Shine on me!

What can I give back to God for the blessings he’s poured out on me?
I’ll lift high the cup of salvation—a toast to God!
    I’ll pray in the name of God;
I’ll complete what I promised God I’d do,
    and I’ll do it together with his people.  Psalm 116:12-13 (MSG)

For months I had been dreaming of Christmas Eve, the day we would pack our suitcases and make our way into the rainforest for a well-deserved getaway.  Jessy had arrived safe and sound from the States, family and friends had supplied us with chocolates and sweets, and we even had enough little trinkets to fill three stockings.  So when the big day arrived, Ken filled our car with petrol, loaded up the supplies, and placed a Christmas wreath on the front grille.  We were off!

But as excited as I was, my heart was not quite right.  I thought to myself, "Where did the year go?"  It was as if my life had been so full this past year that I hadn't noticed the date so much as the list of things I had to accomplish.  I even asked the Lord to forgive me for not accomplishing all that I had intended during our first year here.  So much had been left undone.

Baboons on the road to our cottage in the rainforest

 

When we arrived at the Rondo Retreat centre, we unpacked our bags,and began preparing for the evening candlelight service.  At 8:55pm, the church bell rang.  Clutching our flashlights, we took the short walk through the dark to the chapel where we would join other guests (many of whom are also missionaries) for worship.

The tiny chapel was bathed in soft candlelight.  As we sat down, members of the Rondo staff, each holding a single candle, entered as they sang "Silent Night."  The service was moving, but it was the closing prayer by one of the missionaries that caught my attention.  He prayed that the Lord would shed His light on the past, as well as the present and future. 

When the service was over, we again stepped out into the pitch-black night, and I looked down to turn on my flashlight.  But Ken nudged me and said, "Look at that!"  For the first time that evening, I looked up, and it was then that I saw the most magnificent night sky I have ever seen.  There were a million brilliant stars.  They had been there all along, of course, but I simply hadn't noticed them.  I had been so caught up in dealing with the dark that I had simply failed to look up.

The next morning Ken gave the message at the Christmas service.  The title of his thought-provoking sermon was, "A Change of Perspective."   We hadn't talked about it the night before, but I knew in my heart that his message was for me.

When we returned to Kakamega on Boxing Day, I happened to stop by one of our local markets.  When I walked in, I heard something familiar, and then suddenly realized that it was the Pasadena Tabernacle Songsters, singing "Candlelight Carol."  One of the employees saw me, gave me a thumbs up, and yelled out, "We are playing the CD you gave us for Christmas."  I couldn't help but smile.  All of God's little messages were starting to make sense.

As Ken and I have reminisced over the past few days, we've been amazed to see just how good the Lord has been this year.  The Territory has opened fifty-one new corps and enrolled thousands of senior and junior soldiers.  Plans for the new Training College have taken shape, new programmes have been instituted, and the number of children enrolled in our schools has continued to grow.  Thanks to the generosity of donors around the world, the Army has been able to increase the number of sponsorships, install dozens of water tanks, repair or replace untold pieces of equipment, install new generators, and even secure medical insurance for its officers.  From my human perspective, every single day has been a tough one, filled with a myriad of challenges and obstacles.  But as I look back on the whole, I think I'm seeing it more as the Lord does . . . and I wouldn't change a thing.

 

Albert Schweitzer said it best when he wrote:

Your life is something opaque, not transparent, as long as you look at it in an ordinary human way.  But if you hold it up against the light of God's goodness, it shines and turns transparent, radiant and bright.  And then you ask yourself in amazement: 

 Is this really my own life I see before me? 

Leading the women of the Territory with the Home League flag in a victory march.

His light has shone down on my life this past week, and it's been as brilliant as those stars.  Thanks to His goodness, 2013 was a great year.  And you know what?  2014 promises to be even better.

Happy New Year!