Back from the Brink

 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 still be in the “Immigration holding tank” for the ill and afflicted. You fellow missionaries are familiar I’m sure with the term, “Missionary Two-Step”. Let me just say, what we had felt like was about one step short of dysentery, (TMI?) and in fact I suspect it stepped over the line. 

Tony and I both were so sick, we were moving into survival mode,where you say, “I love you dear, but right now I just can’t concern myself with your misery. I got enough of my own.” To make matters worse, it was coming time to send out the blog. Did I mention we had no WiFi? Thinking back, though, it was poetry in motion, as we tried to synchronize our dramatic events, then run to the car and race 20 minutes to the nearest hospital, park close enough to pick up their WiFi signal, send out the blog, call the kids to let them know we were okay, then race back to the house before … well, before the next event.  

Sitting in the car, trying desperately to log in, I said to Tony, “If anyone comes out to see what we’re doing, I’m just going to go ahead and check into the emergency room.” Fortunately we didn’t have to do that. So that was last week.  On Tuesday, just one week from our leaving Kathmandu,They suffered another devastating  earthquake, although this one was farther out of town than the terrible one in 2015. The final death toll has never been reported, but in Kathmandu, the tremor was strong enough to send everyone out into the streets. We immediately thought of our Anagaion class members, many of whom were scheduled to be in the mountains leading trekkers. We just got word yesterday, though, that everyone is safe and sound, PTL. Even the guy who was leading a trek to Base Camp of Everest had cancelleddue to preliminary warnings and will be going later in the season.   

Reading my Bible this morning, I asked God, rather casually, for a "BlogIdea" for this week (We're recovered and back in our routines by the way).  I glanced down and realized I was reading Psalms 3. After the first verse, describing our recent events, verses 3-6 made me laugh with recognition. David certainly had his bad days, but here's what he said in such a timely manner; at least to me, 

"ButYou, God, shield me on all sides; You ground my feet, You lift my head high.  With all my might I shout up to God.  His answers thunder from the Holy mountain.  I stretch myself out.  I sleep.  Then I'm up again--rested, tall and steady.  Fearless before the enemy mobs coming atme from all sides.” 

The people of the Everest region call the mountain "Chomolungma" loosely translated, "Goddess mother of the world". Even men who don't know the Living God know there is One and this mountain represents all the power and the awe associated with that.   I hope you are all "Standing tall" in God's amazing love.  We are happy to be getting back to work with Tony preaching today and  starting to teach his classes at church and in the seminary later this week.  Pray that several of the trekkers, as well as our African friends, can join his classes by Zoom, as is their desire. 

Better than I was,  

Marsha  

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