A lovely day!

Its a lovely day to work and enjoy. Yes I used both those words in the same sentence. On purpose. Intentionally. First of all it is simply a lovely day. I am alive, the sun is shining (literally and figuratively), pollution is very low (rare here) since we have this nice breeze blowing, the cafe has their mist/humidifying system going, I have a great meeting taking place, followed by a vid conference with Cambodia/clients, followed by a vid conference to Ukraine, followed by a nice Honduran . . . well you get the picture.

I am alive, and I can choose, and I can decide, and I can change some things in the world. I can make some things better for some folks today. I can change parts of the world today. I can point people toward Eternity filled with God and Hope. It is a lovely day to work and enjoy!

There is that

A hot summer day, quiet and calm. Too much to think about and too much to consider. How to focus in that which produces the most good, that which is most significant and meaningful?

Contrast that with the mall nearby. People walking about dressed to the nines, mostly worried about the fashion statement they are making. And they ARE making fashion statements!

Worrying about what other people think is a powerfully disrupting force. To see and be seen? There is that. Or to create something powerful and moving? There is that!

Avoid this fatal mistake

There is so much fun going on with the English camps we are having in three locations in Macedonia this year. Tons of pics posted on Facebook. The team from York is doing a fantastic job. The volunteers from all three locations are super!

This kind of synergy requires tons of preparation though. It usually only comes about through a deep confidence in the person making the promise, the person who is going to deliver the results, the person bringing all the elements together. That kind of confidence can't be built in a short amount of time.

It takes years of delivering what you promise and more. Our foundational premise for delivering our commitments is “under-promise and over-deliver.” It is a perfect contrast to practically every American that walks through this part of the world. They promise everything and deliver little. 20 years abroad, and we see this fatal mistake happen endlessly. My wife has delivered the goods for decades here = three great camps!

Moments that take a decade to enjoy

Sitting in a building I spent years of my life building, listening to the stampede of kids running up and down the stairwells as they excitedly switch positions from crafts to sports and games. They have already had their first bible lesson, and learned some new songs, and when they finish their current class, they will begin their English lesson.

It is weird to be "sitting" here. I haven't done much sitting here. But I have sweated much, cried some, worked long long weeks and months every summer, while we built this place one step at a time. Watched and loved team after team come through here and work their vacations for free and even pay for the materials we used at each step. Remembering the many mornings that Pastor Sasho and I stood together, in misery because we did not have another single denar (penny) between us and we had no idea where the next one might come from . . . and then later that morning see God supply everything we could possibly use that day.

Experienced tragedy here, a collapsing deep trench, two friends dead, the worst kind of accident, no one really at fault, while all of us feel that we are in some manner. It changed us all. Nothing has been the same since. Some things better (more clarity) some things worse (court case and such). But here the building stands, and it is full of children from the neighborhood, having a grand time, learning about English, Jesus and and themselves. The place is alive and being used. This moment is worth much. The very best kind of chaos in the whole world.