During the Storms of Life Jesus sent the Angels of Light into our lives I feel like the football player in the story Brother Randy spoke of in his sermon. I am just so caught up in joy and happiness that I just have to grab the ball and run for the touchdown. We indeed do serve such an Awesome God. He is my anchor. He is the ship in the stormy sea. He is the Light from heaven.
I have been to revival meetings all my life but this one was a first. Eddie and I have never opened our home to strangers and not because we would not do it, but because the opportunity never arose that I am aware of anyway. It absolutely amazes me. These four complete strangers walk into our home and I immediately seat them to eat supper having barely given time for introductions and now that it is all past, I realize they were like our children walking in and sitting down to eat. No feelings of strange people sitting at our table, no different than my own flesh and blood sitting down to eat. Can you believe that? I have had kindred spirits before that were just people I met that I was instantly drawn to but for Eddie and I both to just be so completely comfortable with four complete strangers. I don’t even remember them bringing in the luggage that I saw them leave with.
The week has been like a small tornado in that it blew them in and took them away in a swirl of wind. We were so blessed to have been given the opportunity to have their little boys with us. It was like going back into time each time Eligah looked into my eyes. Those were the eyes of our own little Jesse when he was twelve. Big beautiful dark brown eyes surrounded by long lashes. And my friend Joyce Allee always said she loved peoples’ eyes and they were windows of the soul. Oh my they are……Colby is only ten but he appears the size of six or seven. He is very quiet but when he speaks I listened. I could listen to his heart as he put his arms around my neck and said I love old people because they always help you. I watched my heart twist into a piece of pain and suffering when I walked into the bathroom where Elijah said Colby was sick and saw him sitting in front of the commode holding himself up by having his arms laying on the bowl and his head laying on his arm, face ashen and the look of absolute helplessness. That picture will remain in my memory as long as I live. Colby is a type 1 diabetic and this was my first experience to be around this particular malady. In my head I knew we were in trouble but in my heart I felt it would be alright if I could just hold together until we could get his sugar up. What amazes me is my daughter, the RN was next door but I just called his mother. What a tower of strength that little lady is will be another memory. Unlike me she seems to take it all in stride and never wavers whatever the situation might be. She just begins to react with all the right words and all the right actions. Sharon is a witness of faith in action.
Elijah will be the perfect diplomat. Never in my sixty seven years have I ever known a twelve year old that continuously validates and compliments an individual. He is very outgoing and his energy is contagious. He has a wonderful, loving personality. I think Elijah taught me the true meaning of praise in action.
Jimmy has the ability to blend. He compliments, praises and instantly becomes family. He is gentle, kind and like Colby very quiet yet always willing to talk and listen. Sharon and Jimmy are both very good at listening. Jimmy is the only person that has ever come into my life that we could sit on the couch in silence and each do our own morning bible study and me actually keep my mouth shut and feel comfortable doing so. If I were to think about it; I might go further and say it is the first time ever that I sat and did my bible study with anyone. This is my quiet time, my space, my time with the Lord and yet he invaded my space with such peace and grace it could have been the Lord that came in and sat down to be with me as I studied. Amazing!
Eddie took Elijah and Colby fishing and let Elijah ride the four wheeler. Colby rode in the ranger with him. I did not get one photo of those scenes and I regret it deeply. Eddie said Colby caught the first fish but it got off before he could drag it to bank. He got into some fire ants and they stung him on his foot and hand. This was alarming because he is so allergic to insect bites. However, he seems to have gotten doctored by his mom and has no lasting problems with his little encounter with the famous fire ant. They went a second time and both boys caught perch and were so very excited. Elijah will probably remember Eddie the most because he held him back and would not let him ride full speed across the pasture on the four wheeler. My always cautious with children husband just couldn’t set him free for fear he would get hurt. I actually thought about taking Elijah, while Eddie was gone to the dentist, and turning him loose and telling him to fly like the wind. That is the way I am wired. The thought came to me that I was to be submissive to my husband and if I did sure as shoot’en Elijah would end up turned over with something broken that might not be able to be fixed. So I squashed that little notion.
At breakfast the morning the ladies had their shopping day, Sharon was listening to me and ended up being late to meet the ladies at the church. I led her to the church the back road and we flew across the oil roads like birds in flight. However, I actually never broke the speed limit. Later I thought about the cup of coffee she had in her hand and wondered if in my good intentioned run, had caused her to spill it. She said she had not. Amazing!
I have to include this because it did really give a laugh to all involved even the poor guy that did the action. That morning Eddie had taken Brother Jimmy to meet the men to go over to TBI and be there by 7:00 am. He also took our grandson John to school and was to eat donuts with him until it was time to go to school then go on and pick up Owen to bring back to spend the day with us. Owen is the three year old son of Brent and Tawn Rosendal, another missionary couple.
About ten minutes to eight I saw the car drive up and rushed to the door to see what I already expected had happened. There was no three year old in the car. Eddie had forgotten Owen. So I jumped in the car and went back to get him as Eddie protested that he would go. We ended up having to borrow a booster seat from Bridget because never had it crossed my mind to go to the barn and retrieve Alex’s old car seat. The ladies had a good laugh and Owen and I came home.
Now Owen is a three year old going on twenty. He can hold an adult conversation while leaping and climbing over or on anything in sight. He wanted juice, he wanted crackers, he wanted colors and a paper………………..this little boy was a blaze of glory jumping around in our living room and the bedroom with the two boys. It took all three of us to contain him. Then he sat down and drew the picture I have to print a copy of. It is a submarine that I would think an eight year old maybe even a six year old might draw but certainly not a three year old.
He drew the picture and ate all the snacks while alone with me because Eddie had taken the boys to ride the four wheeler again. I was afraid to take my eyes off of him because the house was definitely not child proof. As one with much experience in this direction my eyes saw pills, quarters, and even reminded Owen he might break an arm as he swung from the top of Alex’s canopy bed frame. I love it! He is all boy. Then God gave me my reward. We sat down on the couch to watch “Little Bill” and he crawled up beside me as I put my arm around him and laid in the crevice of my arm as we watched the TV together in quiet peace. This was my moment.
And now to end my part of the story of our time with the missionary family God sent to stay in our home during the Mission Revival, I think the most amazing thing would be the fact that I was me, the real me and with all my faults and failures I still feel good about being me. God wired me this way, I am imperfect, I fall down and He picks me up.
Our dog fell and hurt herself pretty badly. I will take her to the vet in a few minutes to see if her hip is dislocated or just a pinched nerve in her little back. Anyway, I did not handle myself in the way I would have liked and maybe even shamed my Lord with my mouth. I grabbed up the dog and went to find Eddie and I actually asked him had he kicked the dog? Now WHY? He was in the bathroom completely innocent. Then I left with the dog in my arms and walked in the dark down the road to Carol to help me fix my dog. I didn’t cry and go completely to pieces (well give one to the gipper for that), but I did hold it together while she examined and gave the dog pain medication and a steroid shot. Oh how I thank the Lord for our child that she is such a good RN. She wanted to be a vet and I wish she had been able to have reached that goal rather than marry at such a young age. But you know God has a plan and that was not in it. I left there carrying my dog home to find the doors were locked. Not too quietly nor with much calm, I blasted Eddie on why he had locked all the doors. I had gone to the back door first to find it locked and now to the front door to be let in by knocking on my own door. My emotions were shot and I let it out. To make it worse Jimmy and Elijah witnessed my out burst. So when I tell you they have seen me in all my ways let me tell you they have seen me.
This has been the best experience of my life and I have learned so much from the lives of these precious people. I would not trade these past few days for anything.
