Missions – A Writer's Daughter

A Happy Hamlet

The local bagel shop was uber (excuse my German) cheerful that morning! Patrons and clients alike exuded a happy mood. A school aged girl sharing a bagel with her mom noticed a wad of bills on the floor. She picked it up and handed it to the manager. The manager quickly realized which customer had dropped it. A teen was happy to get his spending money back. Later the manager rewarded the honest girl with a free cookie.

I guess every Eastern seaboard town has its English twin. This is the tea from ours.

As our breakfast continued, I observed another guy checking out with his order. The cashier took his cash payment and reached out with the guy’s change, which was more than just a few ones. The customer waved it off, giving it back to the worker as a generous tip. “Thanks, man,” the cashier answered in surprise!

Not too few customers later, another man drifted by our table on his way out. He cheerily offered that he was on his way to sell nuts and bolts and added that it was a job he loved! He was especially happy that day to be headed to the Marine base in Jacksonville, NC. He appreciated being able to do business with the military, he said.

We left the bagel shop behind a family of three. The manager teasingly hollered to them, “Have a good drive back to Hawaii!” All three of them were wearing t-shirts from Hawaii … but you can’t get there by car. Hopefully, they smiled at the quip.

So, are things always this happy where I live? Of course not. Like any town in America or any place in the world there are difficulties and tragedies. This summer our town experienced a family murder. It shocks a community to witness that kind of tragedy: a young woman’s life gone; the rest of the family torn apart. Every place eventually experiences the same.

The towns that I am currently thinking so much about are the hamlets and the hollows of western North Carolina. Beautiful, rural mountain communities were ripped apart by rare flooding due to Hurricane Helene. The loss of life is still being counted, property devastation is widespread, and the infrastructures of water, electricity, roads, and internet are still heavily damaged. The ‘happy’ part of this, and I don’t joke or take lightly the deep loss and pain, is the way folks are coming together to help. Big organizations and small are sending supplies and showing up to be involved. Local ministries, churches, and schools and colleges in the mountains are also answering the call to reach out to their own, like Queen Esther, unexpectedly called “for such a time as this” (Esther 4 v 14). Among them are Samaritan’s Purse, headquartered in Boone, NC, literally on the ground immediately; sister ministry, Billy Graham retreat center, The Cove, now housing volunteers and law enforcement personnel; and Excel College in Black Mountain, who have agreed to host Adventures in Missions Disaster Relief. Our friends the Horvaths head up Adventures Relief and have committed to two years of disaster recovery in the Swannanoa Valley area. They will soon move their family of six, in their home on wheels, to Black Mountain, NC. You can follow their mission at Adventures.org/relief.

God promises to make “beauty from ashes” (Isaiah 61 v 3). We are witnessing goodness out of calamity. And I love that this good movement is receiving positive publicity for many to see! Jesus encouraged action of His followers, saying, “so that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven” (Matthew 5 v 16) AMEN

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U-Turns, North Carolina – Part 2

After living my entire adult life in the DC area, I knew learning the layout of a new town would be a challenge. From the outset, I prepared myself for needing maps, GPS, and Google to find my way around. I purposed to be patient and willing to stop and restart as I drove to many new destinations. Even now, more than two years in, I often rely on navigation to get where I’m going. God has specifically protected me in a couple of dangerous mistakes, but most of the time I have navigated safe U-turns, arriving at the right place, my car and I intact.

U-turns are actually required driving in North Carolina. The road system blocks certain turns, instead redirecting drivers to designated intersections, widened for official U-turns. Sometimes there’s a stoplight for the U-turn, but sometimes it’s only a yield, which doesn’t seem any safer to me than a yielded left turn. Official or unscheduled, U-turns feature regularly in my driving experience here in North Carolina.

My long-time pastor liked to say, “God allows U-turns.” He was not preaching about driving; he meant choices on the road of life. Sometimes with intention, but often unknowingly, people find themselves going in the wrong direction. One can look up and realize the road ahead leads to a dead-end or to destruction. As long as one lives, no matter where one is or what’s going on, there is the opportunity to choose God and follow His direction. He charts a just-right course for everyone turning to faith in Jesus.

One of the most profound U-turn stories, literally of Biblical proportions, is the life of the apostle Paul. On a road trip to round up followers of Jesus for imprisonment or worse, he was struck by a blinding light and heard the audible voice of Jesus. That call redirected Paul’s future. For the rest of his life, Paul traveled the known world, missionary-style, preaching the gospel and writing much of the New Testament as prompted by the Spirit. The account of Paul’s U-turn is found in Acts 9 v 1-19 and is repeated in Acts 22 and Acts 26. And how did Paul summarize his conversion? “I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord.” (Philippians 3 v 8) A priceless route correction!

This is Topsail Island, NC. The photo is from the America’s Transportation Awards website. The bridge project was commended for Operations Excellence.

Glorybound

Occasionally, something I post on Facebook, seems fitting for my blog readers too. That is the case with this short feature:

Robin sharing joy and her creativity and skills with Ugandan students.

My friend Robin has ventured into an opportunity God presented. In partnership with a widow in Uganda and a local church, she is using her creativity, technical skills, and energy, to teach a Ugandan community how to make practical and personal projects and items to sell. Alongside a Ugandan church, people are working toward a more hopeful path of survival and sustainment. Robin makes visits to Uganda, and her partner, Winnie is in the States now sharing their work. Check out https://www.gloryboundministry.com – the ministry needs resources to become self-sustaining.

You may see that I tagged Gret Glyer (https://DonorSee.com) on this Facebook post. He was an acquaintance of ours and we were part of DonorSee’s inception. Days before an assailant cut his life short while he slept at home in his bed, Gret posted his vision and passion to see the world free of poverty. Projects like Glorybound work toward that dream. Jesus’ insights help us understand poverty. First, Jesus told us that poverty will always exist; the poor will always be with us (Matthew 26:11). Jesus also explained the importance, even the requirement, to help others, especially those in the family of faith (Matthew 25:40). That is why I share these photos and the unique work of my friend Robin. Feel free to share this post.