Update From the Mom on a Mission

Update from the homeland.

I love love love when my man is away on mission.  As Ben put it, Charlie is more alive in Uganda than he has ever seen him.  I think it has to do with his love for Uganda and the people, but I think it has more to do with the fact that when he is so far away and on mission,  he is submitted to God more than ever with a fresh understanding of how small he is and how big God is. And this time, Goose (Kole) and Ben went with him.  I am cheering them on with everything in me.

  

But....there is my human heart that I fight on a daily basis that goes into overdrive when the men are away on mission....

Here's what happens...every single irritating thing that Charlie typically takes care of will need attention while he is gone.  Mostly little stuff, like the highest fire detector in the whole house will chirp at me until I am nearly crazy.  Thank God my wife Charsie got married and her hubby is around to handle a few of these things.

Then, there's the daily kid stuff, like they forget their gym shorts for the 400th time, this is normal stuff, but I can't call up Charlie, who doesn't have time to deal with this stuff when he's home, but I can at least call him and complain about whatever child happens to be the problem at the moment and pretty much blame him on some level.   Kinda kidding kinda not.

It's stuff like this that will surely happen the minute the man of the house is gone for a few days.  This is normal stuff, I know, but when he is on a mission trip there is something that happens.....I feel like that tunnel vision that I get when I am in  labor, happens to me, but on a heart level.  I can't deal with anything but what is in front of me at the moment, and at the moment, the thing that is in front of my heart is spread from here to 10,000 miles away. When this tunnel vision takes over,  I don't handle outside noise as well.  I'm easily irritated and quite distracted.  I am aware of  the time and people and the jobs that happen to be going on on the other side of the world, they are on my mind and heart at some level, at all times.  It's quite nice when I know they are all tucked in for the night, which happens to be our daytime, but, it's during the night that I know they are up and about and there's this awareness even in my sleep that occurs. 

Let's just say, God hears from me A LOT!  

I wouldn't have it any other way.  The good outweighs the petty irritations and my selfish heart a million to one, and I have the added bonus of lots of good help and company from my kids at home.  

It is in these times that I'm more aware than ever the greatness of our God and how He can hold all of us in His hands and NOTHING is lost on Him or slips by Him not matter how big this world seems and how far spread out we are.  It brings me to a new and fresh dose of trust in Him. 

  I feel completely out of control and that is when I have to remember I KNOW WHO IS IN CONTROL. 

 

2 Corinthians 5:13-15English Standard Version (ESV)

13 For if we are beside ourselves, it is for God; if we are in our right mind, it is for you. 14 For the love of Christ controls us, because we have concluded this: that one has died for all, therefore all have died; 15 and he died for all, that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for him who for their sake died and was raised.