Singing Families, Witnessing and Making it in the Faith Chapter

Things are now much quieter now, much more than they have been.  The day after the missionaries left, we hosted another family of 12 for the afternoon and evening.  They are a singing family that travel all over the US and Canada ministering to people with their music.  They do much more than entertain, though they are extremely talented.  They bring the gospel as well as a message of encouragement in all areas of family life.  The audience was reminded to not miss out on the moments that God gives with our kids, to put down the cleaning and cooking for a bit, and just enjoy the children God has given us.  Yes, the cleaning and cooking needs to get done, the mom said, but you don't want to miss out on being with your kids as they grow so fast.  She knows.  Her oldest is now 24, I think, and I'm sure she feels it was just yesterday she was born.  I looked over at Renaissance Man during that song, aka Mr. Misty Eyes, and sure enough, he and I smiled at each other as we both knew it was hitting an emotional note for us.  Our youngest boys/rascals were busy running all over the place, generally being not-so-well-behaved in the middle of the concert, but we both knew, it wasn't going to be forever that they act like terrors!  One day they'll sit like decent young men, and we'll wish they were those little rascals again.  So I have been trying to eat them up and just enjoy them, though I pull my hair out in the process sometimes.  Daddy, too, has been spending more little moments with his boys, just holding their hands when he walks with them, even taking them for walks in the stroller which is a rare treat these days as he can be so busy, but he's always reminded how fast these days are flying as it seems they literally get bigger each morning they come down the stairs.

We've also been reminded how fast the days go with our children as our oldest is now done her driver in-class training and has begun the in-car training.  How can this be happening???  At times I'm completely fine with her learning to drive as I cannot tell you how many times I've needed her to be able to run out and get something at the grocery store for me, but then other times I think, oh no, what are we doing letting her get her license?!  This new independence could backfire on us!  We know people whose children are gone from the family all the time now that they can drive.  We don't want that!  So, it's happening to us, too - our children are growing up right before our eyes.

We're also being challenged to "up" our witnessing opportunities.  The night of the concert, the family arrived in their very large coach bus, in the middle of a major rain storm.  We have a long enough driveway for it, but not a wide enough one to get out easily.  Sure enough, just as they were trying to pull out with their bus to set up for the concert, they got stuck - badly.  Our little putt-putt tractor was not nearly enough power to get them out, so we had to call in the big guns.  Our neighbour was more than happy to help out and came over in minutes with his mega-tractor.  It was out almost immediately.  In the process, RM got a chance to explain why we had a huge bus on our property and that we were hosting a concert featuring this family he had just helped out.  He then proceeded to invite him and his wife to the concert.  This is not RM's typical way.  He would normally just say, "Thanks for helping out...see ya!" and leave it at that.  But we've been majorly impacted by these street preachers and how they use every opportunity to share Christ.  Sure enough, he and his wife came to the concert where the gospel message was presented and they heard every word.  They also ran out as soon as it was over, but they did hear it!  They were even acknowleged from the front for helping pull them out and the whole church clapped for him!  Very funny.  We feel he is now responsible for what he's heard and we feel so much better that we know we've done our part.

A final word relating to faith and finances - yesterday we studied the faith chapter in Hebrews at church, chapter 11.  It's always so good to go back to something you've read so many times in the past and look at it with new eyes.  Sarah is talked about in the chapter.  Our pastor reminded us that she is most famous for laughing when she was told she would have a child in her old age, past childbearing years.  Yet, somehow she made it into the faith Hall of Fame.  How can this be?  Because in God's eyes, she did have faith.  Perhaps it came after she laughed, after she was rebuked.  What was interesting to note was everyone in the faith chapter was an imperfect person, full of faults, yet God saw them as faithful.  It seems their faith developed as their lives went on.  I found that so encouraging to know even I could have made it into the chapter if the writer of Hebrews were still making a list.  I certainly struggle with my ups and downs, wondering when this debt load will ever be killed, wondering how God is going to provide for us on a daily basis,  but as I'm going on, as life keeps happening, my faith is constantly growing, constantly being stretched.  I'm relying on God more and more and that means, in God's eyes, He is seeing me as faithful and that pleases God.  I want nothing more than to have Him pleased with me.