Gracefully Frank

I started packing, but then I stopped. It's raining again here in Sri Lanka. They are in a severe drought and this rain sounds furious about it. The thunder and wind are intense. The lights come and go, and the streets outside my window that have been busy with tuk tuks, buses, and ladies walking with colorful umbrellas to block the sun have emptied. Only the water rushes down the street now. I ordered my afternoon tea just in time. I have an hour until dinner and then we will join the campers for the final night of the youth camp...capped off with a bonfire. That will be surreal moment #473. Standing near a bonfire in Vavuniya, Sri Lanka on Good Friday...not in all my days...

Casey and I have thought about our own experiences at church camp: Falls Creek. Do you remember? We went back in the days when you couldn't wear shorts and service was in the old tabernacle. If it was raining you got wet. If it was hot, you sweat. It's not a lot different here. There is a song they have sung in the mornings each day here, and it reminds me of how we used to have a main theme song throughout the week. The song "Jehovah Jirah, my provider, his grace is sufficient for me, for me, for me..." Has been playing in my head again this week. That song has stuck with me for well over 20 years, even though I refuse to accept that was well over 20 years ago. Falls Creek...happy sigh. I'm so thankful for the faces that come to mind that I shared those weeks of life with, those laughs, those tears, those moments of faith and surrender, slushees, vollyball, gum tree and walking around forever. And he moments my heart about beat out of my chest with love and calling for Jesus Christ. I hope the kids here this week have made as sweet of memories and that The Lord has imprinted on their hearts a love for him that will not fade. His love for them never will, even if their's does, and he will draw them back to Himself. He doesn't let us roam long away from Him when we are His. Case in point. I'm unspeakably thankful He came after me, but I try to speak it through this blog. If you have wandered from your first Love, you should know that He is coming for you. He still loves you. It can all be water under the bridge as soon as you are ready. He will wash years and tears and fears down the river. I know that is a lot of rhyming, but I like word pictures. What would Him washing those things away for you look like? What would Him drawing you back into close relationship with Him look like? Or building a relationship with Him for the first time? Grace is a wonderful gift, rather its the first time you receive it...or the eleventy-billionth.

This morning I had opportunity to lead both morning sessions.  It was a sweet time I will not soon forget.  I am so thankful for how God provided for our preparation time, and for the hearts of these campers who are living the after affects of a civil war with loving hearts to serve God, and always ready smiles to greet these two visitors from the U.S. who sweat a lot and don't speak their language. I can't quit waving at them and saying hello, just to see their smiles. I'm inspired by our Hope For The Heart partners here who have gotten little to no sleep, but never complain. They are so thankful to be able to provide a camp like this for these young people. It has been 3 years since their last camp. Many of those serving through Hope here were at the last camp, and now have the changed life testimony the other young people can witness. Praise The Lord! I am ready to be home, but today I wouldn't want to be anywhere else.

Here are some pictures of this week:

The dining hall.

Our Hope Books were available for the campers and pastors to purchase.  Those proceeds all go back into the centers.

Seeing Yourself Through God's Eyes by June Hunt, translated into Tamil.  There was a lot of response after the teaching on this book.

Two of our Hope Counselors.

These monkeys were hugamongous.  I bet that would have been 3 ft tall if he had stood upright.

Our Hope Center staff (friends) from the northern part of the country.

What a blessing to know these ladies, to hear their testimonies and to work along side them.  Our staff and friends from another one of our Hope Centers.

The sky has opened twice this week.  All at the best time possible to not disrupt the camp, but provide cool air for them.  Such a gift.

Casey and I have done some porch sitting and coffee drinking while watching the rain.  That has been a gift for us as well.

A good ending to the week.

Tomorrow morning we will start back toward Colombo.  Our first flight home begins really in the earliest hours of the morning Sunday.  Easter Sunday.  After three flights and about 24 hours travel time we'll be home. 

Going with the flow and trusting The Lord for his grace, sufficiency, stength and words have already been quickly put into practice since arriving back in Sri Lanka.  Let's get this out of the way:  It's hot here.  I sweat a lot, my hair is a mess, my clothes have been worn repeatedly (except for what I have been saving for my sessions at camp) and the stretching has already begun.  Now let me say this, I'm already incredibly blessed. Casey, who is with me on this trip and will be helping with the sessions is a real joy to be with.  I lived with her for over a year, but we have seen each other and visited more in these few days than we ever had the chance to before because of our busy and differing schedules.  I am encouraged by her testimony and her walk.  And her humor.  We are both Southwestern Counseling grads...trust me, we've talked a few things out about that and we love our professors and are so thankful for their model of leadership, love and counseling and that they first introduced us to Hope For The Heart.  We are both Oklahoma girls, but she is somehow a Texas fan though, pray for her. I still don't know how that works.  She recently married Scott who is back in Elk City praying for us.

These people we are working with here in Sri Lanka are truly friends now, we don't hug out of politeness, I hug them because I'm thankful to see them and glad to get to spend time with them again.  Casey and I have also had time to prepare and think through our plans for the week.  God is stirring here, and the Church is excited.  We visited a church Sunday morning.  It was a stark contrast to the church I had visited just a few days before, but every bit as beautiful.

Tonight we had the opening ceremony for the youth camp.  Our friends here have gone to a lot of work to make this a very speacial week for the 575 15-30 years olds who are here.  That is way more people than I realized would be here.  But, I've been studying Joshua and Caleb, and David and Gideon as I have been preparing for this week.  I'm pumped up and ready to see The Lord follow through on his promises as we trust him. I don't think we will have to ask the sun to stand still, but I know who taught the sun where to stand in morning (to quote a song I really love)...and I trust him with this week.  Honestly, I had some real anxiety creep in on me leaving Rome and coming this way.    I e-mailed a few of my main praying friends and just told them I needed their prayers and what was going on.  The nearly 10 hour flight drug on and I got only just over an hour sleep (when I usually have no trouble sleeping on flights).  I was wrestling with some what ifs and what fors and with the smoochy couple in my row for arm rest space.  They needed more than their allotted space, and also must have been wearing days old clothes.  I don't really know why I was so antsy and aggravated.  I should have been at the height of thankfulness and calm.  I prayed and knew my friends and Chris and Leigh were praying for me, too.  By the time I landed the stress had begun to fade into remembrance of where my strength comes from.  The thoughts were captive and I was ready to see what The Lord has in store for this week. I trust Him.  He will do what He says He will do.  "As for me and my house"...I will serve The Lord.  Joshua was awesome. Here are some pictures from tonight:

  

"Ciao Bella" is a really lovely way to be greeted.  I like my mom's italian cooking and American Pizza.  The dollar doesn't go very far in Europe.   I hope no one ever learns how to make the chocolate crescents this hotels has on the breakfast table.  I have almost walked my legs off.  Rome is an amazing place.  People are people no matter where you go.  They get up, they go to work.  They are sometimes in a hurry and sometimes not.  They are sometimes considerate and sometimes not.  "One pant leg at a time"...even the Romans.  The more different places I go, the more people seem the same, and the more I like them.

Inside the Colosseum.

Our guide said a Pope had this cross erected to honor all of the Christians who lost their lives here, "which has now been proven to not be true.  Many Christians were killed, especially by Nero, but none here." There is a lot here in their honor and memory though.  I think she has been googling.

This building is ginormous.  I think it is where the Roman officials still meet to this day.  Somebody should.  It's silly big.  The American Soldiers from World War II nicknamed it "The Wedding Cake" and it stuck.  Our guide said Romans are kind of embarrassed about it.

For perspective...22 humans can fit in the belly of that horse.  When they finished it they brought a big table and chairs into the belly and the sculptor and architect and their friends celebrated.

The Pantheon.

Inside the Pantheon.  It is still used as a church today.

Trevi Fountain.  One of my favorite stops.  It is amazing. People around the Trevi Fountain.

Piazza Navona.  St. Agnes Church is here because this is the site where she was martyred.

There is a lot of accordion music playing in the background in Rome.

Where the Romans live.

These are super tall pine trees.  They look pretend to me.

A church on a street with huge statues of Jesus and all 12 of his disciples.

I don't even know what this is.  It is huge and awesome, but didn't even make the tour.  I just walked by it.

Carlo's Pizza Restaurant.

Our Embassy.

There he goes.  Just mad all over, and felt good for him to say it to some some random American woman on the street corner. I started this morning out casually and did the city bus tour from a double decker bus.  After that I went back to my favorite coffee spot.  A good cup of coffee for only 2 Euro.  That is a bargain.  My Vatican tour was set for 2:30.  I walked on the bus and met a couple from Las Vegas.  The group got larger so I didn't get to meet everyone, but it was nice to know there were at least a few of "us" on the bus.  They saw the Pope in his mobile this morning.  They estimate that over 30,000 people go see the Pope on Wednesday mornings when he delivers a short message.  I wish I had known about this earlier, I probably would have tried to go there.  I like Pope Frances.  But, I wasn't there until several hours after he had gone back inside.  Our tour took us through the Vatican Museum, the Sistine Chapel and St. Peter's Basilica.  She was walking near St. Maria Maggiore as I was getting on the bus to go to the Vatican.  This is Ray.  He was our Vatican tour guide.  He kind of spits when he talks, but he was funny and a great guide.  He spoke several languages fluently and knew his business.    Inside St. Peter's Basilica.   Michaelangelo's The Pieta.  Mary holding Jesus.    They  say St. Peter is buried in this Basilica.  That is a statue of him to the right, and the marble grave marking his burial place beneath the church.   The Vatican with clouds rolling in again.   No pictures are allowed in the Sistine Chapel.  The one place I most wanted to take pictures.  But they had picture police that would go around and ask you to see the last picture on your camera or your phone and make you delete it.  So I decided to not try it.  We stood in the chapel which is not very deep, but very high for about 20 minutes.  It is breathtaking.  The story of creation across the center of the ceiling including the scene of God touching Adam's finger giving him a soul after creating him.  Pictures of the prophets around the ceiling edges, Jeremiah, Daniel. Beautiful.  But, the wall that I couldn't take my eyes off of was the entire wall depicting The Last Judgement.  To the right of Christ are those who will join him in heaven, and to his left are those who did not believe him and will be separated from the Father for eternity.  Mary is at Christ's side in the painting and is looking away.  It is massive and amazing and as I listened to the song Psalm 27 by Warr Acres, my cousin's group, I cried. I think we've established I can tear up pretty easy.  But Jesus Christ is overwhelming to me. It's all for nothing if in the end we don't have a relationship with Him.  His love is so great for us.  He is patient, and he is the final say.  That moment in that chapel will stay with me forever.  As people walked by me on their way out I couldn't quit looking at Him, and at those depicted as being separated from Him.  Wherever He leads, I'll go.  Which in the morning will take me back to Sri Lanka.  Casey Merrifield will join me there to help train during a week long youth camp.  She graduated from Southwestern's counseling program, and is finishing up her Ph.D. from DBU.  After praying about who God would have go with me on this trip, he led me to her.  I'm really thankful she will meet me there.  Above all I know she loves The Lord and lives to serve Him.  Looking forward to our week with our friends in Sri Lanka.   Ciao Rome.