August 22 – “Otters and dolphins and a Kemp’s Ridley Sea Turtle”

And so one memory at a time they began.  With the proud Queen herself ever at the ready to make decisions, item after item made its way past her outpost.  With tear-stained cheeks and a brave resolve, she nodded her silent good-byes.  Often she joined those tasked with tirelessly scrubbing those items deemed salvageable.  Tools wore down, often more quickly than did the spirits of the intense crew.  More help from afar began to arrive in waves of earnest workers, or loads of food, tools, and supplies.    And it was after one of these charitable deliveries that the Queen and I were approached with a simple question.  Simple, yet it struck us to the core.  "Where?" they asked, innocently, "where are you staying when you are not here working?"  A straightforward query.  Certainly deserving of an answer.  How difficult could it be?   Yet an answer had we none.  For it was only at that moment that we realized our place of lodging would no longer be available … in but four days.  Where, indeed?  We had no place to go, save miles and miles away.  Perhaps to board with distant cousins or more distant friends at their, well, distant realms.  Surely one would have us.  Perhaps a time with one and then a move to another.  Who should receive that first message, the initial, certain-to-be-tear-stained plea?  How could we think of such things when we have so much yet to accomplish here?    The dear one standing before us said nothing more.  But the pain in her eyes was more than simply a reaction to the panic in ours.  She quietly nodded.  And quietly walked away.  Understanding.  And grieving with us.  And more.   We played with play dough today in worship.  It's amazing the different things people can come up with when you give them a tiny little can of play dough.  I made an otter.  At least it looked like an otter to me.  The scientists in the group had some questions about it.  One little girl made a great Kemp's Ridley sea turtle.  Someone put a dolphin on the podium.  I saw the grapes of wrath, a key, a stick figure baby Jesus, and even a fairy with wings and everything.    The teaching was on God as Maker of Heaven and Earth.  Made for a fun introduction, and everybody had something to do with their hands so they wouldn't fall asleep.   We also had an open house for the school this afternoon.  Not a lot of traffic, but the ones who did come were very impressed with the building.  It's not a finished product by any means, but the guy who heads up the association of Baptist churches in the Galveston area said it was the best facility he had yet seen for doing ministry in the entire Galveston region.  He's right.   As I prayed for Chris the last few days, whenever I got to actually going down there to visit, I got a real check in my spirit.  It was as if the Lord was indicating that going was fine, but not to spend the night.  That would be a deviation from the arrangement over the last few weks, but I was willing.  I didn't want to hurt Chris, though, so I texted her this afternoon to see if there was some reason I might be getting an impression like that from God, or was I just being typically crazy.    She responded that it was actually an unbelievable answer to prayer.  She said that she thought her Mom would handle things better if there were not any "extras" in the house at night, but she didn't know how to ask me without it sounding like she didn't want me there.  She's pretty much exhausted, and the tension is really carrying her to a breaking point.  I assured her that we would work out a day trip early in the week.    As the day wears on, the good ol' arthritis is tuning back up.  I still haven't taken one of the new pills during the day.  But there is definitely one in my immediate future.  I'll try to hold off so it will last all night.    Romans 8:37-39 says, "No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38 For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, 39 neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord."   Father, just keep us connected to you.  That's all.  Amen.