Amielle, Luke and I had a great time this past week in Greece as we met colleagues and friends for a conference; it was a time for spiritual renewal, worship, fellowship, training and motivating. What made the trip extra special was my 40th birthday.
Since Buck and Ashlyn are in the states for a few weeks, I was able to celebrate this special day with many friends and people that I actually consider family. Accepting that I was turning “middle-aged” has been a process for me; however, I am admitting it now and no longer in denial. Thank you for the gifts, birthday wishes and prayers. I heard from many of you via e-mail as you noticed my name on the list in Missions Mosaic. God bless you today, too!
The trip was slightly stressful as I traveled without my best friend, Buck; but we did not miss any of the flights, and I handled the paperwork just fine. Our time of worship and renewal was wonderful. Hearing messages and singing in our heart language is always very relaxing and comforting. And the kids enjoyed a time of VBS all week. Thanks to all volunteers for traveling to bless our kids.
Interestingly, though, I found myself singing some songs in Russian. And, when we landed back in Russia, I noticed that I felt like I had returned to my comfort zone. It helped that the people at the airport treated us extra nice and even offered assistance with special documents. It was like a nice welcoming “home” present!
Speaking of home…
My thoughts are often of home. Let me explain. As I sat on the front porch swing of my family’s home place in the summer months of our stateside assignment a few years ago, it became very clear what keeps me going, other than my Lord, is the one thing that remains the same or undisturbed—home. As I have been organizing some of my journals from the past ten years, I have been defining this term home. Home is rows and rows of pine trees planted across the acreage, gorgeous farm land in a rain storm, the sound of droplets of water falling from a tin roof, antique farm equipment decorating the front yard, an old picket fence, sound of crickets at dusk, batches of mistletoe in the old oak tree, sitting down for dinner and conversing about the small town news, etc. I could continue with many thoughts, but the real definition of home and who we really are is not totally these things.
The who we are has been shaped and formed by the many people that have invested their time in us and the many places and opportunities we have seen or lived to experience. You know the feeling you get when you look through an old photo album or sit and watch a slideshow from your picture files on your computer screen saver. You get that warm sensation while glancing at those photos, you notice how the kids grew over the years, recognize how your looks changed, recall the places you have visited and reminisce about the people that crossed your path.
That is what it has been like for me these past few years. Now that I have turned 40, I wish that I knew in the beginning what I know now and somehow matured miraculously years ago. As I have said before: We pass a moment only once and what we gain or take from that instant is up to us. Sometimes we make mistakes, but we do not let them force us to give up. We learn from them and actually push forward because of the knowledge we gained from the incident. As I look through my so called album, I recognize that God has definitely been good! God led me down a certain path, thus helping give a title to my meanderings. Maybe one day I will be brave enough to share all my thoughts on paper.
Thanks for making my 40th birthday so special and keeping up with what is going on in our lives; we look forward to helping you connect more with the Russian speaking people in our area this next season.
-The Chosen Path, L.Burch
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