Rain. It seems as if that was always the weather forecast especially on days that we really needed sunshine. And this year, when we got rain, we didn’t just get a few sprinkles, it really poured, all day. . . This last weekend brought the evidence of Hurricane Ike, turning fields of grain into lakes. We have already spent many days and lots of fuel, pumping water out of our fields earlier this summer, but this time, there just wasn’t any point. Welcome to the life of a farmer!
I’m finding many similarities between farm life and this World Race I’m about to begin. Yesterday, I was helping dad grease the combine, which may seem kinda funny since our fields are either lakes or a muddy mess. Yet this task needed to be done in preparation for harvest and for maintenance. Likewise, we are preparing ourselves spiritually and emotionally so that we will be ready when needed for the Lord’s harvest. Or for instance, this morning we rounded up and loaded several steers to take to market. This one steer just would not corporate, even to the point of charging one of us without backing down. Funny how a part of us can relate to this steer. I am so excited about this opportunity, but part of me just keeps holding on to this season of my life.
We’ve been told this World Race requires us to be flexible, adapt to our situations, and expect the unexpected. Sounds really familiar to living on the farm. We could plan all day long or even all week, but that certainly doesn’t mean those plans will happen. Hay and straw season was a perfect example of this. The forecast would be clear for a couple days so we would cut hay, then it would rain, ruining our hay. Or when we needed to harvest wheat, our fields were muddy so we spent precious time pulling equipment out of the mud. Or now we should be shelling corn, but our corn isn’t ready and the fields are wet. On the World Race, these same principles will hold. We may have many plans, but must be ready to make changes to adapt to situations, whether those changes deal with ministry, food we eat, or where we will sleep. Though I’m sure that many times our plans will prove inadequate when compared to what actually happens, thank goodness our God can see the bigger picture. Our frustrations at the moment may call for thanksgiving at a later date.
Now, I’m not saying that farm life is all stress. I wouldn’t trade my years of being raised on a farm for any other childhood. The long days we spent in the hayfield only lead to satisfaction of a hard day’s work. Many evenings we would share pizza or spagetti at the barn, sitting on hay wagons, enjoying each others company. The week of the county fair is one of my favorite summer memories. After working with our steers for several months, we finally got to show them at the fair. Then of course, there were the water fights and nights spent sleeping at the “Swine Hotel”, a bed of straw bales covered in blankets in the swine barn. All these memories and I haven’t even mentioned 4-H and FFA activities.Yes, I have been blessed and now as I head out in less than 2 weeks
I have no doubts that God will bless me even more.
I have no doubts that God will bless me even more.
My only hope is that I will fulfill the purpose He has for me on this journey,
that I will be Jesus with skin on,
that I will make a difference for the Kingdom of God.
God has BIG plans for this World Race. I am excited about sharing in community with my new family. I am excited about the new things I will experience and learn. I am excited about how God will useme and shape me as I reach out to His children.
I am excited that God has chosen me to go as His witness to the nations.
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