Dear friend, you are faithful in what you are doing for the brothers,
even though they are strangers to you.
3 John 5
even though they are strangers to you.
3 John 5
I'm filling out forms for Esrom and Deborah to help them get a job in the Bethlehem School District. Background checks for the FBI, stuff like that. I'm still not sure if Esrom is his first name or last. I put it as last on the form. I think that's right.
In only a little under a year in America, they are doing quite well. Esrom has been working regularly at the South Mall, Enock has been working at the Fairgrounds, and Celestin (from the other family) has been working at Liberty Recycling. Not once have I heard a bad report about anything work related. (The Bethlehem School District jobs would provide the opportunity to move into a full-time with benefits position).
The whole crew is now the Solid Rock church cleaning team, Zawadi and Louange are attending AWANA on Thursday nights, Esrom preached a few months ago and will be a guest at our leadership team meeting this Sunday...they have effectively become part of the Solid Rock family (we need to get them up to sing again!).
It hasn't been an easy road, but they've never been without a smile. They still carry wounds from the bitterness they've left behind. They are still adjusting to a completly new world. They still don't have a whole heck of a lot. But with all that said, I still find myself envious of them at times, because their love for Jesus is so uncomplicated.
I know, I know...be careful of what you ask for because you just might get it. But herein lies the tension in which I find myself. I'm addicted to my life and the comforts thereof. Some people say "I could give it all up easily." I don't know if I could. Yet at the same time I really do believe that the way of the Master does not involve half the stuff I think I need to be happy. I really do believe that.
Now... please go away so I can listen to my high-definiton worship CD and eat cereal in my warm house. And of course, write some emails or take calls from any of the 4 phone numbers that ring in this house.
grace & blessings
pjim
PS. Please remember to pray for Enoch. He has been having real problems with his ears and his hearing has gotten very bad. Almost deaf bad. Last I heard he was going to have tubes put in his ears but the medics were not even sure that would help.
I know one thing I can't give up...the chocolate chunk peanut butter ice cream I'm eating right now. Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm!
ReplyDeleteYour entry made me think about The Brian Miller Journey: Up until about 6 years ago, my relationship with Jesus was definitely up and down... when I was in crisis my relationship with Jesus was intensified; and when my life was comfortable my relationship with Jesus became stagnate. However, I have found over the past 6 years my relationship with Jesus has been maintained at a consistent intimate level. I think it has been this way because the hours I work and demands of my past job and present job intensified in every way (more hours, more daily demands, rapid changes, more uncertainty); so I'm constantly seeking His peace and wisdom on a moment by moment basis. Crisis breeds reliance. I’ve realized that when I’m suffering, my walk with Jesus is sweeter….it’s closer. I also have an opportunity to share in the “fellowship of His sufferings (Phil. 3:10). And these past several years I've been more reliant than ever...out of necessity I must admit. Remember the scene in the movie, Officer & a Gentleman, where Richard Gere, an OCS candidate who is being drilled in the pouring rain by his sergeant (played by Louis Gossett) because he wants Gere to drop out of OCS? Gossett is making Gere run in circles, do pushups and sit-ups in the mud while Gossett yells and screams at Gere to quit until he (Gere) finally breaks down and begins to uncontrollably sob saying, "I can't quit...I have no where else to go...I have no where else to go." That's me when it comes to seeking Jesus. I have no one else to turn to…to help me in the daily challenges I face. And I realize I'm only a second away from another crisis occurring. This morning the crisis was an employee who became ill just as I arrived to work at 6:15 AM. She had trouble breathing due to an asthma attack so off I ran to the plant to examine her and make a decision as to the proper course of action. And I prayed to Jesus to help me discern her condition and determine what to do...call an ambulance? Drive her to the hospital myself? Refer her to her family physician? Or send her back to work? All of these possibilities went through my head. I ended up driving her to the ER after I calmed her down and saw she was breathing OK. If I don't make the right decision, both I and company may be liable. On a daily basis I have numerous employee issues to deal with (conflicts, complaints, EE issues outside work that affect their work, etc). Again I must listen to the stories and then make decisions that are fair and consistent so I don't risk discrimination charges. How can I handle all these issues without seeking God's help and direction? I know I'm not wise enough to handle them on my own (and I’m sure not “pretty” enough to get by on my looks!). I need God more than ever before. And maybe instead of asking Him to release me from sufferings or question Him on why I am suffering (which is really a self-centered demand/question and has its roots in self-pity), I need to see it as a way to understand how Jesus suffered for me…a shared experience that will lead me into an even more intimate relationship with my Lord.
ReplyDelete