Maybe I shouldn't really be surprised, but I confess to a sense of surprise toward the deep sense of homecoming I feel in being back. This morning I went running in the village ...something I never did before but am convinced it's something I need and is safe. If I'm going to make the Saffron Land my home, I need to do the things I love to do and not fear so much about being an oddity. Amusingly, my morning jaunt almost felt like a little bonding experience with the villagers. Clearly some DID think I was quite the oddity, but several others grinned, waved, and cheered me on in accented English. It was fun!
As I observed the village life during my jog, it occurred to me that probably almost no one here uses an alarm clock. I was surprised by the amount of life happening at 6:45 am. But there was plenty of light, and I realized that sunlight is what people schedule their life around here, not the actual time. A rhyme my mother taught me and my brothers and sister growing up sang in my head: "Early to bed and early to rise makes one healthy, wealthy and wise." Perhaps that is an apt way to describe these Saffron Land people!
Which brings me to another goal: learn the local language so I can get to know these "healthy, wealthy, and wise" people. 1 Corinthians 14:10-11 says: "There are so many kinds of languages in the world, and none of them is without significance. If I do not know the meaning of the language, I shall be a foreigner to him who speaks, and he who speaks will be a foreigner to me." To some level, my skin color will always separate me from these people, but I love them and want to know and be known by them. This morning, the Lord laid it on my heart to work toward the goal of being able to share my testimony in the local language.
On that note, I'm going to go work on installing my new Rosetta Stone software!
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ReplyDeleteI am glad to hear that you are excited to be back in S. Asia. I praise our God that He has given the grace that you need to do this work. His grace supplies you with the strength, patience, perseverance, wisdom, and any other godly characteristic that you may need for this work. I am glad to hear that you have a desire for your work while also keeping God in focus.
ReplyDeleteI am happy for you that you have made the decision to run in the village and I hope that this is a rewarding and refreshing activity to add to your work. I pray to God, our Father, that He would keep you safe. I am also glad that it was fun and hope that this is your experience every time that you decide to run.
I am encouraged and glad that God has laid it on your heart to learn the local language. This will give you a connection to the local people that will definitely help you in your work. Although, do not forget love.
1 Corinthians 13:1 says "If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal."
But this will not be you for it is because of love that you are in S. Asia. Also this is not you because you are built on the more sure foundation, which is Christ.
I Timothy 6:11-12 says, "But you, man of God, flee from all this, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness. Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called when you made your good confession in the presence of many witnesses."
This is what you are doing, fighting the good fight of the faith.