Posts Tagged ‘jet lag’

God–Our Fortress

Wednesday, July 27th, 2011

Fortress seen earlier this week.

When you read this, I’ll be involved in hosting an evangelistic family camp in Poland. We’re working with a team from North America, a Polish pastor and his wife, and several people from their church who are helping with the kids’ programs and as translators. We’re expecting good things! By that, I mean we’re anticipating that many men, women, and children will discover new truths about God and His great love for them through English classes, Bible lessons, crafts, games, and workshops.

Sometimes our volunteers feel a little uneasy about their tasks. They feel stretched beyond their comfort zone, they’re functioning on jet lag, and they’re dealing with a new culture and language. And yet, God who called them to the task has promised to be everything they need to get the job done.

Driving through the Eastern European countryside gives plenty of opportunities to view castles, or fortresses. The other day I saw this one, and I immediately thought of Proverbs 14:26—“He who fears the LORD has a secure fortress, and for his children it will be a refuge.”

Today, our staff will experience God as their fortress, their stronghold in time of weakness, their protector from the enemy who seeks to thwart the good things that He wants to accomplish at this camp.

I pray that you’ll experience the same. No matter what you face today, remember that God is your fortress. Here’s a little prayer taken from 10-Minute Time Outs for Moms. May it bless you today.

“God, in the morning I will sing of your strength and love, for you are my fortress, my refuge in times of trouble. O my Strength, I sing praise to you, my fortress and my loving God (Psalm 59:16,17). Amen.”

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We’ve Arrived at the Camp

Monday, July 5th, 2010

Our team finally arrived at the camp venue yesterday afternoon. We’re staying in a hotel on the bank of the Danube River overlooking Serbia. What a beautiful place! Here’s a picture of the sunset last night.

Romanian sunset over the Danube River

The campers arrived today – 9 guys, 9 girls. Several are returnees from last year’s camp. Words can hardly express the delight in seeing and hugging them again. After a snack and a brief rest after their trip, they were ready to play soccer, do beadwork, play Uno, and just hang out together. I feel like a mom with 18 young adult teenagers.

Our team’s best laid plans for evening activities were scrambled when dinner was prepared much later than expected and then a rainstorm rolled in. So much for the outdoor scavenger hunt we’d prepared. Oh well, we practiced flexibility (a key word in our vocabulary while on missions trips) and played Balloon Pictionary instead. The kids laughed and joked – the noise level nearly split our eardrums. They got quite competitive, too, as they raced to draw pictures for their teams. This year the camp has added a young married Romanian couple to the staff as worship leaders. They’ve already contributed by leading the kids in a spontaneous worship time this afternoon. Great stuff. They’ll sing each morning and in the evenings, too…if all goes as planned. Then again, we’d better be flexible!

There are several factors that throw last-minute schedule changes our way – the weather (an afternoon or evening rainstorm cancels outdoor games), whether or not meals are served at the appointed time, the length an activity takes to complete (if a Bible lesson generates lively discussion, we’re going to let it continue rather than cut it off simply to stay on schedule), and the needs of the kids. If they’re tired or not feeling well, then we’ll adjust to meet their needs.

And so, the challenge we face is to think fast and be ready for whatever comes, keeping the kids’ needs first and foremost. Tomorrow will be our first full day with them and thinking fast will only be a wish unless I get some sleep (it’s about 12:35 AM as I write this). There’s a 10-hour difference between here and home, and jet lag is doing a number on me. It’s hitting several other team members quite hard, too. Pray for good rest so that we can function at our best.

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Recuperating from Trip

Friday, April 10th, 2009

It’s April 10, and we’re home! It’s great to be back despite the waves of jet lag fatigue that roll over me as I unpack, do laundry, sort the mail, answer emails, and run errands.

I’ll jump into the devotional blogging again on Easter Monday morning. In the meantime, enjoy the weekend – celebrate Jesus, the risen Savior who gives hope and meaning to life!

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Journal Entry for Saturday, March 21

Monday, March 23rd, 2009

 

Sometimes I feel like pinching myself to see if I’m living a dream. The women at the retreat are from countries including Mongolia, Mexico, Cuba, the States, Russia, England, Indonesia, and Brazil. I consider myself privileged to mingle with them, learn about their lives, encourage them, pray with them, and laugh with them. They’re a special bunch – many have lived in several cultures, raised their children in foreign countries, and endured multiple moves which have meant saying frequent goodbyes and then having to become re-established again. Courageous women, all!

We did one teaching session in the morning, and then dispersed for lunch in town. We took a beautiful, albeit cold, walk along a promenade to reach this town. Four of us found a little restaurant called “The Hairdressers.” I half expected to smell the odor of perm solution, but that wasn’t the case. Nope, no perm solution, but plenty of cigarette smoke.

Wahoo! The ladies have arrived!

Wahoo! The ladies have arrived!

Small group discussion time

Small group discussion time

The view as we walked towards the village from the hotel.

The view as we walked towards the village from the hotel.

 

We  returned to the hotel by 4:30 for the second session and a lovely banquet-type meal. Afterwards, I had the privilege of speaking one-on-one with a couple of women until nearly midnight, listening and praying with them as they asked questions and shared from their hearts.

 Midnight came, but sleep didn’t. My oh my. Jet lag hit big time, and the night was a long one.

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Friday, March 23

Saturday, March 31st, 2007

Flexibility is the keyword, I believe. Within minutes of reaching our destination, we were ushered into a dining room where we were served a meal of rice and lentils – the first of many on this trip. That’s when I learned that I was scheduled to speak at a women’s conference the next day and for 10 minutes in the Sunday church service. Surprise!! By now we’d been awake for nearly 48 hours and our bodies were ready to collapse, but there was no time to rest. A wedding celebration was planned for that evening and we were invited to attend. We had a few minutes to shower (no hot showers here, but then, who’d want a hot shower in this heat??) and don fresh clothes.

The wedding bulletin said the groom was scheduled to arrive at 4:30. Some folks told us the ceremony would begin at 5:00; others told us we could show up at 5:30. When the ceremony actually began, there were about 20 people present. Within a half hour, another 40 or 50 had wandered in. The bride, a converted Hindu, wore a white satin sari with gold embroidery and the groom looked handsome in his black suit. They celebrated their marriage with a western ceremony, complete with signing the register. Midway through the service, however, Gene and I began nodding off.

Rather than embarrass ourselves by snoring through the reception, we excused ourselves and stumbled to our room that was, thankfully, air-conditioned. We bid each other goodnight and collapsed in bed, stared at by a curious five-inch gecko on the wall. If I was to be bright-eyed, or at least coherent, for the next day’s conference, I’d need a good night’s sleep.

Guess what? Even with the help of a sleeping pill, I slept only three or four hours. Jet lag was doing its thing on my body and my brain. Wide awake in the middle of the night, my thoughts flitted from one thing to another. And I began to worry about having enough energy to last the day. Only by God’s strength would I be able to speak for three sessions on Saturday morning.

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