Marsha's Blog

 Good Morning,  Today is Australia day, which looks a lot like America’s 4th of July Weekend, in that it’s the middle of summer here, it’s a 3-day weekend, and there’s lots of sports and barbeques going on. To add to the fun, we’re in the middle of a scorching heatwave.   As I watch the kids enjoying the pool (I’ve heard that 75% of all Australians have pools ), I have to remind myself that we are so glad to live here, even though it’s true that we'll always be immigrants (legal, of course as swimming an ocean is a rather difficult way to get to a border)  There are many similarities to America, which we love, and some quite different things as well, which we also love.  As dual citizens (passports for both countries), we’re subject to the rules and regulations for both countries, such as taxes and the like. But I'm not here to talk about that today. As I mentioned the heat this last week, I'm sitting in my office in front of the air conditioner, trying to ...

 Hello All, While reading my Bible lately, I’ve come across some new (to me, at least) thoughts that I want to share with you this morning.  I’m pretty sure you’ve heard enough about our adventures and woes lately.  I do want to assure you that the Kathmandu bug we brought home has been sent packing … although Tony’s doctor has been home sick since the day after he went to see him. Do you think ……? Naw. The new insights I’ve been thinking about have triggered something I heard in Sunday School once. It went something like, “Everyone in life has a purpose, even if it’s to serve as a bad example.”  I’m not sure if my Sunday School teacher was aware of it, but she was actually quoting from a fellow by the name of Carroll Bryant. He’s had a pretty checkered career, and I’ll stop short of recommending him, except to say that he’s credited for lots and lots of quotes, some of which are pretty quotable.  For instance, “Slap stick comedy is really funny.  Unless yo...

 Hello All,  Some of you may remember my blog from last week. Or,judging from the lack of responses, you haven’t had a chance to read it. Fair enough; so many are still reeling from The Holidays, after all, and maybe need a little holiday from everything.  Or maybe you simply felt like I did last week.  As I mentioned, this time last week, Tony and I were “sheltering in place” at our friends’ “beach house” for a few days.  It was absolutely perfect: no phone signal, no WiFi, and except for our friends, no one knew yet that we were actually back in Australia, or for that matter, where, exactly, we were. If “serenity”could be put into a picture, that was it.  But when I said the place was “perfect”, that’s exactly what I meant. As we stepped off the plane onto Australian soil, a little bug started knocking on our insides who had apparently accompanied us from Kathmandu. It’s a good thing it didn’t manifest while we were still in the terminal, or else we might...

 Good Morning and Happy New Year. I’m writing this a little early.  I’ll explain our schedule in a bit, but what Oswald Chambers mentioned in our devotional reading today, January 2nd, really resonated with us (as he often does). He said that we often think that to do something for God requires a plan.  To some extent this is true, but there’s also a case for (Oswald says) simply trusting God and following His lead. When we first mentioned going to this far Asian destination that I’ve been alluding lately to for security reasons, (and please, if you respond, keep the language safe),  so that Tony could share his discipleship course, many of our friends shook their heads and clicked their tongues.  Only a few said, “We’ll pray with you”, and for that we were very very thankful.   This month-long trip has been full of wonder; but also wondering a time or two if we were going to survive. And then worrying that we would survive, but it would be awkward. An...