In the world of home improvements, the term Finishing Touches usually means a whole lotta touches for a little bit of finishing. I am ready to have a whole lot more “finishing” & a whole lot less “touching”. Each day there is more & more finishing but still too much touching.
What on earth does this have to do with my mission trip this year?
I’ll keep the answer to 3 things.
1 – The physical answer…I am looking to rent my cute 2 BR, 2 1/2 BA townhome for the next year while I’m away. I will have to make the mortgage payment one way or another & it would be loads easier to rent it out & make back a portion of the cost. Then I am free to cover the shortfall in my missions fundraising with my savings & I will have a couple of months of savings to live off of when I get back before I find my next job. I stand in faith that God will provide just the right renter or the extra fundraising to cover the difference!
2 – The joy of simplicity answer…It is delightful to have less & less “stuff” to deal with. I am almost giddy to return & get rid of most of my “things”. I was on the path of simplifying before & was trudging along bit by bit. But as I realized I didn’t have the luxury of time, I decided to hurry up & pack it all to deal with next year. Maybe not the perfect strategy, but I opted for more time with loved ones & less time sorting through “stuff”. There is so much liberation now living on so much less & I can’t wait to return & pare it down big time!! Watch out…it’s gotta go! There will be more stories about the joys of simplicity this year…there have been each mission trip I’ve taken & this will be no different.
3 – The twist of it all…God is speaking to me through this that He has to do a whole lotta “touching” to get my heart/character just right & there seems to be not quite enough “finishing” there either. Fortunately, He is the gracious & loving potter & He continues to mold the clay a little bit each day….continuing to work to soften & shape one bit at a time. He is not worried about how long it takes just that I remain pliable to Him. I love Him so much more realizing His tender patience is ongoing when I would want to quit!! May I remember that patience in sharing His love with others who may seem gruff or abrasive. Share His love-patiently & tenderly day in & day out.
Here’s a couple of follow up pics from the fence that obviously got done (earlier post)…I’m working with Dad on it after I got off work & here’s Mom when it’s all done (and she wonders where my flair for drama comes from!)! 😉 Love you both & am *so* tremendously grateful to you for the constant love & help!!
Soon to come…stories from Cambodia…woo hoo!
