Let me start out this blog post with a shout out to Lindy.
Lindy was my internship leader when I came to Papua New Guinea in 2010. We had mutual friends in Dallas prior to that, so while we ourselves didn't really hang out, sometimes Lindy was in the group that I was hanging out in, and we got to become friendly acquaintances through that.
Then we went on our internship. And Lindy gave out lots of wisdom on that trip, some of it being life-changing.
Well, I've been in town for only three weeks now and she's already at it again. One nugget, I'm pretty sure, is also life-changing, but it's too soon to say that definitively. I'll give it some time. And two are year changing at the least. Those I'll share here.
To say that I was displeased about our delay to allocate until October would be dull. In a more poetic fashion, it made me want to beat my head against the brick wall barricading my path in an obviously futile attempt to break through it.
10 years, my husband and I have been on this road. 10 years from the moment we decided we wanted to go to the mission field to the moment that we moved internationally. And there were many brick walls in that time frame. But we're finally here!!! And behold! Another brick wall!!
And there's no source of my frustration. I can't be mad at any one because it's not anyone's fault. It's just... the way it is.
Hanging out. In town. Until October. AT THE EARLIEST!
GAH!
Patience isn't one of those things I was naturally blessed with.
But Lindy, in our Bible Study, pointed out our parallel to the nation of Israel after they crossed the Jordan into the Promised Land. That land wasn't yet theirs but they had finally arrived. They were in the Promised Land, but they weren't ready to settle.
And that's totally where we are. I felt called to PNG. Jacob felt called to missions where ever that may be. (We just figured it would be better if we stuck together, being married and all, so he came to PNG with me.) And after 10 years, which I'm just going to say, is a noteworthy fraction of the 40 years Israel spent in the wilderness. I mean, we're comparing the story of a Nation to the story of a Person, so... percentage-wise, I might be beating Israel in my time of wandering (fund-raising).
And now we're here! But not really. I mean, our feet are on Papuan soil, but we have no home here. Our purpose for being here isn't happening right now. We have to wait for that.
But when Israel crossed the Jordan, they weren't all about busting down some brick walls (the walls of Jericho) and rushing the process.
No. Step one was gathering 12 stones to stand as a monument to the work of the Lord in their passage across the Jordan. Step two was renewing their covenant to the Lord.
Now. The nation of Israel isn't really who you want to be modeling your life after. As many times as the Lord considered smiting all of them (and actually did smite large fractions of them from time to time), we need to take the actions of the nation of Israel with a grain of salt.
So why did they stop and remember rather than bust down some walls? Because the Lord told them to.
Ok. That's a pretty good reason. Whenever the nation of Israel does what the Lord tells them to, we should follow suite, until the Lord gets mad at them again, and then we should evaluate what they did wrong.
Now, the other thing Lindy said in an entirely different setting, is that she was really glad I was here. That there are reasons for all of God's timings and, that while she knew it was beyond frustrating for me, she herself was glad I would be in town for a while for self serving reasons. Now, I don't really get this, because I'm not the one spouting off tons of edifying wisdom all over the place. But it is encouraging to hear that she feels like there's a reason for me to be here in town longer. It is encouraging to know that while this isn't the purpose that I foresaw for my first year and I trained for and I prayed for, there is purpose for my time in town. And maybe it's only to hang out with Lindy. And if so, that's totally ok. Because Lindy is pretty cool and she influences me to be a better person.
Maybe there's another purpose for my being here that hasn't been revealed to me.
Maybe it will never be revealed to me!
And that's ok. Because I'm the Lord's servant.
And it's not the servant's place to know the business of his Master.
Sometimes He does decide to reveal His business to His servants, and it's so helpful in understanding, it's so encouraging, and I'm thankful for Lindy pointing out at least one purpose for my perceived delay (which is really just God's timing).
But it's the occasions that He does reveal His business that should give us faith to continue obeying Him even when He doesn't, just as His provision in the past should give us the faith to believe He will provide for us in the now and the future.
So now it's our turn to follow Israel's example. To not rush forward but to remember this time and all the times before that the Lord has provided for us a way to complete the job we believe He has called us to. To become a part of a larger story of Bible Translation across the world, which is in turn part of a larger story of spreading the Gospel of Jesus Christ. A part of the larger story of God wooing His creation back to Him.
And to pay careful attention to what God is telling us to do, so we are able to fill every purpose the Lord has for our time here.
Pray for us. For wisdom in choosing a language group, for patience in the meantime, and for attentiveness to God's direction.
And pray for Lindy. Because she's awesome. Pray for her to be encouraged and to receive some great wisdom's that change her life for the better in greater quantities than she gives them.
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