Words that will make a man cry.
Tuesday, July 21, 2009 at 02:40PM When we got back home from Belarus summer was in full swing. It seems as if I haven't had time to blog much so here we go with a catch up from June till now.
VBS + Wallaby Z + Platypus Paige + Kangaroo Stu + Tons of Blokes and Sheilas = Awesome!!! We learned that it all comes back to Jesus who is the source of everything.
Belarus.
Just ask me sometime. But only if you want to know... cause I'm gonna tell you if you ask. One of my favorite stories from the trip was told by Babushka (Grandma) at the camp. She was 8 years old in WWII and her family's village was a major thoroughfare for the German army. All but two of the men in her village died in WWII. The Germans had ransacked the vegetable gardens and eaten all the people's food. Her younger brother starved to death. The villagers had also run out of salt. Then one day a German officer told them that they had received a shipment of salt and would be distributing it from one of the local barns and they should bring everyone to get some at a certain time the next day. There was, however, no salt to be passed out. The Germans would pile entire villages in barns and set them ablaze. Anyone trying to escape would be shot. This was the plan. She went on with tears in her eyes and told of her mother, who was a believer, loved the Lord, carried her bible with her everywhere she went and gave her the foundation of faith that she still carries today. So, with bible in hand they went to the barn. As they were all gathering together she said that one of the German officer began to argue with another about whether they should kill all the people or not. He said that they were a bunch of women and children who probably would starve to death before winter was over anyway and that he would have no part of killing innocent people that were no threat. After some intense moments, they were released to go back to their village. As an 8 year old she learned that God was working and that He had a plan for her life and as an 86 year old she serves the Lord with a smile on her face and a joy in her heart that is inspiring and awesome.
After a long tiring trip we finally arrived back in the good ol USA. I had slept about 5 hours out of the last 56 so to say we were tired was an understatement. We landed at JFK and walked into the airport and were separated into 2 lines. One line was for people visiting the US and the other line was for US citizens. We were directed to the customs official who takes your passport and looks at where you have been. We made a little small talk as he did his job and I told him what we had been doing. He seemed to be a real nice guy. He got finished with my documents and put them back together for me and as he handed them back to me he looked me in the eyes and said these exact words, "Stuart, Welcome Home." I was not prepared for the weight that those words would hold. Tears welled up in my eyes as I choked out a "thank you." What was it about those words that meant so much to me? Part if it was about my country. I love the USA and am proud to be an American, but that wasn't really what it was. There were 3 people that I was about to get to see in a matter of a few short hours that ARE what HOME is. Home wasn't about my house or my bed (even though I was looking forward to being in both) but home was about the ones that I love that I was going to see soon and it ran all over me. I also immediately thought about my forever home and thanked the Lord that Heaven is not about the golden streets or jasper walls, which I'm sure will be great, but I didn't give my life to Christ just so I could get a "Mansion" in Heaven. I gave my life to Christ to I could get Christ. The USA wasn't the goal... Sarah, Emily, and Caroline were. The USA is just where I would see them. In the same way, Heaven is not the goal... our Lord is. Heaven is just where we'll get to see Him.
Kids Camp
Really a great week. Chris Brooks did an awesome job of teaching the Word of God in a real applicable disciple making way. The family group time we had with our kids was outstanding as well. I was challenged to continually flip my way of thinking and see what it is that God thinks. It will be interesting to see how God will use this week in the lives of the kids and adults who went.
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Danny Forshee