Mother's Day

I have a pretty incredible mother.

There are few woman in this world as strong, as versatile,  as capable, as determined, and as passionate as she is. She works like a team of horses and nothing scares her. Almost single handedly she has carved a school in of the wilds of Africa in place nobody else wanted to go. If you think of all the money raising, foraging of relationships in a foreign country, building an entire school brick by brick, and all that it entails, it's a pretty amazing feat. While other families could barely managed to last a few short months she's held out on her own (my dad being tied up with his own work in Colorado. Thankfully, another gal has joined her in the last year and has what it takes to live and work there.)  I've been there, it's a tough place, but my mom is there and I'm happy Christina has the opportunity to experience the mission once again.

There are a zillion stories, but I think of the time of the Rwandan Crisis. My mother offered to be of service in Zambia for ADRA to help the refugees. She was turned down. She lacked education.  Somehow, she found her way to Goma, Zaire  and in the face of millions of suffering, sick, dying, lonely, needy people, ended up as the director for ADRA because she had what it took and she knew what to do. God obviously needed her in a place of greater calamity.

I always knew I had the best mom. She wanted the best for her kids. Not so much in materialistic things, or in what money could buy, but in character qualities, in principles, in skills, in strength to stand for the right. Her vision of eternal realities was her anchor.

That's what kind of mom I have.... and it's a lot to live up to. :-) I love her and pray that God continues to go with her and bless her efforts to bring light into a darkened spot on the globe. She likely won't read this post. She hasn't time. She's been pulling all-nighters getting her container filled and ready to ship, and packing her suitecase for the flight this evening. When she's home my dad reads the posts of all the family members to her... but he's in the Ukraine right now preaching his heart out and so, she'll leave for Africa today with Christina and Caleb and we'll all meet together the first week of August from our various and sundry missions that God has lead each one on.

I'm blessed with a pretty amazing family all working towards the hastening of Christ's return. Sometimes I look at families all settled within miles of each other and think how wonderful it would be to be able to celebrate birthdays and milestones together and just have that old fashioned kind of family support, but when I look at the big picture I can see that God has us each in His intended place doing His work and we are blessed.