Be still

In a world that defines identity by job title and accomplishments, it goes against the grain to take time to just sit and...be.

This weekend we drove out to Tyler State Park and took several hours just to spend alone with God - a date, if you will.  In previous similar retreats over the last few years I had found just sitting a challenge, and walked or wrote or sang as I prayed.  Apparently that wasn't what God had in mind this time.

After a short hike partway around the lake, I put up my portable hammock and settled in to marvel at the beauty of creation.  After months of almost-constant busyness, I had an exclusive invitation for the here and now - just to soak in the goodness and creativity and presence of God.  What a refreshing delight!

My job title and travels and adventures and struggles are not what defines me....my identity is secure as a child of the King.  God is pleased with a life lived out in faith, but He is also pleased with a people who delight themselves in Him and take time just to sit at His feet to watch and listen and marvel.



He says, "Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth."  ~ Psalm 46:10

Scorpion wranglers extraordinaire

After a thorough introduction to Mercy Ships history, philosophy, and support seminars last week, the 22 of us that remain will be learning together for the next few weeks in preparation for...Sierra Leone!

It has only been a week in Gateway so far, but already my classmates feel like family.  Nothing brings together a group of people like having classes and meals together, living together and sharing bathrooms, herding cattle and hunting scorpions.

To the right is the first unfortunate victim of our scorpion wrangling.  Little no-name showed up while many of us were hanging out in the family room, emailing or playing games.  After much excitement, he made it safely into a mens-room toilet and down the drain.






About 30 minutes later we were ALL invited to one of the ladies bedrooms for a group scorpion hunt, which was successful as well.

During our tour of the property, we stopped briefly at a farm on the property, and the cowboy invited us all to help him herd cattle.  Several of my "family" got quite excited at the opportunity, and we all enjoyed a tramp through the pasture guiding the cows while carefully avoiding fresh manure.  On a side note, please continue to pray for rain, as we are still in a significant drought.

We've done quite a lot of discussion this week on spiritual warfare and looking at attributes of the God that we serve - a great encouragement to delve deep into topics that will significantly affect how and why we serve the people of West Africa.

In between classes we've had a few Texas style adventures, and I look forward to many more as we move into the next week of personal and interpersonal development :-)

FMS

Week 1 - Packed with learning about foundational beliefs of Mercy Ships and finances...finished!  Above you can see our group (from 6 different countries), many of them I will be working with on ship and attending class with for the rest of the time in Texas!!

Flood

We stepped over a makeshift barrier – a wall of concrete blocks and weighted plastic across the sidewalk – and out onto the low bridge across the Susquehanna.  Other than occasional sirens it was eerily silent, the road lonely in the dusk and stripped bare of cars.  As we hung over the railing to watch, the river rushed by only a few feet beneath.  By the time we went to bed that night, the street perpendicular to ours was already mostly covered in water.  Life was a prayer for the floodwalls to hold.

I woke to a different world. 

"Residents of New Street, come to your doors.”  The police bullhorn instructing evacuation of the next street over continued as we began to pack for imminent evacuation.  The floodwalls held, but the river was still rising, almost to the top of the wall.  The top of a tan car was just visible above the restless brown of the street-turned-lake.  We showered in the dark as the water dripped through dark ceiling, watched as the water leaked over the floodwalls to creep up the street and cover the sidewalks, joked half-heartedly about kayaks to get across the river to the hospital, set out extra food and water for the dog, piled into the car to drive the few miles down the road to the University shelter that already housed almost 1600 people.

Little did I know when I left Potsdam the morning before that I would be spending Thursday afternoon on my former college campus. 

“Hi.  I got evacuated this morning and I’m a Registered Nurse…do you need any help?”  The rather harried-looking resident just looked at me for a moment, startled.  And then I went to work.  A rather faded Mercy Ships badge from the rear-view mirror of my car served as identification as I joined EMS, nurses, and medical residents in treating any sick and injured among the crowds already sheltered in the Events Center.  Cots covered the floor where I had once watched basketball games, families huddled in the ticket area with their pets, uniformed military and police guarded the doors and maintained order, and in a back room we had three cots set up as makeshift exam rooms.  Another basketball court served as a special needs area and pharmacy – staffed by volunteers and nursing students, and a few instructors I recognized from my own days as a student there.

When I left 8 hours later to spend the night at a friend’s house, our shelter was already full and the river had finally crested…25.7 feet.

Now in East Texas, I find myself ironically wishing for just a few hundred gallons of that floodwater – to somehow dampen down the tinder-dry foliage and see the hills green again.

The beginning - an update on life!

After a whirlwind few months of weddings, classes, support raising, work, and packing up life….the journey has finally begun!  I’m in Texas now as I write this, planning to be here for about 5 weeks doing additional Mercy Ships training, and then fly to Sierra Leone.

Two months ago I sent an email asking for prayer and financial support.  I'm now 60% funded for the entire next two years – praise the Lord!!   Thank you to those who have committed to joining with me. If you have not already done so, please prayerfully consider joining me in this next adventure – by committing to prayer or financial support, or by coming with me!

As I have been wrapping up things and finishing my packing and goodbyes in New York, I headed down to Binghamton a few days ago and arrived just in time for the flood!  We were evacuated from my friend's apartment as the water began to come over the flood walls and up our street, and I was able to spend some time volunteering as a nurse at one of the local shelters.  In Broome County alone, at least 20,000 people have been temporarily displaced from their homes.  The Binghamton U events center is housing between 1600-1800 people, many with specific medical needs.  I joined the emergency responders at this shelter for several hours, treating any evacuees with injuries or illness, then I volunteered briefly in the makeshift "hospital" set up for evacuees with special needs.  I’ll be writing more about this as I have time to process, but praise God for safety and for good interactions with many people!

As you pray for our time in Texas preparing to serve, please also remember to pray for the people who have been significantly affected by flooding in Binghamton and across the Northeastern US...for spiritual awakening and revival as well as help for physical needs.

In His footsteps,

Laura