HERE COMES THE SUN

Well, the rain finally stopped and as the sun began to peek through the clouds, I knew it was time to safely put away the blueprint for building my own personal ark.

Fortunately,the 2nd half of our week in Boston was made to order. It really couldn’t have been much nicer!

We walked The Freedom Trail and learned new things about old things.

4 hours and many stops later, we finally arrived at the end of our trek (the base of the Bunker Hill Monument). Of course, Katinka thought that it was only fitting that one last foto should cap our historic journey, but as you can tell our kids weren’t really on the same page.

We also  toured Fenway Park and got to experience this great chapel virtually empty and go to places in the park we had never been to before. How cool is that?

We walked through Cambridge and visited Harvard. But the best thing by far for our boys was the chance to throw the baseball around in a park (JFK Park) we found along the Charles.  

In the afternoon of our final day, I had a lot more to show them, but the kids were tired of going here and there, seeing this and doing that. So, we cut the sighseeing short and decided to go to the park around the corner from our house. And as we did, I began to think about our time together and about the contrast between my time alone in India and my time with family in Bar Harbor/Boston.

The trips could not have been more different. And at this point you can probably see that reflected in my blog entries.  But as I thought about the two, what I began to realize is that when something profound happens to you, somewhere, sometime down the road, when you least expect it, you will be given an opportunity to put into practice some of what you have learned.

You won’t always recognize the opportunities right away b/c the context oftentimes seems so mundane and disconnected from the original revelation. But if you slow down, look, and listen long enough you will find that God is at work everywhere, showing you something in a non descript house church in Northern India that you may well be able to utilize on a rainy day in a small apartment in the suburbs of Boston. Everything that God gives us is to help us grow and mature into the fulness of the image of His Son. But these things are not only for us to hoard to ourselves and for ourselves. Everything God gives us is to be shared with one another. This is what I have hoped to do through my blogging over these last 3 months.

I am sure that some of my entries have felt more profound and worthy of your taking the time to read them than others. But all of them have been a gift for me. Right now, it is difficult for me to know  how all of my experiences have shaped and changed me and what that will even mean for us all in the days to come?

But know that I am excited and ready to return to you this coming Sunday. However, before I do, I have one final trip this week where I will be entering into a prolonged period of silence, listening for God’s still small voice to me. I always go into these times of retreat with expectation and desire, but I never know exactly what will happen: how God will meet me and what He will show me. The first 24 hours are typically difficult b/c the volume to my life is always louder than I realize it is before I turn aside. But as I slow and become more attuned to quiet, God’s presence always becomes more palpable. 

Honestly, I am tired of being away and just want to be at home with my family.  But this last trip is the one that I hope will help me to make sense of all the other ones. Pray that I can settle in and be at peace with myself and with God in the next couple of days, and that I might finish well what I started as I prepare for reentry in a way that will leave all of us richer and better for the entire experience.

BUILDING AN ARK

So what do you do when it rains without end in the first four days of your time in Boston?

You drape yourself in plastic and do what you were going to do anyway.

You ride trolleys, take tours, and dream about what might have been if the game wasn’t rained out.

You go bowling, hang out in malls, and watch 600 pound turtles eat lettuce

And when all else fails, short of building an ark, you go into a local tavern and in traditional Boston style, drown your sorrows.

Actually, this is the tavern they used in one of my all time favorite movies: “Good Will Hunting”. 

And while we didn’t think it was the best idea to drag our kids inside the local neighborhood watering hole. I did want to go by and see it since it was only about 10 minutes from where we are staying.

Not alot more to tell on the front end of this 2nd part of our trip, except for the fact that we are learning how to make adjustments together as a family when things don’t exactly go the way you thought they might or hoped they would.

The sun will come out tomorrow or so the song goes. But whatever may come our way, we are grateful for the time. This trip has been such a gift…a really, really great gift!

A LIFETIME OF MEMORIES

Bar Harbor and Acadia are now in the rearview for us as we arrive in Boston for our first full day. But, I can’t leave without a few final comments about our time together in Maine. As I think back to our week, it is hard for me to believe that I have never been in this part of the country before. But God willing, I/we will be back again soon! And if ever you get the chance or are looking for some place to get away to, even though the drive is a bit of a beast, I couldn’t recommend a place more highly.

Prior to this trip we had never hiked together as a family. But after this week we had done so on 5 separate occasions. I loved the challenge and adrenaline rush of scaling The Beehive, but I also loved climbing Gorham Mountain and picking/eating wild blueberries all along the way. And then there was North and South Bubble which we weren’t even going to climb, but look at the view we would have missed if we didn’t.

We also ran across this amazing boulder perched on the ledge of the South Bubble Summit. How it has stayed there over time I will never know? We did our best to altar the landscape, but it was to no avail

We also went whale watching in the fog and saw only seals and a few fish. And even though half of our family got seasick, it was one of those things we did together and will remember for a lifetime.

We even went to the Great Maine Lumberjack show and watched the professionals saw logs, throw hatchets, climb poles, and roll on logs. At one point in the show, Josh and Eli even got a chance to show their hand at a little cross cut sawing themselves.

I really could go on and on and on, but I think you get the point. This was a great week…a really great week! In fact, it was one of the best weeks our family has ever had together. We laughed alot and made many new memories. Now, honestly, every moment was not a Kodak moment. I definitely edited the pictures and stories I have shared with you. But after so much time away from one another in recent days, we were able to reconnect in deep and meaningful ways which was/is a real answer to prayer for me.

No doubt, this next week will be very different, but hopefully one where we can continue to build on what we started. Stay tuned and I will check back in a couple of days with our latest adventures and life lessons we are learning along the way.

 

 

I Must Have Lost My Mind

Today, I am almost sure I must have lost my mind. What began as a simple short hike up the honeycomed eastern face of a 520 foot mountain called The Beehive, somehow along the way resulted in a pretty harrowing climb with very narrow ledges and and incredibly steep drop offs.

I have tried to give you a perspective with a few pictures of the kids climbing, but these can’t even begin to tell the story of what they had to encounter and overcome on the way to the summit.

As I made my way up and saw the look on my kids faces I knew they were afraid, but there was really nothing I could do about it b/c by the time we were in over our heads it was simply too late to turn around.

Eventually, we all made it…Thank God! And as we stood on the summit and looked out, we were able to breathe a major sigh of relief, appreciating what we had accomplished, knowing that this would be one of those family memories we would all probably never forget!

In time, I hope our climb doesn’t end up with our kids being in therapy years later, wondering why their dad would have done such a thing to them. But at several points along the way I thought to myself…what have I gotten my family into? At the top we fortunately discovered a much safer route down and we thankfully took it.

Afterwards, we went down to Sand Beach where the boys and I decided to brave the 58 degree waters for a swim. By the way, only 1 of the 3 of us had a wetsuit. But, even with it, it was still another crazy idea of mine that shouldn’t have been entertained, much less executed.  I must have lost my mind. Fortunately, by this time, Katinka and Gab had the good sense to veto the idea and choose a much safer, saner hike without us.

All in all, it was quite a day. One I will not soon forget and I am sure the rest of my family won’t either!

Paradise

Bar Harbor used to be called Eden and I can see why. This place is an absolute paradise! I wish I could describe in words the beauty we wake up to every morning. But the views are stunning.

It has been a few days now and we have had some great time together exploring Acadia National Park. Every day is more special than the one before it.

Today, we visited Thunder Hole, Jordan Pond, and Cadillac Mountain.

Thunder Hole is a small inlet, naturally carved out of the rocks, where the waves roll in during high tide. As the rush of the waves arrive, air and water is forced out like a clap of  thunder. At it’s zenith, water can spout as high as 40 feet and as it does bring with it a thunderous roar! Although this was not our personal experience yesterday, it was still a beauty to behold. From this spot, you are also able to get some pretty incredible views of Otter Cliff one one side, and Sand Beach on the other.

We also went for a 3 mile hike around Jordan Pond, which is one of the most beautiful of Acadia’s glacier carved ponds. In fact, the water is so clear that at points along the way you can see the beautiful granite and smooth rock floor beneath it. We thought 3 miles might be a bit much for the kids, but they did well. As a treat for their hard work with no complaints, we went up to the Jordan Pond House and had their famous popovers and iced tea, not to mention some blueberry ice cream…yummy!

And then there was Cadillac Mountain, which is the tallest mountain along the eastern coast. It rises 1,530 feet above Bar Harbor and offers some of the most breathtaking views of Frenchman Bay and Porcupine Islands. It also holds the distinction of being the first place to view sunrise in the United States. We didn’t catch a sunrise there just yet, but we may go back for one of those before we leave…stay tuned!

Our house looks out on the ocean and also has a swimming pool that our boys play in when we are not out exploring. Every day I wake up and think to myself how fortunate and blessed I am and we are to have this experience. Increasingly, I see every day as a gift, an absolute gift from God. Of course, it’s easy to do so here in paradise. But I think this shift began to happen in me somewhere along the way in Africa this summer.

This whole experience has definitely caused me to look at my life much differently. In many ways, I am the very same person who left you in late May. But at the same time I also feel that some changes have and are taking place in me that will bring me back to you different. I can’t yet put my finger on many of the specifics for you. But, in time, I believe those will unfold with greater clarity. For now, I just feel a deep sense of gratitude for my life, my family, and for every day I get to wake up and experience a new day with opportunities, adventures, and challenges. This time has been a gift and I feel so blessed!

Reunited

 

Traveling solo for the last month or so has been quite revealing and taught me a lot about myself: some good and some not so much. But, to be honest, all of it is and has been for my growing and I wouldn’t change a thing.

As I move toward the end of of summer and sabbatical time, there are just 2 more things left on my itenerary. The first of which is this 2 week trip into New England with Katinka and the kids. I have missed them a great deal and now we will have some time to be reunited and to enjoy my favorite area of the country together.

The first week begins in Bar Harbor, Maine followed by a week together in and around Boston. One will be a completely new adventure and the other will be a time of sharing with my family all of the things I love about my favorite city in the world.

This entry comes on the front end of the first. We are now in Bar harbor and have awakened to a beautiful new morning. Our drive was supposed to take about 10 hours or so without stops. But I think it took us about 14 hours. As you might imagine 14 hours together in a minivan is quite the experience.

Overall, we did ok, but I am definitely glad to be here and begin our time together. We have some catching up to do and I am sure the first few days will be a bit of a readjustment, but I am looking forward to it!

FAREWELL INDIA

On our drive to Siliguri today en route to Bagdogra, where I will catch my first flight of the day tomorrow, I took a few snaps (pictures) that I wanted to show you. Much of the drive is so beautiful. I really wish the pictures could capture just how magnificent some of the scenery is here.

In the area where Johnson and Grace live, there are so, so many tea gardens, and we stopped at one along the way so that I could get a foto op with some of the other day laborers who work tirelessly in the gardens. I have such great admiration for these ladies who work incredibly long hours in such a brutally hot climate with so little to show for it. So, for a moment I joined them picking tea leaves, but only for a moment.

From this garden, we continued the drive, but what I learned along the way was that there was a driver’s strike in many of the towns between Johnson’s house and the hotel here in Siliguri. Now the difference between a strike in the US and one here in India is that in the US a strike means that a particular group of workers stop working until they get satisfaction for the reasons they stopped in the first place. But here in India, apparently what a strike means is that when a particular group strikes, almost everyone else is affected as well. In this particular case, there happened to be a driver’s strike, which meant that as you enter the center of any town, there were people there who would physically make you pull your vehicle over and stop you form going any further.

For how long you might ask?        

WORSHIP IN METTELI

Today was my 5^th and final time speaking here this week in India… I think? I still have one more day left and who knows what Johnson has in store for me? But I digress.

Anyway, it took us about an hour and a half to reach the small house church in Metteli where we would be worshipping and when we arrived not many of the members were there. So, we went in and sat down in the room where we would hold our service and overhead was a ceiling fan that a Hindu man had donated and installed for them the day before just for my arrival. You see, the house was very, very hot and they were afraid the visiting American would melt. And believe me, I might have b/c even with the fan, it was pretty unbearable. And so we sat, my seat directly under the fan. And slowly, the members began to arrive. As they filed in through the door, each one came and greeted us and then returned to take their seat on the floor. In fact, the only 3 chairs in the whole place were ones given to me, Johnson, and Grace. Everyone else, even their pastor sat on the floor, everyone including children, nursing mothers, crippled people, the elderly, everyone sat Indian style unless we were standing up and singing.

Oh yeah, and there was no carpet and no pillows and the service lasted more than 3 hours. Did I say it was hot? Man, was it hot! At points along the way it made it hard to stay focused, but overall, the experience was really wonderful!

IMMEDIATELY

Getting ready this morning for worship in one of the village churches, I was getting my shower and was all soaped up from head to toe when all of the sudden the water cut off completely. For a moment, I started to panic. Now sometimes this happens with the water and the electricity and other creature comforts here. It will cut off and no one knows exactly when they will cut back on. So, here I am soap in my eyes and all over my body and no water.

First I felt a surge of fear and then very quickly after that anger. Remembering that I had 2 water bottles in the other room that I ran and got, dumping them all over me, but alas they were not enough. I then used the cell phone Grace let me borrow to call her and see if should could check with someone to do something about my predicament. But the phone was dead.

Feeling anger for the first time since I have been here in India, I remembered what I had been reading for my devotions this morning. In Matthew 14, the disciples are out on the sea in the middle of a raging storm and Jesus comes out to them. Peter wants to get out of the boat and walk to him and Jesus invites him to do so. But not long thereafter, he begins to sink. And then the scripture says: “Immediately, Jesus reached out his hand and caught him.”

And so, different scenario by far from my own, but same principle. Remembering Peter’s dilemma, I too called out to the Lord for help. And as soon as I did, I mean as soon as I did, the water came back on. And to be honest, I was definitely relieved and not all that surprised.

More often than I would like to admit, I respond to adverse situations by reacting in fear – “Oh no, what am I going to do?” And then that emotion usually fades pretty rapidly and becomes replaced by anger – “I can’t believe this is happening to me!” And eventually I get around to calling on the Lord after I have gone to a bunch of unnecessary emotional pit stops in route to an eventual place of peace.

But today I more quickly recalled the scriptures, applied them to my situation, and called on the Lord. And He heard my cry and answered my call according to my need. And so after finishing my shower and sitting to think about what just happened, I began to wonder: “Why don’t I go to the Lord more often as a first resort when I am distressed? And how many more of these answers from Him have I missed b/c I haven’t done so?”

I know it seems like a stretch to compare my plight with Peter’s and I am really not trying to do that. But the principle here is really important for me to remember and assimilate into my walkabout, everyday life. So, hopefully the next time and there will be one, when things aren’t going the way I want them to or think they should, I hope that I can remember where to turn and where not to turn ad find the risen Christ reaching out to me and showering (no pun intended) me with His provision and blessing in the place of my need and in response to my cry.

WILD LIFE

Many of you have been asking me and hoping that somewhere along the way I might see one of India’s National Wild Life Treasures: A tiger, a cobra, an elephant, or maybe even a Leopard. Well, I am happy to report to you that I did get my 1^st actual sighting up close and personal yesterday with a snoozing leopard.

On our way to the Bhutan border, we traveled off road deep into a forest and then into a nature park (game preserve) in the hopes of an elephant or tiger sighting. As we wound our way back through the forest, we stopped our vehicle and then got out for about a half mile walk. Along the way we saw many monkeys, goats, and of course the always popular and ever present cow. But not satisfied with that particular variety of God’s great creation, we continued on. We were in search of a tiger or bust. As we made our way forward, we did come to a place where they had caged a few tigers, but they were sleeping and hard to really see at a distance.

But as we headed back out of the forest, we stumbled across a beautiful leopard who was lying on his back sleeping, but with one eye wide open. We tried to rouse him to have him come over so that we could get a closer look. But he was having none of it. We were about 5-10 feet away from Him or her. But just before you think I am totally crazy, there was a chain link fence about 10-12 feet high between us. I am not sure if this picture does it much justice, but he was so beautiful.

The forest (jungle) was so hot, about as hot or humid as any place I have ever been. But along the way we ran into many people who actually live back there deep in the forest. One lady in particular we ran across and Johnson and Grace spoke to her and asked her what she was carrying. It turns out she had been picking up pods from the bottom of a plant that she was going to go home and boil and have for dinner. Later, Johnson told me that this food was the kind of food that the animals, in particular, wild pigs eat. And I just felt very sad for this woman and her family. This of course was her life and she doesn’t really know the difference between what she had and what else was possible. But I do and it really just made me take stock of all the things I do have and what is available to me and I felt so thankful for a great host of things that I usually don’t think about at all.

My time in India had provided me with many stark contrasts to my life and the life that many people have here. And mostly I am just grateful and thankful for things like 3 meals a day, safe, dry refuge to rest in and under at the end of the day, electricity (in particular AC), soap and deodorant, toothpaste and a toothbrush, ice, clean water, reliable transportation, my health, my faith, my family and friends, my church, my life. I really could go on for awhile. But you get the point. I am grateful to God for blessing me…really, truly thankful for what I have, who he made me to be, where I live, and who I get the great privilege to live with and love and be loved by.

We have it really good you guys. Just think about that sometime today and then thank God for the things that have just become part of your everyday reality that probably most people in the world never get to experience.