lots in life and parallel living

Bryan, Leslie and the kids head out tomorrow, so these last few days have been filled with lots of meetings, last second questions, decisions, changes and discussions.

Lily, and Jacob and Josephine, are really going to miss the 4 youngest Easleys!  Life has been so much more enjoyable for each of them because of having each other.  Leslie's camera was stolen yesterday off of her wrist while taking a picture...and yet they are still sad to go!

We have a visiting professor coming in Saturday, Dodo has been down sick with some kind of Haitian contamination, and suddenly tons of "year end" stuff is on our plates:  Spring EBS newsletter (want one? email me your address), creating a DVD for presentations this summer, personal spring newsletter (want one? email me your address), preparing for registration in April for classes in the fall, preparing for graduation, creating wedding invites and programs for 2 students (why do I always say 'yes' to everything???), pushing to get through as much material as possible before final exams, working through some issues EBS's financial system is having...you get the picture.

Also, today is my dear friend Elisa's birthday (Happy B-day, EJ!) and if you are not following my room-mate's blog of her life and His ministry in a closed country, you are missing out on some unbelievably touching and heartbreaking photojournalism...If I had no Lily, no husband, wasn't pregnant, and had a visa, I would be on a plane right now to join her.


After meeting with Junior some yesterday, he shared that the women of Konpech have been "firmly asked" by the men of Konpech to stop meeting with the Christians.  For their own welfare, they have requested that we stop coming.    

"Junior, I'm sorry," I said deeply and earnestly.  "What a discouraging day."

"What?" he said, with a grin.  "I'm not discouraged!  This isn't MY thing!  They're His, preaching the Gospel is His, leading me to Konpech was His...He knew this would happen and He's still taking care of it.  I'll continue to be in prayer, and when it is time to return again, I will go!  Not discouraged!"

Ah, so many days I wish I was more like Junior...which is really just saying that I wish I was more like Jesus, like Junior is.  I am so easily discouraged and so quick to forget that none of this is mine.  I'm always trying to hold His gifts in clenched fists instead of in palms of outstretched hands.

If it's all His and I trust Him, then I have no right to be discouraged by the ways of man.  Junior is outwardly living parallel with his inward faith in who He is.  

As my loving and straightforward friend Sharon would tell me after receiving a discouraged, doubting email: "Go read your own blog!"