On sums in the universe

Last night as we put the kids to bed, there was significant unhappiness expressed about the fact that Scott is traveling to Sudan for almost two weeks.  Quite reasonably they did not relish the idea of being home alone with me!  In that moment we were reminded that this is not a zero sum universe, where someone always loses if another gains.  The balance of good and bad, of forces for good and evil, goes beyond what we can see and plan.  The trip can bring about good for the plans of World Harvest to move into this war-ravaged country, and our family can still be intact and healthy and thriving.  At least that’s what I believe in print; in my heart I’m probably feeling just like the kids were.  Kim and our field director Robert Carr are already in Goli, and Michael and Scott drove to Kampala today to fly up to meet them in Sudan tomorrow.  In addition to Goli and Yei, over the following ten days they will be in Rumbek, Aweil, and Bor, hoping that tongue-tripping names on a map translate into real people who stretch our concept of God’s grace, real places of beauty and need, real vision for the role of our tiny mission.

Meanwhile back on the home front we’re meeting for short daily prayer times that God would lead through this trip, and for our own needs here (Psalm 91!).  The whole doctor/parent/team leader/remote living package challenges us as a two-person partnership, so compressing down to one leaves me feeling weak.  Scott’s last to-do list item was a phone call to a supporter that he’d been meaning to make for some time, and did not want to leave undone as he packed last night.  This turned into an invitation for us to write up a proposal for major new funding for the desperate needs at Christ School.  Not yet a done deal clearly, but a very promising open door, and in God’s tenderness timed well to remind us of His provisions for all our needs.  

The One who infuses the cosmos with energy move money and glory using a higher math.