I want to tell you about a very
special person, a mother who has made a big difference in the lives of her
children and especially her husband. I have come to know her even more through
the image of her dedication, faith and love found with other women here. She is
willing to give so much of herself, her time, energy, and thoughts to others.
Countless projects she has quietly and secretly wrought with never a desire for
any acclaim. Last week as just one example she worked many hours on a simple
bracelet of soda pop lids, Much more beautiful than it sounds, it brought a
smile to the face of a young girl on her birthday. Such is her stunning beauty.
I’m beginning to remember now some of
the reasons why missionary work can be so hard. You spend a great deal of your
heart and soul trying to help people see the vision of happiness that you carry
within yourself, struggling to communicate in a foreign language amidst a
foreign culture, and hang on through the ups and downs of their lives. Always
you respect and honor their right to choose and to reject. If they do reject or
fail to catch the vision of what you so desperately want them to see, the pain
of it weighs very heavy, almost like a death in the family. I think its harder
when you’re older. With so many years to look back upon your own life and
others that you have known and loved, the consequences of decisions and how
they can make such a difference lies clearly before you. Its also harder to let
go and move on.
We have a pair of birds building a
nest right above our door. I mean it is so close that I practically brush with
my head when I walk in. I have no idea why they would have chosen a place so…well
so close to our daily lives. We walk through that door at least a dozen times a
day. If I could, I would thank them for their faith and trust in us. Somehow
they seem to know that we would never harm them.
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