Ryan & Jordan

with Pioneer Bible Translators

Month: September, 2013

September 20, 2013

There & Back Again: Day 14

by Jordee

We are nearing the end of our trip (and the end of this series of posts), feeling like we are now going back again. On the morning of day 14, though, we agreed to take the long way home.

This meant heading east, leaving Idaho and entering the beautiful state of Montana. A Canadian friend of ours told us that going to Montana made her love America, and we can see why. We drove up the Going-to-the-Sun Road through Glacier Mountain National Park, feeling small and wanting to soak in all the beauty–to drink it up and remember it. I have seen beautiful mountains before, but these were breath-taking. We thanked our Creator.

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We saw mountain goats and two grizzlies (from a comfortable distance) and made it to our campsite around dinner time. We drove into the town of St. Mary, Montana (population 4 or so) to eat at a seasonal diner. Saturated by the dinner and all the beautiful landscapes, we drove back to our tent and slept.  Content.

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September 14, 2013

There & Back Again: not quite yet

by ryan

We’re interrupting our road trip recounting because our hearts are heavy.

Would you please pray for justice & peace in Syria?

Would you please pray for peace in Lebanon and in the nation-state of Israel?

This world is full of pain & sorrow, and yet in the midst of it all we can be surprised by Joy Himself.  Grace.  And in that moment God draws us closer to himself.  As the Syrian civil war has been raging, I have often been convicted about my priorities.  So often I am self-focused and running about because of things that don’t really matter much.

All of this reminds me of a conversation a group of us had this week with Brian Doerksen and Dorothy M. Peters.  Many of the Hebrew songs in the Bible come out of a state of anguish or lament (Psalms 3,5,6,7,10, 137 to list a few), yet we do not often sing these songs (ever listen to “Christian” radio?).   Often the Psalms are an intertwining of praise & faith in the midst of pain, or praise because God has delivered (Psalm 30 for example).  Let us learn from the psalmists, singing new songs to God in confident trust not hiding our tears or fears, knowing he is the Sovereign One.  Even in our pain & mourning.  His mercies are new each morning (Lamentations).  And his faithfulness?  Psalm 36.

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September 10, 2013

There & Back Again: Day 13

by ryan

Cousins!

Did you know children are people?  And they aren’t that much younger than us in the grand scheme of things.  We can learn from them.  Children are one source of God’s grace in this world, his undeserved blessing to us.

We’re at my cousin’s house, she’s married and her husband’s parents, brother & his family of four join us for boisterous fun & feasting.  My cousin and her husband have a wonderful daughter also–and we really like her.  A lot.

Three kiddos are running around now.  One is race car driver, one is a great hugger, and one is a picture-book connoisseur.  And three of them are precious.

 

 

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