sacrifice

Sacrifice?

We’re on a short home visit to the US. When we come to America we live in a small town of 5000 people. This year we’ve met lots of new neighbors as we’ve attended to the necessary details and repairs to our car and home. When we tell them what we do overseas, some have said, “Thank you for your sacrifice.” We usually say something like, “We really love what we are doing.”

But in my mind I say, “Sacrifice? What sacrifice? We live in a nice condo with manicured gardens. We live in a modern city where we can buy almost anything we want and all we need. The common language is English. Even if I lived in the States I probably wouldn’t get to see my kids and grandkids more often than I do while serving overseas.”

In the light of what many of my PW sisters face, I really don’t feel very sacrificial. But then, is that really the issue? Does living in the bush and reading by candlelight really please God more? Is living through a civil war or being deported because of beliefs the measure of commitment?

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A Mother’s Sacrifice

Since Mother’s day is close, and since so many of my readers are special moms in special places, I wanted to send something about being a mother. On my personal Mother’s Day I will speak at a camp. Part of the message is about generosity. Then I found this chapter of Sue Eenigenburg’s newest book, More Screams, Different Deserts, and I knew I had the right thing to share with you.

Maybe Sue’s words will bring back some memories, both sweet and bittersweet, but mostly I hope you find yourself smiling, with maybe a knowing chuckle or two. Enjoy.

“We could find some chocolate in our host city, but not Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups or Hershey bars or Nestle’s chocolate chips. My parents were kind enough to send us care packages filled with all kinds of goodies. We would ration one bag of chocolate chips to make three batches of chocolate-chip cookies rather than using them all for just one batch as the recipe recommended. We could hardly imagine using the whole package all at once! Rationing became a habit.

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Not My Toothbrush

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I woke this morning in a grumpy mood. My husband had planned a meeting with a local pastor around lunch time. She asked if we could meet at our house and then suggested the menu for lunch. I knew that now it was not just the two to three hours she would be there to talk, but also the preparation time for the meal. My attitude was not very charitable.

After starting the meal, I came to my office to see if there was anything already in print that I could use for Peter’s Wife this month. I am recovering from a two week bout of flu that put me way behind on my preparations. I picked up Sue Eenigenburg’s book, Screams in the Desert. It is a book of stories and devotions about living cross culturally. I leafed through the book and was intrigued by the title, I Gave God My Life, But Not My Toothbrush. After reading the chapter, laughing and groaning, I had to change my attitude about our lunch appointment. Actually, it was the best time we have had with this sister.

Blessings!
Diane

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Be Blessed

Sacrifices

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“Thank you for coming; you’ve sacrificed so much to be here,” a sweet-faced, old Chinese woman said to me. Thoughts scurried through my mind: “It isn’t hard here. I don’t have to live in the bush with hot and cold running snakes. I didn’t have to learn another language. I haven’t sacrificed at all!” But with a smile, I answered her, “I’m happy I can be here.” And I truly am!

Jesus promises blessing for those who follow him to new homes outside their cultures: “Mark my words, no one who sacrifices house, brothers, sisters, mother, father, children, land–whatever–because of me and the Message will lose out. They’ll get it all back, but multiplied many times in homes, brothers, sisters, mothers, children, and land–but also in troubles. And then the bonus of eternal life!” (Mark 10:29-30 MSG)

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