One Door Closes

Life is a trip. God has put me on the road to service in the Navajo Nation. To see how the whole story began click here. As I write this, I am in the process of packing to head back to North Carolina and home. I said, in the past, that I wasn't going to worry about funding. I was at peace in my mind that, when God had other plans for me, the funding would stop. As of the end of August, the funding runs out. Several things happened that could have extended my stay, but they were not going to give me the freedom to extend it for a much longer time. I believe that I am following God's will. Life isn't always fair, but God is. That doesn't mean that following Him always seems fair. Sometimes, I want to shout at God. "You put me here, you allowed me to make friends and to begin to see a little bit of progress in the things I'm doing, and then You ask me to change directions. How fair is that?" If the past 3 months haven't done one other thing, they have allowed me to realize that the rest of my life needs to be committed to God's service. Since, like all of you, I need to keep a roof over our heads and keep us fed, it probably won't be fulltime service, although I am open to that, but I know that God has plans to use me. There are many opportunities in Winston-Salem. Like I learned in the "Experiencing God" study some years ago, I just need to find where He is working and join Him there. I intend to keep my blog going wherever I am, and I hope that you will join me in it. Let me tell you about the week that the mission team from Maple Springs was on the reservation. As I spent time with them, it was so very good to renew old friendships, begin new friendships, and spend a week on a mission trip with one of my sons. I discovered that unexpected talents abound within the group. Jordan can lead a group of children and keep their attention. Joe is like the Pied Piper. He had kids following him everywhere. Bryan can sit down with a pad and pencil and make a construction project come out right. My own Ron can paint (a talent I plan to make use of!) There were 23 of us involved and every single one brought something to the trip and, I expect, left with more than they came with. Even a short mission trip is a life changing event. I expect to see some of these people continue to blossom around Maple Springs and I hope to see some of them going on the next trip. The Navajo benefits from our being on the reservation, but we benefit so very much more. My own PC is trashed, so I'm typing this at the Farmington Library. My time is almost up and I need to get off this machine. I hope to see each one of you sometime in the near future. I'll be driving home beginning on Saturday, 8/29, but expect to visit with some old friends in Mississippi and family in Florida along the way. Prayers for safe travel are always appreciated. I love all y'all and miss you. Ross