close friends who were sick, with things hitting one after the other, then one of my alphabet party guys letting me know that he got a different job. (The problem with that is that it would be a downer. But it would encourage people to pray! Though maybe they’d freak out, too, and that’s not a good thing. I probably shouldn’t write about this one.)
2. I could write about translation and the fact that we have now finished the book of Ruth as far as we can and have sent it on to the consultant! Lord willing we’ll have a consultant check in the spring to finish it up (as well as whatever part of the Joseph story we have done by then). There are still details about that consultant check that need figuring out due to the uniqueness of our situation here (that would be a good prayer request to share), but hey, at least it’s a definite maybe! (If I wrote about this, it would definitely be an upper and show how God is at work.)
3. I could write about the workshop that took place in Senegal and that so many of you gave generously for (I’d include a big thank you again!). I was able to bring two My People pastors and two national guys working with My People, and it was fun to experience new things with them (the ocean, etc.), and also a great time of learning for all. I could even include the picture at the top of me with those 4 guys (or I could have one of us at the beach or the workshop or at the zoo seeing a lion for the first time – so many choices!). We have plans to continue to continue to get together to see how we can put things into practice. (If I wrote about this, it would be a way of thanking people for their prayers and generosity.)
4. I could write about the time after that that I was able to spend at a friend’s house elsewhere in Senegal, a 5-minute walk from the beach (thanks for letting me come!!). I would share about how it was so nice to be able to sleep a lot, take long walks on the beach, not have the daily demands of life here, etc. And how it was while there that we were able to finalize the updated version of our dictionary and send Ruth on to the consultant. A lot of that was done by working with my alphabet party guys through video calls – a new thing we were learning for the time if/when I won’t be able to be here and will need to do that more regularly. (If I wrote about this, would some people think I was lazy, as the only thing I write about for 3 months is my time at the beach? But it is a bit well-rounded, with rest and multiple types of work all together, which could be good.)
5. I could also write about the more complete vacation I had after that, as my parents came and joined me for 10 days to hang out at the beach, go on a mini/fake safari, and go to the Youth Olympics. As someone who has always liked watching the Olympics, it was so fun to be there in person (especially with my parents!) even if it was the Youth version. We even got to cheer meet a lot of the athletes! (Again, I probably shouldn’t ONLY write about this, or people will think I’m sluffing off all the time. But it was really fun.)
6. I could write about how this morning I went to go greet for a few deaths that happened while I was gone. One was for a lovely old lady from My People, a special friend, who likely died without knowing the Truth (though I did get to share a bit with her). As I was leaving the courtyard, her daughter-in-law gave me a 1 1/2 liter bottle of juice. She said that it was from the funeral events of my special friend, so they wanted me to have to some to remember to pray for her and her eternal destiny. She added that by them giving it away to me it would hopefully earn her extra “heaven brownie points” as well. (If I wrote about this, it would be a good reminder to people of the spiritual bondage that My People are in, where they think that a lot of where you’ll spend your eternity is determined by things that happen after your death. This is also a short little episode, so it would keep people’s interest without being too long. The only problem is that it would hamper my sharing about the joys of translation progress and the workshop and such.)
Now that my parents have gone home and I’ve come back to My Country, one of the things on my to-do is to write this update. If it were you, which topic should I write about? And then should I end in any specific way to remind people to pray for both me and My People?
Thanks for your help, and for sticking in to the end! 🙂
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