Marsha's Blog

Tony preached a sermon the other day that got me remembering the last 5 years of our mission career.  We were working in the Tsunami zone, very close to where we invested 25 years of our lives and incredibly close to the epicentre of the 9.1 earthquake that happened there. The earthquake/tsunami happened on March 11, 2011.  Because of our history in the area, it was only natural that we started working right away with volunteer teams and surviving church members. One blustery cold day (it was still very early spring) we had been giving out food from our van when we ran out.  The Japanese were kind and appreciative, but they were also desperate for the supplies we were bringing. Under the circumstances, the now-empty van seemed pitifully small in face of so much need. Our hearts were heavy as we drove away, leaving a line of hungry people.  We only had a paltry few snacks left which we figured we could divide between us and call it lunch, so we decided to go up the hi...

Several weeks ago, we took a quick trip to Sydney that we won't forget soon. It's only an hour’s flight, practically in our back yard if you’re in an airplane.   Did you ever see that 1987 movie, " Planes, Trains and Automobiles"? It comes to mind as I write. After church on Sunda, we packed our things, said a heartfelt “Thank you” to our daughter, whose past employment for Qantas still gives us “standby” status to fly really cheaply. Now, "Standby" means exactly what it says. After the plane has boarded, after full-time employees have boarded and after they, at least to our imagination, comb the airport terminal to see if there be ANYONE else who might want to go to Sydney, then we’re given a ticket and allowed to get on. The problem is, Qantas (and just about every other airline these days) has gotten very efficient at loading a plane to capacity. Add to that a few cancelled flights for bad weather, and our chances for getting on dropped from “ain’t likely...

 Well Friends, This has been a busy week.  A lot of you were snowed in, and we here in Australia, were experiencing very uncomfortable heat!  Isn't it funny how the earth is round and all that, dictating the seasons with some predictably (as well as surprises) and all. Speaking of the planet, Tony's made another trip around the sun this week. How we ever got this old can only be attributed to God, that's for sure.  Two doctors’ appointments have announced that we're as 'fit and hale' as we should be at this age.  I have to admit life isn't as easy as it was in our 40's. We have to have more routines to get things working in the morning, stretching and groaning, and we keep a bottle of ibuprofen in the hall closet.......with the child lock lid OFF.   We also 'started school' (at least the grandkids did) for the new year.  My boys are now in grade 11, 9, 5 and preschool.  Fortunately, they all love school and we all yearned to get back to the r...

 Last week I wrote about an Angolan refugee boy named Jose.  As soon as I posted the blog, Tony and I began berating ourselves. "Why had we lost contact with Jose?"  I'm sure he was literate, had access to mail and all the other ways of communicating. What a blessing he was to us! And yet, why did we 'forget' about him? I think you can see where this is going.   Over time, how many people have you simply 'lost track of'? Why is that? The Japanese have a saying about people who don't lose touch, “Only the moles don't know who she is". At our age, it’s impossible to count the people who have crossed out path. Yeah, there are a few who are best forgotten, but those other thousands have slipped into the fog of time, completely beyond reach, barring some recollection miracle.  Trying to justify ourselves, Tony and I point to a whole litany of evil that seems bent on removing those potentially life-changing people from our consciousness. The one hel...

 Well this morning I promised you something less gloomy, so here it is.  In fact, for me it's a real joy. When we were missionaries back 50+ years ago, we were serving a two-year assignment in the country of Zambia. There was a refugee camp that accommodated Angolan boys who had escaped the violence there and were trying to start a new life. Word came that they would be thrilled if we could come once a month and lead them in a time of worship.  From our home in Luanshya, it was a three-hour drive west over a rough dirt road. It was known that terrorists were based in the area, but most of their activity was focused on Rhodesia (now called Zimbabwe) to the south. While in Zambia, they were model citizens, and even attended many of our churches in the area. While we were never certain of their identities, we tried to maintain a peaceful relationship with all. Admittedly, this was hard to do sometimes, knowing that when they crossed over the border, they would be targeting p...

 Happy Week Two of the New Year!   How's it going? Still on track with the New Year’s Resolutions you made? Okay, I won’t go there. Full disclosure, Tony and I have been on a small cruise for the last few days with some church friends. Not a really big trip; just down to "Tazzie", that little island off the bottom of Australia.  I guess technically this blog is coming to you today from even farther away. I got a lot of good comments last week about Matthew Henry's thoughts on life in general, but still somehow, even on these good, surreal (cruising) days of life, we sometimes have a bit of what David talked about so well in his Psalm 94 (see below).  We have some friends today who are in a deeply dangerous country where any misstep could lead to what he refers to as "Dread of the Enemy". Every day for them is a challenge as they do what God has called them to do.  He referenced this beautiful psalm as one that he refers to on the worst days. It goes like th...