Into the Mouth of Madness

This honestly has been one of those times where I could easily pack it in with this blog and quit for good.  It has been a very difficult week for us as a family.  We had a friend whom we’ve known for some time descend deeper and deeper into terrible mental illness.  I’m not at liberty to discuss all the details but let me say it has been deeply disturbing and a shock.  I have dealt with such things before as a minister but seeing someone this close go so far into madness has been a terrible blow to us all.  Neither we nor trained therapists and psychologists have yet been able to pierce the dark world our friend is in now but we continue to hold out our faith and pray.  Some of you may know that we are planning many trips this year.  This has also been a really challenge and stretching for our faith.  We will be leaving soon to Chicago for some meetings in a Ghanaian church and we intend to go back to Ireland in April.  My daughter will begin driving lessons this summer and by next fall we intend to head back to the Philippines. Follow the news and you know this is a very dangerous place these days and our family will be there for two months…one month we will prepare for a missionary team to follow by securing housing and setting up banking etc.  Lovely and I have done this before but this time things have gotten worse and we will bring Gabby for her first time there.  All of this we bring before God…we have no intention of quitting but admittedly I sometimes wonder if it’s worth putting it here…I guess for now I’ll remain.  I have been very annoyed that the file hosting site I normally use is screwed up so I can’t put my own music here.  I have no idea if they’ll fix it so for now it’s a mix of things I could find and that’s how it will stay for the time being.

 

Until I get through my pictures from Ghana I’ll keep plugging away.  The bitter cold and snow here returned with a vengeance and it does nothing to inspire me to take pictures…at least not just yet.  You know what I miss?  Green…grass, trees and of course the heat that accompanies green!  One thing that I love about living here in Montana is we can walk still…no fear of the crimes that stalk much of the world today…and no tall fences with their intimidating gates.  Ghana may have the high walls and gates but they also have such beautiful flowers and trees with exotic bark on their trunks.  It’s hard to walk anywhere without seeing a wonderful blossoming tree or bush…this I miss very much.  By God’s grace we’ll return to Ghana next January…then I can put even my dear friends in California to shame while they brag of sixty degree weather I’ll be in my shorts on a beach!  Ghana always has interesting things to see and things that I love to try.  You can always see someone selling their fare…this man had a lot of luggage for sale…he didn’t have enough hands to carry it all so he found a way.  This is dear Hans who is the youth pastor in my African brother’s church.  He worked tirelessly to capture Gabby’s favor.  We love him so very much.  We look forward to the time when we can return…not just for the weather and flowers you see!  There are times when I wish I were a botanist instead of one more failed gardener with a black thumb.  I often wonder if I could actually make something grow in counties like this.  If I could have a garden I think I’d include everything I couldn’t grow hereand that would include the majestic palms that may not have fruit but look so very amazing.  For now I can only dream of such things but you never know.  Stepping out your door can be a very dangerous thing because once your feet start walking down that path only God can tell where you’re going to end up!